FlatLip

Mole

2005-11-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

In dermatology, pigmented, flat or fleshy skin lesion, composed for the most part of an aggregation of melanocytes, the cells of the skin that synthesize the pigment melanin. In thicker moles, nerve elements and connective tissue are also present. Moles vary in colour from light to dark brown or black; when deposition of melanin occurs in the dermis, the deeper layer

Henry, William

2005-10-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Henry took his doctor of medicine degree at Edinburgh (1807). When ill health forced him

Smyrna

2005-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Town, Kent county, central Delaware, U.S., near the Smyrna River. Established about 1755, it was known as Duck Creek Cross Roads (for its location on the creek, which flows into the Smyrna River) until 1806, when it was renamed for the biblical seaport of Asia Minor. In 1792 a piqued state assembly, barred from the State House at Dover by a sheriff, met in the village tavern and named Duck Creek

Germanic Religion And Mythology

2005-07-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Germanic peoples were converted to Christianity in different periods: many of the Goths in the 4th century, the English in the 6th and 7th centuries, the Saxons, under force of Frankish arms, in the late 8th century, and the Danes, under German pressure, in the course of the 10th century. The pagan religion held out longest in the most northerly lands, Iceland, Norway, and

School Drama

2005-07-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

Any play performed by students in schools and colleges throughout Europe during the Renaissance. At first these plays were written by scholars in Latin as educational works, especially in Jesuit schools, but they later were viewed as entertainment as well. The works included translations and imitations of such Latin authors as Terence and Plautus, as well as original

Quill

2005-07-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

Also called Calamus, hollow, horny barrel of a bird's feather, used as the principal writing instrument from the 6th century until the mid-19th century, when steel pen points were introduced. The strongest quills were obtained from living birds in their new growth period in the spring. Only the five outer wing feathers (follicles) were considered suitable for writing; the second and third were

Sax, Antoine-joseph

2005-07-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791–1865), a maker of wind and brass instruments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibited the saxophone

Kuba Carpet

2005-06-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Any of several types of antique floor coverings of the Caucasus, many of which are of considerable length, but narrow. Rather than the town of Kuba (now Quba, Azerbaijan), which was founded about 1750 in Dagestan, the original source was probably the districts of Karabakh and Shirvan in Southern Caucasia, where rug workshops were operated under the sponsorship of the Iranian

Cosmos, Star formation

2005-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Detailed radio maps of nearby molecular clouds reveal that they are clumpy, with regions containing a wide range of densities—from a few tens of molecules (mostly hydrogen) per cubic centimetre to more than one million. Stars form only from the densest regions, termed cloud cores, though they need not lie at the geometric centre of the cloud. Large cores (which probably

Babbitt, Isaac

2005-06-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Trained as a goldsmith, Babbitt made the first britannia ware in the United States (1824) to compete with imports of utensils manufactured from this tin-based alloy, which was similar to pewter and then very popular. Ten years later he went to Boston

Arnauld, Antoine

2005-06-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Arnauld was the youngest of the 10 surviving children of Antoine Arnauld, a Parisian lawyer, and Catherine Marion de Druy (see Arnauld family). He studied theology at

Aerarium

2005-06-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

Treasury of ancient Rome, housed in the Temple of Saturn and the adjacent tabularium (record office) in the Forum. Under the republic (c. 509–27 BC) it was managed by two finance magistrates, the urban quaestors, and controlled by the Senate. In theory all revenues were paid into the aerarium, and all public payments were made from it. In practice, money was moved from the provinces

Sotatsu

2005-05-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

In full Tawaraya Sotatsu Japanese artist of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) who combined the traditional themes of the indigenous school of Japanese narrative scroll painting, known as Yamato-e, with the bold, decorative designs of the great screen painters of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1574–1600). He pioneered the use of such painting techniques as defining shapes and forms with colour rather than with ink

Maurice

2005-05-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

In full Maurice, Prince Of Orange, Count Of Nassau, Dutch Maurits, Prins Van Oranje, Graaf Van Nassau hereditary stadholder (1585–1625) of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, or Dutch Republic, successor to his father, William I the Silent. His development of military strategy, tactics, and engineering made the Dutch army the most modern in the Europe of his time.

