DirtyIsland

Estate Agent London

2006-10-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

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.

China, The first Opium War and its aftermath

2005-04-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

In February 1840 the British government decided on an expedition, and Rear Adm. George Elliot was appointed first commissioner and plenipotentiary to China. In June, 16 British warships arrived in Hong Kong and sailed northward to the mouth of the Pei River to press China with its demands. No agreement was reached. In May 1841 the British attacked the walled city of Canton and

Kodaikanal

2005-04-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Town, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, at an elevation of 7,300 ft (2,225 m) in the Palni Hills. Created in 1845 by U.S. missionaries and British civil servants as a hill station to which administrative offices were moved during the summer, it is a popular resort, known for its scenery, 75-ac (30-ha) artificial lake, and recreational facilities. It also contains a meteorological

Aurresku

2005-04-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

Basque folk dance of courtship, in which the men perform spirited acrobatic displays for their partners; it is one of the most elaborate European folk dances of this type. It begins as a chain dance for men, in which the leader and last man break off, dance competitively, and rejoin the chain. Each later dances before his partner, and finally all bring their partners

Joachim, Joseph

2005-04-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

Joachim first studied at Budapest, and at age seven he appeared with his teacher S. Serwaczynski. In 1844 he visited London, where he was sponsored by Mendelssohn and achieved an outstanding success.

Poison, Inhalation

2005-03-31T16:41:00.000-08:00

Because the same principles govern the absorption of gases and vapours, the word “gases” is used here to represent both gases and vapours. Absorption of inhaled gases takes place mainly in the lungs. Before the gases reach the lung, however, they pass through

Rabbi

2005-03-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

(Hebrew: “my teacher,” or “my master”), in Judaism, a person qualified by academic studies of the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud to act as spiritual leader and religious teacher of a Jewish community or congregation. Ordination (certification as a rabbi) can be conferred by any rabbi, but one's teacher customarily performs this function by issuing a written statement. Ordination

Disasters

2005-03-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

January 2-3, Fiji. Deadly Cyclone Kina ripped across the islands and caused widespread damage with winds swirling to 185 km/h (115 mph); at least 12 persons were known dead, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and three major bridges were washed

Cordia

2005-03-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

The leaves of the tropical American geiger tree, aloewood, or sebesten plum (C.

Sea Crayfish

2005-03-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Any of several lobster species of the family Palinuridae. See lobster.

Adab

2005-03-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

Modern Bismayah ancient Sumerian city located south of Nippur (modern Niffer or Nuffar), Iraq. Excavations (1903–04) carried out by the American archaeologist Edgar James Banks revealed buildings dating from as early as the prehistoric period and as late as the reign of Ur-Nammu (reigned 2112–2095 BC). Adab was an important Sumerian centre only up to about 2000. The Sumerian king list ascribed to the city one

écorché

2005-03-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

From roughly the 15th century, Western artists began to concern themselves with accurate representation of the body—and, in particular, the working of muscles. Often artists witnessed (and sometimes performed) dissections on cadavers to determine

China, The Nien Rebellion

2005-03-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

Often in the first half of the 19th century plundering gangs, called nien, ravaged northern Anhwei, southern Shantung, and southern Honan. In mid-century, however, their activities were suddenly intensified, partly by the addition to their numbers of a great many starving people who had lost their livelihood from repeated floods of the Huang Ho in the early 1850s, and partly

Hoorne, Filips Van Montmorency, Graaf Van

2005-03-22T06:13:00.000-08:00

A gentleman-in-waiting at the court of the Holy Roman emperor Charles V,

Trade, Terms Of

2005-03-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

Relationship between the prices at which a country sells its exports and the prices paid for its imports. If the prices of a country's exports rise relative to the prices of its imports, one says that its terms of trade have moved in a favourable direction, because, in effect, it now receives more imports for each unit of goods exported. The terms of trade, which depend on

Epidermal Tooth

2005-03-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

Any of several hard, horny projections analogous to but not homologous with true teeth (see tooth). Epidermal teeth are found in the jawless fish (e.g., lampreys), on the edges of the jaws of tadpoles (larval frogs and toads), in the mouth of the platypus, where horny plates replace the true teeth before birth, and in sirenians (e.g., sea cows) accompanying true teeth.

