GreyRun

Water Moss

2005-03-23T20:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Brook Moss, or Fountain Moss (Fontinalis), genus of mosses belonging to the order Bryales, found in flowing freshwater streams and ponds in temperate regions. About 25 species are native to North America. A brook moss may have shoots 30 to 100 (rarely up to 200) cm (12 to 40 inches) long, and is usually attached to a stone or a tree root. The most common species, F. antipyretica, has long, slender branches covered with glossy,

Indian Philosophy, Metaphysics and epistemology

2005-03-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

For Vacaspati, creation was viewed in terms of the mere presence of the selves and the mere presentation to them of Matter (the undifferentiated primeval stuff). Such a view has obvious difficulties, for it would make creation eternal, because the selves and Matter are eternally copresent. Vijñanabhiksu considered the relation between the selves and Matter to be a real

Azaïs, Pierre-hyacinthe

2005-03-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

Philosopher whose optimism was rooted in the idea that human experience is imbued with a natural and harmonious balance between joy and sadness and that it is in this balance that meaning can be discovered. He advocated the idea in the work that first brought him fame, Des compensations dans les destinées humaines, 3 vol. (1809). In a following work,

Azaïs, Pierre-hyacinthe

2005-03-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Its functions include making multilateral

Ankaratra

2005-03-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Volcanic mountainous region in central Madagascar (Malagasy), covering an area of approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 square km) and rising to 8,671 feet (2,643 m) in Mount Tsiafajavona, the nation's second highest peak. The main range runs south-southwest from the town of Antananarivo. Antsirabe (q.v.), situated on the slopes of Mount Tsiafajavona, is the principal town in the region.

Accent

2005-03-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

Accent has various

Smith, Alfred E(manuel)

2005-03-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

Mercury Processing

2005-03-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Mercury (Hg) has a unique combination of physical properties. Its low melting point (-38.87° C [-38° F]) and boiling point (356.9° C [674° F]), high specific gravity (13.5 grams per cubic centimetre), uniform volume expansion over the entire range of temperatures in its liquid state, and high surface tension (so that it does not wet glass) make it useful for

Vagrancy

2005-03-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

State or action of one who has no established home and drifts from place to place without visible or lawful means of support. Traditionally a vagrant was thought to be one who was able to work for his maintenance but preferred instead to live idly, often as a beggar. The punishment for this ranged from branding and whipping to conscription into the military services

Maher, Bill

2005-03-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

The title of Politically Incorrect, the often controversial television talk show that nightly featured four outspoken guests from the world of entertainment, arts and letters, and politics, was never more appropriate than when its host, comedian Bill Maher, implied that the terrorists who had attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, were braver than U.S. forces fighting

Abdülaziz

2005-03-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Like his brother Abdülmecid I, whom he succeeded as sultan on June 25, 1861, Abdülaziz was an ardent admirer of the material progress in western

Sikhism, The Ten Gurus: Nanak and his tradition

2005-03-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

Nanak was born in 1469 in the village of Rai Bhoi di Talvandi, 40 miles (65 kilometres) from Lahore (in present-day Pakistan). His father was a revenue collector belonging to the Bedi (conversant with the Vedas—the revealed scriptures of Hinduism) subcaste of Ksatriyas (Warriors). Nanak received an education in traditional Hindu lore and in the rudiments of Islam. Early in life he began associating

Olympic Games, Lake Placid, New York, U.S., 1932

2005-02-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

Controversies surrounding the speed skating

China, Relief

2005-02-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

The relief of China is high in the west and low in the east; consequently, the direction of flow of the major rivers is generally eastward. The surface may be divided into three steps, or levels. The first level is represented by the Plateau of Tibet, which is located in both the Tibet Autonomous Region and the province of Tsinghai and which, with an average elevation of

