HealthyPen

Vietnam, Climate

2005-04-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

The northern part of Vietnam is on the edge of the tropical climatic zone. During January, the coldest month of the year, Hanoi has a mean temperature of 63° F (17° C), while the annual average temperature is 74° F (23° C). Farther south, the average annual temperature in Hue is 77° F (25° C) and in Ho Chi Minh City is 81° F (27° C); in the highland city of Da Lat, it drops to 70° F (21° C). The winter season in northern Vietnam lasts

Aytmatov, Chingiz

2005-04-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Aytmatov achieved major literary recognition with his collection of short stories, Povesti gor i stepey (1963; Tales of Mountains and Steppes), for which he was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1963. His most important works

Tear Duct And Gland,

2005-04-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

Also called Lachrymal, or Lacrimal, Duct And Gland, the structures that produce, distribute, and carry away tears (drops of clear saline fluid that are diffused between the eye and eyelid). Tears moisten the membrane that covers the eye (conjunctiva) and facilitate motion. Tears are also secreted as a reflex response to various stimuli, including irritants to the cornea, bright lights, and hot or peppery substances in

Gabriel

2005-04-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

Hebrew Gavri'el, Arabic Gibra'il, Jabra'il, or Jibril, in the Bible and the Qur'an, one of the archangels. Gabriel was the heavenly messenger sent to Daniel to explain the vision of the ram and the he-goat and to communicate the prediction of the Seventy Weeks. He was also employed to announce the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and to announce the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. It is because he stood in the divine presence

Lancaster

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

City, seat of Lancaster county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S., and the centre of a metropolitan area comprising a number of small towns and boroughs, 71 miles (114 km) west of Philadelphia. The original site on Conestoga Creek, known as Gibson's Pasture, or Hickory Town, was made the county seat in 1729, the year after Lancaster county (named for the English city and shire) was created.

Earth Sciences, Cloud physics

2005-03-31T05:47:00.000-08:00

Studies of cloud physics have shown that the nuclei around which water condenses vary widely in their degree of concentration and areal distribution, ranging from six per cubic centimetre over the oceans to more than 4,000,000 per cubic centimetre in the polluted air of some cities. The droplets that condense on these foreign particles may be as small as 0.001 centimetre in diameter.

Duroc

2005-03-30T23:36:00.000-08:00

Breed of pig developed between 1822 and 1877 from the Old Duroc pig of New York and the Red Jersey pig of New Jersey; it was formerly called the Duroc-Jersey. The Duroc proved particularly suitable for feeding in the United States Corn Belt; by the 1930s it was the predominant breed in the United States, a distinction it held intermittently throughout the century. Exportation has

Grable, Betty

2005-03-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

Grable was set on the road to stardom by her mother,

Performing Arts

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

Grable was set on the road to stardom by her mother,

Zollverein

2005-03-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

The movement to create a free-trade zone in Germany received great impetus from economists such as Friedrich List, its most active advocate in early 19th-century Germany. In 1818 Prussia

Iraq, Alluvial plains

2005-03-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

The plains of lower Mesopotamia extend southward some 375 miles (600 km) from Balad on the Tigris and Al-Ramadi on the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf. They cover more than 51,000 square miles (132,000 square km), almost one-third of the country's area, and are characterized by low elevation, below 300 feet (100 metres), and poor natural drainage. Large areas are subject to widespread seasonal flooding, and

Dyson, Freeman (john)

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

The son of a musician and composer, Dyson was educated at the University of Cambridge. As a teenager he developed a passion for mathematics, but his studies at Cambridge were interrupted in 1943, when he served in the Royal Air Force Bomber Command.

