PresentThread

Allied-signal Inc.

2005-04-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

The corporation was formed in 1920 in the consolidation of several chemical manufacturers; the Barrett Company (founded 1903), supplying coal-tar chemicals and roofing; General Chemical Company (founded 1899), specializing in industrial acids; National Aniline

Góngora Y Argote, Luis De

2005-04-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

The son of a judge, Góngora profited from his father's fine library and from relatives

Berberidaceae

2005-04-03T01:57:00.000-08:00

The most important and largest genus is Berberis, with about 500 species, among which are many ornamentals, including

Sororate

2005-04-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Marriage of a man to his wife's sister, whether in the lifetime of the first wife or after her death. The term was introduced by the British anthropologist Sir James George Frazer. Though related in principle, the levirate (marriage with a deceased husband's brother) and sororate are usually but not invariably associated and appear to be the most common of preferential

Packing

2005-04-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, a type of problem in combinatorial geometry that involves placement of figures of a given size or shape within another given figure—with greatest economy or subject to some other restriction. The problem of placement of a given number of spheres within a given volume of space is an example of a packing problem.

Empiricism, In modern philosophy

2005-04-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

In the earlier and unsystematically speculative phases of Renaissance philosophy, the claims of Aristotelian logic to yield substantial knowledge were attacked by several 16th-century logicians, and, in the same century, the role of observation was stressed. One mildly skeptical Christian thinker, Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655), advanced a deliberate revival of the empirical

Carter, Maybelle

2005-03-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

By the time she was 12, Maybelle Addington was well versed in the traditional hill-country songs of the region and had become a skilled and original guitarist and autoharpist. When she was 17 she

Cimmerian

2005-03-30T22:23:00.000-08:00

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

Lute

2005-03-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

Plucked, stringed musical instrument popular in 16th- and 17th-century Europe. The lute that was prominent in European popular art and music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods originated as the Arab 'ud. This instrument was brought to Europe in the 13th century by way of Spain and by returning crusaders and is still played in Arab countries. Like the 'ud, the European lute

Adaptation

2005-03-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

In biology, process by which an animal or plant becomes fitted to its environment; it is the result of natural selection acting upon heritable variation. Even the simpler organisms must be adapted in a great variety of ways: in their structure, physiology, and genetics; in their locomotion or dispersal; in their means of defense and attack; in their reproduction and

Roman Catholicism, History Of, The reign of Leo XIII (18781903)

2005-03-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

Although Leo XIII was no less conservative in his theological inclinations than his predecessor, his positive appreciation of the church's opportunities in modern society gave his pontificate a significantly different cast from that of Pius. On issues of church doctrine and discipline his administration was a strict one. It was during his reign that the Modernist

Asteroid

2005-03-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

Also called minor planet, or planetoid, any of a host of small rocky bodies, about 1,000 km or less in diameter, that orbit the Sun primarily between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is because of their small size and large numbers relative to the nine major planets that asteroids are also called minor planets. The two designations are frequently used interchangeably, though dynamicists, astronomers who study

Pappataci Fever

2005-03-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

Also called phlebotomus fever, three-day fever , or sandfly fever acute, infectious, febrile disease caused by a phlebovirus (family Bunyaviridae) and producing temporary incapacitation. It is transmitted to humans by the bloodsucking female sand fly (notably Phlebotomus papatasii, P. perniciosus, and P. perfiliewsi) and is prevalent in the moist subtropical countries of the Eastern Hemisphere lying between latitude 20° and 45° N, particularly

France, History Of, Germans and Gallo-Romans

2005-03-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

The settlement of Germanic peoples in Roman Gaul brought people from two entirely different backgrounds into contact. Linguistic barriers were quickly overcome, for the Germans adopted Latin. At the same time, German names were preponderant. Although there were religious difficulties in those regions settled by peoples converted to Arianism (Visigoths, Burgundians),

Starr, Kenneth W.

