WrongCarriage

Cam

2005-04-05T03:53:00.000-07:00

Cams are made in a variety of forms, such as: (1) a rotating disk

Dacko, David

2005-04-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Central African Republic politician (b. March 24, 1930, Bouchia, Moyen Congo, French Equatorial Africa—d. Nov. 20, 2003, Yaoundé, Cameroon), was twice president (1960–65 and 1979–81) of the Central African Republic and twice was removed from office by a military coup. After then president Barthélemy Boganda died in a plane crash in March 1959, Dacko established himself in the top post, and from 1960 he headed an autocratic

Sickle Cell Anemia

2005-04-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

Hereditary disease that destroys red blood cells by causing them to take on a rigid “sickle” shape. The disease is characterized by many of the symptoms of chronic anemia (fatigue, pale skin, and shortness of breath) as well as susceptibility to infection, jaundice and other eye problems, delayed growth, and episodic crises of severe pain in the abdomen, bones, or muscles.

Holden, William

2005-04-03T00:24:00.000-08:00

While attending Pasadena Junior College, Beedle acted in local radio plays and became involved with the Pasadena Playhouse. He was discovered by a Paramount Pictures talent scout and given the more

Philip Ii

2005-03-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

Byname Philip Of Macedon 18th king of Macedonia (359–336 BC), who restored internal peace to his country and then, by 339, had gained domination over all Greece by military and diplomatic means, thus laying the foundations for its expansion under his son Alexander III the Great.

Sickle Cell Anemia

2005-03-31T01:40:00.000-08:00

Of the two organizations, the AEU was larger and older, though both originated as unions of skilled craftsmen and only later opened their

Djibouti, Language

2005-03-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

The republic recognizes two official languages: French and Arabic. However, Somali is the most widely spoken language, although it is rarely written and is not taught in the schools. The use of Afar is mostly restricted to Afar areas. Many Djiboutians are multilingual.

Babbler

2005-03-29T07:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Chatterer, any of more than 250 Old World songbirds of the family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes); they are treated by many authorities as a subfamily of the Muscicapidae (q.v.). Noted for their continual and rapid vocalizations, babblers are sometimes called babbling thrushes or chatterers. The name babbler is often used in compound form suggesting habitat, appearance, or behaviour:

Aquatint

2005-03-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

A variety of etching widely used by printmakers to achieve a broad range of tonal values. The process is called aquatint because finished prints often resemble watercolour drawings or wash drawings. The technique consists of exposing a copperplate to acid through a layer of granulated resin or sugar. The acid bites away the plate only in the interstices between

Endomorph

2005-03-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

A human physical type (somatotype) tending toward roundness, as determined by the physique classification system developed by American psychologist W.H. Sheldon. The extreme endomorph has a body as nearly globular as humanly possible; he has a round head, a large, round abdomen, large internal organs relative to his size, rather short arms and legs with fat upper arms

Osei Tutu

2005-03-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

Osei Tutu had been a hostage in the Denkyera court but had escaped eastward to the powerful state of

Rastrakuta Dynasty

2005-03-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

Probably originally Dravidian farmers, they were the royal family of Lattalur (Latur, near Osmanabad). They spoke Kannada but also knew the northern Deccan language. Under Rastrakuta, who defeated a rival dynasty, the Calukyas (see Calukya dynasty), the Deccan Empire became the second greatest political

Enugu

2005-03-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Enugu state, south-central Nigeria, at the foot of the Udi Plateau. It is on the railroad from Port Harcourt, 150 miles (240 km) south-southwest, and at the intersection of roads from Aba, Onitsha, and Abakaliki. The town owes its existence to the discovery of coal on the plateau in 1909, which led to the building of Port Harcourt. With the completion of the railway from the

Anawrahta

2005-03-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

During his reign Anawrahta united the northern homeland of the Burmese people with the Mon kingdoms of the south. He extended his dominion as far north as the kingdom

Alabama, Health and welfare

2005-03-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

In rural areas and among nonwhites, educational and economic opportunities are fewer, and health and medical resources and services are less available. Welfare payments in Alabama rank low by national standards. Penal institutions include several prisons and camps for youthful offenders. Controversy over conditions in these institutions has occasionally

Art History

2005-03-21T22:58:00.000-08:00

Art historical research has two primary concerns.

