ChemicalSock

Estate Agent London

2006-10-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

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

Nephi

2005-03-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1882) of Juab county, north-central Utah, U.S. Located at the southern end of the Wasatch Range, the city was founded as an agricultural colony in 1851 and was originally called Salt Creek; in the late 1850s Mormon leaders renamed it after a prophet of the Book of Mormon. Nephi grew as a ranching and farming centre, later becoming a shipping point for gypsum mined in the vicinity

Sun, Photosphere

2005-03-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

Although there are no fires on the surface of the Sun, the photosphere seethes and roils, displaying the effects of the underlying convection. Photons flowing from below, trapped by the underlying layers, finally escape. This produces a dramatic drop in temperature and density. The temperature at the visible surface is about 5,800 K but drops to a minimum about 4,000 K at approximately

Orhan

2005-03-15T01:37:00.000-08:00

Under Orhan's leadership, the small Ottoman principality in northwestern Anatolia continued to attract Ghazis (warriors for the Islamic faith) from surrounding Turkish emirates fighting against Byzantium.

Bearded Seal

2005-03-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

(Erignathus barbatus), nonmigratory seal of the family Phocidae, distinguished by the bushy, bristly whiskers for which it is named; it is also known as “squareflipper” after the rectangular shape of the foreflipper. Highly valued by Eskimos for its hide, meat, and blubber, the bearded seal is a grayish or yellow-brown animal that lives alone or in small groups in coastal

Bradford-on-avon

2005-03-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), West Wiltshire district, administrative and historic county of Wiltshire, England, on the River Avon (Bristol Avon). Its limestone houses rise up the steep side of a valley, and the river is spanned by a medieval bridge complete with chapel. A local monastery existed in the 7th century, and in Abbey Yard, presumably its site, stands the Saxon Church of St. Lawrence,

Chrétien, Jean

2005-03-09T04:55:00.000-08:00

The 18th of 19 children of a working-class family, Chrétien studied law at Laval University and was called to the bar in Quebec in 1958. Long interested in politics, he was first elected to the House of Commons in 1963 and was reelected thereafter through

Hale, Nathan

2005-03-06T22:58:00.000-08:00

A graduate of Yale University (1773) and a schoolteacher, Hale joined a Connecticut regiment in 1775, served in the siege of Boston, and was commissioned a captain (1776). He went to New York with William Heath's brigade and is said to have participated in

Wessel, Horst

2005-03-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

A student and low-life bohemian, Wessel joined the Nazi Party in 1926 and became a member of the SA (Storm Troopers). In 1930 political enemies, possibly Communists, killed him in a brawl in his room in the Berlin slums. Nazi propagandists,

Qi Baishi

2005-03-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

Qi was of humble origins, and it was largely through his own efforts that he became adept at the arts of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He was active to the end of his long life and served as head of the Beijing Institute of Chinese

Ker

2005-02-28T06:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cer, in ancient Greek religion, a destructive spirit. Popular belief attributed death and illness to the action of impersonal powers, often spoken of in the plural (Keres). The word was also used of an individual's doom, with a meaning resembling the notion of destiny. In the Attic festival of the Anthesteria, when the spirits of the dead were expelled from the house, they were

Earth

2005-02-27T04:46:00.000-08:00

The basic structure and composition of the Earth's interior have been known since the mid-20th century. In a landmark paper published in 1952, the American geophysicist Francis Birch described the constitution of the planetary interior based on a broad array of seismological, experimental, and geochemical observations. Although there have been numerous advances in

Later Le Dynasty

2005-02-22T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Later Le was established when its founder, Le Loi, began a resistance movement against the Chinese armies then occupying Vietnam; by 1428 he had liberated the country and was free to begin the process of recovering the southern

Shanghai, Climate

2005-02-21T05:08:00.000-08:00

The city's maritime location fosters a mild climate characterized by minimal seasonal contrast. The average annual temperature is about 58° F (14° C); the July maximum averages about 80° F (27° C), and the average January minimum is about 37° F (3° C). About 45 inches (1,140 millimetres) of precipitation fall annually, with the heaviest rainfall in June and the lightest in December.

