StickyRat

Estate Agent London

2006-10-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services, including estate agent london and estate agent central london. Their centrally located ground floor offices, minutes from Oxford Circus offer an ideal marketing base for your property.

Argentina

2005-04-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

On Dec. 10, 1999, Fernando de la Rúa assumed office as president of Argentina, marking the end of Carlos Saúl Menem's 10-year tenure. The Alliance (composed of de la Rúa's Radical Civic Union [UCR], the Front for a Country in Solidarity [Frepaso], and several smaller parties) held a plurality of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies but remained a minority in the Senate, where Menem's Justicialist

Aschelminth, Importance

2005-04-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

The aschelminths are primarily particle feeders, grazing on bacteria, microfungi, algae, and protozoans, though some are predators on other aschelminths. As such they play important roles in recycling nutrients, which then become available for plant growth, and in promoting the decomposition of dead organic matter. Aschelminths are at the base of many food

Accessory

2005-04-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

In law, a person who becomes equally guilty in the crime of another by knowingly and voluntarily aiding the criminal prior to or after the crime. An accessory is one kind of accomplice (q.v.), the other being an abettor, who aids the criminal during the act itself.

Theophrastus

2005-04-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

Theophrastus was one of the few Peripatetics who fully

Hess, Germain Henri

2005-04-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

After practicing medicine for several years in Irkutsk, Russia, Hess became professor of chemistry in 1830 at the Technological Institute, University of St. Petersburg. His early investigations concerned minerals and the natural

Lorentz Transformations

2005-04-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

Set of equations in relativity physics that relate the space and time coordinates of two systems moving at a constant velocity relative to each other. Required to describe high-speed phenomena approaching the speed of light, Lorentz transformations formally express the relativity concepts that space and time are not absolute; that length, time, and mass depend

Swimming

2005-03-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

Eighty divers from 18 countries competed in the 24th International at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 6-9. In the women's events, Simona Koch of Germany won the 1-m springboard; Irina Lashko of Russia took the 3-m springboard; and Svetlana Khokhlova of Russia won the 10-m platform. Winners in the men's competition were Wang Yijie of China in the 1-m springboard, Lan Wei of China in the 3-m springboard,

Triggerfish

2005-03-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

Any of about 30 species of shallow-water marine fishes of the family Balistidae, found worldwide in tropical seas. Triggerfishes are rather deep-bodied, usually colourful fishes with large scales, small mouths, and high-set eyes. Their common name refers to the triggering mechanism in the first two of their three dorsal fin spines. The first spine can

Coiba Island

2005-03-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Quibo Island, Spanish Isla De Coiba or Quibo, Central American island in the Pacific Ocean, administered by Veraguas province, Panama. Lying 15 mi (24 km) offshore and separated from the mainland by the Gulf of Montijo on the east and the Gulf of Chiriquí on the northwest, the island measures about 20 mi from north to south and 10 mi from east to west. It has an area of 191 sq mi (494 sq km) and rises to a maximum elevation of 1,400 ft (425 m). Coiba is the

Osinniki

2005-03-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

City, Kemerovo oblast (province), central Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Kandalep and Kondoma rivers. The city developed in the 1930s as a mining centre in the Kuznetsk Coal Basin; it supplies coal to the Kuznetsk metallurgical complex located in Novokuznetsk. A college of mining technology is located there. Inc. city, 1938. Pop. (1991 est.) 63,200.

Ogden, Peter Skene

2005-03-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

Ogden's parents were American loyalists who had fled to Canada (via England) during the American

Kekri

2005-03-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Keyri, or Käyri, in ancient Finnish religion, a feast day marking the end of the agricultural season that also coincided with the time when the cattle were taken in from pasture and settled for a winter's stay in the barn. Kekri originally fell on Michaelmas, September 29, but was later shifted to November 1, All Saints' Day. In the old system of reckoning time, Kekri was a critical period between

Bas-relief

2005-03-27T05:35:00.000-08:00

Sculptural relief in which the projection from the surrounding surface is slight (see photograph). See relief.