Argentina, Discovery and settlement

2005-03-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

The main Atlantic outline of Argentina was revealed to European explorers in the early 16th century. The Río de la Plata estuary was discovered years before Ferdinand Magellan traversed the Strait of Magellan in 1520, although historians dispute whether the estuary was first reached by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501–02 or by Juan Díaz de Solís in his ill-fated voyage of 1516. Solís and a

Anastasius Ii

2005-03-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

In notifying the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I of his accession, Anastasius expressed a conciliatory attitude toward the late patriarch Acacius of Constantinople, who had been deposed and excommunicated in 484 by Pope St. Felix III. The Acacian Schism resulted from this act. The pope's reception of the Byzantine deacon Photinus,

Nashville Convention

2005-03-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

(1850), two-session meeting of proslavery Southerners in the United States. John C. Calhoun initiated the drive for a meeting when he urged Mississippi to call for a convention. The resulting Mississippi Convention on Oct. 1, 1849, issued a call to all slave-holding states to send delegates to Nashville, Tenn., in order to form a united front against what was viewed as Northern

Disasters

2005-03-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

May 30, Minsk, Belarus. A stampede occurred in a passageway

Davangere

2005-03-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

Town, central Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India. A major road and rail junction, it supports a large-scale textile industry and is a trading centre for cotton and grain. The surrounding villages produce handloomed cotton and wool. Several colleges affiliated with the University of Mysore are situated at Davangere. Pop. (1981) 196,621.

Bishop's Cap Cactus

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

All four species of Astrophytum, which is sometimes regarded as a subgenus of Echinocac

Alexander Iv

2005-03-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

Alexander was appointed cardinal deacon (1227) and cardinal bishop of Ostia (1231) by his uncle Pope Gregory IX. After becoming pope, Alexander followed the policies of his predecessor Innocent IV: he continued war on Manfred, Emperor Frederick II's bastard son (who was crowned king of Sicily in 1258), by excommunicating him and

Skeleton Sledding

2005-03-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Also called Cresta sledding winter sport in which the skeleton sled, or Cresta, consisting of steel runners fastened to a platform chassis, is ridden in a headfirst, prone position. Skeleton sledding competitions are typically held on the same courses used for bobsled contests. It is a dangerous and thrilling sport where riders, with their faces just inches above the icy course, attain speeds

Hui Shih

2005-03-16T01:18:00.000-08:00

As a result of their preoccupation with pure logic, the dialecticians have always been separated from the mainstream of Chinese philosophy, which was primarily concerned with the relationship between names and actuality.

Tachometer

2005-03-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

Mechanical

Torah

2005-03-14T23:31:00.000-08:00

In Judaism, in the broadest sense the substance of divine revelation to Israel, the Jewish people: God's revealed teaching or guidance for mankind. The meaning of “Torah” is often restricted to signify the first five books of the Old Testament, also called the Law or the Pentateuch. These are the books traditionally ascribed to Moses, the recipient of the original revelation

Adams, John Couch

2005-03-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

British mathematician and astronomer, one of two people who independently discovered the planet Neptune. On July 3, 1841, Adams had entered in his journal: “Formed a design in the beginning of this week of investigating, as soon as possible after taking my degree, the irregularities in the motion of Uranus . . . in order

Steinhart Aquarium

2005-03-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Public aquarium in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, noted for its innovative displays. The facility was opened in 1923 and is administered by the California Academy of Sciences. Besides having about 5,000 specimens of some 350 species of fish, the aquarium maintains a collection of more than 200 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, along with 3 species of marine mammals and 60 species of

Owambo

2005-03-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Ovamboland, geographic region, northern Namibia. Owambo is bordered by the Kaokoland (Kaokoveld) region on the west and by the Kavango region on the east. The border with Angola lies to the north. Most of semiarid Owambo is an extremely flat plain covered by white sands. It is crossed by a series of low-gradient, often parallel, south-oriented dry watercourses (oshanas), collectively

Scale

2005-03-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

The specific selection of different tones in any piece of music generally reveals a pattern of relationships among its pitches that can be expressed as a series of fixed distances (intervals) from one pitch to another within the span of an octave. The interval relationships

Melito Of Sardis

2005-03-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

The 4th-century chronicles of Eusebius of Caesarea identify Melito as a bishop who addressed a discourse to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, arguing that Christianity

Performing Arts, Nontheatrical Films.

