FatKnife

Râmnicu Vâlcea

2005-03-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Rîmnicu Vîlcea, city, capital of Vâlcea judet (county), south-central Romania, on the Olt River. Documented as a town in the late 14th century, it was a local market town during the Middle Ages. Historic buildings in the city include the house of Anton Pann, folklorist and writer; a fortified church, Cetatuia; and the local museum, with art and history sections. Since World War II Râmnicu Vâlcea has

Gandhi, Indira

2005-03-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

She was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. She attended Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, and the University of Oxford, and in 1942 she married Feroze

Malaita

2005-03-14T01:05:00.000-08:00

Also called Mala, volcanic island in the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean. It lies 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Guadalcanal across Indispensable Strait. The island is about 115 miles (185 km) long and 22 miles (35 km) across at its widest point, is mountainous (rising to Mount Ire [Mount Kolourat; 4,718 feet, or 1,438 m] in the centre), and is covered with dense forests. It is separated from Maramasike Island at its

Aalsmeer

2005-03-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noord-Holland provincie, western Netherlands, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Amsterdam, on the Ring Canal and Westeinder Lake, a remnant of Haarlem Lake. The older part of the town is on peaty soil at about sea level, surrounded by polders with loamy soil 9–15 feet (3–5 m) below sea level. Once known for its eels, whence its name (aal, “eel”; meer, “lake”), it is the flower-growing centre

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The (zaire)

2005-03-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

On May 25, 1998, Pres. Laurent Kabila promulgated a decree that established a national constituent and legislative assembly. This apparent move toward democracy was, however, belied by a series of arrests of people believed to be critical of the government, including,

Aeschines

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

Aeschines was brought up in humble circumstances, and in the early part of his career he worked as a tragic actor and held minor posts in the state service. In 346 BC he, like Demosthenes, was a member of the embassies to Philip II that resulted

Jewel Food Stores, Inc.

2005-03-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

The company traced its origins to 1899, when Frank Vernon Skiff and Frank Ross founded the Jewel Tea Company to supply condiments to the Chicago area from horse-drawn wagons. As the automobile gained in importance, the firm moved from wagons

Marsh

2005-03-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

Marshes are common at the mouths of rivers, especially where extensive deltas have been built. The river brings a steady supply of water. The gradient

Nicholas Of Cusa

2005-03-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

At the Council of Basel in 1432, he gained recognition for his opposition to the candidate put forward by Pope Eugenius IV for the archbishopric of Trier. To his colleagues

Lemur

2005-03-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Generally, any of the more primitive primates except the tree shrews. In this sense, the term covers not only the typical lemurs (family Lemuridae) but also the avahi, indri, sifaka, aye-aye, loris, potto, and galago (qq.v.). All these animals are characterized by a naked, moist tip to the muzzle; comblike, forward-directed lower front teeth; and a clawlike nail on the second toe of

Basketball, College.

2005-02-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils were the consensus favourites to win the 2001 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship, but sentimental fans and media alike were pulling for the Arizona Wildcats and their coach, Lute Olson. The death of Olson's wife, Bobbi, on January 1 had brought an outpouring of sympathy from

Coal Mining, Mining methods

2005-02-24T00:21:00.000-08:00

Surface techniques can be broadly classified into (1) contour strip mining, (2) area strip mining, (3) open-pit mining, and (4) auger mining.

Jackson, Janet

2005-02-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

The youngest of nine siblings in Motown's famed Jackson family, Janet Jackson parlayed her family's success into an independent career that spanned recordings, television, and film. She appeared as

Harbin

2005-02-21T05:13:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade–Giles romanization) Ha-erh-pin, Pinyin Haerbin, second largest city of Northeast China and capital of Heilungkiang Province (sheng), on the Sungari River. The city owes its origin to the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway by the Russians at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Before 1896 it was a small fishing village. Thereafter it became the construction centre for the railway, which by 1904 linked

Encyclopaedia, The Arab world

2005-02-19T23:23:00.000-08:00

The early encyclopaedias written in Arabic can be roughly divided into two classes: those designed for people who wished to be well informed and to make full use of their cultural heritage, and those for the rapidly growing number of official administrators. The latter type of encyclopaedia originated when the Arabs established their rule through so many parts

Whittingham, Charles

2005-02-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

American horse trainer of over 2,500 winners, including Kentucky Derby winners Ferdinand (1986) and Sunday Silence (1989), both of which made him the oldest trainer of a Derby champion; he won top-trainer Eclipse Awards three times (1971, 1982, and 1989) and in 1974 was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame (b. April 13, 1913, Chula Vista, Calif.—d. April 20, 1999, Pasadena, Calif.).

