FullFoot

Vaigai River

2005-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

River in Tamil Nadu state, southern India, flowing 150 miles (240 km) generally southeast. Rising in the Varushanad Hills of western Tamil Nadu, it initially flows northeast through the Kambam and Varushanad valleys. In its central reaches the Vaigai flows eastward into the Vaigai reservoir at Narasingapuram. Near Sholavandan it bends to the southeast, passing Madurai town on

Triglyceride

2005-04-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

Any one of an important group of naturally occurring lipids (fat-soluble components of living cells). Triglycerides are esters in which three molecules of one or more different fatty acids are linked to the alcohol glycerol; they are named according to the fatty acid components; e.g., tristearin contains three molecules of stearic acid, and oleodistearin, one of oleic

Jewel Food Stores, Inc.

2005-04-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

The company traced its origins to 1899, when Frank Vernon Skiff and Frank Ross founded the Jewel Tea Company to supply condiments to the Chicago area from horse-drawn wagons. As the automobile gained in importance, the firm moved from wagons

France, History Of, Girondins and Montagnards

2005-04-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

The Convention, however, was bitterly divided almost to the point of paralysis. From the opening day, two outspoken groups of deputies vied for the support of their less factional colleagues. The roots of this rivalry lay in a conflict between Robespierre and Brissot for leadership of the Jacobin Club in the spring and summer of 1792. At that time Robespierre had argued

Rabbit

2005-04-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

J.C. Sandford, The Domestic Rabbit, 5th ed. (1996), describes the 50-plus breeds and all aspects of raising domestic rabbits. Harry V. Thompson and Carolyn M. King (eds.), The European Rabbit: The History and Biology of a Successful Colonizer (1994), thoroughly examines the biology of the European rabbit worldwide. Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux (compilers and eds.), Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (1990), is a taxonomically arranged review of the biology and status of the world's rabbits and other lagomorphs. Ronald M. Nowak, Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed., 2 vol. (1999), photographically illustrates an article on each rabbit genus.

Cystitis

2005-04-02T04:13:00.000-08:00

Acute or chronic inflammation of the urinary bladder. The bladder, the storage sac for urine, is lined with a mucous membrane and is highly resistant to infection. Occasionally, however, infections arise from such neighbouring organs as the kidneys and (in females) the vagina and urethra and (in males) the urethra and the prostate. Other conditions such as obstructions,

Peter Ii

2005-04-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

On succeeding his uncle Peter I, he took the title of Peter II rather than his

Zakarpattya

2005-04-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Russian Zakarpatskaya, also spelled Zakarpatskaia, or Zakarpatskaja, oblast (province), western Ukraine. It is bounded by Slovakia and Hungary on the west, Poland on the northwest, and Romania on the south. The oblast extends from the northwest-southeast–trending Carpathian Mountain crestline (the Verkhovyna and Gorgany ranges, respectively), across the successive parallel Polonina and Vulhanichnyy ranges, and southwestward down

Ch'an

2005-03-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Form of Mahayana Buddhism that arose in China and reached its culmination in the Zen school of Japan. See Zen.

Faysal Ii

2005-03-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Faysal II, the grandson of Faysal I and great-grandson of Husayn ibn 'Ali, former sharif of Mecca and king of the Hejaz, became king of Iraq following the untimely death of his father, King Ghazi. Because Faysal was only four years old, his maternal uncle 'Abd al-Ilah became regent. In April 1941, when the nationalist prime

Cabbage

2005-03-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

Vegetable and fodder plant the various forms of which are said to have been developed by long cultivation from the wild, or sea, cabbage (Brassica oleracea) found near the seacoast in various parts of England and continental Europe. The common horticultural forms of Brassica oleracea may be classified according to the plant parts used for food and the structure

Afonso Vi

2005-03-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

Afonso succeeded his father, John IV, in 1656, but his mother acted as regent until 1662. His reign saw a series of victories against Spain, including the battles of Ameixal (1663), Castelo Rodrigo (1664), and Montes Claros (1665), which in 1668 led to Spanish recognition