Percy, Walker

2005-02-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Orphaned in late childhood, Percy and his brothers went to live with his father's cousin, a bachelor and lawyer, in Greenville, Miss. Percy studied at the University of North Carolina (B.A., 1937) and Columbia University (M.D., 1941) and, while working as a pathologist

Musa

2005-02-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Mousa , also called Kankan Musa mansa (emperor) of the West African empire of Mali from 1307 (or 1312). Mansa Musa left a realm notable for its extent and riches (he built the Great Mosque at Timbuktu), but he is best remembered in the Middle East and Europe for the splendour of his pilgrimage to Mecca (1324).

Farc

2005-02-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Spanish Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (“Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia”) Marxist guerilla organization in Colombia. Formed in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, the FARC is the largest of Colombia's rebel groups, estimated to possess some 10,000 to 15,000 armed soldiers and thousands of supporters, largely drawn from Colombia's rural areas. One of the organization's founders, Manuel Marulanda Vélez (originally Pedro Antonio

Kazan

2005-02-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

Ancient Kazan (Iske Kazan) was founded in the late 13th century by the Mongols (Tatars) of the Golden Horde after their overthrow of the

Boeotian League

2005-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

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.

Père David's Deer

2005-02-08T01:21:00.000-08:00

The deer is about 1.1 metres (43 inches) tall at the shoulder and is characterized

Hardouin, Jean

2005-02-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

Hardouin entered the Society of Jesus in 1666 and was professor of positive theology in the Jesuit Collège Louis-le-Grand at Paris (1683–1718) when he published his first works, editions of the classical writers

Jackson, Shirley

2005-02-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

Jackson graduated from Syracuse University in 1940 and married the American literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman. They settled in North Bennington in 1945. Life Among the Savages (1953) and Raising Demons (1957) are witty and humorous fictionalized memoirs

Dubois, Eugène

2005-02-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

Appointed lecturer in anatomy at the University of Amsterdam (1886), Dubois investigated the comparative anatomy of the larynx in vertebrates but became increasingly interested in human evolution. In 1887 he went to the East Indies

Lisboa

2005-02-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

Administrative district, west central Portugal, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean (west and south) and by the Tagus River and its estuary (southeast). Principal occupations outside Lisbon, the district and national capital, are agriculture and fishing, ironworking, and tourism. A disastrous flood in November 1967 caused over 450 deaths and much damage in the district. Area 1,065 square

Ambato

2005-01-29T15:33:00.000-08:00

City, central Ecuador. It lies along the Ambato River in an intermontane basin near the northeastern foot of Mount Chimborazo, at an elevation of about 8,500 feet (2,600 m) above sea level. It was the scene of a decisive victory in 1821 by Antonio José de Sucre, lieutenant of the liberator Simón Bolívar, against the Spanish during the wars for Latin-American independence. Ambato has frequently

Asyut

2005-01-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

Known as Syut in ancient Egypt, the city was a centre of worship of the jackal-headed god Wepwawet. In the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1600? BC), it was capital

Guitar

2005-01-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

Plucked stringed musical instrument that probably originated in Spain early in the 16th century, deriving from the guitarra latina, a late-medieval instrument with a waisted body and four strings. The early guitar was narrower and deeper than the modern guitar, with a less pronounced waist. It

Thompson, E.p.

2005-01-23T00:51:00.000-08:00

E.P. Thompson was born

Hancock, Joy Bright

2005-01-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

Joy Bright enlisted in the Naval Reserve after graduating from the Pierce School of Business Administration in Philadelphia in 1918. From 1919 she worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy at various stations and at the Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C.

