AbleStamp

organic cotton goods

2006-10-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

Liv organic cotton goods are soft luxurious nad affordable and they have a huge range of organic clothing.

Haber-bosch Process

2005-04-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Also called Haber ammonia process, or synthetic ammonia process, method of directly synthesizing ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen, developed by the German physical chemist Fritz Haber. He received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1918 for this method, which made the manufacture of ammonia economically feasible. The method was translated into a large-scale process using a catalyst and high-pressure methods by Carl Bosch, an industrial

Jevons, William Stanley

2005-04-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

English logician and economist whose book The Theory of Political Economy (1871) expounded the “final” (marginal) utility theory of value. Jevons's work, along with similar discoveries made by Karl Menger in Vienna (1871) and by Léon Walras in Switzerland (1874), marked the opening of a new period in the history of economic

Hisdai Ibn Shaprut

2005-04-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

After becoming court physician to the powerful Umayyad caliph 'Abd ar-Rahman III, Hisdai gradually gained eminence in the Arab world, acting as

French Literature, Prose literature

2005-04-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Prose flourished as a literary medium from about 1200. A few years earlier Robert de Borron had used verse for his Joseph d'Arimathie (recounting the Holy Grail's sacred origins) and his Merlin; but both were soon turned into prose. Other Arthurian romances adopted it, notably the great Vulgate cycle with its five branches by various hands. These included the immensely popular

Marechera, Dambudzo

2005-04-01T05:57:00.000-08:00

Marechera grew up in poverty. He reacted against his upbringing and adopted an increasingly self-destructive lifestyle. He studied at the

Hess, Dame Myra

2005-03-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hess studied at the Guildhall School of Music and at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay. She made her concert debut in London in 1907 and in the United States in 1922. From 1939 to 1946, even during the height of the German bombardment of London, she

Eyelid

2005-03-31T04:16:00.000-08:00

Movable shield of skin and tissue that protects the eyeball from mechanical injury and helps to provide the moist chamber essential for the normal functioning of the conjunctiva and cornea. The conjunctiva is the mucous membrane that lines the eyelid and covers all the visible portion of the eyeball except the cornea, the transparent part of the eyeball that

China, Animal life

2005-03-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Profusion of vegetation and a variety of relief have fostered the development of a great diversity of animal life and have permitted the survival of animals that elsewhere are extinct. Notable among such survivals are the great paddlefish of the Yangtze, the small species of alligator in eastern and central China, and the giant salamander (related to the Japanese

Wolfram Von Eschenbach

2005-03-29T01:47:00.000-08:00

An impoverished Bavarian knight, Wolfram apparently served a succession of Franconian lords: Abensberg, Wildenberg, and Wertheim are among the places he names in his work. He also knew the court of

Australia, Tasmania

2005-03-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

The 1860s imprinted a sleepy image on Tasmania, which persisted. The mineral discoveries at Mount Bischoff and elsewhere were important in reviving the economy. Nevertheless, living standards generally remained lower than elsewhere, and there were still property qualifications for voting in 1900. The colony contributed to democratic practice, however, by experimenting

Belgium, History Of

2005-03-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

After the Burgundian regime in the Low Countries (1363–1477), the southern as well as the northern provinces had dynastic links with the Austrian Habsburgs, then with Spain and the Austrian Habsburgs together. Later, as a consequence of revolt in

Carnivore

2005-03-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

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

Pitesti

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

City, capital of Arges judet (county), south-central Romania. It lies 70 miles (110 km) northwest of Bucharest and is situated in the Arges River valley, there sheltered by surrounding hills. Pitesti developed in the Middle Ages as a trading centre between the mountainous Transylvania region and the Danube Plain. It is first documented in 1388, though Roman coins and relics have been

Tacloban

2005-03-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

Chartered city, northeastern Leyte, Philippines, on San Pedro Bay at the southern entrance to San Juanico Strait. It is the largest city and distributing centre in the eastern Visayas (Leyte and Samar). A port since 1874, Tacloban has a long deepwater wharf, a bulk petroleum depot, and an airport. Hemp, copra, and lumber are exported, and commercial fishing is important. The city

