PossibleBlade

Estate Agent Covent Garden

2006-10-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services. They are an estate agent covent garden amongst other London areas such as Soho and Oxford Circus.

Pamirs, Animal life

2005-03-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

The high tablelands of the eastern Pamirs are the prime breeding area of the mountain goat and the argali (Marco Polo) wild sheep; occasional sightings of blue sheep and urial are reported. Ibex are common where human activity is minimal, and markhor inhabit the lower ranges between the Panj and Vakhsh rivers. Brown bear feed on the abundant marmots, as do wolves. Relatively

Altiplano

2005-03-30T03:19:00.000-08:00

English High Plateau , also called Puna region of southeastern Peru and western Bolivia. The Altiplano originates northwest of Lake Titicaca in southern Peru and extends about 600 miles (965 km) southeast to the southwestern corner of Bolivia. It is a series of intermontane basins lying at about 12,000 feet (3,650 m) above sea level. Lake Titicaca occupies the northernmost basin; to the south are Lake Poopó and the Coipasa and

Mcmurtry, Larry

2005-03-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

McMurtry was educated at North Texas State College (now University; B.A., 1958) and Rice University (M.A., 1960). He was an instructor at Texas Christian University (1961–62), a lecturer in English and creative writing

Hawkshaw, Sir John

2005-03-28T01:19:00.000-08:00

In 1845 Hawkshaw became chief engineer of the Manchester and Leeds Railway, introducing steeper gradients than any previously

Kyaukse

2005-03-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

Town, central Myanmar (Burma). Lying on the Zawgyi River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Mandalay, it is served by the Mandalay-Yangôn (Rangoon) railway. The first Myanmar (Burmese) probably settled in the area about 800, and local 12th- and 13th-century inscriptions refer to Kyaukse as “the first home.” Remains of pagodas and old cities are found throughout the area. The Shwethalyaung pagoda, built

Maundy Thursday

2005-03-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Holy Thursday the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ's institution of the Eucharist. The name is taken from an anthem sung in Roman Catholic churches on that day: “Mandatum novum do vobis” (“a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34). In the early Christian church the day was celebrated with a general communion of clergy and people. At a special mass the bishop

Carnivore, Form and function

2005-03-24T18:53:00.000-08:00

Basically, the difference in the tooth pattern of pinnipeds, in comparison to the dentition of terrestrial carnivores, reflects an adaptation toward grasping and tearing rather than chewing. Thus there is less variation in the form of the different teeth (commonly said to be homodont, or “similar teeth”), and there tends to be a reduction in the number of teeth. There

Voyager

2005-03-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

In aeronautics, American experimental aircraft that in 1986 became the first airplane to fly around the world without stops or refueling. Piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the craft took off on December 14 from Edwards Air Force Base, 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Los Angeles, and landed at that same base 9 days later after completing a course of 25,012 miles (40,251 km) around the world. The Voyager

Glinka, Mikhail

2005-03-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

Glinka first became interested in music at age 10 or 11, when he heard his uncle's private orchestra. He studied at the Chief Pedagogic Institute at St. Petersburg

Wagtail

2005-03-22T03:50:00.000-08:00

Any of the 7 to 10 species of the bird genus Motacilla, of the family Motacillidae, together with the forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) of Asia. Wagtails are strongly patterned birds of beaches, meadows, and streamsides; they usually nest on the ground but roost in trees. The birds are so named because they incessantly wag their long tails up and down. The forest wagtail

Blondel De Nesle

2005-03-20T03:35:00.000-08:00

Nothing is known about Blondel outside of his poetry. He was probably from Nesle, in Picardy; but the name Blondel may be a nickname, and it is uncertain how many of the 25 songs attributed to him are actually his. His poetry is conventional in its complaints to an unknown lady but contains no references

English Literature, Problems of dating

2005-03-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

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

Ma, Yo-yo

2005-03-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

One of the most publicized events in classical music in 1998 was the release of Chinese-American superstar Yo-Yo Ma's recording of the six suites for unaccompanied cello by Johann Sebastian Bach along with six related films created with artists in other media. Ma collaborated on the project with, among others, landscape architect Julie Moir Messervy, director Franç

Wagner, (wilhelm) Richard

2005-03-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

German dramatic composer and theorist whose operas and music had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music, either by extension of his discoveries or reaction against them. Among his major works are The Flying Dutchman (1843), Tannhäuser (1845), Lohengrin (1850), Tristan und Isolde (1865), Parsifal (1882), and his great tetralogy, The Ring of the Nibelung (1869–76).

