CommonPocket

Key, V(aldimer) O(rlando), Jr.

2005-04-05T03:14:00.000-07:00

Educated at the University of Texas (B.A., 1929; M.A., 1930) and the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1934), Key joined the faculty of the University of California at Los Angeles. In

Anauxite

2005-04-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Mineral, an interstratified mixture of kaolinite and free silica. See kaolinite.

Harsch, Joseph Close

2005-04-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

American newspaper and broadcast journalist who, during his 60-year career with The Christian Science Monitor, was noted for his presence at many of the period's most historic events and for his vivid reporting of those events; Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II made him an honorary C.B.E. in 1965 (b. May 25, 1905, Toledo, Ohio--d. June 3, 1998, Jamestown, R.I.).

P-51

2005-04-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Also called Mustang one of the finest fighter aircraft of World War II, a single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane that was produced by North American Aviation for Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and later was adopted by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). Its prototype was designed to British specifications and first flew in late 1940, just months after the design work began. It went into service

Christensen, Lew (farr)

2005-04-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Trained at the School of American Ballet, New York City, Christensen first performed in vaudeville with his brothers, Willam and Harold, then appeared with such companies

Phibunsongkhram, Luang

2005-04-02T00:24:00.000-08:00

He was educated at the royal military academy, and in 1914 he entered the Siamese artillery corps. In 1924–27 he took advanced military training in France, where he became involved with Thai students who

Guinea-bissau, Religions

2005-04-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Most adherents of Islam belong to the Qadiriyah or Tijaniyah orders. Portugal supported the expansion of

Insurance, Group annuities

2005-04-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

An annuity in the literal sense is a series of annual payments. More broadly it may be defined as a series of equal payments over equal intervals of time. A life annuity, a subclass of annuities in general, is one in which the payments are guaranteed for the lifetime of one or more individuals. A group annuity differs from an individual annuity in that the annuity payments

Computers, Konrad Zuse

2005-04-01T03:34:00.000-08:00

For one thing, Zuse worked in binary from the beginning. All of his prototype machines, built in 1936, used binary

Amis, Sir Kingsley

2005-03-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

Amis was educated at the City of London School and at St. John's College, Oxford (B.A., 1949). His education was interrupted during World War II by his service as a lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Signals.

Medicine, Family health care

2005-03-29T04:14:00.000-08:00

In many societies special facilities are provided for the health care of pregnant women, mothers, and their young children. The health care needs of these three groups are generally recognized to be so closely related as to require a highly integrated service that includes prenatal care, the birth of the baby, the postnatal period, and the needs of the infant. Such

Montesquieu, Charles-louis De Secondat, Baron De La Brède Et De

2005-03-29T00:34:00.000-08:00

French political philosopher whose major work, The Spirit of Laws, was a major contribution to political theory.

Visayas

2005-03-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Bisayas island group, central Philippines. The Visayas group consists of seven large and several hundred smaller islands clustered around the Visayan, Samar, and Camotes seas. They have a total area of 23,582 square miles (61,077 square km). The seven main islands are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Panay, and Samar (qq.v.). These islands and their smaller neighbours make up the central group

Rhapsodist

2005-03-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

Greek Rhapsoidos, plural Rhapsoidoi, any of the dramatic reciters of ancient Greece, dating from the 6th century BC. In the oral epic tradition, rhapsodists were preceded by Homeric singers (aoidoi) of their own epic songs and, like them, were musically accompanied on the lyre and aulos. To heighten dramatic effect, rhapsodists used a staff for symbolic gesturing. Their intonation of poetry probably involved

La Salle

2005-03-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

City, Montréal region, southern Quebec province, Canada, on the south shore of Île de Montréal (Montreal Island), at the head of the Lachine Rapids of the St. Lawrence River. Settlement of the site began in 1668, when Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, established a fortified townsite first known as Saint-Sulpice and later as La Petite Chine, or Lachine. Surviving an Iroquois Indian

