FertileParcel

Furniture, England

2005-03-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

After the Restoration, from 1660 onward, there was almost revolutionary progress in English cabinetmaking, as it came to be called at about this time. On its return, the exiled court introduced French and Dutch fashions, and the English craftsmen were considerably helped in supplying the tastes of the nobility by a large influx of foreign workmen. Furniture became lighter,

Andaman And Nicobar Islands

2005-03-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

Linked administratively by the British in 1872, the two groups became a union territory of the Republic of India in 1956. The territory

Sri Lanka, Recreation

2005-03-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

The sites of ancient cities and other religiocultural centres such as Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Kataragama, and Adam's Peak attract thousands of tourists

Passeriform, Incubation and parental care

2005-03-17T03:16:00.000-08:00

Passerines lay clutches of one to 14 eggs, clutch size being unrelated to the size of the bird. The largest species, the two lyrebirds (Menura), lay a single egg; some of the smaller titmice (Parus) have been recorded with the biggest clutches. In most passerines the female incubates the eggs alone, but in some groups—such as the antbirds (Formicariidae), certain grosbeaks (Pheucticus

Sanger, John And George

2005-03-16T00:39:00.000-08:00

The brothers were assistants in their father's touring peep show and formed their own show in 1853. By 1871 they had leased Astley's Amphitheatre

Ramanuja

2005-03-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Ramanujacarya, or Ilaiya Perumal (Tamil: Ageless Perumal [God]) South Indian Brahman theologian and philosopher, the single most influential thinker of devotional Hinduism. After a long pilgrimage, Ramanuja settled in Srirangam, where he organized temple worship and founded centres to disseminate his doctrine of devotion to the god Vishnu and his consort Sri. He provided an intellectual basis for the practice

Northern Pacific Railway Company

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

The Northern Pacific was chartered by Congress in 1864 to build a line from Lake Superior westward to a port on the Pacific coast and was given a land grant of 40,000,000 acres (16,200,000 hectares). It nevertheless encountered difficulty

Cohune Oil

2005-03-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

Also called cohune-nut oil , cohune also spelled cohoun oil obtained from the kernels of the fruits, or nuts, of the cohune palm tree, Attalea cohune. The tree grows in western Central America from the Yucatán Peninsula to Honduras. The oil's properties, similar to those of coconut oil, have given it increasing importance. Because the nuts are unusually hard and difficult to crack and their collection and transportation

Appiah, Kwame Anthony

2005-03-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Appiah was the son of Joseph Appiah, a Ghanaian-born barrister, and Peggy Cripps, daughter of the British statesman Sir Stafford

Eleanor Of Aquitaine

2005-03-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

Eleanor was the daughter and heiress of William X, duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitiers, who possessed one of the largest domains in France—larger,

Caucasian Languages

2005-03-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

The North Caucasian languages are divided into two groups: Abkhazo-Adyghian, or the Northwest Caucasian, languages, and Nakho-Dagestanian, or the Northeast Caucasian, languages.

Kayal

2005-02-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

The kayal is related to the longer melodic form known as the dhrupad but has fewer restrictions. It is usually accompanied

Yámana

2005-02-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Yahgan, South American Indian people, very few in number, who were the traditional occupants of the south coast of Tierra del Fuego and the neighbouring islands south to Cape Horn. In the 19th century they numbered between 2,500 and 3,000. The Yámana language forms a distinct linguistic group made up of five mutually intelligible dialects that correspond to five regionally defined

Wolf Creek Crater

2005-02-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Huge meteorite crater 65 miles (105 km) south of Halls Creek, Western Australia. The crater is on the edge of a little-explored desert and was first sighted from an airplane in 1937. It is 2,799 feet (853 m) in diameter and 151 feet (46 m) deep, with a rim standing 60–100 feet (18–30 m) above ground level. Only decayed meteoritic fragments have been found. It is considered an explosion crater because of its size. The crater

Bothe, Walther

2005-02-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

Bothe taught at the universities of Berlin (1920–31), Giessen (1931–34), and Heidelberg (1934–57). In 1925 he and Hans Geiger used two Geiger counters to gather data on the Compton

Rambouillet

2005-02-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

Town, Yvelines département, Paris region, northern France, just southwest of Versailles. Flanked by its famous château and surrounded by an extensive forest, it is a favoured tourist spot for Parisians. The château, built in 1375 by a courtier of Charles V of France, passed into the hands of Jacques d'Angennes, captain of King Francis I's bodyguard. In 1547, Francis died there on a

