PoliticalBranch

Hooker, Thomas

2005-11-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

After preaching briefly in the parish of Esher in Surrey, Eng., Hooker about 1626 became lecturer to the Church of St. Mary at Chelmsford, Essex, where he delivered fervent evangelical

Portuguese Literature

2005-10-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

The literature of Portugal is distinguished by a wealth and variety of lyric poetry, which has characterized it from the beginning; by its medieval lack of and later

Tigris-euphrates River System

2005-08-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Great river system of Southwest Asia, comprising the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which have their sources within 50 miles (80 km) of each other in eastern Turkey and travel southeast through northern Syria and Iraq to the head of the Persian Gulf. The lower portion of the region that they define, known as Mesopotamia (Greek: “Land Between the Rivers”), was one of the cradles of

Yahya (mahmud Al-mutawakkil)

2005-07-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

When Yahya was a child, Yemen was a province of the Ottoman Empire. His youth was spent in the service of his father's administration, and, when his father died in 1904, Yahya succeeded him as imam. The Yemenis had always resented Turkish rule, and Yahya was soon able to assemble a potent military force. Sporadic warfare lasted until 1911, when he was

Selection

2005-07-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

The theory of evolution by natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858. They argued that species with useful adaptations

Scandinavian Literature, National Romanticism

2005-07-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

The literature of the mid-19th century, known as Norway's “national Romanticism,” continued to reflect the country's larger aspirations. The compilation and publication, between 1841 and 1844, of Norske folkeeventyr (“Norwegian Folk Tales”) by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe—and the 1853 collection by Magnus Brostrup Landstad, Norske folkeviser (“Norwegian Folk

Dehiwalamount Lavinia

2005-07-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Urban area on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The area lies south of Colombo, of which it is a residential suburb. It comprises Dehiwala, Galkissa, Mount Lavinia, and other communities, all governed by a single urban council. Mount Lavinia is a seaside resort known for its beaches, and Dehiwala is noted for its zoological garden. The area grew rapidly in the

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-07-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is undoubtedly the canid of the greatest importance economically. Numerous humans are actually employed in raising, selling, doctoring, grooming, training, or providing and manufacturing food for “man's best friend.” Dogs probably were the first wild animals to be domesticated; they have been found associated with Neolithic sites

Epistemology, Rationalism versus empiricism

2005-07-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

The second issue that emerges from considerations of the origins of knowledge focuses on the distinction between rationalism and empiricism. Though closely related to the issue of innateness versus learning, the question in this case concerns the nature of the source from which knowledge arises. The history of discussion of the issue indicates that two main

Agusan River

2005-06-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

Longest river in Mindanao, Philippines. It rises in the southeast and flows northward for 240 miles (390 km) to enter Butuan Bay of the Bohol Sea. The river forms a fertile valley 40 to 50 miles (65–80 km) wide between the Central Mindanao Highlands (west) and the Pacific Cordillera (east). Important population centres are clustered around the bay and include Butuan, Cabadbaran, and

Arguedas, José María

2005-06-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Arguedas's father was an itinerant judge. His mother, from a locally prominent family, died when he was only three years old. He was raised in part by Quechua Indians and learned to speak Quechua

Melanchthon, Philipp

2005-06-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

Original name Philipp Schwartzerd (German: “Black Earth”; in Greek, Melanchthon) German author of the Confession of Augsburg of the Lutheran Church (1530), humanist, Reformer, theologian, and educator. He was a friend of Martin Luther and defended his views. In 1521 Melanchthon published the Loci communes, the first systematic treatment of evangelical doctrine. Because of his academic

Tagawa

2005-06-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Takawa city, Fukuoka ken (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan, on the upper Onga River. It was a farm village until the systematic exploitation of nearby coalfields began after 1900. Tagawa was the largest mining town in the Chikuho coalfield region until 1970, when the last of the mines was closed. The city's main industrial product now is cement. Pop. (1990) 57,701.

