HardShoe

Robert Irving Burns Property Consultants

2006-11-22T05:40:00.000-08:00

Robert Irving Burns has been established for over 40 years and is an independent partnership, who specialise in a full range of property services. These include commercial property
and commercial offices as well as property to let london. Whilst my business partner and I were looking for Offices, we found Rib’s expertise invaluable.

Nebuchadrezzar Ii

2005-04-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Nebuchadrezzar II was the oldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, founder of the Chaldean empire. He is known from cuneiform inscriptions, the Bible and later Jewish sources,

Earth, Measurement of gravitational acceleration

2005-04-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

For the study of the shape of the geoid or of large-scale structures in the Earth, values of g are required with a precision of one milligal or better. This implies a measurement accurate to one part in 106 of g itself. For more local studies, as in the use of gravity measurements for geophysical petroleum and mineral prospecting and for the study of the tidal variation of g at

Epirus

2005-04-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Modern Greek Ípiros, coastal region of northwestern Greece and southern Albania. It extends from Valona Bay (Gji i Vlorës) in Albania (northwest) to the Gulf of Arta (southeast); its hinterland extends eastward to the watershed of the Pindus Mountains. The nomoi (departments) of Árta, Ioánnina, Préveza (qq.v.), and Thesprotía make up the Greek part of Epirus. The Pindus Mountains separate Epirus

Lloyd, John Henry

2005-04-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Lloyd's well-traveled Negro league career began in 1905, when he was a catcher for the Macon Acmes. He played second base for the Cuban X-Giants the following year. For the bulk of his career, Lloyd played

Padilla, Juan De

2005-04-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

Padilla was a member of an ancient noble family of Toledo. Charles, who came to the Spanish throne in 1516, had inflamed national opinion by appointing

La Pérouse, Jean-françois De Galaup, Count (comte) De

2005-04-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

Commanding the ship La Boussole, which was accompanied by the Astrolabe, La Pérouse sailed from France on Aug. 1, 1785. After rounding Cape Horn, one of his stops in the South Pacific was Easter Island (April 9, 1786). Investigating tropical Pacific waters, he visited the Sandwich Islands

école Polytechnique

2005-03-31T18:05:00.000-08:00

(French: “Polytechnic School”), engineering school located originally in Paris but, since 1976, in Palaiseau, Fr., and directed by the Ministry of Defense. It was established in 1794 by the National Convention as the École Centrale des Travaux Publics (“Central School of Public Works”) under the leadership of Lazare Carnot and Gaspard Monge. It took its present name in 1795 and absorbed

Oral Roberts University

2005-03-31T03:23:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. An interdenominational Protestant university, it emphasizes fundamentalist Christian values in its programs. A range of undergraduate programs leading to a bachelor's degree is offered through schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education, and through the Anna Vaughn School

China, The Nationalist Party

2005-03-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Nationalist Party had its origins in the earlier United League (T'ung-meng hui) against the Manchu. The name Nationalist Party was adopted in 1912. After the suppression of this expanded party by Yüan Shih-k'ai, elements from it were organized by Sun Yat-sen in 1914 into the Chinese Revolutionary Party, which failed to generate widespread support. Sun and a small group of veterans

Essaouira

2005-03-29T10:42:00.000-08:00

Formerly Mogador, Atlantic port city, western Morocco, midway between Safi and Agadir. The site was occupied by Phoenicians and then Carthaginians and was mentioned in the chronicles of the Carthaginian explorer Hanno (5th century BC). Medieval charts show it as Mogador, a corruption of a Berber word for “safe anchorage.” It stands on a peninsula 10–20 feet (3–7 m) above sea level and at times with heavy

Gymnasium

2005-03-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Large room used and equipped for the performance of various sports. The history of the gymnasium dates back to ancient Greece, where the literal meaning of the word gymnasion was “school for naked exercise.” The gymnasiums were of great significance to the ancient Greeks, and every important city had at least one. These were usually built by the state and, from mere gathering

Jefferson, Martha

2005-03-28T02:26:00.000-08:00

After Jefferson became president in 1801, he often called upon Dolley Madison, wife of his secretary of state, James Madison, to handle social events at the White House. On other occasions his daughters Patsy and Polly served as hostesses. During Jefferson's second administration, Patsy gave birth to a son, the first baby to be born in the White House.

