ElasticChess

Switzerland, Music

2005-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Although Switzerland is not a leading musical nation, in the 20th century such composers as Arthur Honegger, Othmar Schoeck, and Frank Martin gained international renown. An annual international music festival, one of many, is held in Lucerne, and numerous country and western, pop, and jazz events, especially the famous festival at Montreux, take place throughout the

Uyo

2005-04-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Town, capital of Akwa Ibom state, southeastern Nigeria. Uyo lies on the road from Oron to Ikot Ekpene. A collecting station for palm oil and kernels, it is also a local trade centre (yams, cassava, palm produce) for an area inhabited mainly by the Ibibio people. The town has a brewery and a textile mill. It is the site of the University of Uyo (1983). Pop. (1991 est.) 66,860.

Yar'adua, Shehu Musa

2005-04-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Nigerian major general (ret.) and former vice president in Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo's military government (1976-79) who, amid international protests, was convicted in 1995 of conspiring to overthrow Gen. Sani Abacha's Provisional Ruling Council and reestablish civilian rule. Yar'Adua died while serving a 25-year prison term (b. March 5, 1943--d. Dec. 8, 1997).

Culpeper's Rebellion

2005-04-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

(1677–79), early popular uprising against proprietary rule in the Albemarle section of northern Carolina, caused by the efforts of the proprietary government to enforce the British Navigation acts. These trade laws denied the colonists a free market outside England and placed heavy duties on commodities. The colonists' resentment found an object in the deputy governor,

Subduction Zone

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

Oceanic trench area marginal to a continent in which, according to the theory of plate tectonics, older seafloor underthrusts the continental mass, dragging downward into the Earth's upper mantle the accumulated trench sediments. The subduction zone, accordingly, is the antithesis of the mid-oceanic ridge; new seafloor is generated from the upper mantle at the

Alcalá, Calle De

2005-04-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

One of the main thoroughfares of Madrid. It originates at the eastern edge of the Puerta del Sol (the focal point and principal square of the city) and runs northeast approximately 4 mi (6 km) through the Plaza de la Independencia and the Puerta de Alcalá (a gateway originally built in 1599 and rebuilt in 1778). A broad, tree-lined avenue, it contains government offices and banks and is

Pacific Ocean, Central Pacific region

2005-03-31T23:02:00.000-08:00

The central Pacific region lies between the boundaries of the eastern and western regions. The largest and the most geologically stable of the structural provinces of the Earth's crust, it is characterized by expansive areas of low relief, lying at a general depth of about 15,000 feet below the surface.

Basil Ii

2005-03-31T22:14:00.000-08:00

The reign of Basil II, widely acknowledged to be one of the outstanding Byzantine emperors, admirably illustrates both

Biblical Literature, The medieval period

2005-03-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

By the beginning of the Middle Ages the Masoretes of Babylonia and Palestine (6th–10th century) had fixed in writing, by points and annotation, the traditional pronunciation, punctuation, and (to some extent) interpretation of the biblical text. The rise of the Karaites, who rejected rabbinic tradition and appealed to Scripture alone (8th century onward) stimulated exegetical

Cabriole Leg

2005-03-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

The early

United States, Black Codes

2005-03-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Given little guidance from Washington, Southern whites turned to the traditional political leaders of their section for guidance in reorganizing their governments; and the new regimes in the South were suspiciously like those of the antebellum period. To be sure, slavery was abolished; but each reconstructed Southern state government proceeded to adopt a “Black Code,” regulating the rights and privileges of freedmen. Varying from state to state, these codes in general treated blacks as inferiors, relegated to a secondary and subordinate position in society. Their right to own land was restricted, they could not bear arms, and they might be bound out in servitude for vagrancy and other offenses. The conduct of white Southerners indicated that they were not prepared to guarantee even minimal protection of Negro rights. In riots in Memphis (May 1866) and New Orleans (July 1866), black persons were brutally assaulted and promiscuously killed.

