AcidWing

Comenius, John Amos

2005-04-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Czech Jan Ámos Komenský Czech educational reformer and religious leader, remembered mainly for his innovations in methods of teaching, especially languages. He favoured the learning of Latin to facilitate the study of European culture. Janua Linguarum Reserata (1631; Gate of Tongues Unlocked, 1633?) revolutionized

North Germanic Languages

2005-04-04T00:58:00.000-07:00

Also called Scandinavian languages group of Germanic languages consisting of modern standard Danish, Swedish, Norwegian (Dano-Norwegian and New Norwegian), Icelandic, and Faroese. These languages are usually divided into East Scandinavian (Danish and Swedish) and West Scandinavian (Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese) groups.

Ligament

2005-04-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

Tough fibrous band of connective tissue that serves to support the internal organs and hold bones together in proper articulation at the joints. A ligament is composed of dense fibrous bundles of collagenous fibres and spindle-shaped cells known as fibroblasts, with little ground substance (a gel-like component of the various connective tissues). Ligaments may

Wolfenbüttel

2005-04-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

City, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. The city lies along the Oker River, just south of Brunswick. First mentioned in 1118, it grew around the castle that became a favourite Welf residence about 1283. Chartered in 1540, it was captured by the Protestant Schmalkaldic League in 1542 and was transferred to Brunswick in 1753–54. The old town has many Renaissance and Baroque half-timbered

Kachin Hills

2005-04-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Heavily forested group of highlands situated in the northeasternmost section of Myanmar (Burma). They range north-south and are bordered on the northwest by Arunachal Pradesh state of India, on the north by the Tibet autonomous region of China, and on the east by Yunnan province of China. The hills blend with the Kumon Range to the west. The Kachin Hills are drained by

Wilfrid, Saint

2005-04-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest English saints, a monk and bishop who was outstanding in bringing about close relations between the Anglo-Saxon Church and the papacy. He devoted his life to establishing the observances of the Roman Church over those of the Celtic Church and fought

Hawaii, Flag Of

2005-04-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

In 1793 Captain George Vancouver from Great Britain presented the Union Jack to the conquering king Kamehameha I, who was then uniting the islands into a single state; the Union Jack flew unofficially as the flag of Hawaii until 1816. That year Western advisers to the king recommended the addition of red, white, and blue stripes to the Union Jack, thus creating a distinctive

Yüeh-yang

2005-03-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

It was a fortified place called

Haarlem

2005-03-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune) and capital, Noord-Holland provincie, western Netherlands. It lies along the Spaarne River, 4.5 miles (7 km) from the North Sea, just west of Amsterdam. Haarlem was mentioned in the 10th century and by the 12th century had become a fortified town and the residence of the counts of Holland. It was chartered in 1245 and was ravaged in 1346 and 1351 during the civil wars in Holland.

Neolithic Period

2005-03-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

Also called New Stone Age final stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans. It was characterized by stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding, dependence on domesticated plants or animals, settlement in permanent villages, and the appearance of such crafts as pottery and weaving. The Neolithic followed the Paleolithic Period, or age of chipped-stone

Haldeman, H.r.

2005-03-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Haldeman graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in business

Kiddush

2005-03-27T02:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Qiddush (Hebrew: “sanctification”) Jewish benediction and prayer recited over a cup of wine immediately before the meal on the eve of the sabbath or of a festival; the ceremony acknowledges the sanctity of the day that has just begun. Chanting, or recitation, usually performed by the head of the household, may involve several or all members of the family, depending on the custom; each then sips wine from

Sangamon Interglacial Stage

2005-03-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in North America (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Sangamon Interglacial follows the Illinoian Glacial Stage and precedes the Wisconsin Glacial Stage, both periods of widespread continental glaciation and severe climatic conditions, as opposed to the moderate conditions

Caucasian Languages, Laz

2005-03-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Laz language (self-designation: lazuri nena) is spoken along the Black Sea coast from the Chorokh River (Georgia) to south of Pazar (Atina) in Turkish territory. The language is unwritten, Georgian being used as the literary language in Georgia and Turkish in Turkey. In view of the structural closeness between Mingrelian and Laz, they are sometimes considered as dialects