Boina

2005-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

The other son, Adriamandisoarivo, continued the migration

Computers, The first computer network

2005-03-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

Between 1940 and 1946 George Stibitz and his team at Bell Laboratories built a series of machines with telephone technologies, i.e., employing electromechanical relays. These were the first machines to serve more than one user and the first to work remotely over telephone lines. However, because they were based on slow mechanical relays rather than electronic switches, they

Basf Aktiengesellschaft

2005-03-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

(German: BASF Limited-liability Company), German chemical and plastics manufacturing company originally founded in 1865 and today operating in some 30 countries. The BASF Group produces oil and natural gas, chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and pigments, potash and salt, inks and printing accessories, electronic recording accessories, cosmetic

Ambartsumian, Viktor Amazaspovich

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

Ambartsumian was born of Armenian parents. His

Neoteros

2005-03-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

Plural �Neoteroi, � any of a group of poets who sought to break away from the didactic-patriotic tradition of Latin poetry by consciously emulating the forms and content of Alexandrian Greek models. The neoteroi deplored the excesses of alliteration and onomatopoeia and the ponderous metres that characterized the epics and didactic works of the Latin Ennian tradition. They wrote

Vanadium Processing

2005-03-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

Vanadium (V) is a grayish silver metal whose crystal structure is a body-centred cubic (bcc) lattice, with a melting point of 1,926� C (3,499� F). The metal is used principally as an alloying addition to high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels and, to a lesser extent, in tool steels and iron and steel castings. It is also an important strengthener

Vanadium Processing

2005-03-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Any of the group of mammals that includes elephants and their extinct relatives such as mammoths and mastodons. Although only three species of elephant are extant today, more than 160 extinct proboscidean species have been identified from remains found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Most of these were called gomphotheres, which belonged to

Andersen, Hans Christian

2005-03-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

Elias Bredsdorff, Hans Christian Andersen: The Story of His Life and Work, 1805 - 75 (1975, reissued 1994); Bo Gr�nbech, Hans Christian Andersen (1980); Sven Hakon Rossel (ed.), Hans Christian Andersen: Danish Writer and Citizen of the World (1996); and Jackie Wullschl�ger, Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller (2000).

Annenberg, Walter Hubert

2005-03-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

American publisher and philanthropist (b. March 13, 1908, Milwaukee, Wis. - d. Oct. 1, 2002, Wynnewood, Pa.), used his wealth to promote conservative political causes and to support education and the arts. He was the son of an immigrant, Moses L. Annenberg, whose businesses included the Philadelphia Inquirer, horse racing publications, and wire betting services. The father, as well as his son

Conakry

2005-03-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Konakry, � national capital, largest city, and chief Atlantic port, western Guinea. Conakry lies on Tombo (Tumbo) Island and the Kaloum Peninsula. Founded by the French in 1884, it derived its name from a local village inhabited by the Susu (Soussou) people. Subsequently it became capital of the protectorate of Rivi�res du Sud (1891), of the colony of French Guinea (1893), and of independent Guinea (1958). Tombo

Economic Planning

2005-03-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

By the late 1960s the majority of the world's countries conducted

Arts, Central Asian, Altaic tribes

2005-02-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

Because of a freak climatic freeze, some of the Altaic burials, notably those of the 5th century BC at Pazyryk and neighbouring sites, such as Katanda, Shibe, and Tuekt, were isolated from external climatic variations by a protective layer of ice that conserved the organic substances buried in them. At Pazyryk these included the bodies of horses and an embalmed man whose

Argyllshire

2005-02-27T00:04:00.000-08:00

In the 2nd century AD Gaelic-speaking Scots invaded Argyllshire from Ireland, then known as Scotia. The earliest Scots settlement dates to the 3rd century, when a

Alc�ntara, Order Of

2005-02-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

Major military and religious order in Spain. It was founded in 1156 or 1166 by Don Suero Fern�ndez Barrientos and was recognized in 1177 by Pope Alexander III in a special papal bull. Its purpose was to defend Christian Spain against the Moors. In 1218 King Alfonso IX of Leon gave to the order the town of Alc�ntara, and during the next two centuries its knights defended the southern borders

