ImportantSpade

0800 Promote

2006-11-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

0800 Promote are a London based company, established in 1989, primarily to supply quality business gifts. 0800promote provide an all-round facility to promote all aspects of corporate promotional activity and promotional products, including promotional printing,http://0800promote.com/printed-clothes.php and http://0800promote.com/printed-pen.php to name a few. We are a small building business who needed items printing on for a buyers show we were attending and we were extremely happy with 0800 Promotes services.

Luxor

2005-04-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

Also called El-Aksur, or Al-Uqsur,

Thierry

2005-04-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Also called Thierry Of Alsace, French Thierry D'alsace, Dutch Diederik Van Den Elzas count of Flanders (1128–68), son of Thierry II, duke of Upper Lorraine, and Gertrude, daughter of Robert I the Frisian, count of Flanders. He contested the county of Flanders with William Clito on the death of Charles the Good in 1127. He was recognized by Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres and consolidated his position when William was killed at Alost in 1128. He married the

Fahd

2005-04-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Fahd was the first son of Hassa Sudairi after her remarriage to the founder of the kingdom, Ibn Sa'ud. Court educated in religion, chivalry, and politics, Fahd was named minister

Marriage

2005-04-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

A legally and socially sanctioned union, usually between a man and a woman, that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring (if any). The universality of marriage within different societies and cultures is attributed to the many basic social and personal functions

F Region

2005-04-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Highest region of the ionosphere, at altitudes greater than 160 km (100 miles); it has the greatest concentration of free electrons and is the most important of the ionospheric regions. The charged particles in the F region consist primarily of neutral atoms split into electrons and charged atoms. Although its degree of ionization persists with little change through the

Oskaloosa

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

City, seat (1844) of Mahaska county, southeastern Iowa, U.S. It lies between the Des Moines and South Skunk rivers, about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Des Moines. The region was inhabited by Sauk and Fox peoples when a fort was founded there by Captain Nathan Boone, nephew of Daniel Boone, who explored the area in 1835. Settled by Quakers in 1843, it takes its name (meaning “the last of the

West Frisian Islands

2005-03-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

Dutch West Friese Eilanden, part of the chain of Frisian Islands (q.v.), which lie in the North Sea just off the coast of northwestern Europe. They belong to The Netherlands.

Ilex

2005-03-31T01:34:00.000-08:00

Genus of plants commonly known collectively as holly (q.v.).

David D'angers, Pierre-jean

2005-03-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

The son of a carver, David went to Paris at age 17 with 11 francs in his pocket to study under Philippe-Laurent Roland. After a year and a half's struggle he received a small annuity from the municipality of Angers. In 1811 he won the Prix de Rome

Amorphous Solid

2005-03-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

One of the most important glass formers is silica (SiO2). Pure crystalline silica melts at 1,710° C. In pure form, silica glass exhibits such properties

Catanduva

2005-03-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

City, in the highlands of north-central São Paulo estado (“state”) Brazil, on the São Domingos River at 1,630 feet (497 m) above sea level. Originally called Vila Adolfo, the settlement was given town status in 1909 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1917. Coffee is the principal crop of the region, which also raises cotton, corn (maize), rice, feijão (beans), and peanuts (groundnuts). Catanduva's

Theism

2005-03-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

Theism's view of God can be clarified by contrasting it with that of deism, of pantheism, and of mysticism. Deism closely resembles theism; but for the deist, God is not involved in the world in the same personal way. He has made

Sanmicheli, Michele

2005-03-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

He was a pupil of his father, Giovanni, and his uncle Bartolomeo, both architects in Verona. At an early age he went to Rome, where he studied with architects trained under Donato Bramante and Giuliano da Sangallo. There

Great American Desert

2005-03-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

A vast, vaguely defined arid and semiarid region of North America that embraces the Great Plains (q.v.).

