SeriousComb

La Mancha

2005-11-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

Barren, elevated plateau (2,000 ft [610 m]) of central Spain, stretching between the Montes (mountains) de Toledo and the western spurs of the Cerros (hills) de Cuenca, and bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north by La Alcarria region. It includes portions of the modern provinces of Cuenca, Toledo, and Albacete, and most of Ciudad Real province. It constitutes the southern

Hayward

2005-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

City, Alameda county, California, U.S., at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo Toll Bridge across San Francisco Bay. Named for William Hayward, a disappointed gold seeker who arrived in 1851 and opened a hotel, it was originally an Indian campsite on grazing lands of Mission San José (established 1797) and later part of the Guillermo Castro Rancho. Promoted by San Francisco businessmen,

Base

2005-07-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

In chemistry, any substance that in water solution is slippery to the touch, tastes bitter, changes the colour of indicators (e.g., turns red litmus paper blue), reacts with acids to form salts, and promotes certain chemical reactions (base catalysis). Examples of bases are the hydroxides of the alkali and alkaline earth metals (sodium, calcium, etc.) and the water solutions

Theatre, Western, Theatre of Fact

2005-07-24T02:20:00.000-07:00

A more uncompromising method of bringing social issues to the stage has been Documentary Theatre, or the Theatre of Fact. In this case, the presentation of factual information usually takes precedence over aesthetic considerations. Out of the social protest movement that arose during the years of depression in the 1930s, a unit of the WPA Federal Theatre Project in

Pei-p'iao

2005-07-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Beipiao, mining town, western Liaoning Province, China. Located northwest of the Ta-ling Stream and east of the Ta-ch'ing Mountains, it is the site of a coal combine. The vertical shafts, which extend nearly 3,280 feet (1,000 m), are among the deepest mines in China. They produce coking coal from a southwestern extension of the Fu-hsin basin. Pop. (mid-1970s est.) 100,000–300,000.

Pankhurst, Dame Christabel Harriette

2005-07-07T03:50:00.000-07:00

A daughter of suffrage activist Emmeline Pankhurst and a sister of Sylvia Pankhurst, Christabel Pankhurst advocated the use of militant tactics to win the vote for women in England. With her mother she founded the Women's

Balalaika

2005-07-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Russian stringed musical instrument of the lute family. It was developed in the 18th century from the dombra, or domra, a round-bodied, long-necked, three-stringed lute played in Russia and Central Asia. The balalaika is made in six sizes, from piccolo to double bass, and has a flat back and a triangular table, or belly, that tapers to the fretted neck. The frets are movable, and

Alexander

2005-06-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

The second son of King Constantine (ruled 1913–17 and 1920–22) and Queen Sophia, Alexander became king (June 12, 1917) when his father was forced by the Allies of World War I to abdicate and thereby allow his country to join them in the war. Shortly after Alexander's accession to the throne, Eleuthérios Venizélos became premier of

Robert I

2005-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Original name Robert VIII de Bruce, or Robert the Bruce king of Scotland (1306–29), who freed Scotland from English rule, winning the decisive Battle of Bannockburn (1314) and ultimately confirming Scottish independence in the Treaty of Northampton (1328).

Aristides Quintilianus

2005-06-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Greek author of a treatise on music (Perì musikês), one of the principal sources of modern knowledge of ancient Greek music. The work deals with scales, metres, and the composition of melodies, as well as with the educational value of music and the relation of music, through mathematics, to phenomena in nature. It was regarded by Byzantine and Arab scholars as

Anna Comnena

2005-06-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Organization that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional economic blocs (such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Area) in other parts of the world, APEC works to raise living standards

John

2005-05-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

A penniless younger son of the French count Erard II of Brienne and Agnes of Montbéliard, John passed most of his life as a minor noble until befriended by King Philip II Augustus of France, who arranged for him to

Domino Whist

2005-05-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Domino game for four players. Partners are drawn for as in the card game whist; the player drawing the highest domino leads. Each player takes seven dominoes, or bones. There are no tricks, trumps, or honours. The bones are played as in ordinary dominoes, a hand being finished when one of the players plays his last bone or when both ends are blocked. Pips are then counted, and

African Popular Music

2005-05-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

In common with the rest of the world, Africa was strongly affected by the instrumentation, rhythms, and repertoire from the Americas during the 1920s and '30s, as radio and

Oaxaca

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

Oaxaca is noted for its 16th-century art and

Ibsen, Henrik (johan)