Mulaydah, Battle Of Al-

2005-03-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Wahhabi prince 'Abd Allah lost many of the territories that his father, Faysal (reigned 1834–65), had acquired by conquest

Awash River

2005-03-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

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

Ayre

2005-03-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Air, genre of solo song with lute accompaniment that flourished in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The outstanding composers in the genre were the lutanist John Dowland, whose “Flow, my teares” (“Lachrimae”) became so popular that a large number of continental and English instrumental pieces were based on its melody, and the poet and composer Thomas

Indo-esfahan Carpet

2005-03-22T19:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Indo-isfahan, type of floor covering ranging from small to extremely large, handmade in India, primarily in the 17th century, as free imitations of Herat designs (see Herat carpet). The name Esfahan was applied in the belief that Persian carpets sold better than Indian. They appear to have been exported in quantity to Europe, especially to Portugal and the Low Countries, by the various East

Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church

2005-03-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

Church organized by Norwegian and Swedish immigrants in 1860 in Jefferson Prairie, Wis., as the Scandinavian Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Tufve Nilsson Hasselquist, an ordained minister in the Church of Sweden, was the first president. It took its name from Confessio Augustana, the Latin name for the Augsburg Confession, written in 1530 by German Lutheran Reformers.

Hale, Louise Closser

2005-03-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Louise Closser studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and at Emerson College of Oratory in Boston. She made her theatrical debut in 1894 in a Detroit, Michigan, production of In Old Kentucky. For several years she appeared

Jammu And Kashmir, Resources and agriculture

2005-03-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

The state has limited mineral and fossil-fuel resources, and much of these are concentrated in the Jammu region. Small reserves of natural gas are found near Jammu, and bauxite and gypsum deposits occur in the Udhampur district. Other minerals include limestone, coal, zinc, and copper. The pressure of population on land is everywhere apparent, and all available resources

Ethiopia, Drainage

2005-03-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

Ethiopia has three principal drainage systems. The first and largest is the western system, which includes the watersheds of the Blue Nile (known as the Abay in Ethiopia), the Tekeze, and the Baro rivers. All three rivers flow west to the White Nile in The Sudan. The second system is the Rift Valley internal drainage system, composed of the Awash River, the Lakes Region, and

Ahmedabad

2005-03-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

The city was founded in AD 1411 by the Muslim ruler of Gujarat, Sultan Ahmad Shah, next to the older Hindu town of Asawal. Ahmedabad grew larger and wealthier for a century, but dynastic

Rhyme

2005-03-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled rime the correspondence of two or more words with similar-sounding final syllables placed so as to echo one another. Rhyme is used by poets and occasionally by prose writers to produce sounds appealing to the reader's senses and to unify and establish a poem's stanzaic form. End rhyme (i.e., rhyme used at the end of a line to echo the end of another line) is most common, but internal,

Pompadour, Jeanne-antoinette Poisson, Marquise De

2005-03-18T02:37:00.000-08:00

Byname Madame De Pompadour, also called (1741–45) Jeanne-antoinette Le Normant D'étioles influential mistress (from 1745) of the French king Louis XV and a notable patron of literature and the arts.

Hay River

2005-03-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Fort Smith region, Northwest Territories, Canada, on the southwestern shore of Great Slave Lake. The settlement, at the mouth of the Hay River, was established in 1868 as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post. With the arrival of the Mackenzie Highway in 1949 and the Great Slave Lake Railway in 1964, Hay River (82 miles [132 km] north of the Alberta border) became a busy commercial fishing

Barcelona, Climate

2005-03-17T03:10:00.000-08:00

Although Barcelona is sometimes windy, its protective semicircle of mountains shields it from the harsh, cold winds that blow out of the north and west. The average annual temperature is 61 °F (16 °C); January is the coldest month, averaging 49 °F (9 °C), and August is the hottest, at 76 °F (24 °C). Precipitation amounts to about 23 inches (600 mm) per year.

