OppositeLeaf

Fairbanks, Charles Warren

2005-03-30T10:01:00.000-08:00

Fairbanks had considered seeking the presidency in 1900 and was mentioned as a potential running mate to William McKinley. As a staunch conservative from a “doubtful” state, Fairbanks was chosen as Roosevelt's running mate in 1904 to balance the ticket. A typical vice president of his time, he did not attend cabinet meetings and was not one of Roosevelt's closest advisers. Although he was nominated by Indiana for president in 1908 and received 40 votes at the Republican National Convention, Roosevelt blocked his nomination in favour of William Howard Taft. When the party was divided in 1912, Fairbanks supported Taft, the eventual nominee, instead of Roosevelt, who ran as the candidate of his own Bull Moose Party. He also ran unsuccessfully for vice president on the 1916 ticket headed by Charles Evans Hughes.

To-lun

2005-03-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

Historically important as the site of Shang-tu (the Xanadu of Samuel Coleridge's poem “Kubla Khan”), it was founded by Kublai Khan in 1256 and became the summer capital of the Mongol emperors of China, known as the “city of 108 temples.” Excavations have revealed that the site

Scorpius X-1

2005-03-29T00:51:00.000-08:00

(catalog number Sco X-1), brightest X-ray source in the sky, the first such object discovered in the direction of the constellation Scorpius. Detected in 1962, its X-radiation is not only strong but, like other X-ray sources, quite variable as well. Its variability exhibits two states, one at higher output with great variability on a time scale of minutes and another at lower output

Anicetus, Saint

2005-03-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Possibly a Syrian, Anicetus laboured to combat the errors of the heresies of Valentine and Marcion and to prevent heresies, working particularly against the Marcionites and Gnostics. Although he suffered tribulations, it is questionable whether or not he was actually martyred.

Mclaren, Bruce (leslie)

2005-03-28T02:54:00.000-08:00

From 1959 to 1965 McLaren drove for Charles Cooper, a British racing car designer and builder. In 1960 he finished second to Jack Brabham of Australia

Kappa Organism

2005-03-28T02:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Kappa Particle, gram-negative symbiotic bacterium found in the cytoplasm of certain strains of the protozoan Paramecium aurelia. These bacteria, when released into the surroundings, change to P particles that secrete a poison (paramecin) that kills other sensitive strains of P. aurelia. The possession of kappa organisms is determined genetically. The kappa bearers, called killers,

Adi-buddha

2005-03-26T02:36:00.000-08:00

Among some sects of Mahayana Buddhism, the first, or self-existing, Buddha, from whom are said to have evolved the five Dhyani-Buddhas (see Dhyani-Buddha). Though the concept of an Adi-Buddha was never generally popular, a few groups, particularly in Nepal, Tibet, and Java, elevated Vairocana to the position of Adi-Buddha or named a new deity, such as Vajradhara or Vajrasattva, as the

Kirkland, Lane

2005-03-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Kirkland graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1942 and then served as an officer on American merchant ships throughout World War II. He settled in Washington,

Carnivore, Natural history

2005-03-25T01:50:00.000-08:00

Members of the families Otariidae (eared seals), Odobenidae (walrus), and Phocidae (earless seals), commonly called pinnipeds, are strictly carnivorous and mostly marine. A few venture up freshwater rivers, and two forms (Pusa species) are landlocked on inland lakes. Pinnipeds are amphibious, being aquatic as to food habits but terrestrial for mating, bearing young, and

Mauritius

2005-03-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

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

Kwandebele

2005-03-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Former nonindependent black state and enclave in central Transvaal province, South Africa, that was a self-governing “national state” for Transvaal Ndebele people from 1981 to 1994. KwaNdebele was located in a 3,500-foot- (1,060-metre-) high dry savanna area about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Johannesburg. It was established in 1979, when many Transvaal Ndebele were expelled from the nearby Bophuthatswana