2005-03-26T08:17:00.000-08:00

On Sept. 9, 1998, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr reported to the U.S. Congress grounds for finding that Bill Clinton (q.v.) had committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as U.S. president. In the report, which was accompanied by voluminous evidence that included a semen-stained dress, tapes of telephone conversations, and grand jury testimony,

Epistemology, A priori versus a posteriori knowledge

2005-03-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

A sharp distinction has been drawn since at least the 17th century between two types of knowledge: a priori knowledge and a posteriori knowledge. The distinction plays an especially important role in the philosophies of David Hume (1711–76) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). It is also found in many contemporary, empirically oriented theories of knowledge, which typically hold that all knowledge

Canada Day

2005-03-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1982) Dominion Day the national holiday of Canada. The possibility of a confederation between the colonies of British North America was discussed throughout the mid 1800s. On July 1, 1867, a dominion was formed through the British North America Act as approved by the British Parliament. It consisted of territories then called Upper and Lower Canada and of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The act

Mind, Philosophy Of

2005-03-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

One attribute that sharply distinguishes man from the rest of nature is his highly developed capacity for thought, feeling, and deliberate action. Here and there in other animals, rudiments,

La Fontaine, Jean De

2005-03-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

La Fontaine was born in the Champagne region into a bourgeois family. There, in 1647, he married an heiress, Marie Héricart, but they separated in 1658. From 1652 to 1671 he held office as an inspector of forests and waterways, an office inherited from his father. It was in Paris, however, that he made his most important contacts and spent his most productive years as a writer. An outstanding

Heuneburg

2005-03-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Celtic fortified site overlooking the Danube River in Baden-Württemberg Land (state), Germany. Recent excavations have shown that the Heuneburg fort community carried on a prosperous trade with the Greeks at Massilia (Marseille) during the 6th century BC. Imported Greek black-figure pottery and Massiliote wine amphorae have been uncovered. Mediterranean influence

Kálvos, Andréas Ioannídis

2005-03-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

Kálvos was brought up at Leghorn, Tuscany (1802–12), and lived most of his life in Italy and England. While in Italy he became secretary (1812–17) to the Italian poet and patriot

Floral Decoration, Ancient world

2005-03-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

There is evidence through painting and sculpture that during the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–c. 2160 BC) the Egyptians placed flowers in vases. In the tomb of Perneb bas-relief carvings show lotus blossoms and buds alternately arranged in flared bowls that were set upon banquet tables or carried in processions. Paintings of functional vases with spouts designed to support the heavy-headed

China, Changes under Kublai Khan and his successors

2005-03-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

Kublai Khan's ascendancy in 1260 marked a definite change in Mongol government practice; Kublai moved the seat of Mongol government from Karakorum in Mongolia to Shang-tu (Upper Capital) near modern To-lun in Inner Mongolia. In 1267 the official capital was transferred to Chung-tu, where Kublai ordered the construction of a new walled city, replete with grand palaces and official

Amiens Cathedral

2005-03-20T01:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Notre-Dame d'Amiens, or the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Amiens

Ibrahim Müteferrika

2005-03-19T23:15:00.000-08:00

A Hungarian by origin, Ibrahim converted to Islam and entered the Ottoman diplomatic service. He took

Conservatism

2005-03-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

The term conservatism, although it has had different implications in varying historical and geographical contexts, is best reserved to denote a preference for institutions and practices that have evolved historically and that are thus

Timur Ruby

2005-03-19T04:45:00.000-08:00

Jewel that is in fact not a ruby but one of the world's largest polished red magnesia spinels (see ruby spinel). The unfaceted, 361-carat stone is set in the imperial state crown of England. It is inscribed with the names and dates of six of its owners. The earliest is Shah Jahangir, 1612, and the latest is Ahmad Shah Durrani, 1754.