Gabon, Relief and drainage

2005-03-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

The narrow coastal plain—often no more than 20 miles (32 kilometres) wide in the south—is formed of sandstone and alluvium; northward it broadens to a width of 100 miles, with outcrops of chalk, limestone, and Cretaceous sandstone. North of the most westerly point, Cape Lopez, the contour of the coast becomes more jagged. The Atlantic's northward-flowing Benguela Current, which

Saint Austell

2005-03-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

Town, Restormel borough, administrative and historic county of Cornwall, southwestern England. St. Austell was originally called Trenance and takes its present name from a hermit named St. Austol. England's most important kaolin (china clay) deposits are dug in the area, then processed at St. Austell, and shipped from the nearby port of Fowey. Many people are employed

Agrihan

2005-03-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

Formerly Grigan or Agrigan one of the Mariana Islands, part of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It lies in the western Pacific Ocean, 350 miles (563 km) north of Guam. An active volcano that last erupted in 1917, it has a total land area of 18 square miles (47 square km) and rises to 3,166 feet (965 metres), the highest point in the commonwealth. Agrihan was the site of the last stand the indigenous Chamorro people

Christian Ii

2005-03-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

After serving as viceroy in Norway (1502, 1506–12), Christian succeeded his father, John, king of Denmark and Norway, in 1513. He obtained office by agreeing to a royal charter that granted extensive privileges to the nobility,

Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce

2005-03-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

The bank was established in 1858 as the Bank of Canada and reorganized in 1867 as the Canadian Bank of Commerce. The present name was assumed upon the merger in 1961 of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and the Imperial Bank of Canada (established in 1875). Over the years the bank has absorbed

Cadbury, George

2005-03-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

English businessman and social reformer who, with his elder brother, Richard, took over their father's failing enterprise (April 1861) and built it into the highly prosperous Cadbury Brothers cocoa- and chocolate-manufacturing firm. George was perhaps more important for his improvements in working conditions and for

China, The role of the government

2005-03-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

China is a socialist country, and the government plays a predominant role in the economy. In the industrial sector, for example, the state owns outright firms that produce more than 60 percent of the gross value of industrial output, and all but a small portion of the remainder is owned collectively. In the urban sector the government has set the prices for key commodities,

Aldrich, Robert

2005-03-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Aldrich entered the motion-picture industry as a production clerk at RKO in 1941 and was made assistant director and production manager at Enterprise Studios in the late 1940s. After working with such directors as Jean

Eichmann, Adolf

2005-03-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

During World War I, Eichmann's family moved from Germany to Linz, Austria. His pre-Nazi life was rather ordinary. He worked as a traveling salesman in Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) for an

Csokonai Vitéz, Mihály

2005-03-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

Csokonai's early sympathies with the revolutionary trends of his age made life difficult for him in the wave of reaction that accompanied Napoleon's invasion of Europe. Dismissed after a brief career as an assistant master at the Calvinist college in Debrecen, he became a wandering

Januarius, Saint

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

Italian San Gennaro bishop of Benevento and patron saint of Naples. He is believed to have been martyred during the persecution under the Roman emperor Diocletian in 305. His fame rests on the relic, allegedly his blood, which is kept in a glass vial in the Naples Cathedral. Of solid substance, it liquefies 18 times each year. While no natural explanation has

Theatre Music

2005-03-11T01:47:00.000-08:00

Music as an art of the theatre has its roots in primitive ritual and ceremony and its branches in every modern means of theatrical presentation. Its functions are

Iraq, Alluvial plains

2005-03-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

The plains of lower Mesopotamia extend southward some 375 miles (600 km) from Balad on the Tigris and Al-Ramadi on the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf. They cover more than 51,000 square miles (132,000 square km), almost one-third of the country's area, and are characterized by low elevation, below 300 feet (100 metres), and poor natural drainage. Large areas are subject to widespread seasonal flooding, and

Ahuitzotl

2005-03-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

The aggressive Ahuitzotl succeeded his brother, Tizoc, to the throne. He proved a merciless warrior, conquering tribes as far south as present-day Guatemala and in territory along the Gulf of Mexico, using such tactics as forced marches, ambushes, and surprise attacks. His men

Anville, Jean-baptiste Bourguignon D'