Atchafalaya River

2005-03-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

Distributary of the Red and Mississippi rivers in Louisiana, U.S. It branches southwest from the Red River near a point in east-central Louisiana where the Old River (about 7 miles [11 km] long) links the Red River with the Mississippi, and it flows generally south for about 140 miles (225 km) to Atchafalaya Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico in southern Louisiana. Its length including

Tu-yün

2005-03-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Duyun, city in central Kweichow sheng (province), China. Situated some 60 miles (100 km) southeast of the provincial capital of Kuei-yang, Tu-yün is a transport centre, with a highway route running eastward into Hunan province and a main route, followed by a highway and railway, running south to Liu-chou in Kwangsi province. It is approximately 25 miles (40 km) south by rail from the junction

Respiration, Human

2005-03-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

The process by which oxygen is taken up and carbon dioxide discharged.

Ricardo, David

2005-03-21T02:35:00.000-08:00

Ricardo was the

Coral-bells

2005-03-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

(Heuchera sanguinea), hardy garden perennial, of the saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae), native to North America from Mexico to the Arctic. Coral-bells is a compact, bushy plant growing in tufts, with flower stems about 45 centimetres (18 inches) tall. It has spikes covered with pendant coral-coloured flowers about the size of lily of the valley bells. The leaves

Henie, Sonja

2005-03-20T07:01:00.000-08:00

Henie began skating when she was six years old. At age 10 she won the Norwegian national figure-skating championship, and

Cosgrave, Liam

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

His father, W.T. Cosgrave, was president of the Executive Council and head of the government of the Irish Free State during the first 10 years of its existence (1922–32). Liam, the elder son, was educated at Castlenock College, Dublin, and King's Inns, studied law, and was called to the Irish bar

Orage, Alfred Richard

2005-03-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Orage became an elementary school teacher at Leeds, Yorkshire, in 1893, lectured on theosophy, and in 1900 helped found the avant-garde Leeds Arts Club. He moved to London in 1906 and became joint editor in 1907 of The New Age, a periodical of which from 1909 on he was the sole editor and dominant spirit. The New

Performing Arts, India.

2005-03-18T03:32:00.000-08:00

With the rise of an international taste for “Bollywood”—Indian commercial cinema—two spectacular all-star films vied for the claim to be the most costly films in Indian history; Devdas was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali from a much-filmed early 20th-century novel with a Romeo and Juliet theme, and Karan Johar's Kabhi khushi kabhie gham ... (2001; Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes

Avery, Byllye

2005-03-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

Avery studied psychology at Talledega (Alabama) College (B.A., 1959) and received an M.A. in special education from the University of Florida (1969). She devoted herself to the education of emotionally

Viola

2005-03-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 500 species of herbs or low shrubs, including the small, solid-coloured violets and the larger-flowered, often multicoloured violas and pansies. Viola occur naturally worldwide but are found most abundantly in temperate climates, with the greatest variety occurring in the Andes Mountains of South America. They have also been widely cultivated

Tyrosinemia

2005-03-16T22:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Tyrosinosis, inherited inability of the body to metabolize normally the amino acid tyrosine. In the normal metabolic pathway of tyrosine, para-(p-)hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid is converted to homogentisic acid (in the liver) by a specific organic catalyst or enzyme, called p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid oxidase. This enzyme is not active in individuals with tyrosinemia. Clinical

Anouk Aimée

2005-03-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

The daughter of an actor and actress, Anouk Aimée made her first film appearance at the age of 14 in La Maison sous la mer (1946; “The House on the Sea”). After making an impression as a Juliet figure in the 1948 film Les Amants de Vérone (The Lovers of Verona), a role written especially for

Graham, Jorie

2005-03-16T03:27:00.000-08:00

Graham grew up in France and Italy. After attending the Sorbonne, she continued her education at New York University (B.F.A., 1973) and at the University of Iowa (M.F.A., 1978). She taught in Kentucky, California, and New York City before returning

