SpecialFlower

Puerto La Cruz

2005-03-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Anzoátegui estado (“state”), northeastern Venezuela, situated along the Caribbean Sea. The former fishing village has become a busy, thriving, populous port city with the development of the petroleum industry since the 1930s in the eastern Llanos (plains). Pipelines running from the Anzoátegui fields and from fields in neighbouring Guárico and Monagas

Ryle, Gilbert

2005-03-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

Ryle gained first-class honours at Queen's College, Oxford, and became a lecturer at Christ Church College in 1924. Throughout his career, which remained centred at Oxford, he attempted—as Waynflete professor of metaphysical

Baker, Sir Benjamin

2005-03-15T04:49:00.000-08:00

In 1861 Baker became an assistant to the consulting engineer John Fowler and by 1875 was his partner. Baker became Fowler's chief assistant in 1869 and as such was responsible for the construction of the subterranean District

Zahran, Az-

2005-03-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Dhahran, town, northeastern Saudi Arabia, in the Dammam oil field, just south of the Persian Gulf port of ad-Dammam. Near the scene of the original discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938, it is now a modern community that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco). A major United States Air Force Base was built in 1945 and continues in use. The town

Powell, Maud

2005-03-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Powell early displayed musical talent and took up the violin. Encouraged especially by her mother, an amateur musician and composer, she studied under teachers in Aurora, Illinois, and in Chicago. At age nine she made a six-week

Anthimus I

2005-03-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

As bishop of Trebizond Anthimus participated in discussions at Constantinople in 532, to effect religious and political unity between East and West. Although avowing support for the orthodox party, Anthimus

French Literature, Bourgeois drama

2005-03-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

Yet Beaumarchais himself espoused the drame bourgeois (“bourgeois drama,” or “middle-class tragedy”) in his Essai sur le genre dramatique sérieux (1767). He wrote several drames, among them the sequel to Le Mariage in L'Autre Tartuffe, ou La Mère coupable (1792). The growing importance of sentiment on the stage had proved as inimical to Classical comedy as to Classical tragedy. More

Ray, Charlotte E.

2005-03-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

Ray studied at the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C., and by 1869 she was teaching at Howard University. There she studied law, receiving her degree in 1872. Her admission that year to the District of Columbia bar made her the first

Katsuta

2005-03-03T00:38:00.000-08:00

City, Ibaraki ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Naka River, northeast of Mito, the prefectural capital. The city developed rapidly as an industrial site for the Hitachi Company, Ltd., after 1940, mainly producing electric locomotives and other electric machinery. Pop. (1992 est.) 112,650.

Ma, Yo-yo

2005-02-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

One of the most publicized events in classical music in 1998 was the release of Chinese-American superstar Yo-Yo Ma's recording of the six suites for unaccompanied cello by Johann Sebastian Bach along with six related films created with artists in other media. Ma collaborated on the project with, among others, landscape architect Julie Moir Messervy, director Franç

Wuppertal

2005-02-26T05:36:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. The city extends for 10 miles (16 km) along the steep banks of the Wupper River, a right-bank tributary of the Rhine, northeast of Düsseldorf. Formed as Barmen-Elberfeld in 1929 through the amalgamation of the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, Beyenburg, Cronenberg, Ronsdorf, and Vohwinkel, the name was changed to Wuppertal

Monatomic Gas

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

Gas composed of particles (molecules) that consist of single atoms, such as helium or sodium vapour, and in this way different from diatomic, triatomic, or, in general, polyatomic gases. The thermodynamic behaviour of a monatomic gas in the ordinary temperature range is extremely simple because it is free from the rotational and vibrational energy components characteristic

Glassware, Venice and the façon de Venise

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

A glass industry was already established near Venice in the 7th century, and vessel glass was made there by the last quarter of the 10th century. In 1291 the glass furnaces were removed to the neighbouring island of Murano to remove the risk of fire from the city. Although Venice had constant contact with the East, there is no evidence that it was indebted to that source for its