Ben Nevis

2005-03-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Highest mountain of the British Isles, in the Highland council area, Scotland. Its summit, reaching an elevation of 4,406 feet (1,343 metres), is a plateau of about 100 acres (40 hectares), with a slight slope to the south and a sheer face to the northeast. Snow lies in some parts all year, and permafrost conditions are almost reached. The mountain consists of a superstructure of volcanic rocks

Pemberton, John Clifford

2005-03-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

Pemberton grew up and was educated in Philadelphia, entered West Point in 1833, and graduated four years later. He fought in the Mexican War and was cited for bravery while participating in many of

Ghetto

2005-03-18T01:46:00.000-08:00

Formerly a street, or quarter, of a city set apart as a legally enforced residence area for Jews. One of the earliest forced segregations of Jews was in Muslim Morocco when, in 1280, they were transferred to segregated quarters called millahs. In some Muslim countries, rigid ghetto systems were enforced with restrictions on the sizes of houses and doors. Forced segregation

Ryedale

2005-03-17T23:59:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of North Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England, named for a small dale and river draining into the Vale of Pickering. This predominantly rural district is the largest in North Yorkshire. It includes the Vale of Pickering and the ring of highlands that enclose it: the Hambleton and Howardian hills, the escarpment of the Yorkshire

Hoisin Sauce

2005-03-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

Commercially prepared, thick reddish-brown sauce used in Chinese cuisine both as an ingredient in cooking and as a table condiment. Made from soybeans, flour, sugar, water, spices, garlic, and chili, it is sweet and spicy. It is used in cooking shellfish and fatty meats such as pork and duck. As a condiment, hoisin sauce is eaten with shrimp, pork, and poultry and is invariably

Cozens, Alexander

2005-03-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Son of Richard Cozens, shipbuilder to the tsar of Russia, Alexander settled in England after visiting Rome in 1746 and became a fashionable drawing master. William Beckford, author of the Oriental

Doyle, Richard

2005-03-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

A student of his father, Doyle regularly contributed (from 1843) decorations, theatre sketches, and political caricatures to Punch. The cover

Switzerland, Music

2005-03-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

Although Switzerland is not a leading musical nation, in the 20th century such composers as Arthur Honegger, Othmar Schoeck, and Frank Martin gained international renown. An annual international music festival, one of many, is held in Lucerne, and numerous country and western, pop, and jazz events, especially the famous festival at Montreux, take place throughout the

Hevelius, Johannes

2005-03-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

(Latin), German Johann Hewel , or Johann Howelcke , Polish Jan Heweliusz astronomer who compiled an atlas of the Moon (Selenographia, published 1647) containing one of the earliest detailed maps of its surface as well as names for many of its features. A few of his names for lunar mountains (e.g., the Alps) are still in use, and a lunar crater is named for him. Hevelius also made a catalog of 1,564 stars, the most comprehensive of its time,

Cherub

2005-03-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Plural Cherubim, in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature, a celestial winged being with human, animal, or birdlike characteristics who functions as a throne bearer of the deity. Derived from ancient Middle Eastern mythology and iconography, these celestial beings serve important liturgical and intercessory functions in the hierarchy of angels. The term most likely derives

Roux, émile

2005-03-12T01:10:00.000-08:00

Roux began his medical studies at the University of Clermont-Ferrand. In 1878 he was accepted into Pasteur's laboratory at the University of Paris and spent 10 years there, completing

China, Attacks on cultural figures

2005-03-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

As the Cultural Revolution

Xankändi

2005-03-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Formerly Stepanakert, city, southwestern Azerbaijan. Situated at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Karabakh Range, the city was founded after the October Revolution (1917) on the site of the village of Khankendy and was renamed Stepanakert in 1923 for Stepan Shaumyan, a Baku Communist leader. After Azerbaijan gained independence the name was changed to Xankändi, though Armenians continue to

Wright, James C(laude), Jr.

