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2007-01-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

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Dance Notation

2005-04-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

The written recording of dance movements. The earliest surviving attempt at dance notation was in the form of letter-symbols found in the municipal archives of Cervera, Spain, from the last half of the 15th century. Also during this period, word abbreviations were found as dance notations in two documents from the library of Margaret of Austria—Livre des basses

Lebed, Aleksandr Ivanovich

2005-04-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

On June, 18, 1996, after Aleksandr Lebed had run a strong third in the first round of the Russian presidential elections, Pres. Boris Yeltsin appointed him to be secretary of the Security Council and national security adviser. Lebed appeared to strengthen his position in the government when he later negotiated a cease-fire in Chechnya. By year's end the ambitious retired general,

Puffer

2005-03-31T01:58:00.000-08:00

Also called swellfish, or blowfish, any of about 90 species of fishes of the family Tetraodontidae, noted for their ability when disturbed to inflate themselves so greatly with air or water that they become globular in form. Puffers are found in warm and temperate regions around the world, primarily in the sea but also, in some instances, in brackish or fresh water. They have tough, usually prickly skins

United Nations

2005-03-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Arab League on September 21 voted to defy UN sanctions by permitting planes carrying Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, to land on the territory of member nations and to permit flights to Libya for humanitarian and religious purposes. The sanctions were imposed on Libya in 1992 over its refusal to surrender suspects wanted in the U.S. and Britain in connection

Jicarilla Apache

2005-03-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

The early Jicarilla were one of several loosely organized, autonomous bands of Apache living in the Southwest. Their ancient lands included parts of present-day Colorado,

Mahan, Alfred Thayer

2005-03-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

Mahan was the son of a professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., in 1859 and went on to serve nearly 40 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. He fought in

Amateur Radio

2005-03-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

Interest in amateur radio arose around the turn of the century, shortly after the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. The interference of amateur broadcasts with commercial and military

Benserade, Isaac De

2005-03-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Benserade began visiting the salon of the Marquise de Rambouillet, the literary centre of Paris, in 1634 and wrote a succession of romantic verses that won him a reputation culminating in the “sonnets controversy” of 1649, in which his sonnet “Job” was

Abbeville

2005-03-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

Town, Somme département, Picardy région, northern France, near the mouth of the canalized Somme, northwest of Amiens. Stone Age artifacts unearthed by Boucher de Crèvecoeur de Perthes in 1844 attesting to early occupation of the site are displayed at the Musée Boucher-de-Perthes. The town originated as Abbatis Villa, a 9th-century dependency of the abbots of Saint-Riquier,

Schaumburg-lippe

2005-03-18T03:52:00.000-08:00

Schaumburg, or Schauenburg, northeast of Rinteln, was the ancestral seat of a line of counts recorded from the early 12th century. Lutheran from 1559, this

Porphyry Copper Deposit

2005-03-18T03:02:00.000-08:00

Blanketlike replacement deposit of copper minerals that are disseminated throughout a large mass of fractured rock. Porphyry copper deposits commonly contain tens of millions of metric tons of ore that averages a fraction of 1 percent copper by weight; although they are low-grade, the deposits constitute important sources because they may be worked on a large

West Covina

2005-03-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

City, Los Angeles county, California, U.S. It lies at the eastern end of the San Gabriel Valley and is about 20 miles (32 km) east of the city centre of Los Angeles. Settled in 1905, it began as an agricultural community surrounded by citrus and walnut groves. After World War II it experienced rapid growth with the urbanization of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. West Covina consists

Henze, Hans Werner

2005-03-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Henze was a pupil of the noted German composer Wolfgang Fortner and of René Leibowitz, the leading French composer of 12-tone music. One of Henze's early works, the Violin Concerto (1947), demonstrated his mastery

Eye Disease

2005-03-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

This article briefly describes the more common diseases of the eye and its associated structures, and the methods used in examination and diagnosis; it also indicates the treatment and prognosis. The first part deals with conditions affecting the orbit, lids, and external eye, and the second with

Lippstadt

2005-03-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies along the Lippe River, on the slopes of the Teutoburger Wald. Lippstadt was probably founded by the lords of Lippe in 1168, and it joined the Hanseatic League in 1280. Half of the town passed to the county of Mark, which in 1614 was acquired by Brandenburg. In 1850 the prince of Lippe-Detmold sold his share to Prussia when