Peking University

2005-03-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade–Giles) Pei-ching Ta-hsüeh , (Pinyin) Beijing Daxue , byname Pei-ta , or Beida in Peking, one of the oldest and most important institutions of higher learning in China. It originated as the Capital College, which was founded in 1898 by the emperor Kuang-hsü as part of his short-lived program to modernize and reform China's institutions. This school languished after the empress dowager Tz'u-hsi's coup d'état of the same year. After the overthrow of the

Thuringian Basin

2005-03-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

German Thüringer Becken, fertile agricultural region of Germany, between the Harz mountains on the north and the Thuringian Forest range on the south. It extends westward from the Saxon lowland. The basin's eastward-flowing streams, tributaries of the Saale River, swell—and sometimes flood—with snowmelt in the spring. The climate and soil are favourable to agriculture. Grains and root crops

R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings

2005-03-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

American manufacturer of tobacco products. The origins of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company date to the post-Civil War era, when Richard Joshua Reynolds (1850–1918) began trading in tobacco, first in his native Virginia and then in Winston, North Carolina, where in 1875 he established his first plug factory. In 1899 the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was incorporated, with Reynolds as president.

Usuki

2005-03-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

City, Oita ken (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan. The city faces Usuki Bay on the Bungo Channel between the Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean. An early castle town, Usuki once carried on trade with Portugal. It is now a fishing port and commercial centre; the main industrial activity is brewing. Usuki is perhaps most noted as the site of the former Buddhist Mangetsu Temple, with its

Japan

2005-03-23T03:22:00.000-08:00

Japanese Nihon or Nippon country lying off the east coast of Asia. It consists of a great string of islands in a northeast-southwest arc that stretches for approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through the western Pacific Ocean. Japan has a total land area of 145,903 square miles (377,887 square km). Nearly this entire area is taken up by the country's four main islands; from north to south these are Hokkaido (Hokkaido), Honshu

Insurance, Settlement options

2005-03-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

The death proceeds or cash values of insurance may be settled in various ways. The insured may take the cash value and lapse the policy. A beneficiary may take a lump sum settlement of the face amount upon the death of the insured. The beneficiary may, instead, elect to receive the proceeds over a given number of years or in some fixed amount, such as $100 a month, for as long as

Plateau

2005-03-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

Although plateaus stand at higher elevation than surrounding

Nervous System Disease, Tumours

2005-03-21T00:57:00.000-08:00

Benign tumours, usually schwannomas on the vestibulocochlear nerve, may compress the cerebellum and lead to dysfunction on one side, but malignant astrocytomas and metastases from cancers are more common. In children, medulloblastomas are fast-growing malignant tumours that destroy the central part of the cerebellum and cause severe gait ataxia. Astrocytomas

Argall, Sir Samuel

2005-03-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

Employed by the Virginia Company of London, Argall was commissioned in 1609 to discover a shorter route to Virginia and to fish for sturgeon. In 1610 he was named admiral of Virginia and commissioned to expel the French from all territory granted

Refuse Disposal System

2005-03-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

Although all societies have had some systematic form of refuse disposal, it was not until relatively recent times that the modern concept of solid-waste management became recognized as an essential

Gräfe, Karl Ferdinand Von

2005-03-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

German surgeon who helped to create modern plastic surgery. A superintendent of German military hospitals during the Napoleonic Wars (1800–15), he also served as professor of surgery and director of the surgical clinic at the University of Berlin (1810–40). He improved the English surgeon Joseph Carpue's adaptation of the “Indian method” and

Wright Flyer Of 1905

2005-03-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

The flyer took to the air for the first time on June 23, 1905, at Huffman Prairie, a pasture located on the streetcar line some 8 miles

Ilf, Ilya; And Petrov, Yevgeny

2005-03-18T01:09:00.000-08:00

Born into a poor Jewish family, Ilf worked at various trades while a youth, becoming a journalist in Odessa at the age of 18. He went

Kirchwey, Freda

2005-03-16T19:48:00.000-08:00

Kirchwey was the daughter of a Columbia University Law School professor and dean and later (1915–16) warden of Sing Sing State Prison (now Ossining Correctional Facility). She graduated from Barnard College, New York City, in

