TiredRat

Hawick

2005-04-05T02:36:00.000-07:00

Small burgh (town), largest town in the Scottish Borders council area of southeastern Scotland, in the historic county of Roxburghshire. It lies at the confluence of the Rivers Slitrig and Teviot 15 miles (24 km) from the English border. Border skirmishes were frequent in Hawick's history, and in 1570 the town was almost completely burned down. The only building to survive was the

Berg, Gertrude

2005-04-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

In December 1918, while enrolled in a playwriting extension course at Columbia University, Gertrude Edelstein met and married Lewis Berg. Having begun

Fabricius, Johannes

2005-04-04T02:17:00.000-07:00

Dutch astronomer who may have been the first observer of sunspots (1610/1611) and was the first to publish information on such observations. He did so in his Narratio de maculis in sole observatis et apparente earum cum sole conversione (1611; “Account of Spots Observed on the Sun and of Their Apparent Rotation with the Sun”). The son of the astronomer David Fabricius,

France, History Of, Early Frankish period

2005-04-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

In the second quarter of the 5th century, various groups of Franks moved southward toward the middle Rhine area (Cologne), the lower branches of the Moselle and Meuse, and the Atlantic coastal region. In the latter area, separate groups took possession of Tournai and Cambrai and reached the Somme. These Franks along the coast were divided into many small kingdoms. One

Wicklow

2005-04-03T01:56:00.000-08:00

Irish Cill Mhantáin county in the province of Leinster, Ireland. With an area of 782 sq mi (2,025 sq km), it is bounded on the east by the Irish Sea and by Counties Wexford (south), Carlow and Kildare (west), and Dublin (north). County Wicklow includes much of the Leinster Chain mountain range, notably the Wicklow Mountains, and has fertile lowland areas. Much of its coast comprises rocky cliffs and excellent

Sorbon, Robert De

2005-04-02T01:51:00.000-08:00

Born into a poor rural family, Sorbon was educated in Reims and in Paris, where his piety and diligence drew the patronage of the comte d'Artois and King Louis IX. In 1251 he became canon

R.e.m.

2005-04-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

Santa-clara

2005-04-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

Cape situated on the Atlantic coast of northwestern Gabon, Africa. Extending south from the larger peninsula that separates the Gabon estuary from Corisco Bay, the cape juts into the mouth of the estuary. Santa-Clara is located 12 miles (20 km) north of Libreville and just north of Owendo, one of Gabon's major ports. Like Cape Esterias, still farther north, Santa-Clara has fine

Earth, The cause of plate motions

2005-03-31T02:35:00.000-08:00

Plates are thought to move in response to the movement of convection currents. These currents cause a vertical transfer of heat through a mass movement of material. In the Earth, the material that is moving vertically is mantle material, which contains about 5 percent magma between crystalline solids. This amount of liquid allows the mantle material to move more

Moreau, (jean-) Victor (-marie)

2005-03-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

The son of a lawyer, Moreau studied law at Rennes, where, in 1788, he led a student riot in protest against King Louis XVI's attempts to restrict the authority of the Parlements (high courts of justice). Moreau welcomed the

Fischer, Johann Michael

2005-03-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

Fischer was trained by his father, a mason. As an apprentice in Bohemia and Moravia beginning in 1713, he became familiar with the churches of the Dientzenhofer family and returned to Munich in 1718 to become

Industrial Polymers, Major, Polyimides

2005-03-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

Polyimides are polymers that usually consist of aromatic rings coupled by imide linkages—that is, linkages in which two carbonyl (CO) groups are attached to the same nitrogen (N) atom. There are two categories of these polymers, condensation and addition. The former are made by step-growth polymerization and are linear in structure; the latter are synthesized by heat-activated

Disbarment

2005-03-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Grounds for disbarment vary considerably from country to country, but, in general, conviction of an attorney for a major crime or a

Biblical Literature, The Wisdom of Solomon

2005-03-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

The other deuterocanonical wisdom book, the Wisdom of Solomon, was written in Greek, though it purports to have been written by King Solomon himself. The hypothesis that the first half of the book was translated from Hebrew seems to be without foundation and probably came into existence because, in this section, the author imitated in Greek the Old Testament poetical

San Felipe

2005-03-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

Historic town, Austin county, southeastern Texas, U.S. It lies along the Brazos River, some 45 miles (70 km) west of Houston. Known as the “birthplace of Anglo-American settlement in Texas,” it was founded in 1824 as headquarters for the colony of Stephen Austin, who there first employed the Texas Rangers as a defense force. In 1829 the colony, then known as San Felipe de Austin, published the