Anshan

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

Also spelled Anzan, city and territory of ancient Elam, north of modern Shiraz, southwestern Iran. The city's ruins, covering 350 acres, have yielded major archaeological finds, including examples of early Elamite writing. Anshan came to prominence about 2350 BC as an enemy of the Mesopotamian dynasty of Akkad. Its greatest period, however, was during the 13th and 12th centuries BC, when, as “kings of Anshan and

Boxing

2005-03-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

The most positive note in an otherwise disappointing year for boxing was the crowning of a new undisputed heavyweight champion on Nov. 13, 1999, when the World Boxing Council (WBC) titleholder, British/Canadian Lennox Lewis (see Biographies), defeated Evander Holyfield (U.S.), the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion, in a lacklustre

Quandong Nut

2005-03-10T00:06:00.000-08:00

Edible seed of the native peach (Santalum acuminatum), a small shrubby tree of the sandalwood family (Santalaceae), native to Australia. Unlike other members of this family, the native peach is grown for its fruit and nuts rather than for its wood. The nutritious, red, pulpy flesh of the fruit is used in jams, pies, and chutneys. The hard-shelled, edible nuts are customarily

Mckinley

2005-03-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

County, northwestern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the west by Arizona. It is a scenic region with highly varied terrain, in the Navajo section of the Colorado Plateaus. In the west, a red shale valley lies between red sandstone cliffs; angular rock outcroppings rise amid the near-desert plains in the far west. Buttes and mesas appear throughout McKinley county, including

Hylozoism

2005-03-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

(from Greek hyle, “matter”; zoe, “life”), in philosophy, any system that views all matter as alive, either in itself or by participation in the operation of a world soul or some similar principle. Hylozoism is logically distinct both from early forms of animism, which personify nature, and from panpsychism, which attributes some form of consciousness or sensation to all

Kirkland, Joseph

2005-03-06T02:08:00.000-08:00

Kirkland, who readily acknowledged his indebtedness to the English realist Thomas Hardy, was also affected by his own personal experiences as a publisher's clerk, railroad auditor, soldier, coal-mine operator,

Nabu-rimanni

2005-03-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Naburianos, Naburiannuos, Naburiannu, or Naburimannu the earliest Babylonian astronomer known by name, who devised the so-called System A, a group of ephemerides, or tables, giving the positions of the Moon, Sun, and planets at any given moment. Based on centuries of observation, these tables were nonetheless somewhat crude and were superseded about a century later by Kidinnu's System B, a refined mathematical

'abd Al-rahman Iii

2005-03-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Byname Al-Nasir li-Din Allah (Arabic: “Victor for the Religion of Allah”) , in full 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hakam al-Rabdi ibn Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil first caliph and greatest ruler of the Umayyad Arab Muslim dynasty of Spain. He reigned as hereditary emir (“prince”) of Córdoba from October 912 and took the title of caliph in 929.

W.h., Mr.

2005-03-04T02:26:00.000-08:00

The mystery of his identity has tantalized generations of biographers and critics,

Mordvin Language

2005-03-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

Member of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family, spoken in Mordvinia and neighbouring areas. The third largest Uralic language in number of speakers, ranking after Hungarian and Finnish, it has two major dialects: Erzya, spoken in the eastern portion of Mordvinia and the surrounding territory; and Moksha, spoken in the west. Although both dialects are

Cd

2005-03-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Córdoba Durchmusterung (q.v.), an astronomical catalog.

Wolf, Hugo

2005-02-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Wolf studied at the Vienna Conservatory (1875–77) but had a moody and irascible temperament and was expelled from the conservatory following his outspoken criticism of his masters. In 1875 he met the composer Richard

Kerry, John

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

Kerry wrote The New War: The Web of Crime That Threatens America's Security (1997) and A Call to Service (2003).