Ta-li

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

Formerly Hsia-kuan, Pinyin Dali, or Xiaguan, city in western Yunnan sheng (province), China. It is situated at the southern end of the Erh Hai (lake) in a fertile basin about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the original Ta-li. It has traditionally been an important centre on the routes westward from K'un-ming to the Tibet Autonomous Region and northern Myanmar (Burma); it also has routes leading south into the wild southwest region

Elgin, Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl Of

2005-03-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

He was the son of the 8th earl and was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford. In politics a Liberal of right-wing tendencies, Elgin was first commissioner of works under William Gladstone in 1886. Emulating his father, whom he succeeded in 1863, he became viceroy of India in 1894. His viceroyalty

Ibadan

2005-03-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

Ibadan's beginnings are shrouded in mystery; they were recorded only in oral tradition. It is said that the earliest group of settlers at Ibadan were fugitives from justice who were expelled from nearby villages.

Arts, Central Asian, Tibet

2005-03-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

Tibetan art comprises ancient pre-Buddhist decorative and domestic crafts and the all-pervading religious art that was gradually introduced from the 8th century onward from surrounding Buddhist countries and developed subsequently as recognizably distinct Tibetan imagery, sculpture, and decorative architectural motifs. In all its forms Tibetan art has

Benin, Bight Of

2005-03-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Also called Bight Of Bonny, bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles (640 km) from Cape St. Paul (Ghana) to the Nun outlet of the Niger River (Nigeria). It lies within the Gulf of Guinea and is bordered by southeastern Ghana, Togo, Benin, and southwestern Nigeria. The bay receives a portion of the Niger River delta and also the Sio, Haho, Mono, Couffo, Ouémé, Benin,

Ibert, Jacques

2005-03-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

Ibert studied at the Paris Conservatory and in 1919 won the Prix de Rome for his cantata Le Poète et la fée (“The Poet and the Fairy”). In Rome he composed his most popular work, the symphonic suite Escales (1922; “Ports of Call”). From 1937 until 1960 Ibert was director

Extrametrical

2005-03-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

In prosody, exceeding the usual or prescribed number of syllables in a given metre. Also, in reference to a syllable or syllables not counted in metrical analysis. In the following final couplet from a sonnet by William Shakespeare, the ending syllables are extrametrical: Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun

Biblical Literature, Textual ambiguities

2005-03-12T05:46:00.000-08:00

The writing called the Letter to the Hebrews, which was known and accepted in the Eastern church by the 2nd century, was included also by the Western church as the 14th Pauline epistle when the canon of East and West was assimilated and fixed in 367. Hebrews has no salutation giving the name of either the writer or the addressees, although it does have a doxology and greeting

Probability Theory

2005-03-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

The word probability has several meanings in ordinary conversation. Two of these are particularly important

Roman Numeral

2005-03-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Any of the symbols used in a system of numerical notation based on the ancient Roman system. The symbols are I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, standing, respectively, for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 in the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. A symbol placed after another of equal or greater value adds its value—e.g., II = 2 and LX = 60. A symbol placed before one of greater value subtracts its value—e.g., IV = 4, XL = 40, and CD = 400.

Wyntoun, Andrew Of

2005-03-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

Wyntoun was a canon of St. Andrews, and, from about 1393 to his retirement because of old age in 1421, he served as prior of St. Serf's, Loch Leven (Kinross, Scotland). Written for Sir John Wemyss of Leuchars, Fife,

Vijayanagar

2005-03-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

The city and its first dynasty were founded in 1336 by five sons

Halévy, Ludovic

2005-03-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

The son of the writer Léon Halévy and the nephew of the operatic composer Fromental Halévy, Ludovic began writing for the stage while

Karakalpakstan

2005-03-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

On the east Karakalpakstan occupies the western half of the Kyzylkum Desert, a vast plain covered with shifting sands. The central part consists of the valley and delta of the Amu Darya (river), a low-lying area intersected by watercourses and canals. On the west the republic includes

Burgkmair, Hans, The Elder

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

The son of a painter, he became a member of the painters' guild in Strasbourg in 1490 and in Augsburg in 1498. Some 700 woodcuts are ascribed to him, including his principal work, a series of 135 prints celebrating the triumphs of the emperor Maximilian I. His

Wright, Frank Lloyd

2005-03-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Original name Frank Lincoln Wright architect and writer, the most abundantly creative genius of American architecture. His “Prairie style” became the basis of 20th-century residential design in the United States.