China, Reactions to warlords and foreigners

2005-03-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

These states, too, were moving toward a new, postwar relationship with China. At the Washington Conference (November 1921–February 1922), eight powers agreed to respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial and administrative integrity of China, to give China opportunity to develop a stable government, to maintain the principle of equal opportunity in China for

Smith, Bernard

2005-03-26T08:08:00.000-08:00

Smith was an apprentice of the German organ builder Christian Förmer but adapted easily to the English style of building after his emigration there in 1660. Some years after building an instrument for the Chapel Royal at London, Smith was named king's organ maker (1681). Thereafter he built many important

France, History Of, The people

2005-03-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

Gaul was predominantly a Celtic land (see below), but it also contained pre-Celtic Ligurians and Iberians in the south and southwest and more recent Germanic immigrants in the northeast. Neighbouring Celtic communities on the Danube and in northern Italy, however, were not included. The south, in addition, had been heavily influenced by the Greek colony of Massilia

Klamath Mountains

2005-03-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

Segment of the Pacific mountain system (q.v.) of western North America. The range extends southward for about 250 miles (400 km) from the foothills south of the Willamette Valley in southwestern Oregon, U.S., to the northwestern side of the Central Valley of California. The mountains rise to Mount Eddy (9,038 feet [2,755 m]) west of Mount Shasta in California and include numerous subranges. They

Guinea-bissau, Religions

2005-03-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

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

Orangery

2005-03-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

The great period of the orangery,

Dagda

2005-03-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Eochaid Ollathair (“Eochaid the All-Father”) , or In Ruad Ro-fhessa (“Red [or Mighty] One of Great Wisdom”) in Celtic religion, one of the leaders of a mythological Irish people, the Tuatha Dé Danann (“People of the Goddess Danu”). The Dagda was credited with many powers and possessed a caldron that was never empty, fruit trees that were never barren, and two pigs—one live and the other perpetually roasting. He also had a huge club that had the power both to kill men and to restore

Xenakis, Iannis

2005-03-22T02:09:00.000-08:00

Romanian-born Greek-French composer and architect (b. May 29, 1922, Braila, Rom.—d. Feb. 4, 2001, Paris, France), based his music on mathematical principles, particularly theories of probability. Although his music was generated by the rigorous application of nonmusical ideas, the results were often powerful and moving. He created orchestral, ensemble, and solo works for traditional instruments

Tadpole Shrimp

2005-03-21T23:34:00.000-08:00

(order Notostraca), any member of a small group of crustaceans (class Branchiopoda), composed of the genera Triops and Lepidurus. The approximately 15 known species are strictly freshwater forms, inhabiting lakes, ponds, and temporary pools, chiefly in Europe and North America. The common name tadpole shrimp derives from the animal's distinctive body shape—a large, oval

Alexander Of Tralles

2005-03-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

Latin Alexander Trallianus (c. 525–c. 605), Byzantine physician who practiced and taught in Rome, best known for his treatise on pathology and therapy (in 12 books), which served as a basis for instruction long after his death. It was translated into Arabic and Latin (Libri duodecim de re medica) and was printed in Greek, Latin, and Greco-Latin editions throughout the 16th century.

Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl Of, Baron Of Raby

2005-03-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

Leading adviser of England's King Charles I. His attempt to consolidate the sovereign power of the king led to his impeachment and execution by Parliament.

Lenz, Jakob Michael Reinhold

2005-03-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

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

Arabia, The Hejaz and Asir

2005-03-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

A virtually unbroken escarpment runs the length of the peninsula above the Red Sea. The stretch from the Gulf of Aqaba to a point about 200 miles south of Mecca is called the Hejaz (Al-Hijaz, meaning “The Barrier”), and the higher stretch from there to the Najran region near the Yemeni border has acquired the name of Asir ('Asir; from the name, meaning “Difficult,” of a prominent highland

Giocondo, Fra Giovanni

2005-03-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

A learned Franciscan, Fra Giocondo is said to have received an extensive humanistic education. He made an important collection of classical inscriptions and was noted by

Paradoxes Of Zeno

2005-03-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Statements made by the Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea, a 5th-century-BC disciple of Parmenides, a fellow Eleatic, designed to show that any assertion opposite to the monistic teaching of Parmenides leads to contradiction and absurdity. Parmenides had argued from reason alone that the assertion that only Being is leads to the conclusions that Being (or all that there

Waldteufel, Emil

2005-03-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

In 1865 he became court pianist to Empress Eugénie and the following

John Frederick (ii)

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

On the imprisonment of his father, the former elector John Frederick the Magnanimous, John Frederick II and

