ProbableCircle

Ren Essential Moroccan Rose Oil

2006-12-07T00:25:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most amazing natural bath oils I have used. It is a rich, sensuous and luxurious. Only a small amount of the Moroccan Otto Rose Oil in the bath will fill the room with this incredible smell. This rose oil really penetrates the skin during the bath leaving it soft as silk and with the beatiful scent of the rose oil

Conservatory

2005-04-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

The conservatory was a direct descendant

World War I, The Egyptian frontiers, 1915July 1917

2005-04-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

Even after the evacuation from Gallipoli, the British maintained 250,000 troops in Egypt. A major source of worry to the British was the danger of a Turkish threat from Palestine across the Sinai Desert to the Suez Canal. That danger waned, however, when the initially unpromising rebellion of the Hashimite amir Husayn ibn 'Ali against the Turks in the Hejaz was developed by the

Bruce, Blanche K(elso)

2005-03-31T16:07:00.000-08:00

The son of a slave mother and white planter father, Bruce was well educated as a youth. After the American Civil War, he moved to Mississippi, where in 1869 he became a supervisor of elections. By 1870 he was an emerging figure in state politics. After serving as sergeant

Habituation

2005-03-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

The waning of an animal's behavioral response to a stimulus, as a result of a lack of reinforcement during continual exposure to the stimulus. It is usually considered to be a form of learning involving the elimination of behaviours that are not needed by the animal. Habituation may be separated from most other forms of decreased response (not including changes caused

Pitoëff, Georges

2005-03-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

Russian-born director and producer, noted for his popularization in France of the works of contemporary foreign playwrights, especially Pirandello, Shaw, Chekhov, Schnitzler, and O'Neill. He was a member of the Cartel des Quatre (Group of Four), a group including Louis Jouvet, Charles Dullin, and Gaston Baty, dedicated to rejuvenating the

Ukraine, Flag Of

2005-03-25T04:31:00.000-08:00

More than a thousand years ago a powerful state, Kievan Rus, was founded in an area that is now part of Ukraine. National flags did not exist at that time, but Kievan Rus used as its symbol a trident head, which was resurrected when Ukraine became independent in 1918 and in 1991. The first national flag for Ukraine was adopted in 1848 by revolutionaries who wanted its western parts to

Kircher, Athanasius

2005-03-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Kircher learned Greek and Hebrew at the Jesuit school in Fulda, pursued scientific and humanistic studies at Paderborn, Cologne, and Koblenz, and in 1628 was ordained at Mainz. He fled the

Korku

2005-03-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

Tribal people of central India concentrated in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. At the end of the 20th century, they numbered about 560,000. However, poverty and restricted use of ancestral land due to government attempts to save the Bengal tiger have led to a serious problem of malnutrition and starvation among the Korku. Most are settled agriculturalists, and

Agricultural Sciences, The

2005-03-18T04:02:00.000-08:00

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

Mountain

2005-03-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

Mountainous terrains have certain unifying characteristics. Such terrains have higher elevations than do surrounding areas. Moreover, high relief exists within mountain belts and ranges. Individual mountains, mountain ranges, and mountain belts that have been created by different tectonic processes, however, are often characterized by different

Valence Electron

2005-03-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Any of the fundamental negatively charged particles in the outermost region of atoms that enters into the formation of chemical bonds. Whatever the type of chemical bond (ionic, covalent, metallic) between atoms, changes in the atomic structure are restricted to the outermost, or valence, electrons. They are more weakly attracted to the positive atomic nucleus than

English Literature, Prose

2005-03-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

The earliest English prose work, the law code of King Aethelberht I of Kent, was written within a few years of St. Augustine of Canterbury's arrival in England (597). Other 7th- and 8th-century prose, similarly practical in character, includes more laws, wills, and charters. According to Cuthbert, who was a monk at Jarrow, Bede had just finished a translation of the Gospel of St. John

Location Theory

2005-03-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

In economics and geography, theory concerned with the geographic location of economic activity; it has become an integral part of economic geography, regional science, and spatial economics. Location theory addresses the questions of what economic activities are located where and why. The location of economic activities can be determined on a broad level such