Nicholas Of Cusa

2005-03-07T04:12:00.000-08:00

At the Council of Basel in 1432, he gained recognition for his opposition to the candidate put forward by Pope Eugenius IV for the archbishopric of Trier. To his colleagues

Algeria, The Sahara

2005-03-07T01:33:00.000-08:00

The Algerian Sahara may be divided roughly into two depressions of different elevation, separated from one another by a central north-south rise called the M'zab (Mzab). Each zone is covered by a vast sheet of sand dunes called an erg. The Great Eastern Erg (Grand Erg Oriental) and the Great Western Erg (Grand Erg Occidental), which average 1,300 to 2,000 feet (400 to 600 metres) in height, decline

Farrukh Beg

2005-03-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

A Kalmyk of Central Asia, Farrukh Beg first worked at Kabul under Mirza Hakim, the half brother of the Mughal emperor Akbar. After Hakim died Farrukh Beg joined Akbar's service (1585). His earliest paintings are strongly Persian in character, and he continued to be a

Interlochen

2005-03-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

Interlochen is best known as the home of the Interlochen

Alaska, Health and welfare

2005-03-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Medical and health clinics and hospitals available to the general public are provided by municipal and borough governments or private

Sha'nabi, Mount Ash-

2005-03-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

Arabic Jabal Ash-sha 'nabi, also spelled Djebel Chambi, mountain (5,066 feet [1,544 m]) that is the highest in Tunisia. It is part of a spur of the Tebéssa (Tabassah) Mountains, which are part of the Saharan Atlas Mountains. The mountain lies near the Algerian border, 6 miles (10 km) west-northwest of Al-Qasrayn (Kasserine).

Korkino

2005-03-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

City, Chelyabinsk oblast (province), west-central Russia, in the southern Urals. It is a centre of coal mining in the Chelyabinsk lignite (brown coal) basin; mining began in 1934, and the settlement became a city in 1942. Excavator and truck production reflect its mining orientation; other industries are ferroconcrete and building-materials manufacture. Pop. (1991 est.) 44,800.

Rupnarayan River

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

River in West Bengal state, northeastern India. It rises as the Dhaleswari (Dhalkisor) in the Chota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of Purulia town and follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the town of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarkeswar. It is joined by the Silai near the town of Ghatal, where it takes the name Rupnarayan. The river then joins the Hooghly after completing

Augsburg, Peace Of

2005-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

The emperor Charles V's provisional ruling on the religious question, the Augsburg Interim of 1548, had been overthrown in 1552 by the revolt of the Protestant elector Maurice of Saxony

Azov Upland

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

Ukrainian Pryazovska Vysochyna hilly region, Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk oblasti (provinces), southeastern Ukraine. Part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield, the Azov Upland is an area of denuded mountains, extending from the Dnieper River for 100 miles (160 km) to the Donets Ridge and sloping gently down southeastward to the Sea of Azov. The highest point is Mount Mohyla-Belmak (1,063 feet [324 m]), 65 miles (105 km) southwest of

Lowell, Percival

2005-03-01T01:25:00.000-08:00

A member of the distinguished Lowell family of Massachusetts (he was brother to A. Lawrence Lowell and Amy Lowell), he devoted himself (1883–93) to literature and travel, much of the time in the Far East, which he described

Philadelphia Orchestra

2005-02-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

From Stokowski's tenure, the orchestra was renowned for its interpretation of the symphonic

Molé, Louis-mathieu, Comte (count)

2005-02-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

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

Disc Jockey

2005-02-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Also spelled disk jockey person who conducts a program of recorded music on radio, on television, or at discotheques or other dance halls. Disc jockey programs became the economic base of many radio stations in the United States after World War II. The format generally involves one person, the disc jockey, introducing and playing phonograph records and chatting informally and usually extemporaneously