Stedelijk Museum

2005-03-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

The museum maintains fine collections of drawings, prints, applied arts, photographs, and

Spain, Literature

2005-03-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

The most famous writer of the century, however, was poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (1898–1936). He was executed

Ear Disease, Ototoxic drugs

2005-03-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

Ototoxic (harmful to the ear) drugs can cause temporary and sometimes permanent impairment of auditory nerve function. Salicylates such as aspirin in large enough doses may cause ringing in the ears and then a temporary decrease in hearing that ceases when the person stops taking the drug. Quinine can have a similar effect but with a permanent impairment of auditory

Roman Empire, Eastern

2005-03-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

The eastern half of the Roman Empire, which maintained itself for a thousand years after the western half broke up in the late 5th century AD. The eastern half survived until 1453 as the Byzantine Empire (q.v.).

Bar Sauma, Rabban

2005-03-26T06:39:00.000-08:00

Born into a wealthy Christian family living in Chung-tu and descended from the nomadic Uighurs of Turkistan,

Kubaba

2005-03-24T06:51:00.000-08:00

Goddess of the ancient Syrian city of Carchemish. In religious texts of the Hittite empire (c. 1400–c. 1190 BC), she played a minor part and appeared mainly in a context of Hurrian deities and rituals. After the downfall of the empire her cult spread westward and northward, and she became the chief goddess of the successor kingdoms (the neo-Hittite states) from Cilicia to the Halys

Indian Evidence Act

2005-03-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

Act passed by the British Parliament in 1872 that set forth the rules of evidence admissible in Indian courts and that had far-reaching consequences for the traditional systems of caste government in India. Since ancient times, the way of resolving intracaste disputes had been by discussing the grievances in open meetings of the caste council. All information that

Lagash

2005-03-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

Modern Telloh one of the most important capital cities in ancient Sumer, located midway between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southeastern Iraq. The ancient name of the mound of Telloh was actually Girsu, while Lagash originally denoted a site southeast of Girsu, later becoming the name of the whole district and also of Girsu itself. The French excavated at Telloh between

Kubaba

2005-03-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

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

Connecticut, Cultural life

2005-03-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Numerous sites important in Connecticut's past or associated with

Insurance, Government regulation

2005-03-22T05:11:00.000-08:00

The insurance business is subject to extensive government regulation in all countries. In European countries insurance regulation is a mixture of central and local controls. In Germany central authority over insurance regulation is provided by the Federal Insurance Supervisory Authority (BAV), which exercises tight control of premiums, reserves, and investments

Field Hockey

2005-03-20T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hockey is believed to date from the earliest civilizations. The Arabs, Greeks, Persians, and Romans each had their own versions, and traces

Croce, Benedetto

2005-03-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Historian, humanist, and foremost Italian philosopher of the first half of the 20th century.

West Florida Controversy

2005-03-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, dispute over the status of the territory lying on the Gulf of Mexico between the Apalachicola and Mississippi rivers. Though Spain claimed the area as part of its New World discovery in 1492, France occupied it as a portion of Louisiana after 1695. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1763, West Florida was held by Great Britain, which returned it to Spain under the Treaty of Paris

Bench, Johnny

2005-03-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

In full Johnny Lee Bench American professional baseball player who, in 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, established himself as one of the game's finest catchers. He won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1968–77) and had an exceptional throwing arm. Bench was a master at blocking home plate from base runners, and he popularized the now-standard

Monkey

2005-03-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

Monkeys are arranged into two main groups: Old World and New World. Old World monkeys all belong to one family, Cercopithecidae, which is related to apes and humans, and together they are classified as catarrhines (meaning “downward-nosed” in Latin). The New World monkeys are the platyrrhines (“flat-nosed”), a group comprising five families. As their taxonomic names suggest,

Oscan Language

2005-03-18T02:56:00.000-08:00

One of the Italic languages closely related to Umbrian and Volscian and more distantly related to Latin and Faliscan. Spoken in southern and central Italy, it was probably the native tongue of the Samnite people of the central mountainous region of southern Italy. Oscan was gradually displaced by Latin and apparently became completely extinct by the end of the

Earth, Earthquakes

2005-03-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Most Earth scientists believe that virtually all naturally produced earthquakes occur as a result of movements along faults. The reason that the majority of such earthquakes occur along plate boundaries is that most faults lie along those boundaries.

