NewBoot

Hayes, Helen

2005-10-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

(HELEN HAYES BROWN), U.S. actress (b. Oct. 10, 1900, Washington, D.C.--d. March 17, 1993, Nyack, N.Y.), as the luminous first lady of the American theatre, enraptured audiences with her twinkling eyes and elfin smile and, though diminutive in stature (1.5 m [5 ft]), she exuded a majestic stage presence that made her regal performances in Maxwell Anderson's Mary of Scotland (1933) and Laurence Housman's Victoria

Ricardo, David

2005-07-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

Ricardo was the

Shochiku Co., Ltd.

2005-07-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

Leading Japanese motion-picture studio, the films of which are usually home-centred dramas aimed toward an audience of women. The company was formed in 1902 as a production company for kabuki performances. The business was expanded in 1920 to include motion-picture production, and, shortly afterward, the corporation established the Shochiku Kinema Company to train actors

Santa Eugenia De Riveira

2005-07-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

City, La Coruña provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. The city is the chief centre of Riveira (Ribeira) municipality. It lies on the Arosa Inlet across the inlet from Villagarcía de Arosa, in the coastal zone. Remains of Roman fortifications and of a Phoenician port, La Covasa, attest to early occupation of the site,

Liturgical Music

2005-06-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

Also called Church Music, music written for performance in a religious rite of worship; the term is most commonly associated with the Christian tradition. Developing from the musical practices of the Jewish synagogues, which allowed the cantor an improvised charismatic song, early Christian services contained a simple refrain, or responsorial, sung by the congregation. This evolved

Sesson Shukei

2005-06-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

Sesson was a monk of the Soto sect of Buddhism and a self-taught artist who lived

Abel, Sir Frederick Augustus

2005-06-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

English chemist and explosives specialist who, with the chemist Sir James Dewar, invented cordite (1889), later adopted as the standard explosive of the British army. Abel also made studies of dust explosions in coal mines, invented a device for testing the flash point of petroleum, and found a way to prevent guncotton from

Andreini, Giovambattista

2005-06-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

Andreini began his stage career with the Compagnia dei Gelosi founded by his parents, but about 1601 he formed his

Paramagnetism

2005-06-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Kind of magnetism characteristic of materials weakly attracted by a strong magnet, named and extensively investigated by the British scientist Michael Faraday beginning in 1845. Most elements and some compounds are paramagnetic. Strong paramagnetism (not to be confused with the ferromagnetism of the elements iron, cobalt, nickel, and other alloys) is exhibited by

Bhakti

2005-06-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

(from Sanskrit bhaj, “to allot,” “to revere”), in Hinduism, a devotional movement emphasizing the intense emotional attachment and love of a devotee toward his personal god. Bhakti assumes a dualistic relationship between the devotee and god, in contrast to the monistic ideal of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. The way of bhakti (bhakti-marga) is contrasted with other means of

Gabon

2005-05-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

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

Chemical Compound, Adrenal hormones

2005-05-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

The adrenal cortex of vertebrates synthesizes oxygenated progesterone derivatives. These compounds are hormones that are vital to survival and are classified according to their biological activity. The glucocorticoids promote deposition of glycogen in the liver and the breakdown of body proteins. Mineralocorticoids stimulate retention of sodium in

Aesthetics, The significance of Baumgarten's work

2005-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Such a statement would have been vigorously repudiated by Hutcheson's contemporary Alexander Baumgarten, who, in his aforementioned Reflections on Poetry, introduced the term aesthetic in its distinctively modern sense. Baumgarten was a pupil of Christian Wolff, the Rationalist philosopher who had created the orthodox philosophy of the German Enlightenment

Tsun-i

2005-03-15T04:44:00.000-08:00

The city was brought under regular Chinese administration only in the early 7th century AD. A county was set up there in 640, and its present name, Tsun-i, was given in 642. It remained the seat of Tsun-i hsien (county), but the area did not begin to be developed

Russia, Transportation

2005-03-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

Russia's vast size and the great distances that often separate sources of raw materials and foodstuffs from consuming areas place a heavy burden on the transport system. One result has been the continuing dominance of the railways, which account for about 90 percent of the country's freight turnover (60 percent if pipelines are included) and half of all passenger movement.

