SeparateDrop

Estate Agent Fitzrovia

2006-10-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services. They are a specialist in estate agent fitzrovia, amongst other London areas such as Soho and Oxford Circus.

Sorus

2005-03-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

Plural Sori, in botany, brownish or yellowish cluster of spore-producing structures (sporangia) on the lower surfaces of fern leaves. A sorus may be protected during development by a scale or film of tissue called an indusium. In rust and smut fungi, a sorus is a spore mass produced on the leaf of an infected plant. Reproductive structures called sori also occur in various species

Wesley, Charles

2005-03-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

The youngest and third surviving son of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, Wesley entered Westminster School, London, in 1716. In 1726 he was elected to Christ Church College, Oxford, where he translated Greek and

Ancud

2005-03-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

Town and commune in Los Lagos región, Chiloé provincia, southern Chile. It lies on the northern coast of Chiloé Island, across the Straits of Chacao from the mainland. Founded in 1769 as San Carlos de Ancud, it was one of the last strongholds of royalist forces during Chile's struggle for independence from Spain in the first quarter of the 19th century. It was the provincial capital

Macdowell Colony

2005-03-28T02:53:00.000-08:00

After Edward's death

Smith Sound

2005-03-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

The sound was discovered in 1616 by William Baffin and named for Sir Thomas Smythe (Smith), promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage. It was not until the mid-19th century that any explorer reached

Valence

2005-03-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

The explanation and the systematization of valence was a major challenge to 19th-century

X-ray Style

2005-03-26T23:21:00.000-08:00

Manner of depicting animals by drawing or painting the skeletal frame and internal organs, one of the characteristic styles of the art of prehistoric hunting cultures. The origin of the style can be traced to the Mesolithic art of northern Europe, where the earliest examples were found on fragments of bone in southern France dating from the late Magdalenian Period.

Ericales

2005-03-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

The fossil record of Ericales is not enormous, especially considering the number of extant species in the order; in fact, many species placed in Ericales require careful reconsideration as their affinities with the order are doubtful. The Cyrillaceae are well documented in the fossil record with pollen grains occurring as far back as the Maastrichtian of the

Durg

2005-03-26T03:36:00.000-08:00

Formerly Drug city, central Chhattisgarh state, central India, just east of the Seonath River, part of the Durg–Bhilai Nagar urban agglomeration. The city is an agricultural market and is heavily engaged in milling rice and pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan). Its name is derived from the Hindi term durga (“fort”); there are remains of an ancient fortress used by the Marathas as a base of operations in subjugating

Insurance, Personal liability insurance

2005-03-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

The most common form of personal liability insurance is issued as part of the homeowner's liability insurance policy. It is an all-risk agreement and contains relatively few exclusions. The policy covers any act of negligence of the insured or residents of the home that results in legal liability. It may also include medical payments insurance covering accidental

Botany

2005-03-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

The branch of biology that deals with plants. It involves the study of the structure, properties, and biochemical processes of all forms of plant life, including trees. Also included within its scope are plant classification and the study of plant diseases and of the interactions of plants with their physical environment. Over the years various specialized branches

Stein, Gertrude

2005-03-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

Stein spent her infancy in Vienna and in Passy, France, and her girlhood in Oakland, California. She entered the Society for the

Dyula

2005-03-22T01:13:00.000-08:00

The Dyula were active gold traders as long ago as the time of the ancient African kingdom of Ghana. They flourished under the empire of Mali, when they provided a link between the gold-producing forestlands in

Qala'un Mosque

2005-03-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Qalawun building complex, including a mausoleum, a madrasah, and a hospital, built in 1283–85 on the site of present-day Cairo by the fifth Mamluk sultan, Qala'un. The hospital, now in ruins, was one of the most remarkable buildings of the Mamluk era. The mausoleum and madrasah both open from a central corridor. The madrasah has a unique three-part basilica-like eyvan, or vaulted niche, on the richly

Arabian Desert, Physiography

2005-03-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Plateaus are a common desert feature. Jordan east of the Dead

Central African Republic, Settlement patterns

2005-03-20T02:17:00.000-08:00

About three-fifths of the population is rural, residing primarily in the southern and western parts of the country. The eastern and northeastern sections of the country are less populated. Of the urban population, a significant proportion lives in Bangui. Other major towns are Berbérati, Bossangoa, and Bouar in the west, Bambari and Bria in the central plains, and Bangassou