2005-03-11T03:10:00.000-08:00

Austrian filmmaker Kurt Mundl (Power of the Earth Productions) in 1998 created an amazing film about butterflies and moths, The Messengers of the Gods--Butterflies. The 49-minute gem was made from 18,000 minutes of film patiently photographed using special lenses. New findings about behaviour were brought to life. It won many awards, including Best of Festival at Chicago's U.S. International

Deighton, Len

2005-03-10T05:15:00.000-08:00

Deighton was educated at St. Martin's School of Art, London, and the Royal College of Art. He worked at a number of jobs after graduation, including pastry cook,

Biblical Literature, First introductory discourse of Moses

2005-03-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

The first introductory discourse, spoken by Moses, traces the journey of the Israelites from Mt. Horeb to Moab, with some noticeable differences in detail from the account in Exodus and Numbers and an emphasis on Moses being banned from entrance into the Promised Land because the Lord was angry at the Israelites. To this historical retrospect is appended an exhortation

Guzmán Blanco, Antonio

2005-03-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

Guzmán Blanco was the son of a famous journalist and politician, Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, who had married into the Blanco family of Caracas' upper class. He began his career by consolidating the support of provincial caudillos behind his leadership,

Macarius Magnes

2005-03-08T04:42:00.000-08:00

Of Macarius' origin and career, nothing is known except that he is probably identified with the bishop of Magnesia, later Manisa, Tur., who, at the Synod of the

Yermolova, Maria Nikolayevna

2005-03-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Yermolova was trained at the Moscow Theatre School and made her debut at age 17 in the title role of Gotthold Lessing's Emilia Galotti at the Maly Theatre (1870). Her interpretation of Emilia as

Lockwood, Margaret (mary)

2005-03-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Lockwood studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, England's leading drama school, and made her film debut in Lorna Doone (1935). A vivacious brunette with a beauty spot on her left cheek, she starred in a wide

India, Wars and rivalries

2005-03-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

Harihara II's death in 1404 was followed by a violent succession dispute among his three surviving sons. Only after two of them had been crowned and dethroned was the third, Devaraya I (reigned 1406–22), able to emerge victorious. Continuing instability, however, coupled with the involvement of Vijayanagar and the Bahmani sultanate as backers of different claimants to the throne

Claudius Pulcher, Appius

2005-03-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

From 72 to 70 Claudius served in Anatolia under his brother-in-law, Lucius Licinius Lucullus, in the war against Mithradates VI, king of Pontus. He was praetor in 57, governor in Sardinia in 56–55, and consul in 54. Although Claudius had opposed the return of Cicero from exile in 57, the

Medicine, Periodic medical examination

2005-03-04T00:15:00.000-08:00

Physicians in industry carry out medical examinations, especially on new employees and on those returning to work after sickness or injury. In addition, those liable to health hazards may be examined regularly in the hope of detecting evidence of incipient damage. In some organizations every employee may be offered a regular medical examination.

Muris, Jean De

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

French philosopher and mathematician who was a leading proponent of the new musical style of the 14th century. In his treatise Ars novae musicae (1319; “The Art of the New Music”) he enthusiastically supported the great changes in musical style and notation occurring in the 14th century and associated with the composer and theorist Philippe de Vitry, whose

Shikoku

2005-03-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is intensive in the

Epistemology, Impact of modern science on epistemology

2005-03-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), a cleric, argued in On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres (1543) that the Earth revolves around the Sun. His theory was epistemologically shocking for at least two reasons. First, it goes directly counter to how humans experience their relation to the Sun; it is everyone's prescientific view that the Sun revolves around the Earth. If science can

Wind Instrument, Reedpipes

2005-03-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

Egypt also made clarinets, instruments composed of two canes with three sides of a rectangle cut obliquely in the upper end of the two single reeds. The term idioglottic is used to describe a reed cut from the tube itself. From four to six equidistant finger holes are cut in each cane, and blowing with the entire reed engulfed in the mouth cavity produces a pungent, tremulous

Ani

2005-03-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

Any of three species of big-billed, glossy black birds of the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family (Cuculidae), of tropical America. These insect eaters forage on the ground in close and noisy flocks, often in fields with cattle. The bill is high-arched, bladelike, and hook-tipped; the tail is long and broad; the wings are short; and the plumage is floppy, so that

Bahuti, Al-

2005-02-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

Little is known about al-Bahuti except that he spent nearly all of his life teaching and practicing Hanbali law. His legal writings, although not original, are noted for their clarity and are still used in Egypt.

