DearFrame

Quiller-couch, Sir Arthur Thomas

2005-03-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

He was educated at Newton Abbot College, Clifton College, and Trinity College, Oxford, where he became lecturer in classics (1886–87). In 1887 he wrote Dead Man's Rock, the first of several novels of Cornwall

Plot

2005-03-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

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

Theism

2005-03-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

Theism's view of God can be clarified by contrasting it with that of deism, of pantheism, and of mysticism. Deism closely resembles theism; but for the deist, God is not involved in the world in the same personal way. He has made

Gable, Christopher Michael

2005-03-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

British ballet dancer and actor (b. March 13, 1940, Hackney, London, Eng.--d. Oct. 23, 1998, near Halifax, Yorkshire, Eng.), was a popular star of the Royal Ballet, and his strong dramatic ability paved the way for him to make a smooth transition to theatre and motion pictures. When he was a young boy, Gable, having seen dance numbers in films, asked for lessons. His mother consented, if he also studied

Rjr Nabisco, Inc.

2005-03-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

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

Aum Shinrikyo

2005-03-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

A useful introduction to the sect can be found in Ian Reader, A Poisonous Cocktail?: Aum Shinrikyo's Path to Violence (1996).

Furniture, China

2005-03-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

The ancestry of the chair in China cannot be traced as far back as in Egypt and Greece. Since the T'ang dynasty (AD 618–907) an unbroken series of drawings and paintings has been preserved showing the interiors and exteriors of Chinese houses and their furniture. Also preserved since the 16th century are a number of chairs of wood or lacquered wood that bear an astonishing resemblance

Outremont

2005-03-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

City, Montréal region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It lies in the centre of Montreal Island, adjoining Montreal city. Originally called Côte-Sainte-Catherine, it was renamed in 1875 for its location in relation to Montreal—on the far side of Mont-Royal. The city, a part of the Montreal Metropolitan Corporation, is now primarily a high-density residential suburb. Inc.

Shield Fern

2005-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

Also called wood fern any member of the fern genus Dryopteris, in the family Aspleniaceae. The genus has about 150 species with worldwide distribution, and it is placed in the family Aspidiaceae in some classification systems. Shield ferns are medium-sized woodland plants with bright-green, leathery leaves that are several times divided. They have numerous round spore clusters (sori) attached

Devonshire, William Cavendish, 1st Earl Of, Baron Cavendish Of Hardwick

2005-02-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

The son of Sir William Cavendish and his third wife, Elizabeth Hardwick (afterward the Countess of Shrewsbury), the young Cavendish was educated at Eton College and Gray's Inn and was knighted in 1580 and created a baron in 1605. In 1608 he inherited a rich estate from his mother and later became

Porcupine Fish

2005-02-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Porcupine fishes are short and broad-bodied, with large eyes, beaklike teeth, and skins set with spines, hence the name. These spines are short and permanently

Uighur

2005-02-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Uighur language is part of the

Eusden, Laurence

2005-02-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

British poet who, by flattering the Duke of Newcastle, was made poet laureate in 1718. He became rector of Coningsby and held the laureateship until his death. Alexander Pope satirized him frequently and derisively.

Fury

2005-02-17T01:53:00.000-08:00

Plural Furies, Latin Furia, plural Furiae, Greek Erinys, plural Erinyes, also called Eumenes (“Kind One”), plural Eumenides, in Greco-Roman mythology, one of a group of goddesses of vengeance. They were probably personified curses but possibly were originally conceived of as ghosts of the murdered. According to the Greek poet Hesiod they were the daughters of Gaea (Earth) and sprang from the blood of her mutilated spouse Uranus; in the plays of Aeschylus they were the daughters of Nyx; in those

Chiavari

2005-02-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

Town, Genova provincia, Liguria regione, northwestern Italy. It lies on the Riviera di Levante at the mouth of the Entella River, east of Genoa. The town grew up on the traces of a Roman camp on the Via Aurelia. A pre-Roman necropolis dating from the 8th to 7th century BC has been uncovered there. The old town contains numerous arcades and buildings from the 13th century, including