Bridle

2005-03-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

The reins, lines

Korea, History Of, Chinese intervention

2005-03-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

The Chinese, who had moved troops along the Yalu after the Inch'on landing, entered Korea in November in overwhelming numbers. By the end of 1952, 1,200,000 Chinese were engaged in the war under the command of Peng Dehuai (P'eng Te-huai). They forced the UN forces to retreat in disorder, and Seoul was reevacuated on Jan. 4, 1951. But the Chinese were halted around P'yongt'aek (about 30 miles south of Seoul),

Shifting Attitudes In A Changing World

2005-03-25T00:23:00.000-08:00

It was once said that "almost everything in history almost never happened"--a feeling, perhaps, that many of us have had about our own lives. When we look back, we often find an awkward chain of events that escapes logic, and only by willful disregard of such complicating factors as facts will we succeed in finding anything resembling a pattern or a plan guiding us. In westernized

Li Keran

2005-03-24T23:40:00.000-08:00

Li showed a gift for painting, calligraphy, and music as a child. When he was 13, he began to study landscape

Carte Du Ciel

2005-03-23T18:04:00.000-08:00

(French: “Map of the Heavens”), projected photographic mapping of some 10 million stars in all parts of the sky that was planned to include all stars of the 14th magnitude or brighter and to list in an associated catalog all of the 12th magnitude or brighter. The plan, devised about 1887 by Amédée Mouchez, director of the Paris Observatory, involved the cooperation of 18 observatories

Sunch'on

2005-03-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

City, Cholla-nam do (province), southern South Korea. Located on the Yosu Peninsula, 87 miles (140 km) southeast of Kwangju, the provincial capital, it is an administrative and economic centre of the eastern part of the province. It is connected by rail with Seoul through Kwangju and Taejon and, since 1968, has been connected with Pusan through Chinju and Masan. A transportation junction,

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

2005-03-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Muslim theologian, jurist, and martyr for his faith. He was the compiler of the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (Musnad) and formulator of the Hanbali, the most strictly traditionalist of the four orthodox Islamic schools of law. His doctrine influenced such noted followers as the 13th–14th-century theologian Ibn Taymiyah, the Wahhabiyah, an 18th-century reform

Clout Shooting

2005-03-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

As practiced by the Royal Company of Archers (the British sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland, formally organized in 1676) and the Woodmen of Arden (English society of archers, founded 1785), traditional longbows

China, Prosperity and progress

2005-03-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hsüan-tsung's reign (712–756) was the high point of the T'ang dynasty. It was an era of wealth and prosperity that saw institutional progress along with a flowering of the arts. Political life was at first dominated by the bureaucrats recruited through the examination system who had staffed the central government under Wu-hou. But a gradual revival of the power of the great aristocratic

Typhoon

2005-03-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

Local name in the western North Pacific area for any large, traveling tropical cyclone (q.v.).

Aschelminth

2005-03-21T03:01:00.000-08:00

In the absence of useful fossils, the evolutionary history of the aschelminths can only tentatively

Razor-billed Auk

2005-03-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Razorbill (Alca torda), black and white seabird of the North Atlantic, bearing a sharp, heavy, compressed beak. About 40 cm (16 inches) long, it is the largest living member of the auk family, Alcidae (order Charadriiformes), and the nearest kin to the extinct great auk (q.v.). Razor-billed auks are deep divers, feeding on fish (including shellfish). They breed along North Atlantic coasts; some migrate

Brentano, Lujo

2005-03-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

Brentano received his Ph.D. in economics in 1867 from the University of Göttingen and was professor of political theory from 1871 to 1931, successively, at the Universities

Tecumseh

2005-03-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tecumthe, Tikamthe, or Tecumtha Shawnee Indian chief, orator, military leader, and advocate of intertribal Indian alliance who directed Indian resistance to white rule in the Ohio River valley. In the War of 1812 he joined British forces for the capture of Detroit and the invasion of Ohio. A decisive battle

English Literature, Problems of dating

2005-03-19T05:57:00.000-08:00

Few poems can be dated as closely as Caedmon's “Hymn.” King Alfred's compositions fall into the late 9th century, and Bede composed his “Death Song” within 50 days of his death on May 25, 735. Historical poems like “The Battle of Brunanburh” (after 937) and “The Battle of Maldon” (after 991) are fixed by the dates of the events they commemorate. A translation of one of Aldhelm's riddles is found not only