Intendente

2005-03-11T05:02:00.000-08:00

Royal official appointed by the 18th-century kings of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain. Modeled after the French intendants, the intendentes were to serve as instruments of royal centralization and administrative reform but were frequently resisted as conflicting with local privileges. In the Spanish colonies the system was imposed in Cuba (1765) after the brief British

Forbin, Claude De

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

After becoming an experienced seaman, he went on a French mission to the king of Siam, whom he served as grand admiral for two years (1685 - 87). Returning to France as commandant of a frigate

Zanthoxylum

2005-03-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

The prickly ash genus of the rue family (Rutaceae), comprising about 200 species of aromatic trees and shrubs native to the middle latitudes of North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. There are both deciduous and evergreen species. They have small, greenish flowers and fruits that consist of groups of two-valved capsules, each containing a single shiny

Constant

2005-03-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

A number, value, or object that has a fixed magnitude, physically or abstractly, as a part of a specific operation or discussion. In mathematics the term refers to a quantity (often represented by a symbol - e.g., p, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter) that does not change in a certain discussion or operation, or to a variable that can assume only one value. In logic

Frederick Iii

2005-03-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

King of Prussia and German emperor for 99 days in 1888, during which time he was a voiceless invalid, dying of throat cancer. Although influenced by liberal, constitutional, and middle-class ideas, he retained a

Uralic Languages

2005-02-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

The two major branches of Uralic are themselves composed of numerous subgroupings of member languages on the basis of closeness of linguistic relationship. Finno-Ugric can first be divided into the most distantly related Ugric and Finnic (sometimes called Volga-Finnic) groups, which may have separated as long ago as five millennia. Within these, three relatively

Bingen

2005-02-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

In full �Bingen am Rhein� city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. Bingen is a port at the confluence of the Rhine and Nahe rivers, near the whirlpool known as Binger Loch. It originated as the Roman fortress of Bingium and later became an imperial free city, joining the Hanseatic League in 1254. The archbishop-electors of Mainz held the town from 1281 until it fell to Hessen in 1803, after

Lo-johansson, Ivar

2005-02-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Lo-Johansson was first recognized in the mid-1930s for his detailed and realistic depiction of the plight of landless Swedish peasants, known as statare, in two volumes of

Colby, Frank Moore

2005-02-24T03:05:00.000-08:00

Early in his career Colby taught history and economics at Columbia University, Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.), and New York University (New York City). To supplement his income, he began writing for encyclopaedias, and so began his lifelong career. In 1898 he became editor of the International

An Chung-shik

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

As a promising young painter, An Chung-shik was sent to China for training by the Korean court. Upon his return he became a master of the popular Southern style, with its emphasis on fingertip technique. He was also a noted calligrapher who mastered all the writing styles. Interested in

Mon-khmer Languages

2005-02-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

Language family included in the Austroasiatic stock. Mon-Khmer languages constitute the indigenous language family of mainland Southeast Asia. They range north to southern China, south to Malaysia, west to Assam state in India, and east to Vietnam. The most important Mon-Khmer languages, having populations greater than 100,000, are Vietnamese, Khmer, Muong, Mon, Khasi, Khmu

Olmsted, Frederick Law

2005-02-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

At the age of 14, sumac poisoning seriously affected Olmsted's eyesight and limited his education. As an apprentice topographic engineer for a brief period, he received the fundamental skills

China, Struggle for the premiership

2005-02-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

As these programmatic aspects of the Cultural Revolution were being put into place and regularized, the political battle to determine who would inherit power at the top continued and intensified. Tensions first surfaced at a meeting of the Central Committee in the summer of 1970, when Chen Boda, Lin Biao, and their supporters made a series of remarks that angered Mao

Gtsang Dynasty

2005-02-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �gTsang� (c. 1565 - 1642), Chinese royal dynasty whose rule was centred in the province of Gtsang, or gTsang. The Gtsang was the last secular native ruling house in Tibet. After overthrowing the previous Rin-spung rulers of the country around 1565, the Gtsang kings allied themselves with the powerful Karma-pa, or Red Hat, order of Buddhists and opposed the new reformed Dge-lugs-pa, or Yellow Hat, Buddhists,