Cheliff, Ech-

2005-02-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1981) El-Asnam, or (until 1964) Orléansville, town, northern Algeria. It lies along the Chelif River, south of the Mediterranean port of Ténès. It was founded by the French in 1843 on the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Castellum Tingitanum and is now an important rail junction midway between Algiers and Oran, as well as an agricultural trade centre. In the surrounding region wheat and barley are the main crops,

Central African Republic, The struggle for leadership

2005-02-11T00:28:00.000-08:00

Boganda was a Roman Catholic priest, but he left the priesthood and formed the Social Evolution Movement of Black Africa (Mouvement pour l'Evolution Sociale de l'Afrique Noire; MESAN). In 1957 MESAN gained control of the Territorial Assembly, and Boganda became president of the Grand Council of French Equatorial Africa. Boganda hoped that the former French territories

Amalthaea

2005-02-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

In Greek (originally Cretan) mythology, the foster mother of Zeus, king of the gods. She is sometimes represented as the goat that suckled the infant god in a cave in Crete, sometimes as a nymph who fed him the milk of a goat. This goat having broken off one of its horns, Amalthaea filled the horn with flowers and fruits and presented it to Zeus, who, according to one version, placed

Biblical Literature, The number of books

2005-02-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

The number of books in the Hebrew canon is thus 24, referring to the sum of the separate scrolls on which these works were traditionally written in ancient times. This figure is first cited in II Esdras in a passage usually dated c. 100 CE and is frequently mentioned in rabbinic (postbiblical) literature, but no authentic tradition exists to explain it. Josephus, a 1st century CE Jewish

Applebee, Constance M.k.

2005-02-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Applebee was a frail child and received her education at home from local clergymen. She studied physical education, in part, to improve her health, ultimately graduating from London's British College of Physical

Burgage

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

In England and Scotland, an ancient form of tenure that applied to property within the boundaries of boroughs, or burghs. In England land or tenements within a borough were held by payment of rent to the king or some other lord; the terms varied in different boroughs. Among English feudal tenures, burgage ranked as a form of socage, the holding of land in return for agricultural

Tskhinvali

2005-01-31T04:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cchinvali, formerly (1934–61) Staliniri, city, north-central Georgia, on the Bolshaya Liakhvi River. It is the leading city of an area populated by a Caucasian people known as Ossetians, or Ossetes. Tskhinvali has varied industries, including electrical and mechanical engineering and food-processing and wood-working concerns. It also has a local museum, a teacher-training institute, and a medical school.

Ghi

2005-01-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. See butterfat.

Ahankara

2005-01-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ahankara follows the stage of buddhi (intelligence, or perception), in which the purusha (soul, or self)—once in a state of pure consciousness, i.e., without an object

Amarna, Tell El-

2005-01-26T13:23:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tall al-Amarna , or Tel el-Amarna site of the ruins and tombs of the city of Akhetaton (“Horizon of Aton”) in Upper Egypt, 44 miles (71 km) north of modern Asyut in al-Minya muhafazah (governorate). On a virgin site on the east bank of the Nile, Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV) built the city in about 1348 BC as the new capital of his kingdom when he abandoned the worship of Amon and devoted himself to that of Aton. About four years after Akhenaton's

Pre-columbian Civilizations, Administration of the empire

2005-01-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

Topa Inca Yupanqui returned to Cuzco, secure in the knowledge that Inca power could not be challenged. The rapid expansion of the empire, however, created a number of problems concerned with sustaining themselves and governing a large number of diverse ethnic groups. Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui and Topa Inca Yupanqui were imaginative and made several important innovations

Adams, Gerry

2005-01-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Gerry Adams, Before the Dawn (1996), is an autobiography, and he discusses his goals in Free Ireland: Towards a Lasting Peace, rev. ed. (1995).

