QuickRock

Fernández De Moratín, Leandro

2005-04-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

The son of the poet and playwright Nicolás Fernández de Moratín, he was an apologist of the French Encyclopaedists, a translator of Molière and William Shakespeare, and a satirist of contemporary society. The two predominant

France, History Of, Economy, society, and culture in the 13th century

2005-04-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

The primary social fact of this period is the continued growth of population. All indicators suggest growth—e.g., expansion of old towns, founding of new villages, the rising price of land—but no exact measurements are possible. A register of hearths dating from 1328 has been estimated variously to point to a total population of 15 million to 22 million; the total was probably

Zambezi River, Kariba and Cahora Bassa schemes

2005-04-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Kariba Dam harnesses the Zambezi at Kariba, Zimb., 300 miles below Victoria Falls. A concrete-arch dam with a maximum height of 420 feet and a crest length of 1,900 feet carries a road connecting the Zambian and Zimbabwean banks of the gorge. Six floodgates permit a discharge of some 335,000 cubic feet of water per second. Both Zambia and Zimbabwe obtain most of their electricity from

English Literature, Drama by Dryden and others

2005-04-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Characteristically, Dryden, as dramatist, experimented vigorously in all the popular stage modes of the day, exploring the possibilities of the rhymed heroic play in the 1660s and early 1670s and producing some distinguished tragic writing in All for Love (1677) and Don Sebastian (1689); but his greatest achievement, Amphitryon (1690), is a comedy. In this he was typical of his age. Though there

Thomas, Theodore

2005-04-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

A violin prodigy, Thomas moved with his family to New York City, where he was to become a shaping force in practically every aspect of the city's musical life. While in his

Korea, History Of, Division of Korea

2005-04-02T01:34:00.000-08:00

The Cairo Declaration, issued on Dec. 1, 1943, by the United States, Great Britain, and China, pledged independence for Korea “in due course.” This vague phrase aroused the leaders of the Korean provisional government in Chungking to request interpretation from the United States. Their request, however, received no answer. At the Yalta Conference held in February 1945, U.S. President

China, International affairs

2005-04-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

China's foreign policy since 1978 generally has reflected the country's preoccupation with domestic economic development and its desire to promote a peaceful and stable environment in which to achieve these domestic goals. Except for its disagreement with Vietnam over that country's invasion of Cambodia in 1978, China has by and large avoided disputes and encouraged

Crocket

2005-04-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

In architecture, a small, independent, sharply projecting medieval ornament, usually occurring in rows, and decorated with foliage. In the late 12th century, when it first appeared, the crocket had the form of a ball-like bud, with a spiral outline, similar to an uncurling fern frond; but in the later Gothic period it took the form of open, fully developed leaves that by the

Fractal

2005-03-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, any of a class of complex geometric shapes that commonly have “fractional dimension,” a concept first introduced by the mathematician Felix Hausdorff in 1918. Fractals are distinct from the simple figures of classical, or Euclidean, geometry—the square, the circle, the sphere, and so forth. They are capable of describing many irregularly shaped objects

Hardey, Mother Mary Aloysia

2005-03-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hardey attended the school conducted by the Society of the Sacred Heart (lately introduced into America by Mother Philippine Duchesne) at Grand Coteau, Louisiana, in 1822–24, and in September

Atiyah, Sir Michael Francis

2005-03-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

Atiyah's father was Lebanese and his mother Scottish. He attended Victoria College in Egypt and Trinity College,

Fusulinella

2005-03-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct fusulinid foraminiferans (protozoans with a shell) found as fossils in Late Carboniferous marine rocks (those formed between 320 and 286 million years ago). Because of its narrow time range and wide geographic distribution, Fusulinella is an excellent guide fossil for Late Carboniferous rocks and time.