Amritsar, Treaty Of

2005-02-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

(April 25, 1809), pact concluded between Charles T. Metcalfe, representing the British East India Company, and Ranjit Singh, head of the Sikh kingdom of Punjab (Pañjab); it settled Indo-Sikh relations for a generation. The immediate occasion was the French threat to northwestern India, following Napoleon's Treaty of Tilsit with Russia (1807) and Ranjit's attempt to bring the Cis-Sutlej

Rio De Janeiro

2005-02-25T01:47:00.000-08:00

The name was given to the city's original site by Portuguese navigators who arrived at the port on Jan. 1, 1502, and mistook the entrance of the bay for the mouth of a river (rio is the Portuguese word for “river” and janeiro

Austria, The accession of the Habsburgs

2005-02-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

As the German princes had not cared to give Rudolf adequate support against Otakar, he did not feel bound to them and set out to acquire the former Babenberg lands for his own house. In 1281 he made his eldest son, Albert (later Albert I, king of Germany), governor of Austria and Styria; on Christmas, 1282, he invested his two sons, Albert and Rudolf II, with Austria, Styria, and Carniola,

Tibet, Early history to the 9th century

2005-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Credible history begins late in the 6th century, when three discontented vassals of one of the princes among whom Tibet was then divided conspired to support the neighbouring lord of Yar-lung, whose title was Spu-rgyal btsan-po. Btsan-po (“mighty”) became the designation of all kings of Tibet (rgyal means “king”; and spu, the meaning of which is uncertain, may refer to a sacral

Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria De'

2005-02-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

After practicing law for eight years, he was ordained

Muhammad

2005-02-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

In full Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim founder of the religion of Islam and of the Muslim community.

Arena

2005-02-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

Central area of an amphitheatre (q.v.).

Amphibian, Adaptations

2005-02-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

The amphibian eye has a lid, associated glands and ducts, and muscles that allow accommodation as well as depth perception and true colour vision. These adaptations are regarded as the first evolutionary improvements in vertebrate terrestrial vision. Green rods in the retina, which permit perception of a wide range of wavelengths, are found only in amphibians.

Arena

2005-02-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Chemical element, one of the alkaline-earth metals of main Group IIa of the periodic table. It is the most abundant metallic element in the human body and the fifth most abundant element in the Earth's crust.

Baetic Cordillera

2005-02-18T03:29:00.000-08:00

Spanish Sistema Penibético, mountain system comprising the Andalusian mountains of southern Spain, of which the northern range runs about 360 miles (580 km) from Cape Trafalgar to Cape Nao. The central and southern ranges, the Baetic proper, extend a shorter distance from Estepona to Cape Gata. Separating the two systems is a complex series of structures, traceable in longitudinal corridors and high

Sage, Russell

2005-02-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

Sage's first job was as an errand boy in a brother's grocery store in Troy, N.Y. In his spare time he studied bookkeeping and arithmetic, and he began trading on his own. When he was 21, he used his profits to buy out the store

Culbertson, Ely

2005-02-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Culbertson was the son of an American oil explorer and lived as a boy in Russia. He was educated in Geneva and Paris. In his youth he was a revolutionary agent in the Russian Caucasus, Mexico, and Spain. When his father's

Mammal, Importance to humans

2005-02-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

Wild and domesticated mammals are so interlocked with our political and social history that it is impractical to attempt to assess the relationship in precise economic terms. Throughout our own evolution, for example, humans have been dependent on other mammals for food and clothing. Domestication of mammals helped to provide a source of protein for ever-increasing

Palaeologus Family

2005-02-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Palaeologus also spelled Palaiologos Byzantine family that became prominent in the 11th century, the members of which married into the imperial houses of Comnenus, Ducas, and Angelus. Michael VIII Palaeologus, emperor at Nicaea in 1259, founded the dynasty of the Palaeologi in Constantinople in 1261. His son Andronicus II (reigned 1282–1328) and his grandson Michael IX (died 1320) succeeded him as coemperors. Michael IX's son Andronicus

Biblical Literature, The rise and fall of Saul

2005-02-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

The man selected to become the first monarchical ruler of Israel was Saul, son of Kish, a wealthy Benjamite landowner. Because Kish had lost some donkeys, Saul was sent in search of them. Unsuccessful in his search, he went to the seer-prophet Samuel at Ramah. In the early source, from which this narrative comes, he did not know Samuel's name. The day before Saul went to Ramah,

Islamic World, The emergent Islamic civilization

2005-02-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

During the caliphate of 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (ruled 685–705), which followed the end of the second fitnah, and under his successors during the next four decades, the problematic consequences of the conquests became much more visible. Like their Byzantine and late Sasanian predecessors, the Marwanid caliphs nominally ruled the various religious communities but allowed the

