ElasticCircle

Condensation Reaction

2005-04-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Any of a class of organic reactions in which two molecules combine, usually in the presence of a catalyst, with elimination of water or some other simple molecule. The combination of two identical molecules is known as self-condensation. Aldehydes, ketones, esters, alkynes (acetylenes), and amines are among several organic compounds that combine with each other and,

Sangrur

2005-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

City, in southeastern Punjab state, northwestern India. The city was founded in the 17th century and became the capital of the former independent state of Jind. In 1948 it became part of India. Sangrur is an agricultural market with some light industry, including handloom weaving and handicrafts. There are good road and rail connections with the rest of Punjab and with neighbouring

San Justo

2005-04-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

Cabecera (principal built-up area) of La Matanza partido (political subdivision), Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Arg. It lies directly southwest of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires province. In 1856 the poblador (person granted land as an incentive to settle an area) of San Justo, José Gorsch, donated the land for the founding of the town on behalf of the Justo Villegas family.

Aerosmith

2005-04-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

American heavy metal band. One of the biggest arena-rock attractions of the late 1970s, Aerosmith became even more popular with its career revival in the mid-1980s. Principal members were Steven Tyler (byname of Steven Tallarico; b. March 26, 1948, New York, New York, U.S.), Joe Perry (b. September 10, 1950, Boston, Massachusetts), Brad Whitford (b. February 23, 1952, Winchester, Massachusetts), Tom Hamilton (b. December

China, The dynasty's founder

2005-04-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

Chu Yüan-chang, founder of the new dynasty, came from a family of physiognomists from K'ai-feng who in Yüan times had deteriorated into itinerant tenant farmers in northern Anhwei Province. Orphaned by famine and plague in 1344, young Chu was taken into a small Buddhist monastery near Feng-yang city as a lay novice. For more than three years he wandered as a mendicant through

Mukacheve

2005-04-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

Russian Mukachovo, also spelled Mukachevo, or Mukacevo, Hungarian Munkács, city, Zakarpattya oblast (province), western Ukraine, on the Latoritsa River. Its location controls the southern approach to a major pass across the Carpathian Mountains, today followed by road and rail. This position has given Mukacheve a key fortress role in sub-Carpathian Ruthenia since its foundation in the 10th century—mainly during its period of Hungarian rule

Van Diemen Gulf

2005-04-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

Inlet of the Timor Sea of the Indian Ocean, indenting Northern Territory, Australia. Measuring 90 mi (145 km) by 50 mi and partially enclosed by Melville Island (northwest) and the Cobourg Peninsula (northeast), it is fronted by the mainland as far west as Cape Hotham (south). Receiving the South and East Alligator and Mary rivers, the gulf has access to the open sea through Clarence

Deng Xiaoping

2005-04-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

The son of a landowner, Deng studied in France (1921–24), where he

Chaco War

2005-03-30T08:32:00.000-08:00

(1932–35), costly conflict between Bolivia and Paraguay. Hostile incidents began as early as 1928 over the Chaco Boreal, a wilderness region of about 100,000 square miles (259,000 square km) north of the Pilcomayo River and west of the Paraguay River that forms part of the Gran Chaco. The conflict stemmed from the outcome of the War of the Pacific (1879–84), in which Chile defeated Bolivia and annexed that nation's

Avon, River

2005-03-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

Also called East Avon or Hampshire Avon river that rises 3 miles (5 km) east of Devizes, Wiltshire, England, on the north side of the Vale of Pewsey and flows generally southward for 48 miles (77 km) to the English Channel. The river shares the name Avon (derived from a Celtic word meaning “river”) with several other rivers in Great Britain, including the Avon of Bristol (or Lower Avon) and the Avon of Warwickshire (or Upper

Kellermann, François-christophe, Duc (duke) De Valmy

2005-03-29T04:41:00.000-08:00

Born into a family of the judicial nobility, Kellermann became an officer in the French Army in 1752. He fought with distinction against the Prussians and British during the Seven Years' War (1756–63) and was subsequently