Mold

2005-03-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Welsh Yr Wyddgrug town, historic and present county of Flintshire (Sir Fflint), northeastern Wales, situated on a small stretch of farmland between the two industrial centres of Deeside and Wrexham. Mold grew up around a motte-and-bailey castle that the Normans built in the 12th century. The native Christian Britons of the area defeated the Picts and Scots in an important battle waged

Skeleton Sledding

2005-03-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Cresta sledding winter sport in which the skeleton sled, or Cresta, consisting of steel runners fastened to a platform chassis, is ridden in a headfirst, prone position. Skeleton sledding competitions are typically held on the same courses used for bobsled contests. It is a dangerous and thrilling sport where riders, with their faces just inches above the icy course, attain speeds

Western Africa, History Of, Francophone countries

2005-03-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

In Senegal, Léopold Senghor, with strong French support, maintained power until his resignation in 1980 by balancing conflicting factions and promising controlled political liberalization. His nominated successor, Abdou Diouf, continued these general policies together with the link to France. In the 1980s Senegal experienced budget deficits and agreed to a program

Litani River

2005-03-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

Arabic Nahr Al-litani, Latin Leontes, chief river of Lebanon, rising in a low divide west of Baalbek and flowing southwestward through the Al-Biqa' Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. Near Marj 'Uyun it bends sharply west and cuts a spectacular gorge up to 900 feet (275 m) deep through the Lebanon Mountains to the Mediterranean south of Sidon. The river's lower course is known as Qasimiyah. Although

Land Reform

2005-03-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

The concept of land reform has varied over time according to the range of functions which land

China, Beginnings of a national revolution

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

This new revolution was led by the Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Olympiodorus The Younger

2005-03-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

A Neoplatonist philosopher who is famous for having maintained the Platonic tradition in Alexandria after the Byzantine emperor Justinian had suppressed the Greek Academy at Athens and other pagan schools in AD 529. Olympiodorus' extant works include lucid and valuable commentaries on Plato's Phaedo, Gorgias, Philebus, and Alcibiades; a biography of Plato;

Mystery Religion, Rites and festivals

2005-03-06T05:11:00.000-08:00

A period of preparation preceded the initiation in each of the mysteries. In the Isis religion, for example, a period of 11 days of fasting, including abstinence from meat, wine, and sexual activity, was required before the ceremony. The candidates were segregated from the common folk in special apartments in the holy precinct of the community centre; they were called

Maccabees, The Books Of The

2005-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Maccabees also spelled Machabees four books, none of which is in the Hebrew Bible but all of which appear in some manuscripts of the Septuagint. The first two books only are part of canonical scripture in the Septuagint and the Vulgate (hence are canonical to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy) and are included in the Protestant Apocrypha.

Ear, Human, Function of the ossicular chain

2005-03-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

In order for sound to be transmitted to the inner ear, the vibrations in the air must be changed to vibrations in the cochlear fluids. There is a challenge involved in this task that has to do with difference in impedance—the resistance to the passage of sound—between air and fluid. This difference, or mismatch, of impedances reduces the transmission of sound. The tympanic

Punjab

2005-03-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Province of eastern Pakistan. It is bordered by the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the northeast, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, Sindh province to the south, Balochistan and North-West Frontier provinces to the west, and Islamabad federal capital area and Azad Kashmir to the north. Punjab is Pakistan's second largest province, after

Strabismus

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

Also called squint , or heterotropia failure of the eyes to align properly on the object toward which a person seeks to direct his gaze. The deviant eye may be directed inward, toward the other eye (cross-eye, or esotropia); outward, away from the other eye (walleye, or exotropia); upward (hypertropia); or downward (hypotropia). The squint is called comitant if the deviation remains constant no matter in what direction

Flood, Henry

2005-03-02T04:18:00.000-08:00

The illegitimate son of Warden Flood, chief justice of the King's Bench in Ireland, Henry entered the Irish Parliament in 1759. Irish Protestants were becoming impatient with the British Parliament's right to legislate

Teresa, Blessed Mother

2005-02-28T22:23:00.000-08:00

The daughter

Wu Zhen

2005-02-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Wu, like others of the group, sought stylistic inspiration in the past (especially from Five Dynasties masters such as Juran),

Syria, The cultivated steppe

2005-02-27T03:27:00.000-08:00

This region constitutes the principal wheat zone; agriculture is intensively pursued along the banks of the rivers. Some of Syria's most important cities—Damascus, Aleppo, Hims, Hamah, and al-Qamishli—are situated there.

