ProbableLeg

Ramanuja

2005-03-24T13:53:00.000-08:00

Ramanuja's chief contribution to philosophy was his emphasis that discursive thought is necessary in man's search for the ultimate verities, that the phenomenal world is real and provides real knowledge, and that the exigencies of daily life are not detrimental or even contrary to the life of the spirit. In this emphasis he is the antithesis of Sankara, of whom he was sharply

Shaker Furniture

2005-03-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

Furniture designed for the religious colonies of Shakers founded in America in the last quarter of the 18th century, characterized by austerity of decoration and truth to materials. Deeply dedicated to ideals of communal living and asceticism, the Shakers designed and constructed furniture that reflected their belief that to make a thing well was in itself an

France, History Of, Mitterrand's second term

2005-03-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

Restraint paid dividends when Mitterrand ran for a second term in April–May 1988. In the first round of balloting, Chirac managed to defeat his conservative rivals (Giscard, Barre, and Le Pen), but in the second round Mitterrand scored a clear victory (54 to 46 percent). The resurgent president chose the Socialist Michel Rocard as prime minister and once again dissolved the National

Chac

2005-03-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

Like other major Mayan gods, Chac also appeared as four gods, the Chacs. The four gods were associated with the points of the compass and their colours: white, north; red, east; black, west; and yellow,

Hypertext

2005-03-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Hyperlinking, the linking of related pieces of information by electronic connections in order to allow a user easy access between them. Hypertext is a feature of some computer programs that allow the user of electronic media to select a word from text and receive additional information pertaining to that word, such as a definition or related references within the text. In the

Harald I

2005-03-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Gorm the Old, the first significant figure in a new royal line centred at Jelling (North Jutland). Harald completed the country's unification begun by his father, converted the Danes to Christianity, and conquered Norway. After Harald's Baptism (c. 960) his father's pagan

Buddhism, Tibet

2005-03-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

Buddhism, according to the Tibetan tradition, was first given recognition in Tibet during the reign of Srong-brtsan-sgam-po (c. 627–c. 650). This king had two queens who were early patrons of the religion and were later regarded in popular tradition as incarnations of the Buddhist saviouress Tara. The religion received active encouragement from Khri-srong-lde-btsan, during whose

Peter Nolasco, Saint

2005-03-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

Peter dedicated himself to helping the poor.

Jacob Joseph Of Polonnoye

2005-03-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Jacob Joseph was a rabbi in the large Jewish community at Shargorod, in Podolia; after he came under the influence of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, he was expelled (c. 1748) from Shargorod. He was subsequently rabbi of Rashkov, Nemirov, and ultimately Polonnoye, where he remained

Eye, Human, The transparent media

2005-03-04T00:07:00.000-08:00

Within the cavities enclosed by the three layers of the globe described above there are the aqueous humour in the anterior and posterior chambers; the crystalline lens behind the iris; and the vitreous body, which fills the large cavity behind the lens and iris (Figure 1).

Mckinley, John

2005-03-02T03:33:00.000-08:00

After practicing law briefly in Kentucky, where he grew up, McKinley settled in Huntsville, Alabama, then a centre of planting and political interests, in 1818. In 1820 he was elected to the Alabama state legislature and two years later, despite the support

Bridge

2005-02-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

In stringed musical instruments, piece of elastic wood that transmits the vibrations of the string to the resonating body. Bridges are of two kinds. In the pressure bridge, the string is fastened at one end to a tuning peg or a wrest pin and at the other to a pin or a tailpiece; it passes over the bridge (or bridges), which may be glued to the soundboard (as in the piano) or held

Gypsum

2005-02-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Common sulfate mineral of great commercial importance, composed of hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO4 × 2H2O). In well-developed crystals the mineral commonly has been called selenite. The fibrous massive variety has a silky lustre and is called satin spar; it is translucent and opalescent and is valued for ornaments and jewelry. The fine-grained massive variety called