Absalon

2005-03-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Scion of a powerful Zealand family, Absalon helped his childhood friend gain the Danish throne as Valdemar I (1156–57) and was named bishop of Roskilde in 1158. As the king's closest adviser, he initially supported Valdemar's alliance with Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy

Al-

2005-03-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

Arabic definite article, meaning “the.” It often prefixes Arabic proper nouns, especially place-names; an example is Al-Jazirah (Arabic: “The Island”), the name of an interfluvial region in The Sudan. The article is often used in lowercase form, hence al-Jazirah. Reference works, including Encyclopædia Britannica, often alphabetize names beginning with al- under the main part

La Mettrie, Julien Offroy De

2005-03-18T14:53:00.000-08:00

La Mettrie obtained a medical degree at Reims, studied medicine in Leiden under Hermann Boerhaave (some of whose

Sian Incident

2005-03-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 12–25, 1936), in Chinese history, seizure of the Nationalist generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek by one of his own generals, Chang Hsüeh-liang (q.v.). Chang, commander of the Northeastern (Manchurian) forces at Sian, in Northwest China, opposed Chiang's policy of continuing to fight the Chinese Communists rather than devoting the Nationalists' full effort to fighting the Japanese, who

Arts, Central Asian

2005-03-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

This immense

Colonialism, Western, Colonial wars of the first half of the 18th century

2005-03-17T00:54:00.000-08:00

From 1689 to 1763 the British and French fought four wars that were mainly European in origin but which determined the colonial situation, in some cases for two centuries. Spain entered all four, first in alliance with England and later in partnership with France, though it played a secondary role.

David De Mayrena, Marie-charles

2005-03-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

After defrauding French authorities in Saigon, David de Mayrena fled to Kontum in the Central Highlands, where he impressed the French missionaries and persuaded the members

Eureka

2005-03-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

City, port, and seat (1856) of Humboldt county, northern California, U.S., on Humboldt Bay. A major lumber and commercial-fishing centre and headquarters for the Six Rivers National Forest, it was laid out in 1850 and named for the Greek motto (meaning “I have found it”) on the state seal. Site of Fort Humboldt (now a state historic monument) and scene of several Indian uprisings (1853–65), it developed

Arts, Islamic, Other classic mosques

2005-03-15T01:06:00.000-08:00

Either in its simplest form, as in Medina, or in its more formalized shape, as in Damascus, the hypostyle tradition dominated mosque architecture from 715 to the 10th century. As it occurs at Nishapur in northeastern Iran, Siraf in southern Iran, al-Qayrawan (Kairouan) in Tunisia, and Córdoba in Spain, it can indeed be considered as the classic early Islamic type. Its masterpieces occur

Albany Congress

2005-03-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Conference in U.S. colonial history (June 19–July 11, 1754) at Albany, N.Y., which advocated a union of the British colonies in North America for their security and defense against the French, foreshadowing their later unification. The conference was convened by the British Board of Trade to help cement the loyalty of the Iroquois Confederacy, wavering between the French and the

Tlaquepaque

2005-03-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

City, north-central Jalisco estado (“state”), west-central Mexico. Formerly known as San Pedro Tlaquepaque, the city lies in the temperate Guadalajara valley, approximately 5,400 feet (1,650 m) above sea level. A suburb of Guadalajara, the state capital, 7 miles (11 km) southeast, Tlaquepaque is primarily a handicrafts centre, known especially for its pottery, textiles, and hand-blown glass.

Penelope

2005-03-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. In the Odyssey is told the story of how, during her husband's long absence after the Trojan War, many chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands became her suitors. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes,

Le Maistre, Antoine

2005-03-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

Important figure in the Jansenist religious movement in France, a member of the Arnauld family (q.v.).

