WrongSkin

Flanders

2005-04-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Flemish Vlaams , formally Flemish Region , Flemish Vlaamse Gewest region that comprises the northern half of Belgium. Flanders was created in 1995 in the reorganization of Belgium's provincial administration along ethnic-linguistic lines. It includes the Flemish-speaking provinces of Antwerp, East Flanders, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, and West Flanders (qq.v.). The Brussels-Capital Region lies within but is administratively separate

Eileithyia

2005-04-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Pre-Hellenic goddess of childbirth, who hindered or facilitated the process according to her disposition. The earliest evidence for her cult is at Amnisus, in Crete, where excavations indicate that she was worshiped continuously from Neolithic to Roman times. In Homer's writings she appears, sometimes in the plural, as a personification of birth pangs and is described

Lords, House Of

2005-04-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

The upper chamber of Great Britain's bicameral legislature. Originating in the 11th century, when the Anglo-Saxon kings consulted witans (councils) composed of religious leaders and the monarch's ministers, it emerged as a distinct element of Parliament in the 13th and 14th centuries. It currently comprises the following elements: (1) the Lords Spiritual, including the archbishops

Sporotrichosis

2005-03-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

Subacute or chronic infection by the fungus Sporotrichum, or Sporothrix, schenckii, usually characterized by a chancre at the site of inoculation and, extending from the site, a chain of hard, red, pus-generating lumps along the lymphatics of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The fungus, which is most commonly found in the soil or on vegetation or decaying wood, most

Armorican Massif

2005-03-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

French Massif Armoricain, flattened erosional upland, or peneplain, encompassing the western French départements of Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, Morbihan, and Ille-et-Vilaine and parts of Manche, Orne, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, and Vendée. The region has an area of approximately 25,000 square miles (65,000 square km) and is bounded by the Paris Basin and the Seine River to the north and by the lowlands

Struve, Pyotr Berngardovich

2005-03-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

While studying economic theory and history at the University of St. Petersburg, Struve became a Marxist. The Marxist analysis of Russian capitalism that he presented in 1894 in his Kriticheskiye zametki k voprocy ob ekonomicheskom razviti rossi (“Critical Remarks on

Aldrich, Robert

2005-03-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

Aldrich entered the motion-picture industry as a production clerk at RKO in 1941 and was made assistant director and production manager at Enterprise Studios in the late 1940s. After working with such directors as Jean

Abruzzo, Ben L.

2005-03-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

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

Bulbul

2005-03-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

Any of about 119 species of birds of the family Pycnonotidae (order Passeriformes) of Africa and Asia, including some called greenbuls and brownbuls. Members range in size from 14 to 28 cm (5.5 to 11 inches) long. They are active, noisy, plain-coloured birds that sometimes damage orchards. Representative of the 47 species of the genus Pycnonotus is the African bulbul (P. barbatus, including

Cable

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

In electrical and electronic systems, a conductor or group of conductors for transmitting electric power or telecommunication signals from one place to another. Electric communication cables transmit voice messages, computer data, and visual images via electrical signals to telephones, wired radios, computers, teleprinters, facsimile machines, and televisions.

Chemical Compound, Nonbenzenoid aromatic compounds

2005-03-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

Of the two, cyclooctatetraene proved more accessible.

Elizabeth Islands

2005-03-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

Chain of small islands in southeastern Massachusetts, U.S. They extend southwestward for 16 miles (26 km) from the southwestern tip of Cape Cod, between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Administratively a part of Dukes county, the islands constitute Gosnold town (a township area settled in 1641 and incorporated in 1864). The larger islands are Nonamesset, Naushon, Pasque, Nashawena,

Taaffe, Eduard, Count (graf) Von

2005-03-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

Taaffe, who was of Irish descent

Girdle-tailed Lizard

2005-03-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

Their name is derived from the rings of spiny scales that encircle the tail, and sometimes the body, in a series of whorls. In some species the armoured girdles serve effectively as protection

Polk, James K.