Pyrometer

2005-06-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Device for measuring relatively high temperatures, such as are encountered in furnaces. Most pyrometers work by measuring radiation from the body whose temperature is to be measured. Radiation devices have the advantage of not having to touch the material being measured. Optical pyrometers, for example, measure the temperature of incandescent bodies by comparing

Dead Sea Scrolls

2005-05-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

Ancient, mostly Hebrew, manuscripts (of leather, papyrus, and copper) first found in 1947 on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is among the more important finds in the history of modern archaeology. Study of the scrolls has enabled scholars to push back the date of a stabilized Hebrew Bible to no later than AD 70, to help reconstruct the history

Tarbert

2005-05-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Village at the head of East Loch Tarbert, an inlet on the west side of of Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute council area, historic county of Argyllshire, Scotland. Its name means isthmus, and it occupies a narrow neck of land joining the Peninsula of Kintyre to the rest of Argyll. The herring fishery, which was its mainstay, has declined, but Tarbert has developed modestly as a resort

Palenque

2005-05-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

Ruined ancient Mayan city of the Late Classic period (c. AD 600–900) in what is now Chiapas state, Mexico, about 80 miles (130 km) south of Ciudad del Carmen. Its original name was lost, and thus it was named for the neighbouring village of Santo Domingo del Palenque. The Palenque builders used plaster to obtain a smooth finish unlike the usual Mayan tooled-limestone construction. They used

Gabon, History Of

2005-05-14T02:35:00.000-07:00

Early history is presented in David E. Gardinier, “The Beginnings of French Catholic Evangelization in Gabon and African Responses, 1844–1883,” French Colonial Studies, no. 2 (1978), pp. 49–74, on the planting of Catholicism in Gabon, and “Les Frères de Saint-Gabriel au Gabon, 1900–1918, et la naissance d'une nouvelle élite africaine,” Mondes et Cultures, 46(3):593–606 (1986), on the education of the anticolonialist elite prominent in Gabon's political life since 1944. K. David Patterson, The Northern Gabon Coast to 1875 (1975), examines the economic and political evolution of northern Gabon. Brian Weinstein, Gabon: Nation-building on the Ogooue (1966), describes political development, especially from the 1940s to the early '60s. Charles F. Darlington and Alice B. Darlington, African Betrayal (1968), is an account by the American ambassador to Libreville who witnessed the coup of 1964 and the French intervention. François Gaulme, Le Gabon et son ombre (1988), traces the political, economic, and social evolution since 1960. Michael C. Reed, “Gabon: A Neo-Colonial Enclave of Enduring French Interest,” The Journal of Modern African Studies, 25(2):283–320 (June 1987), focuses on the recent modern period. David E. Gardinier, Historical Dictionary of Gabon (1981), concentrates on the political evolution in the 20th century, with a large bibliography.

Gage, Frances Dana Barker

2005-03-15T02:25:00.000-08:00

Gage began her public involvement in the three prominent reform causes of the time - the abolition of slavery, temperance, and women's rights - by contributing letters to newspapers and speaking

Arabian Desert

2005-03-14T10:40:00.000-08:00

People have inhabited the Arabian Desert since early Pleistocene times. Artifacts have been found widely, including at Neolithic sites in Qatar and Dubai, but are most abundant in the southwestern Rub' al-Khali. Archaeological research sponsored by the Saudi government has uncovered many Paleolithic sites. Remains of cultures from the past 3,000 years occur in many

Manaus

2005-03-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

City and river port, capital of Amazonas estado (�state�), northwestern Brazil. It lies along the north bank of the Negro River, 11 miles (18 km) above that river's influx into the Amazon River. Manaus is situated in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, 900 miles (1,450 km) inland from the Atlantic coast. The city, on a terrace overlooking the river, is traversed by several side channels called

Hull

2005-03-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Outaouais region, southwestern Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the north bank of the Ottawa River, opposite Ottawa, Ont. Originating in the early 19th century as a lumbering settlement named for Hull, Yorkshire, Eng., the city grew to become the chief business and administrative centre for southwestern Quebec and the industrial centre for metropolitan

Christianity, The tendency toward asceticism

2005-03-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

The proponents of an ascetic theology demanded exclusiveness of devotion by faithful Christians to Christ and deduced from it the demand of celibacy. This is found in arguments for the monastic life and in the Roman Catholic view of the priesthood. The radical-ascetic interpretation stands in constant tension with the positive understanding of Christian marriage.