Hyderabad

2005-03-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Hyderabad was founded by the Qutb Shahi sultans of Golconda, under whom the kingdom of Golconda attained a position of importance second only to that of the Mughal Empire in the north. The old fortress town of Golconda had proved inadequate as the kingdom's capital, and so

China, Population movements

2005-03-12T05:02:00.000-08:00

Censuses taken during the Sui and T'ang dynasties provide some evidence as to population changes. Surviving figures for 609 and for 742, representing two of the most complete of the earlier Chinese population registrations, give totals of some 9,000,000 households, or slightly more than 50,000,000 persons. Contemporary officials considered that only about 70 percent of the population was

Chungking, Transportation

2005-03-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

Chungking is served by two great rivers, the Yangtze and the Chia-ling, and is the leading port of southwestern China. As a result of extensive work carried

Koch, Martin

2005-03-11T00:58:00.000-08:00

Koch came from a lower middle-class family, which his father deserted when the children were very young. The young Koch worked as a labourer's helper, studied art, and became active in the Good Templars Lodge. His first publication

Vitalian, Saint

2005-03-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Consecrated as St. Eugenius I's successor on July 30, 657, Vitalian soon dealt peacefully with monothelitism, a heresy maintaining that Christ had only one will. In 648 the Byzantine emperor Constans II had issued his Typos, an edict forbidding discussion of the monothelite question and attempting to impose unity

Seacole, Mary

2005-03-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

Her father was a Scottish soldier and her mother a free black Jamaican woman who was skilled in traditional medicine and provided care for invalids at her boardinghouse. In 1836 Grant married Edwin Horatio Seacole, and, during their trips to

New Orleans, Climate

2005-03-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

New Orleans has a moderate climate; the average daily temperature from October through March is 60 °F (16 °C), and from April through September the daily average is 77 °F (25 °C). Freezing weather is rare, and the temperature rises above 95 °F (35 °C) only about six days a year.

Mystery Story

2005-03-10T03:51:00.000-08:00

Ages-old popular genre of tales dealing with the unknown; it may be a narrative of horror and terror, a pseudoscientific fantasy, a crime-solving story, an account of diplomatic intrigue, an affair of codes and ciphers and secret societies, or any situation involving an enigma. By and large, mystery stories may be divided into two sorts: tales of the supernatural and riddle

Ferdinand Ii

2005-03-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

The son of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (and cousin of Prince Albert of Great Britain), he was married to Maria in January 1836, only 10 months after the sudden death of

Iran, The Qajar dynasty (17961925)

2005-03-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

Between 1779 and 1789 the Zands fought among themselves over their legacy. In the end it fell to the gallant Lotf 'Ali, the Zands' last hope. Agha Muhammad Khan relentlessly hunted him down until he overcame and killed him at the southeastern city of Kerman in 1794. In 1796 Agha Muhammad Khan assumed the imperial diadem, and later in the same year he took Mashhad. Shah Rokh died of the tortures inflicted

Bioceramics

2005-03-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Ceramic products or components employed in medical and dental applications, mainly as implants and replacements. This article briefly describes the principal ceramic materials and surveys the uses to which they are put in medical and dental applications. For an explanation of important issues in biomedical uses of all materials (including ceramics), see the

Soto

2005-03-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

The sect was founded in China in the 9th century by Liang-chieh and Pen-chi, where it was known as Ts'ao-tung (after its monastic centres on the mountains Ts'ao and Tung). It was transmitted to Japan by Dogen, who founded the Eihei Temple

Guadiana River

2005-03-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Arabic Wadi Ana, Portuguese Rio Guadiana, Spanish Río Guadiana, one of the longest streams of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing generally westward through south-central Spain and southeastern Portugal to the Gulf of Cádiz in the Atlantic Ocean. The river has a drainage area of 23,455 square miles (60,748 square km), a length of 483 miles (778 km), and about 30 major tributaries. Its flow is relatively meagre—only about half that of the Tagus or the Douro—because

Packard, David

2005-03-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

After receiving his B.A. from Stanford University in 1934, Packard worked for the General Electric Company in Schenectady, N.Y. In 1938 he returned to Stanford,

Fibroblast

2005-03-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

The principal nonmotile cells of connective tissue; fibroblasts are large, flat, elongated (spindle-shaped) cells possessing processes extending out from the ends of the cell body. The cell nucleus is flat and oval. Fibroblasts produce tropocollagen, which is the forerunner of collagen, and ground substance, an amorphous, gel-like matrix that fills the spaces between

Keaton, Diane

2005-03-05T03:46:00.000-08:00

Keaton studied acting at Santa Ana College in California and at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. She appeared in summer stock in the mid-1960s and in 1968 understudied the lead in the Broadway rock