2005-03-10T01:29:00.000-08:00

Wright was educated at Weatherford College and the University of Texas before serving in the Army Air Force during World War II. After the war he entered politics as a Democrat

Ashbery, John

2005-03-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ashbery graduated from Harvard University in 1949 and received a master's degree from Columbia University (N.Y.) in 1951. After working as a copywriter in New York City (1951–55), he lived in Paris until 1965, contributing art criticism to the Paris edition of the New York Herald-Tribune and to

La Oroya

2005-03-09T03:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Oroya, city, Junín departamento, central Peru, at the junction of the Mantaro and Yauli rivers on a central plateau of the Andes, at an elevation of 12,195 feet (3,717 m). The city, located in a rich mining region based on the Cerro de Pasco, Morococha, and Casapalca mines, is a smelting and refining centre for copper, zinc, silver, and lead ores; it is also the site of a hydroelectric station fed by

Ironstone China

2005-03-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

Type of stoneware introduced in England early in the 19th century by Staffordshire potters who sought to develop a porcelain substitute that could be mass-produced. The result of their experiments was a dense, hard, durable stoneware that came to be known by several names—e.g., semiporcelain, opaque porcelain, English porcelain, stone china, new stone—all of which were

Bulgaria, Spread of education

2005-03-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

The spread of education was in fact the centrepiece of the Bulgarian national revival. In 1835 Vasil Aprilov founded a Lancasterian school, based on the monitorial system of instruction, in Gabrovo. With the monk Neofit Rilski (Neophyte of Rila) as its teacher, it was the first school to teach in Bulgarian. Its work was facilitated by the appearance of a Bulgarian publishing

Sian Incident

2005-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 12–25, 1936), in Chinese history, seizure of the Nationalist generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek by one of his own generals, Chang Hsüeh-liang (q.v.). Chang, commander of the Northeastern (Manchurian) forces at Sian, in Northwest China, opposed Chiang's policy of continuing to fight the Chinese Communists rather than devoting the Nationalists' full effort to fighting the Japanese, who

Fès

2005-03-06T04:05:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Fez , Arabic Fas city, northern Morocco, on the Wadi Fès just above its influx into the Sebou River. The oldest of Morocco's four imperial cities, it was founded on the banks of the Wadi Fès by Idris I (east bank, about 789) and Idris II (west bank, about 809). The two parts were united by the Almoravids in the 11th century to become a major Islamic city. Fès reached its zenith as a centre of learning and commerce

Biblical Literature, Non-European versions

2005-03-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Translations of parts of the Bible are known to have existed in only seven Asian and four African languages before the 15th century. In the 17th century Dutch merchants began to interest themselves in the missionary enterprise among non-Europeans. A pioneer was Albert Cornelius Ruyl, who is credited with having translated Matthew into High Malay in 1629, with Mark following

Essex, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl Of, Viscount Hereford, Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

2005-03-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

Devereux

Buddhism, Ordination

2005-03-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

Admission to the sangha involves two distinct acts: pabbajja, which consists of renunciation of secular life and acceptance of monasticism as a novice, and upasampada, the official consecration as a monk. The evolution of the procedure is not entirely clear; in early times, the two acts probably occurred at the same time. Subsequently, the Vinaya established that upasampad

Arts, Central Asian, Seljuqs

2005-03-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

The art of the Seljuqs, who founded kingdoms in Persia, eastern Byzantium, Syria, and Iraq, eclipsed that of the Samanids, Ghurids, and Ghaznavids. They were great architectural patrons and constructed numerous mosques, madrasahs (Islamic religious schools), hospitals, orphanages, baths, caravansaries, bridges, and türbes notable for their decorative masonry, elaborately

Atchison

2005-03-03T03:05:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1855) of Atchison county, northeastern Kansas, U.S., on the Missouri River. A French trading post at the site of the present city was the embarkation point, in 1804, for the Lewis and Clark expedition. Founded in 1854 by a group of proslavery settlers, it was named for their leader, David Rice Atchison, a U.S. senator from Missouri. It developed as a focus for rail and river traffic, and

Lord's Cricket Ground

2005-03-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

Headquarters and home ground of the Marylebone Cricket Club, long the world's foremost cricket organization, and the scene of Test Matches between England and visiting national teams and of matches of the Middlesex County Cricket Club, Oxford versus Cambridge, and Eton versus Harrow. Various cup finals and one-day international matches also take place there. The

Performing Arts, France.

