ParallelFoot

Hsin-yang

2005-10-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Xinyang city in southern Honan sheng (province), China. Hsin-yang is in the very south of the Honan plain, in the basin between the Ta-pieh Mountains and the Huai River. It has traditionally been on a cultural divide between the plain and the hilly districts to the south. It was also a natural route centre on the Shih River, a tributary of the Huai. The Shih has become passable for relatively

Mauretania

2005-07-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Transatlantic passenger liner of the Cunard Line, called the “Grand Old Lady of the Atlantic.” It was launched in 1906 and made its maiden voyage in 1907; thereafter, it held the Atlantic Blue Riband for speed until 1929, challenged only by its sister ship, the Lusitania (sunk by a German submarine on May 7, 1915). During World War I the Mauretania worked as a transport and hospital ship. During

Moravian Karst

2005-07-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Czech Moravský Kras karst in Jihomoravský kraj (region), eastern Czech Republic. It is a limestone area containing a labyrinth of swallow holes, underground passages and lakes, caverns, and calcareous formations. One of several small, disconnected karst areas, it is situated north of Brno, along the eastern bank of the Svitava River, and eastward along the latter's underground tributaries,

Agulhas Current

2005-07-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

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

Pereira, Nuno álvares, Blessed

2005-07-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Pereira distinguished himself in battle at age 13, fighting against the Castilians in their invasion of 1373. On the death of Ferdinand I of Portugal

Gyllenstierna, Johan, Greve

2005-07-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

From the beginning of his career (at the Riksdag, or Parliament, of 1660), Gyllenstierna advocated a strong royal authority and opposition to the nobles of the Riksråd (Council of the Realm). During Charles XI's minority, an opposition group in the regency and in the council

Herman, Woody

2005-06-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Herman was a child prodigy who sang and danced in vaudeville at six years of age. Soon after he began playing the saxophone and later the clarinet. Billed as the Boy

Parma

2005-06-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

City, capital of Parma province, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, on the Parma River, northwest of Bologna. Founded by the Romans along the Via Aemilia in 183 BC, Parma was important as a road junction; its trade flourished, and it obtained Roman citizenship. It became an episcopal see in the 4th century and was later destroyed by the Ostrogoth king Theodoric. The

Black Forest

2005-05-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

German Schwarzwald, mountain region, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, source of the Danube and Neckar rivers. It occupies an area of 2,320 sq mi (6,009 sq km) and extends toward the northeast for about 100 mi (160 km) from Säckingen on the Upper Rhine River (at the Swiss border) to Durlach (east of Karlsruhe). Its width varies from 10 to 25 mi. Structurally and topographically it forms the counterpart

Baden

2005-05-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Also called Baden Bei Wien, spa, Niederösterreich Bundesland (federal state), Austria. It lies along the Schwechat River, at the eastern edge of the Wiener Forest, south of Vienna. Settled in prehistoric times, it was a Roman watering place, or aquae, and was recorded in 869 as the seat of a Frankish imperial palace. Chartered in 1480, it was destroyed by the Turks in 1529 and 1683. It is famous for its warm sulfur-chlorine

Noverre, Jean-georges

2005-03-15T22:18:00.000-08:00

Distinguished French choreographer whose revolutionary treatise, Lettres sur la danse et sur les ballets (1760), still valid, brought about major reforms in ballet production, stressing the importance of dramatic motivation, which he called ballet d'action, and decrying overemphasis on technical virtuosity. His first choreographic

Locke, John, Empiricism

2005-03-12T00:11:00.000-08:00

As for �the original,� the answer was plain. Knowledge of the world began in sense perception, and self-knowledge in introspection, or �reflection� in Locke's language. It did not begin in innate knowledge of maxims or general principles, and it did not proceed by syllogistic reasoning from such principles. In the 17th century there had been much vague talk about innate knowledge,

France, History Of, The principalities of the south

2005-03-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

Provence lay in what is now the southeastern corner of France; it was not part of the west Frankish domains. Included in the Middle Kingdom from 843, it passed to the kings of Burgundy after 879 and to the emperors in the 11th century. But it was local counts once again who won prestige