Bates, Marston

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

After several years of fieldwork, Bates received his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1934. From 1937 to 1952 he served on the staff of the International Division of the Rockefeller Foundation

Gypsisol

2005-02-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Gypsisols are characterized by a subsurface layer of gypsum (a hydrated calcium sulfate) accumulated by the precipitation of calcium and sulfate from downward percolating waters in the soil profile. With intensive management, irrigated crops can be grown on these

Philistine

2005-02-13T23:11:00.000-08:00

One of a people of Aegean origin who settled on the southern coast of Palestine in the 12th century BC, about the time of the arrival of the Israelites. According to biblical tradition (Deuteronomy 2:23; Jeremiah 47:4), the Philistines came from Caphtor (possibly Crete). They are mentioned in Egyptian records as prst, one of the Sea Peoples that invaded Egypt in about 1190 BC after ravaging

Pyrenees, Peace Of The

2005-02-11T04:31:00.000-08:00

During the years from the end of the Thirty Years' War until 1659 Spain and France engaged in almost continuous warfare. During the struggle Spain found itself also involved in hostilities with England,

Insurance, Major types of fidelity bonds

2005-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Fidelity bonds differ according to whether specific persons are named as principals or whether all employees or persons are covered as a group. The latter are most frequently used by employers with a large number of employees, because they offer automatic coverage on given classes of workers, including new employees, and greater ease of administration, including

Ryukyu Islands

2005-02-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Nansei Islands , Japanese Ryukyu-Shoto , or Nansei-Shoto , Ryukyuan Okinawa archipelago, extending almost 400 miles (650 km) southwest from Kyushu, southern Japan, to the northern tip of Taiwan bordering the Philippine Sea (east) and the East China Sea (west). Since 1972 the islands have comprised Okinawa ken (prefecture), Japan. With a total land area of 870 square miles (2,254 square km), they consist of 55 islands and islets divided into three major groups: the Amami island

Kyodo Tsushinsha

2005-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: Cooperative News Agency) national news agency founded in November 1945 to replace the pre-World War II Domei tsushinsha (Federated News Agency), which had served as the official news service of the Japanese government since 1936. Despite competition from the beginning with the Jiji news agency, formed by Domei employees who did not join Kyodo, the latter gradually gained

Jehovah

2005-02-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Judeo-Christian name for God, derived from Yahweh (q.v.).

Habitual Offender

2005-02-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

A classic account of habitual offenders is Norval Morris, The Habitual Criminal (1951, reprinted 1973). Works examining habitual-offender laws include David Shichor and Dale K. Sechrest (eds.), Three Strikes and You're Out: Vengeance as Public Policy (1996); and John Clark, James Austin, and D. Alan Henry, “Three Strikes and You're Out”: A Review of State Legislation (1997). John E. Hodge, Mary McMurran, and Clive R. Hollin (eds.), Addicted to Crime? (1997), discusses persistent criminals in terms of addiction.

Naga

2005-01-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

City, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It is situated along the Bicol River, south of San Miguel Bay. Founded in 1573 as Nueva Caceres by the Spaniards, it is the site every September of a festival in honour of Nuestra Señora de (“Our Lady of”) Peñafrancia, the patroness of the Bicol Peninsula. Naga has a large cathedral and is the seat of a bishopric. The University of Nueva Caceres

Vienne, Council Of

2005-01-29T22:27:00.000-08:00

15th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic church (1311–12), convoked by Pope Clement V at the insistence of Philip IV of France, who demanded the posthumous trial of Pope Boniface VIII and the suppression of the Knights Templars, one of the great military religious orders founded during the Crusades. Vienne, near Lyon, was chosen because it was easily accessible and because

Daily Telegraph, The

2005-01-26T02:16:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1855 as the Daily Telegraph and Courier, the paper has consistently combined a high standard of reporting with the selection of interesting feature subjects and editorial presentation. Its appeal is a conservative and middle-class

Ecuador

2005-01-25T06:09:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Ecuador, Spanish República del Ecuador, country of northwestern South America. It straddles part of the Andes Mountains and occupies part of the Amazon basin. Lying on the Equator, from which its name derives, it borders Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west; it includes the Pacific island group of the Galápagos Islands, or the Archipiélago de Colón. It is a relatively

Chaser

2005-01-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

A literary work or portion of a literary work that is of a light or mollifying nature in comparison with that which precedes or accompanies it. The metaphor may stem from the practice of following the consumption of strong alcoholic drink with consumption of a less-potent beverage or, occasionally, with food.