Muhammad Ibn Al-hanafiyah

2005-03-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Muslim religious figure who many thought was the legitimate caliph. He was a son of 'Ali, the fourth caliph, but not by his wife, Fatimah, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. By nature, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was retiring and inclined to avoid partisan strife; he acted with much caution despite the support of various factions that would

Polaris Missile

2005-03-18T02:05:00.000-08:00

After four years of research and development, the U.S. Navy in 1960 began to deploy nuclear-powered submarines armed with 16 Polaris missiles each. Each missile was 31 feet (9.4 m) long and 4.5 feet (1.4 m) in diameter and was powered by two solid-fueled stages. Three

Arniches (y Barrera), Carlos

2005-03-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

Popular Spanish dramatist of the early 20th century, best known for works in the género chico (“lesser genre”): the one-act zarzuela (musical comedy) and the one-act sainete (sketch). These plays were based upon direct observation of the customs and speech of the lower class people of Madrid. He wrote some 270 of them and was considered a master

Minamoto Shitago

2005-03-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

Although he was a descendant of the emperor Saga and was a member of the powerful Minamoto clan, Shitago was barred from high political position because he did not belong to the Fujiwara family, which controlled the government. Instead he devoted himself to scholarly and literary pursuits and became recognized

Irnerius

2005-03-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Originally a teacher of the liberal arts, Irnerius studied law in Rome at the insistence of Matilda of Canossa, countess of Tuscany, who later

Cordemoy, (louis-)géraud De

2005-03-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

French historian and philosopher, who showed considerable originality in his development of the general principles of physical theory. He introduced a new atomism into the mechanistic system of René Descartes by linking unity and substantiality; matter is homogeneous but contains a multiplicity of bodies each of which is an individual substance.

Nabha

2005-03-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Punjab state, northwestern India. It is located some 16 miles (26 km) west and slightly north of Patiala. Nabha (founded 1755) was the capital of the princely state of Nabha, established in 1763 and composed of 12 scattered territories claimed by a member of the Sikh Phulkian family. In 1807–08 the raja gained British protection against threatened encroachments by Ranjit Singh.

Peru, Westernized arts

2005-03-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

The arts have long occupied positions of esteem among Peru's educated minority. Since the late 19th century, most writers have felt a ceaseless duty to analyze their society. Ricardo Palma was among the first to utilize Peruvian themes. Aves sin nido (1889; Birds Without a Nest), by Clorinda Matto de Turner, was the first of many books whose authors exposed the conditions of Indian

Czechoslovak Region, History Of

2005-03-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

The modern states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia came into being on Jan. 1, 1993, with the dissolution of the Czechoslovak federation. Czechoslovakia itself had been formed in 1918 at the end of World War I, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Bottom Water

2005-03-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

Dense, lowermost layer of ocean water that can be distinguished clearly from overlying waters by its characteristic temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. Most bottom waters of the South Pacific, southern Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, and portions of the North Atlantic are formed near Antarctica during the southern winter. The partial freezing of seawater

Biblical Literature, Christology in Hebrews

2005-03-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

The church is viewed as being in danger of discouragement in the face of persecution and possible apostasy. If faithless, church members risk total loss, for no second repentance is possible. Through his special Christology, the author seeks to help the readers by showing that Christ is the saviour superior to any other and that as Saviour, Son of God, High Priest, pioneer,

'arab, Shatt Al-

2005-03-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “Stream of the Arabs”), river in southeastern Iraq, formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers at the town of Al-Qurnah. It flows southeastward for 120 miles (193 km) and passes the Iraqi port of Basra and the Iranian port of Abadan before emptying into the Persian Gulf. For about the last half of its course the river forms the border between Iraq and Iran; it

Gipp, George

2005-03-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Gipp entered Notre Dame on a baseball scholarship, but he was recruited for football by the coach Knute Rockne, who saw Gipp drop-kicking and passing a football on a field adjacent to the practice field. Gipp played

