AutomaticGrass

Torga, Miguel

2005-04-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

Torga embarked on his literary career while a medical student at the University of Coimbra. After graduation he continued to write and publish

Scheie's Syndrome

2005-04-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

Also called Mucopolysaccharidosis I S , or Mps I S uncommon hereditary metabolic disease characterized by clawing of the hands, corneal clouding, incompetence of the aortic valve of the heart, and painful nerve compression in the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome). The disease was described by Harold Scheie of the United States in 1962 and is a mild variant of Hurler's syndrome (MPS I H), a disorder associated with subnormal

Spotlight: Sub-saharan Africa In A New Era

2005-04-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Although 41 of the 48 governments in the region had committed themselves to establishing multiparty parliamentary systems, by year's end only 9 could be judged to have met the criteria for pluralism

Pippin Iii

2005-04-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

The pope was in need of aid. Aistulf, king of the Lombards, had seized Ravenna with its lands, known as the exarchate. Soon, Lombard troops marched south, surrounded Rome, and prepared to lay siege to its walls. So matters stood when in 752 Zacharias died and Stephen II became pope. In November 753 Pope Stephen made his way over the stormy mountain passes to Frankish territory. He

China, Educational and cultural policy changes

2005-04-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

In the educational system, the reformers gave top priority to training technical, scientific, and scholarly talent to world-class standards. This involved the re-creation of a highly selective and elitist higher educational system, with admission based on competitive academic examination. Graduate study programs were introduced, and thousands of Chinese were

Check

2005-03-31T07:04:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cheque, bill of exchange drawn on a bank and payable on demand; it has become the chief form of money in the domestic commerce of developed countries. As a written order to pay money, it may be transferred from one person to another by endorsement and delivery or, in certain cases, by delivery alone. Negotiability can be qualified by appropriate words, as with restrictive endorsements,

West Bromwich

2005-03-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

Locality in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, metropolitan county of West Midlands, historic county of Staffordshire, England. It lies about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the city of Birmingham. Though the town is of ancient origin, its appearance is modern and industrial. Coal was long mined in and around the locality until the end of the 20th century, and West Bromwich

Dowden, Edward

2005-03-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

Educated at Queen's College, Cork, and Trinity College, Dublin, Dowden became professor of English literature at Trinity in 1867 and lectured at Oxford (1890–93) and Cambridge (1893–96). His Shakspere: A Critical Study of His Mind and Art (1875) was the first book in English to attempt

Ezekiel

2005-03-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ezechiel, Hebrew Yehezqel prophet-priest of ancient Israel and the subject and in part the author of an Old Testament book that bears his name. Ezekiel's early oracles (from c. 592) in Jerusalem were pronouncements of violence and destruction; his later statements addressed the hopes of the Israelites exiled in Babylon. The faith of Ezekiel in the ultimate establishment of a new covenant

Economic Affairs, International.

2005-03-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

In late 1997 banks and other financial institutions in Southeast and East Asia fell like dominoes--one after another--as currencies and share prices collapsed in many of the much-admired "tiger" economies across the region. Beginning in July with the crash of Thailand's baht, the crisis spread to the Indonesian rupiah, Malaysian ringgit, and Philippine peso, all of which

Alvarado, Pedro De

2005-03-25T23:02:00.000-08:00

Alvarado went to Santo Domingo in 1510 and in 1518 commanded one of Juan de Grijalva's ships sent from Cuba to explore the Yucatán Peninsula. In February 1519 he accompanied the army, led from Cuba by Hernán Cortés, that was to conquer Mexico. Alvarado was placed

Buddhism, Yogacara/Vijñanavada (Fa-hsiang/Hosso)

2005-03-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

The Yogacara (or Vijñanavada) school is traditionally ascribed to the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu (5th century AD), to whom may be added Sthiramati (6th century). These writers were systematizers of doctrines already being taught and contained in such literature as the Lankavatara-sutra and the Mahayana-sraddhotpada-sastra (attributed to Asvaghosa but probably written in Central

