LeftSnow

Ossetic Language

2005-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Eastern Iranian language spoken in the northern Caucasus by the Ossetes. There are two major dialects: (1) eastern, called Iron, and (2) western, called Digor. The majority of the Ossetes speak Iron, which is the basis of the literary language now written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Ossetic is the modern descendant of the language of the ancient Alani, a Sarmatian people, and the

Theiler, Max

2005-03-19T00:25:00.000-08:00

Theiler received his medical training at St. Thomas's Hospital, London, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, graduating in 1922. In that year he joined the department

Aerobatics

2005-03-17T00:55:00.000-08:00

For a historical overview of the sport, see Annette Carson, Flight Fantastic: The Illustrated History of Aerobatics (1986). Information on aerobatic techniques may be found in Geza Szurovy and Michael Goulian, Advanced Aerobatics (1997); and Peter Mallinson, The Handbook of Glider Aerobatics (1999). Detailed information on the latest competition events and their formats may be obtained by contacting the International Aerobatics Commission of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Paris.

Graebner, Fritz

2005-03-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

While a research assistant at the Royal Museum

Mason, Lowell

2005-03-12T04:06:00.000-08:00

Mason went to Savannah, Ga., as a bank clerk and became choirmaster at the Independent Presbyterian Church in that city. In 1822 he returned to Boston and published his famous and profitable The Handel and Haydn Society's Collection

Kuan Ti

2005-03-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Kuan Ti's immense popularity with the common people rests on the firm belief that his control over evil spirits is so great that even actors who play his part in dramas share his power over demons. Kuan Ti is not only a natural favourite of soldiers but has been chosen patron of numerous trades and professions. Peddlers of bean curd, for example, take

Fujitsu Limited

2005-03-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

Fujitsu was established in 1935 when it broke away from Fuji Electric Company, a joint venture started in 1923 by the Furukawa Mining Company and Germany's Siemens to develop electrical equipment. Fujitsu

Ammons, A.r.

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

A 1949 graduate of Wake Forest College (now University), Ammons worked as an elementary school principal and as a glass company executive before turning his full attention to literature. From 1964 to 1998 he taught

Medicine, Industrial medicine

2005-03-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Industrial Revolution greatly changed, and as a rule worsened, the health hazards caused by industry, while the numbers at risk vastly increased. In Britain the first small beginnings of efforts to ameliorate the lot of the workers in factories and mines began in 1802 with the passing of the first factory act, the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act. The factory act

Cusp

2005-03-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

In architecture, the intersections of lobed or scalloped forms, particularly in arches (cusped arches) and in tracery. Thus the three lobes of a trefoil (cloverleaf form) are separated by three cusps. Cusped forms appear commonly in early Islamic work, as in the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun at Cairo (c. 879), and were especially common in the Moorish architecture of North Africa and

Venison

2005-03-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

Venison resembles beef and mutton in texture, colour, and other general characteristics. It has virtually the same chemical composition as beef but is less fatty. Lean venison roast, before cooking, contains by weight approximately 75 percent water, 20 percent

Polar Anticyclone

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

Polar anticyclones are created by the cooling

Brugnon, Jacques

2005-02-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

Brugnon won the French singles championship in 1921, but he was most famous for his supremacy in doubles. He won four Wimbledon doubles championships (1926, 1928, 1932, 1933), twice with

Yugoslavia

2005-02-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

Three federations have borne the name Yugoslavia (“Land of the South Slavs”). The Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Kraljevina Jugoslavija), officially proclaimed in 1929 and lasting

Akwapim-togo Ranges

2005-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Narrow belt of ridges and hills in Ghana, western Africa. They extend in a southwest-northeast line for about 200 miles (320 km) from the Densu River mouth (near Accra) on the Atlantic coast to the boundary with Togo. Averaging 1,500 feet (460 m) in height, the hills continue eastward to the Niger River as the Togo Mountains in Togo and as the Atakora Mountains in Benin, and they contain isolated

Cheng Chih-lung

2005-02-18T01:59:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Cheng found employment with the Europeans in the Portuguese settlement at Macau, where he was baptized and given the Christian name of Nicholas Gaspard. After leaving Macau, he joined a pirate band that