West Florida Controversy

2005-03-12T04:23:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, dispute over the status of the territory lying on the Gulf of Mexico between the Apalachicola and Mississippi rivers. Though Spain claimed the area as part of its New World discovery in 1492, France occupied it as a portion of Louisiana after 1695. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1763, West Florida was held by Great Britain, which returned it to Spain under the Treaty of Paris

Sunday School

2005-03-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Although religious education of various types had been known earlier within Christianity, the beginning of the modern Sunday school can be traced to the work of Robert Raikes (1736–1811), a newspaper publisher

Kiriath-sepher

2005-03-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Debir , or Lo-debar , modern Tall Bayt Mirsham ancient town of Palestine, located near Hebron (in the Israeli-occupied West Bank). According to the Bible, the town was taken from the Canaanites either by Caleb's son-in-law Othniel or by Joshua himself. Tall Bayt Mirsham (Tell Beit Mirsim) was excavated (1926–32) by W.F. Albright, who uncovered exceptionally clear stratification from which he was able to give the first comprehensive

Ice Skating

2005-03-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

Rintje Ritsma of The Netherlands coped with hazardous weather conditions to claim the overall title in the men's world championships at the small Italian mountain resort of Baselga di Pinè on February 11-12. Keiji Shirahata of Japan finished second, and Roberto Sighel of Italy was third. Gunda Niemann of Germany captured the women's crown at Savalen, Norway, on March 4-5, ahead

Alderman

2005-03-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

Member of the legislative body of a municipal corporation in England and the United States. In Anglo-Saxon England, ealdormen, or aldermen, were high-ranking officials of the crown who exercised judicial, administrative, or military functions. Earls, the governors of shires (counties), and other persons of distinction were among those who received the title of alderman.

League Of Women Voters

2005-03-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

First proposed by Carrie Chapman Catt at a convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1917, the League was organized at a national convention on March 24–29, 1919, in St. Louis, Missouri,

Spain, The Almohads

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

In Africa the Almohad dynasty finally triumphed, and 'Abd al-Mu'min (1130–63), successor to Ibn Tumart, was able to turn his attention to Spain and to undertake the integration of all the Muslim states—the second ta'ifas—formed under the shield of the latest internecine wars caused by the Almoravid decline. Of these states, there stood out especially that under Ibn Mardanish (1147–72), who, with

Karachay-cherkessia

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

Also called Karachayevo-cherkessiya, republic, Stavropol kray (region), southwestern Russia. It extends south from the foreland plains across the northern ranges and deep intervening valleys and gorges of the Greater Caucasus range as far as the crestline, which reaches 13,274 feet (4,046 m) in Mount Dombay-Ulgen. Cherkessk is the administrative centre. The republic's scenery is spectacular, with densely forested

Zamora

2005-03-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Ecuador. It lies in the forested jungles east of the main Andean ranges and is situated at the southeastern foot of the Andean Cordillera (mountains) de Zamora, just south of the Zamora River. The Roman Catholic Church has established a Vicar Apostolic in Zamora, which is considered to be a missionary settlement; the population is almost entirely

Tsimshian

2005-03-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Chimmesyan, Indians of the North Pacific Coast of North America, inhabiting the mainland and islands around the Skeena and Nass rivers and Milbanke Sound in what is now British Columbia and Alaska. They speak any of three Tsimshian dialects: Niska, spoken along the Nass River; coastal Tsimshian, along the lower Skeena and the coast; and Kitksan (or Gitksan), along the upper Skeena.

Xerox Parc

2005-03-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

In full Xerox Corporation Palo Alto Research Center division established in 1970 by Xerox Corporation in Palo Alto, California, U.S., to explore new information technologies that were not necessarily related to the company's core photocopier business. Many innovations in computer design were developed by PARC researchers, including the Alto, the first personal computer; the graphical user interface; the laser printer;

Canterbury

2005-03-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

Local government region, east-central South Island, New Zealand, centred on the Canterbury Plains. The region borders the Pacific Ocean to the east and extends southward from the vicinity of Kaikoura to the Waitaki River and includes the city of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. Canterbury's area also stretches westward to include the eastern slopes of the Southern