Régence Style

2005-02-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

Transition in the decorative arts from the massive rectilinear forms of Louis XIV furniture to those prefiguring the Rococo style of Louis XV. The style encompasses about the first 30 years of the 18th century, when Philippe II, duc d'Orléans, was regent of France. The restraint arrived at during this period resulted from a strong reaction against the pomposity of the

Syzran

2005-02-18T03:04:00.000-08:00

City, Samara oblast (province), western Russia. It lies along the Volga River at the latter's confluence with the Syzran River. Founded in 1683 as a stronghold at the eastern end of the Syzran defensive line, the city is a significant river port and an important centre of the western Volga-Urals oil field. Oil refining, manufacture of chemicals, glassmaking, timber working, and

Henry, O.

2005-02-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

Pseudonym of William Sydney Porter American short-story writer whose tales romanticized the commonplace—in particular the life of ordinary people in New York City. His stories expressed the effect of coincidence on character through humour, grim or ironic, and often had surprise endings, a device that became identified with his name and cost him critical

Levant

2005-02-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

(from the French lever, “to rise,” as in sunrise, meaning the east), historically the countries along the eastern Mediterranean shores. Common use of the term is associated with Venetian and other trading ventures and the establishment of commerce with cities such as Tyre and Sidon as a result of the Crusades. It was applied to the coastlands of Asia Minor and Syria, sometimes

Balczó, András

2005-02-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

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

Hettangian Stage

2005-02-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

The name Hettangian

Amphibole

2005-02-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

W.A. Deer, R.A. Howie, and J. Zussman, Rock-forming Minerals, 5 vol. (1962–63), with a 2nd ed. in progress (1978– ); Manual of Mineralogy (after James D. Dana), 20th ed. by Cornelis Klein and Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr. (1985); J.J. Papike and M. Cameron, “Crystal Chemistry of Silicate Minerals of Geophysical Interest,” Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics, 14(1):37–80 (1976); B.E. Leake (comp.), “Nomenclature of Amphiboles,” American Mineralogist, 63(11–12):1023–52 (1978); David R. Veblen (ed.), Amphiboles and Other Hydrous Pyriboles: Mineralogy (1981); David R. Veblen and Paul H. Ribbe (eds.), Amphiboles: Petrology and Experimental Phase Relations (1982).

Manapouri, Lake

2005-02-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Lake, southwestern South Island, New Zealand, the deepest lake in the country. It is one of the Southern Lakes, found in the highland section of Fiordland National Park, which were formed by the glacial deepening of an existing stream valley accompanied by damming of the valley with a moraine (glacial debris). Manapouri derives its name from a Maori word meaning “lake

Nolde, Emil

2005-02-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

Born of a peasant family, the youthful Nolde made his living as a wood-carver. He was able to study art formally only when some of his early works

Sesostris Iii

2005-02-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

During the reigns of his predecessors, the provincial nobles of Middle Egypt had enhanced their power through royal favours and intermarriage with the families of neighbouring potentates. Around the

Tall Tale

2005-01-31T03:03:00.000-08:00

Narrative that depicts the wild adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes. The tall tale is essentially an oral form of entertainment; the audience appreciates the imaginative invention rather than the literal meaning of the tales. Associated with the lore of the American frontier, tall tales often explain the origins of lakes, mountains, and canyons;

Tradición

2005-01-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

In Spanish-American literature, short prose sketch in which a historical incident is related in an imaginative and literary style. An evocation of the South American past, the tradición may be set in the precolonial era, the age of discovery and conquest, the prerevolutionary era of romance and political intrigue, or the time of the struggle for self-determination

Teaching

2005-01-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

Measured in terms of its members, teaching is the world's largest profession. In the late 20th century it was estimated that there were 30,000,000 teachers throughout the world. Though their roles and functions vary from country to country, the variations among teachers