Spontini, Gaspare (luigi Pacifico)

2005-03-18T04:36:00.000-08:00

Entering the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini in Naples in 1793, he studied music with Nicola Sala

Resistencia

2005-03-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Chaco provincia, northeastern Argentina, on a stream that flows into the Paraná River at the river port of Barranqueras, 4 miles (6 km) southeast. Originally founded in the mid-18th century as San Fernando del Río Negro (a Jesuit reducción [work mission] abandoned in 1773 after the order was suppressed), it was later reestablished in 1878 as a frontier colony settled by

Armilus

2005-03-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

In Jewish legends, an enemy who will conquer Jerusalem and persecute Jews until his final defeat at the hands of God or the true Messiah. His inevitable destruction symbolizes the ultimate victory of good over evil in the messianic era. Some sources depict Armilus as partially deaf and partially maimed, the frightful offspring of Satan or evil creatures. Parallel

Nowshera

2005-03-17T04:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Naushahra town, North-West Frontier Province, northern Pakistan. Lying on a sandy plain surrounded by hills, on the banks of the Kabul River (there bridged), Nowshera is a commercial and industrial centre that is connected by rail and road with Dargai (Malakand Pass), Mardan, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. The town's industries include cotton, wool, and paperboard mills and chemical and newsprint

Swag

2005-03-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

The swag, or festoon, usually carved from

Computer Security

2005-03-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

The protection of computer systems and information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Computer hardware is typically protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipment, namely, serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarms. The protection of information and system access, on the other hand, is achieved through other tactics, some

Kara Mustafa Pasa, Merzifonlu

2005-03-14T03:13:00.000-08:00

During the grand vizierate (1661–76) of his brother-in-law Köprülü Fazil Ahmed Pasa, Kara Mustafa Pasa served as captain of the fleet, vizier in the State Council, and deputy grand vizier. Succeeding Fazil Ahmed Pasa as grand vizier,

Aeschylus

2005-03-14T00:18:00.000-08:00

This is the first and only surviving play of a trilogy probably put on in 463. It was long believed by scholars that Suppliants (Greek Hiketides; Latin Supplices) was one of Aeschylus' earliest plays because of its archaic structure; its chorus, representing the daughters of Danaus (the Danaïds), takes the leading role in the action. But there is now evidence that the trilogy

Bomber

2005-03-13T02:21:00.000-08:00

Military aircraft designed to drop bombs on surface targets. Aerial bombardment can be traced to the Italo-Turkish War, in which early in December 1911 an Italian pilot on an observation mission reached over the side of his airplane and dropped four grenades on two Turkish targets. During World War I the Germans used their rigid airships, known as Zeppelins, as strategic

Spanish Literature, Revival of the Spanish novel

2005-03-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

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

Coralroot

2005-03-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

Any plant of the genus Corallorhiza, family Orchidaceae, consisting of about 13 species of nearly leafless, nonphotosynthetic orchids that live primarily on dead organic matter. One species is Eurasian; the others are native to North and Central America. The name coralroot refers to the coral-like shape of the reddish rhizomes (underground

González, Julio

2005-03-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

González and his brother Joan received artistic training from their father, a sculptor and metalworker, as well as at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. González moved to Paris in 1900, where, through his old Barcelona friend Pablo

Alabama, Government

2005-03-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

Alabama is governed by a bicameral legislature and a governor and cabinet. The legislature consists of 35 senators and 105 representatives who meet annually in regular sessions and are elected for four-year terms. The constitution, a complex and, some have claimed, outdated and often inadequate document, dates from 1901. After various poll tax and other tax provisions aimed

Carlinville

2005-03-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1829) of Macoupin county, southwestern Illinois, U.S. The first white settlement on the site, in an area known as Black Hawk hunting ground (frequented by Sauk, Fox, and Kickapoo Indians), was made in about 1815. The community was named for Gov. Thomas Carlin. A notable feature is the “million-dollar” county courthouse (1870), an imposing domed limestone structure, the construction

Lin Shu

2005-03-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Lin Shu translator who first made available to Chinese readers more than 171 works of Western literature, even though he himself had no firsthand knowledge of any foreign language and had never traveled abroad. Working through oral interpreters, Lin Shu translated fiction from England, the United States, France, Russia, Switzerland,

Scylax Of Caryanda

2005-03-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

It is known from Herodotus that Scylax was sent by the Persian king Darius I (in about 515 BC) to explore the course of the Indus River and that he returned by sea after two and a half years to the Isthmus of Heroonpolis (Suez). References in ancient authorities

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint, Theological treatises

2005-03-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Scriptum super IV libros Sententiarum (1254–56); De veritate (1256–59); Summa contra gentiles (c. 1258–64; On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, 1955); Summa theologiae (1265 or 1266–73; incomplete); De potentia Dei (1259–68; On the Power of God, 1932–34); De malo (undated; On Free Choice); De spiritualibus creaturis (undated; On Spiritual Creatures, 1949); De anima (undated; The Soul, 1949); De unione Verbi incarnati (undated); De virtutibus (1269–72; On the Virtues in General, 1951).

