PossibleStation

Adam's Bridge

2005-04-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

Also called Rama's Bridge, chain of shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. The bridge is 30 miles (48 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry, and nowhere are the shoals deeper than 4 feet (1 m); thus, they seriously hinder navigation. Dredging operations,

John

2005-04-03T03:20:00.000-07:00

The son of Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, and Margaret of Flanders, John was born in the ducal castle at Rouvres, where he spent the greater part of his childhood. In 1385 he married Margaret of Bavaria, and in the following decade

General Mills, Inc.

2005-04-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

General Mills was incorporated in 1928 to acquire Washburn Crosby Company, a flour-milling company formed in 1866, and four other milling companies. Specializing in cereals and flour products, the

General Strike

2005-04-02T03:59:00.000-08:00

The idea of a general strike, as a deliberate part of the tactics of collective bargaining, apparently began in Great Britain

Insurance, Business property insurance

2005-03-31T20:56:00.000-08:00

Insurance for business property follows a pattern that is similar in many ways to the one for individual property. A commonly used form is the “building and personal property coverage form” (BPP). This form permits a business owner to cover in one policy the buildings, fixtures, machinery and equipment, and personal property used in business and the personal property

Amorphous Solid, Vapour condensation techniques

2005-03-30T00:36:00.000-08:00

In the gold-silicon system of Figure 5, at compositions far from the cusp, glasses cannot be formed by melt quenching—even by the rapid splat-quench technique of

Requests, Court Of

2005-03-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Called the Court of Poor Men's Causes until 1529, it was a popular court because of the limited expense of bringing suit before it. Modeled after the French Chambre

Narcissus

2005-03-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leiriope; he was distinguished for his beauty. His mother was told that he would have a long life, provided he never looked upon his own features. His rejection, however, of the love of the nymph Echo or of his lover Ameinias drew upon him the vengeance of the gods. He fell in love with his own reflection in

Cern

2005-03-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Byname of Organisation Européene pour la Recherche Nucléaire, formerly (1952–54) Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, English European Organization for Nuclear Research, international scientific organization established for the purpose of collaborative research into subnuclear physics (also called high-energy, or particle, physics). The organization operates expressly for research of a “pure scientific and fundamental character,” and the results of its experimental and theoretical work are made generally available. Headquarters

Baba-yaga

2005-03-26T03:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Baba-jaga, in Russian folklore, an ogress who steals, cooks, and eats her victims, usually children. A guardian of the fountains of the water of life, she lives with two or three sisters (all known as Baba-Yaga) in a forest hut which spins continually on birds' legs; her fence is topped with human skulls. Baba-Yaga can ride through the air—in an iron kettle or in a mortar that she drives with

Dumuzi-abzu

2005-03-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Kinirsha near Lagash in the southeastern marshland region. She represented the power of fertility and new life in the marshes. Dumuzi-Abzu corresponded to the Sumerian god Dumuzi of the central steppe area, and thus around Eridu she was viewed as male and as son of Enki (Akkadian: Ea, also called the Lord of

Daguerreotype

2005-03-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

First successful form of photography, named for Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre of France, who invented the technique in collaboration with Joseph-Nicéphore Niepce in the 1830s. Daguerre and Niepce found that if a copper plate coated with silver iodide was exposed to light in a camera, then fumed with mercury vapour and fixed (made permanent) by a solution of common salt,

Epistemology, Skepticism

2005-03-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Many philosophers past and present and many nonphilosophers who are studying philosophy for the first time have been struck by the seemingly indecisive nature of philosophical argumentation. For every argument, there seems to be a counterargument; and for every position, a counterposition. To a considerable extent skepticism is born of such reflection. Some

Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics

2005-03-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Also called moderne gymnastics , or modern rhythmic gymnastics the performance of systematic physical exercise with the aid of such hand apparatuses as ropes, hoops, balls, clubs, and ribbons. It is closely related to women's artistic gymnastics—a sport performed on the vaulting horse, uneven parallel bars, balance beam, and floor—and, like synchronized swimming, is allied with dance. The sport dates from the 18th century; and, although

Schapera, Isaac

2005-03-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Run-d.m.c.