2005-03-14T03:11:00.000-08:00

Ibsen was born at Skien, a small

Italic Languages, Oscan

2005-03-11T05:56:00.000-08:00

Before Latin spread out, Oscan was the most widely spoken group of dialects of the Apennine Peninsula. It was used by the Samnites in Samnium and Campania; by the inhabitants of Lucania and Bruttium; and, with slight variations, by smaller tribes between Latium and the Adriatic coast: the Volsci, Marsi, Paeligni, Vestini, and Marrucini. (These distinct �minor dialects� within

Karag�

2005-03-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

(Turkish: �Black Eyes,� or �Gypsy�), type of Turkish shadow play, named for its stock hero, Karag�z. The comically risqu� plays are improvised from scenarios for local audiences in private homes, coffee shops, public squares, and innyards. The Karag�z play apparently was highly developed in Turkey by the 16th century and was adapted in Greece and North Africa. In the 20th century,

C.b.e.

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

Commander of the British Empire, member of a British order of knighthood, although this rank does not confer knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Earth Sciences

2005-03-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

Commander of the British Empire, member of a British order of knighthood, although this rank does not confer knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Computers, The Altair

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

In September 1973 Radio Electronics published an article describing a �TV Typewriter,� which was a computer terminal that could connect a hobbyist with a mainframe computer. It was written by Don Lancaster, an aerospace engineer and fire spotter in Arizona who was also a prolific author of do-it-yourself articles for electronics hobbyists. The TV Typewriter provided

Percy Family

2005-03-02T02:13:00.000-08:00

The family was founded by William de Percy (c. 1030 - 96), a follower of William I the Conqueror, who bestowed on him a great fief in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. His grandson William (d. 1175) was the last of the house in the direct line, leaving two daughters and coheiresses, Maud, who died childless,

Walther Von Der Vogelweide

2005-03-01T04:24:00.000-08:00

Greatest German lyric poet of the Middle Ages, whose poetry emphasizes the virtues of a balanced life, in the social as in the personal sphere, and reflects his disapproval of those individuals, actions, and beliefs that disturbed this harmony. He was no respecter of persons: whoever came between him and his ideals, even the pope himself, received

Auger

2005-02-28T00:29:00.000-08:00

Tool (or bit) used with a carpenter's brace for drilling holes in wood. It looks like a corkscrew and has six parts: screw, spurs, cutting edges, twist, shank, and tang. The screw looks like a tapered wood screw and is short and small in diameter; it centres the bit and draws it into the work. At the working end of the twist there are two sharp points called spurs, which score a circle

Medicine, Japan

2005-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

In Japan, with less rigid legal restriction of the sale of pharmaceuticals than in the West, there was formerly a strong tradition of self-medication and self-treatment. This was modified in 1961 by the institution of health insurance programs that covered a large proportion of the population; there was then a great increase in visits to the outpatient clinics of hospitals

Tyrrell, George

2005-02-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Tyrrell was raised in the Anglican church but converted to Roman Catholicism in 1879 and joined the Society of Jesus the

Hawarden

2005-02-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

Town, historic and present county of Flintshire (Sir Fflint), northeastern Wales. Hawarden Castle (1752) was the home of William E. Gladstone, the Victorian prime minister, for 60 years. St. Deiniol's Library was founded by Gladstone in 1895, and there is also a Gladstone museum in the community. Hawarden functions as both a commuter suburb for the city of Chester, England - 7 miles (11 km)

Connors, Jimmy

2005-02-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

Connors learned to play tennis from his mother at an early age, and when he was eight years old he competed in the U.S. boys' championship. A former student at the University of California at Los Angeles, he joined team tennis in 1972. In 1974 he won three of the Big Four tournaments

Hasa, Al-

2005-02-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Al-Ahsa'� oasis and region in eastern Saudi Arabia. Al-Hasa oasis, the largest oasis in Saudi Arabia, lies about 40 miles (65 km) west of the Persian Gulf. It has about 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) of palm groves and other crops that are irrigated by the flow of 60 or more artesian springs. Many varieties of dates are grown on the more than 3 million trees in the oasis. The oasis's population consists of almost

Hasa, Al-

2005-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

American organization created in 1890 by the merger of the two major rival women's rights organizations - the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association - after 21 years of independent operation. NAWSA was initially headed by past executives of the two merged groups, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B.