China, Y�an China and the West

2005-03-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

As mentioned above, Mongol rulers favoured trade in all their dominions. In China, too, they eliminated state trade controls that had existed under the Sung and Chin, so that internal and external trade reached unprecedented proportions. It seems, however, that China's transcontinental trade with the Middle East and Europe was in the hands of non-Chinese (Persians,

Kirchhoff's Circuit Rules

2005-03-05T03:46:00.000-08:00

The first rule, the junction theorem, states that the sum of the currents into a specific junction in the circuit equals the sum of the currents out of the

Duralumin

2005-03-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Strong, hard, lightweight alloy of aluminum, widely used in aircraft construction, discovered and patented in 1910 by Alfred Wilm, a German metallurgist; it was originally made only at D�ren in Germany. The original composition has been varied for particular applications; it may contain about 3 or 4 percent copper, 1/2 to 1 percent manganese, 1/2 to 1 1/2 percent magnesium, and, in some formulations,

Morgan, Karl

2005-03-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

American physicist who worked as a senior scientist on the Manhattan Project in 1943 and served as director of health physics at the Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory (1944 - 72); despite his position in the nuclear establishment, he warned about the dangers of nuclear radiation, testifying in several cases in the 1970s and '80s on behalf of those claiming to have suffered from radiation

China, The Sino-Japanese War

2005-03-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

On July 7, 1937, a minor clash between Japanese and Chinese troops near Pei-p'ing (Peking's name under the National Government) finally led the two nations into war. The Japanese government tried for several weeks to settle the incident locally, but China's mood was highly nationalistic and public opinion clamoured for resistance to further aggression. In late July, new fighting

Huntsville

2005-03-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1808) of Madison county, northern Alabama, U.S. It is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains near the Tennessee River, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Birmingham. It was originally called Twickenham by planter Leroy Pope for the home of his kinsman, Alexander Pope, the English poet. It was incorporated in 1811 and was renamed for John Hunt of Virginia, a Revolutionary

M�ller, Poul Martin

2005-02-28T00:38:00.000-08:00

Danish author whose novel of student life, the first in his country's literature that dealt with the contemporary scene, marked an important stage in the history of Danish literature. His aphorism, �All poetry that does not come from life is a lie,� sums up his realistic approach in a romantic age. He is also distinguished

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-02-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

The seal is of significant importance to the survival of the Eskimos and other inhabitants of the north, who use almost every part of the animal: the meat is eaten; bones used for implements; tendons for sewing; hides for leather to make footwear, boats, shelters, bags, clothing, and ornaments; and the oil and fat for fuel, lubrication, and tanning. The ivory tusks of the walrus

Anne Boleyn

2005-02-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

Anne's father was Sir Thomas Boleyn, later Earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde.

Graham, George

2005-02-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

Graham was apprenticed to a London watchmaker and came to the notice of the renowned watchmaker Thomas Tompion. After completing his apprenticeship, Graham succeeded to Tompion's business and to his reputation as the best watchmaker of his time. He perfected

Mainit, Lake

2005-02-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

Lake on the border of Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Sur provinces, northeastern Mindanao, Philippines. It is the country's fourth largest lake and has an area of 58 sq mi (150 sq km). Its outlet is the Tubay River, which flows southward before entering Butuan Bay of the Mindanao Sea. Lake Mainit is skirted on the east by the Philippine - Japan Friendship Highway, connecting Surigao

Strain Theory

2005-02-23T02:58:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, a proposal made in 1885 by the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer that the stability of carbocyclic compounds (i.e., those of which the molecular structure includes one or more rings of carbon atoms) depends on the amount by which the angles between the chemical bonds deviate from the value (109�28�) observed in compounds not containing such rings. The amount of deviation

Gatton

2005-02-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Town and shire, southern Queensland, Australia. It lies along Lockyer Creek, about 58 miles (93 km) west of Brisbane. Probably named after Gattonside near Roxburgh in the Borders region, Scotland, it was gazetted as the site for a village in 1855 and by 1858 was a place of call for travelers between Brisbane and the Darling Downs. Gatton is now the service centre for a mixed-farming district

Macarius

2005-02-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

A monk of the monastery of St. Paphnutius in Borovsk, southwest of Moscow, Macarius became archbishop of Novgorod in 1526. After his elevation in 1542 as metropolitan of Moscow and of all Russia, Macarius gathered a

