RoundSail

Bruce, Blanche K(elso)

2005-04-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

The son of a slave mother and white planter father, Bruce was well educated as a youth. After the American Civil War, he moved to Mississippi, where in 1869 he became a supervisor of elections. By 1870 he was an emerging figure in state politics. After serving as sergeant

Hesburgh, Theodore M(artin)

2005-04-04T21:55:00.001-07:00

Hesburgh, who said he knew he wanted to be a priest from early childhood, joined the Order of

Rockwell International Corporation

2005-04-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

The main company was incorporated in 1928 as North American Aviation, Inc., a holding company for a number of aviation companies, but it switched to aircraft manufacturing when it received a contract

Eureka

2005-04-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

City, port, and seat (1856) of Humboldt county, northern California, U.S., on Humboldt Bay. A major lumber and commercial-fishing centre and headquarters for the Six Rivers National Forest, it was laid out in 1850 and named for the Greek motto (meaning “I have found it”) on the state seal. Site of Fort Humboldt (now a state historic monument) and scene of several Indian uprisings (1853–65), it developed

Jackson

2005-04-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

City, capital of Mississippi, U.S. It lies along the Pearl River, in the west-central part of the state, about 180 miles (290 km) north of New Orleans, Louisiana. Jackson is also the coseat (with nearby Raymond) of Hinds county. Settled (1792) by Louis LeFleur, a French-Canadian trader, and known as LeFleur's Bluff, it remained a trading post until the Treaty of Doak's Stand (October 18, 1820) opened the territory

Cohens V. Virginia

2005-04-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

(1821), U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court reaffirmed its right to review all state court judgments in cases arising under the federal Constitution or a law of the United States. The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for mandatory Supreme Court review of the final judgments of the highest court of any state in cases “where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute

Easement

2005-04-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

An easement may be created expressly by a written deed of grant conveying to another the right to use for a specific purpose a certain parcel of land. An easement may also be created when one sells his land to another but reserves for himself

Gahn, Johan Gottlieb

2005-03-31T01:32:00.000-08:00

Swedish mineralogist and crystallographer who discovered manganese in 1774. His failure to win fame may be related to the fact that he published little. He saved the notes, papers, and letters of his friend Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who discovered chlorine, but not his own. His essays on the balance and use of the blowpipe in analysis

Tree Ear

2005-03-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

Chinese Mu Erh, also called Wood Ear, or Black Fungus, any of several edible mushrooms of the genus Auricularia that are popular in Chinese cuisine, especially that of Sichuan (Szechwan) province. Tree ears grow wild on and are cultivated on the bark of trees. They are gathered for use in a fresh state and are dried for storage. Dried tree ears resemble gray-black flakes of ash; when reconstituted the mushrooms expand into

Gabes, Gulf Of

2005-03-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Arabic Khalij Qabis, French Golfe De Gabès, Latin Syrtis Minor, inlet, on the east coast of Tunisia, northern Africa. It is 60 miles (100 km) long and 60 miles wide and is bounded by the Qarqannah (Kerkena) Islands on the northeast and by Jarbah (Djerba) Island on the southeast. Except for the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Venice, it is the only part of the Mediterranean with a substantial tidal range (about 8 feet [2 1/2 m] at spring tides), causing the uncovering

Margarita Island

2005-03-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

Spanish Isla De Margarita, island in the Caribbean Sea, 12 mi (19 km) north of the Península de Araya in northeastern Venezuela. Also known as the Isle of Pearls, Margarita is the largest of 70 islands comprising Nueva Esparta state. In reality two islands joined by a low, narrow isthmus, Margarita is about 40 mi (65 km) long, covers an area of 414 sq mi (1,072 sq km), and has a coastline of 198 mi, with many natural harbours. The island

Romanian Orthodox Church

2005-03-28T05:18:00.000-08:00

Christianity first reached Dacia (roughly coextensive with modern Romania) under the Roman Empire at least as early as the 4th century

Kagamigahara

2005-03-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

City, Gifu ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, east of Gifu city. Upon the Meiji Restoration in 1868, an army base was established in the city. It was taken over by the U.S. Army after World War II and is now used by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. The city contains aircraft and transport equipment factories and textile mills. It is included in the Chukyo Industrial Region. Pop. (1989 est.)

