BentRiver

Gaius

2005-03-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Caius Roman jurist whose writings became authoritative in the late Roman Empire. The Law of Citations (426), issued by the eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II, named Gaius one of five jurists (the others were Papinian, Ulpian, Modestinus, and Paulus) whose doctrines were to be followed by judges in deciding cases. The Institutiones (“Institutes”) of the Byzantine emperor Justinian

Keats, John

2005-03-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

English Romantic lyric poet who devoted his short life to the perfection of a poetry marked by vivid imagery, great sensuous appeal, and an attempt to express a philosophy through classical legend.

Chaco

2005-03-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Provincia, northeastern Argentina, between the northwestern Argentine highlands and the Paraná River and bounded on part of the east by Paraguay. It has an area of 38,468 square miles (99,633 square km), most of which is low hardwood forest with patches of savanna trending to thorn scrub and savanna in the drier northwest. Heavy rainfall, in combination with the flat terrain, produces

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

2005-03-17T02:19:00.000-08:00

Coastal habitat conservation area in southern Texas, U.S., located about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Corpus Christi. The refuge, parts of which are jointly administered by state and federal agencies, covers a total of 181 square miles (469 square km) on the Gulf of Mexico, including large tracts of land on Matagorda Island and on a broad peninsula between San Antonio Bay and St. Charles

East Devon

2005-03-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Devon, southwestern England, in the southeastern part of the county and bordering Lyme Bay of the English Channel to the south. East Devon is historically known for its handmade lace and carpet-making industries in the eastern interior market towns of Honiton and Axminster. High-quality limestone has been quarried

Yupik Language

2005-03-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

The western division of the Eskimo languages, spoken in southwestern Alaska and in Siberia.

John I

2005-03-12T22:46:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of his reign John had to contend with the hostility of John of Gaunt, who claimed the crown by right of his wife Constance, daughter of Peter I the Cruel. The king of Castile finally bought off the claim of his English competitor by arranging

Crothers, Rachel

2005-03-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

Crothers graduated from the Illinois State Normal School (now Illinois State University) in 1892, then studied dramatic art in Boston and New York City, and for a time she appeared

Gravelines

2005-03-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Flemish Gravelinghe seaport town of northern France, in the département of Nord and the arrondissement of Dunkirk. It is situated midway between Dunkirk and Calais, near the mouth of the Aa River. The canalization of the Aa by the Count of Flanders in about the mid-12th century led to the foundation of Gravelines (grave-linghe, meaning “count's canal”). It became the site of an important citadel,

Myo-o

2005-03-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

In the Buddhist mythology of Japan, fierce protective deities, corresponding to the Sanskrit Vidyaraja (“King of Knowledge”), worshiped mainly by the Shingon sect. They take on a ferocious appearance in order to frighten away evil spirits and to destroy ignorance and ugly passions. They are depicted with angry expressions, with a third eye in the middle of their foreheads,

Hertfordshire

2005-03-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Administrative and historic county of southern England, adjoining Greater London to the south. The administrative county and the historic county cover slightly different areas. The administrative county comprises 10 districts: East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire, Three Rivers, and Welwyn Hatfield; the boroughs of Broxbourne, Dacorum, Hertsmere, Stevenage

Hvarenah

2005-02-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

In Zoroastrianism, the attribute of kingly glory. Introduced to the Persian religion from Iran as part of Mithraism, hvarenah is thought of as a shining halo that descends on a leader and makes him sacred. The king thus proclaims himself divine and can rule with absolute power in the name of God. The concept of hvarenah was especially popular with the Roman emperors,

Insurance, Japan

2005-02-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

Insurance in Japan is mainly in the hands of private enterprise, although government insurance agencies write crop, livestock, forest fire, fishery, export credit, accident and health, and installment sales credit insurance as well as social security. Private insurance companies are regulated under various statutes. Major classes of property insurance written

Furniture, China

2005-02-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

The ancestry of the chair in China cannot be traced as far back as in Egypt and Greece. Since the T'ang dynasty (AD 618–907) an unbroken series of drawings and paintings has been preserved showing the interiors and exteriors of Chinese houses and their furniture. Also preserved since the 16th century are a number of chairs of wood or lacquered wood that bear an astonishing resemblance

