HardBrake

Bradley, James

2005-04-04T04:55:00.000-07:00

Bradley was educated

Abbas, Mahmoud

2005-04-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

After months of intense international pressure, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was installed as Palestinian prime minister on April 30, 2003. As a condition for pursuing their road map to peace, the quartet (U.S., European Union, Russia, and UN) had insisted on the appointment of a prime minister with wide powers in a move to circumvent Palestinian Pres. Yasir Arafat, who

Sakakah

2005-04-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Oasis, northwestern Saudi Arabia. It lies on an old caravan route from the Mediterranean Sea coast to the central and southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Sakakah lies north of the desert an-Nafud and northeast of al-Jawf oasis. The government tried to improve agricultural conditions in the area. The main products of the oasis are dates and dairy products.

Animal Development, Amphioxus, echinoderms, and amphibians

2005-04-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Gastrulation does not always proceed exactly as described above. In the course of evolution, certain animal groups have modified this critical stage of embryonic development, and these modifications have undoubtedly contributed to the successful continuation of species. In the primitive fishlike chordate amphioxus, for example, the invaginating blastoderm

U-2

2005-04-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

The U-2 was replaced in U.S. service in the mid-1960s by the

Hades

2005-04-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

Greek Aïdes (“the Unseen”), also called Pluto, or Pluton (“the Rich”), in Greek religion, son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and brother of the deities Zeus and Poseidon. After Cronus was killed, the kingdom of the underworld fell by lot to Hades. There he ruled with his queen, Persephone, over the infernal powers and over the dead, in what was often called “the House of Hades,” or simply Hades. Though he supervised the trial and punishment

Caroline

2005-03-31T04:38:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Maryland, U.S., lying between the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek to the west and Delaware to the east. In addition to the Choptank, it is drained by Marshyhope Creek. Caroline shares Tuckahoe State Park with neighbouring Queen Anne's county. The county was created in 1773 and named for Caroline Eden, a member of the Calvert family and wife of the last colonial

Maha-sivaratri

2005-03-30T03:12:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Great Night of Siva”), the most important sectarian festival of the year for devotees of the Hindu god Siva. The 14th day of the dark half of each lunar month is specially sacred to Siva, but when it occurs in the month of Magha (January-February) and, to a lesser extent, in the month of Phalguna (February-March), it is a day of particular rejoicing. The preceding day the participant

Hawkshaw, Sir John

2005-03-30T01:32:00.000-08:00

In 1845 Hawkshaw became chief engineer of the Manchester and Leeds Railway, introducing steeper gradients than any previously

Xerxes I

2005-03-29T23:15:00.000-08:00

The basic work is still A.T. Olmstead, History of the Persian Empire (1948, reissued 1985), a complex work, but one that contains the essentials. Charles Hignett, Xerxes' Invasion of Greece (1963), deals only with the relationships between Xerxes and Greece. Peter Green, Xerxes at Salamis (1970), discusses the Greco-Persian wars.

Furo

2005-03-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

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

Arrastra

2005-03-27T02:55:00.000-08:00

Crude drag-stone mill for pulverizing ores such as those containing silver or gold or their compounds. See patio process.

Ushak Carpet

2005-03-26T23:45:00.000-08:00

Floor covering handwoven in the city of Usak (Ushak), Tur. By the 16th century the principal manufacture in Ottoman Turkey of large commercial carpets had been established at Usak, which produced for palace and mosque use and for export. By the 18th and early 19th centuries, this manufacture had come increasingly under European control. The carpets became coarser and rougher,

Limburg, Pol, Herman, And Jehanequin De

2005-03-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

Limburg also spelled Limbourg (all b. after 1385, Nijmegen, Brabant [now in The Netherlands]—d. by 1416), three Flemish brothers who were the most famous of all late Gothic illuminators. They synthesized the achievements of contemporary illuminators into a style characterized by subtlety of line, painstaking technique, and minute rendering of detail. The sons of a sculptor,

Anglo-norman Literature

2005-03-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Norman-french Literature, or Anglo-french Literature, body of writings in the Old French language as used in medieval England. Though this dialect had been introduced to English court circles in Edward the Confessor's time, its history really began with the Norman Conquest in 1066, when it became the vernacular of the court, the law, the church, schools, universities, parliament, and later of municipalities and of trade. For the

Rwanda Language

2005-03-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

Rwanda also spelled Ruanda , also called Kinyarwanda a Bantu language spoken by some eight million people primarily in Rwanda and to a lesser extent in Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa), Uganda, and Tanzania. The Bantu languages form a subgroup of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Rwanda is closely related to the Rundi language of Burundi.

