CupWall

Audit

2005-04-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Examination of the records and reports of an enterprise by accounting specialists other than those responsible for their preparation. Public auditing by independent accountants has acquired professional status and become increasingly common with the rise of large business units and the separation of ownership from control. The public accountant performs

Shaitan

2005-04-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

In the system of evil jinn outlined by the Arab writer al-Jahiz, the shaitans are identified simply as unbelieving jinn. Folklore, however, describes them as exceptionally ugly creatures, either male or female, capable of assuming human form—though

Susak, Gojko

2005-04-03T01:17:00.000-08:00

Croatian government official who was instrumental in the attainment and preservation of Croatia's independence and from 1991 served as the country's defense minister (b. April 16, 1945, Siroki Brijeg, western Herzegovina, Yugoslavia--d. May 3/4, 1998, Zagreb, Croatia).

Romano, Luis

2005-04-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

Romano's writings

Aquarius

2005-04-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

In astrology,

National Aquarium

2005-04-01T01:15:00.000-08:00

The facility houses more than 1,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of fishes in 54 individual display tanks ranging in capacity from 285 to

John

2005-03-31T20:15:00.000-08:00

John began his public career in 1505 as a member of the Diet of Rákos; it was upon his motion that the Diet voted that no foreign prince would ever again be elected king of Hungary after the death of King Ulászló II, who also

Dzerzhinsky, Feliks Edmundovich

2005-03-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

Son of a Polish nobleman, Dzerzhinsky joined the Kaunas (Kovno) organization of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party in 1895. He became a party organizer, and, although he was arrested by

Earth, Marine magnetics

2005-03-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

The most convincing evidence supporting the concept of seafloor spreading comes from the study of the magnetism of the ocean floor. For a number of years, measurements have been made in the oceans of the total intensity of the magnetic field of the Earth using instruments called magnetometers, which are generally towed behind ships (see above). These measurements

Cordial

2005-03-29T04:40:00.000-08:00

A liqueur (q.v.); though the term cordial was formerly used for only those liqueurs that were thought to have a tonic or stimulating quality due to the medicinal components of their flavourings, the terms cordial and liqueur are now used interchangeably.

Balczó, András

2005-03-29T02:53:00.000-08:00

A strong swimmer and runner and a consistent fencer, Balczó won individual championships in 1963, 1965–67, and 1969. He also won five team championships with the Hungarian team. He was less fortunate in Olympic

Albert Of Aix

2005-03-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Albert of Aachen , Latin Albericus Aquensis canon of the church of Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) and historian of the First Crusade. He gathered oral and written testaments of participants in the Crusade and provided a chronicle on the subject, the Historia expeditionis Hierosolymitanae (“History of the Expedition to Jerusalem”). His work remains an important source on the First Crusade and the history of the kingdom

Fabales

2005-03-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

The origin of the Fabales and its relationship to other plant families and orders are speculative. Traditionally the Fabales have been thought to have derived from the order Rosales, and even specific groups of the Rosaceae family have been postulated. A careful evaluation by the American botanist William C. Dickison has compared the Fabales with three families

Wild-water Racing

2005-03-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

International competition,

Topiary

2005-03-26T06:19:00.000-08:00

The training of living trees and shrubs into artificial, decorative shapes. Thickly leaved evergreen shrubs are used in topiary; the best subjects are box, cypress, and yew, although others—such as rosemary, holly, and box honeysuckle—are used with success. Topiary is said to have been invented by a friend of the ancient Roman emperor Augustus and is known to have been

Sicilian School

2005-03-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

A group of Sicilian, southern Italian, and Tuscan poets centred in the courts of Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250) and his son Manfred (d. 1266); they established the vernacular, as opposed to Provençal, as the standard language for Italian love poetry, and they also, under the influence of Provençal, northern French, and possibly Arabic poetic traditions, are credited with the invention

Anthropology

2005-03-25T01:11:00.000-08:00

Modern-day anthropology

Ahlin, Lars

2005-03-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

The early novel Tåbb med manifestet (1943; “Tåbb with the Manifesto”) presents many of the central ideas of Ahlin's writings. In it, a young proletarian finds the Communist ideology unsatisfactory, rejects the notion of social rather than individual value, and reaches a better understanding of himself