Solar Cycle

2005-03-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

Period in which several important kinds of solar activity repeat themselves. The cycle, lasting about 22 years on the average, includes two 11-year cycles of sunspots, which display opposite magnetic polarities in alternate cycles, and two peaks and two declines in each of the various phenomena that vary in the same period as sunspots. These phenomena include fluctuations

Sandys, Sir Edwin

2005-03-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sandys was the son of Edwin Sandys, bishop of Worcester and later archbishop of

Quadrangle

2005-03-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Byname Quad, in architecture, rectangular open space completely or partially enclosed by buildings of an academic or civic character. The grounds of a quadrangle are often grassy or landscaped. Such a quadrangular area, intended as an environment for contemplation, study, or relaxation, was a feature of monastic establishments and thus of the colleges that evolved from them.

Tapestry, 15th century

2005-03-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

The greatest tapestries of the 15th century were produced in the Flemish cities of Arras, Tournai, and Brussels. In the first half of the century it was Arras that particularly prospered under the patronage of the dukes of Burgundy. Duke Philip the Good (1396–1467) had a specially designed building erected in the city to allow for better conservation of his tapestry collection.

Seligman, C.g.

2005-03-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

Although educated as a physician, in 1898 Seligman joined the Cambridge University expedition to the Torres Strait (between New Guinea and Australia). After returning to England, he resumed

God And Saints Of Christ, Church Of

2005-03-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Religious sect founded in 1896 by Prophet William S. Crowdy. He passed his mantle of leadership to Bishop William Plummer, who announced himself as “Grand Father Abraham.” This group believes that all Jews were originally black and that modern-day blacks are descendants of the “lost tribes of Israel.” Their beliefs centre on the “Seven Keys,” the “Stone of Truth,” and the Ten Commandments.

Breeze

2005-03-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Air current designation on the Beaufort scale; it is weaker than a wind, which in turn is weaker than a gale. Breeze also denotes various local winds (e.g., sea breeze, land breeze, valley breeze, mountain breeze) generated by unequal diurnal heating and cooling of adjacent areas of the Earth's surface. These breezes are strongest in warm, clear, dry weather, when daytime insolation,

Aubigné, Théodore-agrippa D'

2005-03-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

Major late 16th-century poet, renowned Huguenot captain, polemicist, and historian of his own times. After studies in Paris, Orléans, Geneva, and Lyon, he joined the Huguenot forces and served throughout the Wars of Religion on the battlefield and in the council chamber. He was écuyer (“master of horse”) to Henry of Navarre. After Henry's accession to

Lindsay

2005-03-12T00:44:00.000-08:00

Town, seat (1861) of Victoria county, southeastern Ontario, Canada. It lies along the Scugog River, 21 miles (34 km) west-northwest of Peterborough. Laid out in 1825 as Purdy's Mills (after William Purdy, who built the first mills), it was renamed for one of the original land surveyors. The town's growth has been due partly to the Trent Canal (1833) and the improvement of the waterway between Sturgeon

Celestial Navigation

2005-03-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

Use of the observed positions of celestial bodies to determine a navigator's position. At any moment some celestial body is at the zenith of any particular location on the Earth's surface. This location is called the ground position (GP). GP can thus be stated in terms of celestial coordinates, with the declination of the celestial object equal to latitude and the Greenwich

Florensky, Pavel Alexandrovich

2005-03-10T14:35:00.000-08:00

In 1904 Florensky received a degree in philosophy and mathematics from Moscow University, and four years later he obtained his graduate degree from the Moscow Theological Academy, where he eventually taught. Ordained a

United Kingdom, The golden age of Bede

2005-03-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

Within a century of Augustine's landing, England was in the forefront of scholarship. This high standard arose from a combination of influences: that from Ireland, which had escaped the decay caused elsewhere by the barbarian invasions, and that from the Mediterranean, which reached England mainly through Archbishop Theodore and his companion, the abbot Adrian

South America, Linguistic patterns

2005-03-10T03:07:00.000-08:00

The linguistic diversity and multiplicity of South America probably is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Thousands of languages and dialects have been cataloged, including all those existing since the European conquest. Classification systems vary a great deal—from more than 100 “linguistic families” and many unrelated languages at one extreme to extremely