Greasewood

2005-02-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

The name greasewood

North America, 30 to 2.5 million years ago

2005-02-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

About 30 million years ago North America began to override the East Pacific Rise, an oceanic spreading ridge. This activity placed a progressively longer segment of the coast in contact with the plate west of the ridge. The western plate—which contains the Pacific Coast Ranges of California—has been moving to the northwest relative to North America along the San Andreas

Toccata

2005-02-17T02:36:00.000-08:00

In the late 16th century in Venice such composers as Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Merulo wrote organ toccatas (many with such titles as Fantasia and Intonazione), often

Theatre Music

2005-02-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

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

Wolseley (of Wolseley), Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount, Baron Wolseley Of Cairo And Of Wolseley

2005-02-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

The son of an army major, Wolseley entered the army as second lieutenant in 1852 and fought with distinction in the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the Crimean War, and the Indian Mutiny. Surviving

Biblical Literature, The number of books

2005-02-11T02:38:00.000-08:00

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

San Cristóbal De Las Casas

2005-02-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

City, central Chiapas estado (“state”), southeastern Mexico. It is situated on the central plateau of Chiapas, at 6,900 feet (2,100 m) above sea level. Founded about 1527 as Villa Real, the settlement was renamed on five occasions before acquiring its present name, which honours Bartolomé de Las Casas, the first bishop of Chiapas. Many colonial buildings remain in the city, the most notable

World Water Crisis: Is There A Way Out?

2005-02-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

In 1995 Swedish hydrologist Malin Falkenmark made a revolutionary contribution to hydrologic studies by distinguishing blue water, by which she meant all precipitation that contributes to stream runoff and groundwater and is readily withdrawn for human use, from green water, which is all precipitation that is transpired by vegetation or evaporated from the soil

Mapu, Abraham

2005-02-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Author of the first Hebrew novel, Ahavat Ziyyon (1853; Annou: Prince and Peasant), an idyllic historical romance set in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Couched in florid biblical language, it artfully depicts pastoral life in ancient Israel; the book attained immediate popularity

Trieste

2005-02-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) Tergeste, Slovene and Serbo-Croatian Trst, German Triest city and capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia regione and of Trieste provincia, northeastern Italy, located on the Gulf of Trieste at the northeastern corner of the Adriatic Sea 90 miles (145 km) east of Venice. It was under Roman control by about 177 BC; Julius Caesar made it a colony and recorded its name as Tergeste in his Commentarii de bello Gallico (The Gallic War), written in 52–51 BC. Augustus

Endecott, John

2005-02-02T04:13:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Endecott before 1628, when, as one of the six grantees of the New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts, he was chosen manager and governor of their settlement. In that year Endecott, with about 60 fellow

Arao

2005-01-31T07:04:00.000-08:00

City, Kumamoto ken (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan, facing Ariake Bay. It was a poor village until the opening of the Miike coal mine and the arrival of a major railway in the early 20th century. A military munitions factory was established in 1940. After World War II, however, the mine and the factory closed. Arao is now a residential suburb of Omuta to the north. Pop. (1985) 62,570.

Gondola

2005-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Tapered, 32-foot- (10-metre-) long flat-bottomed boat historically associated with the canals and lagoon of Venice, carrying from two to six passengers. It is propelled from the starboard quarter by a single sweep (oar) manipulated by a gondolier standing on the stern cover, and it has an asymmetrical shape, being 9 inches (23 cm) wider on the port side. A prominent steel beak (ferro) rises

John Birch Society

2005-01-26T15:38:00.000-08:00

Private organization founded in the United States on Dec. 9, 1958, by Robert H.W. Welch, Jr. (1899–1985), a retired Boston candy manufacturer, for the purpose of combating Communism and promoting various ultraconservative causes. The name derives from John Birch, an American Baptist missionary and U.S. Army intelligence officer who was killed by Chinese Communists on Aug. 25, 1945, making him, in