Aerospace Industry, General works

2005-03-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

Roger E. Bilstein, Flight in America: From the Wrights to the Astronauts, rev. ed. (1994), is a general treatise on the development of aviation and spaceflight for the layperson, and his The American Aerospace Industry: From Workshop to Global Enterprise (1996) provides an account of the development of the American aerospace industry. The best source for historical aerospace data is Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith, The Aeroplane: An Historical Survey of Its Origins and Development (1960). An excellent source on the development of the American aircraft industry to the 1940s is Grover Loening, Takeoff Into Greatness (1968). Charles D. Bright, The Jet Makers: The Aerospace Industry from 1945 to 1972 (1978), details the aerospace industry in the United States after World War II. T.A. Heppenheimer, Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation (1995), traces the ascent of the airline business from the biplane era to modern jetliners, and Countdown: A History of Space Flight (1997) includes excellent coverage on the development of the space industry. Bill Gunston, World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers (1993), provides a brief listing of the world's aircraft manufacturers from the pioneers to the early 1990s. Daniel Todd and Jamie Simpson, The World Aircraft Industry (1986), discusses the state of the aerospace industry by country and technology and provides statistical data in the appendix.

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint

2005-03-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Works on St. Thomas' historical and doctrinal contexts include Pierre Mandonnet, Siger de Brabant et l'averroïsme latin au XIIIme siècle (1899, reprinted 1976); Étienne Gilson, The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy (1936, reprinted 1991; originally published in French, 1932), The Spirit of Thomism (1964), and History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages (1955); M.D. Chenu, Nature, Man, and Society in the Twelfth Century (1968; originally published in French, 1957); and Fernand van Steenberghen, La Philosophie au XIIIe siècle, 2nd ed. (1991).

Empiricism

2005-03-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

The earliest expressions of Empiricism in ancient Greek philosophy were those of the Sophists. In reaction to them Plato presented the Rationalistic view that man has only “opinion” about changing, perceptible, existing things in space and time; that “knowledge” can be had only of timeless, necessary truths; and that the objects of knowledge—the unchanging and imperceptible

Themistocles

2005-03-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Athenian politician and naval strategist who was the creator of Athenian sea power and the chief saviour of Greece from subjection to the Persian Empire at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC.

Vung Tau

2005-03-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

French Cap Saint-jacques, port, southern Vietnam. It is situated near the tip of an 11-mile- (18-kilometre-) long projection into the South China Sea, which trends southwest and partially encloses Ganh Rai Bay. The bay receives the Saigon River on the northeastern Mekong delta. The port of Vung Tau has a pilot station, fuel depot, and sea harbour to serve vessels using the port of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly

Raynaud's Disease

2005-03-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

Disease, occurring primarily in young women, in which spasms in the arteries to the fingers cause the fingertips of both hands to become first pale and then cyanotic—bluish—upon exposure to cold or in response to emotion. Often the fingertips become cold and numb and perspire. The fingers may ache and move awkwardly. If the attack is prolonged, the rest of the hands and

Mugla

2005-03-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Turkey, on the edge of a small plain about 12 miles (20 km) north of the Gulf of Gökova. A favourite residence of the emirs of the 14th-century Turkmen Mentese principality, it was annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 1425. It is a local market for the agricultural products of the region and is linked by road with Izmir and Denizli. The surrounding region borders on both the

Zahn, Ernst

2005-03-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Zahn was at first president of the Diet of the canton of Uri and then manager of a railway

Gryphaea

2005-03-01T01:11:00.000-08:00

Extinct molluskan genus found as fossils in rocks from the Jurassic period to the Eocene epoch (between 208 million and 36.6 million years ago). Related to the oysters, Gryphaea is characterized by its distinctively convoluted shape. The left valve, or shell, was much larger and more convoluted than the flattish right valve. Fine markings extended across the shell

Epic Formula

2005-02-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

Convention of language and theme peculiar to oral epic poetry that is often carried over to the written form. The most obvious epic formulas are the “fixed epithets,” stereotyped descriptive phrases that can be varied in different places in the poetic line to suit the demands of the metre. These stock expressions have the twofold function of lightening the oral poet's