Cytoplasm

2005-03-26T03:18:00.000-08:00

The protoplasm of a cell external to the nuclear membrane. In eukaryotes (i.e., cells having a nucleus), the cytoplasm contains all of the organelles except for the nucleus itself. Among such organelles are the mitochondria, which are the sites of energy production through ATP (adenosine triphosphate) synthesis; the endoplasmic reticulum, the site of lipid and protein

Darshan

2005-03-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

Sanskrit Darsana (“auspicious viewing”), in Hindu worship, the beholding of an auspicious deity, person, or object. The experience results in a blessing of the viewer. The rathayatras (car festivals), in which images of gods are taken in procession through the streets, enable even those who in former days were not allowed to enter the temple to have darshan of the deity. The capability of darshan

Thomas, Gwyn

2005-03-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

Thomas was educated at Oxford and the University of Madrid and began writing seriously in the 1930s. His first novel, The Dark Philosophers (1946), built on the conversations of four unemployed Welsh miners, reminded critics

Essex, Arthur Capel, 1st Earl Of, Viscount Malden, Baron Capel Of Hadham

2005-03-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

The son of Arthur Capel, 1st Baron Capel, who was executed by the Parliamentarians in 1649, he was, after the Restoration of Charles II, created Viscount Malden and earl of Essex (April 1661). Although his antagonism to court life, to Roman Catholicism, and to extension of

Kubera

2005-03-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

In Hindu mythology, the king of the yaksas (nature spirits) and the god of wealth. He is associated with the earth, mountains, all treasures such as minerals and jewels that lie underground, and riches in general. According to most accounts he first lived in Lanka (Sri Lanka), but his palace was taken away from him by his half brother, Ravana, and he now resides in a beautiful mountain

Demosthenes

2005-03-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Demosthenes, a contemporary of Plato and Aristotle, was the son of a wealthy sword maker. His father died when he was seven, leaving a large inheritance, but the boy's unscrupulous guardians took advantage of their position, and when he came of age Demosthenes received very little of his estate. His strong desire to sue his guardian, Aphobus, in the courts, coupled with

Brahmaputra River, Plant and animal life

2005-03-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

The most notable

Pitney, Mahlon

2005-03-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), Pitney studied law with his father and took over his father's practice when the latter was appointed vice chancellor of New Jersey in 1889. In 1894 Pitney was elected to the U.S. Congress, in which he served until

Palembang

2005-03-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

Kotamadya (municipality) and capital, Sumatera Selatan provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. It lies on both banks of the Musi River, there spanned by the Ampera Bridge. Sumatra's second largest city (after Medan), it was long the chief town of the Palembang sultanate. The city served as the capital of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire from the 7th century until the kingdom was overthrown

Marine Ecosystem, Geography, oceanography, and topography

2005-03-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

The shape of the oceans and seas of the world has changed significantly throughout the past 600 million years. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the crust of the Earth is made up of many dynamic plates (see plate tectonics; and earth: The surface of the Earth as a mosaic of plates). There are two types of plates—oceanic and continental—which float on the surface of

Nobel Prizes

2005-03-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Chinese émigré writer Gao Xingjian was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature for “an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama.” Gao, the first Chinese-language writer to win the award, was a respected novelist, playwright, translator, and critic whose works had been banned in

Scypha

2005-03-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Sycon, genus of marine sponges of the class Calcispongiae (calcareous sponges), characterized by a fingerlike body shape known as the syconoid type of structure. In the syconoid sponges, each “finger,” known as a radial canal, is perforated by many tiny pores through which water passes into the central cavity. The water exits through an oscule, or larger opening, at the tip. Scypha

Roberts, Owen (josephus)

2005-03-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Upon graduating from law school, Roberts taught law at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, but by 1918 he had to devote his full time to his practice. While he was still teaching, Roberts had served as assistant district attorney and as special deputy attorney

Theatre Guild

2005-03-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

A theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 for the production of high-quality, noncommercial American and foreign plays. The guild, founded by Lawrence Langner (1890–1962), departed from the usual theatre practice in that its board of directors shared the responsibility for choice of plays, management, and production. The first two seasons, which included plays by Jacinto

World War Ii, Iwo Jima and the bombing of Tokyo

2005-03-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

With U.S. forces firmly established in the Mariana Islands, the steady long-range bombing of Japan by B-29s under the command of General Curtis E. LeMay continued throughout the closing months of 1944 and into 1945. But it was still 1,500 miles from Saipan to Tokyo, a long flight even for the B-29s. Strategic planners therefore fixed their attention on the little volcanic island of Iwo