Outback

2005-03-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

In Australia, any inland area remote from large centres of population. Generally, the term is applied to semiarid inland areas of eastern Australia and to the arid centre of the Western Plateau and its semiarid northern plains (in Western Australia) where bodies of water are scattered and frequently dry. The Macdonnell, Musgrave, and Petermann mountain ranges and

Switzerland, Soils

2005-03-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

Soil conditions and agriculture reflect the diversity of Switzerland's climate and geologic structure. The major soil groups consist of gray-brown podzolic soils and brown forest soils, loess, glacial drift, and alluvium in the Mittelland; brown forest soils, rendzinas, and the heavier glacial clays in the Jura valleys; and the lithosol and podzolized soils of the

D'urban, Sir Benjamin

2005-03-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

As a soldier D'Urban began his service in 1793 and fought in the Napoleonic Wars, where he won distinction in the Peninsular War as a quartermaster general. In 1820 D'Urban was

Alba Iulia

2005-03-25T05:53:00.000-08:00

German Karlsburg, Hungarian Gyulafehérvár, city, capital of Alba judet (county), west-central Romania. It lies along the Mures River, 170 miles (270 km) northwest of Bucharest. One of the oldest settlements in Romania, the site was selected by the Romans for a military camp. The remains of Apulum, an important city in Roman Dacia mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC, are 6 miles (10 km) from Alba Iulia, and the Regional Museum has a rich

Einthoven, Willem

2005-03-25T04:45:00.000-08:00

Einthoven was graduated

Durham

2005-03-24T00:32:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Strafford county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., on the Oyster River just southwest of Dover. Settled in 1635, it was known as the parish of Oyster River until it was incorporated in 1732 and named for Durham, England. A series of savage Indian attacks began in 1675; in 1694 the town was burned, and more than 100 residents were killed or captured. During the American

Lan Ts'ai-ho

2005-03-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Lan Caihe, in Chinese mythology, one of the Pa Hsien, the Eight Immortals of Taoism, whose true identity is much disputed. Artists depict Lan as a young man—or girl—carrying a flute or a pair of clappers and occasionally wearing only one shoe. Sometimes a basket of fruit is added. In Chinese theatre, Lan is dressed in female clothes but speaks with a male voice. Lan traveled the streets

Sokoto River

2005-03-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Kebbi River, river in northwestern Nigeria, rising just south of Funtua on the northern plateau. It flows northwestward in a wide arc for 200 miles (320 km) to Sokoto town, west of which the Rima River joins it in its lower course to its confluence with the Niger River east of Illo. The alluvial valley and plains formed by the Sokoto River are extensively cultivated; peanuts (groundnuts), cotton,

Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban

2005-03-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

Among Murillo's earliest works is the Virgin of the Rosary (c. 1642). In the vestigial

Jacquard Loom

2005-03-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Jacquard system was developed in 1804–05 by Joseph-Marie Jacquard (q.v.) of France, but it soon spread elsewhere.

Durmitor

2005-03-21T00:51:00.000-08:00

Mountain massif in Montenegro, Yugoslavia, part of the Dinaric ranges and a national park region that includes 15 peaks of more than 6,600 ft (2,000 m) in height, the highest, Bobotov Kuk, reaching 8,274 ft (2,522 m). Between the peaks are deep valleys and glacial lakes; dense pine and fir forests surround the lakes. The highest settlement in Yugoslavia, Zabljak, is a tourist centre; winter sports are

Italy

2005-03-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

Officially Italian Republic , Italian Italia or Repubblica Italiana country of south-central Europe, occupying a peninsula that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. It has a shape that has been likened frequently to a high-heeled boot about to prod its triangular subject island of Sicily. Another important island, Sardinia, lies some 160 miles (260 kilometres) west of Italy's “shin.” The magnificent mountain barrier of the Alps forms a northern

Felix (ii)

2005-03-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

Antipope from 355 to 358. Originally an archdeacon, Felix was irregularly installed as pope in 355 after the emperor Constantius banished the reigning pope, Liberius. In May 357 the Roman laity, which had remained faithful to Liberius, demanded that Constantius recall the true pope. The Emperor planned to have Felix and Liberius rule jointly, but Felix was forced

