PinkScrew

Ren Essential Moroccan Rose Oil

2006-12-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

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

Z Particle

2005-03-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

The concept

Koroec, Anton

2005-03-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

A Jesuit priest and a noted orator, he shared, and exploited politically, the Slovene fear of Italian expansion; his dislike of Italy outweighed his distaste for Serb domination

Mindel Glacial Stage

2005-03-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in Alpine Europe (the Pleistocene epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Mindel Glacial Stage is part of the early geologic scheme (c. 1900) that first recognized the importance of multiple episodes of Pleistocene glaciation. The Mindel Glacial Stage, representing a period of relatively severe climatic

Lean, Sir David

2005-03-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

Lean was the son of strict Quaker parents and did not see his first film until age 17. He began his film career in 1928 as a teaboy for Gaumont-British studios, where he soon was promoted to clapboard boy, and finally to editor,

Bloodhound

2005-03-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Breed of dog unsurpassed by any other in scenting ability and from which most of the scent-hunting hounds have been derived. It was known, although not in its present form, in the Mediterranean area in pre-Christian times. Typically calm and affectionate, it has been used in tracking animals and in trailing persons. A large, strong dog, it stands 23 to 27 inches (58 to 69 centimetres)

Dipteran, Annotated classification

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

Characterized by large squamae (calypters that join base of wing to thorax); Scatophagidae

Anchovy

2005-03-06T01:11:00.000-08:00

Any of numerous schooling saltwater fishes of the family Engraulidae (order Clupeiformes) related to the herring and distinguished by a large mouth, almost always extending behind the eye, and by a pointed snout. Most of the more than 100 species live in shallow tropical or warm temperate seas, where they often enter brackish water around river mouths.

Camar

2005-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name is derived from the Sanskrit word carmakara, or “skin worker.” The more than 150 subcastes are characterized by well-organized panchayats (governing councils). Because their work obliged them to handle dead animals, the Camars have suffered from the stigma of being considered

Parameters, Variation Of

2005-03-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

To illustrate the method, suppose it is desired to find a particular solution of the equation y² + p

Obuasi

2005-03-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Ghana. Its growth was stimulated by the discovery of a large gold deposit in 1897 and the building of the railway from Sekondi in 1902. The Asante gold mine at Obuasi has continued as the country's major producer while others have become depleted. It is one of the world's richest gold mines in terms of yield per ton of ore. By the end of the 20th century, it was the 10th largest

Uccello, Paolo

2005-02-26T23:06:00.000-08:00

Uccello was long thought to be significant primarily for his role in establishing new means of rendering perspective that became a major component of the Renaissance style. The 16th-century biographer Giorgio Vasari said that Uccello was “intoxicated” by perspective. Later historians found the unique charm and decorative genius evinced by his compositions to

Cosenza

2005-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Latin Cosentia, city, capital of Cosenza provincia, Calabria regione, southern Italy, on the Crati River at its confluence with the Busento, north-northeast of Reggio di Calabria. The ancient Cosentia, it was the capital of the Bruttii (an Italic tribe) before it was taken by the Romans in 204 BC. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, died there in 410 and is said to have been buried, together with his treasure

Kubovy, Aryeh Leon

2005-02-23T02:31:00.000-08:00

After settling in Israel (1948), Kubovy served that country in diplomatic posts in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and several South American countries. He was chairman of Yad Vashem (Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority)

Ostariophysan, Feeding habits

2005-02-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

The remarkable diversity of feeding habits among ostariophysians is associated with a fantastic variety of adaptations in mouth shapes and tooth types (especially in the suborder Characoidei) probably unsurpassed by any other group. At one extreme are certain cyprinids (e.g., Notropis atherinoides) with highly developed gill rakers that strain phytoplankton

Middlesex

2005-02-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

The River Thames was the key to the history of Middlesex. From about 8000 BCE traders and settlers used the Thames as their waterway. During the Iron Age

Permafrost, Climatic change

2005-02-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

Permafrost is the result of present climate. Many temperature profiles show, however, that permafrost is not in equilibrium with present climate at the sites of measurement. Some areas show, for example, that climatic warming since the last third of the 19th century has caused a warming of the permafrost to a depth of more than 100 metres. In such areas much of the permafrost

