QuietPotato

Belém

2005-04-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

Also called Santa Maria de Belém freguesia (parish) within the western limits of the city of Lisbon, Portugal. A former royal residence, Belém (Bethlehem) is known for its Manueline (early 16th-century) architecture, notably the Jerónimos monastery, founded by Manuel I in 1499 in honour of the explorer Vasco da Gama's discovery of a sea route to India, and the white Tower of Belém, built in 1515–21 to protect the entrance

Elisha Ben Abuyah

2005-04-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

Byname Aher Jewish scholar who renounced his faith and who came to be regarded in later ages as a prototype of the heretic whose intellectual pride leads him to infidelity to Jewish laws and morals. In the Talmud, Elisha is not mentioned by name but is usually referred to as Aher (“the Other,” or “Another”). His renunciation of Judaism was considered doubly heinous because he was a tanna

Technology, History Of, Atomic power

2005-04-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Until 1945, electricity and the internal-combustion engine were the dominant sources of power for industry and transport in the 20th century, although in some parts of the industrialized world steam power and even older prime movers remained important. Early research in nuclear physics was more scientific than technological, stirring little general interest. In fact,

Club

2005-04-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

Primitive weapon, a heavy stick, sometimes with a stone or metal head, used as a hand or throwing weapon and usually shaped or selected with an outer end wider and heavier than its handle. Among primitive groups, special designs often characterize particular tribes. Medieval European bishops denied the use of the sword were allowed to enter battle with a mace, an iron

Chaga

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

Their methods of cultivation support a very dense population. They practice an intensive irrigated agriculture on terraced fields, keeping them under permanent cultivation through

Smith, George Washington

2005-03-30T02:50:00.000-08:00

Smith's talents were developed by studying with various visiting European teachers in his native Philadelphia, then a mecca for theatre and dance. His performing debut was made in 1832, and he soon grew into a versatile dancer, admired

Honan

2005-03-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Honan abounds in prehistorical and early historical interest. Some of the most important evidences of the Neolithic beginnings of Chinese civilization are found in the northern part of the province. It was at Yang-shao in north Honan that a Swedish geologist and archaeologist, Johan Gunnar Andersson, in 1921 discovered an assemblage of Neolithic painted pottery

Tonga

2005-03-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

Agriculture is the mainstay of the Tongan economy. Coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans constitute the main cash crops, and other important crops include yams, taro, cassava, corn (maize), watermelons, pineapples, and tomatoes. All land is essentially owned by the Crown, but large estates have been divided among the nobles of Tonga. Land is parceled out to peasant proprietors:

Schendel, Arthur (-françois-émile) Van

2005-03-27T00:31:00.000-08:00

His first important novels Een zwerver verliefd (1904; “A Wanderer in Love”) and Een zwerver verdwaald (1907; “A Lost Wanderer”) are set in medieval Italy,

Arend-roland, Comet

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

Comet remarkable for its anomalous second tail, which projects toward rather than away from the Sun. It was discovered on the night of Nov. 8–9, 1956, by S. Arend and P. Roland in Belgium. Its perihelion passage (i.e., its closest approach to the Sun) occurred on April 20, 1957. Because it was discovered months before perihelion, lengthy observations could be carried out. The anomalous tail appeared

Submachine Gun

2005-03-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Lightweight automatic small-arms weapon chambered for relatively low-energy pistol cartridges and fired from the hip or shoulder. Most types utilize simple blowback actions. Using cartridges of such calibres as .45 inch or 9 mm, they usually have box-type magazines that hold from 10 to 50 cartridges, or occasionally drums holding more rounds. A short-range weapon, the submachine

Tyson, Edward

2005-03-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

English physician and pioneer of comparative anatomy whose delineation of the similarities and differences between men and apes provided an empirical basis for the study of man. His work suggested a continuity of traits between humans and other primates nearly a century before evolution was first

Bruce (of Melbourne), Stanley Melbourne Bruce, Viscount

2005-03-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

Bruce studied at the University of Cambridge and then practiced law in England. After serving in the British army during World War I, he entered the Australian Parliament in

Wedekind, Frank

2005-03-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

Original name Benjamin Franklin Wedekind German actor and dramatist who became an intense personal force in the German artistic world on the eve of World War I. A direct forebear of the modern Theatre of the Absurd, Wedekind employed episodic scenes, fragmented dialogue, distortion, and caricature in his dramas, which formed the transition from the realism of