I-lan

2005-03-28T04:55:00.000-08:00

Hsien (county), northeastern Taiwan, occupying an area of 825 square miles (2,137 square km) and bordered by the hsien of T'ai-pei (north), T'ao-yüan and Hsin-chu (west), and T'ai-chung and Hua-lien (south) and by the Philippine Sea (east). The Chung-yang Mountains extend over the southern part, and the Hsüeh-shan Mountains border the northwestern part of I-lan hsien. In the northeast, the I-lan River

Cimmerian

2005-03-28T03:25:00.000-08:00

Member of an ancient people living north of the Caucasus and the Sea of Azov, driven by the Scythians out of southern Russia, over the Caucasus, and into Anatolia toward the end of the 8th century BC. Ancient writers sometimes confused them with the Scythians. Most scholars now believe that the Cimmerians assaulted Urartu (Armenia) about 714 BC, but in 705, after being repulsed by Sargon

Cross River

2005-03-27T16:37:00.000-08:00

The Cross River, after which the state is named, rises from the Cameroon Mountains and flows southward, forming much

Kumamoto

2005-03-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

Kumamoto ken is predominantly agricultural and produces rice surpluses for northern Kyushu's industrial cities, along with some mandarin oranges, silk, igusa (a rush for weaving tatami mats), tobacco, and

Kahn, Herman

2005-03-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

Kahn graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1945. Over the next three years he worked for several aircraft-manufacturing companies and completed his master's degree at the California Institute of Technology.

Argentina, Independence

2005-03-24T19:12:00.000-08:00

In Argentina the independence movement began in 1806–07, when British attacks on Buenos Aires were repelled in the two battles known as the Reconquista and the Defensa. Also important there, as elsewhere in Spanish America, were the ramifications of Napoleon I's intervention in Spain, beginning in 1808, which plunged that country into a civil war between two rival

Ahl Al-bayt

2005-03-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Shi'ites closely identify this family with the imams, whom they regard as the legitimate holders of authority in the Muslim community, the infallible bearers of sacred knowledge, and the source of messianic

Hannum, Alex

2005-03-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

American basketball coach (b. July 19, 1923, Los Angeles, Calif.—d. Jan. 18, 2002, San Diego, Calif.), was the first coach to win championships in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA); he was also one of only two coaches ever to win NBA titles with two different teams. Hannum played professional basketball from 1948 to 1957. He then became the head coach

Indian Botanic Garden

2005-03-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Formerly Royal Botanic Garden, botanical garden in Calcutta, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). The garden covers more than 109 hectares (270 acres), on which about 1,700 plant species are cultivated. It was founded in 1787 by the East India Company, primarily for the purpose of acclimatizing new plants of commercial value and growing spices

Van Duyn, Mona

2005-03-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

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

Forbes-robertson, Sir Johnston

2005-03-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

Educated at Charterhouse School, he studied art before turning to the theatre in 1874, when he first appeared on the London stage. He acted with the Bancrofts—Squire

Furniture, Egypt

2005-03-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

Beds, stools, throne chairs, and boxes were the chief forms of furniture in ancient Egypt. Although only a few important examples of actual furniture survive, stone carvings, fresco paintings, and models made as funerary offerings present rich documentary evidence. The bed may have been the earliest form; it was constructed of wood and consisted of a simple framework

Samaritan

2005-03-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

Member of a community of Jews, now nearly extinct, that claims to be related by blood to those Jews of ancient Samaria who were not deported by the Assyrian conquerors of the kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. The Samaritans call themselves Bene-Yisrael (“Children of Israel”), or Shamerim (“Observant Ones”), for their sole norm of religious observance is the Pentateuch (first five books

Narra

2005-03-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Asana, any of several timber trees of the genus Pterocarpus of the pea family (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). The name refers especially to P. indicus, or India padauk, or the hard wood, noted for its ability to take a high polish, that is derived from the trees. Narra wood is used for cabinetwork; it is usually red or rose colour, often variegated with yellow, and is hard and heavy. The trunk

Stable Fly

2005-03-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

The female must feed on blood before she can lay her

Korea, History Of, Chinese intervention

2005-03-18T03:55:00.000-08:00

The Chinese, who had moved troops along the Yalu after the Inch'on landing, entered Korea in November in overwhelming numbers. By the end of 1952, 1,200,000 Chinese were engaged in the war under the command of Peng Dehuai (P'eng Te-huai). They forced the UN forces to retreat in disorder, and Seoul was reevacuated on Jan. 4, 1951. But the Chinese were halted around P'yongt'aek (about 30 miles south of Seoul),

