ElectricPipe

Hokusai

2005-04-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

In full Katsushika Hokusai , professional names Shunro, Sori, Kako, Taito, Gakyojin, Iitsu , and Manji Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) school. His early works represent the full spectrum of ukiyo-e art, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and actors, hand paintings, and surimono (“printed things”), such as greetings and announcements. Later he concentrated on the classical

Waterberg Series

2005-04-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

Also called Waterberg System, major division of rocks in southern Africa. The age of the Waterberg is in doubt; it is possible that the Waterberg is late Precambrian or Early Paleozoic (older or younger than 540 million years, respectively). Waterberg rocks consist of several thousand feet of brown, red, and purple sandstones and some rather minor shales. Sedimentary structures such as ripple marks,

Hope Diamond

2005-04-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Sapphire-blue gemstone from India, one of the largest blue diamonds known. It is thought to have been cut from a 112-carat stone brought to France by the jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and purchased by Louis XIV in 1668 as part of the French crown jewels. This stone, later called the French Blue, was recut into a 67-carat heart in 1673 and disappeared after the crown-jewel robbery

Madang

2005-04-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

Port on the northeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea. It lies along Astrolabe Bay of the Bismarck Sea, near the mouth of the Gogol River. Madang is the centre for a large timber industry based on the Gogol forest about 25 miles (40 km) inland and is the distributing centre for the north coast and the Central Range. It is also a communication point for the

Ta-yeh

2005-04-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Daye, town in eastern Hupeh sheng (province), China. Ta-yeh is situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River near Huang-shih and about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Han-k'ou (Wu-han). The site is low-lying and has many swamps and lakes, but to the northwest of the town there is a belt of hills containing iron deposits. These had been known from early times, and the T'ang dynasty (618–907) had a government

Hackberry

2005-04-03T04:05:00.000-07:00

The eastern North American tree called hackberry, or nettle tree, is C. occidentalis. It has bright green elmlike leaves, which often

Literature, Swedish.

2005-03-31T21:33:00.000-08:00

A feeling of lost control and an urge to use language to beseech a present and a past that had gone out of hand served as a rough summary of preferred themes in Swedish literature in 2001. Per Olov Enquist's Lewis resa portrayed revivalist Lewi Pethrus, the founding father of the Swedish branch of the Pentecostal

Romanian Literature

2005-03-31T06:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Rumanian, body of writings in the Romanian language, the development of which is paralleled by a rich folklore—lyric, epic, dramatic, and didactic—that has continued into modern times.

Kiev

2005-03-29T20:21:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian Kyyiv , Russian Kiyev chief city and capital of Ukraine and capital of Kiev oblast (province). A port on the Dnieper River and a large railroad junction, it is a city with an ancient and proud history. As the centre of Kievan Rus, the first eastern Slavic state, 1,000 years ago it acquired the title “Mother of Rus Cities.” It was severely damaged during World War II, but by the mid-1950s it was fully restored, and

Wyre Forest

2005-03-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

Wyre

Gabrieli, Andrea

2005-03-29T02:54:00.000-08:00

He was born in the Canareggio quarter of Venice, but nothing is known about

Berakah

2005-03-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Berakha, or Berachah (Hebrew: “blessing”), plural Berakoth, Berakot, Berachoth, or Berachot, in Judaism, a benediction (expression of praise or thanks directed to God) that is recited at specific points of the synagogue liturgy, during private prayer, or on other occasions (e.g., before performing a commandment or for being spared from harm in the face of danger). Most berakoth begin with the words Barukh Attah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha-Olam (“Blessed art Thou, O Lord

Amarillo

2005-03-28T02:35:00.000-08:00

At first called Oneida, the city originated in 1887 as a railroad construction camp and in the 1890s grew to become one of

Reggio Di Calabria

2005-03-27T16:43:00.000-08:00

The original settlement of Rhegion (Latin Rhegium) was founded c. 720 BC by Greek colonists from Chalcis as a daughter city to Zankle (ancient name of Messina, q.v.). Under the tyrant Anaxilas, who also