Binchois, Gilles

2005-03-09T04:07:00.000-08:00

Binchois was in Paris in 1424 serving William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, and returned with him to Hainaut in 1425. In 1430 Binchois joined the chapel of Philip III

X Club

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

Ruth Barton, “ ‘Huxley, Lubbock, and Half a Dozen Others': Professionals and Gentlemen in the Formation of the X Club, 1851–1864,” Isis, 89(3):410–444 (September 1998), discusses the interests and purposes that brought the group together. Two articles survey the importance of the club: Roy MacLeod, “The X-Club: A Social Network of Science in Late-Victorian England,” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, 24(2):305–322 (April 1970), is the fuller account; J. Vernon Jensen, “The X Club: Fraternity of Victorian Scientists,” The British Journal for the History of Science, vol. 5, part 1, no. 17, pp. 63–72 (June 1970), is also useful. Ruth Barton, “ ‘An Influential Set of Chaps': The X-Club and Royal Society Politics 1864–85,” The British Journal for the History of Science, vol. 23, part 1, no. 76, pp. 53–81 (March 1990), details how club members achieved and used power within the Royal Society.

Carlini, Armando

2005-03-08T01:42:00.000-08:00

Educated at

Cambridgeshire

2005-03-08T01:13:00.000-08:00

Administrative, geographic, and historic county of eastern England. The administrative county covers a much larger area than the ancient shire, or historic county. Formed in 1974, the administrative county incorporates almost all of the historic county of Cambridgeshire and most of the historic county of Huntingdonshire (which is nearly coterminous with the district

Baikie, William Balfour

2005-03-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Educated in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Baikie entered the Royal Navy as an assistant surgeon in 1848 and served on several ships as well as on land (1851–54). In 1854 he joined an expedition up the Niger River and, on the death

Croagh Patrick

2005-03-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Irish Cruach Phádraig quartzite peak, west of Westport and south of Clew Bay, County Mayo, Ireland. It rises to 2,510 feet (765 m) from a plateau 800–1,100 feet (245–335 m) high. The mountain is said to have been visited by St. Patrick (fl. 5th century), who, according to one authority, began his ministry there. In modern times, Croagh Patrick has become the site of a popular annual pilgrimage on the last Sunday in July, in which many people

Framed Building

2005-03-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

Structure in which weight is carried by a skeleton or framework, as opposed to being supported by walls. The essential factor in a framed building is the frame's strength. Timber-framed or half-timbered houses were common in medieval Europe. In this type the frame is filled in with wattle and daub or brick. A modern lightweight wood-frame structure, the balloon-frame

Benaud, Richie

2005-03-06T03:45:00.000-08:00

Byname of Richard Benaud cricketer who is best remembered as one of Australia's most imaginative captains. Benaud made his debut in first-class cricket at the age of 18 and first appeared in Test (international) matches in 1951. He was appointed captain of the Australian national team in 1958. With his leadership and shrewd knowledge of the game, Benaud led Australia to victory

Buysse, Cyriel

2005-03-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

Although Buysse, like the sons of most wealthy Flemings, received a French education, he early devoted himself to writing primarily in Flemish. In 1893 he cofounded and coedited Van nu en straks (1893–1901; “Of Now and Later”), an innovative and influential

La Vega

2005-03-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

In full Concepción de la Vega city, west-central Dominican Republic. It was founded in 1495 by Bartolomeo Colombo at the foot of Concepción fortress, which had been built by Christopher Columbus in 1494. La Vega was moved to the bank of the Camú River after an earthquake in 1564. La Vega is a prosperous commercial, manufacturing, and transportation centre in the fertile La Vega Real region, which yields cacao, coffee,

Biblical Literature, Arabic versions

2005-03-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

There is no reliable evidence of any pre-Islamic Arabic translation. Only when large Jewish and Christian communities found themselves under Muslim rule after the Arab conquests of the 7th century did the need for an Arabic vernacular Scripture arise. The first and most important was that of Sa'adia ben Joseph (892–942), made directly from Hebrew and written in Hebrew script,

Dowson, Ernest (christopher)

2005-03-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

As a boy Dowson lived an unsettled life. In 1886 he entered Queen's College, Oxford, but left in 1888 when a decline in his father's fortunes obliged him to work at his father's dock in the Limehouse district in London. Dowson was an active member of the Rhymers' Club,

Gwynedd

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

The county is named for the medieval Welsh princedom of Gwynedd, which, under the Llewellyns, proudly held out against the territorial ambitions of Edward I of England in the

Skalkottas, Nikos

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

Skalkottas began violin studies at the age of five, continuing them later at the Athens conservatory and in Berlin, where he also studied composition. Influenced by Schoenberg, with whom he studied (1927–31), he began using the 12-tone method in his compositions but adhered to traditional forms.

