CutFoot

Wyoming, Flag Of

2005-04-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

The seal was adopted by the state legislature in 1893. It includes the state motto, “Equal rights,” recalling that in 1869 Wyoming's constitution was the first such document to give equal voting and office-holding rights to women. The figures of the miner and cowboy flanking the woman in the centre refer to the principal occupations of the state, further mentioned in the ribbon

Fructosuria

2005-04-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

Disturbance of fructose metabolism resulting from a hereditary disorder or intolerance. Normally, fructose is first metabolized in the body to fructose-1-phosphate by a specific organic catalyst or enzyme called fructokinase. In fructosuria this particular enzyme is defective, and the concentration of fructose increases in the blood and urine. There are no

Little Saint Bernard Pass

2005-04-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

Italian Colle Del Piccolo San Bernardo, French Col Du Petit-saint-bernard, pass (7,178 ft [2,188 m]) situated just southwest of the Italian border in Savoie département of southeastern France; it lies between the Mont Blanc Massif (north) and the Graian Alps (q.v.; south-southeast). The road across the pass connects Bourg-Saint-Maurice (7 mi [11 km] southwest) in the Isère River Valley, France, with Morgex (10 mi northeast) in the Valle d'Aosta, Italy. Until the Treaty of Paris

Davies, Robertson

2005-04-02T00:58:00.000-08:00

Educated in England at the University of Oxford, Davies had training in acting, directing, and stage management as a member of the Old Vic Repertory Company. He edited the Peterborough Examiner (1942–63), a newspaper owned

Teratology

2005-04-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

Branch of the biological sciences dealing with the causes, development, description, and classification of congenital malformations in plants and animals and with the experimental production, in some instances, of these malformations. Congenital malformations arise from interruption in the early development of the organism. Malformations in human infants,

Agulhas, Cape

2005-03-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

Cape that is the southernmost point of the African continent, located 109 miles (176 km) southeast of Cape Town, S.Af. Its name, Portuguese for “needles,” refers to the rocks and reefs that have wrecked many ships. A lighthouse was established there in 1849. The Agulhas Banks are excellent for trawling. The cape's meridian (20° E) is the official boundary between the Indian and Atlantic

Cacheu

2005-03-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Guinea-Bissau. It lies along the south bank of the Cacheu River near its mouth. Cacheu was made an official Portuguese captaincy in 1588, and it gained economic importance as a centre for the slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its importance declined in the early 19th century with the decline of the western African slave trade and the rising importance

Latin Literature, The 12th to the 14th century

2005-03-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

The Carmina Burana (“Songs from Bavaria”), the largest and greatest collection of secular lyrics, comes from the Benediktbeuern, a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria. It was put together in the 13th century, though most of the songs are much older, and contains work by many of the finest poets of the age. The contents are divided by subject into moral and satirical verse, love

Eye Dialect

2005-03-29T23:37:00.000-08:00

The use of misspellings that are based on standard pronunciations (such as sez for says or kow for cow) but are usually intended to suggest a speaker's illiteracy or his use of generally nonstandard pronunciations. It is sometimes used in literature for comic effect.

Later Ly Dynasty

2005-03-28T03:58:00.000-08:00

Vietnamese Nha Hau Ly (1009–1225), first of the three great dynasties of Vietnam. The kingdom, known later as Dai Viet, was established by Ly Thai To in the Red River Delta area of present northern Vietnam. Its capital was Thang Long (Hanoi). (It is “later” with respect to the Earlier Ly dynasty, founded by Ly Bon and lasting from 544 to 602/603.) The Later Ly was the first stable Vietnamese dynasty and helped establish many

Vytautas The Great

2005-03-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

Vytautas was the son of Kestutis, who for years had waged a struggle with his brother Algirdas

Uterus

2005-03-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

The uterus has four major regions: the fundus is the broad, curved upper area in which the fallopian

Qarawiyin

2005-03-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Qarawiyin Mosque, which was enlarged to its present form in the 12th century, is the largest in North Africa and can accommodate about 22,000 worshipers. Only Muslims are admitted into the mosque, but the interior can be glimpsed through the building's 14 doors. The mosque's roof is supported by 270 pillars forming 16 naves each of 21 horseshoe