Bouira

2005-03-08T03:35:00.000-08:00

The surrounding region is encompassed by the ranges and valleys of the Tell Atlas. Although it

Elixir

2005-03-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

In alchemy, substance thought to be capable of changing base metals into gold. The same term, more fully elixir vitae, “elixir of life,” was given to the substance that would indefinitely prolong life—a liquid that was believed to be allied with the philosopher's stone. Chinese Taoists not only sought the “pill of immortality” but developed techniques (meditation, breathing

Bhaktapur

2005-03-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Bhatgaon , or Bhadgaon town, central Nepal, in the Nepal Valley, southeast of Kathmandu. Said to have been founded by Raja Ananda Malla in 865, it was for 200 years the most important settlement in the valley. The old palace in Durbar Square, built in 1700, is well preserved and has beautifully carved woodwork and a finely worked gilt gateway. Opposite, on a stone pillar, is the copper-gilt figure of King Bhupatindra

Nichinan

2005-03-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

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

Euclidean Geometry, To find a circle touching three given circles

2005-03-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

The problem of finding a circle touching three given circles K1, K2, K3 may be considered. For simplicity the circles may be mutually external. The radical axes of each pair can be constructed by methods that are described in the section Construction of radical axis of two nonconcentric circles. These axes, which are assumed distinct and no two parallel, all meet in a point

Increasing Safety In Auto Racing: A Winning Formula?

2005-03-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

In 2000–01 that balance was sorely

Wilderness, Battle Of The

2005-03-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

(May 5–7, 1864), in the American Civil War, first stage of a carefully planned Union campaign to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Crossing the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Virginia, early in May, General Ulysses S. Grant advanced with a Union army of 115,000 men. On May 5 he met a Confederate army of 62,000 troops under General Robert E. Lee. The confrontation occurred

France, History Of, The Treaty of Verdun

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

Later the three brothers came to an agreement in the Treaty of Verdun (843). The empire was divided into three kingdoms arranged along a north–south axis: Francia Orientalis was given to Louis, Francia Media to Lothair, and Francia Occidentalis to Charles the Bald. The three kings were equal among themselves. Lothair kept the imperial title, but it had completely lost its

Lip Ring, Lip Plug, And Lip Plate

2005-03-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

In South America at the time of the Spanish conquests, lip plugs, usually made of stone, gold, or rock crystal, were worn by the indigenous peoples. In several parts of Africa, especially in Congo (Kinshasa), Tanzania,

Eckstorm, Fannie Pearson Hardy

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

Fannie Hardy was the daughter of a well-known fur trader, outdoorsman, naturalist, and taxidermist, from whom she early absorbed a love and deep

Music, Western, Ancient Greece

2005-03-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

Of the eastern Mediterranean cultures, it was undoubtedly that of the Greeks that furnished the most direct link with musical development in western Europe, by way of the Romans, who defeated them but adopted much of Greek culture intact. Entering historical times relatively late, c. 1000 BC, the Greeks soon dominated their neighbours and absorbed many elements of earlier

Selkirk

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

Town, southeastern Manitoba, Canada. It lies just northeast of Winnipeg, on the Red River near its influx into Lake Winnipeg, at the head of deepwater navigation. It is the lake's chief port serving central and northern Manitoba and is thus a transshipping point for fish and lumber. The town is also a haven for pleasure boats. The site, settled in 1812, was named for Thomas Douglas,

Bijapur

2005-03-02T01:45:00.000-08:00

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

Allophone

2005-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

One of the phonetically distinct variants of a phoneme (q.v.). The occurrence of one allophone rather than another is usually determined by its position in the word (initial, final, medial, etc.) or by its phonetic environment. Speakers of a language often have difficulty in hearing the phonetic differences between allophones of the same phoneme, because these differences

