HealthyAnt

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

2006-10-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services. They are a specialist in estate agent fitzrovia, amongst other London areas such as Soho and Oxford Circus.

Indian Ocean, Ocean basins

2005-03-30T01:49:00.000-08:00

Ocean basins are characterized by smooth, flat plains of thick sediment with abyssal hills (i.e., less than 3,300 feet high) at the bottom flanks of the oceanic ridges. The Indian Ocean's complex ridge topography led to the formation of many basins that range in width from 200 to 5,600 miles. From roughly north to south they include the Arabian, Somali, Mascarene, Madagascar, Mozambique,

Cinematography

2005-03-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

The art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves such techniques as the general composition of a scene; the lighting of the set or location; the choice of cameras, lenses, filters, and film stock; the camera angle and movements; and the integration of any special effects. All these concerns may involve a sizable crew on a feature film, headed by a person

Interactionism

2005-03-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

In Cartesian philosophy and the philosophy of mind, those dualistic theories that hold that mind and body, though separate and distinct substances, causally interact. Interactionists assert that a mental event, as when John Doe wills to kick a brick wall, can be the cause of a physical action, his leg and foot moving into the wall. Conversely, the physical event of his

Eagels, Jeanne

2005-03-28T07:04:00.000-08:00

Eagels left school early and worked at small jobs until, at age 15, she began to work in a traveling tent show. During the next seven years she toured the Midwest, playing mainly melodramatic roles.

Catanduanes

2005-03-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

Island, east-central Philippines, in the Philippine Sea, separated from southeastern Luzon (Rungus Point) by the shallow Maqueda Channel. The island has an area of 550 square miles (1,425 square km). Farming is diversified (rice, corn [maize], copra, abaca) on the hilly, rolling land. Virac, the chief port, is on the southern coast in a lowland area. The island is known for its stone churches.

Fischer, Johann Michael

2005-03-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

Fischer was trained by his father, a mason. As an apprentice in Bohemia and Moravia beginning in 1713, he became familiar with the churches of the Dientzenhofer family and returned to Munich in 1718 to become

Saccharin

2005-03-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Also called Ortho-sulfobenzoic Acid Imide, organic compound employed as a non-nutritive sweetening agent. It occurs as insoluble saccharin or in the form of various salts, primarily sodium and calcium. Saccharin has about 200–700 times the sweetening power of granulated sugar and has a slightly bitter and metallic aftertaste. For table use, it is sold as 1/4-, 1/2-, or 1-grain pellets of the salts, a 1/4-grain pellet being the equivalent

Chekiang, Cultural life

2005-03-25T04:18:00.000-08:00

During the Nan (Southern) Sung dynasty (1127–1279) the political and cultural centre of China moved from the North to western Chekiang. The Hang-chou area became the homeland of a galaxy of famous painters (including a Sung emperor), as well as of calligraphers, poets, essayists, philosophers, and historians. The beauty of Lin-an (modern Hang-chou), the Nan Sung capital, was immortalized

Biblical Literature, Masoretic texts

2005-03-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

The earliest extant Hebrew

Appoggiatura

2005-03-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

(from Italian appoggiare, “to lean”), in music, an ornamental note of long or short duration that temporarily displaces, and subsequently resolves into, a main note, usually by stepwise motion. During the Renaissance and early Baroque, the appoggiatura was of moderate length, averaging one-third of the main note, and was more in the nature of a melodic than a harmonic ornament.

China, Conflicts within the international alliance

2005-03-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

China's alliance with the United States and Great Britain was marked by deep conflict. Great Britain gave highest priority to the defeat of its main enemy, Germany. The U.S. Navy in the Pacific had been seriously weakened by the Japanese air attack at Pearl Harbor and required many months to rebuild. During the winter of 1941–42 the grand strategy of the United States and Great

Rotimi, Ola

2005-03-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

Nigerian playwright and director (b. April 13, 1938, Sapele, Nigeria—d. Aug. 18, 2000, Ife-Ife, Nigeria), was trained in the Western theatre tradition but incorporated into his predominately English-language plays traditional Nigerian cultural forms, including ethnic dances and indigenous languages. His works often presented figures or incidents of historical importance in Nigeria