2005-03-15T03:35:00.000-08:00

During his campaign Polk surprised the country by taking a positive stand on two burning issues of the day. Whereas other candidates hedged on the question of whether to annex Texas, which had been independent of Mexico since 1836, he demanded annexation. Whereas other candidates evaded the problem of joint occupancy of Oregon with England, he openly laid claim to the whole territory that extended as far north as latitude 54°40¢ with the campaign slogan “Fifty-four forty or fight.” His election was close, but it was decisive—a popular plurality of about 38,000 votes and 170 electoral votes against 105 for Clay.

Tyrannulet

2005-03-15T00:45:00.000-08:00

Any of about 50 species of birds in the tyrant flycatcher family, Tyrannidae (order Passeriformes). They are distinguished from other tyrant flycatchers by their small size and diminutive bill. The name tyrannulet is given to members of about 20 genera within the family. Fairly typical of the group and among the most widely distributed are the 9-centimetre (3.5-inch) beardless

Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Of Antioch

2005-03-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

In the 5th and 6th centuries a large body of Christians in Syria repudiated the patriarchs of Antioch who had supported the Council of Chalcedon (451) in affirming the dual nature of Christ. Like many Copts, Ethiopians, and Armenians,

Computers, Early history and overviews

2005-03-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

Charles Eames and Ray Eames, A Computer Perspective, ed. by Glen Fleck (1973, reprinted 1990), is a pictorial record of the authors' creation of a computer exhibition for IBM that covered developments from the 1890 U.S. Census up to the stored-program computer, 1890–1950.

Orage, Alfred Richard

2005-03-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

Orage became an elementary school teacher at Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1893, lectured on theosophy, and in 1900 helped found the avant-garde Leeds Arts Club. He moved to London in 1906 and became joint editor in 1907 of The New Age, a periodical of which from 1909 on he was the sole editor and dominant spirit. The New

Paul Iii

2005-03-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

Original name Alessandro Farnese Italian noble who was the last of the Renaissance popes (reigned 1534–49) and the first pope of the Counter-Reformation. The worldly Paul III was a notable patron of the arts and at the same time encouraged the beginning of the reform movement that was to affect deeply the Roman Catholic Church in the later 16th century. He called the Council of

Ashi

2005-03-10T01:54:00.000-08:00

Ashi was head of the Jewish Academy at Sura, Babylonia, and was one of two chief editors who fixed the canon of the Babylonian Talmud. Under Ashi's leadership the Academy, which had been closed since 309, was revived,

Wyoming, Flag Of

2005-03-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

The seal was adopted by the state legislature in 1893. It includes the state motto, “Equal rights,” recalling that in 1869 Wyoming's constitution was the first such document to give equal voting and office-holding rights to women. The figures of the miner and cowboy flanking the woman in the centre refer to the principal occupations of the state, further mentioned in the ribbon

Vowel

2005-03-07T05:51:00.000-08:00

In human speech, sound in which the flow of air from the lungs passes through the mouth, which functions as a resonance chamber, with minimal obstruction and without audible friction; e.g., the i in “fit,” and the a in “pack.” Although usually produced with vibrating vocal cords, vowels may be pronounced without such vibration, resulting in a voiceless, or whispered, sound. From

Ghee

2005-03-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

Ghee is produced as follows. Butter made from cow's milk is melted over a slow fire and then heated slowly until the separated water boils off. The vessel holding the butter is then allowed to cool; semifluid, clear butterfat, which

Van Duyn, Mona

2005-03-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

Van Duyn attended Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa; B.A., 1942) and

Meléndez Valdés, Juan

2005-03-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

After studying law and classics at Salamanca, Meléndez Valdés was appointed

Mason

2005-03-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

An adherent of Freemasonry (q.v.).

Performing Arts, Jazz.