Ibn Tibbon, Jacob Ben Machir

2005-03-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

Jacob translated into Hebrew a large number

Hindu, The

2005-03-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Established in 1878 as a weekly, The Hindu became a daily in 1889. While India was under British rule, the paper spoke out for independence—but in a moderate vein. After 1947, when India achieved independence, The Hindu built a network of foreign bureaus, while extending

Luque

2005-03-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

City, southern Paraguay. Founded in 1635, Luque rose to prominence as the temporary national capital during the bloody Paraguayan War (1864–70) with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Oranges, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, and livestock produced in the area supply the markets of nearby Asunción, to which it is accessible by railroad and highway. Factories in Luque manufacture guitars

Arabia, History Of, The rise of Islam

2005-03-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

After Muhammad's entry into Mecca the tribes linked with Quraysh came to negotiate with him and to accept Islam; this meant little more than giving up their local deities and worshiping Allah alone. They had to pay the tax, but this was not novel because the tribal chiefs had already been taxed to protect the Meccan haram. Many tribesmen probably waited to join the winner.

Bahr Al-jabal

2005-03-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bahr el-Jebel , English Mountain Nile that section of the Nile River between Nimule near the Uganda border and Malakal in south-central Sudan. Below Nimule the river flows northward over the Fula Rapids, past Juba (the head of navigation), and through as-Sudd, an enormous, papyrus-choked swamp where half its water is lost. It receives the Bahr al-Ghazal at Lake No and then turns east to join with the Sobat River of

Duby, Georges

2005-03-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Although a Parisian by birth, Duby became enthralled at an early age with the history and culture of southern France. Educated

Papias

2005-03-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

According to the 2nd-century theologian Irenaeus, Papias had known the Apostle John. The 4th-century

Morocco, The pre-World War II period

2005-03-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Abd al-Hafid

Indiana Dunes

2005-03-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

The state park, established in 1925, comprises 2,182 acres (883 hectares) of shoreline, marshland, dunes, and forests near Chesterton. In addition to a 3-mile (5-kilometre) white sand beach, it has facilities for camping, picnicking, fishing, and hiking. An outstanding feature is the Big

Hebrew Literature, Formative influences

2005-03-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

The first formative influences on 20th-century Hebrew literature belong to the late 19th century. The middle classes of eastern European Jewry that read Hebrew books turned to Jewish nationalism, and Zionist activity, coupled with the movement for speaking Hebrew, widened the circle of Hebrew readers. Hebrew daily papers began to appear in 1886. Writers borrowed extensively

Polish Literature, Literature in independent Poland

2005-03-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

The restoration of the country's independence in 1918 decisively affected Polish literature. The period between 1918 and 1939 was characterized by richness, variety, and increasing contact with other European literatures, especially through the publication of translations. Lyrical poetry predominated for nearly a decade after 1918. The periodical Zdrój (“The Fountainhead”) showed

Zambezi River, Plant life

2005-03-10T05:26:00.000-08:00

The vegetation along the upper and middle course of the Zambezi is predominantly savanna, with deciduous trees, grass, and open woodland. Mopane woodland (Colophospermum mopane) is predominant on the alluvial flats of the low-lying river valleys and is highly susceptible to fire. Grass, when present, is typically short and sparse. Forestland with species of the genus

Viseu

2005-03-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

Town, capital, and concelho (township), Viseu distrito (“district”), northern Portugal, southeast of Porto. The town's notable landmarks include the Romanesque and Gothic cathedral (12th and 16th centuries) and the Grão-Vasco Museum, which is dedicated to the works of a 16th-century school of painting headquartered in Viseu. Nearby are the ancient city of Vaca and the Cava de Viriato,

Bonaparte, Joseph

2005-03-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Like his brothers, Joseph embraced the French republican cause and, with the victory of Corsican patriot Pasquale Paoli, was forced to leave Corsica to seek refuge in France. In 1796 he accompanied

Palestine, History Of, The Crusades

2005-03-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

A year after the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders, the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem was established (Christmas Day, 1100). Thereafter, there was no effective check to the expansion of the crusaders' power until the capture of their stronghold at Edessa (modern Urfa, Tur.) by the atabeg of Mosul, 'Imad ad-Din Zangi ibn Aq Sonqur, in 1144. Zangi's anticrusader campaign was carried on after