La Tour, Georges De

2005-02-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

La Tour became a master painter and eventually settled in Lunéville.

Saudi Arabia, Transportation

2005-02-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

About one-third of the country's roads are paved. The first coast-to-coast road connection, from Ad-Dammam on the gulf to Jiddah on the Red Sea, by way of Riyadh, was opened in 1967; it includes a spectacular descent of the western escarpment from At-Ta'if to Mecca. Other important connections are from Riyadh northwestward through Najd to Ha'il, from Riyadh southwestward to the

Fry, Maxwell; And Drew, Jane

2005-02-11T03:15:00.000-08:00

One of the earliest British adherents to the modern movement, Fry was trained at the School of Architecture, University of Liverpool. In 1924 he joined

Salalah

2005-02-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Oman, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. The town is located in the only part of the Arabian Peninsula touched by the Indian Ocean monsoon and thus is verdant during the summer. Salalah is the historic centre of Dhofar, famous in ancient times as a source of frankincense, and was described by Marco Polo in the 13th century as a prosperous city. Although it declined

Jhabua

2005-02-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Town, administrative headquarters of Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh state, central India. Located on Bahadur Sagar (lake), it was founded in the 16th century by a Labhana freebooter and served as the capital of the former Jhabua princely state. It is a local agricultural and timber market connected by road with Dhar. There is a government college affiliated with Vikram

Muravyov, Nikolay Nikolayevich, Count (graf) Amursky

2005-02-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

A lieutenant general in the Russian army, Muravyov was appointed governor-general of eastern Siberia in 1847. Despite the opposition

Art

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

The various visual arts exist within a continuum that ranges from purely aesthetic purposes at one end to purely utilitarian

Fish Meal

2005-01-31T15:56:00.000-08:00

To be processed

Padilla, Juan

2005-01-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

After serving as a soldier, Padilla joined the Franciscans in Andalusia. He went to Spanish Mexico in 1528 and in the following year accompanied an expedition to Nueva Galicia (northwestern Mexico). There he spent most of his remaining

Rectocele

2005-01-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

Disorder in which the rectum bulges into the back wall of the vagina. It is caused when the muscles and connective tissues supporting the rectum and back wall of the vagina are weakened, usually due to repeated childbirth or to aging, and the rectum sags until it abuts the vagina. A rectocele often occurs together with an enterocele, which is a bulge of the small

Jewish Daily Forward

2005-01-26T17:38:00.000-08:00

The Forward was founded in 1897 by the Jewish Socialist Press Federation as a civic aid and a cohesive device for Jewish immigrants from Europe. It quickly became the leading Yiddish-language newspaper in the United States. Under the guidance of Abraham Cahan, who was

Yun Shouping

2005-01-23T04:14:00.000-08:00

Yun had an adventure-filled early life. Following the collapse

Melatonin

2005-01-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

In humans, melatonin seems

France, History Of, Restructuring France

2005-01-19T01:31:00.000-08:00

From 1789 to 1791 the National Assembly acted as a constituent assembly, drafting a constitution for the new regime while also governing from day to day. The constitution established a limited monarchy, with a clear separation of powers in which the king was to name and dismiss his ministers. But sovereignty effectively resided in the legislative branch, to consist of a single

Arakcheyev, Aleksey Andreyevich, Graf (count)

2005-01-18T04:09:00.000-08:00

The son of a minor landowner, Arakcheyev studied at the Artillery and Engineering Corps

Monazite

2005-01-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Phosphate mineral, cerium and lanthanum phosphate [(Ce, La)PO4], that is the major commercial source of cerium. Occurring as small, brown, resinous, rather heavy crystals in granitic and gneissic rocks and their detritus (called monazite sands), monazite frequently contains 10–12 percent thorium dioxide (ThO2) and thus represents a major commercial source of thorium as well.