Shafi'iyah

2005-03-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Madhhab Shafi'i , English Shafiites in Islam, one of the four Sunni schools of religious law, derived from the teachings of Abu 'Abd Allah ash-Shafi'i (767–820). This legal school (madhhab) stabilized the bases of Islamic legal theory, admitting the validity of both divine will and human speculation. Rejecting provincial dependence on the living sunnah (traditional community practice) as the source of precedent, the Shafiites

Paul-boncour, Joseph

2005-03-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

After receiving a degree in law from the University of Paris, Paul-Boncour practiced law, organized the legal council of the Bourses du Travail (syndicalist workers'

Switzerland, Remaining challenges

2005-03-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

At the end of the 20th century, growing doubts about Switzerland's past and future emerged. Many Swiss questioned the country's traditional “bunker mentality” in a Europe at peace and with open borders. Particularly troubling for Switzerland was an international debate during the 1990s about “dormant accounts”—assets left by foreign Jews in Swiss banks during the Nazi era

Grumbach, Wilhelm Von

2005-03-25T01:03:00.000-08:00

About 1540 Grumbach allied

Quietism

2005-03-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

A doctrine of Christian spirituality that, in general, holds that perfection consists in passivity (quiet) of the soul, in the suppression of human effort so that divine action may have full play. Quietistic elements have been discerned in several religious movements, both Christian and non-Christian, through the centuries; but the term is usually identified with

Romance

2005-03-23T10:04:00.000-08:00

The Old French word romanz

Allodium

2005-03-23T02:43:00.000-08:00

The anarchy that ensued in France after the decline of the Carolingian monarchy at the end of the 9th century allowed much land to be seized and held free, although a large part

Surduc Pass

2005-03-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Jiu Defile , or Jiu Pass Romanian Pasul Surduc pass, southwestern Romania. The Jiu River flows through the pass between the Vâlcan (west) and the Parâng (east) mountains, in the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians). The pass connects the Petrosani Depression (upper Jiu Valley) with the Plain of Oltenia. A road and the Bumbesti–Livezeni railway line, opened in 1947, follow the pass by means of 30 tunnels and several

Rio Arriba

2005-03-22T04:35:00.000-08:00

County, northern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the north by Colorado. The Continental Divide separates the county's two geographic provinces. Eastern Rio Arriba county is high in the Southern Rocky Mountains, with pine-covered mountains of more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in elevation, topped by Trampas Peak (12,175 feet [3,710 m]). Rushing mountain streams feed into the Rio Chama, which empties into

Epistemology, Occurrent versus dispositional conceptions of knowledge

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

A distinction closely related to the previous one is that between occurrent and dispositional conceptions of knowledge. The difference between occurrences and dispositions can be illustrated with respect to sugar. A sugar cube will dissolve if put into water. One can thus say that, even if the cube is not now dissolving as it sits on the table, it will do so under certain

Han Gan

2005-03-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Han Kan Chinese painter of the Tang dynasty, who, though recorded as having done wall paintings on Buddhist and Daoist themes, is best remembered for his paintings of horses. Han emphasized the strength and nobility of the horses of the Tang empire by using a tautly controlled line and compositions of great clarity. The horse as a subject of painting was continued

Aldabra Islands

2005-03-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

Atoll, one of the world's largest, in the Indian Ocean about 600 miles (1,000 km) southwest of the Seychelles group, and part of the Republic of the Seychelles. The Aldabras, together with Farquhar and Desroches islands and the Chagos Archipelago, formed part of the British Indian Ocean Territory from 1965 to 1976. The Aldabra Islands were formerly under the hegemony of the Seychelles, to

Kucha

2005-03-19T05:46:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization K'u-ch'e, Pinyin Kuqa, oasis city in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. The oasis of Kucha lies at the foot of the southern slope of the Tien Shan (“Celestial Mountains”) on the northern rim of the Tarim Basin. It is watered by the Kucha and Mu-cha-t'i rivers, which during rainy spells flow into the Tarim River but which for most of the year lose themselves in the salt marshes on the northern

Ammonia-soda Process

2005-03-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

In the ammonia-soda process, common salt, sodium chloride, is treated with ammonia and then

Hsin-yang

2005-03-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Xinyang city in southern Honan sheng (province), China. Hsin-yang is in the very south of the Honan plain, in the basin between the Ta-pieh Mountains and the Huai River. It has traditionally been on a cultural divide between the plain and the hilly districts to the south. It was also a natural route centre on the Shih River, a tributary of the Huai. The Shih has become passable for relatively