Albano, Lake

2005-03-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

Italian Lago Albano, crater lake in the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), southeast of Rome. Elliptical in shape, formed by the fusion of two ancient volcanic craters, it lies 961 feet (293 m) above sea level and has an area of 2 square miles (5 square km) and a maximum depth of 558 feet (170 m). It is fed by underground sources and drained by an artificial outlet, reputedly built in 398–397 BC because the oracle at Delphi said that the

Sporophyte

2005-03-26T03:27:00.000-08:00

In certain plants and algae, nonsexual phase (or an individual representing the phase) in the alternation of generations—a phenomenon in which two distinct phases (a haploid and a diploid phase) occur in the life history of a plant, each phase producing the other. (The alternate, sexual phase is the gametophyte.) In the sporophyte phase, a diploid plant body grows and eventually

Religious Symbolism And Iconography, Relation to the literary and visual arts

2005-03-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

Religious symbols and pictures may be identical with, related to, or similar to those of language (metaphors) and to pictorial expressions in prose and poetry. They are related in allegory, parable, fairy tales, fables, and legends in which they can appear in a form that is closely related to that of religious symbolism. Religious symbols are used in the plastic arts, in

Antarctica, Birds

2005-03-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

About 45 species of birds live south of the Antarctic Convergence, but only three—the emperor penguin (see photograph), Antarctic petrel, and South Polar (McCormick's) skua—breed exclusively on the continent or on nearby islands. An absence of mammalian land predators and the rich offshore food supply make Antarctic coasts a haven for immense seabird

Abruzzo, Ben L.

2005-03-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Abruzzo graduated from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) in 1952 and served two years in the U.S. Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M. (1952–54). He settled in Albuquerque

La Fayette, Gilbert Motier De

2005-03-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

After serving in Italy under Marshal Jean le Meingre Boucicaut in 1409, he became steward of the Bourbonnais. In the wars with England, Jean I, duc de Bourbon, made him lieutenant general in Languedoc and Guyenne. After victories over the English and the Burgundians

Hindustani Music

2005-03-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

The music of northern India and Pakistan that developed as a distinct type from the late 12th or early 13th century, when the Islamic conquest of the northern parts of the subcontinent brought special emphasis to Arabic and Iranian musical practices, which merged with ancient Hindu traditions. The latter traditions, less affected by foreign influences, remain in the

Ghazan, Mahmud

2005-03-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

Most prominent of the Il-Khans (subordinate khans) to rule the Mongol dynasty in Iran. Reigning from 1295 to 1304, he is best known for the conversion of his state to Islam and his wars against Egypt.

Tribe

2005-03-21T03:54:00.000-08:00

Latin Tribus, plural Tribi, in Roman history, a unit of the Roman state. The first Roman tribes were probably ethnic in origin and consisted of the Titienses (Tities), Ramnenses (Ramnes), and Luceres. They were superseded by the creation of new local tribes (date uncertain) consisting of 4 urban tribes and 16 rural, or rustic, tribes. The latter were probably named after pagi (country districts) that were,

Dahna', Ad-

2005-03-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “desert”), great arc of reddish sandy desert, central Saudi Arabia, extending about 800 miles (1,300 km) southward from the northeastern edge of an-Nafud (desert) to the northwestern borders of the desert Rub' al-Khali (the Empty Quarter). Thus, ad-Dahna' links the great deserts of Saudi Arabia. It consists of seven major sand ridges, which are separated from one another by plains. It

Annelid, Behaviour and associations.

2005-03-20T04:35:00.000-08:00

Various polychaetes (for example, Syllis, Chaetopterus, Cirratulus, Terebella) are bioluminescent—that is, capable of producing light. The phenomenon occurs within the cells of Polynoe; the lower surfaces of some scale worms (Halosydna) have special photocells that produce light when stimulated. Odontosyllis light production is related to sexual maturity and

Wryneck

2005-03-20T02:24:00.000-08:00

Either of two species of birds that constitute the subfamily Jynginae of the woodpecker family (Picidae) but may be separated as the family Jyngidae. Wrynecks are gray-brown birds of open woods and brushlands, named for their habit of twisting their necks snakily when alarmed. They flick up ants from the ground or insects from trees with their long tongues, and they