Indian Philosophy, Origin of the concept of Brahman and atman

2005-03-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Upanisads answer the question “Who is that one Being?” by establishing the equation Brahman = atman. Brahman—meaning now that which is the greatest, than which there is nothing greater, and also that which bursts forth into the manifested world, the one Being of which the hymn of creation spoke—is viewed as nothing but atman, identifiable as the innermost self in man but

Paer, Ferdinando

2005-03-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

Paer produced his first opera, Orphée et Euridice, in Parma in 1791. From 1797 to 1802 he was in Vienna, where his most successful opera, Camilla, was produced in 1799. He was in Dresden from 1802 to 1806 and then went

Self-defense

2005-03-22T00:44:00.000-08:00

In general, killing is not a criminal act when the killer reasonably believes that he is in imminent danger of losing his life from an assailant or of suffering serious bodily injury and that killing the assailant

Palaeospondylus

2005-03-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Genus of enigmatic fossil vertebrates that were very fishlike in appearance but of uncertain relationships. Palaeospondylus, from the Middle Devonian epoch (387 to 374 million years ago), has been found in the Old Red Sandstone rocks in the region of Achannaras, Scot. Hundreds of specimens are known, yet the position of this genus in relation to other fishlike vertebrates

Selfoss

2005-03-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

Village, southwestern Iceland, 30 miles (48 km) east-southeast of Reykjavík. It lies on the Ölfusá River, about 5 miles (8 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. An agricultural market and dairying centre on the western edge of the country's most extensive agricultural region, it supplies most of the milk for the capital. Selfoss is also a popular resort. Pop. (1992 est.) 3,977.

Hyalophane

2005-03-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

A barium-rich variety of potassium feldspar; see celsian.

Ker

2005-03-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Cer, in ancient Greek religion, a destructive spirit. Popular belief attributed death and illness to the action of impersonal powers, often spoken of in the plural (Keres). The word was also used of an individual's doom, with a meaning resembling the notion of destiny. In the Attic festival of the Anthesteria, when the spirits of the dead were expelled from the house, they were

Tiy

2005-03-18T05:42:00.000-08:00

She was the daughter of Yuya, the commander of the Egyptian chariotry and overseer of the cattle of the local god Min; her mother, Thuya, was also an Egyptian. Although she was not of royal blood, Tiy became the favoured wife of Amenhotep III (reigned 1390–53 BC), a powerful king of the 18th dynasty, who gave her considerable prominence

Riss Glacial Stage

2005-03-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago) in Alpine Europe. The Riss Glacial Stage, during which mountain glaciers descended from the highlands, followed the Mindel-Riss Interglacial Stage and preceded the Riss-Würm Interglacial Stage, both periods of relatively moderate climatic conditions. The Riss is correlated with the Gipping Glacial

Pozzuoli

2005-03-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

The town was founded about 529 BC by Greek emigrants who called it Dicaearchia (“City of Justice”). Captured by Rome in the Samnite wars, it was vainly besieged by the Carthaginian general

Udasi

2005-03-17T02:26:00.000-08:00

Sect within Sikhism, a religion of India. The Udasi (from the Sanskrit udas, “to renounce”) sect, which requires celibacy and asceticism of its members, originated with the followers of Siri Chand, the son of the first Sikh guru (religious teacher and leader of the Sikh community), Nanak. Under the leadership of Baba Gurditta, the eldest son of the sixth guru, Hargobind, they served as missionaries,

Cospicua

2005-03-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern Malta, one of the Three Cities (the others being Senglea and Vittoriosa), at the head of Dockyard Creek, just south of Valletta across Grand Harbour. It developed as a suburb of Vittoriosa in the mid-16th century and was a thriving settlement (known as Bormla) before it was severely damaged by the Turks in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It was rebuilt and refortified

Lateral

2005-03-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, a consonant sound produced by raising the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth so that the airstream flows past one or both sides of the tongue. The l sounds of English, Welsh, and other languages are laterals.