Conte

2005-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Plural contes a short tale, often recounting an adventure. The term may also refer to a narrative that is somewhat shorter than the average novel but longer than a short story. Better known examples include Jean de La Fontaine's Contes et nouvelles en vers (Tales and Novels in Verse), published over the course of many years; Charles Perrault's Contes de ma mère l'oye (1697; Tales of Mother

Haddad, Malek

2005-02-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

Algerian poet, novelist, and cultural adviser. Haddad abandoned law studies in Aix-en-Provence to write for French and Algerian weeklies and magazines during the Algerian war. His first published book was a collection of poetry, Le Malheur en danger (1956; “Trouble in Danger”). A second collection, Écoute et je t'appelle (1961; “Listen and I Will

Glaucoma

2005-02-10T01:35:00.000-08:00

Disease caused by an increase in pressure within the eye as a result of blockage of the flow of aqueous humour, a watery fluid produced by the ciliary body. (The ciliary body is a ring of tissue directly behind the outer rim of the iris; besides being the source of aqueous humour, it contains the muscle that flattens the curvature of the lens for far vision.) The normal flow

Fisher, Herbert Albert Laurens

2005-02-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

Fisher became a fellow of New College, Oxford, in 1888 and tutor and lecturer in modern history in 1891. While at New College he wrote his two-volume Medieval Empire (1898), a study of the Holy Roman Empire influenced

Half-life

2005-02-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

The radioactive isotope

Syria

2005-02-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

Officially Syrian Arab Republic , Arabic Suriyah , or al-Jumhuriyah al-'Arabiyah as-Suriyah country located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea on the southwestern fringe of the Asian continent. It has an area of approximately 71,500 square miles (185,180 square kilometres), including territory in the Golan Heights that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. It is bounded by Turkey to the north, by Iraq to the east and southeast, by Jordan to the south, and by Lebanon and

Selection Rule

2005-02-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

In quantum mechanics, any of a set of restrictions governing the likelihood that a physical system will change from one state to another or will be unable to make such a transition. Selection rules, accordingly, may specify “allowed transitions,” those that have a high probability of occurring, or “forbidden transitions,” those that have minimal or no probability of

Primate, General structure

2005-01-30T05:38:00.000-08:00

The basis of the success of the order Primates is the relatively unspecialized nature of their structure and the highly specialized plasticity of their behaviour. This combination has permitted the primates throughout their evolutionary history to exploit the wide variety of novel ecological opportunities that have come their way. Although there are a few

Ariobarzanes

2005-01-28T23:54:00.000-08:00

Persian satrap (provincial governor) of Phrygia after about 387. The son of a nobleman, he cultivated the friendship of Athens and Sparta and, about 366, led the unsuccessful revolt of the satraps of western Anatolia against the Persian king Artaxerxes II (reigned 404–359/358 BC).

Turbat

2005-01-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

Town, Balochistan province, Pakistan. The town is located on the left bank of the Kech River, which is a tributary to the Dasht River. The area in which Turbat is situated is drained to the south by the Dasht River; the Makran Range to the north and east descends to coastal plains in the south. The town is a marketplace for dates grown in the surrounding region and has a date-processing

Scandinavian Literature, Notable 20th-century prose writers

2005-01-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Several writers of this time showed a keen eye for character and an understanding of human feelings and of the stark life of rural Iceland: Jón Trausti (Gudmundur Magnússon), who wrote the cycle Heidarbýlid (4 vol., 1908–11; “The Mountain Cot”); Gunnar Gunnarsson, whose Kirken på bjerget (1923–28; “The Church on the Mountain”) was written in Danish; and Gudmundur Hagalín. The outstanding modern

Cumberland

2005-01-21T19:47:00.000-08:00

County, southwestern Maine, U.S. It largely consists of a coastal region, facing Casco Bay to the southeast, that includes many islands, although the terrain rises to the northwest. The centre of the county is dominated by Sebago Lake. The principal waterways are the Fore, Presumpscot, and Royal rivers. The Songo Lock, constructed in 1830 and rebuilt in 1911, connects Sebago Lake

Ghibelline

2005-01-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

In medieval Italy, member of the pro-imperial party, opponents of the pro-papal Guelfs. See Guelf and Ghibelline.

