EarlyCord

Mitra

2005-03-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

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

Jammu And Kashmir, Animal life

2005-03-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

Among the wild mammals found in the state are the Siberian ibex, the Ladakh urial (a species of wild sheep with a reddish coat), the rare hangul (or Kashmir stag) found in Dachigam National Park, and black and brown bears. There are many species of game birds, including vast numbers of migratory ducks.

Athamas

2005-03-19T03:29:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, king of the prehistoric Minyans in the ancient Boeotian city of Orchomenus. His first wife was Nephele, a cloud goddess. But later Athamas became enamoured of Ino, the daughter of Cadmus, and neglected Nephele, who disappeared in anger. Athamas and Ino incurred the wrath of the goddess Hera because Ino had nursed the god Dionysus (q.v.). Athamas went mad

Rueda, Lope De

2005-03-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

A gold-beater by trade, Rueda was probably attracted to the stage by touring Italian actors; he organized a traveling theatre company and as its autor, or author-manager, took his troupe throughout Spain. He became popular and played

Tide

2005-03-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

At the surface of the Earth the gravitational force of the Moon is about 2.2 times greater than that of the Sun.

Obey River

2005-03-14T01:31:00.000-08:00

River in north-central Tennessee, U.S., formed by the East Fork Obey and West Fork Obey rivers in southern Pickett county. It flows north and west to join the Cumberland River at Celina after a course of about 60 miles (100 km). Dale Hollow Dam, finished in 1943, impounds Dale Hollow Lake, which has 620 miles (1,000 km) of shoreline and covers most of the Obey's length. The lake provides numerous recreation

Gyliakian Series

2005-03-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

Major division of Cretaceous rocks and time in Japan (the Cretaceous Period began about 144,000,000 years ago and lasted about 77,600,000 years). Rocks of the Gyliakian Series overlie those of the Miyakoan Series and underlie rocks of the Urakawan Series. Two stages, the Upper and Lower Gyliakian stages, are recognized and represent shorter spans of time. Distinctive fossil cephalopods

A Lo Divino

2005-03-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

In Spanish literature, the recasting of a secular work as a religious work, or, more generally, a treatment of a secular theme in religious terms through the use of allegory, symbolism, and metaphor. Adaptations a lo divino were popular during the Golden Age of Spanish literature during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Afonso I

2005-03-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

Alfonso VI, emperor of Leon, had granted the county of Portugal to Afonso's father, Henry of Burgundy, who successfully defended it against the Muslims (1095–1112). Henry married Alfonso VI's illegitimate daughter, Teresa, who

Dandenong Ranges

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

Mountain ranges, part of the Eastern Highlands, east of Melbourne in southern Victoria, Australia. Several peaks exceed 1,600 ft (500 m), the highest of which is Mt. Dandenong (2,077 ft). With nearly twice as much rainfall as the nearby coastal plain and with fertile volcanic soils, the mountains have dense vegetative cover. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word, tanjenong, meaning

Brugge-zeebrugge Canal

2005-03-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Waterway built between 1896 and 1907 to connect Brugge (Bruges) in Belgium with the North Sea, thus restoring Brugge's ancient status as an ocean port. At 7.5 miles (12 km) long, the canal has a depth of 24 feet (7 m), a minimum width of 65.7 feet (20 m), a maximum width of 350 feet (110 m), and one lock.

Rio De Janeiro, Protocol Of

2005-03-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

(1942), treaty settling possession of the disputed Oriente region on the border of Peru and Ecuador, arranged by a conference of Western Hemisphere foreign ministers held at Rio de Janeiro. Peruvian forces had occupied the area in 1941, defeating the poorly equipped Ecuadoran army. Initial attempts by the United States, Argentina, and Brazil to arrange a peaceful settlement

Earth Sciences

2005-02-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Macdiarmid, Alan G.