Saint Augustine Grass

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

Saint Augustine grass is cultivated as a lawn grass in some areas

Felton, Rebecca Ann

2005-03-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Latimer was graduated first in her class from the Madison Female College, Madison, Georgia, in 1852 and the following year married William H. Felton, a local physician active in liberal Democratic politics. She assisted her husband in

Norfolk, John Howard, 1st Duke Of, Earl Marshal, Lord Howard

2005-03-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

John Howard was the son of Sir Robert Howard by his wife, Margaret, daughter of Thomas Mowbray, the 1st Duke of Norfolk of that family. In 1455 John Howard was sent to Parliament as member for Norfolk; in 1461 he was knighted; and in 1470, although he appears to have been

Rabelais, François

2005-03-07T00:05:00.000-08:00

Pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier French writer and priest who for his contemporaries was an eminent physician and humanist and for posterity is the author of the comic masterpiece Gargantua and Pantagruel. The four novels composing this work are outstanding for their rich use of Renaissance French and for their comedy, which ranges from gross burlesque

Melitopol

2005-03-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Melitopol ', city, Zaporozhye oblast (province), Ukraine, on the Molochnaya River. The settlement of Novo-Aleksandrovka grew up in the late 18th century, and in 1841 it became the city of Melitopol. The centre of a fruit-growing area, modern Melitopol has engineering plants and light industries. Pop. (1993 est.) 178,000.

Schleiermacher, Friedrich (ernst Daniel)

2005-03-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

German theologian, preacher, and classical philologist, generally recognized as the founder of modern Protestant theology. His major work, Der christliche Glaube (1821–22; 2nd ed. 1831; The Christian Faith), is a systematic interpretation of Christian dogmatics.

Interior Design, Design and presentation

2005-03-06T03:29:00.000-08:00

After the completion of a program and the acceptance of the program by the clients, the actual design work can begin. Designers usually work on many alternative schemes. A single space such as a restaurant or a carefully designed store takes many days of preliminary design studies. As the size of the job increases, the interrelation of individual spaces increases

Kabul River

2005-03-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek Cophes, river in eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, 435 miles (700 km) long, of which 350 miles are in Afghanistan. Rising in the Sanglakh Range 45 miles west of Kabul city, it flows east past Kabul and Jalalabad, north of the Khyber Pass into Pakistan, and past Peshawar; it joins the Indus River northwest of Islamabad. The river has four major tributaries, the Lowgar, the Panjsher, the Konar

Heterospecific Mating

2005-03-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Also called incompatible mating mating in which the man and woman have incompatible blood types, such that the woman may develop antibodies to her partner's blood type. This mating causes difficulties in childbirth, since there is a chance that the child conceived in a heterospecific mating will have its father's blood type. When a heterospecific pregnancy occurs, the mother produces antibodies

Pacific Ocean, Relief

2005-03-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

The Pacific basin may conveniently be divided into three major physiographic regions: the eastern, western, and central Pacific regions.

Acre River

2005-03-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Acre, river, chiefly in western Brazil, rising on the Peruvian border, along which it continues eastward to form part of the Brazil–Bolivia border. Turning north at Brasiléia, the remainder of its 400-mi (645-km) course flows in a north-northeasterly direction, through the Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas, to join the Rio Purus, a tributary of the Amazon, at Bôca do Acre. It was formerly

Körner, (karl) Theodor

2005-03-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

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

Baseball

2005-03-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs, the two sluggers who shattered major league baseball's existing home-run records in 1998, staged a reprise in 1999, with 65 and 63 home runs, respectively. Offense overall throughout both the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) increased substantially; the total home-run output of 5,528 broke the previous

Theft

2005-03-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

Larceny is the trespassory taking and carrying away of personal goods from the possession of another with intent to steal. There must be a trespassory taking; that is, the goods must be taken from the possession of

Subway

2005-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Underground, Tube, or Métro, underground railway system used to transport large numbers of passengers within urban and suburban areas. Subways are usually built under city streets for ease of construction, but they may take shortcuts and sometimes must pass under rivers. Outlying sections of the system usually emerge aboveground, becoming conventional railways or elevated transit lines.