Hisham Ibn 'abd Al-malik

2005-03-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

Before his accession to the throne in 724, Hisham led a quiet life in the Umayyad court, holding no important public offices. He reigned during a time of relative calm. Hisham easily maintained internal security but was forced to mount a number

Mughal Dynasty

2005-03-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Mogul , Arabic Mongol Muslim dynasty that ruled most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid-18th century. The Mughal dynasty was notable for about two centuries of effective rule over much of India, for the ability of its rulers, who through seven generations maintained a record of unusual talent, and for its administrative organization. A further distinction was the attempt of the

Simeon

2005-03-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

Following the Exodus out of Egypt and the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land and divided the new territory among the 12 tribes. Though sources do

Nature, Philosophy Of, Evolutionary ethics

2005-03-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

Toward the end of the 19th century, Herbert Spencer, in England,

Paleography, Abbreviations

2005-03-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

Abbreviations are the principal problem confronting paleographers. They were extensively used in Roman times by lawyers to avoid repetition of technical terms and formulas. Abbreviations fall into two classes, suspension and contraction. Suspension, omission of the end of a word and indication by a point or sign, was used in Roman public inscriptions—e.g., IMP.(ERATOR),

Wilkes, John

2005-03-14T03:59:00.000-08:00

A profligate by nature, Wilkes became a member of the congenial

Muhasibi, Al-

2005-03-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

In full Abu 'abd Allah Al-harith Ibn Asad Al-'anazi Al-muhasibi eminent Muslim mystic (Sufi) and theologian renowned for his psychological refinement of pietistic devotion and his role as a precursor of the doctrine of later Muslim orthodoxy. His main work was ar-Ri 'ayah li-huquq Allah, in which he acknowledges asceticism to be valuable as an act of supererogation but always to be tempered by inner and outer duties

Kirklees

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

Metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England. The borough takes its name from Kirklees Hall (17th century), whose estate houses a small Cistercian priory (1155) and the reputed grave of Robin Hood. The borough extends from flat-topped and heather-clad gritstone moorland in the Pennines to more open, industrialized valleys.

Andalusia

2005-03-13T00:56:00.000-08:00

Andalusia has a long history. Agriculture and complex society had developed in the region by 4000 BCE. During the 9th century BCE the Phoenicians founded the coastal colony of Gadir (now Cádiz), and by the 5th century BCE Carthaginians and Greeks had colonized the coast, while the indigenous Iberian peoples of the interior developed a rich urban culture. The Romans led by Scipio Africanus

Aerospace Industry, Airships

2005-03-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

All airships have four principal elements in common: a cigar-shaped bag, or balloon, filled with a lighter-than-air gas (usually hydrogen or helium); a passenger car, or gondola, attached beneath the bag; engines and propellers; and rudders to steer the craft. Three basic types of airships have been built. The nonrigid airship, or blimp, is basically a balloon from which the

Setter

2005-03-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

The English setter has served as a hunter for more than 400 years and has been bred in its present form since about 1825. Characteristically

Kuang-hsü

2005-03-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

When the previous emperor died, his mother, the empress dowager Tz'u-hsi, chose her four-year-old nephew

Hawthorne Research

2005-03-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Hawthorne effect socioeconomic experiments conducted by Elton Mayo in 1927 among employees of the Hawthorne Works factory of the Western Electric Company in Cicero, Illinois. For almost a year, a group of female workers were subjected to measured changes in their hours, wages, rest periods, lighting conditions, organization, and degree of supervision and consultation in order to determine

Grable, Betty

2005-03-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

Grable was set on the road to stardom by her mother,

Arecibo River

2005-03-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Spanish in full Río Grande De Arecibo, river in west-central Puerto Rico. The Arecibo River rises in the Cordillera Central just east of Mount Guilarte. It flows north-northeast about 40 miles (65 km) through a coffee-growing region and descends across the northern coastal plain to empty into the Atlantic Ocean just east of the port of Arecibo. At the northern edge of the cordilleran foothills, the river is impounded