Argentina, Presidency of Rivadavia

2005-01-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

In the meantime an attempt was made to establish a national government through a constituent assembly that met in December 1824. Overstepping its legal authority, the constituent assembly in February 1826 created the office of president of the republic and installed the porteño (native of Buenos Aires) Bernardino Rivadavia as its first occupant. Civil war flared up in

Permafrost, Origins

2005-01-22T01:10:00.000-08:00

The origin of ground ice was first studied in Siberia, and discussions in print of the origin of large ground-ice masses in perennially frozen ground of North America have gone on since Otto von Kotzebue recorded ground ice in 1816 at a spot now called Elephant's Point in Eschscholtz Bay of Seward Peninsula. The theory for the origin of ice wedges now generally accepted

Bulganin, Nikolay Aleksandrovich

2005-01-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

Bulganin began his career as a Cheka (Bolshevik secret police) officer in 1918. Later, as manager of Moscow's leading electrical-equipment factory, he earned a reputation as an outstanding administrator. In 1931 he was made chairman

Shochiku Co., Ltd.

2005-01-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

Leading Japanese motion-picture studio, the films of which are usually home-centred dramas aimed toward an audience of women. The company was formed in 1902 as a production company for kabuki performances. The business was expanded in 1920 to include motion-picture production, and, shortly afterward, the corporation established the Shochiku Kinema Company to train actors

Pohjanmaa

2005-01-16T03:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Ostrobothnia, or Ostrobothnian Plain, Swedish Österbotten, lowland plain in Vaasa and Oulu läänit (provinces), western Finland, along the Gulf of Bothnia. Pohjanmaa is about 60 miles (100 km) wide and 160 miles (257 km) long. It consists of flat plains of sand and clay soil that are broken by rivers and bog areas. It is drained mainly by the Lapuan, Kyrön, and Iso rivers, which flow to the Gulf of Bothnia. The lowlands are divided between agricultural

Frederick Louis, Prince Of Wales

2005-01-13T02:55:00.000-08:00

After his grandfather became king of Great Britain as George I in 1714, Frederick was betrothed to Wilhelmina Sophia Dorothea,

Augustus Ii

2005-01-10T02:01:00.000-08:00

The second son of Elector John George III of Saxony, Augustus succeeded his elder brother John George IV as elector in 1694. After

Morgan, Karl

2005-01-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

American physicist who worked as a senior scientist on the Manhattan Project in 1943 and served as director of health physics at the Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory (1944–72); despite his position in the nuclear establishment, he warned about the dangers of nuclear radiation, testifying in several cases in the 1970s and '80s on behalf of those claiming to have suffered from radiation

Tasmania

2005-01-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

Formerly Van Diemen's Land island state of Australia, lying about 150 miles (240 kilometres) south of the state of Victoria, from which it is separated by the relatively shallow Bass Strait. Physically, Tasmania forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The state comprises a main island called Tasmania; Bruny Island, nestling close to the southeastern coast; King and Flinders islands in Bass Strait; numerous

Paul Ii

2005-01-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

He was bishop of the Italian cities of Cervia and Vicenza before being made cardinal by Pope Eugenius IV in 1440. After services in the Curia under popes Nicholas V and Calixtus III, he became governor of Campania in 1456. Elected Pope Pius II's successor on Aug. 30, 1464, he immediately declared that “capitulations,” or binding agreements that determined

Kerrier

2005-01-03T02:28:00.000-08:00

The Lizard Peninsula, a heather-covered

Lenz's Law

2005-01-01T23:34:00.000-08:00

Thrusting a pole of a permanent bar magnet through a coil of wire, for example, induces an electric current in the coil; the current in turn sets

Scandinavian Literature, Swedish literature

2004-12-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

Swedish literature proper began in the late Middle Ages when, after a long period of linguistic change, Old Swedish emerged as a separate language. The foundations of a native literature were established in the 13th century. The oldest extant manuscript in Old Swedish was the Västgötalagan (“Law of West Gotland”), part of a legal code compiled in the 1220s. These legal documents

Costello, John A(loysius)