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

2005-02-25T02:24:00.000-08:00

Japanese �Zen Nippon Kuyu,� the largest domestic air carrier in Japan, and one of the largest in the world. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Tokyo. Under the Japanese government's strict regulation of civil aviation, All Nippon Airways was basically restricted to carrying passengers and freight on Japan's major domestic routes, while Japan Air Lines basically monopolized

Cateau-cambr�sis, Peace Of

2005-02-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

(April 3, 1559), agreement marking the end of the 65-year (1494 - 1559) struggle between France and Spain for the control of Italy, leaving Habsburg Spain the dominant power there for the next 150 years. In the last phase of the war, fought mostly outside of Italy, France was beaten at the battles of Saint-Quentin (1557) and Gravelines (1558). These defeats, coupled with the beginning of the religious struggle

Baraboo

2005-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1840) of Sauk county, south-central Wisconsin, U.S. It lies on small hills 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Madison. Baraboo originated in the early 19th century as a trading post established by the French trapper Jean Baribault, who lived along the river that was named (somewhat phonetically) for him. Incorporated in 1882, the community developed as a distribution centre for dairy

Advocate Of Moral Reform

2005-02-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

First published in New York City in 1835, the Advocate of Moral Reform gained some 20,000 subscribers over the next few years. Serving as a voice for members of the moral reform movement, the journal's mission

Sucket Fork

2005-02-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

Small metal utensil used for eating sweetmeats, or sucket, with a two- or three-pronged fork at one end of the handle and a spoon bowl, usually of teaspoon size, at the other. A sucket fork is mentioned in Edward VI's inventory of 1549, but most of the few surviving English and American examples, which are usually made of silver, date from the late 17th century.

Aceh

2005-02-20T07:17:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Acheh, Achin, or Atjeh, � daerah istimewa (special district) of Sumatra, Indonesia, forming the northern extremity of the island. The district's boundary with Sumatera Utara (North Sumatra) propinsi (province) to the east extends north-south from Salahaji on the northeastern coast just north of Aru Bay to a point on the southwestern coast about midway between Singkilbaru and Barus. Aceh, covering

Saanen

2005-02-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

Popular breed of dairy goat originating in the Saanen Valley of Switzerland. The coat of the Saanen is fine and light-coloured, with white being generally preferred. In build it is similar to the Toggenburg, with smallish frame, straight or dished face, and erect ears. As is that of other goats, milk of the Saanen is whiter and more easily digestible than cow's milk. The breed

Abu Rishah, 'umar

2005-02-18T02:33:00.000-08:00

Abu Rishah attended the University of Damascus in Syria, the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, and the University of Manchester, England. He was an early contributor to the influential Egyptian literary

Zambia, Resources

2005-02-17T02:45:00.000-08:00

Copper, the basis of Zambia's prosperity in the first decade of independence, is a declining asset. Alternatives such as optical glass fibre have reduced market demand, and exhaustion of reserves in existing mining areas has led to increased costs. Large-scale mining could end by 2005, although small-scale operations will continue long after that. Cobalt occurs in association

Durham

2005-02-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

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

Maupin, Armistead

2005-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Maupin was reared in North Carolina. He showed an early interest in film and theatre. His adolescent years were complicated by his growing awareness of his homosexuality. Graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1966, Maupin worked for a time under the future senator Jesse Helms

Kuwait

2005-02-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

In 2003 the Kuwaiti government supported international efforts to induce Iraqi Pres. Saddam Hussein to resign and leave Iraq voluntarily. When those failed, Kuwait supported the U.S.-led campaign against Iraq and allowed a massive military buildup by U.S. and British troops on its territory. These forces finally invaded and occupied Iraq in March and April. Afterward,

Seacole, Mary

2005-02-13T03:38:00.000-08:00

Her father was a Scottish soldier and her mother a free black Jamaican woman who was skilled in traditional medicine and provided care for invalids at her boardinghouse. In 1836 Grant married Edwin Horatio Seacole, and, during their trips to

Performing Arts

2005-02-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

Aquarelle

2005-02-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Technique of painting in transparent, rather than opaque, watercolours. Although aquarelle was known to the ancient Egyptians, it did not achieve popularity in Europe until the 18th and 19th centuries. It was used especially in France and England by landscape painters.