2005-03-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

Formed

Seleucus I Nicator

2005-03-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

Macedonian army officer, founder of the Seleucid kingdom. In the struggles following the death of Alexander the Great, he rose from governor of Babylon to king of an empire centring on Syria and Iran.

Blood Typing

2005-03-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Classification of an individual's blood in terms of specific, distinctive antigenic characteristics that are inherited and are associated with the red blood cells. The ABO and the Rh blood groups (qq.v.) are among those most commonly considered. Identification of these determinants has become indispensable in connection with blood transfusion, because recipient

Lithuania

2005-03-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

Energy—including its impact on foreign relations—was a top issue in Lithuania in 2002. In August a series of negotiations resulted in the Lithuanian energy giant, the Mazeikiu Nafta oil refinery, coming under the control of a Russian company, which raised economic and political concerns in the country. An American corporation, Williams International, controlled 27% of

Aries

2005-03-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Aries contains no very bright stars. The first point of Aries, or vernal equinox, is an intersection of the

Trailing Arbutus

2005-03-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

Also called Ground Laurel, Winter Pink, or Mayflower (species Epigaea repens), trailing plant of the heath family (Ericaceae), native to sandy or boggy, acid woodlands of eastern North America. It has oblong, hairy evergreen leaves 2–6 cm (0.75–2.5 inches) long. The highly fragrant white, pink, or rosy flowers have a five-lobed corolla (the petals, collectively) and grow in dense clusters. Trailing arbutus grows in shady wildflower

Largo Caballero, Francisco

2005-03-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Largo Caballero worked in Madrid as a plasterer before joining the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español; PSOE) in 1894. He soon became an official in the party's

Amon

2005-03-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

Amon may have been originally a local deity at Khmun (Hermopolis) in Middle Egypt; his cult reached Thebes, where he became the patron of the pharaohs by the reign of Mentuhotep I (2008–1957 BC). At that date he was already identified with the sun god Re of Heliopolis and, as Amon-Re, was received as a national god. Represented in human form,

Anatase

2005-03-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

One of three minerals composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the other two being rutile and brookite. It is found as hard, brilliant crystals of tetragonal symmetry and various colours in veins in igneous and metamorphic rocks and commonly in placer deposits of detritus. Notable vein deposits exist in many regions of the Alps; placer deposits are common in Minas Gerais

Tarn

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

A small mountain lake, especially one set in a glaciated steep-walled amphitheatre known as a cirque (q.v.).

Daimler, Gottlieb (wilhelm)

2005-03-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

Daimler studied engineering at the Stuttgart polytechnic institute and then worked in various German engineering firms, gaining experience with engines. In 1872 he became technical director

Luria, Isaac Ben Solomon

2005-03-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Luria's youth was spent in Egypt, where he became versed in rabbinic studies, engaged in commerce, and eventually concentrated on study of the Zohar, the central work of Kabbala. In 1570 he went to Safed in Galilee, where

Lutheran Church In Württemberg

2005-03-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

Independent Lutheran church established in the duchy of Württemberg in 1534 during the Protestant Reformation in Germany. A strong Lutheran church throughout the centuries, it was influenced in the 17th and 18th centuries by Pietism, the Lutheran-based movement that emphasized personal religious experience and reform. It became independent of the state after Germany

Zeeman Effect

2005-03-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

In physics and astronomy, the splitting of a spectral line into two or more components of slightly different frequency when the light source is placed in a magnetic field. It was first observed in 1896 by the Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman as a broadening of the yellow D-lines of sodium in a flame held between strong magnetic poles. Later the broadening was found to be a distinct

Bantock, Sir Granville

2005-03-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

After preparing for the Indian civil service, Bantock studied at Trinity College of Music, London, and the Royal Academy of Music, London. He was active as a conductor, founded and edited the New Quarterly Music Review (1893–96), and succeeded Sir Edward Elgar as professor

Intelligence

2005-03-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

In government and military operations, evaluated information concerning the strength, activities, and probable courses of action of foreign countries or nonstate actors that are usually, though not always, enemies or opponents. The term also is used to refer to the collection, analysis, and distribution of such information and to secret intervention in the political

Buys, Paulus

2005-03-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

The harsh religious persecution and high taxes of the Duke of Alba's regime (1567–73) led Buys to join the resistance to the Spanish government, working