2005-03-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

Though no new trends or fads appeared and only one new star emerged, jazz and related musics at last crossed a final frontier in 2002. The jazz idiom, originally created by African Americans, had been played on six continents, but in 2001–02 guitarist Henry Kaiser spent two months in Antarctica, the last continent. Kaiser, with extensive experience playing free improvisations

Acaraí Mountains

2005-03-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Acarahy, or Akarai, Portuguese Serra Acaraí, low range on the border of Brazil (Pará state) and southern Guyana. The mountains, which rise to about 2,000 feet (600 m) above sea level, run in an east–west direction for about 80 miles (130 km) and form part of the northern watershed of the Amazon Basin. The whole area is covered with dense tropical rain forest and was mapped by satellite in the late 1970s.

Dacang Jing

2005-02-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ta-ts'ang Ching Japanese Daizo-kyo the total body of Buddhist literature deemed canonical in China and Japan and comprising works of the most varied character numbering more than 2,000 in the standard Chinese edition and more than 3,000 in the latest Japanese edition. Unlike canons of the southern Buddhist schools, this vast “storehouse” continued to expand for many centuries. It began with translations of

Zither

2005-02-27T06:11:00.000-08:00

Any of several stringed musical instruments. The European zither consists of a flat, shallow sound box across which gut or metal strings are stretched. The strings nearest the player run above a fretted fingerboard against which they are stopped by the left hand to provide melody notes; they are plucked by a plectrum worn on the right thumb. At the same time, the right-hand

Ob River

2005-02-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

The Ob River is described in broad geographic surveys of North Asia that provide information on physical features and on economic, social, and cultural conditions: Paul E. Lydolph, Geography of the U.S.S.R., 5th ed. (1990); Michael T. Florinsky (ed.), McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Russia and the Soviet Union (1961), with short articles on the individual rivers; M.F. Grin, et al., Soviet Union: A Geographical Survey, ed. by S.V. Kalesnik and V.F. Pavlenko (1976; originally published in Russian, 1972); and Great Rivers of the World (1984), published by the National Geographic Society. M.I. L'vovich, Reki SSSR (1971), is a well-known work treating the hydrologic characteristics of the main rivers of the former U.S.S.R. Lev Konstantinovich Davydov, Gidrografiia SSSR, vol. 2, Gidrografiia raionov (1955), provides detailed studies of regional hydrology and hydrography. G.V. Voropaev and A.B. Avakian (eds.), Vodokhranilishcha i ikh vozdeistvie na okruzhaiushchuiu sredu (1986), examines the influence of water reservoirs on the environment. Robert Paul Jourdan, “Siberia's Empire Road: The River Ob,” National Geographic, 149(2):145–181 (February 1986), describes the life of the peoples of the area, the environment, and the economic situation. Useful discussions of landscape evolution, the extent of glaciation, and long-term climate change in this region include Mikhail G. Grosswald, “Late-Weichselian Ice Sheets in Arctic and Pacific Siberia,” Quaternary International, 45-46(1):3–18 (1998), and Valery Astakhov “The Last Ice Sheet of the Kara Sea: Terrestrial Constraints on its Age,” Quaternary International, 45-46(1):19–28 (1998).

Biblical Literature, Exodus and conquest

2005-02-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

According to biblical tradition, the clan migrated to Egypt because of a famine in the land of Canaan, were later enslaved and oppressed, and finally escaped from Egypt to the desert east of the Isthmus of Suez under a remarkable leader, Moses. The account—a proclamation, celebration, and commemoration of the event—is replete with legendary elements, but present-day

Elizabeth Of Hungary, Saint

2005-02-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

The daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, she was betrothed in infancy to Louis IV, son of Hermann I, landgrave of Thuringia,

Dyce, Alexander

2005-02-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

As an undergraduate at the University of Oxford, Dyce edited a dictionary of the language of Shakespeare. After serving as a curate in Cornwall and Suffolk,

Furniture, Imagery and ornamentation

2005-02-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Painted and plastic images, or ornamental decoration, on furniture are secondary processes compared with construction and design. Some of the best and most expressive furniture forms, such as the Greek klismos chair and the English Windsor chair, are quite independent of imagery or ornamentation. On the other hand, no period in the history of furniture is entirely

Herder, Johann Gottfried Von

2005-02-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

German critic, theologian, and philosopher, who was the leading figure of the Sturm und Drang literary movement and an innovator in the philosophy of history and culture. His influence, augmented by his contacts with the young J.W. von Goethe, made him a harbinger of the Romantic movement.

