QuietWheel

Andragoras

2005-04-05T01:36:00.000-07:00

Seleucid satrap (governor) of Parthia during the mid-3rd century. He apparently defied Seleucid imperial authority, which was weakly established in his area, and issued coins on which his image bore the royal diadem. After ruling only a few years, he was defeated and killed by Parni tribesmen from the Caspian steppes led by Arsaces, who later set up an independent kingdom

Fore-and-aft Sail

2005-04-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

One of the two basic types of sailing rig, the other being the square sail. The fore-and-aft sail, now usually triangular, is set completely aft of a mast or stay, parallel to the ship's keel, and takes the wind on either side. The mainsail always has a boom, pivoted on the mast. Historically, it represented an important advance over the ancient square sail; it first appeared in

Vai

2005-04-04T03:51:00.000-07:00

Vai behaviour in all aspects of life is strongly influenced by secret societies

Stakhanov

2005-04-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Stachanov, formerly (until 1978) Kadiyevka, also spelled Kadijevka, city, Luhansk oblast (province), eastern Ukraine. It is situated in the northern part of the Donets Coal Basin. The city developed in the 19th century as a coal-mining settlement. From 1935 to 1943, it was known as Sergo. Stakhanov is one of the major coal-mining towns of the Donets Basin, though it is declining in importance as pits become worked out and as other fuels increase in importance.

Ascus

2005-04-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

Plural Asci, a saclike structure produced by fungi of the class Ascomycetes (sac fungi) in which sexually produced spores (ascospores), usually four or eight in number, are formed. Asci may arise from the fungal mycelium (the filaments, or hyphae, constituting the organism) without a distinct fruiting structure, as in the leaf curl fungi; it may arise within a fruiting structure (ascocarp)

Islam, The Black Muslims

2005-04-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

After World War II an Islamic movement arose among blacks in the United States; members called themselves the Nation of Islam, but they were popularly known as Black Muslims. Although they adopted some Islamic social practices, the group was in large part a black separatist and social protest movement. Their leader, Elijah Muhammad, who claimed to be an inspired prophet,

Annexation

2005-04-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

Annexation is frequently preceded by conquest and military occupation of the conquered

Johansson, Christian

2005-03-31T16:25:00.000-08:00

Johansson studied at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and in Copenhagen with August Bournonville, who was most responsible for establishing the traditions of the Royal Danish

Iturbide, Agustín De

2005-03-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

Like many young men of the upper classes in Spanish America, Iturbide entered the army, becoming an officer in

Malcolm I

2005-03-29T22:20:00.000-08:00

Malcolm succeeded to the crown when his cousin Constantine II entered a monastery (943). He annexed Moray to the kingdom for the first time. After driving the Danes from York, the English king Edmund turned Cumbria over to Malcolm, apparently as a fief or seal of alliance. Later, when Norsemen again invaded the land, the Scots sent raids against

Flocculation

2005-03-29T18:52:00.000-08:00

In physical chemistry, separation of solid particles from a liquid to form loose aggregations or soft flakes. These flocculates are easily disrupted, being held together only by a force analogous to the surface tension of a liquid. In industrial processes, flocculation may be a desired or an undesirable phenomenon, and various methods may be used to cause or eliminate

Sackbut

2005-03-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

The sackbut answered the need for a lower-pitched trumpet that composers of the time sought. Its telescoping slide mechanism is retained in the modern trombone.