Kidney Transplant

2005-02-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Renal Transplant, replacement of a diseased or damaged kidney with a healthy one obtained either from a living relative or a recently deceased person. Although kidney transplants were carried out in the late 1950s, clinically significant transplantation did not begin until around 1963, when the immunosuppressive drug azathioprine was developed to help counteract the rejection of the

Cypriot Syllabary

2005-02-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

System of writing used on the island of Cyprus, chiefly from the 6th to the 3rd century BC. The syllabary consists of 56 signs, each of which represents a different syllable. Most inscriptions written with this syllabary are in the Greek language, although the syllabary was originally designed for writing the earlier non-Greek language of Cyprus. The classical Cypriot syllabary

Koch, Marita

2005-02-27T03:26:00.000-08:00

An injury forced Koch to withdraw from the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, where she had been a favoured competitor. She set the first of her indoor records the

Yoshiyuki, Junnosuke

2005-02-26T06:36:00.000-08:00

Japanese novelist and short-story writer (b. April 1, 1923, Okayama, Japan--d. July 26, 1994, Tokyo, Japan), explored human sexuality and prostitution as a means of understanding human relationships. His prize-winning works include the short story "Shuu" (1954; "Sudden Shower," 1972), and the novels Anshitsu (1969: The Dark Room, 1975) and Yugure made (1978: "Until Evening"), the latter of which won the Noma Literary Prize. Yoshiyuki,

China, Early T'ang (618626)

2005-02-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

When Kao-tsu became emperor (reigned 618–626), he was still only one among the contenders for control of the empire of the Sui. It was several years before the empire was entirely pacified. After the suppression of Hsüeh Chü and the pacification of the northwest, the T'ang had to contend with three principal rival forces: the Sui remnants commanded by Wang Shih-ch'ung at Lo-yang,

Devey, George

2005-02-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Devey was educated in London and studied painting before he trained as an architect. His considerable, and exclusively domestic, practice included designs for lodges, cottages, and country mansions containing design

Wells, Carolyn

2005-02-24T18:03:00.000-08:00

Wells supplemented her formal education with an early-formed habit of voracious reading. After completing her schooling she worked as a librarian for the Rahway Library Association for some years. Her love of puzzles

Thompson Submachine Gun

2005-02-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

Byname Tommy Gun, submachine gun patented in 1920 by its American designer, General John T. Thompson. The weapon became famous during the U.S. Prohibition era (1920–33) as the gun used by gangsters. Indeed it became so widely known in that era that it is commonly (but erroneously) believed to be the first submachine gun. It weighed almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) empty and fired .45-calibre ammunition. The magazine was either

Genecentre

2005-02-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Genecenter, any of a number of areas on the Earth from which arose important crop plants and domestic animals. As few as four of these centres of origin have probably provided the great majority of the most useful plants and animals: (1) tropical southeastern Asia—rice, chickens; (2) temperate southwestern Asia—wheat, sheep, goats, asses; (3) subtropical or temperate Mexico and Central

Hind

2005-02-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

Any of certain species of fishes in the sea bass family, Serranidae (order Perciformes). All species referred to as hinds are in the genus Epinephelus, which also includes many groupers. They are found in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico along the North American coast, with the exception of the red hind (E. guttatus), which ranges from the Carolinas to Brazil. The rock

I-lan

2005-02-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

Shih (municipality) and seat of I-lan hsien (county), northeastern Taiwan, the centre of the only sizable alluvial basin on the island's mountainous eastern coast. The basin itself was largely formed as the delta of the Cho-Shui River and is about 30 miles (50 km) from north to south. I-lan city lies in the centre of this plain on the Lan River. The plain is a fertile rice-producing region,

Baseball

2005-02-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

Game played with a bat, a ball, and gloves between two teams of nine players each on a field with four white bases laid out in a diamond (i.e., a square oriented so that its diagonal line is vertical). Teams alternate positions as batters (offense) and fielders (defense), exchanging places when three members of the batting team are “put out.” As batters, players try to hit the ball

Chelmsford (of Chelmsford), Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount, Baron Chelmsford Of Chelmsford

2005-02-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of

V-2 Missile

2005-02-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Developed in Germany from 1936 through the efforts of scientists led by Wernher von Braun, it was first successfully launched on October 3, 1942, and was fired against Paris on September 6, 1944. Two days later the first of more than 1,100 V-2s was fired against Great Britain (the last on March