Quadratic Equation

2005-02-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

The discriminant b2 - 4ac gives information

Jackson, Andrew

2005-02-22T03:06:00.000-08:00

Whatever the motives, Jackson had preserved the integrity of the Union against the most serious threat it had yet faced. In contrast, he was remarkably complacent when Georgia defied the federal government. In 1829 Georgia extended its jurisdiction to about 9,000,000 acres (4,000,000 hectares) of land that lay within its boundaries but was still occupied by the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees' title to the land, on which gold had been discovered, having been guaranteed by a treaty with the United States, the Indians appealed to the federal courts. In two separate cases, the Supreme Court ruled against Georgia, but Georgia ignored those decisions and continued to enforce its jurisdiction within the territory claimed by the Cherokees. In contrast to his strong reaction against South Carolina's defiance of federal authority, Jackson made no effort to restrain Georgia, and those close to him felt certain that he sympathized with the position taken by that state. He is said to have declared privately, “John Marshall [the chief justice] has made his decision, now let him enforce it!” Jackson's failure to support the Supreme Court remains an indelible stain on his record. The Cherokee, left without a choice, signed another treaty in 1835 giving up their land in exchange for land in the Indian Territory west of Arkansas. Three years later, having been rounded up by General Winfield Scott, some 15,000 Cherokees were forced to wend their way westward, mostly on foot, on a journey that became known as the Trail of Tears. On the way, during the cold and wet of winter, nearly a quarter of them died of starvation, illness, and exposure (see primary source documents: On Indian Removal and A Permanent Habitation for the American Indian).

Alyattes

2005-02-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

Soon after succeeding his father, King Sadyattes, Alyattes started five consecutive years of raids that devastated the farmland around the Greek city of Miletus on the southwestern coast of Anatolia. He moved eastward, battling the Medes for five

Farm Machinery

2005-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

The operations of farming for which machines are used are diverse. For

Stafford

2005-02-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

Founded by Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great, the town of Stafford had its own mint from the reign of Aethelstan to that of Henry II. Stafford town was chartered in

Pittsburgh

2005-02-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1788) of Allegheny county, southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S. The city is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which unite at the point of the “Golden Triangle” (the business district) to form the Ohio River. A city of hills, parks, and valleys, it is the centre of an urban industrial complex that includes the surrounding cities of Aliquippa

Accismus

2005-02-15T02:11:00.000-08:00

A form of irony in which a person feigns indifference to or pretends to refuse something he or she desires. The fox's dismissal of the grapes in Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes is an example of accismus. A classic example is that of Caesar's initial refusal to accept the crown, a circumstance reported by one of the conspirators in William Shakespeare's Julius

Lizard, Annotated classification

2005-02-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

Reptiles with a single temporal opening lying above the bar formed by postorbital and squamosal

Carnivore, Annotated classification

2005-02-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Although the terrestrial and marine carnivores are grouped together in the following classification, many authors separate them into two orders. In this article the split is indicated by erecting two suborders, the Fissipedia and Pinnipedia, based largely on the degree of specialization undergone by the members as they evolved and adapted to radically different

Calasanz, Saint Joseph

2005-02-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Calasanz also spelled Calasanctius, Italian San Giuseppe Calasanzio, Spanish San José de Calasanz priest, teacher, patron saint of Roman Catholic schools, and founder of the Ordo Clericorum Regularium Pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum (Order of Poor Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools), popularly called Piarists. The Piarists are a teaching order that, in addition to the usual vows of

Giraffe

2005-02-12T00:58:00.000-08:00

To the Romans, the giraffe was “camelopardalis” (“spotted camel”), a term that

Aethelwulf

2005-02-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

The son of the great West Saxon king Egbert (ruled 802–839), Aethelwulf ascended the throne four years after the Danes had begun large-scale raids on the English coast. In 851 he scored a major

Savoy, House Of

2005-02-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

Italian Savoia, French Savoie, historic dynasty of Europe, the ruling house of Italy from 1861 to 1946. During the European Middle Ages the family acquired considerable territory in the western Alps where France, Italy, and Switzerland now converge. In the 15th century, the house was raised to ducal status within the Holy Roman Empire, and in the 18th century it attained the royal title (first of the kingdom of Sicily,

Ashikaga Takauji

2005-02-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

The Ashikaga family became one of the most powerful in Japan during the Kamakura period (1199–1333). They provided leading retainers of the Hojo regents who, with their capital at Kamakura, dominated the country during that time,

Submarine Slump

2005-02-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

In a submarine canyon or on a continental slope, relatively rapid and sporadic downslope composed of sediment and organic debris that has built up slowly into an unstable or marginally stable mass. The greatest documented distance that an individual slump has transported sediment is 120 m (400 feet), in Scripps Canyon off La Jolla, Calif. After an individual slump in a canyon,