Olaf I Tryggvason

2005-03-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Olaf, the great-grandson of the Norwegian king Harald I Fairhair and the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, a chieftain in southeastern Norway, was born soon after his father was killed by the Norwegian ruler Harald II Graycloak. According to legend,

Mysticism, Union of opposites

2005-03-21T04:49:00.000-08:00

Mystical experience is flanked with a communication hazard, a “polar identity.” The linguistic liberties and extravagances are part of the logical impossibility of having to describe one order of experience in terms of another. Hence, the rhetoric of mysticism is largely one of symbols and paradoxes. The most striking of the strategies, as the medieval Christian

World War Ii, The encirclement of Rabaul

2005-03-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Allied moves to isolate the large Japanese garrison on Rabaul proceeded by land and air. The encirclement of Rabaul by land began during October and November 1943 with the capture by New Zealand troops of the Treasury Islands in the Solomons and was accompanied on November 1 by a U.S. landing at Empress Augusta Bay on the west of Bougainville. U.S. reinforcements subsequently

Spaceflight

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

Flight beyond Earth's atmosphere. This article deals with the basic concepts associated with the launch and return of unmanned and manned spacecraft and their travel, navigation, and rendezvous and docking in space. For the development of space travel and discussions of spacecraft and space programs and their contributions to scientific knowledge

Wroclaw

2005-03-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

German Breslau, city, capital of Wroclaw województwo (province), southwestern Poland. It lies along the Oder River at its confluence with the Olawa, Sleza, Bystrzyca, and Widawa rivers. A large industrial centre situated in Dolny Slask (Lower Silesia), Wroclaw is the fourth largest city in Poland. It contains Poland's largest flour mills, a modern electronics and data-processing industry, foundries,

Rhys, Ernest Percival

2005-03-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Although ill health interrupted his education, Rhys showed early promise and an innate love of books. In 1886 he became a poet and free-lance critic and editor in London.

Coleroon River

2005-03-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

River in Tiruchchirappalli and Thanjavur districts, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, formed by the northern bifurcation of the Cauvery River at Srirangam. The river flows between South Arcot and Thanjavur districts for 36 mi (58 km) and empties through several mouths into the Bay of Bengal, 3 mi south of Porto Novo. The Coleroon is part of the Cauvery Delta, the most fertile and

Robert Of Molesme, Saint

2005-03-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

The son of noble parents, Robert entered the Benedictine monastery of Moutier-la-Celle near Troyes as a youth and soon became prior. He later became abbot of Saint-Michel-de-Tonnerre,

Consistory

2005-03-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

(from Latin consistorium, “assembly place”), a gathering of ecclesiastical persons for the purpose of administering justice or transacting business, particularly meetings of the Sacred College of Cardinals with the pope as president. From the 11th century, when the institution of the cardinalate became more important, the Sacred College of Cardinals, assembled in

Monet, Claude

2005-03-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

Monet's life during the 1860s was precarious and itinerant, and he sold almost nothing; but several works were accepted for exhibition in the yearly Salons, most notably, and with great success, a fine but not yet Impressionist portrait of his future wife, Camille. Having already painted in Paris, Le Havre, Chailly, Honfleur, Trouville, and Fécamp and at other stations between

Adams, Hannah

2005-03-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

Adams was the daughter of a notably eccentric bibliophile father whose lack of business acumen kept the large family in poverty. She inherited his love of books and his remarkable memory, and, although she received no formal schooling, she was well tutored

Greece, History Of

2005-03-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

Geographically, Greece forms the southernmost extension of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a region dominated by mountain systems, and, although not particularly high, these cover some 80 percent

Korda, Sir Alexander

2005-03-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

Before he was 20 years old he was working as a journalist in Budapest, and in 1914 he started the film periodical Pesti Mozi (“Budapest Cinema”). He made his first film in 1914, and by 1917 he had become the co-owner

Hugh Capet

2005-03-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Hugh was the eldest son of Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks. On his father's death in 956, Hugh Capet inherited vast estates in the regions of Paris and Orléans, extending in some places south of the

Staghorn Fern

2005-03-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

Member of the genus Platycerium (family Polypodiaceae), which is bizarre in appearance and frequently displayed in conservatories and other collections. Platycerium is epiphytic—i.e., the plants grow upon other plants. The leaves are of two forms; one type is elongated, erect or pendulous, and repeatedly forked, hence the name staghorn. The other leaf type is flat or