Turan Plain

2005-03-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

Uzbek Turon extensive lowland in southwestern Kazakhstan and northwestern Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is bounded by the Saryarqa (Kazakh uplands) in the north, the outliers of the Tien Shan, Pamir, and Alay mountains in the east, the Kopet-Dag Range in the south, and the Caspian Sea in the west. It is traversed by the lower courses of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, both of which drain

Hess, Moses

2005-03-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hess's first published work, Heilige Geschichte der Menschheit von einem Jünger Spinozas (1837; “The Holy History of Mankind, by a Young Spinozist”), exhibited the sharp imprint not only of Benedict de Spinoza's

Dagan

2005-03-16T04:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Dagon West Semitic god of crop fertility, worshiped extensively throughout the ancient Middle East. Dagan was the Hebrew and Ugaritic common noun for “grain,” and the god Dagan was the legendary inventor of the plow. His cult is attested as early as about 2500 BC, and, according to texts found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), he was the father of the god Baal. Dagan had an important temple

Condor Legion

2005-03-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

German Legion Condor, a unit of the German air force, or Luftwaffe, detailed by Hermann Göring for special duty with General Francisco Franco's Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). It was sent to Franco on the condition that it stay under German command. The Legion consisted of four bomber squadrons (of 12 bombers each) and four fighter squadrons and was backed by antiaircraft and antitank

Beverly

2005-03-15T02:18:00.000-08:00

City, Essex county, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S. It is situated on Beverly Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Salem. Settled about 1626, it was named for Beverley, England, when incorporated as a town (township) in 1668. It early developed as a shipping centre, and the schooner Hannah, claimed to be the first ship of the U.S. Navy, was commissioned (September 5, 1775) at Glover's

Jefferson, Thomas, Life at Monticello

2005-03-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

The domestic context at Monticello is the subject of several important books. Sarah N. Randolph, The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson (1871, reprinted 1978), provides an affectionate portrait by his descendants. Jack McLaughlin, Jefferson and Monticello: The Biography of a Builder (1988, reissued 1990), goes beyond architectural issues to explore the daily lives of all the residents on the mountain. Elizabeth Langhorne, Monticello: A Family Story (1987, reissued 1989), focuses on the white residents. Edwin Morris Betts (ed.), Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book (1953, reprinted 1987), reproduces Jefferson's plantation records. Susan R. Stein, The Worlds of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello (1993), recovers the material objects Jefferson gathered inside the mansion. Merrill D. Peterson (ed.), Visitors to Monticello (1989), reproduces the accounts of firsthand observers.

Waitangi, Treaty Of

2005-03-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

(Feb. 6, 1840), historic pact between Great Britain and a number of New Zealand Maori tribes of North Island. It purported to protect Maori rights and was the immediate basis of the British annexation of New Zealand. Negotiated at the settlement of Waitangi on February 5–6 by Britain's designated consul and lieutenant governor William Hobson and many leading Maori chiefs, the

Radioactive Fallout

2005-03-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

The deposition of radioactive materials on the Earth from the atmosphere. See fallout.

Skeena River

2005-03-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

River in western British Columbia, Canada. It rises in the Skeena Mountains in the northern part of the province and flows generally southwestward, receiving its two major tributaries, the Babine and Bulkley rivers, before emptying into Chatham Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean), south of Prince Rupert, after a course of about 360 miles (580 km). The Skeena is an important salmon-fishing

Locarno

2005-03-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

German Luggarus town, Ticino canton, southern Switzerland. It is situated at the northern end of Lago Maggiore, near the mouth of the Maggia River, west of Bellinzona. The site was settled in prehistoric times, and the town was first mentioned in 789. A possession of the dukes of Milan from 1342, it was taken by the Swiss in 1513. It became part of the newly formed Ticino canton in 1803 and, with Lugano and Bellinzona,