Bokassa, Jean-bédel

2005-03-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

African military officer and political leader (b. Feb. 22, 1921, Bobangui, Oubangui-Chari, French Equatorial Africa [now in Central African Republic]--d. Nov. 3, 1996, Bangui, Central African Republic), was president of the Central African Republic (1966-77) and self-styled emperor of the Central African Empire (1977-79). His rule was characterized by brutality and greed. After the assassination of his father,

Cyprus, Greek immigration

2005-02-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

The immigration of settlers from Greece, which began at least by 1200, led to the foundation of Greek kingdoms covering most of the island, and since the start of the 1st millennium BC the Greek language has been predominant in Cyprus; the fact that the dialectal form in which it first appears is known as Arcado-Cypriot confirms traditions of the Peloponnesian origin—and specifically

Abu Jirab

2005-02-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Abu Gurab ancient Egyptian site, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Abu Sir, between Saqqarah and Giza; it is known as the location of two 5th-dynasty (c. 2465–c. 2325 BC) sun temples. The first part of the 5th dynasty is recognized as a period of unusually strong emphasis on the worship of the sun god Re, contemporary inscriptions recording that six sun temples were built. Only those of King Userkaf and King Neuserre

Performing Arts, Popular. - United States

2005-02-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hip-hop artist Eminem—Detroit native Marshall Mathers III—in 2002 further advanced his standing as a pop-culture favourite with the release of his third album, The Eminem Show, and a starring role in the movie 8 Mile, about a white rap artist trying to establish himself in the black-dominated idiom. The Eminem Show debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200 album chart in June

Silchester

2005-02-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

Village (“parish”) in Basingstoke and Deane borough, in the northern part of the administrative and historic county of Hampshire, England, southwest of Reading. Near the small modern village is the deserted site of the important Roman-British town of Calleva Atrebatum, a node of the Roman road system in Britain. Most of the antiquities recovered from the site are in the

Tiger Shark

2005-02-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

(Galeocerdo cuvieri), large, potentially dangerous shark of the family Carcharhinidae. It is noted for its voracity and inveterate scavenging, as well as its reputation as a man-eater. The tiger shark is found worldwide in warm oceans, from the shoreline to the open sea. A maximum of about 5.5 m (18 feet) long, it is grayish and patterned, when young, with dark spots and vertical bars.

Ithna 'ashariyah

2005-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

Each of the imams—'Ali, his sons Hasan and Husayn, 'Ali Zayn al-'Abidin, Muhammad al-Baqir, Ja'far as-Sadiq, Musa al-Kazim, 'Ali ar-Rida, Muhammad al-Jawad, 'Ali al-Hadi, Hasan al-'Askari, and Muhammad

Palayankottai

2005-02-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

Also called Palamcottah, city, southern Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. It lies across the Tambraparni River from its twin city of Tirunelveli. Palayankottai is a residential and educational centre in the Tirunelveli urban agglomeration. It is a major centre of Christian missions in southern India and has private Christian schools and Christian and other colleges affiliated with

Junker, Wilhelm

2005-02-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

After journeys to Iceland (1869) and Tunis (1873–74), Junker went to Egypt and the Sudan (1875), where from 1876 to 1878 he explored the lower Sobat River and the western tributaries

Epistemology, Contemporary

2005-02-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Two excellent anthologies are Harold Morick (ed.), Challenges to Empiricism (1972, reprinted 1980); and Paul K. Moser and Arnold Vander Nat (eds.), Human Knowledge: Classical and Contemporary Approaches (1987). Edmund L. Gettier, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” in Analysis, 23:121–23 (June 1963), is considered by many to be a decisive refutation of the justified, true-belief analysis of knowledge. Noam Chomsky, Language and the Problems of Knowledge (1988), discusses innateness, language, and psychology. Roderick M. Chisholm, Theory of Knowledge, 3rd ed. (1989); and Robert Audi, Belief, Justification, and Knowledge (1988), are two good introductions to standard epistemological problems.