France, Banque De

2005-03-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

The bank listed among its founding shareholders Napoleon Bonaparte, members of his family, and several leading personalities of the time. Founded partly with state funds, but mainly with private

Infection, Q fever

2005-03-28T01:30:00.000-08:00

Q fever is a disease caused by the rickettsial agent Coxiella burnetii. The Q stands for query, for its cause was at first unknown. It spreads rapidly in cows, sheep, and goats, and whole herds, flocks, and areas often are contaminated with the Coxiella organisms. The germs are passed in vast quantities in milk, urine, and feces, in vaginal discharges, and on placentas, and they

Wu Mountains

2005-03-27T03:22:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization and Pinyin Wu Shan mountain complex on the borders of Hupeh, Szechwan, and Kweichow provinces, China. They are often referred to by Western writers as the Gorge Mountains, owing to the fact that the Yangtze River cuts its way through the area from the Szechwan Basin into the central Yangtze Basin, below I-ch'ang, through a series of deep and impressive gorges. The area is one of great complexity,

Río Salado, Battle Of

2005-03-26T22:54:00.000-08:00

(October 30, 1340), battle fought by the allied Castilian and Portuguese Christian forces against the Muslim Marinids of North Africa in a final attempt by the latter to invade the Iberian Peninsula. The battle, which interrupted a series of disputes between the Castilian and Portuguese over throne and territorial rights, represented the final alliance of the two to repulse

Light, Francis

2005-03-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

Light served in the Royal Navy from 1759 until 1763. In command of a merchant ship, he went in 1771 to the northern Malay state of Kedah, where he won the confidence of the sultan, Mohammed. About that time England,

Edinburgh Review, The, Or The Critical Journal

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

Scottish magazine that was published from 1802 to 1929, and which contributed to the development of the modern periodical and to modern standards of literary criticism. The Edinburgh Review was founded by Francis Jeffrey, Sydney Smith, and Henry Brougham as a quarterly publication, with Jeffrey as its first and longtime editor. It was intended as an outlet for liberal views

Anderson, Maxwell

2005-03-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Anderson was educated at the University of North Dakota and Stanford University. He collaborated with Laurence Stallings in the World War I comedy What Price Glory? (1924), his first hit, a realistically ribald and profane view of World War I. Saturday's

China, Soils

2005-03-23T04:11:00.000-08:00

Because of its vast and diverse climatic conditions, China has a wide variety of soils. Indeed, all the soils of the Eurasian continent, except the soils of the tundra and the highly leached podzolic-gley soils of the northern taiga, are found in China. As a result of the climatic differences between the drier and cooler North and the wetter and hotter South, soils may

Durand, Asher B(rown)

2005-03-23T03:51:00.000-08:00

He was apprenticed in 1812 to an engraver; by 1823 his reputation was established with his engraving of John Trumbull's painting “Declaration of Independence.” For the next decade he continued to do engraved reproductions

Brunet, Jacques-charles

2005-03-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

The son of a bookseller, Brunet acquired a taste for bibliography at an early age and published a supplement to the Dictionnaire bibliographique de livres rares (1810; “Dictionary of Rare Books”), brought out a few years earlier. The first edition of Brunet's Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres

Wagner, Honus

2005-03-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

The “Flying Dutchman” played for the Louisville Colonels

Kudamatsu

2005-03-21T05:24:00.000-08:00

Kudamatsu revived during World War I as an industrial city, assisted by its natural

Cabaletta

2005-03-20T13:37:00.000-08:00

(Italian cobola: “couplet”), originally an operatic aria with a simple, animated rhythm, and later a fast concluding section of an operatic aria, usually at the end of an act. An example of the earlier type is “Le belle immagini” (“The Beautiful Images”) in Gluck's Paride ed Elena (1770). In 19th-century Italian opera, cabaletta may mean either a short aria in quick tempo with repeated sections

Claudius

2005-03-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

In full Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , original name (until AD 41) Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus Roman emperor (AD 41–54), who extended Roman rule in North Africa and made Britain a province.

