MixedDrop

Land-grant College

2005-04-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Under the provisions of the act, each state was granted 30,000 acres (12,140 hectares) of federal land for each member of Congress representing that state.

Chemical Compound, Aldehydes and ketones

2005-04-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Similar to the double bond of alkenes, the carbon-oxygen double bond is made up of a s bond, whose electron pair lies between the bonded

La Hontan, Louis-armand De Lom D'arce, Baron De

2005-04-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

La Hontan went to Canada in 1683 as a marine lieutenant. He participated in an unsuccessful campaign against the Iroquois Indians on Lake Ontario in 1684 and commanded

Bendix Corporation

2005-04-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

The company's founder, Vincent Bendix, himself an inventor, joined with French inventor Henri Perrot

Tarapacá

2005-04-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Northernmost region, Chile, bordering Peru and Bolivia on the north and east and fronting the Pacific Ocean on the west. Tarapacá was ceded to Chile by Peru after the War of the Pacific (1879–83) and was organized as a province (area 22,820 sq mi [59,104 sq km]) in 1884, and as a region in 1974. It is divided into the provinces of Arica, Parinacota, and Iquique. Part of the Atacama Desert, it is without water except

Froebel, Friedrich (wilhelm August)

2005-04-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

Froebel was the fifth child in a clergyman's family. His mother died when he was only nine months old, and he was neglected as a

Dabrowa Górnicza

2005-04-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

City, Katowice województwo (province), southwestern Poland, on the Czarna Przemsza River just northeast of Katowice city. The town flourished when coal mining began there in 1796. During the 19th century it served as a mining and metallurgical research centre and had the first Polish mining school (1889). It became a town in 1916. Dabrowa Górnicza is situated in the Górny Slask (Upper Silesia)

Celestine Iv

2005-03-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

The nephew of Pope Urban III, Celestine had been made cardinal priest of St. Mark's in 1227 and cardinal bishop of Sabina in 1239 by his predecessor, Gregory IX, whom he was elected to succeed on Oct. 25, 1241. He was the first pope to be elected in a conclave, which had been set up by the senator of Rome, Matthew Rosso Orsini, who hoped to break

Venerable

2005-03-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

Latin Venerabilis, title or respectful form of address, used from very early times in Europe, especially for certain clergy or for laymen of marked spiritual merit. St. Augustine in some epistles cited the term in reference to bishops, and Philip I of France was styled venerabilis and venerandus (“reverential”). The venerable by which Saint Bede is commonly known (“the Venerable Bede,” or “Bede

Biblical Literature, Kings: the second book

2005-03-30T01:24:00.000-08:00

The Second Book of Kings continues the history of the monarchies of Israel and Judah and of the prophetic movement. Ahaziah fell from an upper chamber of his palace in Samaria and sought help from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Elijah met the messengers to castigate them for not seeking aid from Yahweh, the God of Israel, and told a third delegation that had been sent out

Ear Disease, Exposure to noise

2005-03-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

The effects of noise exposure on hearing depend on the intensity and duration of the noise. The effects may be temporary or permanent. A single exposure to an extremely intense sound, such as an explosion, may produce a severe and permanent loss of hearing. Repeated exposures to sounds in excess of 80 to 90 decibels may cause gradual deterioration of hearing by destroying

Baghdad

2005-03-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

Among the most important of Baghdad's museums are the Iraqi Museum (1923), containing important archaeological treasures from ancient Mesopotamian history; the National

China, The Manchurian Plain

2005-03-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Manchurian Plain (also known as the Northeast Plain and the Sung-liao Plain) is located in China's Northeast, the region formerly known as Manchuria. An undulating plain split into northern and southern halves by a low divide rising from 500 to 850 feet, it is drained in its northern part by the Sungari River and tributaries and in its southern part by the Liao River. Most

Beardworm

2005-03-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Pogonophoran, any of a group of marine invertebrates constituting the phylum Pogonophora. Pogonophorans live a sedentary life in long, protective tubes on seafloors throughout the world. The common name beardworm refers to the beardlike mass of pinnate (feather-like) tentacles borne at the anterior end of many species. An intestine, which forms in embryos, disappears as development