Falkland Current

2005-02-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

Branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Southern Hemisphere, flowing northward in the South Atlantic Ocean along the east coast of Argentina to about latitude 30° to 40° S, where it is deflected eastward after meeting the southward-flowing Brazil Current. Characterized by cold temperatures varying from 41° to 66° F (5° to 19° C), the current has a relatively low salinity averaging

Gainza Paz, Alberto

2005-02-19T05:44:00.000-08:00

Gainza Paz received a law degree from the National University at Buenos Aires in 1921 and joined the staff of La Prensa under the direction of his uncle, Ezequiel P. Paz, whom he succeeded

North Germanic Languages, Reformation and Renaissance

2005-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

The many local dialects that exist today developed in the late Middle Ages, when the bulk of the population was rural and tied to its local village or parish, with few opportunities to travel. The people of the cities developed new forms of urban speech, coloured by surrounding rural dialects, by foreign contacts, and by the written languages. The chanceries in which

Carnivore

2005-02-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

For general information on the biology of the carnivores, see E.P. Walker et al., Mammals of the World, 3 vol. (1964), in which each genus is described and illustrated, along with a brief summation of its biology. The taxonomy of carnivores is discussed in G.G. Simpson, “Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals,” Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 85 (1945), a classic work on classification, followed by most recent mammalogists; and H.J. Stains, “Carnivores and Pinnipeds,” in S. Anderson and J.K. Jones, Jr. (eds.), Recent Mammals of the World: A Synopsis of Families (1967). F.E. Beddard, Mammalia (1902, reprinted 1958), is a definitive early work on mammalian anatomy. The paleontology of the Carnivora is summarized in two works by A.S. Romer: Vertebrate Paleontology, 3rd ed. (1966), fundamental to an understanding of fossil forms, and Notes and Comments on Vertebrate Paleontology (1968), containing additional information not found in the general text. Books devoted to particular subgroups of the carnivores include A. Denis, Cats of the World (1964), an excellent summary of the status of all members of the Felidae; C.J. Harris, Otters (1968), a fine summary of the status of the otters around the world; H.E. Hinton and A.M.S. Dunn, Mongooses: Their Natural History and Behaviour (1967), which contains much interesting information that is difficult to find elsewhere, except in scattered literature; R.J. Harrison et al. (eds.), The Behavior and Physiology of Pinnipeds (1968), an excellent summation of knowledge on these aquatic carnivores; and V.B. Scheffer, Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses: A Review of the Pinnipedia (1958), a major work on the taxonomy of the Pinnipedia.

Arts, East Asian, The Tokugawa, or Edo, period

2005-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

At the death of the Momoyama leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1598, his five-year-old son, Hideyori, inherited nominal rule, but true power was held by Hideyoshi's counselors, among whom Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) was the most prominent. Ieyasu assumed the title of shogun in 1603, and the de facto seat of government was moved from Kyoto to his headquarters in Edo (now Tokyo). Ieyasu completed his

Abernathy, Ralph David

2005-02-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

The son of a successful farmer, Abernathy was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1948 and graduated with a B.S. degree from Alabama State University in 1950. His interest then shifted from

Bulimia

2005-02-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

Bulimia generally begins during adolescence or early adult life and is more prevalent in

Arabian Desert, Physiography

2005-02-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Plateaus are a common desert feature. Jordan east of the Dead

Babur

2005-02-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Babar , or Baber , original name Zahir-ud-din Muhammad emperor (1526–30) and founder of the Mughal dynasty of India, a descendant of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and also of Timur (Tamerlane). He was a military adventurer and soldier of distinction and a poet and diarist of genius, as well as a statesman.

