DeepFarm

Astringent

2005-10-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Any of a group of substances that cause the contraction or shrinkage of tissues and that dry up secretions. Astringents are usually classified into three groups according to their mode of action: (1) those that decrease the blood supply by narrowing the small blood vessels (e.g., epinephrine and cocaine), (2) those that abstract water from the tissue (e.g., glycerol and alcohol

Crab Spider

2005-08-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

The body of the crab spider is gray or brown in colour and is about 12 mm (0.5 inch) long. Members of Misumena

Azuero Peninsula

2005-07-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Spanish Península De Azuero, physical region in southwestern Panama, protruding south into the Pacific Ocean between the Gulf of Panama to the east and the Gulf of Montijo to the west. It measures 60 miles (100 km) from east to west and 55 miles (90 km) from north to south. It attains a maximum elevation of 3,068 feet (935 m) at Mount Canajagua, southwest of Las Tablas. The main towns of the region are Chitré and Las Tablas, both

Saxifragaceae

2005-07-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

The saxifrage family of flowering plants, in the order Rosales, comprising 36 genera of mostly perennial dicotyledonous herbs. The members are cosmopolitan in distribution but native primarily to northern cold and temperate regions. Members of the family have leaves that characteristically alternate along the stem and sometimes are deeply lobed or form rosettes.

Minami-tori Island

2005-07-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Japanese Minami-tori-shima , also called Marcus Island coral atoll rising to 204 feet (62 m), in the central Pacific Ocean, 700 miles (1,125 km) southeast of Japan. Prior to World War II it was administered as part of the Tokyo fu (urban prefecture). Occupied by U.S. troops late in the war, it was returned to Japan in 1968. It now shares a common administration with the Bonin Islands and the Volcano Islands. Minami-tori Island, with an area of 740 acres (300 hectares)

Kumamoto

2005-07-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Kumamoto ken is predominantly agricultural and produces rice surpluses for northern Kyushu's industrial cities, along with some mandarin oranges, silk, igusa (a rush for weaving tatami mats), tobacco, and

Teresópolis

2005-07-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

City, central Rio de Janeiro estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies in the Serra dos Órgãos at 2,959 feet (902 m) above sea level. Named after the Brazilian empress Teresa Cristina in 1890 and originally spelled Therezópolis, it was given city status in 1893. A cool climate and picturesque setting amid mountain peaks such as the Dedo de Deus (“Finger of God”) make the city a popular summer resort. Flowers

Confession

2005-06-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the acknowledgment of sinfulness in public or private, regarded as necessary to obtain divine forgiveness. The need for confession is frequently stressed in the Bible. The mission of the Old Testament prophets was to awaken in the people a sense of sinfulness and an acknowledgment of their guilt, both personal and collective. Before

Deforcement

2005-06-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

In English property law, wrongful taking and possession of land belonging to another. Deforcement had its primary legal significance in feudal England. Deforcement arose particularly in cases in which land possessed by a tenant escheated (was forfeited) to his lord (either for reason of the tenant's wrongful act against the manor or for nonpayment of rent due the

Cheddar

2005-06-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Village (“parish”), Sedgemoor district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, England, at the mouth of a spectacular limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills. The gorge (now owned by the National Trust) and caverns, in which human remains and artifacts dating back to the Stone Age have been found, attract many tourists. Cheddar cheese was first made there at or before

Asansol

2005-06-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

City, West Bengal state, northeastern India. Situated in the heart of the Raniganj coalfield, it is the centre of the Kulti-Burnpur industrial complex. Asansol is connected by the Grand Trunk Road and by rail with Calcutta, Durgapur, and Burdwan. The city is an important coal-trading and railway centre, with large railway workshops and a railway colony. Its major industries

Block And Tackle

2005-06-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Combination of a flexible rope, or cable, and pulleys commonly used to augment pulling force; it can be used to lift heavy weights or to exert large forces in any direction. In the Figure there are four freely rotating pulleys, two on the upper block, which remains fixed, and two on the lower block, which moves up as the load W is lifted; one end of the rope is anchored to the upper

K.t.

2005-05-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Knight of the Thistle, member of a Scottish order of knighthood. See Thistle, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the.

