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Estate Agent London

2006-10-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services, including Estate Agent Covent Garden and Estate Agent London. Their centrally located ground floor offices, minutes from Oxford Circus offer an ideal marketing base for your property.

Wild Oat

2005-04-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

The best-known species is A. fatua, which has become a common field and roadside weed in temperate Australia, North America, and southern Africa. It grows in small tufts about 0.9 to 1.2 m (3 to 4 feet) tall.

Wadi Halfa

2005-04-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

Town, extreme northern Sudan. It lies on the east bank of the Nile River 6 miles (10 km) below the Second Cataract, just south of the Egyptian border. Located within ancient Nubia, the town and its environs are rich in antiquities; the ruins of Buhen—an Egyptian colony of the Middle Kingdom period that existed until Roman times—lie across the river. A terminus of both railway

Lira

2005-04-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

Plural lire the former monetary unit of Italy. The lira was introduced in Europe by Charlemagne, who based it on the pound (libra) of silver. No lira coins were struck during the Middle Ages, and the lira remained strictly a money of account. By the 16th century several of the Italian states actually struck lira coins, but they varied considerably in weight. One of the states that used

Goetz, Walter

2005-03-30T05:47:00.000-08:00

German-born British illustrator and cartoonist whose amusing perspectives on the English and on Anglo-French relations delighted the public in the Daily Express cartoon strips "Colonel Up and Mr. Down" and "Dab and Flounder," 1934-54, and in Pierre Danino's "Major Thompson" books, 1954-57 (b. Nov. 24, 1911--d. Sept. 13, 1995).

La Rioja

2005-03-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

Provincia, northwestern Argentina, extending southeastward from Chile. The provincia's southeastern half is an arid to semiarid plain, while the northwestern section is crossed north to south by alternating mountain ranges and semiarid valleys associated with the Andean cordillera. Saline marshes and lakes of the southeast are formed by intermittent streams

Szechwan, Relief

2005-03-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

Szechwan is bordered on all sides by lofty highlands. To the north, the Tsinling Mountains extend from east to west and attain an elevation between 11,000 and 13,000 feet (3,300 and 4,000 metres) above sea level. The limestone Ta-pa Mountains rise to approximately 9,000 feet on the northeast, while the Ta-lou Mountains, a lower and less continuous range, with an average elevation of 5,000 to 7,000 feet, border the

C.b.e.

2005-03-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

Commander of the British Empire, member of a British order of knighthood, although this rank does not confer knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Argentina, Agriculture

2005-03-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

Argentina is one of the world's major exporters of soybeans and wheat, as well as meat. It is also one of the largest producers of wool and wine, but most of its wine is consumed domestically. Although agriculture is an important source of export earnings, it now accounts for a small percentage of the overall GDP, and it employs only a tiny portion of the nation's

Canute (i)

2005-03-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

Neither the place nor date of Canute's birth is known. As a youth he accompanied his father, Sweyn I Forkbeard, king of Denmark, on his invasion of England in 1013. Canute was left in charge of the fleet at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire,

Yadava Dynasty

2005-03-18T07:32:00.000-08:00

Rulers of a 12th–14th-century Hindu kingdom of central India in what is the modern Indian state of Maharashtra. Originally a feudatory of the Eastern Calukyas of Kalyani, the dynasty became paramount in the Deccan under Bhillama (c. 1187–91), who founded Devagiri (later Daulatabad) as his capital. Under Bhillama's grandson Singhana (c. 1210–47) the dynasty reached its height at the expense of the

Mountain, Mountain belts associated with volcanism

2005-03-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

Volcanoes typically form in any of three tectonic settings. At the axes of the mid-ocean ridge system where lithospheric plates diverge, volcanism is common; yet, high-standing volcanoes (above sea level) rarely develop. At subduction zones where one plate of oceanic lithosphere plunges beneath another plate, long linear or arcuate chains of volcanoes and mountain