Aurignacian Culture

2005-01-19T00:57:00.000-08:00

Toolmaking industry and artistic tradition of Upper Paleolithic Europe that followed the Mousterian industry, was contemporary with the Perigordian, and was succeeded by the Solutrean. The Aurignacian culture was marked by a great diversification and specialization of tools, including the invention of the burin, or engraving tool, that made much of the art

Berosus

2005-01-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

Chaldean priest of Bel in Babylon who wrote a work in three books (in Greek) on the history and culture of Babylonia; it was widely used by later Greek compilers, whose versions in turn were quoted by religious historians such as Eusebius and Josephus. Thus Berosus, though his work survives only in fragmentary

Wu Hsing

2005-01-15T04:18:00.000-08:00

The Wu hsing cycle served as a broad explanatory

Gulbransson, Olaf

2005-01-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

Gulbransson studied at the Royal Norwegian Drawing School and worked for several Norwegian newspapers. After a visit to Paris in 1900, he returned to Oslo,

Guadalcanal

2005-01-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

Largest island of the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. With an area of some 2,047 square miles (5,302 square km), it is of volcanic origin with a mountainous spine (Kavo Range) that culminates in Mount Makarakomburu (8,028 feet [2,447 m]), the highest point in the country. Many short, rapid streams, including the Mataniko, Lunga, and Tenaru, tumble from the wooded mountains to the coast,

Macdonnell Ranges

2005-01-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

Mountain system in south central Northern Territory, Australia, a series of bare quartzite and sandstone parallel ridges that rise from a plateau 2,000 ft (600 m) above sea level and extend east and west of the town of Alice Springs for about 230 mi (380 km). They reach a maximum elevation of 4,954 ft at Mt. Ziel and are the source of the Finke, Todd, and Plenty rivers and Ellery Creek. Some streams

Alexander The Great, Asia Minor and the Battle of Issus

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

In winter 334–333 Alexander conquered western Asia Minor, subduing the hill tribes of Lycia and Pisidia; and in spring 333 he advanced along the coastal road to Perga, passing the cliffs of Mt. Climax, thanks to a fortunate change of wind. The fall in the level of the sea was interpreted as a mark of divine favour by Alexander's flatterers, including the historian Callisthenes. At

Monticello

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

City, seat (1895) of San Juan county, southeastern Utah, U.S. Founded in 1886 as a point of entry into the nearby Abajo Mountains and named after the Virginia estate of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, the town grew as a centre for several ranches that hosted a thriving livestock industry. A vanadium-processing plant was built during World War II and converted to uranium production

Aftasid Dynasty

2005-01-04T04:52:00.000-08:00

Muslim Berber dynasty that ruled one of the party kingdoms (ta'ifahs) at Badajoz in western Spain (1022–94) in the period of disunity after the demise of the Umayyad caliphate of Córdoba. The Lower Frontier (modern central Portugal) had enjoyed a measure of autonomy after the death of the Umayyad caliph al-Hakam II (976), when it was ruled by his freed slave, Sabur (976–1022). In 1022, at Sabur's death, his minister

Dumesnil, Mademoiselle

2005-01-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

She made her Paris debut in 1737 at the Comédie-Française as Clytemnestre in Racine's Iphigénie en Aulide. A fiery actress who scorned tradition, she played Cléopâtre in Corneille's Rodogune and played Racine's Phèdre, Athalie,

Field, John

2004-12-30T01:04:00.000-08:00

Field first studied music at home with his father and grandfather and afterward in London with Muzio Clementi, under whose tuition, given in return for Field's services as a piano demonstrator and salesman, the boy made rapid progress. In 1802 Clementi took Field

Tetricus, Gaius Pius Esuvius

2004-12-28T01:43:00.000-08:00

He was a Gallic noble related to the usurping ruler of Gaul, Victorinus, and to Victorinus' mother, Victoria. Upon the murder of Victorinus, Tetricus, who was governor of Aquitania, was proclaimed emperor, apparently backed by the influence and money of Victoria. During his short and nominal reign, the monetary inflation