Solar Calendar

2005-03-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

Any dating system based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 1/4 days, the time it takes the Earth to revolve once around the Sun. The Egyptians appear to have been the first to develop a solar calendar, using as a fixed point the annual sunrise reappearance of the Dog Star—Sirius, or Sothis—in the eastern sky, which coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River. They

Ear Disease, Skull fracture and concussion

2005-03-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

Skull fracture and concussion from a severe blow on the head can impair the functioning of the auditory and vestibular nerves in varying degrees. The greatest hearing loss arises when a fracture of the skull passes through the labyrinth of the inner ear, totally destroying its function.

Oral

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

Russian Uralsk , also spelled Ural'sk city, western Kazakhstan, along the Ural (Zhayyq) River. Founded in 1613 or 1622 by Cossacks fleeing a tsarist punitive campaign, it was known as Yaitsky Gorodok until 1775, when its name was changed following the Pugachov Rebellion. The town was a centre of both the Stenka Razin (1667) and Yemelyan Pugachov (1773) uprisings and was the headquarters of the Ural Cossacks. It had a lively trade with

Naro-fominsk

2005-03-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

City and centre of a rayon (sector), Moscow oblast (province), western Russia, on the Nara River southwest of the capital. It was formed in 1926 from three villages and textile centres. The town Fominsk was totally destroyed in World War II but later reemerged with its cotton-based industries of the past replaced by a huge silk-weaving combine. Pop. (1994 est.) 60,000.

O Dalaigh, Cearbhall

2005-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Son of parents active in the struggle for Irish independence, O Dalaigh studied at University College, Dublin, earning a degree in Celtic studies in 1931. He was an Irish-language editor on The Irish Press (1931–42), meanwhile becoming a lawyer (1935). In 1945 he became Ireland's

Alytus

2005-03-05T04:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alitus, German and Polish Olita, city, southern Lithuania. It lies along the Neman (Lithuanian: Nemunas) River, 37 miles (60 km) south of Kaunas. The city dates from the 14th century. In the 20th century it developed as an industrial centre, with factories producing refrigerators, chemical products, linen, and clothing. Alytus is a rail terminus and road junction and has an agricultural college. Pop. (1994 est.) 77,400.

Zangi

2005-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

When Zangi's father, the governor of Aleppo, was killed in 1094, Zangi fled to Mosul. He served the Seljuq dynasty, and in 1126 the Seljuq sultan, Mahmud II, appointed Zangi governor of Basra. When the 'Abbasid dynasty caliph al-Mustarshid

Acuña, Rosario De

2005-03-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Acuña's early life. One of Spain's few women playwrights, she was considered radical for her willingness to address such issues as religious fanaticism, atheism, illegitimacy, civil marriage (and the possibility of divorce, anathema

Buchanan, James M.

2005-03-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

Buchanan attended Middle Tennessee State College (B.S., 1940), the University of Tennessee (M.A., 1941), and—after five years in the navy—the University of Chicago

Economic Affairs

2005-03-03T01:32:00.000-08:00

The U.S. economy was skirting the edge of recession before the attacks; afterward it tumbled. Already-suffering

Oscillator

2005-03-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Any of various electronic devices that produce alternating electric current, commonly employing tuned circuits and amplifying components such as thermionic vacuum tubes. Oscillators used to generate high-frequency currents for carrier waves in radio broadcasting often are stabilized by coupling the electronic circuit with the vibrations of a piezoelectric

Esref Dynasty

2005-03-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

The dynasty traced its origins to a Turkmen tribe that was settled by the Seljuqs of Anatolia on the western frontier. The family's founder, Esref oglu Sayfeddin Süleyman I, was a Seljuq emir who played an important role in Seljuq dynastic struggles during the reign (1283–98) of the Seljuq sultan Mas'ud

Equatorial Guinea

2005-03-02T02:36:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Spanish República de Guinea Ecuatorial, country located on the west coast of Africa. It consists of Río Muni (also called Mbini), on the continent, and five islands: Bioko (formerly Fernando Po), Corisco, Great Elobey (Elobey Grande), Little Elobey (Elobey Chico), and Annobón. A fragmented country, it has a total area of 10,830 square miles (28,051 square kilometres). The capital of the republic is Malabo on Bioko. Bata is the administrative