Terefah

2005-03-17T04:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled terefa, tref , or trefa (from Hebrew taraf, “to tear”) , plural terefoth, terefot , or trefot any food, food product, or utensil that, according to the Jewish dietary laws (kashruth, q.v.), is not ritually clean or prepared according to law and is thus prohibited as unfit for Jewish use. Terefah is thus the antithesis of kosher (“fit”). The broad connotation of terefah derives from a more specific prohibition against eating meat that has been “torn” by a wild animal (e.g., Exodus

Graf, Steffi

2005-03-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. At age 13 she became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. In 1987 she won her first grand-slam event, defeating Czech-born American Martina

Bar Code

2005-03-16T03:19:00.000-08:00

A printed series of parallel bars or lines of varying width that is used for entering data into a computer system. The bars are typically black on a white background, and their width and quantity vary according to application. The bars are used to represent the binary digits 0 and 1, sequences of which in turn can represent numbers from 0 to 9 and be processed by a digital computer.

Colbert, Jean-baptiste

2005-03-16T02:49:00.000-08:00

Controller general of finance (from 1665) and secretary of state for the navy (from 1668) under King Louis XIV of France. He carried out the program of economic reconstruction that helped make France the dominant power in Europe.

Xia Gui

2005-03-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

For a time after his death, Xia may have suffered the same low esteem as other Southern Song academy painters in the eyes of proponents of the new literati, or scholar-amateur, school of painting, for whom professionalism was equated with empty technique and academicism. Zhuang Su wrote in 1298 in Huaji Buyi:He painted landscapes and figures, all very vulgar and debased.

Wali Allah, Shah

2005-03-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

Wali Allah received a traditional Islamic education from his father and is said to have memorized the Qur'an at the age of seven. In 1732 he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and he then remained in the Hejaz (now in Saudi Arabia) to

Suchocka, Hanna

2005-03-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a pharmacist, Suchocka specialized in constitutional law at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan, from which she graduated in 1968. She lectured in law there and at the Catholic University of Lublin. In 1980 she joined the Sejm (parliament) as a member of the Democratic Party, which was then

Utica

2005-03-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1798) of Oneida county, central New York, U.S., on the Mohawk River and New York State Canal System, 45 miles (72 km) east of Syracuse. The first settlers were Dutch and Palatinate Germans, and in 1758 the British built Old Fort Schuyler, near the site of an ancient Oneida Indian council stone. Destroyed by the Indian-Tory raid in 1776, the early village was rebuilt and connected by stagecoach

World War I, Greek affairs

2005-03-13T05:26:00.000-08:00

Greece's attitude toward the war was long uncertain: whereas King Constantine I and the general staff stood for neutrality, Eleuthérios Venizélos, leader of the Liberal Party, favoured the Allied cause. As prime minister from 1910, Venizélos wanted Greece to participate in the Allies' Dardanelles enterprise against Turkey in 1915, but his arguments were overruled by the

Bufotenine

2005-03-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

Structurally, bufotenine is an indole hallucinogen that is capable of blocking

Shamanism, Forms of ecstasy

2005-03-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

The shaman may fulfill his obligations either by communicating with the spirits at will or through ecstasy. The latter has two forms: possession ecstasy, in which the body of the shaman is possessed by the spirit, and wandering ecstasy, in which his soul departs into the realm of spirits. In passive ecstasy the possessed gets into an intense mental state and shows superhuman

Ahidjo, Ahmadou

2005-03-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

A Muslim from the northern part of Cameroon, Ahidjo was

Sayers, Dorothy L.

2005-03-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

Sayers received a degree in medieval literature from the University of Oxford in 1915; she was one of the first

Sea Pansy

2005-03-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

Any of certain marine animals of the sea pen (q.v.) group.

Tobolsk

2005-03-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

City, Tyumen oblast (province), northwestern Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Irtysh and Tobol rivers. Founded in 1587, it was one of the chief centres of early Russian colonization in Siberia because it lay along an important river route to the east, but it declined when bypassed by the Trans-Siberian Railroad in the 1890s. Today it is a river port and station on the Tyumen-Surgut

Actinolite

2005-03-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

An amphibole mineral in the tremolite-actinolite-ferrotremolite series of calcium, magnesium, and iron silicates. The minerals in this series are abundant in regionally metamorphosed rocks, such as schists. Tremolite may weather to talc, and both tremolite and actinolite may alter to chlorite or carbonates. For chemical formula and detailed physical properties,

Latter Rain Revival

2005-03-09T03:14:00.000-08:00

Early name for the Pentecostal movement within U.S. Protestantism; it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Tennessee and North Carolina and took its name from the “latter rain” referred to in Joel 2:23. The Bible passage states that the former (fall) rain and latter (spring) rain were poured down from God. These rains marked the beginning and end of the Jewish harvest.