2005-02-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

MacDiarmid earned Ph.D.'s in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin at Madison (1953) and the

Ibsen, Henrik (johan)

2005-02-24T06:55:00.000-08:00

Ibsen was born at Skien, a small

Paulician

2005-02-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

The fundamental

Amara, Lucine

2005-02-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

Amara studied singing in San Francisco, where she sang in the chorus of the San Francisco Opera (1945–46) and made her concert debut at the War Memorial Opera House (c. 1946). She continued her studies at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Calif. (1947), and won a contest leading to an

Genesis

2005-02-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Bereshit (“In the Beginning”), the first book of the Old Testament. Its name derives from the opening words: “In the beginning . . . .” Genesis narrates the primeval history of the world (chapters 1–11) and the patriarchal history of the Israelite people (chapters 12–50). The primeval history includes the familiar stories of the Creation, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, and the Tower

Cd

2005-02-15T03:50:00.000-08:00

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

Irish Needle Lace

2005-02-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

Lace made with a needle in Ireland from the late 1840s, when the craft was introduced as a famine-relief measure. Technically and stylistically influenced by 17th-century Venetian needle lace, it arose in several centres through the enterprise of individuals, especially the mother superiors of convents, who unraveled old examples to learn the technique and then taught

Abd Ar-rahman

2005-02-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

Having succeeded to the throne without internal conflict, Abd ar-Rahman became an able administrator and active builder of public works. During his long reign his authority was often challenged

American Literature, Fiction

2005-02-09T02:16:00.000-08:00

The little magazines that helped the growth of the poetry also contributed to a development of the fiction of the era. They printed daring or unconventional short stories and published attacks upon established writers. The Dial (1880–1929), the Little Review (1914–29), the Seven Arts (1916–17), and others encouraged modernist innovation. More potent were two magazines edited by the ferociously

China, Prelude to the Han

2005-02-08T03:58:00.000-08:00

From 403 BC onward seven kingdoms other than Chou constituted the ruling authorities in different parts of China, each of which was led by its own king or duke. In theory, the king of Chou, whose territory was by now greatly reduced, was recognized as possessing superior powers and moral overlordship over the other kingdoms, but practical administration lay in the hands

Pollaiuolo, Antonio Del And Piero Del

2005-02-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

The brothers

Fabales

2005-02-04T01:14:00.000-08:00

Legumes occur in all terrestrial habitats occupied by plants, although the greatest number of species is in the tropics, where the group probably originated. But there are many legumes in the temperate plains, woodlands, and deserts. A few not only survive but succeed as weeds, in the human-made farming, industrial, and urban environment. They are less common in the northern

Monck (of Ballytrammon), Sir Charles Stanley, 4th Viscount, 1st Baron Monck Of Ballytrammon

2005-02-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Monck was educated at Trinity College in Dublin and was called to practice in the Irish bar in 1841. On the death of his father he succeeded to the peerage of Ireland in 1849 and was elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal member from Portsmouth.

Swamp Pheasant

2005-01-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Pheasant Coucal, bird species of the cuckoo family (Cuculidae). See coucal.

Nitrogen Cycle

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

Circulation of nitrogen in various forms through nature. Nitrogen, a component of proteins and nucleic acids, is essential to life on Earth. Although 78 percent by volume of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas, this abundant reservoir exists in a form unusable by most organisms. Through a series of microbial transformations, however, nitrogen is made available to plants,

Cruz, Sor Juana Inés De La

2005-01-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

An intellectual prodigy, at eight she composed a loa (short dramatic poem) in honour of the Blessed Sacrament. At the same time, she begged her parents to disguise her as a boy and send her to the University of Mexico

Cospicua

2005-01-25T16:57:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern Malta, one of the Three Cities (the others being Senglea and Vittoriosa), at the head of Dockyard Creek, just south of Valletta across Grand Harbour. It developed as a suburb of Vittoriosa in the mid-16th century and was a thriving settlement (known as Bormla) before it was severely damaged by the Turks in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It was rebuilt and refortified

Río Negro

2005-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Provincia, south-central Argentina, lying within the region known as Patagonia and extending westward from the Atlantic to the Andes and the border with Neuquén provincia. It is crossed (northwest to southeast) by the Negro River. South of the Negro, most of the land consists of arid tablelands. To the west are the chains of lakes and the forested valleys of

Dabola

2005-01-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Town, central Guinea, western Africa, situated at the eastern edge of the Fouta Djallon plateau near the Bouka branch of the Tinkisso River. Dabola lies on the Conakry–Kankan railway near the intersection of roads from Mamou, Kouroussa, and Faranah. Dabola is a chief trading centre for rice, peanuts (groundnuts), millet, and cattle and also has a peanut-oil-processing plant.