Talbot, William Henry Fox

2004-12-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

English chemist, linguist, archaeologist, and pioneer photographer. He is best known for his development of the calotype (q.v.), an early photographic process that was an improvement over the daguerreotype of the French inventor L.-J.-M. Daguerre. Talbot's calotypes involved the use of a photographic

La Roche-sur-yon

2004-12-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Vendée département, Pays de la Loire région, western France, south of Nantes. The Vendée region had been pacified at the time of the French Revolution but still remained disaffected after the counterrevolutionary insurrection of 1793; Napoleon in 1804 established a military and administrative town in the centre of the département. It was built on the site

Chauliac, Guy De

2004-12-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

Italian Guido De Cauliaco the most eminent surgeon of the European Middle Ages, whose Chirurgia magna (1363) was a standard work on surgery until at least the 17th century. In this work he describes a narcotic inhalation used as a soporific for surgical patients, as well as numerous surgical procedures, including those for hernia and cataract, which had previously

Leaf Blister

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

Also called leaf curl worldwide disease of many woody plants and ferns caused by fungi of the genus Taphrina. Following cold, wet weather at budbreak, leaves become swollen, crinkled, and distorted with yellow, red, purple, brown, whitish, or gray blisters. Such leaves usually die and drop early, weakening the plant. A second growth of healthy leaves often appears later. Young peach and nectarine

Gambier Islands

2004-12-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

French Îles Gambier, also called Mangareva Islands, southeasternmost extension of the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia in the central South Pacific, nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) east-southeast of Tahiti. The principal inhabited group of the Gambiers comprises the volcanic islets Mangareva (Magareva), Taravai, Akamaru, and Aukena. Mangareva, which is 5 miles (8 km) long and encircled by a barrier reef, rises to approximately

Umniati River

2004-12-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

River, tributary of the Zambezi River in north-central Zimbabwe. It has its source in the Daramumbe Range on the main watershed north of Chivhu. Flowing northwest for 325 miles (520 km), the Umniati joins the Zambezi River near the Kariba Dam. Its tributaries include the Sebakwe, Umsweswe, and Umfuli rivers. Its lower course, formed by the confluence with the Umfuli River, is also

Glinka, Mikhail

2004-12-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Glinka first became interested in music at age 10 or 11, when he heard his uncle's private orchestra. He studied at the Chief Pedagogic Institute at St. Petersburg

Amalienborg

2004-12-12T01:24:00.000-08:00

Architectural complex in Copenhagen, Den., built during the reign (1746–66) of King Frederick V and comprising the four buildings of the Amalienborg royal palace and the octagonal courtyard surrounded by them. The complex was designed and constructed by the Danish architect Nicolai Eigtved, who also designed numerous other buildings in the surrounding district. At the

Interior Design, Special interiors

2004-12-10T13:20:00.000-08:00

Although an attempt was made to classify the kinds of interiors that are the prevalent concern of interior design, there are many kinds of special interiors that at times fall within the larger field of environmental design and that do not fit into a particular category or even a professional subspecialty. Transportation design may be part engineering, part industrial

Bridgettine

2004-12-09T01:21:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Brigittine , member of Order of the Most Holy Savior (O.SS.S.) a religious order of cloistered nuns founded by St. Bridget of Sweden in 1344 and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. Bridget believed that she was called by Christ to found a strictly disciplined religious order that would contribute to the reform of monastic life. She went to Rome to gain approval of her order and died there in 1373. Her foundation began to grow and contributed greatly

Connors, Jimmy

2004-12-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

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

Approximant

2004-12-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, a sound that is produced by bringing one articulator in the vocal tract close to another without, however, causing audible friction (see fricative). Approximants include semivowels, such as the y sound in “yes” or the w sound in “war.”