Tereus

2005-03-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, king of Thrace who married Procne, daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. Later Tereus seduced her sister Philomela, pretending that Procne was dead. In order to hide his guilt, he cut out Philomela's tongue. But she revealed the crime to her sister by working the details in embroidery. Procne sought revenge by serving up her son Itys for Tereus' supper. On learning

Gershwin, Ira

2005-03-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

Original name Israel Gershvin American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, George Gershwin, on more than 20 Broadway musicals and motion pictures until George's death (1937) and who later collaborated on films and plays with others—Moss Hart, Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern, Harry Warren, and Harold Arlen—and contributed to Gershwin

Cooper, Gary

2005-03-25T09:06:00.000-08:00

The son of a Montana Supreme Court justice, Cooper left Grinnell College, Iowa, in 1924 and went to Hollywood, where he earned a living

Bahamas, The

2005-03-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

Officially Commonwealth of the Bahamas, archipelago and state on the northwestern edge of the West Indies. The group occupies an irregular submarine tableland that rises out of the Atlantic depths and is separated from nearby lands to the south and west by deepwater channels. Lying to the north of Cuba and Hispaniola, the archipelago comprises nearly 700 islands and cays, only about 30 of which are inhabited,

Chang Chih-tung

2005-03-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

Chang was born to a family of scholar–officials in Kweichow Province, but, in accordance with Chinese custom, he was considered native to Nan-p'i, Chihli (modern Hopeh) Province, where his ancestors had settled in the 15th century. He was unusually

Animals, The

2005-03-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Five-piece rock group from northeastern England whose driving sound influenced Bob Dylan's decision, in 1965, to begin working with musicians playing electric instruments. The principal members were Eric Burdon (b. May 11, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, Eng.), Alan Price (b. April 19, 1942, Fatfield, Durham), Hilton Valentine (b. May 21, 1943, North Shields, Tyne and Wear), Chas Chandler (byname of Bryan

Furniture, Carving

2005-03-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

Whereas carving does not appear to

Naracoorte

2005-03-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

Town and rail junction, southeastern South Australia. It lies 190 miles (310 km) southeast of Adelaide, near the Victoria border. Founded as Kincraig in 1845, it took its present name in 1869 from an Aboriginal word meaning “large waterhole.” During the 1850s Naracoorte was an important stopping place along the route to the Victorian goldfields. Created a municipality in 1924, it now serves as a

Good Shepherd Sister

2005-03-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

Member of The Religious of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (R.G.S.) , also called Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd a Roman Catholic order of religious devoted particularly to the care, rehabilitation, and education of girls and young women who have demonstrated delinquent behaviour. The congregation traces its history to an order founded by St. John Eudes in 1641 at Caen, Fr. This order, known as the Religious of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, was virtually destroyed during the French

Water Cock

2005-03-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

(Gallicrex cinerea), marsh bird of the rail family, Rallidae (order Gruiformes). It occurs from India to Japan and throughout Southeast Asia to the Philippines. The male is blue-black with red legs, a strongly conical red bill, and a protruding red frontal shield. The female is mottled and barred yellowish brown. The water cock is troublesome in rice fields, where it likes

Haber, Fritz

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

German physical chemist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1918) for his development of a method of synthesizing ammonia. With Carl Bosch, he invented a process for the large-scale production of ammonia for use in nitrogen fertilizer.

Biblical Literature, The Georgian version

2005-03-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

According to Armenian tradition, the Georgian version was also the work of Mesrob, but the Psalter, the oldest part of the Georgian Old Testament, is probably not earlier than the 5th century. Some manuscripts were based upon Greek versions, others upon the Armenian.

Trichomoniasis

2005-03-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

The pear-shaped species T.

Aniline

2005-03-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Aniline is prepared commercially by the catalytic

Arbeau, Thoinot

2005-03-17T18:12:00.000-08:00

Orchésographie is

Spookfish

2005-03-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

Any of about 11 species of small marine fishes constituting the family Opisthoproctidae (order Salmoniformes), with representatives in each of the major oceans. The name spookfish, or barreleye, as they are sometimes called, originates from their unusual eyes, which are pointed upward and are borne at the end of short tubular stalks. Specimens have been collected at

Baylor University

2005-03-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning located in Waco, Texas, U.S. Baylor, affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, is the world's largest Baptist university and the oldest college in Texas. The university offers about 160 bachelor's, 75 master's, and 20 doctoral degrees through nine academic divisions: the college of arts and sciences, the Hankamer

G.c.v.o.