Encratite

2005-02-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

Tatian converted to Christianity while studying in Rome

Sunday

2005-02-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

First day of the week; in Christianity, the Lord's Day, the weekly memorial of Jesus Christ's Resurrection from the dead. The practice of Christians gathering together for worship on Sunday dates back to apostolic times, but details of the actual development of the custom are not clear. Before the end of the 1st century AD, the author of Revelation gave the first day its name

Gadara

2005-02-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Modern Umm Qays ancient city of Palestine, a member of the Decapolis, located just southeast of the Sea of Galilee in Jordan. Gadara first appeared in history when it fell to the Seleucid Antiochus the Great (218 BC); the Jewish king Alexander Jannaeus took it after 10 months' siege (c. 100 BC). It was restored by the Roman general Pompey, and Augustus gave it to Herod the Great (30 BC). Archaeological remains include

Vyasa

2005-02-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

According to legend, Vyasa was the son of the ascetic Parasara and the dasa (aboriginal) princess Satyavati and grew up in forests, living with hermits who taught him the Vedas (ancient

Yungas

2005-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Humid, subtropical region in western Bolivia. It occupies the eastern slopes of the Andean Cordillera Real and extends northeast and north of the cities of La Paz and Cochabamba. This rainy forested belt of rugged terrain (deep valleys and gorges separated by sharp ridges) has its counterparts in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Settlers have been attracted to the area

Lignum Vitae

2005-02-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

Guaiacum officinale occurs from the southern United States to northern South America. It grows about 9 m (30 feet) tall and reaches a diameter of about 25 cm (10 inches). The evergreen leaves are opposite, divided into leaflets

Fish Processing

2005-02-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

The word fish is commonly used to describe all forms of edible finfish, mollusks (e.g., clams and oysters), and crustaceans (e.g., crabs and lobsters) that inhabit an aquatic environment. Fish from the marine and freshwater bodies of the world have been a major source of food for humankind since before recorded

Tura, Cosimo

2005-02-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

Tura was court artist at the celebrated Renaissance court of the Este dukes at Ferrara and served successively dukes Borso and Ercole I. He was probably trained in Francesco Squarcione's workshop in Padua and was influenced

Computers, Apple Computer

2005-01-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

Like the founding of the early chip companies and the invention of the microprocessor, the story of Apple Computer is a key part of Silicon Valley folklore. Two whiz kids, Stephen G. Wozniak and Steven P. Jobs, shared an interest in electronics. Wozniak was an early and regular participant at Homebrew Computer Club meetings (see the earlier section The Altair), which Jobs

France, History Of, Seeds of discord

2005-01-27T18:03:00.000-08:00

Security could not be taken for granted, however, because the Revolution progressively alienated or disappointed important elements of French society. Among the elites, opposition began almost immediately when some of the king's close relatives left the country in disgust after July 14, thus becoming the first émigrés. Each turning point in the Revolution touched

Papacy

2005-01-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

The office and jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, or the pope (Latin: papa, from the Greek pappas, “father”), who presides over the central government of the Roman Catholic church, the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The term pope was originally applied to all the bishops in the West and also used to describe the patriarch of Alexandria, who still retains

Liturgical Music

2005-01-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Also called Church Music, music written for performance in a religious rite of worship; the term is most commonly associated with the Christian tradition. Developing from the musical practices of the Jewish synagogues, which allowed the cantor an improvised charismatic song, early Christian services contained a simple refrain, or responsorial, sung by the congregation. This evolved

Earth, Seismology: wave-velocity and density distributions

2005-01-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

The main difficulty with studying the Earth's interior is apparent from Figure 15 . Rock fragments (called xenoliths) are brought up volcanically from depth, thus providing samples of the upper mantle. These samples, however, seem to originate at depths no greater than 150 to 200 kilometres. Therefore, the material making up more than 90 percent of the interior is inaccessible

Arts, Central Asian

2005-01-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

Music in Central Asia flowered along centuries-old caravan routes linking the Middle East with China and India via what is often referred to as Turkistan, the vast region extending from the Caspian Sea to Sinkiang province in China. Musical instruments diffused from one region to another, and many of the musical styles still display foreign influence. The variety

Textile, Plain weave

2005-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

Plain, or tabby, weave, the simplest and most common of all weaves, requires only two harnessses and has two warp and weft yarns in each weave unit. To produce it, the warp yarns are held parallel under tension while a crosswise weft yarn isshot over and under alternate warps across the width of the web. The weave unit is completed at the end of the second row, when the weft

Radioactive Fallout

2005-01-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

The deposition of radioactive materials on the Earth from the atmosphere. See fallout.

