MedicalSpade

Magdalena

2005-03-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Magdalena Contreras, or Contreras, delegación (district), west-central Federal District, central Mexico. It lies along the Magdalena River near Cerro Ajusco. Although once simply the commercial centre for the cereals, beans, fruits, and livestock produced in the surrounding area, Magdalena gained prominence as the site of a battle (Aug. 19–20, 1847) in the Mexican War (1846–48) that enabled the U.S. general Winfield Scott to

Campaign Furniture

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

Case furniture was usually teak,

Culpeper's Rebellion

2005-03-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

(1677–79), early popular uprising against proprietary rule in the Albemarle section of northern Carolina, caused by the efforts of the proprietary government to enforce the British Navigation acts. These trade laws denied the colonists a free market outside England and placed heavy duties on commodities. The colonists' resentment found an object in the deputy governor,

Syriac Alphabet

2005-03-17T03:57:00.000-08:00

Writing system used by the Syriac Christians from the 1st century AD until about the 14th century. A Semitic alphabet, Syriac was an offshoot of a cursive Aramaic script. It had 22 letters, all representing consonants, and was generally written from right to left, although occasionally vertically downward. Diacritical marks to represent vowels were introduced in the 8th

Insurance, Business liability insurance

2005-03-16T04:40:00.000-08:00

Business liability contracts commonly written include the following: liability of a building owner, landlord, or tenant; liability of an employer for acts of negligence involving employees; liability of contractors or manufacturers; liability to members of the public resulting from faulty products or services; liability as a result of contractual agreements

Burundi, Climate

2005-03-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Altitude is a major factor in Burundi's climate, greatly moderating its tropical character. The country's high average elevation produces relatively cool temperatures, which average only about 70 °F (21 °C) throughout the year in the central plateau area and usually drop to below 60 °F (15 °C) at night. At lower elevations the annual average is only slightly higher—for example, at Bujumbura

Augustine, Saint

2005-03-12T02:38:00.000-08:00

In many ways no less unusual a book than his Confessions, the Retractationes (426–427; Reconsiderations), written in the last years of his life, offers a retrospective rereading of Augustine's career. In form, the book is a catalog of his writings with comments on the circumstances of their composition and with the retractions or rectifications he would make in hindsight. (One

Albany

2005-03-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

City, capital (1797) of the state of New York, U.S., and seat (1683) of Albany county. It lies along the Hudson River, 143 miles (230 km) north of New York City. The heart of a metropolitan area that includes Troy and Schenectady, it is a port city, the northern terminus of the deepwater Hudson River Channel, and a natural transshipment point between oceangoing vessels and the New York State Canal

Scandinavian Literature, The mythological lays

2005-03-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

Mythological lays about the Norse gods made up the first half of the Poetic Edda. It is unlikely that any of these originated outside Norway, Iceland, and Norse colonies in the British Isles. The Völuspá (“Sibyl's Prophecy”) was a striking poem on the history of the world of gods, men, and monsters, from the beginning until the “twilight of the gods.” Many passages in the poem are

Marey, étienne-jules

2005-03-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

Marey wrote extensively on the circulation of the blood, cholera, terrestrial and aerial locomotion, experimental physiology,

World War I, German strategy and the submarine war, 1916January 1917

2005-03-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

Both Admiral Scheer and General Falkenhayn doubted whether the German submarines could do any decisive damage to Great Britain so long as their warfare was restricted in deference to the protests of the United States; and, after a tentative reopening of the submarine campaign on Feb. 4, 1916, the German naval authorities in March gave the U-boats permission to sink without

Hookworm Disease

2005-03-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

Also called ancylostomiasis , or uncinariasis a parasitic infestation of humans, dogs, or cats caused by bloodsucking worms (see photograph) living in the small intestine—sometimes associated with secondary anemia. Several species of hookworm can cause the disease. Necator americanus, which ranges in size from 5 to 11 millimetres (0.2 to 0.4 inch), is responsible for about 90 percent of human hookworm infections

Ankaratra

2005-03-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Volcanic mountainous region in central Madagascar (Malagasy), covering an area of approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 square km) and rising to 8,671 feet (2,643 m) in Mount Tsiafajavona, the nation's second highest peak. The main range runs south-southwest from the town of Antananarivo. Antsirabe (q.v.), situated on the slopes of Mount Tsiafajavona, is the principal town in the region.

Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

2005-03-04T04:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Jewel Beetle, any member of the family Buprestidae (order Coleoptera), among the most brilliantly coloured insects. Most of the approximately 15,000 species are widely distributed in tropical regions. These beetles are long, narrow, and flat, with a tapering abdomen. The wing covers (elytra) of some species are metallic blue, copper green, or black in colour and are sometimes used in jewelry.

Fréchette, Louis-honoré

2005-03-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

Fréchette studied law at Laval University, Quebec, and was admitted to the bar in 1864. Discharged as a journalist for liberal views, he went to Chicago (1866–71). There, he wrote La Voix d'un exilé (1866–68; “The Voice of an Exile”), a poem attacking the political and clerical dealings in Quebec

Fiske, Bradley Allen

2005-03-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

Fiske graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1874. As the navigator of the gunboat Petrel, he used one of his inventions, a stadimeter range finder, to communicate the ranges of enemy ships to American gunners

Shah

2005-03-01T02:18:00.000-08:00

Old Persian Khshayathiya, title of the kings of Iran, or Persia. When compounded as shahanshah, it denotes “king of kings,” or emperor, a title adopted by the 20th-century Pahlavi dynasty in evocation of the ancient Persian “king of kings,” Cyrus II the Great (reigned 559–c. 529 BC). Another related title or form of address is padshah, or “lord king.” The title shah was also used in Afghanistan until the overturn of the monarchy

Rousseau, Théodore

2005-02-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

Rousseau, the son of a tailor, began to paint at age 14. In the 1820s he began to paint out-of-doors directly from nature, a novel procedure at that time. Although

Paragliding

2005-02-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

The pilot is

Halloween

2005-02-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland. November 1 was considered the end of the summer period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures

Moldova, Flag Of

2005-02-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

Moldova declared independence during World War I. At various times in prior centuries it had been a part of Moldavia, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania, and its symbols are derived from historical and cultural links with Moldavia and Romania. Its flag of December 1917 was the traditional Romanian tricolour of blue, yellow, and red in horizontal format. In the centre

Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel

2005-02-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

A precocious musician who remained successful, C.P.E. Bach was his father's true successor and an important figure in his own right. In his autobiography he writes: “For composition and keyboard-playing, I have never had

Astorga

2005-02-23T01:28:00.000-08:00

City, León provincia, in Castile-León comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), northwestern Spain, on the left bank of the Tuerto River on a spur of the Manzanal mountain chain. It originated as the Roman Asturica Augusta (called a “magnificent city” by Pliny) and was an important administrative and military centre. The see of a bishop since the 3rd century, Astorga decayed

Apple Computer, Inc.

2005-02-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

American manufacturer of personal computers, computer peripherals, and computer software. It was the first successful personal computer company and the popularizer of the graphical user interface. Headquarters are located in Cupertino, California.

World War I, Greek affairs

2005-02-22T04:04:00.000-08:00

Greece's attitude toward the war was long uncertain: whereas King Constantine I and the general staff stood for neutrality, Eleuthérios Venizélos, leader of the Liberal Party, favoured the Allied cause. As prime minister from 1910, Venizélos wanted Greece to participate in the Allies' Dardanelles enterprise against Turkey in 1915, but his arguments were overruled by the

Anstey, Christopher

2005-02-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

Poet whose epistolary novel in verse, The New Bath Guide, went through more than 30 editions between 1766 and 1830. After an education at Eton and at King's College, Cambridge, Anstey in 1754 inherited an independent income; and in 1770 he settled permanently at Bath, fashionable spa of the 18th century. The New Bath Guide; or, Memoirs of the B—R

'aqabah, Al-

2005-02-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

Originally called Ayla by the Arabs, the present name is an abbreviation

Albumin

2005-02-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

The

Breconian Stage

2005-02-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

Division of the Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian Period in western Europe (the Devonian Period began about 395,000,000 years ago and lasted about 50,000,000 years); the Breconian Stage follows the Dittonian and precedes the Farlovian Stage. It was named for exposures studied at the Brecon Beacons in southern Wales. The rocks of the Breconian consist of red, gray, and green sandstones in

Clothing

2005-02-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Also called Clothes, garments for the human body. See dress.