Group Insurance

2005-03-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

The concept of group insurance

Salem Witch Trials

2005-03-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

(May–October 1692), in American history, a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted “witches” to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in the town of Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Stimulated by voodoo tales told by a West Indian slave, Tituba, a few young girls claimed they were possessed by the devil and subsequently accused three

Xeroderma Pigmentosum

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

Rare, recessively inherited skin condition in which resistance to sunlight and other radiation beyond the violet end of the spectrum is lacking. On exposure to such radiation the skin erupts into numerous pigmented spots, resembling freckles, which tend to develop into multiple carcinomas. The condition may occur in mild or severe forms. Protection from direct

Anjou, (hercule-) François, Duke (duc) D'

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

Catherine de Médicis gave him Alençon in 1566, and he bore the title of Duke d'Alençon until 1576. Small and swarthy, ambitious

Eisenhower Doctrine

2005-03-07T03:20:00.000-08:00

(Jan. 5, 1957), in the Cold War period after World War II, U.S. foreign-policy pronouncement by President Dwight D. Eisenhower promising military or economic aid to any Middle Eastern country needing help in resisting communist aggression. The doctrine was intended to check increased Soviet influence in the Middle East, which had resulted from the supply of arms to Egypt by

Epistemology, Innate versus learned

2005-03-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

The puzzle about origins of knowledge has led historically to two different kinds of issues. One of these is the question of whether knowledge (or at least certain kinds of knowledge) is innate, meaning that it is not acquired or learned through experience but in some important sense is present in the human psyche at birth. The matter is still a live issue today, not only

Anthimus Vii Tsatsos

2005-03-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

Like Anthimus VI, his predecessor of a half-century earlier, Anthimus VII is known for his encyclical letter to the Orthodox world refuting a papal encyclical, Praeclara Gratulationis (“Splendid

Foreman, George

2005-03-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

Foreman grew up in Houston, Texas, and learned to box in a U.S. Job Corps camp in Oregon. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, he won the gold medal in the heavyweight boxing competition.

La Vérendrye, Pierre Gaultier De Varennes, Et De

2005-03-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

French-Canadian soldier, fur trader, and explorer whose exploits, little honoured during his lifetime, rank him as one of the greatest explorers of the Canadian West. Moreover, the string of trading posts he and his sons built in the course of their search for an overland route to the “western sea” broke the monopoly

Earth Sciences

2005-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

The history of the Earth sciences is recounted in Frank Dawson Adams, The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences (1938, reprinted 1954), the best general account for the years prior to 1830; Asit K. Biswas, History of Hydrology (1970), a factual chronicle of developments since the earliest times; Henry Faul and Carol Faul, It Began with a Stone: A History of Geology from the Stone Age to the Age of Plate Tectonics (1983); A. Hallam, A Revolution in the Earth Sciences (1973), a summary of the historical development of ideas from seafloor spreading to plate tectonics, and Great Geological Controversies (1983), an evaluation of celebrated controversies from Neptunism to continental drift; Robert Muir Wood, The Dark Side of the Earth: The Battle for the Earth Sciences, 1800–1980 (1985), a history of important controversies; Richard J. Chorley, Antony J. Dunn, and Robert P. Beckinsale, The History of the Study of Landforms; or, The Development of Geomorphology, vol. 1, Geomorphology Before Davis (1964), an expansive account covering developments to the end of the 19th century; Charles C. Gillispie, Genesis and Geology: A Study in the Relations of Scientific Thought, Natural Theology, and Social Opinion in Great Britain, 1790–1850 (1951, reprinted 1969), an analysis of the impact of developments in geology upon Christian beliefs in the decades before Darwin (extensive bibliography); C.P. Idyll (ed.), Exploring the Ocean World: A History of Oceanography, rev. ed. (1972), a symposium treating each of the several branches of oceanography in historical format; Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, vol. 3, Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth (1959), containing a comprehensive and elaborately illustrated account of the history of Earth science in China to around AD 1500; Cecil J. Schneer, “The Rise of Historical Geology in the 17th Century,” Isis, vol. 45, part 3, no. 141, pp. 256–268 (September 1954), an analysis of the points at issue in the fossil controversy; Cecil J. Schneer (ed.), Toward a History of Geology (1969), 25 essays on the history of geologic thought, mainly of the 18th and 19th centuries; Napier Shaw, Manual of Meteorology, vol. 1, Meteorology in History (1926, reprinted 1932), a rambling but literate and entertaining history of meteorology from the earliest to modern times; Evelyn Stokes, “Fifteenth Century Earth Science,” Earth Sciences Journal, 1(2):130–148 (1967), an analysis of classical and medieval views of nature, especially those reflected in Caxton's Mirrour of the World; Philip D. Thompson et al., Weather, rev. ed. (1980), an introduction to meteorology with much historical material, well illustrated; Stephen Toulmin and June Goodfield, The Discovery of Time (1965, reprinted 1983), which traces the history of the idea of geologic time; William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences from the Earliest to the Present Time, 3rd ed., 3 vol. (1857, reissued 1976)—vol. 2 containing an analysis of uniformitarian and catastrophist views of Earth history; and Karl Alfred Von Zittel, History of Geology and Palaeontology to the End of the Nineteenth Century (1901, reissued 1962; originally published in German, 1899, reprinted 1965), best for its history of paleontology.