Alaska, The land

2005-03-27T05:09:00.000-08:00

The immense area of Alaska has a great variety of physical characteristics. Nearly one-third of the state lies within the Arctic Circle and has perennially frozen ground (permafrost) and treeless tundra. The southern coast and the panhandle at sea level are fully temperate regions. In these latter and in the adjoining Canadian areas, however, lies the world's largest

Frederick Iv

2005-03-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Frederick's father died in October 1583, when the young elector came under the guardianship of his uncle John Casimir, an ardent Calvinist. In January 1592, on the death of John Casimir, Frederick undertook the government of the Palatinate and continued his uncle's

Wilberforce University

2005-03-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Wilberforce, Ohio, U.S. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Wilberforce is a liberal arts university offering undergraduate programs in business, engineering, sciences, humanities, and other areas. All students must participate in the cooperative education program, a program

Ibn Abi Ar-rijal, Ahmad (ibn Salih)

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

After completing his education, Ibn Abi ar-Rijal joined the religious-bureaucratic establishment and reached the important rank of secretary and court orator under the rule of Isma'il al-Mutawakkil,

Nagaland

2005-03-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

State of India. It lies in the hills and mountains of the northeastern part of the country. One of the smallest states of India, it has a total area of just 6,401 square miles (16,579 square kilometres). It is bordered by the states of Manipur on the south, Assam on the west and northwest, and Arunachal Pradesh on the northeast. Myanmar (Burma) lies to the east. The capital is Kohima.

Baseball, Infielders

2005-03-24T01:16:00.000-08:00

The infielders form the inner ring of defense. They sometimes catch line drives on the fly, but mainly they pick up ground balls that roll toward the outfield or shoot swiftly across the grass on one or more bounces. When a batted ball strikes the ground, the play becomes a race between the batter running to first and an infielder trying to gain control of the ball and

Bradford, William

2005-03-23T03:58:00.000-08:00

He was a Quaker and a self-taught artist, painting the ships and the marine views he saw along the coasts of Massachusetts, Labrador, and Nova Scotia; he went on several Arctic expeditions with Isaac Hayes and was the first

Reforming

2005-03-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, processing technique by which the molecular structure of a hydrocarbon is rearranged to alter its properties. The process is frequently applied to low-quality gasoline stocks to improve their combustion characteristics. Thermal reforming alters the properties of low-grade naphthas by converting the molecules into those of higher octane number

Earth, Folding

2005-03-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Folds along subduction zones

Mamou

2005-03-21T02:41:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Guinea. Located on the Conakry-Kankan railway and at the intersection of roads from Kindia, Dalaba, Dabola, and Faranah, Mamou was founded in 1908 as a collecting point on the railroad from Conakry (125 miles [201 km] southwest). It is the chief trading centre for the rice, cattle, citrus fruits, bananas, tomatoes, and mangoes raised in the surrounding agricultural area.

Alabama Claims

2005-03-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Maritime grievances of the United States against Great Britain, accumulated during and after the American Civil War (1861–65). The claims are significant in international law for furthering the use of arbitration to settle disputes peacefully and for delineating certain responsibilities of neutrals toward belligerents. The dispute centred on

Mason, George

2005-03-19T01:29:00.000-08:00

As a landowner and near neighbour of George Washington,

Sabi River

2005-03-19T00:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Save River, river of southeastern Africa, flowing through Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The river rises as the Sabi about 50 miles (80 km) south of Harare (formerly Salisbury) and flows southeast from the Zimbabwean highveld to its confluence with the Odzi. It then turns south, drops over the Chivirira (“Place of Boiling”) Falls, and is joined by the Lundi at the Mozambique border. The river continues

Yukaghir

2005-03-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yukagir or Jukagir , self-name Odul remnant of an ancient human population of the tundra and taiga zones of Arctic Siberia east of the Lena River in Russia, an area with one of the most severe climates in the inhabited world. Brought close to extinction by privation, encroachment, and diseases introduced by other groups, they numbered some 1,100 in the late 20th century. Although they still generally inhabit

Boina

2005-03-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

The other son, Adriamandisoarivo, continued the migration

Swakopmund

2005-03-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

Town, northwestern Namibia, on the Atlantic coast about 20 miles (32 km) north of the port of Walvis Bay and 175 miles (280 km) west of Windhoek, Namibia's capital. During the summer, in December and January, the territorial administration moves from Windhoek to Swakopmund, where the weather is somewhat cooler. It is the country's main seaside resort, fishing being a major attraction.

