CheapCircle

organic bed linen

2006-10-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Livs range of soft luxurious bed linenis sourced ethically from India and using a fair trade policy. Liv also provide duvet cover set and bath towel set.

Scheer, Reinhard

2005-04-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Scheer entered the German navy in 1879 and by 1907 had become the captain of a battleship. He became chief of staff of the High Seas Fleet under Henning von Holtzendorff in 1910 and commander of a battle squadron in 1913. After the outbreak of World War I, he

Tasmania, The economy

2005-04-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Tasmania is well endowed with mineral, forest, water, and tourist resources. It has a diversity of economic activity and fairly stable labour relations. Its economy, however, suffers markedly from the small scale of much of its resource base, from restricted local markets, and from problems of transport to external markets. The Tasmanian Development Authority seeks

Haldeman, H.r.

2005-04-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Haldeman graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in business

World War Ii, Allied policy and strategy: Octagon (Quebec II) and Moscow, 1944

2005-04-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

The progress of the Soviet armies toward central and southeastern Europe made it all the more urgent for the western Allies to come to terms with Stalin about the fate of the “liberated” countries of eastern Europe. London had already proposed to Moscow in May 1944 that Romania and Bulgaria should be zones for Soviet military operation, Yugoslavia and Greece—whose royalist

Chemical Bonding

2005-04-01T03:38:00.000-08:00

Any of the interactions that account for the association of atoms into molecules, ions, crystals, and other stable species that make up the familiar substances of the everyday world. When atoms approach one another, their nuclei and electrons interact and tend to distribute themselves in space in such a way that the total energy is lower than it would be in any alternative

Nephrite

2005-04-01T01:47:00.000-08:00

A gem-quality silicate mineral in the tremolite–actinolite–ferrotremolite series of amphiboles. It is the less prized but more common of the two types of jade, usually found as translucent to opaque, compact, dense aggregates of finely interfelted tufts of long, thin fibres. It may be distinguished from jadeite (q.v.), jade's other form, by its splintery fracture and oily

Paradzhanov, Sergey Yosifovich

2005-03-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

Paradzhanov studied music at the Tbilisi Conservatory and cinema at the State Institute of Cinematography. In 1952 he joined the Kiev Dovzhenko Studios, but the early motion pictures that he

Kiswah

2005-03-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

Black brocade cloth that covers the most sacred shrine of Islam, the Ka'bah (q.v.) in Mecca. A new kiswah is made in Egypt every year and carried to Mecca by pilgrims. On it is embroidered in gold the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah) and a gold band of ornamental calligraphy carrying Qur'anic verses. Each year during the major pilgrimage (hajj), the kiswah is replaced with a white

Barasat

2005-03-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India. Connected by road and rail with Calcutta and Howrah, it is an important trade centre for rice, legumes, sugarcane, potatoes, and coconuts; cotton weaving is the major industry. An annual fair held in honour of a Muslim saint is attended by both Muslims and Hindus. Barasat was constituted a municipality in 1869. Pop. (1981) 69,586.

Stakhanov

2005-03-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Stachanov, formerly (until 1978) Kadiyevka, also spelled Kadijevka, city, Luhansk oblast (province), eastern Ukraine. It is situated in the northern part of the Donets Coal Basin. The city developed in the 19th century as a coal-mining settlement. From 1935 to 1943, it was known as Sergo. Stakhanov is one of the major coal-mining towns of the Donets Basin, though it is declining in importance as pits become worked out and as other fuels increase in importance.

Mitra, Ramon

2005-03-29T05:22:00.000-08:00

Philippine politician (b. 1928, Palawan, Phil.—d. March 20, 2000, Manila, Phil.), was a prominent politician, a pro-democracy activist, and an outspoken critic of the 1966–86 regime of Philippine Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. After working as a journalist and diplomat, Mitra served in the House of Representatives in the 1960s and was elected to the Senate in 1971. After Marcos imposed martial law in the Philippines

Esdraelon, Plain Of

2005-03-28T13:58:00.000-08:00

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

Saccharomyces

2005-03-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

Genus of yeasts belonging to the family Endomycetales. An outstanding characteristic of members of Saccharomyces is their ability to convert sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol by means of enzymes. The yeasts used to ferment sugars in the manufacture of baked goods, beers, wines, distilled spirits, and industrial alcohols are all strains of one species, S.