Botucatu

2005-02-16T00:47:00.000-08:00

City, central São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies near the Pardo River in the Serra de Botucatu at 2,549 feet (777 m) above sea level. It was given town status in 1855 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1876. Crops (including coffee, cotton, rice, sugarcane, feijão [beans], and potatoes) grown in the region are processed in the city, which also has foundries, textile mills, bakeries, and factories

Arabian Desert, Animal life

2005-02-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

The animal life is varied and unique. Desert insects include the fly, the malaria-carrying Anopheles mosquito, fleas, lice, roaches, ants, termites, beetles, and mantids (predatory insects that camouflage themselves as leaves, twigs, or pebbles). Also found are the scavenging dung beetle, myriads of butterflies, moths, and caterpillars, and the pestiferous locust that

Chi-nan

2005-02-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well watered from natural springs, the area was settled in early times. From the 8th century BC it was the site of Li-hsia, a major

Glinka, Mikhail

2005-02-12T02:32:00.000-08:00

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

Bulgarian Literature

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

Body of writings in the Bulgarian language. Its origin is closely linked to Christianization of the Slavs beginning with Khan (Tsar) Boris I's adoption in 864 of the Eastern Orthodox rather than Latin faith for his court and people. This political decision, combined with geographical proximity to Byzantium, determined a key role for Bulgarian in the Balkan development

Gabon, History Of

2005-02-10T03:53:00.000-08:00

Little is known about the history of the Gabon region prior to the arrival of the first Portuguese navigators in the Gabon Estuary in 1472, for the Bantu-speaking peoples inhabiting the region lacked writing. At that time portions of southern Gabon were loosely linked to the state of Loango, which in turn formed a province of the vast Kongo kingdom. From the offshore islands

Bohr, Harald August

2005-02-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

The brother of the noted physicist Niels Bohr, he became professor at the Polytechnic Institute in Copenhagen in 1915 and at the University of Copenhagen in 1930. His early mathematical

Ramadier, Paul

2005-02-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

After receiving his doctorate in law from the University of Paris, Ramadier became an advocate at the Paris Court of Appeals. He became mayor of Decazeville in 1919 and represented Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the Chamber of Deputies from 1928 to 1940. In 1936–37 Ramadier served in the public

Aisling

2005-02-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

In Irish literature, a poetic or dramatic description or representation of a vision. The Vision of Adamnán is one of the best-known examples. In the 18th century the aisling became popular as a means of expressing support for the exiled Roman Catholic king James II of England and Ireland and for the restoration of the Roman Catholic Stuart line to the throne. The word

Anai Peak

2005-02-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

Hindi Anai Mudi peak in eastern Kerala state, southwestern India. Located in the Western Ghats range, it rises to 8,842 feet (2,695 m) and is peninsular India's highest peak. From this point radiate three ranges—the Anaimalai to the north, the Palni to the northeast, and the Cardamom Hills to the south. Several rivers, including the Periyar and Amaravati, rise in the surrounding ranges.

Pig Iron

2005-02-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

Crude iron obtained directly from the blast furnace and cast in molds. See cast iron.

Taeuber, Conrad; And Barnes Taeuber, Irene

2005-02-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

Conrad Taeuber was educated at the University of Minnesota (Ph.D., 1931). He held a number of positions in

Annelid, Locomotion

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

The basic features of locomotion in annelids are most easily observed in the earthworm because it lacks appendages and parapodia. Movement involves extending the body, anchoring it to a surface with setae, and contracting body muscles. When the worm begins a forward movement, circular muscles at the anterior end contract, extending the head forward. At the same

Balaguer, Joaquín

2005-02-01T04:59:00.000-08:00

Balaguer earned a law degree from the University of Santo Domingo and a Ph.D. from the University of Paris. Between 1932 and 1957, he held numerous executive

Park, Maud Wood

2005-01-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

Park attended St. Agnes School in Albany, New York, and after graduating in 1887 she taught school for eight years. She then attended Radcliffe College,

Yield Point

2005-01-30T03:17:00.000-08:00

In mechanical engineering, load at which a solid material that is being stretched begins to flow, or change shape permanently, divided by its original cross-sectional area; or the amount of stress in a solid at the onset of permanent deformation. The yield point, alternatively called the elastic limit, marks the end of elastic behaviour and the beginning of plastic