Vieira, Luandino

2005-02-20T05:51:00.000-08:00

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

Akutagawa Prize

2005-02-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

The Akutagawa Prize was created in 1935 by the

Vihara

2005-02-19T05:53:00.000-08:00

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

Monaco, Flag Of

2005-02-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

The complex princely

Clarence Series

2005-02-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

Major division of Cretaceous rocks and time in New Zealand (the Cretaceous Period lasted from 144 to 66.4 million years ago). Rocks of the Clarence Series overlie those of the Taitai Series and underlie rocks of the Raukumara Series. Clarence rocks (sandstones, conglomerates, graywackes, mudstones, and basaltic lava flows) have been divided into four stages representing

Graebe, Carl

2005-02-17T00:52:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the University of Heidelberg, Graebe was a lecturer-assistant to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen. Later, as a student of Adolf von Baeyer

Hackney

2005-02-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hackneys are heavily muscled, with wide chests, deep bodies, and arched necks; they average 14.2 to 15.2 hands

Tasmania, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

2005-02-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

Less than a third of Tasmania's area is agricultural land; almost all of it is used for grazing; just under half is sown pasture, and the rest is used for rough grazing or is open forest. Crops occupy only 4 percent of agricultural land but contribute one-third of the total value of agricultural production. Seasonal irrigation, mainly spray for crops and some pasture, is

Biblical Literature, Purification laws

2005-02-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

With chapter 11 begin the regulations on ritual cleanness and uncleanness, starting with animals and other living things fit and unfit to eat—the basis of the famous Jewish dietary laws. Then come the uncleanness and required purification of women after childbirth, skin diseases, healed lepers, infected houses, and genital discharges. Chapter 16, which belongs in the

Eisenstadt

2005-02-15T00:46:00.000-08:00

City, capital (since 1925) of Burgenland Bundesland (federal state), eastern Austria. It lies at the southern end of the Leitha Mountains, south of Vienna. Mentioned in 1264, it was a free city of Hungary from 1648 until Burgenland was ceded to Austria in 1920. Eisenstadt's notable landmarks include the former castle of the Esterházy princes (14th century; rebuilt 1663–72); the Mount Calvary Church (Kalvarienbergkirche),

Abia

2005-02-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

State, east-central Nigeria. Abia was administratively created in 1991 from the eastern half of former Imo state. It is bordered by the states of Enugu to the north, Cross River and Akwa Ibom to the east, Rivers to the south, and Imo and Anambra to the west. Abia includes areas of oil-palm bush and tropical rain forest in its southern part and woodland savanna in its hilly north.

Computers, The IBM 360

2005-02-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

IBM had been selling business machines since early in the century and had built Howard Aiken's computer to his architectural specifications. But the company had been slow to implement the stored-program digital computer architecture of the early 1950s. It did develop the IBM 650, a (like UNIVAC) decimal implementation of the IAS plan—and the first computer to sell more than

Bulbul

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

Any of about 119 species of birds of the family Pycnonotidae (order Passeriformes) of Africa and Asia, including some called greenbuls and brownbuls. Members range in size from 14 to 28 cm (5.5 to 11 inches) long. They are active, noisy, plain-coloured birds that sometimes damage orchards. Representative of the 47 species of the genus Pycnonotus is the African bulbul (P. barbatus, including

Giordano, Luca

2005-02-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

The most celebrated and prolific Neapolitan painter of the late 17th century. His nickname Luca fa presto (“Luca, work quickly”) is said to derive from his painter-copyist father's admonitions, which were certainly heeded. His other nickname, Proteus, was acquired as a result of his reputed skill in producing pastiches in the style of almost any artist.