'abd Allah

2005-03-15T22:09:00.000-08:00

'Abd Allah followed his family's vocation for religion. In about 1880 he became a disciple of Muhammad Ahmad, who announced that he had a divine mission, became known as al-Mahdi, and appointed 'Abd Allah a caliph (khalifah). When al-Mahdi died

Floral Decoration

2005-03-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Plant materials are customarily arranged in containers, woven into garlands, and worn or carried for personal adornment. Flower bouquets that are carried include the nosegay and corsage. In the mid-19th century, the nosegay, or posy (a small bunch of mixed flowers), was much in fashion. No well-dressed Victorian lady appeared at a social gathering without carrying one,

Guadalquivir River

2005-03-14T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Guadalquivir is the second longest river of Spain (after the Ebro), and it has several distinctive characteristics.

Salekhard

2005-03-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

Salekhard was founded in 1595 and became a city in 1938. Fish canning and sawmilling reflect the regional economy. It is also a base for the northern gas fields of western Siberia. Teacher-training

Fabiola, Saint

2005-03-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

After her conversion to Christianity, she worked closely with St. Jerome, dedicating her wealth and life to the church. In addition to the hospital founded in Rome, she later founded, with St. Pammachius, a hospice for pilgrims at Porto, Italy,

Kabelvåg

2005-03-13T00:16:00.000-08:00

Historical village of the Lofoten island group, Nordland fylke (county), northern Norway. It is on the southern shore of Austvågøya island, just southwest of Svolvær, chief town of the Lofoten. Kabelvåg was founded as Vågan in the early 12th century by King Øystein, who built a church and fishermen's hostel there. For many centuries the small port, situated at the base of steep,

Kra, Isthmus Of

2005-03-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Thai Khokhok Kra narrow neck of southern Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, connecting the Malay Peninsula to the Asian mainland. The isthmus lies between the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west. It is 25–30 miles (40–48 km) wide at its narrowest point, between Chumphon and Kra Buri (both in Thailand). Kra Buri, for which it was named, is at the head of the Pakchan River estuary, an inlet

Agriculture, History Of

2005-03-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Agriculture was long believed to have begun in a single centre in the Middle East, about 4000 BC. Modern dating techniques have since disproved this hypothesis; they indicate agriculture already in progress about 7000 BC, and archaeologists

61 Cygni

2005-03-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

First star whose distance from Earth (about 11 light-years) was measured (by Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel in 1838). The star is a visual binary the components of which revolve around each other in a period of about 650 years. They are of fifth and sixth magnitudes. Regular variations in the motion of the brighter component may indicate the presence of an invisible companion with about

Hohenlohe-schillingsfürst, Chlodwig Karl Viktor, Fürst Zu (prince Of)

2005-03-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

A Bavarian Roman Catholic, he was a member of a princely house and

Osaka-kobe Metropolitan Area, Cultural life

2005-03-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

Osaka and Kyoto long have been leading centres of culture—Osaka, famous for its cuisine, has a more bustling, democratic tone than Kyoto, which is one of the great centres of Japanese culture. Traditional and modern Japanese drama and music are performed at theatres and halls in the metropolitan area, as are Western music, operas, and plays. There are numerous museums, galleries,

Dragoman

2005-03-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Arabic Tarjuman, Turkish Tercüman, official interpreter in countries where Arabic, Turkish, and Persian are spoken. Originally the term applied to any intermediary between Europeans and Middle Easterners, whether as a hotel tout or as a traveller's guide, but there developed the official dragomans of foreign ministries and embassies, whose functions at one time included the conduct of important

Zionism

2005-03-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

Jewish nationalist movement that has had as its goal the creation and support of a Jewish national state in Palestine, the ancient homeland of the Jews (Hebrew: Eretz Yisra'el, “the Land of Israel”). Though Zionism originated in eastern and central Europe in the latter part of the 19th century, it is in many ways a continuation of the ancient nationalist attachment of the