Vietnam, Relief

2005-01-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

Vietnam's principal physiographic features are the Annamese Cordillera (French: Chaîne Annamitique; Vietnamese: Nui Truong Son), extending from north to south in central Vietnam and dominating the interior, and two extensive alluvial deltas formed by the Red (Hong) River in the north and the Mekong (Cuu Long) River in the south. Between these two deltas is a long, relatively

Black And Tan

2005-01-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

Member of a British auxiliary police force employed in Ireland against the republicans from July 1920 to July 1921. Their popular name derived from the name of a variety of hunting dogs, applied to the police because of their attire of khaki coats, black belts, and dark green trousers and caps. When Irish nationalist agitation intensified after World War I, a large proportion

Raden

2005-01-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

Japanese decorative technique used for lacquerware and woodenware, in which linings of mother-of-pearl or of abalone shells are cut into designs and either glued onto or inserted into the surface of the lacquer or wood. There are several varieties of raden lacquerware. Atsugai-ho, a technique using thick shell, consists of two methods, one of which is inlay: the shell

Wollaston, William Hyde

2005-01-08T00:44:00.000-08:00

Though he was formally educated as

Gypsisol

2005-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Gypsisols are characterized by a subsurface layer of gypsum (a hydrated calcium sulfate) accumulated by the precipitation of calcium and sulfate from downward percolating waters in the soil profile. With intensive management, irrigated crops can be grown on these

Gwalchmai Ap Meilyr

2005-01-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest Welsh court poets (gogynfardd) at the court of Owain Gwynedd at Aberffraw, Anglesey. His extant poems include traditional eulogies to the Welsh princes Owain Gwynedd and Madog ap Maredudd and a “boasting poem,” Gorhoffedd, celebrating his prowess in war and with women. The son of Meilyr, the earliest of the court poets, Gwalchmai had at least two sons

Gambia, The

2005-01-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of The Gambia, country of western Africa, with an area of 4,127 square miles (10,689 square kilometres). Essentially, The Gambia is a strip of land 15 to 30 miles (25 to 50 kilometres) wide and 295 miles long on either bank of the Gambia River; except for a short coastline, it is surrounded by Senegal. Its unusual shape and size are attributable to territorial compromises arising from 19th-century Anglo-French rivalry

Botocudo

2004-12-31T18:44:00.000-08:00

South American Indian people who lived in what is now the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. They spoke a language of the Macro-Ge group. Their culture was similar to that of other nomadic tribes of the forests and mountains of eastern Brazil. Hunting bands of from 50 to 200 members were led by men considered most powerful in the supernatural realm. The Botocudo believed that

Croatia

2004-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Croatia, Serbo-Croatian Hrvatska, or Republika Hrvatska, country located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a small yet highly diverse, crescent-shaped country. The upper arm of the Croatian crescent is bordered on the east by the Vojvodina region of Serbia and on the north by Hungary and Slovenia. The body of the crescent forms a long coastal strip along the Adriatic Sea, and the southern tip touches on

Cambrai, League Of

2004-12-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

An alliance of Pope Julius II, the Holy Roman emperor Maximilian I, Louis XII of France, and Ferdinand II of Aragon, formed Dec. 10, 1508, ostensibly against the Turks but actually to attack the Republic of Venice and divide its possessions among the allies. Mantua and Ferrara, both of which had lost possessions to Venice, were included in the league and were promised that their

Biblical Literature, Canonical standards of the 3rd and 4th centuries

2004-12-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Clement of Alexandria, a theologian who flourished in the late 2nd century, seemed to be practically unconcerned about canonicity. To him, inspiration is what mattered, and he made use of the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Gospel of the Egyptians, the Letter of Barnabas, the Didache, and other extracanonical works. Origen (died c. 254), Clement's pupil and one of the greatest thinkers

Metabolic Disease

2004-12-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Any of the diseases or disorders that disrupt normal metabolism. They may arise from nutritional deficiencies, especially of vitamins or proteins; in connection with diseases of the endocrine system, the liver, or the kidneys; or as a result of genetic defects.