Tasmania, Climate

2005-03-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

Tasmania, located in the mid-latitude westerly wind belt and dominated by southern maritime air masses, enjoys a moist, equable climate, with mild to warm summers, mild winters in most settled areas, and rain during all seasons. Yet the occasional incursion, in summer, of tropical continental air masses and, in spring and autumn, of tropical Tasman air masses along the

Sabre

2005-03-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Saber, heavy military sword with a long cutting edge and, often, a curved blade, derived from a Hungarian cavalry sword introduced from the Orient in the 18th century; also a light fencing weapon developed in Italy in the 19th century for duelling. The military sabre had been relegated to a ceremonial role by the 20th century, while the fencing sabre had become one of the sport's standard

Estonia, Relief and drainage

2005-03-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

The Estonian landscape is largely the product of glacial activity; the south is covered with moraine hills, and the central part abounds in elongated hills with flat tops. The northern part of Estonia is characterized by long narrow swells consisting of deposits left by glacial rivers that formed during the melting of ice. Extensive sandy areas mark what was once

Daumier, Honoré

2005-03-24T23:28:00.000-08:00

He did not do so, however, for he had become preoccupied with new technical studies; earlier than others, he had discovered Impressionism—faces and bodies devoured by the surrounding light and becoming one with the atmosphere. He painted a great deal, and the more so as his studies in the new technique did not interest the satirical journals to which he now submitted

Economic Geology

2005-03-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

Economic geology deals with metal ores, fossil fuels (e.g., petroleum, natural gas, and coal), and other materials of commercial value, such as salt, gypsum, and building stone. It applies the

Wakayama

2005-03-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

City, Wakayama ken (prefecture), south-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated at the mouth of the Kino River, on the Kii Peninsula, and lies along the Kii Strait, which leads from the Pacific Ocean into the Inland Sea. It is the capital and largest city of Wakayama prefecture. The settlement's growth began in 1585 with the construction of a castle there by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Wakayama

Coracle

2005-03-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

Irish curragh primitive, light, bowl-shaped boat with a frame of woven grasses, reeds, or saplings covered with hides. Those still used, in Wales and on the coasts of Ireland, usually have a canvas and tar covering. American Indians used the similar bullboat, covered with buffalo hides, on the Missouri River, and the corita, often sealed with bitumen, on the Colorado.

Robertsport

2005-03-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

Robertsport

Davis, Henry Winter

2005-03-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Intent

Water Parsnip

2005-03-21T02:04:00.000-08:00

Any of several aromatic herbs of the genus Sium, especially S. latifolium, belonging to the parsley family (Apiaceae), distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. They grow in moist areas, and some species are even partially submerged. All are perennial herbs with divided leaves and clusters of white flowers. S. sisarum, known as skirret, is cultivated

Morales, Luis De

2005-03-20T01:23:00.000-08:00

Morales may have studied with the Flemish painter Hernando

Dowsing

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

The dowser in his search grasps

Adangme

2005-03-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

The chief Adangme occupation is farming, based on the huza system, in which a tract of land is purchased

Astorga, Emanuele D'

2005-03-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

Astorga belonged to a family of Spanish descent that won a barony in Sicily in the 17th century. The family eventually settled in Palermo. Astorga's first opera, La moglie nemica (“The Hostile Wife”), was

Norway, Daily life and social customs

2005-03-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

Although Norway is in most ways very modern, it has maintained many of its traditions. Storytelling and folklore, in which trolls play a prominent role, are still common. On festive occasions folk costumes are worn and folk singing is performed—especially on Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day), commonly called Syttende Mai (May 17), the date of its celebration. Other popular

Great Barrier Island

2005-03-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

Known to the Maoris as Aotea, the island was

Metachromatic Leukodystrophy

2005-03-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Rare inherited metabolic disease in which the lack of a key enzyme causes loss of the protective myelin sheath from the white matter of the brain, resulting in psychological disturbances, mental deterioration, and sensory and motor defects. The absence of the enzyme cerebroside sulfatase (arylsulfatase A) allows certain specialized lipids (sphingolipids) to