2005-03-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

World War II was recalled in several films. In Laissez-passer, his film à clef, Bertrand Tavernier re-created the atmosphere of filmmaking in occupied France. Gérard Jugnot directed and starred in the accomplished Monsieur Batignole, about a Gentile butcher who saves a Jewish boy from the Gestapo. The American documentarist Frederick Wiseman filmed Catherine

Polaris Missile

2005-03-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

After four years of research and development, the U.S. Navy in 1960 began to deploy nuclear-powered submarines armed with 16 Polaris missiles each. Each missile was 31 feet (9.4 m) long and 4.5 feet (1.4 m) in diameter and was powered by two solid-fueled stages. Three

Atchison

2005-02-28T01:36:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1974–92) Confederation of Socialist Parties of the European Community transnational parliamentary group representing the interests of allied socialist and social democratic parties in the European Parliament of the European Union (EU). Although a socialist group fostered cooperation among socialist parties in the Common Assembly of both the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (later

Computers, Colossus

2005-02-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

The exigencies of war gave impetus and funding to computer research. For example, in Britain, the impetus was code-breaking. The Ultra project was funded with much secrecy to develop the technology necessary to crack ciphers and codes produced by the German electromechanical devices known as the Enigma and the Geheimscheiber (“Secret Writer”). The first code-breaking

Abruzzo, Ben L.

2005-02-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

Abruzzo graduated from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) in 1952 and served two years in the U.S. Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M. (1952–54). He settled in Albuquerque

Vajrayogini

2005-02-26T04:26:00.000-08:00

In Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), female embodiment of the cognitive function leading to Buddhahood. Vajrayana emphasizes experience over speculation but uses the terms of speculative philosophical Buddhism in an imaginative way. This practice means that images taken from the ordinary life of the individual become the means to further a deeper understanding

Symbolist Movement

2005-02-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

Dramatists also took their lead from the French Symbolist poets, especially from Mallarmé. As drama critic for La Dernière Mode during the 1870s, Mallarmé opposed the dominant Realist theatre and called for a poetic theatre that would evoke the hidden mystery of man and the universe. Drama, for Mallarmé, should be a sacred rite in which the poet-dramatist revealed the

épernon, Jean-louis De Nogaret De La Valette, Duke (duc) D'

2005-02-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

Of obscure nobility, La Valette rose to prominence as a favourite of Henry III, who created him duke and peer of France in 1582. He and Anne de Joyeuse acted virtually as prime ministers in the 1580s. His rapacity was notorious, but he also showed great political ability

Kerouac, Jack

2005-02-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Of French-Canadian descent, Kerouac learned English as a second language as a schoolboy. Discharged from

Irish Sweepstakes

2005-02-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

In full Irish Hospitals' Sweepstakes one of the largest lotteries promoted internationally; it was authorized by the Irish government in 1930 to benefit Irish hospitals. A private trust was formed to run the lottery and market tickets throughout the world. During the 57 years of its existence, the contest derived more revenue from the United States than from any other country, although all the tickets were

Ta-t'ung

2005-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

During the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, the region was the headquarters for the eastern frontier command of the Han armies protecting the region

Sea Robin

2005-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

Also called gurnard any of the slim, bottom-dwelling fish of the family Triglidae, found in warm and temperate seas of the world. Sea robins are elongated fish with armoured, bony heads and two dorsal fins. Their pectoral fins are fan-shaped, with the bottom few rays each forming separate feelers. These feelers are used by the fishes in “walking” on the bottom and in sensing mollusks, crustaceans,

Mitra

2005-02-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

In the pantheon of Vedic Hinduism, one of the gods in the category of Adityas, or sovereign principles of the universe. He represents friendship, integrity, harmony, and all else that is important in the successful maintenance of order in human existence. He is usually paired with the god Varuna, the guardian of the cosmic order, whose powers he complements as guardian

Fields, Dorothy

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

Fields was the daughter of Lew M. Fields of the vaudeville comedy team of Weber and Fields. After graduating from high school in New York City, she taught drama