Argentina, The Pampas

2004-12-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

Pampa is a Quechua Indian term meaning “flat surface.” As such it is widely used in southeastern South America from Uruguay, where grass-covered plains commence south of the Brazilian Highlands, to Argentina. In Argentina the Pampas broaden out west of the Río de la Plata to meet the Andean forelands, blending imperceptibly to the north with the Chaco Austral and southern

Nitride

2004-12-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

Binary compound of nitrogen with a more electropositive element, such as boron, silicon, and most metals. Certain metal nitrides are unstable, and most react with water to form ammonia and the oxide or hydroxide of the metal; but the nitrides of boron, vanadium, silicon, titanium, and tantalum are very refractory, resistant to chemical attack, and hard—and thus are useful

Aurgelmir

2004-12-14T23:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Ymir in Norse mythology, the first being, a giant who was created from the drops of water that formed when the ice of Niflheim met the heat of Muspelheim. Aurgelmir was the father of all the giants; a male and a female grew under his arm, and his legs produced a six-headed son. A cow, Audumla, nourished him with her milk. Audumla was herself nourished by licking salty, rime-covered

Roan Antelope

2004-12-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

(Hippotragus equinus), African antelope, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), found in small groups on plains and scrublands. Related to the sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) and to the extinct blaauwbok, or bluebuck (H. leucophoeus), the roan antelope is a large, graceful animal standing 130–150 centimetres (50–60 inches) at the shoulder. Both sexes have long, pointed ears, an erect mane,

Görres, Joseph Von

2004-12-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Görres was sympathetic to the ideals of the French Revolution and published a republican journal, Das rote Blatt (“The Red Page”; renamed Rübezahl), in 1799. After an unsuccessful visit to Paris in 1799 as a political

Görres, Joseph Von

2004-12-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Organization set up by a convention signed in Paris in April 1948 to coordinate efforts to restore Europe's economy under the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan). Among its many functions, the OEEC helped abolish quantitative trade restrictions between its member countries, allocated scarce resources among them, and devised a system for regular consultation

Floor Covering

2004-12-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

Material made from textiles, felts, resins, rubber, or other natural or man-made substances applied or fastened to, or laid upon, the level base surface of a room to provide comfort, durability, safety, and decoration. Such materials include both handmade and machine-made rugs and carpets and smooth-surfaced floor coverings. Although the words carpet and rug are frequently

Sarian, Martiros (sergeevich)

2004-12-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Sarian received training in painting at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture (1897–1904), where among his teachers were the noted realist artists Konstantin Korovin and Valentin Serov. Soon Sarian was exhibiting his

Kuban River

2004-12-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

River in southwestern Russia, 563 miles (906 km) in length and draining 23,600 square miles (61,000 square km). It rises from glaciers on Mount Elbrus in the Greater Caucasus and flows north through narrow gorges, with many rapids, to the Stavropol Upland, where it turns westward in a broad, marshy floodplain to enter the Sea of Azov. Much of its water is diverted for irrigation. The river is navigable

Plasma, Extraterrestrial forms

2004-11-28T01:10:00.000-08:00

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

Maywood, Augusta

2004-11-26T01:29:00.000-08:00

Augusta Williams was the daughter of itinerant English actors. She acquired the name of her stepfather, the theatrical manager Robert Campbell Maywood, when she was three. She began studying ballet under Paul H. Hazard in 1836, and in 1837 she made

Koli

2004-11-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

Large caste living in the central and western mountain area of India, numbering about 650,000 in the late 20th century. The largest group of Koli live in Maharashtra and Gujarat states. Although identified as cultivators and labourers, many Koli survive only by gathering firewood and hiring out as labourers, subsisting on berries and mangoes in summer when food is scarce. The