Enckell, Rabbe (arnfinn)

2005-02-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

Enckell studied art in France and Italy. His first collection of impressionistic nature poems, Dikter, appeared in 1923. In this collection and a sequel, Fl�jtbl�sarlycka (1925; �The Flutist's Happiness�), Enckell describes with

Kilkeel

2005-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Irish �Cill Chaoil� fishing port and seaside resort, at the mouth of the River Kilkeel, Newry and Mourne district (established 1973), formerly in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, and the quarrying and dressing of Mourne granite is a local industry. A good harbour serves a large fishing fleet. The River Kilkeel rises to the north in the Silent Valley, where

Canary

2005-02-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

(species Serinus canaria), popular cage bird of the family Carduelidae (order Passeriformes). It owes its coloration and sustained vocal powers to 400 years of selective breeding by humans. Varieties called rollers trill almost continuously, the notes running together; choppers have a loud trill of distinct notes. Well-known breeds include Hartz Mountain, Norwich, and

Biblical Literature, The Third Letter of John

2005-02-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

III John, addressed to Gaius, shows that the writer is concerned about and has responsibility as presbyter for the missionaries of the church. It is somewhat of a short note concerned with church discipline, encouraging hospitality to true missionaries, and thus not unconnected with true doctrine and the command of love.

Syrian Catholic Church

2005-02-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

An Eastern Catholic church of the Antiochene rite, in communion with Rome since the 17th century. The Christians of Syria had been Monophysites since the 5th century; that is, they rejected the rulings of the Council of Chalcedon (451) and believed in the existence of only one nature in Christ. Attempts at unification with Rome were made, without success, in 1237 and 1247. With the establishment

Ikeja

2005-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Town and capital of Lagos state, 10.5 miles (17 km) northwest of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria. Originally settled by the Yoruba people, the locality was raided for slaves until the mid-19th century. Early in the 20th century it became an agricultural hinterland for Lagos; kola nuts were first grown in Nigeria in this area. The opening of the Lagos-Ibadan railway in 1901 and the growth of

Cyriacus Of Ancona

2005-02-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

Byname of �Ciriaco De' Pizzicolli� Italian merchant and Humanist whose writings, based on topographical observations and antiquarian findings relating to ancient Greek civilization, proved useful for later archaeological surveys and classical scholarship. Travelling extensively in southern Italy, Greece, Egypt, and the Near East, he copied hundreds

Biblical Literature, Pseudepigrapha connected with the Dead Sea Scrolls

2005-02-03T03:50:00.000-08:00

There are three Pseudepigrapha that are closely connected with the writings of the Dead Sea sect: the Book of Jubilees, the Ethiopic Book of Enoch, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. It is not accidental that fragments of the two first books and of two sources of the third were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Gatineau River

2005-02-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

French �Rivi�re Gatineau, � river in Outaouais region, southwestern Quebec province, Canada. The river rises in a chain of lakes north of Baskatong Reservoir and flows generally southward for 240 miles (390 km) to join the Ottawa River at Hull. It was named for Nicolas Gatineau, a fur trader who is reputed to have drowned there about 1683. Having served for centuries as a major artery for the lumber trade, the

Selkirk

2005-02-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Manitoba, Canada. It lies just northeast of Winnipeg, on the Red River near its influx into Lake Winnipeg, at the head of deepwater navigation. It is the lake's chief port serving central and northern Manitoba and is thus a transshipping point for fish and lumber. The town is also a haven for pleasure boats. The site, settled in 1812, was named for Thomas Douglas,

Rajasthan, Education and welfare

2005-01-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

There are a number of educational establishments in Rajasthan, including state-run universities at Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Ajmer; the Open University at Kota; and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani. There are several state hospitals and dispensaries. There also are many Ayurvedic, Unani (a medicinal system using prescribed herbs and shrubs), and