Albany, Louise Maximilienne Caroline, Countess Of

2005-02-26T18:28:00.000-08:00

The elder daughter of Gustav Adolf, prince of Stolberg-Gedern, she entered the convent of Saint Waudru in Mons, where

Vadodara

2005-02-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Baroda, city, administrative headquarters of Vadodara district, east central Gujarat state, west central India, on the Visvamitra River, southeast of Ahmadabad. The earliest record of the city is in a grant or charter of AD 812 that mentions it as Vadapadraka, a hamlet attached to the town of Ankottaka. In the 10th century Vadapadraka displaced Ankottaka as the urban centre. It seems also

Andalusia

2005-02-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Andalusia has a long history. Agriculture and complex society had developed in the region by 4000 BCE. During the 9th century BCE the Phoenicians founded the coastal colony of Gadir (now Cádiz), and by the 5th century BCE Carthaginians and Greeks had colonized the coast, while the indigenous Iberian peoples of the interior developed a rich urban culture. The Romans led by Scipio Africanus

Farim

2005-02-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

Town, north central Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, on the Rio Cacheu. It is a market centre for the agricultural products of the interior; peanut (groundnut) cultivation, concentrated around the town, is mainly for export, and cattle are raised for domestic consumption in the northern savannas of the region. There are phosphate deposits near the town. Farim is connected

China, A race for territory

2005-02-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

As soon as Japan's impending surrender was known, the commander of the Communist armies, Gen. Zhu De, ordered his men, on August 11, to move into Japanese-held territory and take over Japanese arms, despite Chiang's order that they stand where they were. The United States aided the Chinese government by flying many divisions from the southwest to occupy the main eastern cities,

China, The Shantung Hills

2005-02-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

These hills are basically composed of Archean (Early to Middle Precambrian) crystalline shales and granites and of Lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (i.e., between 395,000,000 and 570,000,000 years old). Faults have played a major role in creating the present relief, and, as a result, many hills are horsts (blocks of the Earth's crust uplifted along faults), while the valleys have been formed by

Submarine Gap

2005-02-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Abyssal Gap, steep-sided furrow that cuts transversely across a ridge or rise; such a passageway has a steeper slope than either of the two abyssal plains it connects. Grooves known as interplain channels exist in many submarine gaps; the sediments in these channels are continuously graded. The graded sediments, in conjunction with the gradient and the furrowed topography

Seafloor Spreading Hypothesis

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

The seafloor spreading hypothesis was proposed

Aerospace Industry, Remanufacture and upgrading

2005-02-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

The most elaborate type of program under the general heading of maintenance is the remanufacturing process. Performed at aircraft-manufacturing facilities, remanufacture is a measure that combines a general overhaul with an upgrade of some of the aircraft's systems. The latter process often paces the progressive development of a basic airplane type through

Fu-ch'un River

2005-02-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

The westerly

Williams, Hank

2005-02-16T00:34:00.000-08:00

Williams began playing the guitar at the age of 8, made his radio debut at 13, and formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14. His series of recordings in 1947 on the M-G-M label won

San Fernando

2005-02-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Luzon, Philippines. Located on a bay of the South China Sea formed by a peninsula that ends in San Fernando Point, it served a tobacco- and rice-growing region as the northern terminus of the Philippine National Railway until the line was extended to Bacnotan in 1955. The town is on Luzon's main western coastal highway. Its outport, Poro, is the only national

Lagrange, Marie-joseph

2005-02-13T22:10:00.000-08:00

Lagrange became a Dominican in 1879 and was ordained in 1883. After teaching church history at Toulouse (1884–88), he studied Oriental languages at the University of Vienna before his order sent him to Jerusalem in 1890 to establish the School of Biblical Studies. There he also