Aptitude Test

2005-01-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

Examination that attempts to determine and measure those characteristics of a person that are regarded as indices of his capability to acquire, through future training, some specific set of responses (intellectual, motor, and so on). The tests assume that people differ in their special abilities and that these differences are related in a predictable manner to

Portugal

2005-01-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Officially Portuguese Republic, Portuguese Portugal, or República Portuguesa, country lying along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is bordered on the east and north by Spain and on the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean. Occupying about 16 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal has a total area of 35,672 square miles (92,389 square km). Despite its small size, the country displays a great diversity of geographic features;

Danané

2005-01-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

Town, western Côte d'Ivoire. It lies along the Boan River, a tributary of the Nuon (Nipoué, Cestos) River, and at the intersection of roads from Liberia, Guinea, and the Ivoirian town of Man. It is the chief trade centre (rice, coffee, and kola nuts) of a forested region mainly inhabited by the Dan people. Pop. (1975) town, 19,608.

Maccaig, Norman

2005-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

After graduation from the University of Edinburgh, MacCaig held various teaching positions, mostly in Edinburgh. His early published works, which he later disavowed, were Far Cry (1943) and The Inward Eye (1946). In Riding Lights (1955), his characteristic poetic voice—recalling the polished

Robert Ii

2005-01-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

Byname Robert The Jerusalemite, French Robert Le Hierosolymitain, Dutch Robrecht Van Jeruzalem count of Flanders (1093–1111), one of the most celebrated of crusaders. The son of Robert I, he sailed for the Holy Land on the First Crusade in 1096 and earned fame perhaps second only to that of Godfrey of Bouillon. Returning to Flanders in 1100, he fought with his suzerain, Louis VI the Fat of France, against the English and was drowned in 1111 by the breaking of a bridge. He was succeeded

Chile, The Chilean Andes

2005-01-16T00:34:00.000-08:00

The formation of the western Andes ranges

Moseley, Henry Gwyn Jeffreys

2005-01-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Educated at Trinity College, Oxford, Moseley in 1910 was appointed lecturer

Braddock, James J.

2005-01-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

Braddock's professional name was changed by his manager to James J. early in his career, patterning the name

Szczecinek

2005-01-13T01:21:00.000-08:00

Szczecinek is the commercial centre for the surrounding district; its industry includes dairying,

Pindus Mountains

2005-01-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

In antiquity, the name Pindus applied to ranges south of the Aracynthus (Zygós) Pass west of Thessaly. Occasionally the Pindus is said to extend into Albania but also to include the Tymphrestos (Timfristós) massif and

Wilamowitz-moellendorff, Ulrich Von

2005-01-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

Educated at the universities of Bonn and Berlin, Wilamowitz-Moellendorff served in the Franco-German War (1870) and traveled through Italy and Greece.

Wu-han

2005-01-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Wuhan fifth largest city of the People's Republic of China, in Hupeh Province, located at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers. It is a conurbation of three adjacent cities—Han-k'ou (Hankow), Han-yang, and Wu-ch'ang; the last is the capital of Hupeh Province. Han-k'ou lies on the north bank of the Yangtze at the mouth of the Han. Immediately across the Han from it is the older city

Cranbrook Academy Of Art

2005-01-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., U.S. The school and its associated museum were designed largely by Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen. Cranbrook Academy of Art is devoted solely to graduate study in the arts, offering master's degree programs in fine arts and architecture. Areas of study include architecture,

American Literature, Henry Adams

2005-01-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

One of the most devastating and most literate attacks on modern life was an autobiography of a scion of an ancient New England family, the Adamses. Educated at Harvard and abroad, Henry Adams was a great teacher and historian (History of the United States [1889–91] and Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres [1904]). The Education of Henry Adams (printed privately 1906; published 1918), however, complained

Arabia, History Of, The Zaydis and 'Alawis

2005-01-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

In the mid-10th century a refugee from disturbances in Iraq, Ahmad

Pavía Y Rodríguez De Alburquerque, Manuel

2005-01-01T00:33:00.000-08:00

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

Oranjestad

2004-12-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

Seaport and chief administrative centre of the Caribbean island of Aruba, located on the island's western coast. It is a free port and a petroleum-processing and shipping centre. The enclosed harbour, with two basins, has modern cargo-handling and fueling equipment. Oranjestad has brightly coloured buildings, fine residential sections, and a modern sports arena,