Argenta

2005-03-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Town, Ferrara province, Emilia-Romagna region, northeastern Italy, on the Fiume (river) Reno, southeast of Ferrara city. It has some fine medieval and Renaissance buildings, including the churches of S. Domenico and S. Francesco, and a notable picture gallery. The town was flooded by the German forces during World War II. It is now mainly an agricultural centre. Pop. (1981 prelim.)

X-trisomy

2005-03-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

Sex chromosome disorder of human females, in which three X chromosomes are present, rather than the normal pair. More common than Turner's syndrome, where only one X chromosome is present, X-trisomy usually remains undetected because affected individuals appear normal, experience puberty, and are usually fertile. Statistical studies suggest a slightly increased

Philip

2005-03-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

When the Roman emperor Augustus adjusted Herod's will, Philip was assigned to the region east of the Sea of Galilee, in modern northern Israel, Lebanon, and southern Syria. In AD 6, he may have joined in charging his half brother with misgoverning Judaea,

Knappertsbusch, Hans

2005-03-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

At his family's urging, Knappertsbusch studied philosophy at the University of Bonn. However, he also pursued his interest in music and in 1908 began studying at the Cologne Conservatory under Fritz Steinbach

China, The empire

2005-03-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

Shih huang-ti made a number of important reforms. He abolished the feudal system completely and extended

Breckinridge, Mary

2005-03-17T05:56:00.000-08:00

Breckinridge grew up in Washington, D.C., where her father was an Arkansas congressman, and in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he served as U.S. minister to Russia. Educated

Safe-conduct

2005-03-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Procedure by which a person is permitted to enter or leave a jurisdiction in which he would normally be subject to arrest, detention, or other deprivation. Historically, the habit of princes in granting safe-conducts to foreigners who, as aliens, did not ordinarily enjoy the full protection of the host-country's law developed into the system of diplomatic

Belchatów

2005-03-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

A major lignite deposit was discovered in 1960 near Belchat

Lower Burma

2005-03-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Historical and geographic division of Burma (Myanmar), referring to the southern coastal and delta region on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea (as opposed to Upper Burma). It was the centre of the Mon kingdoms based at Pegu and was acquired by the British Indian government in 1826 and 1852. Under the British, Lower Burma rapidly developed into the country's principal rice-growing

Novartis Ag

2005-03-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ciba-Geigy originated in the merger of two smaller Swiss firms, Ciba AG and J.R. Geigy SA. Ciba developed from a silk-dyeing business owned by Alexander Clavel,

Iasi

2005-03-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), northeastern Romania, occupying an area of 2,112 square miles (5,469 square km), and bounded on the east by Moldova. The southward-flowing Prut River marks the county's eastern border with Moldova, and the Siret River drains the hilly terrain of the county to the south. Iasi county was a part of feudal Moldavia. Iasi city is the county capital and has chemical, textile, and

Arabian Sea

2005-03-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

Most of the Arabian Sea has depths that exceed 9,800 feet, and there are no islands in the middle. Deep water reaches close to the bordering lands except in the northeast, off Pakistan and India. To the southeast the Lakshadweep atolls form part of the submarine Maldive Ridge, which extends farther south into the Indian Ocean where it rises above the surface to form the atolls

Aratus

2005-03-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

He resided at the courts of Antigonus II Gonatas, king of Macedonia, and Antiochus I of Syria. The Phaenomena, a didactic poem in hexameters, is his only completely extant work. Lines 1–757 versify a prose work on astronomy by Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 390–c. 340), while lines 758–1154 treat of weather signs

Nebraska, Plant and animal life

2005-03-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

A wide variety of grasses originally covered Nebraska's prairies, and the slopes of the river valleys were well covered with deciduous trees. Cottonwood, elm, and some oak and walnut are found along the bluffs of eastern Nebraska, while conifers grow in the Wild Cat and Pine Ridge highlands and the Niobrara valley. The Nebraska National Forest in west central Nebraska