Sophist

2005-02-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

In addition to their teaching, the Sophists wrote many books, the titles of which are preserved by writers such as Diogenes Laërtius, who probably derived them from library catalogues. It has usually been supposed that the writings themselves hardly survived beyond the period of Plato and Aristotle, but this view requires modification in the light of papyrus finds,

Lenin Peak

2005-02-19T02:54:00.000-08:00

Formerly Mount Kaufman, highest summit (23,406 feet [7,134 m]) of the Trans-Alay Range on the frontier of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Once thought to be the highest mountain in what was then the Soviet Union, Lenin Peak was relegated to third place by the discovery in 1932–33 that Stalin Peak (called Communism Peak after 1962) was higher and by the finding in 1943 that Victory Peak was also higher. The peak is named after the Soviet

France, History Of, German reparations

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

The general elections of November 1919 resulted in a massive majority for the right-wing coalition called the Bloc

Foyer

2005-02-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

Intermediate area between the exterior and interior of a building, especially a theatre. Originally the term was applied only to that area in French theatres, comparable to the greenroom in English theatres, where actors relaxed when they were offstage. Because actors were accustomed to visits by friends during and after performances, such areas came to be large

Jackal

2005-02-16T00:44:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of wolflike carnivores of the dog genus Canis, family Canidae, sharing with the hyena an exaggerated reputation for cowardice. Three species are usually recognized: the golden, or Asiatic, jackal (C. aureus), found from eastern Europe and northeast Africa to Southeast Asia, and the black-backed (C. mesomelas) and side-striped (C.

Mapu, Abraham

2005-02-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Author of the first Hebrew novel, Ahavat Ziyyon (1853; Annou: Prince and Peasant), an idyllic historical romance set in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Couched in florid biblical language, it artfully depicts pastoral life in ancient Israel; the book attained immediate popularity

Brühl, Heinrich, Graf Von (count Of)

2005-02-13T01:48:00.000-08:00

Rising rapidly under Augustus II the Strong,

Keaton, Buster

2005-02-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

The son of vaudevillians, Keaton is said to have earned his famous nickname when, at age 18 months, he fell down a staircase; magician

Monkey

2005-02-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Monkeys are arranged into two main groups: Old World and New World. Old World monkeys all belong to one family, Cercopithecidae, which is related to apes and humans, and together they are classified as catarrhines (meaning “downward-nosed” in Latin). The New World monkeys are the platyrrhines (“flat-nosed”), a group comprising five families. As their taxonomic names suggest,

Gregory, Dick

2005-02-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Byname of Richard Claxton Gregory African-American comedian, civil rights activist, and spokesman for health issues, who became nationally recognized in the 1960s for a biting brand of comedy that attacked racial prejudice. By addressing his hard-hitting satire to white audiences, he gave a comedic voice to the rising Civil Rights Movement. In the 1980s his nutrition business venture targeted

Stebbins, George Ledyard, Jr.

2005-02-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

Stebbins was educated

Damascus, The Muslim city

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

Damascus was the first great city of the ancient world that the Muslim Arab forces encountered. In 661, Mu'awiyah, the first Umayyad caliph, moved out of Arabia and established his court in the Syrian capital. The city was renowned for almost a century thereafter as the capital of a luxurious and extensive empire—the most far-reaching of any achieved by Islam. The principal

Margaret Of Angoulême

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

Daughter of Charles de Valois-Orléans, comte d'Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy, she became the most influential woman in France, with the exception of her mother,

Arnaut Daniel

2005-02-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

A nobleman by birth, Arnaut was a highly regarded travelling troubadour. He is credited with inventing the sestina, a lyrical form of six six-line stanzas, unrhymed,

Wu-t'ung-ch'iao

2005-02-05T02:04:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Wutongqiao, town in south-central Szechwan sheng (province), China. Situated between Lo-shan and I-pin on the Min River, Wu-t'ung-ch'iao was formerly a minor market town and briefly achieved status as a municipality from 1952 to 1958. It is chiefly noted as a major salt-producing area, the salt being drawn as brine from wells of medium depth. Barium and calcium chloride are also produced. Woolens,