Field, Cyrus W(est)

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

After an early career in the paper business, Field became interested in a proposal to lay a transatlantic telegraph cable. He was one of the founders

Raymond

2005-02-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

Raymond was the younger son of William VII, count of Poitiers, in west-central France. In 1135 King Fulk of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, regent for the heiress Constance of Antioch, sent envoys to offer her in marriage to Raymond,

Molcho, Solomon

2005-02-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

The son of Marrano parents (Portuguese or Spanish Jews forced to become Christians), Pires attained the position of royal secretary in a Portuguese high court of justice. When an Arabian adventurer, David Reubeni, arrived in Portugal, Pires became possessed by mystic

Appiah, Kwame Anthony

2005-02-26T01:42:00.000-08:00

Appiah was the son of Joseph Appiah, a Ghanaian-born barrister, and Peggy Cripps, daughter of the British statesman Sir Stafford

Paul, Lewis

2005-02-26T00:33:00.000-08:00

Paul was the son of a Huguenot refugee, at whose death he became a ward of the Earl of Shaftesbury. He began working with Wyatt about 1730, and they patented their machine in 1738. The idea was evidently Paul's, and the skilled Wyatt translated it into working machinery. The

Ravinia Park

2005-02-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

One of the oldest outdoor summer music and cultural centres in the United States, located in Highland Park, Ill., 25 miles (40 km) north of Chicago's Loop. It was established in 1905 on land purchased by the A.C. Frost Company, a subsidiary of the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad (the Chicago and North Western Railroad now bisects the property). Originally an amusement centre

Earth, Earthquakes

2005-02-24T00:50:00.000-08:00

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

Jicarilla Apache

2005-02-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

The early Jicarilla were one of several loosely organized, autonomous bands of Apache living in the Southwest. Their ancient lands included parts of present-day Colorado,

Dubcek, Alexander

2005-02-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

Dubcek received his early education in Kirgiziya (Kyrgyzstan) in Soviet Central Asia, where his father, Stefan Dubcek, a member of

Wokha

2005-02-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

Town, Nagaland state, northeastern India, at the foot of the Wokha Hills, 50 miles (80 km) north of Kohima town. It is a trade and agricultural centre for the surrounding Naga Hills, in which grains (mainly rice) and fruits are grown on previously forested slopes. There are some cottage industries (weaving, pottery making, woodworking). Wokha is linked by highway to Mokokchung and

Amalekite

2005-02-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Member of an ancient nomadic tribe, or collection of tribes, described in the Old Testament as relentless enemies of Israel, even though they were closely related to Ephraim, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The district over which they ranged was south of Judah and probably extended into northern Arabia. The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt

Leninsk-kuznetsky

2005-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1925) Kolchugino, city, in Kemerovo oblast (province), central Russia. It lies along the Inya River, a tributary of the Ob. In 1912 a French company started coal-mining operations there; from the 1930s the city developed rapidly to become a major coal-mining centre, with many pits located in the city itself. Other industries produce chemicals, mining machinery, electric lamps, and timber goods. Pop.

Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, Tunku (prince)

2005-02-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

After studies in England (1920–31), Abdul Rahman returned to Malaya to enter the Kedah civil service. In 1947 he returned to England, was called to the bar in 1949, and was appointed a deputy

Obihiro

2005-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

City, southern Hokkaido, Japan, on the Tokachi River. Founded in 1883, it became the administrative capital of Tokachi subprefecture in 1897. The arrival of two railway lines in the early 1900s made Obihiro a trade centre of agricultural products grown in the surrounding Tokachi Plain. Obihiro's industries are based on food processing; the city contains one of the largest beet-sugar

Dominican Republic

2005-02-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

Spanish República Dominicana country of the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Greater Antilles chain in the Caribbean Sea. Haiti, also an independent republic, occupies the western third of the island. The Dominican Republic's shores are washed by the Caribbean to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Between the eastern tip