Generalization

2004-12-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

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

Bridgettine

2004-12-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Brigittine , member of Order of the Most Holy Savior (O.SS.S.) a religious order of cloistered nuns founded by St. Bridget of Sweden in 1344 and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. Bridget believed that she was called by Christ to found a strictly disciplined religious order that would contribute to the reform of monastic life. She went to Rome to gain approval of her order and died there in 1373. Her foundation began to grow and contributed greatly

Pyroxene

2004-12-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of important rock-forming silicate minerals of variable composition, among which calcium-, magnesium-, and iron-rich varieties predominate.

Ear, Human, Descending pathways

2004-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

Parallel with the pathway ascending from the cochlear nuclei to the cortex is a pathway descending from the cortex to the cochlear nuclei. In both pathways some of the fibres remain on the same side, while others cross the midline to the opposite side of the brain. There is also evidence of a “spur” line ascending from the dorsal cochlear nucleus to the cerebellum and

Toastmaster's Glass

2004-12-18T02:47:00.000-08:00

English glass about the size of an ordinary drinking glass but with only about one-quarter of its capacity; the glass creates the illusion of being full by means of a depression in its bowl, which in fact is almost solid. It owed its origin to the clubs of 18th-century England, where the toastmaster had to remain sober enough to carry out his office.

Native American, Population and languages

2004-12-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Estimates of the aboriginal population are based on information supplied by explorers, traders, missionaries, and other early reporters and are only as good as the reporters' observations were trustworthy. A more serious impediment to an accurate count is that some tribes, by the time they were encountered by the reporting traveler, had already been depopulated

Thoracic Squeeze

2004-12-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

Because the lung tissue is elastic and interspersed with tubules

Shimada

2004-12-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

City, Shizuoka ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, on the lower Oi River. During the Tokugawa era (1603–1867) it was an important post town on the Tokaido (Eastern Sea Highway) because fording the river was both difficult and dangerous. Since the early 20th century the city has become a trade centre for timber from the forest-covered Akaishi Range upstream. Shimada contains several large paper

Horse Racing

2004-12-09T00:38:00.000-08:00

The ownership of racetracks ranges from complete state control, in which case the national government may own the tracks and horses and employ trainers, jockeys, grooms, and other necessary personnel, to complete private enterprise, as in most of the United States (where tracks are privately owned and operated for profit, as are the horses, and trainers and jockeys

Buxtehude, Dietrich

2004-12-06T02:38:00.000-08:00

His exact place of birth is uncertain, and nothing is known of his early youth. It is usually assumed that he began his musical education with his father, who was organist at Helsingbor (c. 1638–41) and at Helsingor (Elsinor; c. 1642–71). He

Leadbelly

2004-12-05T03:03:00.000-08:00

Musical from childhood, Leadbelly played accordion, 6- and 12-string guitar, bass, and harmonica. He led a wandering life, learning songs by absorbing oral tradition.

Simjurid Dynasty

2004-12-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

(c. 940–1000), minor Iranian dynasty that ruled in Khorasan. The Simjurids, a family of Iranian notables, rose to prominence early in the 10th century under the Samanid rulers of Iran. The detailed history of the family is somewhat obscure, but its historical significance lies in the fact that in the last two decades of Samanid rule it held the balance of power in Khorasan and western

Tulunid Dynasty

2004-11-29T03:09:00.000-08:00

First local dynasty of Egypt and Syria to exist independently of the 'Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad, ruling 868–905. Its founder, Ahmad ibn Tulun, a Turk, arrived in Egypt in 868 as vice governor and promptly (868–872) established a military and financial foothold in the province by organizing an independent Egyptian army and securing the management of the Egyptian and Syrian treasuries. Insufficient