Acceleration Stress

2005-03-26T23:56:00.000-08:00

Physiological changes that occur in the human body in motion as a result of rapid increase of speed. Rapid acceleration and surges in acceleration are felt more critically than are gradual shifts. Pilots are especially subject to the effects of acceleration because of the high speeds at which they travel. Acceleration forces are measured in units of gravitational

Ah Kin

2005-03-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

(Mayan: “He of the Sun”), the regular clergy of the Yucatec Maya in pre-Columbian times. The Ah Kin are best known historically for their performance in the ritual sacrifice of victims, whose hearts were offered to the Mayan gods. The chief priest (Ah Kin Mai) served in the various capacities of administrator, teacher, healer, astronomer, adviser to the chief, and diviner. Priests

Sibyl

2005-03-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Amalric I, Sibyl succeeded to the throne upon the death of her brother, Baldwin IV (1185). Baldwin had intended for the throne to pass directly to Sibyl's son Baldwin V, but Sibyl and her husband, Guy de Lusignan, conspired to seize the throne for themselves, embroiling the kingdom in a disastrous war with Saladin.

Egypt, The Western Desert

2005-03-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

The Western Desert comprises two-thirds of the land surface of Egypt and covers an area of about 262,800 square miles. From its highest altitude—more than 3,300 feet—on the plateau of al-Jilf al-Kabir in the southeast, the rocky plateau slopes gradually northeastward to the first of the depressions that are a characteristic feature of the Western Desert—that containing the oases

Hirst, Ivan

2005-03-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

British army officer (b. March 1, 1916, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, Eng.—d. March 10, 2000, Marsden, West Yorkshire, Eng.), was credited with resurrecting post-World War II German heavy industry when he retooled Volkswagen's bombed-out factory in Wolfsburg, Ger., convinced the British military to order 20,000 vehicles for local use, and began producing the homely, noisy, little “people's car” that came to

Kiev

2005-03-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ukrainian Kyyiv, Russian Kiyev, also spelled Kyiv oblast (province), north-central Ukraine. In the mid-1990s the oblast was separated administratively from the city of Kiev, which serves as the oblast capital though it is a self-governing city not under oblast jurisdiction. The oblast lies astride the Dnieper River, with the greater part on the western bank. Most of the oblast thus lies on the low, flat plain of the Dnieper

Rectocele

2005-03-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

Disorder in which the rectum bulges into the back wall of the vagina. It is caused when the muscles and connective tissues supporting the rectum and back wall of the vagina are weakened, usually due to repeated childbirth or to aging, and the rectum sags until it abuts the vagina. A rectocele often occurs together with an enterocele, which is a bulge of the small

Gabrieli, Giovanni

2005-03-22T02:46:00.000-08:00

Various motets, among them In ecclesiis; madrigals in various collections; Canzoni e sonate (1615); Sacrae symphoniae, book 1 (1597), including the Sonata pian'e forte; Sacrae symphoniae (1615); Concerti di Andrea et di Giovanni Gabrieli a 6–16 voci (1587, containing pieces by Andrea).

Tacloban

2005-03-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

Chartered city, northeastern Leyte, Philippines, on San Pedro Bay at the southern entrance to San Juanico Strait. It is the largest city and distributing centre in the eastern Visayas (Leyte and Samar). A port since 1874, Tacloban has a long deepwater wharf, a bulk petroleum depot, and an airport. Hemp, copra, and lumber are exported, and commercial fishing is important. The city

Argentina, Education

2005-03-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

Argentina has one of the more educated populations in Latin America, which is reflected in its large number of schools and high literacy rate. Primary education is compulsory and free; secondary and higher education is offered in free public schools and in private schools subsidized by the state. Higher education in Argentina was seriously hampered by the censorship

Hood, John B(ell)

2005-03-19T20:12:00.000-08:00

A graduate of West Point who served in the U.S. Cavalry until the outbreak of hostilities, Hood rapidly rose to