Este, House Of

2005-03-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

Princely family of Lombard origin that played a great part in the history of medieval and Renaissance Italy. It first came to the front in the wars between the Guelfs and Ghibellines during the 13th century. As leaders of the Guelfs, Estensi princes received at different times Ferrara, Modena, Reggio, and other fiefs and territories. Members of the family ruled in Ferrara

Yuma Desert

2005-03-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

The Yuma Desert is a region of low sandy plains and dunes. The area is nearly barren,

Butaritari Atoll

2005-03-18T02:04:00.000-08:00

Also called Makin Atoll, formerly Pitt Island, coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Located in the northern Gilberts, it comprises a central lagoon (11 miles [18 km] wide) ringed by islets, with a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 square km), which provides a good deep anchorage with three passages to the open sea. Occupied by Japanese forces from 1941 to 1943, the atoll served as a U.S. air and naval

Gerizim, Mount

2005-03-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jabal At-tur, Hebrew Har Gerizim, mountain in Samaria, central Palestine, just south of Nabulus and the site of biblical Shechem. In modern times, it was in mandated Palestine 1923–48, and subsequently in Jordan 1950–67. Since 1967, it has been part of the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria) territory under Israeli administration. Rising to 2,890 ft (881 m) above sea level, it is a twin of Mt. Ebal (Hebrew Har 'Eval, Arabic Jabal 'Aybal; 3,084 ft [940 m]) just north.

Vihari

2005-03-16T02:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vehari, town, south-central Punjab province, Pakistan. The town lies on a flat alluvial plain bordered by the Sutlej River on the southeast. It is a market and processing centre for cotton and oilseeds. Wheat, rice, sugarcane, and vegetables are also grown nearby, and there are rice and flour mills in the area. Vihari lies on the main road between Multan and Lahore. Pop. (1981) town, 53,799.

Health And Disease

2005-03-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

In early 2003 a virulent new infectious disease caught the world off guard. The Chinese Ministry of Health reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-February that 305 people in Guangdong province had developed an acute pneumonia-like illness and that 5 of them had died. Laboratory tests had been negative for influenza viruses, anthrax, plague, and other infectious

Paperbark Tree

2005-03-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

Melaleuca quinquenervia, also called punk tree and tea tree, grows to a height of 8 metres (25 feet); it has spongy white bark that peels off in thin layers. M. leucadendron, also called river

Greece, The arts

2005-03-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Against the background of this extraordinary artistic heritage, Greece enjoys a thriving cultural life. It is in the field of literature that Greece has made its greatest contributions. Constantine Cavafy (1863–1933), who lived most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt, is frequently ranked among the great poets of the early 20th century. His poetry is suffused with an ironic nostalgia

Catch-as-catch-can Wrestling

2005-03-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

Basic wrestling style in which nearly all holds and tactics are permitted in both upright and ground wrestling. Rules usually forbid only actions that may injure an opponent, such as strangling, kicking, gouging, and hitting with a closed fist. The object is to force the opponent into a position in which both shoulders touch the ground at the same time. Formerly known

French Literature, Secular drama

2005-03-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

The earliest comic plays extant date from the second half of the 13th century. Le Garçon et

Abu Al-qasim

2005-03-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Abu al-Qasim was court physician to the Spanish caliph 'Abd ar-Rahman III an-Nasir and wrote At-Tasrif liman 'ajaz'an at-Ta'alif, or At-Tasrif (“The Method”), a medical work in

Nova Scotia, Cultural life

2005-03-13T02:32:00.000-08:00

Its geographic position has kept Nova Scotia somewhat removed from the mainstream of Canadian life, centred in Ontario and Quebec. The improvement of transportation, however, and the growing impact of the nationwide communications media have brought the province closer to the mainstream, enhancing a modern life-style in the province and eroding some features

Earth Sciences, Glacier motion and the high-latitude ice sheets

2005-03-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Beginning around 1948, principles and techniques in metallurgy and solid-state physics were brought to bear on the mechanics of glacial movements. Laboratory studies showed that glacial ice deforms like other crystalline solids (such as metals) at temperatures near the melting point. Continued stress produces permanent deformation. In addition to plastic deformation

Zoe

2005-03-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Also called Brotherhood of Theologians in Eastern Orthodoxy, a semimonastic Greek association patterned on Western religious orders. Founded in 1907 by Eusebius Matthopoulos, Zoe (Greek: “Life”) brought together groups of more than 100 unmarried and highly disciplined members, bound by the monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; approximately half of the brothers were ordained priests, and the rest

Judaism, Antirabbinic reactions

2005-03-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

The firm, and on occasion oppressive, tactics of exilarchs and geonim generated antirabbinic reactions, especially in outlying areas where enforcement was difficult, in the form of sectarian and messianic revolts. Inspired in part by ancient Palestinian sectarian doctrines and in part by Muslim usage, the sects were by and large quickly and forcefully suppressed.