Farman, Maurice

2005-02-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

A champion bicyclist, he also distinguished himself as an automobile racing driver. With his brother Henri, Maurice made the first circular flight of more than one kilometre in 1908, completing a 1.6-kilometre (one-mile) flight near Paris. The following year he built

Alizarin

2005-02-07T06:11:00.000-08:00

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

Arabia, History Of, Oman

2005-02-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

In the last decades of the 7th century the Ibadites (Ibadiyah), regarded as a moderate Kharijite sect, conquered southern Arabia, established a Kindite imam in Hadhramaut, occupied San'a', and took Mecca and Medina, before the Umayyads drove them back to Hadhramaut. Oman had early become Kharijite; the first Ibadite imam, al-Julanda ibn Mas'ud, was elected at about the beginning of the 'Abb

Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of

2005-02-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Far to the northwest of the heartland of Chinese civilization, the Sinkiang region was thinly populated by herdsmen and oasis farmers organized into small kingdoms and tribal alliances. Southern Sinkiang came under the loose control of the Western Han dynasty in about 100 BC, when an extension of the Great Wall was built 300 miles west of the present Kansu-Sinkiang border.

Kazakstan

2005-02-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kazakhstan , officially Republic of Kazakstan , Kazakh Qazaqstan Respublikasï country of Central Asia. It is bounded on the northwest and north by Russia, on the east by China, and on the south by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Aral Sea; the Caspian Sea bounds Kazakstan to the southwest. Kazakstan's 1,052,100 square miles (2,724,900 square kilometres) make it by far the largest state in Central Asia and the ninth largest in the world. Between its most distant

Sullivan, Louis

2005-02-03T01:30:00.000-08:00

In full Louis Henry Sullivan American architect, regarded as the spiritual father of modern American architecture and identified with the aesthetics of early skyscraper design. His more than 100 works in collaboration (1879–95) with Dankmar Adler include the Auditorium Building, Chicago (1887–89); the Guaranty Building, Buffalo, New York (1894–95; now Prudential

Godavari River

2005-02-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Sacred river of central India. It rises in the Western Ghats 50 miles (80 km) from the Arabian Sea and flows generally eastward across the Deccan Plateau, along the Maharashtra–Andhra Pradesh border and across Andhra Pradesh state, turning southeastward for the last 200 miles (320 km) of its course before reaching the Bay of Bengal. There it empties via its two mouths: the Gautami

Bonaparte, Joseph

2005-02-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Like his brothers, Joseph embraced the French republican cause and, with the victory of Corsican patriot Pasquale Paoli, was forced to leave Corsica to seek refuge in France. In 1796 he accompanied

Austenite

2005-01-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

Solid solution of carbon and other constituents in a particular form of iron known as g (gamma) iron. This is a face-centred cubic structure formed when iron is heated above 910° C (1,670° F); gamma iron becomes unstable at temperatures above 1,390° C (2,530° F). Austenite is an ingredient of a kind of stainless steel used for making cutlery, hospital and food-service equipment, and tableware.

Chemical Bonding

2005-01-31T02:34:00.000-08:00

Any of the interactions that account for the association of atoms into molecules, ions, crystals, and other stable species that make up the familiar substances of the everyday world. When atoms approach one another, their nuclei and electrons interact and tend to distribute themselves in space in such a way that the total energy is lower than it would be in any alternative

Dactylorhiza

2005-01-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

All species were formerly included in the genus Dactylorchis. The marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), elder-flowered

Acosta, José De

2005-01-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

Jesuit theologian and missionary to the New World, chiefly known for his Historia natural y moral de las Indias, the earliest survey of the New World and its relation to the Old. His works, missionary and literary, mark the end of the period of the religious and scientific incorporation of the newly discovered lands into Western

Acting

2005-01-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

Acting is generally agreed to be a matter less of mimicry, exhibitionism, or imitation than of the ability to react to imaginary stimuli. Its essential elements remain the twin requisites enunciated by the French

Hui-neng

2005-01-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

As a young and illiterate peddler of firewood, Hui-neng heard the Chin-kang ching (“Diamond Sutra”) and traveled 500 miles (800 km) to the area in North China where the fifth Ch'an patriarch,

Mondrian, Piet

2005-01-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

Original name Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan painter who was an important leader in the development of modern abstract art and a major exponent of the Dutch abstract-art movement known as De Stijl (“The Style”). In his mature paintings, Mondrian used the simplest combinations of straight lines, right angles, primary colours, and black, white, and gray.