Scandinavian Literature, The modern Swedish novel

2005-01-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

The development of the novel was associated with Gustaf Hellström, Ludvig Nordström, Elin Wägner, and Sigfrid Siwertz. Hellström's work as a journalist in Europe, the United States, and England greatly influenced him. Irony and careful detail emerged in his best known novel, Snörmakare Lekholm får en idé (1927; Lacemaker Lekholm Has an Idea). Siwertz was a more elegant stylist,

Polab

2005-01-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

By the early 9th century the

Permian Basin

2005-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Also called West Texas Basin, large sedimentary basin in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico that is noted for its rich petroleum and natural-gas deposits. It originated as a marine basin bordered by extensive deltas during the Permian and Triassic periods (between 286 and 208 million years ago). The Permian Basin consists of three connected but distinct areas of subsidence, which are, from east

Saint Albans, Battles Of

2005-01-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

The battle of 1455 was the first in the wars. Richard, Duke of York and King Henry VI's cousin, had a better right to the throne, by primogeniture, than the king himself. The

Kamanja

2005-01-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

Also called kemanche , or kamanche stringed instrument of the fiddle family prominent in Arab and Persian art music. It is a spike fiddle; i.e., its small, round or cylindrical body appears skewered by the neck, which forms a “foot” that the instrument rests on when played. Measuring about 30 inches (76 cm) from neck to foot, it has a membrane belly and, commonly, two to four strings tuned in fourths or fifths. The musician,

Uberaba

2005-01-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

City, western Minas Gerais estado (“state”), Brazil, in the highlands at 2,575 feet (785 m) above sea level, on the Uberaba River. It was given city status in 1856. Uberaba is the trade centre of an important agricultural area, yielding cattle (the largest source of income), rice, oranges, corn (maize), beans, coffee, sugarcane, and bananas. A well-known cattle and agricultural exhibition is held there

Arundel

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

Arundel

Nacka

2005-01-07T22:08:00.000-08:00

Town in the län (county) of Stockholm, southeastern Sweden, on the Södertörn peninsula of the landskap (province) of Södermanland. A southeastern suburb of Stockholm, it developed into a residential and industrial area with the coming of the railroad in 1893, and in 1949 was incorporated as a town. Leading industries include chemical technology, flour milling, and the manufacture

Cambay

2005-01-04T03:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Khambhat, city, east-central Gujarat state, west-central India. It lies at the head of the Gulf of Cambay and the mouth of the Mahi River. The city was mentioned in 1293 by Marco Polo, who referred to it as a busy port. It was still a prosperous port in the late 15th century, when Muslims controlled Gujarat. As the gulf silted up, however, the port became insignificant. The city was capital of the princely

Beyer, Jinny

2005-01-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

Beyer received a B.A. in speech and French from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and an

Karatepe

2004-12-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

(Turkish: “Black Hill”), site of a Late Hittite fortress city, located in the piedmont country of the Taurus Mountains in south-central Turkey. The city, dating from the 8th century BC, was discovered in 1945 by Helmuth T. Bossert and Halet Çambel. It was built with a polygonal fortress wall and an upper and lower gateway of monumental proportions. The gate chambers are lined with inscribed

World War I

2004-12-24T00:44:00.000-08:00

Dwight E. Lee (ed.), The Outbreak of the First World War: Causes and Responsibilities, 4th ed. (1975), is a good introduction to the debate on the origins of World War I. A more detailed account is provided in Luigi Albertini, The Origins of the War of 1914, 3 vol. (1952–57, reprinted 1980; originally published in Italian, 1942–43). A comprehensive general account of the war is Bernadotte E. Schmitt and Harold C. Vedeler, The World in the Crucible, 1914–1919 (1984). The standard military histories are Basil Henry Liddell Hart, A History of the World War, 1914–1918, enl. ed. (1934, reprinted 1970); Cyril B. Falls, The Great War (1959); and Marc Ferro, The Great War, 1914–1918 (1973, reprinted 1987; originally published in French, 1969). J.E. Edmonds (comp.), A Short History of World War I (1951, reprinted 1968); and John Terraine, The Great War, 1914–1918: A Pictorial History (1965, reprinted 1978), are useful introductions. Naval operations during the war are discussed in Arthur J. Marder, From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919, 5 vol. (1961–70). International diplomacy during the war is treated in Z.A.B. Zeman, The Gentlemen Negotiators (1971; U.K. title, A Diplomatic History of the First World War).