Sentimental Comedy

2005-02-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

A dramatic genre of the 18th century, denoting plays in which middle-class protagonists triumphantly overcome a series of moral trials. Such comedy aimed at producing tears rather than laughter. Sentimental comedies reflected contemporary philosophical conceptions of humans as inherently good but capable of being led astray through bad example. By an appeal

Dana, Richard Henry

2005-02-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

Dana withdrew from Harvard College when measles weakened his eyesight, and he shipped to California as a sailor in August 1834 to regain his health. After voyaging among California's ports and gathering hides ashore, he rounded Cape Horn, returned

Vend�me, C�sar, Duke (duc) De

2005-02-16T22:42:00.000-08:00

The elder son of King Henry IV by his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estr�es, Vend�me was legitimized in 1595 and created Duke de Vend�me in 1598. In 1609 he married Fran�oise, daughter of Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duke de Mercoeur, to whose governorship he succeeded at that

Cheltenham

2005-02-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

A church is known to have existed at Cheltenham as early as 803. The town is first mentioned in documents in 1223, when the benefit of markets, fairs, and the hundred (feudal

Wage And Salary, Subsistence theory

2005-02-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

Subsistence theories emphasize the supply aspects and neglect the demand aspects of the labour market. They hold that change in the supply of workers is the basic force that drives real wages to the minimum required for subsistence. Elements of a subsistence theory appear in The Wealth of Nations, where Smith wrote that the wages paid to workers had to be enough

Quicherat, Jules (-�tienne-joseph)

2005-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Quicherat

Metallophone

2005-02-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

China had such instruments by the 7th century. Metallophones had reached northern Europe from Indonesia

Epistemology, The nature of knowledge

2005-02-11T03:50:00.000-08:00

As indicated above, one of the basic questions of epistemology concerns the nature of knowledge. Philosophers normally interpret this query as a conceptual question, i.e., as an issue about a certain conception or idea or notion called knowledge. The question raises a perplexing methodological issue, namely, how does one go about investigating such conceptual questions?

Biblical Literature, Adaptation of the Christian message to the Hellenistic religious situation

2005-02-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

The Christian message adapted itself to this Hellenistic situation of crisis and proved a successful answer: Jesus was proclaimed as Lord and Saviour, Baptism was practiced as a form of initiation and a passage from death to new life, and the Lord's Supper was celebrated as a sacral meal. The obvious difference between Christianity and the mystery religions is that

Cram, Ralph Adams

2005-02-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the influential English critic John Ruskin, Cram became an ardent advocate of and authority on English and French Gothic styles. In 1888 he opened an architectural firm in Boston, where he became associated with B.G. Goodhue and later with F.W.

Zollverein

2005-02-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

The movement to create a free-trade zone in Germany received great impetus from economists such as Friedrich List, its most active advocate in early 19th-century Germany. In 1818 Prussia

B�la Iv

2005-02-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

Routed on the banks of the Saj� River in 1241 by Mongols under Batu Khan, B�la fled to Dalmatia, and for a year the kingdom of Hungary did not exist. So nearly complete was the country's destruction that Hungarians, when referring to total calamity,

Creativity

2005-02-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Psychological experiments in the fields of motivation and learning have disclosed the power of novelty as an inducement to action. There appears to be an essential and continuing tension in higher organisms

Zen

2005-02-05T01:35:00.000-08:00

Chinese �Ch'an� (from Sanskrit dhyana, �meditation�), important school of Buddhism in Japan that claims to transmit the spirit or essence of Buddhism, which consists in experiencing the enlightenment (bodhi) achieved by Gautama the Buddha. The school arose in the 6th century in China as Ch'an, a form of Mahayana Buddhism; though introduced centuries earlier, Zen did not fully develop in Japan

Wiggin, Kate Douglas

2005-02-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

Kate Douglas Smith attended a district school in Philadelphia and for short periods the Gorham Female Seminary in Maine, the Morison Academy in Maryland, and the Abbott Academy in Massachusetts. In 1873 she moved with her family to Santa