Abu 'l-fadl 'allami

2005-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Abu 'l-Fadl 'Allami studied with his father, Sheikh Mubarak Nagawri, a distinguished scholar, and after teaching in his father's school was presented to Akbar in 1574 by the poet Fayzi, Abu 'l-Fadl's older brother. Through his criticism of the traditional Muslim religious leaders, he

Wadi Al-jadid, Al-

2005-01-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

(English: “New Valley”), desert muhafazah (governorate), Egypt. It includes the entire southwestern quadrant of the country, from the Nile River valley (east) to the frontiers with The Sudan (south) and Libya (west). Its total area covers approximately two-fifths of Egypt. Until 1958 the muhafazah was known as as-Sahra' al-Janubiyah, meaning “southern desert.” For national planning purposes, the term

United Nations

2005-01-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

The Arab League on September 21 voted to defy UN sanctions by permitting planes carrying Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, to land on the territory of member nations and to permit flights to Libya for humanitarian and religious purposes. The sanctions were imposed on Libya in 1992 over its refusal to surrender suspects wanted in the U.S. and Britain in connection

Chandrapur

2005-01-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

Located on major rail and road routes,

Nahavand, Battle Of

2005-01-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

At Nahavand some 30,000 Arab troops, under the command of Nu'man, attacked a Sasanian army alleged to number 150,000 men. The Sasanian troops, commanded

Literature

2005-01-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

In 1997 the world of publishing was as fickle as ever. The sudden death of Diana, princess of Wales (see OBITUARIES), occasioned an outpouring of books that were devoured by the public, even as critics decried the impulse behind them. Although major publishing houses owned by multinational corporations continued their hegemony, an increasing number of highly regarded

Diorite

2005-01-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Medium- to coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock that commonly is composed of about two-thirds plagioclase feldspar and one-third dark-coloured minerals, such as hornblende or biotite. The presence of sodium-rich feldspar, oligoclase or andesine, in contrast to calcium-rich plagioclase, labradorite or bytownite, is the main distinction between diorite and gabbro

Arena Chapel

2005-01-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Also called Scrovegni Chapel (consecrated March 25, 1305) small chapel built in the first years of the 14th century in Padua, Italy, by Enrico Scrovegni and containing frescoes by the Florentine painter Giotto (see photograph). A “Last Judgment” covers the entire west wall. The rest of the chapel is covered with frescoes in three tiers representing scenes from the lives of Saints Joachim and Anna,

Chiaroscuro

2005-01-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Some evidence exists that ancient Greek and Roman artists used chiaroscuro effects, but in European painting the technique was first brought to its full potential by Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th century in such paintings as his “Adoration of the

Topological Space

2005-01-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, generalization of Euclidean spaces in which the idea of closeness, or limits, is described in terms of relationships between sets rather than in terms of distance. Every topological space consists of: (1) a set of points; (2) a class of subsets defined axiomatically as open sets; and (3) the set operations of union and intersection. In addition, the class of open

Biblical Literature, Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

2005-01-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

New literary documents from the intertestamental period were found in the caves of Qumran in the vicinity of the Dead Sea in the 1940s, but only a portion of them has yet been published. All the Dead Sea Scrolls were written before the destruction of the Second Temple; with the exception of small Greek fragments, they are all in Hebrew and Aramaic. The scrolls formed the library

La Oroya

2005-01-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Oroya, city, Junín departamento, central Peru, at the junction of the Mantaro and Yauli rivers on a central plateau of the Andes, at an elevation of 12,195 feet (3,717 m). The city, located in a rich mining region based on the Cerro de Pasco, Morococha, and Casapalca mines, is a smelting and refining centre for copper, zinc, silver, and lead ores; it is also the site of a hydroelectric station fed by

Chancre

2004-12-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Typical skin lesion of the primary stage of infectious syphilis, usually appearing on the penis, labia, cervix, or anorectal region. (Because in women the chancre often occurs internally, it may go unnoticed.) The lesion often occurs in combination with a painless swelling of the regional lymph nodes, and together these symptoms are the major characteristics of syphilis

Computers, From Star Trek to Microsoft

2004-12-28T02:38:00.000-08:00

The first programs developed for the hobbyists' microcomputers were games. With the early machines limited in graphic capabilities, most of these were text-based adventure or role-playing games. However, there were a few graphical games, such as Star Trek, which were popular on mainframes and minicomputers and were converted to run on microcomputers. One company

Ludwig, Carl F.w.