Peter Iii

2005-03-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

In 1262 he had married Constance, heiress of Manfred, the Hohenstaufen king of Sicily; and after the revolt of the Sicilians in 1282 he invaded the island and was proclaimed king at Palermo, despite strong Guelph and papal opposition (see Sicilian

Mountain, The Himalayan chain

2005-03-25T03:17:00.000-08:00

The easternmost segment of the system begins at the western end of the Sunda island arc and continues into the arcuate chain of mountains that constitute the Himalayas, which contain the highest peaks on Earth. This chain was formed as the Indian subcontinent, a passenger on the same plate that currently underthrusts the Sunda arc, collided with the southern margin

Uyo

2005-03-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

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.

Tal, Mikhail Nekhemyevich

2005-03-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

Tal, who learned to play chess at the age of six, was known for his complex and audacious moves. He became a national master and Latvian

Sayf Ad-dawlah

2005-03-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sayf ad-Dawlah began his career as lord of the city of Wasit in Iraq and became involved in the struggles of the 'Abbasid caliph (the titular leader of the

Hyde Park

2005-03-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

Town (township) and unincorporated village, Dutchess county, eastern New York, U.S. It lies on the east side of the Hudson River, 8 miles (13 km) north of Poughkeepsie and about 75 miles (121 km) north of New York City. Both the village (settled as Stoutenburgh in 1741) and town (formed in 1821) bear the name of a local estate honouring Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury, who was governor of New York (1702–08). Primarily

Sayf Ad-dawlah

2005-03-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

Small to medium-sized herbivorous dinosaurs that flourished about 115 million to 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period. Hypsilophodon was up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) long and weighed about 60 kg (130 pounds). It had short arms with five fingers on each hand and was equipped with much longer four-toed hind feet. In its mouth was a set of high, grooved, self-sharpening cheek

Burn

2005-03-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

The use of topical antibacterial agents has reduced the incidence of post-burn infection, but infection remains one of the most serious complications of burns. Burn surgeons often obtain cultures of the burn wound and of sputum and other body secretions; these are examined for signs of infection. Early detection and prompt treatment of infection with antibiotics

Plymouth Brethren

2005-03-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

Community of Christians whose first congregation was established in Plymouth, Devon, Eng., in 1831. The movement originated in Ireland and England a few years earlier with groups of Christians who met for prayer and fellowship. Biblical prophecy and the Second Coming of Christ were emphasized. John Nelson Darby, a former clergyman in the Church of Ireland (Anglican), soon

Ob River, Physiography

2005-03-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

There are more than 1,900 rivers within the basin, with an

Sesame

2005-03-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Benne, erect, annual plant (Sesamum indicum) of numerous types and varieties belonging to the family Pedaliaceae, cultivated since antiquity for its seeds, which are used as food and flavouring and from which a prized oil is extracted. The whole seed is used extensively in the cuisines of the Middle East and Asia. Halvah is a confection made of crushed and

Syrian And Palestinian Religion

2005-03-18T07:41:00.000-08:00

Beliefs of Syria and Palestine between 3000 and 300 BC. These religions are usually defined by the languages of those who practiced them: e.g., Amorite, Hurrian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Moabite. The term Canaanite is often used broadly to cover a number of these, as well as the religion of early periods and areas from which there are no written sources. Knowledge of the religions

Turkish Bath

2005-03-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

Kind of bath that originated in the Middle East and combines exposure to warm air, then steam or hot-air immersion, massage, and finally a cold-water bath or shower. The Turkish bath typically requires movement from one room or chamber to the next. Separate wash rooms and soaking pools may be included in the bath building, as are dressing and rest rooms. The Turkish bath

Korfball

2005-03-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Game similar to netball and basketball, invented in 1901 by an Amsterdam schoolmaster, Nico Broekhuysen. It was first demonstrated in The Netherlands in 1902 and was played on an international level, primarily in Europe, by the 1970s. It was devised as a game for both sexes. A national association was formed in 1903, and the game spread to Belgium, Indonesia, Suriname, Germany, Spain, New Guinea,