National Museum Of Western Art

2005-02-28T22:53:00.000-08:00

The basis of the collection was a group of more than 400 French paintings, sculptures, and drawings that had been collected by Matsukata Kojiro but held by the French government during World War II.

Furniture, Upholstery and covers

2005-02-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

Upholstery and covers belong to the sphere of furniture designed for sitting or lying on. From the Orient, Europeans learned the use of wickerwork, which provided a ventilated and resilient background for loose cushions. The upholstered chair is a genuinely European phenomenon that achieved its most distinguished and logical form in England during the 18th century.

Molding

2005-02-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Moulding, in architecture and the decorative arts, a defining, transitional, or terminal element that contours or outlines the edges and surfaces on a projection or cavity, such as a cornice, architrave, capital, arch, base, or jamb. The surface of a molding is modeled with recesses and reliefs, which either maintain a constant profile or are set in rhythmically repeated patterns.

Hengist And Horsa

2005-02-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

Hengist also spelled Hengest (respectively d. c. 488; d. 455?), brothers and legendary leaders of the first Anglo-Saxon settlers in Britain who went there, according to the English historian and theologian Bede, to fight for the British king Vortigern against the Picts between AD 446 and 454. The brothers are said to have been Jutes and sons of one Wihtgils. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that they landed at Ebbsfleet,

Ikeda Hayato

2005-02-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

Born into a sake brewer's family, he graduated from Kyoto Imperial University law school in 1925 and began his career in the Ministry of Finance. After rising to the position of vice minister

Daniell, John Frederic

2005-02-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

In 1820 Daniell invented a dew-point hygrometer (a device that indicates atmospheric humidity), which came into widespread use. In his Meteorological Essays and Observations (1823), Daniell

Alessandro

2005-02-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

Alessandro was an illegitimate child, whose paternity is ascribed either to Lorenzo de' Medici (1492–1519), Duke di Urbino, or, with more likelihood, to Cardinal Giulio, nephew of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Cardinal Giulio received the lordship of Florence in 1519; but, upon being elected pope in 1523 (Clement VII), he made Silvio, Cardinal

Arts, Central Asian, The music of Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim

2005-02-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

Little is presently known about the music of Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim. Minstrels play a major role in the musical life of Nepal, where, under the influence of Indian practice, musicians are classified according to caste and each group is distinguished by specific instruments and repertoire. There appears to be a great deal of both Indian-related and indigenous folk

Achilles Painter

2005-02-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

The “Achilles and Briseis” amphora is a red-figure vase (that is, the figures are painted in red

India, The Deccan and the south

2005-02-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

In the northern Deccan the decline of the Later Calukyas brought about the rise of their feudatories, among them the Yadava dynasty (also claiming descent from the Yadu tribe) based at Devagiri (Daulatabad), whose kingdom (Seunadesa) included the Khandesh (now divided into Dhule and Jalgaon), the Nashik, and the Ahmadnagar districts. The kingdom expanded during the reign of Si

Venationes

2005-02-23T01:17:00.000-08:00

Contests between beasts or between men and beasts were staged in an amphitheatre, usually in connection with gladiator shows. The men used in these exhibitions were either captives, condemned criminals, or professional animal hunters. Originating in the 2nd century BC as part

Novello, Ivor

2005-02-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Novello, the son of the celebrated Welsh singing teacher, Dame Clara Novello Davies, was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, and served with the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. He became famous with a