Resia Pass

2005-03-20T01:28:00.000-08:00

Italian Passo Di Resia, German Reschenpass, or Reschenscheideck, pass south of the Austrian-Italian border and just east of the Swiss frontier. It is 4,934 feet (1,504 m) high and about 1 mile (1.6 km) long and separates the Unterengadin section of the Inn River valley, Austria, from the Venosta Valley or Adige River valley, Italy. The pass marks the divide between the watersheds of the Adriatic and Black seas and between the Rhaetian and Ötztal Alps. Just

Brie

2005-03-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

Natural region of northern France between the Seine and Marne valleys. It occupies most of Seine-et-Marne département and parts of adjacent départements. The region was historically divided between the king of France (the Brie Française) and the duke of Champagne (the Brie Champenoise) from the 9th to the early 13th century, when the crown took it over. Broken here and there

Waitemata Harbour

2005-03-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

Harbour in northern North Island, New Zealand. The focal point of the Auckland region, it opens into Hauraki Gulf (east) through Stanley Bay. Its shore has many lesser embayments, containing Island, Soldiers, and Onetaunga bays in the northwest, Herne Bay in the southeast, and Stanley and Freemans bays in the east. Several tidal rivers, including Henderson and Whau creeks,

Hojo Tokimune

2005-03-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

Tokimune was 17 when he assumed the office of regent in 1268, the year that the Mongol conqueror of China, Kublai Khan, sent a message demanding that

Kwangsi, The revolution

2005-03-17T22:05:00.000-08:00

Together with neighbouring Kwangtung, Kwangsi in the early years of the 20th century became the base of the nationalist revolution led by Sun Yat-sen. Between 1906 and 1916 the provincial leaders of Kwangsi supported the establishment of a republic, and during the following decade played an active role in the reorganization of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). Following

Spalacotherium

2005-03-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

Genus of extinct primitive, probably predaceous mammals known from fossils found in Late Jurassic deposits of Europe. The genus Spalacotherium is representative of the symmetrodonts, a group characterized by molar teeth with three cusps arranged in a triangle. The symmetrodonts are among the oldest known mammals and may in some way have played a role in the development

Culver City

2005-03-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

City, Los Angeles county, California, U.S. Part of Rancho La Ballona, it was laid out in 1914 by Harry H. Culver and promoted as a site for motion-picture production, becoming the home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Hal Roach studios. Television shows were produced at what were the Desilu and before that the RKO studios. Petroleum, aircraft, and electronic industries are the other

Conopophagidae

2005-03-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Gnateater (or antpipit) family of small, plump-bodied birds of Central and South America. The two genera (Conopophaga and Corythopsis) were separated from the antbird family (Formicariidae) in 1882 and raised to family rank. Research in the late 1960s, however, led to its dissolution; the Conopophaga were then returned to the Formicariidae, and the Corythopsis were assigned to

World War Ii, Iraq and Syria, 194041

2005-03-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

In 1940 Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, regent of Iraq for King Faysal, had a government divided within itself about the war; he himself and his foreign minister, Nuri as-Said, were pro-British, but his prime minister, Rashid Ali al-Gailani, had pro-German leanings. Having resigned office in January 1941, Rashid Ali on April 3 seized power in Baghdad with help from some army officers and announced

France, History Of, Industrial production

2005-03-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

After 1740 overall production in France rose annually by about 2 percent, and even more in some sectors. During the later decades of the 18th century, French industrial production grew rapidly, although not on the same scale as in Britain, whose industrial development had begun 60 years before that of the French. Coal mining was a major industry by 1789, its production being nearly

Augustus, Caesar

2005-03-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

In the following year the balance of power began to change: whereas Antony's eastern expedition failed, Octavian's fleet, commanded by his former schoolmate, Marcus Agrippa, who, although unpopular with the influential nobles, was an admiral of genius, totally defeated Sextus Pompeius off Cape Naulochus (Venetico) in Sicily. At this point the third triumvir, Lepidus,

Guyton De Morveau, Louis Bernard

2005-03-13T03:39:00.000-08:00

Guyton studied law at Dijon, practiced there from 1756 to 1762, and was an advocate-general in the provincial parlement of Burgundy from 1762 to 1782. In the latter year he retired to devote himself full

Bulgakov, Sergey Nikolayevich

2005-03-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

Bulgakov began his clerical training at the seminary of Oryol, Russia, but he was influenced by Marxism to

Lancaster, Henry, 1st Duke And 4th Earl Of, Earl Of Leicester, Earl Of Derby, Earl Of Lincoln, Earl Of Moray, Lord Lancaster

2005-03-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

The son of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, he was the great-grandson of King Henry III and grandfather of King Henry IV.