Keratosis

2005-02-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

Any protuberance on the skin resulting from the overdevelopment of the horny outermost covering of the skin, or epidermis, the main constituent of which is the protein keratin, which is synthesized in special cells of the skin, the keratinocytes. More generally, keratosis is any skin disorder attended by horny growths. The causes and lesions characteristic of keratotic

China, The Shih-kuo (Ten Kingdoms)

2005-02-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

From the time of the T'ang dynasty until the Ch'ing dynasty, which arose in the 17th century, China consisted of two parts: the north, militarily strong, and the south, economically and culturally wealthy. Between 907 and 960, 10 independent kingdoms emerged in China, mainly in the south: the Wu (902–937), the Nan (Southern) T'ang (937–975/976), the Nan P'ing (924/925–963), the Ch'u (927–951), the Ch'ien (Former) Shu (907–925), the Hou (Later) Shu (934–965), the Min (909–945/946), the

Abdülhamid I

2005-02-26T02:58:00.000-08:00

Ottoman sultan from 1774 to 1789 who concluded the war with Russia by signing the humiliating Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. By the terms of the treaty, Russia obtained the fortresses on the coast of the Sea of Azov, the area between the Dnieper and Bug rivers, and navigation and commercial privileges in the Ottoman Empire. Bukovina was ceded to Austria in 1775. Russia annexed

Earth, Dipolar field

2005-02-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

The magnetic field lines shown in the diagram are not real entities although they are frequently treated as such. A magnetic field is a continuous function that exists at every point in space. A field line is simply a means for visualizing the direction of this field. It is defined as a curve in three dimensions that is everywhere tangential to the local magnetic field.

Wildenvey, Herman

2005-02-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

When in 1904 the steamer Norge wrecked on a trip to the United States, with 600 or more passengers aboard, Wildenvey was among the few who survived. After returning to Norway from three years in America, where he had studied

Calabazilla

2005-02-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Missouri Gourd, or Wild Pumpkin (Cucurbita foetidissima), perennial prostrate vine of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to southwestern North America. A calabazilla has triangular, long-stalked, finely toothed leaves, yellow flowers about 6.3 to 10.2 cm (2.5 to 4 inches) wide, and inedible, orange-shaped, predominantly green fruits with yellow stripes and markings. Although an unattractive plant with a

Kenai Fjords National Park

2005-02-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

The park includes the 300-square-mile (777-square-km) Harding Icefield and its outflowing glaciers and numerous coastal fjords and islands, which are remnants

Wage And Salary

2005-02-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

The residual-claimant theory holds that, after all other factors of production have received their share of the product, the amount left goes to the remaining factor. Adam Smith implied such a theory for wages, since he said that rent would be deducted first and profits next. Francis A. Walker in 1875 worked out a residual theory of wages in which the shares of the landlord,

Spencer, Lilly Martin

2005-02-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Angelique Martin was the daughter of French parents who emigrated from England to the United States in 1830. She grew up in Marietta, Ohio, and received a thorough education at home. Having exhibited artistic talent from an

Biblical Literature, Early theories about the Synoptic problem

2005-02-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

Since the 1780s, Matthew, Mark, and Luke have been referred to as the Synoptic Gospels (from synoptikos, “seen together”). The extensive parallels in structure, content, and wording of Matthew, Mark, and Luke make it even possible to arrange them side by side so that corresponding sections can be seen in parallel columns. John Calvin, the 16th-century Reformer, wrote a commentary

Azad Kashmir

2005-02-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Area of the Pakistani-administered sector of the Kashmir region, in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. Azad (“Free”) Kashmir, established in 1947 after the partition of India, is neither a province nor an agency of Pakistan but has a government of its own that is regarded by Pakistan as “independent,” even though it is protected by and economically and administratively

Blok, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich

2005-02-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Born into a sheltered, intellectual environment,

Chi-lung

2005-02-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

Conventional Keelung shih (municipality), northern Taiwan, and the principal port of Taipei, 16 mi (26 km) southwest. The municipality has an area of 51 sq mi (133 sq km). Chi-lung first became known by that name, said to have been a corruption of Ketangalan, the name of a tribe of aboriginal peoples who lived in the district, in the 17th century. The location was occupied in 1626 by the Spanish, who built a fort on the island

Powell, Enoch

2005-02-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

Powell was the son of schoolteachers of Welsh ancestry. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and became a professor of

France, History Of, Charlemagne

2005-02-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

Pepin III, faithful to ancient customs, divided his kingdom between his two sons, Charles (Charlemagne) and Carloman. On Carloman's death in 771 the kingdom was reunited. Charlemagne established the base of his kingdom in northeastern Francia (his preferred residence was Aachen [Aix-la-Chapelle]).