2004-12-26T00:36:00.000-08:00

A professor of physiology at the universities of Marburg (1846–49), Zürich (1849–55), Vienna (1855–65), and Leipzig (1865–95), Ludwig is best known for his study of the cardiovascular system. He invented (1847) a device known as a kymograph to record changes in arterial blood

Profumo Affair

2004-12-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

At a party at the country estate of Lord Astor on July

Sexual-predator Law

2004-12-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

Statute that mandates lengthy periods of preventive detention for habitual sexual offenders and sexual psychopaths beyond their criminal sentences. Sexual-predator laws became popular in the United States in the 1990s, and their passage raised constitutional questions about double jeopardy and the balancing of the rights of offenders against those of the wider

Suid

2004-12-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

Any member of the family Suidae, hoofed mammals, order Artiodactyla, including the wild and domestic pigs. Suids are stout animals with small eyes and coarse, sometimes sparse, hair. All have muzzles ending in a rounded cartilage disk used to dig for food. Some species have tusks. Suids are omnivorous and usually gregarious. Females bear

Han River

2004-12-18T05:05:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Han Chiang, Pinyin Han Jiang, river in eastern Kwangtung Province (sheng), China. The Han River rises in the Wu-i Shan (mountains) in southwest Fukien Province to the north of Ch'ang-t'ing. Its upper course is known as the T'ing Chiang, and it flows south to Feng-shih, below which it is joined by the Yung-ting Chi (river). Flowing south over the border into Kwangtung Province, it is joined at San-ho-pa by its principal

Definite Proportions, Law Of

2004-12-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

Statement that every chemical compound contains fixed and constant proportions (by weight) of its constituent elements. Although many experimenters had long assumed the truth of the principle in general, the French chemist Joseph-Louis Proust first accumulated conclusive evidence for it in a series of researches on the composition of many substances, especially

Alexander Iv

2004-12-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

Alexander was appointed cardinal deacon (1227) and cardinal bishop of Ostia (1231) by his uncle Pope Gregory IX. After becoming pope, Alexander followed the policies of his predecessor Innocent IV: he continued war on Manfred, Emperor Frederick II's bastard son (who was crowned king of Sicily in 1258), by excommunicating him and

Philippe And Mathilde, Prince And Princess Of Belgium

2004-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

The social event of the decade in Belgium was the marriage of Crown Prince Philippe to Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz on Dec. 4, 1999. The 39-year-old prince had kept his relationship with the 26-year-old speech therapist private until their engagement was announced in September 1999. In three months' time, Mathilde went from a life of relative anonymity to becoming one of Belgium's most well-known

Intermediate Vector Boson

2004-12-11T01:47:00.000-08:00

Type of boson associated with the electromagnetic and weak forces in unified form. See W particle.