Islam, Cosmogony and eschatology

2005-03-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

The world was created by God's word kun (“Be”) out of nothing; after the creation of the angelic beings from light, Adam was formed from clay and destined to be God's vicegerent, khalifah. All of the angels obeyed God's order to prostrate themselves before Adam, except Iblis (Satan), who refused and was cursed; due to Iblis' instigation Adam ate the forbidden fruit (or grain) and was driven

Frieze

2005-03-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

The frieze in

Epistemology, Realism

2005-03-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

The realist believes that

Hutchinson, Anne

2005-03-08T22:39:00.000-08:00

Anne Marbury was the daughter of a silenced clergyman and grew up in an atmosphere of learning. She married William Hutchinson, a merchant, in 1612, and in 1634 they migrated to Massachusetts

China, Educational and cultural policy changes

2005-03-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

In the educational system, the reformers gave top priority to training technical, scientific, and scholarly talent to world-class standards. This involved the re-creation of a highly selective and elitist higher educational system, with admission based on competitive academic examination. Graduate study programs were introduced, and thousands of Chinese were

Bharhut

2005-03-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

The stupa was probably begun in the time

Shackleton, Sir Ernest Henry

2005-03-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

Educated at Dulwich College (1887–90), Shackleton entered the mercantile marine service in 1890 and became a sublieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve in 1901. He joined Captain Robert Falcon Scott's British National Antarctic (Discovery) Expedition (1901–04) as third

Starr, Kenneth W.

2005-03-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

On Sept. 9, 1998, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr reported to the U.S. Congress grounds for finding that Bill Clinton (q.v.) had committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as U.S. president. In the report, which was accompanied by voluminous evidence that included a semen-stained dress, tapes of telephone conversations, and grand jury testimony,

July Revolution

2005-03-05T02:49:00.000-08:00

French Révolution De Juillet, also called July Days (1830), insurrection that brought Louis-Philippe to the throne of France. The revolution was precipitated by Charles X's publication (July 26) of restrictive ordinances contrary to the spirit of the Charter of 1814. Protests and demonstrations were followed by three days of fighting (July 27–29), the abdication of Charles X (August 2), and the proclamation of Louis-Philippe as “king of the

Nitrate

2005-03-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

Any member of either of two classes of compounds derived from nitric acid. The salts of nitric acid are ionic compounds containing the nitrate ion, NO-3, and a positive ion, such as NH+4 in ammonium nitrate. Esters of nitric acid are covalent compounds having the structure R-O-NO2, in which R represents an organic combining group, such as ethyl (C2H5) in ethyl nitrate. See also nitro

Mobile

2005-03-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Abstract sculpture that has moving parts, driven either by motors or the natural force of wind. The word mobile was initially suggested by Marcel Duchamp for a 1932 Paris exhibition of such works by the American artist Alexander Calder. One of Calder's first mobiles consisted of coloured spheres motorized to move up and down curving wires at different speeds. Later, he

Bute

2005-03-03T22:51:00.000-08:00

Island, Argyll and Bute council area, historic county of Buteshire, Scotland. It is the most important of a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean inlet known as the Firth of Clyde. It is separated from the mainland by the Kyles of Bute, a narrow winding strait. To the south the Sound of Bute separates Bute from the larger island of Arran. Bute is about 15 miles (24 km) long and covers

Ammeter

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

Ammeters vary in their operating principles and accuracies. The

Earth, The Earth's magnetic field

2005-03-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

Brief surveys are Sydney Chapman, The Earth's Magnetism, 2nd ed. rev. (1951, reprinted 1961); and J.A. Jacobs, The Earth's Core and Geomagnetism (1963), and Reversals of the Earth's Magnetic Field (1984). For more in-depth coverage, consult Sydney Chapman and Julius Bartels, Geomagnetism, vol. 1, Geomagnetic and Related Phenomena (1940, reprinted 1962); George D. Garland, Introduction to Geophysics: Mantle, Core and Crust, 2nd ed. (1979), an informative overview; S. Matsushita, “Solar Quiet and Lunar Daily Variation Fields,” ch. III-1 in S. Matsushita and Wallace H. Campbell, Physics of Geomagnetic Phenomena, vol. 1 (1967), pp. 301–424, an extensive treatment; Ronald T. Merrill and Michael W. McElhinny, The Earth's Magnetic Field: Its History, Origin, and Planetary Perspective (1983), an attempt to bridge the gap between dynamo theory and paleomagnetology; W.D. Parkinson, Introduction to Geomagnetism (1983), a logical, systematic, and highly readable treatment; and S.K. Runcorn, K.M. Creer, and J.A. Jacobs (eds.), The Earth's Core: Its Structure, Evolution, and Magnetic Field (1982), an excellent introduction to the modern literature on the topic. See also S.J. Peale, “Consequences of Tidal Evolution,” ch. 12 in Margaret G. Kivelson (ed.), The Solar System: Observations and Interpretations (1986), pp. 275–288; and K.A. Wienert, Notes on Geomagnetic Observatory and Survey Practice (1970), an explanation of the basic principles of geomagnetic survey techniques.