Hennebique, François

2005-03-24T02:01:00.000-08:00

At the Paris Exposition of 1867, Hennebique saw Joseph Monier's tubs and tanks built of concrete reinforced with wire mesh and was stimulated to seek a way to apply this new material to building construction. He began with reinforced-concrete

Frame Harp

2005-03-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

Frame harps are known to have existed in Europe by the 9th century AD and in Ireland by

Médéa

2005-03-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

Also called Lemdiyya, town, north-central Algeria. It is situated on a plateau 56 miles (90 km) south of Algiers. Shadowed by Mount Nador (3,693 feet [1,126 m]) to the northwest, the town is surrounded by fertile, well-watered soil that forms the watershed for the Chelif River and the Wadis Chiffa and Isser. Located on the site of Lambdia, a Roman military post, Médéa was founded in the 10th century by Yusuf Buluggin I ibn

Bonanza Creek

2005-03-22T01:04:00.000-08:00

Stream in the western Yukon Territory, Canada, rising near Dawson and flowing 20 mi (32 km) northwest to the Klondike River. In it gold was found by George Washington Carmack on Aug. 17, 1896, setting off the gold rush of that year into the Klondike Valley. The creek, formerly called Rabbit Creek, was renamed Bonanza Creek to mark Carmack's strike. See also Klondike River.

Venette, Jean De

2005-03-21T04:53:00.000-08:00

Of peasant origin, Jean joined the Carmelite order and was elected prior of the Carmelite convent at Paris in 1339. In 1342 he was appointed provincial of France for the Carmelite order. He also apparently served as a master of theology at the University of Paris.

Zambezi River

2005-03-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Lozi (Barotse), who dominate much of the upper Zambezi, have taken advantage of the seasonal flooding of the Barotse Plain for centuries and have an agricultural economy that is supplemented by animal husbandry, fishing, and trade. The main groups of the middle Zambezi include the Tonga, Shona, Chewa, and Nsenga peoples, all of whom largely practice subsistence agriculture.

Libertarianism, Nonaggression axiom

2005-03-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

According to the principle that libertarians call the nonaggression axiom, all acts of aggression against the rights of others—whether committed by individuals or by governments—are unjust. Indeed, libertarians believe that the primary purpose of government is to protect citizens from the illegitimate use of force. Accordingly, governments may not use force

Burdekin River

2005-03-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

Coastal river of eastern Queensland, Australia. It rises on the western slopes of the Seaview Range, 45 miles (72 km) from the Pacific, and flows 440 miles (710 km) southeast and north through the Leichhardt Range to enter the ocean at Upstart Bay. Its chief tributaries are the Suttor, Star, and Bowen. The river drains an area of 50,400 square miles (130,500 square km). A 3,619-foot (1,103-metre) high-level bridge spans

San Bernardino

2005-03-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

Central city of the San Bernardino–Riverside–Ontario metropolitan complex, seat (1853) of San Bernardino County, southern California, U.S., at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. The site, which was named by Spanish missionaries for St. Bernardino of Siena, was sold to Mormons who laid out a town in 1852. It developed as a trade centre chiefly for the surrounding citrus groves

Kuei-yang

2005-03-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Originally

Vignola, Giacomo Da

2005-03-18T05:20:00.000-08:00

After studying in Bologna, Vignola went to Rome in the 1530s and made drawings of the antiquities for a projected edition of Vitruvius' treatise

Riesener, Jean-henri

2005-03-17T02:28:00.000-08:00

Riesener was the son of an usher in the law courts of the elector of Cologne. After moving to Paris he joined the workshop of Jean-François Oeben in 1754, and, when Oeben died in 1763, Riesener was put in charge of the workshop and later married his master's widow. He made