Kaga

2005-03-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

The former city of Daishoji is now the central part of Kaga. An old temple town, it grew around a castle built by the Maeda family in the early Tokugawa

China, The Period Of T'ang power (626 - 755)

2005-03-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

Two of Kao-tsu's sons were rivals for the succession: the crown prince Chien-ch'eng and Li Shih-min, the general who had played a large part in the wars of unification. Their rivalry, and the factional strife it generated, reached a peak in 625 - 626 when it appeared that Chien-ch'eng was likely to succeed. In a military coup, Li Shih-min murdered Chien-ch'eng and another of his brothers

Wyoming, University Of

2005-02-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Laramie, Wyoming, U.S. It is a land-grant university, comprising colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, and Law as well as the Graduate School. The state's only university, it offers programs leading to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in about 120 major

Uttar Pradesh

2005-02-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

The most populous state of India. Lying in north-central India, it is bordered by Nepal and the Indian state of Uttaranchal to the north, the Indian states of Haryana and Rajasthan and the union territory of Delhi to the west, the state of Madhya Pradesh to the south, the state of Bihar to the east, and the states of Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh to the southeast. Uttar Pradesh extends

Monluc, Blaise De Lasseran-massenc�me, Seigneur De

2005-02-26T03:52:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of an impoverished branch of the great family of Montesquiou, Monluc was brought up as a page at the court of Lorraine. He fought in northern Italy in 1521 - 22 and was with King Francis

Wiesel, Torsten Nils

2005-02-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

Swedish neurobiologist, corecipient with David Hunter Hubel and Roger Wolcott Sperry of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. All three scientists were honoured for their investigations of brain function, Wiesel and Hubel in particular for their collaborative studies of the visual cortex, which is located in the occipital lobes of the

Ejido

2005-02-24T01:37:00.000-08:00

In Mexico, village lands communally held in the traditional Indian system of land tenure that combines communal ownership with individual use. The ejido consists of cultivated land, pastureland, other uncultivated lands, and the fundo legal (townsite). In most cases the cultivated land is divided into separate family holdings, which cannot be sold although they

Earth, Radar altimetry of the ocean surface

2005-02-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

As noted above, the geoid over the oceans coincides with mean sea level provided that the dynamic effects of winds, tides, and currents are removed. The surface of the sea acts as a reflector for radar waves, and a satellite equipped with a radar altimeter can be used to sound from the satellite's instantaneous position to the sea. The accuracy with which the sea surface

Caran D'ache

2005-02-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

He was educated in Moscow but settled in Paris, where he gained great popularity as a contributor to several periodicals. He was an early exponent of the episodic strip cartoon

Thomas � Kempis,

2005-02-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

About 1392 Thomas went

Kettle Gong

2005-02-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

Percussion instrument of the Bronze Age cultures of China, Indochina, and Indonesia. It was used mainly in rainmaking rites. Some kettle gongs from northern Vietnam are dated between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC. When played, they are suspended so that the striking surface (the head) is vertical.

Gaekwar Dynasty

2005-02-19T01:32:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty was Damaji I who had risen to power by 1740. The last Gaekwar, Sayaji Rao III, died in 1939.

Roundhead

2005-02-18T19:00:00.000-08:00

Adherent of the Parliamentary Party during the English Civil War (1642 - 51) and after. Many Puritans wore their hair closely cropped in obvious contrast to the long ringlets fashionable at the court of Charles I. Roundhead appears to have been first used as a term of derision toward the end of 1641, when debates in Parliament on the Bishops' Exclusion Bill were causing riots at Westminster.