Ealing Studios

2004-12-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Associated Talking Pictures, Ltd. English motion-picture studio, internationally remembered for a series of witty comedies that reflected the social conditions of post-World War II Britain. Founded in 1929 by two of England's best known producers, Basil Dean and Reginald Baker, with the financial support of the Courtauld family, manufacturers of textiles, the company opened its own distribution outlet

Seven Days' Battles

2004-12-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

(June 25–July 1, 1862), series of American Civil War battles in which a Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee drove back General George B. McClellan's Union forces and thwarted the Northern attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va. McClellan was forced to retreat from a position 4 miles (6 km) east of the Confederate capital to a new base of operations at Harrison's

Ramayana

2004-12-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

The poem describes the royal birth of Rama in the kingdom of Ayodhya (Oudh), his tutelage

Caldera

2004-12-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

(Spanish: “caldron”), large bowlshaped volcanic depression more than one kilometre in diameter and rimmed by infacing scarps. Calderas usually, if not always, form by the collapse of the top of a volcanic cone or group of cones because of removal of the support formerly furnished by an underlying body of magma (molten rock). Often this collapse is of a composite cone that

Loquat

2004-11-28T01:06:00.000-08:00

(Eriobotrya japonica), subtropical tree of the rose family (Rosaceae), related to the apple and other well-known fruit trees of the temperate zone. Ornamental in appearance and rarely more than 10 metres (33 feet) in height, the evergreen loquat is frequently planted in parks and gardens. The leaves, clustered toward the ends of the branches, are thick and

Triglyceride

2004-11-27T03:23:00.000-08:00

Any one of an important group of naturally occurring lipids (fat-soluble components of living cells). Triglycerides are esters in which three molecules of one or more different fatty acids are linked to the alcohol glycerol; they are named according to the fatty acid components; e.g., tristearin contains three molecules of stearic acid, and oleodistearin, one of oleic

Lowell, A(bbott) Lawrence

2004-11-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

A member of a prominent Boston family, Lowell was the brother of the astronomer Percival Lowell and of the poet Amy Lowell. He graduated from Harvard (A.B. 1877, LL.B. 1880) and practiced law in Boston for 17 years before turning

Oscillatoria

2004-11-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Genus of blue-green algae found commonly in a variety of freshwater environments, including hot springs. This unbranched filamentous alga, occurring singly or in tangled mats, derives its name from its rhythmic oscillating motion, which is thought to result from a secretion of mucilage that pushes the filament away from the direction of excretion. Reproduction

English Literature, Drama

2004-11-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

Apart from the short-lived attempt by T.S. Eliot and Christopher Fry to bring about a renaissance of verse drama, theatre in the late 1940s and early 1950s was most notable for the continuing supremacy of the “well-made” play, which focused upon, and mainly attracted as its audience, the comfortable middle class. The most interesting playwright working within this mode was Terence

Genet, Edmond-charles

2004-11-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

In 1781 Edmond succeeded his father, Edmé-Jacques Genet, as head of the translation department at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Molé, Louis-mathieu, Comte (count)

2004-11-15T00:45:00.000-08:00

The young Molé left France during the Revolution but returned in 1796. He gained Napoleon's approval after his publication of Essais de morale et de politique (1806), a justification of monarchical government; Napoleon made him auditor to the Council

Florida State University

2004-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. It is part of the State University System of Florida and consists of eight schools and eight colleges, including a college of engineering that is jointly operated with Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Branch campuses are located in Panama City and the Central American

Palatine

2004-11-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

During the

Hiller, Lejaren

2004-11-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

U.S. composer (b. Feb. 23, 1924, New York City--d. Jan. 26, 1994, Buffalo, N.Y.), was a pioneer in computer music. From childhood Hiller was interested in both science and music, and he pursued a dual career for much of his life. He graduated from Princeton University with degrees in chemistry (Ph.D., 1947) but also studied composition with Roger Sessions and Milton Babbitt. After a five-year stint as a research

Mercy, Franz, Freiherr Von

2004-11-07T03:34:00.000-08:00

Mercy entered the Austrian army around 1606. Wounded in the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631), he made his name in the five-month defense of Rheinfelden (1634) against the formidable Bernhard

Silla

2004-11-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

One of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea and the one that in 668 unified Korea under the Unified Silla dynasty (q.v.; 668–935). Silla is traditionally believed to have been founded by Hyokkose in 57 BC. By the 2nd century AD, a distinct confederation of local tribes was definitely in existence in the southeastern portion of the Korean peninsula. With the establishment of the hereditary monarchy