Resonance

2005-02-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

In particle physics, an extremely short-lived phenomenon associated with subatomic particles called hadrons that decay via the strong nuclear force. This force is so powerful that it allows resonances to exist only for the amount of time it takes light to cross each such �object.� A resonance occurs when the net energy of the colliding subatomic particles is just

Wicksteed, Philip Henry

2005-02-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Wicksteed, who was for some years a Unitarian minister, was a writer on literature, classics, theology, and philosophy, and his fame at the time of his death was greater in these contexts than as an economist. He wrote, among many works, Dante and

Nehru, Jawaharlal

2005-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Byname �Pandit (Hindi: �Pundit,� or �Teacher�) Nehru� first prime minister of independent India (1947 - 64), who established parliamentary government and became noted for his �neutralist� policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India's independence movement in the 1930s and '40s.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

2005-02-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Archaeological site in northwestern New Mexico, U.S., on the Animas River, just north of the city of Aztec. The national monument was established in 1923 and has an area of 0.5 square mile (1.3 square km). The site, mistakenly called Aztec by early white settlers, actually contains the excavated ruins of a 12th-century Pueblo Indian town built of masonry and timber. Many Indian artifacts

Mondov�

2005-02-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1198 by refugees from the regional wars between the city-states and communes, it was independent until the 13th century, when it was subordinated to the Angevins (French counts of Anjou). Regaining its freedom in 1290, it fell to Anjou again

Insurance, General average clause

2005-02-16T01:10:00.000-08:00

The general average clause in ocean marine insurance obligates the insurers of various interests to share the cost of losses incurred voluntarily to save the voyage from complete destruction. Such sacrifices must be made voluntarily, must be necessary, and must be successful. For example, if a shipper's cargo is voluntarily jettisoned in a storm in order to save

Baracoa

2005-02-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

In December 1492 Christopher Columbus stopped at what is now

Yamasee War

2005-02-14T23:23:00.000-08:00

(1715 - 16), in British-American colonial history, conflict between Indians, mainly Yamasee, and British colonists in the southeastern area of South Carolina, resulting in the collapse of Indian power in that area. Embittered by settlers' encroachment upon their land and by unresolved grievances arising from the fur trade, a group of Yamasees rose and killed 90 white traders

Pyrolite

2005-02-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Rock consisting of about three parts peridotite and one part basalt. The name was coined to explain the chemical and mineralogic composition of the upper mantle of the Earth. The relative abundances of the principal metallic element components (except iron) are similar to those in chondritic meteorites and in the solar photosphere. Accordingly, it is reasonable

Bridie, James

2005-02-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

Trained at the University of Glasgow's medical school, Bridie maintained a successful general practice (until 1938) and served as a physician in World War I and World War II. His first play, The Sunlight Sonata (1928), written under the pseudonym

Pius Ix

2005-02-11T01:28:00.000-08:00

Original name �Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti � Italian head of the Roman Catholic church whose pontificate (1846 - 78) was the longest in history and was marked by a transition from liberalism to conservatism. Notable events of his reign included the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854) and the sessions of the First

Biblical Literature, Kings: the second book

2005-02-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

The Second Book of Kings continues the history of the monarchies of Israel and Judah and of the prophetic movement. Ahaziah fell from an upper chamber of his palace in Samaria and sought help from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Elijah met the messengers to castigate them for not seeking aid from Yahweh, the God of Israel, and told a third delegation that had been sent out

Scandinavian Literature, The development of the Icelandic drama

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

Icelandic drama really started to develop through J�hann Sigurj�nsson, whose first success was Fjalla-Eyvindur (1911; Eyvind of the Hills), followed by Galdra-Loftur (1915; �Loftur the Sorcerer�); both plays were based on powerful folktales. Gudmundur Kamban's Hadda-Padda (1914) was highly praised by Georg Brandes, and he remained important in Scandinavian drama for the next quarter