Papal States

2005-03-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

As early as the 4th century, the popes had acquired considerable property around Rome (called

Murchison, Ira

2005-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

In 1951 Murchison was Illinois high-school champion in the 100- and 220-yard dashes. In 1956 he ran the leadoff leg of the 4 ´ 100-metre relay for the United States at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, and helped propel the U.S. team to a gold medal in a world-record time of 39.5 sec.

Yoshiyuki, Junnosuke

2005-02-28T06:09:00.000-08:00

Japanese novelist and short-story writer (b. April 1, 1923, Okayama, Japan--d. July 26, 1994, Tokyo, Japan), explored human sexuality and prostitution as a means of understanding human relationships. His prize-winning works include the short story "Shuu" (1954; "Sudden Shower," 1972), and the novels Anshitsu (1969: The Dark Room, 1975) and Yugure made (1978: "Until Evening"), the latter of which won the Noma Literary Prize. Yoshiyuki,

Sun Ra

2005-02-28T01:27:00.000-08:00

(HERMAN ["SONNY"] BLOUNT), U.S. jazz pianist, arranger, and composer (b. May 1914?, Birmingham, Ala.--d. May 30, 1993, Birmingham), led an ensemble whose performances were as much theatre as concert. Early in his career he played boogie-woogie, blues, and swing, and in 1946-47 he was pianist with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. He also was active in the experimental jazz movement in Chicago and from the 1950s on, under

Sartre, Jean-paul

2005-02-26T06:03:00.000-08:00

Sartre lost his father at an early age and grew up in the home of his maternal grandfather, Carl Schweitzer, uncle of the medical missionary Albert Schweitzer and himself professor of German at the Sorbonne. The boy, who wandered in the Luxembourg Gardens of Paris in search of playmates, was small in stature and cross-eyed. His brilliant autobiography, Les Mots (1963; Words,

Rovereto

2005-02-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

The 14th-century castle, once a Roman fortress, is now a war museum with the most extensive

Pacific Mountain System

2005-02-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Series of mountain ranges that stretches along the Pacific coast of North America from northern British Columbia (Canada) to northwestern Mexico. They run for some 4,500 miles (7,250 kilometres) in the United States and extend northward into Canada for another 1,000 miles. The ranges may be divided into eight sections. Roughly from north to south they are the Coast Mountains of British

Dinosaur, Pachycephalosauria

2005-02-24T18:30:00.000-08:00

In important respects the pachycephalosaurs conformed to the basic ornithopod body plan, and there is some evidence that pachycephalosaurs actually evolved from (and are therefore members of) ornithopods, perhaps similar to hypsilophodontids. All of them appear to have been bipedal. They bore the typical ornithopod ossified tendons along the back, and they

Andamanese

2005-02-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

Aboriginal inhabitants of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. They belong to Negrito stock, which is represented also by the Semang of Malaysia and the Pygmies of the Philippines. Most have been detribalized and absorbed into modern Indian life, but traditional culture survives among such tribes as the Jarawa and Onge of the lesser islands. Speakers

Karamanlis, Konstantinos

2005-02-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Constantine Caramanlis Greek statesman who was prime minister from 1955 to 1963 and again from 1974 to 1980. He then served as president from 1980 to 1985 and from 1990 to 1995. Karamanlis gave Greece competent government and political stability while his conservative economic policies stimulated economic growth. In 1974–75 he