Stedelijk Museum

2005-03-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

The museum maintains fine collections of drawings, prints, applied arts, photographs, and

Visigothic Art

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

Artistic style produced in southern France and Spain under the Visigoths, who ruled the region between the 5th and the 8th century AD. The style is largely the result of local Roman traditions combined with Byzantine influences. The effect of Germanic metalworking techniques is also seen in the decorative arts, but the ornamentation of these pieces, most notably a collection

Teriyaki

2005-03-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “glossy broil”), in Japanese cuisine, foods grilled with a highly flavoured glaze of soy sauce and sake or mirin (sweet wine). Garlic and fresh ginger are sometimes added to the mixture. In westernized Japanese cooking, the teriyaki sauce is frequently used as a marinade as well as a basting sauce. Beef, chicken, and fish are commonly prepared teriyaki style.

Vâlcea

2005-03-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vîlcea, judet (county), south-central Romania. The Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians) and the sub-Carpathians rise above settlement areas in the valleys, and the Olt and Cerna rivers drain southward through the county. Râmnicu Vâlcea (q.v.; the county capital), Babeni, and Berzoi are timber production centres. Chemical factories operate in Govora, and building materials

Schuyler, James

2005-03-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Schuyler was educated at Bethany (West Virginia)

Gabon

2005-02-28T03:21:00.000-08:00

Following the smashing victory of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) in the December 1996 parliamentary elections, in which it won 100 of the 120 seats, Prime Minister Paulin Obame-Nguéma announced his new Cabinet on Jan. 29, 1997. Alexandre Sambat,

Boeotian League

2005-02-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

League that first developed as an alliance of sovereign states in Boeotia, a district in east-central Greece, about 550 BC, under the leadership of Thebes. After the defeat of the Greeks at Thermopylae, Thebes and most of Boeotia sided with the Persians during the Persian invasions of 480 and 479. Subsequently, the victorious Greeks dissolved the Boeotian League as punishment.

Pérez De Ayala, Ramón

2005-02-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Pérez de Ayala studied law at Oviedo University and philosophy and literature at the University of Madrid. During World War I he covered France, Italy, England, South America, and the United States as a correspondent for the Buenos Aires periodical

Gharyan

2005-02-26T00:15:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Garyan , or Garian town, in the Tripolitania region of northwestern Libya. It lies at the foot of the plateau Jabal Nafusah, 50 miles (80 km) south of Tripoli, and was a major centre of Italian colonization in the early 1910s. After the Turko-Italian war (1911–12) and the defeat of Turkey, the Gebel, Berber, and Fezzanese peoples in Libya continued to fight but could not stem the Italian advance. Gharyan fell to the

Floral Decoration

2005-02-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

Cut plant materials, especially flowers, need special care and treatment before they are placed in vases. Ideally, flowers are picked some hours before they are arranged and never in the heat of the day. Generally, the bottoms of the stems are cut on a slant, placed in deep tepid water, and kept in a cool place, preferably overnight. Different materials have different conditioning