Dome

2005-03-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

In architecture, hemispherical structure evolved from the arch, usually forming a ceiling or roof. Domes first appeared as solid mounds and in techniques adaptable only to the smallest buildings, such as round huts and tombs in the ancient Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean. The Romans introduced the large-scale masonry hemisphere. The dome exerts thrusts

Moloch

2005-03-16T03:23:00.000-08:00

The laws given to Moses by God expressly forbade the Jews to do what was done in Egypt or

Ringtailed Cat

2005-03-16T02:10:00.000-08:00

Carnivorous mammal, a species of cacomistle (q.v.).

Biblical Literature, Jewish versions

2005-03-15T23:34:00.000-08:00

Though Jews in English-speaking lands generally utilized the King James Version and the Revised Version, the English versions have presented great difficulties. They contain departures from the traditional Hebrew text; they sometimes embody Christological interpretations; the headings were often doctrinally objectionable and the renderings in the legal

Hystero-epilepsy

2005-03-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hysterical seizures that resemble epilepsy and, in diagnosis, must be distinguished from it. In hystero-epilepsy the reflexes and responses to stimulation in the part of the body affected are normal, and the electroencephalogram shows no significant abnormality in the brain waves. Usually the person affected can be roused by painful stimuli and is never completely

Biblical Literature, Critical scholarship

2005-03-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

Textual criticism of the Greek New Testament attempts to come as near as possible to the original manuscripts (which did not survive), based on reconstructions from extant manuscripts of various ages and locales. Assessment of the individual manuscripts and their relationships to each other can produce a fairly reliable text from various readings that may have

Somalia, Somali clans and foreign traders

2005-03-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

Thus, by the latter part of the 19th century the coastal and hinterland traditions had merged, and the centre of pressure had swung from the coast to the interior. In the north the ancient ports of Berbera and Seylac, much reduced in prosperity and importance, were now controlled by Somali nomads, and the position with the old ports of Marka, Baraawe, and Mogadishu was very

Augustan History

2005-03-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

The work is incomplete in its surviving form (it probably originally began with one of Hadrian's predecessors, Nerva or Trajan), and its original title is unknown. Its authorship and date of composition are also matters of argument.

Plurality System

2005-03-13T01:34:00.000-08:00

Advantages of the plurality system are

Early Christian Art

2005-03-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Also called Paleo-christian Art, or Primitive Christian Art, architecture, painting, and sculpture from the beginnings of Christianity until about the early 6th century, particularly the art of Italy and the western Mediterranean. (Early Christian art in the eastern part of the Roman Empire is usually considered to be part of Byzantine art; q.v.) The Christian religion was part of a general trend in the late Roman Empire toward

West Flanders

2005-03-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Drained

Texas Christian University

2005-03-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher education in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It grants about 14 undergraduate degrees in more than 80 areas and about 14 graduate degrees in more than 30 fields, including research-oriented doctoral programs and a professional degree in ministry. Texas Christian comprises

Rama Ii

2005-03-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

The second ruler (1809–24) of the present Chakkri dynasty, under whose rule relations were reopened with the West and Siam began a forward policy on the Malay peninsula. A gifted poet and dramatist, Rama II wrote a famous version of Inao, dramatic version of a popular traditional story, as well as episodes of

Cheka

2005-03-11T03:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Vecheka, early Soviet secret police agency and a forerunner of the KGB (q.v.).