Thailand

2005-03-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Officially Kingdom of Thailand, formerly (1856–1939) Siam, Thai Prathet, or Prades, Thai (“Thailand”), Rajanajak Thai (“Thai Kingdom”), or Sayam (“Siam”), byname Muang Thai (“Land of the Free”), country located in the centre of mainland Southeast Asia. Its area of 198,115 square miles (513,115 square kilometres) consists of two broad geographic areas: a larger section in the north and a smaller peninsular section in the south. The main body of the country is surrounded by Myanmar (Burma) to the west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and the Gulf of Thailand

Water Snake

2005-03-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

Any member of the genus Natrix, family Colubridae, and similar snakes. The 65 to 80 species of Natrix occur on all continents except South America. Some authorities place the New World species in several genera, the largest of which is Nerodia. Most water snakes have dark blotches or dorsal streaks on their stout bodies, and the scales are keeled. They are semiaquatic, preying

Habib, Philip Charles

2005-03-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

Habib, the son of a Lebanese grocer, was raised in a Jewish section of Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Idaho (1942) and was studying for his doctorate in agricultural

Caraway

2005-03-13T22:40:00.000-08:00

The dried fruit, commonly called seed, of Carum carvi, a biennial herb of the parsley family (Apiaceae, or Umbelliferae), native to Europe and western Asia and cultivated since ancient times. Caraway has a distinctive aroma reminiscent of anise and a warm, slightly sharp taste. It is used as a seasoning in meat dishes, breads, and cheese and in such vegetables as sauerkraut

Papinian

2005-03-13T03:26:00.000-08:00

Papinian held high public office under the emperor Septimius Severus (reigned AD 193–211) and became vice president of the Consilium Principis,

Marey, étienne-jules

2005-03-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

Marey wrote extensively on the circulation of the blood, cholera, terrestrial and aerial locomotion, experimental physiology,

Zuiderzee

2005-03-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

English Southern Sea former inlet of the North Sea. From the 13th to the 20th century, the Zuiderzee penetrated The Netherlands and occupied some 2,000 square miles (5,000 square km); it was separated from the North Sea by an arc of former sandflats that are now the West Frisian Islands. From about AD 400 these low-lying sandflats were inhabited by the Frisians, who in the face of rising sea levels built the first

Macarthur, Charles

2005-03-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

At the age of 17, MacArthur moved to Chicago to begin a career in journalism, which was briefly interrupted by military service, first in 1916 in Mexico and then in World War I. He wrote for the Chicago

Cladoselache

2005-03-08T01:38:00.000-08:00

Cladoselache was a very primitive form and had many archaic features in the skull and skeleton. Two dorsal fins were

Esdraelon, Plain Of

2005-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

The plain, roughly triangular in shape, is oriented northwest-southeast with the apex at

Guyot, Arnold Henry

2005-03-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

He studied at the College of Neuchâtel and in Germany, taught at Paris

Waccho

2005-03-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Waccho assassinated his uncle Tato and usurped the throne about 510, ruling for 30 years. Tato's son and grandson took refuge with the king of a neighbouring people, the Gepidae, making several fruitless attempts to

Mahalwari System

2005-03-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

For revenue purposes the name was applied to any compact area containing one or more villages, which were called “estates.” The

Kornbluth, C.m.

2005-03-03T01:50:00.000-08:00

Kornbluth published science-fiction stories as a teenager. Called the Futurians, he and other young writers, including Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl (his frequent coauthor), composed and edited most of the tales in such sci-fi magazines as Astonishing

Bahamas, Flag Of The

2005-03-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

The flag of The Bahamas was officially hoisted on July 10, 1973, the date of the nation's independence from the United Kingdom. It was the result of a local competition for a new national flag, although no single entry was selected. Instead, several entries were combined to create the new flag. The two aquamarine stripes represent the water surrounding the islands. The yellow

Adamnán, The Vision Of

2005-03-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

Irish Fís Adamnáín in the Gaelic literature of Ireland, one of the earliest and most outstanding medieval Irish visions. This graceful prose work dates from the 10th century and is preserved in the later The Book of the Dun Cow (c. 1100). Patterned after pagan voyages (immrama) to the otherworld, The Vision of Adamnán vividly describes the journey of Adamnán's soul—guided by an angel—first through