Cabimas

2005-02-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Zulia estado (�state�), northwestern Venezuela. It lies on the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo and is an important centre for the Ambrosio oil fields. Just to the south of the city is La Salina refinery. Cabimas is linked by highway to other oil centres on the lakeshore and, via the General Urdaneta Bridge, to Maracaibo, 20 miles (30 km) to the northwest across

Flanders

2005-02-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

Flemish �Vlaams�, formally �Flemish Region�, Flemish �Vlaamse Gewest� region that comprises the northern half of Belgium. Flanders was created in 1995 in the reorganization of Belgium's provincial administration along ethnic-linguistic lines. It includes the Flemish-speaking provinces of Antwerp, East Flanders, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, and West Flanders (qq.v.). The Brussels-Capital Region lies within but is administratively separate

Flanders

2005-02-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

American organization formed at a convention in Washington, D.C., as the product of the merger in 1896 of the National Federation of Afro-American Women and the National League of Colored Women - organizations that had arisen out of the African American women's club movement. Founders of the NACW included Harriet Tubman, Frances E.W. Harper, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, and Mary

Migration, Mammals

2005-02-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

Seasonal movements are not widespread among terrestrial species of mammals, because walking speed is relatively slow and energy consumption great. Marine and flying mammals have a much greater tendency to migrate, a tendency that is directly related to their locomotive powers.

Mahendra

2005-02-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

When Asoka, a convert to Buddhism from Hinduism, sent Mahendra and Princess Sanghamittha as missionaries to Ceylon about 251 BC, they converted

Holstein Interglacial Stage

2005-02-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene deposits and time in Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Holstein Interglacial followed the Elsterian Glacial Stage and preceded the Saale Glacial Stage. The Holstein Interglacial is correlated with the Hoxne Interglacial Stage of Britain and the Mindel-Riss Interglacial Stage of

Augustine, Saint, Sermons

2005-02-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Almost one-third of Augustine's surviving works consists of sermons - more than 1.5 million words, most of them taken down by shorthand scribes as he spoke extemporaneously. They cover a wide range. Many are simple expositions of scripture read aloud at a particular service according to church rules, but Augustine followed certain programs as well. There are sermons

Bondi, Sir Hermann

2005-02-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Bondi received his M.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge. During World War II he worked in the British Admiralty (1942 - 45). He then taught mathematics at Cambridge (1945 - 54) and at King's College, London (1954 - 85; emeritus 1985); he served as master of Churchill

Soil Chemistry

2005-02-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Discipline embracing all chemical and mineralogical compounds and reactions occurring in soils and soil-forming processes. The goals of soil chemistry are: (1) to establish, through chemical analysis, compositional limits of natural soil types and optimal growth conditions for the various plant communities, (2) to derive principles governing development of soil

Hydroponics

2005-02-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

Plants have long been grown with their roots immersed in solutions of water and fertilizer for scientific studies of their nutrition. Early commercial hydroponics (from Greek hydro, �water,� and ponos, �labour�) adopted this method of

Z�padocesk�

2005-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Also called �Z�padn� Cechy�, English �Western Bohemia� kraj (region), western Czech Republic. It is bordered by Germany on the north and west and by Severocesk�, Stredocesk�, and Jihocesk� kraje on the east. It is surrounded by mountains on its external boundaries and contains a series of hilly ranges running southwest to northeast. The region's only lowland areas are the valleys of the Berounka River and its several tributaries

Black Belt

2005-02-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

Physical region in Alabama and Mississippi, U.S., so named for its soil. The Black Belt is a fertile plain, generally 25 - 30 miles (40 - 50 km) wide and stretching approximately 300 miles (480 km) across central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark, calcareous soils, it was one of the South's most important agricultural areas before the American Civil War. Though corn (maize) was

Altare Glass

2005-02-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Type of Italian glassware produced in the town of Altare, near Genoa. The Altare glass industry was established in the 11th century by glassmakers from Normandy and developed independently of the much better known glassworks of Venice. During the 15th century the great demand for Venetian glass and, consequently, its profitability led the Venetians to confine glassmakers