Selection

2005-02-24T03:52:00.000-08:00

The theory of evolution by natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858. They argued that species with useful adaptations

Brunei, Flag Of

2005-02-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

Although a few countries have half of their national flag in yellow, Brunei alone has a yellow background. The avoidance of yellow in other flags may in part be due to the association of the colour with royalty, as in the former imperial flags of Austria and Russia, and with disease (yellow flags are internationally recognized as symbols of quarantine). Among the smaller

Ashur

2005-02-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, city god of Ashur and national god of Assyria. In the beginning he was perhaps only a local deity of the city that shared his name. From about 1800 BC onward, however, there appear to have been strong tendencies to identify him with the Sumerian Enlil (Akkadian: Bel), while under the Assyrian king Sargon II (reigned 721–705 BC), there were tendencies to identify Ashur

Visigoth

2005-02-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

The Visigoths were settled agriculturists in Dacia (now in Romania) when they were attacked by the Huns in 376 and driven southward

Gadolinium

2005-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

(Gd), chemical element, rareearth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table. Silvery white and moderately ductile, the metal reacts slowly with oxygen and water. Below 17° C it is ferromagnetic and at very low temperatures, superconducting. Credit for the discovery of gadolinium is shared by J.-C.-G. de Marignac and P.-É. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. Marignac separated (1880) a new

Silifke

2005-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Seleucia, town, south-central Turkey. It is located along the banks of the Göksu River, overlooking the Taurus Mountains. An irrigation scheme supplying the fertile lowland of the Göksu delta is located at Silifke. The town is a market centre for agricultural produce of its hinterland, including cotton, tobacco, grapes, olives, beans, and lentils. Industrial products include

Offa Of Angel

2005-02-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

According to the Old English poem “Widsith,” Offa saved his aged father, King Wermund, from falling under Saxon domination by defeating a Saxon king's son in single combat. Later Offa became ruler of the large kingdom of Angel, and he is said to have established Fifldor

Marchesi De Castrone, Mathilde

2005-02-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

She studied in Paris under Manuel García, the foremost teacher of singing of the 19th century, and made her debut as a singer in 1849. In 1854 she began teaching. She taught at the conservatories of Vienna and Cologne as well as in London and

Ford, Ford Madox

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

The son of a German music critic, Francis Hueffer, and a grandson of Ford Madox Brown, one of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, Ford grew up in a cultured, artistic environment. At 18 he wrote his first novel, The Shifting of Fire (1892). His acquaintance

Training, Transfer Of

2005-02-19T22:17:00.000-08:00

Influence the learning of one skill has on the learning or performance of another. Will knowledge of English help a person learn German? Are skillful table-tennis (Ping-Pong) players generally good court-tennis players? Can a child who does not know how to add learn to multiply? Such questions represent the problems of transfer of training.

Zollverein

2005-02-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

The movement to create a free-trade zone in Germany received great impetus from economists such as Friedrich List, its most active advocate in early 19th-century Germany. In 1818 Prussia

Antarctica, Other resources

2005-02-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

A rich imagination can see many possible uses of Antarctica and its materials. The continental ice sheet contains nearly 90 percent of the world's glacial ice—a huge potential supply of fresh water—but any economic value is precluded by delivery costs. Antarctica has been proposed as a long-term deep-freeze storage site for grain and other foods, but calculations show

Beak

2005-02-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

A bird's bill is composed of

Bhartrhari

2005-02-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, Bhartrhari was attached for a time to the court of the Maitraka king of

Rawlins

2005-02-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1886) of Carbon county, south-central Wyoming, U.S. It lies just east of the Continental Divide at an elevation of 6,755 feet (2,059 metres). Founded in 1868 when the Union Pacific Railroad arrived, it was first named Rawlins Springs for U.S. Army Chief of Staff General John A. Rawlins, who requested a freshwater spring there bear his name. In 1874 “Rawlins Red” pigment from the local paint mines

Stearic Acid

2005-02-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

In nature stearic acid

Shari'ah, Procedure and evidence

2005-02-15T01:34:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, Shari'ah law was administered by the court of a single qadi, who was the judge of the facts as well as the law, although on difficult legal issues he might seek the advice of a professional jurist, or mufti. There was no hierarchy of courts and no organized system of appeals. Through his clerk (katib) the qadi controlled his court procedure, which was normally characterized