Balaghat Range

2005-03-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

Series of hills in western Maharashtra state, western India. Originating in the Western Ghats at the Harishchandra Range, the range extends southeastward for about 200 miles (320 km) to the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka states. Its width varies from 3 to 6 miles (5 to 9 km). Higher in the west, the Balaghat hills have elevations of 1,800–2,700 feet (550–825 m), gradually diminishing eastward until they end at

Actinolite

2005-03-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

An amphibole mineral in the tremolite-actinolite-ferrotremolite series of calcium, magnesium, and iron silicates. The minerals in this series are abundant in regionally metamorphosed rocks, such as schists. Tremolite may weather to talc, and both tremolite and actinolite may alter to chlorite or carbonates. For chemical formula and detailed physical properties,

Goodall, Sir Reginald

2005-03-18T00:49:00.000-08:00

Goodall studied at the Royal College of Music in London and in Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna before joining the Sadler's Wells company in 1944. The next year he conducted the first performance of Benjamin Britten's opera

Argentina, Education

2005-03-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Tall with a dense, wide crown, a single breadnut tree can yield 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds) of nutritious

Uji

2005-03-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

Uji is best known as the place where tea was first cultivated in Japan in the Muromachi era (1338–1573). High-quality

Powers, Francis Gary

2005-03-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

Powers was tried and convicted of espionage and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released

Van Vleck, John H.

2005-03-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Wisconsin, Madison,

Austria, The problem of the Austrian succession

2005-03-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

The extinction of the Spanish line of the Habsburgs and the fact that the emperor Charles VI was the last male member of that house posed serious problems for the Habsburg territories, which at the beginning of the 18th century were held together mainly by the person of the sovereign, notwithstanding the fact that there were some institutions of central administration.

Cambridge

2005-03-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

City, Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., situated on the north bank of the Charles River, partly opposite Boston. Originally settled as New Towne in 1630 by the Massachusetts Bay Company, it was organized as a town in 1636 when it became the site of Harvard College (now an undergraduate school of Harvard University). The town was renamed for Cambridge, England, in 1638 and became

Kahr, Gustav, Ritter Von

2005-03-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

Kahr was appointed provincial governor of Upper Bavaria in 1917. Shortly after the abortive Kapp Putsch against the Weimar Republic in March 1920, Kahr

Rajput

2005-03-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

(from Sanskrit raja-putra: “son of a king”), any of about 12,000,000 landowners organized in patrilineal clans and located mainly in central and northern India, especially in former Rajputana (“Land of the Rajputs”). The Rajputs regard themselves as descendants or members of the Kshattriya (warrior ruling) class, but they actually vary greatly in status, from princely lineages, such as the

Rocky Mountain Trench

2005-03-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

Geological depression extending north-northwest for about 900 miles (1,400 km) from western Montana, U.S., south of Flathead Lake, through British Columbia, Can., to the headwaters of the Yukon River. The trench parallels the steep western face of the Rockies, separating them from the older western ranges. Its rugged floor, which is 2–10 miles (3–16 km) wide and 2,000–3,000 feet (600–900 m) above sea level, forms a natural

Khuzestan

2005-03-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

The area that is now Khuzestan was settled about 6000 BC by a people with affinities to the Sumerians, who came from the Zagros Mountains region. Urban centres appeared there nearly contemporaneously with the first cities in Mesopotamia

Noriega, Manuel

2005-03-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Noriega was born into a poor family of Colombian extraction. Educated at one of the top high schools in Panama, he was awarded a scholarship to the Chorrillos Military School in Lima,

Nilotic Languages

2005-03-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

The Nilotic languages are usually divided into a Western group (containing

Intendant

2005-03-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

The origin of the office of intendant remains obscure, and no document has been

Computers, Howard Aiken's digital calculators

2005-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

While Bush was working on analog computing at MIT, across town Harvard professor Howard Aiken was working with digital devices for calculation. He had begun to realize in hardware something like Babbage's Analytical Engine, which he had read about. Starting in 1937, he laid out detailed plans for a series of four calculating machines of increasing sophistication, based