Race

2005-02-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

Although they are easily and often confused, race and racism must be distinguished from ethnicity and ethnocentrism. While extreme ethnocentrism may take the same offensive form and may have the same dire consequences as extreme racism, there are significant differences between the two concepts. Ethnicity, which relates to culturally contingent features,

Yamm

2005-02-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Yam ancient West Semitic deity who ruled the oceans, rivers, lakes, and underground springs. He also played an important role in the Baal myths recorded on tablets uncovered at Ugarit, which say that at the beginning of time Yamm was awarded the divine kingship by El, the chief god of the pantheon. One day, Yamm's messengers requested that the gods surrender Baal to be a bond

Blair

2005-02-26T00:55:00.000-08:00

The Delaware, Shawnee, and

Choiseul, étienne-françois De Choiseul, Duc De (duke Of )

2005-02-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

Choiseul, the son of François-Joseph de Choiseul, Marquis de Stainville, adopted the title Count de Stainville, entered the French army, and served with distinction against the British and Austrians in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48). At the end of the conflict,

Barquisimeto

2005-02-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Lara estado (“state”), northwestern Venezuela. Situated on a wide terrace of the Turbio River at 1,856 feet (566 m) above sea level, Barquisimeto is swept by the drying trade winds but has a warm climate (mean average temperature 75° F [24° C]). One of Venezuela's oldest cities, it was founded in 1552 by the Spanish interim governor Juan de Villegas, who originally named the city Nueva

Costello, Frank

2005-02-22T03:07:00.000-08:00

Arriving in New York City at the age of four with his immigrant Calabrian parents, Costello grew up in East Harlem and became head of the 104th Street Gang, a group of young Italian hoodlums. In 1915 he went to prison for a year for

Tallemant Des Réaux, Gédéon

2005-02-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

The son of a Huguenot banker, Tallemant took degrees in civil and canonical law at Paris, but he abandoned his position as conseiller au parlement and began to frequent literary circles. In 1646 he married his cousin Élisabeth de Rambouillet, thus gaining

Peter The Great Bay

2005-02-21T01:56:00.000-08:00

Russian Zaliv Petra Velikogo, inlet, Sea of Japan, northwestern Pacific Ocean, in the Maritime (Primorye) region of far eastern Russia. The bay extends for 115 miles (185 km) from the mouth of the Tumen River (on the Russian-Chinese border) northeast across to Cape Povorotny. The bay reaches inland for 55 miles (88 km) and contains the port of Vladivostok, which is situated on the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula between

Arabia, The Hejaz and Asir

2005-02-20T17:25:00.000-08:00

A virtually unbroken escarpment runs the length of the peninsula above the Red Sea. The stretch from the Gulf of Aqaba to a point about 200 miles south of Mecca is called the Hejaz (Al-Hijaz, meaning “The Barrier”), and the higher stretch from there to the Najran region near the Yemeni border has acquired the name of Asir ('Asir; from the name, meaning “Difficult,” of a prominent highland

Beskid Mountains

2005-02-18T05:48:00.000-08:00

Czech Beskydy , Polish Beskidy discontinuous series of forested mountain ranges lying in the eastern Czech Republic, northwestern Slovakia, and southern Poland. The Czech sections at the western end of the Carpathian Mountains lie south and east of the Moravian Gate and are identified locally by smaller units. The Moravian-Silesian Beskid Mountains, which extend from the eastern Czech Republic

Religion, Seventh-day Adventist Church.

2005-02-17T02:47:00.000-08:00

Celebrating 100 years of Adventism in southern Asia, the Annual Council of the world church met in Bangalore, India, in 1993. The church at first grew very slowly there, but in recent years India had become a fruitful field for growth, and membership in 1993 approached 200,000. The church in India was also moving toward financial strength; the centenary year saw the first conference, Mizoram,

Sea Pen

2005-02-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

The central stalk of the animal consists of a lower part, the peduncle, which anchors the colony in mud or sand, and

Aeschylus, Works

2005-02-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

Persai (472 BC; Persians); Hepta epi Thebais (467 BC; Seven Against Thebes); Hiketides (c. 463 BC; Latin trans., Supplices; Eng. trans., Suppliants); the trilogy known as the Oresteia (458 BC), comprising Agamemnon, Choephoroi (Libation Bearers), and Eumenides; Prometheus desmotes (date uncertain, probably late; Prometheus Bound).