Cambodia, Flag Of

2004-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

In different artistic representations, the central building of Angkor Wat has appeared on Khmer national flags since the 19th century, in the early days of the French protectorate over Cambodia. The first flag was red bordered in blue with the temple in white. The flag was “modernized” in 1948 by adoption of unequal horizontal stripes of dark blue, red, and dark blue, and the

Wapentake

2004-11-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

An administrative division of the English counties of York, Lincoln, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, and Rutland, first clearly referred to at the end of the 10th century and corresponding to the “hundred” in other parts of England. The term wapentake is of Scandinavian origin and meant the taking of weapons; it later signified the clash of arms by which the people assembled

Sculpture, Western, The Archaic period

2004-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

The kouroi, which had become standardized as freestanding statues of naked youths with hands to sides and one leg advanced, were the most representative examples of Archaic sculpture. At first their proportions were based on theory rather than observation; much the same was true of the anatomical details, which were treated as separate patterns applied to the

Table Tennis

2004-11-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

In 1995 the table tennis world championships returned to China in two senses: they took place in Tianjin, and all seven events were won by China, as they had been in 1981. Thus ended Sweden's domination of the men's team event (in 1989, 1991, and 1993) and the run of European triumphs in the men's singles over the same period. The world champions were: men's singles, Kong Linghui; women's singles, Deng Yaping;

Kirkcudbrightshire

2004-11-14T05:47:00.000-08:00

Also called Kirkcudbright or East Galloway historic county, southwestern Scotland. It lies entirely within Dumfries and Galloway council area. Kirkcudbrightshire forms the eastern portion of the historic province of Galloway. It encompasses the shores of the Solway Firth and Irish Sea between the Rivers Nith and Cree and extends inland across an undulating landscape of hills and valleys, rising in the

East Cambridgeshire

2004-11-10T11:34:00.000-08:00

Prior to the draining of the Fens

Alessandria

2004-11-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Alessandria provincia, in the Piemonte (Piedmont) regione of northwestern Italy. The city lies at the confluence of the Bormida and Tanaro rivers, southeast of Turin (Torino). It was founded in 1168 by the towns of the Lombard League as an Alpine-valley stronghold against the Holy Roman emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. The town was first called Civitas Nova,

Johansson, Ingemar

2004-11-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

As an amateur boxer Johansson was a member of the European Golden Gloves team in 1951 and the Swedish Olympic Games team in 1952. He won the European

Pitch

2004-11-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

In speech, the relative highness or lowness of a tone as perceived by the ear, which depends on the number of vibrations per second produced by the vocal cords. Pitch is the main acoustic correlate of tone and intonation (qq.v.).

Parachute

2004-11-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Device that slows the vertical descent of a body falling through the atmosphere or the velocity of a body moving horizontally. The parachute increases the body's surface area, and this increased air resistance slows the body in motion. There is some mention, but no evidence, dating to the 1100s of the Chinese using parachutes for amusement. In the West, however, parachutes

Germanic Peoples

2004-10-31T01:01:00.000-08:00

No trace of autocracy can be found among the Germans whom Caesar describes. The leading men of the pagi (kindred groups) would try to patch up disputes as they arose, but they acted only in those disputes that broke out between members of their own pagus. There appears to have been no mediatory body at this date. In fact, in peacetime there appears to have been no central

Bonaparte, Charles Joseph

2004-10-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

After graduating from Harvard Law School (1872), Bonaparte began the practice of law in Baltimore in 1874. He was active in organizations advocating municipal and civil

Charles, Ray

2004-10-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

When Charles was an infant his family moved to Greenville, Florida, and he

China, Unification

2004-10-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Though a militarist himself, T'ai-tsu ended militarism as well as usurpation. Even his own coup was skillfully disguised to make it appear that the popular acclaim of the rank and file left him with no choice. Masterful in political maneuvering, T'ai-tsu, as emperor (reigned 960–976), did not destroy other powerful generals as had many previous founding rulers. Instead, he persuaded

Haasse, Hella S.