Petare

2005-03-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Miranda estado (“state”), in the central highlands of northern Venezuela. Formerly a commercial centre in a fertile agricultural area producing coffee, cacao, and sugarcane, the city has become a residential suburb of the national capital and a part of the Caracas metropolitan area. Cardboard is manufactured in the city. Expressways lead from Petare

Cam

2005-03-15T10:05:00.000-08:00

Cams are made in a variety of forms, such as: (1) a rotating disk

Actinometer

2005-03-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

A typical actinometer is a liquid solution

Saruhan Dynasty

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

The dynasty was founded by Saruhan, a tribal chief and frontier prince in the service of the Seljuqs of Anatolia who traced his descent to the Khwarezm-Shahs of Central Asia; after its conquest of Manisa (1313), the dynasty's principality extended its territories to the Aegean Sea. Surrounded by the Turkmen

Melfi

2005-03-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

Town and episcopal see, Potenza provincia, Basilicata regione, southern Italy, at the foot of the volcanic mass of Monte Vulture, at an elevation of 1,742 feet (531 m), north of Potenza. Of Roman origin, the town was taken from the Byzantines by the Normans, who, for a period, made it their capital. It was a favourite residence of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II, who there assembled

Wye, River

2005-03-12T23:57:00.000-08:00

The Wye rises on the eastern slopes of the uplands of Plynlimon, and its upper valley, which has been glaciated, is deeply cut in the ancient grits and shales

Stag Beetle

2005-03-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Pinching Bug, any member of the approximately 900 species of the insect family Lucanidae (order Coleoptera). The mandibles (jaws) are greatly developed in the male and resemble the antlers of a stag. In many species the elaborately branched and toothed mandibles may be as long as the beetle itself; their pinch usually draws blood from a person. In some cases, however, the mandibles are

African Literature

2005-03-12T03:15:00.000-08:00

The traditional oral and written literatures together with the mainly 20th-century literature written mostly in European languages but also to an increasing extent in the many languages of the sub-Saharan region. Traditional written literature is limited to a smaller geographic area than is oral literature; indeed, it is most characteristic of those sub-Saharan

Gable, Christopher Michael

2005-03-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

British ballet dancer and actor (b. March 13, 1940, Hackney, London, Eng.--d. Oct. 23, 1998, near Halifax, Yorkshire, Eng.), was a popular star of the Royal Ballet, and his strong dramatic ability paved the way for him to make a smooth transition to theatre and motion pictures. When he was a young boy, Gable, having seen dance numbers in films, asked for lessons. His mother consented, if he also studied

Pacific Islands, Agriculture and natural resources

2005-03-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

Coconut products, including copra, from which oil is extracted, form the principal export from most islands. Agricultural production depends as much on native family enterprise as it does on plantation systems, which predominate in the larger islands. Perishable fruits, such as pineapples, bananas, and citrus fruits, require markets close at hand unless they are

Ankaratra

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

Volcanic mountainous region in central Madagascar (Malagasy), covering an area of approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 square km) and rising to 8,671 feet (2,643 m) in Mount Tsiafajavona, the nation's second highest peak. The main range runs south-southwest from the town of Antananarivo. Antsirabe (q.v.), situated on the slopes of Mount Tsiafajavona, is the principal town in the region.

Spratling, William

2005-03-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the New York Fine Arts Institute and Auburn University, in Alabama (where he studied architecture), Spratling taught art and architecture at Tulane University, New Orleans,

Attic Dialect

2005-03-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

Ancient Greek dialect that was the language of ancient Athens. Its closest relative was the Ionic dialect of Euboea. With the ascendance of the Athenian empire in the course of the 5th century BC, Attic became the most prestigious of the Greek dialects and as a result was adopted later as the standard language by the Macedonian kings. Moreover, it became in Hellenistic

Bail

2005-03-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

Procedure by which a judge or magistrate sets at liberty one who has been arrested or imprisoned, upon receipt of security to ensure the released prisoner's later appearance in court for further proceedings. Release from custody is ordinarily effected by posting a sum of money, or a bond, although originally bail included the delivery of other forms of property,