Eritrea, Contesting for the coastlands

2005-03-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Off the plateau, the pastoralist peoples in the west and north knew no foreign master until the early 19th century, when the Egyptians invaded the Sudan and raided deep into the Eritrean lowlands. The Red Sea coast, owing to its strategic and commercial importance, was contested by many powers. In the 16th century the Turks occupied the Dahlak Archipelago and then Massawa,

France, History Of, The formative years (18711905)

2005-03-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

The repression of the Paris Commune left its mark on the emerging republic. The various socialist factions and the newly organized labour movement were left leaderless; the resultant vacuum eventually opened the way to Marxist activists in the 1880s. Much of the working class became more deeply alienated than before, but, to the moderate and conservative elements,

Jethro

2005-03-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

After the Exodus, Jethro visited the Hebrews encamped at the “mountain of God” and brought with him Moses' wife and sons. There he officiated at a sacrifice to God that was attended by Aaron and the elders of Israel. He

National Monument

2005-03-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national

Fadeyev, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2005-03-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

Fadeyev passed his youth in the Ural Mountains and in eastern Siberia, receiving his schooling in Vladivostok. He joined the Communist

Region

2005-03-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

In the social sciences, a cohesive area that is homogeneous in selected defining criteria and is distinguished from neighbouring areas or regions by those criteria. It is an intellectual construct created by the selection of features relevant to a particular problem and the disregard of other features considered to be irrelevant. A region is distinguished

Obregón, álvaro

2005-03-04T04:35:00.000-08:00

Though Obregón had little formal education, he learned a great deal about the needs and desires of poor Mexicans from his work as a farmer and labourer. He did not take part in

Hidaka Range

2005-03-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

The Hidaka Range contains Mount Poroshiri, the highest nonvolcanic

Metastable State

2005-03-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

In physics and chemistry, particular excited state of an atom, nucleus, or other system that has a longer lifetime than the ordinary excited states and that generally has a shorter lifetime than the lowest, often stable, energy state, called the ground state. A metastable state may thus be considered a kind of temporary energy trap or a somewhat stable intermediate

Nagaland

2005-03-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Nagaland has no early written history, although medieval chronicles of the neighbouring Ahom kingdom of Assam tell of the Naga tribes, their economy, and their customs. The 1816 Myanmar invasion of Assam led to oppressive Myanmar rule from 1819 until the establishment of British rule over Assam in 1826. The advent of British administration, which by 1892 encompassed the whole of Naga territory

Parnassus, Mount

2005-03-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Óros Parnassós, mountain barren limestone spur of the Pindus Mountains, central Greece, running northwest–southeast on the borders of the nomoí (departments) of Phocis, Fthiótis, and Boeotia. Rising to a maximum elevation of 8,061 ft (2,457 m) in Mt. Parnassus, within sight of Delphi, it extends to Cape Opus on the Gulf of Corinth. In ancient times Parnassus was sacred to the Dorians and in mythology

Garcia, Carlos Polestico

2005-02-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

Fourth president of the Republic of the Philippines. After graduating from law school in 1923, he became, successively, a schoolteacher, representative in the Philippine Congress, governor of his province (Bohol), and then (1941–53) senator. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Garcia was active in the resistance movement.

Celsian

2005-02-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

An uncommon feldspar mineral, barium aluminosilicate (BaAl2Si2O8), that occurs as hard, light-coloured, glassy masses and crystals in association with manganese deposits in contact zones, as at Jakobsberg, Swed.; Tochigi prefecture, Japan; Rhiw, Wales; near the Omuramba Otjosondjou (dry riverbed), Namibia; and near Incline, Calif., U.S. It may be regarded as the barium equivalent

Kunlun Mountains, Plant and animal life

2005-02-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

The desert or, at best, steppe conditions prevailing throughout the Kunluns inhibit development of vegetation. Much of the terrain consists of rock deserts. Occasional stagnant water pools provide browsing and water for several wild ungulates, such as the Tibetan gazelle and Tibetan goat antelope (chiru), along with large herds of wild asses (kiang) and clusters