Animal, Support and movement

2005-03-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

A skeleton can support an animal, act as an antagonist to muscle contraction, or, most commonly, do both. Because muscles can only contract, they require some other structure to stretch them to their noncontracted (relaxed) state. Another set of muscles or the skeleton itself can act as an antagonist to muscle contraction. Only elastic skeletons can act without an antagonist;

Weld, Theodore Dwight

2005-03-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

While a ministerial student at Lane Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, Weld participated in antislavery debates and led a group of students who withdrew from Lane to enroll at Oberlin (Ohio) College. Weld left his studies in 1834 to become an agent for

Cosby, Bill

2005-03-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

Cosby left high school without earning his diploma and joined the U.S. Navy in 1956. While enlisted he passed a high school equivalency exam, and after his discharge he received an athletic scholarship to Temple

Spalding, Mother Catherine

2005-03-12T04:16:00.000-08:00

Spalding was taken to frontier Kentucky by her widowed mother about 1799. She was later orphaned and reared by relatives. In December 1812 the Reverend (later Bishop)

East India Company

2005-03-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

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

Spadefoot Toad

2005-03-11T03:19:00.000-08:00

The European spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus) is found in Europe and Central Asia, usually in sandy regions.

Furniture, Near East and classical antiquity

2005-03-11T03:06:00.000-08:00

A. Lucas, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, 3rd ed. (1948), indispensable; Howard Carter and A.C. Mace, The Tomb of Thut-Ankh-Amen, 3 vol. (1923–27); Gisela H. Richter, The Furniture of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans (1966), the standard reference work in this area.

Museums, History Of, Specialized personal collections

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

The developing interest in human as well as natural history in the 16th century led to the creation of specialized collections. In Italy alone more than 250 natural history collections are recorded in that century, including the fine herbarium of Luca Ghini at Padua and the more eclectic collection of Ulisse Aldrovandi at Bologna. Other notable natural history collections

Stahl, Franklin W.

2005-03-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Educated at Harvard (A.B., 1951) and the University of Rochester (Ph.D., 1956), Stahl pursued his research

Scat

2005-03-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

In biology, any of four species of fishes constituting the family Scatophagidae (order Perciformes). The few species are placed into two genera, Selenotoca and Scatophagus. They are found in marine waters or estuaries of the Indo-Pacific region from the western coast of India to New Guinea and northern Australia and also along the coast of Africa. Occasionally they

Cézanne, Paul

2005-03-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

French painter, one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionists, whose works and ideas were influential in the aesthetic development of many 20th-century artists and art movements, especially Cubism. Cézanne's art, misunderstood and discredited by the public during most of his life, grew out of Impressionism and

Sickel, Theodor Von

2005-03-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Educated at the École des Chartes de Paris (1850–52) and in Berlin, Sickel, on grants from the French government, carried out research projects

William Of Saint-thierry

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

William studied under Anselm of Laon, a supporter of the philosophical theology (later called scholasticism) advanced by St. Anselm of Canterbury. After entering a Benedictine abbey in Reims in 1113, William became thoroughly versed

Wu-han

2005-03-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Wuhan fifth largest city of the People's Republic of China, in Hupeh Province, located at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers. It is a conurbation of three adjacent cities—Han-k'ou (Hankow), Han-yang, and Wu-ch'ang; the last is the capital of Hupeh Province. Han-k'ou lies on the north bank of the Yangtze at the mouth of the Han. Immediately across the Han from it is the older city

Alexander I

2005-03-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

The son of Prince Alexander of Hesse (previously created prince of Battenberg upon his morganatic marriage) and a favourite nephew of Alexander II of Russia, Alexander served during 1877 with the Russian forces in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), which resulted in the autonomy of Bulgaria.