Mauritania

2005-03-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

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

Møller, Poul Martin

2005-03-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

Danish author whose novel of student life, the first in his country's literature that dealt with the contemporary scene, marked an important stage in the history of Danish literature. His aphorism, “All poetry that does not come from life is a lie,” sums up his realistic approach in a romantic age. He is also distinguished

Antsirabe

2005-03-27T00:41:00.000-08:00

Town, central Madagascar. It lies on the slopes of the nation's second highest peak, Tsiafajavona, in the Ankaratra Mountains. Thermal springs, associated with ancient volcanism, together with an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) encouraged the development of a health resort there in 1923. The terminus of a rail line from Antananarivo, the national capital (70 miles [110 km] northeast), Antsirabe

Aurora

2005-03-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

City, Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties, north-central Colorado, U.S. An eastern suburb of Denver, Aurora was the third most populous city in Colorado at the start of the 21st century and, occupying 280 square miles (725 square km), the state's largest city in area. Founded during the silver boom of 1891 and named Fletcher after its Canadian-born founder, Donald Fletcher, it flourished

Annaba

2005-03-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

Formerly Bône , or Bona town and Mediterranean port, northeastern Algeria. It lies near the mouth of the Wadi Seybouse, close to the Tunisian border. Its location on a natural harbour (Annaba Gulf) between Capes Garde and Rosa early attracted the Phoenicians, probably in the 12th century BC. It passed to the Romans as Hippo Regius, was the residence of the Numidian kings, and achieved independence

Profit Sharing

2005-03-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

System by which employees are paid a share of the profits of the business enterprise in which they are employed, in accordance with a scheme defined in advance. Such payments, which may vary according to salary or wage, are distinct from and additional to regular earnings. Profit-sharing plans were probably first developed in France before the middle of the 19th century

Alcaraz Carpet

2005-03-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

There are several different patterns of carpet with “wheels” in rectangular compartments. Other carpets imitate a wide range of brocade

Argentina, Colonial centres

2005-03-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

San Miguel de Tucumán's leadership lasted from the latter

Ghazni

2005-03-22T00:46:00.000-08:00

Formerly Ghazna, city, east-central Afghanistan. It lies beside the Ghazni River on a high plateau at an elevation of 7,300 feet (2,225 m). Afghanistan's only remaining walled town, it is dominated by a 150-foot- (45-metre-) high citadel built in the 13th century. Around the nearby village of Rowzeh-e Sultan, on the old road to Kabul (the nation's capital, 80 miles [130 km] northeast), are the ruins of ancient Ghazna, including two

Boyer, Paul D.

2005-03-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

In full Paul Delos Boyer American biochemist who, with John E. Walker, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997 for their explanation of the enzymatic process involved in the production of the energy-storage molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which fuels the metabolic processes of the cells of all living things. (Danish chemist Jens C. Skou also shared the award for

Port Antonio

2005-03-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Chief town of the Parish of Portland, on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, 60 mi (97 km) northeast of Kingston. The island's third largest port, it is a shipping point for bananas, coconuts, and cacao and is one of Jamaica's oldest and least commercialized tourist resorts. It lies on a bay divided by a promontory into East and West Harbours; the latter is sheltered by the small Navy

Schism

2005-03-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

In the early church, “schism” was used to describe those groups that broke with the church and established rival churches. The term originally referred to those divisions that were caused by disagreement over something other than basic doctrine. Thus, the schismatic group was not necessarily heretical. Eventually,

Onoe Shoroku Ii

2005-03-20T05:57:00.000-08:00

Yutaka Fujima made his debut at the age of five as Ushiwakamaru at the Teikoku Theatre in the kabuki drama Shusse Kagekiyo, about the 12th-century hero Taira no Kagekiyo. After starring in Neiboku

Powder River

2005-03-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

Stream of the northwestern United States. It rises in several headstreams in foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming and flows northward for 486 miles (782 km) to join the Yellowstone River near Terry, Mont. Tributaries include the Little Powder River and Crazy Woman Creek.

Moses, Edwin

2005-03-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

Moses competed in cross-country, track, and gridiron football in high school and studied physics at Morehouse College (B.S., 1978) in Atlanta, Georgia. There he first ran the 400-metre race and the 120-yard high hurdles but began running

Earth, Major geologic features of the Earth's exterior

2005-03-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

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.