Arnulf

2005-03-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Arnulf was the illegitimate son of Charles the Fat's eldest brother, Carloman, who was king of Bavaria. Arnulf inherited the march of Carinthia from his father but was excluded from the succession to the kingdom

Kahnweiler, Daniel-henry

2005-03-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Trained for a career in finance, Kahnweiler instead chose art and settled in Paris, where he opened a small gallery in 1907. He became interested in the work of several young artists

Athanasian Creed

2005-03-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Quicumque Vult (from the opening words in Latin) a Christian profession of faith in about 40 verses. It is regarded as authoritative in the Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches. It has two sections, one dealing with the Trinity and the other with the Incarnation; and it begins and ends with stern warnings that unswerving adherence to such truths is indispensable to salvation. The virulence of these damnatory

Raman, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata

2005-03-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

Indian physicist whose work was influential in the growth of science in India. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 for the discovery that when light traverses a transparent material, some of the light that is deflected changes in wavelength. This phenomenon is now called Raman scattering and is

Sitrah

2005-03-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

Town, in the state and emirate of Bahrain, located on Sitrah island in the Persian Gulf. An oil port, Sitrah handles not only the entire petroleum production of Bahrain but is also an export centre for oil fields in northeastern Saudi Arabia. A submarine and land pipeline runs northwest about 36 miles (58 km) across the Gulf of Bahrain and Bahrain island, from Al-Damman on the

Pavelic, Ante

2005-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

As a practicing lawyer in Zagreb, Pavelic entered the nationalist Croatian Party of Rights. In 1920 he was elected city and county alderman at Zagreb. From 1927 to 1929 he was a representative in the Yugoslav Skupština (parliament),

Rus

2005-03-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ros ancient people who gave their name to the land of Russia. Their origin and identity are much in dispute. Traditional Western scholars believe them to be Scandinavian Vikings, an offshoot of the Varangians, who moved southward from the Baltic coast and founded the first consolidated state among the eastern Slavs, centring on Kiev. Russian scholars, along with some

Tarboosh

2005-03-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

The tarboosh, which is of

Leaf Blister

2005-03-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

Also called leaf curl worldwide disease of many woody plants and ferns caused by fungi of the genus Taphrina. Following cold, wet weather at budbreak, leaves become swollen, crinkled, and distorted with yellow, red, purple, brown, whitish, or gray blisters. Such leaves usually die and drop early, weakening the plant. A second growth of healthy leaves often appears later. Young peach and nectarine

Aerospace Engineering

2005-03-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

The aerospace engineer is armed with an extensive background suitable for employment in most positions traditionally occupied by mechanical engineers as well as limited positions in the other various engineering disciplines. The transportation, construction, communication, and energy industries provide the most opportunities for non-aerospace

Pig

2005-03-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Wild or domestic swine, a mammal of the Suidae family. In Britain, the term pig refers to all domestic swine; in the United States, to younger swine not yet ready for market and weighing usually less than 82 kg (180 pounds), others being called hogs. Pigs are stout-bodied, short-legged, omnivorous mammals, with thick skins usually sparsely coated with short bristles. Their hooves

Chile, The northern desert

2005-03-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

This region experiences an aridity that is primarily caused by the dry subsidence created by the South Pacific high pressure cell and the stabilizing action of the cold Peru Current. Although the air along the coast is abnormally humid, it never reaches saturation point; at most, there is a development of coastal fogs (garúa or camanchaca). Besides the lack of rain,

Dench, Dame Judi

2005-03-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Dench studied at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art in London. In 1957 she gave her first important critically acclaimed performance, as Ophelia in the Old Vic production of Hamlet

Earth, The magnetotail current

2005-03-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

Radially outward near local midnight rather than at local noon, there is an entirely different current system. Beginning at approximately 10 Re and extending well beyond 200 Re is the tail current system. This current is from dawn to dusk in the same direction as the ring current on the nightside of the Earth. In fact, it is produced by the same mechanism except that, in this

Joust

2005-03-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

Western European mock battle between two horsemen charging each other with levelled lances, each attempting to unhorse the other. Early medieval tournaments consisted of mêlées, mock battles between two bodies of armed horsemen; later both the mêlée and the joust took place at tournaments, and in the 15th century the joust tended to supersede the mêlée. Jousting

Zizka, Jan, Count

2005-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Zizka grew up at the court of the German king Wenceslas (King Wenceslas

Insurance, Coinsurance

2005-03-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Although there is no coinsurance clause as such in the ocean marine policy, losses are settled as though a 100 percent coinsurance clause existed. Thus, if an insured takes out coverage equal to 50 percent of the true replacement cost of the goods, only 50 percent of any partial loss may be recovered.