Alabama Claims

2005-03-17T01:28:00.000-08:00

Set of multilateral trade agreements aimed at the abolition of quotas and the reduction of tariff duties among the contracting nations. When GATT was concluded by 23 countries at Geneva, in 1947 (to take effect on Jan. 1, 1948), it was considered an interim arrangement pending the formation of a United Nations agency to supersede it. When such an agency failed to emerge, GATT was amplified

Boina

2005-03-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Alder Dogwood (Rhamnus frangula) woody shrub or small tree, of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), native to western Asia, Europe, and northern Africa. It has been introduced into North America and other regions, where it is often cultivated as an ornamental. The plant grows rapidly, reaching a height of 5.5 m (about 18 feet); its dark, dense, and lustrous foliage turns yellow in autumn. The alternate,

Lagutin, Boris Nikolayevich

2005-03-16T04:04:00.000-08:00

Fighting as a light middleweight (156 pounds [71 kg]), Lagutin was awarded a bronze medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome after losing a split decision to the eventual champion, American Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure, in the semifinal round. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Lagutin

Wars Of Yahweh, Book Of The

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

Lost document referred to and quoted in the Old Testament (Num. 21:14ff.). The book is probably a collection of early Israelite war songs including hymns of victory, curses, mocking songs, and other literary genres recounting the victories of Yahweh, the God of Israel, over his enemies; it indicates that biblical books rely on both written and oral tradition. Similar to the Book

Price, Thomas

2005-03-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

A stonecutter in England, Price emigrated to South Australia in 1883, continued his trade, and served as secretary of the masons and bricklayers union (1891–93). At one time he worked in

Earwig

2005-03-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Any insect of the order Dermaptera (about 1,100 species), characterized by large membranous hindwings that lie hidden under short, leathery forewings. The earwig varies from 5 to 50 millimetres (0.2 to 2 inches) in length and is flat, slender, and dark coloured. It has a shiny outer covering and simple biting mouthparts, and it undergoes incomplete metamorphosis (i.e., egg, nymph, and adult

Pace University

2005-03-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning with campuses in New York City, Pleasantville, and White Plains, New York, U.S. The university includes Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, Lienhard School of Nursing, and schools of Education, Law, and Computer Science and Information Systems. In addition to undergraduate studies, the

Da Nang

2005-03-14T03:54:00.000-08:00

French Tourane, city, central Vietnam. Lying at the southern end of a horseshoe-shaped bay, it is one of the largest cities in Vietnam and the chief port of the central lowlands. Although partially enclosed on the northeast by the Annamese Cordillera (French: Chaîne Annamitique; Vietnamese: Nui Truong Son), which there reaches an elevation of 4,636 feet (1,413 m), its excellent harbour is still somewhat

Benserade, Isaac De

2005-03-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

Benserade began visiting the salon of the Marquise de Rambouillet, the literary centre of Paris, in 1634 and wrote a succession of romantic verses that won him a reputation culminating in the “sonnets controversy” of 1649, in which his sonnet “Job” was

Switzerland, Switzerland from 1848 to the present

2005-03-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

The turning point, then, in modern Swiss history was 1848. Before that date internal conflict was a fact of Swiss political life; since then there has been an absence of major internal crises along ethnic and religious lines, and the country has prospered. With political stability, the Swiss could spend a greater portion of their time and efforts developing industry, agriculture,

Vihari

2005-03-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Vehari, town, south-central Punjab province, Pakistan. The town lies on a flat alluvial plain bordered by the Sutlej River on the southeast. It is a market and processing centre for cotton and oilseeds. Wheat, rice, sugarcane, and vegetables are also grown nearby, and there are rice and flour mills in the area. Vihari lies on the main road between Multan and Lahore. Pop. (1981) town, 53,799.