Olm

2005-02-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

(Proteus anguinus), blind salamander belonging to the family Proteidae (order Caudata) and found in caves of the Carpathian Mountains in southeastern Europe. It grows to about 30 cm (12 inches) long and has a normally white (unpigmented) body, tiny limbs, red gill plumes, narrow head, and a blunt snout. The olm's vestigial but light-sensitive eyes are covered with skin. It usually

K2

2005-02-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Mount Godwin Austen , called locally Dapsang , or Chogori

La Follette, Robert M

2005-02-25T23:46:00.000-08:00

Biographies and analyses of La Follette and the Progressive movement include Belle Case La Follette and Fola La Follette, Robert M. La Follette, June 14, 1855–June 18, 1925, 2 vol. (1953, reissued 1971); David P. Thelen, The Early Life of Robert M. La Follette, 1855–1884 (1966), and Robert M. La Follette and the Insurgent Spirit (1976, reissued 1985); Robert S. Maxwell, La Follette and the Rise of the Progressives in Wisconsin (1956, reprinted 1973); Fred Greenbaum, Robert Marion La Follette (1975); and Patrick J. Maney, “Young Bob” La Follette (1978).

Deception Bay

2005-02-24T22:16:00.000-08:00

Bay and resort town, southeastern Queensland, Australia. In 1823 the explorer John Oxley named the local stream the Deception River (now called the Caboolture River), because of the numerous shoals at its mouth. The river gave its name to the bay into which it flows, which in turn gave its name to the community. The town of Deception Bay offers safe swimming areas, fishing, boating,

Biblical Literature, Ezekiel

2005-02-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Book of Ezekiel, written by the prophetpriest Ezekiel, who lived both in Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian Exile (586 BCE) and in Babylon after the Exile, and also by an editor (or editors), who belongs to a “school” of the prophet similar to that of the prophet Isaiah, has captured the attention of readers for centuries because of its vivid imagery and symbolism. The book has also

Yodel

2005-02-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

Type of singing in which high falsetto and low chest notes are rapidly alternated; its production is helped by the enunciation of open and closed vowels on the low and high notes of wide intervals. Yodeling is also used as a means of communicating over moderate distances by the inhabitants of mountainous regions. It is associated with the Alpine peoples of Switzerland

Davies, Robertson

2005-02-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

Educated in England at the University of Oxford, Davies had training in acting, directing, and stage management as a member of the Old Vic Repertory Company. He edited the Peterborough Examiner (1942–63), a newspaper owned

Insurance, Underwriting principles

2005-02-21T02:47:00.000-08:00

Underwriting has to do with the selection of subjects for insurance in such a manner that general company objectives are met. The main objective of underwriting is to see that the risk accepted by the insurer corresponds to that assumed in the rating structure. There is often a tendency toward adverse selection, which the underwriter must try to prevent. Adverse

Lateral

2005-02-21T01:10:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, a consonant sound produced by raising the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth so that the airstream flows past one or both sides of the tongue. The l sounds of English, Welsh, and other languages are laterals.

France, History Of, The Age of Louis XIV

2005-02-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

Albert N. Hamscher, The Parlement of Paris After the Fronde, 1653–1673 (1976), and The Conseil Privé and the Parlements in the Age of Louis XIV: A Study in French Absolutism (1987), provide good introductions to the period. Roger Mettam, Power and Faction in Louis XIV's France (1988); and Roger Mettam (ed.), Government and Society in Louis XIV's France (1977), analyze the political structure. Eugene L. Asher, The Resistance to the Maritime Classes: The Survival of Feudalism in the France of Colbert (1960, reprinted 1980); Charles Woosley Cole, Colbert and a Century of French Mercantilism, 2 vol. (1939, reissued 1964); Thomas J. Schaeper, The French Council of Commerce, 1700–1715: A Study of Mercantilism After Colbert (1983); and Herbert Lüthy, La Banque protestante en France: de la révocation de l'Edit de Nantes à la Révolution, 2 vol. (1959–61, reprinted 1970), discuss the developing economic system. See also Warren C. Scoville, The Persecution of Huguenots and French Economic Development, 1680–1720 (1960), important in assessing the effects of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Pierre Goubert, Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen (1970, originally published in French, 1966), provides a synthesis of Louis's reign; it is supplemented in such special accounts as Lionel Rothkrug, Opposition to Louis XIV: The Political and Social Origins of the French Enlightenment (1965); John C. Rule (ed.), Louis XIV and the Craft of Kingship (1969); Louis André, Louis XIV et l'Europe (1950), on foreign policy; and John B. Wolf, Louis XIV (1968).