Sarcoma

2005-03-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Tumour of connective tissue (also called mesodermal, or mesenchymal, cells). This form of cancer is relatively rare in adults but is one of the more common malignancies among children; it often spreads to other tissues in the body. Sarcomas are generally divided into bone and soft-tissue tumours, the latter being much less common. Because mesenchymal cells form a variety

Vihuela

2005-03-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

The vihuela was played by the aristocracy, the guitar by commoners. By the 18th century both instruments

Beisa

2005-03-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

African antelope, a race of the species Oryx gazella. See oryx.

Jackstones

2005-03-14T03:10:00.000-08:00

Also called fivestones, jacks , or dibs game of great antiquity and worldwide distribution, now played with stones, bones, seeds, filled cloth bags, or metal or plastic counters (the jacks), with or without a ball. The name derives from “chackstones”—stones to be tossed. The knuckle, wrist, or ankle bones of goats, sheep, or other animals also have been used in play. Such objects have been found in prehistoric caves

Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of

2005-03-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

Far to the northwest of the heartland of Chinese civilization, the Sinkiang region was thinly populated by herdsmen and oasis farmers organized into small kingdoms and tribal alliances. Southern Sinkiang came under the loose control of the Western Han dynasty in about 100 BC, when an extension of the Great Wall was built 300 miles west of the present Kansu-Sinkiang border.

Handsome Lake Cult

2005-03-13T04:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Longhouse Religion , or Gai'wiio (Seneca: “Good Message”) longest-established prophet movement in North America. Its founder was Ganioda'yo (q.v.), a Seneca chief whose name meant “Handsome Lake”; his heavenly revelations received in trance in 1799 rapidly transformed both himself and the demoralized Seneca. Their Christian beliefs, which came primarily from Quaker contacts, included a personal creator-ruler, a devil, heaven, hell,

Afghan Carpet

2005-03-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

Stout, long-wearing floor covering handwoven by the Afghan tribe of Turkmens of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Afghan carpets are generally all wool or goat hair and are made with the Senna (Sehna) knot. Usually in dull reds, these carpets show less white than the products of other Turkmens. Their gul, or basic tribal motif, is a large, parti-coloured, scalloped octagon

Sara Lee Corporation

2005-03-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

The company was incorporated in 1941 as the South Street Company and went through several name changes before it adopted the name Consolidated Grocers Corporation in 1945 and Consolidated Foods Corporation

Acrocephalosyndactyly

2005-03-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Also called Apert's Syndrome congenital malformation of the skeleton, affecting the skull, hands, and feet, first described by the French pediatrician Eugène Apert. The head is shortened front-to-back and appears pointed (acrocephaly) because of premature closing of the cranial sutures between the individual bones that make up the skull. The bones and skin of the hands and feet are fused (syndactyly),

Schapera, Isaac

2005-03-11T04:06:00.000-08:00

Schapera received an M.A. from the University of Cape Town and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His work was influenced by his instructors A.R.

Insurance, Abandonment clause

2005-03-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

If salvaging or rehabilitating a ship or cargo following a marine loss costs more than the goods are worth, the loss is said to be constructively total. Under such conditions, the ocean marine policy permits the insured to abandon the damaged ship or cargo to the insurer and make a claim for the entire value. In this case, the salvage belongs to the insurer, who may dispose

Caryophyllales, Distribution

2005-03-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

The most striking single ecological feature in the order is the dominance of the Chenopodiaceae in alkaline situations and the prominence of succulent Aizoaceae in the deserts of southern Africa. The other members of the order occur in any of several types of habitat, but in general none is conspicuous. Even the Aizoaceae in the southern African deserts are not

Bing Xin

2005-03-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Bing Xin studied the Chinese Classics and began writing traditional Chinese stories as a child, but her conversion to Christianity and her attendance at an American school in Peking soon were reflected in a didactic and Western influence

China, Political developments

2005-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

The socialist transformation of agriculture, industry, and commerce thus went relatively smoothly. Nevertheless, changes of this sort could not take place without considerable tensions. Many peasants streamed into the cities in 1956–57 to escape the new cooperatives and to seek employment in the rapidly expanding state-run factories, where government policy kept