Orange Walk

2005-01-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Belize, situated on the left (west) bank of the New River. Established in early colonial times, it was pillaged by hostile Indians in 1872. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it conducted a thriving trade in mahogany. The town declined after demand for mahogany lessened. Sugarcane and citrus fruit cultivation and rum distilling are the main economic

Powell River

2005-01-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

River rising in Wise county, southwestern Virginia, U.S., and flowing southwest through Big Stone Gap in the Cumberland Plateau into Tennessee to enter the Clinch River at Norris Dam, 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Knoxville, Tenn. Approximately half of its total length of about 150 miles (240 km) is now an extension of Norris Reservoir, impounded by the dam. Originally called Beargrass

Thought, Artistic versus scientific creativity

2005-01-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

While the processes of creative thinking in artistic and scientific pursuits have much in common, there are also distinctive differences. The artist places more importance on feeling and individual expression, often going to extremes to divorce himself from environmental constraints. The scientist relies more on disciplined, logical thinking to lead him

Ecotone

2005-01-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

A transition area of vegetation between two different plant communities, such as forest and grassland. It has some of the characteristics of each bordering community and often contains species not found in the overlapping communities. An ecotone may exist along a broad belt or in a small pocket, such as a forest clearing, where two local communities blend together.

Lena River

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

The Lena is navigable by small boats in sections below Kachug and below Ust-Kut by larger vessels. The most important ports are Bulun, Zhigansk, Yakutsk, Vitim, Kirensk, Osetrovo, Zhigalovo, and Kachug. The major navigable tributaries are the Kirenga and Vilyuy on the left bank and the Vitim, Olyokma, and Aldan on the right bank. Timber, furs, gold, mica, industrial products,

Ciller, Tansu

2005-01-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

Ciller was born to an affluent family in Istanbul. Graduating from the University of Bosporus with a degree in economics, she continued her studies in the United States, where she earned graduate degrees from the Universities of

Swains Island

2005-01-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

Coral atoll, American Samoa, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 280 miles (450 km) north of Tutuila. The atoll is 15–25 feet (5–8 m) above sea level; it is circular in shape, with 8 miles (13 km) of shoreline, and encloses a freshwater lagoon. It has an area of about 1 square mile (2.6 square km). Probably first known to Europeans in the 19th century, the atoll was named for a whaling captain. It is not geographically a

Earth, The contribution of orbiting satellites

2005-01-02T03:23:00.000-08:00

The development of artificial satellites whose orbits could be observed from Earth totally revolutionized man's ability to define the shape of the Earth and its gravity field. A value for the flattening of the ellipsoid that superseded all previous values was obtained within weeks after the launching of the Soviet Sputnik I in 1957. Since that time, scientists have

Mysticism, Attempts of mystics to record the nature of their experiences

2005-01-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

The theory or interpretation of mysticism is not mysticism. Generally, there are two sides to the theory: philosophical and practical. There may be another: confessional and justificatory. Though some mystics have been content to record what happened, others have worked out manuals of praxis (techniques), or sadhana. As a rule, mystical method, experience, and exegesis

Dubayy

2004-12-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Dubai constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates (formerly Trucial States or Trucial Oman). The second most populous and second largest state of the federation (area 1,510 square miles [3,900 square km]), it is roughly rectangular, with a frontage of about 45 miles (72 km) on the Persian Gulf. The capital, Dubayy town, the largest town of the federation, is on a small creek in the northeast part