Cancer And Capricorn, Tropics Of

2005-03-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

Latitudes approximately 23°27¢ N and 23°27¢ S of the terrestrial Equator, respectively. These latitudes correspond to the northernmost and southernmost declinations of the Sun's ecliptic (q.v.) to the celestial equator. At the summer solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere), around June 21, the Sun attains its greatest declination north and is directly over the Tropic of Cancer. At that

Sabine River

2005-03-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

River in the southwestern United States, rising in northeastern Texas and flowing southeast and south, broadening near its mouth to form Sabine Lake, and continuing from Port Arthur through Sabine Pass, a dredged navigable channel, to the Gulf of Mexico after a course of 578 mi (930 km). It drains 10,400 sq mi (26,950 sq km), entirely in Texas and the Louisiana Coastal Plain. The Sabine has successively

Cytokinin

2005-03-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

Any of a number of plant growth substances that are usually derived from adenine. Synthesized in roots, cytokinins move upward in the xylem (woody tissue) and pass into the leaves and fruits, where they are required for normal growth, for cell differentiation, and, in conjunction with auxin (another plant hormone), to promote cell division.

Index Librorum Prohibitorum

2005-03-06T03:23:00.000-08:00

Compiled by official censors, the Index was an implementation of one part of the teaching function of the Roman Catholic

Mitchell, R.j.

2005-03-06T02:46:00.000-08:00

After secondary schooling Mitchell was an apprentice at a locomotive works and attended night classes at technical colleges. In 1916, before the age of 22, he went to work at Supermarine Aviation

Ancients And Moderns

2005-03-05T23:54:00.000-08:00

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

Scandinavian Literature, Faeroese

2005-03-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Faeroese literature came into its own after the turn of the century. Jens H.O. Djurhuus, who created rhetorical poetry of splendid resonance, was the first to emerge as a writer of international stature. His brother, Hans Andrias Djurhuus, wrote in a more naive manner, producing poems, fairy tales, and plays, which were based on native historical traditions and

Perak

2005-03-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

Traditional region, northwestern West Malaysia (Malaya), bordering Thailand to the north and fronting the Strait of Malacca to the west. Its area includes a large portion of West Malaysia's west-coast plains and centres upon the Perak River, which flows north-to-south between the Keledang Range to the east and the Bintang Range to the west; both of these mountain ranges

Qarakhanid Dynasty

2005-03-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Qarakhanids, who belonged to the Qarluq tribal confederation, became prominent during the 9th century. With the disintegration of the Iranian Samanid dynasty, the Qarakhanids took over the Samanid territories in Transoxania. In 999 Harun (or Hasan) Bughra Khan, grandson of the paramount tribal chief of the Qarluq confederation,

Kiritimati Atoll

2005-03-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

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

Braconid

2005-03-03T04:21:00.000-08:00

Many species are valuable in the control

Condé, Louis Ii De Bourbon, 4e Prince De

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

The princes de Condé were the heads of an important French branch of the House of Bourbon. The Great Condé was the elder son of Henry II de Bourbon, 3rd prince de Condé, and of his wife, Charlotte

Kagwa, Sir Apolo

2005-03-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

A devout Anglican, Kagwa was a leader of the Protestant faction in the civil wars of the Ganda people (1888–92). He became katikiro when King Mwanga returned to the throne in 1890 and grew increasingly powerful

Le Poulain, Jean

2005-03-02T02:54:00.000-08:00

Le Poulain spent his childhood in Indochina, where his father was a colonial administrator, and returned to France at the age of 19. He studied in small conservatories before being admitted to the

Great Britain

2005-03-01T01:47:00.000-08:00

First Atlantic ocean liner that was built of iron and had screw propulsion. It was the world's largest ship at the time of its launching (1843) and was 322 feet (98 m) long with a tonnage of 3,270. Designed by the British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel originally as a paddle steamer and built at Bristol, it was equipped with screw machinery that was supplemented by sails on six (later five)