Zagreb

2005-02-25T02:01:00.000-08:00

Zagreb's old town consists of two medieval settlements on the hill: Gric, the civil settlement, which was renamed Gradec (“Fortress”) when it was encircled by walls that were built to defend against the Mongols in

Giordano, Umberto

2005-02-25T00:36:00.000-08:00

Giordano, the son of an artisan, studied music at Foggia and Naples. His early operas, among them Mala vita (1892; Evil Life), were written in the forceful, melodramatic style introduced by Pietro Mascagni in his verismo opera Cavalleria rusticana (1890). In Andrea

Ramiro Ii

2005-02-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

King of Leon and Asturias in Christian Spain from 931 to 951. The second son of King Ordoño II, he became king on the abdication of his elder brother, Alfonso IV. Ramiro was an exceptional general who scored several major victories (e.g., the Battle of Simancas, 939) over the caliphate of Córdoba in Muslim Spain. In 944 he negotiated a five-year truce with the caliph 'Abd

Breisgau

2005-02-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Historic region between the Rhine and the Black Forest in southwestern Germany, now in the South Baden district of the Land (state) Baden-Württemberg. It was part of the frontier region of the Roman Empire known as the Agri Decumates; from c. AD 260 it was occupied by the Germanic Alemanni. The Zähringen family was invested with the countship of Breisgau in the early Middle

Sangre De Cristo Mountains

2005-02-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

Segment of the southern Rocky Mountains, extending south-southeastward for about 250 miles (400 km) from Poncha Pass, in south-central Colorado, U.S., to the low divide southwest of Las Vegas, N.M., in north-central New Mexico. Usually considered an extension of the Front Range (q.v.), they are divided into the Culebra and Sangre de Cristo ranges in Colorado. Many of their glaciated summits

Buraq

2005-02-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

In Islamic tradition, a creature said to have transported the Prophet Muhammad to heaven. Described as “a white animal, half-mule, half-donkey, with wings on its sides . . . ,” Buraq was originally introduced into the story of Muhammad's night journey (isra') from Mecca to Jerusalem and back, thus explaining how the journey between the cities could have been completed in a single night.

Côte D'azur

2005-02-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

(French: “Coast of Azure”), cultural region in southeastern France encompassing the French Riviera (see Riviera) between Menton and Cannes in Alpes-Maritimes département and extending into southern Var département. The population is predominantly urban. Traditional inland towns in Alpes-Maritimes include Gourdon, Èze, Utelle, and Peille; many such towns are perched

Ae

2005-02-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

After attending the Metropolitan School of Art, Dublin, where he met the poet William Butler Yeats, Russell

Pigweed

2005-02-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

Any of several coarse annual plants of cosmopolitan distribution that are often troublesome weeds. Several of them belong to the genus Amaranthus, of the family Amaranthaceae. Prostrate pigweed, or mat amaranth (A. graecizans), grows along the ground surface with stems rising at the tips; spiny pigweed, or spiny amaranth (A. spinosus), has spines at the base of the leafstalks;

Babassu Palm

2005-02-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

(Orbignya martiana, O. oleifera, or O. speciosa), tall palm tree with feathery leaves that grows wild in tropical northeastern Brazil. The kernels of its hard-shelled nuts are the source of babassu oil, similar in properties and uses to coconut oil and used increasingly as a substitute for it. Babassu oil is used as a food in cooking and as a fuel and a lubricant;

Taraba

2005-02-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Most of the northern part of the state is a wooded savanna region drained by the Benue River and its tributaries.

Insectivore, Metabolism

2005-02-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

Although insectivoran physiology has been studied in connection with special abilities, such as dormancy in hedgehogs, it is not well-known for the order. Of great interest are the smaller shrews, which, because of their minute size and relatively large ratio of body surface to volume, have an exceptionally high rate of metabolism, necessitated by the high rate of

Ankara, Battle Of

2005-02-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

While challenging the Christian world in the West, Bayezid had annexed the Anatolian Turkmen principalities and posed as heir to the Seljuqs of Anatolia.