Carlisle, Charles Howard, 3rd Earl Of

2005-03-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of Edward Howard, the 2nd earl (1646?–92), he was a member of Parliament from 1690 until he succeeded his father as earl in 1692. Throughout his life he held a variety of crown-appointed posts, most notably as first lord of the Treasury (then the chief, or “prime,” ministry) under Queen Anne and King

Ducetius

2005-03-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

A Hellenized leader of the Siculi, an ancient people of Sicily, who for a short time welded the native communities of east Sicily into a powerful federation. He seized his opportunity during the confusion that followed the collapse of tyranny in Syracuse and other Sicilian states in 460. Enjoying the goodwill of the Syracusan democracy, he enlisted its help in driving

East Dunbartonshire

2005-03-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

Council area, west-central Scotland. East Dunbartonshire's largest towns, Bearsden and Milngavie in the southwest and Kirkintilloch in the southeast, lie within the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The council area also includes a small area in the south around the town of Bishopbriggs in the historic county of Lanarkshire and a more extensive area in the northeast

Bomu River

2005-03-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Mbomou, in the Central African Republic, headstream of the Ubangi River. The Bomu River rises 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Doruma, Congo (Kinshasa), and flows 450 miles (725 km) west, forming, together with the Ubangi, the frontier between Congo and the Central African Republic. Its course takes it in a wide curve through savannas, past Bangassou, to join the Uele River at Yakoma, where it forms the

Ovington, Mary White

2005-03-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

Born three days before the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ovington was reared in an upper-middle-class home by abolitionist

Acapulco

2005-03-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

In full Acapulco De Juárez, resort and port, Guerrero estado (“state”), southwestern Mexico. Situated on a deep, semicircular bay, Acapulco has the best harbour on the Pacific coast of Mexico and one of the finest natural anchorages in the world. The town lies on a narrow strip of land between the bay and the steeply rising mountains that encircle it. From May to November the climate is hot, humid, and

Yáñez, Agustín

2005-03-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Born in a provincial neighbourhood of Guadalajara, Yáñez was enamoured of its traditions and values. As a young man he was a contributor

Permafrost, Permafrost thawing and frost heaving

2005-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Because thawing of permafrost and frost action are involved in almost all engineering problems in polar areas, it is advisable to consider these phenomena generally. The delicate thermal equilibrium of permafrost is disrupted when the vegetation, snow cover, or active layer is compacted. The permafrost table is lowered, the active layer is thickened, and considerable

Kaf, Al-

2005-03-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled El-kef, or Le Kef, town, northwestern Tunisia. The town is situated at an elevation of 2,559 feet (780 m) on the slopes of the Haut (high) Tell, 22 miles (35 km) from the Algerian border. It occupies the site of an ancient Carthaginian town and later Roman colony—Sicca Veneria. Al-Kaf (“The Rock”) was an important stronghold during Turkish rule and is now a regional marketplace and strategic road junction on the

Scandinavian Literature, Icelandic learning and literature

2005-03-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

The effect of the Reformation on Icelandic learning and literature was that Catholic poetry was discarded and attempts were made by the first

Gabon, Ethnic and linguistic composition

2005-03-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

All of Gabon's 40 or so ethnic groups, except the few thousand Pygmies, speak Bantu languages and, on that basis, can be classified into 10 larger groups. The Myene group (including the Mpongwe and Orungu), though only a small part of the population today, has played an important role in the history of the country as a result of its location along the northern coasts. The Fang, who

Chemoreception, Mammals

2005-03-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Chemoreceptively, mammals are the best studied of vertebrates by far, and man is probably the most studied of all, although experimental techniques that can be used with blowflies (Phormia) and rats are inappropriate for humans. The taste buds of mammals are mostly on the upper surface of the tongue, on so-called vallate, foliate, and fungiform papillae. Some taste buds

Parallelism

2005-03-03T04:36:00.000-08:00

In rhetoric, component of literary style in both prose and poetry, in which coordinate ideas are arranged in phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that balance one element with another of equal importance and similar wording. The repetition of sounds, meanings, and structures serves to order, emphasize, and point out relations. In its simplest form parallelism consists

