CleanOffice

Jouve, Pierre-jean

2005-04-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

Prevented by ill health from serving in World War

Ploidy

2005-04-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

In genetics, the number of chromosomes occurring in the nucleus of a cell. In normal somatic (body) cells, the chromosomes exist in pairs. The condition is called diploidy. During meiosis the cell produces gametes, or germ cells, each containing half the normal or somatic number of chromosomes. This condition is called haploidy. When two germ cells (e.g., egg and sperm) unite,

Manannán Mac Lir

2005-04-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

(Celtic: “Manannán, Son of the Sea”), Irish sea god from whom the name of the Isle of Man allegedly derived. Manannán traditionally ruled an island paradise, protected sailors, and provided abundant crops. He gave immortality to the gods through his swine, which returned to life when killed; those who ate of the swine never died. He wore impenetrable armour and, carrying an

Theatrical Production, The modern repertory company

2005-04-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

During the rise of the stock company and single-show system, there continued to exist highly refined examples of the repertory ensemble. The Comédie Française, originally an amalgamation of two Parisian troupes, has existed since 1680. In opera the repertory system remains fundamentally unchanged. Toward the end of the 19th century, however, a widespread transformation

Bridgnorth

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

The town of Bridgnorth lies mainly on a high red sandstone rock along the River Severn and has been a bridging point since Saxon times. Aethelflaed, lady of Mercia, rebuilt

Mana

2005-04-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Among Melanesian and Polynesian peoples, a supernatural force or power that may be ascribed to persons, spirits, or inanimate objects. Mana may be either good or evil, beneficial or dangerous. The term was first used in the 19th century in the West during debates concerning the origin of religion. It was first used to describe what apparently was interpreted to be an impersonal,

Blood River, Battle Of

2005-04-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 16, 1838), South African battle between the Zulu and the Voortrekkers (the Boers who made the Great Trek from Cape Colony to Transvaal). It was fought on the banks of a tributary of the Buffalo River, which became known as Blood River after its water reddened with the slaughter of about 3,000 Zulu. Four Boers were wounded. This battle turned Voortrekker fortunes in Natal, at a low ebb

Udaipur

2005-03-31T05:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Udaypur, city, southern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It lies in the hills of the Aravali Range. Udaipur (“City of Sunrise”) was made the capital of the princely state of Udaipur in 1568 by Maharana Udai Singh after the sack of Chittaurgarh. A walled city, it stands on a ridge crowned by the Maharana's palace, which was begun in 1570. To the west lies Lake Pichola with its two small islands and marble

Radio Direction Finder

2005-03-31T00:32:00.000-08:00

The antenna, usually a loop antenna, rotates and pinpoints the direction from which a

Gabbro

2005-03-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

Any of several medium- or coarse-grained rocks that consist primarily of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene. Essentially, gabbro is the intrusive (plutonic) equivalent of basalt, but whereas basalt is often remarkably homogeneous in mineralogy and composition, gabbros are exceedingly variable. Gabbros are found widely on the Earth and on the Moon as well. Gabbros

Bijapur

2005-03-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

City, northern Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India. An important site of medieval Indian Islamic architecture, it was formerly called Vijayapura (meaning “city of victory”) and was an important community under the Yadava dynasty for more than a century until 1294, when it became a provincial capital of the Bahmani. In 1489 with the advent of Yusuf 'Adil Shah, the first 'Adil

Neo-volcánica, Cordillera

2005-03-29T02:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Eje Volcánico (Spanish: “Volcanic Axis”), volcanic mountain range traversing central Mexico from Cape Corrientes on the west coast, southeast to Jalapa and Veracruz on the east coast. The nation's cultural–historical centre, the Cordillera forms the southern boundary of Mexico's Mesa Central and contains such volcanic peaks as Citlaltépetl (Orizaba; 18,406 feet [5,610 m]), Popocatépetl (17,930 feet [5,465 m]), and

Scheidt, Samuel

2005-03-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Scheidt studied with Sweelinck in Amsterdam and in 1609 became organist at the Church of St. Maurice (Moritzkirche) in Halle. About 1619 he became organist, and later chapelmaster, to the Margrave of Brandenburg. He was esteemed

Melchizedek Priesthood

2005-03-27T05:24:00.000-08:00

In the Mormon church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the higher of the two priesthoods, concerned with spiritual rather than secular matters. See Mormon.