Ouaddaï

2005-03-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

Crossed by caravans linking the Sahara with equatorial Africa and by Muslim pilgrim routes from West Africa toward Mecca,

Wage And Salary, Wages-fund theory

2005-03-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

Smith said that the demand for labour could not increase except in proportion to the increase of the funds destined for the payment of wages. Ricardo maintained that an increase in capital would result in an increase in demand for labour. Statements such as these foreshadowed the wages-fund theory, which held that a predetermined fund of wealth existed for the payment

Texas, Annexation and statehood

2005-03-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

As early as 1836, Texans had voted for annexation by the United States, but the proposition was rejected by the Jackson and Van Buren administrations. Great Britain favoured continued independence for Texas in order to block further westward expansion of the United States, but this attitude only helped to swing Americans toward annexation. Annexation was approved

Egypt, Education

2005-03-10T01:25:00.000-08:00

At the end of the 19th century there were only three secondary and nine “higher” schools in Egypt; the educational structure continued to be based on the kuttabs, or Qur'an schools. In 1916 the latter were turned into elementary schools, and in 1923 a law was passed providing free compulsory education between the ages of seven and 12. A sharp increase in the annual budgetary allocation

Himyar

2005-03-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

The Himyarites were concentrated in the area known as Dhu Raydan on the coast of present-day Yemen (San'a'); they were probably aided in the overthrow of their Sabaean kinsmen by the discovery of a sea route from Egypt

Rhythmic Mode

2005-03-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

Rhythmic organization in triple patterns underlying all polyphonic (many-voiced) music of the late 12th and 13th centuries, beginning with the descant sections of two-part organa of the Notre-Dame school in Paris and culminating in the multilingual motets of the 13th century; the latter forms feature two or three rhythmic modes simultaneously in different parts of the

Combinatorics, Multinomial coefficients

2005-03-09T02:46:00.000-08:00

If S is a set of n objects, and n1, n2, × × × , nk are non-negative integers satisfying n1 + n2 + × × × + nk = n, then the number of ways in which the objects can be distributed into k boxes, X1, X2, × × × , Xk, such that the box Xi contains exactly ni objects is given in terms of a ratio constructed of factorials (see 4). This number, called a multinomial coefficient, is the coefficient in the multinomial expansion of the nth power of the sum of the

Irish Literature

2005-03-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

Either of two literatures, one in the native language (Irish, or Gaelic) of Ireland and the other in the language of the English conquerors; the latter is often called Anglo-Irish literature. For a discussion of the former, see Celtic literature. The history of Anglo-Irish literature is inextricably intertwined with that of English literature (q.v.).

Lawrance, Charles Lanier

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

After attending Yale University Lawrance joined a new automobile firm that was later ruined by the financial panic of 1907. He then went to Paris, where he studied architecture at the Beaux-Arts School

øvre Divi Valley National Park

2005-03-07T04:37:00.000-08:00

Norwegian Øvre Dividal Nasjonalpark, national park in the eastern part of the Divi valley, Troms county, northern Norway. With an area of 286 square miles (741 square km), it was established in 1971. The landscape varies from lowland forests of pine and birch to low hills and mountain plateaus with lakes and bogs interspersed throughout. A sparse pine forest supports bear, lynx, wolverine, and wolf. Large numbers of tame

Logau, Friedrich, Freiherr Von

2005-03-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Logau was of noble descent and became an orphan early. He spent his life in service to the petty courts of Brieg and Liegnitz. Logau resented the forced lowliness of his position, and he directed much of his satirical

Improvisation

2005-03-06T05:37:00.000-08:00

Many of

Zambezi River

2005-03-06T02:32:00.000-08:00

Little is written in English specifically on the Zambezi River. Information can be found in B.M. Fagin (ed.), The Victoria Falls Handbook, 2nd ed. (1963); R. Mansell Prothero (ed.), People and Land in Africa South of the Sahara: Readings in Social Geography (1972); and N.J. Money, The Geology of Western Zambia (1972).