Argentina, The Northwest

2005-03-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Numerous archaeological sites in the region indicate the presence—before the Spanish invasion—of permanently settled Indians who practiced irrigation and terraced farming in the oasis-like valleys. The Spanish, arriving overland from what are now Peru and Bolivia, initially occupied areas on the lowland plains of the Chaco, distant from hostile indigenous

Croissy, Charles Colbert, Marquis De

2005-03-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

Colbert de Croissy was the younger brother of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's great financial minister (1665–83). Appointed intendant (royal agent)

Caribbean Literature

2005-03-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

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

Contract Bridge

2005-03-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

In 1994 bridge playing and exchanges of information about the game via computerized networks expanded rapidly. Many professionals began using the networks for coaching clients and for gaining match practice with other pros. Duplicate tournaments were open to all. The 1994 NEC world bridge championships were held in Albuquerque, N.M., from September 17 to October 1, and the tournament's

Mecca, Public utilities

2005-03-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Mecca depends upon the surrounding wadis for drinking water. The waters of 'Ayn Zubaydah (Zubaydah Spring), built in the 8th century, flow through tunnels from Wadi Nu'man, about 20 miles to the southwest. 'Ayn al-'Aziziyah sends its waters through pipelines from Wadi ash-Shamiyah, about 60 miles to the northeast. Water and electricity have reached almost all houses. Electricity is generated

Atholl, John Murray, 2nd Earl And 1st Marquess Of, Earl Of Tullibardin, Viscount Of Balquhidder, Lord Murray, Balvany, And Gask

2005-03-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

The son of the 1st earl of Atholl in the Murray line, Atholl was the chief supporter of the earl of Glencairn's rising in 1653 but was obliged to surrender a year later to George Monck, the Commonwealth commander in chief in Scotland.

Hiiumaa

2005-03-20T01:41:00.000-08:00

German Dagö, or Dagden, Russian Khiuma, Swedish Dagö, island of the Muhu archipelago, Estonia. It lies in the Baltic Sea, northwest of the Gulf of Riga. Hiiumaa is the northernmost of the three larger islands forming the archipelago. It is separated from the island of Saaremaa to the south by Soela Strait and from the mainland to the east by Muhu Strait. Hiiumaa is a low-lying island of 373 square miles (965 square km), composed of limestone

Cartier-bresson, Henri

2005-03-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Cartier-Bresson

Hatif

2005-03-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

In Arab folklore, a mysterious nocturnal voice that is sometimes prophetic. A hatif is mentioned in the Bible (Ezekiel 21:2 and 7; Amos 7:16) as a prophet's voice, and it seems to have presaged Muhammad's prophetic mission. It is said that the hatif can rise from within a calf sacrificed to an idol or from the idol itself. The Bedouin believe that it most often announces the death of some

Nationalism

2005-03-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

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

Priapea

2005-03-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Priapeia poems in honour of the the god of fertility Priapus. Although there are ancient Greek poems addressed to him, the name Priapea is mainly applied to a collection of 85 or 86 short Latin poems composed in various metres and dealing with the fertility god who, with his sickle, protected gardens and vineyards against thieves and from whose axe-hewn image of figwood or willow

Lauzun, Antonin-nompar De Caumont, Count And Duke (comte Et Duc) De

2005-03-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

The son of Gabriel de Caumont, comte de Lauzun, he was at first known as the marquis de Puyguilhem. In 1658 he was appointed colonel of Louis XIV's foreign dragoons.