Shining Path

2005-03-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Shining Path was founded in 1970 in a multiple split in the Communist Party of Peru. It took its name from the maxim of the founder of Peru's first communist party, José Carlos Mariátegui: “El Marxismo-Leninismo abrirá el sendero luminoso hacia la

Puffer

2005-03-12T01:10:00.000-08:00

Also called swellfish, or blowfish, any of about 90 species of fishes of the family Tetraodontidae, noted for their ability when disturbed to inflate themselves so greatly with air or water that they become globular in form. Puffers are found in warm and temperate regions around the world, primarily in the sea but also, in some instances, in brackish or fresh water. They have tough, usually prickly skins

Himeji

2005-03-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

City, Hyogo ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. It is situated west of Kobe, near the Inland Sea. It developed as a castle town around the white, five-storied Himeji, or Shirasagi (“Egret”), Castle, built in the 14th century and reconstructed in 1577 and 1964. A large part of the city was destroyed by bombing during World War II. The city recovered and grew rapidly after the war. It is now the

Indian Botanic Garden

2005-03-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

Formerly Royal Botanic Garden, botanical garden in Calcutta, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). The garden covers more than 109 hectares (270 acres), on which about 1,700 plant species are cultivated. It was founded in 1787 by the East India Company, primarily for the purpose of acclimatizing new plants of commercial value and growing spices

Great Bend

2005-03-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1872) of Barton county, central Kansas, U.S. Great Bend lies on the Arkansas River where the High Plains begin to shade into tallgrass prairie. Situated in the alleged locality of the mythical city of Quivira sought by Francisco Coronado in the 16th century, the site was visited by the American explorer Zebulon Pike in 1806 and became a stopping point on the Santa Fe

Roumanille, Joseph

2005-03-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

While teaching at the Collège Royal of Avignon

Hagia Sophia

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

Also called Church Of The Holy Wisdom, Turkish Ayasofya, cathedral built at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. It is a unique building and one of the world's great monuments, despite time's ravages. The structure, a domed basilica, was built in the amazingly short time of about six years, being completed in AD 537. The architects were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus.

Fairfield

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

City, seat of Solano county, north-central California, U.S., adjoining Suisun City to the south, 45 miles (72 km) northeast of San Francisco. Lying between the Coast Range foothills and Suisun Bay, Fairfield was founded as the county seat in 1859 by Robert Waterman, a clipper-ship captain who named it for his hometown in Connecticut. After 1957 traditional crop production (fruits, cereals)

Quinte, Bay Of

2005-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

Arm of Lake Ontario, southeastern Ontario, Canada, extending for 75 miles (121 km) from its entrance near Amherst Island to Murray Canal at the western end. It is a narrow bay, ranging from one to six miles in width. The bay is scenic, having many small inlets; and it receives several rivers from the north, including the Trent, Moira, Salmon, and Napanee. The head of the bay connects with

Litani River

2005-03-07T05:07:00.000-08:00

Arabic Nahr Al-litani, Latin Leontes, chief river of Lebanon, rising in a low divide west of Baalbek and flowing southwestward through the Al-Biqa' Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. Near Marj 'Uyun it bends sharply west and cuts a spectacular gorge up to 900 feet (275 m) deep through the Lebanon Mountains to the Mediterranean south of Sidon. The river's lower course is known as Qasimiyah. Although

Cambrian Period, Boundaries and subdivisions

2005-03-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

The lower boundary of the Cambrian System is defined at a formal global stratotype section and point (GSSP), which was ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 1992. The stratotype section is located at Fortune Head on the Burin Peninsula of southeastern Newfoundland in Canada. It contains a thick and continuous marine succession of mostly

Leakey, Louis S.b.