Ta-pieh Mountains

2005-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

Wade - Giles romanization �Ta-pieh Shan, �Pinyin �Dabie Shan, � mountain range in central China. It has a roughly northwest-to-southeast axis, which forms the watershed between the upper Huai River and the Yangtze River and also marks the boundary between Hupeh province and its eastern and northern neighbours, the provinces of Honan and Anhwei. The name Ta-pieh Mountains properly belongs to the southeastern, higher section

Scandinavian Literature

2005-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Recommended anthologies are Elias Bredsdorff (ed.), Contemporary Danish Plays (1955, reissued 1970), and Contemporary Danish Prose (1958, reprinted 1974); Modern Nordic Plays: Denmark (1974); Hedin Br�nner (trans. and ed.), Faroese Short Stories, trans. from Faroese and Danish (1972); Janet Garton and Henning Sehmsdorf (trans. and eds.), New Norwegian Plays (1989); Frederic Fleisher (trans. and ed.), Seven Swedish Poets (1963); and Gunilla M. Anderman (compiler), New Swedish Plays (1992).

Hesiod

2005-02-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

Greek �Hesiodos, �Latin �Hesiodus� one of the earliest Greek poets, often called the �father of Greek didactic poetry.� Two of his complete epics have survived, the Theogony, relating the myths of the gods, and the Works and Days, describing peasant life.

K�rner, (karl) Theodor

2005-02-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

His father, Christian Gottfried K�rner, was a friend of Friedrich Schiller. K�rner grew up in a house frequented by writers and scientists. He studied philosophy in Berlin, where he attended

Ataxia

2005-02-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

Most hereditary ataxias of neurological origin are caused by degeneration of the spinal cord and cerebellum; other parts of the nervous system are also frequently involved. The most common of these is Friedreich ataxia, named after the German neurologist

Alaungpaya

2005-02-11T02:21:00.000-08:00

Of humble origins, Alaungpaya was a village headman from the

Alcott, Louisa May

2005-02-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

A daughter of the transcendentalist Bronson Alcott, Louisa spent most of her life in Boston and Concord, Massachusetts, where she grew up in the company of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Theodore Parker, and Henry David Thoreau. Her education was largely

Lancaster

2005-02-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Lancaster county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S., and the centre of a metropolitan area comprising a number of small towns and boroughs, 71 miles (114 km) west of Philadelphia. The original site on Conestoga Creek, known as Gibson's Pasture, or Hickory Town, was made the county seat in 1729, the year after Lancaster county (named for the English city and shire) was created.

Achaean

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

Greek �Achaios, � any of the ancient Greek people, identified in Homer, along with the Danaoi and the Argeioi, as the Greeks who besieged Troy. Their area as described by Homer - the mainland and western isles of Greece, Crete, Rhodes, and adjacent isles, except the Cyclades - is precisely that covered by the activities of the Mycenaeans in the 14th - 13th century BC, as revealed by archaeology. From

Alba

2005-02-07T01:31:00.000-08:00

Town, Cuneo provincia, Piedmont regione, northwestern Italy. It lies along the Tanaro River southwest of Turin. It occupies the site of the Roman Alba Pompeia, which was probably founded by Pompeius Strabo (consul, 89 BC) when he constructed the road from Aquae Statiellae (Acqui Terme) to Augusta Taurinorum (Turin). The town became an episcopal see dependent on Milan in the 4th

Atat�rk, Kemal

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

One

Johnson, Samuel

2005-02-05T23:34:00.000-08:00

Samuel Johnson was the son of Michael Johnson, a bookseller, and his wife, Sarah. From childhood he suffered from a number of physical afflictions and could have spoken, as had the 18th-century English poet Alexander Pope, of �this long disease my life.� By his own account, he was born �almost dead,� and he early contracted scrofula (tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands). Because

Sohak

2005-02-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

(Korean: �Western Learning�), in Korean history, the study of Western culture, introduced into Korea from the Chinese Ming and Ch'ing dynasties in the 17th and 18th centuries. In a broad sense, the term Sohak refers to the study of Western thought, religion, ethics, science, and technology. In a narrow sense, it sometimes refers only to the study of Western religion and ethics during