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

Knight grand cross, or dame grand cross, of the Royal Victorian Order, member of the highest rank of a British order of knighthood. See Royal Victorian Order.

Ghassulian Culture

2005-03-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

Archaeological stage dating to the Middle Chalcolithic Period in southern Palestine (c. 3800–c. 3350 BC). Its type-site, Tulaylat al-Ghassul, is located in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea in modern Jordan and was excavated (1929–38) by the Jesuits. The Ghassulian stage was characterized by small settlements of farming peoples, immigrants from the north, who built mud-brick, trapezoid-shaped

Rhynchotrema

2005-03-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of brachiopods, or lamp shells, found as fossils in Middle and Late Ordovician rocks (the Ordovician Period lasted from 505 to 438 million years ago). The shell is small and distinctive for its strongly developed ribbing. Rhynchotrema is a useful Ordovician index, or guide, fossil.

Permafrost, General issues

2005-03-15T04:30:00.000-08:00

Development of the north demands an understanding of and the ability to cope with problems of the environment dictated by permafrost. Although the frozen ground hinders agricultural and mining activities, the most dramatic, widespread, and economically important examples of the influence of permafrost on life in the north involve construction and maintenance

Kama River

2005-03-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

Russian Reka Kama, river in west-central Russia. Rising in the Upper Kama Upland of Udmurtia, it flows north, then east, south, and southwest for 1,122 miles (1,805 km) until it enters the Volga River below Kazan, in the Samara Reservoir. It drains a basin of 202,000 square miles (522,000 square km). The spring maximum flow following the snowmelt accounts for nearly 60 percent of the annual flow; freeze-up lasts from mid-November

Fragile-x Syndrome

2005-03-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

The X chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (the other being the Y chromosome). Males have one X and one Y chromosome; females have two X chromosomes. The male who receives the fragile-X chromosome will be affected by the syndrome,

Great Leap Forward

2005-03-13T00:38:00.000-08:00

The campaign undertaken by the Chinese Communists between 1958 and early 1960 to organize its vast population, especially in large-scale rural communes, to meet China's industrial and agricultural problems. The Chinese hoped to develop labour-intensive methods of industrialization, which would emphasize manpower rather than machines. Thereby, it was hoped, the country

Hooch, Pieter De

2005-03-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hooch was a pupil of Claes Berchem at Haarlem. From 1653 he was in the service of Justus de Grange and lived in Delft, The Hague, and Leiden. From 1654 to 1657 he was a member of the painters' guild of Delft, but after that date there are no traces of his career until about 1667, when

Hygieia

2005-03-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

In Greek religion, goddess of health. The oldest traces of her cult are at Titane, west of Corinth, where she was worshipped together with Asclepius, the god of medicine. At first no special relationship existed between her and Asclepius, but gradually she came to be regarded as his daughter; later literature, however, makes her his wife. The cult of Hygieia spread concurrently

Gance, Abel

2005-03-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Working in the cinema from 1909, Gance first gained recognition with his films Mater dolorosa (1917; “Sorrowful Mother,” remade in 1932) and La Dixième Symphonie (1918; “Tenth Symphony”). Influenced by the epic style of the pioneer American

Park Range

2005-03-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

Segment of the Rocky Mountains, extending south-southeastward for about 200 miles (320 km) from Carbon county, Wyo., to northwestern Park county, Colo., U.S. The range lies to a large extent within Medicine Bow, Pike, Arapaho, Routt, and White River national forests and includes the Mosquito (Colorado), Gore (Colorado), and Sierra Madre (Wyoming) subranges. Many peaks surpass 14,000 feet (4,300 m), with

Strasberg, Lee

2005-03-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

Strasberg's family emigrated to the United States when he was seven,

Romance Languages, Franco-Provençal

2005-03-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

Northeast of the Occitan region, along the French, Swiss, and Italian frontiers, is located a group of dialects that historically have shared most vowel developments with languages to the south and many consonant changes with those to the north. Since 1878, with the work of G.I. Ascoli, claims have been made for the linguistic autonomy of these dialects, usually called

Amulet

2005-03-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Natural amulets

Dzungar

2005-03-09T01:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jungar, Jüüngar, Dzhungar, or Dsongar, people of Central Asia, so called because they formed the left wing (dson, “left”; gar, “hand”) of the Mongol army. A western Mongol people whose home was the Ili River valley and Chinese Turkistan, they adopted Buddhism in the 17th century. They are for all practical purposes identical with the Oyrat (q.v.).