Alamein, El-

2005-03-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Coastal town in northwestern Egypt, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Alexandria, that was the site of two major battles between British and Axis forces in 1942 during World War II. El-Alamein is the seaward (northern) end of a 40-mile-wide bottleneck that is flanked on the south by the impassable Qattara Depression. This crucial east-west corridor became a vital defensive line held by

Stanley Cup

2005-03-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

Trophy awarded to the winner of the world's professional ice hockey championship, an annual play-off that culminates the season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup was first awarded in the 1893–94 season and is the oldest trophy that can be won by professional athletes in North America. The cup's donor was a governor-general of Canada, Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley

San Diego Zoological Garden

2005-03-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

The largest collection of mammals, birds, and reptiles in the world. This municipal zoo, located in San Diego, Calif., U.S., was founded in 1916 and is administered by the Zoological Society of San Diego. It occupies a 40.5-hectare (100-acre) site in Balboa Park amid hills and canyons. The zoo has about 3,500 animals representing more than 700 species. A noteworthy feature of the zoo is its landscaping.

Visitation

2005-03-01T00:44:00.000-08:00

The visit, described in the Gospel According to Luke (1:39–56), made by the Virgin Mary, pregnant with the infant Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, the pregnant Elizabeth felt the infant St. John the Baptist leap in her womb, which, according to later doctrine, signified that he had become sanctified and cleansed of original sin. Mary then said the Magnificat

Sunderland, Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Of, Baron Spencer Of Wormleighton

2005-02-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

The son of the 2nd Earl of Sunderland and the son-in-law of the Duke of Marlborough, he succeeded

Lutheran Synodical Conference

2005-02-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

Cooperative agency organized in 1872 by several conservative U.S. Lutheran groups. Its members accepted strict conservative interpretations of the Bible and the Lutheran confessions and insisted that fellowship among Lutheran groups could take place only after agreement was reached on doctrine and church practices. Over the years some of the original members

Haden, Charlie

2005-02-27T18:26:00.000-08:00

From the age of two Haden sang with his family's country music band on midwestern radio and television programs. He moved to Los Angeles and began to play jazz with Art Pepper and others. While working (1957–59) in pianist Paul

Guinea

2005-02-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

The shortage

Thenardite

2005-02-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

Any of a type of sodium sulfate mineral (Na2SO4) that has been deposited as an evaporation product near salt lakes and playas, as in the arid regions of northern Africa, Siberia, Canada, and the western United States. It is widespread as an efflorescence on arid soil and as a crust in volcanic fumarole deposits. For detailed physical properties, see sulfate mineral (table).

Luque

2005-02-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

City, southern Paraguay. Founded in 1635, Luque rose to prominence as the temporary national capital during the bloody Paraguayan War (1864–70) with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Oranges, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, and livestock produced in the area supply the markets of nearby Asunción, to which it is accessible by railroad and highway. Factories in Luque manufacture guitars

Chandelier

2005-02-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

Brass chandeliers were made in the

West Liberty State College

2005-02-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in West Liberty, West Virginia, U.S. It is a four-year liberal arts college that confers two-year associate as well as bachelor's degrees. The campus is on a hilltop in a rural region of northern West Virginia that is near the metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Steubenville, Ohio; and Wheeling, West Virginia.

Padua

2005-02-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

Italian Padova, Latin Patavium, city, capital of Padova province, Veneto region, northern Italy, on the River Bacchiglione, west of Venice. The Roman Patavium, founded, according to legend, by the Trojan hero Antenor, it was first mentioned in 302 BC, according to the Roman historian Livy, who was born there (59 BC). The town prospered greatly and, in the 11th–13th century, was a leading Italian commune. The poet Dante lived

Arabia, Ad-Dahna'

2005-02-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

The Ad-Dahna' belt, separating Najd from eastern Arabia, is a sand stream moving slowly over 800 miles from An-Nafud to the Rub' al-Khali. Usually it is no more than 50 miles wide. The sands, frequently reddish in colour, vary greatly in form; particularly in the central stretches, long parallel ridges rise to heights of approximately 150 feet, while some dunes are three times that height.