Ayers Rock

2005-03-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Uluru giant monolith, one of the tors (isolated masses of weathered rock) in southwestern Northern Territory, Australia. It is perhaps the world's largest monolith. The monolith, which the Aboriginals of the region call Uluru, is composed of arkosic sandstone, which changes colour according to the attitude of the Sun. The rock is most impressive at sunset, when it is coloured

Eichmann, Adolf

2005-03-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

During World War I, Eichmann's family moved from Germany to Linz, Austria. His pre-Nazi life was rather ordinary. He worked as a traveling salesman in Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) for an

Korku

2005-03-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

Tribal people of central India concentrated in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. At the end of the 20th century, they numbered about 560,000. However, poverty and restricted use of ancestral land due to government attempts to save the Bengal tiger have led to a serious problem of malnutrition and starvation among the Korku. Most are settled agriculturalists, and

Tara Singh

2005-03-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Tara Singh was born a Hindu, but while a student in Rawalpindi he became attracted to Sikhism and underwent the required initiation ceremony.

Seligman, Edwin Robert Anderson

2005-03-14T23:52:00.000-08:00

Seligman was the son of a New York banker and had the distinction of being tutored by Horatio Alger. He was educated at Columbia University (Ph.D., 1885) and in Germany and France. Seligman served as professor of political economy at Columbia for 40 years (1891–1931). On his retirement he was chief

Scorpius

2005-03-14T00:38:00.000-08:00

In astrology,

Biblical Literature, Textual criticism: manuscript problems

2005-03-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

The text of the Hebrew printed Bible consists of consonants, vowel signs, and cantillation (musical or tonal) marks. The two latter components are the product of the school of Masoretes (Traditionalists) that flourished in Tiberias (in Palestine) between the 7th and 9th centuries CE. The history of the bare consonantal text stretches back into hoary antiquity and can be

Antbird

2005-03-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Family name Formicariidae, any of numerous birds of the American tropics (order Passeriformes). There are about 230 species in more than 50 genera. Like their near relatives the Furnariidae, antbirds are highly diverse; all are of small to medium size (9.5 to 37 centimetres [4 to 14 inches]), with drab, fluffy plumage (sexes usually unlike); short, rounded wings; variable

Paschasius Radbertus, Saint

2005-03-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

Abandoned as an infant, Paschasius was raised by the monks of St. Peter's, Soissons. Later, he joined the Benedictine abbey of Corbie, near Amiens, under St. Adalhard

Ekhof, Konrad

2005-03-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

In 1739 Ekhof became a member of the company managed by Johann Friedrich Schönemann, an association that extended over 17 years. Ekhof played leading roles in German

Amboise, Georges D'

2005-03-11T04:37:00.000-08:00

Son of Pierre d'Amboise, who was chamberlain to Charles VII and Louis XI and ambassador to Rome, Georges received the bishopric of Montauban when only 14, and was appointed an almoner of Louis XI. Later,

Dawani

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

Dawani's family claimed descent from Abu Bakr (the first caliph of Islam). He received a traditional Islamic education, first at Dawan, where he studied with his father, who was a qadi (judge), and later in Shiraz. During his career

Carné, Marcel

2005-03-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

After holding various jobs, Carné joined the director Jacques Feyder as an assistant in 1928, and he also assisted René Clair on the popular comedy Sous les toits de Paris (1930; “Under the Roofs of Paris”). Carné's first

Overweg, Adolf

2005-03-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

In 1849 Overweg joined an expedition, headed by the English explorer James

Claparède, édouard

2005-03-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Psychologist who conducted exploratory research in the fields of child psychology, educational psychology, concept formation, problem solving, and sleep. One of the most influential European exponents of the functionalist school of psychology, he is particularly remembered for his formulation of the law of momentary interest, a fundamental

Trichloroethane

2005-03-09T05:31:00.000-08:00

One isomer, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, is used as a replacement for carbon tetrachloride as a cold-cleaning solvent for machinery; it is not used in vapour degreasing processes because no stabilizer is available that will prevent its decomposition at high temperatures.