Fucus

2005-03-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Rockweed, genus of brown algae, common on rocky seacoasts and in salt marshes of northern temperate regions. Adaptations to its environment include bladderlike floats (pneumatocysts), disk-shaped holdfasts for clinging to rocks, and mucilage-covered blades for resisting desiccation and temperature changes. The plant is between 25 and 30 centimetres (9.8 to 11.8 inches)

Bacchelli, Riccardo

2005-03-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Bacchelli attended the University of Bologna but left without a degree in 1912. He became a contributor to literary journals. Bacchelli published a

Arabian Horse

2005-03-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Arabian breed is a compact, relatively small horse

Interior Design

2005-03-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

It is important to emphasize that interior design is a specialized branch of architecture or environmental design; it is equally important to keep in mind that no specialized branch in any field would be very meaningful if practiced out of context. The best buildings and the best interiors are those in which there is no obvious disparity between the many elements

Pharmaceutical Industry, Amination

2005-03-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Two important methods of amination (the process of adding an amino (-NH2) group to a compound) are reduction and ammonolysis. There are many reduction methods, but the most common is the reduction of the corresponding nitro compound by means of iron and acid. An example of ammonolysis is the preparation of aniline by heating chlorobenzene with excess aqueous ammonia,

Antarctica, Relief

2005-03-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

Effects of glacial erosion and deposition dominate

Penates

2005-03-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

Formally Di Penates household gods of the Romans and other Latin peoples. In the narrow sense, they were gods of the penus (“household provision”), but by extension their protection reached the entire household. They are associated with other deities of the house, such as Vesta, and the name was sometimes used interchangeably with that of the Lares, any of various tutelary deities. The Penates

Yale, Caroline

2005-03-13T09:52:00.000-08:00

Yale attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (later Mount Holyoke College; 1866–68). She taught briefly in schools in Brandon and Williston, Vermont, before joining the staff of the Clarke Institution for Deaf Mutes (from 1896 the Clarke School for

Baracoa

2005-03-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

In December 1492 Christopher Columbus stopped at what is now

Agulhas Current

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

Surface oceanic current that is part of the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current, which turns southward along the east coast of Africa and then eastward to join the flow from Africa to Australia. A small part of Agulhas water may, however, continue westward around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic. The Mozambique Current, between Madagascar and Africa,

Fabricius Ab Aquapendente, Hieronymus

2005-03-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

He spent most of his life at the University of Padua, where he studied under the eminent anatomist Gabriel Fallopius. As Fallopius' successor to the chair of surgery and anatomy (1562–1613), Fabricius built a reputation that attracted students from

Yamamoto Isoroku

2005-03-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Yamamoto graduated from the naval academy in 1904 and fought as an ensign in the Russo-Japanese War. He was naval attaché at the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C., during 1926–27. He became vice minister of the Japanese navy in 1936, commander

General Mills, Inc.

2005-03-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

General Mills was incorporated in 1928 to acquire Washburn Crosby Company, a flour-milling company formed in 1866, and four other milling companies. Specializing in cereals and flour products, the

Andrea Da Firenze

2005-03-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

Andrea studied at the Arte dei Medici e degli Speziali in Florence. At the end of 1365 he was commissioned to decorate the chapter house of the church of Sta. Maria Novella. Also attributed to him are the decorations in the Spanish chapel and

Kwangsi, The revolution

2005-03-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

Together with neighbouring Kwangtung, Kwangsi in the early years of the 20th century became the base of the nationalist revolution led by Sun Yat-sen. Between 1906 and 1916 the provincial leaders of Kwangsi supported the establishment of a republic, and during the following decade played an active role in the reorganization of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). Following

Kerrier

2005-03-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

The Lizard Peninsula, a heather-covered

Scandinavian Literature, The development of the Icelandic drama

2005-03-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Icelandic drama really started to develop through Jóhann Sigurjónsson, whose first success was Fjalla-Eyvindur (1911; Eyvind of the Hills), followed by Galdra-Loftur (1915; “Loftur the Sorcerer”); both plays were based on powerful folktales. Gudmundur Kamban's Hadda-Padda (1914) was highly praised by Georg Brandes, and he remained important in Scandinavian drama for the next quarter