Pacific Mountain System, Physiography

2005-02-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

The arrangement of the ranges in the system can be visualized as being in the shape of an extremely elongated H with a closed base. From north to south the west side of the H is made up of the ranges of the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island, the Olympic Mountains, and the Washington, Oregon, and California Coast Ranges. From north to south the east side of the H

Culebra Island

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

Spanish Isla De Culebra, island, Puerto Rico, 20 miles (30 km) east of Puerto Rico island and 15 miles west of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The island fronts north on the Atlantic Ocean and south and west on Vieques Sound, which connects the Atlantic with the Caribbean Sea. About 7 miles (11 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide, Culebra Island is 10 square miles (26 square km) in area. Its hilly, almost barren mass of limestone and igneous

Pitcher, Molly

2005-02-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Molly Pitcher first enters the historical record in 1778. Her original surname is unknown, though she is thought to have been Irish. Military records indicate that her first husband, William Hays, enlisted as a gunner in a Pennsylvania artillery regiment in 1777. The nickname

Vienna

2005-02-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

Modern Vienna has undergone several historical incarnations. From 1558 to 1918 it was an imperial city—until 1806 the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918 it became the capital of the truncated,

Richardson, Henry Handel

2005-02-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

From 1883 to 1887 Richardson was a pupil at the Presbyterian Ladies'

Vancouver Aquarium

2005-02-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Aquarium located in Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C., Can., that has the largest collection of fishes and marine invertebrates in Canada. The collection includes nearly 3,000 specimens of about 300 fish species and more than 3,500 representatives of approximately 150 different kinds of invertebrates. The aquarium's specialty is marine fish species native to the eastern part of the North

Great Falls

2005-02-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1887) of Cascade county, west-central Montana, U.S. It lies along the Missouri River, near the falls (96 feet [29 metres] high) for which it was named. In 1805 the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark observed the falls and nearby Giant Springs, one of the world's largest freshwater springs. First settled in 1883, the community was sustained with the arrival in 1887 of the Manitoba

Sanger, John And George

2005-02-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

The brothers were assistants in their father's touring peep show and formed their own show in 1853. By 1871 they had leased Astley's Amphitheatre

Manresa

2005-02-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

Town, Barcelona provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It lies along the Cardoner River. The town—which probably originated as Minorisa, the Roman capital of Jacetani—was important during the European Middle Ages. Three bridges span the Cardoner, and on a rock above the oldest bridge stands the yellow Church

Regent Diamond

2005-02-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Pitt diamond a brilliant-cut stone with a slight blue tinge that once was the outstanding gem of the French crown jewels; it was discovered in India in 1701 and weighed 410 carats in rough form. It was purchased by Sir Thomas Pitt, British governor in Madras, who published a letter in the London Daily Post to counter rumours that he had stolen the gem. The stone was cut to a 141-carat cushion brilliant

Dubuffet, Jean(-philippe-arthur)

2005-02-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

After World War II, as one of

Iriga

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

City, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It is located in the central part of Bicol Peninsula, about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Naga. Iriga is named for the extinct volcano (3,976 feet [1,212 m]) in whose shadow it stands. The land surrounding Mount Iriga is extremely rough and suitable mainly for abaca (Manila hemp) plantations. Agriculture is the main economic activity in the area. Inc. city,

Smith, Jessie Willcox

2005-02-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

At age 16 Smith entered the School of Design for Women in Philadelphia, and from 1885 to 1888 she studied with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of

Ram, Jagjivan

2005-01-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

Ram was born into an untouchable family and was among the first of his caste to receive a higher education. He attended Benares Hindu University and Calcutta University (B.Sc., 1931), becoming a member of Mohandas K. Gandhi's Congress Party in 1931. He played

Fargo, William George

2005-01-30T03:32:00.000-08:00

Fargo began his long association with Henry Wells (q.v.) when he served as an agent for Livingston, Wells, and Pomeroy's Express in 1843. The following year, together with Wells and Daniel Dunning, he founded Wells and Company, the first express company to operate west of Buffalo,