Rzeszów

2005-03-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Rzeszów województwo (province), southeastern Poland. It lies along the Wislok River at the juncture of the Carpathian Mountains and the Sandomierz Basin. The town lies on the main Kraków-Lviv (Ukraine) road and rail line. The city's economy has expanded greatly since World War II, and some of Poland's largest metal-production plants are located there, as

Arnaud, Henri

2005-03-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

After studying theology in Switzerland, Arnaud returned to Piedmont and established himself as pastor at Torre Pellice (1685), where he

Graham, George

2005-03-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

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

Gabon, Demographic trends

2005-03-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

Gabon, like its central African neighbours, has a very low population density. Since 1970, as a result of increased urbanization, the low rate of natural increase of the previous half-century appears to have given way to a relatively high growth rate. The extent to which the heavy immigration of foreign workers and Equatorial Guinean refugees has contributed to this growth

Viseu

2005-03-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

Distrito (“district”) northern Portugal. Framed by the Caramulo, Arada, and Montemuro mountains in the west, the district is drained by the upper basin of the Mondego and Vouga rivers. It is densely populated in the more humid western plateaus, with impressive flights of cultivated terraces on the deep valley slopes, which produce chiefly corn (maize), cabbage, grapes, and

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

2005-03-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

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

Ascaris

2005-03-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

Any of a genus of worms (order Ascaridida, class Nematoda) that are parasitic in the intestines of various terrestrial animals, chiefly herbivores. They are typically large worms characterized by a mouth surrounded by three lips. The species Ascaris lumbricoides is probably the most familiar parasite in humans. An almost identical worm, often called A. suum, occurs

Saudi Arabia

2005-03-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

The coastal parts of the territory that was to become Saudi Arabia participated in the broad trends of Arabian Peninsula history in the Islamic period—the rise of Islam in western Arabia in the 7th century,

Quicksand

2005-03-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

State in which saturated sand loses its supporting capacity and acquires the character of a liquid. Quicksand is usually found in hollows at the mouths of large rivers or along flat stretches of streams or beaches where pools of water become partially filled with sand and an underlying layer of stiff clay or other dense material prevents drainage. Mixtures of

Epistemology, Immanuel Kant

2005-03-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

Idealism is often defined as the view that everything which exists is mental; that is, everything is either a mind or depends for its existence upon a mind, as do ideas and thinking. Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) was not strictly an idealist according to this definition, although he called himself a “transcendental idealist.” On his view, humans can know only what is presented to their

Price, Sammy

2005-02-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

Price first toured as a dancer before working in bands in the Southwest and Midwest during the 1920s and '30s. He moved to New York City in 1937, where he became a staff musician

Durkheim, émile

2005-02-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

French social scientist who developed a vigorous methodology combining empirical research with sociological theory. He is widely regarded as the founder of the French school of sociology.

Macarius

2005-02-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

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

Calendar, The French republican calendar

2005-02-26T05:38:00.000-08:00

In late 18th-century France, with the approach of the French Revolution, demands began to be made for a radical change in the civil calendar that would divorce it completely from any ecclesiastical connections. The first attacks on the Gregorian calendar and proposals for reform came in 1785 and 1788, the changes being primarily designed to divest the calendar of all its Christian

Adamic, Louis

2005-02-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

Adamic immigrated to the United States from Yugoslavia at age 14 and was naturalized in 1918. He wrote about what he called the failure of the American melting pot in Laughing

La Rioja

2005-02-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

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

Evans, Walker

2005-02-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

American photographer, important primarily for documenting the effects of economic depression in the American South and photographically interpreting American folk architecture. His approach to photography was largely formed by the documentary photographs of the French photographer Eugène Atget, whose influence

Antarctica, Physical geography

2005-02-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

W.N. Bonner and D.W.H. Walton (eds.), Antarctica (1985); and R.M. Laws (ed.), Antarctic Ecology, 2 vol. (1984), discusses the continent's physical environment, fauna, flora, land and sea ecology, conservation, and exploitation. I.B. Campbell and G.G.C. Claridge, Antarctica: Soils, Weathering Processes, and Environment (1987), provides a summary of recent research.