Beak

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

A bird's bill is composed of

Biblical Literature, The rise and fall of Saul

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

The man selected to become the first monarchical ruler of Israel was Saul, son of Kish, a wealthy Benjamite landowner. Because Kish had lost some donkeys, Saul was sent in search of them. Unsuccessful in his search, he went to the seer-prophet Samuel at Ramah. In the early source, from which this narrative comes, he did not know Samuel's name. The day before Saul went to Ramah,

Baltic Religion, Religious personages

2005-03-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

There is no reliable information that the Balts had a priestly class, let alone religious hierarchy. The 11th-century German historian Adam of Bremen, in describing conflicts between Christian missionaries and Latvians, said that “every house is filled with seers, augurers, and necromancers,” which indicates that the Balts had sacral persons, probably the patriarchs

Sänger, Eugen

2005-03-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

German rocket propulsion engineer whose projected “antipodal bomber,” with a range far greater than that made possible by its fuel capacity alone, greatly interested the major Western governments and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The development of long-range missiles and the difficulties of

Biblical Literature, The reign of Solomon

2005-03-06T01:29:00.000-08:00

David had reigned from about 1000 to 962 BCE, a period in which he consolidated a federation of tribes that had been united under the charismatic leadership of Saul, who had reigned for about two decades before David began to construct his minor empire. Solomon, who inherited a strong monarchy, reigned for 40 years. His reputation as a monarch centred about his great wisdom (chapter

Oak Harbor

2005-03-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Town, Island county, northwestern Washington, U.S., on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. It was settled in 1849 by seafaring men, and its first industry was shipbuilding. Dutch immigrants arrived in 1890 and began developing the rich farmland; their presence on the island is celebrated in the town's annual Holland Happenings festival. The chief agricultural products are dairy foods,

Hawk Moth

2005-03-05T02:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Sphinx Moth, or Hummingbird Moth (family Sphingidae), any member of cosmopolitan insects (order Lepidoptera), named for their hovering, swift flight patterns. These stout-bodied moths have long, narrow forewings and shorter hindwings, with wingspans ranging from 5 to 20 cm (2 to 8 inches). Many species pollinate flowers such as orchids and petunias while sucking nectar; the proboscis (feeding organ) of some

Mathews, Edwin Lee

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

American professional baseball player (b. Oct. 13, 1931, Texarkana, Texas—d. Feb. 18, 2001, San Diego, Calif.), was one of major league baseball's most prolific hitters, with 512 home runs and 2,315 hits in his 17-year career, and was widely regarded as the best third baseman of the 1950s and early '60s. Mathews made his major league debut with the Boston Braves in 1952 and remained with the franchise when it moved to Milwaukee,

Luther, Martin

2005-03-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

German priest and scholar whose questioning of certain church practices led to the Protestant Reformation. He is one of the pivotal figures of Western civilization, as well as of Christianity. By his actions and writings he precipitated a movement that was to yield not only one of the three major theological units of

Mittelfranken

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

English Middle Franconia Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), west-central Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. Mittelfranken is bordered by Baden-Württemberg Land to the west and the Regierungsbezirke of Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) and Oberfranken (Upper Franconia) to the north, Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) to the east, and Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) and Schwaben (Swabia) to

Thomas, Edward

2005-03-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

Thomas was educated at St. Paul's School and the University of Oxford and spent most of his life unhappily

Water Net

2005-03-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

Any algae that is a member of the genus Hydrodictyon. A water net is a green algae found as a free-floating network of multinucleate cell masses arranged in hexagons or pentagons and up to 20 cm (7.9 inches) in total length. Water nets are usually found floating on the surface of quiet ponds. Sexual reproduction is by fusion of similar gametes (isogamy).

Land Snail

2005-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Any of the approximately 22,000 species of snails adapted to life away from water. Most are members of the subclass Pulmonata (class Gastropoda); a few are members of the subclass Prosobranchia. Typically, land snails live on or near the ground, feed on decaying plant matter, and lay their eggs in the soil. They are most common on tropical islands but occur also

Act Of Parliament Clock

2005-03-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Plain, hanging, weight-driven wall clock with a large wooden, painted or lacquered dial. The term Act of Parliament clock was applied incorrectly to these timepieces, which were thought to have been displayed by innkeepers to save their customers from paying a five-shilling duty on clocks in Great Britain, introduced in 1797 by the English prime minister William Pitt

Masdevallia

2005-03-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

They have short stems and erect or slightly spreading leaves. The sepals are united at their bases and have one or more long taillike extensions.

