WarmForest

Mindelo

2005-04-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

Portuguese Porto Grande, city and main port of Cape Verde, in the Atlantic Ocean. It lies on the northwest shore of São Vicente Island, about 560 miles (900 km) off the west African coast. The city's deepwater harbour on Porto Grande Bay is an important refueling point for transatlantic freighters. Mindelo port has been a submarine cable station since 1875. A new shipyard, financed by a loan from the European

Romania

2005-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Rumania , Romanian România country lying in the eastern half of the Balkan Peninsula. It is the largest country of the peninsula, having an area of 91,699 square miles (237,500 square kilometres). Its boundaries total 1,959 miles (3,153 kilometres), with Ukraine on the north, Moldova on the northeast, the Black Sea on the east, Bulgaria on the south, Serbia on the southwest, and Hungary on the west. The capital is Bucharest

Transportation, History Of, Formation of airlines

2005-04-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

With practical planes in hand in 1918 the organization of an airline to operate these craft on a scheduled basis over a consistent route was attempted. The first airline was formed in Germany; the Deutsche Luftreederie began service from Berlin to Leipzig and Weimar on Feb. 5, 1919, followed only three days later by the French Farman Company on the trans-channel crossing from

Biblical Literature, The Psalms of Solomon

2005-04-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

Other Jewish apocalypses or books containing eschatological elements did not deal with the mysteries of celestial worlds but rather with the political aspect of apocalyptic thought and with the last days and the messianic age. This latter theme is one of the important motifs of the Psalms of Solomon, a book written originally in Hebrew; only the Greek translation

Integument, Variations among vertebrates

2005-04-02T01:51:00.000-08:00

The vertebrates belong to the phylum Chordata and are closely related to a small, fishlike, almost transparent invertebrate called amphioxus. Amphioxus represents chordate integument at its simplest: an epidermis, consisting of one layer of columnar or cuboidal epithelial cells and scattered mucous cells, covered by a thin cuticle, and a thin dermis of soft connective

Joachim Ii Hektor

2005-04-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

The elder son of Joachim I, Joachim II was given the Old (Altmark) and Middle Marks of Brandenburg on his father's death

Worm

2005-03-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

Any of various unrelated invertebrate animals that typically have soft, slender, elongated bodies and usually lack appendages. Worms are members of several invertebrate phyla, including Platyhelminthes (flatworms), Annelida (segmented worms), Nemertea (ribbon worms), Aschelminthes (roundworms, pinworms, eelworms, threadworms, hairworms, etc.), Sipuncula (peanutworms),

Kwangsi, The revolution

2005-03-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

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

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-03-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is undoubtedly the canid of the greatest importance economically. Numerous humans are actually employed in raising, selling, doctoring, grooming, training, or providing and manufacturing food for “man's best friend.” Dogs probably were the first wild animals to be domesticated; they have been found associated with Neolithic sites

Camden

2005-03-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

Fort Nassau, near present-day Gloucester City, was one of the first colonial settlements in New Jersey (1623). At that time Delaware

Pamirs, Animal life

2005-03-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

The high tablelands of the eastern Pamirs are the prime breeding area of the mountain goat and the argali (Marco Polo) wild sheep; occasional sightings of blue sheep and urial are reported. Ibex are common where human activity is minimal, and markhor inhabit the lower ranges between the Panj and Vakhsh rivers. Brown bear feed on the abundant marmots, as do wolves. Relatively

Koda Rohan

2005-03-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

Rohan's early education was strong in the Japanese and Chinese classics, and although he was graduated from a technical school in 1884, before long

Gottlieb, Adolph

2005-03-25T23:52:00.000-08:00

Early in the 1940s Gottlieb developed

Margai, Sir Milton (augustus Striery)

2005-03-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

The grandson of a paramount chief and the

Saimaa, Lake

2005-03-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Lake in southeastern Finland. It lies just northwest of the Russian border and is northeast of Helsinki. Covering parts of the läänit (provinces) of Mikkeli and Kymi, it has an area of 443 square miles (1,147 square km) and is the primary lake in the Great Saimaa lake system, which, at 1,690 square miles (4,377 square km), is the largest system in Finland. The lake's two branches extend northward about

Hooke, Robert

2005-03-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

In 1655 Hooke was employed by Robert Boyle to construct the Boylean air pump. Five years later, Hooke discovered his law of elasticity, which states that the stretching of a solid body (e.g., metal,

Academy, Gallery Of The

2005-03-23T06:59:00.000-08:00

Italian Galleria Dell'accademia, museum of art in Florence chiefly famous for its several sculptures by Michelangelo, notably his “David.” It also has a collection of 15th- and 16th-century paintings and many 13th–16th-century Tuscan paintings. It was founded in 1784 by the grand duke Pietro Leopoldo and was subsequently enlarged.