East Dorset

2005-03-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Dorset, southern England, in the northeastern corner of the county directly north of the English Channel resorts of Bournemouth and Poole. Most of the district is part of the historic county of Dorset, but its easternmost section, including St. Leonards, is in the historic county of Hampshire. East Dorset district is a low-lying plain

Roland (de La Platière), Jean-marie

2005-03-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

The son of a royal official, Roland became inspector of manufactures in Amiens (1780) and then in Lyon (1784). In February 1780 he married Jeanne-Marie Phlipon, who was 20 years

Fable, Parable, And Allegory

2005-03-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Any form of imaginative literature or spoken utterance constructed in such a way that readers or listeners are encouraged to look for meanings hidden beneath the literal surface of the fiction. A story is told or perhaps enacted whose details—when interpreted—are found to correspond to the details of some other system of relations (its hidden, allegorical sense).

F-104

2005-03-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Starfighter, jet day fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation for the U.S. Air Force but adopted by a total of 15 NATO and other countries. It was widely adapted for use as a fighter-bomber. The F-104 had a wingspan of 21 feet 11 inches (6.68 m) and a length of 54 feet 9 inches (16.7 m). It was a single-seat, single-engine midwing monoplane, powered with a General Electric J79 series turbojet engine with

Gamburtsev Mountains

2005-03-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

Russian Gory Gamburtseva, subglacial range in the central part of eastern Antarctica, extending 750–800 miles (1,200–1,300 km). The mountains attain their greatest height at 11,120 feet (3,390 m). Completely buried under more than 1,970 feet (600 m) of the Antarctic ice cap, they were discovered in 1958 by a Soviet expedition and mapped by seismic reflections.

Christian And Missionary Alliance

2005-03-04T04:01:00.000-08:00

Missionary and evangelistic movement that developed from the work of Albert B. Simpson (d. 1919), a Presbyterian minister who left that church to become an independent evangelist in New York City. In 1887 Simpson and others organized two societies, one for home and one for foreign missions. The two societies were merged into the Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1897. The organization

Iberian Peninsula

2005-03-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

Peninsula in southwestern Europe, occupied by Spain and Portugal. Its name derives from its ancient inhabitants whom the Greeks called Iberians, probably after the Ebro (Iberus), the peninsula's second longest river (after the Tagus). The Pyrenees form an effective land barrier in the northeast from the rest of Europe, and in the south at Gibraltar the peninsula is separated

Wild Oat

2005-03-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

The best-known species is A. fatua, which has become a common field and roadside weed in temperate Australia, North America, and southern Africa. It grows in small tufts about 0.9 to 1.2 m (3 to 4 feet) tall.

Botany Bay

2005-03-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

The bay was the site in 1770 of Captain James Cook's first landing in Australia. He named it Stingray Harbour but later changed the name because

Dadié, Bernard Binlin

2005-03-02T01:59:00.000-08:00

Dadié received his higher education in Senegal, where his involvement in a folklore and drama movement first encouraged him to

Anzali, Bandar-e

2005-03-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

Founded in the early 19th century, the town lies on both sides of the entrance to Mordab Lagoon. It was occupied by the Russians in 1920; they declared a Soviet Republic of Gilan, but that entity

Iberian Peninsula

2005-03-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

Any of a number of contagious diseases that are most commonly acquired in sexual intercourse. See sexually transmitted disease.

Pembroke

2005-02-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

Welsh Penfro town, historic and present county of Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro), Wales, comprising the localities of Pembroke and Pembroke Dock on the south shore of the Milford Haven inlet. The older locality, Pembroke, incorporated in 1090 by royal charter, was a walled town built along a narrow limestone ridge, at the west end of which the castle, dominating the Haven, was the seat of the

Maluku

2005-02-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

English Moluccas propinsi (province) of the Maluccas island group, eastern Indonesia. In 1999 the northern half of Maluku province was made into the separate North Maluku (Maluku Utara) province. The Moluccas group includes about 1,000 islands. The largest of North Maluku province are Halmahera, Morotai, Bacan, Obi, and the main islands of the Sula archipelago; those of Maluku province are Ceram

China, Aviation

2005-02-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Aviation development is particularly suited to China, with its extensive territory and varied terrain. Chinese civil aviation has two major categories: air transport, which mainly handles passengers, cargoes, and mail, traveling on both scheduled and nonscheduled routes; and special-purpose aviation, which mainly serves industrial and agricultural production,