Kii Peninsula

2005-03-08T01:44:00.000-08:00

Japanese Kii-hanto, peninsula of southern Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean (east and south) and the Kii Strait and the Inland Sea (west). The peninsula is composed of the Kii Range, whose mountains end abruptly on the north in a fault scarp that commands the valleys of the Kushida River and the Kino River. In general, the mountains are of strong relief, being broken by deep valleys, sharp

Afghanistan, Plant and animal life

2005-03-07T23:50:00.000-08:00

Vegetation is sparse in the southern part of the country, particularly toward the west, where dry regions and sandy deserts predominate. Trees are rare, and only in the rainy season of early spring is the soil covered with flowering grasses and herbs. The plant cover becomes denser toward the north, where precipitation is more abundant, and at higher elevations the

Arabesque

2005-03-07T23:38:00.000-08:00

In literature, a contrived intricate pattern of verbal expression, so called by analogy with a decorative style in which flower, fruit, and sometimes animal outlines appear in elaborate patterns of interlaced lines. That these designs can sometimes suggest fantastic creatures may have given rise to another sense of the term, denoting a tale of wonder or of the supernatural.

Rommel, Erwin

2005-03-06T05:18:00.000-08:00

Less than a year later, in February 1941, Rommel was appointed commander of the German troops dispatched to aid the all but defeated Italian army in Libya. The deserts of North Africa became the scene of his greatest successes—and of his defeat at the hands of a vastly superior enemy. In the North African theatre of war, the “Desert Fox,” as he came to be called by both friend and

Spanish Literature, The novel

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

In Ramón Pérez de Ayala, the novel was at once a polished art form and a forum for philosophical discussion. Belarmino y Apolonio (1921; Belarmino and Apolonio), a projection of the old debate between faith and reason, made its characters almost symbolic, as did Tigre Juan (1926; Tiger Juan), on the traditional theme of honour. Gabriel Miró's perfect descriptive prose retarded the

Hippodrome

2005-03-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing and especially chariot racing. Its Roman counterpart was called a circus and is best represented by the Circus Maximus (q.v.). The typical hippodrome was dug into a hillside and the excavated material used to construct an embankment for supporting seats on the opposite side. In shape the hippodrome was oblong, with one

Qasida

2005-03-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

Plural qasida, also spelled kasida, Arabic qasidah poetic form developed in pre-Islamic Arabia and perpetuated throughout Islamic literary history into the present. It is a laudatory, elegiac, or satiric poem that is found in Arabic, Persian, and many related Asian literatures. The classic qasida is an elaborately structured ode of 60 to 100 lines, maintaining a single end rhyme that runs through the entire piece; the same

Self-realization Fellowship

2005-03-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Spiritual society founded in the United States by Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952), a teacher of yoga, who was one of the first Indian spiritual teachers to reside permanently in the West. His lecturing and teaching led to the chartering of the fellowship in 1935, with headquarters in Los Angeles; there are now centres worldwide, as well as several independent groups influenced

Ayacucho, Battle Of

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

(Dec. 9, 1824), in the Latin-American wars of independence, revolutionary victory over royalists on the high plateau near Ayacucho, Peru. It freed Peru and ensured the independence of the nascent South American republics from Spain. The revolutionary forces, numbering about 6,000 men—among them Venezuelans, Colombians, Argentines, and Chileans, as well as Peruvians—were under the

Hypnosis

2005-03-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

A special psychological state with certain physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially and marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of awareness other than the ordinary conscious state. This state is characterized by a degree of increased receptiveness and responsiveness in which inner experiential perceptions are given

Frederick I

2005-03-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

In 1688 Frederick succeeded to the electorate and at once set out, assisted

Annelid, Respiratory system

2005-03-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Gas exchange generally takes place through the skin, but it may occur through gill filaments in some polychaetes or through the rectum of aquatic oligochaetes. Although oxygen may be transported directly in the blood, it is usually carried by a respiratory pigment, either hemoglobin or chlorocruorin. Hemoglobin, the most common pigment, is present in most free-moving

Siwa Oasis

2005-03-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Arabic Wahat Siwah oasis in Matruh muhafazah (governorate), western Egypt. It lies near the Libyan frontier, 350 miles (560 km) west-southwest of Cairo. The oasis is 6 miles (10 km) long by 4–5 miles (6–8 km) wide and has about 200 springs. Two rock outcrops provide the sites of the old walled settlements of Siwa and Aghurmi, which are veritable fortresses. The oasis is inhabited by Berber-speaking Sudanic peoples who live in mud-brick