Karagöz

2005-02-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

(Turkish: “Black Eyes,” or “Gypsy”), type of Turkish shadow play, named for its stock hero, Karagöz. The comically risqué plays are improvised from scenarios for local audiences in private homes, coffee shops, public squares, and innyards. The Karagöz play apparently was highly developed in Turkey by the 16th century and was adapted in Greece and North Africa. In the 20th century,

Ramie

2005-02-20T03:04:00.000-08:00

The ramie plant has been cultivated

New Glarus

2005-02-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Village, Green County, southern Wisconsin, U.S., on a branch of the Sugar River, 22 mi (35 km) southwest of Madison. Founded in 1845 by 193 immigrants from the canton of Glarus in Switzerland who had been driven from their homes by famine, it was organized on a semi-communal basis, with mineral rights and all streams and springs owned in common and the land apportioned by lot. The village (inc.

Oz, Amos

2005-02-18T02:43:00.000-08:00

Oz's symbolic, poetic novels reflect the splits and strains in Israeli life. Locked in conflict are the traditions

Brie

2005-02-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

The preliminary soft curd of Brie is molded in flat, pancakelike rounds 9–15 inches (23–38 cm) in diameter and 1–1.5 inches (2.5–3.8 cm) in thickness. After the curd becomes firm, the cheese is sprayed with spores of penicillium candidum, a mold that forms a thin, downy white crust. The cheese ripens within

Stalinism

2005-02-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

In a party dominated by intellectuals and rhetoricians, Stalin stood for a practical approach to revolution, devoid of ideological sentiment. Once power was in Bolshevik hands, the

Hooks, Benjamin L.

2005-02-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hooks attended Le Moyne College in Memphis (1941–43) and Howard University, Washington, D.C. (1943–44; B.A., 1944), served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and later studied law at De Paul University in Chicago (J.D., 1948); no

Visser 't Hooft, Willem Adolph

2005-02-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

Visser 't Hooft was educated at the Haarlem Gymnasium and prepared for the ministry of the Netherlands Reformed Church at the University of Leiden. His long career as a leader of Christian organizations began with the post of

Calcrete

2005-02-14T22:10:00.000-08:00

Also called Hardpan, calcium-rich duricrust, a hardened layer in or on a soil. It is formed on calcareous materials as a result of climatic fluctuations in arid and semiarid regions. Calcite is dissolved in groundwater and, under drying conditions, is precipitated as the water evaporates at the surface. Rainwater saturated with carbon dioxide acts as an acid and also dissolves calcite

Biogeochemical Cycle

2005-02-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

Any of the natural circulation pathways of the essential elements of living matter. These elements in various forms flow from the nonliving (abiotic) to the living (biotic) components of the biosphere and back to the nonliving again. In order for the living components of a major ecosystem (e.g., a lake or forest) to survive, all the chemical elements that make up living cells

Grackle

2005-02-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

Also called Crow-blackbird, any of several species of birds belonging to the family Icteridae (order Passeriformes) that have iridescent black plumage and long tails. Grackles use their stout, pointed bills to snap up insects, dig grubs from the soil, and kill small vertebrates, including fishes and baby birds; they can also crack hard seeds. Most grackles nest in colonies; after breeding, they

Fursey, Saint

2005-02-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

First educated under Brendan the Navigator, Fursey later became a monk at the monastery of Clonfert, in County Galway,