Shaft Seal

2004-11-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

A common type of shaft seal consists of an elastomer (elastic rubberlike) ring bonded to a metallic ring that is a press (tight) fit in the hole in the housing through which the shaft

Khon Kaen

2004-11-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Thailand, on the Khorat Plateau. It is a rice-trading centre on the railway between Nakhon Ratchasima and Udon Thani. Khon Kaen University was founded in 1965; the Rajamangala Institute of Technology, Khon Kaen Campus (1963) is also there. Khon Kaen lies in a region drained by the Chi and the Phong rivers. A dam was built on the Phong in 1966 for irrigation and hydroelectricity.

Rosenzweig, Franz

2004-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

German-Jewish religious Existentialist who, through his fresh handling of traditional religious themes, became one of the most influential modern Jewish theologians. In 1913, although his conversion to Christianity had seemed imminent, a religious experience caused him to devote his life to the study, teaching, and practice of

Mormon, Book Of

2004-10-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Book of Mormon relates

Empiricism, In modern philosophy

2004-10-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

In the earlier and unsystematically speculative phases of Renaissance philosophy, the claims of Aristotelian logic to yield substantial knowledge were attacked by several 16th-century logicians, and, in the same century, the role of observation was stressed. One mildly skeptical Christian thinker, Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655), advanced a deliberate revival of the empirical

Amulet

2004-10-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Natural amulets

Tzu-po

2004-10-21T04:20:00.000-07:00

Also called Chang-tien , Pinyin Zibo , or Zhangdian industrial city and municipality (shih), central Shantung Province (sheng), China. The core of the present 1,135-sq-mi (2,935-sq km) autonomous subprovincial-level municipality was formed under the People's Republic by amalgamating the two counties (hsien) of Tzu-ch'eng (Tzu-ch'uan) and Po-shan, which together form the richest coal field and mining area in the province. Tzu-ch'eng was an

Turkey, The Fundamental Law and abolition of the sultanate

2004-10-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Kemalists were now faced with local uprisings, official Ottoman forces, and Greek hostility. The first necessity was to establish a legitimate basis of action. A parliament (the Grand National Assembly) met at Ankara on April 23 and asserted that the sultan's government was under infidel control and that it was the duty of Muslims to resist foreign encroachment.

Literature, France.

2004-10-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

Many important French intellectuals from the postwar period were honoured in 1993, among them Roland Barthes, Raymond Aron, Jacques Lacan, and Claude Levi-Strauss. The first volume in the Oeuvres complètes of Roland Barthes, who died in 1980, appeared, bringing together all of his works published between 1942 and 1965 as well as a few previously unpublished ones. This volume permitted

Douglas, Aaron

2004-10-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in 1922, Douglas returned briefly to his native Kansas to teach art. By 1925 he had moved to New York City, where he joined a burgeoning arts scene in Harlem. He studied

Dome

2004-10-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

In geology, any large or elliptical structure formed by the fractureless upwarping of rock strata. It is a type of anticline that lacks clear-cut elongation and that slopes outward in all directions from the highest point. Typical examples of such a dome can be found in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the western United States. Where strata plunge more or less uniformly

Dyckia

2004-10-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

Genus of usually stemless plants of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae), consisting of about 80 South American species. These plants' long, stiff leaves, which grow in dense rosettes, are spiny-edged, sharp-tipped, and often fleshy. The small flowers usually are yellow or orange. Two species, D. rariflora and D. sulphurea (D. brevifolia), are commonly cultivated indoors as decorative

Romanov Dynasty

2004-10-09T01:04:00.000-07:00

Rulers of Russia from 1613 until the Russian Revolution of February 1917. Descendants of Andrey Ivanovich Kobyla (Kambila), a Muscovite boyar who lived during the reign of the grand prince of Moscow Ivan I Kalita (reigned 1328–41), the Romanovs acquired their name from Roman Yurev (d. 1543), whose daughter Anastasiya Romanovna Zakharina-Yureva was the first wife of Ivan IV the Terrible (reigned