Hindustani Music

2004-12-02T03:51:00.000-08:00

The music of northern India and Pakistan that developed as a distinct type from the late 12th or early 13th century, when the Islamic conquest of the northern parts of the subcontinent brought special emphasis to Arabic and Iranian musical practices, which merged with ancient Hindu traditions. The latter traditions, less affected by foreign influences, remain in the

Muktafi, Al-

2004-11-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

The son of al-Mu'tadid, al-Muktafi ascended to the throne in 902 with somewhat more popular support than his predecessors, thanks to his liberal rule and abolition of dungeons in Baghdad. He immediately faced battle with the Qarmatians, a schismatic

Spanish Literature, Revival of the Spanish novel

2004-11-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

For more than two centuries the novel, with which Spain had made its greatest contribution to literature, had been almost extinct. The first novels of the revival were more interesting for powers of observation and description (a continuation of costumbrismo) than for imaginative or narrative quality. A woman novelist, Fernán Caballero, determined the technique

Bridgewater Canal

2004-11-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

The duke wanted a canal to facilitate transporting coal from his mines at Worsley to Manchester, a distance of 10 miles (16 km),

Tag

2004-11-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

Also called touch , or tig children's game in which, in its simplest form, one player (“it,” or “he”) chases the others and tries to touch one of them, making the person touched “it.” The game is known by many other names. In some games, it is pretended that the touch carries some form of contagion—e.g., plague (Italy), leprosy (Madagascar), fleas (Spain), or “lurgy fever” (Great Britain). In others, a method of achieving immunity

Wesak

2004-11-22T15:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vesak, Sanskrit Vaishakha, Pali Vesakha most important of the Theravada Buddhist festivals, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. The event is observed on the full-moon day of the lunar month Vesakha, which falls in April or May. The day is observed as a public holiday in many Southeast Asian countries. It is marked by special devotional services and various deeds intended to be

Reform Party

2004-11-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

The Reformers urged that the provincial legislative councils—and by implication even the governors and other officials—be made elective; they also proposed that the officials

Fréchet, Maurice

2004-11-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

Fréchet was professor of mechanics at the University of Poitiers (1910–19) before moving to the University of Strasbourg, where he was professor of higher calculus (1920–27). Joining the faculty of

Seshachalam Hills

2004-11-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hill ranges of the eastern Ghats, southern Andhra Pradesh state, southeastern India. Formed during Precambrian time (about 3.8 billion to 540 million years ago), the ranges contain sandstone and shale interbedded with limestone, are highly dissected, and have many longitudinal valleys. They are bounded by the Rayalaseema uplands in the west and northwest and the Nandyal

Cyrenaic

2004-11-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

The school was called Cyrenaic because Cyrene in North Africa was the

Biogeochemical Cycle

2004-11-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

Any of the natural circulation pathways of the essential elements of living matter. These elements in various forms flow from the nonliving (abiotic) to the living (biotic) components of the biosphere and back to the nonliving again. In order for the living components of a major ecosystem (e.g., a lake or forest) to survive, all the chemical elements that make up living cells

Bothe, Walther

2004-11-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Bothe taught at the universities of Berlin (1920–31), Giessen (1931–34), and Heidelberg (1934–57). In 1925 he and Hans Geiger used two Geiger counters to gather data on the Compton

France, History Of, Henry IV

2004-11-09T03:26:00.000-08:00

The restoration of royal authority was not, of course, simply a matter of adjusting theories of kingship; there was a clear practical reason for Henry's success. The country had tottered on the brink of disintegration for three decades. By the time of Henry's succession, it was generally recognized that only a strong personality, independent of faction, could guarantee

Valencia

2004-11-06T02:33:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Carabobo state, northwestern Venezuela, on the Río Cabriales in the central highlands at 1,600 ft (490 m) above sea level, near the western shore of Lake Valencia. It was founded in 1555, eight years before the founding of Caracas, the national capital, as Nueva Valencia del Rey by Alonso Díaz Moreno, a soldier from the Spanish city of Valencia; it rivalled Caracas as the