Hale, George Ellery

2005-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

American astronomer known for his development of important astronomical instruments, including the Hale telescope (completed 1948), a 200-inch reflecting telescope at the California Institute of Technology's Palomar Mountain Observatory near Pasadena. He is known also for his researches in solar physics, particularly his discovery

Kesennuma

2005-05-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

City, Miyagi Prefecture (ken), Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Its harbour and commercial fishing port are located on the deeply indented coast at the head of Kesennuma-wan (Kesennuma Bay). Deep-sea fishing (tuna, bonito, and saury) is important, and oysters are cultivated. Industries produce textiles and rubber and leather goods. The nearby scenic coastal area is

Maastricht

2005-03-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

It was the site of the Roman settlement Trajectum ad

Cadmium Poisoning

2005-03-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

Toxic effects of cadmium or its compounds on body tissues and functions. Poisoning may result from the ingestion of an acid food or drink prepared in a cadmium-lined vessel (e.g., lemonade served from cadmium-plated cans). Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and prostration usually occur within 15 minutes after ingestion and subside within 24 hours. Inhalation of cadmium fumes in

Pease, Edward Reynolds

2005-03-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Born to a prosperous family, Pease left a business career and joined with Frank Podmore, a spiritualist and socialist writer, to found the Fabian Society in London in January 1884. The Fabians sought a gradualist approach to socialism in Britain. Early members

Vaiont Dam

2005-03-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

Concrete arch dam across the Vaiont River in Italy with a height of 859 feet (262 m) and crest length of 623 feet (190 m). Completed in 1961, it was severely damaged by a massive landslide into the reservoir in 1963 that claimed the lives of more than 2,500 people.

Padri War

2005-03-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

(1821 - 37), armed conflict in Minangkabau (Sumatra) between reformist Muslims, known as Padris, and local chieftains assisted by the Dutch. In the early 19th century the puritan Wahhabiyah sect of Islam spread to Sumatra, brought by pilgrims who entered the island through Pedir, a northern port. The Padris, as these Sumatran converts to Wahhabiyah came to be known, objected to local institutions

Grundy, Mrs.

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

Imaginary English character who typifies the censorship enacted in everyday life by conventional opinion. She first appears (but never onstage) in Thomas Morton's play Speed the Plough (produced 1798), in which one character, Dame Ashfield, continually worries about what her neighbour Mrs. Grundy will say of each development. Since then the term Mrs. Grundy has passed into

Usa

2005-03-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

City, Oita ken (prefecture), northern Kyushu, Japan; it lies 24 miles (39 km) northwest of the prefectural capital Oita. The city developed around the site of the first and most famous of shrines dedicated to the Shinto god Hachiman, Usa Hachiman Shrine, which dates to about 717 - 724. An annual festival is held on March 18, and the Shinkosai festival, with a procession of portable shrines (mikoshi

P�ez, Jos� Antonio

2005-02-28T18:03:00.000-08:00

P�ez was a part-Indian llanero, one of the horsemen of the plains. Beginning as a ranch hand, he quickly

Chandler, Raymond

2005-02-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

From 1896 to 1912 Chandler lived in England with his mother, a British subject of Irish birth. Although he was an American

Abbe, Cleveland

2005-02-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

Trained as an astronomer, he was appointed director of the Cincinnati (Ohio) Observatory in 1868. His interest gradually turned to meteorology, however, and he inaugurated a public weather service that served

Philodemus

2005-02-25T03:53:00.000-08:00

After studying under the Epicurean Zeno of Sidon at Athens, he moved to Rome c. 75 BC and became the mentor of the Roman aristocrat Lucius Calpurnius Piso, who invited Philodemus to live in his villa at Herculaneum, near Naples. In the ruins of that villa

Sharqiyah, Ash-

2005-02-24T01:27:00.000-08:00

English �Eastern� region, eastern Saudi Arabia. The region includes most of the desert Rub' al-Khali (the Empty Quarter) and extends southward from a neutral zone jointly administered with Kuwait to indefinite borders with Yemen and Oman. It is bounded by Kuwait on the north, the Persian Gulf on the east, and the Ar-Riyad region on the west. Ash-Sharqiyah consists mainly of an undulating plain