Alabama, The Indians

2005-02-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

The earliest and longest established inhabitants of the present-day state of Alabama were Indians. Visible traces of their occupancy, which spanned almost 10,000 years, may be seen in the great mounds that snake across the landscape near the river valleys. Many placenames in the state also indicate an Indian origin. The name Alabama itself derives from an Indian word meaning

White River

2005-02-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

River formed by the confluence of its West and East forks near Petersburg in southwestern Indiana, U.S., and flowing in a southwesterly direction for 52 miles (84 km) before entering the Wabash River, opposite Mt. Carmel, Ill. Its 255-mile (410-km) West Fork rises in Randolph county, eastern Indiana; its 282-mile (454-km) East Fork (sometimes called Driftwood) is a combination of streams that join

Interior Design, Special interiors

2005-02-07T02:57:00.000-08:00

Although an attempt was made to classify the kinds of interiors that are the prevalent concern of interior design, there are many kinds of special interiors that at times fall within the larger field of environmental design and that do not fit into a particular category or even a professional subspecialty. Transportation design may be part engineering, part industrial

Dentatus, Manius Curius

2005-02-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Dentatus was born into a plebeian family that was possibly Sabine in origin. As consul in 290 BC, he gained a decisive victory over the Samnites, thereby ending a war that had lasted 50 years. The same year, he also reduced the Sabine insurgents to submission and granted them civitas sine

Nivernais

2005-02-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

Having formed part of the duchy of Burgundy, the county of Nevers (Nivernais)

Marseille Faience

2005-02-04T03:11:00.000-08:00

Tin-glazed earthenware made in Marseille in the 18th century. The Joseph Clérissy factory, active in 1677–1733, produced wares usually in blue with purple outlines. The Fauchier factory excelled in trompe l'oeil work and landscapes. The factory of the Veuve Perrin was famous for its enameled “bouillabaisse” decor that included all the ingredients of that famous local fish soup,

Switzerland

2005-02-02T01:13:00.000-08:00

Switzerland eased away from self-imposed isolation when it joined the United Nations on Sept. 10, 2002, following a referendum in March in which 55% of the electorate voted in favour of UN membership. Pres. Kaspar Villiger and other government members argued that rejection would be disastrous for the country's international standing and that membership was compatible with

Agrigento

2005-02-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1927) Girgenti, Greek Acragas, Latin Agrigentum, capital of Agrigento provincia, near the southern coast of Sicily, Italy. It lies on a plateau encircled by low cliffs overlooking the junction of the Drago (ancient Hypsas) and San Biagio (Acragas) rivers and is dominated from the north by a ridge with twin peaks. Agrigento was a wealthy ancient city founded about 581 BC by Greek colonists from Gela. It was ruled 570–554 BC by the notorious

Switzerland

2005-01-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

Also called interstitial-cell stimulating hormone (ICSH) one of two gonadotropic hormones (i.e., hormones concerned with the regulation of the gonads, or sex glands) that is produced by the pituitary gland. LH is a glycoprotein and operates in conjunction with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Following the release of the egg (ovulation) in the female, LH promotes the transformation of the graafian follicle (a small egg-containing

Lateran Council

2005-01-31T03:04:00.000-08:00

The first Lateran Council, the ninth ecumenical council (1123), was held during the reign of Pope Calixtus II; no acts or contemporary accounts survive. The council promulgated a number of canons (probably 22), many of which merely reiterated decrees of earlier councils. Much

Austin

2005-01-30T05:43:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1857) of Mower county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It lies along the Cedar River, in a farming area specializing in corn (maize) and livestock. It was settled in 1853, laid out in 1856, and named for its first settler, Austin R. Nicholas. Austin Community College (1940) and the Mower County Historical Center are there. George A. Hormel and Company's meat-packing and food-processing plant

Aratus

2005-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

He resided at the courts of Antigonus II Gonatas, king of Macedonia, and Antiochus I of Syria. The Phaenomena, a didactic poem in hexameters, is his only completely extant work. Lines 1–757 versify a prose work on astronomy by Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 390–c. 340), while lines 758–1154 treat of weather signs

Bottle Gourd

2005-01-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

Many forms of the bottle gourd have been cultivated for specific purposes, and the sizes of the vines, leaves, and flowers, as well as the sizes and shapes of the fruits, vary greatly.