2005-03-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

From an early age d'Anville continued the reform of French cartography begun by Guillaume Delisle, but he was also a reputable classical scholar, and many of his memoirs and maps relate to ancient and medieval geography. He displayed exceptional judgment

Lorain, John

2005-03-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

Lorain apparently went to the North American colony of Maryland when he was a child. After managing a farm there for many years; he moved in 1795 to

Agha Mohammad Khan

2005-03-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

At the age of six Agha Mohammad was castrated on the orders of 'Adil Shah to prevent him from becoming a political rival, but this disability did not hinder his career. In 1757 he became the de

China

2005-03-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

On Oct. 1, 1999, Pres. Jiang Zemin and leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrated the 50th anniversary of communist rule in China with a massive military parade through downtown Beijing. When Mao Zedong had proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) half a century earlier, China was just emerging from a long and bloody civil war. Few observers

Almanac

2005-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Book or table containing a calendar of the days, weeks, and months of the year; a record of various astronomical phenomena, often with weather predictions and seasonal suggestions for farmers; and miscellaneous other data. An almanac provides data on the rising and setting times of the Sun and Moon, the phases of the Moon, the positions of the planets, schedules of high

Ecstasy

2005-03-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

MDMA (3,4, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), euphoria-inducing stimulant and hallucinogen. The use of Ecstasy, commonly known as “E,” has been widespread despite the drug's having been banned worldwide in 1985 by its addition to the international Convention on Psychotropic Substances. It is a derivative of the amphetamine family and a relative of the stimulant methamphetamine

Aerospace Industry, Fabrication processes and materials

2005-03-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

Fabrication involves the manufacture of individual components that make up larger assemblies or end products. This activity encompasses the working of metals and the incorporation of electrical and electronic devices into processors, circuit boards, and subassemblies for the components of navigation, communication, and control systems. Most of the basic

China, Communist growth

2005-03-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

The Communist armies were growing rapidly in 1943 and 1944. According to U.S. war correspondents visiting the Yen-an area in May 1944 and to a group of U.S. observers that established itself there in July, the Communists professed allegiance to democracy and to continued cooperation with the National Government in the war effort. There was convincing evidence that the areas under

Alizarin

2005-03-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alizarine, a red dye originally obtained from the root of the common madder plant, Rubia tinctorum, in which it occurs combined with the sugars xylose and glucose. The cultivation of madder and the use of its ground root for dyeing by the complicated Turkey red process were known in ancient India, Persia, and Egypt; the use spread to Asia Minor about the 10th century and was introduced

Taree

2005-03-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern New South Wales, Australia, 10 miles (16 km) above the coastal mouth of the Manning River. Established in 1854 as a private town, it was proclaimed a municipality in 1885 and a city in 1981; it derives its name from the Aboriginal tareehin, or tarrebit, referring to a local wild fig. Situated on the Sydney-Brisbane rail line and the Pacific Highway, 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Newcastle,

Mitscher, Marc A.

2005-03-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Early

Australian Aboriginal Languages

2005-03-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Group of approximately 260 interrelated languages whose speakers once occupied the entire Australian continent as well as the western islands of Torres Strait, but apparently not Tasmania. Virtually all are believed to have originated from a single proto-Australian language. These languages are not known to be related to any outside language. The great majority

Defender Of The Faith

2005-03-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

Latin Fidei Defensor, a title belonging to the sovereign of England in the same way as Christianissimus (“most Christian”) belonged to the king of France. The title was first conferred by Pope Leo X on Henry VIII (Oct. 11, 1521) as a reward for the king's pamphlet Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum (“Declaration of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther”), written against Luther.