Mckenna, Joseph

2005-02-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

McKenna grew up in California and was admitted to the state bar in 1865. A Republican, he served as Solano county district attorney (1866 - 70) and in the California state legislature (1875 - 76). Despite the prevailing anti-Roman Catholic sentiments that contributed to two defeats at the polls, McKenna was elected in

Henreid, Paul

2005-02-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Henreid, the son of an aristocratic Viennese banker, trained for the theatre in Vienna and made his stage debut under director

Ely, Isle Of

2005-02-01T01:35:00.000-08:00

Historic region of England, part of the administrative and historic county of Cambridgeshire. The Isle of Ely consists of a hill about 7 miles (11 km) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide that rises above the surrounding fens (low-lying lands that were partly covered by water). The Isle of Ely is the highest point in these fenlands and was formerly an island surrounded by marshes and swamps;

Laos, Flag Of

2005-01-31T04:10:00.000-08:00

In 1353 King Fa Ngum proclaimed the �Kingdom of the Million Elephants and White Parasol,� basing the name on those traditional symbols of the Lao people. The mythical first ruler of Laos had arrived riding a white elephant, an animal held in great reverence by peoples of Southeast Asia, while the parasol, or royal umbrella, long served as an important part of the king's ceremonial

Alismatidae

2005-01-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

Subclass of flowering plants belonging to the class Lilopsida.

La Orotava

2005-01-29T03:22:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Tenerife island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincia, Canary Islands comunidad aut�noma (�autonomous community�), Spain, just southwest of Santa Cruz de Tenerife city. The town is a health resort with its port, Puerto de la Cruz, on the coast immediately to the northwest. It lies in the Orotava Valley, known for its luxuriant vegetation and called the most beautiful

Small Arm, Single shot

2005-01-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

During World War I, most armies developed attachments for standard service rifles that permitted the launching of �rifle� grenades. However, although range was increased with these devices, accuracy remained poor. An effective answer was a shoulder-fired grenade launcher developed in the 1950s by the Springfield Armory. Resembling a single-shot, break-open, sawed-off

Kwando River

2005-01-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

Portuguese �Rio Cuando, � river in southern Africa, rising in central Angola and flowing southeast, forming for nearly 140 miles (225 km) the boundary between Angola and Zambia. Near the end of its course the Kwando reaches the northern boundary of the Caprivi Strip, which juts out from Namibia, and thereafter the river spreads into the Linyanti Marshes, covering about 550 square miles (1,425 square km) and including

Mauritius

2005-01-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

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

Mountain, Andean-type belts

2005-01-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

At some continental margins, oceanic lithosphere is subducted. At some of these sites, the landscape is dominated by volcanoes, such as along the Cascades of western North America or in Japan, but at others, such as along much of the Andes of South America, volcanoes constitute only a small or even negligible part of the relief. At Andean-type margins, the crust is typically

La Rioja

2005-01-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

Provincia, northwestern Argentina, extending southeastward from Chile. The provincia's southeastern half is an arid to semiarid plain, while the northwestern section is crossed north to south by alternating mountain ranges and semiarid valleys associated with the Andean cordillera. Saline marshes and lakes of the southeast are formed by intermittent streams

Bandar-e 'abbas

2005-01-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

Bandar-e 'Abb

Bonefish

2005-01-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

Also called �Banana Fish, or Ladyfish� (Albula vulpes), marine game fish of the family Albulidae (order Elopiformes). It inhabits shallow coastal and island waters in tropical seas and is admired by anglers for its speed and strength. Maximum length and weight are about 76 cm (30 inches) and 6.4 kg (14 pounds). The bonefish has a deeply notched caudal fin (near the tail) and a small mouth beneath a pointed, piglike

Clovis I

2005-01-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

Clovis was the son

Responsorial Singing

2005-01-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Style of singing in which a leader alternates with a chorus. Responsorial singing is found in the folk music of many cultures - e.g., American Indian, African, and African American. One example from the rural United States is the lining out of hymns in churches: a leader sings a hymn line, which is then repeated by the congregation. Responsorial singing of the psalms was practiced

Uesugi Family

2005-01-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

The Uesugi were already dominant in the Kanto region of Honshu when the appointment of the head of the family to the hereditary post of governor-general of Kanto in 1439 made them the second most powerful clan in Japan and the dominant power in the western part of the

