ImportantWhistle

Pyrrhon Of Elis

2005-03-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

Pyrrhon was a pupil of Anaxarchus of Abdera and in about 330 established himself as a teacher at Elis. Believing that equal arguments can be offered on both sides of any proposition, he dismissed the search for truth as a vain endeavour. While traveling with

Wright, Richard

2005-03-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Wright's grandparents had been slaves. His father

Racerunner

2005-03-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

Racerunners may be diversely marked, even within a species, being

Balatonfüred

2005-03-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Resort town, Veszprém megye (county), central Hungary, on the north shore of Lake Balaton. The town has been known for at least 250 years as a health spa and resort. In the town centre is Gyógy Tér (“Healing Square”), where the waters of volcanic springs rise up under a pavilion. There are 11 medicinal springs in the area that are said to have a stimulating effect on the heart and nerves.

Murdock, George P(eter)

2005-03-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

American anthropologist who specialized in comparative ethnology, the ethnography of African and Oceanic peoples, and social theory. He is perhaps most notable as the originator, in 1937, of the Cross-Cultural Survey, a project of the Institute of Human Relations of Yale University, in which a vast amount of anthropological data was

Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of, Drainage

2005-03-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

The drainage pattern of Sinkiang is unique to China. The only stream whose waters reach the sea is the O-erh-ch'i-ssu, which rises in north-central Sinkiang, crosses into Kazakstan, and joins the Irtysh that (in Russia) flows into the Ob, which then empties into the Arctic Ocean. Other streams in Sinkiang issue from the mountains and disappear into inland deserts or salt

Schaepman, Hermanus Johannes Aloysius Maria

2005-03-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

Ordained a priest in 1867, Schaepman received a doctorate in church history (1869) and taught at a seminary for many years.

Abu Shahrayn

2005-03-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

Mound in southern Iraq, site of the ancient Sumerian city of Eridu (q.v.).

Amon

2005-03-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

Amon may have been originally a local deity at Khmun (Hermopolis) in Middle Egypt; his cult reached Thebes, where he became the patron of the pharaohs by the reign of Mentuhotep I (2008–1957 BC). At that date he was already identified with the sun god Re of Heliopolis and, as Amon-Re, was received as a national god. Represented in human form,

Claes, Ernest

2005-02-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

Claes treated several subjects. Animals and children were the subject of such works as Floere het fluwijn (1950; “Floere the Polecat”)

Aaron

2005-02-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Scholars have long been aware that the figure of Aaron as it is now found in the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Old Testament, is built up from several sources or layers of traditions. According to Julius Wellhausen, a German biblical scholar, and his followers, the Yahwist source was the oldest one, followed in order by the Elohist, Deuteronomist, and Priestly

Asti

2005-02-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Asti province, Piemonte (Piedmont) region, northwestern Italy. It lies at the confluence of the Tanaro and Borbera rivers, 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Turin. Asti was the Hasta, or Colonia, of the Romans and was the seat of a bishopric from AD 932. It reached its zenith as an independent commune in the 13th century, after which it fell to several overlords before coming under

Zion National Park

2005-02-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

The park's principal feature is Zion Canyon, which received its name from the Mormons who discovered it (1858) and settled there in the early 1860s. A portion of the area was first set aside as the Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. The monument was enlarged and

Spondee

2005-02-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Metrical foot consisting of two long (as in classical verse) or stressed (as in English verse) syllables occurring together. The term was derived from a Greek word describing the two long musical notes that accompanied the pouring of a libation. Spondaic metre occurred occasionally in classical verse. It does not, however, form the basis for any English verse, as there

Sackville, Thomas, 1st Earl Of Dorset

2005-02-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

Sackville settled in London in 1553. In 1558 he became a barrister and entered Parliament. He began an extended