Maurice, Saint

2005-03-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

Their story was recorded in the Passio martyrum Acaunensium (“The Passion of the Martyrs of Agaunum”), by the 5th-century French bishop St. Eucherius, who believed

Baselevel

2005-03-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

In hydrology and geomorphology, limit below which a stream cannot erode. Upon entering a still body of water, a stream's velocity is checked and thus it loses its eroding power; hence, the approximate level of the surface of the still water body is the stream's baselevel. If a stream enters the sea, its baselevel is sea level; this is known as ultimate baselevel. If a stream

Sannazzaro, Jacopo

2005-03-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

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

Medicine, Industrial health services

2005-03-21T06:37:00.000-08:00

During the epoch of the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc, industrial health service generally developed more fully in those countries than in the capitalist countries. At the larger industrial establishments in the Soviet Union, polyclinics were created to provide both occupational and general care for workers and their families. Occupational physicians

Macbeth

2005-03-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, performed at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1605–06 and published in the First Folio of 1623, from a promptbook of a version prepared for court performance. Some portions of the original text are corrupted or missing from the published edition. The play is the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, without diversions or subplots. It chronicles

Sophocles

2005-03-20T03:17:00.000-08:00

With Aeschylus and Euripides, one of classical Athens' three great tragic playwrights. The best known of his 123 dramas is Oedipus the King.

Saint Charles

2005-03-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

City, seat of St. Charles county, eastern Missouri, U.S., on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, there bridged to St. Louis, 22 miles (35 km) southeast. One of the earliest white settlements on the Missouri, it was founded in 1769 by Louis Blanchette as Les Petites Côtes (“The Little Hills”). The site, transferred to Spain in 1770, was dedicated in 1771 as the village of San Carlos Borromeo after a church

Al Wahibah Dunes

2005-03-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

Arabic Ramlat Al Wahibah, sandy desert, east-central Oman. It fronts the Arabian Sea on the southeast and stretches along the coast for more than 100 miles (160 km). The desert consists of honey-coloured dunes that are dark red at their base and rise to heights of 230 feet (70 m). The sands are crisscrossed with tracks and routes for vehicles. There is very little surface water, but underground water traditionally

Wright, James C(laude), Jr.

2005-03-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

Wright was educated at Weatherford College and the University of Texas before serving in the Army Air Force during World War II. After the war he entered politics as a Democrat

Girandole

2005-03-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Elaborate wall bracket incorporating one or more candleholders and frequently a mirror to reflect the light. An object of luxury, it was usually embellished with carving and gilding. Although the name is Italian in origin, girandoles reached the greatest heights of fashion (in the second half of the 18th century) in France and England. At the beginning of this period

Austenite

2005-03-17T00:13:00.000-08:00

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.

Shadhiliyah

2005-03-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shaziliyah, widespread brotherhood of Muslim mystics (Sufis), founded on the teachings of Abu al-Hasan ash-Shadhili (d. 1258) in Alexandria. Shadhili teachings stress five points: fear of God, living the sunna (practices) of the Prophet, disdain of mankind, fatalism, and turning to God in times of happiness and distress. The order, which spread throughout North Africa and the Sudan and into Arabia, was

Hawthorne Research

2005-03-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Hawthorne effect socioeconomic experiments conducted by Elton Mayo in 1927 among employees of the Hawthorne Works factory of the Western Electric Company in Cicero, Illinois. For almost a year, a group of female workers were subjected to measured changes in their hours, wages, rest periods, lighting conditions, organization, and degree of supervision and consultation in order to determine

Port Dickson

2005-03-15T05:16:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central West Malaysia (Malaya), on the Strait of Malacca. The port, now in decline, was used extensively during the late 19th century to export the tin mined in the foothills of the state. Now chiefly a seaside resort with a fishing village, it is connected by rail with the inland entrepôt of Seremban, 17 miles (27 km) northeast. Oil refineries are concentrated along the