France, History Of, Merovingian and Carolingian age

2005-02-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Comprehensive introductions to the period are found in Margaret Deanesly, A History of Early Medieval Europe, from 476 to 911, 2nd ed. (1960, reissued 1974); Jean Favier (ed.), Histoire de France, 6 vol. (1984 - 88), vol. 1; and Karl Ferdinand Werner, Les Origines (avant l'an mil) (1984). The history of invasions, with the archaeological background, is presented in Lucien Musset, The Germanic Invasions: The Making of Europe, AD 400 - 600 (1975; originally published in French, 1965), and Les Invasions: le second assaut contre l'Europe chr�tienne, VIIe - XIe si�cles, 2nd ed. (1971); and Patrick P�rin and Laure-Charlotte Feffer, Les Francs, 2 vol. (1987). On the Merovingians, see Eugen Ewig, Die Merowinger und das Frankenreich (1988); Bernard S. Bachrach, Merovingian Military Organization, 481 - 751 (1972); and J.M. Wallace-Hadrill, The Long-Haired Kings and Other Studies in Frankish History (1962, reprinted 1982). For the Carolingians, Louis Halphen, Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire (1977; originally published in French, 1947), remains the classic work. Later scholarship is reflected in Rosamond McKitterick, The Frankish Kingdoms Under the Carolingians, 751 - 987 (1983); and F.L. Ganshof, The Carolingians and the Frankish Monarchy, trans. from French (1971). Special studies of the civilization of the period include J.M. Wallace-Hadrill, The Frankish Church (1983); Pierre Rich�, Education and Culture in the Barbarian West, Sixth Through Eighth Centuries (1976; originally published in French, 3rd ed., 1973); Suzanne Fonay Wemple, Women in Frankish Society: Marriage and the Cloister, 500 to 900 (1981); and Ren�e Doehaerd, The Early Middle Ages in the West: Economy and Society (1978; originally published in French, 1971).

New English Dictionary On Historical Principles, A

2005-02-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

(NED), the title of the original edition (1884 - 1928) of The Oxford English Dictionary (q.v.), which was the revised and corrected edition published in 1933.

Zip Code

2005-02-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

In full �Zone Improvement Plan Code� system of zone coding introduced by the U.S. Post Office Department (now the U.S. Postal Service) in 1963 to facilitate the sorting and delivery of mail. After an extensive publicity campaign, the department finally succeeded in eliciting from the public a widespread acceptance of the ZIP code. Users of the mails were requested to include in all addresses a five-number code,

Animal Behaviour, Habituation

2005-02-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

Habituation is learning to disregard stimuli that are without significance to the animal. In many respects it is the simplest form of learning, and it is sometimes regarded as a fundamental property of all living matter. Most animals inherit a response to be frightened by sudden and strong stimuli such as loud sounds, flashes of light, and the sudden intrusion of

Tseng-tzu

2005-02-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

Tseng-tzu was highly influential in reaffirming the Confucian emphasis on the virtue of hsiao

Fenestella

2005-02-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

Fenestella's

Mauna Kea Observatory

2005-02-02T23:35:00.000-08:00

The observatory was founded in 1964 at the urging

Zacatecas

2005-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Zacatecas estado (�state�), north-central Mexico. It lies in a deep, narrow ravine, 8,189 feet (2,496 m) above sea level. Founded in 1548 (by Juan de Tolosa, Crist�bal de O�ate, Diego de Ibarra, and Baltasar Tremi�o), two years after silver was discovered in the area, it was given city status in 1585. The name means �place where zacate grass grows.� Until the 19th century, the mines around Zacatecas

Trade Agreement

2005-01-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

For most countries international trade is regulated by unilateral barriers of several types, including tariffs, nontariff barriers, and outright prohibitions. Trade agreements

Teaching Machine

2005-01-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

There are many types of teaching machines. In general, they all work on the same method, which is to present a question, have the user indicate the answer, and then provide the user with the correct answer. Some machines may be extremely simple, such as test sheets or books so programmed that

Hooks, Bell

2005-01-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

Watkins grew up in a segregated community of the American South. At age 19 she began writing what would become her first full-length book, Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, which was

Cell, The vacuole

2005-01-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

Most plant cells contain one or more membrane-bound vesicles called vacuoles. Within the vacuole is the cell sap, a water solution of salts and sugars kept at high concentration by the active transport of ions through permeases in the vacuole membrane. This high concentration causes the entry, via osmosis, of water into the vacuole, which in turn expands the vacuole

Philaret

2005-01-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

Upon his graduation from the Trinity Monastery, near Moscow, in 1803, Philaret was appointed as a teacher there and,

Japanese Literature, The novel between 1905 and 1941

2005-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

The dominant stream in Japanese fiction since the publication of Hakai (1906; The Broken Commandment), by Shimazaki Toson, and Futon (1907; The Quilt), by Tayama Katai, has been naturalism. Although the movement was originally inspired by the works of the 19th-century French novelist �mile Zola and other European naturalists, it quickly took on a distinctively Japanese colouring,

Music, Orchestras.