China, The Plateau of Tibet

2004-11-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

This great massif occupies about one-fourth of the whole country. A large part of the plateau lies at elevations above 13,000–15,000 feet. The border ranges of the plateau are even higher, with individual peaks rising to heights of 23,000–26,000 feet. The interior slopes of these border mountains, as a rule, are gentle, while the exterior slopes are very steep. In its eastern and southern periphery,

Cabra

2004-11-24T05:39:00.000-08:00

Cabra has a ruined Moorish castle, and its parish church (the former cathedral) was originally a mosque. Called Baebro or Aegabro in ancient times, it was

Wu Ch'eng-en

2004-11-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

Wu received a traditional Confucian education and became known for his clever composition of poetry and prose in the classical style. Throughout his life he displayed

Aznar, José María

2004-11-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

In 1975, during Spain's transition to democracy, José Marí

Western Africa, History Of, Francophone countries

2004-11-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

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

Rapier, James T.

2004-11-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

Born in affluence—his father was a wealthy planter—Rapier was educated by private tutors and later studied at Montreal College (Canada), the University of Glasgow (Scotland), and Franklin College (Nashville,

Waddington, William Henry

2004-11-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

The son of an English manufacturer living in France

Swag

2004-11-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

The swag, or festoon, usually carved from

Neuropteran

2004-11-08T04:03:00.000-08:00

All three orders may have evolved from an early mecopteran (scorpionfly) ancestral stem, prior to the Trichoptera–Lepidoptera offshoot (see section on Trichoptera). Carnivorous insects of varied structure and habit, both freshwater and terrestrial members of the three orders, are widely distributed with the exception of the snakeflies (which are confined to the

Venezuela, Climate

2004-11-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

Venezuela lies well within the tropics, and the country's temperatures are relatively uniform with little seasonal variation. Elevation, however, produces significant local differences in temperature, precipitation, and vegetation. More than nine-tenths of Venezuela has a mean annual temperature above 75 °F (24 °C). The average mean temperature for Caracas, lying in a

Berenson, Bernard

2004-11-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

Reared in Boston, Berenson was educated at Harvard University, from which he was graduated in 1887. His first book, The Venetian Painters of the Renaissance (1894), displayed a concise writing style. He was also endowed with a discriminating eye, exceptional

Vaginitis

2004-11-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

Inflammation of the vagina, usually owing to infection. The chief symptom is leukorrhea, i.e., the abnormal flow of a whitish or yellowish discharge from the vagina. The treatment of vaginitis depends on the cause of the inflammation. Several different microorganisms can produce vaginitis in women of reproductive age; atrophic vaginitis, caused by reduced estrogen

Biblical Literature, The role of certain lesser judges

2004-11-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

The third section relates the exploits of the various judges. Othniel, a member of the tribe of Caleb, delivered the erring Israelites from eight years of oppression by Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. The king, however, was most likely an area ruler, rather than a king of the Mesopotamian Empire. Another judge, Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, delivered Israel from

Earth, Radar altimetry of the ocean surface

2004-10-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

As noted above, the geoid over the oceans coincides with mean sea level provided that the dynamic effects of winds, tides, and currents are removed. The surface of the sea acts as a reflector for radar waves, and a satellite equipped with a radar altimeter can be used to sound from the satellite's instantaneous position to the sea. The accuracy with which the sea surface

Ear Disease, Ménière's disease

2004-10-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ménière's disease, also called endolymphatic hydrops, is a fairly common disorder of the labyrinth of the inner ear that affects both the vestibular nerve, with resultant attacks of vertigo, and the auditory nerve, with impairment of hearing. It was first described in 1861 by a French physician, Prosper Ménière. It is now known that the symptoms are caused by an excess of

China, Ethnic and linguistic groups

2004-10-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

China is a multinational country, with a population composed of a large number of ethnic and linguistic groups. Thus, the basic classification of the population is not so much ethnic as linguistic. The Han (Chinese), the largest group, outnumber the minority groups or minority nationalities in every province or autonomous region except Tibet and Sinkiang. The Han,