Conservative Baptist Association Of America

2005-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Association of independent, autonomous Baptist churches in the United States, organized May 17, 1947, in Atlantic City, N.J. The founders originally organized the Fundamentalist Fellowship in 1920 but remained within the American (then Northern) Baptist Convention. Disputes over interpretation of Scripture and theology, as well as fundamentalist objections to sending liberal

Sessa Aurunca

2005-03-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Town and episcopal see, Caserta provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy, on a lava deposit of the extinct Roccamonfina volcano, north-northwest of Naples. The town is on the site of the ancient Suessa Aurunca, the chief city of the Aurunci (an ancient Italic tribe), which was punished by the Romans for refusing to pay tribute. Later, it became a Roman municipium and was

Zuiderzee

2005-02-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

English Southern Sea former inlet of the North Sea. From the 13th to the 20th century, the Zuiderzee penetrated The Netherlands and occupied some 2,000 square miles (5,000 square km); it was separated from the North Sea by an arc of former sandflats that are now the West Frisian Islands. From about AD 400 these low-lying sandflats were inhabited by the Frisians, who in the face of rising sea levels built the first

Poison

2005-02-28T03:10:00.000-08:00

In nuclear physics, any material that can easily capture neutrons without subsequently undergoing nuclear fission. Examples of poisons are the naturally occurring elements boron and cadmium and the fission products xenon-135 and samarium-149. In nuclear reactors, poisons act as parasitic neutron absorbers and lower the rate of fission.

Talence

2005-02-27T14:38:00.000-08:00

Town, Gironde département, Aquitaine région, southern suburb of Bordeaux, southwestern France. It is a centre for jet-aircraft production and has light industry and wine making. An extension of Bordeaux University (now Bordeaux University I), with housing for 30,000 students, was erected there in the 1960s and has since become a major educational and research centre. Pop. (1990) 36,172.

Arabia, Tribal relations

2005-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Throughout Arabian history, even during phases of foreign rule, it was the free, arms-bearing tribesmen who dominated other classes of society, be the tribes nomadic or oasis dwellers, settled farmers in the highlands, or sailors, traders, and pirates gaining their livelihood at sea. The sultans, emirs, and sheikhs were drawn from the tribes, whom they had to cosset to

Prosper Of Aquitaine, Saint

2005-02-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

Latin Prosper Tiro early Christian polemicist famous for his defense of Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine on grace, predestination, and free will, which became a norm for the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. Prosper's chief opponents were the Semi-Pelagians, who believed in the power of man's innate will to seek God, but at the

Gobi, Plant life

2005-02-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

Vegetation, as mentioned above, is sparse and rare. On the plateau and on the plains beneath the mountains, small bushlike vegetation occurs: echinochloa (a type of succulent grass found in warm regions), yellowwood bean caper, winter fat (a shrub covered with densely matted hairs), Dzungarian reaumur, nitre bush, and bushlike halophytic vegetation. In the salt marshes,

Allouez, Claude-jean

2005-02-25T04:06:00.000-08:00

Allouez entered the Society of Jesus at Toulouse, was ordained priest in 1655, and sailed for Quebec in 1658. He was stationed at settlements along the St. Lawrence River until his appointment (1663) as vicar general of the Northwest. He

Buddhism, All Souls festival

2005-02-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

The importance of the virtues of filial piety and the reverence of ancestors in China and Japan have established Ullambana, or All Souls Day, as one of the major Buddhist festivals in those countries. In China, worshipers in Buddhist temples make “boats of the law” ( fa-ch'uan) out of paper, some very large, which are then burned in the evening. The purpose of the celebration

Punjab

2005-02-24T02:38:00.000-08:00

Province of eastern Pakistan. It is bordered by the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the northeast, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, Sindh province to the south, Balochistan and North-West Frontier provinces to the west, and Islamabad federal capital area and Azad Kashmir to the north. Punjab is Pakistan's second largest province, after