Arts, East Asian, Painting

2004-12-28T01:42:00.000-08:00

Painting of the Kamakura period, both religious and secular, was marked by a sense of immediacy and vitality. The Amidist sects spawned cults that emphasized devotion to particular intercessory figures who had initially been considered ancillary in the overall Pure Land Buddhist pantheon. For example, the Jizo Bosatsu, the bodhisattva depicted in the guise of

Sexual Behaviour, Human, Sexual problems

2004-12-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

Physiological problems of a specifically sexual nature are rather few. Only a small minority of

Macaire

2004-12-21T01:21:00.000-08:00

The same story

Arabia

2004-12-20T02:23:00.000-08:00

Roman province created out of the former kingdom of the Nabataeans and the adjacent Syrian cities of Gerasa and Philadelphia (modern Jarash and 'Amman, Jordan, respectively), after the formal annexation of the Nabataean kingdom by the Roman emperor Trajan in AD 105. The province was bounded by the western coast of the Sinai Peninsula, the present Syrian-Lebanese border to

Turfan Depression

2004-12-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

The basin lies between

Resources, Allocation Of

2004-12-15T01:45:00.000-08:00

In free-enterprise

Widnes

2004-12-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

Town in the unitary authority of Halton, historic county of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Mersey at its lowest bridging point and on the southern periphery of the Liverpool metropolitan region. The modern town is a result of 19th-century industrial expansion and is a principal centre of the British chemical industry, largely because

Pacific Ocean, Eastern region

2004-12-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

The eastern region, which extends southward from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, is relatively narrow and is associated with the American cordilleran system of almost unbroken mountain chains, the coastal ranges of which rise steeply from the western shores of North and South America. The continental shelf, which runs parallel to it, is steep and comparatively narrow.

Ear Disease, Exposure to noise

2004-12-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

The effects of noise exposure on hearing depend on the intensity and duration of the noise. The effects may be temporary or permanent. A single exposure to an extremely intense sound, such as an explosion, may produce a severe and permanent loss of hearing. Repeated exposures to sounds in excess of 80 to 90 decibels may cause gradual deterioration of hearing by destroying

Armillary Sphere

2004-12-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

Early astronomical device for representing the great circles of the heavens, including in the most elaborate instruments the horizon, meridian, Equator, tropics, polar circles, and an ecliptic hoop. The sphere is a skeleton celestial globe, with circles divided into degrees for angular measurement. In the 17th and 18th centuries such

Mathematics, History Of, Elliptic functions

2004-12-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

The theory of functions of a complex variable was also being decisively reformulated. At the start of the 19th century, complex numbers were discussed from a quasi-philosophical standpoint by several French writers, notably Jean Robert Argand. A consensus emerged that complex numbers should be thought of as pairs of real numbers, with suitable rules for their addition

Jewelry

2004-12-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

Throughout the centuries and from culture to culture, the materials considered rare and beautiful have ranged from shells, bones, pebbles, tusks, claws, and wood to so-called precious metals, precious and semiprecious stones,

Dennison, Aaron Lufkin

2004-12-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

Apprenticed at the age of 18 to a watchmaker in Brunswick, Maine, he learned the prevailing

Restionales

2004-11-29T23:30:00.000-08:00

Nearly all plants in the group exhibit reduced (simplified) flowers with a one- to three-chambered ovary containing only one pendulous ovule per chamber. There are one to three stamens (male

Stegner, Wallace

2004-11-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Stegner grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada, and in several western states.