Robber Fly

2005-01-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

Also called Assassin Fly, any predatory insect of the family Asilidae (order Diptera), numbering about 4,000 species, worldwide in distribution. These flies have variable lengths that range to almost 8 cm (3 inches). They are the largest of all flies. Most are dull in colour, and their stout bodies resemble those of bumble bees. Between the large-faceted eyes is a moustache of bristles. The long legs are adapted

Françaix, Jean

2005-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

The son of the director of the Le Mans Conservatory, Françaix began to compose very early, publishing a piano composition at age nine. He later studied at the Paris Conservatory and became a pupil

China, Provincial separatism

2005-01-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

The post-rebellion settlement not only pardoned several of the most powerful rebel generals but also appointed them as Imperial governors in command of the areas they had surrendered. Hopeh was divided into four new provinces, each under surrendered rebels, while Shantung became the province of An Lu-shan's former garrison army from P'ing-lu in Manchuria, which

Insurance, Coinsurance

2005-01-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Insectivore, Habitats

2005-01-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

Insectivores utilize diverse habitats. Shrews occupy the ground surface in forests and grasslands but are less common in deserts, although Notiosorex and Diplomesodon occupy New and Old World deserts, respectively. Moles are largely confined to North Temperate Zone forests and meadows, especially in areas of deciduous forests and adjacent prairies. Hedgehogs

Interior Design, Design procedure

2005-01-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Professional interior-design assignments may range from the design of a small apartment to extremely large and complex jobs such as the planning and design of all of the floors in an office building or the design of all the spaces in a hotel or resort. The procedures vary somewhat from one job to the next and depend upon the size of the design organization, but the following

O'brien, Flann

2005-01-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

O'Brien was educated in Dublin and later became a civil servant while also pursuing his writing career. He is most celebrated for his unusual novel At Swim-Two-Birds, which, though it was first published in 1939, achieved fame

Blobel, Günter

2005-01-17T03:56:00.000-08:00

Blobel received a medical degree at Eberhard-Karl University of Tübingen, Germany, in 1960 and in 1967 earned a Ph.D. in

Lipsius, Justus

2005-01-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

Appointed to the chair of history and philosophy at Jena in 1572, Lipsius later accepted the chair of history and law at the new University of Leiden (1578) and that of history and Latin at Louvain (1592). His first scholarly publication, the Variae lectiones of

Acting

2005-01-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Stereoscopy

2005-01-12T04:49:00.000-08:00

Science and technology dealing with two-dimensional drawings or photographs that when viewed by both eyes appear to exist in three dimensions in space. A popular term for stereoscopy is 3-D. Stereoscopic pictures are produced in pairs, the members of a pair showing the same scene or object from slightly different angles that correspond to the angles of vision of

Sannazzaro, Jacopo

2005-01-11T05:10:00.000-08:00

Sannazzaro became court poet of the house of Aragon at the age of 20. In 1501, when Frederic, last king of the dynasty, lost his throne, Sannazzaro accompanied him into exile

Nahmanides

2005-01-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

Nahmanides earned his livelihood as a physician and served successively as rabbi at Gerona and then as chief rabbi of Catalonia. He also attempted to mediate disputes between the followers and opponents of the philosopher

Computers, Digital calculators: From the Calculating Clock to the Arithmometer

2005-01-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

In 1623 the German astronomer and mathematician Wilhelm Schickard built the first calculator. He described it in a letter to his friend the astronomer Johannes Kepler, and in 1624 he wrote again to explain that a machine that he had commissioned to be built for Kepler was, apparently along with the prototype, destroyed in a fire. He called it a Calculating Clock, which modern

Pre-columbian Civilizations, Deities

2005-01-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

The ancient tribes of central Mexico had worshiped fertility gods for many centuries when the Aztec invaded the valley. The cult of these gods remained extremely important in Aztec religion. Tlaloc, the giver of rain but also the wrathful deity of lightning, was the leader of a group of rain gods, the Tlaloques, who dwelt on mountaintops. Chalchiuhtlicue (“One Who Wears

Masaka

2005-01-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Uganda, situated about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Kampala (the national capital), at an elevation of 4,300 feet (1,310 m). Roads connect it with Mbirizi, Lyantonde, and Mbarara. It is a market town and important commercial centre for the surrounding rich coffee-growing area. Its industries produce processed meat and fish, beverages, footwear, furniture, bakery products, glass,