Waco

2005-02-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

After the American Civil War Waco became a river-bridge crossing on cattle trails; later its economy was based almost exclusively on cotton,

Digestive System Disease, Ascites

2005-02-18T01:30:00.000-08:00

The accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, or ascites, is related to portal hypertension, significant reduction in serum albumin, and renal retention of sodium. When albumin levels in the blood are lower than normal, there is a marked reduction in the force that holds plasma water within the blood vessels and normally resists the effects of the intravascular

Biblical Literature, The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men

2005-02-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

The first addition to Daniel (in Greek and Latin translations Dan. 3:24–68) contains the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men. These are the prayers of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the three young men who praised God after they had been placed in the midst of the fiery furnace during a persecution of Jews in Babylon, as told in the Book of Daniel. The first prayer

Lancaster, House Of

2005-02-17T01:54:00.000-08:00

The family name first appeared in 1267, when the title earl of Lancaster was granted to Edmund “Crouchback” (1245–96), the youngest son of Henry III. Two of Edmund's sons by his second

Lancelot

2005-02-17T00:46:00.000-08:00

Lancelot's name first appeared as one of Arthur's knights in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th-century romance of Erec, and the same author later made him one of the heroes in Le Chevalier de la charette, which retold an existing legend about

Vries, Hugo (marie) De

2005-02-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

Dutch botanist and geneticist who introduced the experimental study of organic evolution. His rediscovery in 1900 (simultaneously with the botanists Carl Correns and Erich Tschermak von Seysenegg) of Gregor Mendel's principles of heredity and his theory of biological mutation, though considerably different from a modern understanding

Econometrics

2005-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

The statistical and mathematical analysis of economic relationships, often serving as a basis for economic forecasting. Such information is sometimes used by governments to set economic policy and by private business to aid decisions on prices, inventory, and production. It is used mainly, however, by economists to study relationships between economic

Pavía Y Rodríguez De Alburquerque, Manuel

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

In 1865 Pavía joined the staff of Gen. Juan Prim, whom he supported in the unsuccessful uprisings of 1866 and, after two years in exile, in the successful revolution of 1868 that deposed Isabella II (1833–68). After the abdication of Amadeus (February 1873) and the proclamation of the First Republic, Pavía suppressed

Aerospace Industry, World War I

2005-02-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

France and Germany, both aware of the military potential of aircraft, began relatively large-scale manufacturing around 1909. By the outbreak of World War I in 1914, France had built a total of 2,000 airplanes, of which 1,500 were military; Germany ranked second with about 1,000 military aircraft; and Britain a distant third with 176. The United States lost its lead in aeronautics as the combined

Bar, Confederation Of

2005-02-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

In February 1768, Russia had compelled the Polish Sejm (legislature) to abandon projects for internal reform,

Widener, Peter A.b.

2005-02-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

The son of poor parents, Widener began his working career as a butcher, eventually establishing a successful chain of meat stores. At the same time, he became active in Philadelphia politics, rising to the position of city treasurer in 1873. Later, making good use of his political

Polignac Family

2005-02-14T05:14:00.000-08:00

From the 1050s and perhaps even from 860, the first viscounts of Polignac (in the modern département of Haute-Loire) were practically independent rulers of Velay, where the Loire River rises. Their ultimate heiress, Valpurge, was married in 1349 to Guillaume III de Chalençon, whose descendants assumed the Polignac name in 1421. The actual

Papandreou, Andreas

2005-02-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

The son of Georgios Papandreou, he attended the American College in Athens and studied law at the University of Athens. A Trotskyite, he was imprisoned briefly by the dictator Ioannis Metaxas and, when freed, fled to the United States, where he received

Hull, Bobby

2005-02-11T23:43:00.000-08:00

At age 12 Hull was playing organized hockey on a team with his father. He was put on the Blackhawks' negotiating list, and thereafter he played amateur hockey with

Argentina, The land and the people

2005-02-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

Patterns of settlement are the subject of Carl-Christoph Liss, Die Besiedlung und Landnutzung Ostpatagoniens unter besonderer Berücksichtgung der Schafestancien (1979); Robert C. Eidt, Pioneer Settlement in Northeast Argentina (1971); Mark Jefferson, Peopling the Argentine Pampa (1926, reprinted 1971); and Richard W. Slatta, Gauchos and the Vanishing Frontier (1983, reissued 1992).

Euripides

2005-02-11T04:42:00.000-08:00

Last of classical Athens' three great tragic dramatists, following Aeschylus and Sophocles.