Barreto, Francisco

2005-02-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Barreto served in the East Indies, was governor of Portuguese India, and was probably instrumental in exiling Luís de Camões to Macau after the poet had published criticisms of Portuguese administration in India. In 1569 Barreto was entrusted by King Sebastian of Portugal with an expedition to

Stearic Acid

2005-02-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

In nature stearic acid

Aix-la-chapelle, Congress Of

2005-02-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

(Oct. 1–Nov. 15, 1818), the first of the four congresses held by Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and France to discuss and take common action on European problems following the Napoleonic Wars (1800–15). This congress (held at Aix-la-Chapelle—now Aachen, Ger.) was attended by Alexander I of Russia, Francis I of Austria, Frederick William III of Prussia, and their representatives. Great Britain

Vulcano Island

2005-02-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Italian Isola Vulcano, Greek Hiera, Latin Vulcana, southernmost of the Eolie Islands, in the Tyrrhenian Sea (of the Mediterranean), off northeastern Sicily. It is administered as part of Messina province, Sicily, Italy. Vulcano has an area of 8 sq mi (21 sq km). Although the last major eruptions were in 1888–90, fumaroles of sulfurous vapour testify to continuous volcanic activity, and its Gran Cratere is still active. See also Eolie

'amr Ibn Kulthum

2005-02-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

'Amr ibn Kulthum lived to a very advanced age, highly respected

Bay Bridge

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

In full San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge complex crossing that spans San Francisco Bay from the city of San Francisco to Oakland via Yerba Buena Island. One of the preeminent engineering feats of the 20th century, it was built during the 1930s under the direction of C.H. Purcell. The double-deck crossing extends 8 miles (13 km) and consists of two end-to-end suspension bridges of 2,310-foot (704-metre) main spans and 1,160-foot (354-metre) side

Sporotrichosis

2005-02-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

Subacute or chronic infection by the fungus Sporotrichum, or Sporothrix, schenckii, usually characterized by a chancre at the site of inoculation and, extending from the site, a chain of hard, red, pus-generating lumps along the lymphatics of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The fungus, which is most commonly found in the soil or on vegetation or decaying wood, most

China, Rise of the empress Wu-hou

2005-02-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

Kao-tsung was 21 when he ascended the throne. In his first years he was dominated by the remaining great statesmen of T'ai-tsung's court, above all by the Emperor's uncle Chang-sun Wu-chi. But real power soon passed from Kao-tsung into the hands of the empress Wu-hou, one of the most remarkable women in Chinese history. Wu-hou had been a low-ranking concubine of T'ai-tsung. She was

Lower Hutt

2005-02-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

City, Wellington local government region, southern North Island, New Zealand, about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Wellington. It is the major business centre for the highly urbanized Hutt River valley and is within the Wellington urban area. Its heavy-industrial facilities include auto-assembly plants and oil installations; plastics, paint, footwear, and glass factories;

Mussato, Albertino

2005-02-03T01:52:00.000-08:00

Mussato earned his living as a copyist while studying for the profession of notary. He was knighted in 1296 and, after becoming a member of the Council of Padua, was sent in 1302 as ambassador to Pope Boniface VIII. In 1311 he

Aphrodite

2005-02-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified by the Romans with Venus (q.v.). Because the Greek word aphros means “foam,” the legend arose that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. Aphrodite was, in fact, widely worshiped as a goddess of the sea and of seafaring; she

Kababish

2005-01-29T05:03:00.000-08:00

During the 19th century the Kababish not only carried trade goods between the Nile River and Darfur but

Pavane

2005-01-28T04:34:00.000-08:00

(probably from Italian padovana, “Paduan”), majestic processional dance of the 16th- and 17th-century European aristocracy. Until about 1650 the pavane opened ceremonial balls and was used as a display of elegant dress. Adapted from the basse danse, an earlier court dance, the pavane presumably traveled from Italy to France and England by way of Spain; in southern

Sweater

2005-01-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

Outer garment, usually knitted or crocheted, that is worn on the upper part of the body, either pulled over the head or buttoned down the front or back. Although hand knitting of wool had been practiced for about 2,000 years, it was not until the 15th century that the first knitted shirts or tunics were produced on the English Channel islands of Guernsey and Jersey; hence the English