Yancey, William Lowndes

2005-01-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

Though born in Georgia, Yancey in 1822 moved with his mother and stepfather, an antislavery Presbyterian minister, to Troy, N.Y. Yancey attended Williams College from

China, Struggle for power

2005-01-28T22:48:00.000-08:00

Shang Yang, a frustrated bureaucrat in the court of Wei, went westward seeking a chance to try out his ideas. In

Tzu-jan

2005-01-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

(Chinese: “naturalness”), in Chinese Taoism, an ideal state of human existence that results from living in complete harmony with the forces of nature. Taoists, observing that everything in the world has its natural state, strive to attain a state of complete spontaneity in order to become what nature intended them to be. As a consequence, life becomes exceedingly simple;

Lan Xang

2005-01-26T02:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Lan Chang, Laotian kingdom that flourished from the 14th century until it was split into two separate kingdoms, Vien Chang and Luang Prabang, in the 18th century. Conflict with its Myanmar (Burmese) and Thai (Siamese) neighbours forced the kingdom's rulers to transfer the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane (1563), but the kingdom maintained its power and was at the height of its glory

Tar

2005-01-24T22:45:00.000-08:00

(Iranian: “string”), long-necked lute descended from the tanbur of Sasanian Iran and known in a variety of forms throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia. Its name traditionally signified the number of strings employed—e.g., dutar (“two-strings”), setar (“three-strings”), and cartar (“four-strings”)—but this is no longer true, as the sitar of India has up to seven strings. The body of the tar

Arnaud, Henri

2005-01-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

After studying theology in Switzerland, Arnaud returned to Piedmont and established himself as pastor at Torre Pellice (1685), where he

Andrássy, Gyula, Count (gróf)

2005-01-23T15:17:00.000-08:00

German in full Julius, Graf (Count) Andrássy von Csikszentkirály und Krasznahorka Hungarian prime minister and Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (1871–79), who helped create the Austro-Hungarian dualist form of government. As a firm supporter of Germany, he created, with the imperial German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the Austro-German

Allier River

2005-01-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Latin Elaver, river, central France, that joins the Loire River 4 miles (6 km) west of Nevers after a course of 255 miles (410 km). Rising in Lozère département, it races through deep gorges along structural lines of weakness between the Margeride and Velay mountains. Traversing the basins of Langeac and Brioude, it receives torrents from the mountains of Dore and Puy-de-Dôme and flows broad and

Ayodhya

2005-01-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

An ancient city, Ayodhya is regarded as one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, revered because of its association, in the great Indian epic poem Ramayana, with the birth of Rama and with the rule of his father, Dasaratha. According to this source, the city was prosperous

Coral Gables

2005-01-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

City, Miami-Dade county, southeastern Florida, U.S., on Biscayne Bay and adjoining Miami (northeast). George E. Merrick developed the site (beginning about 1920) from a nucleus of his family's 160 acres (65 hectares) of citrus and farmland and named it for the family's house of coral rock walls and gables. It is a well-planned residential area, noted for its landscaped plazas and streets

Lat, Al-

2005-01-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

North Arabian goddess of pre-Islamic times to whom a stone cube at at-Ta'if (near Mecca) was held sacred as part of her cult. Two other North Arabian goddesses, Manat (Fate) and al-'Uzza (Strong), were associated with al-Lat in the Qur'an (Islamic sacred scriptures). The Prophet Muhammad once recognized these three as goddesses, but a new revelation led him to abrogate the approving verses

Eguren, José María

2005-01-14T23:58:00.000-08:00

His first book of poetry, Simbólicas (1911; “Symbolisms”), signaled a break with the Modernismo tradition, while still maintaining contacts with the Romantic and early French Symbolist poets who had influenced the Modernist movement. Eguren's often fantastic creations reflect his

Earth

2005-01-12T23:29:00.000-08:00

The blankets of volatile gases and liquids near and above the surface of the Earth are of prime importance, along with solar energy, to the sustenance of life on Earth. They are distributed and recycled throughout the atmosphere and hydrosphere of the planet.