Mitchell, Peter Dennis

2005-03-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Mitchell received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1950. He served as director of the chemistry

Toprakkale

2005-03-04T07:05:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Topra Kaleh, ancient Urartian fortress located near modern Van in southeastern Turkey. The walls of Toprakkale, erected in the 8th century BC, were of cyclopean masonry and sloped slightly inward, perhaps as a defense against earthquakes. Excavations at the site, carried out primarily by British and German teams, have revealed the high level of artistic achievement of ancient

Vaishravana

2005-03-03T01:26:00.000-08:00

Alternate name for Kubera, the popular god of wealth in Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist mythology. Among the four guardians of the world (lokapala), he is ruler of the North.

Iridosmine

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

Also called Osmiridium, mineral consisting of an alloy of iridium and a smaller proportion of osmium. It occurs in gold-bearing conglomerates, as at the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and in gold sands, as in California and Oregon, U.S. Because of their hardness and resistance to corrosion, both natural and synthetic iridosmine are used for tips of pen nibs, surgical needles, and sparking points

Cabral, Amílcar

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

Educated in Lisbon, Cabral there helped to

Szilard, Leo

2005-03-01T22:41:00.000-08:00

In 1922 Szilard received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin and joined the staff of the Institute of Theoretical

Vedantadesika

2005-03-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Vedantadesika was born into a distinguished Srivaisnava family that followed the teachings of Ramanuja, an 11th–12th-century

Amda Tseyon

2005-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

The earliest Ethiopian chronicle tends to support this hypothesis, for it concerns Amda Tseyon's reign. Moreover, the earliest known examples of the written Amharic language are hymns praising

Tibet, Health and welfare

2005-03-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Under the health program of the Tibetan government, medical advice and medicine were provided free to expectant mothers. In addition to free vaccinations, sacred pendants known as rims-srungs were distributed annually to prevent epidemics. The construction and maintenance of proper drainage systems, wells, and canals—and security facilities to guard against

Obversion

2005-02-28T03:50:00.000-08:00

In syllogistic, or traditional, logic, transformation of a categorical proposition (q.v.), or statement, into a new proposition in which (1) the subject term is unchanged, (2) the predicate is replaced by its contradictory, and (3) the quality of the proposition is changed from affirmative to negative or vice versa. Thus the obverse of “Every man is mortal” is “No man is immortal.” Because

Ughelli

2005-02-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

Town, Delta state, southern Nigeria. Ughelli lies in the western Niger River delta east of Warri. Originally an agricultural-trade centre (cassava, plantains, sugarcane, palm oil and kernels) for the Urhobo (Isoko) people, it has also developed industries producing sheet glass, glass bottles, and natural gas. Petroleum deposits were discovered in the vicinity, and since

Wolff, Christian, Freiherr (baron) Von

2005-02-27T02:51:00.000-08:00

Wolff was educated at the universities of Breslau, Jena, and Leipzig and was a pupil of

Yahweh

2005-02-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

The God of the Israelites, his name being revealed to Moses as four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) called the tetragrammaton. After the Exile (6th century BC), and especially from the 3rd century BC on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal religion through its proselytizing in the Greco-Roman world, the more common noun Elohim, meaning “god,

Burano

2005-02-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

Northeastern suburb of Venice, Venezia province, northeastern Italy, comprising four islets in the Laguna Veneta (Venice Lagoon). The settlement is thought to have been founded in the 5th century by refugees from nearby Altino, fleeing in the path of Attila. The 16th-century church of S. Martino has paintings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. In the 16th century, lacemaking was

Novocherkassk

2005-02-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Novocerkassk, city, Rostov oblast (province), southwestern Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Tuzlov and the Aksay rivers. The original 16th-century town of Starocherkasskaya stood along the Don River, but it was frequently inundated and was moved to its present site in 1805. Novocherkassk long served as the capital of the Don Cossack region and was a centre of opposition to the Bolsheviks

Berenguer, Dámaso, Conde De Xauen

2005-02-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

Berenguer entered the army in 1889, served in Cuba and Morocco, and was promoted to general in 1909. He was minister of war in 1918 when, after a long interval, the army began to express its political views. He then served as high commissioner

Spoon River

2005-02-25T03:48:00.000-08:00

River in west-central Illinois, U.S. It rises in southwestern Bureau county and flows south and southwest to a point near Lewistown, where it turns southeast, joining the Illinois River opposite Havana after a course of 160 miles (257 km). The Dickson Mounds, a rich archaeological area, are near the confluence of the two rivers. Spoon River was made famous by Edgar Lee Masters, the