Capital

2004-11-26T16:46:00.000-08:00

Capital may be so broadly defined as to include all possible material, nonmaterial, and human inputs into a productive system, but it is usually more useful to confine the

Eclecticism

2004-11-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

(from Greek eklektikos, “selective”), in philosophy and theology, the practice of selecting doctrines from different systems of thought without adopting the whole parent system for each doctrine. It is distinct from syncretism—the attempt to reconcile or combine systems—inasmuch as it leaves the contradictions between them unresolved. In the sphere of abstract

Onyx

2004-11-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

Striped, semiprecious variety of the silica mineral agate with white and black alternating bands. Onyx is used in carved cameos and intaglios because its layers can be cut to show a colour contrast between the design and the background. Other varieties include carnelian onyx, with white and red bands, and sardonyx, with white and brown bands. The chief localities

Vulvitis

2004-11-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

Inflammation and infection of the vulva—the external genitalia of the female. The external organs of the vulva include the labia majora and minora (folds of skin), the clitoris, and the vestibular glands. The basic symptoms of vulvitis are superficial red, swollen, and moisture-laden lesions on the skin of the vulva. Itching sensations are a particularly prominent

Degrelle, Léon

2004-11-18T01:19:00.000-08:00

After failing three times to pass his final law exams at the University of Louvain, Degrelle, who was a dynamic orator, entered politics. Using banking scandals and the corruption of national parties as issues, he organized

Tracheid

2004-11-16T01:11:00.000-08:00

In botany, primitive element of xylem (fluid-conducting tissues), consisting of a single elongated cell with pointed ends and a secondary, cellulosic wall thickened with lignin (a chemical binding substance) containing numerous pits but having no perforations in the primary cell wall. At functional maturity, the cell is dead and empty; its former protoplast is represented,

Jovius, Paulus

2004-11-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

In about 1513 Jovius settled in Rome; he won the favour of Leo X (who compared him to Livy) and of Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, later Clement VII, whom he helped during the sack of Rome in 1527. In 1528 Jovius became bishop of Nocera. He

Philadelphia Centennial Exposition

2004-11-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

Ten years in the planning, the Centennial Exposition cost more than $11 million and covered more than 450 acres (180 hectares) of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. President Ulysses S. Grant opened the exposition on May 10, 1876, and

Zonaras, Joannes

2004-11-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

After holding high office in Constantinople under Alexius I Comnenus, Zonaras became a monk and retired to a remote island. In Historical Epitome he drew on a rich collection of sources, some of which, notably several

Francia

2004-11-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Original name Francesco Di Marco Di Giacomo Raibolini Italian Renaissance artist and the major Bolognese painter of the late 15th century. He was much influenced by such Ferrarese painters as Lorenzo Costa, Francesco del Cossa, and Ercole de' Roberti, but his later works clearly show the influence of the Umbrians, Perugino, and Raphael. Francia's mature style is seen in such works as his “Assumption

Teacher Education

2004-11-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

While arrangements of one kind or another for the education of the young have existed at all times and in all societies, it is only recently that schools have emerged as distinctive institutions for this purpose on a mass scale, and

Elizabeth

2004-11-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth was the daughter of the Bavarian duke Maximilian Joseph.

Qabbani, Nizar

2004-11-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

Syrian poet and diplomat (b. March 21, 1923, Damascus, Syria--d. April 30, 1998, London, Eng.), was one of the most widely read Arab poets of the 20th century. Written in simple but eloquent language, his verses, some of which were set to music, won him the hearts of countless Arabic speakers throughout the Middle East and Africa. Qabbani, who was born into a middle-class merchant family, was also the

Yggdrasill

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

Old Norse Mimameidr in Norse mythology, the world tree, a giant ash supporting the universe. One of its roots extended into Niflheim, the underworld; another into Jötunheim, land of the giants; and the third into Asgard, home of the gods. At its base were three wells: Urdarbrunnr (Well of Fate), from which the tree was watered by the Norns (the Fates); Hvergelmir (Roaring Kettle), in which dwelt Nidhogg

Intermediate Vector Boson

2004-10-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Type of boson associated with the electromagnetic and weak forces in unified form. See W particle.