Korolenko, Vladimir Galaktionovich

2005-02-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

Korolenko was expelled from two colleges for his revolutionary activities. In 1879 he was exiled to the Yakut region (now in Sakha republic) of Siberia, where he encountered the

Jabiru

2005-02-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

(species Jabiru mycteria), a typical stork of the New World, ranging from Mexico to Argentina. The jabiru belongs to the stork family, Ciconiidae (order Ciconiiformes). It is mostly white, with the naked skin of the head and upper neck black and red. The unusually heavy bill is slightly upturned. The jabiru is one of the largest American flying birds, reaching a length of 140 cm

'abd Al-mu'min

2005-02-14T15:46:00.000-08:00

Information about 'Abd al-Mu'min and his work may be found in the general histories by Henri Terrasse, Histoire du Maroc, vol. 2, pp. 261–316 (1950); and Ambrosio Huici Miranda, Historia política del Imperio Almohade, 2 vol. (1956–57), both with numerous bibliographic references.

Biblical Literature, Textual ambiguities

2005-02-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

The writing called the Letter to the Hebrews, which was known and accepted in the Eastern church by the 2nd century, was included also by the Western church as the 14th Pauline epistle when the canon of East and West was assimilated and fixed in 367. Hebrews has no salutation giving the name of either the writer or the addressees, although it does have a doxology and greeting

Eclipsing Variable Star

2005-02-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

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

French Literature, Secular drama

2005-02-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

The earliest comic plays extant date from the second half of the 13th century. Le Garçon et

Human Evolution, Examination and analysis of fossils

2005-02-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Although it appears that at the time of discovery the remains of more than 10 individuals existed at Cro-Magnon, only fragments from some five individuals were preserved and studied, among them the cranium and mandible of a male about 50 years old. Considered representative of the Cro-Magnon type, this specimen is known as the “Old Man of Cro-Magnon.” Also preserved were skull

British Indian Ocean Territory

2005-02-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Colony of the United Kingdom in the central Indian Ocean, established Nov. 8, 1965, by the amalgamation of the Aldabra Islands and the Farquhar and Desroches islands (all purchased from the Seychelles) with the Chagos Archipelago (formerly a dependency of Mauritius). On June 28/29, 1976, the islands purchased from the Seychelles were returned to the newly independent Republic of Seychelles.

Wyoming

2005-02-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

When European

Elizabeth Of France

2005-02-11T00:35:00.000-08:00

She was the youngest daughter of the dauphin Louis (d. 1765) and Maria Josepha of Saxony. Whereas her aunt and two of her brothers (the future Louis XVIII and Charles X) emigrated, Madame Élisabeth

Taeniodont

2005-02-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

Any member of an extinct order (Taeniodonta) of mammals that lived in North America throughout the Paleocene and into the middle Eocene Epoch (66.4 to 43 million years ago). The taeniodonts may have been related to early edentates (insect-eating mammals) and probably evolved from an insectivorous to an herbivorous diet. They were distinguished by high-crowned teeth extending

Married Women's Property Acts

2005-02-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

The English common law concept of coverture, the legal subordination of a married woman to her husband, prevailed in the United States until the middle of the 19th century, when the economic realities of life in the New World demanded

Adapazari

2005-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Turkey, lying in a fertile plain west of the Sakarya River. It is situated along the old military road from Istanbul. The region came under Ottoman control in the early 14th century, and the city acquired its present name at the end of the 18th century. An agricultural and industrial centre, Adapazari is connected by a branch line to the main Anatolian railway

Beveridge (of Tuggal), William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron

2005-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

Beveridge, the son of a British civil servant in India, was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. More than any other single figure,

Novi Pazar

2005-02-08T03:24:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Serbia, Yugoslavia. It lies in the Raška River valley, in rough and hilly country near the site of Ras, which was the capital city of the medieval Serbian state in the 12th–14th century. In the vicinity are Roman baths, and the Church of St. Peter, one of the oldest in Yugoslavia (7th or 8th century), is an interesting example of early Slav architecture. A few miles west is