National Army Museum

2005-02-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

The collections of the National Army Museum relate to all aspects of the British army from the Battle of Agincourt (1415) to the present day. They include material from the militia, yeomanry, volunteers,

Sun Worship

2005-02-26T21:20:00.000-08:00

Although sun worship has been used frequently as a term for “pagan” religion, it is, in fact, relatively rare. Though almost every culture uses solar motifs, only a relatively few cultures (Egyptian, Indo-European, and Meso-American) developed solar religions. All of these

Sports, Book Of

2005-02-26T00:24:00.000-08:00

Formally Declaration of Sports order issued by King James I of England for use in Lancashire to resolve a conflict, on the subject of Sunday amusements, between the Puritans and the gentry, many of whom were Roman Catholics. Permission was given for dancing, archery, leaping and vaulting, and for “having of May games, Whitsun ales and morris dances, and the setting up of May-poles and other sports therewith

Ibrahim Pasha

2005-02-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

A son, or adopted son, of the famous vali Muhammad 'Ali, in 1805 Ibrahim joined his father in Egypt, where he was made governor of Cairo. During 1816–18 he successfully commanded an army against the Wahhabite rebels in Arabia. Muhammad 'Ali sent him on a mission

Khoisan Languages, Phonology

2005-02-24T04:47:00.000-08:00

Most characteristic of the Khoisan languages are the click sounds, which form a subsystem of the consonants. Clicks are produced by simultaneous closure of the tongue with two areas in the mouth, one at the soft palate (the velum), and the other at such prevelar locations as the teeth, alveolar ridge, or palate. After the closures are made, the body of the tongue is moved

Tephrochronology

2005-02-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

Method of age determination that makes use of layers of ash (tephra). Tephra layers are excellent time-stratigraphic markers, but, to establish a chronology, it is necessary to identify and correlate as many tephra units as possible over the widest possible area. Because of the large number of violent volcanic explosions in Iceland, Sigurdur Thorarinsson, an Icelander

Blockade

2005-02-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

Blockades are regulated by international customary law and by international treaty law. A blockade must be declared in advance by notification of all neutral powers, and it must be applied impartially against ships of all states. Mere declarations of a blockade

Chelmsford

2005-02-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Middlesex county, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies 24 miles (39 km) north of Boston; the city of Lowell is adjacent to the northeast. Settled in 1633, it was named for Chelmsford, England, and incorporated in 1655. An iron foundry using local bog ore was built there in 1656. During the early 19th century, the production of lumber, textiles, and granite was important. Services,

Antwerp

2005-02-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Flemish Antwerpen , French Anvers province, northern Belgium, adjoining the Dutch frontier (north). It has an area of 1,107 square miles (2,867 square km) and is drained by the Scheldt (Flemish: Schelde), Dijle, Nete, and Rupel rivers. The province of Antwerp was formerly part of the old duchy of Brabant and became part of the French province of Deux-Nèthes after the French occupation of 1795; its present boundaries were established

Ear Disease, Exposure to noise

2005-02-21T18:11:00.000-08:00

The effects of noise exposure on hearing depend on the intensity and duration of the noise. The effects may be temporary or permanent. A single exposure to an extremely intense sound, such as an explosion, may produce a severe and permanent loss of hearing. Repeated exposures to sounds in excess of 80 to 90 decibels may cause gradual deterioration of hearing by destroying

Table Bay

2005-02-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

Bay of the Atlantic Ocean near the southern tip of Africa forming the harbour of Cape Town. Extending north from Cape Town to Melkbosstrand, the bay is 12 mi (19 km) long and 8 mi wide; it contains Robben Island (q.v.) and is overlooked by Table Mountain. Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to see the bay (c. 1500). Although it was less well sheltered than other bays along the coast,

Adamnán, The Vision Of

2005-02-21T01:25:00.000-08:00

Irish Fís Adamnáín in the Gaelic literature of Ireland, one of the earliest and most outstanding medieval Irish visions. This graceful prose work dates from the 10th century and is preserved in the later The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100). Patterned after pagan voyages (immrama) to the otherworld, The Vision of Adamnán vividly describes the journey of Adamnán's soul—guided by an angel—first through