Moldova, Flag Of

2005-02-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

Moldova declared independence during World War I. At various times in prior centuries it had been a part of Moldavia, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania, and its symbols are derived from historical and cultural links with Moldavia and Romania. Its flag of December 1917 was the traditional Romanian tricolour of blue, yellow, and red in horizontal format. In the centre

Maupertuis, Pierre-louis Moreau De

2005-02-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

Maupertuis became a member of the Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1731 and soon became the foremost French proponent of the Newtonian theory of gravitation. In 1736 he led an expedition to Lapland to measure the length of a degree along the

New Hampshire Grants

2005-02-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

In the period before the American Revolution, the territory that subsequently became the state of Vermont. The area was initially claimed by New Hampshire, and the first land grant there was issued in 1749 by the first governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. By 1764, 131 townships had been chartered. New York, which also claimed the territory, began issuing grants of its own

Gharyan

2005-01-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Garyan , or Garian town, in the Tripolitania region of northwestern Libya. It lies at the foot of the plateau Jabal Nafusah, 50 miles (80 km) south of Tripoli, and was a major centre of Italian colonization in the early 1910s. After the Turko-Italian war (1911–12) and the defeat of Turkey, the Gebel, Berber, and Fezzanese peoples in Libya continued to fight but could not stem the Italian advance. Gharyan fell to the

Van Hise, Charles Richard

2005-01-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

From 1879 Van Hise taught at the University of Wisconsin

Ceremonial Object, Protective devices and markers of sacredness

2005-01-29T22:31:00.000-08:00

Other objects, such as fans, flyswatters, parasols, and standards—analogous to the symbols of royalty—often complete the permanent furnishings of sacred places. In addition to their utilitarian role, they are endowed with a sacred character; fans used in Brahmanic and Buddhist cults may be compared to the flabella (“fans”) in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Jubayl, Al-

2005-01-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jubail, also called Jubail Industrial City, port city, eastern Saudi Arabia, on the Persian Gulf north of az-Zahran, near the 'Abd al-'Aziz naval base. In the early 1970s the Saudi government chose al-Jubayl, an ancient fishing and pearling village, to be the site of a major industrial complex. Its location on the Persian Gulf would yield an ample water supply for cooling the large industrial plants and would also promote ease

Niceforo, Alfredo

2005-01-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

Italian sociologist, criminologist, and statistician who posited the theory that every person has a “deep ego” of antisocial, subconscious impulses that represent a throwback to precivilized existence. Accompanying this ego, and attempting to keep its latent delinquency in check, according to his concept, is

Peter Rabbit

2005-01-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

In 1993 children of all ages celebrated the 100th birthday of the world's best-known and most beloved lagomorph. The guest of honour was not only long in the tooth, he was also long in the ears. Peter Rabbit, who began his public life in Edwardian times and retained his best-seller status in the postmodern era, proved to be a contemporary centenarian. A nontrendy vegetarian, the

Hinckley And Bosworth

2005-01-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

Borough (district), administrative and historic county of Leicestershire, England. It comprises the town of Hinckley, an important centre of the hosiery industry since framework knitting was introduced there in 1640, as well as the towns of Market Bosworth and Earl Shilton, which is a centre of both the hosiery and footwear industries. The Battle of Bosworth Field was

France, History Of, Conscription

2005-01-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Building on the Directory's conscription law of September 1798, the Napoleonic regime, after considerable trial and error, had created the mechanisms for imposing on the citizens of France and the annexed territories the distasteful obligation of military service. Each year the Ministry of War Administration assigned a quota of conscripts for every department.