Torbernite

2005-02-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

Hydrated copper uranate phosphate mineral, Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2×8–12H2O, that is one of the principal uranium-bearing minerals. Usually associated with autunite, it occurs as green crystals or micalike masses that are weathering products of uraninite. Torbernite is abundant in Cornwall, Eng., and in Katanga province, Congo (Kinshasa). For detailed physical properties, see phosphate

Argentina, Discovery and settlement

2005-02-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

The main Atlantic outline of Argentina was revealed to European explorers in the early 16th century. The Río de la Plata estuary was discovered years before Ferdinand Magellan traversed the Strait of Magellan in 1520, although historians dispute whether the estuary was first reached by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501–02 or by Juan Díaz de Solís in his ill-fated voyage of 1516. Solís and a

Abseron Peninsula

2005-02-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Apsheron , Azerbaijani Abseron Yasaqligi peninsula in Azerbaijan that extends 37 miles (60 km) eastward into the Caspian Sea and reaches a maximum width of 19 miles (30 km). An eastern extension of the Caucasus Mountains, the Abseron Peninsula consists of a gently undulating plain, in part dissected by ravines and characterized by frequent salt lakes and lands flooded by tides. Vineyards and tea plantations are features

Op Art

2005-02-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

Also called optical art branch of mid-20th-century geometric, abstract art that deals with optical illusion. Achieved through the systematic and precise manipulation of shapes and colours, the effects of Op art can be based either on perspective illusion or on chromatic tension; in painting, the dominant medium of Op art, the surface tension is usually maximized to the point at which an actual

Libertarianism, Nonaggression axiom

2005-02-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

According to the principle that libertarians call the nonaggression axiom, all acts of aggression against the rights of others—whether committed by individuals or by governments—are unjust. Indeed, libertarians believe that the primary purpose of government is to protect citizens from the illegitimate use of force. Accordingly, governments may not use force

China, The Shih-liu kuo (Sixteen Kingdoms) in the north (303439)

2005-02-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

The term Sixteen Kingdoms traditionally denotes the plethora of short-lived non-Chinese dynasties that from 303 came to rule the whole or parts of northern China. Many ethnic groups were involved, including ancestors of the Turks (such as the Hsiung-nu, possibly related to the Huns of late Roman history, and the Chieh), the Mongolians (Hsien-pei), and the Tibetans (Ti and Ch'iang).

Fabales

2005-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Fabales (legumes) may be considered a

Caesar, Julius

2005-02-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

Caesar changed the course of the history of the Greco-Roman world decisively and irreversibly.

Puffbird

2005-02-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

Puffbirds feed on flying insects. They resemble their close relatives the jacamars in habits

Kabba

2005-02-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Town, Kogi state, south-central Nigeria, in the Yoruba Hills (elevation 1,300 feet [400 m]). It lies near the Osse River, at the intersection of roads from Lokoja, Okene, Ikare, Ado-Ekiti, and Egbe. Kabba is a trade centre for the yams, cassava, corn (maize), sorghum, shea nuts, peanuts (groundnuts), beans, cotton, and woven cloth produced by the Yoruba, Igbira, and Bunu (Kabba) peoples of the surrounding

Kirikane

2005-02-12T01:01:00.000-08:00

In Japanese art, decorative technique used for Buddhist paintings and wooden statues and for lacquerwork. The technique used for paintings and statues employs gold or silver foil cut into thin strips or minute triangular or square pieces, which are laid on designs painted in with glue. The designs consist of straight or curved lines, a wavy vertical stripe pattern