Diorite

2005-01-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

Medium- to coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock that commonly is composed of about two-thirds plagioclase feldspar and one-third dark-coloured minerals, such as hornblende or biotite. The presence of sodium-rich feldspar, oligoclase or andesine, in contrast to calcium-rich plagioclase, labradorite or bytownite, is the main distinction between diorite and gabbro

Computers, The Altair

2005-01-17T22:59:00.000-08:00

In September 1973 Radio Electronics published an article describing a �TV Typewriter,� which was a computer terminal that could connect a hobbyist with a mainframe computer. It was written by Don Lancaster, an aerospace engineer and fire spotter in Arizona who was also a prolific author of do-it-yourself articles for electronics hobbyists. The TV Typewriter provided

Palate

2005-01-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

The hard palate, which composes two-thirds of the total palate area, is a plate of bone covered by a moist,

Marrucini

2005-01-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

Ancient tribe that occupied a small area around Teate (modern Chieti) on the east coast of Italy. The Marrucini, though Samnite kinsmen, were probably not members of the Samnite league; they did, however, come into conflict with the Romans during the Second Samnite War, at the end of which they entered the Roman alliance (304 BC). They revolted in 91 BC and were thereafter enrolled in

Puerto Ayacucho

2005-01-13T04:59:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Amazonas estado (state), southern Venezuela, situated on the Orinoco River just below the Atures Rapids, which block navigation on the river. Puerto Ayacucho is the trading centre for the large but sparsely populated state, which produces mainly rubber and balata. From the city a road leads 55 miles (90 km) south-southwestward to the river port of Samariapo,

Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig

2005-01-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

In 1898 Kirchner was impressed by the graphic art of the German late Gothic artists,

France, History Of, Charlemagne

2005-01-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

Pepin III, faithful to ancient customs, divided his kingdom between his two sons, Charles (Charlemagne) and Carloman. On Carloman's death in 771 the kingdom was reunited. Charlemagne established the base of his kingdom in northeastern Francia (his preferred residence was Aachen [Aix-la-Chapelle]).

Gonz�lez M�rquez, Felipe

2005-01-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Spanish lawyer and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Espa�ol; PSOE) politician who was prime minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996. During his four terms in office, he consolidated Spain's fledgling democracy, oversaw continued economic growth, and brought Spain into the European Community (EC; now commonly called the European

Kiritimati Atoll

2005-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Also called �Christmas Atoll� largest island of purely coral formation in the world, having an area of 150 square miles (388 square km) and a circumference of about 100 miles (160 km). It is in the Northern Line Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Kiritimati Atoll was sighted on Christmas Eve in 1777 by the English navigator Captain James Cook. Although claimed by the United States under the Guano

Palenque

2005-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Ruined ancient Mayan city of the Late Classic period (c. AD 600 - 900) in what is now Chiapas state, Mexico, about 80 miles (130 km) south of Ciudad del Carmen. Its original name was lost, and thus it was named for the neighbouring village of Santo Domingo del Palenque. The Palenque builders used plaster to obtain a smooth finish unlike the usual Mayan tooled-limestone construction. They used

Arabia, History Of, Arabia since 1962

2005-01-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

Political changes in Yemen and Saudi Arabia during the early 1960s epitomized a vast transformation of the Arabian Peninsula that affected the lives of most of its inhabitants. In 1962 Egyptian-trained Yemeni officers led a coup d'�tat and invited Egypt to send troops to support the republic. The imam's forces, although backed by Saudi Arabia during five years of war against

Asian Games

2005-01-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

The first games were held in 1951 at New Delhi; from 1954 they were held every four years. Athletes from 11 nations participated in the inaugural

Biblical Literature, On Western civilization

2005-01-05T04:55:00.000-08:00

The Bible brought its view of God, the universe, and mankind into all the leading Western languages and thus into the intellectual processes of Western man. The Greek translation of the Old Testament made it accessible in the Hellenistic period (c. 300 BCE - c. 300 CE) and provided a language for the New Testament and for the Christian liturgy and theology of the first three centuries.