Novato

2004-12-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

City, Marin county, western California, U.S. It lies along Novato Creek, between San Pablo Bay (east) and Point Reyes National Seashore (west). The original site was partly on the Rancho de Novato, an 1839 Mexican land grant that occupied most of the Canada de Novato (a valley probably named for a Christianized Indian chief). Francis C. DeLong acquired the land and founded the community

Indio

2004-12-19T01:26:00.000-08:00

City, Riverside county, southern California, U.S., in the Coachella Valley, between Palm Springs (northwest) and the Salton Sea (southeast). Founded (1876) as Indian Wells, on the site of Palte-Wat Indian village by the Southern Pacific Railroad, it was later renamed Indio (Spanish: Indian). In the 1850s local artesian wells were utilized for irrigation and C.P. Huntington, president of

Vow

2004-12-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

In the ancient Middle East, individuals often made vows to a deity to perform certain acts or to live in a certain way in return for a divine favour. Hannah, the mother of the Old Testament judge Samuel,

Wagon

2004-12-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

Four-wheeled vehicle designed to be drawn by draft animals and known to have been used as early as the 1st century BC, incorporating such earlier innovations as the spoked wheel and metal wheel rim. Early examples also had such features as pivoted front axles and linchpins to secure the wheels. In its essential form, therefore, the wagon has been in common use for about

W Particle

2004-12-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

The existence of intermediate vector bosons and their properties were predicted in the late

Carnatic Music

2004-12-12T03:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Karnatic Music, music of southern India (generally south of the city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh state) that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions and was relatively unaffected by the Arabic and Iranian influences that, since the late 12th and early 13th centuries, as a result of the Islamic conquest of the north, have characterized the Hindustani music of northern India. In contrast

Priest

2004-12-09T01:46:00.000-08:00

A priesthood developed gradually in the early Christian church as first bishops and then elders, or “presbyters,” began to exercise certain priestly functions, mainly in connection with celebration of the Eucharist. By the end of the

Gabar

2004-12-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

Any member of the small Zoroastrian minority in Iran. The name Gabar was formerly applied derogatorily to the Iranian Zoroastrians; the term is linguistically related to the Arabic kafir, meaning “infidel.” The Zoroastrians who remained in Persia (modern Iran) after the Arab–Muslim conquest (7th century AD) had a long history as outcasts. Although they purchased some toleration

Margay

2004-12-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Also called Tiger Cat, or Tigrillo (Felis wiedii), species of small cat that ranges from South through Central America and, rarely, into the extreme southern United States. Like all cats, it is of the family Felidae. Little is known about the natural habits of the margay. It lives in forests and presumably is nocturnal, feeding on small prey such as birds, frogs, and insects. It is largely arboreal

Cornucopia

2004-12-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Horn Of Plenty, decorative motif, dating from ancient Greece, that symbolizes abundance. The motif originated as a curved goat's horn filled to overflowing with fruit and grain. It is emblematic of the horn possessed by Zeus's nurse, the Greek nymph Amalthaea (q.v.), which could be filled with whatever the owner wished.

Caucasian Languages, Vocabulary

2004-12-01T22:32:00.000-08:00

The original vocabulary of the North Caucasian languages has been fairly well preserved in the modern languages, although many words have been borrowed from Arabic (through Islam), the Turkic languages, and Persian. There are also loanwords that have been taken from the neighbouring languages (Georgian, Ossetic). Russian, which was a major influence from the late 19th

Hawkins, Sir John

2004-11-30T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hawkins wrote, among other works, an annotated edition

Alba Fucens

2004-11-28T05:49:00.000-08:00

Modern Albe ancient fortified town at the foot of Mount Velino, Italy. It was originally a town of the ancient Marsi people but was occupied by a Latin colony about 303 BC. It was situated on a hill with three distinct summits, all of which were enclosed within the walls. Its strong position made it important in the Social War and in the civil wars of the 1st century BC; state prisoners of the Romans