Argon

2005-01-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

(Ar), chemical element, inert gas of Group 0 (noble gases) of the periodic table, terrestrially the most abundant and industrially the most frequently used of the noble gases. Colourless, odourless, and tasteless, argon gas was isolated (1894) from air by the British scientists Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay. Henry Cavendish, while investigating atmospheric nitrogen (“phlogisticated

Iridium

2005-01-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

(Ir), chemical element, one of the platinum metals of Group VIII of the periodic table. It is very dense and rare and is used in platinum alloys. A precious, silver-white metal, iridium is hard and brittle, but it becomes ductile and can be worked at a white heat, from 1,200° to 1,500° C (2,200° to 2,700° F). It is one of the densest terrestrial substances. In the massive state the metal is practically insoluble

Actin

2005-01-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

Protein that is an important contributor to the contractile property of muscle and other cells. It exists in two forms: G-actin (monomeric globular actin) and F-actin (polymeric fibrous actin), the form involved in muscle contraction. In muscle, two long strands of beadlike actin molecules are twisted together to form a thin filament, bundles of which alternate and interdigitate

Orbit

2005-01-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

The orbit of a planet is, if unaffected

Huascar

2005-01-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

Huascar succeeded his father in 1525 but was given only part of the empire (Cuzco), while about one-fifth of it (Quito)

Zakopane

2004-12-31T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

Index Librorum Prohibitorum

2004-12-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

Compiled by official censors, the Index was an implementation of one part of the teaching function of the Roman Catholic

Hippodrome

2004-12-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing and especially chariot racing. Its Roman counterpart was called a circus and is best represented by the Circus Maximus (q.v.). The typical hippodrome was dug into a hillside and the excavated material used to construct an embankment for supporting seats on the opposite side. In shape the hippodrome was oblong, with one

Widsith

2004-12-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

Modern English Far Traveler Old English poem, probably from the 7th century, that is preserved in the Exeter Book, a 10th-century collection of Old English poetry. “Widsith” is an idealized self-portrait of a scop (minstrel) of the Germanic heroic age who wandered widely and was welcomed in many mead halls, where he entertained the great of many kingdoms. Because the heroic figures the minstrel claims

Swat River

2004-12-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

River in northern Pakistan, formed by the junction of the Gabrial and Ushu rivers at Kalam in the Kohistan region. Fed by melting snow and glaciers and receiving the drainage of the entire Swat River valley, the river flows southward, then westward, until joined by the Panjkora River. The united stream then flows southwestward into the Peshawar Plain and joins the Kabul River

Lipps, Theodor

2004-12-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

At the University of Bonn (1877–90) Lipps wrote a comprehensive account of psychology of the time, Grundtatsachen des

Lipps, Theodor

2004-12-20T06:52:00.000-08:00

Interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. The NAACP was created in 1909 by an interracial group consisting of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White

Malachowski, Stanislaw

2004-12-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

The son of Jan Malachowski, the royal grand chancellor, Malachowski was named marshal (speaker) of the Sejm (Diet) in 1788. He was the prime force behind a constitution, adopted in 1791, that embodied such modern western European

Zambezi River

2004-12-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

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

Mauritius

2004-12-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic Of Mauritius, island country, the central independent island state of the Mascarene group, lying about 500 miles (800 km) east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is situated at latitude 20°18¢ S and longitude 57°36¢ E and extends 38 miles (61 km) from north to south and 29 miles (47 km) from east to west. Its outlying territories are Rodrigues Island, lying 344 miles (553 km) eastward, the Cargados Carajos Shoals, 250 miles (402 km) northeastward,

Galen, Clemens August, Graf (count) Von

2004-12-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

Galen was ordained in 1904 in Münster, where, as a priest at St. Lambert's, he published his Die Pest des Laizismus und ihre Erscheinungsformen (1932; “The Plague of Laicism and Its Manifestations”), deploring what

Kara Sea

2004-12-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

Several deep

Qatar

2004-12-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Qatar's history before the 18th century, when the region's population consisted largely of transient nomads and a few small fishing villages. Qatar's modern history begins conventionally in 1766 with the migration to the peninsula of families from Kuwait, notably the Al Khalifahs. Their settlement at the new town of Az-Zubarah grew into a small pearl-diving

Philadelphia Orchestra

2004-12-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

From Stokowski's tenure, the orchestra was renowned for its interpretation of the symphonic