Sardica, Council Of

2005-03-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

(342/343), an ecclesiastical council of the Christian Church held at Sardica, or Serdica (modern Sofia, Bulg.). It was convened by the joint emperors Constantius II (Eastern, sympathetic to the Arian party) and Constans I (Western, sympathetic to the Nicene party) to attempt a settlement of the Arian controversies. In fact, the council merely embittered still further the relations

Ambler, Eric

2005-03-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Ambler was the son of music-hall entertainers. After studying engineering at London University, he worked as an advertising writer. It was while thus employed that he completed his first novel, The Dark

Azhar University, Al-

2005-03-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

Chief centre of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world, centred on the mosque of that name in the medieval quarter of Cairo, Egypt. It was founded by the Fatimids in AD 970 and was formally organized by 988. The basic program of studies was, and still is, Islamic law, theology, and the Arabic language. Late in the European Middle Ages philosophy and medicine were added to the curriculum,

Gahadavala Dynasty

2005-03-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

One of the many ruling families of North India on the eve of the Muslim conquests in the 12th–13th century. Its history, ranging between the second half of the 11th century and the mid-13th century, illustrates all the features of early medieval North Indian polity—dynastic hostilities and alliances, feudal-state structure, absolute dependence on Brahminical social ideology,

Swan River

2005-03-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Town, western Manitoba, Canada, on the Swan River near the Saskatchewan border and west of Lake Winnipegosis, 310 miles (500 km) northwest of Winnipeg. In the early 1800s there was intense fur-trading rivalry in the area between the Hudson's Bay and the North West companies. Homesteaders of varied nationalities moved to the locality after the Canadian Northern Railway reached

United Kingdom, Labour and taxation

2005-03-17T07:05:00.000-08:00

Government revenues are derived from several main sources, including income taxes, corporate taxes, taxes on the sale of goods and services, and national insurance contributions. After World War II the government adopted individual income tax rates that were among the highest in Europe. During the last two decades of the 20th century, individual income tax rates

A Priori Knowledge

2005-03-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

In Western philosophy since the time of Immanuel Kant, knowledge that is independent of all particular experiences, as opposed to a posteriori knowledge, which derives from experience alone. The Latin phrases a priori (“from what is before”) and a posteriori (“from what is after”) were used in philosophy originally to distinguish between arguments from causes and arguments

Arts, East Asian, Painting

2005-03-15T02:25:00.000-08:00

The development of painting during the Edo period drew energy from innovations and changes precipitated during the Momoyama period. Thematic interests, including Confucian subjects and a continuing fascination with Japanese classical themes, were already apparent in the years preceding national consolidation. Genre themes celebrating urban life became

Race, General histories

2005-03-15T01:50:00.000-08:00

Histories dealing with the origin of the concept of race include Ivan Hannaford, Race: The History of an Idea in the West (1996); and Audrey Smedley, Race in North America: Origin and Evolution of a Worldview, 2nd ed. (1999).

Gainesville

2005-03-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1823) of Hall county, northeastern Georgia, U.S., about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Atlanta. It is located along Lake Sidney Lanier (which is impounded by Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River), in the foothills of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Settled in 1818, it was named for General Edmund P. Gaines, who served in the War of 1812. Gainesville was heavily damaged and many lives were

Jean Le Bel

2005-03-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

A soldier and the constant companion of Jean, Count de Beaumont, with whom he went to England and Scotland in 1327, Le Bel wrote his Vrayes Chroniques (“True Chronicles”), recounting the events of the reign of Edward III,

Affre, Denis-auguste

2005-03-13T05:05:00.000-08:00

Affre was ordained a priest in 1818 and became a Sulpician and a teacher of theology in 1819. He successively became vicar-general of the French dioceses of Luçon (1821), Amiens (1823), and Paris

France, History Of, Internal conflict on the left

2005-03-12T01:39:00.000-08:00

Throughout the 1920s, however, much of the working class remained alienated from a regime that showed little concern for social reform. The CGT had emerged from the war with redoubled strength and energy, its membership swelled by the workers who had poured into new war industries in the Paris region. The Clemenceau government had rewarded labour for its war effort by

Biblical Literature, Biblical criticism

2005-03-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

A prerequisite for the exegetical study of the biblical writings, and even for the establishment of hermeneutical principles, is their critical examination. Most forms of biblical criticism are relevant to many other bodies of literature.