Tasmania, Drainage

2004-10-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

There are two major river systems—the Derwent in the southeast and the South Esk in the northeast—many small systems—especially westward, flowing to the west coast—and innumerable lakes. The Central Plateau is studded with more than 4,000 lakes in a landscape similar to northern Canada and Finland; almost all, including Great Lake, are shallow. Lake St. Clair, the deepest

Chase Manhattan Corporation, The

2004-10-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

The firm originated in the final days of the 18th century. On April 2, 1799, at the urging of such civic leaders as Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton (later noted rivals), the New York state legislature chartered the Manhattan Company to build a water supply system for New York City. The original

Haley, Sir William

2004-10-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

Haley grew up on the island of Jersey and attended Victoria College there. In 1918 he began to study journalism, and in 1921 he secured his first newspaper employment

Domino Theory

2004-10-21T02:27:00.000-07:00

Also called Domino Effect, theory in U.S. foreign policy after World War II stating that the “fall” of a noncommunist state to communism would precipitate the fall of noncommunist governments in neighbouring states. The theory was first proposed by President Harry S. Truman to justify sending military aid to Greece and Turkey in the 1940s, but it became popular in the 1950s when President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Wollstonecraft, Mary

2004-10-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

The daughter of a farmer, Wollstonecraft taught school and worked as a governess, experiences that inspired her views in Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787). In 1788 she began working as a translator for the London publisher James Johnson, who published

Carinus

2004-10-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

With the title of Caesar, he was sent by his father, the emperor Carus, to the army of the Rhine in 282. On his father's death in the summer of 283, Carinus became emperor in the West, his brother Numerian becoming emperor in the East. After a campaign on the Rhine, Carinus returned to Rome where,

France

2004-10-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

Officially French Republic, French France, or République Française, country in western Europe. It is one of the oldest and historically and culturally most important nations of Europe and, indeed, of the whole Western world. It lies near the western end of the great Eurasian landmass, largely between latitudes 42° and 51° N, and covers a total area of 210,026 square miles (543,965 square kilometres). The capital is Paris. Roughly hexagonal in outline, its continental

World War I, Killed, wounded, and missing

2004-10-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

The casualties suffered by the participants in World War I dwarfed those of previous wars: some 8,500,000 soldiers died as a result of wounds and/or disease. The greatest number of casualties and wounds were inflicted by artillery, followed by small arms, and then by poison gas. The bayonet, which was relied on by the prewar French Army as the decisive weapon, actually produced

Sukkoth

2004-10-11T05:12:00.000-07:00

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

Sohak

2004-10-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

(Korean: “Western Learning”), in Korean history, the study of Western culture, introduced into Korea from the Chinese Ming and Ch'ing dynasties in the 17th and 18th centuries. In a broad sense, the term Sohak refers to the study of Western thought, religion, ethics, science, and technology. In a narrow sense, it sometimes refers only to the study of Western religion and ethics during

Macadamia

2004-10-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Macadamias originated in the coastal rain forests and scrubs of what is now Queensland in northeastern Australia. The macadamias grown commercially in Hawaii and Australia are principally

Insurance

2004-10-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

International insurance is surveyed in Paul P. Rogers, Bruno Schönfelder, and Ehrenfried Schütte, Insurance in Socialist East Europe (1988); Bernard Wasow and Raymond D. Hill (eds.), The Insurance Industry in Economic Development (1986); Robert M. Crowe (ed.), Insurance in the World's Economies (1982); Michael E. Hogue and Douglas G. Olson (eds.), World Insurance Outlook (1982); Wenlee Ting, Multinational Risk Assessment and Management: Strategies for Investment and Marketing Decisions (1988); Werner Pfenningstorf and Donald G. Gifford, A Comparative Study of Liability Law and Compensation Schemes in Ten Countries and the United States (1991); and Norman A. Baglini, Global Risk Management: How U.S. International Corporations Manage Foreign Risks (1983).