Berenice I

2005-01-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

Berenice arrived in Egypt in the retinue of Eurydice, Ptolemy's second queen, whom he married as part of a political agreement with her father, Antipater of Macedonia. About 317 Ptolemy married Berenice. Probably because she was not of royal blood, a genealogy was fabricated

Ma Yuan

2005-01-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

By the late 12th century, however, this style was changing, and the new elements that were appearing reflected the nostalgic and somewhat precious atmosphere of the exiled court at Lin'an. In some hanging scrolls attributed to Ma, and in many of the exquisite small album and fan paintings, the mountains are pushed to one side, creating a “one corner” composition; between

Moskva River

2005-01-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

English Moscow River river flowing through Moscow oblast (province) and part of Smolensk oblast, in western Russia. It is a left-bank tributary of the Oka River in the Volga basin. Rising in the Smolensk-Moscow Upland, the river flows 312 mi (502 km) in a southeasterly direction and drains an area of 6,800 sq mi (17,600 sq km). It is an important source of Moscow's water supply. Major cities along the river include Moscow,

Rjr Nabisco, Inc.

2005-01-18T22:33:00.000-08:00

Former conglomerate corporation formed by the merger in 1985 of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (a diversified company specializing in tobacco and food products), and Nabisco Brands, Inc., an international manufacturer of snack foods. In what was the biggest merger of its time, RJR Nabisco became privately owned in 1989 when it was merged into investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

Poland

2005-01-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

Over the past millennium,

Gravesend

2005-01-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

The discovery of the skull of Swanscombe man near Gravesend dates early settlement in the area to the Second Interglacial Period (about 200,000 years ago). Gravesend is mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) as Gravesham, possessing a hithe

Pier

2005-01-16T11:27:00.000-08:00

In building construction, vertical loadbearing member such as an intermediate support for adjacent ends of two bridge spans. In foundations for large buildings, piers are usually cylindrical concrete shafts, cast in prepared holes, while in bridges they take the form of caissons, which are sunk into position. Piers serve the same purpose as piles but are not installed

France, History Of, The authoritarian years

2005-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

From 1852 to 1859 the empire was authoritarian in tone. Civil liberties were narrowly circumscribed; vocal opponents of the regime remained in exile or were constrained to silence; parliament's wings were clipped; elections to the Legislative Corps (Corps Législatif; the lower house of the Parliament) were spaced at six-year intervals and were “managed” by Napoleon's prefects,

Hood, Thomas

2005-01-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

The son of a bookseller, Hood

Henry

2005-01-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

Unit of either self-inductance or mutual inductance, abbreviated h (or hy), and named for the American physicist Joseph Henry. One henry is the value of self-inductance in a closed circuit or coil in which one volt is produced by a variation of the inducing current of one ampere per second. One henry is also the value of the mutual inductance of two coils arranged such that

Kyoga Lake

2005-01-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kioga Lake, lake in central Uganda, East Africa, north of Lake Victoria, formed by the Victoria Nile in its middle course. The many-armed lake is shallow, with swampy, papyrus-reeded shores; masses of papyrus are broken loose by strong winds and sometimes have completely blocked the river. Navigation for shallow-draft vessels is possible between Namasagali and Masindi Port. The

Alaska, Flag Of

2005-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

The creator

Argentina, Andean and sub-Andean zones

2005-01-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

The high-elevation, cold climatic phenomenon in Argentina is sometimes referred to as tundra climate and, in even colder mountaintop

Asher

2005-01-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

One of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times constituted the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after the younger of two sons born to Jacob (also called Israel) and Zilpah, the maidservant of Jacob's first wife, Leah. After the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, Joshua assigned territory to each of the 12 tribes. The

Aesthetics, Form

2005-01-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

Expression and representation form part of the content of a work of art. Nonetheless, it is not only content that is understood (or misunderstood) by the attentive recipient. There is also form, by which term we may denote all those features of a work of art that compose its unity and individuality as an object of sensory experience. Consider music. In most cases when a

Israel, A cold peace

2005-01-06T01:10:00.000-08:00

Thus, “seven lean years” after the Yom Kippur War and three decades after independence, Israel had reached peace with Egypt, the Soviets were sidelined, and the Jewish state's alliance with the United States was consolidated. However, trouble loomed, as a civil war in Lebanon allowed an increasingly well-armed PLO to raid Israel's northern border. Israel had also begun