Flaxman, John

2005-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

As a youth, Flaxman worked in his father's plaster-casting studio in London while studying Classical literature, which was to be a continual source of inspiration. In 1770 he entered the Royal Academy schools. After 1775 he began to work for the potter

Lock

2005-01-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

Enclosure or basin located in the course of a canal or a river (or in the vicinity of a dock) with gates at each end, within which the water level may be varied to raise or lower boats. Where the required lift is of considerable height, a series of connected but isolable basins, or locks, is used. On the Trollhätte Canal, Sweden, three locks overcome a total rise of 77 feet (23 m). Single

Finland, Recreation

2005-01-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

In Finland the basic national sport—which originally was a necessary means of winter transportation—is cross-country skiing. Nationalism also encouraged the development of special proficiency, which was fostered by ski fairs and competitions held at Oulu beginning in the late 1890s. An interest in other athletics developed from the time that the Finns took part

Anthony Of Egypt, Saint

2005-01-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

A disciple of Paul of Thebes, Anthony began

Ikeya-seki, Comet

2005-01-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

One of a group of Sun-grazing comets having similar orbits and including the great comet known as 1882 II. Discovered Sept. 18, 1965, by two Japanese amateur astronomers, Ikeya Kaoru and Seki Tsutomu, Ikeya-Seki made its closest approach to the Sun (470,000 kilometres, or about 290,000 miles; less than the Sun's radius) on Oct. 21, 1965. The comet was then bright enough to be seen with the naked eye in daylight. Like

Dado

2005-01-08T03:13:00.000-08:00

In Classical architecture, the plain portion between the base and cornice of the pedestal of a column and, in later architecture, the paneled, painted, or otherwise decorated lower part of a wall, up to 2 or 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) above the floor. Internal walls were so treated between the 16th and the 18th century, though toward the close of that period the dado was left plain and merely defined

Zambezi River

2005-01-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

The first non-Africans to reach the Zambezi were Arab traders, who utilized the river's lower reaches from the 10th century onward. They were followed in the 16th century by the Portuguese, who hoped to use the river to develop a trade in ivory, gold, and slaves. Until the 19th century, the river, then called the Zanbere, was believed to flow south from a vast inland sea that was also

'atbarah

2005-01-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Atbara town, northeastern Sudan. It lies on the right (east) bank of the Nile River at the mouth of the seasonal Atbara River. The junction of two major road and railway lines to Khartoum, it has become an important commercial and agricultural centre. The Sudan government railways' administrative headquarters and workshops are located there, and the town also has an airport.

Conscription

2005-01-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

Modified forms of conscription

Sukkoth

2004-12-31T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Bible refers to hag ha-asif (“Feast of the Ingathering,” Exodus 23:16), when grains and fruits were gathered at the harvest's end, and to hag ha-sukkot (“Feast of

Athena

2004-12-29T01:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Athene in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva (q.v.). She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess and was later taken over by the Greeks. Yet the Greek economy, unlike that

Philately

2004-12-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

The study of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postcards, and other materials relating to postal delivery. The term philately also denotes the collecting of these items. The term was coined in 1864 by a Frenchman, Georges Herpin, who invented it from the Greek philos, “love,” and ateleia, “that which is tax-free”; the postage stamp permitted the letter to come free of

Salamanca

2004-12-24T00:17:00.000-08:00

Provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Castile-León, western Spain. Salamanca is bounded by Portugal (west) and the provinces of Zamora and Valladolid (north), Ávila (east), and Cáceres (south); its northwestern boundary with Portugal is marked by the Duero (Portuguese: Douro) River. More than half the province is situated in the Meseta Central, the central

Scaliger, Julius Caesar

2004-12-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

Scaliger became known as a scholar through

Beresford, Charles William De La Poer Beresford, 1st Baron

2004-12-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Second son of the 4th Marquess of Waterford, Beresford distinguished himself as commander of the gunboat Condor at Alexandria (1882) and as commander

Epistle

2004-12-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

In literature there are two basic traditions of verse epistles, one derived from Horace's Epistles and the other from Ovid's Epistulae heroidum (better known as Heroides). The tradition based on Horace addresses moral and philosophical themes and has been the most popular