Earth Sciences, Seismology and the structure of the Earth

2005-03-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

Earthquake study was institutionalized in 1880 with the formation of the Seismological Society of Japan under the leadership of the English geologist John Milne. Milne and his associates invented the first accurate seismographs, including the instrument later known as the Milne seismograph. Seismology has revealed much about the structure of the Earth's core,

Epimenides

2005-03-15T00:54:00.000-08:00

Cretan seer, reputed author of religious and poetical writings. He conducted purificatory rites at Athens about 500 BC according to Plato (about 600 according to Aristotle). All surviving fragments, including a line quoted by St. Paul (Titus 1:12), are attributable to other sources. Stories of his advanced age (157 or 299 years), his miraculous sleep of 57 years, and his wanderings outside

Ashbourne

2005-03-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Derbyshire Dales district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, England. Ashbourne is a centre for the surrounding agricultural districts and for tourists visiting nearby Dovedale and the Manyfold Valley. Its buildings include the Church of St. Oswald, dating from 1241 and possessing an octagonal spire (212 feet [65 metres]). The oldest of the famous

Ribera, José De

2005-03-13T06:50:00.000-08:00

He was born in Spain but spent most of his life in Italy. Little is known of his life in Spain, though he is said by the painter and biographer Antonio Palomino to have received his

Kudurru

2005-03-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

The original kudurrus were kept in temples, while clay copies were given to the landowners. On the stone were engraved the clauses of the contract, the images or symbols of

Arenas, Reinaldo

2005-03-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

As a teenager Arenas joined the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959. He moved to Havana in 1961 and became a researcher in the José Martí National Library (1963–68), an editor for the Cuban Book Institute

Red River

2005-03-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

Also called Red River Of The South, navigable river rising in the high plains of eastern New Mexico, U.S., and flowing southeast across Texas and Louisiana to a point northwest of Baton Rouge, where it enters the Atchafalaya River (q.v.), which flows south to Atchafalaya Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Until the mid-20th century, the Red River contributed flow to both the Atchafalaya and, via the Old River, the Mississippi.

Tractor Loader

2005-03-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

Tractor carrying a front-mounted bucket that can be raised, lowered, and tilted forward and backward hydraulically. It is forced into the digging by forward motion of the tractor and retracted and swung by backing and steering the tractor. Tractor loaders are used primarily for loading trucks, digging basements, and doing bulldozer work. They also transport material

Gabon, Industry

2005-03-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

Gabon is one of the world's largest producers of manganese. Expansion of production at Moanda has been possible since the completion of the railroad to nearby Franceville in December 1986 and by the completion of improved ore handling facilities at the rail terminus at the deepwater port of Owendo in 1988. The exploitation and processing of uranium, which began 16 miles north

Valéry, Paul

2005-03-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

In full Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry French poet, essayist, and critic. His greatest poem is considered La Jeune Parque (1917; “The Young Fate”), which was followed by Album de vers anciens 1890–1900 (1920) and Charmes ou poèmes (1922), containing “Le Cimetière marin” (“The Graveyard by the Sea”). He later wrote a large number of essays and occasional papers on literary topics and took a great interest in scientific discoveries

Argentina, Transitional period

2005-03-09T00:20:00.000-08:00

The military government faced several urgent and difficult problems, including the decision of whether to remain neutral or choose sides in the war. It also had to decide between the restoration of a representative system and the installation of a long-term military dictatorship. General Arturo Rawson was made president but resigned after two days when his anticonservative

Hinayana

2005-03-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “Lesser Vehicle”), the more orthodox, conservative schools of Buddhism; the name Hinayana was applied to these schools by the followers of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition in ancient India. The name reflected the Mahayanists' evaluation of their own tradition as a superior method, surpassing the others in universality and compassion; but the name was not accepted

Agulhas Current

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

Surface oceanic current that is part of the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current, which turns southward along the east coast of Africa and then eastward to join the flow from Africa to Australia. A small part of Agulhas water may, however, continue westward around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic. The Mozambique Current, between Madagascar and Africa,

Nix

2005-03-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

Also called nixie , or nixy in Germanic mythology, a water being, half human, half fish, that lives in a beautiful underwater palace and mingles with humans by assuming a variety of physical forms (e.g., that of a fair maiden or an old woman) or by making itself invisible. One of three attributes may betray the disguises of nixes: they are music lovers and excellent dancers, and they have the gift of prophecy.