Kuala Belait

2005-02-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

Town, western Brunei. It lies along the Belait River near the South China Sea, west of Seria. It is the centre of an oil field that includes offshore wells. Kuala Belait is a river port on the coastal road that runs eastward to Seria and Bandar Seri Begawan, the national capital. A government vocational school supplies technical training in construction and engineering

Accent

2005-02-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

In prosody, a rhythmically significant stress on the syllables of a verse, usually at regular intervals. The word accent is often used interchangeably with stress, though some prosodists use accent to mean the emphasis that is determined by the normal meaning of the words while stress is used to mean metrical emphasis. In classical prosody, which was based on a quantitative

Zamboanga Peninsula

2005-02-22T22:57:00.000-08:00

The peninsula is drained in the north by the Lubungan, Dipolog, and Quipit rivers, and its northern highlands

Oboe

2005-02-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hautbois (French: “high [i.e., loud] wood”), or oboe, was originally one of the names of the shawm, the violently powerful instrument of

Earth, Measurement of the field

2005-02-21T03:50:00.000-08:00

Magnetic fields can be measured in various ways. The simplest measurement technique still employed today involves the use of the compass, a device consisting of a permanently magnetized needle that is balanced to pivot in the horizontal plane. In the presence of a magnetic field and in the absence of gravity, a magnetized needle aligns itself exactly along the

Hincks, Sir Francis

2005-02-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hincks immigrated to York, Canada (as of 1834, Toronto), in 1831 and by 1835 was manager of the People's Bank, which rivaled the Bank of Upper Canada. In 1838 he founded the Examiner in Toronto, a moderate liberal newspaper in which he campaigned for responsible (i.e., cabinet) government;

India, The Anglo-French struggle, 174063

2005-02-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

In 1740 India appeared to be relatively tranquil. In the north the Persian Nadir Shah's invasion (1739) had proved only to be a large-scale raid. In the Deccan, the Nizam-ul-Mulk (“Deputy for the Whole Empire”) provided some measure of stability. In western India the Marathas were dominant. However, there was competition between Marathas, Mughals, and local rulers for political supremacy in the

Aerospace Industry, The first decade

2005-02-20T02:36:00.000-08:00

The origin of the aerospace industry dates to 1903 when Wilbur and Orville Wright demonstrated an airplane capable of powered, sustained flight (see Wright flyer of 1903). The Wright brothers' success was due to detailed research and an excellent engineering-and-development approach. Their breakthrough innovation was a pilot-operated warping (twisting) of the wings to provide

Gene Flow

2005-02-19T02:23:00.000-08:00

Also called gene migration the introduction of genetic material (by interbreeding) from one population of a species to another, thereby changing the composition of the gene pool of the receiving population. The introduction of new alleles through gene flow increases variability within the population and makes possible new combinations of traits. In human beings gene flow usually comes

Mushroom Poisoning

2005-02-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

Among the mushrooms that most commonly cause poisoning are Amanita muscaria, A. phalloides, and the four white Amanita species called destroying angels.

Argenta

2005-02-18T05:02:00.000-08:00

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.)

Reggae

2005-02-18T00:32:00.000-08:00

According to an early definition in The Dictionary of Jamaican English (1980), reggae is

Can Tho

2005-02-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

Municipality and provincial seat of Hau Giang tinh (province), Mekong delta region, southeastern Vietnam. Situated on the left bank of the Song (river) Hau Giang, 90 mi (145 km) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), it is an industrial centre and the largest city of the flat delta region, which includes the Ca Mau Peninsula and the principal rice-growing areas of the country.