Arnold, Matthew, Poetical works.

2005-03-26T03:22:00.000-08:00

Alaric at Rome (1840; Rugby School prize poem); Cromwell (1843; Newdigate Prize poem); The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems. By A. (1849); Empedocles on Etna, and Other Poems. By A. (1852); Poems (1853; including “Sohrab and Rustum,” “The Forsaken Merman,” and “The Scholar Gipsy”); Poems, Second Series (1855); Merope (1858; classical tragedy); New Poems (1867; including “Thyrsis” and “Dover Beach”).

Therapeutics, Diarrhea

2005-03-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

Acute diarrhea can result from food poisoning, laxatives, alcohol, and some antacids but usually is caused by an acute infection with bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus. In infants, acute diarrhea is usually self-limiting, and treatment consists primarily of preventing dehydration. Traveler's diarrhea affects up to half of

Ghezzi, Pier Leone

2005-03-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Ghezzi made religious paintings for Roman churches but was best known for penned and etched caricatures of Rome's residents and tourists. He often portrayed a single figure with exaggerated anatomy and appropriate eccentricities of clothing and posture. In group portraits he produced

Elizabeth City

2005-03-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1799) of Pasquotank county, northeastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies on the Pasquotank River (an embayment of Albemarle Sound) at the southern end of Dismal Swamp Canal on the Intracoastal Waterway. Settlers had established a presence on the river in the 1660s, and the area was the scene of Culpeper's Rebellion (1677–79). It was founded and incorporated as Redding in 1793 but was renamed

Polarography

2005-03-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

In general, polarography is a technique in which the electric potential (or voltage) is varied in a regular manner between two sets of electrodes (indicator and reference) while the current is monitored.

East Dunbartonshire

2005-03-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

Council area, west-central Scotland. East Dunbartonshire's largest towns, Bearsden and Milngavie in the southwest and Kirkintilloch in the southeast, lie within the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The council area also includes a small area in the south around the town of Bishopbriggs in the historic county of Lanarkshire and a more extensive area in the northeast

Literature, Spain.

2005-03-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

Juan Marsé won the National Prize for Narrative with Rabos de lagartija (2000), another

Jehu

2005-03-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Yehu, king (c. 842–815 BC) of Israel. He was a commander of chariots for the king of Israel, Ahab, and his son Jehoram, on Israel's frontier facing Damascus and Assyria. Ahab, son of King Omri, was eventually killed in a war with Assyria; during Jehoram's rule, Jehu accepted the invitation of the prophet Elisha, Elijah's successor, to lead a coup to overthrow the dynasty of Omri (II Kings 9–10). The prophetic

Biblical Literature, Old Testament history

2005-03-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Two current histories of Israel exhibit the full range of historiographical problems and methods relating to the subject: John Bright, A History of Israel (1959); and Martin Noth, Geschichte Israels, 3rd ed. (1956; Eng. trans., The History of Israel, 1958). They differ mainly in where they begin; Bright begins with Abraham, Noth with the federation of tribes that calls itself Israel in the land of Canaan. They disagree about the demonstrability of such a community in the pre-Canaanite times because of their respective assessment of the character of the Pentateuch. Bright assumes that it was intended as a history concerned to record the early past, while Noth assumes that its thematic traditions were intended to define and celebrate the identity of the later Israel and hence do not constitute a usable historical resource about its earliest beginnings. This whole methodological problem in Israelite historiography is lucidly discussed and illustrated in a little book by John Bright—Early Israel in Recent History Writing: A Study in Method (1956). For the use of archaeology, geography, and history of religion in the study of the history of Israel, see George Ernest Wright. Biblical Archaeology, rev. ed. (1962); Luc H. Grollenberg, Atlas van de Bijbel, 3rd ed. (1954; Eng. trans., Atlas of the Bible, 1956); Yehezkel Kaufmann, The Religion of Israel, from Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile (1960); and Helmer Ringgren, Israelitische Religion (1963; Eng. trans., 1966).