2004-12-28T03:07:00.000-08:00

A prosperous lawyer who had served as attorney general, he owed his selection as prime minister to a coalition of several parties (including his own Fine Gael) and prominent independent politicians united in opposition to Eamon De Valera's Fianna Fáil (Republican Party). During his first

Haderslev

2004-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

City, Sønderjylland amtskommune (county commune), southeastern Jutland, Denmark. It lies along Haderslev Fjord 9 miles (14 km) from the Little Belt (strait). First recorded in 1228 and chartered in 1292, it suffered in the 15th-century wars between Schleswig (Slesvig) and Holstein and passed to Prussia with Schleswig in 1864. It was returned to Denmark with North Schleswig by a plebiscite in

Europop

2004-12-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

The first major Europop hit is generally considered Los Bravos' “Black

Elda

2004-12-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

City, Alicante province, in the autonomous community (region) of Valencia, southeastern Spain, northwest of Alicante city. Of ancient origin, Elda was called Idella by the Iberians, early peoples of Spain. The city first achieved importance under the Moors, who occupied it in the 8th century and built a castle (ruins remain); it was re-Christianized by James I of Aragon in

Philately

2004-12-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

The study of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postcards, and other materials relating to postal delivery. The term philately also denotes the collecting of these items. The term was coined in 1864 by a Frenchman, Georges Herpin, who invented it from the Greek philos, “love,” and ateleia, “that which is tax-free”; the postage stamp permitted the letter to come free of

Aalto, Alvar

2004-12-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

In full Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto Finnish architect, city planner, and furniture designer whose international reputation rests on a distinctive blend of modernist refinement, indigenous materials, and personal expression in form and detail. His mature style is epitomized by the Säynätsalo, Fin., town hall group (1950–52).

Middle Anglia

2004-12-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

A province of Anglo-Saxon England lying between East Anglia and Mercia. It certainly comprised the basins of the Nene, Welland, and Great Ouse, with the districts west of the fens and probably extended into present Oxfordshire. Parts of the area were settled early, but nothing is known of its political history until 653, when it was subject to Mercia, under the rule of Penda's

Literature, Hebrew.

2004-12-13T01:17:00.000-08:00

The main events in Hebrew literature in 1998 were S. Yizhar's new novel, Malcomia Yefaifia ("Lovely Malcomia") and Amos Oz's innovative novel Oto hayam ("The Same Sea"). Yizhar, considered one of the best Israeli novelists after S.Y. Agnon, had not published a work of fiction for almost 30 years until the early 1990s, when he began producing a new novel about every two years. Despite his long,

Conservation

2004-12-11T02:42:00.000-08:00

Although the idea of conservation is probably as old as the human species, the use of the word in its present context is relatively recent. Over the years conservation

Houbraken, Jacobus

2004-12-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

The leading portrait engraver in 18th-century Holland. The son of the painter and art writer Arnold Houbraken, he settled in Amsterdam in 1707, and during his lifetime he engraved 400 portraits after paintings by contemporary Dutch painters.

Murieta, Joaquín

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

A Joaquín Murieta was recorded as baptized in Sonora, Mex., in 1830; while still a teenager, he married and migrated with his wife to California (1848). In the Gold Rush he tried prospecting,