Submarine, World War I

2005-02-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

By the eve of World War I all of the major navies included submarines in their fleets, but these craft were relatively small, were considered of questionable military value, and generally were intended for coastal operations. The most significant exception to the concept of coastal activity was the German Deutschland class of merchant U-boats, each 315 feet long with

Chassériau, Théodore

2005-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Chassériau entered the studio of Ingres, following his master to Rome in 1834. Chassériau's immediate success at the Paris Salon of 1836 was confirmed three

Pluvial Regime

2005-02-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Averaged zonally, regions of excessive precipitation, in which annual precipitation exceeds annual evaporation, exist in the tropics and at latitudes poleward of 40° in both hemispheres. In the subtropics, dominated by high atmospheric pressure, annual

Location Theory

2005-02-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

In economics and geography, theory concerned with the geographic location of economic activity; it has become an integral part of economic geography, regional science, and spatial economics. Location theory addresses the questions of what economic activities are located where and why. The location of economic activities can be determined on a broad level such

Gauging Station

2005-02-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

Site on a stream, canal, lake, or reservoir where systematic observations of gauge height (water level) or discharge are obtained. From the continuous records obtained at these stations, hydrologists make predictions and decisions concerning water level, flood activity and control, navigation, and the like. Among the measuring devices used are a staff gauge, which

Avesta

2005-02-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Also called Zend-avesta, sacred book of Zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathushtra). The extant Avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture, apparently Zoroaster's transformation of a very ancient tradition. The voluminous manuscripts of the original are said to have been destroyed when Alexander the

Pérec, Marie-josé

2005-02-25T08:32:00.000-08:00

Pérec grew up on the West Indian island of Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe, an overseas administrative district of France. In 1984 she was recruited by a visiting French coach who took her to the mainland, where she placed second in the 200-metre dash at the

United States, Madison as president and the War of 1812

2005-02-25T01:15:00.000-08:00

In historical retrospect, the most important aspect of the peace settlement was an agreement to set up a boundary commission for the Canadian border, which could thenceforth be left unguarded. It was not the end of Anglo-American hostility, but the agreement marked the advent of an era of mutual trust. The conclusion of the War of 1812, which has sometimes been called the Second War of American Independence, marked a historical cycle. It resulted in a pacification of the old feelings of pain and resentment against Great Britain and her people—still for many Americans a kind of paternal relationship. And, by freeing them of anxieties on this front, it also freed Americans to look to the west.

Biblical Literature, The English Revised Version

2005-02-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

The remarkable and total victory of the King James Version could not entirely obscure those inherent weaknesses that were independent of its typographical errors. The manner of its execution had resulted in a certain unequalness and lack of consistency. The translators' understanding of the Hebrew tense system was often limited so that their version contains

Fu

2005-02-24T01:17:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization fu type of Chinese bronze vessel used as a food container, it was produced largely from the middle Zhou period (c. 900–c. 600 BC) through the Warring States period (475–221 BC). Rectangular in shape and divided into two parts, the vessel was supported by angular feet at each corner; the lid was almost a duplicate of the bottom (in principle much like the dui). In ancient documents the vessel was also

Qalyub

2005-02-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

Qalyub was reputedly constructed with materials taken from the ruins of Heliopolis (modern Misr al-Jadidah), a few

Quantrill, William C.

2005-02-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Ohio, Quantrill taught school in Ohio and then Illinois and, in 1857, moved to Kansas,

Papillon

2005-02-22T02:42:00.000-08:00

Breed of toy dog known from the 16th century, when it was called a dwarf spaniel. A fashionable dog, it was favoured by Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette, and it appeared in paintings by some of the Old Masters. The name papillon (French: “butterfly”) was given to the breed in the late 19th century, when a variety with large, flaring ears resembling the wings of a butterfly

Zaharias, Babe Didrikson

2005-02-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

From 1930 through 1932, Didrikson was a member of the women's All-America basketball team. During the same period she also won eight events and tied in a ninth in national championship competition