2005-01-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

For all the long-standing predictions of the imminent demise of the symphony, at least three major essays in the form had high-profile premieres: Alfred Schnittke's Sixth (by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., on tour in Moscow), Witold Lutoslawski's Fourth (by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with the composer conducting), and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Third

Ibar River

2005-01-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

River in south central Yugoslavia, rising in the Mokra Planina (mountains) and flowing eastward to Kosovska Mitrovica, then northward to join the Zapadna Morava River. Its length is 171 mi (276 km), and it has a drainage area of 3,100 sq mi (8,000 sq km). Major tributaries are the Ra

Leno, Dan

2005-01-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Born into a family of traveling entertainers, Leno first appeared on stage at the age of four

Switzerland, The Burgundian War

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

Then followed a series of events that led directly to the Burgundian War. The Swiss came to the aid of Mulhouse and successfully repelled all threats to the city. Wishing to further probe the Habsburg defense, the Bernese moved eastward, laying siege to the key fortress town of Waldshut, sited near the confluence of the Aare and Rhine rivers, thereby controlling all

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-01-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

His earlier literary and philosophical activity, however, led to the publication of his M�langes de litt�rature, d'histoire et de philosophie (1753). This work contained the impressive Essai sur les gens de lettres, which exhorted writers to pursue �liberty, truth and poverty� and also urged aristocratic patrons to respect the talents and independence of such

Wang Ch'ung

2005-01-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

A rationalistic naturalist during an age of superstition, Wang dared attack the belief in omens and portents that had begun to creep into the Confucian doctrines. He helped pave the way for the critical spirit of the next philosophical period and prepared China for

Carnivore

2005-01-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

Any member of the order Carnivora, literally �meat eaters.� The order includes 10 families of living mammals: Canidae (dogs, wolves, jackals, and foxes), Ursidae (bears), Procyonidae (raccoons), Mustelidae (skunks, mink, weasels, badgers, and otters), Viverridae (civets and mongooses), Hyaenidae (hyenas), Felidae (cats), Otariidae (eared seals), Odobenidae (walrus), and Phocidae (earless seals).

Ju�rez

2005-01-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

The city's historic buildings include the Guadalupe mission

Biblical Literature, The prophecies of Deutero-Isaiah

2005-01-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

Second Isaiah contains the very expressive so-called Servant Songs - chapter 42, verses 1 - 4; chapter 49, verses 1 - 6; chapter 50, verses 4 - 9; chapter 52, verse 13; and chapter 53, verse 12. Writing from Babylon, the author begins with a message of comfort and hope and faith in Yahweh. The people are to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem, which has paid �double for all her sins.� As creator and Lord of history,

Jewfish

2005-01-15T04:51:00.000-08:00

Any of several large fishes of the sea bass (q.v.) family (Serranidae), especially Epinephelus itajara, found on the Atlantic coast of tropical America. This species sometimes attains a length of 2.5 metres (8 feet) and a weight of about 320 kilograms (700 pounds). The adult is dull olive-brown with faint spots and bands. Adult jewfish are usually solitary and typically remain in the same

Koussevitzky, Serge

2005-01-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Koussevitzky studied the double bass in Moscow, becoming a virtuoso, and in Russia, Germany, and England gave recitals at which he played his own compositions;

La Libertad

2005-01-13T06:39:00.000-08:00

Once the home of the Mochica and Chim� cultures - renowned for their ceramics, irrigation works, and vast urban

Tepe Yahya

2005-01-12T05:42:00.000-08:00

Ancient Iranian site located northeast of Dowlatabad in southeastern Iran; it has yielded valuable information on the economic exchange patterns of the 3rd millennium BC. Excavations (1968 - 70) by the American School of Prehistoric Research have revealed that Tepe Yahya was almost continuously occupied from the middle of the 5th millennium to the end of the 3rd millennium BC. It

Essaouira

2005-01-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Mogador, � Atlantic port city, western Morocco, midway between Safi and Agadir. The site was occupied by Phoenicians and then Carthaginians and was mentioned in the chronicles of the Carthaginian explorer Hanno (5th century BC). Medieval charts show it as Mogador, a corruption of a Berber word for �safe anchorage.� It stands on a peninsula 10 - 20 feet (3 - 7 m) above sea level and at times with heavy