Biblical Literature, First introductory discourse of Moses

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

The first introductory discourse, spoken by Moses, traces the journey of the Israelites from Mt. Horeb to Moab, with some noticeable differences in detail from the account in Exodus and Numbers and an emphasis on Moses being banned from entrance into the Promised Land because the Lord was angry at the Israelites. To this historical retrospect is appended an exhortation

Extrametrical

2005-03-17T02:38:00.000-08:00

In prosody, exceeding the usual or prescribed number of syllables in a given metre. Also, in reference to a syllable or syllables not counted in metrical analysis. In the following final couplet from a sonnet by William Shakespeare, the ending syllables are extrametrical: Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun

Sardinia

2005-03-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Piedmont-sardinia, or Sardinia-piedmont, kingdom of the house of Savoy from 1720, which was centred on the lands of Piedmont (in northwestern Italy) and Sardinia. In 1718, by the Treaty of London among the great powers, Victor Amadeus II, duke of Savoy and sovereign of Piedmont, was forced to yield Sicily to the Austrian Habsburgs and in exchange received Sardinia (until then a Spanish possession). Two years later, on Aug. 24, 1720, he

Anorthoclase

2005-03-16T04:17:00.000-08:00

Any member of a continuous series of feldspar minerals related to sanidine (q.v.).

Amphibian, Annotated classification

2005-03-15T01:19:00.000-08:00

The following classification is based on that of L. Trueb and R. Cloutier (1991). It emphasizes the lineages leading to the living amphibians and does not include all the fossil taxa; a realistic phylogenetic classification of the class Amphibia is not attainable at the present time, because the relationships of many groups of amphibians are unknown. The characters of

Maastricht

2005-03-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

It was the site of the Roman settlement Trajectum ad

East India Company

2005-03-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

Also called English East India Company , formally (1600–1708) Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies , or (1708–1873) United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies English company formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia and India, incorporated by royal charter on Dec. 31, 1600. Starting as a monopolistic trading body, the company became involved in politics and acted as an agent of British imperialism in India from the early 18th century to the mid-19th century. In addition, the activities of the company in China

Berchem, Nicolaes Pietersz(oon)

2005-03-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Berchem received instruction from his father, Pieter Claesz, a prominent still-life painter, and from several other Dutch masters. After study in Italy, he produced many landscapes in warm colours and an Italian style. He also painted cityscapes and winter and pastoral

Ghavam El-saltaneh, Ahmad

2005-03-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

Ghavam entered the court of the Qajar monarch Mozaffar al-Din Shah as a scribe in 1898. He rose to the position of minister of justice in 1909 and became minister of the interior the following year. In 1918 he was appointed governor of Khorasan province and three years later was nominated prime

Akzo Nobel Nv

2005-03-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

Akzo NV had its origins in the German chemical manufacturer Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken, which was formed in 1899 and made rayon and paints. Vereinigte merged with a Dutch

Italian Literature, Poetry

2005-03-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

Lyric poetry in the 16th century was dominated by the model of Petrarch mainly because of the acceptance of the Renaissance theory of imitation and the teaching of Bembo. Almost all the principal writers of the century wrote lyric poems in the manner of Petrarch. Surprising originality was to be found in Della Casa's poems, and Galeazzo di Tarsia stood out from contemporary

Babeuf, François-noël

2005-03-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

John Anthony Scott (ed. and trans.), The Defense of Gracchus Babeuf Before the High Court of Vendôme, trans. from French (1964); R.B. Rose, Gracchus Babeuf: The First Revolutionary Communist (1978).

Aepinus, Franz Maria Ulrich Theodor Hoch

2005-03-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Aepinus studied medicine before turning to physics and mathematics. His work in these new fields resulted

Armorial Ensign

2005-03-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

Heraldic symbol carried on a flag or shield. The term is much misunderstood because of the popular use of ensign as a generic term for flag. A grant of arms or a matriculation (registration of armorial bearings) may in its text use the term ensigns armorial to mean the heraldic design of the bearer's arms. See heraldry.