Memory Abnormality

2004-10-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Disorders of memory must have been known to the ancients and are mentioned in several early medical texts, but it was not until the closing decades of the 19th century that serious attempts were made to analyze them or to seek their explanation in terms of brain disturbances. Of the early attempts, the most influential

Plummer, Christopher

2004-10-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Plummer made his first professional appearance in 1950 in Ottawa and spent several years performing with Canadian repertory theatre groups. In 1954 he made his New York City debut and soon attracted wide critical praise.

Botanical Garden

2004-10-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Also called Botanic Garden, originally, a collection of living plants designed chiefly to illustrate relationships within plant groups. In modern times, most botanical gardens are concerned primarily with exhibiting ornamental plants, insofar as possible in a scheme that emphasizes natural relationships. Thus, the two functions are blended: eye appeal and taxonomic order. Plants that

Asean Regional Forum

2004-10-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

Reference guides useful for research on the ARF are Anthony McGrew and Christopher Brook (eds.), Asia-Pacific in the New World Order (1998); and Lawrence T. Woods, Asia-Pacific Diplomacy: Nongovernmental Organizations and International Relations (1993).

Olympic Airways

2004-10-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

Greek Olimpiaki Aeroporia, Greek airline founded on April 6, 1957, by the Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis (1906?–75) but, from 1975, wholly owned by the Greek government. Services from Greece into western Europe began in 1957, and by 1980 services extended throughout Greece and internationally from Athens to many of the major cities of Europe and the Middle East, as well as to North America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and

Ibn Ezra, Moses (ben Jacob Ha-sallah)

2004-10-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

Known in Arabic as Abu Harun Musa, he belonged to a prominent Hispano-Hebrew family (his three

Tacuarembó

2004-10-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

Formerly San Fructuoso, city, north-central Uruguay. The Haedo Mountains dominate the adjoining area. Orchids and hardwoods, including quebracho, algarrobo, urunday, and guayabo, grow there. Founded in 1831 by Bernabé Rivera, it was first called Villa de San Fructuoso; later, it adopted the Guaraní Indian name Tacuarembó (from a firm, slender reed endemic to the region). The city's Indian and gaucho

Scandinavian Literature, Renewed literary activity in Norway

2004-10-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Political union between Denmark and Norway started in 1380, and the Danish language eventually became the official and the literary medium. Copenhagen, with its university, established itself as the cultural capital of the two countries. Not until after the Reformation were there signs of renewed literary activity in Norway itself; e.g., in the nostalgic apologia for

Berezovsky, Boris

2004-10-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

When Russian Pres. Boris Yeltsin resigned, Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky lost his status as a Kremlin insider and one of Russia's most powerful men. Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, came to power in 2000 promising to “liquidate the oligarchs as a class.” By year's end Berezovsky had been ousted from Kremlin circles and was facing a criminal investigation into his business

Anthony Of Bourbon

2004-10-04T02:54:00.000-07:00

Son of Charles of Bourbon, duke of Vendôme, he married (1548) Jeanne d'Albret, daughter of Henry II, king of Navarre; as sole heir, she brought her husband the title of king of Navarre. Anthony was involved with his brother, Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé, in the Huguenot conspiracy of Amboise,

Kyrenia

2004-10-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Greek Kirínia, Turkish Girne, city, situated along the northern coast of Cyprus, in the Turkish Cypriot-administered area. Founded by the Achaeans, ancient Greek colonists, and fortified by the Byzantines, Franks, and Venetians, the city was the administrative headquarters of the Kyrenia district of the Republic of Cyprus until the Turkish intervention in 1974. Kyrenia city is a market centre and