Blood Typing

2005-03-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

Classification of an individual's blood in terms of specific, distinctive antigenic characteristics that are inherited and are associated with the red blood cells. The ABO and the Rh blood groups (qq.v.) are among those most commonly considered. Identification of these determinants has become indispensable in connection with blood transfusion, because recipient

Malcolm X

2005-03-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Lansing, Mich., Malcolm saw his house burned down at the hands

The Hite Report

2005-03-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

The 478-page book contains the self-reported results of about 3,000 of 100,000 questionnaires Hite distributed to women ranging in age from 14 to 78. Like other writings on sexuality, such as the Kinsey Report and the work of William H. Masters

Tepe Gawra

2005-03-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

Ancient Mesopotamian settlement east of the Tigris River near Nineveh and the modern city of Mosul, northwestern Iraq. It was excavated from 1931 to 1938 by archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania. The site, which apparently was continuously occupied from the Halaf Period (c. 5050–c. 4300 BC) to about the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, gave its name to the Gawra Period (c. 3500–c. 2900) of northern

Medicine, United States

2005-03-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Federal, state, county, and city governments all have public health functions. Under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the Public Health Service, headed by an assistant secretary for health and the surgeon general. State health departments are headed by a commissioner of health, usually a physician, who is often in the governor's cabinet. He usually

Nice

2005-03-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

Founded by the Phocaeans

Alban Hills

2005-03-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

Italian Colli Albani, or Monti Albani, area of extinct volcanoes in the Lazio (Latium) regione of central Italy, southeast of Rome. The hills consist of an outer circle, 6–8 miles (10–13 km) in diameter, rising to 3,113 feet (949 m) at Mount Cavo, and an inner crater rim, about 1.5 miles (2 km) across, rising to 3,136 feet (956 m) at Mount Faete. Lakes Albano and Nemi occupy two of the craters. Even before the emergence of Rome as a great power, the Alban Hills

Louis

2005-03-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Louis, who is believed to have played a major role in the murder of Andrew of Hungary, Joan's first husband (September 1345), married Joan in August 1347. When Andrew's brother Louis I of Hungary invaded

Semiconductor

2005-03-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

If an abrupt change in impurity type from acceptors (p-type) to donors (n-type) occurs within a single crystal structure, a p-n junction is formed (see parts B and C of the figure). On the p side, the holes constitute the dominant carriers and so are called majority carriers. A few thermally generated electrons will also exist in the p side; these are termed minority carriers. On the n side,

Mays, Willie

2005-02-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Both Mays's

Caledonian Orogenic Belt

2005-02-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

Range of mountains situated in northwestern Europe, developed as a result of the opening, closure, and destruction of the Iapetus Ocean in the period from the start of the Cambrian (540 million years ago) to the end of the Silurian (about 408 million years ago). The final collision was between a northwestern European and a North American–Greenland continent, and it gave rise

Devizes

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

Town (“parish”), Kennet district, administrative and historical county of Wiltshire, England. It lies along the disused Kennet and Avon Canal, at the edge of Roundway Down. It was the site of a Roman fortification, Castrum Divisarum; and Roger, bishop of Salisbury, built a castle there about 1132. The name Devizes possibly came from a medieval Latin reference to the castle ad

Tell Atlas

2005-02-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Maritime Atlas, French Atlas Tellien, Arabic Tel Al-atlas, range of the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, extending about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from eastern Morocco through Algeria to Tunisia. In Morocco, from Ceuta east to Melilla (150 miles [240 km]), the Er-Rif mountain range of the Tell Atlas faces the Mediterranean Sea, and there, as along the whole coast eastward to Cape Bon in Tunisia, many rugged rocks rise dramatically above the general level.