Peters, Carl

2005-03-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

After visiting London to study British principles of colonization, Peters founded the Society for German Colonization in 1884 and later that year, in the Usambara Mountains area

Bosch, Carl

2005-03-02T03:27:00.000-08:00

Bosch was educated at the University of Leipzig, where he studied under Johannes Wislicenus and obtained

Orwell, George

2005-03-01T03:37:00.000-08:00

Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell never entirely abandoned his original name, but his first book (Down and Out in Paris and London) appeared as the work

Ear, Human, Disturbances of the vestibular system

2005-03-01T00:50:00.000-08:00

The relation between the vestibular apparatus of the two ears is reciprocal. When the head is turned to the left, the discharge from the left horizontal canal is decreased, and vice versa. Normal posture is the result of their acting in cooperation and in opposition. When the vestibular system of one ear is damaged, the unrestrained activity of the other causes a continuous

Aelle

2005-02-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aella, or Aelli first king of Deira in northern England, whose people threw off the Bernician overlordship upon the death of Ida, king of Bernicia. Aelle became king in 559, while Ida's descendants continued to reign in the northern kingdom. On Aelle's death the Bernician king Aethelric again subdued Deira, but Aelle's son Edwin (q.v.) would return to rule as the most powerful English ruler

Abyssinian

2005-02-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Breed of domestic cat, probably of Egyptian origin, that has been considered to approximate the sacred cat of ancient Egypt more closely than any other living cat. The Abyssinian is a lithe cat with relatively slender legs and a long, tapering tail. The short, finely textured coat is ruddy reddish brown, with individual hairs of the back, sides, chest, and tail distinctively

Aymaran Languages

2005-02-27T05:36:00.000-08:00

A group of South American Indian languages spoken over a fairly large region in the southern Peruvian highlands and adjacent areas of Bolivia. Some scholars classify the Aymaran group and the Quechuan group together in the Quechumaran stock. See Quechuan languages.

Lan-chou

2005-02-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Lanzhou, conventional Lanchow city, capital of Kansu province (sheng), China. It is situated on the upper course of the Huang Ho (Yellow River), where the river emerges from the mountains. Lan-chou has been a centre since early times, being at the southern end of the route leading via the Kansu Corridor across Central Asia; it also commands the approaches to the ancient capital area of Ch'ang-an (modern Sian

November

2005-02-26T04:55:00.000-08:00

11th month of the Gregorian calendar. See month and the accompanying Table.

Skate

2005-02-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

In zoology, any of numerous flat-bodied, cartilaginous fishes constituting the suborder Rajoidea of the order Batoidei (skates, rays, and others). Skates are found in most parts of the world, from tropical to near-Arctic waters and from the shallows to depths of more than 2,700 metres (8,900 feet). Nine genera of skates are placed in three families: Rajidae, Arynchobatidae,

Sohlman, August

2005-02-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

As a journalist, Sohlman wrote for a number of the leading newspapers of Sweden and was editor of the influential Stockholm daily

Scamozzi, Vincenzo

2005-02-24T05:13:00.000-08:00

Trained by his father, Bertotti Scamozzi, he studied in Venice and Rome and traveled widely through western Europe. The classicizing influence of Andrea Palladio and Sebastiano Serlio is evident in the palaces, villas, and churches that

Nephroblastoma

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

Also called embryoma , or Wilms' tumour malignant renal (kidney) tumour of early childhood. In 75 percent of the cases, the tumour grows before the age of five; about two-thirds of the instances are apparent by two years of age. The tumour grows rapidly and can approach the weight of the rest of the body. It rarely appears in adults. In its early stages the nephroblastoma causes no symptoms. Later, symptoms may indicate

Novello, Antonia

2005-02-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

Antonia Coello suffered from a painful colon condition from birth until she underwent corrective surgery at age 18. This experience influenced her to train as a physician in order to help minimize suffering in others. After

Canute (i)

2005-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

Neither the place nor date of Canute's birth is known. As a youth he accompanied his father, Sweyn I Forkbeard, king of Denmark, on his invasion of England in 1013. Canute was left in charge of the fleet at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire,

Tablas De Damiel National Park

2005-02-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Nature reserve, located about 19 miles (30 km) northeast of the city of Ciudad Real, south-central Spain. The park, created in 1973, occupies 4,633 acres (1,875 hectares) and lies at the confluence of the Guadiana and Ciguela rivers, where fresh and brackish waters converge on the marshes and support both migratory and resident waterfowl year-round.