Local Colour

2005-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

Style of writing derived from the presentation of the features and peculiarities of a particular locality and its inhabitants. The name is given especially to a kind of American literature that in its most characteristic form made its appearance just after the Civil War and for nearly three decades was the single most popular form of American literature, fulfilling

Medicine, Other developed countries

2005-02-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

In The Netherlands, departments of general practice are administered

Shimada

2005-02-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

City, Shizuoka ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, on the lower Oi River. During the Tokugawa era (1603–1867) it was an important post town on the Tokaido (Eastern Sea Highway) because fording the river was both difficult and dangerous. Since the early 20th century the city has become a trade centre for timber from the forest-covered Akaishi Range upstream. Shimada contains several large paper

Macdonald, (james) Ramsay

2005-02-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

In 1885 he

Kafue River

2005-01-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

River rising on the Congo (Kinshasa)–Zambia border. It meanders generally southward until it turns west near the Lukanga Swamp (which it drains). The river then flows south and finally east through the Kafue Flats and Kafue Gorge to join the Zambezi River near Chirundu, Zimbabwe, after a course of 600 miles (960 km). One of Zambia's major rivers, its waters are used for irrigation.

Dyer-bennet, Richard

2005-01-30T04:06:00.000-08:00

Though born in England, Dyer-Bennet grew up in Canada and California and attended the University of California at

Bodawpaya

2005-01-29T23:44:00.000-08:00

A son of Alaungpaya (reigned 1752–60), the founder of the dynasty, Bodawpaya came to power after deposing and executing his grandnephew Maung Maung. In 1784 Bodawpaya invaded Arakan, the maritime kingdom on the eastern coast of the

Furniture, Turned work

2005-01-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

Turning is a process by which parts of furniture, such as legs and posts, are shaped while turning on a lathe. Turned work is found on Greco-Roman furniture. It is not certain whether the technique was actually employed in Egyptian furniture, though some members look as though they might have been turned. It was particularly in the shaping of wooden chair legs that Greek

Bottesini, Giovanni

2005-01-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

Bottesini received basic training in music at an early age from his father, a composer and clarinetist. His choice of the double bass as his specialty came about

Ba Jin

2005-01-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

Born to a wealthy gentry family, Ba received a traditional

Radek, Karl (bernhardovich)

2005-01-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

A member of a Galician Jewish family, Radek attended the universities of Kraków and Bern. Having joined the Social Democratic Party of Poland and

Target Theory

2005-01-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

German Treffertheorie, in biology, the concept that the biological effects of radiations such as X rays result from ionization (i.e., the formation of electrically charged particles) by individual quanta, or photons, of radiation that are absorbed at sensitive points (targets) in a cell. It is supposed that to produce a given effect there must be one or more hits on a target. Ionization of a target

Amsterdam

2005-01-23T00:19:00.000-08:00

To the scores of tourists who visit each year, Amsterdam is known for its historical attractions, for its collections of great art, and for the distinctive colour and flavour of its old

Oerter, Al

2005-01-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

In full Alfred Oerter American discus thrower who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968), setting an Olympic record each time. During his career he set new world records four times (1962–64). He was the first to throw the discus more than 200 feet with his first world record of 61.10 metres (200 feet 5 inches). His best throw in setting a world record was 62.94 metres

Juba

2005-01-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Dance of Afro-American slaves, found as late as the 19th century from Dutch Guiana to the Caribbean and the southern United States. It was danced by a circle of men around two men who performed various steps (e.g., the juba, the long dog scratch, the pigeon wing) in response to a rhythmic call and to the clapping (patting juba) of the other dancers. As a refrain, after each new step

Webb, Sidney And Beatrice

2005-01-20T06:31:00.000-08:00

In full respectively Sidney James Webb, Baron Passfield of Passfield Corner , and Martha Beatrice Webb, née Potter English Socialist economists (husband and wife), early members of the Fabian Society, and co-founders of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Sidney Webb also helped reorganize the University of London into a federation of teaching institutions and served in

Aomori

2005-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Northernmost ken (prefecture) on the island of Honshu, Japan. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean (east), the Tsugaru Strait (north), and the Sea of Japan (west). The peninsulas of Tsugaru and Shimokita enclose Mutsu Bay. Aomori has a relatively poor agricultural economy that is handicapped by long, cold, snowy winters and poor drainage. Rice and Japan's largest apple crop are