2005-03-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

In full Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist whose fossil discoveries in East Africa proved that man was far older than had previously been believed and that human evolution was centred in Africa, rather than in Asia, as earlier discoveries had suggested. Leakey was also noted for his controversial interpretations of these archaeological

Hungarian Language

2005-03-06T03:46:00.000-08:00

The language has been written in a modified

Furniture, Greece

2005-03-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Principal furniture forms were couches, chairs (with and without arms), stools, tables, chests, and boxes. From extant examples, the depiction of furniture on vases and in relief carvings, and literary descriptions, much more is known about Greek furniture than about Egyptian. At Knossos, a built-in throne of stucco, much restored, is often considered to represent pre-Hellenic

Farlovian Stage

2005-03-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Division of the Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian Period of western Europe (the Devonian Period began about 395,000,000 years ago and lasted about 50,000,000 years); the Farlovian Stage follows the Breconian and was named for exposures studied near the town of Farlow, in the English Midlands. Farlovian rocks consist of gray and yellow sandstones and shales that contain the primitive Upper

Earn

2005-03-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

Loch (lake) and river, central Scotland. Loch Earn lies on the boundary between the council area of Stirling and the council area of Perth and Kinross, and the River Earn flows through Perth and Kinross. Loch Earn is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) from east to west with a maximum width of 0.5 mile (0.8 km). Lochearnhead is situated at the western end of the loch and St. Fillan's village at the eastern extremity,

Aristotle, Third period: founding and directing of the Lyceum

2005-03-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

Aristotle remained in Stagira until 335, when, nearing 50 years of age, he once again returned to Athens. At this time the presidency of the Academy became vacant by the death of Speusippus, and Xenocrates of Chalcedon, his old associate in biological research, was elected to the post. Although Aristotle appears never to have wholly severed his links with the Academy, he nonetheless

Nicholas Of Damascus

2005-03-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

Nicholas instructed Herod the Great in rhetoric and philosophy, and attracted the notice of Augustus when he accompanied his patron on a visit to Rome. Later, when Herod's conduct aroused the suspicions of Augustus, Nicholas was

Radescu, Nicolae

2005-03-02T01:34:00.000-08:00

During World War I, Radescu fought in the Romanian army and in the 1920s served as military attaché in London. He resigned from the army in 1933 to protest the dictatorial policies of King Carol II. Under the pro-Axis regime of General Ion Antonescu during World War II, he incurred

Amberina Glass

2005-03-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Blended colour glass in which the lower part, a yellowish amber, merges into a ruby-red colour higher in the vessel. It was patented in 1883 for the New England Glass Company at East Cambridge, Mass., and was produced extensively there and by the successor company, the Libbey Glass Company at Toledo, Ohio, into the 1890s. The base metal was an amber glass containing some gold, and the

Keyes, Alan

2005-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

In full Alan Lee Keyes American diplomat, radio commentator, and politician who was one of the most prominent African American conservatives in the late 20th and the early 21st century. He received a bachelor's degree (1972) and a doctorate (1979) in government studies from Harvard University. In 1978 he joined the U.S. State Department as a foreign service officer. In 1983 he was appointed

Amygdule

2005-03-01T01:19:00.000-08:00

Secondary deposit of minerals found in a rounded, elongated, or almond-shaped cavity in igneous rock. The cavities (vesicles) were created by the expansion of gas bubbles or steam within lava. Some amygdules consist partially of lava, which indicates their formation during solidification of the rock. Since gas bubbles tend to rise through the lava, amygdules are most

Pavia

2005-02-28T02:32:00.000-08:00

Pavia originated as Ticinum, a settlement of the Papiria tribe, which was conquered by Rome c. 220 BC and later became a key point in the Roman defense