Helder, Den

2005-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (municipality) and port, Noord-Holland provincie, northwestern Netherlands, at the northern end of the North Holland Canal, opposite Texel Island on the Marsdiep, a channel linking the North Sea and Waddenzee. Offshore, in 1673, a Dutch fleet under Adm. Michiel A. de Ruyter and Cornelis Tromp defeated an Anglo-French fleet. In 1794 a French cavalry troop captured a Dutch

Hackman, Gene

2005-01-04T01:29:00.000-08:00

Hackman left home at age 16 and enlisted in the marines for five years, entering the Korean conflict. He began a study of journalism

Congé D'élire

2005-01-03T22:21:00.000-08:00

English permission to elect formal message conveying the English sovereign's permission for the dean and chapter of the cathedral of a vacant bishopric to proceed in regular chapter to a new election. Before the Norman Conquest (1066) it was the king's prerogative to appoint bishops to vacant sees. This came to be contested by the popes, though the sovereign usually was able to secure the appointment

Lusignan Family

2005-01-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Noble family of Poitou (a province of western France) that provided numerous crusaders and kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Lesser Armenia. A branch of the family became counts of La Marche and Angoulême and played a role in precipitating the baronial revolt in England against King Henry III. The castle of Lusignan is associated with the medieval legend of Mélusine.

Puget Sound

2004-12-31T08:29:00.000-08:00

Deep inlet of the eastern North Pacific Ocean indenting northwestern Washington, U.S. It stretches south for 100 miles (160 km) from Admiralty Inlet and Whidbey Island (beyond which lie the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca). Hood Canal is a large western extension. The sound is the submerged northern end of the Cowlitz-Puget trough, which extends for some 350 miles (565 km) between the

Finnish Literature

2004-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Only in the 19th century did a strong literature in Swedish develop in Finland. Previously it had been somewhat sporadic, although there had been several excellent poets, notably Jacob Frese, Gustaf Philip Creutz, and Frans Mikael Franzén. In the work of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the Finnish people and landscape first came to life in literature, and he became the national

Seylac

2004-12-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Zeila, town and port, extreme northwest Somalia, on the Gulf of Aden. From the 9th century to the end of the 19th, it was the most important Arab settlement on the Somali coast, serving as the centre for trade between the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia and Muslim Arabia. The trade then consisted of ivory, slaves, skins, and incense from Ethiopia and the interior, which were exchanged

Carajá

2004-12-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Karajá, tribe of South American Indians living along the Araguaia River, near the inland island of Bananal, in central Brazil. Their language may be distantly related to Ge, which is spoken by most of the surrounding tribes. The three subtribes of the Carajá—the Carajá proper, the Shambioá, and the Javahé—have almost identical cultures and are all oriented toward the river

Miracle, Sacred places

2004-12-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Miracles are often connected with special sacred places. Normally these are natural shrines, such as sacred groves, or temples and sanctuaries in which a god or spirit lives or has manifested himself or in which his statue, symbol, holy objects, or relics are enshrined. Holy places, such as Mecca and the Ka'bah in Islam or the Buddhist stupas, are centres of pilgrimages

Vanir

2004-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

In Norse mythology, race of gods responsible for wealth, fertility, and commerce and subordinate to the warlike Aesir. As reparation for the torture of their goddess Gullveig, the Vanir demanded from the Aesir monetary satisfaction or equal status. Declaring war instead, the Aesir suffered numerous defeats before granting equality. The Vanir sent their gods Nj

Vadstena Bracteate

2004-12-26T23:13:00.000-08:00

Gold coin-like ornament with runic inscriptions and rich designs, discovered in Östergötland, Swed., probably dating from the 5th century. A 24-character futhark (runic alphabet), arranged in three groups of eight symbols, is engraved on it, followed by eight characters, tuwa tuwa, of unknown, perhaps magical, significance. The bracteate is the oldest and best record of the