Australia

2005-02-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Australian mainland extends from west to east for nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) and

Bracton, Henry De

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

Bracton also spelled Bratton or Bretton leading medieval English jurist and author of De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae (c. 1235; “On the Laws and Customs of England”), one of the oldest systematic treatises on the common law. While depending chiefly on English judicial decisions and the methods of pleading required by English judges, Bracton enlarged the common law with principles

Girl Groups

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

Primarily American female vocal groups popular from the early to the mid-1960s, the period between the heyday of early rock and roll and the British Invasion. The girl group era produced a clearly identifiable hybrid of gospel, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, and quirky pop. The high-pitched, husky, teen-girl sound of acts such as the Ronettes and the Supremes epitomized the ebullient

Ushuaia

2005-02-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

The site was first settled by Wasti H. Stirling, an English missionary, in 1870. In 1884 an Argentine naval base was established, and in 1893, after the archipelago was partitioned between Argentina and

Sosa, Sammy

2005-02-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

As a child, Sosa worked at a number of jobs, including shining shoes, to help support his family following his father's death. At the age

Gossart, Jan

2005-02-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

Gossart is most likely to be identified with Jennyn van Hennegouwe, who is registered as a master in the Guild of St. Luke at Antwerp in 1503. His most important early work extant is the Adoration of the Kings, which

Microtonal Music

2005-02-19T04:12:00.000-08:00

Much of the world's music, however, of both past and present times, uses intervals greater or smaller than 100 cents.

Waddington, William Henry

2005-02-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

The son of an English manufacturer living in France

Community Ecology, Climatic effects

2005-02-18T00:18:00.000-08:00

The maximum development of greenhouse conditions occurred in the Cretaceous and was probably associated with an increase of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (see geochronology: Cretaceous environment: Paleoclimate). There were no polar ice caps during this time, and land within both the Arctic and Antarctic circles was able to support

Esquimalt

2005-02-16T04:27:00.000-08:00

District municipality and western suburb of metropolitan Victoria, southwestern British Columbia, Canada, at the southeastern end of Vancouver Island, on Juan de Fuca Strait. The name means “place of gradually shoaling waters” in the local Indian language. Its harbour was visited (1790) by Manuel Quimper of the Spanish navy, who called it Puerto de Cordova to honour the

Clark, Abraham

2005-02-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

Benefiting little from formal education, Clark became a surveyor and managed transfers of property. He had a gift for politics and served in many public offices in New Jersey. He championed the cause of the colonies and in 1776 was elected to the Continental Congress,

Duccio Di Buoninsegna

2005-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest Italian painters of the Middle Ages and the founder of the Sienese school. In Duccio's art the formality of the Italo-Byzantine tradition, strengthened by a clearer understanding of its evolution from classical roots, is fused with the new spirituality of the Gothic style. Greatest of all his works is “Maest

Byron, John

2005-02-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

The second son of the 4th Baron Byron, he was a midshipman on board the Wager in 1741 when it was wrecked off the coast of Chile during George Anson's voyage round the world. After unparalleled hardships Byron eventually reached

Muhammad Shah

2005-02-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

The son of Shah Jahan, Muhammad Shah was made emperor in 1719 by the powerful Sayyid brothers, 'Abdullah and Husayn 'Ali, who had killed the emperor Farrukh-Siyar. In 1720 the assassination of Husayn 'Ali and the defeat of 'Abdullah at the battle of Hasanpur (southwest of Delhi) liberated

Widmann, Joseph Viktor

2005-02-13T05:54:00.000-08:00

As literary editor of the Bern daily newspaper Der Bund from 1880 to 1910, Widmann occupied an authoritative position in Swiss letters and promoted many talented writers. He was himself an accomplished though not a strikingly original writer, and he handled such

Abkhazo-adyghian Languages

2005-02-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Also called Northwest Caucasian Languages, group of languages spoken primarily in the northwestern part of the Caucasus Mountains. The languages of this group—Abkhaz, Abaza, Adyghian, Kabardian (Circassian), and the nearly extinct Ubykh—are noted for the great number of distinctive consonants and limited number of distinctive vowels in their sound systems.