Haldane, Richard Burdon, 1st Viscount Haldane Of Cloan

2005-02-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

Educated at the universities of Göttingen and Edinburgh, Haldane was called to the English bar in 1879 and became a queen's counsel in 1890. He sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until his elevation

Lancaster, Sir Osbert

2005-02-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Lancaster took his B.A. degree at Lincoln College,

Ostrovsky, Aleksandr Nikolayevich

2005-02-19T04:57:00.000-08:00

The son of a government clerk, Ostrovsky attended the University of Moscow law school. From 1843 to 1848 he was employed as a clerk at the Moscow juvenile court. He wrote his first play, Kartiny semeynogo schastya

Acrylic Painting

2005-02-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Painting executed in the medium of synthetic acrylic resins. Acrylics dry rapidly, serve as a vehicle for any kind of pigment, and are capable of giving both the transparent brilliance of watercolour and the density of oil paint. They are considered to be less affected by heat and other destructive forces than is oil paint. Because of all these desirable characteristics,

Acclimatization

2005-02-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

The numerous sudden changes that evoke rapid and short-term responses via the nervous and hormonal systems are not examples of acclimatization. An individual

Prehistoric Religion, Shamanism, sorcery, and magic

2005-02-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Shamanism is a rather variable and highly stratified complex of practices and conceptions; characteristic among these are the use of ecstasy, the belief in guardian spirits (who are often in animal form, with the function of helping and guiding the dead on their voyage to the beyond), and beliefs concerning metamorphosis (change of form) and travelling to the beyond.

Lozi

2005-02-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Formerly, the groups were all called Barotse as subjects of the paramount chief of the dominant Barotse tribe; the Barotse nation extended into other parts of Zambia, Angola,

Mauritania

2005-02-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

Officially Islamic Republic of Mauritania , Arabic Muritaniya , or al-Jumhuriyah al-Islamiyah al-Muritaniyah , French Mauritanie , or République Islamique de Mauritanie state in northwestern Africa. With an area of 398,000 square miles (1,030,700 square kilometres), it has the shape of an indented rectangle measuring about 930 miles (1,500 kilometres) from north to south and about 680 miles from east to west. It is bordered to the northwest by the Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara), to the northeast by Algeria, to the east and southeast by Mali, and to the southwest

Heinrich Julius

2005-02-15T05:04:00.000-08:00

A gifted scholar, theologian,

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Allegory

2005-02-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

In terms of allegory, the Greco-Roman and Hebraic-Christian cultures both have a common

Greenwich

2005-02-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Inner borough of London on the south bank of the River Thames, in the historic county of Kent. Greenwich is famous for its naval and military connections and its green spaces. The borough was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich, excluding a small area north of the Thames. The borough comprises the areas

San Fernando

2005-02-14T01:59:00.000-08:00

Capital of Colchagua provincia, O'Higgins región, central Chile, lying on the Rapel River, at 1,112 feet (339 m) above sea level, in a fertile longitudinal valley. Founded in 1742, it became the provincial capital in 1840. San Fernando's rodeos rank among Chile's best, for the city is in the heart of huaso (“cowboy”) country. In addition to livestock, the surrounding region yields wheat, forage crops,

Honey Ant

2005-02-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

Any member of several different species of ant (family Formicidae; order Hymenoptera) that have developed a unique way of storing the honeydew, a by-product of digestion that is gathered mainly from the secretions of aphids and scale insects. A worker ant, fed by the others, is called a replete. The honeydew is stored in the replete's abdomen, which can become distended

Costa Rica, Ethnic and religious groups

2005-02-12T02:18:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica is noted for having the largest percentage of Spanish population in Central America. The Meseta Central, with more than half the nation's population, is the most predominantly Spanish region in both its manner of living and its ancestry. Spanish is spoken with distinctive national accents and usages. In Central America, a Costa Rican is called a Tico, for

Smith, Ian (douglas)

2005-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Smith attended local schools and entered Rhodes University in Grahamstown, S.Af. He interrupted his

Violales

2005-02-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

The seeds of Hydnocarpus (Flacourtiaceae), found in the Philippines, China, and India, are a source of chaulmoogra oil, at one time important in the treatment

Austin, Mary

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

Mary Hunter graduated from Blackburn College in 1888 and soon afterward moved with her family to Bakersfield, California. She married Stafford W. Austin in 1891, and for several years they lived in various towns in California's Owens Valley. Mary Austin