Abutilon

2005-02-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

A. hybridum, sometimes called Chinese lantern, is planted outdoors in warm regions and

West Virginia, Colonial period and Virginia's dominion

2005-02-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

The second charter of Virginia in 1609 provided for settlement of that colony's western frontiers. Exploration and trade were further encouraged by Governor William Berkeley after 1660. The Blue Ridge was reached in 1670, and in 1671 another expedition encountered the first westward-flowing stream, the New River, in southwestern Virginia. The expedition descended the river to Peter's

Hailar

2005-02-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

The area was occupied by the Chinese in the 7th century AD under the early T'ang dynasty, when it was part of the Hei-shui protectorate general. Chinese occupation, however, was short-lived and never very

Wars Of Yahweh, Book Of The

2005-02-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

Lost document referred to and quoted in the Old Testament (Num. 21:14ff.). The book is probably a collection of early Israelite war songs including hymns of victory, curses, mocking songs, and other literary genres recounting the victories of Yahweh, the God of Israel, over his enemies; it indicates that biblical books rely on both written and oral tradition. Similar to the Book

Muhammad Ibn Al-hanafiyah

2005-02-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Muslim religious figure who many thought was the legitimate caliph. He was a son of 'Ali, the fourth caliph, but not by his wife, Fatimah, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. By nature, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was retiring and inclined to avoid partisan strife; he acted with much caution despite the support of various factions that would

Balearic Islands

2005-02-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

The archipelago lies 50 to 190 miles (80 to 300 km) east of the Spanish mainland and has a land area of 1,936 square miles (5,014 square km). There are two groups of islands. The eastern and larger

Ascanius

2005-02-05T01:24:00.000-08:00

In Roman legend, son of the hero Aeneas and traditional founder of Alba Longa, probably the site of the modern Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. In different versions, Ascanius is placed variously in time. Those set earlier cite the Trojan Creusa as his mother. After the fall of Troy, Ascanius and Aeneas escaped to Italy, where Aeneas subsequently founded Lavinium, the parent

Qarakhanid Dynasty

2005-02-02T01:28:00.000-08:00

The Qarakhanids, who belonged to the Qarluq tribal confederation, became prominent during the 9th century. With the disintegration of the Iranian Samanid dynasty, the Qarakhanids took over the Samanid territories in Transoxania. In 999 Harun (or Hasan) Bughra Khan, grandson of the paramount tribal chief of the Qarluq confederation,

New York City, Greater New York

2005-01-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Democratic machine reigned, its excesses became apparent, reformers arose and were temporarily triumphant, and then voters restored a chastened Tammany to power. A generation after Tweed fell, the Croker regime was successfully challenged by reformers who elected Mayor William Strong. Once consolidation won voter support, the

Fuller, R(ichard) Buckminster

2005-01-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

U.S. engineer and architect who developed the geodesic dome, the only large dome that can be set directly on the ground as a complete structure, and the only practical kind of building that has no limiting dimensions (i.e., beyond which the structural strength must be insufficient). Among the most noteworthy geodesic domes is the United

Themba, Can

2005-01-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of Fort Hare, S.Af., Themba worked as a reporter and later editor on the magazine Drum

Terhune, Mary Virginia Hawes

2005-01-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

Mary Hawes grew up in her hometown of Dennisville, Virginia, and from 1844 in nearby Richmond. She was well educated by private tutors and in her father's library. Writing under the pseudonym Marion Harland, she

Corax

2005-01-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

There is little reliable information about Corax's life or his work, of which nothing survives. He was active at a time when democratic constitutions had replaced tyrannies in Sicily. He specialized in the theory of forensic oratory and is said to have advocated argument

John

2005-01-22T22:17:00.000-08:00

John succeeded his father, Christian I, king of Denmark and Norway,

Meloria

2005-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

Rocky islet in the Ligurian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany, north central Italy, opposite Livorno. Meloria is known as the site of two 13th-century naval battles, both features of the long-standing rivalry between Pisa and Genoa. In the first battle (1241) the fleets of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II and of Pisa attacked a Genoese squadron and captured the English, French, and