Literature

2005-02-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

During 1999 the list assembled by Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia Weekly) of the 100 best Chinese fictional works of the 20th century was released in Hong Kong. The first-place winner was Lu Xun for his Nahan (“Call to Arms”); it was followed in order by Shen Congwen for Bian cheng (“Remote Town”), Lao She for Luotuo xiangzi (“The Camel”), Zhang Ailing for Chuanqi (“Legend”), Qian Zhongshu for Wei cheng (“Enclosed

Forbes-robertson, Sir Johnston

2005-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Educated at Charterhouse School, he studied art before turning to the theatre in 1874, when he first appeared on the London stage. He acted with the Bancrofts—Squire

Lower Saxony

2005-02-18T07:45:00.000-08:00

German Niedersachsen, constituent Land (state) of Germany. The second largest Land in size, it occupies an important band of territory across the northwestern part of the nation. Lower Saxony stretches from The Netherlands border in the west to the border of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt Länder in the east. The neck of land occupied by Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and, farther

Rabies

2005-02-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

Also called hydrophobia , or lyssa acute, usually fatal, viral infectious disease of the central nervous system. The disease is usually spread among domestic dogs and wild carnivorous animals; all warm-blooded animals are susceptible to rabies infection. The virus, a rhabdovirus, is often present in the salivary glands of rabid animals and is excreted in the saliva; thus, the bite of the infected animal

Noland, Kenneth

2005-02-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

Noland attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina and studied

Ikenobo

2005-02-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

Oldest school of floral art in Japan; the term Ikenobo later came to be used loosely to describe any classical Japanese flower arrangement. The Ikenobo (literally, “priest's residence by a pond”) school was founded in the early 7th century by Ono no Imoko, a former Japanese envoy to China. After becoming a Buddhist priest, Ono no Imoko took up residence at Rokkaku-do, a small temple

Hansi

2005-02-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Haryana state, northwestern India, on the road between Hissar city (northwest) and Delhi (southeast). Hansi is an ancient town and was probably a Kushan stronghold in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It was captured in 1192 by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak, general of the Muslim emperor Muhammad Ghuri; several mosques and tombs date from the 12th century. Hansi was the capital of the independent

Camden

2005-02-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

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

Amazonas

2005-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Largest estado (“state”) of Brazil, situated in the northwestern part of the country. It is bounded to the northwest by Colombia, to the north by Venezuela and the Brazilian state of Roraima, to the east and southeast by the Brazilian states of Pará and Mato Grosso, to the south by the Brazilian state of Rondônia, to the southwest by the Brazilian state of Acre, and to the west

Baseball

2005-02-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cuba defeated

Gag Rule

2005-02-14T04:44:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, any of a series of congressional resolutions that tabled, without discussion, petitions regarding slavery; passed by the House of Representatives between 1836 and 1840 and repealed in 1844. Abolition petitions, signed by more than 2,000,000 persons, had inundated Congress after the establishment of the American Anti-Slavery Society (1833). Gag rules, supported by proslavery congressmen,

Grundtvig, N.f.s.

2005-02-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

After taking a degree in theology (1803) from the University of Copenhagen, Grundtvig studied the Edda

Aerospace Industry, Missiles

2005-02-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Missiles (see rocket and missile system), which are unpiloted, rocket- or jet-powered delivery systems for munitions, have assumed an important role in military strategy and tactics. Originally conceived as powered artillery shells and therefore the purview of munitions manufacturers, they rapidly became products of the aerospace industry by virtue of the ranges

Arts, Central Asian, The kingdoms of western Turkistan and Afghanistan

2005-02-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Skill in irrigation, with the resulting expansion in agriculture, encouraged urbanism and the growth of states, changes that coincided with the rise of nomadism. While the nomadic cattle and horse breeders took over the steppelands, the culturally distinct states of Sogdiana (part of Uzbekistan and much of Tajikistan), Fergana (the greater part of Uzbekistan), Chorasmia

Andiron

2005-02-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

One of a pair of horizontal iron bars upon which wood is supported in an open fireplace. The oldest of fireplace furnishings, andirons were used widely from the Late Iron Age. The andiron stands on short legs and usually has a vertical guard bar at the front to prevent logs from rolling off, thus giving it a somewhat doglike appearance (hence the alternative name, firedog).