Noble Gas, Argon

2005-02-23T03:01:00.000-08:00

The first of the noble gases to be discovered, argon was named from the Greek word argos, �lazy,� because of its chemical inertness. In cosmic abundance, argon ranks approximately 12th among the 100-odd chemical elements; although the stable isotopes argon-36 and argon-38 make up all but a trace of this element in the universe, the third stable isotope, argon-40, comprises 99.60 percent of the

Vitalism

2005-02-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

School of scientific thought - the germ of which dates from Aristotle - that attempts (in opposition to mechanism and organicism) to explain the nature of life as resulting from a vital force peculiar to living organisms and different from all other forces found outside living things. This force is held to control form and development and to direct the activities

Arabia, The Rub' al-Khali

2005-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

The largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world, the Rub' al-Khali covers an area estimated at about 250,000 square miles. The name Rub' al-Khali is not commonly used by the few nomadic Bedouin who live there; they call it simply Ar-Ramlah (�The Sand�). Shrub vegetation is widely spaced over the porous, sandy surfaces and is almost nonexistent on the occasional rock and salt surfaces.

Egypt, Ancient, The 9th dynasty (c. 2130 - 2080 BC)

2005-02-20T00:24:00.000-08:00

After the end of the 8th dynasty the throne passed to kings from Heracleopolis, who made their native city the capital, although Memphis continued to be important. They were acknowledged throughout the country, but inscriptions of nomarchs (chief officials of nomes) in the south show that the kings' rule was nominal. At Dara, north of Asyut, for example, a local ruler called

Abelard, Peter

2005-02-19T18:44:00.000-08:00

The outline of Abelard's career is well known, largely because he described so much of it in his famous Historia calamitatum (�History of My Troubles�). He was born the son of a knight in Brittany south of the Loire River. He sacrificed his inheritance and the prospect of a military career in order to study philosophy, particularly logic, in France. He provoked bitter quarrels

Nabisco

2005-02-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

In full �National Biscuit Company� former U.S. snack food and bakery product company. The National Biscuit Company was formed in 1898 when the American Biscuit Company merged with the New York Biscuit Company. Better known as Nabisco, it went on to introduce a number of popular consumer brands such as Oreo cookies (1912) and Ritz crackers (1934). After being acquired by R.J. Reynolds in 1985 and becoming part of RJR Nabisco, Nabisco

Swanson, Gloria

2005-02-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

Swanson was the only child of a civilian official of the U.S. Army transport service, whose work during Swanson's childhood took the family to

Avison, Margaret

2005-02-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a Methodist minister, Avison attended the University of Toronto (B.A., 1940; M.A., 1964) and worked as a librarian, editor, lecturer, and social worker at church

Wykeham, William Of

2005-02-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

Wykeham evidently came from a very poor family. Wealthy patrons helped him obtain an education, and about 1356 he entered the service of King Edward III. By the mid-1360s he was the king's most trusted assistant. In 1367 he was made chancellor

Powell, Bud

2005-02-14T02:10:00.000-08:00

Powell played with the Cootie Williams band (1943 - 44) and sat in on the jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem. Crafting a style from pianists Art Tatum, Billy Kyle, and Thelonious Monk, trumpeter Dizzy

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

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

In 1739 he read his first paper to the Academy of Sciences, of which he became a member in 1741. In 1743, at the age of 26, he published his important Trait� de dynamique, a fundamental treatise on dynamics containing the famous �d'Alembert's principle,� which states that Newton's third law of motion (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction) is true for bodies that are free to

Heinemann, Barbara

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

The Community of True Inspiration had been founded in 1714 by Pietistic mystics and was revived later by Michael Krausert and Christian Metz. In 1818 Heinemann was �illuminated� with a sense of religious calling. She subsequently

Atat�rk, Kemal

2005-02-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Vamik D. Volkan and Norman Itzkowitz, The Immortal Atat�rk (1984, reissued 1986), is a psychobiography. Lord Kinross (Patrick Kinross), Atat�rk: The Rebirth of a Nation (1964, reissued 1998; also published as Atat�rk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey, 1965, reissued 1992), is still worthwhile. Abraham Bodurgil (comp.), Kemal Atat�rk: A Centennial Bibliography (1881 - 1981) (1984), is a comprehensive bibliography. Andrew Mango, Atat�rk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey (2000), reexamines Turkish sources.