France, History Of, A republic in crisis

2005-03-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

By the spring of 1793, however, the republic was beleaguered. In the second round of the war, the coalition—now reinforced by Spain, Piedmont, and Britain—routed French forces in the Austrian Netherlands and the Rhineland and breached the Pyrenees. Fighting on five different fronts and bereft of effective leadership, French armies seemed to be losing everywhere. Even General

Nicholas V

2005-03-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Original name Tommaso Parentucelli influential Renaissance pope (reigned 1447–55) and founder of the Vatican Library. Soon after his election, he brought to an end the schism caused by rivalries between popes and councils. By 1455 he had restored peace to the Papal States and to Italy. He began a program for the rebuilding of many of Rome's architectural wonders, including St. Peter's

Locmariaquer

2005-03-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

Village and seaside resort, on the coast of the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan département, Bretagne région, western France, south of Auray. It is famous for its megalithic monuments, notably the Fairies' Stone, a huge, broken standing stone, originally 66 feet (20 m) high—the greatest known menhir (upright monumental stone) in existence. Behind it is the Merchants' Table, composed

Mu'izz-ud-din Muhammad Ibn Sam

2005-03-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Mu'izz-ud-Din's elder brother, Ghiyas-ud-Din, acquired power east of Herat in the region of Ghur (Ghowr, in present Afghanistan) c. 1162. Mu'izz-ud-Din always remained his brother's loyal subordinate. Thus Mu'izz-ud-Din expelled the Oguz Turkmen nomads from Ghazna (Ghazni) in 1173 and came

Shilka River

2005-03-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Šilka river, Chita oblast (province), southeastern Russia, formed by the union of the Onon and Ingoda rivers. It flows 348 miles (560 km) northeast to unite with the Argun to form the Amur River on the Russia–China border. The area of its drainage basin is 80,000 square miles (206,000 square km). The river is navigable for its entire length.

Thompson Submachine Gun

2005-03-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Byname Tommy Gun, submachine gun patented in 1920 by its American designer, General John T. Thompson. The weapon became famous during the U.S. Prohibition era (1920–33) as the gun used by gangsters. Indeed it became so widely known in that era that it is commonly (but erroneously) believed to be the first submachine gun. It weighed almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) empty and fired .45-calibre ammunition. The magazine was either

Ankara, Battle Of

2005-03-11T03:46:00.000-08:00

While challenging the Christian world in the West, Bayezid had annexed the Anatolian Turkmen principalities and posed as heir to the Seljuqs of Anatolia.

Adelaide

2005-03-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

Capital of the state of South Australia. Situated at the base of the Mount Lofty Ranges, 9 miles (14 km) inland from the centre of the eastern shore of the Gulf St. Vincent, it has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers (February mean temperature 74° F [23° C]), mild winters (July mean 54° F [12° C]), and an average annual rainfall of 21 inches (530 mm). The site, chosen in 1836 by William Light (the colony's first surveyor

Sesostris Iii

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

During the reigns of his predecessors, the provincial nobles of Middle Egypt had enhanced their power through royal favours and intermarriage with the families of neighbouring potentates. Around the

Cyperales

2005-03-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

Order of flowering plants belonging to the class Liliopsida (monocotyledons). The Cyperales are generally annual or perennial herbs; a few are woody. They have reduced, mostly wind-pollinated or self-pollinated flowers. The flowers have a unilocular ovary with two to three carpels and a single ovule; the ovary ripens into an indehiscent fruit. The flowers form simple

Brûlé, étienne

2005-03-09T03:34:00.000-08:00

Brûlé is believed to have lived for a year (1610–11) among the Algonquin Indians in order to learn their language. Subsequently, he pioneered the role of interpreter between the French and various tribes,

Palace

2005-03-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

After the Middle Ages the ornate homes of the nobility of all ranks in England, France,

Springfield, Dusty

2005-03-08T02:31:00.000-08:00

British pop singer who in the 1960s recorded such hits as “I Only Want to Be with You,” “Wishin' and Hopin',” “The Look of Love,” “You Don't Have to Say You Love Me,” and “Son of a Preacher Man”; she was appointed O.B.E. in 1999 and was admitted posthumously into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (b. April 16, 1939, London, Eng.—d. March 2, 1999, Henley-on-Thames, Eng.).