Fischhof, Adolf

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

As a young assistant physician, Fischhof was the first speaker to address the crowd assembled outside the building of the Austrian estates in Vienna on the morning of March 13, 1848—the first day of the revolution. Rising in

Eleazar Ben Azariah

2005-03-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

Eleazar was a wealthy, learned, and highly esteemed resident of Jabneh who traced his descent through Ezra, the legendary spiritual leader of Palestine. He served

Paean

2005-03-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

Solemn choral lyric of invocation, joy, or triumph, originating in ancient Greece where it was addressed to Apollo in his guise as Paean, physician to the gods. Paeans were sung at banquets following the boisterous dithyrambs, at the festivals of Apollo, and at public funerals. It was the custom for them to be sung by an army on the march and before going into battle, when

Yung-lo Ta-tien

2005-03-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yongluo Dadien (Chinese: “The Great Canon [or Vast Documents] of the Yung-lo Era”), Chinese compilation that was the world's largest known encyclopaedia. Compiled by thousands of Chinese scholars under the direction of the Yung-lo emperor (reigned 1402–24), it was completed in 1407. The work contained 22,877 manuscript rolls, or chapters, in 11,095 volumes and was designed to include all that had ever been written

Salamanca

2005-03-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

As an important Iberian settlement, it was ravaged by the Carthaginian general Hannibal in 217 BC. A Roman

Aleardi, Aleardo, Conte

2005-03-06T04:58:00.000-08:00

Brought up in Verona, then controlled by Austria, he studied law at the University of Padua. His love lyrics, Le lettere a Maria (1846; “The Letters

'olam Ha-ba

2005-03-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

In Jewish theology, either “the world after death” or the new creation or restoration of the world that is to follow the messianic millennium. Because this latter interpretation stemmed from the teachings and exhortations of the prophets, it was especially prevalent during the period of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (516 BC–AD 70). Whatever the interpretation of 'olam ha-ba, it

Nervous System Disease, Syphilis

2005-03-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Syphilis follows infection with the spirochete Treponema pallidum as a result of sexual contact with an infected individual or infection of the fetus in utero. Primary syphilis produces a chancre, or sore, at the site of infection. Weeks later, secondary syphilis develops and causes a skin rash and signs of meningitis. In the third stage, the spirochete invades the

Khon Kaen

2005-03-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Thailand, on the Khorat Plateau. It is a rice-trading centre on the railway between Nakhon Ratchasima and Udon Thani. Khon Kaen University was founded in 1965; the Rajamangala Institute of Technology, Khon Kaen Campus (1963) is also there. Khon Kaen lies in a region drained by the Chi and the Phong rivers. A dam was built on the Phong in 1966 for irrigation and hydroelectricity.

Affirmation

2005-03-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

In law, a promise by a witness concerning testimony allowed in place of an oath to those who cannot, because of conscience, swear an oath. For example, members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), Jehovah's Witnesses, and other persons who have objections against taking an oath are allowed to make affirmation in any manner they may declare to be binding upon their consciences

Biblical Literature, Concluding exhortation and traditions about the last days of Moses

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

Chapters 29–31 comprise the third and last address of Moses to the people of Israel. They are preceded by an introductory verse referring to “these words” as a covenant made in Moab, in addition to the one made at Horeb (Sinai). After reminding them of all that God has done for them, Moses calls on the whole people to enter into the sworn Covenant made this day that they may be his

China, Urban socialist changes

2005-03-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Mao combined this massive transformation of the agricultural sector with a call for the “socialist transformation” of industry and commerce, in which the government would become, in effect, the major partner. In Chinese Communist fashion, this change was not simply decreed from above. Rather, extreme pressures were put on private merchants and capitalists in late

Corbett National Park

2005-03-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

National park in Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. Extending over an area of 201 sq mi (521 sq km) and established as Hailey National Park in 1935, it was first renamed Ramganga in 1954 and then Corbett in 1957, in memory of Jim Corbett, a well-known British sportsman and writer. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas about 36 mi (50 km) northwest of Ramnagar town, the park consists mainly of the broad