Pharmaceutical Industry, Vaccines

2005-01-06T02:05:00.000-08:00

Vaccines, viral or bacterial preparations used to induce active immunity, may be divided into three groups: toxoids, bacterial vaccines, and virus vaccines. Toxoids, such as diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, can be prepared only from toxin-producing bacteria. To produce diphtheria toxoid, for example, diphtheria bacilli are cultured under artificial conditions in

Scandinavian Literature

2005-01-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

The literature of Scandinavia and, in particular, of Iceland has reflected two extraordinary features of the social and cultural history of pagan Europe and of Iceland. The way in which names such as Siegfried, Brunhild, and Attila cropped up again and again in different European literatures has borne witness to the dissemination of legends and traditions common

World War I, The Balkan front, 1918

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

At Salonika the Allies' politically ambitious but militarily ineffective commander in chief, General Sarrail, was replaced at the end of 1917 by General Guillaumat, who was in turn succeeded in July 1918 by General L.-F.-F. Franchet d'Esperey, who launched a major offensive in September with six Serbian and two French divisions against a seven-mile front held by only one Bulgarian

Great Migration

2005-01-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, the widespread migration of African Americans in the 20th century from rural communities in the South to large cities in the North and West. At the turn of the 20th century, the vast majority of black Americans lived in the Southern states. From 1916 to 1970, during this Great Migration, it is estimated that some six million black Southerners relocated to urban areas

B-film

2004-12-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

Also called B-movie, or B-picture, cheaply produced, formulaic film initially intended to serve as the second feature on a double bill. During the 1930s and '40s, a period often called the Golden Age of Hollywood, B-films were usually paired with bigger-budget, more prestigious A-pictures; but two B-films were sometimes used for midweek or Saturday matinee showings. The characteristics of B-films included low

Naresuan

2004-12-31T06:32:00.000-08:00

In 1569 the Myanmar king Bayinnaung (reigned 1551–81) conquered Siam and placed Naresuan's father, Maha Thammaracha, on the throne as his vassal. The capital, Ayutthaya, was pillaged, thousands of Siamese

Sarcee

2004-12-30T07:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sarsi, North American Plains Indian people of Athabascan linguistic stock who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries near the upper Saskatchewan and Athabaska rivers. They probably moved southward to this region near the end of the 17th century when they became the northern neighbours of the Blackfoot Indians, from whom they received some protection from enemies. Their name

Coral Sea

2004-12-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

Sea of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, extending east of Australia and New Guinea, west of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, and south of the Solomon Islands. It is about 1,400 miles (2,250 km) north-south and 1,500 miles east-west and covers an area of 1,849,800 square miles (4,791,000 square km). To the south it merges with the Tasman Sea, to the north with the Solomon Sea, and to the east with the Pacific; it is connected

Agricola, Georgius

2004-12-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

(Latin), German Georg Bauer German scholar and scientist known as “the father of mineralogy.” While a highly educated classicist and humanist, well regarded by scholars of his own and later times, he was yet singularly independent of the theories of ancient authorities. He was indeed among the first to found a natural

Biblical Literature, The English Revised Version

2004-12-27T02:51:00.000-08:00

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

Aerarium

2004-12-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

Treasury of ancient Rome, housed in the Temple of Saturn and the adjacent tabularium (record office) in the Forum. Under the republic (c. 509–27 BC) it was managed by two finance magistrates, the urban quaestors, and controlled by the Senate. In theory all revenues were paid into the aerarium, and all public payments were made from it. In practice, money was moved from the provinces

Biblical Literature, The Letter of Paul to Philemon

2004-12-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

From Ephesus, where he was imprisoned (c. 53–54), Paul wrote his shortest and most personal letter to a Phrygian Christian (probably from Colossae or nearby Laodicea) whose slave Onesimus had run away, after possibly having stolen money from his master. The slave apparently had met Paul in prison, was converted, and was being returned to his master with a letter from Paul appealing

Morais, Vinícius De

2004-12-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

The author of numerous volumes of lyrical poetry, Vinícius began his literary career as an adherent of the Brazilian Modernism in vogue around 1930. A period of studying English

Mahe

2004-12-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

Town in Pondicherry union territory, which is an enclave in northern Kerala state, southwestern India. Mahe lies on the left bank of the Naluthara River, northwest of Kozhikode (Calicut). The scene of much fighting between British and French troops in the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was captured by the French in 1726, incorporated several times into the British presidency