Macpherson, Sir David (lewis)

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

Macpherson emigrated in 1835 from Scotland to Montreal, where he amassed a large fortune in shipping. He moved to Toronto in 1853 and obtained a contract to build a railway line in Canada West (now in Ontario)

Bohemond Iii

2005-02-28T06:59:00.000-08:00

The son of Constance (daughter of Bohemond II) by her first husband, Raymond of Poitiers, he succeeded to the principality upon attaining his majority and then exiled his mother. In the following year (1164) he suffered defeat and was captured by the Muslims. It was the influence of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus that secured Bohemond's early

'abd Al-rahman Iii

2005-02-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, 'Abd al-Rahman also had to check threats from the Christian north. The main danger came from the kingdom of Leon. An expedition commanded by Ordoño II, then vassal king of Galicia and later king of Leon, into Muslim territory in the summer of 913, especially his sack of Evora (Talavera) and the massacre of its Muslim population, produced widespread resentment in Muslim

Ménière Disease

2005-02-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

Recurrent and generally progressive group of symptoms that include loss of hearing, ringing in the ears, dizziness, and a sense of fullness or pressure in the ears. Ménière disease usually only affects one ear. The disease causes episodic attacks that seldom last longer than 24 hours and are accompanied by vertigo, nausea, and vomiting. The apparent immediate cause

Atbara River

2005-02-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Arabic Nahr 'atbarah, river joining the Nile as its last tributary at the town of 'Atbarah in The Sudan. The Atbara River rises in the Ethiopian highlands north of Lake Tana and flows westward into The Sudan, turning north to receive the Angareb and Satit (Takaze) rivers before heading northwestward to the Nile. It flows for a total of 500 miles (805 km). A dam at the rapids of Khashm al-Qirbah was built for

Armoured Vehicle

2005-02-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Armoured also spelled Armored, motor vehicle that is fitted with partial or complete armour plating for protection against bullets, shells, or other projectiles. Armoured vehicles for military use can move either on wheels or on two endless metal chains called tracks. The tank (q.v.) is the principal fighting armoured vehicle. Other military types include armoured personnel carriers, armoured

Lae

2005-02-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

Port city, northeastern Papua New Guinea. It is located near the mouth of the Markham River on Huon Gulf. Commercial activities centre on the export of timber, plywood, and coffee (transported by road from Bulolo and Wau) and the produce from the Central Range, which is airfreighted. Lae is also the marketing centre for the agricultural produce of the surrounding

Croker, John Wilson

2005-02-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, and studying law at Lincoln's Inn, London, Croker was called to the Irish bar in 1802. He entered Parliament in 1807 and from 1810 to 1830 was secretary of the Admiralty during the long Tory

Orwell, George

2005-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Born Eric Arthur Blair, Orwell never entirely abandoned his original name, but his first book (Down and Out in Paris and London) appeared as the work

Kweichow

2005-02-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) Kuei-chou, (Pinyin) Guizhou, sheng (province) of southwestern China. It is bounded on the north by Szechwan, on the east by Hunan, on the south by the Chuang Autonomous Region of Kwangsi, and on the west by Yunnan. Kweichow measures more than 350 miles (560 kilometres) from east to west and about 320 miles from north to south. It has an area of 68,000 square miles (176,100 square kilometres). The provincial capital is centrally located

Per Ramessu

2005-02-23T03:49:00.000-08:00

Probably founded in the Old Kingdom, the city was overrun by Palestinian peoples in about 1700 BC and became the Hyksos capital about 1530 BC. Sacked by the victorious pharaoh Ahmose about 1521 BC, it

China, The first historical dynasty: the Shang

2005-02-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

In addition to the works of Chang, Watson, and Rawson mentioned in the previous paragraph, the following works are also informative: Kwang-chih Chang, Early Chinese Civilization: Anthropological Perspectives (1976), and Shang Civilization (1980), on Shang archaeology and culture; Tsung-tung Chang, Der Kult der Shang-Dynastie im Spiegel der Orakelinschriften (1970); David N. Keightley, Sources of Shang History: The Oracle-Bone Inscriptions of Bronze Age China (1978, reprinted 1985); Wen Fong (ed.), The Great Bronze Age of China (1980), an analytic catalog of an exhibition from the People's Republic of China; and Paul Wheatley, The Pivot of the Four Quarters (1971), a comparative study of the origins of urban society.