Bracket Clock

2004-10-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

English spring-driven pendulum clock, first commonly kept on a small wall bracket and later on a shelf. Many bracket clocks contained a drawer to hold the winding key. The earliest bracket clocks, made for a period after 1660, were of architectural design, with pillars at the sides and a pediment on top; in later versions the pillars were omitted, the pediment was replaced

Chiburdanidze, Maya

2004-10-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Chiburdanidze became an international master in 1978 and an international grandmaster in 1984. Her style of play was solid, but aggressive, and well grounded in classical principles.

Rocky Mountains

2004-10-02T02:52:00.000-07:00

Byname the Rockies, mountain range forming the backbone of the great upland system that dominates the western North American continent. Generally, the ranges included in the Rockies stretch from northern Alberta and British Columbia southward to New Mexico, a distance of some 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres). In places the system is 300 or more miles wide. Limits are mostly arbitrary, especially in

Art And Architecture, Mesopotamian, Architecture

2004-09-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

The beginnings of monumental architecture in Mesopotamia are usually considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities and the invention of writing, in about 3100 BC. Conscious attempts at architectural design during this so-called Protoliterate period (c. 3400–c. 2900 BC) are recognizable in the construction of religious buildings. There is, however,

Arabia, History Of, The Mamluks

2004-09-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

During the 14th and 15th centuries the Mamluks became the dominant power, maintaining a political agent in the Hejaz and a body of cavalry in Mecca. Eventually they made or unmade the sharifian rulers, though the local Egyptian commander's policy sometimes ran counter to that of Cairo. From the mid-15th century the Mamluks took charge of the customs at Jiddah, Mecca's port, allotting

Dendrobium

2004-09-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Genus of as many as 1,500 species of orchids that grow on other plants and are native to tropical and subtropical Asia, many Pacific islands, and Australia. Some species have small, pale flowers; others have large, showy ones. The flowers may be borne singly, in groups, or on arching spikes. The lateral sepals of all Dendrobium flowers are joined at the base, forming

Nicephorus Ii Phocas

2004-09-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Byzantine emperor (963–969), whose military achievements against the Muslim Arabs contributed to the resurgence of Byzantine power in the 10th century.

Annates

2004-09-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

A tax on the first year's income (first fruits) from an ecclesiastical benefice given by a new incumbent either to the bishop or to the pope. The first mention of the practice appears in the time of Pope Honorius III (d. 1227). The earliest records show that the annates were sometimes a privilege conceded to the bishop for a term of years and sometimes a right based on immemorial

'abd Ar-rahman Ii

2004-09-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

'Abd ar-Rahman II was the grandson of his namesake, founder of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain. His reign was an administrative watershed. As the influence of the 'Abba sid Caliphate, then at the peak of its splendour, grew,

Staffordshire Figure

2004-09-13T01:51:00.000-07:00

Type of pottery figurine made in Staffordshire, England, from the 18th century. The earliest figures, made from about 1740, are naive but effective renderings of the human body in salt-glazed stoneware—e.g., the pew groups, or figures seated on a high-backed settle. Later some particularly happy effects were achieved in clouded, lead-glazed earthenware in which a subdued range

Typography

2004-09-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

The design, or selection, of letter forms to be organized into words and sentences to be disposed in blocks of type as printing upon a page. Typography and the typographer who practices it may also be concerned with other, related matters—the selection of paper, the choice of ink, the method of printing, the design of the binding if the product at hand is a book—but the word

Vecchio, Palazzo

2004-09-10T03:52:00.000-07:00

The Tuscan Gothic design of the Palazzo Vecchio has been

Garrett, Pat

2004-09-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Born in Alabama and reared in Louisiana, Garrett left home at about the age of 17 and headed for Texas and the life of a cowboy and buffalo hunter. In 1879 he married and settled in Lincoln County, N.M., where he became first deputy sheriff and then sheriff. In July 1881 he tracked