Taewon-gun

2005-03-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

As regent from 1864 to 1873, Taewon-gun inaugurated a far-ranging reform program to strengthen the central administration; he modernized and increased its armies and rationalized the administration. Opposed to any concessions to Japan or the West, Taewon-gun, though out of power, helped organize the anti-Japanese outbreak in 1882. Considered a troublemaker,

Dyspareunia

2005-03-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Painful or difficult sexual intercourse in the female. Disorders are generally physical rather than psychological. Dyspareunia may be caused by inflammation or infection of the vagina, vaginismus (q.v.; voluntary or involuntary contraction of the lower vaginal muscles), remnants of the hymen, insufficient lubrication of the vagina, infection, endometriosis, tumours,

Elizabeth

2005-03-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the youngest

Turkey, Government

2005-03-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

Following a period of authoritarian, one-party rule under the first president of the republic, Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk; 1923–38), and his successor, Ismet Inönü (1938–50), multiparty democracy was instituted in 1950. Parliamentary democracy has for the most part remained in force since that date, although it has been interrupted by brief periods of military government at times when civilian

Ambergris

2005-03-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

A solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon). In Eastern cultures ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice; in the West it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes. Ambergris floats and washes ashore most frequently on the coasts of China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas and on tropical islands such

Ouzel

2005-03-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ousel, also called Ring-ouzel (species Turdus torquatus), a thrush of the family Turdidae (order Passeriformes), characterized by a white crescent on the breast. A blackish bird, 24 cm (9.5 inches) long, it breeds locally in uplands from Great Britain and Norway to the Middle East. The name ouzel was formerly applied to a closely related European blackbird (T. merula; see blackbird). For a related bird in Mexico,

Dai Jiten

2005-03-04T23:28:00.000-08:00

The work is a reduced-size reprint of the 26-volume edition of 1934–36, augmented substantially with new entries. Dai jiten contains more than 400,000 modern, classical, dialect, and technical words, many of them, especially in the technical and modern categories, of foreign origin.

Pippin

2005-03-04T02:38:00.000-08:00

Given the title of king of Italy in 781, Pippin took part in campaigns against Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria from 787 and led an army against the Avars in 796. His Venetian campaign (809–810) enabled Charlemagne later to come to favourable terms with the Byzantine Empire. As early as 806, Charlemagne, in planning the division

Chaga

2005-03-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Their methods of cultivation support a very dense population. They practice an intensive irrigated agriculture on terraced fields, keeping them under permanent cultivation through

China, Regional cultures of the Late Neolithic

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

By the 3rd millennium BC the regional cultures in the areas discussed above showed increased signs of interaction and even convergence. That they are frequently referred to as varieties of the Lung-shan culture (c. 2500–2000 BC) of east central Shantung—characterized by its lustrous, eggshell-thin black ware—suggests the degree to which these cultures are thought to have experienced

Rocky Mountains, Water resources

2005-03-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

The Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States are a region of water surplus, where precipitation exceeds losses from evaporation, runoff, and transpiration. The lands on either side of the mountain front, however, experience a water deficit. The people living in these areas have looked to water-storage projects in the Rockies for irrigation, domestic and industrial

Yellow-green Algae

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

Members of the division Xanthophyta (about 6,000 species), once classified with the green algae on the basis of similarity of body organization. The Xanthophyta are distinguished by their food reserve (oil), the quantity of b-carotene in their plastids, and motile bodies with unequal flagella. Frequently their cell walls are two overlapping halves. The

Confederate States Of America

2005-03-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

Convinced that their way of life, based on slavery, was irretrievably threatened by the election of President Abraham Lincoln (November 1860), the seven states of the Deep

Carnivore

2005-02-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Opinion is divided as to whether the order Carnivora arose from the ancient creodonts or had a separate and independent origin from the order Insectivora. Most paleontologists now favour the latter view. The Cretaceous insectivore Procerberus seems to be morphologically close to the most primitive carnivores (miacids), the creodonts, and the primitive hoofed

Murad Iii

2005-02-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

Externally Murad continued the military offensive of his predecessors. He took Fez (now Fès, Mor.) from the Portuguese in 1578. He fought an exhausting war against