Curepipe

2005-01-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

Town (township) on the island of Mauritius, in the western Indian Ocean. It lies in the western highlands region of the country, about 11 miles (18 km) south of Port Louis, the national capital. The town, named after a similar township in France, developed quickly after a malaria epidemic in 1867, which forced Port Louis residents to relocate to safer areas in the highlands. Several

Chesterton, G(ilbert) K(eith)

2005-01-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

Chesterton was educated at St. Paul's School and later studied art at the Slade School and literature at University College, London. His writings to 1910 were of three kinds. First, his social

Gonder

2005-01-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Gonder was the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1855, and it has the remains of castles and palaces constructed by a series of emperors from Fasilides (reigned 1632–67) to Iyasu II (1730–55). The ruins of these structures stand within a walled imperial

Lilac

2005-01-07T02:59:00.000-08:00

The common lilac

Deere, John

2005-01-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

Apprenticed to a blacksmith at age 17, Deere set up his own smithy trade four years later and, for 12 years, did work in various towns of his native Vermont. In 1837, when 33 years old, he headed west and eventually settled in Grand Detour, Ill., where he set up a blacksmith's shop, and

Kahlo, Frida

2005-01-03T01:29:00.000-08:00

In 1925 Kahlo was involved in a bus accident that so seriously injured her that she had to

Loddon River

2005-01-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

River, central Victoria, Australia, rising in the Eastern Highlands 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Melbourne and flowing northwest and north for more than 200 miles (320 km), past Kerang, joining with the Little Murray and then with the Murray near Swan Hill. Inconstant in volume, the Loddon has been dammed for several reservoirs, including Cairn Curran and Tullaroop, to form part of

Russell

2004-12-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

Community, Northland local government region, northeastern North Island, New Zealand, on the southeastern shore of the Bay of Islands. Under its original name of Okiato, the town was chosen (1840) by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson to be the first capital of New Zealand. It was subsequently renamed in honour of Lord John Russell, then secretary of state for the colonies.

P-51

2004-12-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

Also called Mustang one of the finest fighter aircraft of World War II, a single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane that was produced by North American Aviation for Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and later was adopted by the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). Its prototype was designed to British specifications and first flew in late 1940, just months after the design work began. It went into service

Sambation

2004-12-27T23:33:00.000-08:00

So firm was belief in the existence of the river that the ancient Jewish historian Flavius

Forel, François-alphonse

2004-12-24T01:02:00.000-08:00

While lecturing in physiology and anatomy at the University of Lausanne, Switz., Forel began his investigations of lakes, notably Lake Geneva, and he published his findings in Le Léman: Monographie limnologique, 3 vol. (1892–1904). His standard work on limnology, Handbuch der

Alkalai, Judah Ben Solomon Hai

2004-12-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

Alkalai was taken to Jerusalem at an early age, and there he was reared and educated for the rabbinate. At 25 he went to Semlin, in Croatia, as a rabbi and found himself teaching Hebrew to the young men of his congregation,

Spice Trade

2004-12-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric were known to Eastern peoples thousands of years ago, and they became important items of commerce early in the evolution of trade. Cinnamon and cassia found their way to the Middle East at least 2,000 years

Plutus

2004-12-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

In Greek religion, god of abundance or wealth, a personification of ploutos (Greek: “riches”). According to Hesiod, Plutus was born in Crete, the son of the goddess of fruitfulness, Demeter, and the Cretan Iasion. In art he appears chiefly as a child with a cornucopia. He was sometimes confused with Pluto (Hades), god of the underworld.

Starr, Kenneth W.

2004-12-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

On Sept. 9, 1998, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr reported to the U.S. Congress grounds for finding that Bill Clinton (q.v.) had committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as U.S. president. In the report, which was accompanied by voluminous evidence that included a semen-stained dress, tapes of telephone conversations, and grand jury testimony,

Leaf-rolling Grasshopper

2004-12-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Also called Wingless Cricket (family Gryllacrididae), any of a group of orthopteran insects that are wingless or nearly wingless and have long cerci and antennae. The California leaf roller (Camptonotus carolinensis), about 15 mm (0.5 inch) long, is active at night, as are other members of this family. The leaf-rolling grasshopper spends the day in a leaf that it rolls and ties with silk; at night the insect

Costigan, Edward Prentiss

2004-12-12T02:13:00.000-08:00

Costigan spent most of his youth in Colorado, where his parents moved in 1877. He graduated from Harvard University in 1899 and began his law practice in Denver the next year. His interest in good government led him to join nonpartisan

Iblis

2004-12-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

At the creation of man, God ordered all his angels to bow down in obedience before Adam. Iblis refused, claiming he was a nobler being