Nepal, Climate

2005-02-18T03:26:00.000-08:00

Nepal's climate, influenced by elevation as well as by its location in a subtropical latitude, ranges from subtropical monsoon conditions in the Tarai, through a warm temperate climate between 4,000 and 7,000 feet in the mid-mountain region, to cool temperate conditions in the higher parts of mountains between 7,000 and 11,000 feet, to an Alpine climate at altitudes between 14,000 and 16,000 feet along

Visitador

2005-02-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

The institution of the

Dominican Republic

2005-02-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

International cooperative agency of Lutheran churches, organized at Lund, Swed., in 1947. It developed from the Lutheran World Convention, which held conventions in 1923, 1929, and 1935. The effectiveness of the Lutheran World Convention during the war years was hampered because it had no constitution or defined organization. At the Lund conference in 1947 the Lutheran World Convention

Ahmed, Fakhruddin Ali

2005-02-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

The son of an army doctor from Assam, Ahmed was educated in India and studied history at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 1927. After returning to India, he was elected to the Assam legislature (1935). As Assam's minister of finance and revenue in 1938, he was responsible for some radical taxation measures.

Perga

2005-02-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

In Perga the apostles Paul and Barnabas began their first mission in Anatolia (Acts of the Apostles 13:13). A difficult mountain route into Phrygia began at Perga, and Alexander the Great used it

Procellariiform, Distribution

2005-02-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

The majority of procellariiforms breed in the Southern Hemisphere, but several species migrate thousands of miles north across the Equator to winter in the northern summer seas, where they molt, feed, and rest in preparation for the return home in the southern spring. Similarly, species that breed in the Northern Hemisphere also live in perpetual summer by migrating

Andrade, Mário Pinto De

2005-02-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

While studying classical philology at the University of Lisbon, Andrade, with Agostinho Neto and Amilcar Cabral, formed the Centre for African Studies. He then attended the Sorbonne in Paris, wrote anticolonialist poetry, and was an editor of Présence Africaine (1955–58). Beginning in 1956 he worked

Aratus Of Sicyon

2005-02-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

After liberating Sicyon in 251, he established a democracy there and united it with the Achaean League for defense against Macedonia. As general of the league (a post he normally held each alternate year after 245), he captured

Hen-and-chickens

2005-02-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

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

Amazonstone

2005-02-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Also called Amazonite, a gemstone variety of green microcline (q.v.), a feldspar mineral. Frequently confused with jade, amazonstone varies in colour from yellow-green to blue-green and may also exhibit fine white streaks; it is usually opaque and therefore is cut en cabochon (with a rounded and convex polished surface). Although its name is derived from the Amazon River, no deposits have been

Yupik

2005-02-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Asiatic, or Asian, Eskimo, Western Eskimo group of Siberian Asia and of Saint Lawrence Island and the Diomede Islands in the Bering Sea and Strait. They are culturally related to the Chukchi. The traditional economic activity of the Yupik-speaking Eskimo was the hunting of sea mammals, especially seals, walrus, and, until the latter half of the 19th century, whales. Trade with the Russians developed

Siberian Chronicles

2005-02-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

The origin, reliability, and interrelationships of the

Good Hope, Cape Of

2005-02-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

Rocky promontory at the southern end of Cape Peninsula, Western Cape province, South Africa. It was first sighted by the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 on his return voyage to Portugal after ascertaining the southern limits of the African continent. One historical account says that Dias named it Cape of Storms and that John II of Portugal renamed it Cape

Legaspi

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

Also spelled Legazpi, chartered city, capital of Albay province, southeastern Luzon, Philippines, near an inlet on Albay Gulf. Founded c. 1639, it was named for Miguel López de Legazpi, conquistador and first Spanish governor general of the Philippines. The city lies at the southern base of the active volcanic Mt. Mayon, the 1815 eruption of which killed more than 1,000 people and levelled nearby Cagsawa.