Scharnhorst

2005-02-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

German battle cruiser completed in 1939. It did great damage to Allied shipping in northern waters during World War II before it was sunk by the British battleship “Duke of York” on Dec. 26, 1943. The “Scharnhorst” was a heavily armed ship of 26,000 tons standard displacement, carrying a 1,400 man crew and four aircraft and armed with nine 11-inch, twelve 5.9-inch, and fourteen 4.1-inch guns and sixteen 37-millimetre

China, The first historical dynasty: the Shang

2005-02-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

In addition to the works of Chang, Watson, and Rawson mentioned in the previous paragraph, the following works are also informative: Kwang-chih Chang, Early Chinese Civilization: Anthropological Perspectives (1976), and Shang Civilization (1980), on Shang archaeology and culture; Tsung-tung Chang, Der Kult der Shang-Dynastie im Spiegel der Orakelinschriften (1970); David N. Keightley, Sources of Shang History: The Oracle-Bone Inscriptions of Bronze Age China (1978, reprinted 1985); Wen Fong (ed.), The Great Bronze Age of China (1980), an analytic catalog of an exhibition from the People's Republic of China; and Paul Wheatley, The Pivot of the Four Quarters (1971), a comparative study of the origins of urban society.

Jet Stream

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

Any of several long, narrow high-speed air currents that flow eastward in a generally horizontal zone in the stratosphere or upper troposphere. Jet streams are characterized by wind motions that generate strong vertical shearing action, which is thought to be largely responsible for the clear air turbulence so hazardous to aircraft. They also are associated

Tsun-i

2005-02-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

The city was brought under regular Chinese administration only in the early 7th century AD. A county was set up there in 640, and its present name, Tsun-i, was given in 642. It remained the seat of Tsun-i hsien (county), but the area did not begin to be developed

Bureaucracy

2005-02-08T15:17:00.000-08:00

A professional corps of officials organized in a pyramidal hierarchy and functioning under impersonal, uniform rules and procedures. In the social sciences, the term usually does not carry the pejorative associations of popular usage.

Agricultural Sciences, The

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

Food is the most basic human need. The domestication and cultivation of plants and animals beginning almost 10,000 years

Anorexia

2005-02-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

Persistent lack of appetite not caused by repletion. It may spring from psychoneurotic causes, as in anorexia nervosa (q.v.), a lack of appetite, primarily in young women, that may lead to extreme emaciation and even to death. Anorexia, like nausea and vomiting, may be brought about by shock, pain, or an inadequate supply of oxygen to a centre in the medulla oblongata (the part

Lur

2005-02-07T04:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled lure bronze horn, or trumpet, found in prehistoric Scandinavian excavations. It has a conical bore that extends in length from roughly 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 metres) in a bent S-shape (somewhat resembling a mammoth tusk) and ends in an embossed metal disk. The mouthpiece of the lur is permanently affixed. Lurs are usually found in pairs and were probably played ritually.

Andersonville

2005-02-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 1863 the U.S. federal authorities ended an agreement

Qalam

2005-02-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

Ancient reed pen still used in Arabic calligraphy and formerly used for all writing. The qalam was cut from between two nodes of the stem of a reed chosen for its straight fibres. As thick as a finger and 8 or 10 inches (20 or 25 cm) long, the reed segment was soaked and sun-dried, and a nib, somewhat resembling that of a steel pen, was fashioned by slicing off the thicker end at an angle

Caran D'ache

2005-02-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

He was educated in Moscow but settled in Paris, where he gained great popularity as a contributor to several periodicals. He was an early exponent of the episodic strip cartoon

End Stop

2005-02-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

Compare enjambment.

Glassware, After the War of 1812

2005-02-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

The few houses that survived the 1790s and the depression after the War of 1812 had multiplied to more than 90 by 1830. For convenience, the glassworks are divided into three geographical groups: New England, the Middle Atlantic, and the Midwest. Until that time, they had produced little more than simple imitations of European glasses, at best interesting and often very handsome combinations

Pacific-10 Conference

2005-02-02T23:55:00.000-08:00

Byname Pac-10 West Coast American collegiate athletic association that grew out of several earlier versions, the first of which, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), was founded in 1915. The original members were the University of California (Berkeley), the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). State College