Animals, The

2005-02-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

Five-piece rock group from northeastern England whose driving sound influenced Bob Dylan's decision, in 1965, to begin working with musicians playing electric instruments. The principal members were Eric Burdon (b. May 11, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, Eng.), Alan Price (b. April 19, 1942, Fatfield, Durham), Hilton Valentine (b. May 21, 1943, North Shields, Tyne and Wear), Chas Chandler (byname of Bryan

Alapa

2005-02-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “conversation”), in the art music of India and Pakistan, improvised melody structured to reveal a raga and occurring principally in the introductory section of a performance. There the alapa is performed without rhythmic accompaniment and is free and rhapsodic in character. With only a drone (sustained-tone) accompaniment, the performer of the alapa gradually

Beach, Sylvia

2005-02-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

Beach was educated mainly at home. In 1901 she accompanied her father, a Presbyterian

San Justo

2005-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

Cabecera (principal built-up area) of La Matanza partido (political subdivision), Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Arg. It lies directly southwest of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires province. In 1856 the poblador (person granted land as an incentive to settle an area) of San Justo, José Gorsch, donated the land for the founding of the town on behalf of the Justo Villegas family.

Stein, Charlotte Von

2005-02-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

German writer and an intimate friend of and important influence on Goethe; she was the inspiration for the female figures Iphigenie in Iphigenie auf Tauris and Natalie in Wilhelm Meister. She remained for Goethe an unattainable feminine ideal and should not be confused with the warm and simple Lotte, heroine

Robert

2005-02-10T00:53:00.000-08:00

Robert was a younger son of Peter of Courtenay (died early 1219?) and Yolande of Flanders and Hainaut, who was empress regent for her sons until her death in September 1219. Their eldest son, Philip of

Rupp, Adolph

2005-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Rupp grew up on a Kansas farm and was hardly aware of basketball until he went to college. He was a member of the University of Kansas (Lawrence) Big Eight Conference championship team of 1923. After coaching five years

Amphipolis

2005-02-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek city on the Strymon (Strimón) River about three miles from the Aegean Sea, in Macedonia. A strategic transportation centre, it controlled the bridge over the Strymon and the route from northern Greece to the Hellespont, including the western approach to the timber, gold, and silver of Mount Pangaeum in Thrace. Originally a Thracian town (Ennea Hodoi, “Nine

Turgay

2005-02-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Turgai, or Turgaj, oblast (province), central Kazakhstan. It was created in 1970, though a larger oblast of the same name existed in tsarist times, and it embraces the western fringes of the Kazakh Upland and part of the Turgay Steppe. The main rivers are the Ishim, flowing north, and the Turgay, south. The climate is continental, and annual precipitation varies from 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300 mm). There are important

La Tour, Maurice-quentin De

2005-02-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

Early in his youth La Tour went to Paris, where he entered the studio of the Flemish painter Jacques Spoede. He then went to Reims, Cambrai (1724), and England (c. 1725), returning to Paris to resume

Einstein, Alfred

2005-02-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Einstein was born into a family of scholars (Albert Einstein was his cousin), and, as a young man, studied law for a year before completing his doctorate (1903) in musicology and composition at the University of Munich. As the first editor (1918–33) of the Zeitschrift für Musikwissenschaft (“Journal

Triberg

2005-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

In full Triberg Im Schwarzwald, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies along the Gutach River, northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. Situated in a gorgelike valley among tall pinewoods near Triberg Falls, the highest (535 feet [163 m]) waterfall in Germany, Triberg is one of the oldest Black Forest resorts and is noted for its beneficial climate and its winter-sports facilities. The

Calligraphy

2005-02-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

In the 7th and 8th centuries AD the Arab armies conquered for Islam territories stretching from the shores of the Atlantic to Sind (now in Pakistan). Besides a religion, they brought to the conquered peoples a language both written and spoken. The Arabic language was a principal factor in uniting peoples who differed widely in race, language, and culture. In the early centuries

Girodet-trioson, Anne-louis

2005-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Girodet-Trioson won the Prix de Rome (1789) for his “Joseph Recognized by His Brothers,” which was influenced by the cold, sober Neoclassicism of his teacher, Jacques-Louis David. In “The Sleep of Endymion” (1792; Louvre, Paris)

Ya-an

2005-02-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Established as the seat of a county under the Ch'in (221–206 BC) and Han (206 BC–AD 220) dynasties,

France, History Of, Political and social changes

2005-02-05T01:51:00.000-08:00

The structure of the Fourth Republic seemed remarkably like that of the Third; in actual operation it seemed even more familiar. The lower house of parliament (now renamed the National Assembly) was once more the locus of power; shaky coalition Cabinets again succeeded one another at brief intervals, and the lack of a clear-cut majority in the country or in parliament