Zaporizhzhya

2005-02-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Russian �Zaporozhye, �also spelled �Zaporozhe, or Zaporozje, �formerly �(until 1921) Aleksandrovsk, � city and administrative centre of Zaporizhzhya oblast (province), southeastern Ukraine, on the Dnieper River just below its former rapids. In 1770 the fortress of Aleksandrovsk was established to ensure government control over the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, whose headquarters were on nearby Khortitsa Island. The settlement became a town in 1806. The growth of the city dates

Banda Sea

2005-02-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

Bahasa Indonesia �Laut Banda� portion of the western South Pacific, bounded by the southern islands of the Moluccas of Indonesia (Alor, Timor, Wetar, Babar, Tanimbar, and Kai on the south and Ceram, Buru, and Sula on the north). It occupies a total of 180,000 square miles (470,000 square km) and opens to the Flores (west), Savu (southwest), Timor (south), Arafura (southeast), and Ceram and Molucca (north) seas. The sea's North Banda Basin,

Domestic Shorthair

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

Also called �British Shorthair� breed of domestic cat often referred to as a common, or alley, cat; a good show animal, however, is purebred and pedigreed and has been carefully bred to conform to a set standard of appearance. The domestic shorthair is required by show standards to be a sturdily built cat with strong-boned legs and a round head with round eyes and ears that are rounded at the tips. The coat

Milles, Carl

2005-02-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

In 1902, during student years in Paris, Milles won recognition through the competition for

Bristol Bay

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

Arm of the Bering Sea, indenting for 200 mi (320 km) the southwest coast of Alaska, U.S.; its mouth extends for 270 mi between Cape Newenham (north) and the southwest end of the Alaska Peninsula (south). Its shoreline includes the individually named bays at the mouths of the Togiak, Nushagak, Kvichak, and Ugashik rivers. The shallowness of Bristol Bay limits navigation to small salmon-fishing

T'ien-shui

2005-01-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

The area,

T'ien-shui

2005-01-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

The area,

Abruzzi

2005-01-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

Also called �Abruzzo, � regione, central Italy, fronting the Adriatic Sea and comprising the provincie of L'Aquila, Chieti, Pescara, and Teramo. Most of the region is mountainous or hilly, except for such intermontane basins as those of L'Aquila, Sulmona, and Fucino. The Apennines, the dominant physical feature, consist of three chains trending northwest-southeast, of which the easternmost,

Van Buren, Hannah

2005-01-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

Little is known about Hannah, who died of tuberculosis about a month before her 36th birthday. She did not leave writing of her own, and Martin, who never remarried, did not mention even her name in the autobiography he wrote late in life. Their sons were all bachelors when Martin became president in 1837. The following year Abraham married Angelica Singleton, who served as White House hostess until Martin's term ended in 1841.

Diamond Cutting

2005-01-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

From the girdler the diamond goes to the lapper, or blocker, who specializes in placing the first 18 main facets on a brilliant-cut diamond. It then goes to the brillianteer, the worker who places and polishes the remaining 40 facets, if the stone is being cut in the standard 58-facet brilliant cut. Placing and polishing are done by setting the stone either in a lead dop or a mechanical

Down Syndrome

2005-01-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Also called �Down's syndrome,� trisomy 21,� or �(formerly) �Mongolism, � congenital disorder caused by an extra chromosome on the chromosome 21 pair, thus giving the person a total of 47 chromosomes rather than the normal 46. Persons born with Down syndrome are characterized by several of the following: broad, flat face; short neck; up-slanted eyes, sometimes with an inner epicanthal fold; low-set ears; small nose and enlarged tongue and lips; sloping

Aurignacian Culture

2005-01-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Toolmaking industry and artistic tradition of Upper Paleolithic Europe that followed the Mousterian industry, was contemporary with the Perigordian, and was succeeded by the Solutrean. The Aurignacian culture was marked by a great diversification and specialization of tools, including the invention of the burin, or engraving tool, that made much of the art

New Britain

2005-01-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

Largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in Papua New Guinea. It is situated 55 miles (88 km) east of the Huon Peninsula of eastern mainland New Guinea. Measuring 370 miles (600 km) long by 50 miles (80 km) at its widest, the crescent-shaped island has an area of approximately 14,100 square miles (36,500 square km) and a 1,000-mile (1,600-km) coastline bordered by reefs. From narrow coastal

United States, Domestic affairs

2005-01-19T03:33:00.000-08:00

The cost of living continued to rise, until by June 1970 it was 30 percent above the 1960 level; industrial production declined, as did the stock market. By mid-1971 unemployment reached a 10-year peak of 6 percent, and inflation continued. Wage and price controls were instituted, the dollar was devalued, and the limitation on the national debt was raised three times in 1972 alone. The U.S. trade deficit improved, but inflation remained unchecked.