Priesthood

2005-02-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Vedic, Brahmanic, and Upanishadic conceptions of priesthood and the predominance of the Brahman caste in Hinduism are discussed in Arthur Berriedale Keith, The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads, 2 vol. (1925, reprinted 1989); S. Radhakrishnan, The Hindu View of Life (1927, reissued 1980), and Eastern Religions and Western Thought, 2nd ed. (1940, reissued 1991); J.H. Hutton, Caste in India, 2nd ed. (1951); and R.C. Zaehner, Hinduism (1962, reissued 1977), with a full bibliography. C.J. Fuller, Servants of the Goddess: The Priests of a South Indian Temple (1984), analyzes the complex interrelationships between the priests of the Minaksi Temple in Madurai and the economic, political, and social structure of contemporary India. V. Bouillier and G. Toffin (eds.), Priesthood, Power, and Authority in the Himalayas (1989), in English and French, is a collection of ethnographic papers concerning the role of the priesthood in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and two tribal religions, the Tharu of Dang and the cult of Kham Magar. The sublimation of priesthood in Buddhism in India, China, and Japan is treated in Paul Dahlke, Buddhism and Its Place in the Mental Life of Mankind (1927); and Edward Conze, Buddhism: Its Essence and Development (1951, reissued 1975). D. Howard Smith, Chinese Religions (1968), introduces religious thought and sacerdotal practice in China. Religious Studies in Japan (1959), a collection of papers from the ninth International Congress for the History of Religions, is a very informative composite volume in English by a group of Japanese scholars. Texts concerning the Zen sect include Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Manual of Zen Buddhism, 2nd ed. (1950, reissued 1983); and Alan Watts, The Way of Zen (1957, reprinted 1989); while reference is made to it in R.C. Zaehner, Mysticism, Sacred and Profane (1957, reissued 1980). The priesthood in Shinto is discussed in D.C. Holtom, The National Faith of Japan (1938, reissued 1965).

Burgos, José

2005-02-22T02:37:00.000-08:00

Burgos studied at San Juan de Letran College and the University of Santo Tomás in Manila, earning a doctorate of philosophy and a licentiate in canon law. His scholarship and

Tacloban

2005-02-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

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

Uvarovite

2005-02-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

Calcium chromium garnet found as small, brilliant, green crystals. It is the rarest of all the garnets, and its crystals commonly are too small to be cut. Otherwise, it would rival emerald as a popular gemstone because of its beautiful colour. Typical occurrences are in chromite, as in the northern Urals, California, Canada, Finland, and Silesia in Poland. For details of

Leningrad, Siege Of

2005-02-19T02:21:00.000-08:00

After Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, German armies by early September had approached Leningrad from the west and south while their Finnish allies approached to the north down the

K.b.e.

2005-02-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Knight commander of the British Empire, member of the second highest class of a British order of knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Japan Railways Group

2005-02-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

The first railroad in Japan, built by British engineers, opened in 1872, between Tokyo and Yokohama. After some initial opposition to foreign influence, Japanese engineers began building railroads at a rapid rate, and

Lebed, Aleksandr Ivanovich

2005-02-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Soviet general and politician (b. April 20, 1950, Novocherkassk, near Rostov, Russian S.F.S.R., U.S.S.R.—d. April 28, 2002, Abakan, Russia), was a decorated military hero who made headlines in 1991 when he refused to lead troops against Russian Pres. Boris Yeltsin in the aborted coup against Soviet Pres. Mikhail Gorbachev; in 1996 he unsuccessfully ran against Yeltsin in the Russian Federation's presidential

Microscope, The compound microscope

2005-02-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

The compound microscope, using an objective and an eyepiece, was first described in the 16th century, but all drawings of the period indicate very impractical arrangements of lenses. The first useful compound microscope was constructed in the Netherlands sometime between 1590 and 1608. Three spectacle makers—Hans Jansen, his son Zacharias, and Hans Lippershey—have each received

Ben Barka, Mehdi

2005-02-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

Ben Barka, the son of a Moroccan policeman, taught mathematics

Subatomic Particle, The weak nuclear force

2005-02-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

Since the 1930s physicists have been aware of a force within the atomic nucleus that is responsible for certain types of radioactivity that are classed together as beta decay. A typical example of beta decay occurs when a neutron transmutes into a proton. The force that underlies this process is known as the weak nuclear force to distinguish it from the strong nuclear

Furniture

2005-02-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

Household equipment, usually made of wood, metal, plastics, marble, glass, fabrics, or related materials and having a variety of different purposes. Furniture ranges widely from the simple pine chest or stickback country chair to the most elaborate marquetry work cabinet or gilded console table. The functional and decorative aspects of furniture have been emphasized

Uruguay River

2005-02-15T04:14:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Uruguai, Spanish Río Uruguay, river in southern South America that rises in the coastal range of southern Brazil. Its chief headstream, the Pelotas River, rises just 40 miles (64 km) from the Atlantic coast at Alto do Bispo in Santa Catarina state, Brazil, and takes the name Uruguay after it is joined by the Canoas River near Piratuba. Flowing west through the coastal range of Brazil (separating Santa Catarina

Middletown

2005-02-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Newport county, southeastern Rhode Island, U.S., on Rhode (Aquidneck) Island, in Narragansett Bay. It was named for its location between the other two towns on the island, Newport and Portsmouth. Closely related to Newport, from which it was set off and incorporated in 1743, Middletown has developed as a residential suburb of that city. Middletown is the home of

Annabergite

2005-02-14T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hydrated nickel arsenate mineral that is very similar to erythrite (q.v.).