Pacific Ocean, Fisheries

2005-02-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Because of the biological richness of certain reaches of the Pacific and because of the large human populations in many of the nations bordering it, the catches there are substantially larger than those in the other oceans and comprise three-fifths of the total world catch. Among Pacific nations, Japan and Russia have the largest fisheries in the world as measured

Ursula, Saint

2005-02-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Legendary leader of 11 or 11,000 virgins reputedly martyred at Cologne, now in Germany, by the Huns, 4th-century nomadic invaders of southeastern Europe. The story is based on a 4th- or 5th-century inscription from St. Ursula's Church, Cologne, stating that an ancient basilica had been restored on the site where some holy virgins were killed. Mentioned

Biblical Literature, Books of ordinances

2005-02-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

Other books of ordinances of the sect have been preserved, containing prescriptions and other material. Three such compositions are written on one scroll: the Manual of Discipline, the Rule of the Congregation, and the manual of Benedictions. The Manual of Discipline is the rule (or statement of regulations) of the Essene community; the most important part of this

Mercouri, Melina

2005-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

Mercouri came from a politically prominent family. She graduated from the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece. Her first major role, at the age of 20, was Lavinia in Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra,

Manas Wild Life Sanctuary

2005-01-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

Also called �Kamrup Sanctuary, � wildlife sanctuary in western Assam state, eastern India. It is situated at the foot of the Himalayas on the eastern bank of the Manas River, 92 miles (153 km) west of Gauhati town. Established in 1928, it has an area of 151 square miles (391 square km) and lies in a dense, mixed semievergreen, evergreen, and wet-deciduous forest region. The southern part of the preserve is grassland. Wildlife includes

Abbottabad

2005-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

City, east-central North-West Frontier Province, northern Pakistan. It is situated 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Rawalpindi. A hill station (4,120 feet [1,256 metres]), it lies on a plateau at the southern corner of the Rash (Orash) Plain and is the gateway to the picturesque Kagan Valley. It is connected by road with the Indus Plain and Kashmir and by railhead (at Havelian, 10 miles [16 km] south) with Peshawar.

Khanty And Mansi

2005-01-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Their present-day territory

Ibn Miskawayh

2005-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Ibn Miskawayh's personal life. It is believed he converted to Islam from Zoroastrianism, the religion of pre-Islamic Iran. His interests included alchemy and

Auger, Arleen

2005-01-26T18:55:00.000-08:00

U.S. opera singer (b. Sept. 13, 1939, South Gate, Calif.--d. June 10, 1993, Leusden, Neth.), projected a commanding stage presence and was especially praised for her flexible coloratura soprano voice and subtle interpretations of works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Monteverdi, Gluck, and especially Mozart. After graduating from California State University at Long Beach (1963), she taught elementary school

Auger, Arleen

2005-01-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

Plotina, Pompeia

2005-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Wife of the Roman emperor Trajan. She earned great respect in her lifetime by her virtue and her advocation of the people's interests. During the ceremony of Trajan's accession, she is supposed to have turned around as she climbed the palace steps and addressed the crowd, saying that she desired always to be the same as she was then. One of her accomplishments was to curb

Shamanism, The universe

2005-01-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

The classic worldview of shamanism is found among the peoples of northern Asia. In their view the universe is full of heavenly bodies peopled by spiritual beings. Their own world is disk-shaped - saucerlike - with an opening in the middle leading into the Netherworld; the Upper World stands over the Central World, or Earth, this world having a manyfold vault. The Earth,

Nervous System Disease, Tumours

2005-01-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Benign tumours, usually schwannomas on the vestibulocochlear nerve, may compress the cerebellum and lead to dysfunction on one side, but malignant astrocytomas and metastases from cancers are more common. In children, medulloblastomas are fast-growing malignant tumours that destroy the central part of the cerebellum and cause severe gait ataxia. Astrocytomas

Mfengu

2005-01-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

The Mfengu are descendants of refugees from the Mfecane in Natal, largely of Hlubi, Bhele, and Zizi origin, who made their way to the eastern Cape, where they were succoured by local chiefs. In the wars of 1835, 1846, and 1851 - 53, the Mfengu fought on the British side