Nitrile

2005-02-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Acrylonitrile is produced in large quantities by a process called ammoxidation that depends on the oxidation of propylene in the presence of ammonia and a catalyst. Acrylonitrile

Furniture, 18th century: the Rococo style

2005-02-23T06:48:00.000-08:00

The influence of French furniture was predominant in Europe during the 18th century. In the second half of the century England played a leading role in establishing the Neoclassical style, and for supreme craftsmanship provided an inspiration to workshops in several countries; but in the diffusion of the two styles, the Rococo and the Neoclassical, French designs

Nat

2005-02-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

In Burmese folk religion, any of a group of spirits that are the objects of an extensive, probably pre-Buddhist cult; in Thailand a similar spirit is called phi. Most important of the nats are a group collectively called the “thirty-seven,” made up of spirits of human beings who have died violent deaths. They are capable of protecting the believer when kept properly propitiated

Wan-hsien

2005-02-23T04:58:00.000-08:00

An ancient city and administrative centre, Wan-hsien was largely a commercial centre for eastern Szechwan. The city also had a handicraft cotton industry. In 1917 it was opened to foreign trade and became

Mural

2005-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Mural painting is inherently different from all other forms of pictorial art in that it is organically connected

Sorokin, Pitirim Alexandrovitch

2005-02-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

Russian-American sociologist who founded the department of sociology at Harvard University in 1930. In the history of sociological theory, he is important for distinguishing two kinds of sociocultural systems: “sensate” (empirical, dependent on and encouraging natural sciences) and “ideational” (mystical, anti-intellectual, dependent

Performing Arts, Popular. - United States

2005-02-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hip-hop artist Eminem—Detroit native Marshall Mathers III—in 2002 further advanced his standing as a pop-culture favourite with the release of his third album, The Eminem Show, and a starring role in the movie 8 Mile, about a white rap artist trying to establish himself in the black-dominated idiom. The Eminem Show debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200 album chart in June

Gabon

2005-02-21T04:33:00.000-08:00

Following the smashing victory of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) in the December 1996 parliamentary elections, in which it won 100 of the 120 seats, Prime Minister Paulin Obame-Nguéma announced his new Cabinet on Jan. 29, 1997. Alexandre Sambat,

Insurance, Coinsurance

2005-02-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

Although there is no coinsurance clause as such in the ocean marine policy, losses are settled as though a 100 percent coinsurance clause existed. Thus, if an insured takes out coverage equal to 50 percent of the true replacement cost of the goods, only 50 percent of any partial loss may be recovered.

Lahij

2005-02-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

Under the former Aden Protectorate, a British-ruled area, it was capital of the 'Abdali Sultanate, abolished when Yemen (Aden) became independent in 1967. The sultan's palace is

Blood Count

2005-02-20T02:39:00.000-08:00

Determination of the number of red blood cells (RBC's, or erythrocytes) and white blood cells (WBC's, or leukocytes) in a given volume of blood. The readings vary with sex, age, physiological state, and general health, but a cubic millimetre of blood of a normal individual contains approximately 5,000,000 red cells and 7,000 white cells. A differential blood count is the enumeration of the

Cloots, Jean-baptiste Du Val-de-grâce, Baron De

2005-02-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

Born into a noble Prussian family of Dutch origin, Cloots went to Paris in 1776 and took part in the compilation of Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie. He left France in 1784, traveled throughout Europe, and returned to

Armorial Ensign

2005-02-18T03:46:00.000-08:00

Heraldic symbol carried on a flag or shield. The term is much misunderstood because of the popular use of ensign as a generic term for flag. A grant of arms or a matriculation (registration of armorial bearings) may in its text use the term ensigns armorial to mean the heraldic design of the bearer's arms. See heraldry.