Clarion River

2004-11-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

River formed at Johnsonburg, Elk county, northwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., by the confluence of East Branch and West Branch Clarion rivers. It flows generally southwest for about 110 miles (177 km), past the towns of Ridgway and Clarion, to join the Allegheny River. The Clarion Dam and Reservoir are on the East Branch near Glen Hazel. The river's name is attributed to surveyors who

Monagas

2004-11-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

State, northeastern Venezuela, bounded northeast by the Gulf of Paria, southeast by the Orinoco River, and north and west by the states of Sucre and Anzoátegui. It has an area of 11,158 sq mi (28,900 sq km). Except for a coastal range in the north and the marshes of the Orinoco Delta, Monagas is a land of savannas and is typical Llanos (plains) country. Cattle raising is dominant, although corn

Ahmad Khan, Sir Sayyid

2004-10-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

Altaf Husan Hali, Hayat-i-Javid (1901), the only comprehensive account of Sayyid Ahmad's life and work; G.F.I. Graham, The Life and Work of Syed Ahmed Khan, rev. ed. (1909); J.M.S. Baljon, The Reforms and Religious Ideas of Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1949); and Hadi Hussain, Syed Ahmed Khan: Pioneer of Muslim Resurgence (1970).

Calarcá

2004-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

City, northeastern Quindío department, Colombia, on the western slopes of the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Central, at 5,039 ft (1,536 m) above sea level. Like neighbouring Armenia, the departmental capital, it is an important coffee-growing centre. Calarcá is on the major highway that crosses the Boquerón (pass) del Quindío to Ibagué, capital of Tolima department. Pop. (1973) city, 32,533; mun., 54,658.

Basal Metabolic Rate (bmr)

2004-10-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Index of the general level of activity of an individual's body metabolism, determined by measuring his oxygen intake in the basal state—i.e., during absolute rest, but not sleep, 14 to 18 hours after eating. The higher the amount of oxygen consumed in a certain time interval, the more active is the oxidative process of the body and the higher is the rate of body metabolism. The

Antarctica

2004-10-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ice averaging 2,160 m (7,087 ft) in thickness covers 98% of the continent of Antarctica, which has an area of 14 million sq km (5.4 million sq mi). There is no indigenous human population. Human activity consists mainly of scientific research at approximately 40 year-round stations and additional summer-only camps; the population is about 4,100 in summer and 1,000 in winter. In addition, several thousand

Cairo, Climate

2004-10-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

The typical desert climate contrasts daytime dry heat with cool nights freshened by Nile breezes. Cairo has only two seasons: approximately eight months of summer and four months of winter. In the hottest of the summer months—June, July, and August—the average daily maximum temperature is 95 °F (35 °C), and the average daily minimum is 70 °F (21 °C). The summer temperature has reached as

Nitromersol

2004-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Synthetic mercury-containing organic compound used as an antiseptic for the skin and mucous membranes and as a disinfectant for sterilizing surgical instruments. It is related to merbromin (Mercurochrome) and thimerosal (Merthiolate). Nitromersol disinfects by the action of the mercury in the molecule, which disrupts the enzymatic metabolism of the microorganism.

Arts, Islamic, Decentralization of Islamic literatures

2004-10-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Safavid Iran, as it happened, lost most of its artists and poets to the neighbouring countries: there were no great masters of poetry in Iran between the 16th and 18th centuries. And while the Persian Shah Esma'il wrote Turkish mystical verses, his contemporary and enemy, Sultan Selim I of Turkey (died 1520), composed quite elegant Persian ghazals. Babur (died 1530), in turn, composed his autobiography

Salem

2004-10-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

City, seat (1694) of Salem county, southwestern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along the Salem River near the latter's confluence with the Delaware River, 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1675 by John Fenwick, an English Quaker. The Friends (Quakers) Burial Ground in Salem has the Salem Oak—a tree 80 feet (25 metres) high that is said to be more than 500 years old—under