Frederick Iii

2005-01-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

Frederick, the son of Duke Ernest of Austria, inherited the Habsburg possessions of Inner Austria (Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and Gorizia) on his father's death in 1424. By 1439 he had become the senior member of

Saxhorn

2005-01-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Any of a family of brass wind instruments patented by the Belgian instrument-maker Antoine-Joseph Sax, known as Adolphe Sax, in Paris in 1845. Saxhorns, one of many 19th-century developments from the valved bugle, provided military bands with a homogeneous series of valved brass in place of the miscellany of valved instruments that had come into use since 1825 (such as flügelhorns,

Gabon, Health and welfare

2005-01-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

Health facilities remain inadequate, particularly outside the Libreville area, despite improvements during the 1970s and '80s. The government provides nearly all health care services. The internationally known hospital operated by Albert Schweitzer at Lambaréné from 1924 to 1965 receives government assistance. Malaria, sleeping sickness, tuberculosis, syphilis, and other

China, The United Front against Japan

2005-01-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

Fearing that, if Chiang were killed, China would be plunged into renewed disorder, the nation clamoured for his release. The Soviet Union quickly denounced the captors and insisted that Chiang be freed (the Soviet Union needed a united China opposing Japan, its potential enemy on the east). The CCP leaders also decided that Chiang's release would serve China's interests

Sayyid Dynasty

2005-01-14T02:23:00.000-08:00

Rulers of India's Delhi sultanate (c. 1414–51) as successors of the Tughluq dynasty until displaced by the Afghan Lodis; this family claimed to be sayyids, or descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. The central authority of the Delhi sultanate had been fatally weakened by the invasion of Timur (Tamerlane) and his sack of Delhi in 1398. For the next 50 years, North India was virtually divided

Roosevelt, Franklin D., Supreme Court fight

2005-01-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Declaring in his Second Inaugural Address (see original text) that “I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished,” Roosevelt was determined to push forward with further New Deal reforms. With large Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, there remained only one obstacle to his objectives: the Supreme Court. During Roosevelt's first term, the court, which consisted entirely of pre-Roosevelt appointees, had invalidated several key New Deal measures, and cases challenging the Social Security Act and the Wagner Act were pending. To make the court more supportive of reform legislation, Roosevelt proposed a reorganization plan that would have allowed him to appoint one new justice for every sitting justice aged 70 years or older. Widely viewed as a court-packing scheme (even by Roosevelt's supporters), the reorganization bill provoked heated debate in Congress and eventually was voted down, which handed Roosevelt his first major legislative defeat. Meanwhile, the fight over court packing seemed to alter the Supreme Court's attitude toward the New Deal, and both the Social Security Act and the Wagner Act were upheld.

Condensation Nucleus

2005-01-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

Tiny suspended particle, either solid or liquid, upon which water vapour condensation begins in the atmosphere. Its diameter may range from a few microns to a few tenths of a micron (one micron equals 10-4 centimetre). There are much smaller nuclei in the atmosphere, called Aitken nuclei, but they ordinarily play no role in cloud formation because they do not induce condensation

Gabrieli, Andrea

2005-01-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

He was born in the Canareggio quarter of Venice, but nothing is known about

Yablochkov, Pavel Nikolayevich

2005-01-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

In 1871 Yablochkov was appointed director of the telegraph lines between Moscow

Devils Tower National Monument

2005-01-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

The tower has a flat top covering 1.5 acres (0.6 hectare) and fluted sides. It is 867 feet (264 metres) high as measured from its base and 1,267 feet (386 metres) as

Anselm Of Laon,

2005-01-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

Anselm apparently studied at Bec, Fr., under St. Anselm of Canterbury. In the final quarter of the 11th century, he taught with distinction at Paris, where with William of Champeaux he supported realism. About 1100 he returned to Laon, where his theological and exegetical

New Humanism

2005-01-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

Critical movement in the United States between 1910 and 1930, based on the literary and social theories of the English poet and critic Matthew Arnold, who sought to recapture the moral quality of past civilizations in an age of industrialization and materialism. Reacting against the scientifically oriented philosophies of literary realism and naturalism, New Humanists