Puerto La Cruz

2005-02-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Anzoátegui estado (“state”), northeastern Venezuela, situated along the Caribbean Sea. The former fishing village has become a busy, thriving, populous port city with the development of the petroleum industry since the 1930s in the eastern Llanos (plains). Pipelines running from the Anzoátegui fields and from fields in neighbouring Guárico and Monagas

Ascaris

2005-02-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

Any of a genus of worms (order Ascaridida, class Nematoda) that are parasitic in the intestines of various terrestrial animals, chiefly herbivores. They are typically large worms characterized by a mouth surrounded by three lips. The species Ascaris lumbricoides is probably the most familiar parasite in humans. An almost identical worm, often called A. suum, occurs

Bahia

2005-02-20T04:41:00.000-08:00

Estado (“state”) of eastern Brazil. It is bounded on the northwest by Piauí state, north by Pernambuco state, northeast by Alagoas and Sergipe states, east by the Atlantic Ocean, southeast by Espírito Santo state, south by Minas Gerais state, and west by Tocantins and Goiás states. Bahia has an area of 216,613 square miles (561,026 square km). The capital, Salvador, a port commanding an inlet

Rockwell International Corporation

2005-02-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

The main company was incorporated in 1928 as North American Aviation, Inc., a holding company for a number of aviation companies, but it switched to aircraft manufacturing when it received a contract

Shah Jahan Period Architecture

2005-02-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

Indian building style that flourished under the patronage of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58); its crowning achievement is the magnificent mausoleum at Agra, the Taj Mahal (q.v.). Among the other landmarks of the style are several mosques at the emperor's first capital, Agra, and another great mosque and a huge fortress-palace complex at his second capital, Delhi. The use

Uttlesford

2005-02-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Essex, England. It occupies the northwestern corner of the county, where it borders Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. A low ridge of chalk hills runs from southwest to northeast through a rolling countryside. The district is largely rural. The main town is Saffron Walden; there are also many smaller old parishes, such

Mcmurdo Sound

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

Bay off Antarctica that forms the western extension of Ross Sea, lying at the edge of Ross Ice Shelf, west of Ross Island and east of Victoria Land. The channel, 92 miles (148 km) long and up to 46 miles (74 km) wide, has been a major centre for Antarctic explorations. First discovered in 1841 by the Scottish explorer Sir James Clark Ross, it thereafter served as one of the main access routes to

Norderney

2005-02-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

Island off the North Sea coast of Germany, one of the East Frisian Islands. A part of Lower Saxony Land (state), the island is 8 miles (13 km) long and up to 1.25 miles (2 km) wide, with dunes rising to 68 feet (21 m). The northern coast is exposed to the sea, but the more sheltered water of the Wattenmeer (shoals produced by tidal water that floods wide mud flats) lies to the south between the island and

Baraita

2005-02-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Baraitha (Hebrew: “Outside Teaching,” or “Exclusion”), plural Baraitot, Baraitoth, or Baraithoth, any of the ancient oral traditions of Jewish religious law that were not included in the Mishna (the first authoritative codification of such laws). The Baraitot that are found dispersed singly throughout the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds are often recognizable by such introductory words as “it was taught” or “the rabbi taught.” Other Baraitot are found in independent

Nefertiti

2005-02-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Nefertiti is best known for her portrait bust, found at Tell el-Amarna (ancient Akhetaton), the king's new capital.

An-k'ang

2005-02-16T02:27:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Ankang, formerly Hsing-an, city in southeastern Shensi sheng (province), China. Situated in the narrow valley of the Han River between the Tsinling and Ta-pa mountain ranges, it has been an important trade centre since antiquity, being situated at the junction of the east-west route via the Han River valley and the route to the north over the mountains to Sian (Ch'ang-an). A rail line, completed in 1978, links

Aesthetics

2005-02-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled esthetics, the philosophical study of beauty and taste. To define its subject matter more precisely is, however, immensely difficult. Indeed, it could be said that self-definition has been the major task of modern aesthetics. We are acquainted with an interesting and puzzling realm of experience: the realm of the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, and the elegant; of taste, criticism,