Gruffydd, William John

2004-10-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Educated at the University of Oxford, Gruffydd was appointed professor of Celtic at University College in Cardiff, Wales, a position

Okene

2004-10-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Town, Kogi state, south-central Nigeria. It lies at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Kabba, Ikare, Ajaokuta, and Anchi. Originally founded on a hill near the present site, it now lies in the valley of the Ubo River, which is a minor tributary of the Niger River. The town is a major trade centre for the yams, cassava, corn (maize), sorghum, beans, peanuts (groundnuts), palm oil and

Switzerland

2004-10-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Swiss economic development has been affected by specific physical and cultural geographic factors. In the first instance, there was a paucity of raw materials; precipitation and soil quality to a large extent determined the type and size of cultivation; urban and industrial expansion encroached on the limited amount of cultivable land; a central location, situated

Pacific Ocean, Western region

2004-10-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

The seaward boundary of the western region is marked by a broken line of oceanic trenches, extending from the Aleutian Trench in the north through the Kuril and Japan trenches and southward to the Tonga and Kermadec trenches, terminating close to the northeast of North Island, New Zealand. Its structure is more complex than that of the eastern region. Characteristically

Kantianism, Psychological Neo-Kantianism

2004-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

An initial attempt to interpret Kantian transcendentalism in psychological terms was made by the Friesian Empiricist Jürgen Bona Meyer in his Kants Psychologie (1870). Later, a more important contribution in this field was made by the Göttingen philosopher of ethics and law Leonard Nelson and published in the Abhandlungen der Fries'schen Schule (1904 ff; “Acts of the Friesian

Holstein Interglacial Stage

2004-10-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Major division of Pleistocene deposits and time in Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Holstein Interglacial followed the Elsterian Glacial Stage and preceded the Saale Glacial Stage. The Holstein Interglacial is correlated with the Hoxne Interglacial Stage of Britain and the Mindel-Riss Interglacial Stage of

Aquaviva, Claudio

2004-10-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

He was elected general in 1581, and his major political achievement

Accesi, Compagnia Degli

2004-10-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

Company that performed commedia dell'arte (improvised popular Italian comedy) in the early 1600s. The name means “the stimulated.” Leadership was provided by Tristano Martinelli (famous for his portrayal of Arlecchino, the mischievous servant) and Pier Maria Cecchini (known as the leading interpreter of the character Fritellino, as well as the author of valuable texts

Saracoglu, Sükrü

2004-10-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Having studied economics and political science in Geneva, Saracoglu returned to Turkey in 1918 following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I (1914–18). He joined the movement of Mustafa Kemal (later Atatürk) to resist the Allied occupation

Nabu

2004-10-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Samsuditana, the last king of the 1st dynasty of Babylon (reigned

Digestive System Disease, Ascites

2004-10-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

The accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, or ascites, is related to portal hypertension, significant reduction in serum albumin, and renal retention of sodium. When albumin levels in the blood are lower than normal, there is a marked reduction in the force that holds plasma water within the blood vessels and normally resists the effects of the intravascular

Wolfsburg

2004-10-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

The village of Hesslingen, dating from about 700, was the first settlement near the site of Wolfsburg; the

Baden

2004-10-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Former state on the east bank of the Rhine River in the southwestern corner of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg Land (state) of Germany. The former Baden state comprised the eastern half of the Rhine River valley together with the adjoining mountains, especially the Schwarzwald, which fills the great angle made by the river between Schaffhausen

Vasily Ii

2004-10-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Although the 10-year-old Vasily II was named by his father Vasily I (ruled Moscow 1389–1425) to succeed him as the grand prince of Moscow and of Vladimir, Vasily's rule was challenged by his uncle Yury and his cousins Vasily the Squint-Eyed and Dmitry Shemyaka. After a long, chaotic, and bitter struggle, during which Vasily not only temporarily