Vairocana

2004-11-26T14:15:00.000-08:00

Some Buddhists regard Vairocana, or Mahavairocana, as a being separate from the five “self-born” Dhyani-Buddhas, one of whom is known as Vairocana (see Dhyani-Buddha). Among the Shingon sect of Japan, he is the chief object of reverence and is regarded as the source

Cole, Sir Henry

2004-11-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

At the age of 15 Cole started clerking for the public-records historian, and eventually he became assistant keeper of the public-records office. In 1845 the Society

Papain

2004-11-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

Enzyme present in the milky juice of the papaya that catalyzes the breakdown of proteins by hydrolysis (addition of a water molecule). Papain is used in biochemical research involving the analysis of proteins, in preparations of various remedies for indigestion, in tenderizing meat, and in enzyme-action cleansing agents for soft contact lenses. A related enzyme

Qa

2004-11-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled qû or ka ancient Babylonian liquid measure equal to the volume of a cube whose dimensions are each one handbreadth (3.9 to 4 inches, or 9.9 to 10.2 cm) in length. The cube held one great mina (about 2 pounds, or 1 kg) of water by weight. Five qa made up a šiqlu, 100 qa equaled an imeru (donkey load), and 300 qa equaled a gur. The gur was the equivalent of about 80 U.S. gallons (302 litres).

Poland, History Of, Augustus III

2004-11-16T00:13:00.000-08:00

Upon Augustus' death in 1733, Stanislaw I, seen this time as a symbol of Poland's independence and supported by France (his daughter married Louis XV), was elected once again. The counter-election of Augustus III followed, and Russian troops drove Stanislaw out of the country. He abdicated, receiving as compensation (after the so-called War of Polish Succession) the duchy of

Referendum And Initiative

2004-11-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

The referendum may be obligatory or optional. Under the obligatory type, a statute or constitution requires that certain classes of legislative action be referred to a popular vote for approval or rejection. For

Logau, Friedrich, Freiherr Von

2004-11-11T22:43:00.000-08:00

Logau was of noble descent and became an orphan early. He spent his life in service to the petty courts of Brieg and Liegnitz. Logau resented the forced lowliness of his position, and he directed much of his satirical

Argand Diagram

2004-11-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Graphic portrayal of complex numbers, those of the form a + bi, in which a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1; it was devised by the Swiss mathematician Jean Robert Argand in about 1806. One axis represents the pure imaginary numbers (those consisting of the bi portion only); the second represents the real numbers (a values only). This permits the complex numbers to

Star, Variations in stellar size

2004-11-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Table 1 lists data pertaining to the 20 brightest

Razor-billed Auk

2004-11-07T05:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Razorbill (Alca torda), black and white seabird of the North Atlantic, bearing a sharp, heavy, compressed beak. About 40 cm (16 inches) long, it is the largest living member of the auk family, Alcidae (order Charadriiformes), and the nearest kin to the extinct great auk (q.v.). Razor-billed auks are deep divers, feeding on fish (including shellfish). They breed along North Atlantic coasts; some migrate

Philby, Kim

2004-11-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

While a student at the University of Cambridge, Philby became a Communist and in 1933 a Soviet agent. He worked as a journalist until 1940, when Guy Burgess, a British secret agent who was himself a Soviet double agent, recruited Philby

Mars Pathfinder

2004-11-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Robotic U.S. spacecraft launched to Mars to demonstrate a new way to land a spacecraft on the planet's surface and the operation of an independent robotic rover. Developed by NASA as part of a low-cost approach to planetary exploration, Pathfinder successfully completed both demonstrations, gathered scientific data, and returned striking images from Mars. Its observations

Jerne, Niels K.

2004-11-04T03:15:00.000-08:00

Jerne was born of Danish parents and grew up in The Netherlands. After studying physics for two years at the University of Leiden,

Andrea Da Firenze

2004-11-02T03:13:00.000-08:00

Andrea studied at the Arte dei Medici e degli Speziali in Florence. At the end of 1365 he was commissioned to decorate the chapter house of the church of Sta. Maria Novella. Also attributed to him are the decorations in the Spanish chapel and

Earth Sciences, Earth history according to Werner and James Hutton

2004-11-01T01:02:00.000-08:00

The two major theories of the 18th century were the Neptunian and the Plutonian. The Neptunists, led by Werner and his students, maintained that the Earth was originally covered by a turbid ocean. The first sediments deposited over the irregular floor of this universal ocean formed the granite and other crystalline rocks. Then as the ocean began to subside, “Stratified