Ulaanbaatar

2005-03-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ulan Bator, formerly Urga, or Niislel Khureheh, capital and largest city of Mongolia. It is situated on the Tuul River on a windswept plateau at an elevation of 4,430 feet (1,350 m). The city originated as a seasonal migratory abode of the Mongolian princes and in 1639 finally attained permanence on the present site with the construction of Da Khure Monastery. This building became the residence of the bodgo-gegen, high priest of the

Asylum

2005-03-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

In international law, the protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen against his own state. The person for whom asylum is established has no legal right to demand it, while the sheltering state, which has the legal right to grant asylum, is under no obligation to give it. Asylum is thus a right of the state, not of the individual. The right of asylum falls into three

Frederick V

2005-03-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

After receiving a French education, Frederick succeeded his father, the elector Frederick IV, in 1610. When the Protestant Bohemian estates revolted against the Catholic

Spondylitis

2005-03-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

Ankylosing spondylitis (also called Bekhterev spondylitis, deforming spondylitis, or Marie-Strümpell arthritis) is a degenerative disease of the spine that is characteristically

Mitre, Bartolomé

2005-03-06T03:07:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Buenos Aires under the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas, Mitre began a 15-year exile in 1837. Travelling to Uruguay, Bolivia,

Gravity

2005-03-06T00:31:00.000-08:00

Gravitational attraction of one mass for another. See gravitation.

Bene Beraq

2005-03-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

Near the presumed location of ancient Bene Beraq, a

Quasicrystal, Quasiperiodicity

2005-03-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Dov Levine and Paul Steinhardt, physicists at the University of Pennsylvania, proposed a resolution of this apparent conflict. They suggested that the translational order of atoms in quasicrystalline alloys might be quasiperiodic rather than periodic. Quasiperiodic patterns share certain characteristics with periodic patterns. In particular, both are

Roseburg

2005-03-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1854) of Douglas county, southwestern Oregon, U.S., on the South Umpqua River, between the Coast (west) and Cascade (east) ranges. Settled in 1851, it was known as Deer Creek but was renamed for Aaron Rose, who laid out the town site in 1854. The city's economy was based for many years on wood-products industries and sawmills; sheep raising and wine making are other economic factors. There

Biblical Literature, Definitions

2005-03-04T00:12:00.000-08:00

A vast amount of Jewish literature written in the intertestamental period (mainly 2nd and 1st centuries BCE) and from the 1st and 2nd centuries CE was preserved, for the most part, through various Christian churches. A part of this literature is today commonly called the Apocrypha (Hidden; hence, secret books; singular apocryphon). At one time in the early church this was one of the

Literature

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

The most distinctive feature of Italian literature in 2001 was the publication of several novels whose settings in the recent past served as a framework for a reflection on history. Davide Longo's Un mattino a Irgalem takes place during the Italian colonization of Ethiopia, a topic traditionally neglected by historians and creative writers. In the action a short and

Xhosa Language

2005-03-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Xhosa also spelled Xosa a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. Xhosa is a member of the Southeastern, or Nguni, subgroup of the Bantu group of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Other Southeastern Bantu languages are Zulu, Swati (Swazi), Sotho, Tswana, Venda, and Ndebele. Although Xhosa and Zulu are similar enough

Myanmar, Traditional regions

2005-03-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Speakers of Burmese and Mon historically have lived in the plains, while speakers of a dialect of Burmese retaining archaic features occupied the Arakan and Tenasserim coastal plains. The hills were inhabited by those speaking Shan, Kachin, Chin, and numerous other languages. In the plains the division between northern and southern Myanmar (Upper and Lower Burma,

Animal Worship

2005-03-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

Veneration of an animal, usually because of its connection with a particular deity. The term was used by Western religionists in a pejorative manner and by ancient Greek and Roman polemicists against theriomorphic religions—those religions whose gods are represented in animal form. Most examples given for animal worship in primitive religions, however, are

Filarete

2005-03-01T01:35:00.000-08:00

Filarete is thought to have been trained under Lorenzo Ghiberti in Florence. From 1433 to 1445 he was employed by Pope Eugenius IV to execute the bronze central doors of Old St. Peter's in Rome