Paneth's Cell

2005-02-09T22:14:00.000-08:00

Also called Davidoff's Cell, specialized type of epithelial cell found in the mucous-membrane lining of the small intestine and of the appendix, at the base of tubelike depressions known as Lieberkühn glands. Named for the 19th-century Austrian physiologist Joseph Paneth, the cell has one nucleus at its base and densely packed secretory granules throughout the rest of its body. The cells' function

Angiolini, Gasparo

2005-02-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

In 1757 he became ballet master of the Vienna court opera house, where his first ballet dramas frequently relied upon gesture to convey plot. In 1761, however, Angiolini collaborated with the composer Cristoph Gluck to produce Don

Mithradates Vi Eupator

2005-02-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

Byname Mithradates The Great king of Pontus in northern Anatolia (120–63 BC). Under his energetic leadership, Pontus expanded to absorb several of its small neighbours and, briefly, contested Rome's hegemony in Asia Minor.

Spondylolisthesis

2005-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

Forward slipping of the body of one of the lumbar (lower back) vertebrae on the subjacent vertebra or on the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spinal column. The condition is often associated with incompleteness of the vertebral arch, which surrounds the spinal cord. Pressure transmitted to the arch from above encourages slippage. Deformity (lordosis)

Marrucini

2005-02-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ancient tribe that occupied a small area around Teate (modern Chieti) on the east coast of Italy. The Marrucini, though Samnite kinsmen, were probably not members of the Samnite league; they did, however, come into conflict with the Romans during the Second Samnite War, at the end of which they entered the Roman alliance (304 BC). They revolted in 91 BC and were thereafter enrolled in

Anne Boleyn

2005-02-06T04:37:00.000-08:00

A full biography is Marie Louise Bruce, Anne Boleyn (1972).

Silkworm Moth

2005-02-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

(Bombyx), insect and source of commercial silk and an important member of the family Bombycidae (order Lepidoptera). Because of its centuries-old role in sericulture (silk production), the native Chinese silkworm has been introduced throughout the world and approaches complete domestication. The adult attains a wingspan of 40 to 50 millimetres (about 2 inches) and

Ireland

2005-02-04T00:36:00.000-08:00

The Irish economic boom that peaked in 1999–2000 finally petered out in 2002, which would be remembered as the year in which readjustments had to be made in light of new realities. Budget surpluses became a memory; spending for health and education was cut back; and infrastructure developments were scaled down or deferred. It became clear that in framing a budget for 2003, the government

Dubna

2005-02-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

City, Moscow oblast (province), western Russia. The city lies along the Volga River where it is joined by the Moscow Canal (completed 1937). Dubna is a new city, incorporated in 1956; in 1960 it absorbed the town of Ivankovo on the opposite bank. It is one of several planned “science cities,” its existence depending on the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, which employs scientists from

Antae

2005-02-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Antes federation of eastern Slavic nomadic tribes known by the 3rd century AD, dwelling in southern Russia between the Dnieper and Dniester rivers. A powerful people with highly developed agriculture, handicrafts, and ironwork, the Antae fought the Goths, who were fleeing westward from the Huns in the 4th century. In the early 6th century they joined in Slavic raids against

Berdsk

2005-02-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

City, Novosibirsk oblast (province), central Russia. It lies along the Novosibirsk Reservoir just south of Novosibirsk city. Founded at the beginning of the 18th century as a fortress, it became a city in 1944. Berdsk's industrial activities include flour milling and radio production. It is on the Turksib Railway. A recreation centre, it has sanatoriums on the outskirts. Pop.

La Farina, Giuseppe

2005-02-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

The son of a Sicilian magistrate and scholar, La Farina received a law degree in 1835 and soon became involved with a secret committee for Italian unity; he was forced into exile after it attempted an insurrection in 1837. Receiving

China, Military reorganization

2005-02-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

The most important new development in Hsüan-tsung's reign was the growth in the power of the military commanders. During Kao-tsung's reign the old militia system had proved inadequate for frontier defense and had been supplemented by the institution of permanent armies and garrison forces quartered in strategic areas on the frontiers. These armies were made up