Azerbaijan

2005-01-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Azarbaijan�, or �Azarbayjan�, Persian �Azarbayjan, � geographic region that comprises the extreme northwestern portion of Iran. It is bounded on the north by the Aras River, which separates it from independent Azerbaijan and Armenia; on the east by the Iranian region of Gilan and the Caspian Sea; on the south by the Iranian regions of Zanjan and Kordestan; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. Azerbaijan is about 40,000 square miles

Industrial Engineering

2005-01-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

Application of engineering principles and techniques of scientific management to the maintenance of a high level of productivity at optimum cost in industrial enterprises.

Sierra Nevada, Plant life

2005-01-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

Generally speaking, there are five fairly distinct vegetation zones on the western slopes. The lower foothills support mostly deciduous trees and shrubs, as well as the evergreen interior live oak (Quercus wislizenii). Black oak, Ponderosa pine, and incense cedar occur in the upper foothills. The montane forest, which constitutes the primary commercial timber zone,

Geosyncline

2005-01-14T00:19:00.000-08:00

Linear trough of subsidence of the Earth's crust within which vast amounts of sediment accumulate. The filling of a geosyncline with thousands or tens of thousands of feet of sediment is accompanied in the late stages of deposition by folding, crumpling, and faulting of the deposits. Intrusion of crystalline igneous rock and regional uplift along the axis of the

Masdevallia

2005-01-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

They have short stems and erect or slightly spreading leaves. The sepals are united at their bases and have one or more long taillike extensions.

Cole, Johnnetta

2005-01-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Among Cole's early influences in education were her mother, who taught college English, pioneering educator Mary MacLeod Bethune, and writer Arna Bontemps, who was the school librarian at Fisk University when Cole matriculated at age 15. She

Wells, Charles Jeremiah

2005-01-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

As a young man, Wells was a member of the poet John

Jackfruit

2005-01-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

(species Artocarpus heterophyllus), tree native to tropical Asia and widely grown throughout the wetland tropics for its large fruits and durable wood. Like its relative the breadfruit, it belongs to the mulberry family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is 15 to 20 m (50 to 70 feet) tall at maturity, has large stiff, glossy green leaves 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) long, and fruit up to 60 cm (about 2 feet) long

Caazap�

2005-01-09T00:34:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Paraguay. Founded in 1607 by Friar Bola�os, the town is situated on the edge of the westward extension of the Brazilian Highlands, including the Cordillera (mountains) de Ybytyruz�. Caazap� is a lumbering and agricultural centre, and tanneries are also located there. The town has a regional hospital, various educational institutions including an agricultural

Farlovian Stage

2005-01-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

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

Regeneration, Annelids

2005-01-07T00:10:00.000-08:00

The segmented worms exhibit variable degrees of regeneration. The leeches, as already noted, are wholly lacking in the ability to replace lost segments, whereas the earthworms and various marine annelids (polychaetes) can often regenerate forward and backward. The expression of such regenerative capacities depends very much on the level of amputation. Anteriorly

Waterbury

2005-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

City, coextensive with the town (township) of Waterbury, New Haven county, west-central Connecticut, U.S., on the Naugatuck River. Mattatuck Plantation, settled in 1674 as part of Farmington, was incorporated (1686) as the town of Waterbury, so named because of the abundant drainage of the locality. The city, incorporated in 1853, was consolidated with the town in 1902. In the 19th century industrialization

Domino Theory

2005-01-05T03:54:00.000-08:00

Also called �Domino Effect, � theory in U.S. foreign policy after World War II stating that the �fall� of a noncommunist state to communism would precipitate the fall of noncommunist governments in neighbouring states. The theory was first proposed by President Harry S. Truman to justify sending military aid to Greece and Turkey in the 1940s, but it became popular in the 1950s when President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Lopez, Barry