Shamanism, Dress

2004-12-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

He wears a ritual gown, which usually imitates an animal—a deer, a bird, a bear. Similarly, the headdress is a crown made of antlers or a band into which feathers of birds have been pierced. The footwear is also symbolic—iron deer hooves, birds' claws, or bears' paws. The clothing of the shamans among the Tofalar (Karagasy), Soyet, and Darhat are decorated with representations

Eastern Orthodoxy, In Bulgaria

2004-12-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

The reestablishment of the Church of Bulgaria eventually was secured, but not without tragedy and even a schism; this happened mainly because the issue of reestablishing the autocephalous church arose at a time when both Greek and Bulgarian populations lived side by side in Macedonia, Thrace, and Constantinople itself, though still within the framework of the

Mathematics, Foundations Of, The axiomatic method

2004-12-23T05:47:00.000-08:00

The idea is this: there are a number of basic

Medicine, In the developed countries

2004-12-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

Those concerned with providing health care in the developed countries face a different set of problems. The diseases so prevalent in the Third World have, for the most part, been eliminated or are readily treatable. Many of the adverse environmental conditions and public health hazards have been conquered. Social services of varying degrees of adequacy have been

Libyan Desert

2004-12-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

Arabic As-sahra' Al-libiyah, northeastern portion of the Sahara, extending from eastern Libya through southwestern Egypt into the extreme northwest of The Sudan. The desert's bare rocky plateaus and stony or sandy plains are harsh, arid, and inhospitable. The highest point is Mount Al-'Uwaynat (6,345 feet [1,934m]), located where the three countries meet; the Qattara Depression (Munkhafad al-Qattarah) of Egypt descends

Molenbeek-saint-jean

2004-12-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

(French), Flemish Sint-Jans-Molenbeek commune, Brabant province, central Belgium. A residential and industrial suburb west of Brussels, it is one of the communes that make up Greater Brussels. It originated as a distinct village on a slope overlooking a brook (molenbeek, “mill stream”). Molenbeek Ridge was the site from which Louis XIV's forces bombarded Brussels in 1695. Today Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is a highly urbanized

Mckinley, William

2004-12-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

Renominated for another term without opposition, McKinley again faced Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the presidential election of 1900. McKinley's margins of victory in both the popular and electoral votes were greater than they were four years before, no doubt reflecting satisfaction with the outcome of the war and with the widespread prosperity that the country enjoyed. Following his inauguration in 1901 (see primary source document: Second Inaugural Address), McKinley left Washington for a tour of the western states, to be concluded with a speech at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Cheering crowds throughout the journey attested to McKinley's immense popularity. More than 50,000 admirers attended his exposition speech, in which the leader who had been so closely identified with protectionism now sounded the call for commercial reciprocity among nations. (See primary source document: Reciprocal Trade Agreements.) The following day, September 6, 1901, while McKinley was shaking hands with a crowd of well-wishers at the exposition, Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, fired two shots into the president's chest and abdomen. Rushed to a hospital in Buffalo, McKinley lingered for a week before dying in the early morning hours of September 14. He was succeeded by his vice president, the man Mark Hanna sneeringly referred to as “that damned cowboy,” Theodore Roosevelt.

Arcturus

2004-12-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Alpha Boötis one of the five brightest stars in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern constellation Boötes, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.00. It is an orange-coloured giant star about 40 light-years from the Earth. It lies in an almost direct line with the tail of Ursa Major (the Great Bear); hence its name, derived from the Greek words for “bear guard.”

Excretion, The contractile vacuoles of protozoans

2004-12-16T22:55:00.000-08:00

Some protozoan animals possess an organelle having the form of an internal sac, or vacuole, which enlarges by the accumulation of a clear fluid and then discharges its contents to the exterior. The cycle of filling and emptying may be repeated as frequently as every half minute. The chief role of the contractile vacuole appears to be in osmotic regulation, not in nitrogen

Than Tun, Thakin

2004-12-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

Than Tun was educated at Rangoon (Yangon) Teachers' Training School and taught at a high school in Rangoon. Influenced at an early age by Marxist writings, he joined in 1936 the nationalist Dobama Asi-ayone (We-Burmans Association). Than Tun helped form the