Yes

2005-02-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

British progressive rock band known for its extended compositions and virtuoso musicianship. Its principal members were Jon Anderson (b. Oct. 25, 1944, Accrington, Lancashire, Eng.), Chris Squire (b. March 4, 1948, London, Eng.), Steve Howe (b. April 8, 1947, London), Rick Wakeman (b. May 18, 1949, London), and Alan White (b. June 14, 1949, Pelton, Durham, Eng.). Other members included Bill Bruford (b. May 17, 1949, Sevenoaks, Kent, Eng.), Patrick

Syzran

2005-02-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

City, Samara oblast (province), western Russia. It lies along the Volga River at the latter's confluence with the Syzran River. Founded in 1683 as a stronghold at the eastern end of the Syzran defensive line, the city is a significant river port and an important centre of the western Volga-Urals oil field. Oil refining, manufacture of chemicals, glassmaking, timber working, and

Saint Andrews, University Of

2005-02-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

Oldest university in Scotland, founded in 1411, located in Fife region. The university buildings, many of which date from the Middle Ages, include St. Salvator's College (1450), St. Leonard's College (1512), and the University Library, refounded by James VI in 1612. A third college, St. Mary's (1537), has been limited (since 1579) to the teaching of theology. In 1747 St. Salvator's and St. Leonard's were merged. Among the famous

Lévi-strauss, Claude

2005-02-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

French social anthropologist and leading exponent of structuralism, a name applied to the analysis of cultural systems (e.g., kinship and mythical systems) in terms of the structural relations among their elements. Structuralism has influenced not only 20th-century social science but also the study of philosophy, comparative religion, literature,

Team Handball

2005-02-21T02:17:00.000-08:00

A game consists of two 30-minute halves with an intermission,

Germanic Peoples

2005-02-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

No trace of autocracy can be found among the Germans whom Caesar describes. The leading men of the pagi (kindred groups) would try to patch up disputes as they arose, but they acted only in those disputes that broke out between members of their own pagus. There appears to have been no mediatory body at this date. In fact, in peacetime there appears to have been no central

Binturong

2005-02-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

(Arctictis binturong), catlike carnivore of the civet family (Viverridae), found in dense forests of southern Asia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It has long, shaggy hair, tufted ears, and a long, bushy, prehensile tail. The colour generally is black with a sprinkling of whitish hairs. The head and body measure about 60–95 centimetres (24–38 inches) and the tail an additional 55–90 cm (22–35 in.); weight ranges

La Harpe, Frédéric-césar De

2005-02-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

Resentment of Bernese administration in his native Vaud caused La Harpe to go abroad, and at the Russian imperial court he found employment as tutor to the future tsar Alexander

Astronomical Map

2005-02-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

Any cartographic representation of the stars, galaxies, or surfaces of the planets and the Moon. Modern maps of this kind are based on a coordinate system analagous to geographic latitude and longitude. In most cases, modern maps are compiled from photographic observations made either with Earth-based equipment or with instruments carried aboard

Om

2005-02-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

In Hinduism and other religions chiefly of India, a sacred syllable that is considered to be the greatest of all the mantras, or sacred formulas. The syllable Om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u coalesce to become o), which represent several important triads: the three worlds of earth, atmosphere, and heaven; the three major Hindu gods,

Palatine

2005-02-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

During the

Finsen, Niels Ryberg

2005-02-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

Finsen was born into a prominent Icelandic family that was involved in the administration of

Mobile

2005-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

Abstract sculpture that has moving parts, driven either by motors or the natural force of wind. The word mobile was initially suggested by Marcel Duchamp for a 1932 Paris exhibition of such works by the American artist Alexander Calder. One of Calder's first mobiles consisted of coloured spheres motorized to move up and down curving wires at different speeds. Later, he

Latin Literature, History

2005-02-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

Quintus Fabius Pictor wrote his pioneering history of Rome during the Second Punic War, using public and private records and writing in Greek. His immediate successors followed suit. Latin historical writing began with Cato's Origines. After him there were as many historiasters, or worthless historians, as the poetasters disdained by Cicero. The first great exception

Xanthinuria

2005-02-16T00:28:00.000-08:00

Rare inherited disorder of purine metabolism that results from a deficiency in the enzyme xanthine oxidase. Normally this enzyme breaks down the purine base xanthine to uric acid, which is then excreted. In the absence of the enzyme, xanthine is not metabolized by the body and its concentration builds up in the blood and urine. Xanthinuria is not a serious condition,

Fischer, Edmond H.