2005-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1966; M.A.T., 1968), Lopez briefly

Lopez, Barry

2005-01-03T03:34:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1966; M.A.T., 1968), Lopez briefly

Malacca, Sultanate Of

2005-01-02T23:56:00.000-08:00

(1403? - 1511), Malay dynasty that ruled the great entrep�t of Malacca (Melaka) and its dependencies and provided Malay history with its golden age, still evoked in idiom and institutions. The founder and first ruler of Malacca, Paramesvara (d. 1424, Malacca), a Sumatran prince who had fled his native Palembang under Javanese attack, established himself briefly in Tumasik (now Singapore)

Argentina, The Northwest

2005-01-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

This part of the Andes region includes the northern half of the main mountain mass in Argentina and the transitional terrain, or piedmont, merging with the eastern lowlands. The region's southern border is the upper Colorado River. Within the region, the Andean system of north-south-trending mountain ranges varies in elevation from 16,000 to 22,000 feet (4,900 to 6,700 metres) and is interrupted

Sa Dec

2004-12-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

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

Botucatu

2004-12-30T00:13:00.000-08:00

City, central S�o Paulo estado (�state�), Brazil. It lies near the Pardo River in the Serra de Botucatu at 2,549 feet (777 m) above sea level. It was given town status in 1855 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1876. Crops (including coffee, cotton, rice, sugarcane, feij�o [beans], and potatoes) grown in the region are processed in the city, which also has foundries, textile mills, bakeries, and factories

Hinn Island

2004-12-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

Norwegian �Hinn�ya� island, in the Norwegian Sea, northern Norway. Forming part of the Vester�len group and with an area of 849 square miles (2,198 square km), it is Norway's second largest island after Spitsbergen (principal island of Svalbard). It is divided between Nordland and Troms fylker (counties) and separated from the mainland by the narrow Tjeld Strait. Irregularly shaped and deeply indented

Ars Nova

2004-12-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

(Medieval Latin: �New Art�), in music history, period of the tremendous flowering of music in the 14th century, particularly in France. The designation Ars Nova, as opposed to the Ars Antiqua (q.v.) of 13th-century France, was the title of a treatise written about 1320 by the composer Philippe de Vitry. Philippe, the most enthusiastic proponent of the �New Art,� demonstrates in his treatise

Kantor, Mackinlay

2004-12-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

After finishing high school, Kantor became a reporter for The Webster City Daily News, of which his

Boniface Viii

2004-12-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but when he learned that Boniface was about to publish a new bull announcing Philip's excommunication, Nogaret, with the assistance of Sciarra Colonna - a bold member of the powerful family - and with the connivance of some of the cardinals, decided to capture the Pope at Anagni, where the Pope was spending the summer. In this he succeeded

Gabon, Flag Of

2004-12-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

The French did not allow the development of national flags in their colonies, fearing the flags might become symbols around which separatists could rally. Therefore there were few such traditions in French Africa when autonomous governments were established in 1958 (the year of the new constitution of France). Whereas some countries did not adopt flags for more than

Ear, Human, Organ of Corti

2004-12-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

Arranged on the surface of the basilar membrane are orderly rows of the sensory hair cells, which generate nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations. Together with their supporting cells they form a complex neuroepithelium called the basilar papilla, or organ of Corti. The organ of Corti is named after the Italian anatomist Alfonso Corti, who first described

Scipio Africanus The Younger

2004-12-23T01:56:00.000-08:00

Scipio was the second son of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, hero of the Third Macedonian War and son of the consul (of the same name) who fell at the Battle of Cannae in 216. Paullus himself, twice consul, was an outstanding Roman leader who combined traditional Roman virtues with a keen interest in Greek culture. Soon after Scipio's birth, Paullus divorced his wife

Abbevillian Industry

2004-12-22T17:52:00.000-08:00

Prehistoric stone-tool tradition generally considered to represent the oldest occurrence in Europe of a bifacial (hand-ax) technology. The Abbevillian industry dates from an imprecisely determined part of the Middle Pleistocene, somewhat less than 700,000 years ago. It was recovered from high terrace sediments of the lower Somme valley, in a suburb of Abbeville, Fr. The