Thomas, Martha Carey

2005-02-25T06:13:00.000-08:00

Carey Thomas, as she preferred to be known, was the daughter of a modestly prosperous Quaker family. She attended Quaker schools in her native Baltimore, Maryland, and in Ithaca, New York, then overrode her father's objections

Qatar

2005-02-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

Comparative coverage with the other Persian Gulf states is provided by Helen Chapin Metz (ed.), Persian Gulf States: Country Studies, 3rd ed. (1994); F. Gregory Gause, III, Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States (1994); Rosemarie Said Zahlan, The Making of the Modern Gulf States, rev. and updated ed. (1998); Khaldoun Hasan al-Naqeeb, Society and State in the Gulf and Arab Peninsula: A Different Perspective, trans. from Arabic (1990); and Michael Herb, All in the Family: Absolutism, Revolution, and Democracy in the Middle Eastern Monarchies (1999). Historical overviews are found in Frederick F. Anscombe, The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar (1997); and Rosemarie Said Zahlan, The Creation of Qatar (1979). Sources on social conditions include Klaus Ferdinand, Bedouins of Qatar, trans. from Danish (1993); and Abeer Abu Saud, Qatari Women: Past and Present (1984). Ragaei El Mallakh, Qatar: Energy and Development (1985); and Zuhair Ahmed Nafi, Economic and Social Development in Qatar (1983), examine economic issues. Nathan J. Brown, The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf (1997), is a study of the judicial system. An analysis of historical and contemporary politics is provided by Jill Crystal, Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar, updated ed. (1995).

Kabelvåg

2005-02-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

Historical village of the Lofoten island group, Nordland fylke (county), northern Norway. It is on the southern shore of Austvågøya island, just southwest of Svolvær, chief town of the Lofoten. Kabelvåg was founded as Vågan in the early 12th century by King Øystein, who built a church and fishermen's hostel there. For many centuries the small port, situated at the base of steep,

Tsui, Daniel C.

2005-02-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

In full Daniel Chee Tsui Chinese-born American physicist who, with Horst L. Störmer and Robert B. Laughlin, received the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery that the electrons in a powerful magnetic field at very low temperatures can form a quantum fluid whose particles have fractional electric charges. This effect is known as the fractional quantum Hall

Academy Award

2005-02-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

In full Academy Award of Merit , byname Oscar any of several awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, located in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., to recognize achievement in the film industry. The award, a gold-plated statuette, is bestowed upon winners in the following 25 categories: best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, directing, original screenplay,

Keely, John E.w.

2005-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

Keely was orphaned in early childhood. He is said to have been an orchestra leader, a circus performer, and a carpenter. In 1873 he announced that he had discovered a new physical force, one that, if harnessed, would produce unheard-of power. He claimed, for example, to be able to produce from a quart of water enough fuel

Xerophyte

2005-02-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

Any plant adapted to life in a dry or physiologically dry habitat (salt marsh, saline soil, or acid bog) by means of mechanisms to prevent water loss or to store available water. Succulents (plants that store water) such as cacti and agaves have thick, fleshy stems or leaves. Other xerophytic adaptations include waxy leaf coatings, the ability to

Triton

2005-02-21T02:10:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a merman, demigod of the sea; he was the son of the sea god, Poseidon, and his wife, Amphitrite. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Triton dwelt with his parents in a golden palace in the depths of the sea. Sometimes he was not particularized but was one of many Tritons. He was represented as human down to his waist, with the tail of a fish. Triton's special attribute

Calligraphy, Chinese calligraphy

2005-02-20T04:44:00.000-08:00

The earliest known Chinese logographs are engraved on the shoulder bones of large animals and on tortoise shells. For this reason, the script found on these objects is commonly called jiaguwen, or shell-and-bone script. It seems likely that each of the ideographs was carefully composed before it was engraved. Although the figures are not entirely uniform in size,