Toad Bug

2004-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

Toad bugs are found in all zoogeographic regions living along the muddy edges of streams and ponds. Some species spend part

Toponymy

2004-11-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

Taxonomic study of place-names, based on etymological, historical, and geographical information. A place-name is a word or words used to indicate, denote, or identify a geographic locality such as a town, river, or mountain. Toponymy divides place-names into two broad categories: habitation names and feature names. A habitation name denotes a locality that is peopled

Affair Of The Diamond Necklace

2004-11-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Affair of the Necklace scandal at the court of Louis XVI in 1785 that discredited the French monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution. It began as an intrigue on the part of an adventuress, the comtesse (countess) de La Motte, to procure, supposedly for Queen Marie-Antoinette but in reality for herself and her associates, a diamond necklace worth 1,600,000 livres. The necklace was the property of the Parisian

Drang Nach Osten

2004-11-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

The medieval Drang nach Osten was part

Cronstedt, Axel Fredrik

2004-11-24T03:46:00.000-08:00

Cronstedt was the first

Arabia, Plant life

2004-11-21T03:10:00.000-08:00

The date palm grows almost everywhere, except at very high elevations and in Dhofar, on the coast of which it is replaced by the coconut palm. The date is a source of food, and uses are found for the trunk, branches, and fibre of the date palm. Among places noted for high-quality date-palm production are Medina, Bishah, and Al-Hasa. Alfalfa (lucerne), widely used as fodder, often fills

Forbes

2004-11-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

Town, south central New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. Named after former New South Wales chief justice Sir Francis Forbes, it was proclaimed a town in 1861 during a gold rush and became a municipality in 1870. The bushranger (outlaw) Ben Hall was shot and killed there in 1865. Now a marketing centre in an irrigated wheat, fruit, vegetable, and livestock region, Forbes processes

Judaism, The making of the Kabbala (c. 11501250)

2004-11-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

It was in these circumstances that, starting around 1150, manifestations of markedly theosophic ideologies appeared in the south of present-day France (in the regions of Provence–Languedoc–Roussillon). Two types can be distinguished at the outset, which are very different as to their manner of appearance, their form, and their content.

Lenin Peak

2004-11-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Formerly Mount Kaufman, highest summit (23,406 feet [7,134 m]) of the Trans-Alay Range on the frontier of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Once thought to be the highest mountain in what was then the Soviet Union, Lenin Peak was relegated to third place by the discovery in 1932–33 that Stalin Peak (called Communism Peak after 1962) was higher and by the finding in 1943 that Victory Peak was also higher. The peak is named after the Soviet

Balanophoraceae

2004-11-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

The balanophora family of flowering plants, which includes about 18 genera containing more than 100 species of root parasites that are distributed primarily throughout the tropics. The Balanophoraceae are sometimes placed in their own order, Balanophorales, although they are usually considered to be members of the sandalwood order (Santalales). The club-shaped flower

Midgard

2004-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Midgardr (Old Norse: Middle Abode) , also called Manna-Heim (“Home of Man”) in Norse mythology, the Middle Earth, the abode of mankind, made from the body of the first created being, the giant Aurgelmir (Ymir). According to legend, the gods killed Aurgelmir, rolled his body into the central void of the universe, and began fashioning the Midgard. Aurgelmir's flesh became the land, his blood the oceans, his bones the mountains, his teeth the cliffs, his

Malakal

2004-11-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

Town, east-central Sudan. It lies along the right bank of the White Nile just below the latter's confluence with the Sobat River, 430 miles (690 km) south of Khartoum. The Junqali project, a joint Sudanese-Egyptian plan aimed at increasing agricultural production, diverts the waters of the White Nile from the As-Sudd swamps by means of a 224-mile (360-kilometre) canal that starts from the

Ambartsumian, Viktor Amazaspovich

2004-11-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ambartsumian was born of Armenian parents. His

Syv Systre

2004-11-06T02:42:00.000-08:00

Also called Knivsflåfoss, waterfalls in the fylke (county) of Møre og Romsdal, west-central Norway. The falls have their sources in Geit Mountain. The water flows over a high perpendicular cliff and plunges several hundred feet into Geiranger Fjord below. The name, which in English means “seven sisters,” is derived from the seven separate streams that join at the top of the falls. East of the falls,