Boniface Viii

2005-01-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but when he learned that Boniface was about to publish a new bull announcing Philip's excommunication, Nogaret, with the assistance of Sciarra Colonna—a bold member of the powerful family—and with the connivance of some of the cardinals, decided to capture the Pope at Anagni, where the Pope was spending the summer. In this he succeeded

Angular Velocity

2005-01-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

In engineering, angles or angular displacements are commonly expressed in degrees or revolutions (of 360°), and angular velocities in

United States, Domestic affairs

2005-01-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

The cost of living continued to rise, until by June 1970 it was 30 percent above the 1960 level; industrial production declined, as did the stock market. By mid-1971 unemployment reached a 10-year peak of 6 percent, and inflation continued. Wage and price controls were instituted, the dollar was devalued, and the limitation on the national debt was raised three times in 1972 alone. The U.S. trade deficit improved, but inflation remained unchecked.

Burgess, Guy; And Maclean, Donald (duart)

2005-01-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

At the University of Cambridge in the 1930s Burgess and Maclean were part of a group of relatively privileged young men who shared a fashionable disdain for capitalist democracy. Recruited

Lak-dargin Languages

2005-01-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Lak-dargwa, two related languages spoken in central Dagestan in the Caucasus—Lak and Dargin. Both are written languages. The dialects of Dargin differ considerably from one another and are considered by some scholars to be separate languages. The Lak-Dargin languages are often placed in the Dagestanian group of the Nakho-Dagestanian (Northeast Caucasian) languages, together

Spohr, Louis

2005-01-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Spohr taught himself composition by studying the scores of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He studied violin with the leader of the Brunswick orchestra and in 1802 with Franz Eck, who

Vaasa

2005-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

In full Vaasan Lääni, Swedish Vasa Län, lääni (province), western Finland, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The province's land rises from a level but indented coastline through generally forested country, with large cultivated plains, toward an eastern lake region. The timber industry and agriculture are important. The city of Vaasa is the province's administrative capital, main seaport, and largest city. Other important

Field, Marshall

2005-01-03T23:22:00.000-08:00

Born on a farm, Field became at 16 an errand boy in a dry-goods store in Pittsfield, Mass., where he developed rapidly into an adept salesman. After going to

Sino-japanese War

2005-01-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

(1937–45), conflict that broke out when China began full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory (begun in 1931). In an effort to unseat the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese occupied large areas of eastern China in 1937–38. A stalemate then ensued, and Japanese forces were diverted to Southeast Asia and to the Pacific War against the

Uralic Languages, The distribution of the daughter languages

2004-12-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

The central Volga origin hypothesis is also supported by the geographic distribution of the daughter languages. Except for Hungarian, which moved westward across the steppes, the Finno-Ugric languages form two chains distributed along major waterways, with the confluence of the Kama and Volga at their centre. One chain extends northward along the Kama, across

Photoelectric Effect

2004-12-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

Photoemissive phenomena are well known for the higher energy ranges in the X-ray and gamma regions because such penetrating radiation can release photoelectrons from inner atomic shells. If a vacancy is produced in an inner shell because of the removal of an electron through the photoelectric process, the vacancy will be filled by an electron from a less tightly

Smith, Jedediah (strong)

2004-12-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

Smith probably made his first trip west while still in his teens. In 1822 he joined a fur-trading expedition to the Rocky Mountains and continued in the Rocky Mountain trade for the remainder of the

Probability Theory

2004-12-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

The word probability has several meanings in ordinary conversation. Two of these are particularly important

Literature, Norwegian.