Noland, Kenneth

2005-03-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

Noland attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina and studied

Naguib, Muhammad

2005-03-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

A professional soldier, Naguib distinguished himself during the Egyptian defeat at the hands of Israel (1948) and won the respect of the Free Officers, a nationalist military group led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. In 1952 the Free

Bruchsal

2005-03-19T04:11:00.000-08:00

City, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies along the Saalbach (Saal Stream), just northeast of Karlsruhe. First mentioned in 796 as the site of a Frankish royal villa, it was given to the prince-bishops of Speyer in 1056 and became their residence in 1720. Chartered in 1248, it passed to Baden in 1803. The city's magnificent Rococo castle (1722–32), one of the most distinguished in Germany,

Furo

2005-03-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

Japanese-style bath, typically using water heated to 110° F (43.3° C) or hotter. It is claimed that, because the bather may linger in the wooden or metal tub, the furo may have properties for the therapeutic relaxation of tensions. To achieve cleanliness, the bather washes before entering the tub. In bathrooms in private Japanese homes and in public bathhouses, the bathing facilities

Biblical Literature, Additions to Daniel and Esther

2005-03-18T01:32:00.000-08:00

Two of the Old Testament Hagiographa (Ketuvim; see above The Hebrew canon)—Daniel and Esther—contain, in their Greek translations, numerous additions.

Beyer, Jinny

2005-03-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

Beyer received a B.A. in speech and French from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and an

New Bern

2005-03-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1722) of Craven county, eastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers, about 35 miles (55 km) northeast of Jacksonville. The second oldest town in North Carolina, New Bern was settled in 1710 by Freiherr (baron) Christophe von Graffenried of Bern, Switzerland. It was incorporated in 1723 after near destruction by Native Americans. Colonial North

Tall Tale

2005-03-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

Narrative that depicts the wild adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes. The tall tale is essentially an oral form of entertainment; the audience appreciates the imaginative invention rather than the literal meaning of the tales. Associated with the lore of the American frontier, tall tales often explain the origins of lakes, mountains, and canyons;

Quicklime

2005-03-16T03:54:00.000-08:00

Calcium oxide, an alkaline inorganic compound of calcium (q.v.).

Gandhara

2005-03-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

In ancient times Gandhara was a trade crossroads and cultural meeting place between India, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The region was subject to Achaemenian Persia in the 6th and 5th centuries BC and

Owain Gwynedd

2005-03-14T03:16:00.000-08:00

Together with his brother Cadwaladr, Owain led three expeditions (1136–37) against the English stronghold of Ceredigion to the south. The brothers ravaged the region and established themselves there. Upon his father's death in 1137, Owain took the throne of North

Alismatales

2005-03-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Alismales, the water-plantain order of flowering plants, belonging to the class Liliopsida (monocotyledons; characterized by a single seed leaf). Most species are aquatic and grow submerged or partially exposed to the air in marshes and other freshwater habitats. Many are aquatic weeds that hinder irrigation and navigation, though others provide important habitats for

Barcelona

2005-03-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

On his visit to the city in 1862, Hans Christian

Euripides

2005-03-12T02:52:00.000-08:00

The Greek fleet is becalmed at Aulis and is thus unable to convey the expeditionary force against Troy. Agamemnon learns that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia as a means of appeasing the goddess Artemis, who has caused the unfavourable weather. Agamemnon lures his daughter into coming to Aulis to be sacrificed by pretending that she will marry Achilles.

Chondrichthian, Annotated classification

2005-03-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

Gainsborough, Thomas

2005-03-11T01:20:00.000-08:00

Portrait and landscape painter, the most versatile English painter of the 18th century. Some of his early portraits show the sitters grouped in a landscape (“Mr. and Mrs. Andrews,” c. 1750). As he became famous and his sitters fashionable, he adopted a more formal manner that owed something to Anthony Van Dyck (“The Blue

Ufa

2005-03-11T00:20:00.000-08:00

In full Universum Film-Aktien Gesellschaft German motion-picture production company that made artistically outstanding and technically competent films during the silent era. Located in Berlin, its studios were the best equipped and most modern in the world. It encouraged experimentation and imaginative camera work and employed such directors as Ernst Lubitsch, famous for directing sophisticated

Hopak

2005-03-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled gopak Ukrainian folk dance, once for men only but later danced by couples, male soloists, and mixed groups of dancers. In the western Ukraine, as the hopak-kolo, it is danced in a closed circle. The hopak has no fixed pattern of steps. Men competitively improvise steps, high leaps, squatting kicks, and turns; women dance simple steps, sway, clap, or circle. Changes of step do not

Parade

2005-03-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

A type of pageant (q.v.) whose main feature is a public procession.