Obelia

2004-12-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

Genus of invertebrate marine animals of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The genus, widely distributed in all the oceans, is represented by many species. The animal begins life as a polyp—a stalklike form attached to the ocean bottom or some other solid surface. The polyp produces medusae, or jellyfish, which in turn, produce polyps. Rootlike filaments sent out by

Spotsylvania Court House, Battle Of

2004-12-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

(May 8–19, 1864), Union failure to smash or outflank Confederate forces defending Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Following the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–6), Union General Ulysses S. Grant moved his left flank forward, engaging the Confederate forces of General Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. The battle raged for about a week and a half, and

Rawlings, Jerry J.

2004-12-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

Rawlings was the son of a Scottish father and a Ghanaian mother. He was educated at Achimoto College and the military academy at Teshie. He was commissioned

Wolf-ferrari, Ermanno

2004-12-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

The son of a German father and an Italian mother, Wolf-Ferrari studied music in Munich and then returned to Venice, where he became director of the Liceo Benedetto Marcello in 1902. He wrote Italian operas, of which five are based on the comedies of Carlo Goldoni.

Quinet, Edgar

2004-11-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

After moving to Paris in 1820, Quinet forsook the faith of his Protestant mother, became greatly attracted to German philosophy, and published in 1827–28, as his first major work, a translation of Herder's

National Baptist Convention Of The United States Of America, Inc.

2004-11-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

The National Baptist Convention had its origins in the period after the American Civil War, when many independent

Neuber, Caroline

2004-11-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

Rebelling against her tyrannical father, she ran away at age 20 with a young clerk, Johann Neuber, and married him in 1718. They served their theatrical apprenticeship in the traveling companies of Christian Spiegelberg

Internationale, L'

2004-11-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

About 1871 a Parisian transport worker, Eugène Pottier, wrote the words (as a poem), which begin, “Debout, les damnés de la terre” (“Arise, the wretched of the earth”) and acclaim, “Nous n'étions rien—donc, soyons tout!” (“We were

Production, Theory Of

2004-11-21T01:28:00.000-08:00

In economics, an effort to explain the principles by which a business firm decides how much of each commodity that it sells (its “outputs” or “products”) it will produce, and how much of each kind of labour, raw material, fixed capital good, etc., that it employs (its “inputs” or “factors of production”) it will use. The theory involves some of the most fundamental principles of economics.

Owain Gwynedd

2004-11-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Together with his brother Cadwaladr, Owain led three expeditions (1136–37) against the English stronghold of Ceredigion to the south. The brothers ravaged the region and established themselves there. Upon his father's death in 1137, Owain took the throne of North

Madagascar, Relief

2004-11-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

Situated between 2,500 and 4,500 feet (800 and 1,400 metres) above sea level, the plateau has been uplifted and worn down several times and is tilted to the west. Three massifs are more than 8,500 feet high. The Tsaratanana region in the

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint

2004-11-15T02:13:00.000-08:00

The biography of Thomas Aquinas is one of extreme simplicity; it chronicles little but some modest travel during a career devoted entirely to university life: at Paris, the Roman Curia, Paris again, and Naples. It would be a mistake, however, to judge that his life was merely the quiet life of a professional teacher untouched by the social and political affairs of his

Hancock

2004-11-13T23:14:00.000-08:00

County, southeastern Maine, U.S. It is located in a mountain-and-valley region bounded to the west by the Penobscot River and to the south by several bays of the Atlantic Ocean and includes many islands. The rugged coastline was formed by a flooded mountain range; Mount Desert Island features Cadillac Mountain (1,532 feet [467 metres]), the highest Atlantic coast summit in Maine,

Ra's Nasrani

2004-11-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1982) Sharm ash Shaykh , also spelled Sharm el-Sheikh , Hebrew Mifraz Shelomo , English Solomon's Bay small inlet and cape on the southeastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Located in Janub Sina' muhafazah (governorate), Egypt, Ra's Nasrani was occupied by the Israelis from 1967 to 1982. The Hebrew name is an allusion to King Solomon's fleets, which presumably passed through the adjacent Strait of Tiran on their way from the port of Ezion-geber, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, to the land of Ophir

Benalla

2004-11-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

City, central Victoria, Australia, on the Broken River. Founded in 1848 on an overland stock route after Sir Thomas Mitchell's exploration of the area, its name is derived from an Aboriginal term meaning “crossing place.” The city is a rail and highway junction and the commercial centre for a district of livestock, poultry, and grain farming. Local industries include flour