Afro-asiatic Languages, Northern Central Semitic

2005-02-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

The Northern Central Semitic group includes the Canaanite, Ugaritic, and Amorite languages of the Ancient Stage, which were spoken in Palestine, Phoenicia, Syria, and Mesopotamia from the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BC. To the Middle Stage belongs Phoenician-Punic, spoken in Phoenicia, on islands of the Mediterranean, and in North Africa, from the 2nd millennium BC to the 1st millennium

Flores

2005-02-27T23:39:00.000-08:00

One of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Nusa Tenggara Timur propinsi (East Nusa Tenggara province), Indonesia. The last major island in the chain, which extends eastward from Java, it is long and narrow, 5,500 sq mi (14,250 sq km) in area, and has numerous inlets and bays. The island was named after the Portuguese name for the island's eastern cape, Capo de Flores (Cape of Flowers), after the flamboyants

Rio De Janeiro Botanical Garden

2005-02-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro one of the great tropical botanical gardens and arboretums of the world. It was founded in 1808 by John, prince regent of the United Kingdom of Brazil and Portugal (later King John VI), for introducing and acclimatizing economically beneficial plants brought from other tropical regions of the world. The garden, located on a 350-acre (141-hectare) site below high peaks, has a collection

Melchizedek

2005-02-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Melchisedech, in the Old Testament, a figure of importance in biblical tradition because he was both king and priest, was connected with Jerusalem, and was revered by Abraham, who paid a tithe to him. He appears as a person only in an interpolated vignette (Gen. 14:18–20) of the story of Abraham rescuing his kidnapped nephew, Lot, by defeating a coalition of Mesopotamian kings under

Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens

2005-02-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Zoo in the city of Chicago noted for its excellent collection of great apes living together in family groups. The zoo houses about 2,400 specimens of more than 400 species of animals. The 14-hectare (35-acre) park is operated by the Chicago Park District with the aid of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society. Opened in 1874, the zoo is among the oldest in the United States and underwent an extensive

Burbidge, (eleanor) Margaret

2005-02-25T00:12:00.000-08:00

Burbidge served as assistant director (1948–50) and acting director

Robert

2005-02-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

Robert's early years were clouded by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–88), in which his father, Charles II of Anjou, was taken prisoner by the Aragonese. By the terms of the treaty Charles was freed, and Robert took his place as hostage at the Aragonese court. Taking the title of duke of Calabria

Coruña, La

2005-02-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Corunna , French La Corogne , formerly The Groyne city, capital of La Coruña province, in the autonomous community (region) of Galicia. It lies in extreme northwestern Spain, on Ría de la Coruña, an inlet of the Atlantic. Under the Romans, La Coruña was the port of Brigantium, but its present name is probably derived from Coronium, by which it was known in the Middle Ages. It was held by the Moors during the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries,

Astipálaia

2005-02-22T04:26:00.000-08:00

Island, westernmost of the Greek Dodecanese Islands, Aegean Sea, between Amorgós and Cos (Kos). With an area of 37 square miles (97 square km), it comprises two mountain masses linked by a narrow isthmus that provided shelter for the ancient Roman fleet. The western hills rise to about 1,500 feet (450 m) and the eastern hills to about 1,200 feet (365 m). The coast is much indented, with high cliffs rising

Karachay-cherkessia

2005-02-22T02:49:00.000-08:00

Also called Karachayevo-cherkessiya, republic, Stavropol kray (region), southwestern Russia. It extends south from the foreland plains across the northern ranges and deep intervening valleys and gorges of the Greater Caucasus range as far as the crestline, which reaches 13,274 feet (4,046 m) in Mount Dombay-Ulgen. Cherkessk is the administrative centre. The republic's scenery is spectacular, with densely forested

Pacorus

2005-02-22T02:43:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 51 BC Pacorus was sent to invade Syria with an army commanded by Osaces, an older warrior. Osaces, however, was killed in battle, and early the next year Orodes, learning that one of his satraps was conspiring to make Pacorus king, recalled his son. In 45, Pacorus intervened in