Dimbleby, Richard

2005-03-09T22:02:00.000-08:00

Dimbleby was the son

U Geminorum Star

2005-03-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of irregular variable stars that display sudden increases in brightness so great that they are sometimes called dwarf novae. Some have been observed to brighten by as much as 5 magnitudes (100 times) in a period of hours. The prototype star, U Geminorum, brightens by as much as 4 magnitudes (about 40 times) in a few days, declining again to normal brightness in two or

Plunket, Saint Oliver

2005-03-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

Plunket was educated and ordained in Rome, serving there as professor of theology at the College of Propaganda Fide and as the representative of the Irish bishops at the Holy See. Appointed

Safaqis

2005-03-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sfax, major port town, east-central Tunisia on the northern shore of the Gulf of Gabes. Built on the site of two small settlements of antiquity, Taparura and Thaenae, the town grew as an early Islamic trading centre for nomads. Temporarily occupied in the 12th century by Sicilian Normans and in the 16th century by the Spanish, it later served as a stronghold of the Barbary pirates.

Wroclaw

2005-03-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

German Breslau, city, capital of Wroclaw województwo (province), southwestern Poland. It lies along the Oder River at its confluence with the Olawa, Sleza, Bystrzyca, and Widawa rivers. A large industrial centre situated in Dolny Slask (Lower Silesia), Wroclaw is the fourth largest city in Poland. It contains Poland's largest flour mills, a modern electronics and data-processing industry, foundries,

Silk Spider

2005-03-06T04:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Golden Silk Spider (Nephila), any of a genus of the class Arachnida (phylum Arthropoda), so named because of the great strength of their silk and the golden colour of their huge orb webs. These webs often measure one metre (about three feet) or more in diameter and are suspended between trees by guy lines. About 60 species are known to live in the warmer regions of the world. Adult females are very

Puget, Pierre

2005-03-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Puget travelled in Italy as a young man (1640–43), when he was employed by a muralist, Pietro da Cortona, to work on the ceiling decorations of the Barberini Palace in Rome and the Pitti Palace in Florence. Between 1643 and 1656 he was active in Marseille and Toulon chiefly

Crome, John

2005-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

During his apprenticeship to a housepainter, Crome devoted what leisure time he had to sketching from nature. Through the influence

Hour Circle

2005-03-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

The term also refers to a scale on the mounting

Tibet, The people

2005-03-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Tibetan and Burmese languages are related, although they are mutually unintelligible

Epirus, Despotate Of

2005-03-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

The despotate was founded in what is now southern Albania and northwestern Greece by Michael Comnenus Ducas, a member of the dethroned Byzantine imperial house. His half brother and successor, Theodore

Zambezi River, Plant life

2005-03-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

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

Kafr Ash-shaykh

2005-03-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kafr El-sheikh muhafazah (governorate) in the central Nile Delta, Lower Egypt, with the Rosetta Branch of the river to the west and ad-Daqahliyah governorate to the east. It was created in 1949 out of al-Gharbiyah muhafazah, just south, and named Fu'adiyah muduiyah (province) after Fu'ad I, sultan (1917–22) and king (1922–36) of Egypt. After the Egyptian monarchy was overthrown in 1952, the area was renamed in 1955. Buhayrat al-Burullus, which

Seaborg, Glenn T.