Talbiyah

2004-12-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

In Islam, the formulaic pronouncement labbaykah allahummah labbaykah (�at your service, O Lord, at your service�), recited especially during a pilgrimage when pious Muslims perform the tawaf - i.e., walk around the sacred shrine of the Ka'bah. The question whether the talbiyah is obligatory or merely a commendable tradition has been much discussed, but Muslim theologians have

Cytokine

2004-12-20T00:55:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of small, short-lived proteins that are released by one cell to regulate the function of another cell, thereby serving as intercellular chemical messengers. Cytokines effect changes in cellular behaviour that are important in a number of physiological processes, including reproduction, growth and development, and injury repair. However, they are

Switzerland, Environment

2004-12-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

A number of environmental problems must be addressed if Switzerland is to maintain the integrity of its unique landscape. Air pollution in the cities and the mountain valleys, depending on atmospheric conditions, has steadily worsened despite federal legislation. All Swiss vehicles must pass an annual emissions test; however, weak links are the millions of foreign

Nebuchadrezzar Ii

2004-12-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

Nebuchadrezzar II was the oldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, founder of the Chaldean empire. He is known from cuneiform inscriptions, the Bible and later Jewish sources,

Gaillardia

2004-12-17T00:04:00.000-08:00

They have purple disk flowers and yellow, orange, or white ray flowers with three or more teeth

Indian Evidence Act

2004-12-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

Act passed by the British Parliament in 1872 that set forth the rules of evidence admissible in Indian courts and that had far-reaching consequences for the traditional systems of caste government in India. Since ancient times, the way of resolving intracaste disputes had been by discussing the grievances in open meetings of the caste council. All information that

Toutin, Jean; And Toutin, Henri

2004-12-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

Although the art of enamelwork was hundreds of years old, the elder Toutin developed a revolutionary new technique for enamel painting.

Mccardle, Ex Parte

2004-12-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

William H. McCardle was a Mississippi editor who was arrested and jailed for sedition after criticizing both the local Union military commander and Congress. He was denied the benefit

Venkataraman, Ramaswamy

2004-12-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

Venkataraman studied law at the University of Madras and began his legal practice in 1935. He became involved in India's independence struggle and was consequently jailed by the British (1942 - 44). After his release he continued to practice law,

Finno-ugric Languages

2004-12-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Group of languages constituting much the larger of the two branches of a more comprehensive grouping, the Uralic languages (q.v.). The Finno-Ugric languages are spoken by several million people distributed discontinuously over an area extending from Norway in the west to the Ob River region in Siberia and south to the lower Danube River in Europe. In this vast territory,

Qom

2004-12-11T15:50:00.000-08:00

In the 8th century, Qom was one of the centres of Shi'ism; in 816 Fatimah, the sister of the imam (leader of Shi'ite Islam) 'Ali ar-Rida, died in the town and was buried there. It became a place of pilgrimage in the 17th century, when the Safavid rulers built a golden-domed

Quibd�

2004-12-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

City, western Colombia, on the R�o Atrato, in the Pacific coastal plain. Its receipt of more than 420 inches (10,700 mm) of rain a year probably exceeds that of any other equatorial area on Earth. Founded in 1654 as San Francisco de Quibd�, the city has served as Choc�'s capital since 1948. It is a regional commercial and manufacturing centre, housing metalworks, sawmills, and clothing and soft-drink

Joyce, James

2004-12-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

In full� James Augustine Aloysius Joyce � Irish novelist noted for his experimental use of language and exploration of new literary methods in such large works of fiction as Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939).

Chang Kuo-lao

2004-12-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

Chang claimed to have been born in prehistoric times. Legends about him, however, seem to have accrued to a historical

Basic English

2004-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Basic English derives its vocabulary and grammar from English but reduces both to a remarkable extent: there

Teagarden, Jack

2004-12-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

Beginning on trombone at age seven, Teagarden was entirely self-taught. After drifting across the Southwest, he eventually arrived in New York City in 1927 and made his recording debut; from that moment he was the acknowledged

Aepinus, Franz Maria Ulrich Theodor Hoch

2004-12-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Aepinus studied medicine before turning to physics and mathematics. His work in these new fields resulted