Madhya Pradesh, Industry

2005-01-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

Overall, Madhya Pradesh remains an industrially underdeveloped state. In 1981 the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. was established to improve the infrastructure in the state's identified growth centres. Before this planned development took place, western Madhya Pradesh was the main industrial area—primarily producing consumer goods—but

France, History Of, The cultural scene

2005-01-22T01:09:00.000-08:00

Paris after World War II quickly regained its stature as one of the world's great centres of intellectual creativity. A cluster of brilliant thinkers and writers competed for influence, attracting acolytes both in France and abroad. The first postwar wave was led by Jean-Paul Sartre, whose influence made existentialism the leading ideology of the time. Sartre saw

Celestite

2005-01-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

Mineral that is a naturally occurring form of strontium sulfate (SrSO4). It resembles barite, barium sulfate, but is much less common. Barium is interchangeable with strontium in the crystal structure; there is a gradation between celestite and barite. Celestite occurs in sedimentary rocks, particularly dolomites and dolomitic limestones, throughout the world

Zonaras, Joannes

2005-01-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

After holding high office in Constantinople under Alexius I Comnenus, Zonaras became a monk and retired to a remote island. In Historical Epitome he drew on a rich collection of sources, some of which, notably several

Saint Anthony

2005-01-16T02:06:00.000-08:00

Town, north of the entrance to Hare Bay, on the northern peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, 306 miles (492 km) northeast of Corner Brook. An old fishing settlement with dry docks, ship-repair yards, and cold-storage plants, it is the home of the International Grenfell Association (a charity organization established in 1912 by Sir Wilfred Grenfell, the medical missionary) and is known

Asparagus

2005-01-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

Asparagus may be erect or climbing, and most of the species are more

Adaptation

2005-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

In biology, process by which an animal or plant becomes fitted to its environment; it is the result of natural selection acting upon heritable variation. Even the simpler organisms must be adapted in a great variety of ways: in their structure, physiology, and genetics; in their locomotion or dispersal; in their means of defense and attack; in their reproduction and

Mance, Sir Henry Christopher

2005-01-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

Mance joined the Persian Gulf Telegraph Department of the government of India in 1863 and helped lay the first submarine telegraph

Nizhnekamsk

2005-01-07T00:47:00.000-08:00

City, Tatarstan, western Russia. It lies along the left bank of the Kama River, just southwest of Naberezhnye Chelny. It is an important petrochemical centre. Its synthetic-rubber plant, intended to become one of the world's largest, began operation in 1970. It also has a large tire plant and produces plastics. An oil refinery began operation there in 1979. Pop. (1995 est.) 209,500.

Spoonbill

2005-01-05T23:01:00.000-08:00

Any member of six species of long-legged wading birds that constitute the subfamily Plataleinae of the family Threskiornithidae (order Ciconiiformes), which also includes the ibises. Spoonbills are found in estuaries, saltwater bayous, and lakes. They feed by sweeping the long bill from side to side in the mud or shallow water and thereby catching mostly small fishes

Spiny-finned Fish

2005-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

The atheriniform (q.v.) is the best known of the spiny-finned group, including flying fishes, guppies, mollies, swordtails, and California grunion. Beryciforms

Rachmaninoff, Sergey

2005-01-01T03:14:00.000-08:00

Rachmaninoff's letters have been collected and published in Russian in Pisma, ed. by Z.A. Apetian (1955), which includes all previously published letters and some newly published ones. Rachmaninoff's Recollections, Told to Oskar von Riesemann, trans. from German by Dolly Rutherford (1934, reissued 1979), are reminiscences by the composer about his life and work; the last chapter is Riesemann's analysis of Rachmaninoff's qualities as a composer. Sergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, and Sophia Satin, Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music (1956, reissued 1965), is a comprehensive biography whose preparation was assisted by the composer's cousin and sister-in-law; it is especially useful for its description of the composer's years in the United States. Other biographical studies are Patrick Piggott, Rachmaninov (1978), including detailed musical commentary and critique; Barrie Martyn, Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor (1990), drawing extensively on archival and Russian-language sources, with a discography; and Geoffrey Norris, Rachmaninoff, rev. and updated ed. (1994).