Balbinus, Decimus Caelius Calvinus

2005-02-10T00:51:00.000-08:00

A patrician, Balbinus was a Salian priest, twice a consul, and proconsul in Asia. In 238, when the Senate led a rebellion of the Italian cities against Maximinus (emperor 235 - 238), it placed the government in the hands of a board of 20, one of whom was Balbinus, and then chose Balbinus and Pupienus Maximus to be joint emperors. Pupienus, a former city prefect,

Selborne, William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl Of, Viscount Wolmer Of Blackmoor, Baron Selborne Of Selborne

2005-02-09T01:15:00.000-08:00

A son of the lawyer and statesman Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl

Pyroelectricity

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

Development of opposite electrical charges on different parts of a crystal that is subjected to temperature change. First observed (1824) in quartz, pyroelectricity is exhibited only in crystallized nonconducting substances having at least one axis of symmetry that is polar (that is, having no centre of symmetry, the different crystal faces occurring on opposite

Aerospace Industry, Propulsion

2005-02-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

There are three basic types of flight vehicle-propulsion systems: piston engines (or reciprocating engines), turbine engines (true-jet, turboprop, and turboshaft engines), and rocket engines (see airplane: Propulsion systems and rocket). At the low end of the performance spectrum are reciprocating engines. Although during World War�II and the early postwar period the industry

Scandinavian Literature, The impact of the reformation on Swedish letters

2005-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

Two dates mark the beginning of modern Swedish history: 1523 - the breach with Denmark and Gustav I Vasa's accession; and 1527 - the breach with Rome and the establishment of a national Lutheran Church. The political revolution that eventually brought Sweden to the position of a European power had no considerable effect on literature until a century later, but the Reformation

Lance

2005-02-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

The combination of lance and stirrup gave the armoured knights of the European

Adaptation

2005-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

In biology, process by which an animal or plant becomes fitted to its environment; it is the result of natural selection acting upon heritable variation. Even the simpler organisms must be adapted in a great variety of ways: in their structure, physiology, and genetics; in their locomotion or dispersal; in their means of defense and attack; in their reproduction and

Latin Language

2005-02-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

Originally spoken by small groups of people living along the lower Tiber River, Latin spread with the increase of Roman political power, first throughout Italy and then throughout most of western and southern Europe and the central and western Mediterranean

Japanese Philosophy

2005-02-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

The conceptual expression of Japanese �culture since the turn of the 6th century Ad� . The term philosophy has been considered somewhat misleading in reference to Japanese thought, since Japanese premodern thinking tended to be directed more toward the realm of existence than toward that of essence. Japanese philosophy is not generally indigenous; Japanese thinkers have always freely appropriated foreign philosophical systems and insights

Medicine, Periodic medical examination

2005-02-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

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

Medicine, Periodic medical examination

2005-01-31T13:49:00.000-08:00

Kama-loka

2005-01-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

In Buddhism, the world of feeling. See arupa-loka.

Ta'mim, At-

2005-01-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

Muhafazah (governorate), in northeastern Iraq, created from the northern part of Kirkuk muhafazah. It has an area of 3,729 sq mi (9,659 sq km) and encompasses the eastern part of the alluvial plain of the Tigris River and the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. Its economy is based on petroleum and dry-farm agriculture, which produces wheat, barley, and fruits; sheep are grazed. Its capital, Kirk

Eadwig

2005-01-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

Early historical sources are biased against Eadwig. According to one writer, he hated the great monastic reformer Dunstan because he made Eadwig return to his coronation

Ectoderm

2005-01-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

The outermost of the three germ layers, or masses of cells, which appears early in the development of an animal embryo. In vertebrates, ectoderm subsequently gives rise to hair, skin, nails or hooves, and the lens of the eye; the epithelia (surface, or lining, tissues) of sense organs, the nasal cavity, the sinuses, the mouth (including tooth enamel), and the anal canal; and nervous