Plasma, Extraterrestrial forms

2004-12-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

It has been suggested that the universe originated as a violent explosion about 10 billion years ago and initially consisted of a fireball of completely ionized hydrogen plasma. Irrespective of the truth of this, there is little matter in the universe now that does not exist in the plasma state. The observed stars are composed of plasmas, as are interstellar and interplanetary

Mitford, Mary Russell

2004-12-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

She was the only daughter of George Mitford, a dashing, irresponsible character whose extravagance compelled the family, in 1820, to leave their house in Reading (built when Mary, at the age of 10, won £20,000 in a lottery)

Latimer, Hugh

2004-12-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Latimer was the son of a prosperous yeoman farmer. Educated at the University of Cambridge, he was ordained a priest about 1510. In the two decades before 1530 he gradually acquired

Arabic Language

2004-12-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

Arabic is the language of the Qur'an (or Koran, the sacred book of Islam) and the religious language of all Muslims. Literary Arabic, usually called Classical Arabic, is essentially the form of the language

Yahya Ibn Mahmud Al-wasiti

2004-12-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

Yahya was not the first to paint in this style, but he was the best artist

Arabian Sea, Submarine morphology and geology

2004-12-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Arabian Sea was formed within the past 150 million years (i.e., during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras) as the Indian subcontinent migrated north and collided with Asia. Stretching southeastward from Socotra is the submarine Carlsberg Ridge, which coincides with the belt of seismic activity in the Indian Ocean that divides the Arabian Sea into two major basins—the

Zamboanga City

2004-12-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

City and port, western Mindanao, Philippines. It is a busy port strategically located on the southwestern tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula, on Basilan Strait and sheltered by Basilan Island. The immediate coastal lowlands are narrow, with low, rugged hills located a short distance inland. Zamboanga's Spanish-style architecture, fine beaches, and mountainous backdrop

Ombres Chinoises

2004-12-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

(French: “Chinese shadows”), European version of the Chinese shadow-puppet show, introduced in Europe in the mid-18th century by returning travelers. Soon adopted by French and English showmen, the form gained prominence in the shows of the French puppeteer Dominique Séraphin, who presented the first popular ombres chinoises in Paris in 1776. In 1781 he moved his show to Versailles,

Gobi

2004-12-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Information on the Gobi is available in surveys of explorations in the area: Jack Autrey Dabbs, History of the Discovery and Exploration of Chinese Turkestan (1963), a comprehensive introduction with a bibliography; and Sven Hedin, Central Asia and Tibet, trans. from Swedish, 2 vol. (1903, reissued 1969), and Across the Goby Desert (1931, reprinted 1968; originally published in Swedish, 1928). Other records of archaeological and geographic explorations in the area include Aurel Stein, Ruins of Desert Cathay: Personal Narrative of Explorations in Central Asia and Westernmost China, 2 vol. (1912, reprinted 1987), and On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks: Brief Narrative of Three Expeditions in Innermost Asia and North-Western China (1933, reissued 1971); Owen Lattimore, Inner Asian Frontiers of China (1940, reprinted 1988); Paul Pelliot, Les Grottes de Touen-Houang: peintures and sculptures bouddhiques des époques des Wei, des T'ang, et des Song, 6 vol. in 4 (1914–24); Peter Hopkirk, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia (1980); and Basil Davidson, Turkestan Alive: New Travels in Chinese Central Asia (1957). Specific treatments of the Gobi are Mildred Cable, The Gobi Desert (1942, reprinted 1987); and Alonzo W. Pond, Climate and Weather in the Central Gobi of Mongolia (1954). An overview of the contemporary economic and social situation is presented in Terry Cannon and Alan Jenkins (ed.), The Geography of Contemporary China: The Impact of Deng Xiaoping's Decade (1990).

Biblical Literature, The revision of Theodotion

2004-12-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

A second revision of the Greek text was made by Theodotion (of unknown origins) late in the 2nd century, though it is not entirely clear whether it was the Septuagint or some other Greek version that underlay his revision. The new rendering was characterized by a tendency toward verbal consistency and much transliteration of Hebrew words.