Alapayevsk

2005-01-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alapaevsk, city, Sverdlovsk oblast (province), west-central Russia, on the Neyva River. It is one of the oldest centres of the iron and steel industry in the Urals (an ironworks was established there in 1704). It also has machine-tool, timbering, and metalworking industries. Pop. (1991 est.) 50,300.

Visconti, Gian Galeazzo

2005-01-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

The son of Galeazzo II Visconti, who shared the rule of Milan with his brother Bernabò, Gian Galeazzo was married in 1360 to Isabella of Valois, daughter of the king of France. After his father's death

Augustine, Saint, Texts and translations

2005-01-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Augustine's two most important works, Confessions and City of God, are available in numerous editions. Both James J. O'Donnell, Confessions, 3 vol. (1992), and Jacques Fontaine (ed.), Confessioni, 5 vol. (1992–97), presume knowledge of Latin and contain substantial commentaries. The best English versions are The Confessions of St. Augustine, trans. by John K. Ryan (1960); Confessions, trans. by Henry Chadwick (1991); and The Confessions, trans. by Maria Boulding (1997). Although no comprehensive commentary on City of God exists, two versions are The City of God Against the Pagans, 7 vol., ed. and trans. by George E. McCracken et al. (1957–72), in The Loeb Classical Library series; and the best translation, Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans, trans. by Henry Bettenson (1972, reissued 1984).

Bread Palm

2005-01-23T06:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Kaffir Bread, any of several species of Encephalartos, cycads (palmlike gymnosperms) native to southern Africa. The names are derived from a breadlike foodstuff prepared from the mealy, starchy centre of the stem and perhaps also from the seeds, which have fleshy coverings. The trees, reaching nearly 20 feet (6 metres) in height, have very stiff, spreading pinnate leaves 3 to 4 ft long and

Backgammon

2005-01-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Precursors of backgammon

Arabian Desert

2005-01-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Western Arabia formed part of the African landmass before a rift occurred in the Earth's crust, as a result of which the Red Sea was formed and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula finally became separated some five to six million years ago. Thus, the southern half of the peninsula has a greater affinity with the regions of Somalia and Ethiopia in Africa than with northern

Charadriiform

2005-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

The earliest known Charadrii are represented by miscellaneous bones from the Upper Cretaceous rock layers of Wyoming, considered to constitute a family, the Cimolopterygidae, of the Charadrii. These bones, comprising two genera and four species, show closest resemblance to the avocets. Of similar age, but extending into middle Eocene times, are the Paleotringinae

Biogeographic Region

2005-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

It is a matter of general experience that the plants and animals of the land and inland waters differ to a greater or lesser degree from one part of the world to another. Why should this be? Why should the same species not exist wherever suitable environmental conditions

Karagöz

2005-01-19T23:26:00.000-08:00

(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,

Telegraph, Printing telegraphs

2005-01-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

In 1903 the British inventor Donald Murray, following the ideas of Baudot, devised a time-division multiplex system for the British Post Office. The transmitter used a typewriter keyboard that punched tape, and the receiver printed text. He modified the Baudot Code by assigning code combinations with the fewest punched holes to the most frequently encountered letters

The Rodent That Acts Like A Hippo

2005-01-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

Although the animals that live in rainforests on different continents can differ significantly, the environments they live in are very similar. These environments, therefore, exert similar pressures on the evolution of the animals living in each. As a result, unrelated species may be similar in many ways. This phenomenon is called convergent evolution, or convergence

Caucasian Languages, Georgian

2005-01-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

Georgian (self-designation: kartuli ena), used as the language of literature and instruction, is the state language of the Republic of Georgia. It is common to all speakers of the Kartvelian languages within Georgia. Beyond the borders of Georgia, Georgian is spoken in the adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and northeastern Turkey. There are also 14 villages of Georgian

Ausonius, Decimus Magnus

2005-01-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

Ausonius taught in the famous schools of Burdigala (now Bordeaux, Fr.), first as a grammarian and then as a rhetorician, so successfully that Valentinian I called him to Trier to tutor Gratian, who, on his

Euripides

2005-01-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

The Greek fleet is becalmed at Aulis and is thus unable to convey the expeditionary force against Troy. Agamemnon learns that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia as a means of appeasing the goddess Artemis, who has caused the unfavourable weather. Agamemnon lures his daughter into coming to Aulis to be sacrificed by pretending that she will marry Achilles.