Jovian

2005-03-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

Jovian took part in the expedition of the emperor Julian against Sasanian Persia and was proclaimed emperor by his troops after Julian was killed on June 26, 363. To extricate his army from Persia, the new ruler immediately concluded a peace, ceding to the Persians all Roman territory east of the Tigris

Manresa

2005-03-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Town, Barcelona provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It lies along the Cardoner River. The town—which probably originated as Minorisa, the Roman capital of Jacetani—was important during the European Middle Ages. Three bridges span the Cardoner, and on a rock above the oldest bridge stands the yellow Church

Weather Forecasting, Upper-air observations by means of balloon-borne sounding equipment

2005-02-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

Once again technology provided the means with which to test the new scientific ideas and stimulate yet newer ones. During the late 1920s and '30s, several groups of investigators (those headed by Yrjö Väisälä of Finland and Pavel Aleksandrovich Malchanov of the Soviet Union, for example) began using small radio transmitters with balloon-borne instruments, eliminating

Beawar

2005-02-28T02:49:00.000-08:00

Town, Rajasthan state, northwestern India. A major rail and road junction, Beawar is an agricultural and woollen market centre. Industries include cotton ginning, handloom weaving, hosiery manufacture, and wood carving. Formerly also called Nayanagar, the town was founded in 1835 and grew rapidly in prosperity because of its advantageous position between Udaipur and Jodhpur.

Earth, Paleontological research

2005-02-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

Many paleontological observations are most easily explained by continental drift and/or polar wandering. For example, fossils of the freshwater reptile Mesosaurus, which lived 270,000,000 years ago, are found only in South America and Africa. The reptile's bone structure was such that it probably could not have swum across the Atlantic, but if South America and Africa had been

Serbia And Montenegro, Zeta

2005-02-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Slav peoples were organized along tribal lines, each headed by a zupan (chieftain). In this part of the Adriatic littoral, from the time of the arrival of the Slavs up to the 10th century, these local magnates often were brought into unstable and shifting alliances with other larger states, particularly with Bulgaria, Venice, and Byzantium. Between 931 and 960 one such zupan, Ceslav,

Chu Yü-chien

2005-02-27T01:35:00.000-08:00

A Ming prince, Chu was a direct descendant of the first Ming dynasty emperor, Hung-wu (reigned 1368–98). Upon the fall of the Ming capital, Peking,

Andania Mysteries

2005-02-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek mystery cult, held in honour of the earth goddess Demeter and her daughter Kore (Persephone) at the town of Andania in Messenia. A long inscription of 92 BC gives elaborate directions for the conduct of the rites, although it relates no details of the initiation ceremonies. The ritual was performed by certain “holy ones” of both sexes, who were chosen from the

Rudolf, Archduke And Crown Prince Of Austria

2005-02-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

The only son of the emperor Francis Joseph and the empress Elizabeth, Rudolf received an extensive education and traveled widely. Politically,

Tábor

2005-02-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

City, Jihoceský kraj (region), Czech Republic. It lies along a bend in the Luznice River 50 miles (80 km) south of Prague. Founded in 1420 by Jan Zizka and other followers of the Bohemian religious reformer Jan Hus, Tábor became the radical centre of the more militant members of the movement, known as the Taborites. These people fostered the national spirit and the preservation of the Czech

Molière

2005-02-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Although the sacred and secular authorities of 17th-century France often combined against him, the genius of Molière finally emerged to win him acclaim. Comedy had a long history before Molière, who employed most of its traditional forms, but he succeeded in inventing

Shan

2005-02-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

Shan Tai Southeast Asian people who live primarily in eastern and northwestern Myanmar (Burma) and also in Yunnan province, China. The Shan are the largest minority group in Myanmar, making up nearly one-tenth of the nation's total population. In the late 20th century they numbered more than 4 million. Their language, commonly known as Shan, belongs to the Tai linguistic group, which

Rommel, Erwin

2005-02-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

Less than a year later, in February 1941, Rommel was appointed commander of the German troops dispatched to aid the all but defeated Italian army in Libya. The deserts of North Africa became the scene of his greatest successes—and of his defeat at the hands of a vastly superior enemy. In the North African theatre of war, the “Desert Fox,” as he came to be called by both friend and