2005-03-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Seaborg was educated at the University of California at Los Angeles (A.B., 1934) and the University

Bulbul

2005-03-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

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

Insurance, Limitations on amount recoverable

2005-03-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

Recovery under homeowner's forms is limited to loss due directly to the occurrence of an insured peril. Losses caused by some intervening source not insured by the policy are not covered. For example, if a flood or a landslide, which usually are excluded perils, severely damages a house that subsequently is destroyed by fire, the homeowner's recovery from the fire is

Nichinan

2005-03-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

City, Miyazaki Prefecture (ken), Kyushu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Japanese (Obi) cedar has been cultivated in the area since the early 19th century and forms the basis of the city's shipbuilding, timber, paper, and pulp industries. Nichinan's two ports—Aburatsu and Oodotsu—are the main centres for coastal fishing (bonito, yellowtail, tuna) in southern Kyushu. Agricultural

Saint Albans

2005-02-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Franklin county, northwestern Vermont, U.S., 24 miles (39 km) north of Burlington. St. Albans town (township), surrounding the city, is on St. Albans Bay of Lake Champlain. The area was part of the French seigniory of La Douville from 1664 to 1763. The town was chartered in 1763 and organized in 1788. St. Albans village, set off and incorporated in 1859, became a city in 1897. Its location near the Canadian

Kilim

2005-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Pileless floor covering handwoven by tapestry techniques in Anatolia, the Balkans, or parts of Iran. In the rest of Iran, the Caucasus, and Turkistan, the name for similar pieces is palas. In most kilims, a slit occurs wherever two colours meet along a vertical line in the pattern, but in a few Karabagh or South Caucasian pieces, interlocking methods are employed in order

Semiconductor Device, The p-n junction

2005-02-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

If an abrupt change in impurity type from acceptors (p-type) to donors (n-type) occurs within a single crystal structure, a p-n junction is formed (see Figure 3B and 3C). On the p side, the holes constitute the dominant carriers and so are called majority carriers. A few thermally generated electrons will also exist in the p side; these are termed minority carriers. On the n

Rawi

2005-02-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

One or more rawis attached themselves to a particular poet and learned his works by heart. They then recited and explained the poet's verse before a wider audience. Such an attachment often became an apprenticeship,

Arts, Islamic, Palaces

2005-02-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

There are basically three kinds of these princely structures. The first type consists of 10 large rural princely complexes found in Syria, Palestine, and Transjordan dating from around 710 to 750: ar-Rusafah, Qasr al-Hayr East, Qasr al-Hayr West, Jabal Says, Khirbat Minyah, Khirbat al-Mafjar, Mshatta, Qasr 'Amrah, Qasr al-Kharanah, and Qasr at-Tubah. Apparently these examples of princely architecture

Mitchell, R.j.

2005-02-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

After secondary schooling Mitchell was an apprentice at a locomotive works and attended night classes at technical colleges. In 1916, before the age of 22, he went to work at Supermarine Aviation

Fish Poisoning

2005-02-25T04:21:00.000-08:00

Ciguatera poisoning is one of the most common forms of fish poisoning in the Caribbean. It is caused by fishes that in other parts of the world constitute food items (e.g., sea bass, snapper). The conditions under which these fishes become toxic in the Caribbean waters are not clear. Symptoms,

Devadasi

2005-02-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

The caste appears to date from the 9th and 10th centuries, the great period of temple building in South India. The women attended the god—fanned the icon, honoured it with lights, and sang and

Pacific Mountain System

2005-02-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer in the service of Spain, probably was the first European to explore the coast of California. He is thought to have sailed north in 1542, and his pilot, Bartolomé Ferrelo, may have reached as far as the present southern border of Oregon. Sir Francis Drake sailed the coast in 1579 and may have landed in Oregon. Juan Pérez landed on the

Asclepigenia

2005-02-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

After the death of her father, Plutarchus, Asclepigenia was active in perpetuating the eastern version of Platonism, in cooperation with her brother, Hiero. Upon the succession of Proclus as head of the school at Athens, Asclepigenia instructed him in the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. She

Arabia, History Of, World War I

2005-02-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Ottoman Empire entered World War I holding all of western Arabia and supported in central northern Arabia by the Rashidis of Ha'il. Earlier Ottoman attempts to extend the empire to eastern Arabia, however, had been countered by the British, who were then paramount in the gulf and in treaty relation with the Arab sheikhdoms there. Sharif Husayn ibn 'Ali of Mecca, with assurance

West Flanders

2005-02-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

Drained

Work, History Of The Organization Of, Textiles

2005-02-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

The same type of specialization is also implied in the making of textiles. Early protective garments were derived from animal skins. The development of agriculture cut into the supply of available skins and required a substitute material for clothing. To make textiles, yarn had to be spun; the earliest apparatus for this work consisted of a spindle and a distaff