Evolution, Selection against one of the homozygotes

2004-11-04T09:51:00.000-08:00

Suppose that one homozygous genotype, say A2A2, has lower fitness than the other two genotypes, A1A1 and A1A2. (This is the situation in many human diseases, such as phenylketonuria [PKU] and sickle-cell anemia. The heterozygotes and the homozygotes for the normal allele have equal fitness, higher than that of the homozygotes for the deleterious allele.) Call the fitness of these

Avitus

2004-11-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

Born of a distinguished Gallic family, Avitus was a son-in-law of the Christian writer Sidonius Apollinaris, whose poetry is an important source for our knowledge of him. By taking advantage of his great influence with the Visigoths who were settled at Toulouse, Avitus was able in 451 to persuade their king, Theodoric I, to join the Roman general Aetius

Mammal, The skin and hair

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

The skin of mammals is constructed of two layers, a superficial nonvascular epidermis and an inner layer, the dermis or corium. The two layers interdigitate in dermal papillae (fingerlike projections), ridges of sensitive vascular dermis projecting into the epidermis. The outermost layers of the epidermis are cornified (i.e., impregnated with various tough proteins)

Serbia And Montenegro, The early Slav states

2004-10-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

The unstable situation of the Balkan Slavs, located as they were on the frontier between the Byzantine Empire and the seminomadic peoples of Asia, enabled them to assert some measure of independence. The basis of the Serbs' social organization was the zadruga, or extended family. Several zadruge were grouped locally under a zupan, or chieftain. With kinship and locality

Plomer, William (charles Franklyn)

2004-10-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Plomer was educated in England but returned with his family to South Africa after World War I. His experience as an apprentice on a remote farm in the eastern Cape when he was 17 alerted

Paper Chromatography

2004-10-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

The method consists of applying the test solution or sample as a spot near one corner of a sheet of

Sorø

2004-10-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

City, seat of Vestsjælland amtskommune (county commune), Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. It is the home of Sorø Academy, a well-known Danish boys' school, resembling an English public (i.e., “private”) school. The academy was founded by Frederick II in 1586 in a former Cistercian abbey (dating from the 12th century). Its alumni include many Danish kings and princes. The magnificent abbey church,

Philae

2004-10-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Arabic Jazirat Filah (“Philae Island”), or Jazirat al-Birba (“Temple Island”),

MedicalSpade

Magdalena

Campaign Furniture

Culpeper's Rebellion

Syriac Alphabet

Insurance, Business liability insurance

Burundi, Climate

Augustine, Saint

Albany

Scandinavian Literature, The mythological lays

Marey, étienne-jules

World War I, German strategy and the submarine war, 1916January 1917

Hookworm Disease

Ankaratra

Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

Fréchette, Louis-honoré

Fiske, Bradley Allen

Shah

Rousseau, Théodore

Paragliding

Halloween

Moldova, Flag Of

Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel

Astorga

Apple Computer, Inc.

World War I, Greek affairs

Anstey, Christopher

'aqabah, Al-

Albumin

Breconian Stage

Clothing

Botucatu

Arabian Desert, Animal life

Chi-nan

Glinka, Mikhail

Bulgarian Literature

Gabon, History Of

Bohr, Harald August

Ramadier, Paul

Aisling

Anai Peak

Pig Iron

Taeuber, Conrad; And Barnes Taeuber, Irene

Annelid, Locomotion

Balaguer, Joaquín

Park, Maud Wood

Yield Point

Yancey, William Lowndes

China, Struggle for power

Tzu-jan

Lan Xang

Tar

Arnaud, Henri

Andrássy, Gyula, Count (gróf)

Allier River

Ayodhya

Coral Gables

Lat, Al-

Eguren, José María

Earth

Argon

Iridium

Actin

Orbit

Huascar

Zakopane

Index Librorum Prohibitorum

Hippodrome

Widsith

Swat River

Lipps, Theodor

Lipps, Theodor

Malachowski, Stanislaw

Zambezi River

Mauritius

Galen, Clemens August, Graf (count) Von

Kara Sea

Qatar

Philadelphia Orchestra

Toad Bug

World War I, German strategy and the submarine war, 1916January 1917

Judaism, The making of the Kabbala (c. 11501250)