Ribot, Alexandre (-félix-joseph)

2005-03-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

Ribot studied law and rose to be director of the Department of Criminal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice. He was elected in 1878 to represent Pas-de-Calais in the Chamber of Deputies. Ribot was a moderate republican, and he specialized in financial matters. He lost his

Novokuznetsk

2005-03-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Novokuzneck , formerly Kuznetsk , (1931–32) Novokuznetsk , or (1932–61) Stalinsk city, Kemerovo oblast (province), south-central Russia. The city lies along the Tom River just below its confluence with the Kondoma, in the Kuznetsk Coal Basin. Originally the small village of Kuznetsk, founded in 1617, stood on the river's right bank; it had about 4,000 inhabitants in 1926. In 1929, under the Soviet First Five-Year Plan, an ironworks was founded on the opposite bank; around the

Malherbe, François De

2005-03-06T23:42:00.000-08:00

Malherbe received a Protestant education at Caen and Paris and later at the universities of Basel (1571) and Heidelberg (1573) but was shortly converted

Azua

2005-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

In full Azua De Compostela, city, southwestern Dominican Republic. Founded in 1504 on the Caribbean coast, the original town was destroyed by an earthquake; the town was reestablished 3 miles (5 km) inland at its present site at the foot of the Ocoa Mountains. It is one of the leading cities in the region, trading mainly in agricultural products grown in the surrounding region: sugarcane, coffee, rice, corn

Charpak, Georges

2005-03-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

Charpak's family moved from Poland to Paris when he was seven years old. During World War II Charpak served in the resistance and was imprisoned by Vichy authorities in 1943. In 1944 he was deported

Jansch, Bert

2005-03-05T00:23:00.000-08:00

Influenced by American folk-blues performers such as Big Bill Broonzy, Jansch was part of the folk scene in Edinburgh,

Burgess, Guy; And Maclean, Donald (duart)

2005-03-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

At the University of Cambridge in the 1930s Burgess and Maclean were part of a group of relatively privileged young men who shared a fashionable disdain for capitalist democracy. Recruited

Disasters

2005-03-04T02:07:00.000-08:00

March 20, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A gas cylinder belonging to a balloon

Biblical Literature, Samuel: Israel under Samuel and Saul

2005-03-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

The book of Samuel covers the period from Samuel, the last of the judges, through the reigns of the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David (except for David's death). The division of Samuel and its succeeding book, Kings (Melakhim), into four separate books first appeared in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament from the 3rd to 2nd centuries BCE.

Robert

2005-03-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

Robert's early years were clouded by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–88), in which his father, Charles II of Anjou, was taken prisoner by the Aragonese. By the terms of the treaty Charles was freed, and Robert took his place as hostage at the Aragonese court. Taking the title of duke of Calabria

Armstrong, Neil (alden)

2005-03-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Armstrong became a licensed pilot on his 16th birthday and a naval air cadet in 1947. His studies in aeronautical engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., were interrupted in 1950 by the Korean War, in which he was shot down once and was awarded three Air Medals. In 1955 he became a civilian research

Sucellus

2005-03-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

Powerful and widely worshiped Celtic god; his iconographic symbols were usually his mallet and libation saucer, indicative of his powers of protection and provision. His Irish equivalent seems to have been the Dagda. Sucellus was possibly one of the Gaulish gods who were equated by Julius Caesar with the Roman god Dis Pater, from whom, according to Caesar, all the

Ahmad Shah Durrani

2005-03-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

Founder of the state of Afghanistan and ruler of an empire that extended from the Amu Darya to the Indian Ocean and from Khorasan into Kashmir, the Punjab, and Sind. Head of the central government, with full control of all departments of state in domestic and foreign affairs, both civil and military, the shah was assisted by a prime minister

Fuller's Earth

2005-03-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

Any fine-grained, naturally occurring earthy substance that has a substantial ability to adsorb impurities or colouring bodies from fats, grease, or oils. Its name originated with the textile industry, in which textile workers (or fullers) cleaned raw wool by kneading it in a mixture of water and fine earth that adsorbed oil, dirt, and other contaminants from the

Armstrong, Samuel Chapman

2005-02-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

The son of American missionaries to Hawaii, Armstrong attended Oahu College for two years before going to the United States in 1860. He enrolled at Williams College; but, on the outbreak

Debré, Olivier

2005-02-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

French abstract painter best known for his large-format commissions, including huge ornamental paintings for the French pavilions at the World's Fairs in Montreal (1967) and Osaka, Japan (1970), and the stage curtains for the Hong Kong Opera, the Shanghai Opera, and both the Comédie Française and the Théâtre des Abbesses in Paris (b. April 14/15, 1920, Paris, France—d. June 1, 1999, Paris).