France, History Of, The Age of Louis XIV

2005-02-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

Albert N. Hamscher, The Parlement of Paris After the Fronde, 1653–1673 (1976), and The Conseil Privé and the Parlements in the Age of Louis XIV: A Study in French Absolutism (1987), provide good introductions to the period. Roger Mettam, Power and Faction in Louis XIV's France (1988); and Roger Mettam (ed.), Government and Society in Louis XIV's France (1977), analyze the political structure. Eugene L. Asher, The Resistance to the Maritime Classes: The Survival of Feudalism in the France of Colbert (1960, reprinted 1980); Charles Woosley Cole, Colbert and a Century of French Mercantilism, 2 vol. (1939, reissued 1964); Thomas J. Schaeper, The French Council of Commerce, 1700–1715: A Study of Mercantilism After Colbert (1983); and Herbert Lüthy, La Banque protestante en France: de la révocation de l'Edit de Nantes à la Révolution, 2 vol. (1959–61, reprinted 1970), discuss the developing economic system. See also Warren C. Scoville, The Persecution of Huguenots and French Economic Development, 1680–1720 (1960), important in assessing the effects of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Pierre Goubert, Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen (1970, originally published in French, 1966), provides a synthesis of Louis's reign; it is supplemented in such special accounts as Lionel Rothkrug, Opposition to Louis XIV: The Political and Social Origins of the French Enlightenment (1965); John C. Rule (ed.), Louis XIV and the Craft of Kingship (1969); Louis André, Louis XIV et l'Europe (1950), on foreign policy; and John B. Wolf, Louis XIV (1968).

Obversion

2005-02-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

In syllogistic, or traditional, logic, transformation of a categorical proposition (q.v.), or statement, into a new proposition in which (1) the subject term is unchanged, (2) the predicate is replaced by its contradictory, and (3) the quality of the proposition is changed from affirmative to negative or vice versa. Thus the obverse of “Every man is mortal” is “No man is immortal.” Because

Andalusite

2005-02-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

(Al2SiO5), aluminum silicate mineral that occurs in relatively small amounts in various metamorphic rocks, particularly in altered sediments. It is found in commercial quantities in the Inyo Mountains, Mono county, Calif., in the United States; in Kazakstan; and in South Africa. Such deposits are mined as a raw material for refractories and porcelain used in spark plugs

Silko, Leslie Marmon

2005-02-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Silko, of mixed Laguna Pueblo, white, and Mexican ancestry, grew up on the Laguna Pueblo reservation in New Mexico, where she learned Laguna traditions and myths. After attending Bureau of Indian Affairs schools and graduating

Biblical Literature, Eastern Orthodoxy

2005-02-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

The first Christians were Jews, and they worshipped along with other Jews in the synagogue. The earliest Gentile converts also attended the synagogue. When Christians met outside the synagogue, they still used its liturgy, read its Bible, and preserved the main characteristics of synagogue worship. Every historic liturgy is divided into (1) a Christian revision of

Talara

2005-02-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

Community, Piura departmento, northwestern Peru, on the Pacific Ocean. Rebuilt and developed by the International Petroleum Company (which provided workers' housing, hospitals, and schools), it is a refining and shipping port for Peru's main oil-producing region. To the southwest, near the foot of the La Brea Mountains, is the site of the pits (where Spaniards boiled tar

Dabrowska, Maria

2005-02-20T22:54:00.000-08:00

Born into a relatively impecunious family of landowners, Dabrowska was educated in Poland, at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and then in Belgium. Afterward, she lived in France and Great Britain until World War II. In 1909 she had begun to write articles

Measurement System, Electric current: ampere

2005-02-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

The ampere is defined as the magnitude of the current that, when flowing through each of two long parallel wires separated by one metre in free space, results in a force between the two wires (due to their magnetic fields) of 2 ´ 10-7 newton (the newton is a unit of force equal to about 0.2 pound) for each metre of length.