Allston, Washington

2004-11-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

Painter and author, commonly held to be the first important American Romantic painter. Allston is known for his experiments with dramatic subject matter and his use of light and atmospheric colour. Although his production was small, it shaped future American landscape

Grubenmann, Hans Ulrich; And Grubenmann, Johannes

2004-11-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

Swiss carpenters and bridge builders whose bridge (1758) over the Limmat River at the town of Wettingen, near Zürich, is believed to be the first timber bridge to employ a true arch in its design. The brothers' ingenious combination of the arch and truss principles made it possible to construct longer and better timber bridges

Ercker, Lazarus

2004-11-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Ercker studied at the University of Wittenberg (1547–48) and in 1554 was appointed assayer at Dresden, the first of many such positions he held in the state bureaucracy of Saxony. After 1567 he became control tester of coins at Kutná Hora, near Prague. In his great work, Beschreibung

Cynric

2004-10-31T19:06:00.000-08:00

King of the West Saxons, or Wessex (from 534). By some accounts he also reigned jointly (519–534) with his grandfather (or father?), Cerdic, founder of Wessex. The period was apparently one of consolidating gains climaxed by the Battle of Mount Badon (520) rather than a period of further expansion, though Cynric is said to have routed Britons in battle at least once, at a place called Searobyrg

John George Iv

2004-10-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of his reign his chief adviser was Hans Adam von Schöning (1641–96), who counselled a union between Saxony and Brandenburg and a more independent attitude toward the emperor Leopold I. In accordance with this advice certain proposals were put before Leopold to which he refused to agree; consequently the

Corcoran Gallery Of Art

2004-10-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

The museum also houses the private collection of

Bendix Corporation

2004-10-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

The company's founder, Vincent Bendix, himself an inventor, joined with French inventor Henri Perrot

Esslingen

2004-10-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

On a commanding height above the city stands the old citadel, and in the inner

Soga Shohaku

2004-10-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

As a young man he studied painting under the guidance of Takada Keiho of the Kano school (school of painting based on Chinese subject matter and techniques) in Kyoto, but his disillusionment with contemporary

Macarius

2004-10-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

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

Berengar Of Tours

2004-10-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Having studied under the celebrated Fulbert at Chartres, Berengar returned to Tours after 1029 and became canon of its cathedral and head of the School of Saint-Martin,

Danbury Hatters' Case

2004-10-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Formally Loewe v. Lawlor (208 U.S. 274) U.S. Supreme Court case in which unions were held to be subject to the antitrust laws. In 1902 the United Hatters of North America, having failed to organize the firm of D.E. Loewe in Danbury, Conn., called for a nationwide boycott of the firm's products. The firm brought suit under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, and in 1908 the union was assessed triple damages. The case was a severe setback

Pabst, G.w.

2004-10-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

In full Georg Wilhelm Pabst German film director whose films were among the most artistically successful of the 1920s. Pabst's films are marked by social and political concerns, deep psychological insight, memorable female protagonists, and human conflicts with culture and society. He is also noted for

General Mills, Inc.

2004-10-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

General Mills was incorporated in 1928 to acquire Washburn Crosby Company, a flour-milling company formed in 1866, and four other milling companies. Specializing in cereals and flour products, the

Trade, Board Of

2004-10-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

Also called Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations English governmental advisory body established by William III in May 1696 to replace the Lords of Trade (1675) in the supervision of colonial affairs. The board was to examine colonial legislation and to recommend disallowance of those laws that conflicted with imperial trade policies, to nominate governors and other high officials for royal colonies and to write the

Siliceous Sponge

2004-10-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Any sponge in which the main skeletal component is silica as opposed to calcium carbonate or fibrous organic materials only. More than 95 percent of all known sponge species have a siliceous skeleton and belong to the class Demospongiae (phylum Porifera). The siliceous skeleton is usually composed of discrete elements known as spicules that vary greatly in size

Japan Trench

2004-10-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

Deep submarine trench lying east of the Japanese islands, in the floor of the western North Pacific Ocean. It is one of a series of depressions stretching south from the Kuril Trench and the Bonin Trench to the Mariana Trench. The 27,929-foot (8,513-metre) Tuscarora Deep (north) was once considered the deepest point in the world (subsequently found to be in the Mariana Trench).