Wied, Gustav

2005-02-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Wied was the son of a well-to-do farmer. He spent most of his life in provincial surroundings, which provide the usual background for his works. He was a private tutor for years, and then an actor, before he became

Caxias

2005-02-16T05:03:00.000-08:00

City, east central Maranhão state, northeastern Brazil, on the Rio Itapicuru, at 207 ft (63 m) above sea level. Formerly known as São José das Aldeias Altas, it was renamed to honour Luis Alves de Lima e Silva, duque de Caxias, governor and military commander in Maranhão (1837). The city is the commercial centre of eastern Maranhão and processes rice, cotton, carnauba and babassu palms

Computers

2005-02-16T04:58:00.000-08:00

A snapshot of computer development in the early 1950s would have to show a number of companies and laboratories in competition—technological competition, and increasingly earnest business competition—to produce the few computers then demanded for scientific research. Several computer-building projects had been launched immediately after the end of World War

Acropolis

2005-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

(Greek: “city at the top”), central, defensively oriented district in ancient Greek cities, located on the highest ground and containing the chief municipal and religious buildings. Because the founding of a city was a religious act, the establishment of a local home for the gods was a basic factor in Greek city planning. From both a religious and a military point of view,

Narodnost

2005-02-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

Doctrine or national principle, the meaning of which has changed over the course of Russian literary criticism. Originally denoting simply literary fidelity to Russia's distinct cultural heritage, narodnost, in the hands of radical critics such as Nikolay Dobrolyubov, came to be the measure of an author's social responsibility, both in portraying the aspirations

Mardalsfossen

2005-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Waterfall at the head of Eikesdalsvatnet (lake), east-southeast of Åndalsnes, Nor. It consists of two cataracts in Mardøla district of Møre og Romsdal fylke (county), western Norway. The falls rank among the highest in the world, with their total drop of 1,696 ft (517 m) and individual descents of 974 and 722 ft. During the period of maximum snow melting in the spring, the waterfalls, descending

Amitabha

2005-02-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Japanese Amida , Chinese O-mi-t'o in Buddhism, the great saviour deity worshiped principally by members of the Pure Land sect in Japan. As related in the Sukhavati-vyuha-sutra (the fundamental scripture of the Pure Land sects), many ages ago a monk named Dharmakara made a number of vows, the 18th of which promised that, on his attaining buddhahood, all who believed in him and who called upon his name would be born

Romains, Jules

2005-02-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Romains studied science and philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. After teaching philosophy

Alcman

2005-02-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

Alcman's work survives in fragments, the longest being a parthenion (a choir song for girls) discovered in a 1st-century papyrus in Egypt in 1855. In the Suda lexicon (late 10th century AD) Alcman is described as a man “of an extremely amorous disposition and the inventor of love poems.” He was clearly

Kammatthana

2005-02-13T03:26:00.000-08:00

Sanskrit Karmasthana in Theravada Buddhist tradition, one of the objects of mental concentration or a stage of meditation employing it. According to Visuddhi-magga (a 5th-century CE Pali text by Buddhaghosa), there are 40 kammatthanas; an individual should choose the object of mental concentration that is in accordance with his own character or inclination. Each type of disposition has its

Mason, Bobbie Ann

2005-02-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

Mason was reared on a dairy farm and first experienced life outside rural Kentucky when she traveled throughout the Midwest as the teenage president of the fan club for a pop quartet, the Hilltoppers. She graduated from the University of Kentucky, Lexington

Interior Design, Floors

2005-02-11T00:39:00.000-08:00

Basically, there are two kinds of floors for interiors: those that are an integral part of the structure and those that are applied after the structure is completed. Interior designers working together with architects have the opportunity to specify flooring such as slate, terrazzo, stone, brick, concrete, or wood, but in most interiors the flooring is designed at

Stuttgart

2005-02-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

City, northern district seat of Arkansas county (the southern seat is De Witt), east-central Arkansas, U.S., about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Little Rock. Settled in 1878 by Lutheran minister Adam Buerkle (born in Stuttgart, Germany) and his congregation, the city was incorporated in 1889, raised to a city of the second class in 1897, and to that of the first class in 1917. Stuttgart has long been an agricultural

Manchester

2005-02-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

Town (township), which includes Manchester Village, Manchester Center, and Manchester Depot in southwestern Vermont, U.S. It lies near the Batten Kill River between the Taconic Range and the Green Mountains. Manchester Village is one of the seats (the other is Bennington) of Bennington county. The site was settled about 1764 and laid out in 1784. The Vermont Council of Safety (where

Hayes, Helen

2005-02-10T01:12:00.000-08:00

At the behest of her mother, a touring stage performer, Hayes attended dancing class as a youngster, and, from 1905 to 1909, she performed with the Columbia Players. At age nine, she made her Broadway debut as Little Mimi in the Victor Herbert operetta