Cookson, Catherine (dame Catherine Ann Mcmullen Cookson)

2004-09-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

British author (b. June 20, 1906, Jarrow, Durham, Eng.--d. June 11, 1998, Jesmond Dene, near Newcastle upon Tyne, Eng.), penned almost 100 popular novels, which she set in the industrial region of northeastern England, frequently dubbed "Cookson Country." She was intimately familiar with the physical and emotional lay of this land, having been raised in the Tyneside docks area in poverty. Her early

Caazapá

2004-09-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

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

Latacunga

2004-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Capital of Cotopaxi province, north central Ecuador, in an Andean basin on the upper Río Patate, at an elevation of 9,055 ft (2,760 m). The city dates from precolonial times, when it was frequented by Incan royalty because of its thermal springs. Latacunga lies 20 mi (32 km) southwest of the active volcano Cotopaxi and has been seriously damaged by eruptions and by attendant earthquakes.

Silistra

2004-08-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

Town, extreme northeastern Bulgaria, on the Danube River opposite Romania. To the south and southeast are the remains of the old fortifications. The Romans founded a fortified camp at Durostorum in the early 2nd century AD. The Turks gained possession of the town in the early 15th century, and it became a trade centre and a major Turkish fortress. It was fought over several

Metalanguage

2004-08-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

In semantics and philosophy, language used for the analysis of object language (language that is used to talk about objects in the world). Thus, a metalanguage may be thought of as a language about another language. Such philosophers as the German-born Logical Positivist Rudolf Carnap and Alfred Tarski, Polish-born mathematician, argued that philosophical problems

Blood Fluke

2004-08-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Any of certain parasitic flatworms that live in the veins of the host organism. See fluke.

Guillemin, Roger Charles Louis

2004-08-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Guillemin was educated at the universities of Dijon, Lyon, and Montreal. He taught at the Baylor College of Medicine

Sikhism, The Ten Gurus: Nanak and his tradition

2004-08-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Nanak was born in 1469 in the village of Rai Bhoi di Talvandi, 40 miles (65 kilometres) from Lahore (in present-day Pakistan). His father was a revenue collector belonging to the Bedi (conversant with the Vedas—the revealed scriptures of Hinduism) subcaste of Ksatriyas (Warriors). Nanak received an education in traditional Hindu lore and in the rudiments of Islam. Early in life he began associating

Arnold, Matthew, Prose works.

2004-08-19T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Popular Education of France with Notices of That of Holland and Switzerland (1861; revised text of the 1860 report prepared by Arnold for the Education Commission); On Translating Homer (1861); On Translating Homer: Last Words (1862); A French Eton: or, Middle Class Education and the State (1864); Essays in Criticism (1865; including “The Function of Criticism at the Present Time,” “The Literary Influence of Academies,” “Maurice de Guérin,” “Eugénie de Guérin,” “Heinrich Heine,” “Joubert,” “Spinoza,” and “Marcus Aurelius”); On the Study of Celtic Literature (1867); Schools and Universities on the Continent (1868; reprinted from Arnold's report On Secondary Education in Foreign Countries of 1866); Culture and Anarchy (1869); St. Paul and Protestantism (1870); Friendship's Garland (1871); Literature and Dogma (1873); God and the Bible (1875); Last Essays on Church and Religion (1877); Mixed Essays (1879); Irish Essays (1882); Discourses in America (1885); Essays in Criticism. Second Series (1888; including “The Study of Poetry” and essays on Milton, Thomas Gray, Keats, Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, Tolstoy, and Amiel); Reports on Elementary Schools 1852–1882, edited by Sir Francis Sandford (1889; new edition with added material and introduction by F.S. Marvin, 1908).