Saint Abb's Head

2005-02-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

Promontory on the North Sea in the Scottish Borders council area, historic county of Berwickshire, southeastern Scotland. It is located about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. St. Abb's is a sheer headland with cliffs some 300 feet (90 metres) high. It is a national nature reserve administered by the National Trust for Scotland and the Scottish

Buys Ballot, Christophorus H(enricus) D(idericus)

2005-02-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Buys Ballot studied and taught at the University of Utrecht, attaining

Epirus, Despotate Of

2005-02-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

The despotate was founded in what is now southern Albania and northwestern Greece by Michael Comnenus Ducas, a member of the dethroned Byzantine imperial house. His half brother and successor, Theodore

Bourne, Francis

2005-02-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

Educated at St. Sulpice, Paris, and Louvain University, Bourne was ordained in 1884 and was appointed (1889) rector of St. John's Seminary, Wonersh, Surrey. In 1895 he became a monsignor

Aerospace Industry, Research

2005-02-18T01:47:00.000-08:00

The world's aerospace industry undertakes research and development alone and in conjunction with governmental agencies and academia. The ultimate aim of the effort is the creation of flight vehicles more advanced than their predecessors. Because of the complexity—i.e., the “systems” nature—of the industry's end products, advancements commonly require improvements

Tigrinya Language

2005-02-17T02:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tigrigna, also called Tigray, or Tigrai, Semitic language of the Tigray people of northern Ethiopia and central Eritrea. Written records include religious texts prepared by mission societies and an increasing number of more recently printed textbooks and literary works. The language is closely related to Ge'ez, the ancient language of Ethiopia, and to the Tigré language. There were nearly 6,000,000 speakers

Anathema

2005-02-16T04:36:00.000-08:00

(from Greek anatithenai: “to set up,” or “to dedicate”), in the Old Testament, a creature or object set apart for sacrificial offering. Its return to profane use was strictly banned, and such objects, destined for destruction, thus became effectively accursed as well as consecrated. Old Testament descriptions of religious wars call both the enemy and their besieged city

Amapá

2005-02-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

Estado (“state”), northern Brazil. It is bounded on the north by a small portion of Suriname and by French Guiana, on the northeast by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south and west by the Brazilian state of Pará, and on the southeast by the Amazon River. Formerly a part of Pará state, Amapá was created a territory in 1943 and became a state in 1990, with its capital at Macapá (q.v.). Most of its 54,161 square

Quad

2005-02-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Unit of energy equal to 1 quadrillion (1015) British thermal units (BTU). The quad is a convenient unit for describing national and world energy resources. One quad is also equal to 293 billion kilowatt hours, or, for fuels of average heating values, 183 million barrels of petroleum, 38.5 million tons of coal, or 980 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Faguibine, Lake

2005-02-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

French Lac Faguibine, isolated lake in Mali, west of Timbuktu (Tombouctou). It lies north of the Niger River in the Macina depression, and it is reached by branches of the Niger in times of flood. At high water it reaches a length of about 50 miles (80 km).

Armour, Philip Danforth

2005-02-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Armour earned his first capital in California mining endeavours and cofounded a grain-dealing and meatpacking business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1863. Anticipating a

M'clure Strait

2005-02-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Eastern arm of the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is about 170 miles (270 km) long and 60 miles (90 km) wide. In western Franklin District, Northwest Territories, Canada, it extends west of Viscount Melville Sound and lies between Melville and Eglinton islands (north) and Banks Island (south). The strait is part of the Northwest Passage route through the Canadian Arctic archipelago.

Austin, John Langshaw

2005-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

After receiving early education at Shrewsbury School and Balliol College, Oxford, he became a fellow at All Souls College (1933) and Magdalen College (1935), where he studied traditional Greco-Roman

France, History Of, Economic distress

2005-02-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

The Black Death, carried on shipboard from the Levant, reached Provence in

Rovaniemi

2005-02-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

Town, capital of Lapin lääni (Lappi province), northern Finland, at the junction of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki (rivers), northeast of Tornio, on the Arctic Circle. Incorporated in 1929, it became the administrative centre of Lappi in 1939, when the government of Lapland was reorganized. Road building between 1920 and 1940 spurred its development, but near the end of World War II the retreating