Switzerland, Industry

2005-01-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Switzerland's transformation into an industrial state began during the second half of the 19th century. Today the major exports are machinery and equipment, chemicals and drugs, watches, and textiles and apparel. Lacking mineral and agricultural raw materials, Switzerland is forced to import raw materials, foodstuffs, and manufactured goods by rail, truck, and barge;

Argentina, Political developments

2005-01-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

Works on Juan Perón and Peronism include Frederick C. Turner and José Enrique Miguens (eds.), Juan Perón and the Reshaping of Argentina (1983); Joseph A. Page, Perón: A Biography (1983); Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro, Eva Perón (1980, reissued as Evita, 1996); Jeane Kirkpatrick, Leader and Vanguard in Mass Society: A Study of Peronist Argentina (1971); and Guido Di Tella, Argentina Under Perón, 1973–76: The Nation's Experience with a Labour-Based Government (1983).

Heuss, Theodor

2005-01-04T03:17:00.000-08:00

After receiving a political science degree from the University of Munich (1905), Heuss was an editor on several newspapers

Sibylline Oracles

2005-01-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

Collection of oracular prophecies in which Jewish or Christian doctrines were allegedly confirmed by a sibyl (legendary Greek prophetess); the prophecies were actually the work of certain Jewish and Christian writers from about 150 BC to about AD 180 and are not to be confused with the Sibylline Books, a much earlier collection of sibylline prophecies (see Sibyl). In the Oracles

Dyula

2005-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Dyula were active gold traders as long ago as the time of the ancient African kingdom of Ghana. They flourished under the empire of Mali, when they provided a link between the gold-producing forestlands in

Self

2004-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

According to Carl Jung the

Merchandising

2004-12-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

Element of marketing that is concerned specifically with promoting the sale of goods and services to consumers. See marketing.

Père David's Deer

2004-12-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

The deer is about 1.1 metres (43 inches) tall at the shoulder and is characterized

F-104

2004-12-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Starfighter, jet day fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation for the U.S. Air Force but adopted by a total of 15 NATO and other countries. It was widely adapted for use as a fighter-bomber. The F-104 had a wingspan of 21 feet 11 inches (6.68 m) and a length of 54 feet 9 inches (16.7 m). It was a single-seat, single-engine midwing monoplane, powered with a General Electric J79 series turbojet engine with

Furniture, England

2004-12-21T04:38:00.000-08:00

After the Restoration, from 1660 onward, there was almost revolutionary progress in English cabinetmaking, as it came to be called at about this time. On its return, the exiled court introduced French and Dutch fashions, and the English craftsmen were considerably helped in supplying the tastes of the nobility by a large influx of foreign workmen. Furniture became lighter,

Vasily Iii

2004-12-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

In full Vasily Ivanovich grand prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. Succeeding his father, Ivan III (ruled Moscow 1462–1505), Vasily completed his father's policy of consolidating the numerous independent Russian principalities into a united Muscovite state by annexing Pskov (1510), Ryazan (1517), and Starodub and Novgorod-Seversk (now Novgorod-Seversky) by 1523. He also strengthened his growing state by capturing

Low Countries, History Of

2004-12-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

For historical purposes, the name Low Countries is generally understood to include the territory of what is today The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, as well as parts of northern France. However, Belgium, although it was not constituted as an independent kingdom until 1831, became a distinct entity after 1585, when

Lahmu And Lahamu

2004-12-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

Usually, Lahmu and Lahamu represent silt, but in some texts they seem to take the form

Ear, Human, Detection of angular acceleration: dynamic equilibrium

2004-12-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

Because the three semicircular canals—superior, posterior, and horizontal—are positioned at right angles to one another, they are able to detect movements in three-dimensional space (see Anatomy of the human ear: Inner ear: Semicircular canals). When the head begins to rotate in any direction, the inertia of the endolymph causes it to lag behind, exerting pressure that

Pontus

2004-12-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

Ancient district in northeastern Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea. In the 1st century BC it briefly contested Rome's hegemony in Anatolia. An independent Pontic kingdom with its capital at Amaseia (modern Amasya) was established at the end of the 4th century BC in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Superficially Hellenized, the kingdom retained its Persian social structure,