Género Chico

2005-02-11T17:38:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “little genre”), Spanish literary genre of light dramatic or operatic one-act playlets, as contrasted with the género grande of serious drama or opera. Developed primarily in the theatres of Madrid during the later 19th century, género chico works usually dealt with Madrid's lower classes, whose way of life was regarded with mingled sentimentality and satiric

Pemberton, John Clifford

2005-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

Pemberton grew up and was educated in Philadelphia, entered West Point in 1833, and graduated four years later. He fought in the Mexican War and was cited for bravery while participating in many of

Table Tennis

2005-02-10T05:15:00.000-08:00

At the 1997 world table tennis championships in Manchester, Eng., China again dominated play, winning six of the seven titles. The men's team from China defeated France (the first time since 1948 France had reached the final), while the women's team downed North Korea. Deng Yaping, the 24-year-old 1992 and 1996 Olympic champion, won her third world singles championship, then announced her retirement.

Priene

2005-02-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

By the 8th century BC Priene was a member of the Ionian League, whose central shrine, the Panionion, lay within the city's territory. Priene

Perak War

2005-02-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Birch arrived in Perak

Orange Free State

2005-02-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Oranje Vry Staat, Boer state in southern Africa that became a province of the Republic of South Africa in 1910. One of the four traditional provinces of South Africa, it was bordered by the Transvaal to the north, Natal and the independent state of Lesotho to the east, and Cape Province to the south and west. The first postapartheid South African government renamed the province Free

Paul Of Samosata

2005-02-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Paul

Benjamin, Asher

2005-02-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

American architect who was an early follower of Charles Bulfinch. His greatest influence on American architecture, lasting until about 1860, was through the publication of several handbooks, from which many other 18th-century architects and builders, including Ammi Young and Ithiel Town, copied plans. These books included

San Gabriel

2005-02-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

City, Los Angeles county, southern California, U.S. It lies in the San Gabriel Valley, east of downtown Los Angeles. Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, founded in 1771 by Father Junípero Serra and the fourth in the California chain of 21 missions, was moved 4.5 miles (7 km) to its present site in 1775. The fortresslike mission church resembling the Córdoba Mosque (Spain) formed the nucleus of a mixed-farming

Procellariiform

2005-02-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Also called tubinares (order Procellariiformes), any of the seabirds that include the albatrosses (family Diomedeidae); shearwaters, fulmars, prions, and large petrels (Procellariidae); storm petrels (Hydrobatidae); and diving petrels (Pelecanoididae). There are approximately 87 living and 36 fossil species of diverse sizes and ranges. All Procellariiformes are recognizable by their conspicuous

Alaska, Government

2005-02-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

Alaska's economy has been dominated by government since territorial days. From 1940 to 1960 the federal government invested nearly $2 billion in the development of military bases in Alaska. Nothing else in Alaska's history has produced such long-term results, bringing thousands of residents into the territory and creating jobs and a vast array of transportation and communications

Yalow, Rosalyn S.

2005-02-04T03:32:00.000-08:00

Yalow graduated with honours from Hunter College

Ada

2005-02-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Pontotoc county, south-central Oklahoma, U.S. It lies along Clear Boggy Creek, south of the Canadian River, and was named for the daughter of the first postmaster, William J. Reed, who built a log store there in 1889. The railroad arrived in 1900, and the city developed as a marketing and trading centre for a large cattle and grain area. The discovery of oil in the vicinity

Vaitown

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

Also called Bomi Hills, city, western Liberia, West Africa. Located in the Bomi Hills former iron-mining district, it is associated with the Liberian Mining Company (LMC; a subsidiary of Republic Steel Corporation), which closed down mining operations in the late 1970s. The firm, first in Liberia to export iron ore, completed a 43-mile (69-kilometre) narrow-gauge railway to the port at Monrovia in 1951. Iron interests

Wampanoag

2005-02-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

Algonquian-speaking Indians of eastern North America who formerly occupied parts of the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Martha's Vineyard, and adjacent islands. They were semisedentary, with seasonal movements between fixed sites. Corn (maize) was the staple of their diet, supplemented by fish and game. They were divided into several subtribes, each with