Stearic Acid

2005-02-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

In nature stearic acid

Corby

2005-02-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

Corby was a village of 1,596 inhabitants

Kagwa, Sir Apolo

2005-02-28T13:52:00.000-08:00

Any of three species of large, slow aquatic mammals found along tropical and subtropical Atlantic coasts and associated inland waters. Dull gray, blackish, or brown in colour, all three manatee species have stout, tapered bodies ending in a flat, rounded tail used for forward propulsion. The forelimbs are modified into flippers; there are no hind

Metabolism, ATP yield of aerobic oxidation

2005-02-27T21:36:00.000-08:00

The loss of the two molecules of carbon dioxide in steps [41] and [42] does not yield biologically useful energy. The substrate-linked formation of ATP accompanies step [43], in which one molecule of of ATP, is formed during each turn of the cycle. The hydrogen ions and electrons that result from steps [40], [42], [44], and [46] are passed down the chain of respiratory carriers to oxygen, with the concomitant

Gatling Gun

2005-02-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hand-driven machine gun, the first to solve the problems of loading, reliability, and the firing of sustained bursts. It was invented by Richard J. Gatling during the American Civil War (about 1862). After early experiments with a single barrel using paper cartridges (which had to have a separate percussion cap), he saw in the newly invented brass cartridge (which had its own

Sorocaba

2005-02-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

City, east-central São Paulo estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies along the Sorocaba River, a tributary of the Tietê River, at 1,804 feet (550 m) above sea level. Given town status in 1661 and made the seat of a municipality in 1842, Sorocaba is now one of the nation's major industrial centres. Manufactures include cotton and silk textiles, cement, fertilizers, lumber, aluminum products, shoes, hats, alcohol,

Mountain, The Zagros and Bitlis mountains

2005-02-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

The Arabian Peninsula, its northeastern edge covered by thick sedimentary rocks, has collided with Iran and Turkey at the Zagros and Bitlis sutures to form the Zagros and Bitlis mountains. Thick layers of salt in the Arabian shield's sedimentary rock have allowed the overlying layers to detach and fold, creating a particularly well-developed fold and thrust belt

Sokhumi

2005-02-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

Formerly Sukhumi, city, capital of Abkhazia, Georgia. It lies on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Dioscurias on the Black Sea coast. Sokhumi's seaside location, beaches, and warm climate made it a popular Black Sea resort, with many sanatoriums and holiday camps. Local industries include fruit canning and wine making; there are also foundries and electrical-equipment plants. The

Dominican Republic, Flag Of The

2005-02-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

Christopher Columbus visited the island of Hispaniola in 1492, claiming it for the Spanish monarchy. However, French colonists in the 17th century established a state known as Saint-Domingue (Saint-Dominique) in the western part of the island, which subsequently became Haiti. The Spanish-speaking area in the east was conquered by the newly independent Republic of Haiti

Tolkien, J.r.r.

2005-02-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

At age four Tolkien, with his mother and younger brother, settled near Birmingham, England, after his father, a bank manager, died in South Africa. In

Los Alamos

2005-02-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

In 1942 Los Alamos was chosen by the U.S. government (because of its comparative isolation

Christie, Dame Agatha

2005-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Educated at home by her mother, Christie began writing detective fiction while working as a nurse during World War I. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), introduced

Florida Atlantic University

2005-02-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. Part of the State University System of Florida, it is composed of nine colleges and offers an undergraduate curriculum that includes study in business, engineering, nursing, arts and letters, education, science, and architecture, urban, and public affairs. The university offers master's

'abd Al-rahman Iii

2005-02-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

Byname Al-Nasir li-Din Allah (Arabic: “Victor for the Religion of Allah”) , in full 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hakam al-Rabdi ibn Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil first caliph and greatest ruler of the Umayyad Arab Muslim dynasty of Spain. He reigned as hereditary emir (“prince”) of Córdoba from October 912 and took the title of caliph in 929.