Mind Reading

2005-01-30T22:56:00.000-08:00

A magician's trick involving various silent or verbal signals that cue a conjurer to answer a question as though with second sight. Philip Breslaw, the first magician of note to feature mind reading, played in 1781 at the Haymarket Theatre in London to appreciative audiences. In 1784 the Pinettis, a husband-and-wife team, advertised Mrs. Pinetti as able to guess the thoughts of

Peter, Gospel Of

2005-01-29T04:02:00.000-08:00

Pseudepigraphal (noncanonical and unauthentic) Christian writing of the mid-2nd century AD, the extant portion of which covers the condemnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus. Because the work reflects the view that Christ's body had only the appearance of reality, Serapion, bishop of Antioch c. AD 190, believed it was written by a member of the heretical Docetist sect.

Ear, Human, Inner ear

2005-01-28T11:37:00.000-08:00

There are actually two labyrinths of the inner ear, one inside the other - the membranous labyrinth contained within the bony labyrinth (Figure 3). The bony labyrinth consists of a central chamber called the vestibule, the three semicircular canals, and the spirally coiled cochlea. Within each structure, and filling only a fraction of the available space, is a corresponding

Argentina

2005-01-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

In the political arena, the first round of presidential elections was held on April 27. The election

Malamatiyah

2005-01-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

A Sufi (Muslim mystic) group that flourished in Samanid Iran during the 8th century. The name Malamatiyah was derived from the Arabic verb la'ma (�to be ignoble,� or �to be wicked�). Malamati doctrines were based on the reproach of the carnal self and a careful watch over its inclinations to surrender to the temptations of the world. They often referred to the Qur'anic verse �I [God] swear by

Tonga, Relief

2005-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

The summit of volcanic undersea mountains forms the two roughly parallel chains of the Tongan islands. Most of the islands of the western chain are classified as high islands because they have been raised well above sea level by repeated volcanic activity. Four of them are still active volcanoes. Some of the islands composed of lava formed by shield volcanoes, such

Gooch, Sir Daniel, 1st Baronet

2005-01-24T01:29:00.000-08:00

After working under the pioneer railroad builders George and Robert Stephenson, Gooch was appointed, in 1837, locomotive superintendent of the Great Western Railway. In this capacity he developed such

Probability Theory

2005-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

The word probability has several meanings in ordinary conversation. Two of these are particularly important

Hopak

2005-01-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �gopak� Ukrainian folk dance, once for men only but later danced by couples, male soloists, and mixed groups of dancers. In the western Ukraine, as the hopak-kolo, it is danced in a closed circle. The hopak has no fixed pattern of steps. Men competitively improvise steps, high leaps, squatting kicks, and turns; women dance simple steps, sway, clap, or circle. Changes of step do not

Abbott, Jacob

2005-01-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Abbott attended Hallowell Academy and Bowdoin College and studied at Andover Newton Theological School. After teaching at Amherst College, he moved in 1829 to Boston, where he founded and was the first principal of the Mount Vernon School, a secondary

Eliot, Charles William

2005-01-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

Eliot graduated from Harvard in 1853 and was appointed assistant professor of mathematics and chemistry there in 1858. In 1867 he sailed for Europe, where he made a study of European educational systems.

Scalping

2005-01-19T01:46:00.000-08:00

Scalping

Lipa

2005-01-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

Chartered city, Batangas province, southwestern Luzon, Philippines. Formerly a Spanish military headquarters, it is a market town for a fruit-growing region. Lipa was rebuilt (including its cathedral) after a disastrous volcanic eruption in 1754 and again after its virtual destruction under Japanese occupation in World War II. Industries include clothing manufacture

Adams, Marian

2005-01-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

Marian Hooper was the youngest of three children of Boston Brahmins. When her mother died, about five years after Marian was born, the children were cared for by their father, who took great pains over their education. After her marriage to the historian

Hilarion, Saint

2005-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Most knowledge about Hilarion derives from a semi-legendary and rhetorically embellished account of his life written about 391 by the Latin biblical scholar St. Jerome, using material by Bishop Epiphanius

Ksar El-boukhari

2005-01-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

Also called �Boghari, � town, north-central Algeria. Lying along the Chelif River at the junction of the High Plateau and the Atlas Mountains, the town is almost totally surrounded by wooded mountain ridges. The old walled quarter (ksar) is on a hill, overlooking the modern town. Ksar el-Boukhari is a commercial centre for pastoral peoples of the interior, who trade in wool, livestock, and cereals.