Basanavicius, Jonas

2005-02-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

In 1873 Basanavicius went to Moscow to study history and archaeology but after a year changed to medicine. He was graduated in 1879 and spent most of the next 25 years practicing medicine in Bulgaria. He edited the first number of the important

Lauenburg

2005-02-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

A duchy under the Ascanian dynasty from the 13th century, Lauenburg was acquired by George William, the Welf duke

Marquesas Islands

2005-02-21T23:09:00.000-08:00

French Îles Marquises, pair of volcanic clusters in French Polynesia in the central South Pacific, 740 mi (1,200 km) northeast of Tahiti. The southeastern group includes Hiva Oa (q.v.), largest and most populated and the burial place of the French artist Paul Gauguin; Fatu Hiva and Tahuata, each about 23 sq mi (60 sq km) and both rising to about 3,300 ft (1,005 m); and the uninhabited Motane and Fatu Huku. The northwestern group

Switzerland, The Reformation

2005-02-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Shortly after the peace settlement with the French, the impact of the Reformation reached Switzerland. A period of internal strife ensued that was instrumental in shaping the human geography of the country. The cities, particularly the major centres of Bern, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Schaffhausen, and Zürich, were far more receptive to the reform preaching of such

Frelinghuysen, Frederick Theodore

2005-02-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Frelinghuysen was born into a family that had long been prominent in politics. Left an orphan at the age of three, he was adopted by his uncle, Theodore Frelinghuysen. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1836, studied law in his uncle's law office,

Toots And The Maytals

2005-02-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Formed in 1962 as a ska group fronted by the charismatic Hibbert, the Maytals (originally known as the Vikings, then as

Amortization

2005-02-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

An example of the first meaning is a mortgage on a home, which may be repaid in monthly installments that include interest and a gradual reduction of the principal obligation. Such systematic annual reduction increases the safety factor

Euwe, Max

2005-02-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Euwe won his first (minor) tournament at the age of 10 but played little thereafter until he had completed his formal education in 1926 at the University

Earth Sciences, Knowledge of the tides

2005-02-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

By contrast, the tides along the eastern shores of Asia generally have a considerable range and were the subject of close observation and much speculation among

Aguilar, Grace

2005-02-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Aguilar was the daughter of Sephardic Jews. She was tutored in the classics at home and (even in adulthood) was not permitted to move outside

Price, Reynolds

2005-02-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

Price grew up in small towns and attended Duke University in Durham, N.C. (A.B. 1955), where the works of Eudora Welty became a primary influence on his writing. After receiving a B.Litt. degree in 1958 from the University of Oxford in England, he began his

Metallurgy

2005-02-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

Art and science of extracting metals from their ores and modifying the metals for use. Metallurgy customarily refers to commercial as opposed to laboratory methods. It also concerns the chemical, physical, and atomic properties and structures of metals and the principles whereby metals are combined to form alloys.

Vaughan, Frankie

2005-02-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

British theatre and cabaret singer who was one of the most popular romantic crooners of the 1950s through the '90s; darkly handsome and elegantly dressed, “Mr. Moonlight” (as he was known from his signature tune, “Give Me the Moonlight”) also appeared on television in Britain, the U.S., and across Europe and in motion pictures, notably in a musical number with Marilyn Monroe in Let's

Afonso Iii

2005-02-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

The younger son of Afonso II and Urraeca, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile, Afonso emigrated and became, by marriage, count of Boulogne. His elder brother, Sancho II, was deposed by order of the pope, who granted Afonso

Kamehameha I

2005-02-12T04:07:00.000-08:00

First named Paiea, meaning “Hard-Shelled Crab,” the future sovereign was the son of Keoua, a high chief, and of Kekuiapoiwa, a daughter of the former