Hohenwart, Karl Siegmund, Graf Von

2005-02-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

After service in the provincial administrations of Carniola (now in Slovenia) and Trentino, Italy, Hohenwart was appointed Statthalter (governor) of Upper Austria (1868). A Roman Catholic partisan in politics and an opponent of governmental centralization, he was appointed

Domitian

2005-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

Titus Flavius Domitianus was the second son of the future emperor Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla. During the civil war of AD 69 over the imperial crown, Domitian remained unharmed in Rome, but on December 18 he took refuge in the

Taboret

2005-02-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

The name acquired a more specialized meaning in France in the late 17th century, when it referred to upholstered stools provided at the palace of Versailles for the more privileged ladies of the court of Louis XIV to sit

Kohat

2005-02-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town lies just north of the Kohat Toi River at the entrance to the Kohat Pass, through which a military road was opened in 1901. The new town lies at some distance from the original 14th-century town, traditionally said to have been founded by the Buddhist raja Kohat. It is connected by rail with Thal and the main rail

Nebuchadrezzar Ii

2005-02-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

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

Stephen

2005-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

When

Camar

2005-02-17T22:23:00.000-08:00

Widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name is derived from the Sanskrit word carmakara, or “skin worker.” The more than 150 subcastes are characterized by well-organized panchayats (governing councils). Because their work obliged them to handle dead animals, the Camars have suffered from the stigma of being considered

Buisine

2005-02-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

The name derives from Latin buccina, a Roman shepherds' and later military horn made

Barnet, Charlie

2005-02-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Born into a wealthy family, Barnet rejected their urging that he become a corporate lawyer and instead turned to music. He led his first band at age 16, on a transatlantic liner, and eventually made 22 such crossings; he also visited the South Seas and Latin

Saenredam, Pieter Jansz(oon)

2005-02-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

Saenredam also spelled Zaenredam painter, pioneer of the “church portrait,” and the first Dutch artist to abandon the tradition of fanciful architectural painting in favour of a new realism in the rendering of specific buildings. His paintings of churches show a scrupulous neatness and precision, combined with subtle atmospheric light and tonal unity achieved

Hendrix, Jimi

2005-02-15T00:06:00.000-08:00

Though his active career as a featured artist lasted a mere four years, Hendrix altered the course of popular music and became one of

Hen-and-chickens

2005-02-14T01:15:00.000-08:00

Also called Hen-and-chicks, any of a number of succulent plants of the genera Echeveria (q.v.) and Sempervivum, the latter commonly known as houseleek (q.v.).

Peru, Flag Of

2005-02-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

The first national flag of Peru was created in 1820, when José de San Martín arrived with his Army of the Andes from Argentina and Chile. The Peruvian flag he designed combined the colours red and white, said to have been chosen because San Martín saw a flock of flamingos take wing at his arrival. The form of the flag was unusual—a diagonal division forming two white and two

Guzmania

2005-02-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

Guzmania leaves are stiff, often stemless or short-stemmed,

Afghanistan

2005-02-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

Landlocked, multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen

Kadavu

2005-02-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kandavu island of Fiji, in the South Pacific, 50 miles (80 km) south of Vitu Levu, across the Kadavu Passage. It was visited by the British naval captain William Bligh in 1792. Volcanic in origin, Kadavu has an area of 158 square miles (409 square km) and is bisected by a central mountain ridge with fertile slopes; it rises to 2,749 feet (838 m) at Ndelainambukelevu (Mount Washington). Timber from the forested central

Coherence

2005-02-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

A fixed relationship between the phase of waves in a beam of radiation of a single frequency. Two beams of light are coherent when the phase difference between their waves is constant; they are noncoherent if there is a random or changing phase relationship. Stable interference patterns are formed only by radiation emitted by coherent sources, ordinarily produced