Both, Pieter

2004-12-31T13:10:00.000-08:00

After sailing as an admiral in the Indies (1599–1601), he was sent in November 1609 to govern the colony, with instructions to see to it that the Netherlands had the entire monopoly of the trade with the islands and that no other nation had any share whatever. He

Arts, East Asian, Forms of the 16th18th centuries

2004-12-29T02:46:00.000-08:00

The flourishing of regional music-drama has continued throughout the centuries from the Sung dynasty until the present day. Musically they vary greatly in their instrumentation and particularly in their voice qualities. However, all tend to follow a tradition of using either standard complete pieces (lian-ch'ü) or stereotyped melodic styles (pan-ch'iang) in every

Mithan

2004-12-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

Cattle species also known as gayal (q.v.).

Basasiri, Arslan Al-muzaffar Al-

2004-12-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Al-Basasiri was born a Turkish slave, and his activities were first mentioned about 1025. At the time, the weakened 'Abbasid caliphs at Baghdad, who represented Sunnite Islam, were under continuous pressure from the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt, representing the Shi'ite sect, and the insurgent Turks commanded by Toghrïl Beg.

Middleton, Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl Of

2004-12-23T04:17:00.000-08:00

Eldest son of the 1st Earl, he held several offices under Charles II and James II, being envoy extraordinary at Vienna and afterwards joint secretary for Scotland. In 1684 he became an English secretary of state, and with Richard Graham, Viscount Preston, he had the difficult task of managing

Nägeli, Hans Franz

2004-12-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

Nägeli was captain of the Bernese forces in the campaign against the adventurer-robber baron Giangiacomo Medici, lord of Musso (1531) and during the occupation of the frontier of the canton of Valais in the second Kappel War (an intercantonal religious

Steamboat Springs

2004-12-19T02:59:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1877) of Routt county, north-central Colorado, U.S. Located in the high Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 6,762 feet (2,061 metres), the town was supposedly named for Steamboat Spring, reported to have recalled to trappers the chugging of a steamboat. The area was settled by whites in 1875 and was largely given over to ranching and timbering; the town served as a commercial centre. In

Amphibian

2004-12-16T01:41:00.000-08:00

Amphibians are generally thought to be intermediate between aquatic fishes, whose eggs lack a shell and protective membranes, and terrestrial amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals), which have cleidoic (self-contained) eggs with membranes that function in respiration, feeding, and waste disposal. Amniotes and amphibians form the group of four-legged vertebrates

Jacobsen, Arne

2004-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Jacobsen received his diploma in 1928 from the Copenhagen Academy

Coimbatore

2004-12-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

Town, administrative headquarters of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. Coimbatore is located on the Noyil River, 300 mi (480 km) south of Madras, on the Madras–Calicut (now Kozhikode) road. Long important as commanding the Palghat Gap to the west coast, it is a trade and processing centre for agricultural produce and a manufacturing centre for agricultural

Lawrance, Charles Lanier

2004-12-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

After attending Yale University Lawrance joined a new automobile firm that was later ruined by the financial panic of 1907. He then went to Paris, where he studied architecture at the Beaux-Arts School

Fisher, Morris

2004-12-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

At the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Fisher, apparently feeling the pressure of the competition in the three-position free rifle event, took 20 minutes before firing his first shot at the target, which was placed 300 m away. Although he missed the mark, he was close enough to score points.

Alliluyeva, Svetlana

2004-12-07T04:39:00.000-08:00

Alliluyeva was Stalin's only daughter and a product of his second marriage with Nadezhda Alliluyeva, who committed suicide in 1932. Alliluyeva graduated from Moscow University (1949), where she taught Soviet literature and

çanak, Treaty Of

2004-12-02T05:34:00.000-08:00

Implicitly directed

Blood

2004-11-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

Technically, blood is a transport liquid pumped by the heart (or an equivalent structure) to all parts of the body, after which it is returned to the heart to repeat the process.