2004-12-22T22:17:00.000-08:00

The year 2001 was a successful one for established authors in Norway. The 2001 Nordic Council Literature Prize was awarded to Jan Kjærstad for Oppdageren (1999). Lars Saabye Christensen won acclaim for his gigantic novel Halvbroren, which chronicled three generations in Oslo; it was awarded the Brage Prize and Bokhandlerprisen and was nominated for the 2002 Nordic Council Literature

Jacaranda

2004-12-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Any plant of the genus Jacaranda (family Bignoniaceae), especially the two ornamental trees J. mimosifolia and J. cuspidifolia. They are widely grown in warm parts of the world and in greenhouses for their showy blue or violet flowers and attractive, oppositely paired, compound leaves. The genus includes about 50 species native to Central and South America and to the

Nice

2004-12-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

Founded by the Phocaeans

Religious Symbolism And Iconography, Diagrammatic and emblematic

2004-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Symbolic representations are usually depicted in diagrammatic or ideographic modes as signs, abbreviations, images, and objects of all kinds that indicate a larger context. In this category belong the simplified or abstract forms of objects of nature or other objects and geometrical forms, as well as colours, letters, and numbers. The circle, the disk, the rosette,

Endocrine System, Human, Aldosterone

2004-12-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

The biologic effect of aldosterone, the principal mineralocorticoid produced by the zona glomerulosa, is to set in motion a set of reactions at the cell surface of all body tissues in order to enhance the uptake and retention of sodium in all cells and the extrusion of potassium from them. Such fluxes of sodium and potassium following the administration of aldosterone

Annobón

2004-12-12T03:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Pagalu, volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean near the Equator; it is part of Equatorial Guinea. Located about 350 miles (565 km) southwest of continental Equatorial Guinea, it occupies an area of 7 square miles (17 square km) and rises to an elevation of 2,200 feet (671 m). Fishing and lumbering activities are centred in San Antonio, the chief settlement. Pop. (1987 est.) 2,360.

Karasi Dynasty

2004-12-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

Founded by Karasi, a frontier ruler under Seljuq suzerainty, the principality had two branches, with their respective centres in Balikesir and Bergama (Pergamum). Of the sons of Karasi, Demirhan was defeated by the Ottoman ruler Orhan, and Balikesir was annexed (c. 1345). The coastal region of Çanakkale-Troy

Ibn Hazm

2004-12-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

In full Abu Muhammad 'Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa'id Ibn Hazm Muslim litterateur, historian, jurist, and theologian of Islamic Spain, famed for his literary productivity, breadth of learning, and mastery of the Arabic language. One of the leading exponents of the Zahiri (Literalist) school of jurisprudence, he produced some 400 works, covering jurisprudence, logic,

Christianity, The tendency toward asceticism

2004-12-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

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.

Neotropical Region

2004-12-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Neogaean Realm, or South American Region, one of the six major biogeographic areas of the world defined on the basis of its characteristic animal life. It extends south from the Mexican desert into South America as far as the subantarctic zone. It includes such animals as the llama, tapir, deer, pig, jaguar, puma, a variety of opossums, many rodents and fishes, and extremely rich insect and bird populations. The

Astilbe

2004-12-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

A. chinensis, up to 60 cm (2 feet) in height, has produced several

Stiller, Mauritz

2004-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Motion-picture director who during the early 1920s was a leader in the internationally preeminent Swedish cinema. He was influenced by D.W. Griffith's epic style and Thomas Harper Ince's integral use of landscape but most of all by the typically Swedish mysticism and passionate love of nature reflected in the novels of Selma Lagerlöf, many of which

Ob River

2004-11-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Politically, most of the Ob basin is within Russia, but its southern portion forms the northernmost part of Kazakhstan. Russians and other Slavs constitute the majority of the population, but there also are numerous non-Slavic peoples. These include the Kazakhs in the south, the Altay and Shor peoples of the mountains, the Tatars of the Irtysh basin, the Khanty (Ostyak)

Prichard, James Cowles

2004-11-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Prichard received his early education at Bristol and early acquired knowledge of European

Marquesas Islands

2004-11-24T02:34:00.000-08:00

French Îles Marquises, pair of volcanic clusters in French Polynesia in the central South Pacific, 740 mi (1,200 km) northeast of Tahiti. The southeastern group includes Hiva Oa (q.v.), largest and most populated and the burial place of the French artist Paul Gauguin; Fatu Hiva and Tahuata, each about 23 sq mi (60 sq km) and both rising to about 3,300 ft (1,005 m); and the uninhabited Motane and Fatu Huku. The northwestern group