Canada, Flag Of

2005-03-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

The establishment of the Canadian federation in 1867 was not accompanied by the creation of a special flag for the country. The imperial Union Jack and other British flags were considered sufficient, although a coat of arms (in the form of a heraldic shield) was granted by Queen Victoria in 1868. The Canadian shield was composed of the arms of the four original provinces—Ontario,

Chad

2005-03-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

Although

Kerguelen Islands

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

Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. Administratively a part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises), it consists of the island of Kerguelen (also known as Desolation Island) and nearly 300 islets, which together cover about 2,400 square miles (6,200 square km). Heavily glaciated Kerguelen Island, about 100 miles (160 km) in length, has

Andersen, Hjallis

2005-03-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

A three-time world, European, and Norwegian champion (1950–52), Andersen was the favourite to win the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre races at the 1952 Olympic Games in Oslo, Norway. He won a surprise

Ahithophel

2005-03-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Achitophel, in the Old Testament, one of King David's most trusted advisers. He took a leading part in the revolt of David's son Absalom, and Ahithophel's defection was a severe blow to David. Having consulted Ahithophel about his plans to proceed against David, Absalom then sought advice from Hushai, another of David's counselors. Hushai, who remained secretly loyal to the king, betrayed

Brie

2005-03-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

The preliminary soft curd of Brie is molded in flat, pancakelike rounds 9–15 inches (23–38 cm) in diameter and 1–1.5 inches (2.5–3.8 cm) in thickness. After the curd becomes firm, the cheese is sprayed with spores of penicillium candidum, a mold that forms a thin, downy white crust. The cheese ripens within

Aseret Yeme Teshuva

2005-03-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

English Ten Days of Penitence the first 10 days of the Jewish religious year. See yamim nora'im.

Duars

2005-03-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Dwars, or Dooars, region of northeastern India, at the foot of the west Assam Himalayas. Its 3,400-square-mile (8,800-square-kilometre) area is divided by the Sankosh River into the Western and Eastern Duars. Both were ceded by Bhutan to the British at the end of the Bhutan War (1864–65). The Eastern Duars, in western Assam state, comprises a level plain intersected by numerous rivers and only slightly populated.

Lowin, John

2005-03-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Lowin was the son of a carpenter. He worked as a goldsmith's apprentice for eight years and then joined the Earl of Worcester's Men as an actor in 1602. By 1603 he was a member of the King's Men. He is known to have specialized in the roles of comic soldiers as well as downright villains.

Voznesensky, Andrey Andreyevich

2005-03-05T22:49:00.000-08:00

Voznesensky spent his early childhood in the city of Vladimir. In 1941 he moved with his mother and sister to Kurgan, in the Ural Mountains, while his father assisted in the evacuation of factories from besieged Leningrad. The profound

Earth Sciences, Prospecting for groundwater

2005-03-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Although the origin of the water in the Earth that seeps or springs from the ground was long the subject of much fanciful speculation, the arts of finding and managing groundwater were already highly developed in the 8th century BC. The construction of long, hand-dug underground aqueducts (qanats) in Armenia and Persia represents one of the great hydrologic achievements

Ramie

2005-03-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

The ramie plant has been cultivated

Hanau

2005-03-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

In full Hanau Am Main, city, Hesse Land (state), central Germany, a port on the right bank of the canalized Main at the mouth of the Kinzig, east of Frankfurt am Main. The old town grew up around the castle of the lords of Hanau (counts from 1429) and was chartered in 1303; the new town was founded in 1597 for Protestant Dutch and Walloon refugees. Hanau passed to Hesse-Kassel in 1736. In 1813 it was the scene of a battle between

Ear Disease, Secretory otitis media

2005-03-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

In secretory otitis media the middle-ear cavity becomes filled with a clear, pale yellowish, noninfected fluid. The disorder is the result of inadequate ventilation of the middle ear through the eustachian tube. The air in the middle ear, when it is no longer replenished through this tube, is gradually absorbed by the mucous membrane, and fluid takes its place. Eventually,

Lebanon, The state of the arts

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

Lebanon's antiquities and ruins have provided not only inspiration for artists but also magnificent backdrops for annual music festivals, most notably the Baalbek International Festival. At one time, international opera, ballet, symphony, and drama companies, of nearly all nationalities, competed to enrich the cultural life of Beirut. Lebanon has produced a number