Aerospace Industry, Verification

2005-02-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

Critical for all aerospace vehicles, once they are assembled, are the methods for ensuring the quality of the manufacturing and assembly processes. In the case of aircraft this involves extensive inspections of structural and mechanical items, including functional verification of equipment such as control surfaces and systems, landing-gear operation, avionics

Heifetz, Jascha

2005-02-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

Heifetz studied violin from age three and at six performed Felix Mendelssohn's Violin

Hawatmeh, Na'if

2005-02-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

Born into a Christian family in Jordan, Hawatmeh attended the Arab University of Beirut in Lebanon, where he became a militant in the Arab Nationalist Movement, which at its 1967 congress adopted Hawatmeh's Marxist “scientific

Beretta Spa

2005-02-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

The founder of the business, Bartolomeo Beretta, was known as a maestro da canne, or master gun-barrel maker, for the republic of

Novelty Song

2005-02-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Popular song that is either written and performed as a novelty or that becomes a novelty when removed from its original context. Regardless of which of these two categories applies, the assumption is that the song is popular because of its novelty, because it sounds different from everything else being played on the radio or jukebox. It follows that novelty hits

Middle-distance Running

2005-02-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

In athletics (track and field), races that range in distance from 800 metres (roughly one-half mile) to 3,000 m (almost 2 miles). In international competitions, middle-distance races include the 800 m, the 1,500 m (the metric mile), and the 3,000 m (a steeplechase event for men, but a regular run for women). In English-speaking countries, until the second half of the 20th century, the 880 yards (half mile) and the mile

Lee, Sammy

2005-02-06T04:52:00.000-08:00

In 1942, while a student at Occidental College (Los Angeles), Lee won his first national championship with victories in both the 3-metre springboard and 10-metre platform events. Standing only 5 feet 1 inch, Lee utilized his short stature in his dives, tucking tighter and

Albuquerque

2005-02-05T02:58:00.000-08:00

Largest city of New Mexico, U.S., seat (1852) of Bernalillo county, on the Rio Grande opposite a pass between the Sandia and Manzano mountains to the east. It is encircled by Indian pueblos and sections of the Cibola National Forest (of which it is headquarters). Founded in 1706 by Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, governor and captain general of New Mexico, it was named for the Duque de Alburquerque,

Sanguine

2005-02-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Especially appropriate for rendering

Computers And Information Systems, E-Commerce.

2005-02-03T04:45:00.000-08:00

E-commerce continued the downward slide that had begun in early 2000. In the first half of 2001, U.S. Internet advertising revenues declined 7.8% from the same period a year earlier. The on-line ad sales decline compared with revenue growth of 78% in 2000 and marked the end of several years of substantial growth in on-line ad revenues. The Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group, said the

Pauli, Wolfgang

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

When he was 20, Pauli

Cheese

2005-02-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

Nutritious food consisting primarily of the curd, the semisolid substance formed when milk curdles, or coagulates. Curdling occurs naturally if milk is not used promptly: it sours, forming an acid curd, which releases whey, a watery fluid containing the soluble constituents; and it leaves semisolid curd, or fresh cheese. In some areas, cheese is still made simply by

Guajará-mirim

2005-02-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

City, western Rondônia estado (“state”), western Brazil. It lies along the Mamoré River. Primarily a transportation centre, Guajará-Mirim handles traffic in rubber, lumber, babassu palm oil, and other forest products taken in the surrounding area. It has a small port for shallow-draft vessels and is the southern terminus of a railroad built in 1913 to carry products out of Bolivia

Rábida Island

2005-02-01T05:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Jervis Island, one of the Galápagos Islands, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, about 600 miles (965 km) west of Ecuador. The island has an area of about 1 square mile (3 square km) and is studded with several small volcanic craters. Originally named for the 18th-century British admiral John Jervis, Earl of St. Vincent, the island's official Ecuadorian name is Isla Rábida. Rábida has a lagoon and a flamingo

Hughes, Sir Samuel

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

Hughes was a teacher and a member of the voluntary militia. In 1885–97 he was proprietor and editor of the Warder, a newspaper in Lindsay.