2005-02-15T04:13:00.000-08:00

The son of Swiss parents, Fischer earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Geneva in 1947 and

Vis

2005-02-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

Italian Lissa, Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, the outermost major island of the Dalmatian archipelago. Its area is 35 square miles (90 square km), and its highest point is Mount Hum, at 1,926 feet (587 m). Its climate and vegetation are Mediterranean and subtropical, with palms, Mediterranean pines, citrus, eucalyptus, cacti, and early vegetables. Fishing and canning are economically important.

Bd

2005-02-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Bonner Durchmusterung (q.v.), an astronomical catalog.

U2

2005-02-14T01:12:00.000-08:00

Bill Flanagan, U2 at the End of the World (1995), is an insightful, if frequently meandering, critical overview.

Theatrical Production

2005-02-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

While dramatic productions

Ancient Lights

2005-02-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

In English property law, the right of a building or house owner to the light received from and through his windows. Windows used for light by an owner for 20 years or more could not be obstructed by the erection of an edifice or by any other act by an adjacent landowner. This rule of law originated in England in 1663, based on the theory that a landowner acquired an easement to the

Crabbe, George

2005-02-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

Crabbe grew up in the impoverished seacoast village of Aldeburgh and was apprenticed to a surgeon at 14. Hating his mean surroundings and unsuccessful occupation, he abandoned both in 1780 and went to London. In 1781 he wrote a

Paleography

2005-02-12T01:22:00.000-08:00

Precise boundaries for paleography are hard to define. For example, epigraphy, the study of inscriptions cut on immovable objects for permanent public inspection, is related to paleography. Casual graffiti, sale or election notices as found on the walls

Alexander Iii

2005-02-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

King of Scotland from 1249 to 1286, the last major ruler of the dynasty of kings descended from Malcolm III Canmore (reigned 1058–93), who consolidated royal power in Scotland. Alexander left his kingdom independent, united, and prosperous, and his reign was viewed as a golden age by Scots caught up in the long, bloody conflict with England after his

Ben Wyvis

2005-02-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

Mountain in the northern Highlands, Highland council area, Scotland, whose summit stands some 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Dingwall on the Cromarty Firth, which is an inlet of the Moray Firth. The mountain has an elevation of 3,429 feet (1,045 metres). On its heights is Castle Leod (1616) and at its foot is the 18th-century resort spa of Strathpeffer.

Earle, Alice Morse

2005-02-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

Alice Morse married Henry Earle of New York in 1874. Her writing career began in 1890 when, at the suggestion of her father, she wrote an article on old Sabbath customs at her forebears' church

Turgenev, Ivan Sergeyevich

2005-02-10T03:05:00.000-08:00

Russian novelist, poet, and playwright, whose major works include the short-story collection A Sportsman's Sketches (1852) and the novels Rudin (1856), Home of the Gentry (1859), On the Eve (1860), and Fathers and Sons (1862). These works offer realistic, affectionate portrayals of the Russian peasantry and penetrating

Amritsar

2005-02-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Amritsar was founded in

Lignite

2005-02-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Brown to black coal that has been formed from peat under moderate pressure; it is one of the first products of coalification and is intermediate between peat and subbituminous coal. Dry lignite contains about 60 to 75 percent carbon. It has been estimated that about 45 percent of the world's total coal reserves are lignitic, but these reserves have not been exploited to any

Antibiotic

2005-02-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Although antibiotics are released naturally into the soil by bacteria and fungi, they did not come into worldwide prominence until the introduction of penicillin in 1941. Since then they have revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections

Round Table Conference

2005-02-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

The first (Nov. 12, 1930–Jan. 19, 1931) had 73 representatives, from