Mimir

2004-10-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Old Norse Mímir in Norse mythology, the wisest of the gods of the tribe Aesir; he was also believed to be a water spirit. Mimir was sent by the Aesir as a hostage to the rival gods (the Vanir), but he was decapitated and his head was returned to the Aesir. The god Odin preserved the head in herbs and gained knowledge from it. According to another story, Mimir resided by a well that stood beneath

Yüeh-yang

2004-10-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

It was a fortified place called

Breitinger, Johann Jakob

2004-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

He studied theology and became professor at the Collegium Carolinum in Zurich. He lectured on Hebrew, Greek, Latin, logic, and rhetoric; showed excellence as a philologist in many editions; and advocated education on humanist lines

Endo Shusaku

2004-10-28T02:12:00.000-07:00

Endo became a Roman Catholic at age 11 with the encouragement of his mother and an aunt. At Keio University he majored in French literature (B.A., 1949), a subject he studied from 1950 to 1953 at the University of Lyon in France. His first

Submarine Mine

2004-10-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Underwater weapon designed to explode when a target presents itself. See mine.

Siachen Glacier

2004-10-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

One of the world's longest mountain glaciers, lying in the Karakoram Range system of Kashmir near the India–Pakistan border, extending for 44 mi (70 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast. It has a number of fast-flowing surface streams and at least 12 medial moraines. It is the source for the 50-mi-long Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok, which is part of the Indus River

Yampa River

2004-10-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

River, in the western United States, rising in the White River National Forest of northwestern Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains. Draining an area of approximately 9,500 square miles (24,600 square km) in south-central Wyoming and northwestern Colorado, the river flows north past Steamboat Springs, then turns west to flow through Yampa Canyon (about 1,600 feet [490 metres] deep) in Dinosaur

Argentina

2004-10-24T01:49:00.000-07:00

The federal republic of Argentina occupies the eastern section of the Southern Cone of South America, along the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 2,780,400 sq km (1,073,518 sq mi). Pop. (1993 est.): 33,507,000. Cap.: Buenos Aires. Monetary unit: peso, with (Oct. 4, 1993) an official rate of 1 peso to U.S. $1 (1.52 pesos = £ 1 sterling). President in 1993, Carlos Saúl Menem.

Exxon Corporation

2004-10-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Formerly (until 1972) Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) one of the world's largest corporations in terms of sales, with investments and operations in petroleum and natural gas, coal, nuclear fuels, chemicals, and such ores as copper, lead, and zinc. It also operates pipelines and one of the world's largest fleets of tankers and other ships. Exxon engages in every phase of the petroleum industry from oil fields to service stations.

Andragoras

2004-10-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

Seleucid satrap (governor) of Parthia during the mid-3rd century. He apparently defied Seleucid imperial authority, which was weakly established in his area, and issued coins on which his image bore the royal diadem. After ruling only a few years, he was defeated and killed by Parni tribesmen from the Caspian steppes led by Arsaces, who later set up an independent kingdom

Cariban Languages

2004-10-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

A group of South American Indian languages that were spoken before the Spanish conquest from what is now the Greater Antilles to the central Mato Grosso in Brazil; most of the languages, however, were spoken north of the Amazon River in what is now northern Brazil, the inland areas of the Guianas and Venezuela, and lowland Colombia. West Indian Cariban is extinct, and

Internationale, L'

2004-10-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

About 1871 a Parisian transport worker, Eugène Pottier, wrote the words (as a poem), which begin, “Debout, les damnés de la terre” (“Arise, the wretched of the earth”) and acclaim, “Nous n'étions rien—donc, soyons tout!” (“We were

Sukkoth

2004-10-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

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

Zion

2004-10-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

In the Old Testament, the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem. It was the site of the Jebusite city captured by David, king of Israel and Judah, in the 10th century BC (2 Samuel 5:6–9) and established by him as his royal capital. Some scholars believe that the name also belonged to the “stronghold of Zion” taken by David (2 Samuel 5:7), which may have been the fortress of the city. The

Arundel

2004-10-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Arundel

Burgage

2004-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

In England and Scotland, an ancient form of tenure that applied to property within the boundaries of boroughs, or burghs. In England land or tenements within a borough were held by payment of rent to the king or some other lord; the terms varied in different boroughs. Among English feudal tenures, burgage ranked as a form of socage, the holding of land in return for agricultural