Osborn, Henry Fairfield

2005-02-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

At Princeton University, Osborn conducted studies of brain anatomy while serving as assistant professor of natural sciences (1881–83) and professor of

Crab Apple

2005-02-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Crab, any of several small trees of the genus Malus, in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to North America and Asia. Crabs are widely grown for their attractive growth habit, spring flower display, and decorative fruit. The fragrant five-petaled, white, pink, carmine, or purplish flowers appear early in showy masses. The fruits are much smaller and more tart than the common

United States Court Of Appeals For The Armed Forces

2005-02-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Originally consisting of three civil judges, the court since 1990 has consisted of five judges appointed by the president and

Burgenland

2005-02-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

Bundesland (federal state), eastern Austria, bordering Hungary on the east, and Bundesländer Niederösterreich (“Lower Austria”) on the northwest and Steiermark (Styria) on the southwest. It has an area of 1,531 square miles (3,965 square km). Derived from parts of the four former west Hungarian comitats (counties) of Pressburg (Bratislava), Wieselburg (Moson), Ödenburg (Sopron), and Eisenburg

Furniture, Chest

2005-02-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

The chest, including the coffin (and sarcophagus), is an ancient primitive furniture form that has survived into the 20th century. The design of a clothes chest is optional; its size depends on changing demands. The construction of a coffin, on the other hand, is a set task. The format is determined by certain principal dimensions, and the human figure has at all times exercised

Xerox Parc

2005-02-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

Xerox had invented and dominated the paper copier market since 1948, but with the accession of C. Peter McColough as president in 1966 the company began to explore options for diversifying its business. In 1969 the director of research, Jack Goldman, produced a plan to establish an “Advanced Scientific & Systems Laboratory” to develop future technologies. The laboratory was not

Metalwork, Pre-Columbian

2005-02-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

In pre-Columbian America, gold, silver, and copper were the principal metals that were worked, with tin, lead, and platinum used less frequently. When the Spaniards arrived in the New World in the 16th century, they found a wide range of well-developed technical skills in fine metalwork in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Andean region. They had very little to offer the Indian

Gir Range

2005-02-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

Low mountain range in western Gujarat state, west-central India, on the southern Kathiawar Peninsula. The range is extremely rugged with a steep slope seaward to the south and a gradual slope inland to the north. From it to the north runs a low, narrow, dissected range rising to Gorakhnath (3,665 feet [1,117 m], believed to be an extinct volcano) in the broad mass of the Girnar Hills. The Gir Range

Ramcaritmanas

2005-02-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

(“Sacred Lake of the Acts of Rama”), version, written in a dialect of Hindi, of the Sanskrit epic poem the Ramayana, one of the masterpieces of medieval Hindu literature and a work with significant influence on modern Hinduism. Written in the 16th century by the poet Tulsidas (q.v.), the poem is distinguished both by its great expression of love for a personal god and by its exemplification

Chile, Geography

2005-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Works on the social conditions include Arturo Valenzuela and J. Samuel Valenzuela (eds.), Chile: Politics and Society (1976); Barbara Stallings, Class Conflict and Economic Development in Chile: 1958–1973 (1978); Brian H. Smith, The Church and Politics in Chile: Challenges to Modern Catholicism (1982); and Cesar Caviedes, The Politics of Chile: A Sociogeographical Assessment (1979). The military's role in Chilean politics is treated in J. Samuel Valenzuela and Arturo Valenzuela (eds.), Military Rule in Chile: Dictatorship and Oppositions (1986); Cesar Caviedes, The Southern Cone: Realities of the Authoritarian State in South America (1984); and Frederick M. Nunn, The Military in Chilean History: Essays on Civil-Military Relations, 1810–1973 (1976), and Chilean Politics, 1920–1931: The Honorable Mission of the Armed Forces (1970). Contemporary culture is discussed in Hernán Godoy Urzúa, Apuntes sobre la cultura en Chile (1982).