Constantine

2005-03-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

Proclaimed emperor by his army in Britain in 407, Constantine crossed to the European continent with a force of British troops; by the end of the year he controlled eastern Gaul. An army dispatched by Honorius laid siege to him in Valentia

Diego, Gerardo

2005-03-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

Diego received a doctorate from the University of Madrid in 1920. During the 1920s he wrote experimental poetry and joined the avant-garde Ultraísmo and Creacionismo movements. He taught for a time in the ancient town of Soria in north-central Spain; the location inspired the

Medicine

2005-03-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

In many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, people get their primary health care, or first-contact care, where available at all, from nonmedically qualified personnel; these cadres of medical auxiliaries are being trained in increasing numbers to meet overwhelming needs among rapidly growing populations. Even among the comparatively wealthy

China, Formation of a rival southern government

2005-03-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, in July Sun Yat-sen, supported by part of the Chinese navy and followed by some 100 members of parliament, attempted to organize a rival government in Canton. The initial costs of this undertaking, termed the Movement to Protect the Constitution, probably were supplied by the German consulate in Shanghai. On August 31 the rump parliament in Canton established

Schein, Johann Hermann

2005-03-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

Schein's father, a teacher and pastor, died when the boy was seven, and the family moved from rural Grunhain back to Dresden, its former home. At 13, he was a soprano

Uzhhorod

2005-03-08T04:03:00.000-08:00

Russian Uzhgorod, also spelled Uzgorod, Hungarian Ungvár, city and administrative centre of Zakarpattya oblast (province), western Ukraine. It is situated along the Uzh River just east of the Slovakian border. It was first mentioned in 903, and its position has long given it trading and military significance. Formerly in Austria-Hungary, it passed to Czechoslovakia in 1919, to Hungary in 1938, back to Czechoslovakia in 1945, and to the Soviet

Mondovì

2005-03-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1198 by refugees from the regional wars between the city-states and communes, it was independent until the 13th century, when it was subordinated to the Angevins (French counts of Anjou). Regaining its freedom in 1290, it fell to Anjou again

Wieland, Heinrich Otto

2005-03-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

Wieland obtained his doctorate at the University of Munich in 1901 and remained in that city to teach and conduct research. He became professor of chemistry at the University of Munich in 1925 and held that post until his

Lutheran Churchmissouri Synod

2005-03-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

Conservative Lutheran church in the United States, organized in Chicago in 1847 by German immigrants from Saxony (settled in Missouri) and Bavaria (settled in Michigan and Indiana) as the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. C.F.W. Walther, a seminary professor and pastor ordained in Germany, was president of the church from 1847 to 1850 and from 1864 to

Anatom

2005-03-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aneityum, southernmost island of Vanuatu, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Volcanic in origin, it has a circumference of 35 miles (56 km) and an area of 25 square miles (65 square km) and rises from a fertile coastal plain and valleys to a height of 2,795 feet (852 m). Anatom was a centre of sandalwooders, whalers, and missionaries in the New Hebrides in the 19th century; its valuable stands of kauri pine were

Syriac Language

2005-03-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Semitic language belonging to the Northern Central, or Northwestern, group; it was an important Christian literary and liturgical language from the 3rd through the 7th century AD. Syriac was based on the East Aramaic dialect of Edessa, Osroëne (present-day Sanliurfa, in southeastern Turkey), which became one of the chief centres of Christianity in the Middle East at the end

Cloud Rat

2005-03-04T22:52:00.000-08:00

Also called cloudrunner any of six species of slow-moving, nocturnal, tree-dwelling rodents found only in Philippine forests. Giant cloud rats belong to the genus Phloeomys (two species), whereas bushy-tailed cloud rats are classified in the genus Crateromys (four species).