Gambia, The, History Of

2005-02-21T23:57:00.000-08:00

Gambian history before the arrival of Europeans is speculative. The Malinke and Wolof kingdoms, fully established by the 19th century, were still in the formative stages when the Portuguese explorer Alvise Ca' da Mosto (Cadamosto) arrived in 1455. The Malinke were the westernmost peoples of the old Mali empire. The Wolof probably migrated from the Songhai regions, and the

Nova, João Da

2005-02-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Commanding a fleet of four ships, Nova left Portugal on a voyage to India in 1501. His crews included Amerigo Vespucci, after whom America was later named. En route he discovered Ascension Island.

Indiana State University

2005-02-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Terre Haute, Ind., U.S. It comprises the College of Arts and Sciences and schools of Business, Education, Nursing, Technology, Graduate Studies, and Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. The university offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Campus facilities include an observatory,

Tunisia, Soils

2005-02-20T04:59:00.000-08:00

Tunisia's most fertile soils are found in the well-watered intermontane valleys in the north, where rich sandy clay soils formed from alluvium or soils high in lime content cover the valley bottoms and plains. Aside from these and from the plains of the High Steppe region, where some clay soils of medium fertility may be found, soils in the rest of the country tend to

Chibougamau

2005-02-20T00:25:00.000-08:00

City, Nord-du-Québec region, central Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the northwest shore of the Lac Doré part of Chibougamau Lake. Gold and copper were discovered in the area by Peter McKenzie in 1903, but his and several subsequent attempts at mining the ore failed because of the region's remoteness. Finally, in the late 1940s, the provincial government began building a road

Acceptance

2005-02-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

An exporter of goods, for

New Britain

2005-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

City, coextensive with the town (township) of New Britain, Hartford county, central Connecticut, U.S. Settled as the Stanley Quarter to the north in 1686 and followed later by the Great Swamp settlement to the south, the area became the New Britain parish of Farmington in 1754. In 1785 Berlin town, including New Britain parish, was separately incorporated from Farmington. Metalworking

Gastronomy, Scandinavian

2005-02-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Sweden's great contribution to international eating is the smorgasbord, literally a “bread-and-butter

Black Knot

2005-02-17T02:30:00.000-08:00

Disease of wild and cultivated plums, cherries, and apricots in North America caused by the fungus Dibotryon morbosum. Infected twigs, branches, and fruit show light brown swellings that turn velvety olive-green in late spring. By autumn, hard, rough, coal-black knots girdle and kill affected parts. Older knots, often riddled by insects, stunt and kill the tree. Black knot

Loredan, Pietro

2005-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

As captain of the Venetian fleet he defeated the Ottoman Turks, who had been threatening Venetian shipping, in a

Aratus

2005-02-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

He resided at the courts of Antigonus II Gonatas, king of Macedonia, and Antiochus I of Syria. The Phaenomena, a didactic poem in hexameters, is his only completely extant work. Lines 1–757 versify a prose work on astronomy by Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 390–c. 340), while lines 758–1154 treat of weather signs

Tyrosinemia

2005-02-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

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

Colophon

2005-02-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

Ancient Ionian Greek city, located about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Ephesus, in modern Turkey. It was a flourishing commercial city from the 8th to the 5th century BC with its harbour at Notium. Colophon was ruled by a timocracy (government based on wealth) and was famous for its cavalry, its luxury, and its production of rosin (colophonium). It was the birthplace of the philosopher

Caucasian Languages, Linguistic characteristics

2005-02-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Correspondences between sounds and meanings in words and word elements provide a basis for considering the Kartvelian languages as being closely related and descended from a common ancestral language (a protolanguage).

Power, Balance Of

2005-02-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

In international relations, the posture and policy of a nation or group of nations protecting itself against another nation or group of nations by matching its power against the power of the other side. States can pursue a policy of balance of power in two ways: by increasing their own power, as when engaging in an armaments race or in the competitive acquisition of

Baba-yaga

2005-02-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Baba-jaga, in Russian folklore, an ogress who steals, cooks, and eats her victims, usually children. A guardian of the fountains of the water of life, she lives with two or three sisters (all known as Baba-Yaga) in a forest hut which spins continually on birds' legs; her fence is topped with human skulls. Baba-Yaga can ride through the air—in an iron kettle or in a mortar that she drives with

Wang Chen

2005-02-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

Wang was denounced by later historians as the first of a series of eunuchs whose mismanagement helped destroy the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Wang was the constant companion and personal servant of the emperor Cheng-t'ung, who ascended the throne while still a boy. Isolated from