Ogun

2004-12-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

State, western Nigeria, created in 1976 and comprising former Abeokuta and Ijebu provinces of former Western state, the latter carved out of former Western region in 1967. Ogun is bounded by Oyo and Osun states to the north, Lagos state to the south, Ondo state to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the west. It is covered predominantly by tropical rain forest and has wooded savanna

Vedantadesika

2004-12-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Vedantadesika was born into a distinguished Srivaisnava family that followed the teachings of Ramanuja, an 11th–12th-century

Spohr, Louis

2004-12-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

Spohr taught himself composition by studying the scores of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He studied violin with the leader of the Brunswick orchestra and in 1802 with Franz Eck, who

Essex, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl Of, Viscount Hereford Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

2004-12-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Because his father, Robert Devereux, 2nd earl of Essex, had been executed for treason (1601), Devereux had to obtain special permission from Parliament to succeed (1604) to his family titles

Nationalism

2004-12-04T04:16:00.000-08:00

Nationalism began to appear in Asia and Africa after World War I. It produced such leaders as Kemal Atatürk in Turkey, Sa'd Pasha Zaghul in Egypt, Ibn Sa'ud in the Arabian peninsula, Mahatma Gandhi in India, and Sun Yat-sen in China. Atatürk succeeded in replacing the medieval structure of the Islamic monarchy with a revitalized and modernized secular republic in 1923. Demands

Durango

2004-12-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Although first settled in 1556, it was not officially founded until 1563. It was the political and ecclesiastical capital of Nueva Vizcaya,

Farman, Maurice

2004-11-29T03:50:00.000-08:00

A champion bicyclist, he also distinguished himself as an automobile racing driver. With his brother Henri, Maurice made the first circular flight of more than one kilometre in 1908, completing a 1.6-kilometre (one-mile) flight near Paris. The following year he built

India Ink

2004-11-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Chinese Ink, black pigment in the form of sticks that are moistened before use in drawing and lettering, or the fluid ink consisting of this pigment finely suspended in a liquid medium, such as water, and a glutinous binder. The sticks or cakes consist of specially prepared lampblack, or carbon black, mixed with a gum or glue and sometimes perfume. India ink was used in China and Egypt

Italian Literature, The return to order

2004-11-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

The end of World War I saw a longing for the revival of tradition, summed up in the aims of the review La Ronda, founded in 1919 by the poet Vincenzo Cardarelli and others, which advocated a return to classical stylistic values. This led to an excessive cult of form in the narrow sense—as exemplified by the elegant but somewhat bloodless essays (elzeviri) published in Italian

Yako

2004-11-23T01:07:00.000-08:00

The Yako are mainly yam farmers; subsidiary crops include cocoyams (taro), corn (maize), okra, and pumpkin. The main cash crop is palm oil. The Yako occupy compact villages divided into wards, each containing several patrilineal clans. Patrilineal

Mahavira

2004-11-20T03:07:00.000-08:00

Also known as Vardhamana Epithet of Vardhamana, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras (“Ford-makers,” i.e., saviours who promulgated Jainism), and the reformer of the Jain monastic community. According to the traditions of the two main Jain sects, the Shvetambara (“White-robed”) and the Digambara (“Sky-clad,” i.e., naked), Mahavira became

Tactical Weapons System

2004-11-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

System integrating tactical weapons with electronic equipment for target acquisition, aiming, or fire control or a combination of such purposes. Tactical weapons are designed for offensive or defensive use at relatively short range with relatively immediate consequences. They include weapons used for antitank assault, antiaircraft defense, battlefield

Allergen

2004-11-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Substance that in some persons induces the hypersensitive state of allergy and stimulates the formation of reaginic antibodies. Allergens may be naturally occurring or of synthetic origin and include pollen, mold spores, dust, animal dander, insect debris, foods, blood serum, and drugs. Identification of allergens is made by studying both the site of symptoms (e.g.,

Alexander Of Pherae

2004-11-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

Despot of Pherae in Thessaly, Greece, from 369 to 358, whose tyranny caused the intervention of a number of city-states in Thessalian affairs. The other Thessalian cities, refusing to recognize Alexander as tagos, or head magistrate, appealed to the Thebans, who sent Pelopidas to their assistance. Alexander imprisoned Pelopidas, and the Thebans had to send a large army to procure