2004-10-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Haasse studied at the Amsterdam Toneelschool, a dramatic arts school, and published a volume of poetry, Stroomversnelling (“Fast Current”), in 1945. Her novel Het woud der verwachting (1949; In a Dark Wood Wandering) is about Charles d'Orléans, a French nobleman taken

Ujjain

2004-10-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Lying on the first meridian of the ancient Hindu geographers, it was the capital (as Ujjayini) of the Aryan Avanti kingdom (6th–4th century BC). In the 2nd century BC, Ujjain was the seat of the emperor A

New Criticism

2004-10-20T02:43:00.000-07:00

The primary technique employed

San Francisco Peaks

2004-10-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Peaks, known by various Indian language names, are sacred to

Møn

2004-10-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

English Moen island, Storstrøm amtskommune (county commune), Denmark. The island has an area of 84 square miles (218 square km) and lies in the Baltic Sea. It is separated from southern Sjælland (Zealand) by the Ulv Strait and from Falster Island by the Grøn Strait. It is primarily flat except on the east coast, where white chalk cliffs covered with beech forests rise above 450 feet (137 m) in places. The

Arfons, Art

2004-10-09T23:51:00.000-07:00

Arfons worked in his father's feed-mill business in Akron, Ohio, before and after service in the U.S. Navy (1943–46), which trained him in diesel mechanics. He began his career as a drag racer in the early 1950s with his brother Walter, with whom he built a series of racing

Forbin, Claude De

2004-10-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

After becoming an experienced seaman, he went on a French mission to the king of Siam, whom he served as grand admiral for two years (1685–87). Returning to France as commandant of a frigate

Van Diemen's Land

2004-10-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

(1642–1855), the southeastern Australian island colony that became the commonwealth state of Tasmania. Named for Anthony van Diemen, governor general of the Dutch East Indies, the island was discovered and named in 1642 by Abel J. Tasman, a celebrated navigator under Van Diemen's command. The first British settlers in the early 19th century retained the name. After being a part of the

Balbuena, Bernardo De

2004-10-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

Balbuena, taken to Mexico as a child, studied there and in Spain. Returning to the New World, he held minor church offices in Jamaica (1608) and became bishop of Puerto Rico (1620), remaining

Turkey, Foreign affairs since 1950

2004-10-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

Until the 1960s, Turkish foreign policy was wholly based on close relations with the West, particularly the friendship of the United States. Turkey sent troops to Korea and joined NATO (1952) and the Baghdad Pact (1955). This Western-oriented policy derived from fear of the Soviet Union, dependence on U.S. military and economic aid, and Turkey's desire to be accepted as a secular, democratic,

Malacostracan

2004-09-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Malacostracans are the most numerous and most successful of the four major classes of Crustacea. Their members constitute more than two-thirds of all living crustacean species. They exhibit the greatest range

Aerospace Industry, Commercial heavy aircraft

2004-09-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

The need for large-scale air transportation has been central to commercial aircraft manufacturing. As one of the world's most vital industries, airlines are key to many aspects of the world economy, from international business and tourism to routine movement of people and goods ranging from massive machinery to agricultural products and personal items. The United

Durham

2004-09-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

The historic core of the city is located on a peninsula in a bend of the River Wear. This natural defensive site, chosen by William the Conqueror (reigned 1066–87) as a fortress and bulwark against the Scots to the north, soon became a seat of the feudal prince-bishops of Durham, entrusted

Pyrex

2004-09-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

(trademark), a type of glass and glassware that is resistant to heat, chemicals, and electricity. It is used to make chemical apparatus, industrial equipment, including piping and thermometers, and ovenware. Chemically, Pyrex contains borosilicate and expands only about one-third as much as common glass (silicate) when heated. As a result, it is less apt to break when subjected

Kidnapping

2004-09-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Kidnaping, criminal offense consisting of the unlawful taking and carrying away of a person by force or fraud or the unlawful seizure and detention of a person against his will. The principal motives for kidnapping are to subject the victim to some form of involuntary servitude, to expose him to the commission of some further criminal act against his person, or to obtain ransom

Novo Mesto

2004-09-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

City, southern Slovenia, on the Krka River. Novo Mesto was founded in 1365 by Rudolf IV of Austria and became an important military base on the Ottoman frontier in the 15th century. Though ravaged twice by fire (1576 and 1664) and once by plague (1599), Novo Mesto developed into an important regional centre. The modern city has a hydroelectric power plant as well as textile, automobile, and chemical-pharmaceutical