Quindío

2005-03-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

Departamento, west-central Colombia, on the western slopes of the Andean Cordillera Central. The smallest department in the nation, it occupies an area of 712 square miles (1,845 square km) in one of Colombia's leading coffee-producing regions. Bananas, corn (maize), sugarcane, and beans are among the other crops, and livestock raising is widespread. Quindío has rich deposits of

Russia

2005-03-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

Growth revived somewhat in mid-2001, and the government remained bullish,

Hurley, Patrick J(ay)

2005-03-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

Beginning the practice of law in Oklahoma (1908), Hurley served as a colonel in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. During the 1920s he became active in Republican Party politics,

Aerospace Industry, Use of computers

2005-03-18T05:21:00.000-08:00

The computer has also fundamentally changed the development process by permitting digital modeling and simulation as well as computer-aided design in conjunction with computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM; see computer-aided engineering). In the early design stage of a flight vehicle, digital computer modeling of prospective designs enables rapid examination

Fielding, Sir John

2005-03-18T02:30:00.000-08:00

John Fielding was blinded in an accident at the age of 19. Despite this handicap he was appointed a magistrate

Tsuzumi

2005-03-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Any of various Japanese two-headed drums with hourglass-shaped (waisted) bodies. Ancient Japanese court orchestra music had three types of these drums, of which only the san no tsuzumi form survives in komagaku style (courtly music of Japanese, Korean, and other non-Chinese, non-Indian ancestry). Better-known tsuzumi are found in the music of No and Kabuki theatres. The

Palestine, History Of, The Crusades

2005-03-17T00:47:00.000-08:00

A year after the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders, the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem was established (Christmas Day, 1100). Thereafter, there was no effective check to the expansion of the crusaders' power until the capture of their stronghold at Edessa (modern Urfa, Tur.) by the atabeg of Mosul, 'Imad ad-Din Zangi ibn Aq Sonqur, in 1144. Zangi's anticrusader campaign was carried on after

Metabolism, ATP yield of aerobic oxidation

2005-03-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

The loss of the two molecules of carbon dioxide in steps [41] and [42] does not yield biologically useful energy. The substrate-linked formation of ATP accompanies step [43], in which one molecule of of ATP, is formed during each turn of the cycle. The hydrogen ions and electrons that result from steps [40], [42], [44], and [46] are passed down the chain of respiratory carriers to oxygen, with the concomitant

National Army Museum

2005-03-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

The collections of the National Army Museum relate to all aspects of the British army from the Battle of Agincourt (1415) to the present day. They include material from the militia, yeomanry, volunteers,

Azteco-tanoan Languages

2005-03-15T04:05:00.000-08:00

A major grouping (phylum or superstock) of American Indian languages that includes the large Uto-Aztecan language family and the small Kiowa-Tanoan language family of New Mexico and Oklahoma. The Uto-Aztecan languages are widely spoken in Mexico, northern Guatemala, and, by fewer numbers, in California, the Great Basin, and Arizona. The Kiowa-Tanoan languages are four

World War I, The Eastern Front, 1915

2005-03-14T01:28:00.000-08:00

The Russians' plans for 1915 prescribed the strengthening of their flanks in the north and in Galicia before driving westward again toward Silesia. Their preparations for a blow at East Prussia's southern frontier were forestalled, as Ludendorff, striking suddenly eastward from East Prussia, enveloped four Russian divisions in the Augustów forests, east of the Masurian

Voyeurism

2005-03-13T23:58:00.000-08:00

Human sexual behaviour involving achievement of sexual arousal through viewing the sexual activities of others or through watching others disrobe. To some extent voyeurism is widespread; various types of sexual display are a normal part of sexual attraction and mating behaviour in most animals, including humans, but voyeurism is considered a deviant behaviour

Maupertuis, Pierre-louis Moreau De

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

Maupertuis became a member of the Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1731 and soon became the foremost French proponent of the Newtonian theory of gravitation. In 1736 he led an expedition to Lapland to measure the length of a degree along the

Beard Lichen

2005-03-13T01:53:00.000-08:00

Any member of the genus Usnea, a yellow or greenish fruticose (bushy, branched) lichen with long stems and disk-shaped holdfasts, which resembles a tangled mass of threads. It occurs in both the Arctic and the tropics, where it is eaten by wild animals or collected as fodder. In the past it was used as a remedy for whooping cough, catarrh, epilepsy, and dropsy. It has been used