Vail, Theodore Newton

2005-02-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

After a highly successful career in the railway postal service, Vail was persuaded in 1878 to join Bell Telephone as general manager. During his active tenure in this

Amygdule

2005-02-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

Secondary deposit of minerals found in a rounded, elongated, or almond-shaped cavity in igneous rock. The cavities (vesicles) were created by the expansion of gas bubbles or steam within lava. Some amygdules consist partially of lava, which indicates their formation during solidification of the rock. Since gas bubbles tend to rise through the lava, amygdules are most

Hui-kuan

2005-02-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

The hui-kuan were originated at Peking by the provincial guild of the southern Chinese province of Kwangtung.

Scandinavian Literature, The modern Swedish novel

2005-02-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

The development of the novel was associated with Gustaf Hellström, Ludvig Nordström, Elin Wägner, and Sigfrid Siwertz. Hellström's work as a journalist in Europe, the United States, and England greatly influenced him. Irony and careful detail emerged in his best known novel, Snörmakare Lekholm får en idé (1927; Lacemaker Lekholm Has an Idea). Siwertz was a more elegant stylist,

Aurignacian Culture

2005-02-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

Toolmaking industry and artistic tradition of Upper Paleolithic Europe that followed the Mousterian industry, was contemporary with the Perigordian, and was succeeded by the Solutrean. The Aurignacian culture was marked by a great diversification and specialization of tools, including the invention of the burin, or engraving tool, that made much of the art

Italian Literature, The Hermetic movement

2005-02-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

Poetry in the fascist period underwent a process of involution, partly influenced by French Symbolism, with its faith in the mystical power of words, and partly under the stress of changed political conditions after World War I, during which literature had declined. Many poets of the wartime generation, weary of tradition and rhetoric, had been seeking new expression:

Florence

2005-02-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

The

Alaska, Government

2005-02-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Alaska's economy has been dominated by government since territorial days. From 1940 to 1960 the federal government invested nearly $2 billion in the development of military bases in Alaska. Nothing else in Alaska's history has produced such long-term results, bringing thousands of residents into the territory and creating jobs and a vast array of transportation and communications

ElasticChess

Switzerland, Music

Uyo

Yar'adua, Shehu Musa

Culpeper's Rebellion

Subduction Zone

Alcalá, Calle De

Pacific Ocean, Central Pacific region

Basil Ii

Biblical Literature, The medieval period

Cabriole Leg

United States, Black Codes

Stedelijk Museum

Spain, Literature

Ear Disease, Ototoxic drugs

Roman Empire, Eastern

Bar Sauma, Rabban

Kubaba

Indian Evidence Act

Lagash

Kubaba

Connecticut, Cultural life

Insurance, Government regulation

Field Hockey

Croce, Benedetto

West Florida Controversy

Bench, Johnny

Monkey

Oscan Language

Earth, Earthquakes

Terefah

Graf, Steffi

Bar Code

Colbert, Jean-baptiste

Xia Gui

Wali Allah, Shah

Suchocka, Hanna

Utica

World War I, Greek affairs

Bufotenine

Shamanism, Forms of ecstasy

Ahidjo, Ahmadou

Sayers, Dorothy L.

Sea Pansy

Tobolsk

Actinolite

Latter Rain Revival

Cancer And Capricorn, Tropics Of

Sabine River

Cytokinin

Index Librorum Prohibitorum

Mitchell, R.j.

Ancients And Moderns

Scandinavian Literature, Faeroese

Perak

Qarakhanid Dynasty

Kiritimati Atoll

Braconid

Condé, Louis Ii De Bourbon, 4e Prince De

Kagwa, Sir Apolo

Le Poulain, Jean

Great Britain

Stearic Acid

Corby

Kagwa, Sir Apolo

Metabolism, ATP yield of aerobic oxidation

Gatling Gun

Sorocaba

Mountain, The Zagros and Bitlis mountains

Sokhumi

Dominican Republic, Flag Of The

Tolkien, J.r.r.

Los Alamos

Christie, Dame Agatha

Florida Atlantic University

'abd Al-rahman Iii

Gambia, The, History Of

Nova, João Da

Indiana State University

Tunisia, Soils

United States, Black Codes