Furniture, Renaissance and later

2004-12-05T02:27:00.000-08:00

(Italy): George Leland Hunter, Italian Furniture and Interiors, 2 vol. (1918), mostly illustrations; William M. Odom, A History of Italian Furniture from the 4th to the Early 19th Centuries, 2 vol. (1918–19). (Spain): Arthur Byne and Mildred Stapley, Spanish Interiors and Furniture (1921), profusely illustrated with scale drawings and photographs. (Germany): Heinrich Kreisel, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, 2 vol. (1968–70), thorough, illustrated history of German furniture. (France): Pierre Verlet, Le Mobilier royal français, 2 vol. (1945–55); Les Meubles français du XVIIIe siecle, 2 vol. (1956), a learned treatise on French furniture. (England and the colonies): Percy Macquoeo and Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture from the Middle Ages to the Late Georgian Period, 2nd ed., 3 vol. (1954), documented survey of English and American furniture; Ralph Fastenedge, English Furniture Styles from 1500 to 1830 (1962), an excellent elementary introduction to the study of English furniture; Anthony Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture (1968), illustrated study of Chippendale and his contemporaries; Clifford Musgrave, Adam and Hepplewhite and Other NeoClassical Furniture (1966), written by one of the best informed students of the Neoclassical English style of furniture; Charles F. Montgomery, American Furniture (1966), a survey of Federal period furniture. See also Berry B. Tracy, The Federal Furniture and Decorative Arts at Boscobel (1981); Charles Santore, The Windsor Style in America (1981); John T. Kirk, American Furniture and the British Tradition to 1830 (1983).

Pit Bull Terrier

2004-12-03T03:01:00.000-08:00

Fighting dog developed in 19th-century England out of the bulldog and a terrier. See Staffordshire terrier.

Insurance, Group health insurance

2004-12-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

Major types of health insurance written on a group basis include insurance against the losses occasioned by hospitalization, surgical expense, and disability. Hospitalization insurance is designed to cover daily room and board and other expenses. Surgical expense insurance usually provides specified allowances for physicians' charges for various operations.

Baseball

2004-11-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

Cuba defeated

Tarahumara

2004-11-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

Also called Rarámuri, Middle American Indians of southwestern Chihuahua state in northern Mexico. Their language, which belongs to the Sonoran division of the Uto-Aztecan family, is most closely related to Yaqui and Mayo. Culturally the Tarahumara show similarities to such neighbouring Uto-Aztecan peoples as the Cora, Huichol, Tepehuan, and Pima-Papago. The land inhabited by the Tarahumara

Man Orchid

2004-11-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

The flower spike, about 10 to 45 cm (4 to 18 inches) tall, may bear up to 90 greenish or yellowish flowers, which have an unpleasant odour.

Yi Sun-shin

2004-11-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

After passing the government examinations to become a military officer in 1576, Yi served at various army and navy posts. Although he was twice discharged after being falsely accused by jealous

Judaism, Martin Buber

2004-11-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Since the early years of the 20th century, Martin Buber has exercised a powerful influence on both Jews and non-Jews. In his early period Buber was led, partly through empathy with Jewish and non-Jewish mysticism, to stress unitive experience and knowledge, in which the difference between one man and another and between man and God tend to disappear. But in his final period

Alcuin

2004-11-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

Anglo-Latin poet, educator, and cleric who, as head of the Palatine school established by Charlemagne at Aachen, introduced the traditions of Anglo-Saxon humanism into western Europe. He was the foremost scholar of the revival of learning known as the Carolingian Renaissance. He also made important reforms in the Roman

Hussein

2004-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Educated partly in England,

Gwynn, Tony

2004-11-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

U.S. athlete Tony Gwynn declared 1997 his best year in major league baseball. Few would argue with him. The San Diego Padres right fielder won his 8th batting crown, tying Honus Wagner for the National League record (Ty Cobb held the major league mark with 12), and recorded his 5th consecutive season batting .350 or better with an average of .372; his career average (.340) placed him 14th on the all-time

Pius Ii

2004-11-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

Original name Enea Silvio Piccolomini outstanding Italian humanist and astute politician who as pope (reigned 1458–64) tried to unite Europe in a crusade against the Turks at a time when they threatened to overrun all of Europe. He wrote voluminously about the events of his day.