Wagon Train

2005-01-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

Caravan of wagons organized by settlers in the United States for emigration to the West during the late 18th and most of the 19th centuries. Composed of up to 100 Conestoga wagons (q.v.; sometimes called prairie schooners), wagon trains soon became the prevailing mode of long-distance overland transportation for both people and goods. Wagon-train transportation moved westward

Camar

2005-01-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

Widespread caste in northern India whose hereditary occupation is tanning leather; the name is derived from the Sanskrit word carmakara, or “skin worker.” The more than 150 subcastes are characterized by well-organized panchayats (governing councils). Because their work obliged them to handle dead animals, the Camars have suffered from the stigma of being considered

Jackson

2005-01-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1832) of Jackson county, south-central Michigan, U.S. It lies along the Grand River, 73 miles (117 km) west of Detroit. Settled in 1829 at the meeting point of several Indian trails, it was named for President Andrew Jackson and was known successively as Jacksonburgh, Jacksonopolis, and finally Jackson in 1833. The Republican Party held its first convention on July 6, 1854, in Jackson. The city

Doxology

2005-01-23T17:29:00.000-08:00

1. The greater doxology, or Gloria in Excelsis, is the Gloria of the Roman Catholic and Anglican masses, and in its hundreds of musical settings it is usually sung in Latin. It is used in the Roman Catholic liturgy in a contemporary translation and is used liturgically, often in older

Classical Scholarship, Late 19th-century developments in German scholarship

2005-01-21T02:12:00.000-08:00

Germany made so vast a contribution to 19th-century classical scholarship that it would be impossible to name all of the eminent scholars of the period. But from a time rather earlier than the establishment of the German Empire (1871), signs of decline might be observed; the new methods had begun to harden into orthodoxy, mechanically applied by a mass of inferior practitioners.

Bond, Julian

2005-01-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

The son of prominent educators, Bond attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he helped found a civil rights group and led a sit-in movement intended to desegregate Atlanta lunch

Furniture, Near East and classical antiquity

2005-01-17T03:04:00.000-08:00

A. Lucas, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, 3rd ed. (1948), indispensable; Howard Carter and A.C. Mace, The Tomb of Thut-Ankh-Amen, 3 vol. (1923–27); Gisela H. Richter, The Furniture of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans (1966), the standard reference work in this area.

Biblical Literature, Wanderings in the desert of Paran

2005-01-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

This section apparently combines various traditions of how the Israelites came into Palestine, and J, E (or JE), and P sources have been discerned in these chapters. The traditional “40 years” in the wilderness (38 or 39, according to critical calculations) were spent mostly in the wilderness of Paran, with a short stay in the oasis of Kadesh, according to P; while, according to J, they

David, Jacques-louis

2005-01-13T00:57:00.000-08:00

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

Bothe, Walther

2005-01-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

Bothe taught at the universities of Berlin (1920–31), Giessen (1931–34), and Heidelberg (1934–57). In 1925 he and Hans Geiger used two Geiger counters to gather data on the Compton

United States, The coming of the war

2005-01-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

Faced with a fait accompli, Lincoln when inaugurated was prepared to conciliate the South in every way but one: he would not recognize that the Union could be divided. The test of his determination came early in his administration, when he learned that the Federal troops under Major Robert Anderson in Fort Sumter, South Carolina—then one of the few military installations in the South still in Federal hands—had to be promptly supplied or withdrawn. After agonized consultation with his cabinet, Lincoln determined that supplies must be sent even if doing so provoked the Confederates into firing the first shot. On April 12, 1861, just before Federal supply ships could reach the beleaguered Anderson, Confederate guns in Charleston opened fire upon Fort Sumter, and the war began.

Thutmose Iv

2005-01-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Thutmose IV was the son of his predecessor's chief queen. As prince, he was assigned to the military operational base at Memphis, near modern Cairo, where he spent his leisure

Water Supply

2005-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Available water provided to fulfill a particular need; if the need is domestic, industrial, or agricultural, the water must fulfill both quality and quantity requirements. Water supplies can be obtained by numerous types of water resources projects, such as wells, dams, or reservoirs. See water resource.