Anastasius Sinaita, Saint

2005-03-05T04:20:00.000-08:00

Theologian and abbot of the Monastery of St. Catherine, on Mt. Sinai, whose writings, public disputes with various heretical movements in Egypt and Syria, and polemics against the Jews made him in his day a foremost advocate of orthodox Christian doctrine, specifically on the person and work of Christ, and provided key documents for the history

Ducis, Jean-françois

2005-03-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

French dramatist who made the first sustained effort to present William Shakespeare's tragedies on the French stage. Although he remodeled the tragedies to the French taste for witty, epigrammatic style and attempted to confine the plays within the “classical unities” (of time, place, and action), such critics as Voltaire still

Extrinsicism

2005-03-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

In Christian thought, for example, this is illustrated by the tendency

Arendal

2005-03-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Town, port, and seat of Aust-Agder fylke (county), southern Norway. Its excellent harbour is on Tromøy Sound, a protected sound sheltered by the offshore island of Tromøy. A port since the 14th century, Arendal had the largest fleet in Norway before the steamship era. From the 16th century it prospered from timber exports. Some timber is still floated down the Nidelva (river), which

Sung Dynasty

2005-03-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Sung dynasty was founded when Chao K'uang-yin, the military inspector general of the Chou dynasty, last of the Five Dynasties, usurped control of the empire in a coup. Thereafter, he used his mastery of diplomatic maneuvering to persuade powerful potential

Generalization

2005-03-02T05:34:00.000-08:00

In psychology, the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli. For example, a dog conditioned to salivate to a tone of a particular pitch and loudness will also salivate with considerable regularity in response to tones of higher and lower pitch. The generalized response is predictable and orderly: it will measure less than that elicited

Peter I

2005-03-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

Peter was the son of Tsar Alexis by his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. Unlike his half-brothers,

Lenz, Jakob Michael Reinhold

2005-03-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Lenz studied theology at Königsberg University but gave up his studies in 1771 to travel to Strasbourg as a tutor and companion

Fuchsia

2005-03-01T02:39:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 100 species of flowering shrubs and trees, in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae), native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America and to New Zealand and Tahiti. Several species are grown in gardens as bedding plants, small shrubs, or miniature treelike specimens; others are grown as pot plants or in hanging baskets

David Ap Llywelyn

2005-02-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

His father, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, had made Gwynedd the centre of Welsh power, and his mother, Joan, was the illegitimate daughter of King John of England (ruled 1199–1216). Although Llywelyn designated David as his successor, his half brother Gruffudd opposed him. While the aged Llywelyn

Gendje Carpet

2005-02-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

Old Gendjes are made entirely of

Yamasaki, Minoru

2005-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Following his graduation from the University of Washington, Seattle, Yamasaki went in 1934 to New York City, where he held a number of design positions

Mcmahon, Sir William

2005-02-27T01:56:00.000-08:00

He was educated at the University of Sydney, where he earned a degree in law. After practicing as a solicitor in Sydney he enlisted in the Australian Army in 1939 and rose to the rank of major. He served in the House of Representatives for Lowe (New South Wales)

Webster, Marie

2005-02-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Marie Daugherty was educated at local schools in Wabash, Indiana. Unable to attend college because of an eye ailment, she was tutored in Latin and Greek and read widely. She was married to George Webster in 1884, and the

China, The decisive year, 1948

2005-02-26T01:43:00.000-08:00

The year 1948 was the turning point. In central China, Communist armies of 500,000 men proved their ability to fight major battles on the plains and to capture, though not always hold, such important towns on the Lung-hai as Lo-yang and K'ai-feng. In North China they encircled T'ai-yüan, the capital of Shansi; took most of Chahar and Jehol, provinces on Manchuria's western flank; and recaptured

Mora

2005-02-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

County, northern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the east by the steep walls of the Canadian River Canyon. Though most of the county lies in the Raton section of the Great Plains, its western heights are in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Pecos Baldy, at 12,500 feet (3,810 m), is in the Sangre de Cristo range in the far west; in the southwest is the Santa Fe range, rising to over 11,000 feet (3,350 m). The valley of