Empiricism, In modern philosophy

2005-02-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

In the earlier and unsystematically speculative phases of Renaissance philosophy, the claims of Aristotelian logic to yield substantial knowledge were attacked by several 16th-century logicians, and, in the same century, the role of observation was stressed. One mildly skeptical Christian thinker, Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655), advanced a deliberate revival of the empirical

Paradzhanov, Sergey Yosifovich

2005-02-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

Paradzhanov studied music at the Tbilisi Conservatory and cinema at the State Institute of Cinematography. In 1952 he joined the Kiev Dovzhenko Studios, but the early motion pictures that he

Raymond Iv

2005-02-17T05:53:00.000-08:00

In the early years of his countship, Raymond was a pious

Beardfish

2005-02-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

Any of the five species of fishes in the genus Polymixia constituting the family Polymixiidae (order Beryciformes). Beardfishes are restricted primarily to deep-sea marine habitats in tropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They generally are found at depths from about 200 to 600 metres (650 to 2,000 feet). The term beardfish comes from the beardlike appearance

Ka

2005-02-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Koi, in ancient Egyptian religion, with ba and akh, a principal aspect of the soul of a human being or of a god. The exact significance of ka remains a matter of controversy, chiefly for lack of an Egyptian definition; the usual translation “double” is incorrect. Written by a hieroglyph of uplifted arms, it seemed originally to have designated the protecting divine spirit of

Mosaic Evolution

2005-02-15T04:08:00.000-08:00

The occurrence, within a given population of organisms, of different rates of evolutionary change in various body structures and functions. An example can be seen in the patterns of development of the different elephant species. The Indian elephant underwent rapid early molar modification with little foreshortening of the forehead. The African elephant underwent

Tiger Beetle

2005-02-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

Any member of the approximately 2,000 species of the insect family Cicindelidae (order Coleoptera). The name derives from their voracious eating habits. The larva lives in a vertical burrow, which is sometimes as much as 0.67 m (2 feet) deep. It waits at the top of the burrow for prey (insects), which it grasps with sicklelike mandibles (jaws). A pair of hooks on the abdomen anchor the larva,

Sweetsop

2005-02-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa), small tree or shrub of the custard apple, or Annonaceae, family. It has thin, oblong ovate leaves, solitary greenish flowers, and a yellowish green fruit resembling a shortened pinecone. The tuberculate fruit, the fusion of many ripened ovaries and the receptacle, is 7.5 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) in diameter and contains a sweet, creamy-yellow, custardlike

Switzerland, Education

2005-02-13T04:51:00.000-08:00

The 1874 constitution stipulates that each canton or demi-canton is sovereign in education, that elementary education is compulsory and free, and that all public schools must be directed by the cantons. The confederation financially assists vocational training and the cantonal universities, and, by regulating examinations for the professions, it also influences

Ahmed, Fakhruddin Ali

2005-02-12T00:41:00.000-08:00

The son of an army doctor from Assam, Ahmed was educated in India and studied history at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 1927. After returning to India, he was elected to the Assam legislature (1935). As Assam's minister of finance and revenue in 1938, he was responsible for some radical taxation measures.

Gia Dinh

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

Town just north of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), southern Vietnam, in an area of intensive rice cultivation. It has several hospitals and an institution of higher learning. The Gia Dinh industrial park includes rubber tire and textile plants. It was largely ruined during the 1968 Viet Cong Tet offensive but subsequently rebuilt. Pop. (1971 est.) 400,109.