Murdoch, Rupert

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

In full Keith Rupert Murdoch Australian-born newspaper publisher and media entrepreneur, founder and head of the global media holding company the News Corporation Ltd., which governed News Limited (Australia), News International (U.K.), and News America Holdings Inc. (U.S.). Murdoch's corporate interests centred on newspaper, magazine, book, and electronic publishing;

Aerospace Industry, Final assembly

2005-02-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

The final assembly of complete aircraft usually requires a facility furnished with a network of overhead rails on which ride heavy-lift cranes capable of moving large portions of vehicles. Facility size is governed by vehicle dimensions; for example, Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, is the world's largest building by volume, containing some 13.4 million cubic

Anatidae

2005-02-13T11:01:00.000-08:00

Anserinae—tribes Dendrocygnini (see whistling duck, or tree duck) and

Chambers, John Graham

2005-02-13T06:49:00.000-08:00

After a distinguished college career rowing for Cambridge, Chambers coached the Cambridge team from 1871 to 1874. In 1866 he founded the Amateur Athletic Club and was instrumental in organizing the

Cozzi Porcelain

2005-02-12T03:46:00.000-08:00

Soft-paste porcelain made in Venice by Geminiano Cozzi from about 1764 to 1812. Cozzi products, often freely adapted versions of Meissen porcelain, consisted mainly of figures, vases, and tablewares with Rococo decoration that was frequently distinguished by an imaginative interpretation wholly Italian in style. Rich colours, including red, bluish purple, and emerald

Hetman

2005-02-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Military title used in the Polish–Lithuanian state (16th–18th century); the hetman wielki (“great hetman”) was the chief of the armed forces and the commander in the field when the king was not present. In Ukraine a variation of the term, ataman, was used to designate the military leader of the Zaporozhian Cossacks (16th century) and the prince of the area east of the Dnieper River

Woolley, Sir (charles) Leonard

2005-02-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

From 1907 to 1911 Woolley served with an archaeological expedition

Nabu

2005-02-11T01:40:00.000-08:00

Samsuditana, the last king of the 1st dynasty of Babylon (reigned

Earth, Major geologic features of the Earth's exterior

2005-02-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

David Alt, Physical Geology: A Process Approach (1982), is an up-to-date introduction to the principles of physical geology. Daniel S. Barker, Igneous Rocks (1983), discusses the characteristics of igneous rocks and their relationship to plate tectonics. Marland P. Billings, Structural Geology, 3rd ed. (1972), is a classic introduction to structural geology, which describes the deformation of the Earth's crust. A. Hallam, A Revolution in the Earth Sciences: From Continental Drift to Plate Tectonics (1973), is an excellent historical review of the development of ideas on continental drift, polar wandering, seafloor spreading, and plate tectonics. Arthur Holmes, Principles of Physical Geology, 2nd rev. ed. (1965), is a beautifully written, though somewhat dated, introduction to physical geology. Robley K. Matthews, Dynamic Stratigraphy: An Introduction to Sedimentation and Stratigraphy, 2nd ed. (1984), relates the study of the sequence of layered rocks to plate tectonics. William D. Thornbury, Principles of Geomorphology, 2nd ed. (1969), is a classic account of the shaping of the Earth's surface by natural forces, including a description of the relationship between structural geology and landforms. Tjeerd H. Van Andel, New Views on an Old Planet: Continental Drift and the History of Earth (1985), is an excellent introduction to the ideas of continental drift, polar wandering, seafloor spreading, and plate tectonics from the viewpoint of an oceanographer. Brian F. Windley, The Evolving Continents, 2nd ed. (1984), relates the geology of various parts of the Earth to plate tectonics and the Wilson cycle of ocean-basin formation. Studies of historical geology include Don L. Eicher, A. Lee McAlester, and Marcia L. Rottman, The History of the Earth's Crust (1984); and Carl K. Seyfert and Leslie A. Sirkin, Earth History and Plate Tectonics (1979), which relates the history of the Earth to plate tectonics, especially to the Wilson cycle.

Great Fire Of London

2005-02-09T04:46:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, September 2, 1666, the fire began accidentally in the house of the king's baker in Pudding Lane near London Bridge. A violent east wind encouraged the flames, which raged during

Flocculation

2005-02-09T02:24:00.000-08:00

In physical chemistry, separation of solid particles from a liquid to form loose aggregations or soft flakes. These flocculates are easily disrupted, being held together only by a force analogous to the surface tension of a liquid. In industrial processes, flocculation may be a desired or an undesirable phenomenon, and various methods may be used to cause or eliminate

Building Construction

2005-02-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

Building construction is an ancient human activity. It began with the purely functional need for a controlled environment to moderate the effects of climate. Constructed shelters were one means by which human beings were able to adapt themselves