France, History Of, The Second Republic, 184852

2004-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

The succession to the throne was not to be decided so easily, however. The Chamber of Deputies, invaded by a mob that demanded a republic, set up a provisional government whose members ranged from constitutional monarchists to one radical deputy, Alexandre-Auguste Ledru-Rollin. Led by the poet-deputy Alphonse de Lamartine, the members of the government proceeded

Ob River, Climate and hydrology

2004-12-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

The Ob basin has short, warm summers and long, cold winters. Average January temperatures range from -18 °F (-28 °C) on the shores of the Kara Sea to 3 °F (-16 °C) in the upper reaches of the Irtysh. July temperatures for the same locations, respectively, range from 40 °F (4 °C) to above 68 °F (20 °C). The absolute maximum temperature, in the arid south, is 104 °F (40 °C), and the minimum, in the Altai Mountains, is -76 °F (-60 °C). Rainfall, which

Buchanan, James M.

2004-12-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Buchanan attended Middle Tennessee State College (B.S., 1940), the University of Tennessee (M.A., 1941), and—after five years in the navy—the University of Chicago

Hughes, William Morris

2004-12-07T03:20:00.000-08:00

Hughes emigrated to Queensland in 1884. After working for the unionization of maritime workers in Sydney, he was elected to the New South Wales legislature in 1894 as a Labor Party member. He entered the first federal Parliament in 1901 and served as attorney

Scalare

2004-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Any of several popular aquarium fishes of the angelfish (q.v.) group.

Armory Show

2004-12-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Formally International Exhibition of Modern Art an exhibition of painting and sculpture held from Feb. 17 to March 15, 1913, at the Sixty-ninth Regiment Armory in New York City. The show, a decisive event in the development of American art, was originally conceived by its organizers, the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, as a selection of representational works exclusively by American artists, members both of

Permafrost, Patterned ground

2004-12-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

Intense seasonal frost action, repeated freezing and thawing throughout the year, produces small-scale patterned ground. Repetitive freezing and thawing tends to stir and sort granular sediments, thus forming circles, stone nets, and polygons a few centimetres to 6 metres in diameter. The coarse cobbles and boulders form the outside of the ring and the finer sediments

East Dorset

2004-12-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Dorset, southern England, in the northeastern corner of the county directly north of the English Channel resorts of Bournemouth and Poole. Most of the district is part of the historic county of Dorset, but its easternmost section, including St. Leonards, is in the historic county of Hampshire. East Dorset district is a low-lying plain

Capital Punishment

2004-12-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

Also called death penalty execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. Capital punishment should be distinguished from extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law. The term death penalty is sometimes used interchangeably with capital punishment, though imposition of the penalty is not always followed by execution

Chandler, Seth Carlo

2004-12-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Chandler initially worked for the U.S. Coast Survey (1864–70). He then worked as an actuary until he joined the Harvard University Observatory in 1881. From 1896 to 1909 he edited

Joule

2004-11-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Unit of work or energy in the International System of Units (SI); it is equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through one metre. Named in honour of the English physicist James Prescott Joule, it equals 107 ergs, or approximately 0.7377 foot-pounds. In electrical terms, the joule equals one watt-second—i.e., the energy released in one second by a current of one ampere through

Passeriform, Size range and structural diversity

2004-11-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

Passerines are small to medium-sized land birds, ranging from about 7.5 to about 117 centimetres (three to 46 inches) in overall length. Among the tiniest species are the New World flycatchers (Tyrannidae), New Zealand wrens (Xenicidae), titmice (Paridae), flower-peckers (Dicaeidae), tanagers (Thraupidae), and waxbills (Estrildidae). The heaviest are the lyrebirds (Menuridae) of Australia

Quandong Nut

2004-11-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Edible seed of the native peach (Santalum acuminatum), a small shrubby tree of the sandalwood family (Santalaceae), native to Australia. Unlike other members of this family, the native peach is grown for its fruit and nuts rather than for its wood. The nutritious, red, pulpy flesh of the fruit is used in jams, pies, and chutneys. The hard-shelled, edible nuts are customarily

Astor, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn

2004-11-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Caroline Schermerhorn was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and had colonial Dutch aristocracy on both sides of her family tree. Her marriage to William Astor, son of William Backhouse