Cotabato City

2005-02-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

City, southern Mindanao, Philippines. The city is located in a swampy area near the southern banks of the Cotabato River (a tributary of the Mindanao River) and just inland of the Moro Gulf. Cotabato City is the primary trade and commercial centre for all of southwestern Mindanao. Rice, corn (maize), coconuts, sugarcane, coffee, and bananas are grown in the region. Transportation

Ernst, Paul

2005-02-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Ernst studied for the ministry but quickly became disillusioned with theology. He became a militant Marxist and the editor of the Berliner Volkstribüne. He severed his

Tasmania, Demographic trends

2005-02-26T03:05:00.000-08:00

Tasmania continues to have a higher birth rate than most other states, but, as in Australia generally, crude birth rates have tended to fall, average birth rates declining in the middle and late 20th century. Birth rates are lower in the cities than in the smaller towns and rural areas. Death rates remain fairly constant. Infant mortality rates are among the lowest in

Aryballos

2005-02-26T00:07:00.000-08:00

Small, narrow-necked, spherical or globular Greek vase. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, particularly by athletes at the baths, the aryballos derives from the globular wine pourer (oinochoe) of the Geometric style (9th century BC), evolving its distinctive shape in the early Proto-Corinthian style (8th century BC). From the many aryballoi that have been found dating from

Annelid, Behaviour and associations.

2005-02-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

Various polychaetes (for example, Syllis, Chaetopterus, Cirratulus, Terebella) are bioluminescent—that is, capable of producing light. The phenomenon occurs within the cells of Polynoe; the lower surfaces of some scale worms (Halosydna) have special photocells that produce light when stimulated. Odontosyllis light production is related to sexual maturity and

Earth, The geomagnetic dynamo

2005-02-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

Observations of the magnetic field of the Earth's surface indicate that more than 90 percent of this field arises from sources internal to the planet. A variety of mechanisms for generating this field have been proposed, but at present only the geomagnetic dynamo is seriously considered. In the dynamo mechanism, fluid motion in the core moves conducting material

Aerosmith

2005-02-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

The year 2001 was one of the highest peaks in the roller-coaster career of hard-rock survivors Aerosmith; the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and enjoyed the runaway success of its first self-produced album, Just Push Play. Overcoming the legendary excess that had brought its career to a screeching halt in the early 1980s, Aerosmith returned with even greater

Mollisol

2005-02-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

One of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Mollisols are characterized by a significant accumulation of humus in the surface horizon, or uppermost layer, which is almost always formed under native grass vegetation. They are highly arable soils used principally for growing grain and cereal crops, often inspiring the name “breadbasket” for the regions where they

China, Phase one

2005-02-23T02:57:00.000-08:00

As never before in modern times, the Chinese united themselves against a foreign enemy. China's standing armies in 1937 numbered some 1,700,000 men, with 500,000 in reserve. Japan's naval and air superiority were unquestioned. But Japan could not commit its full strength to campaigns in China; the main concern of the Japanese Army was the Soviet Union, while for the Japanese Navy it was the

Togo

2005-02-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

The political crisis arising out of Pres. Gnassingbé Eyadéma's disputed victory in the 1998 presidential elections deepened during 1999. Major opposition parties and their supporters boycotted the parliamentary elections on March 21. As a result, 79 of the 81 seats went to the ruling Rally of the Togolese People, with many candidates running unopposed. On May 21 Eyadema chose Eugene

Kordofanian Languages

2005-02-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

A branch of the Niger-Congo language family that is geographically separated from the rest of the Niger-Congo languages and is believed to represent the oldest layer of languages in the region. The Kordofanian branch consists of some 20 languages spoken by 250,000 to 500,000 people, mainly in the Nuba Hills of central Sudan. Kordofanian is divided into four main groups of languages:

Kazak Language

2005-02-22T01:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kazakh, member of the Turkic language family (a subfamily of the Altaic languages), belonging to the northwestern, or Kipchak, branch. The Kazak language is spoken primarily in Kazakstan and in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang in China but is also found in Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Afghanistan. The so-called Kipchak-Uzbek dialect is closely related to Kazak and is considered

Adaptive Radiation

2005-02-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Evolution of an animal or plant group into a wide variety of types adapted to specialized modes of life. A striking example is the radiation, beginning in the Tertiary period (beginning 66.4 million years ago), of basal mammalian stock into forms adapted to running, leaping, climbing, swimming, and flying.