Syrian And Palestinian Religion, The Baal cycle

2005-02-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Baal (Hadad) is regularly denominated “the son of Dagan,” although Dagan (biblical Dagon) does not appear as an actor in the mythological texts. Baal also bears the titles “Rider of the Clouds,” “Almighty,” and “Lord of the Earth.” He is the god of the thunderstorm, the most vigorous and aggressive of the gods, the one on whom mortals most immediately depend. Baal resides on Mount Zaphon

Space Perception

2005-02-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

Human beings have been interested in the perception of objects in space at least since the question

Axiom

2005-02-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

In Euclid's Elements the first principles were listed

Weser River

2005-02-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

Just

Alligator Apple

2005-02-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

Fruit tree of tropical America valued for its wood. See custard apple.

Earth, Mid-oceanic ridges

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These structures represent the spreading axes of plate tectonics, along which hot volcanic material is ejected to become new oceanic lithosphere. Bathymetrically, the ridges are striking topographic features, rising one to three kilometres above the deep ocean floor on either side. That they are associated with geoidal highs can be seen on the global map of the

Gharyan

2005-02-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Garyan , or Garian town, in the Tripolitania region of northwestern Libya. It lies at the foot of the plateau Jabal Nafusah, 50 miles (80 km) south of Tripoli, and was a major centre of Italian colonization in the early 1910s. After the Turko-Italian war (1911–12) and the defeat of Turkey, the Gebel, Berber, and Fezzanese peoples in Libya continued to fight but could not stem the Italian advance. Gharyan fell to the

Philip V

2005-02-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

Philip was the second son of Philip IV, who made him count of Poitiers in 1311. When his elder brother, King Louis X, died in 1316, leaving an infant daughter Joan by his adulterous first wife, and a pregnant widow, Philip won

David, Félicien-césar

2005-02-12T23:46:00.000-08:00

David was chapelmaster at the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral at Aix-en-Provence (1829) and in 1830 studied at the Paris Conservatoire. The following year he joined the socialist brotherhood of the Saint-Simonians, becoming their

Macau

2005-02-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Macao , Chinese (Pinyin romanization) Aomen or (Wade-Giles romanization) Ao-men special administrative region (Pinyin tebie xingzhengqu; Wade-Giles t'e-pieh hsing-cheng-ch'ü) of China, on the country's southern coast. Macau is located on the western side of the Pearl River (Chu Chiang) estuary (at the head of which is the port of Canton) and stands about 40 miles (64 km) opposite the special administrative region of Hong Kong, which is on the eastern side of the

Wilberforce, Samuel

2005-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

The son of the politician and antislavery

Tietê River

2005-02-10T22:40:00.000-08:00

Several of the state's

Allman Brothers Band, The

2005-02-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

American rock band whose bluesy, jam-oriented sound helped spark the Southern rock movement of the 1970s and set the stage for several generations of roots-oriented improvisational rock bands. The members were Duane Allman (in full Howard Duane Allman; b. Nov. 20, 1946, Nashville, Tenn., U.S.—d. Oct. 29, 1971, Macon, Ga.), Gregg Allman (in full Gregory Lenoir Allman; b. Dec. 8, 1947, Nashville), Berry Oakley (in full

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-10T00:56:00.000-08:00

Fifteen years after Augustine wrote the Confessions, at a time when he was bringing to a close (and invoking government power to do so) his long struggle with the Donatists but before he had worked himself up to action against the Pelagians, the Roman world was shaken by news of a military action in Italy. A ragtag army under the leadership of Alaric, a general

Augustine, Saint

2005-02-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Cable News Network was created in June 1980 by Ted Turner (q.v.), founder of the Turner Broadcasting System. He established news bureaus in major American cities and in other cities throughout the world. The resulting continuous live news coverage,

Steel Drum

2005-02-09T05:12:00.000-08:00

Tuned gong made from the unstoppered end and part of the wall of a metal shipping drum. The end surface is hammered concave, and several areas are outlined by acoustically important chiseled grooves. It is heated and tempered, and bosses, or domes, are hammered into the outlined areas. The depth, curvature, and size of each boss determine its pitch. The drums are struck

Sorrento

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

Latin Surrentum, town and archiepiscopal see, Napoli provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy. It lies on a peninsula separating the Bay of Naples, which it faces, from the Gulf of Salerno, south-southeast of Naples. The backbone of the peninsula is formed by the Lattari Mountains, which culminate in Mount Sant'Angelo (4,734 feet [1,443 m]). Probably of Greek origin, the town was the ancient Surrentum,