Faerie Queene, The

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

One of the great long poems in the English language, written in the 16th century by Edmund Spenser. As originally conceived, the poem was to have been a religious-moral-political allegory in 12 books, each consisting of the adventures of a knight representing a particular moral virtue; Book I, for example, recounts the legend of the Red Cross Knight, or Holiness. The knights

Alfonso V

2005-02-18T03:55:00.000-08:00

Byname Alfonso the Magnanimous , Spanish Alfonso el Magnánimo king of Aragon (1416–58) and king of Naples (as Alfonso I, 1442–58), whose military campaigns in Italy and elsewhere in the central Mediterranean made him one of the most famous men of his day. After conquering Naples, he transferred his court there.

Mon Language

2005-02-18T02:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Talaing, or Peguan, Mon-Khmer language spoken by the Mon people of southeastern Myanmar (Lower Burma) and several Mon communities in Thailand. The oldest inscriptions, dating from the 6th century, are found in central Thailand in archaeological sites associated with the Dvaravati kingdom. Numerous Old Mon inscriptions date from the later Mon kingdoms of Thaton and Pegu. The Old Mon

Macbeth

2005-02-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

King of Scots from 1040, the legend of whose life was the basis of Shakespeare's Macbeth. He was probably a grandson of King Kenneth II (reigned 971–995), and he married Gruoch, a descendant of King Kenneth III (reigned 997–1005). About 1031 Macbeth succeeded his father, Findlaech (Sinel in Shakespeare), as mormaer, or chief, in the province

Abc

2005-02-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

Tabloid daily newspaper published in Madrid and long regarded as one of Spain's leading papers. It was founded as a weekly in 1903 by a distinguished journalist, Torcuato Luca de Tena y Alvarez-Ossorio, who later (1929) was made the Marqués de Luca de Tena by King Alfonso XIII in recognition of his accomplishments with ABC. The paper became a daily in 1905 and after 1929 published a Seville

Hengelo

2005-02-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

Hengelo is a rail junction and has a state agricultural school and cattle

Georgia

2005-02-14T04:07:00.000-08:00

Constituent state of the United States of America. The largest of the U.S. states east of the Mississippi River and by many years the youngest of the 13 former English colonies, Georgia was founded in 1732, at which time its boundaries were even larger—including much of the present-day states of Alabama and Mississippi. Its area of 58,910 square miles (152,576 square kilometres) presents numerous

Hinduism, Ahimsa: non-injury

2005-02-14T00:49:00.000-08:00

A further characteristic of Hinduism is the ideal of ahimsa. Ahimsa, “non-injury” or the absence of the desire to harm, is regarded by Indian thinkers as one of the keystones of their ethics. Historically, ahimsa is unrelated to vegetarianism; in ancient India, killing people in war or in capital punishment and killing animals in Vedic sacrifices were acceptable to many

Alewife

2005-02-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Sawbelly, Grayback, Gaspereau, or Branch Herring (Pomolobus, or Alosa, pseudoharengus), important North American food fish of the herring family, Clupeidae. Deeper-bodied than the true herring, the alewife has a pronounced saw-edge on the underside; it grows to about 30 cm (1 foot). Except for members of a few lake populations, it spends several years along the Atlantic coast of North America before

Nitrogen Cycle

2005-02-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

Circulation of nitrogen in various forms through nature. Nitrogen, a component of proteins and nucleic acids, is essential to life on Earth. Although 78 percent by volume of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas, this abundant reservoir exists in a form unusable by most organisms. Through a series of microbial transformations, however, nitrogen is made available to plants,

Chia-mu-ssu

2005-02-12T04:14:00.000-08:00

Until the 18th century this region, which has fertile agricultural

East Anglia

2005-02-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

The area is low and undulating and almost entirely covered

Closet Drama

2005-02-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

A drama suited primarily for reading rather than production. Examples of the genre include John Milton's Samson Agonistes (1671) and Thomas Hardy's The Dynasts (three parts, 1903–08). Closet drama is not to be confused with readers' theatre, in which actors read or recite without decor before an audience.