La Tuque

2005-02-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Town, Mauricie–Bois-Francs region, southern Quebec province, Canada, situated on the Saint-Maurice River. During the French regime, the site was occupied by a trading post of the Company of New France. The original lumbering settlement of 1908 was named for a rock on the river's edge that was shaped like a tuque, the woolen headgear that was worn by early French trappers. The

Parade

2005-02-10T04:20:00.000-08:00

A type of pageant (q.v.) whose main feature is a public procession.

Zonheboto

2005-02-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Zonheboto district (about 500 sq mi [1,300 sq km]) was separated from Mokokchung district in 1973 and is located in the central part of the state. It is bounded by

Semiconductor Device

2005-02-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

A p-n junction diode is a solid-state device that has two terminals. Depending on impurity distribution, device geometry, and biasing condition, a junction diode can perform various functions. There are more than 50,000 types of diodes with voltage ratings from less than 1 volt to more than 2,000 volts and current ratings from less than 1 milliampere to more than 5,000 amperes. A p-n junction

Alicante

2005-02-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

Port city, capital of Alicante provincia, in Valencia comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southeastern Spain. It is located on Alicante Bay of the Mediterranean Sea. Founded as Akra Leuke (“White Summit”) by Phocaean Greeks (from the west coast of Asia Minor) in 325 BC, the city was captured in 201 BC by the Romans, who called it Lucentum. Under Moorish domination, which lasted from

Aisén

2005-02-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Aysén , in full Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo región, southern Chile, bounded on the east by Argentina and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Aisén includes the Chonos Archipelago, the Taitao Peninsula, and the mainland between the Palena River in the north and O'Higgins Lake in the south. It is divided into the provinces of Aisén, General Carrera, Coihaique, and Capitán Pratt. In the south and east the Andes Mountains

Salem

2005-02-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. It is on the Tirumanimuttar River near Attur Gap between the Kalrayan and Pachamalai hills. Situated at the junction of the Bangalore, Tiruchchirappalli, and Cuddalore roads, 200 miles (332 km) southwest of Madras, the town's name derives from sela nad (a corruption of cera nad), a term denoting the visit of an early Cera king. Well-known

Arts, Central Asian, Classical music

2005-02-07T00:18:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the folk music styles just described, the court-derived classical style of Bukhara and Samarkand represents a highly systematic, theoretically grounded, cosmopolitan musical tradition. Lying along the medieval Silk Road, the Turkistani oases were open to musical cross-currents. Today's musical roots may reach back to the period in which urban Central

Jacotot, Jean-joseph

2005-02-06T23:02:00.000-08:00

Jacotot began his career as a teacher and mathematician and was appointed subdirector of the Polytechnic School in Dijon (1795), where he became, in succession, professor of the method of sciences, of Latin and Greek literature, and of Roman law. During the Napoleonic Wars he

Epiphanius Of Constantia, Saint

2005-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Bishop noted in the history of the early Christian church for his struggle against beliefs he considered heretical. His chief target was the teachings of Origen, a major theologian in the Eastern church whom he considered more a Greek philosopher than a Christian. Epiphanius' own principles were discredited

Hardey, Mother Mary Aloysia

2005-02-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hardey attended the school conducted by the Society of the Sacred Heart (lately introduced into America by Mother Philippine Duchesne) at Grand Coteau, Louisiana, in 1822–24, and in September

Caribbean Literature

2005-02-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Literary works of the Caribbean area written in Spanish, French, or English. The literature of the Caribbean has no indigenous tradition. The pre-Columbian American Indians left few rock carvings or inscriptions (petroglyphs), and their oral traditions did not survive 16th-century Spanish colonization. The West Africans who replaced them were also without a written

Chang Hsüeh-liang

2005-02-05T03:19:00.000-08:00

Chang Hsüeh-liang was the oldest son of the warlord Chang Tso-lin, who dominated Manchuria and parts of North China. The younger Chang was

Coral

2005-02-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Stony corals (order Madreporaria or Scleractinia) number