Mar-pa

2005-03-02T23:43:00.000-08:00

The chief source of information on the life of Mar-pa is a 14th-century biography written by the “Mad Yogin of Tsang.” According to it, Mar-pa was born of wealthy parents. He had a violent nature and was

Aesthetics, Relationship between form and content

2005-03-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

Two related paradoxes also emerge from the same basic conception of the aesthetic experience. The first was given extended consideration by Hegel, who argued, in his Vorlesungen über die Aesthetik (1832; “Lectures on Aesthetics”; Eng. trans., Philosophy of Fine Art), roughly as follows: Our sensuous appreciation of art concentrates upon the given “appearance”—the “form.” It is

Epic

2005-03-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

Long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds, although the term has also been loosely used to describe novels, such as Tolstoy's War and Peace, and motion pictures, such as Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible. In literary usage, the term encompasses both oral and written compositions. The prime examples of the oral epic are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Outstanding examples

Kandahar

2005-03-02T01:04:00.000-08:00

The strategic and

Karate

2005-02-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Unarmed martial-arts discipline employing kicking, striking, and defensive blocking with arms and legs. Emphasis is on concentrating as much of the body's power as possible at the point and instant of impact. Striking surfaces include the hands (particularly the knuckles and the outer edge), ball of the foot, heel, forearm, knee, and elbow. All are toughened by practice

Bahrain, Settlement patterns

2005-02-28T04:40:00.000-08:00

The majority of the population now dwells in towns, but in the north and northwest of the main island, where irrigation has long been carried out using artesian water, there are numerous small villages and isolated dwellings where horticulture is the way of life. This area has an aspect of great fertility, which contrasts starkly with the bare desert appearance of

Keane, Molly

2005-02-27T23:24:00.000-08:00

Born into the Anglo-Irish gentry (the daughter of an estate owner and the poet Moira O'Neill), Keane was educated by a governess. She began to publish novels while in her 20s, under the name M.J. Farrell. She later said, “Young men

Italian Peninsula

2005-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

One of the three great peninsulas of southern Europe, the other two being the Balkan (to the east) and the Iberian (to the west). The Italian Peninsula extends from the region of the Po River southward for some 600 miles (960 km); it has a maximum width of 150 miles (240 km). To the east lies the Adriatic Sea, to the south the Ionian Sea, and to the west the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas. The

Kyd, Thomas

2005-02-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

English dramatist who, with his The Spanish Tragedie (sometimes called Hieronimo, or Jeronimo, after its protagonist), initiated the revenge tragedy of his day. Kyd anticipated the structure of many later plays, including the development of middle and final climaxes. In addition, he revealed an instinctive sense of tragic situation,

Medicine, Other developing countries

2005-02-26T23:33:00.000-08:00

A main goal of the World Health Organization (WHO), as expressed in the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978, is to provide to all the citizens of the world a level of health that will allow them to lead socially and economically productive lives by the year 2000. By the late 1980s, however, vast disparities in health care still existed between the rich and poor countries of the world. In developing

Lopez, Barry

2005-02-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1966; M.A.T., 1968), Lopez briefly

Macarius The Egyptian

2005-02-25T01:03:00.000-08:00

About the age of 30 Macarius retired to the desert of Scete, where for 60 years

Cereal Farming, Weeds

2005-02-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

Weeds present difficulties, as they compete with cereal crops for water, light, and mineral nutrients. The infestation of annual seeds planted in a field may cause many weeds in that field for successive years. Charlock or wild mustard, wild oats, crouch grass, and other common weeds are disseminated by wind, water, and birds.

Ara

2005-02-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Arrah city, Bihar state, northeastern India. The city is a major rail and road junction. Agricultural trade and oilseed milling are carried on there. It is the site of several colleges affiliated with Magadh University. The Little House at Ara is a building that was defended by the British against Kunwar Singh during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. Ara was constituted a municipality

Tu-yün

2005-02-24T03:17:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Duyun, city in central Kweichow sheng (province), China. Situated some 60 miles (100 km) southeast of the provincial capital of Kuei-yang, Tu-yün is a transport centre, with a highway route running eastward into Hunan province and a main route, followed by a highway and railway, running south to Liu-chou in Kwangsi province. It is approximately 25 miles (40 km) south by rail from the junction