Miner, Jack

2005-02-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

Miner moved to Essex county, Ont., in 1878. In 1904, on his farm at Kingsville, he established a bird sanctuary that became widely known. Banding more than 50,000 ducks between

Clifford, Sir Hugh Charles

2005-02-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

A descendant of Clifford of the Cabal under Charles II, and a grandson of the 7th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, Hugh Clifford was expected to follow his father, a distinguished general, into the British Army but decided instead to join

Saarland

2005-02-10T23:21:00.000-08:00

A well-developed educational system includes a series of technical high schools and the University of the Saarland at Saarbrücken. Cultural institutions—including the City Theatre, Radio Saarland, and the Modern Gallery of Saarbrücken—draw support from both Germany and France. There are a dozen museums and galleries and a large number of singing, musical, and

Tigellinus, Ofonius

2005-02-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

A Sicilian by birth, Tigellinus was prefect of the vigiles (“fire brigades”) before becoming prefect of the Praetorian Guard in 62. Early sources maintain that he rose to power by encouraging Nero in his vices. He actively pressed Nero's reign

Yang-chou

2005-02-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

In the 4th and 3rd centuries BC Yang-chou was a fief known as Kuang-ling in the state of Ch'u. After the Ch'in unification of the empire in 221 BC, it became the seat of a county. Under the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), it was the seat

Saldanha Bay

2005-02-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Saldanhabaai, deep, essentially landlocked harbour of the Atlantic Ocean, situated on the southwest coast of South Africa. Named after the early 16th-century Portuguese navigator António de Saldanha, the bay is both larger and safer than Table Bay, which is located 65 miles (105 km) farther south-southeast. Saldanha Bay's former abundance of seals, fish, and guano deposits was long contested

Bektashi

2005-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Originally one of many Sufi orders within orthodox Sunnite Islam, the Bektashi order in the 16th century adopted tenets of the Shi'ite sect,

East Falkland

2005-02-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

One of the two major islands of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is 90 miles (140 km) long and 55 miles (88 km) wide and rises to Mount Usborne (2,312 feet [705 m]). The total area is 2,550 square miles (6,605 square km), excluding adjacent small islands. The town of Stanley is on the northeast shore. Pop. (1986) 1,620.

Allah

2005-02-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “God”), the one and only God in the religion of Islam. Etymologically, the name Allah is probably a contraction of the Arabic al-Ilah, “the God.” The name's origin can be traced back to the earliest Semitic writings in which the word for god was Il or El, the latter being an Old Testament synonym for Yahweh. Allah is the standard Arabic word for “God” and is used by Arab Christians

Nahyan, Shaykh Shakhbut Ibn Sultan An-

2005-02-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

As ruler of the largest emirate within the British-controlled Trucial Coast, Shakhbut maintained friendly relations with the United Kingdom and successfully resisted territorial incursions in a prolonged border dispute with Saudi Arabia. He was

Pará

2005-02-04T23:49:00.000-08:00

Estado (state) of northern Brazil through which the lower Amazon River flows to the sea. It is bounded to the north by Guyana, Suriname, and the Brazilian state of Amapá, to the northeast by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by the Brazilian states of Maranhão and Tocantins, to the south by Mato Grosso, and to the west by Amazonas. It is the second largest state in Brazil. The capital

Wappinger

2005-02-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

A confederacy of Algonquian-speaking Indians in eastern North America who early in the 17th century lived along the east bank of the Hudson River from Manhattan Island to what is now Poughkeepsie and eastward to the lower Connecticut River valley. They were semisedentary, moving seasonally between fixed sites as food resources required. They depended largely

József, Attila

2005-02-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

József was attracted by Marxist ideology and became a member of the then-illegal Communist Party. In 1932 he launched a short-lived literary periodical, Valóság, and in 1936 became one of the