Oak Ridge

2004-09-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

City, Anderson and Roane counties, eastern Tennessee, U.S. It lies in a valley between the Cumberland and Great Smoky mountains, about 20 miles (30 km) west of Knoxville, and is a part of that city's metropolitan area. A tract of land covering about 94 square miles (243 square km) was selected in 1942 as a major site of the U.S. wartime atomic energy program known as the Manhattan Project. Originally

Mason, John Mitchell

2004-09-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

Mason developed a plan for theological education and in 1804 founded a seminary of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in New York City. He believed that the

Albany River

2004-09-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

River, north central Ontario, Canada, rising in Lake St. Joseph at an elevation of 1,218 ft (371 m) and flowing generally eastward into James Bay. For 250 mi (400 km) of its 610-mi course, the river is navigable, and it served as an important route during the fur-trading days, when boats sailed inland from the Hudson's Bay Company post of Ft. Albany (established 1684) at the mouth. Its largest tributary is the

Osiris

2004-09-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

Also called Usiri, one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. The origin of Osiris is obscure; he was a local god of Busiris, in Lower Egypt, and may have been a personification of chthonic (underworld) fertility, or possibly a deified hero. By about 2400 BC, however, Osiris clearly played a double role: he was both a god of fertility and the embodiment of the dead and resurrected king. This dual

Selenium Cell

2004-09-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Photoelectric device used to generate or control an electric current. Selenium photocells are commonly used in photographic-exposure meters, burglar alarms, electronic-door opening and counting devices, electronic control systems in factory assembly lines, and industrial colour perceptors. In some ways, such as colour perception and sensitivity, the performance

González Márquez, Felipe

2004-09-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

Spanish lawyer and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español; PSOE) politician who was prime minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996. During his four terms in office, he consolidated Spain's fledgling democracy, oversaw continued economic growth, and brought Spain into the European Community (EC; now commonly called the European

Tercet

2004-09-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Also spelled tiercet a unit or group of three lines of verse, usually containing rhyme, as in William Shakespeare's “The Phoenix and the Turtle”: Death is now the phoenix' nest; And the turtle's loyal breastTo eternity doth rest,

Outlaw Music

2004-09-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

Movement of American country music in the 1970s spearheaded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings (b. June 15, 1937, Littlefield, Texas, U.S.—d. February 13, 2002, Chandler, Arizona). Sometimes called progressive country, outlaw music was an attempt to escape the formulaic constraints of the Nashville Sound (simple songs, the use of studio musicians, and lush production), country's dominant style

Infection, Q fever

2004-09-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

Q fever is a disease caused by the rickettsial agent Coxiella burnetii. The Q stands for query, for its cause was at first unknown. It spreads rapidly in cows, sheep, and goats, and whole herds, flocks, and areas often are contaminated with the Coxiella organisms. The germs are passed in vast quantities in milk, urine, and feces, in vaginal discharges, and on placentas, and they

Aesthetics, China

2004-09-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Confucius (551–479 BC) emphasized the role of aesthetic enjoyment in moral and political education, and, like his near contemporary Plato, was suspicious of the power of art to awaken frenzied and distracted feelings. Music must be stately and dignified, contributing to the inner harmony that is the foundation of good behaviour, and all art is at its noblest when incorporated

Ghatam

2004-09-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Large, narrow-mouthed earthenware water pot used as a percussion instrument in India. Unlike other Indian percussion instruments, such as the tabla and mridanga, the ghatam does not have a membrane over its mouth. Ghatam produce a distinctive metallic sound and are made in several sizes, each size having a different pitch. As used in Carnatic music, the ghatam is positioned

Giusti, Giuseppe

2004-09-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Giusti was sporadically a law student in Pisa (1826–29 and 1832–34) and led an inconspicuous life until the Revolution

Resistivity

2004-09-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

Resistivity, commonly symbolized by the Greek letter rho, r, is quantitatively

Mental Disorder, Affective disorders

2004-09-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Depression is characterized by a sad or hopeless mood, pessimistic thinking, a loss of enjoyment and interest in one's usual activities and pastimes, reduced energy and vitality,