Swallow

2005-02-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

Any of the 74 species of the bird family Hirundinidae (order Passeriformes). A few, including the bank swallow, are called martins (see martin; see also woodswallow; for sea swallow, see tern). Swallows are small, with pointed narrow wings, short bills, and small weak feet; some species have forked tails. Plumage may be plain or marked with metallic blue or green; the sexes look

Section D'or

2005-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

(French: “Golden Section”), group of Cubist painters concerned with the proportion and rhythm of geometric forms. The group's name was suggested by Jacques Villon, and the principal members included Robert Delaunay, Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Albert Gleizes, Juan Gris, Roger de La Fresnaye, Fernand Léger, André Lhote, Louis Marcoussis, Jean Metzinger, Francis

Henley, Beth

2005-01-31T02:39:00.000-08:00

Henley, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, University Park, Texas (B.F.A., 1974), turned from acting to writing as a career because she felt that the theatre offered few good contemporary roles

Andorra, Flag Of

2005-01-30T22:50:00.000-08:00

An agreement in 1278 between the bishop of Urgel (now in Spain) and the count of Foix (now in France) gave them joint jurisdiction over this small community in the Pyrenees between their own domains. Consequently, the coat of arms of Andorra incorporated their symbols: the mitre and crosier of the bishop appear next to the three red bars on yellow that constitute the arms of

Macedonia

2005-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Ethnic tensions were on the rise in Macedonia in 1997. Early in the year ethnic Albanian and ethnic Macedonian students demonstrated over the pros and cons of Albanian-language teaching at Skopje University's pedagogical faculty;

'antar, Romance Of

2005-01-29T02:42:00.000-08:00

Tales of chivalry centred on the black Arab desert poet and warrior 'Antarah ibn Shaddad, one of the poets of the celebrated pre-Islamic collection Al-Mu'allaqat. It was composed anonymously between the 8th and the 12th century, though the Romance itself credits the 9th-century philologist al-Asma'i with its authorship. Written in rhymed prose (saj') interspersed with 10,000 poetic verses,

Raedwald

2005-01-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Raedwald became a Christian during a stay in Kent, but on his return to East Anglia he sanctioned the worship of both the Christian and the heathen religions. For a time he recognized the overlordship of Aethelberht, king of Kent, but he seems to have shaken off the

ElectricPipe

Hokusai

Waterberg Series

Hope Diamond

Madang

Ta-yeh

Hackberry

Literature, Swedish.

Romanian Literature

Kiev

Wyre Forest

Gabrieli, Andrea

Berakah

Amarillo

Reggio Di Calabria

Acceleration Stress

Ah Kin

Sibyl

Egypt, The Western Desert

Hirst, Ivan

Kiev

Rectocele

Gabrieli, Giovanni

Tacloban

Argentina, Education

Hood, John B(ell)

Balaghat Range

Actinolite

Goodall, Sir Reginald

Argentina, Education

Uji

Powers, Francis Gary

Van Vleck, John H.

Austria, The problem of the Austrian succession

Cambridge

Kahr, Gustav, Ritter Von

Rajput

Rocky Mountain Trench

Khuzestan

Noriega, Manuel

Nilotic Languages

Intendant

Computers, Howard Aiken's digital calculators

Eritrea, Contesting for the coastlands

France, History Of, The formative years (18711905)

Jethro

National Monument

Fadeyev, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

Region

Obregón, álvaro

Hidaka Range

Metastable State

Nagaland

Parnassus, Mount

Garcia, Carlos Polestico

Celsian

Kunlun Mountains, Plant and animal life

Olm

K2

La Follette, Robert M

Deception Bay

Biblical Literature, Ezekiel

Yodel

Davies, Robertson

Insurance, Underwriting principles

Lateral

France, History Of, The Age of Louis XIV

Karagöz

Ramie

New Glarus

Oz, Amos

Brie

Stalinism

Hooks, Benjamin L.

Visser 't Hooft, Willem Adolph

Calcrete

Biogeochemical Cycle

Grackle

Fursey, Saint

Género Chico

France, History Of, The formative years (18711905)