La Fontaine, Jean De

2005-02-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Biographical and critical studies include Marie-Odile Sweetser, La Fontaine (1987); Agnes Ethel Mackay, La Fontaine and His Friends: A Biography (1972); John C. Lapp, The Esthetics of Negligence: La Fontaine's Contes (1971); and Richard Danner, Patterns of Irony in the Fables of La Fontaine (1985).

Prickly Heat

2005-02-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

A noncontagious skin eruption of red pimples with intense itching and tingling caused by inflammation around the sweat glands. It is a form of miliaria (q.v.).

France, History Of, Society since 1940

2005-02-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

The surge of economic growth that lasted from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s brought extensive changes in French lifestyles and in some of the society's basic structures. As the century neared its end, most French people had come to enjoy greater comfort and security than their forebears; they took for granted such luxuries as automobiles, modern household appliances, and

Caricature And Cartoon

2005-02-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

In graphic art, comically distorted drawing or likeness, done with the purpose of satirizing or ridiculing its subject. Cartoons are used today primarily for conveying political commentary and editorial opinion in newspapers and for social comedy and visual wit in magazines.

Sickle

2005-02-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of the most ancient of harvesting tools, consisting of a metal blade, usually curved, attached to a short wooden handle. The short handle forces the user to harvest in a stooped or squatting position. The longer-handled scythe, the user of which remains upright, evolved from the sickle. Harvesting with a sickle is very slow, but because of its simplicity and low cost,

Textile

2005-02-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

The term is derived from the Latin textilis and the French texere, meaning “to weave,” and it originally referred only to woven fabrics. It has, however, come to include fabrics produced by other methods. Thus, threads, cords, ropes, braids, lace, embroidery, nets, and fabrics made

Salamá

2005-02-25T03:44:00.000-08:00

City, central Guatemala. It lies between the Chuacús Mountains and the Minas Mountains on the Salamá River, a tributary of the Chixoy, at 3,084 feet (940 m) above sea level. Salamá is a commercial and manufacturing centre for its agricultural and pastoral hinterland. The city suffered serious damage from an earthquake in 1976. Salamá is accessible by road from San Cristóbal Verapaz

Avocet

2005-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

Any of several large shorebirds belonging to the genus Recurvirostra, family Recurvirostridae. Avocets have boldly contrasting plumage, long bluish legs, and a long black bill upturned at the tip. They inhabit fresh and salt marshes that have areas of open shallow water and mud flats, and they feed by sweeping the bill, held partly open, back

Gun War

2005-02-24T03:54:00.000-08:00

(1880–81), southern African war that ended 10 years of rule by the British Cape Colony over Basutoland (Lesotho). Cape magistrates had interfered with the chiefs' authority and with the traditional laws of the Sotho people; part of southern Lesotho was demarcated for white use, and a 1879 Disarmament Act was to be enforced in 1880. The Sotho refused to give up their guns. Fighting from defensive

China, The civil service

2005-02-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

One of the main contributions of the Han dynasty to the future of Imperial China lay in the development of the civil service and the structure of central and provincial government. The evolutionary changes that subsequently transformed Han polity beyond recognition were not directed at altering the underlying principles of government but at applying them

Torbernite

2005-02-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hydrated copper uranate phosphate mineral, Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2×8–12H2O, that is one of the principal uranium-bearing minerals. Usually associated with autunite, it occurs as green crystals or micalike masses that are weathering products of uraninite. Torbernite is abundant in Cornwall, Eng., and in Katanga province, Congo (Kinshasa). For detailed physical properties, see phosphate

Port Arthur

2005-02-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

Inlet of the Tasman Sea on the south coast of the Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia. It is known for the penal settlement established there in 1830 by Sir George Arthur, then lieutenant governor, who attempted to centralize the several settlements in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). A model reformatory for boys also existed from 1835 to 1849 at Point Puer, a rocky headland in the inlet.