Chac

2004-11-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

Like other major Mayan gods, Chac also appeared as four gods, the Chacs. The four gods were associated with the points of the compass and their colours: white, north; red, east; black, west; and yellow,

Buteshire

2004-11-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

Excavations in the islands have revealed evidence of human habitation

Drug, Anthelmintics

2004-11-10T02:58:00.000-08:00

Helminths (worms) can be divided into three groups: cestodes, or tapeworms; nematodes, or roundworms; and trematodes, or flukes. The helminths differ from other infectious organisms in that they have a complex body structure. They are multicellular and have partial or complete organ systems (e.g., muscular, nervous, digestive, and reproductive). Several of the drugs used

Blondin

2004-11-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

When he was five years old he was sent to the École de Gymnase at Lyon, and after six months' training as an acrobat he made his first public appearance as “the Little

Armorican Massif

2004-11-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

French Massif Armoricain, flattened erosional upland, or peneplain, encompassing the western French départements of Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, Morbihan, and Ille-et-Vilaine and parts of Manche, Orne, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, and Vendée. The region has an area of approximately 25,000 square miles (65,000 square km) and is bounded by the Paris Basin and the Seine River to the north and by the lowlands

Wu Li

2004-11-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Wu became a convert to Catholicism and in 1681 went to Macao Island (on the southeast coast of China), where, without family obligations after the deaths of his mother and wife and the marriage of his two daughters, he entered the

Azua

2004-11-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

In full Azua De Compostela, city, southwestern Dominican Republic. Founded in 1504 on the Caribbean coast, the original town was destroyed by an earthquake; the town was reestablished 3 miles (5 km) inland at its present site at the foot of the Ocoa Mountains. It is one of the leading cities in the region, trading mainly in agricultural products grown in the surrounding region: sugarcane, coffee, rice, corn

Kirovohrad

2004-11-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

Russian Kirovograd, formerly Yelizavetgrad, or Elizavetgrad, city and administrative centre of Kirovohrad oblast (province), Ukraine. It lies along the upper Inhul River where the latter is crossed by the Kremenchuk-Odessa railway. Founded as a fortress in 1754, it was made a city, Yelizavetgrad, in 1765 and developed as the centre of a rich agricultural area. Yelizavetgrad was renamed Zinovyevsk in 1924, Kirovo in 1936, and Kirovograd in 1939. It retains

Rembrandt

2004-11-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

Another cluster of talented pupils worked with Rembrandt around 1640: Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621–74) from Amsterdam; Carel Fabritius (1622–54), later a leading painter in Delft; and Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627–78) of Dordrecht, later better known for his art theory, Inleyding tot de hooge schoole der schilderkonst (1678; “Introduction to the High School of Painting”). Each of these made his own variation

Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufra, Al-

2004-11-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Al-Muhallab first served under the caliph Mu'awiyah, campaigning in India and raiding the country between Kabul and Multan. Later he was stationed in the eastern provinces, leading expeditions against the Central Asian city

Zakopane

2004-11-01T04:41:00.000-08:00

City, Nowy Sacz województwo (province), south-central Poland. The city is situated in the Carpathian Mountains near the Slovakian border. Its location at the foot of the Alpine-like Tatras Mountains makes it a major winter-sports and health-resort centre. Situated on good rail and highway routes, Zakopane also serves as the cultural centre for the area. The Chalubinski

Forbes, Steve

2004-10-31T16:28:00.000-08:00

Forbes graduated from Princeton University in 1970 with a B.A. degree in American history. He then went to work as a researcher for Forbes magazine, which was headed by his father, Malcolm S. Forbes, Sr. In 1973 he began writing a column for the

Ayckbourn, Alan

2004-10-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

Successful and prolific British playwright, whose works—mostly farces and comedies—deal with marital and class conflicts and point up the fears and weaknesses of the English lower-middle class. He wrote more than 50 plays and other entertainments, most of which were first staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round in Scarborough,

Constantine (ii)

2004-10-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

He was a soldier and—through the support of his brother Toto, duke of the bishopric of Nepi near Rome—was elected pope on July 5, 767, to succeed St. Paul I. Constantine's opponents, led by Christopher, the powerful chief of the notaries, fled to the Lombards. Constantine, failing to win support from the Carolingian king Pippin III the Short or from