Shadrafa

2005-02-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Ancient West Semitic benevolent deity. His name may possibly be translated as “Spirit of Healing.” He was often represented as a youthful, beardless male, standing on a lion above mountains, wearing a long, trailing garment and a pointed headdress, and holding a small lion in one hand and, perhaps, a whip in the other. In representations from Palmyra, Shadrafa is shown with

Stein, Gertrude

2005-02-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Stein spent her infancy in Vienna and in Passy, France, and her girlhood in Oakland, California. She entered the Society for the

Farinacci, Prospero

2005-02-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

After studying law at Padua and earning a reputation as an advocate,

Río Gallegos

2005-02-09T03:59:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1885, it was named for Blasco Gallegos, one of Ferdinand Magellan's pilots, who is credited with discovering the river. Prehistoric cave paintings

Alcalá Zamora, Niceto

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

Elected to the Cortes (parliament) in 1905, Alcalá Zamora became minister of works in 1917 and minister of war in 1922. The Spanish defeat at Anual in Morocco led to an

Zacconi, Lodovico

2005-02-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

Zacconi became a priest, later an Augustinian, and studied music with Andrea Gabrieli in Venice, where he was musical director for his order. He went to Vienna in 1585 at the invitation of the archduke Charles. In 1592 he published

Cell

2005-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

In electricity, unit structure used to generate an electrical current by some means other than the motion of a conductor in a magnetic field. A solar cell, for example, consists of a semiconductor junction that converts sunlight directly into electricity. A dry cell is a chemical battery in which no free liquid is present, the electrolyte being soaked up by some absorbent

Alizarin

2005-02-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alizarine, a red dye originally obtained from the root of the common madder plant, Rubia tinctorum, in which it occurs combined with the sugars xylose and glucose. The cultivation of madder and the use of its ground root for dyeing by the complicated Turkey red process were known in ancient India, Persia, and Egypt; the use spread to Asia Minor about the 10th century and was introduced

Sunderland, Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl Of, Baron Spencer Of Wormleighton

2005-02-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Spencer was the only son and heir of the 1st Earl of Sunderland, and in 1679 he became secretary

Tai Languages, Phonological characteristics

2005-02-06T01:36:00.000-08:00

The sound system of the Tai languages may best be described in terms of its syllabic structure. Each syllable consists of an initial consonant or consonant cluster followed by a vowel or vowel cluster (long vowel or diphthong), which may be further followed by a final consonant, usually a nasal sound or an unreleased stop. (An unreleased stop is a consonant in which there

Mobley, Hank

2005-02-05T04:46:00.000-08:00

Mobley began playing tenor saxophone as a New Jersey teenager and gained experience in the bands of Max Roach (1951–53) and Dizzy Gillespie (1954). Lester Young and especially

Chaste Tree

2005-02-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

Its pliable twigs are used in basketry, and its red fruits are used for flavouring. The undersides of its five- to seven-lobed leaves and its branches are white felted. It is native

Avidius Cassius, Gaius

2005-02-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

The son of a high civil servant of the emperor Hadrian (ruled 117–138), Avidius directed operations in Rome's war against the Parthians (161–165). In 164–165 Avidius advanced into Mesopotamia and then sacked Ctesiphon, Parthia's capital, and Seleucia—both located in present-day central Iraq. Soon he was made commander of all Roman military

Cable

2005-02-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

In electrical and electronic systems, a conductor or group of conductors for transmitting electric power or telecommunication signals from one place to another. Electric communication cables transmit voice messages, computer data, and visual images via electrical signals to telephones, wired radios, computers, teleprinters, facsimile machines, and televisions.

Abelard, Peter

2005-02-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

French Pierre Abélard, or Abailard, Latin Petrus Abaelardus, or Abeilardus French theologian and philosopher best known for his solution of the problem of universals and for his original use of dialectics. He is also known for his poetry and for his celebrated love affair with Héloïse.