Wellesley Islands

2005-03-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

Group of islands lying off the northwestern coast of Queensland, Australia, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Sighted in 1644 by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, they were charted (1802–03) by the British navigator Matthew Flinders and named in honour of Marquess Wellesley (Richard Colley Wellesley), then governor-general of India. The islands are generally rocky or sandy and are covered

Ushuaia

2005-03-10T02:33:00.000-08:00

The site was first settled by Wasti H. Stirling, an English missionary, in 1870. In 1884 an Argentine naval base was established, and in 1893, after the archipelago was partitioned between Argentina and

Saarinen, Eero

2005-03-10T01:57:00.000-08:00

As a person, Saarinen was outwardly a stocky, calm man of informal manner and puckish humour, but underneath he was intensely serious about architecture and seemed compulsively competitive with his own most recent designs. His wish that a building make an expressive statement established new horizons for modern architecture. He was exploratory in his thinking

Junee

2005-03-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Town, south central New South Wales, Australia, just north of Wagga Wagga in the fertile Riverina district. Founded in 1863 as Jewnee, it was known as Jewnee Junction or Loftus when proclaimed a town in 1883 and was gazetted a municipality in 1886. It became a shire in 1981. Its name is Aboriginal for “speak to me.” On the main southern rail line from Sydney (216 mi [348 km] northeast), Junee has large locomotive

Alciphron

2005-03-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Rhetorician who wrote a collection of fictitious letters, a form of literature popular in his day. More than 100 of the letters have survived. The background of them all is the Athens of the 4th century BC, and the imaginary writers are farmers, fishermen, and courtesans. The material of the letters is largely derived from the writers of the so-called

Cumberland Plateau

2005-03-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Westernmost of three divisions of the Appalachian Mountains, U.S., extending southwestward for 450 miles (725 km) from southern West Virginia to northern Alabama. The plateau is 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) wide and lies between the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region to the east and the rolling plains to the west. It merges with the Allegheny Plateau on the north and with the Gulf Coastal

Cohnheim, Julius Friedrich

2005-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

At the Pathological Institute, Berlin (1865–68), Cohnheim was an outstanding pupil of Rudolf Virchow, founder of the science of pathology. While assisting him, Cohnheim

Adenauer, Konrad

2005-03-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

First chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany; 1949–63), presiding over its reconstruction after World War II. A Christian Democrat and firmly anticommunist, he supported NATO, and he worked to reconcile Germany with its former enemies, especially France.

Azulejo

2005-03-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

(from Arabic az-zulayj, “little stone”), Spanish and later principally Portuguese tiles produced from the 14th century onward. At first the term was used to denote only North African mosaics, but it became the accepted word for an entirely decorated tile about 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 centimetres) square. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal imported azulejo tiles from Spain, and their

Flood, Curt

2005-03-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

Flood began playing baseball as a youth and was signed in 1956 by the National League Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958 and played

Social Protection, "Truth Commissions."

2005-03-05T03:24:00.000-08:00

Increasing use was made of "truth commissions" as a method for identifying and documenting human rights violations and helping to bring perpetrators of abuses to justice. Although these fact-finding bodies had no authority to prosecute crimes, they were designed to obtain and publicize information about past atrocities as a first step toward acknowledging

Osler-rendu-weber Disease

2005-03-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

Also called Rendu-osler-weber Disease, or Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, a hereditary disorder causing bleeding from local capillary lesions. The disorder is classed as a type of purpura. In the disease, capillaries (minute blood vessels) in the fingertips and around the oral and nasal cavities are enlarged and have unusually thin walls; they fill with bright red (well-oxygenated) blood and are easily broken by accidental bumping or jarring,

India Ink

2005-03-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

Also called Chinese Ink, black pigment in the form of sticks that are moistened before use in drawing and lettering, or the fluid ink consisting of this pigment finely suspended in a liquid medium, such as water, and a glutinous binder. The sticks or cakes consist of specially prepared lampblack, or carbon black, mixed with a gum or glue and sometimes perfume. India ink was used in China and Egypt

Metallica

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

Influential American heavy metal band that, along with Slayer and Anthrax, created the subgenre of speed metal in the early and mid-1980s. The principal members were James Hetfield (b. Aug. 3, 1963, Downey, Calif., U.S.), Lars Ulrich (b. Dec. 26, 1963, Gentofte, Den.), Kirk Hammett (b. Nov. 18, 1962, San Francisco, Calif.), and Cliff Burton (b. Feb. 10, 1962, San Francisco—d. Sept. 27, 1986, near Stockholm, Swed.). Jason Newsted (b. March 4, 1963, Battle Creek,