Sa'adia Ben Joseph

2005-02-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Nechemiah Aloni, Ha-Egron (1969), an edition (in Hebrew) with extensive annotations; Israel Davidson (ed.), Saadiah's Polemic Against Hiwi al-Balkhi (1915), and The Book of the Wars of the Lord (1934), polemics against Sa'adia by Solomon ben Yeruhim (Hebrew edition with English translation)—the introductions to both editions require revision in light of later Genizah fragments; Joseph Derenbourg, Oeuvres complètes de R. Saadia Ben Iosef al-Fayyoûmî, vol. 3, Version arabe d'Isaïe (1896), and vol. 6, Version arabe des Proverbes (1894), Sa'adia's Arabic version of Isaiah and his version of the Proverbs—the Isaiah translation is accompanied by fragments of Sa'adia's lost commentary; Z. Diesendruck, “Saadya's Formulation of the Argument for Creation,” in Jewish Studies in Memory of George A. Kohut, 1874–1933 (1953), a profound article; Jakob Guttmann, Die Religionsphilosophie des Saadia (1882), traces the Greek and Arabic sources of Sa'adia's philosophy (the Arabic sources are not fully exhausted); Henry Malter, Saadia Gaon: His Life and Works (1921, reprinted 1969), the most comprehensive study on Sa'adia, although many aspects need to be revised in light of later studies; Harry A. Wolfson, “Saadia on the Trinity and Incarnation,” Studies and Essays in Honor of Abraham A. Neuman (1962), a very exhaustive study; Sa'adia anniversary volume, Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research (1943); Erwin I.J. Rosenthal (ed.), Saadya Studies (1943); Moses Zucker, Rav Saadya Gaon's Translation of the Torah (in Hebrew, with English summary; 1959), and A Critique Against the Writings of R. Saadya Gaon by R. Mubashshir (1955), an edition important for restoration of Sa'adianic material as well as for the study of the relationship of some of Sa'adia's contemporaries to his literary work.

Amblygonite

2005-02-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Phosphate mineral composed of lithium, sodium, and aluminum phosphate [(Li,Na)AlPO4(F,OH)], that is an ore of lithium. It occurs in lithium- and phosphate-rich granitic pegmatites, often in very large, white, translucent masses. It has been mined at Keystone, S.D., and in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and several other countries. Clear material from Hebron, Maine, has been faceted as a gemstone.

Earth Sciences, Evaporation from the sea

2005-02-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

The question remained as to whether the amount of water evaporated from the sea is sufficient to account for the precipitation that feeds the streams. The English astronomer-mathematician Edmond Halley measured the rate of evaporation from pans of water exposed to the air during hot summer days. Assuming that this same rate would obtain for the Mediterranean,

Swartberg

2005-02-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Swartberge, mountain range in Western Cape province, South Africa, extending east-west for 150 mi (240 km) from near the town of Willowmore to the edge of the Witteberge, roughly parallel with the Indian Ocean coast. The Swartberg is the barrier dividing the semiarid Great Karoo (north) and Little Karoo (south) plateaus. Highest elevations range from between 5,500 and 7,500 ft (1,650 and 2,300 m). Small reservoirs

Capricornus

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

In astrology, Capricornus (also Capricorn) is the 10th sign of the zodiac, considered as

Algebra, Quaternions and vectors

2005-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

Remaining doubts about the legitimacy of complex numbers were finally dispelled when their geometric interpretation became widespread among mathematicians. This interpretation, initially and independently conceived by the Norwegian surveyor Caspar Wessel and the French bookkeeper Jean-Robert Argand (see Argand diagram), was made known to a larger audience

Jacobs, Helen Hull

2005-02-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

Jacobs was the national junior tennis champion in 1924–25 and attended the University of California, Berkeley, from 1926 to 1929. She was defeated by Helen Wills in the 1928 finals at Forest Hills, New York, and in the Wimbledon

Terceira Island

2005-02-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Ilha Terceira, island, part of the Portuguese Azores archipelago, in the North Atlantic Ocean. It occupies an area of 153 square miles (397 square km). Terceira (The Third) was so called because it was the third island in the Azores to be discovered by the Portuguese. The chief town and port is Angra do Heroísmo, which was formerly capital of the Azores. The only other town of importance is Praia

Arabia

2005-02-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jazirat Al-'Arab (“Island of the Arabs”), peninsular region, together with offshore islands, located in the extreme southwestern corner of Asia. The Arabian Peninsula is bounded by the Red Sea on the west and southwest, the Gulf of Aden on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south and southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf (also called the Arabian Gulf) on the northeast. Geographically the peninsula

Pinochle

2005-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

Card game derived from bezique and most often played in North America. One popular version is auction pinochle, a three-handed game using two packs of 24 cards ranking ace, 10, king, queen, jack, and 9 of each suit. Each player is dealt 15 cards, 3 at a time; after the first 3 have been dealt, 3 are dealt to the table to form the widow. Bidding goes clockwise from the dealer's left. The lowest bid

Peretz, I.l.