Afonso Vi

2005-01-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

Afonso succeeded his father, John IV, in 1656, but his mother acted as regent until 1662. His reign saw a series of victories against Spain, including the battles of Ameixal (1663), Castelo Rodrigo (1664), and Montes Claros (1665), which in 1668 led to Spanish recognition

Guarneri Family

2005-01-09T05:32:00.000-08:00

Latin �Guarnerius, � celebrated family of violin makers of Cremona, Italy. The first was Andrea (c. 1626 - 98), who worked with Stradivari in the workshop of Nicol� Amati (son of Girolamo). His son Giuseppe (1666 - c. 1739) at first made instruments like his father's but later made them in a style of his own, with a narrow waist; his son Pietro of Venice (1695 - 1762) was also a fine maker. Another son of Andrea, Pietro Giovanni (1655 - c. 1728), moved from

Arts, Central Asian, Sculpture

2005-01-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

The art of casting images in bronze and other metals entered Tibet from Nepal and India. Having first followed foreign models, the Tibetans gradually developed their own styles

Biochemistry

2005-01-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

Study of the chemical substances and processes that occur in plants, animals, and microorganisms and of the changes they undergo during development and life. It deals with the chemistry of life, and as such it draws on the techniques of analytical, organic, and physical chemistry, as well as those of physiologists concerned with the molecular basis of vital processes.

Muqanna', Al-

2005-01-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Byname of �Hashim Ibn Hakim � religious leader, originally a fuller (cloth processor) from Merv, in Khorasan, who led a revolt in that province against the 'Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi. Preaching a doctrine combining elements of Islam and Zoroastrianism, al-Muquanna' carried on warfare for about three years in the field and for two years longer in his fortress of Sanam before he was eventually defeated and

Brederode, Hendrik Van

2005-01-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

The scion of an ancient Dutch family, which from 1418 had held the lordship of Vianen south of Utrecht, Brederode became known as a spirited soldier and succeeded

Interior Design, Windows and doors

2005-01-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

Windows and doors in contemporary design are not placed as decorative elements or as parts of symmetrical compositions but are primarily considered as functional elements and are expressed as such. If windows are carefully designed and placed for light, for ventilation, for air, and for view, decorative treatment is often unnecessary and a simple device such

Sogn Fjord

2005-01-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

Fjord, Sogn og Fjordane fylke (county), western Norway. It is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway, and its mouth is located 45 miles (72 km) north of Bergen. Its length, from Solund on the offshore island of Sula in the North Sea to Skjolden, at the head of its longest branch, Lustra Fjord, is 127 miles (204 km). The fjord's maximum depth is 4,291 feet (1,308 m), and its main axis is east-west. Its narrow, deep tributary

Steel, Annealing

2005-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

To make steel ductile for subsequent forming operations, an annealing treatment is applied. In annealing, the steel is usually held for several hours at several degrees below Ar1 (shown by the P-S-K line in the figure) and then slowly cooled. This precipitates and coagulates the carbides and results in large ferrite crystals. Cold-formed steel is usually annealed and

Arabia, Climate

2005-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

The Tropic of Cancer virtually bisects the Arabian Peninsula, passing just south of Medina. The summer heat is intense everywhere, reaching as high as 129� F (54� C) in places. Much of the interior is dry, but along the coasts and in some of the southern highlands and deserts the humidity is extreme in the summer. Fogs and dews occur in the humid areas, dew often serving as a substitute

Caecilius Of Calacte

2004-12-31T05:05:00.000-08:00

Only fragments of Caecilius' works are extant, among which may be mentioned: On the Style of the Ten Orators; On the Sublime, which was attacked by the so-called Longinus in a more famous work of the same title; History of the Servile Wars, or slave

Pacific Islands, Changing administrations

2004-12-30T02:16:00.000-08:00

Two United Nations trust territories were the first to achieve sovereignty as independent nations - Western Samoa (now Samoa) in 1962 and Nauru in 1968. The first continued to rely on New Zealand in foreign affairs, while Nauru ended its trusteeship ties with Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. New Zealand, a Commonwealth member with a self-conscious Maori Polynesian

Integration

2004-12-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

With a and b called the limits of integration, is

France, History Of, Loss of control

2004-12-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

By August 1786 even Necker's successor, the frivolous if intelligent Charles-Alexandre de Calonne (1734 - 1802), had concluded that the French state was coming to a dead end. Although the crown had assured the moneymen that it would not default on the debt, as indeed it could not have done without alienating thousands of its natural supporters, Calonne found that he could no longer raise