Carnivore

2005-02-27T03:13:00.000-08:00

Nongovernmental in nature, the ABA seeks to encourage improvements in the legal profession, to ensure the availability of legal services to all citizens, and to improve the administration of justice. It

Medicine, Costs of health care

2005-02-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

The costs to national economics of providing health care are considerable and have been growing at a rapidly increasing rate, especially in countries such as the United States, Germany, and Sweden; the rise in Britain has been less rapid. This trend has been the cause of major concerns in both developed and developing countries. Some of this concern is based upon the

Sculpture, Decorative sculpture

2005-02-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

The devices and motifs of ornamental sculpture fall into three main categories: abstract, zoomorphic, and botanical. Abstract shapes, which can easily be made to fit into any framework, are a widespread form of decoration. Outstanding examples of abstract relief ornament are found on Islamic, Mexican, and Mayan buildings and on small Celtic metal artifacts. The character

Computers, PC clones

2005-02-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

In 1982 a well-funded start-up firm called Compaq Computer Corporation came out with a portable computer that was compatible with the IBM PC. These first portables resembled sewing machines when they were closed and weighed about 28 pounds (approximately 13 kg)—at the time a true lightweight. Compatibility with the IBM PC meant that any software or peripherals, such as printers,

Abacus

2005-02-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

The earliest “abacus” likely was a board or slab on which a Babylonian spread sand so he could trace letters for general writing purposes. The word abacus is probably derived, through its Greek form abakos, from a

Silao

2005-02-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Guanajuato estado (“state”), north-central Mexico. Founded in 1537, Silao lies along the Silao River at 5,830 feet (1,777 m) above sea level. By virtue of its location in the Bajío region, known as the granary of Mexico, Silao is an important agricultural centre. A wide variety of crops, including corn (maize), beans, wheat, chick-peas, avocados, peaches, and strawberries, thrive

Gypcrete

2005-02-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Gypcrust, gypsum-cemented duricrust, an indurated, or hardened, layer formed on or in soil. It generally occurs in a hot, arid or semiarid climate in a basin that has internal drainage. It usually is composed of about 95 percent gypsum (a hydrated calcium sulfate mineral) and is initially developed in a playa as an evaporite. Gypcrete ranges from a loose, powdery deposit to massive

Karaism

2005-02-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

The movement began in

Annelid, External features

2005-02-21T01:27:00.000-08:00

The body of an annelid is often described as a tube within a tube. The inner tube, or digestive tract, is separated from the outer tube, or body wall, by the coelom. The head region (prostomium) is followed by a series of segments similar to each other in appearance. The body in many species, especially in the sedentary polychaetes, is separated into two or three regions. The

Computers And Information Systems, E-Commerce.

2005-02-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

E-commerce continued the downward slide that had begun in early 2000. In the first half of 2001, U.S. Internet advertising revenues declined 7.8% from the same period a year earlier. The on-line ad sales decline compared with revenue growth of 78% in 2000 and marked the end of several years of substantial growth in on-line ad revenues. The Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group, said the

Vihara

2005-02-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

Early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for them to lead the wanderer's life. They took on a sacred character when small stupas (housing sacred relics) and images

Athamas

2005-02-19T01:58:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, king of the prehistoric Minyans in the ancient Boeotian city of Orchomenus. His first wife was Nephele, a cloud goddess. But later Athamas became enamoured of Ino, the daughter of Cadmus, and neglected Nephele, who disappeared in anger. Athamas and Ino incurred the wrath of the goddess Hera because Ino had nursed the god Dionysus (q.v.). Athamas went mad

Disasters

2005-02-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

March 20, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A gas cylinder belonging to a balloon

Acrostic

2005-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

The word was first applied to the prophecies of the Erythraean Sibyl, which were written on leaves and arranged so that the initial letters of the leaves always formed a word.