Laidoner, Johan

2005-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Educated in Russia for a military career, Laidoner earned the rank of lieutenant colonel in Russian service. He served in World War I (1914–18) as an intelligence

Ames, Aldrich

2005-02-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

The son of a CIA analyst, Ames attended the University of Chicago for two years before becoming a CIA trainee in 1962; he also attended George Washington

Vigée-lebrun, élisabeth

2005-02-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

Her father was Louis Vigée, a pastel portraitist and her first teacher. She studied later with a number of well-known painters, among them J.-B. Greuze and Joseph Vernet. In 1776 she married a picture dealer,

Sea Cave

2005-02-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Cave formed in a cliff by wave action of an ocean or lake. Sea caves occur on almost every cliffed headland or coast where the waves break directly on a rock cliff and are formed by mechanical erosion rather than the chemical solution process that is responsible for the majority of inland caves. Zones of weakness in the cliff give way under the force of the waves and

Kuala Lipis

2005-02-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

Town, central West Malaysia (Malaya), situated along the Jelai River. It is a commercial centre for nearby villages and the riverine Aboriginals who inhabit the dense jungle to the north. Some of its residents live on the slopes of the surrounding hills, while many Malay families cluster in communities of raft huts along the river. The terminus of the central Malayan

Ch'eng Huang

2005-02-20T23:03:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Cheng Huang (Chinese: “Wall and Moat”), in Chinese mythology, the spiritual magistrate and guardian deity of Chinese cities. Because dead spirits reputedly informed the god of all good and evil deeds within his jurisdiction, it was popularly believed that devout prayers offered in Ch'eng Huang's temple would be liberally rewarded. The wide popularity of his cult was also due in part

Corchorus

2005-02-20T02:05:00.000-08:00

Genus of flowering plants of the linden family Tiliaceae (order Malvales). The bark of C. capsularis and to a lesser extent that of C. olitorius constitute the chief source of jute (q.v.), and these species are much cultivated in India and Bangladesh. The leaves and young shoots are eaten as a vegetable in Europe and as a potherb in West Africa. The seeds, however, are poisonous.

Clan

2005-02-20T01:38:00.000-08:00

Kinship group of fundamental importance in the structure of many societies. Membership of a clan is socially defined in terms of actual or purported descent from a common ancestor. This descent is unilineal—i.e., derived only through the male (patriclan) or the female (matriclan). Normally, but not always, the clans are exogamous, marriage within the clan being forbidden

Gymel

2005-02-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

(from Latin cantus gemellus, “twin song”), medieval musical style of two-part polyphonic composition, possibly of popular origin, in which the voices move mainly in consecutive intervals of a third or a sixth. Crossing of parts is a common characteristic. Although gymel compositions have been preserved in manuscripts dating from the beginning of the 13th century, the

Balkhash, Lake

2005-02-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

Kazak Balqash lake, situated in east-central Kazakstan. The lake lies in the vast Balqash-Alaköl basin at 1,122 feet (342 m) above sea level and is situated 600 miles (966 km) east of the Aral Sea. It is 376 miles (605 km) long from west to east. Its area varies within significant limits, depending on the water balance. In years in which there is an abundance of water (as at the beginning of the 20th century and in the decade

Lenin

2005-02-18T01:14:00.000-08:00

World's first nuclear-powered surface ship, a large icebreaker built by the Soviet Union in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1957. The Lenin is 440 feet (134 m) long, displaces 16,000 tons, and cruises in normal waters at 18 knots (nautical miles per hour). It is powered by three nuclear reactors, two of which are normally used for operation and the third of which is kept in reserve. Despite high initial

Corchorus

2005-02-17T07:49:00.000-08:00

PABA is not an essential nutrient for vertebrates,

Asclepiadaceae

2005-02-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

The milkweed family of the flowering-plant order Gentianales, including more than 280 genera and about 2,000 species of tropical herbs or shrubby climbers, rarely shrubs or trees. Most members of the family have milky juice, flowers with five united petals, podlike fruits, and, usually, tufted seeds. The silky-haired seeds are drawn out of their pods by the wind