Water Strider

2004-11-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

With their short front legs they capture insects that fall onto the water surface. In crowded conditions water striders

Tapestry

2004-11-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

Woven decorative fabric, the design of which is built up in the course of weaving. Broadly, the name has been used for almost any heavy material, handwoven, machine woven, or even embroidered, used to cover furniture, walls, or floors or for the decoration of clothing. Since the 18th and 19th centuries, however, the technical definition of tapestry has been narrowed to include

Wright, Sewall

2004-11-08T00:16:00.000-08:00

Wright was educated at Lombard College, Galesburg, Ill., and at the University of Illinois, Urbana, and, after earning his doctorate in zoology at Harvard University (Sc.D., 1915), he worked as a senior animal husbandman

Cavite

2004-11-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

Cavite occupies a peninsula on the southern shore of Manila Bay and is primarily a residential centre for commuters to Manila, which lies to the northeast. In 1872 the city was the site of the Cavite Mutiny, a brief and unsuccessful uprising of Filipino soldiers and workers against Spanish rule. In 1896–97 the city was an important base for Emilio

Vaasa

2004-11-04T00:31:00.000-08:00

In full Vaasan Lääni, Swedish Vasa Län, lääni (province), western Finland, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The province's land rises from a level but indented coastline through generally forested country, with large cultivated plains, toward an eastern lake region. The timber industry and agriculture are important. The city of Vaasa is the province's administrative capital, main seaport, and largest city. Other important

Cord Moss

2004-11-02T00:40:00.000-08:00

Any of the plants of the genus Funaria (order Bryales), distinguished by the spirally twisted seta (stalk) of the capsule (spore case). More than 100 species of Funaria are found in many habitats throughout the world, especially on limestone or recently burned areas. About nine species are present in North America; the most common is F. hygrometrica, which

Dead Sea

2004-10-31T07:28:00.000-08:00

Arabic Al-Bahr al-Mayyit , Hebrew Yam HaMelah , also known as Salt Sea landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan, which lies some 1,300 feet (400 metres) below sea level—the lowest elevation and the lowest body of water on the surface of the Earth. Its eastern shore belongs to Jordan, and the southern half of its western shore belongs to Israel. The northern half of the western shore lies within the Palestinian West Bank and has been under Israeli

Computers, Zuse's Plankalkül

2004-10-29T02:46:00.000-07:00

Konrad Zuse developed the first real programming language, Plankalkül (“Plan Calculus”) in 1944–45. Zuse's language allowed for the creation of procedures (stored chunks of code that could be invoked repeatedly to perform routine operations such as taking a square root; also known as routines or subroutines) and structured data (such as a record in a database, with a mixture

Performing Arts, Iberia.

2004-10-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Spain's major international success was Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella (Talk to Her), an idiosyncratic reflection on solitude and communication. Spanish directors showed a new concern for social subjects, exemplified in Chus Gutiérrez's Poniente, about the exploitation of immigrant agricultural workers, and Fernando León de Aranoa's Los lunes al sol (Mondays

Biblical Literature, Ezekielthe man and his message

2004-10-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

The man who wrote this book—at least the main body of the work—was undoubtedly one of the leaders of Jerusalem because he was among the first group of exiles to go into captivity—those who were forced to leave their homeland about 597 BCE in a deportation to Babylon on the orders of the conquering king Nebuchadrezzar. Belonging to the priestly class, perhaps of the line of Zadok,

Antarctica, History

2004-10-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

A thorough general account is in C. Hartley Grattan, The Southwest Pacific Since 1900 (1963). An interesting and thorough history is Walter Sullivan, Quest for a Continent (1957). Kenneth J. Bertrand, Americans in Antarctica, 1775–1948 (1971), recounts early U.S. explorations. Antarctica: Great Stories from the Frozen Continent (1985), offers a readable and profusely illustrated account of explorers from many nations, as well as a description of the physical environment. A complete list of expeditions, claims, treaties, discoveries, and meetings is found in R.K. Headland, Chronological List of Antarctic Expeditions and Related Historical Events (1989).