Media Voices Of The Muslim World

2004-09-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the military actions against Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the operation, and the Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan who had harboured him, brought increased visibility and international attention to the news media in the Middle East and Central Asia. This was especially true of the satellite television network Al-Jazeera,

Scaevola, Quintus Mucius

2004-09-16T03:10:00.000-07:00

Instructed in law by his father and in philosophy by the stoic Panaetius of Rhodes, Scaevola became governor of the province of Asia about 120. Although accused of extortion on his return to Rome, he defended himself successfully

Bregenzerwald

2004-09-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

English Bregenz Forest forested mountain range in Bundesland (federal province) Vorarlberg, western Austria. The range, part of the Allgäuer Alps, is drained by the Bregenzer Ache (stream) and has been partly deforested. Its hilly Vorderwald (foothill area toward Bregenz) supports pasture and dairy farming, while winter-sports centres and climatic health resorts in its Hinterwald (mountainous

Yang Yen

2004-09-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yang introduced a new system of taxation into China that helped reduce the power of the aristocratic classes and eliminate their large tax-free estates. Yang abolished the various land, labour, produce, and other taxes to which the Chinese peasantry had been subject and the upper classes immune. In their place

Ibert, Jacques

2004-09-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ibert studied at the Paris Conservatory and in 1919 won the Prix de Rome for his cantata Le Poète et la fée (“The Poet and the Fairy”). In Rome he composed his most popular work, the symphonic suite Escales (1922; “Ports of Call”). From 1937 until 1960 Ibert was director

Asaba

2004-09-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Town and capital of Delta state, southern Nigeria. It lies on the west bank of the Niger River (opposite Onitsha) and on the road to Benin City. A traditional market centre (cassava, yams, palm oil and kernels, kola nuts) for the Igbo (Ibo) people, it was the place where Richard and John Lander, the British explorers of the Niger, were taken captive by the Igbos in 1830. It later became

Costa Alegre, Caetano Da

2004-09-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Costa Alegre was born into a creole family but moved in 1882 to Portugal, where he enrolled in the Medical School of Lisbon. Before he could graduate and

Kachchh, Rann Of

2004-09-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Kachchh also spelled Kutch, Cutch , or Kachh saline mudflats, west-central India and southern Pakistan. The Great Rann covers an area of about 7,000 square miles (18,000 square km) and lies almost entirely within Gujarat state, India, along the border with Pakistan. The Little Rann of Kachchh extends northeast from the Gulf of Kachchh and occupies about 2,000 square miles (5,100 square km) in Gujarat state. Originally an extension of the

Le Maistre De Sacy, Isaac-louis

2004-09-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Important figure in the Jansenist religious movement in France, a member of the Arnauld family (q.v.).

Tu Fu

2004-08-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

Born into a scholarly family, Tu Fu received a traditional Confucian education but failed in the imperial examinations of 736. As a result, he spent much of his youth traveling, during which he won renown as a poet and met the other poets of the period,

Monongahela River

2004-08-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

River formed by the confluence of the Tygart and West Fork rivers in Marion county, W.Va., U.S. It flows 128 miles (206 km) in a northerly direction past Morgantown into Pennsylvania, past Brownsville and Charleroi, joining the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh to become a major headwater of the Ohio River. In its upper reaches the river has a swift current and furnishes hydroelectric

Amadeus Quartet

2004-08-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

English string quartet (1948–87), one of the most durable and highly regarded quartets of Europe. The quartet was formed in 1947, the result of an internment-camp meeting during World War II between three young Austrian refugees—Peter Schidlof, the group's violist; Norbert Brainin, a violinist; and Siegmund Nissel, also a violinist. They were released from the camp with help from Dame

Guétary, Georges (lambros Worloou)

2004-08-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Egyptian-born French singer whose career of over 50 years on the musical theatre stage, in cabarets, on recordings, on television, and in films included a notable role as the man who lost Leslie Caron to Gene Kelly in An American in Paris (b. Feb. 8, 1915--d. Sept. 13, 1997).

Aichinger, Ilse

2004-08-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Aichinger's education was interrupted by World War II when, because she was half Jewish, she was refused entrance to medical school. Although she eventually did begin