Lever Art Gallery

2005-03-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

In full Lady Lever Art Gallery, in Port Sunlight, a model village founded for workers in Bebington, Cheshire (now in Merseyside), Eng. The museum was a gift to the public of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme, as a memorial to his wife, who died in 1913. The building was begun in 1914 and opened in December 1922. The collection of works exhibited at the gallery was formed by Lord Leverhulme and records his personal taste, which

Vratsa

2005-03-04T02:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vratca >, or Vraca town, northwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the northern foothills of the western Balkan Mountains at the point where the Leva River emerges from its picturesque Vratsata gorge. The town was moved to its present position in the early 15th century after the Turks had destroyed a previously standing Bulgarian fortress. Under the Turks, Vratsa was a prosperous trading

Padang

2005-03-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

Kotamadya (municipality) and kabupaten (regency), capital of Sumatera Barat provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. Padang is the chief port on Sumatra's western coast and is now the main city of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. It was the site of Dutch settlements early in the 17th century, and warehouses and a small fort were erected in 1667. The town was held by the British (1812–18) and

Korchnoi, Viktor

2005-03-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

As a youngster, Korchnoi lived through the World War II siege of Leningrad (1941–43). He became a Soviet master in 1951, an international master in 1954, and an international grandmaster

Ziguinchor

2005-03-02T02:55:00.000-08:00

River-port town, southwestern Senegal, lying along the Casamance River. Ziguinchor has long been known and visited by European mariners. In 1457 the Venetian navigator Alvise Ca' da Mosto (Cadamosto), envoy of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, reconnoitred the harbour. In 1886 the Portuguese ceded Ziguinchor to the French. The town's industries include a peanut- (groundnut-)

Satcher, David

2005-03-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 12, 1998, David Satcher was sworn in as the 16th surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service; his confirmation by a wide margin (65-35) in the U.S. Senate two days previously ensured that the post would be filled for the first time in four years. Although some Republican senators attempted to derail voting by citing Satcher's refusal to support legislation against late-term

Legal Profession, Regulation by statutes and bar associations

2005-03-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Since about 1800 most countries have brought their legal professions under systems of statutory control with three main principles: admission to practice automatically and compulsorily makes the lawyer a member of an appropriate professional association; those associations are given substantial powers in relation to legal education, admission to practice,

Frederick Ii

2005-02-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

After joining his uncles John and Adolphus, dukes of

Dada

2005-02-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

Several explanations have been given by various members of the movement as to how it received its name. According to the most widely accepted account, the name was adopted at Hugo Ball's Cabaret Voltaire

Arts, Central Asian

2005-02-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

Aegean Sea

2005-02-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Greek Aigaíon Pélagos, Turkish Ege Deniz, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between the Greek peninsula on the west and Asia Minor on the east. About 380 miles (611 km) long and 186 miles (299 km) wide, it has a total area of some 83,000 square miles (214,000 square km). The Aegean is connected through the straits of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus with the Black Sea, while the island of Crete can be taken as marking its boundary

Davies, Sir John

2005-02-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Oxford, Davies entered the Middle Temple, London, in 1588 and was called to the bar in 1595. Much of his early poetry consisted

Chat

2005-02-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

Australian chats are chiefly Epthianura species, usually placed in the family

Maple Syrup

2005-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

The sweet-water sap from which maple syrup is made is different from

Viper

2005-02-24T04:17:00.000-08:00

Any of about 200 species of venomous snakes of the family Viperidae. Vipers form two groups, or subfamilies, the Viperinae (Old World vipers) and the Crotalinae (pit vipers), considered separate families by some authorities. Vipers are characterized by a pair of long, hollow, venom-injecting fangs attached to movable bones of the upper jaw (the maxillaries) that can be folded

West Bengal Duars

2005-02-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

The West Bengal Duars were ceded to the British by Bhutan in 1863. They constitute a lowland forest belt along the junction between the Himalayan

Haley, Margaret Angela

2005-02-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

Haley attended public and convent schools and from 1876 taught in a succession of schools around Chicago. She was an early member of the Chicago Teachers' Federation, formed in March 1897, and rose quickly in the organization to become

Aleixandre, Vicente

2005-02-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

Aleixandre was the son of a railway engineer. He studied law and business management and from 1920 to 1922 taught commercial law. He became seriously ill in 1925 and during