Barataria Bay

2005-02-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

Inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, about 15 miles (24 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide, in southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Its entrance, largely blocked by Grand Isle and the Grand Terre Islands, is via a narrow Gulf channel navigable through connecting waterways into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway system. The bay is indented and marshy with many islands. The surrounding low-lying Barataria

Marquette, Jacques

2005-02-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

Marquette arrived in Quebec in 1666. After a study of Indian languages, he assisted in founding a mission at Sault Ste. Marie (now in Michigan) in 1668, and another at St. Ignace (now in Michigan) in 1671. In mid-May

Doesburg, Theo Van

2005-02-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

Originally van Doesburg intended to pursue a career in the theatre, but he turned to painting about 1900. He worked in Post-Impressionist and Fauvist styles until 1915, when he discovered Piet Mondrian's work, which convinced van Doesburg

Zeuxis

2005-02-19T02:22:00.000-08:00

Zeuxis was, in one ancient account, a pupil of Demophilus of Himera in Sicily; other sources refer to him as a pupil of Neseus of Thasos (an island in the northern Aegean Sea). He seems to have been a panel

Heinrich Von Melk

2005-02-18T23:57:00.000-08:00

A Benedictine lay brother of the Austrian monastery of Melk, he composed a vivid poem Von des Tôdes gehügede (c. 1150–60; “Remembrance of Death” or “Memento Mori”). The monkish theme is traditional, but the poem's satiric edge and unflattering description of the contemporary emerging feudal and courtly culture

Lennox, Margaret Douglas, Countess Of

2005-02-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

Lady Margaret Douglas was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor (daughter of King Henry VII of England and widow of King James IV of Scotland), and in 1544 she married Matthew Stewart (1516–71), 4th Earl of Lennox. Because of her

Durant

2005-02-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Bryan county, southern Oklahoma, U.S., in the Red River valley, a few miles north of the Texas border. Settled about 1870 and named for a well-known Choctaw family, the city grew steadily after the arrival of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad in 1872. Durant developed as a service centre for a diversified farming area, and in 1909 Southeastern State Normal (teacher-training)

China, General works

2005-02-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

Overviews of China's physical and human geography may be found in Keith Buchanan, The Transformation of the Chinese Earth (1970); Ping-chia Kuo, China, 3rd ed. (1970); T.R. Tregear, China: A Geographical Survey (1980); Albert Kolb, East Asia: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam: Geography of a Cultural Region (1971, reprinted 1977; originally published in German, 1963); Brian Hook (ed.), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China (1982); Robert L. Worden, Andrea Matles Savada, and Ronald E. Dolan (eds.), China, a Country Study, 4th ed. (1988); and Information China, 3 vol. (1989), an encyclopaedic work prepared under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and ed. by C.V. James.

Estate Tax

2005-02-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

Levy on the value of property changing hands at the death of the owner, fixed mainly by reference to its total value. Estate tax is generally applied only to estates evaluated above a statutory amount and is applied at graduated rates. Estate tax is usually easier to administer than inheritance tax (q.v.) levied on beneficiaries because only the value of the entire estate

Ireland

2005-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

The republic of Ireland, separated from Great Britain by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St. George's Channel, shares its island with Northern Ireland to the northeast. Area: 70,285 sq km (27,137 sq mi). Pop. (1994 est.): 3,512,000. Cap.: Dublin. Monetary unit: Irish pound (punt), with (Oct. 7, 1994) a free rate of £Ir 0.64 to U.S. $1 (£Ir 1.01 = £1 sterling). President in 1994, Mary Robinson; prime ministers, Albert Reynolds and, from December 15, John

Gruen, Victor

2005-02-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

Gruen received his architectural training at the Technological Institute and Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and worked under

Phase Diagram

2005-02-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

Graph showing the limiting conditions for solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of a single substance or of a mixture of substances while undergoing changes in pressure and temperature or in some other combination of variables, such as solubility and temperature. The Figure shows a typical phase diagram for a one-component system (i.e., one consisting of a single pure

Alban, Saint

2005-02-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

According to the historian Bede, he served in the Roman army and was converted to Christianity by a fugitive priest whom he sheltered and with whom he exchanged clothes, so that he was martyred in the priest's place (c. 304; other dates suggested by scholars are c. 254 or c. 209). His feast day is commemorated