Syv Systre

2004-10-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

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

Insurance, Perils clause

2004-09-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Until 1978 the main insuring clause of modern ocean marine policies was preserved almost unchanged from the original 1779 Lloyd's of London form. The clause is as follows:Touching the adventures and perils which we the assurers are contented to bear and do take upon us in this voyage: they are of the seas, men-of-war, fire, enemies, pirates, rovers, thieves, jettisons, letters of mart

Pre-columbian Civilizations, The Spanish conquest

2004-09-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile, the Spaniards had landed at Tumbes on the northern coast of Peru early in 1532 and were seeking an interview with Atahuallpa so that they could kidnap him. It is clear that they understood the nature of the Inca civil war and were dealing with emissaries from both factions. Their actions, however, must have seemed puzzling to Atahuallpa. On the one hand, Pizarro

Pacific Islands, Low coral islands

2004-09-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

Most Pacific islands are coral formations, although all rest on volcanic or other cores. In the shallow waters of the tropics, both continental and oceanic islands attract coral growth in the form of fringing reefs, partially submerged platforms of consolidated limestone, with coral organisms at the ocean edge feeding on materials carried in by waves and currents.

Montagna, Bartolommeo

2004-09-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

His most important work is

Granite

2004-09-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Because of its use as paving block and as a building stone, the quarrying of granite was, at one time, a major industrial activity. Except for tombstones, however, for which there

Biblical Literature, Early stages

2004-09-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

The earliest Christian exegesis of the Old Testament is found in the New Testament, not in the written texts only but in the oral tradition lying behind them. Some lines of exegesis are present in so many separate strands of primitive Christian teaching that they are most reasonably assigned to Jesus, who began his Galilaean ministry with the announcement that

Black Aesthetic Movement

2004-09-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

Based on the cultural politics of black nationalism, the movement sought to create a populist art form to promote the idea of black separatism. Many adherents viewed the artist as an activist responsible for the formation of racially separate publishing houses, theatre troupes,

Biblical Literature, The Holiness Code

2004-09-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

Next (chapters 17–26) comes what has been designated the “Holiness Code,” or “Law of Holiness,” which scholars regard as a separate, distinctive unit within the P material (designated H). It calls upon the people to be holy as God is holy by carrying out his laws, both ritual and moral, and by avoiding the polluting practices of neighbouring peoples; and it proceeds to lay down laws,

Urticales

2004-09-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Nettle order of dicotyledonous flowering plants, the largest order in the subclass Hamamelidae. The order includes a diversity of plant types that range from small herbaceous species to large trees. Among the members are stinging nettles; mulberry, fig, and elm trees; hop vines; and the hemp, or marijuana, plant.

Dong Hai

2004-09-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Wade-Giles Tung Hai , English East China Sea arm of the Pacific Ocean and part of the China Sea (q.v.).

Pontus

2004-09-10T02:22:00.000-07:00

Ancient district in northeastern Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea. In the 1st century BC it briefly contested Rome's hegemony in Anatolia. An independent Pontic kingdom with its capital at Amaseia (modern Amasya) was established at the end of the 4th century BC in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Superficially Hellenized, the kingdom retained its Persian social structure,

France-soir

2004-09-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

(French: “Evening France”), daily newspaper published in Paris, one of the city's greatest independent dailies. It was founded as an underground paper during the German occupation of France in World War II, and after the war it emerged as a journal of mass appeal. France-Soir has ranked among the country's—and the European continent's—leaders in circulation since its start.

Cramlington

2004-09-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Town, Blyth Valley borough, administrative and historic county of Northumberland. It lies north-northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne on the northern edge of the Tyne and Wear (Tyneside) metropolitan area. Cramlington is a new town developed to provide alternative, diversified employment in a former coal-mining area. Nearby is the noted country house Seaton Delaval

Computers, Time-sharing from Project MAC to UNIX

2004-09-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

In 1959 Christopher Strachey in the United Kingdom and John McCarthy in the United States independently described something they called time-sharing. Meanwhile, computer pioneer J.C.R. Licklider at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began to promote the idea of interactive computing as an alternative to batch processing. Batch processing was the normal

Wellington

2004-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Town, east-central New South Wales, Australia. It lies at the confluence of the Macquarie and Bell rivers. The site, used by John Oxley as a base for exploration (1817–18), was named by him after the Duke of Wellington. A convict settlement from 1823 to 1831, it was proclaimed a town in 1846, a municipality in 1879, and a shire in 1947. In 1950 Wellington was merged with Macquarie and a portion of Cobar shires. It serves