Arabia, Plant life

2004-09-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

The date palm grows almost everywhere, except at very high elevations and in Dhofar, on the coast of which it is replaced by the coconut palm. The date is a source of food, and uses are found for the trunk, branches, and fibre of the date palm. Among places noted for high-quality date-palm production are Medina, Bishah, and Al-Hasa. Alfalfa (lucerne), widely used as fodder, often fills

Tectonic Basins And Rift Valleys

2004-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Landforms characterized by relatively steep, mountainous sides and flat floors. The steep sides are created by displacement on faults such that the valley floor moves down relative to the surrounding margins, or, conversely, the margins move up relative to the floor. Differences in the elevations of valley floors and surrounding mountains or plateaus range from

France, History Of, Campaigns and conquests: 17971807

2004-09-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

Napoleon's sway over France depended from the start on his success in war. After his conquest of northern Italy in 1797 and the dissolution of the first coalition, General Bonaparte intended to invade Britain, France's century-long rival and the last remaining belligerent. Concluding that French naval power could not sustain a seaborne invasion, however, he launched

Colfax

2004-09-27T01:16:00.000-07:00

County, northeastern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the north by Colorado. Its westernmost section is in the Southern Rocky Mountains and includes the Cimarron range, topped by 12,441-foot (3,782-m) Baldy Peak, and the Sangre de Cristo range, which rises to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and includes the Carson National Forest. Between the two mountain ranges is Eagle Nest Lake, the county's largest body

Porphyry

2004-09-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

Original name Malchus Neoplatonist Greek philosopher, important both as an editor and as a biographer of the philosopher Plotinus and for his commentary on Aristotle's Categories, which set the stage for medieval developments of logic and the problem of universals. Boethius' Latin translation of the introduction (Isagoge) became

Holdenville

2004-09-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

City, seat (1907) of Hughes county, central Oklahoma, U.S. Founded in 1895 and originally called Fentress, the town site was renamed for J.F. Holden, general manager of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad. The city lies on the edge of the Greater Seminole Oil Field and is a market centre for locally grown agricultural goods. Lake Holdenville, just outside the city, is a popular recreation

Ob River, Plant and animal life

2004-09-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

Rich meadows extend in bands 1 to 2 miles (2 to 3 km) wide for great distances along the banks of the Ob and cover many of the numerous islands. Pine, cedar, silver fir, aspen, and birch also grow on the banks and occasionally constitute isolated forests on the higher ground of the floodplain. Large areas near the river are covered with willow, snowball trees (Viburnum), bird cherry

Jansen, Cornelius Otto

2004-09-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

Flemish leader of the Roman Catholic reform movement known as Jansenism. He wrote biblical commentaries and pamphlets against the Protestants. His major work was Augustinus, published by his friends in 1640. Although condemned by Pope Urban VIII in 1642, it was of critical importance

China, Animal life

2004-09-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Profusion of vegetation and a variety of relief have fostered the development of a great diversity of animal life and have permitted the survival of animals that elsewhere are extinct. Notable among such survivals are the great paddlefish of the Yangtze, the small species of alligator in eastern and central China, and the giant salamander (related to the Japanese

Dylan, Bob

2004-09-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

Original name Robert Allen Zimmerman American folksinger who moved from folk to rock music in the 1960s, infusing the lyrics of rock and roll, theretofore concerned mostly with boy-girl romantic innuendo, with the intellectualism of classic literature and poetry. Hailed as the Shakespeare of his generation, Dylan sold more than 58 million albums, wrote more than 500 songs recorded by more than

Biblical Literature, The role of Samuel

2004-09-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

The first section (chapters 1–15) begins with the story of Samuel's birth, after his mother Hannah (one of the two wives of the Ephraimite Elkanah) had prayed at the shrine at Shiloh, the centre of the tribal confederacy, for a son. She vowed that, if she bore a son, he would be dedicated to Yahweh for lifetime service as a Nazirite, as indicated by the words “and no razor shall touch