Babbitt, Milton

2004-10-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Babbitt attended public schools in Jackson, Miss., and later studied at New

Daiei Motion Picture Company

2004-10-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

Leading Japanese motion-picture studio that produced some of the major post-World War II film classics, although most of its releases were directed toward urban teenage audiences. The company was formed in 1942, when the Japanese government consolidated the production studios of Shinko, Daito, and Nikkatsu (Nikkatsu remained as an independent distribution company

Israel, Transportation

2004-10-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Israel has developed a modern, well-marked highway system, and road transport is more significant to the country's commercial and passenger services than transport by rail. Bus companies provide efficient service within and between all cities and towns, supplemented by private taxis and sheruts—privately owned and operated shuttles—which run on urban and interurban

Japanese Yew

2004-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Also called spreading yew (Taxus cuspidata) an ornamental evergreen shrub or tree of the yew family (Taxaceae), native to Japan and widely cultivated in the Northern Hemisphere. Rising to a height of 16 m (about 52 feet), it resembles the English yew but is hardier and faster-growing. Each leaf has two distinct, yellowish bands on its underside. There are many horticultural varieties of Japanese yew. Plants

Biblical Literature, Redemption and revelation

2004-10-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Significant in the early chapters is God's special concern for the Hebrew slaves, his reference to them as “my people,” and his revelation to Moses, the rebel courtier whom he has picked to be their leader, that he is YHWH, the God of their fathers, an abiding presence that will rescue them from their misery and bring them into Canaan, the land of promise. This assurance is repeated

Gray, Sir James

2004-10-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

English zoologist who played a leading part in changing the main objective of 20th-century zoological research from evolutionary comparative anatomy to the functional analysis of living cells and living animals, particularly through his editorship (1925–54) of the Journal of Experimental Biology. He was noted for his work

Albumen Paper

2004-10-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

Albumen also spelled Albumin, light-sensitive paper prepared by coating with albumen, or egg white, and a salt (e.g., ammonium chloride) and sensitized by an aftertreatment with a solution of silver nitrate. The process was introduced by the French photographer Louis-Désiré Blanquart-Évrard in about 1850 and was widely used for about 60 years thereafter. Early employers of the process applied by hand the

Puffer

2004-10-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

Also called swellfish, or blowfish, any of about 90 species of fishes of the family Tetraodontidae, noted for their ability when disturbed to inflate themselves so greatly with air or water that they become globular in form. Puffers are found in warm and temperate regions around the world, primarily in the sea but also, in some instances, in brackish or fresh water. They have tough, usually prickly skins

Annelid, Importance

2004-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Large earthworms, or night crawlers (Lumbricus terrestris), are cultivated and sold as bait for freshwater fishes and as humus builders in gardens. The sludge worm Tubifex, abundant near sewer outlets and thus an indicator of water pollution, is collected and sold as food for tropical fish. Polychaetes play an important role in turning over sediment on the ocean

Philadelphia Zoological Gardens

2004-09-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

First zoo in the United States, opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874 with an animal inventory of several hundred native and exotic specimens. It was begun and continues to be operated by the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, founded in 1859. In 1868, three years after the end of the American Civil War, a 42-acre (17-hectare) site was selected in Fairmount Park, an architect was sent

India Ink

2004-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Also called Chinese Ink, black pigment in the form of sticks that are moistened before use in drawing and lettering, or the fluid ink consisting of this pigment finely suspended in a liquid medium, such as water, and a glutinous binder. The sticks or cakes consist of specially prepared lampblack, or carbon black, mixed with a gum or glue and sometimes perfume. India ink was used in China and Egypt

Biblical Literature, The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

2004-09-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

This letter, as is I Corinthians, is composed of a collection of fragments of Paul's correspondence with the Corinthians about a year later (i.e., c. 55) from Macedonia. The diversity of I Corinthians was caused by the variety of problems discussed, but the diversity of II Corinthians was the result of a reflection of the underlying, rather turbulent history of Paul and his

Haakon Iii Sverresson

2004-09-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

During his short reign he tried to heal the breach between the crown and the church, so that exiled bishops returned to their sees. It was said that the sickness which caused his sudden death was the result of poison put into his drink at the instigation of his Swedish stepmother, Margaret.