Hughes, Howard (robard)

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

He studied at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, and later at the Rice Institute of Technology, Houston. Orphaned at 17, he quit school and

Joubert, Barthélemy-catherine

2005-02-13T02:21:00.000-08:00

Joubert, son of an advocate, ran away from school in 1784 to enlist in the artillery but was brought back and sent to study law at Lyon and Dijon. In 1791 he joined the volunteers of the Ain and fought with the French army in Italy in 1793. By the end of 1796 he was a general of division. He was in charge of the

Dangerfield, Thomas

2005-02-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Dangerfield robbed his father, a farmer, and was imprisoned several

A-kuei

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

The scion of a noble family, A-kuei directed Chinese military expeditions that quelled uprisings in the western provinces of Szechwan and Kansu. He also conquered Ili and Chinese Turkistan, areas on China's northwestern frontier that are today part of the Uighur Autonomous

Gates, Horatio

2005-02-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Gates first served in North America in the French and Indian War (1754–63), emerged as a major, and returned to England. In 1772 he immigrated to the region that

Talc

2005-02-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

Since ancient times, soapstones

Abbott, Berenice

2005-02-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

Hank O'Neal, Berenice Abbott: American Photographer (1982); Bonnie Yochelson, Berenice Abbott: Changing New York (1997).

Talking Heads

2005-02-10T02:02:00.000-08:00

In 1974 three classmates from the Rhode Island School of Design moved to New York City and declared themselves Talking Heads. Singer-guitarist Byrne, drummer

Ramses Ii

2005-02-10T01:55:00.000-08:00

One measure of Egypt's prosperity is the amount of temple building the kings could afford to carry out, and on that basis the reign of Ramses II is the most notable in Egyptian history, even making allowance for its great length. It was that, combined with his prowess in war as depicted in the temples, that led the Egyptologists of the 19th century to dub him “the Great,” and that,

Essen, Louis

2005-02-09T01:24:00.000-08:00

Essen studied physics at Nottingham University College, where he earned a University of London physics degree

Blood Brotherhood

2005-02-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

Special alliance or tie that binds persons together in a fashion analogous to, but distinct from, kinship ties. The relationship derives its name from the ritual commingling of the blood of the participants. The nature of the alliance thus formed typically enjoins the members to mutual support, loyalty, or affection. When practiced between groups, blood brotherhood

Allegany

2005-02-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

County, western Maryland, U.S. It consists of an irregular neck of land between Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia to the south (the North Branch Potomac River constituting the border with West Virginia). The county rests on part of the Allegheny Plateau and includes Rocky Gap State Park, Green Ridge State Forest, and the scenic gorge of Cumberland Narrows (1,000 feet

China, Population distribution

2005-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

Because of complex natural conditions, the population of China is quite unevenly distributed. Population density varies strikingly, with the greatest contrast occurring between the eastern half of China and the lands of the west and the northwest. Exceptionally high population densities occur in the Yangtze Delta, in the Pearl River Delta, and on the Ch'eng-tu

Mercerization

2005-02-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

The treatment consists of immersing the yarn or

Madhyamika

2005-02-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Intermediate”), important school in the Mahayana (“Great Vehicle”) Buddhist tradition. Its name derives from its having sought a middle position between the realism of the Sarvastivada (“Doctrine That All Is Real”) school and the idealism of the Yogacara (“Mind Only”) school. The most renowned Madhyamika thinker was Nagarjuna (2nd century AD), who developed the doctrine that all

Mclennan, John Ferguson

2005-02-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

McLennan was admitted to the bar in 1857, and he became a parliamentary draftsman for Scotland in 1871. His interest in survivals of practice and behaviour from earlier cultures