Eurodollar

2005-03-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

A United States dollar that has been deposited outside the United States, especially in Europe. Foreign banks holding Eurodollars are obligated to pay in U.S. dollars when the deposits are withdrawn. Dollars form the largest component of all currencies in which such deposits are held and which are generally known as Eurocurrency. The name originated in the early

Gabon

2005-03-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

The National Rally of Woodcutters, Gabon's largest opposition party, broke into two rival factions on July 20, 1998, after dissidents, led by the party's secretary-general, Pierre-André Kombila Koumba, challenged the leadership of

Anderssen, Adolf

2005-02-28T02:33:00.000-08:00

In full Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen chess master considered the world's strongest player from his victory in the first modern international tournament (London, 1851) until his defeat (1858) by the American Paul Morphy in match play and, again, after Morphy's retirement (c. 1861) until his defeat by the Austrian Wilhelm Steinitz (1866). Anderssen was noted for his ability

Loyd, Sam

2005-02-28T01:19:00.000-08:00

Loyd studied engineering and took a license as a steam and mechanical engineer, but he engaged in a variety of business enterprises until he was able to earn a living exclusively from his chess

Durand-ruel, Paul

2005-02-28T01:08:00.000-08:00

Durand-Ruel began his career in his father's art gallery, which he inherited in 1865. At the outset he concentrated on buying the work of Barbizon artists—particularly Camille Corot, Charles-François Daubigny, and Jules Dupré—and for

Macdonald, Sir James Ronald Leslie

2005-02-27T17:19:00.000-08:00

After serving as an engineer in the British Army in

Biblical Literature, Joshua

2005-02-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

The Book of Joshua takes its name from the man who succeeded Moses as the leader of the Hebrew tribes—Joshua, the son of Nun, a member of the tribe of Ephraim. In post-biblical times Joshua himself was credited with being the author of the book, though internal evidence gives no such indication. According to the views of the German biblical scholar Martin Noth, which have

Eisteddfod

2005-02-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

Plural Eisteddfods, or Eisteddfodau, formal assembly of Welsh bards and minstrels that originated in the traditions of court bards of medieval times. The modern National Eisteddfod, revived in the 19th century and held each summer alternately in a site in North or South Wales, has been broadened to include awards for music, prose, drama, and art, but the chairing and investiture of the winning poet remains

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2005-02-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

French mathematician, philosopher, and writer, who achieved fame as a mathematician and scientist before acquiring a considerable reputation as a contributor to and editor of the famous Encyclopédie.

Distribution Theory

2005-02-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

The theory of distribution involves three distinguishable sets of questions.

Sabine

2005-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Latin Sabinus , plural Sabini member of an ancient Italic tribe located in the mountainous country east of the Tiber River. They were known for their religious practices and beliefs, and several Roman institutions were said to have derived from them. The story recounted by Plutarch that Romulus, the founder of Rome, invited the Sabines to a feast and then carried off (raped) their women, is legendary.

Music, Western, Ancient Greece

2005-02-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

Of the eastern Mediterranean cultures, it was undoubtedly that of the Greeks that furnished the most direct link with musical development in western Europe, by way of the Romans, who defeated them but adopted much of Greek culture intact. Entering historical times relatively late, c. 1000 BC, the Greeks soon dominated their neighbours and absorbed many elements of earlier

Kahnweiler, Daniel-henry

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

Trained for a career in finance, Kahnweiler instead chose art and settled in Paris, where he opened a small gallery in 1907. He became interested in the work of several young artists

Hanamichi

2005-02-23T21:30:00.000-08:00

An integral part of the Kabuki

Bohemian-moravian Highlands

2005-02-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

Czech Ceskomoravská Vysocina , or Vrchovina plateau (125 miles [200 km] long and 35 to 50 miles wide) forming the southeastern boundary of the Bohemian Massif, which separates the former historic provinces of Bohemia and Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. The highlands are roughly defined by the Luznice River (west), the Dyje River (south), the Morava River (east), and the tributaries of the Elbe (Labe) River (north). They form a rolling,