Paustovsky, Konstantin Georgiyevich

2005-02-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

A descendant of Ukrainian Cossacks, Paustovsky attended school in Kiev, St. Petersburg, and Odessa. Before he began to write, he worked at various jobs; he also traveled a good deal, both in

Military Affairs

2005-02-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

The security situation in the Serbian province of Kosovo deteriorated in January when Yugoslav army and special police troops escalated their offensive against the Kosovar Albanians. Under pressure from the six-nation Contact Group, the two sides met at Rambouillet, near Paris, France, in February and March to seek a peace agreement. The Kosovar Albanian delegation

Catamarca

2005-02-01T06:09:00.000-08:00

The region constituted part of

Vestini

2005-01-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Vestini's local dialect, belonging to the Northern Oscan group, probably survived until this time. The oldest known

Account Payable

2005-01-30T00:25:00.000-08:00

Any amount owed by a company as the result of a purchase of goods or services from another company on a credit basis. Under a trade-credit arrangement, the purchasing company, after placing its order with the seller, receives the goods and an invoice denoting the price of the goods and the terms for payment. The purchasing firm does not send a trade acceptance or promissory

Faience Fine

2005-01-29T04:47:00.000-08:00

Fine white English lead-glazed earthenware, or creamware, imported into France from about 1730 onward. Staffordshire “salt glaze” was imported first, followed by the improved Wedgwood “Queen's ware” and the Leeds “cream-coloured ware.” It was cheaper than French faience, or tin-glazed earthenware, and more durable and was therefore subjected to heavy tariffs in 1741 and 1749. A Franco-British

Intendant

2005-01-29T01:02:00.000-08:00

The origin of the office of intendant remains obscure, and no document has been

Mussato, Albertino

2005-01-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

Mussato earned his living as a copyist while studying for the profession of notary. He was knighted in 1296 and, after becoming a member of the Council of Padua, was sent in 1302 as ambassador to Pope Boniface VIII. In 1311 he

Great Attractor

2005-01-28T02:06:00.000-08:00

Proposed concentration of mass that influences the movement of many galaxies, including the Milky Way. In 1986 a group of astronomers observing the motions of the Milky Way and neighbouring galaxies noted that the galaxies were moving toward the Hydra-Centaurus superclusters in the southern sky with velocities significantly different from those predicted by

Mole

2005-01-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

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

France, History Of, Early Frankish period

2005-01-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

In the second quarter of the 5th century, various groups of Franks moved southward toward the middle Rhine area (Cologne), the lower branches of the Moselle and Meuse, and the Atlantic coastal region. In the latter area, separate groups took possession of Tournai and Cambrai and reached the Somme. These Franks along the coast were divided into many small kingdoms. One

Schäffle, Albert

2005-01-26T02:57:00.000-08:00

Schäffle became a professor of political economy at Tübingen (1860) and later Vienna (1868). He was a member of the Württemberg Landtag (assembly)

Earth, Variation with internal density distribution

2005-01-25T05:35:00.000-08:00

If the Earth were horizontally stratified so that density varied only with depth, the Bouguer anomaly would be everywhere close to zero. In fact, because the Earth is heterogeneous, the gravitational anomaly field displays “roughness” over a very wide range of length scales and amplitudes. When the distribution of excess or deficiency in density is known, the effect

Breckinridge, Madeline Mcdowell

2005-01-25T04:03:00.000-08:00

Née Madeline McDowell American social reformer whose efforts focused on child welfare, health issues, and women's rights. Educated in Lexington, Kentucky, and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, she studied intermittently during 1890–94 at the State College (now University) of Kentucky. In 1898 she married Desha Breckinridge, editor of the Lexington

Békésy, Georg Von

2005-01-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

As director of the Hungarian Telephone System Research Laboratory (1923–46), Békésy worked on problems

Computers, The Internet

2005-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

The Internet grew out of funding by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), later renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop a communication system among government and academic computer-research laboratories. The first network component, ARPANET, became operational in October 1969. With only 15 nongovernment (university) sites