Hovey, Richard

2005-02-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Dartmouth in 1885, Hovey studied art and theology and in 1887 met Bliss Carman, the poet, with whom he later collaborated. Hovey lectured on aesthetics at the Farmington School of Philosophy and, for the last two years of his life, at Columbia University, where he held a post as professor

Maharashtra

2005-02-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

State of India that occupies a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau in the western peninsular part of the subcontinent. Its shape roughly resembles a triangle, with the 450-mile (725-kilometre) western coastline forming the base and the interior narrowing to a blunt apex some 500 miles to the east. It has an area of 118,809 square miles (307,713 square kilometres). It is bounded by the states

Triad

2005-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, any of several sets of three chemically similar elements, the atomic weight of one of which is approximately equal to the mean of the atomic weights of the other two. Such triads—including chlorine-bromine-iodine, calcium-strontium-barium, and sulfur-selenium-tellurium—were noted by the German chemist J.W. Döbereiner between 1817 and 1829. The triad was the earliest

Welfare State

2005-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

Concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. The general term may cover

Chaucer, Geoffrey

2005-01-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

The outstanding English poet before Shakespeare and “the first finder of our language.” His The Canterbury Tales ranks as one of the greatest poetic works in English. He also contributed importantly in the second half of the 14th century to the management of public affairs as courtier, diplomat, and civil servant. In that career he was trusted and

Houston, Sam

2005-01-30T00:39:00.000-08:00

In his youth Houston moved with his family to a farm in rural Tennessee after the death of his father in 1807. He ran away in his mid-teens and lived for nearly three years with

Sa'id, 'ali Ahmad

2005-01-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

Sa'id received a degree in philosophy at the University of Damascus in 1954 and served in the Syrian military from 1954 to 1956. He then moved to Beirut, where he received a Ph.D. from St. Joseph University in 1973. In 1957 he helped Yusuf al-Khal found the avant-garde

Bing, Sir Rudolf Franz Joseph

2005-01-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

British operatic impresario (b. Jan. 9, 1902, Vienna, Austria--d. Sept. 2, 1997, New York, N.Y.), directed the Metropolitan Opera through one of its most turbulent periods (1950-72). The son of a Viennese industrialist, Bing grew up in a musical household. Although he studied voice in his teens, he soon started working for a bookstore that expanded its business into concert and opera management. He moved

Babeuf, François-noël

2005-01-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

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

Russia

2005-01-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

Growth revived somewhat in mid-2001, and the government remained bullish,

Hypnosis

2005-01-26T02:55:00.000-08:00

A special psychological state with certain physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially and marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of awareness other than the ordinary conscious state. This state is characterized by a degree of increased receptiveness and responsiveness in which inner experiential perceptions are given

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

2005-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Guadalupe Mountains, a division of the Sacramento Mountains, are part of the ancient horseshoe-shaped Capitan Reef that formed beneath

Hinduism, Ahimsa: non-injury

2005-01-25T18:55:00.000-08:00

A further characteristic of Hinduism is the ideal of ahimsa. Ahimsa, “non-injury” or the absence of the desire to harm, is regarded by Indian thinkers as one of the keystones of their ethics. Historically, ahimsa is unrelated to vegetarianism; in ancient India, killing people in war or in capital punishment and killing animals in Vedic sacrifices were acceptable to many

Brecht, Arnold

2005-01-24T06:54:00.000-08:00

After studying at several universities, Brecht received a law degree from the University of Leipzig in 1906 and, after in-service training, was appointed a judge in Lübeck in 1910. In the same year

Caboolture

2005-01-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Queensland, Australia, on the Caboolture River. The town was originally a livestock station. Its name was derived from cabul-tur, the Aboriginal word for the carpet snake. To relieve shortages brought about by the American Civil War in the 1860s, Caboolture became a cotton-farming centre. Today, citrus fruits, tobacco, and vegetables are grown, and dairy

Corbel

2005-01-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

In architecture, bracket or weight-carrying member, built deeply into the wall so that the pressure on its embedded portion counteracts any tendency to overturn or fall outward. The name derives from a French word meaning crow, because of the corbel's beaklike shape. Corbels may be individual pieces of stone, separate from each other like brackets, as in the case of