Yale, Frankie

2004-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Yale graduated from youth gangs to bootlegging and rum-running

Blanqui, (louis-)auguste

2004-09-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

Blanqui's father was a subprefect in the little town of Puget-Théniers in the French Maritime Alps. In 1818 Blanqui

Jansch, Bert

2004-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Influenced by American folk-blues performers such as Big Bill Broonzy, Jansch was part of the folk scene in Edinburgh,

Hess, Walter Rudolf

2004-09-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Originally an ophthalmologist (1906–12), Hess turned to the study of physiology at the University of Bonn

Ibn Tibbon, Judah Ben Saul

2004-09-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

Persecution of the Jews forced Judah to flee Granada in 1150, and he settled in Lunel, in southern France, where he practiced medicine, according to an account in 1160 by a contemporary traveller,

Andaman And Nicobar Islands

2004-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Nicobars—a group of 19 islands (12 inhabited) including Great Nicobar, Car Nicobar, Camorta (Kamorta), and Nancowry (Nankauri)—are situated between the Andaman Islands and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Economic Indicator

2004-09-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

Statistic used, along with other indicators, in an attempt to determine the state of general economic activity, especially in the future. A “leading indicator” is one of a statistical series that fairly reliably turn up or down before the general economy does. Common leading indicators are building permits (suggesting the future volume of new construction), common

Hawk Owl

2004-09-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

The northern hawk owl (Surnia ulula) is approximately 40 cm (about 16 inches) long. Its tail is long, and its wings are short and pointed like those of a hawk. The facial disk of the northern hawk owl does not extend above the eyes, and it has no ear tufts. It feeds on small mammals, birds, and insects, hunting during

Athabasca River

2004-09-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

River in northern Alberta, Canada, forming the southernmost part of the Mackenzie River system. From its source in the Columbia Icefield (Canadian Rocky Mountains) near the Continental Divide, the river flows through Jasper National Park, site of the spectacular Athabasca Falls, northeastward across Alberta to its mouth and delta on Lake Athabasca. Its 765-mi (1,231-km) course

Malacostracan, Food and feeding

2004-09-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Malacostracans consume virtually every available kind of organic matter, plant or animal, living or dead. The small- to medium-sized groups primarily consume detritus and plankton, and some are parasites of other aquatic organisms. The larger-sized groups are mainly carnivores and scavengers, preying on a wide range of small invertebrates and fishes or devouring

Aeschylus

2004-09-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

First of classical Athens' great tragic dramatists, who raised that emerging art to great heights of poetry and theatrical power.

Anshar And Kishar

2004-09-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

In Mesopotamian mythology, the male and female principles, the twin horizons of sky and earth. Their parents were either Apsu (the watery deep beneath the earth) and Tiamat (the personification of salt water) or Lahmu and Lahamu, the first set of twins born to Apsu and Tiamat. Anshar and Kishar, in turn, were the parents of Anu (An), the supreme heaven god.

Pinchot, Gifford

2004-09-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

Pinchot graduated from Yale in 1889 and studied at the National Forestry School in Nancy, France, and in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Upon his return home in 1892, he began the first systematic forestry work in the United States at Biltmore, the estate of George W. Vanderbilt,

Onsager, Lars

2004-09-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

His early work in statistical mechanics attracted the attention of the Dutch chemist Peter Debye, under whose direction Onsager studied at the Federal Institute

Chia-ching

2004-08-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Notoriously cruel, Chia-ching caused hundreds of officials who had the temerity to disagree with him to be tortured, demoted, or killed. He spent much of his time and money, especially in his later

Ibibio

2004-08-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Mainly rainforest cultivators

Deer

2004-08-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

(family Cervidae), any of the ruminant mammals (order Artiodactyla) having two large and two small hooves on each foot and having antlers in the males of most species and in the females of some species. Indeed, the feature most commonly associated with deer is the presence of antlers. Deer occur mainly in forests but may be found in habitats as diverse as deserts, tundra,

Bar-le-duc

2004-08-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Capital of Meuse département, Lorraine région, northeastern France. It extends out along the narrow valley of the Ornain River, west of Nancy. To the northeast is the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, on the southwest the Canal des Usines. The Ornain River valley is enclosed by wooded and vine-clad hills. From the 10th century Bar was the seat of a countship, and later a duchy. The remains