Smith, Sir Harry (george Wakelyn), Baronet

2005-02-16T02:59:00.000-08:00

Smith began his career in the army as an ensign in 1805 and served with distinction in South America (1807) and, during the Napoleonic Wars, in Spain (1808–14). In the War of 1812 Smith was with the British forces that captured and burned Washington, D.C. He returned to

Theatre, Court theatres

2005-02-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

The Baroque architectural style, beginning in Italy and spreading across Europe, dominated theatre building between about 1650 and 1790. Its chief characteristics are refinement in detail of the proscenium stage and of the Renaissance horseshoe-shaped auditorium and seating plan. The innovations of the period were introduced in the private court theatres. As many as

Guatemala, Settlement patterns

2005-02-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

Approximately 60 percent of the population of Guatemala is concentrated within the volcanic uplands and adjacent Pacific coastal plain to the south and west of Guatemala City. A little more than 10 percent live to the east and south, while only about 2 percent reside within the Petén. The remaining populace resides in the region of the sierras. Of the urban dwellers who

J/psi Particle

2005-02-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

Type of meson consisting of a charmed quark and a charmed antiquark. It has a mass of 3.1 GeV/c2, which is about 3.5 times larger than the mass of a proton. The particle was first detected in 1974 by two groups of American physicists working independently of each other, one headed by Burton Richter at SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) in Menlo Park, Calif., and another headed by

Kokkola

2005-02-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1620, Kokkola became the major seaport and trade centre of Ostrobothnia during the 18th century. In 1854 the British tried unsuccessfully to capture the city. Notable buildings include a 15th-century stone church of Kaarlela, the town hall (1845), and the Renlund

Vyala

2005-02-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

Occurring in a relatively naturalistic form in

Alekseyev, Vasily Ivanovich

2005-02-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Alekseyev was the son of a lumberjack; at age 12 he was felling trees alongside the men and at age 14 was wrestling them on even terms. He enrolled in a forestry institute in 1961 and graduated from Novocherkassk Polytechnical Institute

Catch

2005-02-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Also called Round, perpetual canon designed to be sung by three or more voices, especially popular in 17th- and 18th-century England. Like all rounds, catches are indefinitely repeatable pieces in which all voices begin the same melody on the same pitch but enter at different time intervals. The name may derive from caccia, a 14th-century canonic form, or may refer to each singer's “catching” the

Priest

2005-02-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

A priesthood developed gradually in the early Christian church as first bishops and then elders, or “presbyters,” began to exercise certain priestly functions, mainly in connection with celebration of the Eucharist. By the end of the

France, History Of, The causes of the French Revolution

2005-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

In an immediate sense, what brought down the ancien régime was its own inability to change or, more simply, to pay its way. The deeper causes for its collapse are more difficult to establish. One school of interpretation maintains that French society under the ancien régime was rent by class war. This position implies that the French Revolution revolved around issues

Huxley, T.h.

2005-02-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Huxley's controversial positions in the 1860s and '70s won the support of an increasing number of his contemporaries, while his research established him as one of the leading scientists of his era. As a scientific popularizer he was without peer, and he was an energetic organizer and political infighter. These qualities gave Huxley the levers necessary to elevate the position

Genet, Jean

2005-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Genet, an illegitimate child abandoned by his mother, Gabrielle Genet,

Russell, Charles Taze

2005-02-09T23:48:00.000-08:00

By the time he was 20, Russell had left both Presbyterianism and Congregationalism because he could not reconcile the idea of an eternal hell with God's mercy. He had drifted into skepticism when a chance encounter with some Adventists

Nebula, Ultracompact H II region

2005-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

Recently “ultracompact” H II regions have been discovered inside the molecular clouds in which they were formed. These nebulae are observed only at the wavelengths of radio and far-infrared radiation, which are able to penetrate the thick dust in the clouds. They are extremely bright at wavelengths of 50 micrometres, and the most luminous ones were detected throughout

Jiaguwen

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

Turtle carapaces and ox scapulae with inscriptions scratched into them were discovered about 1900 in the area of Xiaotun, a village in Henan province. In subsequent excavations, scholars uncovered extensive remains and conclusive evidence of the existence