United Kingdom, The beginning of the Wars of the Roses

2005-02-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

The so-called Wars of the Roses was the struggle between the Yorkist and Lancastrian descendants of Edward III for control of the throne and of local government. The origins of the conflict have been the subject of much debate. It can be seen as brought about as a result of Henry VI's inadequacy and the opposition of his dynastic rival Richard, Duke of York, but local feuds

Onomatopoeia

2005-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

The naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz or hiss). Onomatopoeia may also refer to the use of words whose sound suggests the sense. This occurs frequently in poetry, where a line of verse can express a characteristic of the thing being portrayed. In the following lines from Sylvia Plath's poem “Daddy,” the rhythm of the

Sa Dec

2005-02-26T01:44:00.000-08:00

Formerly Sa Dac, town on the Mekong River delta, southern Vietnam. It is a river port, agricultural trading centre, and transshipment point for small craft on the left bank of the shallow Bassac River (Song Han Giang), 88 miles (140 km) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). It is linked by highway to Rach Gia, on the Gulf of Thailand, via Long Xuyen. It is crossed east-west by a waterway linking

Water Bloom

2005-02-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Marine Bloom, dense aquatic population of microscopic organisms produced by an abundance of nutrient salts in surface water, coupled with adequate sunlight for photosynthesis. The microorganisms or the toxic substances that they release may discolour the water, deplete its oxygen content, poison aquatic animals and waterfowl, and irritate the skin and respiratory tract

Honolulu

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

Capital and principal port of Hawaii, U.S., seat of Honolulu county. A modern city, it extends about 10 miles (16 km) along the southeastern shore of Oahu Island and 4 miles (6 km) inland across a plain into the Koolau Mountain foothills. It is the crossroads of trans-Pacific shipping and air routes, the focus of interisland services, and the commercial and industrial centre of the

Jian Ware

2005-02-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

The clay used for Jian ware was of a very hard, coarse grain. The inside and about two-thirds of the outside of the ware were covered with a thick,

Xeroderma Pigmentosum

2005-02-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Rare, recessively inherited skin condition in which resistance to sunlight and other radiation beyond the violet end of the spectrum is lacking. On exposure to such radiation the skin erupts into numerous pigmented spots, resembling freckles, which tend to develop into multiple carcinomas. The condition may occur in mild or severe forms. Protection from direct

Gulf Series

2005-02-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

Major division of Upper Cretaceous rocks (66.4 to 97.5 million years old) in the Gulf coastal region of the United States. The Gulf Series has been divided into several groups of rocks. The lowermost groups of limestone and clay are overlain by the Eagleford Shale, about 145 m (475 feet) of clayey shales, which in turn is overlain by the Austin Chalk, about 130 m (420 feet) of chalks and marls. The Taylor

Utilitarianism

2005-02-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

In normative ethics, a tradition stemming from the late 18th- and 19th-century English philosophers and economists Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill that an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happiness—not just the happiness of the performer of the action but also that of everyone affected by it. Such a theory

Anderson, Poul

2005-02-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Anderson published his first science-fiction story while an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota and became a freelance writer following his graduation with a degree

France, History Of, Clovis

2005-02-22T03:23:00.000-08:00

Clovis (ruled 481/482–511), the son of Childeric, unified Gaul with the exception of areas in the southeast.

Baptist

2005-02-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

Member of a group of Protestant Christians who share the basic beliefs of most Protestants but who insist that only believers should be baptized and that it should be done by immersion rather than by the sprinkling or pouring of water. (This view, however, is shared by others who are not Baptists.) Although Baptists do not constitute a single church or denominational

Gray Fox

2005-02-21T00:38:00.000-08:00

(Urocyon cinereoargenteus), grizzled, gray-furred New World fox of the family Canidae. It is found in forested, rocky, and brush-covered country from Canada to northern South America. Distinguished by the reddish colour on its neck, ears, and legs, the gray fox grows to a length of about 50–75 cm (20–30 inches), excluding its 30–40-centimetre tail, and a weight of about

Literature, Hebrew.