Cylinder Machine

2005-01-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

Device for producing paper, paperboard, and other fibreboards, invented in 1809 by John Dickinson. It consists of one or more tubes of wire screen partially immersed and rotated in a vat containing a mixture of pulp and water; the screen picks up a film from which the water drains, leaving a wet sheet that is transferred from the cylinder onto a felt in a continuous web. Cylinders

Ta'liq Script

2005-01-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

In Arabic calligraphy, cursive style of lettering developed in Iran in the 10th century. It is thought to have been the creation of Hasan ibn Husayn 'Ali of Fars, but, because Khwajah 'Abd al-Malik Buk made such vast improvements, the invention is often attributed to him. The rounded forms and exaggerated horizontal strokes that characterize the ta'liq letters were derived primarily

Christian Science

2005-01-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

A religious denomination founded in the United States in 1879 by Mary Baker Eddy (1821 - 1910), author of the book that contains the definitive statement of its teaching, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875). It is widely known for its highly controversial practice of spiritual healing.

Paul, Acts Of

2005-01-10T22:35:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest of a series of pseudepigraphal (noncanonical) New Testament writings known collectively as the Apocryphal Acts. Probably written about AD 160 - 180, the Acts of Paul is an account of the Apostle Paul's travels and teachings. It includes, among others, an episode reminiscent of the Greek fable of Androcles and the lion, in which Paul escapes from the wild beasts

'ar'ar

2005-01-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

Town, northern Saudi Arabia, situated in the Northern region at an elevation of 1,854 feet (565 m). 'Ar'ar was developed in the early 1950s by seminomadic people who were attracted by water made available around the Trans Arabian Pipeline (Tapline). Agriculture and livestock raising are the main economic activities. Crops include alfalfa, dates, fruits, and vegetables. 'Ar'ar has a technical

Triconodon

2005-01-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct primitive mammals found in Europe as fossil deposits of the Late Jurassic (163 to 144 million years ago). Triconodon is representative of the triconodonts, known throughout the world in regions as widely separated as North America, Europe, and China. Triconodon, a relatively large animal for its time (most early mammals were very small), was about the size of

Scandinavian Literature, Icelandic literature

2005-01-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

The literary and linguistic renaissance in Iceland at the start of the 19th century was fostered by three men in particular: a philologist, Hallgr�mur Scheving; a poet and lexicographer, Sveinbj�rn Egilsson; and a philosopher and mathematician, Bj�rn Gunnlaugsson. The principal movement in this renaissance was Romanticism. Inspired by the German philosopher Henrik

Novel, Apprenticeship

2005-01-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

The Bildungsroman, or novel about upbringing and education, seems to have its beginnings in Goethe's work, Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1796), which is about the processes by which a sensitive soul discovers its identity and its role in the big world. A story of the emergence of a personality and a talent, with its implicit motifs of struggle, conflict, suffering, and success,

Madhya Pradesh, Transportation

2005-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

In comparison with other Indian states, Madhya Pradesh is poorly served with transport and communications facilities. The main railroads that pass through the state were originally laid down to connect the ports of Chennai (Madras), Mumbai (Bombay), and Kolkata (Calcutta) with their hinterlands. Important railway junctions include Bhopal, Ratlam, Khandwa, Bilaspur, and

Monarda

2005-01-02T18:07:00.000-08:00

M. fistulosa, growing to 1.5 m (5 feet) tall, has a minty aroma. The more sharply scented Oswego tea (M. didyma), shorter and

Parameters, Variation Of

2005-01-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

To illustrate the method, suppose it is desired to find a particular solution of the equation y� p