Paraguay, Climate

2005-02-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

The climate is subtropical in most of eastern Paraguay, which mainly lies south of the Tropic of Capricorn, and tropical in most of the Chaco Boreal extending to its north. Masses of humid air blanket the country in the summers, and the winters are subject to cold southern winds. Summer temperatures between October and March generally range from 77° F to 104° F (25° C to 40° C). Winter temperatures

Anthomyiid Fly

2005-02-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

A common insect of the family Anthomyiidae (order Diptera) resembling the housefly in appearance. The lesser housefly (Fannia canicularis) and the latrine fly (F. scalaris) are important anthomyiid flies. They breed in filth, can carry diseases, and are often found in the home. Some larvae feed on plants and are serious pests, many are scavengers and live in excrement and

Cloisonné

2005-02-14T03:01:00.000-08:00

In the decorative arts, an enameling technique or any product of that technique, which consists of soldering to a metal surface delicate metal strips bent to the outline of a design and filling the resulting cellular spaces, called cloisons (French: “partitions,” or “compartments”), with vitreous enamel paste. The object then is fired, ground smooth, and polished. Sometimes

Acajutla

2005-02-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

Pacific seaport, southwestern El Salvador. Spanish conquistadores defeated the Indians there in 1524, and it subsequently flourished as a colonial port. The old town has been rebuilt inland in order to make room for new port facilities. Acajutla is El Salvador's principal port and handles a large portion of its coffee exports and shipments of sugar and balsam (a resin

Lupercalia

2005-02-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ancient Roman festival that was conducted annually on February 15 under the superintendence of a corporation of priests called Luperci. The origins of the festival are obscure, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus (Latin: “wolf”) has variously suggested connection with a primitive deity who protected herds from wolves and with the legendary she-wolf

Fadeyev, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2005-02-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Fadeyev passed his youth in the Ural Mountains and in eastern Siberia, receiving his schooling in Vladivostok. He joined the Communist

Land, Edwin Herbert

2005-02-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

While a student at Harvard University, Land became interested in polarized light, i.e., light in which all rays are aligned in the same plane.

Karakum Desert

2005-02-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kara-Kum , Turkmen Garagum or Gara Gum (“Black Sand”) , Russian Karakumy great sandy region in Central Asia. It occupies about 70 percent of the area of Turkmenistan. Another, smaller desert in Kazakhstan near the Aral Sea is called the Aral Karakum.

Pierce, George Washington

2005-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

The second of three sons of a farm family, Pierce grew up on a cattle ranch and fared well enough in the modest rural schools of central Texas to graduate (1893) after three years at the University of Texas, Austin. He taught in rural

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

As outlined above, the story of Augustine's life will seem in numerous ways unfamiliar to readers who already know some of it. The story of his early life is exceedingly well known—better known than that of virtually any other Greek or Roman worthy. Augustine's Confessions recounts that early life with immense persuasiveness, and few biographers can resist abridging

Hrdlicka, Ale

2005-02-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

Though born in Bohemia, Hrdlicka came to America with his family at an early age. He studied medicine and practiced briefly until he left for Paris in 1896 to study anthropology with

Bar Kokhba

2005-02-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

During his tour of the Eastern Empire in 131, the Roman emperor Hadrian decided upon a policy of Hellenization to integrate the Jews into the empire. Circumcision was proscribed, a Roman colony (Aelia) was founded in Jerusalem, and a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus was erected over

Colet, John

2005-02-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

The son of a prosperous merchant who had been Lord Mayor of London, Colet studied mathematics and philosophy at Oxford and then travelled and studied for three years in France and Italy. He returned to England

China, Religious and intellectual life

2005-02-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

The Mongols did not try to impose their own religion (a cult of Heaven, the forces of nature, and shamanistic practices) on their subjects. This gave comparative freedom to the existing religions in China. These included what the Mongol rulers considered to be the san chiao (“three teachings”): Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Both Taoism and Buddhism retained their

Elimination Reaction

2005-02-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of organic chemical reactions in which a pair of atoms or groups of atoms are removed from a molecule, usually through the action of acids, bases, or metals and, in some cases, by heating to a high temperature. It is the principal process by which organic compounds containing only single carbon-carbon bonds (saturated compounds) are transformed to compounds