Furniture, Fixed and mechanical tables

2005-03-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

In general, tables can be divided into fixed and mechanical types. The fixed table, consisting of a square or round top supported by one or more legs, is the least complicated from the viewpoint of craftsmanship. It is a form that requires wood of thick dimensions in order to make the joints by which the top is fastened to the legs strong enough to resist lateral pressure.

Bonds, Barry

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

Bonds was born into a baseball family. His father, Bobby Bonds, was an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants. His cousin was baseball great Reggie

Ker

2005-03-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cer, in ancient Greek religion, a destructive spirit. Popular belief attributed death and illness to the action of impersonal powers, often spoken of in the plural (Keres). The word was also used of an individual's doom, with a meaning resembling the notion of destiny. In the Attic festival of the Anthesteria, when the spirits of the dead were expelled from the house, they were

Bulfinch, Charles

2005-03-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

After studying at Harvard University (1778–81), Bulfinch toured Europe (1785–87) and, on the advice of Thomas Jefferson, whom he met in Paris, visited many of the major architectural works of France and Italy. In London he became

Himyar

2005-03-09T02:02:00.000-08:00

The Himyarites were concentrated in the area known as Dhu Raydan on the coast of present-day Yemen (San'a'); they were probably aided in the overthrow of their Sabaean kinsmen by the discovery of a sea route from Egypt

Ker

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

The most obvious method for obtaining the value of the astronomical unit would seem to be to measure simultaneously from two places on the Earth the position of the Sun against the background of the distant

Nguyen Dynasty

2005-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

After Mac Dang Dung usurped the Vietnamese throne in 1527, Nguyen Kim fought to restore a Le emperor in 1533, leaving the Mac family in power in the northern section

'abd Al-mu'min

2005-03-07T02:24:00.000-08:00

Information about 'Abd al-Mu'min and his work may be found in the general histories by Henri Terrasse, Histoire du Maroc, vol. 2, pp. 261–316 (1950); and Ambrosio Huici Miranda, Historia política del Imperio Almohade, 2 vol. (1956–57), both with numerous bibliographic references.

Cozens, Alexander

2005-03-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

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

Vadsø

2005-03-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

Town and seat of Finnmark fylke (county), northern Norway. Located on the northern shore of Varangerfjorden, the original settlement was on the adjacent island of Vassøya, but in the early 1700s the port was reestablished on the mainland. Vadsø received its town charter in 1833, and the town prospered, principally through trade with Russia. It was almost totally destroyed by

Craft Guild

2005-03-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

Also called Mystery (from Latin ministerium, “occupation”), a European medieval occupational association, usually comprising all the artisans—and often the suppliers, retailers, and wholesale merchants—concerned with a specific branch of industry or commerce. A weavers' guild is recorded at Mainz as early as 1099 and in London and other cities of England during the reign of Henry I (1100–35); but the

Euro

2005-03-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

The euro's origins lay in

Bobbin Furniture

2005-03-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Also called Spool Furniture, heavy furniture made in the late 17th century, whose legs and other parts were lathe-turned to ornamental shapes; also lighter, less boldly turned pieces made in 19th-century cottage style (see cottage furniture). Bobbin turning was a type of ornament consisting of a series of small knobs resembling spools, or bobbins, used on the legs and stretchers of chairs and tables,

Priesthood, Christianity

2005-03-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

At this critical juncture in Judaism, Christianity, with its own particular conception of priesthood and sacrificial redemption, began in Palestine and rapidly spread throughout the surrounding regions in the Greco-Roman world. In the New Testament the imminent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and its worship is predicted, and the culmination of its high

Hand, Learned

2005-03-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

In full Billings Learned Hand American jurist whose tough and sometimes profound mind, philosophical skepticism, and faith in the United States were employed throughout a record tenure as a federal judge (52 years, from April 10, 1909, until his death). Although he was never a justice of the Supreme Court, he is generally considered to have been a greater judge than all but a

Denim

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

Durable twill-woven fabric with coloured (usually blue) warp and white filling threads; it is also woven in coloured stripes. The name is said to have originated in the French serge de Nîmes. Denim is yarn-dyed and mill-finished and is usually all-cotton, although considerable quantities are of a cotton-synthetic fibre mixture. Decades of use in the clothing industry,