Digestive System, Vertebrate, Endorphins and enkephalins

2004-10-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Endorphins and enkephalins, each comprising five amino acids in the molecule, are present in the vagus nerves and the myenteric plexus. They have the properties of opiate (opium-derived) substances such as morphine; they bind to the same receptors and are neutralized by the opiate antagonist naloxone. There is no evidence that endorphins and enkephalins are circulating

New Brunswick

2004-10-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

City, seat of Middlesex county, eastern New Jersey, U.S. It lies on the Raritan River, at the terminus of the old Delaware and Raritan Canal, 21 miles (33 km) south-southwest of Newark. The site, first known as Prigmore's Swamp, was settled in 1681 by John Inian. Called Inian's Ferry (1713), it was renamed about 1724 for George I of England, who was also the duke of Brunswick. George II granted it a town charter

Tlaxcala

2004-10-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

In full Tlaxcala De Xicohténcatl, town, capital of Tlaxcala estado (“state”), east-central Mexico. It lies along the Zahuapan River at the northwest foot of La Malinche volcano, 7,388 feet (2,252 m) above sea level. The city lies in the region inhabited by the Tlaxcalan Indians, and the designation “de Xicohténcatl” commemorates a Tlaxcalan chieftain who vigorously opposed his people's aid to the Spanish conquistador

Pacific Mountain System, Physiography

2004-10-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

The arrangement of the ranges in the system can be visualized as being in the shape of an extremely elongated H with a closed base. From north to south the west side of the H is made up of the ranges of the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island, the Olympic Mountains, and the Washington, Oregon, and California Coast Ranges. From north to south the east side of the H

Rickey, Branch

2004-10-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

Rickey started his professional playing career while studying at Ohio Wesleyan University, spent two seasons (1906–07) in the American

Ear Disease, Aero-otitis media

2004-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Aero-otitis media is a painful type of hearing loss that can result from an inability to equalize the air pressure in the middle-ear cavity when a sudden change in altitude occurs, as may happen in a rapid descent in a poorly pressurized aircraft. Allergies or a preexisting head cold may inhibit an individual's ability to equalize, which is accomplished by yawning

Andesite

2004-10-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

Any member of a large family of rocks that occur in most of the world's volcanic areas. Andesites occur mainly as surface deposits and, to a lesser extent, as dikes and small plugs. Many of the deposits are not normal lava flows but rather flow breccias, mudflows, tuffs, and other fragmental rocks; the peperino near Rome and the trass of the Eifel district in Germany are examples.

Reformed Church Of France

2004-10-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

French Église Reformée De France, church organized in 1938 by merging several Reformed groups that had developed in France during and after the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. During the early part of the Reformation, Protestant movements made slow progress in France. Yet reforming movements within the Roman Catholic Church had appeared early. Before Martin Luther had emerged as a Reformer in

Graça Aranha, José Pereira Da

2004-10-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Brazilian novelist and diplomat, best remembered for his novel Canaã (1902; Canaan, 1920), in which he explored the conflicts of the Brazilian ethnic melting pot through the varied perspectives and problems of two German immigrants. With its philosophical digressions and lyrical descriptions, Canaã, a “novel of ideas,” was influential in

Tracy, Benjamin F(ranklin)

2004-10-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Tracy began his career as a lawyer; he was admitted to the bar in 1851 and served as district attorney of Tioga County, N.Y., from 1853 to 1859. A founder of the local Republican Party, he served briefly in the state legislature (1862) and fought for the Union

Biblical Literature, The Gothic version

2004-10-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Gothic version was produced in the mid-4th century by Ulfilas, a Christian missionary who also invented the Gothic alphabet. It constitutes practically all that is left of Gothic literature. The translation of the Old Testament has entirely disappeared except for fragments of Ezra and Nehemiah. Though a Greek base is certain, some scholars deny the attribution

Metal Point

2004-10-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

Descendant of the stylus of classical times and ancestor of the modern pencil, a small, sharpened metal rod used for drawing precise compositions on paper or parchment. The metal could be lead, silver, copper, or gold, but silverpoint was the most common choice because it is the most suited to permanent drawing, its stroke adhering unerasably. The silverpoint was of