Gabin, Jean

2005-02-08T01:42:00.000-08:00

Gabin was the son of a music-hall comedian (stage name Jean Gabin). In 1923 he began a theatrical career in the Folies-Bergère but left the stage after his film debut in Chacun sa chance (1931). He achieved fame in Maria Chapdelaine (1934) and later in Pépé le Moko (1937), directed

Arabia, History Of, Minaeans

2005-02-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Minaean kingdom (Ma'in) lasted from the 4th to the 2nd century BC and was predominantly a trading organization that, for the period, monopolized the trade routes. References to Ma'in occur earlier in Sabaean texts, where they seem to be loosely associated with the 'Amir people to the north of the Minaean capital of Qarnaw (now Ma'in), which is at the eastern end of the Wadi al-Jawf

Gabon, Transportation

2005-02-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

The difficulty of building and maintaining all-weather roads led to an expansion of air transport

Great Dane

2005-02-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Breed of working dog developed at least 400 years ago in Germany, where it was used for boar hunting. The Great Dane is typically a swift, alert dog noted for courage, friendliness, and dependability. It has a massive, square-jawed head, and body lines that give it an elegant appearance. Its short coat is black, golden brown, brindle, blue-gray, or white with black patches. The tallest

Arnim, Bettina Von

2005-02-06T05:04:00.000-08:00

Von Arnim was unconventional to the point of eccentricity; wayward, yet a loyal wife (she married Achim

Locmariaquer

2005-02-06T02:46:00.000-08:00

Village and seaside resort, on the coast of the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan département, Bretagne région, western France, south of Auray. It is famous for its megalithic monuments, notably the Fairies' Stone, a huge, broken standing stone, originally 66 feet (20 m) high—the greatest known menhir (upright monumental stone) in existence. Behind it is the Merchants' Table, composed

Latin America, History Of

2005-02-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands

Pigweed

2005-02-04T03:09:00.000-08:00

Any of several coarse annual plants of cosmopolitan distribution that are often troublesome weeds. Several of them belong to the genus Amaranthus, of the family Amaranthaceae. Prostrate pigweed, or mat amaranth (A. graecizans), grows along the ground surface with stems rising at the tips; spiny pigweed, or spiny amaranth (A. spinosus), has spines at the base of the leafstalks;

Adenauer, Konrad

2005-02-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

First chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany; 1949–63), presiding over its reconstruction after World War II. A Christian Democrat and firmly anticommunist, he supported NATO, and he worked to reconcile Germany with its former enemies, especially France.

Celaenae

2005-02-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

Ancient fortress city of Phrygia (in present Turkey), the starting point of the march of the “Ten Thousand” under Cyrus (401 BC) against Artaxerxes (recounted in Xenophon's Anabasis). In 333 Celaenae was conquered by Alexander the Great. The city was later renamed Apamea Cibotus (q.v.) by Antiochus I Soter, who refounded it on a more open site in order to benefit from the growing commerce

Saar, Betye

2005-02-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

Saar studied design at the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1949) and education and printmaking at California State University at Long Beach. In the early 1960s she created etchings

Radiation

2005-02-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

Either the process by which energy is emitted from a source and propagated through the surrounding medium or the energy involved in this process. Familiar examples of radiant energy include light (a form of electromagnetic radiation) and sound (a form of acoustic radiation). Both electromagnetic and acoustic radiations are commonly described as waves that can

Mercier, Honoré

2005-02-02T03:52:00.000-08:00

While studying law in the early 1860s Mercier edited the Conservative newspaper Le Courrier de St. Hyacinthe and supported the Conservative administration

Melanoma

2005-02-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

A spreading and frequently recurring cancer of specialized skin cells (melanocytes) that produce the protective skin-darkening pigment melanin. In the United States melanoma represents less than 5 percent of all cases of skin cancer, yet it is responsible for nearly three-quarters of all skin cancer deaths and is increasing in frequency. Unlike other skin growths,

Hyvinkää

2005-02-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Swedish Hyvinge, city, Uudenmaan lääni (Uusimaa province), southern Finland, north of Helsinki. It is the centre of Finland's woollen industry, and is an important rail junction with direct lines to the ports of Hangö (Hanko, the southernmost in Finland), Helsinki, and Porvoo (Borgå). The city also has railway workshops, a granite quarry, and a rubber-products plant. Because of its fine climate