Gafencu, Grigore

2004-11-25T23:53:00.000-08:00

The 300 genera of muroid rodents are classified within 18 subfamilies, but more than

Mahasiddha

2004-11-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

Both the Shaivites (followers of Shiva) of Hindu India and the Tantric Buddhists of Tibet preserve legends of 84 mahasiddhas who flourished up to the 11th century. (The number 84 is a conventional, mystical

Robert De Boron

2004-11-24T01:47:00.000-08:00

Boron also spelled Borron French poet, originally from the village of Boron, near Delle. He was important for his trilogy of poems (Joseph d'Arimathe, Merlin, Perceval). It told the early history of the Grail and linked this independent legend more firmly with Arthurian legend, using the prophetic figure of Merlin, with his knowledge of past and future, as the connecting link.

Fresnillo

2004-11-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

In full Fresnillo De González Echeverría, city, central Zacatecas state, north central Mexico. It lies on an interior plateau more than 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above sea level and northwest of Zacatecas city, the state capital. It was founded in 1554 and has been an important silver-mining centre since 1569. Limited quantities of gold, copper, lead, and zinc are also produced. Irrigation has increased grain and vegetable production in the

Takla Makan Desert

2004-11-21T01:14:00.000-08:00

The Takla Makan is flanked by high mountain ranges: the Tien Shan in the north, the Kunlun Mountains in the south, and the Pamirs in the west. There is a gradual transition to the Lop Nor basin in the east, and, in the south and west, between the sandy desert and the mountains, lies a band of sloping desert lowland composed of pebble-detritus deposits.

Régio, José

2004-11-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Régio began his literary career while still a student at the University of Coimbra with the publication of his lyric-dramatic Poemas de Deus e do

Oman

2004-11-19T02:01:00.000-08:00

Officially Sultanate of Oman, Arabic Saltanat 'Uman country occupying the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bounded to the southwest by Yemen, to the south and east by the Arabian Sea, to the north by the Gulf of Oman, to the northwest by the United Arab Emirates, and to the west by Saudi Arabia. A small enclave, the Ru'us Al-Jibal (“the Mountaintops”), occupies the northern tip of the Musandam Peninsula at the Strait

'amuq

2004-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

In the

BentRiver

Gaius

Keats, John

Chaco

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

East Devon

Yupik Language

John I

Crothers, Rachel

Gravelines

Myo-o

Hertfordshire

Hvarenah

Insurance, Japan

Furniture, China

Falkland Current

Gainza Paz, Alberto

North Germanic Languages, Reformation and Renaissance

Carnivore

Arts, East Asian, The Tokugawa, or Edo, period

Abernathy, Ralph David

Bulimia

Arabian Desert, Physiography

Babur

Farman, Maurice

Alizarin

Arabia, History Of, Oman

Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of

Kazakstan

Sullivan, Louis

Godavari River

Bonaparte, Joseph

Austenite

Chemical Bonding

Dactylorhiza

Acosta, José De

Acting

Hui-neng

Mondrian, Piet

Robber Fly

Françaix, Jean

China, Provincial separatism

Insurance, Coinsurance

Insectivore, Habitats

Interior Design, Design procedure

O'brien, Flann

Blobel, Günter

Lipsius, Justus

Acting

Stereoscopy

Sannazzaro, Jacopo

Nahmanides

Computers, Digital calculators: From the Calculating Clock to the Arithmometer

Pre-columbian Civilizations, Deities

Masaka

Pharmaceutical Industry, Vaccines

Scandinavian Literature

World War I, The Balkan front, 1918

Great Migration

B-film

Naresuan

Sarcee

Coral Sea

Agricola, Georgius

Biblical Literature, The English Revised Version

Aerarium

Biblical Literature, The Letter of Paul to Philemon

Morais, Vinícius De

Mahe

Plasma, Extraterrestrial forms

Mitford, Mary Russell

Latimer, Hugh

Arabic Language

Yahya Ibn Mahmud Al-wasiti

Arabian Sea, Submarine morphology and geology

Zamboanga City

Ombres Chinoises

Gobi

Biblical Literature, The revision of Theodotion

France, History Of, The Second Republic, 184852

France, History Of, The Second Republic, 184852