2005-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Peretz began writing in Hebrew but soon turned to Yiddish. For his tales, he drew material from the lives of impoverished Jews of eastern Europe. Critical of their

Eichler, August Wilhelm

2005-02-04T02:35:00.000-08:00

Eichler studied mathematics and natural science at the University of Marburg (Ph.D., 1861). He then went to Munich, where he became a private assistant to the naturalist Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, with whom he edited Flora

Peter Des Rivaux

2005-02-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

His father (or uncle), Peter des Roches (bishop of Winchester, 1205–38), became tutor to Henry upon the King's accession. Peter des Rivaux served as a king's clerk from 1218 to 1223 but was exiled

Priesthood, Nonliterate cultures

2005-02-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

The office of priesthood in nonliterate society ranges from the medicine man, who magically manipulates the sacred power as a quasi-impersonal force, to the shaman, who, as an agent of divine or spiritual beings, may be at once a medicine man, a visionary, an occult diviner, and a genuine sacerdotal cult leader. Not infrequently, chiefs or headmen of a clan or village may

Mason

2005-02-02T01:15:00.000-08:00

An adherent of Freemasonry (q.v.).

Yingqing Ware

2005-02-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

Yingqing (“shadowy blue”) ware is distinctive

Wichita

2005-02-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

North American Indian people of Caddoan linguistic stock who in their early history lived near the Arkansas River in present-day Kansas. They were encountered by the Spanish in the mid-16th century and became the object of the earliest missionary work done among the Plains Indians. Like most Caddoans, the Wichita subsisted largely by farming (corn [maize], pumpkins,

Byzantine Rite

2005-02-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

The Byzantine rite originated in the Greek city of Antioch (in modern southern Turkey), one of the earliest and most celebrated centres of Christianity; but it was developed and perfected in Byzantium,

Crakow

2005-01-30T05:06:00.000-08:00

Also spelled crackowe long, pointed, spiked shoe worn by both men and women first in the mid-14th century and then condemned by law. Crakows were named after the city of Kraków (Cracow), Pol., and they were also known as poulaines (Polish). Crakows were admired on the feet of the courtiers of Anne of Bohemia, who married Richard II of England. The exaggerated toes were imitated even in

Pluvial Regime

2005-01-29T23:50:00.000-08:00

Averaged zonally, regions of excessive precipitation, in which annual precipitation exceeds annual evaporation, exist in the tropics and at latitudes poleward of 40° in both hemispheres. In the subtropics, dominated by high atmospheric pressure, annual

Andersen's Disease

2005-01-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Glycogenosis Type Iv, extremely rare hereditary metabolic disorder produced by absence of the enzyme amylo-1:4,1:6-transglucosidase, which is an essential mediator of the synthesis of glycogen. An abnormal form of glycogen, amylopectin, is produced and accumulates in body tissues, particularly in the liver and heart. Affected children appear normal at birth but fail to thrive and later lose

Shensi, The middle period

2005-01-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

In 221 BC Hsien-yang, in Shensi, became the capital of the Ch'in dynasty, which unified China for the first time; it was a city of vast wealth and the focus of a nationwide road system. The area remained extremely populous and was a major centre of political authority for the next millennium. The Han (206 BC–AD 220), successors of the short-lived Ch'in dynasty, made their capital Ch'ang-an, near Hsien-yang.