Computers, The Internet

2005-01-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

The Internet grew out of funding by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), later renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop a communication system among government and academic computer-research laboratories. The first network component, ARPANET, became operational in October 1969. With only 15 nongovernment (university) sites

Savora

2005-01-31T02:11:00.000-08:00

Also spelled sabora (Aramaic: “reasoner,” or “one who reflects”) , plural savoraim , or saboraim any of a group of 6th-century-AD Jewish scholars who determined the final internal form of the Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli), a collection of authoritative interpretations and explanations of Jewish oral laws and religious customs. Some experts feel that certain (perhaps many) of the critical textual remarks now found in the Talmud represent the work of savoraim,

Paulding, James Kirke

2005-01-31T01:46:00.000-08:00

At 18 he went to New York City, where he formed a lasting friendship with the Irving brothers. This association aroused his enthusiasm for literature, and he, with William and Washington Irving,

Cojedes

2005-01-29T06:13:00.000-08:00

Inland state, northwestern Venezuela, surrounded by the states of Yaracuy and Carabobo on the north, Guárico on the east, Barinas on the south, and Portuguesa on the west. Since colonial days cattle raising has dominated the local economy. The state, which has an area of 5,714 sq mi (14,800 sq km), lies mainly in the Llanos (plains), with no elevation above 700 ft (210 m). Drained by secondary tributaries

Lima

2005-01-29T01:34:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Peru and of Lima department. It is the country's commercial and industrial centre. Central Lima is located at an elevation of 512 feet (156 metres) on the south bank of the Río Rímac, about eight miles (13 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean port of Callao, and has an area of 27 square miles (70 square km). Its name is a corruption of the Quechua Indian name Rímac, meaning “Talker.” The

Andalusite

2005-01-28T06:07:00.000-08:00

(Al2SiO5), aluminum silicate mineral that occurs in relatively small amounts in various metamorphic rocks, particularly in altered sediments. It is found in commercial quantities in the Inyo Mountains, Mono county, Calif., in the United States; in Kazakstan; and in South Africa. Such deposits are mined as a raw material for refractories and porcelain used in spark plugs

Austrian Succession, War Of The

2005-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

In the war for the Austrian succession itself, France unsuccessfully supported the dubious claims of Bavaria, Saxony, and Spain to parts of the Habsburg domain and supported the claim of Charles

Cherry, Donald Eugene

2005-01-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

U.S. jazz trumpeter (b. Nov. 18, 1936, Oklahoma City, Okla.--d. Oct. 19, 1995, Málaga, Spain), was a pioneer of free jazz as a member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet and later joined jazz with elements of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and European music, thereby becoming a pioneer of world music as well. Cherry, who grew up in Los Angeles, hailed from a musical family. He had already achieved some local

Earth Sciences, Paleontology and stratigraphy

2005-01-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

During the 17th century the guiding principles of paleontology and historical geology began to emerge in the work of a few individuals. Nicolaus Steno, a Danish scientist and theologian, presented carefully reasoned arguments favouring the organic origin of what are now called fossils. Also, he elucidated three principles that made possible the reconstruction

Aurobindo, Sri

2005-01-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

Aurobindo's education began in a Christian convent school in Darjeeling, and then, still a boy, he was sent to England for further schooling. He entered the University of Cambridge, where he became proficient in two

Carnivore, Form and function

2005-01-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

The smallest living member of the Carnivora is the least weasel (Mustela nivalis), which weighs about two ounces. The largest terrestrial form is the Alaskan grizzly (Ursus arctos), weighing up to 780 kilograms (1700 pounds). The largest aquatic form is the elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), which may weigh 3,640 kilograms (four tons). Most carnivores weigh between four and eight kilograms

Wah

2005-01-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Wah Cantonment, town, Punjab province, northern Pakistan. It is connected by road with Peshawar and Rawalpindi and is a growing industrial centre. Wah's industries include one of the largest cement factories in the Indian subcontinent, ordnance and tractor plants, and agricultural implements and spare-parts manufacturing. Amenities include a garden said to have been built by the