Heliopolis

2005-02-24T02:52:00.000-08:00

(Greek), Egyptian Iunu , or Onu (“Pillar City”) , biblical On one of the most ancient Egyptian cities, and the seat of worship of the sun god, Re. It was the capital of the 15th nome of Lower Egypt, but Heliopolis was important as a religious rather than a political centre. Its great temple of Re was second in size only to that of Amon at Thebes, and its priesthood wielded great influence, particularly during the 5th dynasty, when the worship

Xiangkhoang Plateau

2005-02-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

French Plateau de Xiangkhoang , formerly Plateau du Tranninh , English Tran Ninh Plateau dissected upland of complex geologic structure in north-central Laos. The plateau constitutes a western extension of the northern Annamite Chain; it is drained principally by the Ngum and Ngiap (Nhiêp) rivers to the south and the Khan River to the north, all of which are Mekong River tributaries. Once the upland's limestone and sandstone hills were covered with tropical

Gabrilowitsch, Ossip (salomonovich)

2005-02-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

After study with two of the outstanding pianists of his day—Anton Rubinstein in St. Petersburg and Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna—Gabrilowitsch toured widely in Europe and the United States. In 1909 he married Mark Twain's daughter, the singer Clara Clemens,

Smith, Lee

2005-02-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

Smith was educated at Hollins College, Roanoke, Va. (B.A., 1967), and the Sorbonne in Paris; she taught at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. Her first novel, The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed (1968), was written while she was in college. Her stories are set in the

Arad

2005-02-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

The site became a Roman outpost south of the river at Aradu Nou (“New Arad”). The first documented mention of Arad dates from 1156. Arad was in Turkish hands, with brief

Cape Tulip

2005-02-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

A few species have white flowers. Some species are variously known as Natal paintbrush, Catherine wheel, giant paintbrush, and

Bonaparte, Napoléon-joseph-charles-paul

2005-02-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

After the French Revolution of 1848, he was elected to the National Assembly as a representative of Corsica and assumed the name of Jérôme. Notwithstanding his ostensible

Narew River

2005-02-21T04:32:00.000-08:00

East-bank tributary of the Vistula River that rises in western Belarus and flows into eastern Poland. The Narew River is 272 miles (438 km) long and drains an area of more than 10,800 square miles (28,000 square km). It rises in the Belovezhskaya Forest in western Belarus and flows westward through wooded plains and marshlands. After entering Poland it swings north near Bialystok before

Marrah Mountains

2005-02-20T05:24:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jabal Marra, mountain range, a rugged volcanic chain extending for 100 miles (160 km) west-southwest of Al-Fashir, in west-central Sudan. The highest point of the Nile-Lake Chad watershed, the mountains reach heights of more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Some intermittent tributaries of the Al-'Arab River rise on the southern flanks.

Argentina, The Pampas

2005-02-20T04:02:00.000-08:00

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

Parturition, Face presentation

2005-02-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

When the child's head becomes bent back (extended) so that it enters and passes through the pelvis face first, the condition is known as a face presentation. The chin is then the leading pole and follows the same course that is followed by the back of the head in occipital presentations. If the chin lies to the front as it enters the pelvis, labour often is easy and of short

Larsen Ice Shelf

2005-02-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

Ice shelf in the northwestern Weddell Sea, adjoining the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula and named for Captain Carl A. Larsen, who sailed along the ice front in 1893. It covers an area of 33,000 square miles (86,000 square km, excluding the numerous small islands within the ice shelf). The shelf is narrow in its southern half but gradually widens toward the Antarctic Circle to the north

Pei-p'iao

2005-02-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Beipiao, mining town, western Liaoning Province, China. Located northwest of the Ta-ling Stream and east of the Ta-ch'ing Mountains, it is the site of a coal combine. The vertical shafts, which extend nearly 3,280 feet (1,000 m), are among the deepest mines in China. They produce coking coal from a southwestern extension of the Fu-hsin basin. Pop. (mid-1970s est.) 100,000–300,000.

Lisa, Manuel

2005-02-17T05:35:00.000-08:00

Of Spanish descent, Lisa automatically gained citizenship when Louisiana was purchased by the United States in 1803. Entering the fur trade out of St. Louis at an early age, he soon became one of the leading traders on the upper Mississippi.