Kuei-yang

2005-01-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Originally

Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke Of, Marquess Of Douro, Marquess Of Wellington, Earl Of Wellington, Viscount Wellington Of Talavera And Of Welli

2005-01-19T23:44:00.000-08:00

Wellington's experiences abroad prevented him from ever becoming a party politician. Though he joined the Earl of Liverpool's Tory cabinet as master general of the ordnance, he exempted himself from automatically opposing a subsequent Whig government: �a factious opposition,� he argued, �is highly injurious to the interests of the country.� His identification with

Bahraich

2005-01-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

City, east-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India, located on a tributary of the Ghaghara River and on a rail line between Lucknow and Nepalganj, Nepal. Bahraich is a centre of trade (agricultural products and timber) with Nepal; there is also some sugar processing. The tomb of Sayyid Salar Mas'ud, an Afghan warrior-saint who died there in 1033, is visited by Muslim and Hindu pilgrims.

Vadose Zone

2005-01-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Region of aeration above the water table. This zone also includes the capillary fringe above the water table, the height of which will vary according to the grain size of the sediments. In coarse-grained mediums the fringe may be flat at the top and thin, whereas in finer grained material it will tend to be higher and may be very irregular along the upper surface. The vadose

Vadose Zone

2005-01-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Irish Potato Famine

2005-01-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

Also called �Great Potato Famine, Great Irish Famine, or Famine Of � 1845 - 49, famine that occurred in Ireland in 1845 - 49 when the potato crop failed in successive years. The crop failures were caused by late blight (q.v.), a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant. The causative agent of late blight is the fungus Phytophthora infestans. The Irish Potato Famine was the worst famine to occur in Europe in the

Tibet, Industry

2005-01-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

Before the 1950s Tibet had no modern industries. There were small handicraft centres that were owned either individually or collectively and that produced scroll paintings, metal images, wooden block prints, and religious images. For these crafts, the lag-shes-pa, or craftsmen, had to be well versed in literature and mathematics. There were also carpet weavers, tanners,

Albany, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke Of

2005-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

The third son of Robert II of Scotland, he was made high chamberlain of Scotland in 1382 and won a military reputation in campaigns against England.

Quilting

2005-01-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

Making a bed quilt is a multistep

Ciompi, Revolt Of The

2005-01-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

A struggle between factions within the major ruling guilds triggered

Ciompi, Revolt Of The

2005-01-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

A struggle between factions within the major ruling guilds triggered

Great Lakes

2005-01-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Chain of lakes in east-central North America comprising Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. They are one of the great natural features of the continent and of the Earth. Although Lake Baikal in Russia has a larger volume of water, the combined area of the Great Lakes - some 94,850 square miles (245,660 square kilometres) - represents the largest surface of fresh water in

Plot

2005-01-08T01:52:00.000-08:00

In fiction, the structure of interrelated actions, consciously selected and arranged by the author. Plot involves a considerably higher level of narrative organization than normally occurs in a story or fable. According to E.M. Forster in Aspects of the Novel (1927), a story is a �narrative of events arranged in their time-sequence,� whereas a plot organizes the events according

Amos, Book Of

2005-01-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

The third of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in one book under the Jewish canon titled The Twelve. Amos, a Judaean prophet from the village of Tekoa, was active in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (c. 786 - 746 BC). According to 7:14, Amos was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet; i.e., he was not a member of a professional

Orange Bowl

2005-01-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

The game was first played in 1933 to attract winter tourists to Florida a month

Wolf, Christa

2005-01-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

Wolf was reared in a middle-class, pro-Nazi family. With the defeat of Germany in 1945, she moved with her family to East Germany. She studied at the Universities of Jena and Leipzig (1949 - 53), thereafter working as editor of the

Saavedra Lamas, Carlos

2005-01-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Educated in law, Saavedra Lamas taught at the National University of La Plata and at the University of Buenos Aires,

Malalas, John

2005-01-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

Malalas' Chronographia in 18 books is a compilation of history from the Creation certainly to 565, perhaps to 574, but the single extant manuscript ends with events of 563. The greater part of it stresses the importance of Antioch and has a Monophysite flavour. The last part of Book 18 appears to

Cynewulf

2005-01-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

King of the West Saxons, or Wessex (757 - 786), in England who succeeded to the throne following the deposition of Sigebert. Cynewulf was constantly at war with the Welsh. In 779 Offa of Mercia defeated him and took Bensington. In 785 he was surprised and killed, with all his thanes present, at Marten, in modern Wiltshire (Merantune), by Cyneheard, the brother of the deposed Sigebert.