Wandering Spider

2005-02-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

Phoneutria fera, which occurs in South America, is poisonous to humans. Zora pumila, common in the eastern United States, is mostly

Chadwick, H. Munro

2005-02-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

The son of an Anglican vicar in Yorkshire, Chadwick attended Wakefield Grammar School and Clare College, Cambridge (1889–93). In 1893 he became a fellow of his

Agrarian League

2005-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

German Bund Der Landwirte extraparliamentary organization active under the German empire from 1893. Formed to combat the free-trade policies (initiated in 1892) of Chancellor Leo, Graf (count) von Caprivi, the league worked for farmers' subsidies, import tariffs, and minimum prices. Caprivi's successor promised to increase wheat tariffs, but by 1900 the Agrarian League had increased to 250,000 members—50,000 more than

Kordofan

2005-02-21T02:49:00.000-08:00

Kordofan was originally inhabited by brown-skinned Nubian-speaking peoples, and the region's name may be derived from the Nubian word kurta, meaning “men.” The region was perhaps under the control of the Christian Tungur dynasty from

Hyatt, Alpheus

2005-02-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

He studied at Harvard (1858–62) under the Swiss–U.S. naturalist

Kija

2005-02-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

Legendary Korean king of Chinese origin whose arrival in Korea with 5,000 rice- and barley-bearing refugees reputedly introduced Chinese civilization (and these new grains) to the Korean people. The band allegedly had fled China in 1111 BC, refusing to serve the new Chou-dynasty ruler who had overthrown Kija's Shang-dynasty relatives. Historical evidence confirms early Chinese

Tsunami

2005-02-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Seismic Sea Wave, or Tidal Wave, catastrophic ocean wave, usually caused by a submarine earthquake occurring less than 50 km (30 miles) beneath the seafloor, with a magnitude greater than 6.5 on the Richter scale. Underwater or coastal landslides or volcanic eruptions also may cause a tsunami. The term tidal wave is more frequently used for such a wave, but it is a misnomer, for the wave has no connection with

La Noue, François De

2005-02-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

La Noue became a Protestant in 1558 and soon began fighting for the Huguenot cause. Wounded at Fontenay (1570), he had one arm replaced by an iron device and was thereafter nicknamed Bras-de-Fer (“Arm of Iron”). After the Peace of

Murder

2005-02-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

In criminal law, the unjustified killing of one person by another, usually distinguished from the crime of manslaughter by the element of malice aforethought. See homicide.

Bulgaria, Flag Of

2005-02-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

In the 14th century the coat of arms of Tsar Ivan Shishman, the most powerful Bulgarian ruler, was a lion represented in gold on a red shield. This design was incorporated in some early Bulgarian revolutionary flags raised against the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. Nevertheless, the national flag was derived from a different source—the ethnic association of Bulgarians

Zamindar

2005-02-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

In India, a holder or occupier (dar) of land (zamin). The root words were Persian, and the resulting name was widely used wherever Persian influence was spread by the Mughals or other Indian Muslim dynasties. The meanings attached to it were various. In Bengal the word denoted a hereditary tax collector who could retain 10 percent of the revenue he collected. In the late 18th century

Alicante

2005-02-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Port city, capital of Alicante provincia, in Valencia comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southeastern Spain. It is located on Alicante Bay of the Mediterranean Sea. Founded as Akra Leuke (“White Summit”) by Phocaean Greeks (from the west coast of Asia Minor) in 325 BC, the city was captured in 201 BC by the Romans, who called it Lucentum. Under Moorish domination, which lasted from

Zambia, Flag Of

2005-02-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

In 1930 a shield was approved for Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Its black and white wavy vertical stripes represented Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River in traditional heraldic style; the blue chief (upper portion) of the shield featured a gold fish eagle with a silver fish in its claws. The design, first used on the British Blue Ensign as a colonial badge, received approval

Arnaut De Mareuil

2005-02-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Arnaut's life. His early poems were dedicated to his patroness, Adelaide, the daughter of Raymond V, count of Toulouse, and wife of Roger II, viscount of Béziers.