Weber, Carl Maria Von

2005-02-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

In full Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst, Freiherr (baron) Von Weber German composer and opera director during the transition from Classical to Romantic music, noted especially for his operas Der Freischütz (The Freeshooter, 1821), Euryanthe (1823), and Oberon (1826). Der Freischütz, the most immediately and widely popular German opera that had then been written, established German Romantic

Regla

2005-02-16T02:34:00.000-08:00

City, northern Ciudad de la Habana provincia, west-central Cuba. Situated on the southeastern shore of La Habana Bay, Regla was a centre for smuggling activities in the 19th century. It is now an industrial suburb of Havana, with which it is linked by ferry as well as by land. Its foundries, petroleum refineries, shipyards, docks, and warehouses suggest its importance as both

Basil Of Ancyra

2005-02-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

Basil, a physician, was nominated bishop in 336 by the Semi-Arian party (see Semi-Arianism). In a Synodal Letter sent to all bishops summarizing the conclusions of a local council in

Crab-eating Fox

2005-02-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Savanna Fox, or Crab-eating Dog (Cerdocyon thous), South American member of the dog family (Canidae), found in grassy or forested areas. It attains a length of 60–70 cm (24–28 inches), excluding a 30-centimetre tail, and has a gray to brown coat that is frequently tinged with yellow. It generally lives alone or in pairs and spends the day in a burrow, emerging at night to hunt for such foods as small animals, fruit, insects, turtle

National Awakening Party

2005-02-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

The PKB was formed in 1998 by Abdurrahman Wahid—a Muslim cleric and head of the Council of Scholars (Nahdlatul-'Ulama), the country's largest Muslim organization— and his supporters. Its opposition to an Islamic government, however, led more conservative members to leave and establish other parties. In 1999 the PKB leader Wahid

Colby College

2005-02-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Waterville, Maine, U.S. Colby is an undergraduate college with a curriculum based in the liberal arts and sciences. It offers study-abroad programs in France, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, England, and Russia. Campus facilities include an observatory, an arboretum, and the Bixler Art and Music Center. Total enrollment

Sundanese

2005-02-13T05:45:00.000-08:00

Historically they were first recorded under the Indo-Javanese Brahmanical states

Orogeny

2005-02-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

Mountain-building event, generally one that occurs in geosynclinal areas. In contrast to epeirogeny, an orogeny tends to occur during a relatively short time in linear belts and results in intensive deformation. Orogeny is usually accompanied by folding and faulting of strata, development of angular unconformities, and the deposition of clastic wedges of sediments

Manaus

2005-02-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

City and river port, capital of Amazonas estado (“state”), northwestern Brazil. It lies along the north bank of the Negro River, 11 miles (18 km) above that river's influx into the Amazon River. Manaus is situated in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, 900 miles (1,450 km) inland from the Atlantic coast. The city, on a terrace overlooking the river, is traversed by several side channels called

Ahikar, The Story Of

2005-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Folktale of Babylonian or Persian origin, about a wise and moral man who supposedly served as one of the chief counselors of Sennacherib, king of Assyria (704–681 BC). Like the biblical Job, Ahikar was a prototype of the just man whose righteousness was sorely tested and ultimately rewarded by God. Betrayed by his power-hungry adopted son, Ahikar was condemned to death, suffered

Nabha

2005-02-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Sage, Russell

2005-02-11T02:37:00.000-08:00

Sage's first job was as an errand boy in a brother's grocery store in Troy, N.Y. In his spare time he studied bookkeeping and arithmetic, and he began trading on his own. When he was 21, he used his profits to buy out the store

Kyffhäuser Mountains

2005-02-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

German Kyffhäuser Gebirge, double line of hills on the northern edge of the Thüringer Basin in central Germany that extend for 13 miles (21 km) and reach a maximum height in the Kulpen-Berg (1,565 feet [477 m]). Lying in the lowland of Thuringia on the south side of the Harz Mountains, the range cuts off steeply to the north and slopes gently to the south. The northern hills look down upon the valley of the Goldene Aue

Montalembert, Marc-rené, Marquis De

2005-02-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

Montalembert entered the French army in 1732 and served in the War of the Polish Succession

Scaevola, Quintus Mucius

2005-02-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

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