Haakon Iii Sverresson

2004-09-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Byname Rio Grande former American railroad chartered in 1870 as the Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG). It began with a narrow-gauge line extending from Denver, Colorado, south to New Mexico and west to Salt Lake City, Utah. Conversion to standard-gauge track began in 1888. In 1930 the D&RG took possession of the Denver & Salt Lake line (formerly Denver, Northwestern & Pacific Railroad), thereby acquiring

Shinran

2004-09-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Original name Matsuwaka-Maru, also called Han'en, Shakku, Zenshin, or Gutoku Shinran, posthumous name Kenshin Daishi Buddhist philosopher and religious reformer whose concern for the salvation of the masses apart from those endowed with self-enlightenment led him to establish (1224) the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land sect), the largest school of Buddhism in modern Japan. His monumental anthology Kyogyoshinsho (1224; “Teaching-Action-Faith-Attainment”) made an original contribution

Tritone

2004-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

In musical notation the tritone is written either as an augmented

Xenakis, Iannis

2004-09-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

Mario Boris, Iannis Xenakis (1967); Iannis Xenakis, Formalized Music (1971, revised 1992); Nouritza Matossian, Iannis Xenakis (1986); Bálint András Varga, Conversations with Iannis Xenakis (1996).

Minas

2004-09-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

Capital, Lavalleja department, southeastern Uruguay. Founded in 1783, the city was named for the surrounding mines. In the second half of the 20th century Minas has become increasingly attractive to tourists, since it is only 75 mi (120 km) northeast of Montevideo and offers hills and forests, both unusual in Uruguay. Its bottled mineral waters long have been distributed throughout

Dahomey

2004-09-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Kingdom in western Africa that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries in the region that is now southern Benin. According to tradition, at the beginning of the 17th century three brothers vied for the kingdom of Allada, which, like neighbouring Whydah (now Ouidah), had grown rich on the slave trade. When one of the brothers won control of Allada, the other two fled. One went southeast

Devolution, War Of

2004-09-09T03:52:00.000-07:00

Devolution was a local custom governing the inheritance of land in certain provinces of the Spanish Netherlands, by which daughters of a first marriage were preferred to sons of subsequent marriages; and Louis XIV of France began the war on the pretext that this

Dee, River

2004-09-06T02:04:00.000-07:00

Welsh Afon Dyfrdwy, river in northern Wales and England, approximately 70 miles (110 km) long. It rises in the county of Gwynedd on the slopes of Dduallt, in Snowdonia National Park, and falls rapidly to Bala Lake. Its valley then runs northeast to Corwen and eastward past Llangollen. The Vale of Llangollen contains Thomas Telford's aqueduct (1805) for the Shropshire Union Canal. Leaving the mountains,

Artemisa

2004-09-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

City, western La Habana provincia, western Cuba, situated east of the Sierra del Rosario. Artemisa is a key commercial and processing centre of the region. Sugarcane, tobacco, and pineapples and other fruits are its major agricultural products. Liquor and soap are made in the city, and sugar refineries are nearby. Artemisa lies on the main highway and main railroad line

Holmes, Sherlock

2004-09-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

Fictional character created by the Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The prototype for the modern mastermind detective, Holmes first appeared in Conan Doyle's

Chemical Compound, Nonbenzenoid aromatic compounds

2004-08-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Of the two, cyclooctatetraene proved more accessible.

Trier

2004-08-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), western Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. Trier is bordered by Luxembourg and Belgium to the west, North Rhine–Westphalia Land to the north, the Regierungsbezirk of Koblenz to the east, and Saarland Land to the south. The district forms a southern portion of the larger historical region of the Rhineland

Interior Design, China

2004-08-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Possessing the oldest Eastern civilization, China has powerfully influenced the others. Forms and motifs of decoration, which began as early as the Shang dynasty (18th to 12th century BC), or even before in the legendary Hsia dynasty, persist throughout Chinese history. Early forms of bronze altar vessels, for example, are found in porcelain in the 18th and 19th centuries, slightly