Ashdod

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

City of southern Palestine, on the coastal plain of ancient Philistia; since 1948 it has been a city in southwestern Israel and is one of its three international ports and chief industrial centres. In antiquity Ashdod was a member of the Philistine pentapolis (five cities). Although the Bible assigns it to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47), the invading Israelites were unable to

Muhammad, The emigration from Mecca to Medina

2005-02-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 621, 12 men from Medina, visiting Mecca for the annual pilgrimage to the Ka'bah (still a pagan shrine), secretly professed themselves Muslims to Muhammad and went back to make propaganda for him at Medina. At the pilgrimage in June 622 a representative party of 75 persons from Medina, including two women, not merely professed Islam but also took an oath to defend Muhammad

Wagon

2005-02-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

The strings of the wagon are not tuned in ascending order but form a pentatonic scale in the following manner (from the bottom string): e¢, g¢, b¢, d¢, a¢, d². This unusual tuning relates to the instrument's primary performance practice, which

Rovaniemi

2005-02-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Organization formed in New York City in 1911 during a convention of state antisuffrage groups. Led by Josephine Dodge, the founder and first president, the NAOWS believed that woman suffrage would decrease women's work in communities and their ability to effect societal reforms. Active on a state and federal level, the group also established a newsletter, Woman's

Astrakhan

2005-02-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

Oblast (province), Russia, occupying an area of 17,027 square miles (44,100 square km) along the lower Volga River. The Volga and its parallel distributary, the Akhtuba, form the axis of the oblast, ending in a large delta. The majority of the population lives in the delta area around the city of Astrakhan, the administrative centre. Vegetables and fruit are grown on the fertile fields

Puerto Vallarta

2005-02-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

Formerly Las Peñas, city, western Jalisco estado (“state”), west-central Mexico. It lies on Banderas Bay, on the Pacific coastal lowland, 6 miles (10 km) south of the mouth of the Ameca River. It is the major port of Jalisco state and exports bananas, coconut oil, hides, and fine woods. Beans and bananas are grown in the hinterland, which is also used for raising pigs, horses, and bees. Puerto Vallarta's population

Ploidy

2005-02-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

In genetics, the number of chromosomes occurring in the nucleus of a cell. In normal somatic (body) cells, the chromosomes exist in pairs. The condition is called diploidy. During meiosis the cell produces gametes, or germ cells, each containing half the normal or somatic number of chromosomes. This condition is called haploidy. When two germ cells (e.g., egg and sperm) unite,

Arcturus

2005-02-09T02:15:00.000-08:00

Also called Alpha Boötis one of the five brightest stars in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern constellation Boötes, with an apparent visual magnitude of 0.00. It is an orange-coloured giant star about 40 light-years from the Earth. It lies in an almost direct line with the tail of Ursa Major (the Great Bear); hence its name, derived from the Greek words for “bear guard.”

Leschetizky, Theodor

2005-02-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Leschetizky studied under Carl Czerny in Vienna and thus was linked indirectly with the playing of Czerny's teacher, Ludwig van Beethoven. In 1852 he went to St. Petersburg as a pianist and teacher.

Graffito

2005-02-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Plural Graffiti any casual writing, rude drawing, or marking on the walls of buildings, as distinguished from a deliberate writing known as an inscription. Graffiti, either scratched on stone or plaster by a sharp instrument or, more rarely, written in red chalk or black charcoal, are found in great abundance; e.g., on the monuments of ancient Egypt. The subject matter of the scribblings

Performing Arts, Europe.

2005-02-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

In the London ballet world, the Royal Ballet's

Schaffner, Jakob

2005-02-06T23:51:00.000-08:00

Schaffner was orphaned at an early age. He described his life in four autobiographical

Mystery Religion, The Hellenistic period

2005-02-06T03:31:00.000-08:00

In the Messenian town of Andania mysteries were celebrated

Málaga

2005-02-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sweet, usually red, fortified wine that originated in the southern Spanish Mediterranean coastal province from which it takes its name. The term may also be applied generically to any of a variety of heavy, sweet red wines, including certain kosher wines served at Jewish celebrations. The best Spanish Málaga is made from muscat grapes and from the variety known as

Moses, Grandma

2005-02-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Anna Robertson had only sporadic periods of schooling during her childhood. At age 12 she left her parents' farm and worked as a hired girl until she married