Qasr 'amrah

2005-01-26T05:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Qasr Al-'amrah, � palace in Jordan, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Amman. Built about AD 712 - 715, it served as both a hunting lodge and a fortress, and it is one of the best-preserved monuments of Islamic architecture from the Umayyad period. Its main chamber is roofed with three parallel vaults that rest on broad arches. The vaults are covered with frescoes of people and animals in scenes from daily life; a

Intelsat

2005-01-25T18:01:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation �of International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, �also called �(1964 - 73) International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium, � organization founded in 1964 by the telecommunication agencies of 18 nations, including the United States, which proposed the organization. Intelsat owns communications satellites and the ground stations from which they are controlled, but the transmitting and receiving apparatus in each country is owned by the Intelsat member from that country. Within several

Intelsat

2005-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yung-lo

2005-01-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Pinyin �Yonglo� (reign name), temple name (ming) �Ch'eng Tsu�, or (ming) �T'ai Tsung�, posthumous name, or shih, �Wen Ti�, personal name �Chu Ti� third emperor (1402 - 24) of China's Ming dynasty, which he raised to its greatest power. He moved the capital from Nanking to Peking, which was rebuilt with the Forbidden City.

Ibn Khallikan

2005-01-22T04:10:00.000-08:00

Ibn Khallikan was an assistant to the chief judge of Egypt until 1261, when he became qadi al-qudat (chief judge) of Damascus. He adhered to the Shafi'i branch of Muslim law, and for the first years had deputy judges of the other three main

Cumont, Franz (-val�ry-marie)

2005-01-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

After studying at Ghent, Bonn, Berlin, Vienna, and Paris, Cumont was from 1892 to 1910 professor at the University of Ghent and from 1899 to 1912 curator of the Brussels

Acrisol

2005-01-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Acrisols form on old landscapes that have an undulating topography and a humid tropical climate. Their natural vegetation is woodland, which in some areas has given way to tree savanna maintained by seasonal burning. The age, mineralogy, and extensive leaching of these

Bonaventure, Saint

2005-01-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

He was a son of Giovanni of Fidanza, a physician, and Maria

Earth Exploration, Geothermal methods

2005-01-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Temperature-gradient measurements are sometimes made to detect heat-flow anomalies; however, most exploration for geothermal resources (e.g., superheated water and steam) is done with indirect methods. Resistivity or seismic methods, for example, may be used to map the magma chamber, which is the source of the heat, or to detect faults or other features that control

Durand-ruel, Paul

2005-01-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

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-Fran�ois Daubigny, and Jules Dupr� - and for

Davies, William Henry

2005-01-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

After serving as apprentice to a picture framer, Davies tramped through the United States, crossed the Atlantic many times on cattle boats, lost a foot while trying

France, History Of, The church

2005-01-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

The episcopate and the diocese were practically the only institutions to survive the collapse of Roman imperial power largely unchanged. During the German conquest many bishops played important roles in defending the population. During the Frankish era bishops and abbots occupied a socially prominent position because of both their great prestige among

1830, Revolutions Of

2005-01-13T02:31:00.000-08:00

The movement started in France, prompted by Charles X's publication on July 26 of four ordinances dissolving the Chamber of Deputies, suspending freedom of the press, modifying the electoral laws so that three-fourths of the electorate lost their

Canadian Shield

2005-01-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

The Canadian Shield constitutes the largest mass

Devolution, War Of

2005-01-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

Devolution was a local custom governing the inheritance of land in certain provinces of the Spanish Netherlands, by which daughters of a first marriage were preferred to sons of subsequent marriages; and Louis XIV of France began the war on the pretext that this

Cole, Natalie

2005-01-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

The daughter of legendary crooner Nat King Cole, she earned a degree in child psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1972. Although uncertain about pursuing a career in entertainment, she accepted a summer job singing

Kamehameha Iv

2005-01-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

Original name �Alexander Liholiho � Hawaiian sovereign known for his firm opposition to the annexation of his kingdom by the United States. As Kamehameha IV, he strove to curb the political power of the American Protestant missionaries in the Hawaiian Islands. Dedicated to protecting his people, who were rapidly dying out because of disease, he sponsored