Gabrieli, Giovanni

2004-11-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Giovanni Gabrieli studied with his uncle, Andrea Gabrieli, whom he regarded with almost filial affection. To the latter's foreign travels and connections Giovanni owed his chance to become known

Shad

2004-11-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Any of several saltwater food fishes of the herring family (Clupeidae) that swim up rivers to spawn. Shad of the genus Alosa are rather deep bodied and have a notch in the upper jaw into which the tip of the lower fits. Young shad have small teeth, but the adults are toothless. The flesh of these fishes is considered very good to eat, though bony; the eggs,

Lippmann, Gabriel

2004-11-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Though born of French parents in Luxembourg, Lippmann grew up in Paris

Cloud Forest

2004-11-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

Also called montane rainforest, vegetation of tropical mountainous regions in which the rainfall is often heavy and persistent condensation occurs because of cooling of moisture-laden air currents deflected upward by the mountains. The trees in a cloud forest are typically short and crooked. Mosses, climbing ferns, lichens, and epiphytes (air plants, such as orchids) form thick blankets on the

Colette

2004-11-15T03:57:00.000-08:00

Colette

Steelhead

2004-11-13T04:49:00.000-08:00

Saltwater form of rainbow trout (q.v.).

C.h.

2004-11-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

Companion of honour, member of a British honorary society. See Companions of Honour, Order of the.

Elizabeth Of Hungary, Saint

2004-11-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

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

Xavier, Saint Francis

2004-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

James Brodrick, Saint Francis Xavier, 1506–1552 (1952), a standard biography in English; Georg Schurhammer, Franz Xaver: Sein Leben und seine Zeit (1955–71; Francis Xavier: His Life and Times, 1973), the definitive biography.

Addition Reaction

2004-11-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Addition reactions are typical of unsaturated organic compounds—i.e., alkenes, which contain a carbon-to-carbon double bond, and alkynes, which have a carbon-to-carbon triple bond—and aldehydes and ketones, which have a carbon-to-oxygen double bond. An addition reaction may be

Minch, The

2004-11-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Also called North Minch, Atlantic sea channel between the Outer Hebrides island group on the west and the mainland of Scotland on the east. The channel varies in width between 25 and 45 miles (40 and 70 km) and has both great depth and a rapid current. The Little Minch, its southerly extension, lies between the island groups of the Outer and Inner Hebrides, separating the islands of Harris and North Uist

China, Farming and forestry

2004-10-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

As a result of topographic and climatic features, the area suitable for cultivation is relatively small: only about 10 percent of China's total land area. Of this, slightly more than half is unirrigated, and the remainder is divided roughly equally between paddy fields and irrigated areas. Nevertheless, about 80 percent of the population lives in the countryside, and until

China, Farming and forestry

2004-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Byname Star Wars proposed U.S. strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks—as originally conceived, from the Soviet Union. The SDI was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan in a nationwide television address on March 23, 1983. Because parts of the defensive system that Reagan advocated would be based in space, the proposed system was dubbed “Star Wars,” after the space

New Brunswick

2004-10-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Canadian province located on the eastern seaboard of the North American continent. It is Canada's only officially bilingual province, French and English having equal status. It was one of the four original provinces making up the national confederation in 1867. Together with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, it forms the regional grouping known as the Maritime

Azores

2004-10-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Portuguese in full Arquipélago Dos Açores, archipelago composed of nine major islands, in the North Atlantic Ocean; they lie roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) west of Portugal and are a part of that nation. The islands, which have a total land area of 868 square miles (2,247 square km), are divided into three widely separated groups: the eastern group, consisting of São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas islets; the central, of Faial, Pico,

Pigeon

2004-10-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Pigeons occur worldwide except in the coldest regions and the most remote islands. About 250 species are known;