G�n�ralit�

2004-12-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

In the 17th century the already existing g�

East India Company

2004-12-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

Also called �English East India Company�, formally (1600 - 1708) �Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies�, or (1708 - 1873) �United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies� English company formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia and India, incorporated by royal charter on Dec. 31, 1600. Starting as a monopolistic trading body, the company became involved in politics and acted as an agent of British imperialism in India from the early 18th century to the mid-19th century. In addition, the activities of the company in China

Aerospace Industry, Other secondary systems

2004-12-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

Aircraft secondary systems are reflected in an extensive industrial infrastructure,

Maupassant, Guy De

2004-12-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

In full� Henry-Ren�-Albert-Guy de Maupassant � French naturalist writer of short stories and novels who is by general agreement the greatest French short-story writer.

Ancients And Moderns

2004-12-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

Subject of a celebrated literary dispute that raged in France and England in the 17th century. The �ancients� maintained that classical literature of Greece and Rome offered the only models for literary excellence; the �moderns� challenged the supremacy of the classical writers. The rise of modern science tempted some French intellectuals to assume that, if Descartes

Polar Wandering

2004-12-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

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

Insurance, Contract law

2004-12-25T15:12:00.000-08:00

To meet the requirement of legal purpose, the insurance contract must

Augustine, Saint

2004-12-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

As outlined above, the story of Augustine's life will seem in numerous ways unfamiliar to readers who already know some of it. The story of his early life is exceedingly well known - better known than that of virtually any other Greek or Roman worthy. Augustine's Confessions recounts that early life with immense persuasiveness, and few biographers can resist abridging

Niza, Marcos De

2004-12-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Niza went to the Americas in 1531 and served in Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico. At Culiac�n, Mex., he freed Indian slaves from regions to the north. Under orders from the viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, Niza and a Moor, Esteban,

1801, Concordat Of

2004-12-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

In the agreement the First

Saint Kitts And Nevis

2004-12-21T04:02:00.000-08:00

Officially �Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis,� also called �Saint Christopher and Nevis,� state composed of two islands of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Their combined area is 104 square miles (269 square kilometres). The capital is Basseterre on the island of Saint Kitts.

Acadia National Park

2004-12-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

National park on the Atlantic coast of Maine, U.S., astride Frenchman Bay. It has an area of 65 square miles (168 square km) and was originally established as Sieur de Monts National Monument (1916), named for Pierre du Guast, sieur (lord) de Monts. It became the first national park in the eastern United States, as Lafayette National Park in 1919, and was renamed Acadia in 1929 to preserve the historic

Ancient Lights

2004-12-19T02:25:00.000-08:00

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

J�chymov

2004-12-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Spa town, Z�padocesk� kraj (region), Czech Republic. It lies at the foot of Mount Kl�novec, the highest summit in the Ore Mountains (Kru

Giocondo, Fra Giovanni

2004-12-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

A learned Franciscan, Fra Giocondo is said to have received an extensive humanistic education. He made an important collection of classical inscriptions and was noted by

Cosmogony

2004-12-16T04:08:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, study of the evolutionary behaviour of the universe and the origin of its characteristic features. For scientific theories on the unsolved problem of the origin of the solar system, see planetesimal; protoplanet; solar nebula. For an outline of the development of astronomical ideas regarding the structure of the universe, see cosmology; for theories

Basil, Colonel W. De

2004-12-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

Original name �Vasily Grigorievich Voskresensky� Russian impresario who in 1932 became codirector with Ren� Blum of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He lost the celebrated premier danseur L�onide Massine and several other dancers to Blum, who, with a U.S. sponsoring agency (World Art), reorganized the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo with Massine as director. De Basil then formed a

Jouvenet, Jean

2004-12-13T01:32:00.000-08:00

Jouvenet was the most celebrated of a family of artists and was son and pupil of Laurent Jouvenet. On arriving in Paris in 1661 he attracted the attention

Bureau

2004-12-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

In the United States, a chest of drawers; in Europe a writing desk, usually with a hinged writing flap that rests at a sloping angle when closed and, when opened, reveals a tier of pigeonholes, small drawers, and sometimes a small cupboard. The bureau (French: �office�) first appeared in France at the beginning of the 17th century as just a flat table with drawers below the top, the