Hokinson, Helen

2005-03-03T02:09:00.000-08:00

Hokinson attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and began a career

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

2005-03-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

For bibliography and information pertaining to Ibn Hanbal's works, see Fuat Sezgin, Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, vol. 1 (1967); for his life and works generally, see W.M. Patton, Ahmed ibn Hanbal and the Mihna (1897); and H. Laoust, “Le Hanbalisme sous le califat de Bagdad,” in Revue des Études Islamiques (1959); and the Encyclopaedia of Islam, vol. 1 (1960). On Sufism in the Hanbali school of thought, see G. Makdisi, “L'Isnad initiatique soufi de Muwaffaq ad-Din Ibn Qudama,” in L'Herne: Louis Massignon (1970).

Hesychius Of Alexandria

2005-03-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

Although nothing is known of his life, Hesychius indicated the comprehensive design of his lexicon in a letter prefacing the work. Entitled Synagoge pason

Sábato, Ernesto

2005-02-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

Educated as a physicist and mathematician, Sábato attended the National University of La

Picasso, Pablo, Catalogs

2005-02-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

Catalogs addressing specific themes, often in conjunction with museum exhibitions, include William Rubin (ed.), Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective (1980); Christian Geelhaar et al., Pablo Picasso: Das Spätwerk: Themen 1964–1972 (1981); Douglas Cooper and Gary Tinterow, The Essential Cubism, 1907–1920: Braque, Picasso & Their Friends (1983); Gert Schiff, Picasso: The Last Years, 1963–1973 (1983); Jürgen Glaesemer (ed.), Der Junge Picasso: Frühwerk und blaue Periode (1984); Ellen C. Oppler (ed.), Picasso's Guernica: Illustrations, Introductory Essay, Documents, Poetry, Criticism, Analysis (1988); Herschel B. Chipp, Picasso's Guernica: History, Transformations, Meanings (1988); Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 2 vol. (1988); Musée National d'Art Moderne and Tate Gallery, Late Picasso: Paintings, Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, 1953–1972 (1988); William Rubin, Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism (1989); William Rubin (ed.), Picasso and Portraiture: Representation and Transformation (1996); Elizabeth Cowling and John Golding, Picasso: Sculptor/Painter (1994); Marilyn McCully (ed.), Picasso: The Early Years, 1892–1906 (1997); Steven A. Nash and Robert Rosenblum (eds.), Picasso and the War Years, 1937–1945 (1998); and Marilyn McCully (ed.), Picasso: Painter and Sculptor in Clay (1998).

Benadir

2005-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

Traditional coastal region, southern Somalia, on the Horn of Africa. The name, from Persian bandar, “port,” refers to the voyages of Persian and Arab traders to eastern Africa across the Arabian Sea during the European Middle Ages. Benadir passed to the sultan of Zanzibar in 1871; it was leased by Italy in 1895 and thereafter shared the political fate of the remainder of Somalia

Halftone Process

2005-02-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

In printing, a technique of breaking up an image into a series of dots so as to reproduce the full tone range of a photograph or tone art work. Breaking up is usually done by a screen inserted over the plate being exposed. The screens are made with a varying number of lines per inch, depending on the application; for newspapers, the range is 50 to 85, and for magazines, 100 to 120. The highest

Carlisle, Charles Howard, 3rd Earl Of

2005-02-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of Edward Howard, the 2nd earl (1646?–92), he was a member of Parliament from 1690 until he succeeded his father as earl in 1692. Throughout his life he held a variety of crown-appointed posts, most notably as first lord of the Treasury (then the chief, or “prime,” ministry) under Queen Anne and King

Arts, Central Asian

2005-02-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Of the relatively few Central Asian languages that have developed written literatures, the most important are Turkic, Tibetan, and Mongol. (For a treatment of these languages, see Altaic languages and Sino-Tibetan languages.) This article will deal with Tibetan and Mongolian literatures from their inception to the 20th century and with Turkic literature from its

Cimon Of Cleonae

2005-02-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

Although Cimon has been dated to the 8th century BC, the fact would seem

Reformed League

2005-02-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Reformed League founded religious journals and institutions for the education