Carian Language

2005-02-14T00:09:00.000-08:00

Ancient language spoken in the southernmost area of western Anatolia. The language is known primarily from the more than 100 Carian graffiti that were left by Carian mercenaries who served in Egypt. Clay tablets and monumental inscriptions in the language have also been found in Caria since World War II. Carian appears to be written in an alphabetic script. Not enough

China, Consolidation

2005-02-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

Under the third emperor, Chen-tsung (reigned 997/998–1022/23), the Sung achieved consolidation. A threatening Khitan offensive was directly met by the Emperor himself. A few battles assured neither side of victory. The two empires pledged peaceful coexistence in 1004 through an exchange of sworn documents that foreshadowed modern international treaties. The Khitan gave up its claim

Ghaggar River

2005-02-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

River, northern India. The Ghaggar rises in the Siwalik Range, northwestern Himachal Pradesh state, and flows about 200 miles (320 km) southwest through Haryana state, where it receives the Saraswati River. It eventually loses itself in the sands of the Thar Desert. Just southwest of Sirsa it feeds two irrigation canals that extend into Rajasthan. The Ghaggar was probably once an

Syria

2005-02-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

Officially Syrian Arab Republic , Arabic Suriyah , or al-Jumhuriyah al-'Arabiyah as-Suriyah country located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea on the southwestern fringe of the Asian continent. It has an area of approximately 71,500 square miles (185,180 square kilometres), including territory in the Golan Heights that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. It is bounded by Turkey to the north, by Iraq to the east and southeast, by Jordan to the south, and by Lebanon and

Aldecoa, Ignacio

2005-02-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

Aldecoa studied at the University of Madrid, became a newspaper writer, and from 1947 to 1956 was a broadcaster for the radio station Voice of the Falange. He published essays on politics, several collections of short stories, and two books of poems, Todavía la vida

Annam

2005-02-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

The central section of Vietnam known to the French as Annam is largely a highland

Ray Spider

2005-02-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Any spider of the family Theridiosomatidae (order Araneida), known for their conelike webs. Most ray spiders are less than 3 mm (0.125 inch) in body length and are usually found near streams or in damp areas. The strands of the ray spider's web extend outward in raylike groups of three or four. The web is pulled into a cone shape by a strand attached from the web centre to a nearby twig.

Pre-columbian Civilizations, The Maya highlands and Pacific coast

2005-02-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Little is known about the Guatemalan highlands between the demise of the Late Formative Miraflores culture and the onset of the Early Classic. But at the ancient site of Kaminaljuyú, on the western side of Guatemala City, a group of invaders from Teotihuacán built a miniature replica of their capital city. This happened about AD 400, when Teotihuacán was at the height of

Siberia

2005-02-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

All but the extreme southwestern area of Siberia lies in Russia. In Russian usage the

La Follette, Robert M

2005-02-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

As a boy growing up in moderately prosperous rural areas, as a student at the University of Wisconsin (1875–79), as a county district attorney (1880–84) and congressman from southwestern Wisconsin, La Follette developed the personality and style that made him a popular leader. He combined an unusually outgoing personality, which made it natural for him to absorb the ideas and prejudices

Ardashir I

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

Ardashir was the son of Babak, who was the son or descendant of Sasan and was a vassal of the chief petty king in Persis, Gochihr. After Babak got Ardashir the military post of argabad in the town of Darabgerd (near modern Darab, Iran), Ardashir extended his control over several neighbouring cities. Meanwhile,

Ramkhamhaeng

2005-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

On the death of his brother, King Ban Muang, about 1279, Ramkhamhaeng inherited his tiny kingdom of only a few hundred square miles. Over the next two decades—by careful diplomacy, shrewd alliances, and military

Wölfflin, Heinrich

2005-02-07T02:23:00.000-08:00

Wölfflin was educated at the universities of Basel, Berlin, and Munich. His doctoral thesis, Prolegomena zu einer Psychologie der Architektur (1886), already showed the approach that he was later to develop and perfect: an analysis of form based on a psychological

Hope, Anthony

2005-02-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

Educated at Marlborough and at Balliol College, Oxford, he became a lawyer in 1887. The immediate success of The Prisoner of Zenda (1894), his fourth work—and its sequel, Rupert of Hentzau (1898)—turned him entirely to writing. These novels describe the perilous adventures