Mammal, Respiratory system

2004-12-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Closely coupled with the circulatory system is the ventilatory (breathing) apparatus, the lungs and associated structures. Ventilation in mammals is unique. The lungs themselves are less efficient than those of birds, for air movement consists of an ebb and flow, rather than a one-way circuit, so a residuum of air remains that cannot be expired. Ventilation in mammals

Hawke (of Towton), Edward Hawke, 1st Baron

2004-12-26T13:49:00.000-08:00

Hawke joined the navy in February 1720 and was promoted to rear admiral for his distinguished service against the French in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 - 48). In October 1747 he captured six French warships in a brilliant

Pacific Ocean, Tides

2004-12-25T15:06:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the tides of the Atlantic - which are almost always semi-diurnal (i.e., twice-daily) occurrences - those of the Pacific include many instances of diurnal (daily) and mixed tides. In the diurnal type of tidal oscillation, only a single high water and a single low water occur each tidal day (which lasts for about 24 hours and 50 minutes). Tides of this type occur in the Gulfs

Juba Ii

2004-12-24T03:41:00.000-08:00

As a child of about five Juba was paraded in Rome in Caesar's triumphal procession after the death of Juba I but subsequently was given a good education in Italy. Octavian

Elgin, James Bruce, 8th Earl Of, 12th Earl Of Kincardine

2004-12-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

Bruce was elected to the British House of Commons for Southampton as a liberal Tory in 1841, but later that year he inherited his father's title (Scottish

Bricker, John W.

2004-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

After graduation from Ohio State University in 1916 and admission to the Ohio bar in 1917, Bricker served as a World War I army officer before entering

Ginsberg, Allen

2004-12-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Ginsberg grew up in Paterson, N.J., where his father, Louis Ginsberg, himself a poet, taught English. Allen Ginsberg's mother, whom he mourned in his long poem Kaddish (1961), was confined for years in a mental hospital. Ginsberg was

Fu-ping

2004-12-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

Pinyin �Fubing, � peasant �militia� system established in China around the 6th century AD. The fu-ping was first begun by the short-lived Western Wei (535 - 556/557) and Northern Chou (557 - 581) dynasties in North China in an effort to prevent incursions by the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. Groups of peasants were given military training and organized into armed companies in which they were required to participate

Wildenvey, Herman

2004-12-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

When in 1904 the steamer Norge wrecked on a trip to the United States, with 600 or more passengers aboard, Wildenvey was among the few who survived. After returning to Norway from three years in America, where he had studied

Siamese Fighting Fish

2004-12-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

(Betta splendens), freshwater tropical fish of the family Belontiidae (classified by some authorities as Anabantidae; order Perciformes), noted for the pugnacity of the males toward one another. The Siamese fighting fish, a native of Thailand, was domesticated there for use in contests. Combat consists mainly of fin nipping and is accompanied by a display of extended

Earth Sciences, The chemical analysis of rocks and minerals

2004-12-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

The successive stages in the plate-tectonic cycle (see below) produce igneous rocks that have geochemical patterns distinctive for each stage. Consequently, the igneous petrologist is able to use both the major and trace element abundances of rocks to define the possible tectonic environment in which they formed. The metamorphic petrologist can use the bulk

Hooft, Gerardus 't

2004-12-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

Dutch physicist, corecipient with Martinus J.G. Veltman of the 1999 Nobel Prize for Physics for their development of a mathematical model that enabled scientists to predict the properties of both the subatomic particles that constitute the universe and the fundamental forces through which they interact. Their work facilitated the finding of

Henry I

2004-12-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Henry was the son of Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor, daughter of Henry II of England, after whom he was named. He was killed, while still a boy, by the fall of a tile from a roof. Sovereignty over Castile was then assumed by Alfonso VIII's cousin, Alfonso IX, king of Leon.

Aleixandre, Vicente

2004-12-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

Kessel Schwartz, Vicente Aleixandre (1970), introduces his life and writings. Santiago Dayd�-Tolson (ed.), Vicente Aleixandre: A Critical Appraisal (1981), is a collection of essays that examine his work.

Pol Pot

2004-12-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Original name �Saloth Sar� Khmer political leader whose totalitarian regime (1975 - 79) imposed severe hardships on the Cambodian people. His radical communist government forced the mass evacuations of cities, killed or displaced millions of people, and left a legacy of brutality and