Clapper

2005-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Clappers

Melbourne, University Of

2004-12-30T02:31:00.000-08:00

Coeducational institution of higher learning in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, financed mainly by the national government. One of the oldest universities in Australia, it was founded by the Victoria legislature in 1853 and at first offered a liberal arts course. A law school was added in 1857, engineering instruction in 1860, and a medical school in 1862; a music conservatory, now the

Mahavira

2004-12-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

All that is known about Mahavira's life is that he was a Jain (he perhaps took his name to honour the great Jainism reformer Mahavira [c. 599–527 BCE]) and that he wrote Ganitasarasangraha (“Compendium of the Essence of Mathematics”) during the reign of Amoghavarsha (c. 814–878) of the Rashtrakuta

Khalil Ibn Ahmad, Al-

2004-12-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

When he moved to Basra, al-Khalil left the Ibadi sect of Islam, which was popular in his native Oman, for Sunnism (the largest branch of Islam). He lived simply and piously in Basra, where he taught. The renowned Sibawayh was

Jetty

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

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

Allen, Sir Hugh (percy)

2004-12-22T00:43:00.000-08:00

Allen was an organ scholar at Christ's College, Cambridge, and later held organist's posts at Ely cathedral (1898–1901) and New College, Oxford (1901–18). In 1918 he became director of the Royal College of Music, London, and in

Lipizzaner

2004-12-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Lippizaner, also called Lipizzan, breed of horse that derived its name from the Austrian imperial stud at Lipizza, near Trieste, formerly a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The founding of the breed dates to 1580, and detailed breeding records date from 1700. The ancestry is Spanish, Arabian, and Berber. The six strains (Pluto, Conversano, Neapolitano, Favory, Maestoso, and Siglavy) are named from their foundation

Reforma, La

2004-12-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

La Reforma period began with the issuance in 1854 of the Plan de Ayutla, a liberal pronouncement calling for the removal of the dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna. After Santa Anna's fall in 1855, Juárez and the liberals enacted the Ley Juárez,

Bufotenine

2004-12-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Structurally, bufotenine is an indole hallucinogen that is capable of blocking

Arts, Islamic, Architectural decoration

2004-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

Early Islamic architecture is most original in its decoration. Mosaics and wall paintings followed the practices of antiquity and were primarily employed in Syria, Palestine, and Spain. Stone sculpture existed, but stucco sculpture, first limited to Iran, spread rapidly throughout the early Islamic world. Not only were stone or brick walls covered with large panels

Aeschylus

2004-12-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

First of classical Athens' great tragic dramatists, who raised that emerging art to great heights of poetry and theatrical power.

Capture

2004-12-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

In nuclear physics, process in which an atomic nucleus absorbs a smaller particle. See beta decay; neutron capture.

Alfred

2004-12-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

When he was born, it must have seemed unlikely that Alfred would become king, since he had four older brothers; he said that he never desired royal power. Perhaps

Welf Dynasty

2004-12-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

The origin of the “Elder House” of Welf is a matter of controversy, since Welf in the Carolingian period seems

Indian Botanic Garden

2004-12-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

Formerly Royal Botanic Garden, botanical garden in Calcutta, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). The garden covers more than 109 hectares (270 acres), on which about 1,700 plant species are cultivated. It was founded in 1787 by the East India Company, primarily for the purpose of acclimatizing new plants of commercial value and growing spices

Ribes

2004-12-03T02:34:00.000-08:00

Genus of about 150 species of shrubs of two distinct groups, the currants and the gooseberries, constituting the family Grossulariaceae (often included in the family Saxifragaceae). They are native to the temperate regions of North America, extending southward into the Andes. Some authorities separate the gooseberries as the genus Grossularia. Currants usually

Athlone

2004-11-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

Irish Baile Átha Luain town, County Westmeath, Ireland. It lies on the River Shannon just south of Lough (lake) Ree. Located at a major east-west crossing of the Shannon, it has always been an important garrison town. In the 12th century the area, previously fortified by the kings of Uí Maine and Connaught (Connacht), was seized by the Anglo-Normans. Their motte (palisade) castle was built in 1210 and underwent

Health And Disease

2004-11-29T00:53:00.000-08:00

In early 2003 a virulent new infectious disease caught the world off guard. The Chinese Ministry of Health reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-February that 305 people in Guangdong province had developed an acute pneumonia-like illness and that 5 of them had died. Laboratory tests had been negative for influenza viruses, anthrax, plague, and other infectious

Wieman, Carl E.