Insurance, Abandonment clause

2004-10-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

If salvaging or rehabilitating a ship or cargo following a marine loss costs more than the goods are worth, the loss is said to be constructively total. Under such conditions, the ocean marine policy permits the insured to abandon the damaged ship or cargo to the insurer and make a claim for the entire value. In this case, the salvage belongs to the insurer, who may dispose

Traherne, Thomas

2004-10-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

The son of a shoemaker, Traherne was educated at the University of Oxford, ordained in 1660, and presented in 1661 to the living of Credenhill, which he held until 1674. From 1669 to 1674 Traherne lived in London and Teddington, serving as chaplain to Sir Orlando

K'uei Hsing

2004-10-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

K'uei Hsing, whose name before deification was Chung K'uei, is said to have passed his own examination with remarkable success but was denied the usual honours when the emperor beheld his ugly features. Brokenhearted, K'uei attempted

Amasya

2004-10-12T02:52:00.000-07:00

Historically Amaseia , or Amasia city, capital of Amasya il (province), northern Turkey, on the Yesil River, also called the Iris River. Capital of the kings of Pontus until about 183 BC, it was made a free city and the administrative centre of a large territory by Pompey in 65 BC. In the 2nd century AD, it received the titles “metropolis” and “first city” under the Romans. It was the capital of the Turkmen Danismend emirs until annexed

Caudata, Annotated classification

2004-10-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Tailed amphibians with 2 or 4 legs; moist, usually

Anthrax

2004-10-10T01:16:00.000-07:00

Also called splenic fever, malignant pustule , or woolsorters' disease acute, specific, infectious, febrile disease of animals, including humans, caused by Bacillus anthracis, an organism that under certain conditions forms highly resistant spores capable of persisting and retaining their virulence in contaminated soil or other material for many years. A disease chiefly of herbivores (grass eaters), the infection may be acquired

Kahn, Gustave

2004-10-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

After study in Paris, Kahn spent four years in North Africa, returning to Paris in 1885. He helped found or edit several literary reviews, including La Vogue, Le Symboliste, and La Revue Indépendante, which printed his poems and discussed the various theories

Hiller, Lejaren

2004-10-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

U.S. composer (b. Feb. 23, 1924, New York City--d. Jan. 26, 1994, Buffalo, N.Y.), was a pioneer in computer music. From childhood Hiller was interested in both science and music, and he pursued a dual career for much of his life. He graduated from Princeton University with degrees in chemistry (Ph.D., 1947) but also studied composition with Roger Sessions and Milton Babbitt. After a five-year stint as a research

Farman, Henri

2004-10-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Born to British parents, he was first a painter and later a racing motorist. With his brother Maurice he modified a Voisin pusher biplane and in January 1908 won a £2,000 prize that had been offered for a circular

Stadion (-warthausen), Johann Philipp (karl), Graf Von (count Of)

2004-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

After service in the imperial Privy Council (1783–87), Stadion was dispatched to the Austrian embassy in Stockholm. In 1790 he was sent to London, where he was influenced by the conservative philosophy of

Asylum

2004-10-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

In international law, the protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen against his own state. The person for whom asylum is established has no legal right to demand it, while the sheltering state, which has the legal right to grant asylum, is under no obligation to give it. Asylum is thus a right of the state, not of the individual. The right of asylum falls into three

Keats, John

2004-10-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

English Romantic lyric poet who devoted his short life to the perfection of a poetry marked by vivid imagery, great sensuous appeal, and an attempt to express a philosophy through classical legend.

Polio Vaccine

2004-10-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Preparation of poliomyelitis virus given to prevent infection with the disease. The virus is grown in kidney tissue from rhesus monkeys. There are two types of vaccine: one with killed virus, which is injected, and the other with live, attenuated (weakened) virus, which is given orally. Vaccines, whether killed or live, must contain strains of all of the three poliovirus

Saint Charles

2004-09-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

City, seat of St. Charles county, eastern Missouri, U.S., on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, there bridged to St. Louis, 22 miles (35 km) southeast. One of the earliest white settlements on the Missouri, it was founded in 1769 by Louis Blanchette as Les Petites Côtes (“The Little Hills”). The site, transferred to Spain in 1770, was dedicated in 1771 as the village of San Carlos Borromeo after a church