Argentina, Galtieri and the Falklands War

2004-10-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Videla was succeeded in March 1981 by General Roberto Viola, who, with the Dirty War near its end, was quite unable to control his military allies. In December he was shouldered aside by Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri. Galtieri faced a slumping economy and increased civil opposition to military rule. His trump card was that he had promised his navy ally, Vice Admiral

Abenaki

2004-10-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Abnaki or Wabanaki a confederacy of Algonkian-speaking Indian tribes in northeastern North America, which was organized to furnish resistance and protection against the Iroquois Confederacy, especially the Mohawk, of what is now northern New York state. In its earliest known organization it consisted of tribes east and northeast of present New York: Malecite in present New Brunswick;

Har Rai

2004-10-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

The contemplative Har Rai spent more time in spiritual exercises than in administrative or military duties, and he knew

Marr, Nikolay Yakovlevich

2004-10-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

A professor at St. Petersburg University from 1900, Marr published numerous collections of old Georgian and Armenian literature and attempted to prove a relationship between

Rotimi, Ola

2004-10-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

Rotimi was born to an Ijaw mother and a Yoruba father, and cultural diversity was a frequent theme in his work. Educated in Nigeria in Port Harcourt and Lagos, he traveled to the United States in 1959 to study at Boston University. After receiving a B.A. in fine arts in 1963, he attended the Yale School

Peck, Gregory

2004-10-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

A pharmacist's son, Peck attended military school and San Diego State College before enrolling as a premed student at the University of California at Berkeley. There he developed a taste for

Mahasanghika

2004-10-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Its emergence about a century after the death of the Buddha (483 BC) represented the first major schism in the Buddhist community. Although traditional accounts of the second council, at Vaisali (now in Bihar state), attribute

Gondola

2004-10-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Tapered, 32-foot- (10-metre-) long flat-bottomed boat historically associated with the canals and lagoon of Venice, carrying from two to six passengers. It is propelled from the starboard quarter by a single sweep (oar) manipulated by a gondolier standing on the stern cover, and it has an asymmetrical shape, being 9 inches (23 cm) wider on the port side. A prominent steel beak (ferro) rises

Riboud, Antoine-amédée-paul

2004-10-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

French industrialist (b. Dec. 25, 1918, Lyon, France—d. May 5, 2002, Paris, France), joined a small family-owned glass-making business, Souchon-Neuvesel, in 1942 and through a series of mergers, acquisitions, and hostile takeovers eventually turned it into a global food empire. In 1966 Riboud engineered a merger with another glass manufacturer, Boussois, to form BSN SA. He expanded relentlessly, acquiring

Karaganda

2004-10-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

The first settlement appeared in 1856, and small-scale coal mining began in 1857 to supply a nearby copper smelter. Mining ceased in the 1920s

Sogdiana

2004-10-03T00:54:00.000-07:00

Ancient country of Central Asia centring on the fertile valley of the Zeravshan River, in modern Uzbekistan. Excavations have shown that Sogdiana was probably settled between 1000 and 500 BC and that it then passed under Achaemenian rule. It was later attacked by Alexander the Great and may have been included in the Bactrian Greek kingdom until the invasions of Saka and Yü

Nabul

2004-10-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Nabeul, Latin Neapolis, town, northeastern Tunisia, on the Hammamet Gulf. Formerly a Phoenician settlement, it was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC and later rebuilt as a Roman colony called Neapolis. It is a noted pottery and ceramics handicraft centre and the eastern terminus of a railroad from Tunis, 40 miles (65 km) northwest. Other industries include stone cutting, quarrying (chalk), citrus fruit and

Jean Le Bel

2004-10-02T01:57:00.000-07:00

A soldier and the constant companion of Jean, Count de Beaumont, with whom he went to England and Scotland in 1327, Le Bel wrote his Vrayes Chroniques (“True Chronicles”), recounting the events of the reign of Edward III,

Seni Pramoj, Mom Rajawong

2004-09-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

Thai diplomat and politician whose refusal to honour Japanese demands that he deliver a Thai declaration of war against the U.S. and the U.K. during World War II kept the U.S. from attacking Thailand and gained U.S. aid in organizing resistance forces (b. May 26, 1905--d. July 28, 1997).