Biblical Literature, Slavic versions

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

The earliest Old Church Slavonic translations are connected with the arrival of the brothers Cyril and Methodius in Moravia in 863, and resulted from the desire to provide vernacular renderings of those parts of the Bible used liturgically. The oldest manuscripts derive from the 11th and 12th centuries. The earliest complete Bible manuscript, dated 1499, was used for the first

Priesthood

2005-02-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

The primary role of the priest is that of the ritual expert, the one who has a special and sometimes secret knowledge of the techniques of worship, including incantations, prayers, sacrificial acts, songs, and other acts that are believed to bridge the separation between the divine or sacred and the profane realms. The priest gains such knowledge through the institution

Andreas-salomé, Lou

2005-02-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Salomé was the daughter of a Russian army officer of French Huguenot descent. She studied theology at the University of Zürich. In 1882 the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche fell in love with her, but she rejected his proposal of marriage.

Ushabti Figure

2005-02-21T01:57:00.000-08:00

Any of the small statuettes made of wood, stone, or faience that are often found in large numbers in ancient Egyptian tombs. The figures range in height from 4 to 9 inches (10 to 23 cm) and often held hoes in their arms. Their purpose was to act as a magical substitute for the deceased owner when the gods requested him to undertake menial tasks in the afterlife. The word ushabti is

Kazantzákis, Níkos

2005-02-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Kazantzákis was born during the period of revolt of Crete against rule by the Ottoman Turks, and his family fled for a short time to the Greek island of Náxos. He studied

Saratov

2005-02-20T01:21:00.000-08:00

City and administrative centre of Saratov oblast (province), western Russia. The city lies along the middle course of the Volga River and was founded in 1590 as a fortress to protect the trade route along the Volga River from nomadic raiders. Its site was twice moved: in 1616 and again to the present location in 1674 after the fortress had been destroyed in a revolt. In the 19th century

'amr Ibn Al-'as, Mosque Of

2005-02-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

Though originally a modest structure, it was destroyed and restored so often that it is impossible to know the appearance of the first building. The Umayyad 'Abd al-'Az

Fuel Injection

2005-02-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

In an internal-combustion engine, introduction of fuel into the cylinders by means of a pump rather than by the suction created by the movement of the pistons. On diesel engines, which have no spark plugs, the heat created by compressing air in the cylinders ignites the fuel, which has been pumped as a spray into the heated air. In engines with spark ignition, fuel-injection

Spanish North Africa

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

Five small areas, in special relationship with the Spanish government, on and off the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. They are Alhucemas, Ceuta, the Chafarinas Islands, Melilla (qq.v.), and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, with a combined area of about 12 square miles (31 square km). Ceuta is administered as part of Cádiz province, the rest as part of Málaga province.

Rdx

2005-02-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Research Department Explosive , formally cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine , also called cyclonite, hexogen , or T4 powerful explosive, discovered by Hans Henning of Germany in 1899 but not used until World War II, when most of the warring powers introduced it. Relatively safe and inexpensive to manufacture, RDX was produced on a large scale in the United States by a secret process developed in the United States and Canada. The name RDX was coined by the British, and this name was accepted

Chemical Compound, Uses of aldehydes and ketones

2005-02-17T02:34:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of individual aldehydes and ketones are used by chemists daily to synthesize other compounds, but they are less important in industrial synthesis (that is, the production of compounds on a scale of tons). Only two aldehydes or ketones are used to a significant degree in industry in the United States, as determined by the number of tons of the chemicals utilized

Cumberland

2005-02-16T03:40:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1789) of Allegany county, northwestern Maryland, U.S. It lies in a bowl-shaped valley in the narrow panhandle region between Pennsylvania (north) and West Virginia (south), bounded by the Potomac River to the south. It is situated at the entrance to Cumberland Narrows, a natural gateway carved by Wills Creek through the Allegheny Mountains west to the Ohio River valley.