Poison, Classification based on physical form

2005-01-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Because solids are generally not well absorbed into the blood, they must be dissolved in the aqueous liquid lining the intestinal tract if ingested or the respiratory tract if inhaled. Solids dissolve at different rates in fluids, however. For example,

Domei

2005-01-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Domei was formed in 1964 by a merger of three politically moderate federations that opposed the leftist stance of the larger and more militant union Sohyo. Unlike the majority of Sohyo members, who were public employees, most Domei members worked for private-sector firms. Domei was a supporter of the Democratic

Amazonas

2005-01-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

Departamento (formed 1832), Nor Oriental del Marañón región, northern Peru, bounded on the north by Ecuador. It consists mostly of rain forest in the north, while in the south the Marañón River and its tributaries dissect the Cordillera Central. The Marañón forms part of the western boundary with Cajamarca departamento before flowing northeastward into the Amazon River

Eisenstadt

2005-01-08T01:33:00.000-08:00

City, capital (since 1925) of Burgenland Bundesland (federal state), eastern Austria. It lies at the southern end of the Leitha Mountains, south of Vienna. Mentioned in 1264, it was a free city of Hungary from 1648 until Burgenland was ceded to Austria in 1920. Eisenstadt's notable landmarks include the former castle of the Esterházy princes (14th century; rebuilt 1663–72); the Mount Calvary Church (Kalvarienbergkirche),

X Ray

2005-01-07T02:07:00.000-08:00

There are two methods in general use for detecting X rays. The first method relies on the X rays producing a photochemical change in a photographic emulsion. The blackening of the film is related to the

Abbey, Edwin Austin

2005-01-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

Yale University Art Gallery, Edwin Austin Abbey (1852–1911) (1973).

Colemanite

2005-01-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Borate mineral, hydrated calcium borate (Ca2B6O11×5H2O) that was the principal source of borax until the 1930s. It typically occurs as colourless, brilliant crystals and masses in Tertiary sediments (those formed 66.4 to 1.6 million years ago), where it has been derived from ulexite and borax. The chief localities are the Kramer district, Death Valley, and Daggett, Calif. Colemanite is an

Encephalitis

2005-01-05T02:24:00.000-08:00

Plural encephalitides inflammation of the brain, from Greek enkephalos (“brain”) and itis (“inflammation”). Inflammation affecting the brain may also involve adjoining structures; encephalomyelitis is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and meningoencephalitis is inflammation of the brain and meninges (the membranes covering the brain). Encephalitis is most often caused by an infectious

Liquid

2005-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, a consonant sound in which the tongue produces a partial closure in the mouth, resulting in a resonant, vowel-like consonant, such as English l and r. Liquids may be either syllabic or nonsyllabic; i.e., they may sometimes, like vowels, act as the sound carrier in a syllable. The r in “father” or Czech krk “neck” and the l in “rattle” are syllabic; the r in “rim” and the l in “lock

Nardini, Pietro

2005-01-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

The most famous pupil of the composer and virtuoso violinist Giuseppe Tartini, Nardini was solo violinist at the court at Stuttgart from 1753 to 1767. He then returned to Livorno and lived with Tartini during Tartini's last illness until his death

Amroha

2005-01-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India, west-northwest of Moradabad town, on the Sot River. A marketplace for agricultural produce, its chief industries are hand-loom weaving, pottery making, and sugar milling. Colleges of Agra University are located there, as is the shrine of Sheikh Saddu, a Muslim saint. Amroha is connected by rail with Moradabad and Delhi. Pop.

France, History Of, Monasticism

2005-01-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

Monasticism originated in the East. It was introduced in the West during the 4th century and was developed in Gaul, mainly in the west (St. Martin of Tours) and southeast (St. Honoratus and St. John Cassian). The earliest monasteries lacked a communal form of discipline; eremitism was widespread. In the 6th century, monasteries throughout Gaul increased, and efforts were made

Acts Of The Apostles, The

2004-12-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation Acts, fifth book of the New Testament, a valuable history of the early Christian church. Acts was written in Greek, presumably by the Evangelist Luke, whose gospel concludes where Acts begins, namely, with Christ's Ascension into heaven. Acts was apparently written in Rome, perhaps between AD 70 and 90, though some think a slightly earlier date is also possible. After an introductory

Ueno

2004-12-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

City, Mie ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies in an intermontane basin at the head of the Kii Peninsula. The city developed around a castle built in 1611 and still retains some of its early character. Hakuho Park is on the site of the old castle, which was rebuilt in 1953. The Aizen Temple in Ueno is dedicated to the god of love. The industry of the city includes the traditional manufacture

Hussein

2004-12-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

Educated partly in England,

Pufendorf, Samuel, Freiherr Von (baron Of)

2004-12-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

German jurist and historian, best known for his defense of the idea of natural law. He was created a baron in the last year of his life.