Skeleton Sledding

2005-02-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

Also called Cresta sledding winter sport in which the skeleton sled, or Cresta, consisting of steel runners fastened to a platform chassis, is ridden in a headfirst, prone position. Skeleton sledding competitions are typically held on the same courses used for bobsled contests. It is a dangerous and thrilling sport where riders, with their faces just inches above the icy course, attain speeds

Awash River

2005-02-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

Formerly Hawash River river in eastern Ethiopia. It rises on a steep northern escarpment of the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley and is fed by Lakes Shala, Abiyata, Langano, and Ziway. Cotton is grown in the fertile Awash River valley, and dams (notably the Koka Dam, 1960) supply hydroelectric power. Herds of antelope and gazelle live in the Awash National Park. The river ends in a chain of salt lakes in the

Ancillon, Charles

2005-02-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

Born of a distinguished family of French Protestants, Ancillon studied law at Marburg, Geneva, and Paris. He pleaded the cause of the Huguenots—the French Protestants—of Metz at the court of Louis XIV, urging that an exception

Kinship

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

Freud's concern was with the origin of the incest taboo, which is practically universal in human society. He believed that children have a secret desire to commit incest

Ringerike

2005-02-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

Kommune (“commune”) and geographic region, Buskerud fylke (county), southeastern Norway, just northwest of Oslo. The region covers a total area of 600 square miles (1,553 square km) adjacent to the northern shore of Tyri Lake and northward to Rands Lake. The Ringerike was inhabited as early as AD 200 and existed as a petty kingdom in the 8th and 9th centuries. During the 10th century Norway's greatest

Abel, Theodora Mead

2005-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Abel was educated at Vassar College (B.A., 1921), Columbia University (M.A., 1924), and the University of Paris, where she received a diploma in psychology (1923). After earning a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1925, she taught at numerous institutions, including

Rio Grande

2005-02-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

Port city, southeastern Rio Grande do Sul estado (“state”), southern Brazil. The city lies along the Rio Grande (river), which is the outlet to the Atlantic of the Patos Lagoon. It is built on a low peninsula, barely 5 feet (1.5 m) above sea level and 8 miles (13 km) from the river's mouth. Where it enters the ocean, the river passes over a submerged bar that has been dredged so that oceangoing vessels

Bukavu

2005-02-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1966) Costermansville city, eastern Congo (Kinshasa), central Africa, on a peninsula extending into Lake Kivu. It is a commercial and industrial centre, a lake port, and a tourist city with road access northwest to Kisangani, southwest to Kasai, south to Lubumbashi and Katanga province, and to East Africa. There is also air transport to other Congolese cities and to Burundi. The region is known

Gauthey, Emiland-marie

2005-02-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

Gauthey studied at the École des Ponts et Chaussées (School of Bridges and Highways) in Paris, then taught there while making

A Posteriori Knowledge

2005-02-04T04:22:00.000-08:00

Knowledge derived from experience, as opposed to a priori knowledge (q.v.).

Childhood Disease And Disorder, Respiratory disorders

2005-02-02T23:26:00.000-08:00

Numerous abnormalities of respiratory function are common in the newborn infant. One of the most severe is respiratory distress syndrome (RDS; also called hyaline membrane disease). RDS occurs in 0.5 to 1 percent of all deliveries, and, as previously mentioned, is especially common in premature infants. In addition, it is encountered commonly in infants of diabetic mothers

West Lothian

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

Council area and historic county, southeastern Scotland, on the southern shore of the River Forth estuary and the Firth of Forth just west of Edinburgh. The council area and historic county occupy somewhat different areas. The historic county borders the Forth from Bo'ness to the mouth of the River Almond just west of Cramont. It extends southwest across a lowland

Mckenna, Siobhan

2005-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

A member of an amateur Gaelic theatre group, McKenna made her

Smith, Alfred E(manuel)

2005-02-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

When his father died, young Smith interrupted his schooling and went to work for seven years at the Fulton fish market in New York City to help support his family. His political career was launched in 1895, when Tammany Hall—the

Triballi

2005-01-31T01:39:00.000-08:00

A Thracian people whose earliest-known home was the “Triballian plain” (probably the Plain of Kosovo), near the junction of the Angrus and Brongus rivers (the western and southern Morava) in the north-central Balkans. Sometime after 424 BC they were overcome by the Autariatae, an Illyrian tribe. In 339 BC the Triballi refused to allow Philip II of Macedon to pass through the Haemus