Nataraja

2005-01-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

In the most common type of images, which includes the magnificent Cola bronzes of the 10th - 11th century, Siva is shown with four arms and flying locks dancing on the figure of a dwarf, the Apasmarapurusa (a symbol of man's ignorance; puru

Peter Iii

2005-01-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

In 1262 he had married Constance, heiress of Manfred, the Hohenstaufen king of Sicily; and after the revolt of the Sicilians in 1282 he invaded the island and was proclaimed king at Palermo, despite strong Guelph and papal opposition (see Sicilian

Ribeauvill�

2005-01-02T04:10:00.000-08:00

German �Rappoltsweiler, � town, Haut-Rhin d�partement, Alsace r�gion, in eastern France. It lies at the entrance of the valley of the Strengbach, under the Vosges Mountains, 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Strasbourg. It is distinguished by a medieval gate, the Porte des Bouchers (a relic of the ancient walls that surrounded the city), and it has many medieval houses and two fine Gothic churches, of St. Gregory

Earthworm

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

Also called �angleworm� any one of more than 1,800 species of terrestrial worms of the class Oligochaeta (phylum Annelida) - in particular, members of the genus Lumbricus. Seventeen native species and 13 introduced species (from Europe) occur in the eastern United States, L. terrestris being the most common. Earthworms occur in virtually all soils of the world in which the moisture

Ester

2004-12-31T20:46:00.000-08:00

Carboxylic acid esters, formula RCOOR� (R and R� are any organic combining groups), are commonly prepared by reaction of carboxylic acids and alcohols in the presence of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric

Plot

2004-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

In fiction, the structure of interrelated actions, consciously selected and arranged by the author. Plot involves a considerably higher level of narrative organization than normally occurs in a story or fable. According to E.M. Forster in Aspects of the Novel (1927), a story is a �narrative of events arranged in their time-sequence,� whereas a plot organizes the events according

Fish Owl

2004-12-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

The brown fish owl (K. zeylonensis) ranges from the eastern Mediterranean to Taiwan and Japan. Pel's fishing owl (S.

Oman, Portuguese and Persian invasions

2004-12-28T02:34:00.000-08:00

On route to India, the Portuguese sacked Muscat in 1507 and soon controlled the entire coast. More than a century later the Ya'rubid dynasty drove the Portuguese from the Omani coast, recapturing Muscat in 1650 and then occupying Portuguese settlements in the Persian Gulf and East African coastal regions. Their empire eventually crumbled in a civil war over the succession

Ayodhya

2004-12-27T03:48:00.000-08:00

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

Eakins, Thomas

2004-12-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

In 1875 Eakins, who had yet to become well known, decided to paint a major picture for the Centennial Exposition to be held in Philadelphia the following year. He took as his subject a scene that had become familiar to him - Samuel Gross of Jefferson Medical College operating in his clinic before his students. Gross was a magnetic teacher and one of the country's greatest surgeons.

Farc

2004-12-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Spanish �Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (�Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia�)� Marxist guerilla organization in Colombia. Formed in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, the FARC is the largest of Colombia's rebel groups, estimated to possess some 10,000 to 15,000 armed soldiers and thousands of supporters, largely drawn from Colombia's rural areas. One of the organization's founders, Manuel Marulanda V�lez (originally Pedro Antonio

Ear Disease, Boil in the ear (furuncle)

2004-12-24T04:38:00.000-08:00

Infection of a hair follicle anywhere on the body is known as a boil, or furuncle. This can occur in a hair follicle in the outer-ear canal, especially when there is infection of the skin of the canal. It always occurs because of a particular type of germ known as staphylococcus. Because the skin of the ear canal is closely attached to the underlying cartilage, a boil in the

Ord River

2004-12-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

River in the Kimberley plateau region, northeastern Western Australia. It rises in the Albert Edward Range and follows an easterly and northerly course for 300 mi (500 km) to Cambridge Gulf. Chief tributaries are the Denham, Stirling, Panton, Wilson, Bow, Nicholson, and Elvire. Its upper reaches cut through deep gorges, which give way to grasslands and forests along its middle

Italy, Literature

2004-12-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

Italian literature, and indeed standard Italian, have their origins in the 14th century Tuscan dialect, the language of its three founding fathers, Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. After unification, writers began to explore subjects theretofore considered too lowly for literary consideration, such as poverty and living conditions in the Mezzogiorno. Writers such