Sanka

2005-02-16T03:23:00.000-08:00

Little is known of their history. Although they are mentioned in Japanese chronicles from

Argentina, Porteños and gauchos

2005-02-15T02:51:00.000-08:00

The people of the port of Buenos Aires, the porteños, often call their cultured and glamorous city the Paris of South America. But there is another Argentina away from the capital: that of the Pampas and the interior. The interior gave to all Argentines their symbol of national identity, the gaucho, who occupies a position in South American lore similar to that of the

Kamensk-uralsky

2005-02-15T00:12:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kamensk-ural'skij, city, Sverdlovsk oblast (province), western Russia, at the confluence of the Kamenka and Iset rivers. The first state iron foundry in the Urals, Kamensky Zavod, was established there in 1700–01. The modern city specializes in the production of aluminum and aluminum castings and sheets, using bauxite from Severouralsk. Steel tubes and a range of electrical machinery also are

Peter, Gospel Of

2005-02-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Pseudepigraphal (noncanonical and unauthentic) Christian writing of the mid-2nd century AD, the extant portion of which covers the condemnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus. Because the work reflects the view that Christ's body had only the appearance of reality, Serapion, bishop of Antioch c. AD 190, believed it was written by a member of the heretical Docetist sect.

Epistemology, Faith and reason

2005-02-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

Modern philosophers as a group are usually thought to be purely secular thinkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the early 17th century until the middle of the 18th century, all of the great philosophers incorporated substantial religious elements into their work. Descartes, in his Meditations (1641), offered two different proofs for the existence of God, and

Transalpine Gaul

2005-02-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

The Romans first ventured into Transalpine Gaul in 121 BC to subdue the Celtic tribes along the Mediterranean coast. All of Transalpine Gaul was annexed by Julius

Richelieu River

2005-02-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

French Rivière Richelieu, river in Montérégie region, southern Quebec province, Canada, rising from Lake Champlain, just north of the Canada-U.S. border, and flowing northward for 75 miles (120 km) to join the St. Lawrence River at Sorel. Explored in 1609 by Samuel de Champlain and named in 1642 in honour of the Cardinal de Richelieu, chief minister of the French king Louis XIII, the river served repeatedly as an attack

Armorica

2005-02-12T03:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aremorica (from Celtic ar, “on,” and mor, “sea”), Latin name for the northwestern extremity of Gaul, now Brittany. In Celtic, Roman, and Frankish times Armorica also included the western part of what later became Normandy. In Julius Caesar's time it was the home of five principal tribes, the most important being the Veneti. Under the Roman Empire it formed part of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis,

Stefan Duan

2005-02-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

King of Serbia (1331–46) and “Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks” (1346–55), the greatest ruler of medieval Serbia, who promoted his nation's influence and gave his people a new code of laws.

Guadalupe Peak

2005-02-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

Highest point (8,749 feet [2,667 metres]) in Texas, U.S. The peak is situated in Culberson county, 100 miles (160 km) east of the city of El Paso. Guadalupe Peak is part of the Guadalupe Mountains (a division of the Sacramento Mountains), and together with its twin, El Capitan (8,078 feet [2,462 metres]), it forms the focus of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Avalon, Frankie

2005-02-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

A wunderkind trumpet player, Avalon was already an experienced performer when, as a Philadelphia teenager, he joined Rocco and the Saints (whose drummer was future pop star Bobby Rydell). Guided by manager

Cambridge, Adolphus Frederick, 1st Duke Of

2005-02-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

Having studied at the University of Göttingen, he served in the Hanoverian army and with the British army in the Low Countries, being severely wounded in 1793. He was created Earl of Tipperary and Duke of Cambridge in November 1801 and became a privy councillor in 1802. In 1813 he was promoted field marshal

Nabisco

2005-02-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

In full National Biscuit Company former U.S. snack food and bakery product company. The National Biscuit Company was formed in 1898 when the American Biscuit Company merged with the New York Biscuit Company. Better known as Nabisco, it went on to introduce a number of popular consumer brands such as Oreo cookies (1912) and Ritz crackers (1934). After being acquired by R.J. Reynolds in 1985 and becoming part of RJR Nabisco, Nabisco

Euclidean Geometry, Homotheties

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

If two nonconcentric circles have centres A, B and unequal radii r, s, there are points I, E with [AIB], AI | IB ~ AE | EB ~ r | s. In consequence, the

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Japan

2005-02-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

In Japan the Koji-ki (712; “Records of Ancient Matters”) and the Nihon-shoki (8th century; “Chronicles of Japan”), both of them official histories of Japan, were studded with fables, many of them on the theme of a small intelligent animal getting the better of a large stupid one. The same is true of the fudoki (local gazetteers dating from 713 and later). The form reached its height in the Kamakura