2005-02-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

The quantitative prosperity of Hebrew fiction in 2001 produced mixed results. The few impressive achievements included Gabriela Avigur-Rotem's Hamsin vetziporim meshuga'ot (“Heatwave and Crazy Birds”), Yoel Hoffmann's The Shunra and the Schmetterling (“The Cat and the Butterfly”), Daniella Carmi's Lesha'hrer pil (“To Free an Elephant”), and Reuven Miran's Shalosh sigariot

Kitami-sammyaku

2005-02-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: Kitami Range), mountain range, northeastern Hokkaido, Japan, extending 180 mi (290 km) along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. The range is basically an upwarped block except in the west, where it drops abruptly to the Teshio-gawa (Teshio River) valley. Elevations are generally between 2,500 and 3,100 ft (750 and 950 m). In the south central part of the range, however, the Wenshiri horst (block of

Earth

2005-02-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

The basic structure and composition of the Earth's interior have been known since the mid-20th century. In a landmark paper published in 1952, the American geophysicist Francis Birch described the constitution of the planetary interior based on a broad array of seismological, experimental, and geochemical observations. Although there have been numerous advances in

Forché, Carolyn

2005-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

Forché was educated at Michigan State (B.A., 1972) and Bowling Green State (M.F.A., 1975) universities. Thereafter she taught at a number of colleges and universities. Her first collection

Colchis

2005-02-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

Ancient region at the eastern end of the Black Sea south of the Caucasus, in the western part of modern Georgia. It consisted of the valley of the Phasis (modern Riuni) River. In Greek mythology Colchis was the home of Medea and the destination of the Argonauts, a land of fabulous wealth and the domain of sorcery. Historically, Colchis was colonized by Milesian Greeks to

Antarctica, Geologic record

2005-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

Raymond J. Adie (ed.), Antarctic Geology (1964), and Antarctic Geology and Geophysics (1972); Campbell Craddock (ed.), Antarctic Geoscience (1982); R.L. Oliver, P.R. James, and J.B. Jago (eds.), Antarctic Earth Science (1983); and M.R.A. Thomson, J.A. Crame, and J.W. Thomson (eds.), Geological Evolution of Antarctica (1991), are records of international symposia describing Earth science research by many nations. J.C. Behrendt and C.R. Bentley, Magnetic and Gravity Maps of the Antarctic (1968); and Campbell Craddock et al., Geologic Maps of Antarctica (1969–70), provide maps and texts, the latter work covering most mountain regions at a 1:1,000,000 scale. Other works on the geology of Antarctica are Edmund Stump (ed.), Geological Investigations in Northern Victoria Land (1986); and W.E. LeMasurier and J.W. Thomson (eds.), Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans (1990). Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, vol. 28 (1975), 35 (1976), and 36 (1977), contain results of drilling by the Glomar Challenger in Antarctic waters. Results of drilling by the JOIDES Resolution are contained in Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program: Scientific Results, especially vol. 113 (1990), from the Weddell Sea, vol. 114 (1991), from subantarctic regions and the Falkland Islands, and vol. 119 (1991), from the Kerguelen Plateau. A.L. Graham and John O. Annexstad, “Antarctic Meteorites,” Antarctic Science, 1(1):3–14 (1989), reviews the findings and origins of meteorites in Antarctica. Many details of Antarctic meteorite investigations are also reported in volumes of the Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Antarctic Meteorites (annual), published by the National Institute of Polar Research.

Accent

2005-02-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

Accent has various

Pack Ice

2005-02-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Floating mass of ice formed from seawater in the Earth's polar regions. Pack ice expands during winter to cover about 5 percent of the northern oceans and 8 percent of the southern oceans. When melting occurs in spring and summer, the margins of the pack ice retreat.