Rodent

2005-02-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

As documented by fossils, the evolutionary history of rodents extends back 56 million years to the Late Paleocene Epoch in North America. Those species, however, are considered to have originated in Eurasia, so the origin of the order Rodentia is certainly older. However, lack of fossil evidence prior to the Late Paleocene makes the understanding of evolutionary relationships

Masai

2005-02-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Maasai nomadic pastoralists of East Africa. Masai is essentially a linguistic term, referring to speakers of this Eastern Sudanic language (usually called Maa) of the Nilo-Saharan language family. These include the pastoral Masai who range along the Great Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania, the Samburu of Kenya, and the semipastoral Arusha and Baraguyu (or Kwafi) of

Wichita

2005-02-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

North American Indian people of Caddoan linguistic stock who in their early history lived near the Arkansas River in present-day Kansas. They were encountered by the Spanish in the mid-16th century and became the object of the earliest missionary work done among the Plains Indians. Like most Caddoans, the Wichita subsisted largely by farming (corn [maize], pumpkins,

'abd Al-malik

2005-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

'Abd al-Malik spent the first half of his life with his father, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, fourth Umayyad caliph, in Medina, where he received religious instruction and developed friendly relations with the pious circles of that city that were to stand him in good stead in his later life. At the age of 16, he was entrusted by his kinsman, the caliph Mu'awiyah, with administrative responsibilities.

Rodent

2005-02-19T02:06:00.000-08:00

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was formed in 1909 to take over and finance an oil-field

Anatolian Languages

2005-02-18T21:17:00.000-08:00

Extinct Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages spoken in Anatolia from sometime in the 3rd millenium BC until the early centuries of the present era, when they were gradually supplanted by Greek. The Anatolian languages are known only from texts of the 2nd and 1st millennia BC; the earliest evidence is that of the so-called Cappadocian tablets (19th–18th centuries BC). The

Hydaspes, Battle Of The

2005-02-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

(326 BC), fourth and last pitched battle fought by Alexander the Great during his campaign of conquest in Asia. It took place after Alexander's conquest of the Achaemenidian Empire and immediately before his army began the journey homeward to Macedonia. Porus, the Indian ruler of the territory between the Jhelum and the Chenab rivers (in modern Pakistan), was his opponent. After

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Parable

2005-02-18T00:55:00.000-08:00

In the West the conventions of parable were largely established by the teachings of Christ. The New Testament records a sufficient number of his parables, with their occasions, to show that to some extent his disciples were chosen as his initiates and followers because they “had ears to hear” the true meaning of his parables. (It has already been noted that the parable

Padua, University Of

2005-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Italian Università Degli Studi Di Padova, autonomous coeducational state institution of higher learning in Padua, Italy. The university was founded in 1222 by a secession of about a thousand students from the University of Bologna, reinforced by additional migrations from Bologna in 1306 and 1322. Like Bologna, it was a student-controlled university, with students electing the professors and fixing their salaries.

Tung Chung-shu

2005-02-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

As a chief minister to the emperor Wu (c. 140–87) of the Han dynasty, Tung was chiefly responsible for the

Boiling

2005-02-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

Boiling is used primarily

Kadesh

2005-02-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

Kadesh is mentioned for the first time in Egyptian sources when Thutmose III (1479–1426 BC) defeated a Syrian insurrection under the leadership of the prince of Kadesh at Megiddo in Palestine. Kadesh remained an outpost of Egyptian

Bulb

2005-02-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

In botany, structure that is the resting stage of certain seed plants, particularly perennial monocotyledons. A bulb consists of a relatively large, usually globe-shaped, underground bud with membraneous or fleshy overlapping leaves arising from a short stem. An onion is a commonly known bulb. A bulb's fleshy leaves—which in some species are actually expanded

Aesthetics, Kant, Schiller, and Hegel

2005-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

As previously noted, Kant's Kritik der Urteilskraft introduced the first full account of aesthetic experience as a distinct exercise of rational mentality. The principal ingredients of Kant's work are the following: the antinomy of taste, the emphasis on the free play of the imagination, the theory of aesthetic experience as both free from concepts and disinterested,