International Relations, The reorganization of the Middle East

2004-11-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Treaty of Sèvres likewise dismembered the Ottoman Empire. Here again secret war-aims treaties reflected Allied ambitions in the Middle East, but Wilson was less willing to challenge them given his belief that the Arab peoples were not ready for self-rule. To avoid the tinge of imperialism, the victors took control of the former Ottoman (and German) territories

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

2004-11-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

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.

Ankh

2004-11-24T03:27:00.000-08:00

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph signifying “life,” a cross surmounted by a loop and known in Latin as a crux ansata (ansate, or handle-shaped, cross). It is found in ancient tomb inscriptions, including those of the king Tutankhamen, and gods and pharaohs are often depicted holding it. The ankh forms part of hieroglyphs for such concepts as health and happiness. The form of the

G.c.b.

2004-11-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

Knight grand cross, or dame grand cross, of the Bath, member of the highest rank of knightly class in a British order of knighthood. See Bath, The Most Honourable Order of the.

Armlet

2004-11-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

Several fine examples of armlets are included in the Oxus treasure, a collection of Persian

Berar

2004-11-18T02:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Birar, cotton-growing region in east-central Maharashtra state, western India. The region extends for approximately 200 miles (320 km) east-west along the Purna River basin and lies 700 to 1,600 feet (200 to 500 m) above sea level. Berar is bounded on the north by the Gawilgarh Hills (Melghat) and on the south by the Ajanta Range. Historically the name Berar was given to a province of varying extent, but it no longer

Amniocentesis

2004-11-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

The surgical insertion of a hollow needle through the abdominal wall and into the uterus of a pregnant female and the aspiration of fluid from the amniotic sac for analysis. Examination of the amniotic fluid itself as well as the fetal cells found in the fluid can reveal such things as fetal sex (the significant factor in inherited diseases that are sex-linked), chromosomal

Arecibo

2004-11-15T01:13:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Puerto Rico. It lies on a small inlet near the mouth of the Arecibo River. One of the oldest municipalities in the commonwealth, it was authorized in 1537 by the Spanish crown and settled in 1556. In 1616 it was chartered as a town and in 1778 received the royal title villa. An official U.S. port of entry, the town has Puerto Rico's largest rum distilleries and produces agricultural

Skalkottas, Nikos

2004-11-13T04:36:00.000-08:00

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.

Alien And Sedition Acts

2004-11-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

(1798), four internal security laws passed by the U.S. Congress, restricting aliens and curtailing the excesses of an unrestrained press, in anticipation of an expected war with France. After the XYZ Affair (1797), war appeared inevitable. Federalists, aware that French military successes in Europe had been greatly facilitated by political dissidents in invaded countries, sought

Mitre

2004-11-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Three types of mitres are worn in the Roman Catholic Church. The

Canaris, Wilhelm (franz)

2004-11-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

Having served in the navy during World War I, Canaris was a member of the military tribunal that sentenced the murderers of the German

Kyabram

2004-11-03T00:12:00.000-08:00

Town, central Victoria, Australia. It is situated approximately 124 miles (200 km) north of Melbourne. The name Kyabram comes from an Aboriginal word meaning “thick forest.” The settlement grew up after the arrival of the railway line from Melbourne in 1887 and the completion of an irrigation system in 1891. Kyabram was gazetted as a borough in 1954 and as a town in 1973. It is the service centre for

Ketch, Jack

2004-11-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ketch is believed to have received his appointment as public hangman in 1663. The first recorded mention of him appears in an anti-Roman Catholic broadside published in 1678 entitled The

Ear, Human, Ascending pathways

2004-10-30T02:18:00.000-07:00

The central auditory pathways extend from the medulla to the cerebral cortex. They consist of a series of nuclei (groups of nerve cell bodies in the central nervous system similar to a peripheral ganglion) connected by fibre tracts made up of their axons (processes that convey signals away from the cell bodies). This complex chain of nerve cells helps to process and

Scandinavian Literature, The Icelanders', or family, sagas

2004-10-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

These sagas were about heroes who had supposedly lived in the 10th and 11th centuries. Their origins are unclear, and it is debatable whether they were faithful records of history. One theory is that they were composed in the 11th century and transmitted orally until written down in the 13th century; though researchers now reject this view, it is true that the sagas owed much