Levi-montalcini, Rita

2005-02-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Levi-Montalcini studied medicine at the University of Turin and did research there on the

Jewett, Sarah Orne

2005-02-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

Jewett was often taken by her physician father on visits to the fishermen and farmers of her native Maine, and she developed a deep and abiding love of their way of life and of the sights and sounds of her surroundings. These experiences, and reading in her

Wang T'ao

2005-02-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

Wang's sympathy with the long, widespread Taiping Rebellion in South China (1850–64) aroused the enmity of officials in the Ch'ing dynasty (1644–1911) government. Forced to flee to British-controlled Hong

Daigo

2005-02-15T01:06:00.000-08:00

The son of the emperor Uda, he ascended the throne in 897 and assumed the reign name Daigo; Uda, however, continued to hold power as the retired emperor. Like his father, Daigo attempted

Americus

2005-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1831) of Sumter county, southwest-central Georgia, U.S., on Muckalee Creek, 35 miles (55 km) north of Albany. Founded in 1830, it was named for the Italian explorer and navigator Amerigo Vespucci or, legend says, for the “merry cusses” who were its first settlers. To the northeast is Andersonville, site of a notorious Confederate camp during the American Civil War, where thousands

Gur-e Amir

2005-02-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Mausoleum in Samarkand, now in Uzbekistan, of the 14th-century Mongol conqueror Timur, or Tamerlane. Though it has suffered from time and earthquakes, it is still sumptuous. It consists of a chapel crowned with a dome, enclosed by a wall, and fronted by an archway. The interior walls are covered with elegant turquoise arabesques and inscriptions in gold.

Henry I

2005-02-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Henry was crowned at Westminster, on Aug. 5, 1100, three days after his brother, King William II, William the Conqueror's second son, had been killed in a hunting accident. Duke Robert Curthose, the eldest of the three brothers, who by feudal custom had succeeded to his father's inheritance, Normandy, was returning from the First Crusade and could not assert his own claim to the English

Méline, Félix-jules

2005-02-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

In 1872 Méline was elected to the National Assembly and was reelected in 1876, when he served as undersecretary for justice. He became minister of agriculture (1883–85) and later president of the Chamber of Deputies (1888–89). He was a fierce opponent of the nationalistic adventurer General Georges Boulanger. He demanded protection

Euler, Ulf Von

2005-02-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Euler was the son of 1929 Nobel laureate Hans von Euler-Chelpin. After his graduation

Fustic

2005-02-12T03:54:00.000-08:00

The dye termed young fustic (zante fustic, or Venetian sumac) is derived from the wood

Film Festival

2005-02-12T02:24:00.000-08:00

Gathering, usually annual, for the purpose of evaluating new or outstanding motion pictures. Sponsored by national or local governments, industry, service organizations, experimental film groups, or individual promoters, the festivals provide an opportunity for filmmakers, distributors, critics, and other interested persons to attend film showings and meet

Aseret Yeme Teshuva

2005-02-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

English Ten Days of Penitence the first 10 days of the Jewish religious year. See yamim nora'im.

Mujica Láinez, Manuel

2005-02-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Mujica Láinez was descended from an Argentine family that included the writers Juan Cruz Varela and Miguel Cané. He was educated in

Waimakariri River

2005-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

River in east-central South Island, New Zealand. It rises in the Southern Alps and flows 100 miles (160 km) southeast to Pegasus Bay of the Pacific Ocean, 8 miles (13 km) north of Christchurch. Fed by its principal tributaries—the Bealey, Poulter, and Esk—the river drains a basin of about 1,000 square miles (2,600 square km). The delta formed at its mouth constitutes a major portion of Banks Peninsula

Tar-baby

2005-02-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

In Harris' version,

Camden

2005-02-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern New South Wales, Australia, on the Nepean section of the Hawkesbury River, in the Southern Highlands. The locality, originally known as Cowpastures, was renamed Camden Park in 1805, after the 2nd earl Camden, secretary of state for the colonies at that time, by John Macarthur, who bred merino sheep in Australia. The village, surveyed in 1836, was proclaimed a municipality