Animal Learning

2005-01-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

That animals can learn seems to go without saying. The cat that runs to its food dish when it hears the sound of the cupboard opening; the rat that solves a maze in the laboratory; the bird that acquires the song of its species - these

Ahmad Shah

2004-12-31T13:45:00.000-08:00

In full �Ahmad Shah Bahadur Mujahid-ud-din Abu Nasr � ineffectual Mughal emperor of India from 1748 to 1754, who has been characterized as a �good-natured imbecile,� without personality, training, or qualities of leadership. He was entirely dominated by others, including the queen mother, Udham Bai, and the eunuch superintendent of the harem, the emperor's vicar Javid Khan. Twice during his reign, the Afghan

Kabila, Joseph

2004-12-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

On Jan. 26, 2001, Joseph Kabila was inaugurated as the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He was the eldest son of the former president, Laurent Kabila, who had been shot by a bodyguard and apparently killed on January 16, although the death was not announced until two days later. (See Obituaries.) The son - named interim president on January 17 and subsequently chosen

Kidney Transplant

2004-12-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

Also called �Renal Transplant, � replacement of a diseased or damaged kidney with a healthy one obtained either from a living relative or a recently deceased person. Although kidney transplants were carried out in the late 1950s, clinically significant transplantation did not begin until around 1963, when the immunosuppressive drug azathioprine was developed to help counteract the rejection of the

Automotive Industry, International operations

2004-12-28T06:01:00.000-08:00

Although the automotive industry has long been multinational in its organization and operation, beginning in the 1980s and accelerating in the late 1990s, it has established a trend toward international consolidation. Larger, more financially secure firms buy controlling interest in financially troubled ones, usually because the weaker firm manufactures a highly

Haworth, Sir Norman

2004-12-27T04:06:00.000-08:00

Haworth graduated from the University of Manchester in 1906 and received a Ph.D. degree from the University of G�ttingen in 1910. He taught at the University

Andesite

2004-12-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

Any member of a large family of rocks that occur in most of the world's volcanic areas. Andesites occur mainly as surface deposits and, to a lesser extent, as dikes and small plugs. Many of the deposits are not normal lava flows but rather flow breccias, mudflows, tuffs, and other fragmental rocks; the peperino near Rome and the trass of the Eifel district in Germany are examples.

Paedogenesis

2004-12-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Pedogenesis, � reproduction by sexually mature larvae, usually without fertilization. The young may be eggs, such as are produced by Miastor, a genus of gall midge flies, or other larval forms, as in the case of some flukes. This form of reproduction is distinct from neotenic reproduction in its parthenogenetic nature (i.e., no fertilization occurs) and the eventual maturation or metamorphosis

Terman, Lewis M(adison)

2004-12-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

Terman joined the faculty of Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. (1910), where he became professor of education in 1916, the year he published The Measurement of Intelligence, a guide for his Stanford revision and

La Hire, Laurent De

2004-12-23T02:36:00.000-08:00

He was the son of the painter �tienne de La Hire (c. 1583 - 1643) but was most influenced by the work of Georges Lallemont and Orazio Gentileschi. His picture of �Pope Nicolas V at the Tomb of Saint Francis� was done in 1630 for the Capuchins, for whom he executed several other

Ramillies, Battle Of

2004-12-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

The battle was fought at the village of Ramillies, 13 miles north of Namur (in modern Belgium), between a 62,000-man Allied army under Marlborough and a 60,000-man