China, Early man

2005-02-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

The fossil record in China promises fundamental contributions to the understanding of human origins. There is considerable evidence of Homo erectus by the time of the Lower Paleolithic (the Paleolithic Period began c. 2,500,000 years ago and ended 10,000 years ago) at sites such as Lan-t'ien, Shensi; Ho-hsien, Anhwei; Yüan-mou, Yunnan; and, the most famous, that of so-called Peking man at Chou-k'ou-tien

Water Flea

2005-02-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

Any member of the crustacean order Anomopoda (class Branchiopoda), a large group containing about 450 species distributed worldwide. Most forms are found in freshwater habitats, but a few occur in marine environments. The best known genus is Daphnia, ubiquitous in ponds and streams in Europe and North America. The water flea is microscopic in size, typically

Anderson, John Henry

2005-02-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

Described on playbills as “Professor Anderson, the Wizard of the North,” he first performed in 1831. Seasons at Edinburgh (1837) and Glasgow (1838–39) followed. In London (1840) he made use of the most elaborate collection of magical apparatus

Hill, Phil

2005-02-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hill began in racing as a mechanic for midget-car racing in the Santa Monica, Calif., area where he grew up. He won his first sports car competition in 1949 and became a Formula I car racer for Ferrari in 1956. He was a disciplined perfectionist in car preparation, and in study of the course. His world

Farman, Maurice

2005-02-12T23:54:00.000-08:00

A champion bicyclist, he also distinguished himself as an automobile racing driver. With his brother Henri, Maurice made the first circular flight of more than one kilometre in 1908, completing a 1.6-kilometre (one-mile) flight near Paris. The following year he built

Ukrainka, Lesya

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

The daughter of intellectuals, Ukrainka was stricken

Danaus

2005-02-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, son of Belus, king of Egypt, and twin brother of Aegyptus. Driven out of Egypt by his brother, he fled with his 50 daughters (the Danaïds) to Argos, where he became king. Soon thereafter the 50 sons of Aegyptus arrived in Argos, and Danaus was forced to consent to their marriage with his daughters. Danaus, however, commanded each daughter to slay her husband on the

Nature, Philosophy Of, The range of topics

2005-02-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

An investigation of recent writings in biophilosophy reveals a continued preoccupation with unanswered—some say unanswerable—questions about evolutionary theory and a growing concern for a critical reappraisal of the question of whether biology is an autonomous discipline unamenable to reduction to mere physical and chemical underpinnings. Until the

Suid

2005-02-10T03:06:00.000-08:00

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

Cold War

2005-02-10T02:08:00.000-08:00

The open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. The Cold War was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. The term was first used by the American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch during a congressional

Holborn

2005-02-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Neighbourhood and former metropolitan borough (until 1965) of London. Now part of the borough of Camden, it lies northwest of the City of London and south of the Islington neighbourhood of Clerkenwell. Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn, two of the four Inns of Court, are central features of the district. The houses of Sir John Soane's Museum overlook Lincoln's Inn Fields from the north,

World War I, Palestine, autumn 1917

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

Having assumed command in Egypt (see above The Egyptian frontiers, 1915–July 1917), Allenby transferred his headquarters from Cairo to the Palestinian front and devoted the summer of 1917 to preparing a serious offensive against the Turks. On the Turkish side, Falkenhayn, now in command at Aleppo, was at this time himself planning a drive into the Sinai Peninsula for the autumn, but

Carlow

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

Irish Ceatharlach urban district and county seat, County Carlow, Ireland, on the left bank of the River Barrow. An Anglo-Norman stronghold, the town received charters of incorporation in the 13th and 17th centuries. The keep (innermost citadel) of a 13th-century stronghold remains at the confluence of the Barrow and Burren rivers. Local industries include sugar-beet and flour processing and

Argentina, The Gran Chaco

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

The western sector of the North region, the Gran Chaco, extends beyond the international border at the Pilcomayo River into Paraguay, where it is called the Chaco Boreal (“Northern Chaco”) by Argentines. The Argentine sector between the Pilcomayo River and the Bermejo River is known as the Chaco Central. Argentines have named the area southward to latitude 30° S, where the

Papp, László

2005-02-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

Papp, a former railway clerk, competed as a middleweight (161 pounds [73 kg]) at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. A hard-hitting left-hander, he won the first of his gold medals by defeating Britain's John Wright in the final match. In 1952, when the