2004-11-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

After studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1973), Wieman earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1977. He then taught and conducted research

Water Bloom

2004-11-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Marine Bloom, dense aquatic population of microscopic organisms produced by an abundance of nutrient salts in surface water, coupled with adequate sunlight for photosynthesis. The microorganisms or the toxic substances that they release may discolour the water, deplete its oxygen content, poison aquatic animals and waterfowl, and irritate the skin and respiratory tract

Syria, Air transport

2004-11-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

Syria has international airports at Damascus and Aleppo and domestic airports at al-Qamishli, Latakia, Dayr az-Zawr, and Tadmur. The facilities at Damascus and Aleppo can handle jet aircraft. International services connect Syria with Arab, other Asian, and European countries. Domestic services are provided by Syrian Arab Airways.

Dana, Richard Henry

2004-11-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

Dana withdrew from Harvard College when measles weakened his eyesight, and he shipped to California as a sailor in August 1834 to regain his health. After voyaging among California's ports and gathering hides ashore, he rounded Cape Horn, returned

Wielopolski, Aleksander, Hrabia (count), Margrabia (margrave) Gonzaga Myszkowski

2004-11-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Born into an impoverished noble family, he studied law as a young man in Warsaw and philosophy in Germany. Returning to Poland, he brought

Yacht

2004-11-17T03:13:00.000-08:00

The yacht races held in every Olympic meet since 1900, except for 1904, illustrate the general tendency in the period toward smaller boats and, after mid-century, the increasing popularity of one-class racing. Earlier Olympics included races for boats of various sizes and weights. The difficulty and expense of freighting boats and the increasing difficulty of recruiting

Goshawk

2004-11-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Any of the more powerful accipiters, or true hawks (i.e., belonging to the genus Accipiter), primarily short-winged, forest-dwelling bird catchers, of which the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is best known. Originally called “goose hawk,” perhaps because of its size and its finely barred gray plumage, this bird reaches about 60 centimetres (2 feet) in length with a 1.3-m (4.3-ft) wingspread.

Rio De Janeiro

2004-11-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

Estado (“state”) of southeastern Brazil, bounded by the states of Espírito Santo (north), Minas Gerais (west), and São Paulo (southwest), while to the east lies the Atlantic Ocean. It is named for the city of Rio de Janeiro, the state capital, which was the capital of Brazil from 1763 to 1960 and remains the nation's main centre for cultural events, leisure, and tourism. It is Brazil's second largest

Gadamer, Hans-georg

2004-11-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

The son of a chemistry professor, Gadamer studied the humanities at the universities

Daniels, Charles

2004-11-07T03:25:00.000-08:00

At the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, Daniels was America's star swimmer, winning gold medals in the 220-yard and 440-yard freestyle and the 4 ´ 50-yard freestyle relay, a silver in the

Insurance, Indirect losses

2004-11-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

An entirely different branch of the insurance business has been developed to insure losses that are indirectly the result of one of the specified perils. A prominent example of this type of insurance is business income insurance. The insurer undertakes to reimburse the insured for lost profits or for fixed charges incurred as a result of direct damage. For example,

Camden

2004-11-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Fort Nassau, near present-day Gloucester City, was one of the first colonial settlements in New Jersey (1623). At that time Delaware

Afonso Ii

2004-11-01T01:15:00.000-08:00

Afonso II was the son of King Sancho I and Queen Dulcia, daughter of Ramón Berenguer IV of Barcelona. His obesity seems to have been caused by illness in his youth, and he was unable to lead his forces. However, they distinguished themselves in the