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2004-12-27T00:28:00.000-08:00

Of all mammalian families, the Mustelidae contains the greatest variety of valuable mammals utilized by the fur trade. Fur coats that command the highest prices are usually those made from these luxuriant furbearers, especially mink, ermine (short-tailed weasel), and sable (a name applied by the fur trade to several species of Martes, especially the Eurasian M.

Morón

2004-12-26T03:41:00.000-08:00

In the 16th century Morón served as a way station for travelers en route to the area that is now Chile and Peru. The present-day county was part of the Pago (country district) de las Conchas during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Cranko, John

2004-12-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

His basic dance training was at the Cape Town University Ballet School, where he performed as well as choreographed his first ballet, The Soldier's Tale (1942). In 1946 he joined the Sadler's Wells Ballet (later called the Royal Ballet) and continued to choreograph.

Established Church

2004-12-24T02:11:00.000-08:00

A church recognized by law as the official church of a state or nation and supported by civil authority. Though not strictly created by a legal contract, the legal establishment is more like a contractual entity than like anything else and, therefore, ordinarily cannot be varied or repudiated by only one party to it. The church is not free to make changes in such things

Tea Production

2004-12-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

Cultivation of the tea plant, usually done in large commercial operations. The plant, a species of evergeen (Camellia sinensis), is valued for its young leaves and leaf buds, from which the tea beverage is produced. This article treats the cultivation of the tea plant. For information on the processing of tea and the history of its use, see the article tea.

Aniakchak National Monument And Preserve

2004-12-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

Large wilderness area in southwestern Alaska, U.S., on the southern shore of the Alaska Peninsula, about 450 miles (720 km) south of Anchorage. Proclaimed a national monument in 1978, the area underwent boundary changes in 1980 when the national preserve was established. The monument covers an area of 214 square miles (554 square km), while the preserve covers an additional 725 square miles (1,878 square

Madison River

2004-12-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

River in southwestern Montana and northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Madison River rises in the northwestern corner of Yellowstone National Park at the junction of the Gibbon and Firehole rivers. It flows west through Hebgen Lake (impounded by a dam) into southwestern Montana, then turns north between the Madison Range (to the east) and the Gravelly Range and the Tobacco

Chauk

2004-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Town and port, north-central Myanmar (Burma). Situated in the Irrawaddy River basin, it is a petroleum port for the Singu-Chauk oil fields. Traditionally, people of the Mon group gathered asphalt in the area to weatherproof houses. In 1902 the British discovered the Chauk-Lonywa oil field. Later, crude oil from Chauk was sent by a 350-mile (563-kilometre) pipeline to Syriam for refining.

Basasiri, Arslan Al-muzaffar Al-

2004-12-19T02:06:00.000-08:00

Al-Basasiri was born a Turkish slave, and his activities were first mentioned about 1025. At the time, the weakened 'Abbasid caliphs at Baghdad, who represented Sunnite Islam, were under continuous pressure from the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt, representing the Shi'ite sect, and the insurgent Turks commanded by Toghrïl Beg.

Brébeuf, Saint Jean De

2004-12-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

Brébeuf entered the Society of Jesus in 1617, was ordained priest in 1623, and arrived in New France in 1625. Assigned to Christianize the Huron Indians between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, he lived in danger of death until

Jansch, Bert

2004-12-17T02:39:00.000-08:00

Influenced by American folk-blues performers such as Big Bill Broonzy, Jansch was part of the folk scene in Edinburgh,

Gabrieli, Giovanni

2004-12-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Egon Kenton, Life and Works of Giovanni Gabrieli (1967); and Denis Arnold, Giovanni Gabrieli and the Music of the Venetian High Renaissance (1979, reprinted 1986).