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

2004-10-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Natural area in western Colorado, U.S., encompassing a deep, narrow gorge 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose. It was established as a national monument in 1933 and was elevated to national park status in 1999; the park occupies an area of 47 square miles (122 square km). Curecanti National Recreation Area borders it to the southeast. The canyon was cut by the Gunnison River (named for the army engineer

United Arab Emirates

2004-10-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the dominant tribal faction was the Al-Qawasim (singular: Qasimi), whose ships controlled the maritime commerce (notably fishing and pearling) concentrated in

Art Rock

2004-10-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Eclectic branch of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s and flourished in the early to mid-1970s. The term is sometimes used synonymously with progressive rock, but the latter is best used to describe “intellectual” album-oriented rock by such British bands as Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Yes. The term art rock is best used to describe either classically influenced

Wang T'ao

2004-10-16T03:22:00.000-07:00

Wang's sympathy with the long, widespread Taiping Rebellion in South China (1850–64) aroused the enmity of officials in the Ch'ing dynasty (1644–1911) government. Forced to flee to British-controlled Hong

Balantidium

2004-10-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

Genus of ovoid protozoans of the holotrichous order Trichostomatida. Uniformly covered with longitudinal rows of minute, hairlike projections (cilia), Balantidium exists as a parasite in the intestines of pigs, apes, and other animals. The species B. coli can, in rare cases, infect humans and cause balantidiosis (balantidial dysentery), a relatively severe disease

Judaism, The Lurianic Kabbala

2004-10-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

After the establishment of the Zoharic corpus, no major changes took place in Jewish esoterism until the middle of the 16th century, when in Safed (in Upper Galilee, Palestine; present-day Zefat, Israel) a religious centre of extreme importance for Judaism was established, which was mainly inspired by teachers coming from families expelled from Spain. Until the expulsion

Bank One

2004-10-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Former U.S. bank holding company that merged with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2004. Bank One had been created through the 1998 merger of First Chicago NBD Corp. and Banc One. Although the 1998 merger created one of the country's largest banks, it performed poorly until Jamie Dimon, a former Citigroup executive, became chief executive officer and revamped operations. Based in Chicago, Bank

Fichtel Hills

2004-10-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

German Fichtelgebirge , Czech Smrciny mountains in northeastern Bavaria Land (state), southeastern Germany. They lie at the Czech border between the Franconian Forest in the northwest, the Ore Mountains (in German, Erzgebirge; in Czech, Krušné Hory) in the northeast, and the Upper Palatinate Forest (a section of the Bohemian Forest) in the south. The rectangular plateau of the Fichtel Hills forms a watershed

Abakan

2004-10-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

Formerly (until 1931) Ust-Abakanskoe city and administrative centre of the republic of Khakassia, south-central Russia. The city lies on the left bank of the Abakan River near its confluence with the Yenisey River. The starting point of a southern Siberian railway line (opened in 1960), Abakan is connected with Novokuznetsk and thence to Barnaul, Akmolinsk, and Magnitogorsk. The city has metalworking, footwear,

Sun Dance

2004-10-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

The ceremony

Intensive Agriculture

2004-10-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

In agricultural economics, system of cultivation using large amounts of labour and capital relative to land area. Large amounts of labour and capital are necessary to the application of fertilizer, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to growing crops, and capital is particularly important to the acquisition and maintenance of high-efficiency machinery

Eclipsing Variable Star

2004-10-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

Pair of stars revolving about their common centre of mass in an orbit whose plane passes through or very near the Earth. An observer on the Earth thus sees one member of the binary pass periodically over the face of the other and diminish its light through an eclipse. The star Algol was the first recognized as an eclipsing binary, by John Goodricke, in 1782. Several thousand

Adams, John Couch

2004-10-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

British mathematician and astronomer, one of two people who independently discovered the planet Neptune. On July 3, 1841, Adams had entered in his journal: “Formed a design in the beginning of this week of investigating, as soon as possible after taking my degree, the irregularities in the motion of Uranus . . . in order