Forbes (of Culloden), Duncan

2005-02-17T00:54:00.000-08:00

Trained in law, Forbes entered local politics and in 1715 aided the Hanoverian cause during the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of that year. Forbes was elected

Computers, The Atanasoff-Berry Computer

2005-02-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

It was generally believed that the first electronic digital computers were the Colossus, built in England in 1943, and the ENIAC, built in the United States in 1945. However, the first special-purpose electronic computer may actually have been invented by John Vincent Atanasoff, a physicist and mathematician at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), during 1937–42. (Atanasoff

Stilicho, Flavius

2005-02-15T01:59:00.000-08:00

Stilicho was half-Roman, half-Vandal by birth. Making the army his career, in 383 he served

Kylver Stone

2005-02-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

The runes faced the inside of a coffin and probably were intended either to protect the grave or to bind the dead person to it. In addition to the runic alphabet, the rune carver also carved

Angus, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl Of

2005-02-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

By his second marriage in 1514 to the queen dowager Margaret Tudor, Angus aroused the jealousy of the nobles. Margaret was supplanted in 1515 as regent and guardian of the infant James V by the Duke

Aryballos

2005-02-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

Small, narrow-necked, spherical or globular Greek vase. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, particularly by athletes at the baths, the aryballos derives from the globular wine pourer (oinochoe) of the Geometric style (9th century BC), evolving its distinctive shape in the early Proto-Corinthian style (8th century BC). From the many aryballoi that have been found dating from

World War I, Mesopotamia, summer 1916winter 1917

2005-02-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

The British forces in Mesopotamia, neglected hitherto and discouraged by the disaster at al-Kut (see above Mesopotamia, 1914–April 1916), received better attention from London in the second half of 1916; and Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, who became commander in chief in August, did so much to restore their morale that by December he was ready to undertake the recapture of al-Kut as a first

Higgs Particle

2005-02-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

The Higgs field is different from other fundamental fields, such

Aryballos

2005-02-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

International organization founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Members in the late 1990s included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United

Alder

2005-02-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

An alder may be distinguished from a birch by its usually stalked winter buds and by cones that remain on the branches

Rzhev

2005-02-10T00:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Rzev city, Tver oblast (province), northwestern Russia. It lies along the upper Volga River at the crossing of the Moscow-Riga and St. Petersburg–Bryansk trunk railways. First mentioned in 1216 as an independent princedom, Rzhev has always been a route centre on the western approaches to Moscow. The city has had a stormy history. It was held at various times by the princes of Tver

Ust-orda Buryat

2005-02-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Ust-ordynsky Buryat, autonomous okrug (district) in Irkutsk oblast (province), east-central Russia. It lies west of Lake Baikal and extends across the Angara River. The okrug was created in 1937. Its plateau relief is partly in boreal forest, or taiga, of larch, spruce, fir, pine, and birch and partly in forest-steppe. Coal is mined in the west, where the Trans-Siberian Railroad crosses the okrug. Timber

Agung, Mount

2005-02-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

According to one Balinese myth, the deities made mountains for their thrones and placed the highest, Mount Agung, in Bali. According to another myth,

Gyrfalcon

2005-02-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

(Falco rusticolus), Arctic bird of prey of the family Falconidae, the world's largest falcon (q.v.). The gyrfalcon may reach 60 cm (2 feet) in length. Confined as a breeder to the circumpolar region except for isolated populations in Central Asian highlands, it is sometimes seen at lower latitudes in winters when food is scarce. The gyrfalcon varies from pure white with black speckling

Cumberland Road

2005-02-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Also called National Road, first federal highway in the United States and for several years the main route to what was then the Northwest Territory. Built (1811–37) from Cumberland, Md. (western terminus of a state road from Baltimore and of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal), to Vandalia, Ill., it forms part of the present U.S. Route 40. In April 1802 Congress appropriated land-sale funds to finance an overland link between

Annapolis

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

Settled in 1649 as Providence by Virginian Puritans, it later was known as Town Land at Proctor's and Anne Arundel Town. In 1694 the colonial capital was moved there from St. Mary's City. The next year it was renamed

Calcium Deficiency

2005-02-06T03:19:00.000-08:00

Condition in which an organism fails to receive or to metabolize an adequate supply of the element calcium, the mineral most likely to be deficient in the average diet. Calcium is the chief supportive element in bones and teeth. Calcium salts make up about 70 percent of bone by weight and give that substance its strength and rigidity. About 99 percent of the calcium in the

Bracteate

2005-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

These circular bracteates were derived from late Roman and Byzantine coins. Goldsmiths later abandoned the Roman