M�line, F�lix-jules

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

In 1872 M�line 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

Cambisol

2005-01-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cambisols are characterized by the absence of a layer of accumulated clay, humus, soluble salts, or iron and aluminum oxides. They differ from unweathered parent material in their aggregate structure, colour, clay content, carbonate content, or other properties that

Straparola, Gianfrancesco

2005-01-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

Straparola's Piacevoli notti (1550 - 53; The Nights of Straparola) contains 75 novellas (short prose tales) that were later used as source material by William Shakespeare, Moli�re, and others; it introduced into European literature 20 folktales, among

Alonso, D�maso

2005-01-04T00:17:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Madrid, Alonso taught at the Centre of Historical Studies, Madrid (1923 - 36), and was a professor at the University of Valencia (1933 - 39) and the University of Madrid (1939 - 68). He was also a lecturer or visiting professor at universities in

Water Softener

2005-01-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Device for removing calcium and magnesium from water; water so treated will not form insoluble scale in pipes and tanks and will not form a precipitate with soaps or interfere with other cleaners. Water softeners usually consist of zeolite or an ion-exchange resin (q.v.) in a tank connected directly into the water system. The zeolite or resin contains sodium ions that

Water Softener

2005-01-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Essex Decision

2005-01-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Decision rendered by the British High Court of Admiralty in 1804 and confirmed the following year, which contributed to the bad feeling between the United States and Great Britain that eventually led to the War of 1812. Britain and France were at war, and the American merchant vessel Essex had been captured by the British while transporting goods from the French West Indies

Self-defense

2004-12-31T15:28:00.000-08:00

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

Ahmose I

2004-12-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

Resuming the war of liberation against the Hyksos early in his reign, Ahmose crushed the foreigners' allies in Middle Egypt and, advancing down the Nile River, captured Memphis, the

Nigeria, Relief

2004-12-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

In general, the topography of Nigeria consists of plains in the north and south interrupted by plateaus and hills in the centre of the country. The Sokoto Plains are in the northwestern corner of the country, while the Borno Plains in the northeastern corner surround the Lake Chad region. The Lake Chad basin and the coastal areas, including the Niger River delta and

Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco, Duke (duca) D'

2004-12-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

The son of King Amadeus of Spain (who was also the Duke d'Aosta in Italy), Abruzzi was the first to ascend Mount St. Elias in Alaska (1897). His 1899 Arctic expedition reached latitude 86�34� N - a record for the time.

Abruzzi, Luigi Amedeo Giuseppe Maria Ferdinando Francesco, Duke (duca) D'

2004-12-27T00:35:00.000-08:00

Sokhumi

2004-12-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

Formerly �Sukhumi, � city, capital of Abkhazia, Georgia. It lies on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Dioscurias on the Black Sea coast. Sokhumi's seaside location, beaches, and warm climate made it a popular Black Sea resort, with many sanatoriums and holiday camps. Local industries include fruit canning and wine making; there are also foundries and electrical-equipment plants. The

Weller, Thomas H.

2004-12-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

After

Roman Catholicism, History Of, Religious life in the 17th and 18th centuries

2004-12-24T02:33:00.000-08:00

Yet it would be a mistake to allow the narrative of these controversies to monopolize one's attention. Less dramatic but no less important was the continuing life of the Roman Catholic Church during these centuries as �mother and teacher.� Bossuet was not only the formulator of Gallican ideology but also one of the finest preachers of Christian history. He addressed

Vieira, Luandino

2004-12-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Vieira immigrated with his parents to Angola in 1938, living in and around the musseques (African quarters) of Luanda. His writings reflect the fusion of Kimbundu (the language of the Mbundu people) and a variety of Portuguese that is the unique language of the musseque. Vieira, a white Angolan, committed

Hessen

2004-12-22T04:17:00.000-08:00

Also called �Hesse� Land (state) of Germany, eighth largest of the 16 L�nder, occupying an area of 8,152 square miles (21,114 square km) in the west-central part of that country. Hessen is bounded by the states of Lower Saxony (north), North Rhine-Westphalia (northwest), Rhineland-Palatinate (west), Baden-W�rttemberg (south), Bavaria (southeast), and Thuringia (east). The state lies between the Upper Rhine Plateau to