Neuropteran, Locomotion

2004-12-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Most larvae have walking legs except in those whose legs are modified for burrowing (Ithonidae and Myrmeleontoidea). The aquatic dobsonfly larvae have a pair of terminal abdominal prolegs that are important in moving in strong currents. The legs, abdominal filaments, and median tail filament of alderfly larvae bear long hairs, or setae, which help to propel them

Biblical Literature, Impulse toward canonization from heretical movements

2004-12-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Gnosticism (a religious system with influence both on Judaism and Christianity) tended to foster speculation, cutting loose from historical revelation. In defense the orthodox churches stressed the apostolic tradition by focussing on Gospels and letters from apostolic lives and distinguished them from Gnostic writings, such as the Gospel of Truth (mentioned

Amrouche, Jean

2004-12-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Amrouche published Cendres (1934; �Cinders

Udon Thani

2004-12-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Thailand, near the northern (Laotian) border. Udon Thani is the major town of the northern Khorat Plateau and is served by road, rail, and air. The surrounding area produces rice, livestock, timber, and freshwater fish. Pop. (1986 est.) 82,706.

Caribou

2004-12-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

City, Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Aroostook River, near the New Brunswick border, 13 miles (21 km) north of Presque Isle. Settled in 1824, it developed as a lumbering centre and was incorporated in 1859 as Lyndon. It was renamed Caribou in 1877 for the woodland caribou once plentiful in the region. The city is the shipping point for a large potato-growing region.

Rhyme Royal

2004-12-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

Rhyme also spelled �rime� seven-line iambic pentameter stanza rhyming ababbcc. The rhyme royal was first used in English verse in the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde and The Parlement of Foules. Traditionally, the name rhyme royal is said to derive from The Kingis Quair (�The King's Book), attributed to James I of Scotland (1394 - 1437), but some critics trace the name to the French chant

Rhyme Royal

2004-12-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

PoliticalBranch

Hooker, Thomas

Portuguese Literature

Tigris-euphrates River System

Yahya (mahmud Al-mutawakkil)

Selection

Scandinavian Literature, National Romanticism

Dehiwalamount Lavinia

Carnivore, Importance to humans

Epistemology, Rationalism versus empiricism

Agusan River

Arguedas, José María

Melanchthon, Philipp

Tagawa

Pyrometer

Dead Sea Scrolls

Tarbert

Palenque

Gabon, History Of

Gage, Frances Dana Barker

Arabian Desert

Manaus

Hull

Christianity, The tendency toward asceticism

Kaga

China, The Period Of T'ang power (626 - 755)

Wyoming, University Of

Uttar Pradesh

Monluc, Blaise De Lasseran-massenc�me, Seigneur De

Wiesel, Torsten Nils

Ejido

Earth, Radar altimetry of the ocean surface

Caran D'ache

Thomas � Kempis,

Kettle Gong

Gaekwar Dynasty

Roundhead

Ta-pieh Mountains

Scandinavian Literature

Hesiod

K�rner, (karl) Theodor

Ataxia

Alaungpaya

Alcott, Louisa May

Lancaster

Achaean

Alba

Atat�rk, Kemal

Johnson, Samuel

Sohak

Pacific Ocean, Fisheries

Ursula, Saint

Biblical Literature, Books of ordinances

Mercouri, Melina

Manas Wild Life Sanctuary

Abbottabad

Khanty And Mansi

Ibn Miskawayh

Auger, Arleen

Auger, Arleen

Plotina, Pompeia

Shamanism, The universe

Nervous System Disease, Tumours

Mfengu

Kuei-yang

Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke Of, Marquess Of Douro, Marquess Of Wellington, Earl Of Wellington, Viscount Wellington Of Talavera And Of Welli

Bahraich

Vadose Zone

Vadose Zone

Irish Potato Famine

Tibet, Industry

Albany, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke Of

Quilting

Ciompi, Revolt Of The

Ciompi, Revolt Of The

Great Lakes

Plot

Amos, Book Of

Orange Bowl

Wolf, Christa

Dehiwalamount Lavinia