Baranya

2004-12-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

Megye (county), southern Hungary, bounded to the south by the Drava River, and by the Mecsek Mountains in its northwestern area. Its area of 1,732 square miles (4,487 square km) is hilly, forested terrain. With adjacent Somogy megye, it is the most sparsely populated part of Hungary. The climate is semi-Mediterranean, and peaches, plums, sour cherries, grains, and vegetables are grown. Pigs

M�

2004-12-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Alpine village, Bern canton, south central Switzerland, situated high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Oberland (highland), opposite the Jungfrau (13,642 ft [4,158 m]). It is the highest village in the canton (elevation 5,450 ft) that is inhabited all the year round. A noted health and international winter-sports resort, it is also a ballooning centre with an annual international

Protestantism, Germany

2004-12-19T02:12:00.000-08:00

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a reaction against the Enlightenment occurred in Germany. In philosophy, literature, and music it found expression in German Idealism and Romanticism. Indeed, a number of religious thinkers sought to point out the banality of the Enlightenment and to preserve and awaken genuine Christianity. Among these was Johann Georg

Computers, Von Neumann's �Preliminary Discussion�

2004-12-18T01:52:00.000-08:00

But the design of the modern, or classical, computer did not fully crystallize until the publication of a 1946 paper by Arthur Burks, Herman Goldstine, and John von Neumann titled �Preliminary Discussion of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Instrument.� Although many researchers contributed ideas directly or indirectly to the paper, von Neumann was the principal

Burette

2004-12-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Buret, � laboratory apparatus used in quantitative chemical analysis to measure the volume of a liquid or a gas. It consists of a graduated glass tube with a stopcock (turning plug, or spigot) at one end. On a liquid burette, the stopcock is at the bottom, and the precise volume of the liquid dispensed can be determined by reading the graduations marked on the glass tube at the liquid

Pavarotti, Luciano

2004-12-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Pavarotti graduated from a teaching institute in Modena (1955) and then taught elementary school for two years. He studied opera privately, mostly in Mantua. After winning the Concorso Internationale, a singing competition, he made his professional operatic debut

Wichale, Treaty Of

2004-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

Article XVII of the Treaty of Wichale stated that the emperor of Ethiopia �could� have

Ryazan

2004-12-14T00:55:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Riazan, or R'azan� ', oblast (province), western Russia. It occupies an area of 15,300 square miles (39,600 square km) in the middle Oka River basin and extends southward across the northern end of the Central Russian Upland and Oka-Don Plain to the upper Don River basin. North of the Oka is the Meshchera Lowland, with extensive swamps of reed and grass marsh and mixed forest of oak, spruce, pine, and birch. Considerable

Quantrill, William C.

2004-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Ohio, Quantrill taught school in Ohio and then Illinois and, in 1857, moved to Kansas,

Silica Gel

2004-12-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

Silica gel was known as early as 1640, but it remained a curiosity until its adsorbent properties were found useful in gas masks during World War I. It is generally prepared by acidification

Theatre, Western, Shamanism

2004-12-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

A second theory proposes that theatre evolved from shamanistic rituals that manifested to the audience a supernatural presence, as opposed to giving a symbolic representation of it. In this case the shaman, as actor/priest, was able to put himself into a trance and become a medium with the other world. He was believed to travel in the spirit world or be actually possessed

Valencia

2004-12-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Capital of Valencia province and the autonomous community (region) of Valencia, and of the former kingdom of Valencia, eastern Spain. Located on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the R�o Turia (Guadalaviar), it is surrounded by orchards in a region known as the Huerta de Valencia. The earliest mention (Valentia) is by the Roman historian Livy, who states that the consul

Angular Velocity

2004-12-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

In engineering, angles or angular displacements are commonly expressed in degrees or revolutions (of 360�), and angular velocities in

Abd�lhamid I

2004-12-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

Ottoman sultan from 1774 to 1789 who concluded the war with Russia by signing the humiliating Treaty of K��k Kaynarca. By the terms of the treaty, Russia obtained the fortresses on the coast of the Sea of Azov, the area between the Dnieper and Bug rivers, and navigation and commercial privileges in the Ottoman Empire. Bukovina was ceded to Austria in 1775. Russia annexed

Check

2004-12-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

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