Framingham

2005-01-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Sudbury River, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston. Settled in 1650, it was incorporated in 1700 and derived its name from Framlingham, Suffolk, England. Framingham Center, just north of the downtown area, was the original village. Framingham's industrial development dates from 1835, with the utilization of local

Pluralism And Monism

2005-01-26T11:53:00.000-08:00

All philosophy as well as science may be regarded as a search

Interior Design, Classic movement after the Revolution, 17851835

2005-01-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

Even after the American Revolution, English decorative influence predominated in the United States, in spite of greatly increased contacts with French thought and ideas. Although many leaders like Thomas Jefferson wished to see a complete break with English traditions, the Georgian forms of colonial days persisted in common usage till 1800 or after. By 1785, however, the

Augustus, Caesar

2005-01-25T16:29:00.000-08:00

Remembering, however, that Caesar had been assassinated because of his resort to naked power, Octavian realized that the governing class would welcome him as the terminator of civil war only if he concealed his autocracy beneath provisions avowedly harking back to republican traditions. From 31 until 23 BC the constitutional basis of his power remained a continuous

Tu Duc

2005-01-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

The son of Emperor Thieu Tri, Prince Nguyen Phuoc Hoang Nham was chosen over his older brother to succeed his father. He ascended the throne in 1847, taking the reigning name Tu

Target Theory

2005-01-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

German Treffertheorie, in biology, the concept that the biological effects of radiations such as X rays result from ionization (i.e., the formation of electrically charged particles) by individual quanta, or photons, of radiation that are absorbed at sensitive points (targets) in a cell. It is supposed that to produce a given effect there must be one or more hits on a target. Ionization of a target

Hojo Masako

2005-01-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

Masako fell in love with Yoritomo when he was exiled from the capital by his family's rivals, the Taira clan, and put under the watch of Masako's father.

Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, 1st Baronet

2005-01-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

A brother-in-law of the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, Buxton, in

Nordic Council Of Ministers

2005-01-21T23:51:00.000-08:00

Organization of the Nordic states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden for the purpose of consultation and cooperation on matters of common interest. The Council was established in February 1971 under an amendment to the Helsinki Convention (1962) between the Nordic countries. It consists of the ministers of state of the member countries, as well as other ministers

Dardanus

2005-01-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

According to tradition, having slain his brother Iasius, or Iasion, Dardanus fled from Arcadia across the sea to Samothrace. When that island was visited by a flood, he crossed over to

Development Bank

2005-01-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

The number of development banks has increased rapidly since the 1950s; they have been encouraged by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and its affiliates.

DirtyIsland

Estate Agent London

China, The first Opium War and its aftermath

Kodaikanal

Aurresku

Joachim, Joseph

Poison, Inhalation

Rabbi

Disasters

Cordia

Sea Crayfish

Adab

écorché

China, The Nien Rebellion

Hoorne, Filips Van Montmorency, Graaf Van

Trade, Terms Of

Epidermal Tooth

Ben Nevis

Pemberton, John Clifford

Ghetto

Ryedale

Hoisin Sauce

Cozens, Alexander

Doyle, Richard

Switzerland, Music

Hevelius, Johannes

Cherub

Roux, émile

China, Attacks on cultural figures

Xankändi

Wright, James C(laude), Jr.

Ashbery, John

La Oroya

Ironstone China

Bulgaria, Spread of education

Sian Incident

Fès

Biblical Literature, Non-European versions

Essex, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl Of, Viscount Hereford, Lord Ferrers, Lord Bourchier

Buddhism, Ordination

Arts, Central Asian, Seljuqs

Atchison

Lord's Cricket Ground

Performing Arts, France.

Polaris Missile

Atchison

Computers, Colossus

Abruzzo, Ben L.

Vajrayogini

Symbolist Movement

épernon, Jean-louis De Nogaret De La Valette, Duke (duc) D'

Kerouac, Jack

Irish Sweepstakes

Ta-t'ung

Sea Robin

Mitra

Fields, Dorothy

Torbernite

Argentina, Discovery and settlement

Abseron Peninsula

Op Art

Libertarianism, Nonaggression axiom

China, The Shih-liu kuo (Sixteen Kingdoms) in the north (303439)

Fabales

Caesar, Julius

Puffbird

Kabba

Kirikane

Sa'adia Ben Joseph

Amblygonite

Earth Sciences, Evaporation from the sea

Swartberg

Capricornus

Algebra, Quaternions and vectors

Jacobs, Helen Hull

Terceira Island

Arabia

Pinochle

Peretz, I.l.

Eichler, August Wilhelm

China, The Shih-liu kuo (Sixteen Kingdoms) in the north (303439)

Interior Design, Classic movement after the Revolution, 17851835