Mental Disorder, Major affective disorders

2004-12-09T23:14:00.000-08:00

The DSM-III defines two major, or severe, affective disorders: bipolar disorder and major depression. A person with bipolar disorder, which has traditionally been called manic-depressive psychosis, typically experiences discrete episodes of depression and then of mania lasting for a few weeks or months, with intervening periods of complete normality. The sequence

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

2004-12-07T05:04:00.000-08:00

Christianity was introduced to Bulgaria in 864 by Khan (Tsar) Boris I with an archbishop appointed from Constantinople. In Macedonia, the city of Ohrid became an active mission centre. St. Clement of Ohrid, a disciple of the missionary saints Cyril and Methodius, trained a large number of Slavs for the ministry,

'abdullah I

2004-12-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

'Abdullah, the second son of Husayn ibn 'Ali, the ruler of the Hejaz, was educated in Istanbul in what was then the Ottoman Empire. After the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, he represented Mecca in the Ottoman parliament. Early in 1914 he joined the Arab nationalist movement, which sought independence

Zakrzewska, Marie Elizabeth

2004-12-04T00:57:00.000-08:00

Zakrzewska early developed a strong interest in medicine, and at age 20 she was admitted to the school for midwives at the

Alclad

2004-12-01T00:11:00.000-08:00

Laminated metal produced in sheets composed of a Duralumin (q.v.) core and outer layers of aluminum.

Arneth, Alfred, Ritter Von (knight Of)

2004-11-30T00:55:00.000-08:00

In 1841 Arneth was appointed by the Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich to a post at the state archives, of which he became keeper in 1868. In 1879 he became president of the Imperial Academy of the Sciences, and in

Prosody, The Renaissance

2004-11-28T05:29:00.000-08:00

Renaissance prosodic theory had to face the fact of an accomplished poetry in the vernacular that was not written in metres determined by “rules” handed down from the practice of Homer and Virgil. Nevertheless, the classicizing theorists of the 16th century made a determined attempt to explain existing poetry by the rules of short and long and to draft “laws” by which

Mountain

2004-11-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Mountain belts differ from one another in various respects, but they also have a number of similarities that enable Earth scientists to group them into certain distinct categories. Each of these categories is characterized by the principal process that created a representative belt. Moreover, within individual belts different tectonic processes can prevail

Tacuarembó

2004-11-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

Formerly San Fructuoso, city, north-central Uruguay. The Haedo Mountains dominate the adjoining area. Orchids and hardwoods, including quebracho, algarrobo, urunday, and guayabo, grow there. Founded in 1831 by Bernabé Rivera, it was first called Villa de San Fructuoso; later, it adopted the Guaraní Indian name Tacuarembó (from a firm, slender reed endemic to the region). The city's Indian and gaucho

Cord

2004-11-22T00:07:00.000-08:00

Unit of volume for measuring stacked firewood. A cord is generally equivalent to a stack 4 ´ 4 ´ 8 feet (128 cubic feet), and its principal subdivision is the cord foot, which measures 4 ´ 4 ´ 1 feet. A standard cord consists of sticks or pieces 4 feet long stacked in a 4 ´ 8-foot rick. A short cord is a 4 ´ 8-foot rick of pieces shorter than 4 feet, and a long cord is a similar rick of pieces longer than 4 feet. A face

Nanshe

2004-11-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian city goddess of Nina (modern Surghul, Iraq) in the southeastern part of the Lagash region of Mesopotamia. According to tradition, Nanshe's father Enki (Akkadian: Ea) organized the universe and placed her in charge of fish and fishing. Nanshe was also described as a divine soothsayer and dream interpreter. Although at times overshadowed

Dafydd Nanmor

2004-11-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

Welsh poet, master of the cywydd form (characterized by rhyming couplets), whose poems express his belief in tradition and aristocracy. Many of his poems reflect his support of the political aspirations of the Tudors; others are simple and sincere love poems. “Llio's Hair” and “Maiden's Elegy” are considered to

Cabot Family

2004-11-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

John and his son Joseph were highly successful merchants, trading in rum and slaves and also operating a fleet of privateers. Joseph's son George Cabot furthered the family fortune, but he is best remembered for