Gippius, Zinaida Nikolayevna

2005-02-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

During the

Rovenky

2005-02-05T02:19:00.000-08:00

Russian Rovenki, city, Luhansk oblast (province), southeastern Ukraine. Rovenky is 37 miles (60 km) south of the city of Luhansk on the Debaltseve-Likhovsky rail line. It was incorporated as a city in 1934. Rovenky is located in a coal-mining area and has an ore-enrichment plant. Food processing, woodworking, and stone products manufacturing are other important industries. The city has a mining tekhnikum

Biblical Literature, Problems resulting from aural conditioning

2005-02-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Aural conditioning would result from a mishearing of similar sounding consonants when a text is dictated to the copyist. A negative particle lo', for example, could be confused with the prepositional lo, “to him,” or a guttural het with spirant kaf so that ah “brother” might be written for akh “surely.”

Niche

2005-02-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

In ecology, the smallest unit of a habitat that is occupied by an organism. Habitat niche refers to the physical space occupied by the organism; ecological niche refers to the role it plays in the community of organisms found in the habitat. The activities of an organism and its relationships to other organisms are determined by its particular structure, physiology,

Marfan's Syndrome

2005-02-02T23:52:00.000-08:00

Also called arachnodactyly rare hereditary disorder of connective-tissue development in humans that affects several body systems, most notably the skeleton, heart, and eye. Affected individuals are tall, their limbs are long and thin, their fingers are long and may be described as spider-like, and there is a tendency to double-jointedness. The lens of the eye is dislocated (a diagnostic sign), and

Alaska, Government

2005-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

The state constitution was adopted in 1956. The governor and lieutenant governor are the only executive officers and are elected for four-year terms. The 40-member House of Representatives and 20-member Senate are elected for terms of two and four years, respectively. The Supreme Court has a chief justice and four associate justices. A three-member court of appeals was established

Gerzean Culture

2005-02-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Naqadah Ii Culture, predynastic Egyptian cultural phase given the sequence dates 40–65 by Sir Flinders Petrie and later dated c. 3400–c. 3100 BC. Evidence indicates that the Gerzean culture was not brought by invaders but was rather a further development of the culture of the Amratian period, which immediately preceded the Gerzean. Centred primarily at Naqadah and Hierakonpolis in Upper Egypt, and Sayala

Madi

2005-02-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

Primarily hoe cultivators with millet as their staple crop, the Madi also fish, hunt, and keep cattle; smithing is an important

David Ii

2005-01-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

On July 17, 1328, in accordance with the Anglo-Scottish peace treaty of Northampton,

Adi-buddha

2005-01-30T00:53:00.000-08:00

Among some sects of Mahayana Buddhism, the first, or self-existing, Buddha, from whom are said to have evolved the five Dhyani-Buddhas (see Dhyani-Buddha). Though the concept of an Adi-Buddha was never generally popular, a few groups, particularly in Nepal, Tibet, and Java, elevated Vairocana to the position of Adi-Buddha or named a new deity, such as Vajradhara or Vajrasattva, as the

Switzerland, Animal life

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

The animal life of Switzerland is mainly Alpine, but a mixture of species familiar to southern and north-central Europe is also found. Animal life is protected, except during a brief annual hunting season. The Alpine tourists may observe marmots, which live in the high meadows, and the chamois. Large herds of the round ibex, which had died out in the Swiss Alps and has since

Arts, Islamic, Decentralization of Islamic literatures

2005-01-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

Safavid Iran, as it happened, lost most of its artists and poets to the neighbouring countries: there were no great masters of poetry in Iran between the 16th and 18th centuries. And while the Persian Shah Esma'il wrote Turkish mystical verses, his contemporary and enemy, Sultan Selim I of Turkey (died 1520), composed quite elegant Persian ghazals. Babur (died 1530), in turn, composed his autobiography

Aromatic Compound

2005-01-27T03:42:00.000-08:00

Any of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecular structure includes one or more planar rings of atoms joined by covalent bonds of two different kinds. The term aromatic was first applied about 1860 to a group of hydrocarbons isolated from coal tar and distinguished by their odours, which are much stronger than those of other groups of hydrocarbons; in chemistry,