Pacific Ocean, The trade winds

2005-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

The trade winds of the Pacific represent the eastern and equatorial parts of the air circulation system; they originate in the subtropical high-pressure zones that are most pronounced, respectively, over the northeast and southeast Pacific between the 30th and 40th parallels N and S. The obliquity of the ecliptic (an angle of approximately 23 1/2° that is the difference between

Jetty

2005-02-15T03:41:00.000-08:00

Any of a variety of engineering structures connected with river, harbour, and coastal works designed to influence the current or tide or to protect a harbour or beach from waves (breakwater). The two principal kinds of jetties are those constructed at river mouths and other coastal entrances and those used for the berthing of ships in harbours and offshore where

France, History Of, Cities

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

Commerce rather than industry buoyed up French cities, especially the Atlantic seaports. In 1789, 15 percent of Frenchmen lived in cities with more than 2,000 inhabitants. Paris, a city of about 500,000 inhabitants, was only half the size of London, the world's largest seaport. But regardless of their size, French cities were centres of intellectual transformation on the Continent. It was

Beach Boys, The

2005-02-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

American rock group whose dulcet melodies and distinctive vocal mesh defined the 1960s youthful idyll of sun-drenched southern California. The original members were Brian Wilson (b. June 20, 1942, Inglewood, Calif., U.S.), Dennis Wilson (b. Dec. 4, 1944, Inglewood—d. Dec. 28, 1983, Marina del Rey, Calif.), Carl Wilson (b. Dec. 21, 1946, Los Angeles, Calif.—d. Feb. 6, 1998, Los Angeles), Michael Love (b. March 15, 1941, Los Angeles), and Alan Jardine (b. Sept.

Ovary

2005-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

A simple or unicarpellate ovary is formed from a single carpel, an evolutionarily modified leaf. It has one chamber (locule), within

Induration

2005-02-13T04:38:00.000-08:00

Hardening of rocks by heat or baking; also the hardening of sediments through cementation or compaction, or both, without the introduction of heat. The classic example is the rock called hornfels, which is formed at contacts with igneous intrusions and in which heat and fluids from the intruding magma reconstitute the original wall rock into a hardened, flinty rock

Oglethorpe, James Edward

2005-02-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Oxford, he entered the army in 1712 and joined the Austrian army fighting the Turks in 1717. On his return to England in 1722, he entered Parliament. In 1729 he presided over a committee that brought about prison reforms.

Papillon

2005-02-12T01:32:00.000-08:00

Breed of toy dog known from the 16th century, when it was called a dwarf spaniel. A fashionable dog, it was favoured by Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette, and it appeared in paintings by some of the Old Masters. The name papillon (French: “butterfly”) was given to the breed in the late 19th century, when a variety with large, flaring ears resembling the wings of a butterfly

China

2005-02-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a critical one for China. Domestically, it was a year of political transition to a new generation of leaders; internationally, significant changes in geopolitical alignments had major repercussions for the country. The 16th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), after some delay, was convened in early November. China's “Three Represents” doctrine

Bond

2005-02-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Bonding may be achieved by overlapping alternate courses (rows or layers) in brickwork, by using metal ties, and by inserting units vertically

Brieux, Eugène

2005-02-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

French dramatist, one of the leading exponents of the realist drama, whose somewhat didactic works attacked the social evils of his day. Brieux's works formed part of the repertory of the famed Théâtre-Libre of André Antoine, which had a far-reaching effect on the spread of the new naturalistic style. Playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw described

Wyong

2005-02-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern New South Wales, Australia, on the Wyong River, immediately west of the Tuggerah Lakes (coastal lagoons). The district was settled in 1823 for the purpose of exploiting its cedar trees. As the forests were removed, agricultural activities increased, with citrus groves being planted after 1887. The town, proclaimed in 1888, derived its name from an Aboriginal word meaning

La Mothe Le Vayer, François De

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

La Mothe Le Vayer became an avocat in the Parlement of Paris, taking over his father's seat, but soon resigned when the attraction of belles lettres became stronger. His work La