Alciphron

2005-02-24T06:51:00.000-08:00

Rhetorician who wrote a collection of fictitious letters, a form of literature popular in his day. More than 100 of the letters have survived. The background of them all is the Athens of the 4th century BC, and the imaginary writers are farmers, fishermen, and courtesans. The material of the letters is largely derived from the writers of the so-called

Bonstetten, Karl Viktor Von

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

Of a conservative and patrician family, Bonstetten for 12 years had to resist being forced into the traditional career of municipal magistrate. Instead he studied Horace and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, traveled abroad, and cultivated friendships in the liberal intellectual

Fourier, (jean-baptiste-)joseph, Baron

2005-02-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

French mathematician, known also as an Egyptologist and administrator, who exerted strong influence on mathematical physics through his Théorie analytique de la chaleur (1822; The Analytical Theory of Heat). He showed how the conduction of heat in solid bodies may be analyzed in terms of infinite mathematical series now called by his name,

Posada, José Guadalupe

2005-02-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

As a child Posada worked as a farm labourer and in a pottery factory. He taught school for a short time and then began to draw, inspired largely by posters for the Rea Circus. Gradually he was attracted

Radha

2005-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

The allegorical

Moses, Assumption Of

2005-02-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

A pseudepigraphal work (not in any biblical canon), a prophecy of the future relating to Israel, put into the mouth of Moses and addressed to Joshua just before the great lawgiver died. Using Moses' predictions and instructions to Joshua as a framework, the book's unknown author sets forth a brief history of Israel from Moses to the messianic age as viewed in apocalyptic

David De Mayrena, Marie-charles

2005-02-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

After defrauding French authorities in Saigon, David de Mayrena fled to Kontum in the Central Highlands, where he impressed the French missionaries and persuaded the members

Polar Wandering

2005-02-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

The migration over the surface of the Earth of the magnetic poles of the Earth through geological time. It was long recognized that the directions of magnetization of many rocks do not correspond to the present direction of the geomagnetic field at their sites; but not until the 1950s was there sufficient paleomagnetic data to suggest that the poles had moved in a systematic

Zambezi River, Animal life

2005-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

The tiger fish is one of the few species found both above and below the Victoria Falls. Pike is predominant in the upper course of the river, as are yellowfish and barbel. Bream are now common both above and below the falls. Crocodiles abound in the Zambezi, though they generally avoid stretches of fast-running water. Hippopotamuses are also found in the upper and lower

Earth, The magnetopause current

2005-02-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Farther still from the Earth, at about 10 Re along the Earth–Sun line, is yet another current system that affects the surface field and profoundly changes the nature of the Earth's field in space. This system is called the magnetopause current, or Chapman-Ferraro current system after the English physicist Sydney Chapman and his student V.C.A. Ferraro who first suggested

Allopurinol

2005-02-20T00:09:00.000-08:00

Drug used in the treatment of gout, a disease that is characterized by severe inflammation in one or more of the joints of the extremities. Allopurinol inhibits an enzyme that is necessary to form uric acid, a substance present in abnormally large amounts in the blood of persons with gout that forms solid deposits in the joints, the kidneys, and other tissues. The drug

Great Lake

2005-02-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Largest natural freshwater lake in Australia, lying on Tasmania's Central Plateau at an elevation of 3,398 feet (1,036 m). It has an area of 61 square miles (158 square km), measures 14 miles (22 km) by 7 miles (11 km), and fills a shallow depression averaging 40 feet (12 m) in depth. The lake's original catchment basin of 150 square miles (390 square km) has been expanded to 400 square miles (1,040 square km) by the building of several

Hypothetico-deductive Method

2005-02-19T02:02:00.000-08:00

Developed by Sir Isaac Newton during the late 17th century (but named

Resita

2005-02-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Caras-Severin judet (county), southwestern Romania, near the Yugoslavian border. In a coal- and metal-mining region, it is a long-established metalworking centre. After World War II the ironworks and steelworks of Resita were modernized, and there are several associated heavy-engineering works and a factory producing diesel engines for railway locomotives.