Afonso V

2005-01-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

The son of King Edward (Duarte) and Queen Leonor, daughter of King Ferdinand I of Aragon, Afonso succeeded to the throne at the age of six. In 1440 his mother was deprived of the regency by his uncle Pedro, Duke de Coimbra, whose daughter Isabella Afonso married. The regent was in turn

Galty Mountains

2005-01-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Galtee Mountains, mountain range, extending across the border between southwestern County Tipperary and southeastern County Limerick, southern Ireland. The range has the east–west trend characteristic of the extreme south of the country. The highest peaks are formed of sandstone, the highest point being Galtymore (3,018 feet [920 m]). The mountains bear strong evidence of glaciation, notably

Loyalist

2005-01-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Tory colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. Loyalists constituted about one-third of the population of the American colonies during that conflict. They were not confined to any particular group or class, but their numbers were strongest among the following groups: officeholders and others who served the British crown and had a vested interest

Aria

2005-01-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

Solo song with instrumental accompaniment, an important element of opera but also found extensively in cantatas and oratorios. The term originated in Italy in the 16th century and first gained currency after 1602, when Giulio Caccini published Le nuove musiche (The New Music), a collection of solo songs with continuo (usually cello and harpsichord) accompaniment. Caccini

China, The Boxer Rebellion

2005-01-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

The crisis of 1896–98 stirred a furious antiforeign uprising in Shantung, aroused by the German advances and encouraged by the provincial governor. It was staged by a band of people called the I-ho ch'üan (Righteous and Harmonious Fists) who believed that a mysterious boxing art rendered them invulnerable to harm. The group's origin is generally supposed to have been in the

David, Jacques-louis

2005-01-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

David won wide acclaim with his huge canvases on classical themes (e.g., “Oath of the Horatii,” 1784 [see photograph]). When the French Revolution began in 1789, he served briefly as its artistic director

Uccle

2005-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

Flemish Ukkel municipality, Brussels region, central Belgium. It lies just south of Brussels and is one of the 19 communes that make up Greater Brussels. Formerly a separate town dating back to the 12th century, it is now a primarily residential suburb with some light manufacturing. It is the site of the Royal Observatory and has several châteaus (Errera, Uccle, and Ithier). The Russian Orthodox

Earth Sciences, Cloud physics

2005-01-21T22:53:00.000-08:00

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

PossibleStation

Adam's Bridge

John

General Mills, Inc.

General Strike

Insurance, Business property insurance

Amorphous Solid, Vapour condensation techniques

Requests, Court Of

Narcissus

Cern

Baba-yaga

Dumuzi-abzu

Daguerreotype

Epistemology, Skepticism

Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics

Schapera, Isaac

Run-d.m.c.

Seleucus I Nicator

Blood Typing

Lithuania

Aries

Trailing Arbutus

Largo Caballero, Francisco

Amon

Anatase

Tarn

Daimler, Gottlieb (wilhelm)

Luria, Isaac Ben Solomon

Lutheran Church In Württemberg

Zeeman Effect

Bantock, Sir Granville

Intelligence

Buys, Paulus

Taewon-gun

Dyspareunia

Elizabeth

Turkey, Government

Ambergris

Ouzel

Dai Jiten

Pippin

Chaga

China, Regional cultures of the Late Neolithic

Rocky Mountains, Water resources

Yellow-green Algae

Confederate States Of America

Carnivore

Murad Iii

Carnivore

Medicine, Costs of health care

Sculpture, Decorative sculpture

Computers, PC clones

Abacus

Silao

Gypcrete

Karaism

Annelid, External features

Computers And Information Systems, E-Commerce.

Vihara

Athamas

Disasters

Acrostic

Forbes (of Culloden), Duncan

Computers, The Atanasoff-Berry Computer

Stilicho, Flavius

Kylver Stone

Angus, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl Of

Aryballos

World War I, Mesopotamia, summer 1916winter 1917

Higgs Particle

Aryballos

Alder

Rzhev

Ust-orda Buryat

Agung, Mount

Gyrfalcon

Cumberland Road

Annapolis

Calcium Deficiency

Bracteate

World War I, Mesopotamia, summer 1916winter 1917