Alberdi, Juan Bautista

2004-12-21T03:41:00.000-08:00

As an opponent of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, Alberdi went into exile in 1838, studying law in Uruguay and also living in Chile and in Europe. After the overthrow of Rosas in 1852, Alberdi wrote

Frame, Janet

2004-12-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

Frame's early years were traumatic. Her childhood was marked by poverty and the drowning deaths of two sisters, and in 1945, while studying to be a teacher, she suffered a breakdown. Misdiagnosed

Mid Bedfordshire

2004-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Bedfordshire, south-central England. The district lies almost entirely within the historic county of Bedfordshire, but a small area north of Sandy belongs to the historic county of Cambridgeshire. Predominantly rural, Mid Bedfordshire extends across a broad valley within the River Ouse catchment basin and is crossed by a low

Dehiwala - mount Lavinia

2004-12-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Urban area on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The area lies south of Colombo, of which it is a residential suburb. It comprises Dehiwala, Galkissa, Mount Lavinia, and other communities, all governed by a single urban council. Mount Lavinia is a seaside resort known for its beaches, and Dehiwala is noted for its zoological garden. The area grew rapidly in the

Iran, Ancient, Mithradates II

2004-12-17T17:59:00.000-08:00

The reign of Mithradates II, from 123 to 88 BC, constitutes the most glorious chapter of Parthian history. It put an end to the ambitions of Artabanus's son Himerus, left by his father as governor of Mesopotamia, and brought Hyspaosines, king of Mesene (Characene), who had extended his possessions too far toward the north, back into submission. In the east the Saka were on the move - soon

Edwin

2004-12-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

The son of King Aelle of Deira, one of the two Northumbrian kingdoms, Edwin fled into exile when Aethelric, king of Bernicia, seized power in Deira in 588 or 590. In 616 King Raedwald of East Anglia defeated and killed Aethelric's

Belarusian Language

2004-12-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

Belarusian also spelled �Belarusan�, older spellings �Belorussian� and �Byelorussian�, formerly called �White Ruthenian� or �White Russian (not to be confused with the �White� Russians who fought against the communists after the Russian Revolution of 1917)�, Belarusian �Belaruskaya mova� East Slavic language that is historically the native language of most Belarusians. Many 20th-century governments of Belarus had policies favouring the Russian language, and, as a result, Russian is more widely used in education and public life than Belarusian. Belarusian forms a link between the Russian and Ukrainian languages, since its dialects shade gradually

Radar

2004-12-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

(from �radio detecting and ranging�), electromagnetic sensor used for detecting, locating, tracking, and identifying objects of various kinds at considerable distances. It operates by transmitting electromagnetic energy toward objects, commonly referred to as targets, and observing the echoes returned from them. The targets may be aircraft, ships, spacecraft, automotive

Ouadda�

2004-12-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

Crossed by caravans linking the Sahara with equatorial Africa and by Muslim pilgrim routes from West Africa toward Mecca,

Sagua La Grande

2004-12-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

City, north-central Villa Clara provincia, north-central Cuba. Lying on the Sagua la Grande River, 15 miles (24 km) from its mouth, the city is a major port and regional manufacturing and commercial centre. The area is known primarily for its sugarcane, but rice, black beans, and livestock also are economically significant. Foundries, distilleries, railroad shops, lumberyards,

Dada

2004-12-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Stephen C. Foster (ed.), Crisis and the Arts: The History of Dada (1996 - ), is a multivolume exploration of the history of the movement. William S. Rubin, Dada, Surrealism, and Their Heritage (1968, reissued 1982); and Dawn Ades, Dada and Surrealism Reviewed (1978), are comprehensive exhibition catalogs. German Dada is discussed in Charlotte Stokes and Stephen C. Foster (eds.), Dada Cologne Hanover (1997). Francis M. Naumann and Beth Venn, Making Mischief: Dada Invades New York (1996), focuses on the New York movement. Richard Huelsenbeck (ed.), The Dada Almanac, 2nd ed. (1998), is an English translation of a large 1920 collection of Dadaist text. The role of female Dadaists is discussed in Naomi Sawelson-Gorse (ed.), Women in Dada: Essays on Sex, Gender, and Identity (1998, reissued 2001).