Han River

2005-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Han Shui, Pinyin Han Shui, one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze River of China. It has a total length of about 952 mi (1,532 km). The Han Shui rises in the Shen-ch'iung Shan (mountains), part of the Mi-t'sang Shan in the north of Ning-ch'iang County in the extreme southwest of Shensi Province. Its upper stream is known successively as the Yü-tai Ho, the Yang Shui, and, below Mien-hsien, the Mien Shui. At Han-chung

Afghanistan, Flag Of

2005-02-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

Since the early 20th century, Afghanistan has had numerous national flags. In 1928 Amanollah Khan, having just returned from a trip to Europe, was determined to introduce modern principles into the country. He chose a tricolour of black for the dark ages of the past, red for the blood shed in the independence struggle, and green for the hope and wealth of the future. Amanollah was

Pittosporaceae

2005-02-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Family of nine genera of trees, shrubs, or vinelike plants, in the order Rosales, distributed from tropical Africa to the Pacific islands. Members of the family have long, leathery, evergreen leaves; resin in stem ducts; and white, blue, yellow, or reddish flowers. Species of the genus Pittosporum are commonly known as Australian laurel. Tobira, or house-blooming mock orange

Crab

2005-02-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Unlike those of other decapods (e.g., shrimp, lobster, crayfish), crabs' tails are curled

Astika

2005-02-20T00:32:00.000-08:00

In Indian philosophy, any orthodox school of thought, defined as one that accepts the authority of the Vedas (sacred scriptures of ancient India); the superiority of the Brahmans (the class of priests), who are the expositors of the law (dharma); and a society made up of the four traditional classes (varna). The six orthodox philosophic systems are those of Samkhya and Yoga,

Young, Frederick Archibald ("freddie")

2005-02-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

British cinematographer whose visual flair and artistry added immeasurably to British films for more than 70 years, beginning with his work as an assistant cameraman on the 1922 silent Rob Roy. He was particularly known for the stunning beauty he brought to a series of films by director David Lean, three of which--Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Dr. Zhivago (1965), and Ryan's Daughter (1970)--earned

Caballero, Fernán

2005-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Her father was Johann Niklaus Böhl von Faber, a German businessman who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a well-known critic of Spanish literature. He moved the family in 1813 to Andalusia, which was the native

Philadelphia Zoological Gardens

2005-02-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

First zoo in the United States, opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874 with an animal inventory of several hundred native and exotic specimens. It was begun and continues to be operated by the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, founded in 1859. In 1868, three years after the end of the American Civil War, a 42-acre (17-hectare) site was selected in Fairmount Park, an architect was sent

Rupert

2005-02-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

A member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, he was chosen king by the German ecclesiastical electors on Aug. 22, 1400, to succeed Wenceslas, who had been deposed the day before by the German princes. After being crowned at Cologne on Jan.

Coal, Properties

2005-02-17T22:48:00.000-08:00

Many of the properties of coal are strongly rank-dependent, although other factors such as maceral composition and the presence of mineral matter also influence its properties. Several techniques have been developed for studying the physical and chemical properties of coal, including density measurements, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron

Sikhism, The Ten Gurus: Nanak and his tradition

2005-02-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

Nanak was born in 1469 in the village of Rai Bhoi di Talvandi, 40 miles (65 kilometres) from Lahore (in present-day Pakistan). His father was a revenue collector belonging to the Bedi (conversant with the Vedas—the revealed scriptures of Hinduism) subcaste of Ksatriyas (Warriors). Nanak received an education in traditional Hindu lore and in the rudiments of Islam. Early in life he began associating

West Germanic Languages

2005-02-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Group of Germanic languages that developed in the region of the North Sea, Rhine-Weser, and Elbe. Out of the many local West Germanic dialects the following six modern standard languages have arisen: English, Frisian, Netherlandic (Dutch-Flemish), Afrikaans, German, and Yiddish.

Aegospotami, Battle Of

2005-02-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

(405 BC), naval victory of Sparta over Athens, final battle of the Peloponnesian War. The fleets of the two Greek rival powers faced each other in the Hellespont for four days without battle, until on the fifth day the Spartans under Lysander surprised the Athenians in their anchorage off Aegospotami. Conon, the Athenian commander, escaped with only 20 of his 180 ships, and the 3,000–4,000 Athenians

Endometriosis

2005-02-15T03:52:00.000-08:00

Rather than flowing out of the uterus by way of the vagina (during menstruation), some fragments of the endometrium may leave via the fallopian tubes and move into the pelvic