Gur-e Amir

2005-02-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

Mausoleum in Samarkand, now in Uzbekistan, of the 14th-century Mongol conqueror Timur, or Tamerlane. Though it has suffered from time and earthquakes, it is still sumptuous. It consists of a chapel crowned with a dome, enclosed by a wall, and fronted by an archway. The interior walls are covered with elegant turquoise arabesques and inscriptions in gold.

Han River

2005-02-11T04:44:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Han Shui, Pinyin Han Shui, one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze River of China. It has a total length of about 952 mi (1,532 km). The Han Shui rises in the Shen-ch'iung Shan (mountains), part of the Mi-t'sang Shan in the north of Ning-ch'iang County in the extreme southwest of Shensi Province. Its upper stream is known successively as the Yü-tai Ho, the Yang Shui, and, below Mien-hsien, the Mien Shui. At Han-chung

Caxias Do Sul

2005-02-11T04:29:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil, lying at 2,490 ft (760 m) above sea level on the range of hills separating the Antas and Caí river valleys. It was founded in 1875 by Italian colonists and given city status in 1910. Metallurgic industries and viticulture are the city's economic mainstays; the vineyards of the surrounding area are considered Brazil's best. The Universidade

Ford, Ford Madox

2005-02-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

The son of a German music critic, Francis Hueffer, and a grandson of Ford Madox Brown, one of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, Ford grew up in a cultured, artistic environment. At 18 he wrote his first novel, The Shifting of Fire (1892). His acquaintance

Cheliff, Ech-

2005-02-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1981) El-Asnam, or (until 1964) Orléansville, town, northern Algeria. It lies along the Chelif River, south of the Mediterranean port of Ténès. It was founded by the French in 1843 on the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Castellum Tingitanum and is now an important rail junction midway between Algiers and Oran, as well as an agricultural trade centre. In the surrounding region wheat and barley are the main crops,

Maun

2005-02-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

Village, northwestern Botswana. It lies at the southern edge of the Okavango Swamp, northeast of Lake Ngami. The traditional capital of the Tswana people, Maun is the centre of the safari and game industry for the Okavango River delta and the Moremi Game Reserve. Pop. (1991) 26,768.

Berar

2005-02-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Birar, cotton-growing region in east-central Maharashtra state, western India. The region extends for approximately 200 miles (320 km) east-west along the Purna River basin and lies 700 to 1,600 feet (200 to 500 m) above sea level. Berar is bounded on the north by the Gawilgarh Hills (Melghat) and on the south by the Ajanta Range. Historically the name Berar was given to a province of varying extent, but it no longer

Takla Makan Desert

2005-02-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

The Takla Makan is flanked by high mountain ranges: the Tien Shan in the north, the Kunlun Mountains in the south, and the Pamirs in the west. There is a gradual transition to the Lop Nor basin in the east, and, in the south and west, between the sandy desert and the mountains, lies a band of sloping desert lowland composed of pebble-detritus deposits.

Pack Ice

2005-02-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

Floating mass of ice formed from seawater in the Earth's polar regions. Pack ice expands during winter to cover about 5 percent of the northern oceans and 8 percent of the southern oceans. When melting occurs in spring and summer, the margins of the pack ice retreat.

Badminton

2005-02-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen, known as the "Great Dane," laid claim to badminton's two most important titles in 1996, a gold medal in men's singles at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., and a second consecutive men's singles All-England championship in March in Birmingham, Eng. He won in a sport almost completely dominated by Asia. At the Olympics he was the only European to place first, second,

Microtonal Music

2005-02-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

Much of the world's music, however, of both past and present times, uses intervals greater or smaller than 100 cents.