Biblical Literature, IV Maccabees

2004-11-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

Another Jewish Hellenistic work combining history and philosophy is The Fourth Book of Maccabees. The theme of the book, reflecting the views of the Greek Stoics, is “whether the Inspired Reason is supreme ruler over the passions.” This thesis is demonstrated by the martyrdom of the elderly scribe Eleazar and the unnamed seven brothers and their mother, taken from

Domesday Book

2004-11-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

The original record or summary of William I the Conqueror's survey of England. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as “the description of England,” but the popular name Domesday—i.e., “doomsday,” when men face the record from which there is no appeal—was in general use by the mid-12th century. The survey, in the scope of its detail and the speed of its execution, was perhaps

Livestock Farming

2004-11-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

Probably first domesticated in the East, perhaps during prehistoric times, the goat has long been used as a source of milk, cheese, mohair, and meat. Its skin has been valued as a source for leather. In China, Great Britain, Europe, and North America, the goat is primarily a milk producer. By good management its limited (six months per year) breeding season and the consequent

Berkhamsted

2004-11-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Dacorum borough, administrative and historic county of Hertfordshire, England, 28 miles (45 km) northwest of London on an old coaching route along the Bulbourne Valley of the Chiltern Hills, which now contains modern road, rail, and canal routes. A moated Norman castle has been thoroughly excavated and is preserved. Diversified light industry includes paper

X Ray

2004-11-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

The particle nature of X rays is graphically demonstrated in the photoelectric effect and the Compton effect. In an attempt to explain blackbody radiation (radiation from a theoretically perfectly nonreflecting, or completely absorbing [i.e., “black”], body), Max Planck postulated that energy is radiated in small packets, or quanta, with an energy given by hn, in which n is

Kudymkar

2004-11-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

City and administrative centre of Komi-Permyak autonomous okrug (district), Perm oblast (province), western Russia. It lies along the Inva River at the latter's confluence with the Kuva River in the Northern Ural Mountains. Founded in the 16th century, Kudymkar grew rapidly after 1925, and it became a town in 1938. Industrial enterprises include timber milling and food processing.

Lancaster

2004-10-31T20:27:00.000-08:00

County, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S., consisting of a hilly piedmont region bounded by the Susquehanna River to the west, Conewago Creek to the northwest, and Octoraro Creek to the southeast. Impoundments of the Susquehanna River form Lakes Clarke and Aldred and Conowingo Reservoir. Susquehannock State Park is located near Muddy Run Reservoir. Other waterways

Mitterrand, François

2004-10-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

The son of a stationmaster, Mitterrand

Wilton

2004-10-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Town (“parish”), Salisbury district, administrative and historic county of Wiltshire, England. The town is internationally known for its carpets. The Royal Carpet Factory was built there in 1655, and the production of Wilton and Axminster carpets became the town's main industry. Felts and agricultural machinery are other products. Since ancient times Wilton also has been

Aerospace Industry, Historical context

2004-10-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Understanding modern aerospace manufacturing processes requires that they be viewed in the context of the historical development of vehicle design. The spruce and fir frames of aircraft through World War I required skilled woodworkers and their equipment, coupled with crafters—often women transferring homemaking skills to the shop—who laced or sewed fabric

Pitney, Mahlon

2004-10-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

After graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), Pitney studied law with his father and took over his father's practice when the latter was appointed vice chancellor of New Jersey in 1889. In 1894 Pitney was elected to the U.S. Congress, in which he served until

Yi In-mun

2004-10-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

A follower of the traditional Northern school of Chinese painting, Yi was known for the subtlety of his designs and the confidence of his brushstrokes. His most famous work, “River in Spring,” is a long horizontal scroll depicting an endless landscape along a river. His use of

Tasmania, Demographic trends

2004-10-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Tasmania continues to have a higher birth rate than most other states, but, as in Australia generally, crude birth rates have tended to fall, average birth rates declining in the middle and late 20th century. Birth rates are lower in the cities than in the smaller towns and rural areas. Death rates remain fairly constant. Infant mortality rates are among the lowest in

Insurance, Warranties

2004-10-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

In applying for insurance, the applicant makes certain representations or warranties. If the applicant makes a false representation, the insurer has the option of voiding the contract. Concealment of vital information may be considered misrepresentation. In general, the misrepresentation or concealment must concern a material fact—defined as a fact that would,