Ligament

2005-02-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

Tough fibrous band of connective tissue that serves to support the internal organs and hold bones together in proper articulation at the joints. A ligament is composed of dense fibrous bundles of collagenous fibres and spindle-shaped cells known as fibroblasts, with little ground substance (a gel-like component of the various connective tissues). Ligaments may

Adam, Robert

2005-02-03T02:43:00.000-08:00

Biographies include John Fleming, Robert Adam and His Circle, in Edinburgh & Rome (1962), based on original letters; and Doreen Yarwood, Robert Adam (1970), concentrating on the man rather than the artist. Well-illustrated surveys of his work in different genres include Arthur T. Bolton, The Architecture of Robert & James Adam, 1785–1794, 2 vol. (1922, reprinted 1984); Eileen Harris, The Furniture of Robert Adam (1963, reprinted 1973); Damie Stillman, The Decorative Work of Robert Adam (1966, reprinted 1973), with original drawings; and Joseph Rykwert and Anne Rykwert, Robert and James Adam: The Men and the Style (1985).

Rabaul

2005-02-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

The town, founded in 1910 as a German colonial headquarters, was the capital (1921–41) of the Australian-administered Territory of New Guinea mandated by the League of Nations. Occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945, Rabaul

Yudenich, Nikolay

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

Having entered the Imperial Army in 1879, Yudenich graduated from the General Staff Academy in 1887, served on the General Staff from 1887 until 1902, and then became a regimental commander. After participating in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), he was promoted

Jaén

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

Provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, south-central Spain. It is surrounded by the Sierra Morena (north), the Segura and Cazorla ranges (east), and Parapanda, Lucena, and Segura mountains (south). The western part of the province is composed of plains that lead to the fertile Guadalquivir River valley. There are several irrigation dams

Tadjoura, Gulf Of

2005-02-01T23:39:00.000-08:00

French Golfe De Tadjoura, gulf indenting the coastline of Djibouti, eastern Africa, located at the extreme western end of the Gulf of Aden. It provides some shelter for the port of Djibouti on the southeastern shore of the gulf. The gulf is 35 miles (56 km) wide at the mouth and 50 miles long, with a depth of as much as 3,550 feet (1,082 m) near the centre. It is about 164 feet deep off the coast of Djibouti. The coastline is rather

Dyslexia

2005-02-01T01:46:00.000-08:00

An inability or pronounced difficulty to learn to read or spell, despite otherwise normal intellectual functions. Dyslexia is a chronic neurological disorder that inhibits a person's ability to recognize and process graphic symbols, particularly those pertaining to language. Primary symptoms include extremely poor reading skills owing to no apparent cause,

Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco, Duke (duca) D'

2005-01-31T20:48:00.000-08:00

The son of King Amadeus of Spain (who was also the Duke d'Aosta in Italy), Abruzzi was the first to ascend Mount St. Elias in Alaska (1897). His 1899 Arctic expedition reached latitude 86°34¢ N—a record for the time.

Epistemology, From scientific theology to secular science

2005-01-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

For most of the Middle Ages there was no split between theology and science (scientia). Science was knowledge that was deduced from self-evident principles, and theology received its principles from the source of all principles, God. In every way, theology was superior to the other sciences, according to Thomas Aquinas. By the 14th century the ideas of science and theology

Aryabhata I

2005-01-29T23:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Aryabhata the Elder astronomer and the earliest Indian mathematician whose work and history are available to modern scholars. Known as Aryabhata I or Aryabhata the Elder to distinguish him from a 10th-century Indian mathematician of the same name, he flourished in Kusumapura—near Patalipurta (Patna), then the capital of the Gupta dynasty—where

Offa's Dyke

2005-01-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

Great English earthwork extending linearly, with some gaps, from the River Severn near Chepstow to the seaward end of the Dee estuary, passing for 169 miles (270 kilometres) through the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Radnorshire, Montgomeryshire, Shropshire, Denbighshire, and Flintshire. It was built at the orders of Offa, the great Mercian king of the second

Mid Bedfordshire

2005-01-29T03:31:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Bedfordshire, south-central England. The district lies almost entirely within the historic county of Bedfordshire, but a small area north of Sandy belongs to the historic county of Cambridgeshire. Predominantly rural, Mid Bedfordshire extends across a broad valley within the River Ouse catchment basin and is crossed by a low