Interior Design, The Romantic movement and the battle of the styles, 18351925

2005-02-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

The ordered symbolism of the Roman classic style had been envisaged by Jefferson as a proper expression of the American national ideal; but by 1835 its restraints had grown tedious. Social and economic changes already initiated by the Industrial Revolution encouraged reaction. This found more or less romantic and emotional expression in a series of style revivals

Fu

2005-02-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

Chinese literary form combining elements of poetry and prose. The form developed during the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) from its origins in the long poem Li sao (“On Encountering Sorrow”) by Qu Yuan (Ch'ü Yüan; c. 343–c. 289 BC). It was particularly suitable for description and exposition, in contrast to the more subjective, lyrical sao. Its prosody was freer than that of the sao, the rhyme pattern being

Qatif, Al-

2005-02-02T15:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Katif, town and oasis, northeastern Saudi Arabia. It lies along the Persian Gulf, over Al-Qatif petroleum field. Since the development of the oil fields in the late 1940s, Al-Qatif has lost its status as an important port to Ad-Dammam. In addition to several oil wells, Al-Qatif has oil-gas separator plants, pipelines, and large residential quarters for workers. A major irrigation project (completed

'abd Al-ghani

2005-02-01T04:28:00.000-08:00

Orphaned at an early age, 'Abd al-Ghani, joined the Islamic mystical orders of the Qadiriyah and the Naqshbandiyah. He then spent seven years in isolation in his house, studying the mystics on their expression of divine experiences. 'Abd al-Ghani traveled extensively

Aquaculture: Fulfilling Its Promise

2005-01-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

The earliest-known documentation of fish farming is a Chinese book entitled Fish Culture Classic, written in 460 BC. The Chinese raised their fish, mainly carp, in small ponds to supplement other farm crops. Through experimentation, farmers discovered they could raise several species of fish together in one pond. This system, known as polyculture, proved highly productive

Kaneohe

2005-01-31T05:54:00.000-08:00

Town, Honolulu County, northeastern Oahu Island, Hawaii, U.S. Spreading from the foothills of the Koolau Range to Kaneohe Bay, it is primarily residential and is the seat of Windward Community College (1972). Like neighbouring Kailua to the east, the Kaneohe (meaning “bamboo husband”) area was once the residence of the island's early kings. Local attractions include Waikalua,

Ostwald, Wilhelm

2005-01-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

Ostwald took his doctorate from the University of Dorpat (now Tartu State

Uzbekistan

2005-01-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Uzbekistan , Uzbek Uzbekiston , or Uzbekistan Respublikasi country in Central Asia. It lies mainly between two major rivers, the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River) on the northeast and the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) on the southwest, though they only partly form its boundaries. Uzbekistan is bordered by Kazakstan on the northwest and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the east and southeast, Afghanistan on the south, and

Literature, United States.

2005-01-29T21:36:00.000-08:00

For all of the moaning and groaning about the state of the literary arts in the United States--and from writers to editors to critics to booksellers to readers, all had done some of it--it had to be admitted that when people argued about books, and the quarrels made newspaper headlines, something valuable was taking place. In 1994 critic Harold Bloom stirred up the biggest

Marqués, René

2005-01-29T01:41:00.000-08:00

His best-known play,

Iriga

2005-01-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It is located in the central part of Bicol Peninsula, about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Naga. Iriga is named for the extinct volcano (3,976 feet [1,212 m]) in whose shadow it stands. The land surrounding Mount Iriga is extremely rough and suitable mainly for abaca (Manila hemp) plantations. Agriculture is the main economic activity in the area. Inc. city,

Saarland

2005-01-28T02:03:00.000-08:00

The Celts and Germanic Franks were the earliest known inhabitants of the area, which subsequently became part of the Carolingian empire and the eastern Frankish empire. By the Middle Ages the Saar consisted of several small territories, the largest of which was centred on the city of Saarbrücken. From 1381 to 1793 Saarbrücken was ruled by the counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken.

Baseball

2005-01-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

Robert Verdi

Bitis

2005-01-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Snake genus belonging to the poisonous viper family Viperidae, including the puff adders (e.g., Bitis arietans; see adder), the Gaboon viper (q.v.; B. gabonica), and the rhinoceros viper (q.v.; B. nasicornis).