Stagecoach

2004-10-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Any public coach regularly travelling a fixed route between two or more stations (stages). Used in London at least by 1640, and about 20 years later in Paris, stagecoaches reached their greatest importance in England and the United States in the 19th century, where the new macadam roads made travel quicker and more comfortable. In the United States, coaches were the only means

Bread Crumb Sponge

2004-10-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

(Halichondria panicea), member of the class Demospongiae (phylum Porifera), so called because of the way in which it crumbles when handled. H. panicea is a common sponge that encrusts hard substrata and seaweed on the shore and in shallow subtidal regions. Varying in colour from dark green to light yellow, it is frequently found in shaded crevices or under overhangs. Its

Madinah 'isa

2004-10-05T00:58:00.000-07:00

English Isa Town planned community in the state and emirate of Bahrain, north-central Bahrain island, in the Persian Gulf. Conceived and underwritten by the Bahraini government as a residential settlement, it was laid out on an uninhabited site by British town planners in the early 1960s; the first units were occupied in 1968. The town is named for Sheikh 'Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, who ruled Bahrain

Alaska, Government

2004-10-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

The state constitution was adopted in 1956. The governor and lieutenant governor are the only executive officers and are elected for four-year terms. The 40-member House of Representatives and 20-member Senate are elected for terms of two and four years, respectively. The Supreme Court has a chief justice and four associate justices. A three-member court of appeals was established

Great Falls

2004-10-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

City, seat (1887) of Cascade county, west-central Montana, U.S. It lies along the Missouri River, near the falls (96 feet [29 metres] high) for which it was named. In 1805 the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark observed the falls and nearby Giant Springs, one of the world's largest freshwater springs. First settled in 1883, the community was sustained with the arrival in 1887 of the Manitoba

Killanin (of Galway), Michael Morris, 3rd Baron

2004-10-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

British-born Irish journalist, film producer, author, and sports administrator (b. July 30, 1914, London, Eng.—d. April 25, 1999, Dublin, Ire.), served as president (1972–80) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during a turbulent period marked by boycotts and international disputes. He inherited the title of Baron Killanin when his uncle died in 1927, and he attended the Sorbonne (1932) in Paris and Magdalene

Southampton, William Fitzwilliam, Earl Of

2004-09-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

A son of Sir William Fitzwilliam of Aldwarke, near Rotherham, Fitzwilliam was a companion in boyhood of Henry VIII and was knighted for his services at the siege of Tournai in 1513. Later he was treasurer of Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey's household and was sent several times to France

Peter Des Roches

2004-09-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

As bishop of Winchester from 1205 to 1238, he organized and added to the financial resources of his see. He held ecclesiastical appointments in Touraine

Canada Act

2004-09-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Also called Constitution Act 1982, Canada's constitution approved by the British Parliament on March 25, 1982, and proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II on April 17, 1982, making Canada wholly independent. The document contains the original statute that established the Canadian Confederation in 1867 (the British North America Act), the amendments made to it by the British Parliament over the years, and new material resulting

Multinational And Regional Organizations

2004-09-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

On June 22 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) admitted Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, and Laos as observers of its meetings. The new status of these countries was a first step toward their full membership in the seven-member (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) regional organization. The invitation to Myanmar, a military

Pacific League

2004-09-26T04:37:00.000-07:00

One of the two leagues of professional baseball teams in Japan (the other being the Central League). The Pacific League was founded in 1950. It has six teams, some of whose names and hometown designations have changed over the years. The league consists of the Chiba Lotte Marines, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Kintetsu Buffaloes, Nippon Ham Fighters, Orix Blue Wave, and Seibu Lions. The

Madagascar, Relief

2004-09-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Situated between 2,500 and 4,500 feet (800 and 1,400 metres) above sea level, the plateau has been uplifted and worn down several times and is tilted to the west. Three massifs are more than 8,500 feet high. The Tsaratanana region in the

Talambo Affair

2004-09-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

Following the attack at Talambo, the Spanish government sent an investigator, whom it called a viceroy (the title of the