Alcoholism

2005-02-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

The conception of inveterate drunkenness as a disease appears to be rooted in antiquity. The Roman philosopher Seneca classified it as a form of insanity. The term alcoholism, however, appeared first in the classical essay “Alcoholismus

'abbas Ii

2005-02-13T23:14:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of his reign, 'Abbas attempted to rule independently of Lord Cromer, the British agent and consul general in Egypt. Encouraged by popular

Kusanagi

2005-02-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “Grass-Mower”), in Japanese mythology, the miraculous sword that the sun goddess Amaterasu gave to her grandson Ninigi when he descended to earth to become ruler of Japan, thus establishing the divine link between the imperial house and the sun. The sword, along with the mirror and jeweled necklace, still forms one of the three Imperial Treasures of Japan. The

Biblical Literature, Anagogical interpretation

2005-02-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

Anagogical (mystical or spiritual) interpretation seeks to explain biblical events or matters of this world so that they relate to the life to come. Jordan is thus interpreted as the river of death; by crossing it one enters into the heavenly Canaan, the better land, the “rest that remains for the people of God.” “The Jerusalem that now is” points to the new Jerusalem that

Mountain, Mountain belts associated with volcanism

2005-02-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

Volcanoes typically form in any of three tectonic settings. At the axes of the mid-ocean ridge system where lithospheric plates diverge, volcanism is common; yet, high-standing volcanoes (above sea level) rarely develop. At subduction zones where one plate of oceanic lithosphere plunges beneath another plate, long linear or arcuate chains of volcanoes and mountain

Tébessa

2005-02-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

Latin Theveste town, northeastern Algeria. It is located 146 miles (235 km) by road south of Annaba and 12 miles (19 km) west of the Tunisian frontier. Tébessa was an outpost of Carthage in the 7th century BC and a Roman garrison town in 146 BC. It declined in the 5th and 6th centuries AD and disappeared from history after the Arab invasion of the 7th century. The Turks stationed a small military garrison there, and, after

Sculpture, Devotional images and narrative sculpture

2005-02-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

The production of devotional images has been one of the sculptor's main tasks, and many of the world's greatest sculptures are of this kind. They include images of Buddha and the Hindu gods; of Christ, the Virgin, and the Christian saints; of Athena, Aphrodite, Zeus, and other Greek gods; and of all the various gods, spirits, and mythical beings of Rome, the ancient Near East, pre-Columbian

Khakass

2005-02-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Khakas, or Hakas, people who have given their name to Khakassia republic in central Russia. The general name Khakass encompasses five Turkic-speaking groups that differ widely in their ethnic origin as well as in their culture and everyday life: the Kacha, Sagay (Sagai), Beltir, Kyzyl, and Koybal. Before the Russian Revolution of 1917 the Kacha were seminomadic pastoralists raising cattle,

Istihsan

2005-02-10T03:45:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “to approve,” or “to sanction”), among Muslim theologians, the use of one's own judgment to determine the best solution to a religious problem that cannot be solved by citing sacred texts. This approach to religious problems found special application as Islam spread to new lands and encountered new environments. Proponents of istihsan believe Muhammad sanctioned

Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics

2005-02-09T03:25:00.000-08:00

(U.S.S.R.) also called Soviet Union Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik , or Sovetsky Soyuz former northern Eurasian empire (1917/22–1991) stretching from the Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean and, in its final years, consisting of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s)–Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia (now Belarus), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kirgiziya (now Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (now Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Aerospace Industry, The first decade

2005-02-09T03:15:00.000-08:00

The origin of the aerospace industry dates to 1903 when Wilbur and Orville Wright demonstrated an airplane capable of powered, sustained flight (see Wright flyer of 1903). The Wright brothers' success was due to detailed research and an excellent engineering-and-development approach. Their breakthrough innovation was a pilot-operated warping (twisting) of the wings to provide

Dominic, Saint

2005-02-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Spanish in full Santo Domingo De Guzmán founder of the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans), a religious order of mendicant friars with a universal mission of preaching, a centralized organization and government, and a great emphasis on scholarship.

Asahara, Shoko

2005-02-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

Chizuo Matsumoto, who changed his name to Shoko Asahara, was born in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan,

Lancet, The

2005-02-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

British medical journal established in 1823. The journal's founder and first editor was Thomas Wakley, considered at the time to be a radical reformer. Wakley stated the intent of the new journal was to report on the metropolitan hospital lectures and to describe the important cases of the day. The Lancet has since played an important role in medical and hospital reform