Mabini, Apolinario

2005-02-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

Born into a peasant family, Mabini studied at San Juan de Letran College in Manila and won a law degree from the University of Santo Tomás in 1894. In an insurrection organized in August 1896 by nationalists, he joined the

Swan

2005-02-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

Largest waterfowl species of subfamily Anserinae, family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Most swans are classified in the genus Cygnus. Swans are gracefully long-necked, heavy-bodied, big-footed birds that glide majestically when swimming and fly with slow wingbeats and with necks outstretched. They migrate in diagonal formation or V-formation at great heights:

West Des Moines

2005-02-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

City and suburb of Des Moines (which lies immediately to the east), Polk county, central Iowa, U.S. The area was settled in the 1840s and became an important rail junction in the 1850s called Valley Junction. James Cunningham Jordan, the town's first settler, operated a station on the Underground Railroad assisting fugitive slaves; his Victorian-style house (c. 1850) is preserved and is

Chao Phraya River

2005-02-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Chao Phraya constitutes a valuable waterway for the transport of the nation's

Local Group

2005-02-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, the group of more than 20 galaxies to which the Milky Way Galaxy belongs. About half are elliptical galaxies, with the remainder being of the spiral or irregular type. As in other clusters of galaxies, members are probably kept from separating by their mutual gravitational attraction. The Milky Way system is near one end of the volume of space occupied by

Atwater, Wilbur Olin

2005-02-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

Upon completing his undergraduate work at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., Atwater continued his studies at Yale University, where his Ph.D. thesis discussed for the first time how chemical techniques could be applied to food. After further study in Germany,

Norfolk, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke Of, Earl Of Surrey, Earl Marshal

2005-02-14T01:53:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, who was put to death for alleged treasonable activities in 1547. Restored to his father's title on the accession of Queen Mary

Kornberg, Arthur

2005-02-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

At the U.S. National Institutes of Health,

Indigo

2005-02-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Some species, particularly

Sunbeam Snake

2005-02-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

(Xenopeltis unicolor), primitive, little-known burrowing serpent found in cultivated and other open regions of India and southeast Asia. It is sometimes classified as the sole member of the family Xenopeltidae. Its colour is dark brown or black, but it is highly iridescent (hence the common name). The sunbeam snake reaches a length of 1 m (about 3 feet). It feeds on lizards, other

Chédiak-higashi Syndrome

2005-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Persons with Chédiak-Higashi syndrome experience persistent or recurrent infections. Other symptoms associated with the disease include enlargement of the liver and spleen, partial albinism, and depressed activity

Tall Tale

2005-02-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Narrative that depicts the wild adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes. The tall tale is essentially an oral form of entertainment; the audience appreciates the imaginative invention rather than the literal meaning of the tales. Associated with the lore of the American frontier, tall tales often explain the origins of lakes, mountains, and canyons;

Rouget De Lisle, Claude-joseph

2005-02-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

Author of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem. A lowly army officer and only a moderate republican, Rouget de Lisle never wrote anything else of significance. He composed both the words and music of “La Marseillaise” for his comrades in 1792 while stationed at Strasbourg; it was originally called “Chant de guerre de l'armée

Bulgakov, Sergey Nikolayevich

2005-02-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Bulgakov began his clerical training at the seminary of Oryol, Russia, but he was influenced by Marxism to

Hába, Alois

2005-02-10T02:01:00.000-08:00

A striking innovator and important teacher and writer,

Eurypterid

2005-02-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Frequently referred to as giant scorpions, most eurypterids were small animals, although Pterygotus

X-trisomy

2005-02-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

Sex chromosome disorder of human females, in which three X chromosomes are present, rather than the normal pair. More common than Turner's syndrome, where only one X chromosome is present, X-trisomy usually remains undetected because affected individuals appear normal, experience puberty, and are usually fertile. Statistical studies suggest a slightly increased

Abijah

2005-02-09T01:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Abia, Hebrew Abiyyah, or Abiyyahu (“Yahweh Is My Father”), any of nine different persons mentioned in the Bible, of whom the most noteworthy are the following: (1) The son and successor of Rehoboam, king of Judah (II Chronicles 12:16, 13), who reigned about two years (c. 915–913 BC). (2) The second son of Samuel (I Samuel 8:2; I Chronicles 6:28), who, with his brother Joel, served as a judge at Beersheba. The elders of Israel made the pair's misconduct a pretext

Biblical Literature, Early stages

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

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