Star, Classification

2005-03-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

(1) Pulsating variables—i.e., stars whose variations in light and colour are thought to arise

Beadwork

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

During the Middle Ages, when embroidery was an important art form, beads

Albany, Alexander Stewart, Duke Of

2005-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

Also called (1455–c. 1458) Earl Of March second son of James II of Scotland, created duke of Albany in or before 1458. Both he and John, earl of Mar, quarrelled with their brother James III, who imprisoned them in 1479. Mar died, but Albany escaped to carry on a series of intrigues with the English, who supported his pretensions to the Scottish crown. Although he returned to favour and was lieutenant general of the

Star, Line spectrum

2005-02-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

Spectral lines are produced by transitions of electrons within atoms or ions. As the electrons move closer to or farther from the nucleus of an atom (or of an ion), energy in the form of light (or other radiation) is emitted or absorbed. The yellow “D” lines of sodium or the “H” and “K” lines of ionized calcium are produced by discrete quantum jumps from the lowest energy levels

Beadwork

2005-02-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

Any of four species of toothless insect-eating mammals found in tropical savannas and forests from southern Mexico to Paraguay and northern Argentina and Paraguay. The four species are long-tailed animals with elongated skulls and tubular muzzles. The mouth opening of the muzzle is small, but the salivary glands are large and secrete

W Particle

2005-02-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

The existence of intermediate vector bosons and their properties were predicted in the late

Flor, Roger De

2005-02-25T23:13:00.000-08:00

As a boy he went to sea and became a Knight Templar. When Acre in Palestine fell to the Saracens (1291), he made his fortune by blackmailing refugees. Denounced

Aesthetics

2005-02-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

All aesthetic experience, whether of art or nature, seems to be informed by and dependent upon an exercise of taste. We choose the object of aesthetic experience, and often do so carefully and deliberately. Moreover, we are judged by our choices, not only of works of art but also of colour schemes, dresses, and garden ornaments, just as we are judged by our manners and our

Arabia, History Of, Saudi Arabia

2005-02-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Ibn Sa'ud's zealous Wahhabi followers, arriving in the more cosmopolitan atmosphere of Hejaz society, were now exposed to the world of Islam at large. Ibn Sa'ud managed the resulting problems with firmness and tact. He had furthermore to enforce his rule over the tribes impatient with centralized government. His tough action with them won, and he set out to develop security,

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The people

2005-02-23T23:42:00.000-08:00

The Nicobarese probably descend from both Malay and Myanmar (Mon or Talaing) peoples. Their dialects belong to the Mon-Khmer language group; English, Burmese, and Hindustani also are spoken. Most of the population is Hindu, although Christianity has been widely adopted and there is also a significant Muslim minority. The coconut and betel nut are major crops, and yams

Jansen, Cornelius Otto

2005-02-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

Flemish leader of the Roman Catholic reform movement known as Jansenism. He wrote biblical commentaries and pamphlets against the Protestants. His major work was Augustinus, published by his friends in 1640. Although condemned by Pope Urban VIII in 1642, it was of critical importance

Carthage

2005-02-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Hancock county, western Illinois, U.S., near the Mississippi River. Laid out in 1833 and named for the ancient North African city, the community was hostile to the Mormons who had settled at nearby Nauvoo. On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and his brother Hyrum, who were in the Carthage City Jail awaiting trial on charges of treason, were shot to death

Alarm Signal

2005-02-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

In zoology, a ritualized means of communicating a danger or threat among the members of an animal group. In many cases the signal is visual or vocal, but some animals—ants, bees, and certain fishes, for example—secrete chemical substances. Alarm communications frequently cross species boundaries. The hawking alarm calls of many small birds are similar and will cause

Nabu-rimanni

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

Also spelled Naburianos, Naburiannuos, Naburiannu, or Naburimannu the earliest Babylonian astronomer known by name, who devised the so-called System A, a group of ephemerides, or tables, giving the positions of the Moon, Sun, and planets at any given moment. Based on centuries of observation, these tables were nonetheless somewhat crude and were superseded about a century later by Kidinnu's System B, a refined mathematical

Furniture, Historical forms and styles

2005-02-21T00:41:00.000-08:00

Round stone tables on low pedestal legs are known in Egypt from the time of the pyramids (c. 2700 BC). Egyptian limestone reliefs also show tables of normal height. Dating from the later dynasties, crude wooden tables with architectonic molding have been preserved. No tables have survived from ancient Greece. From the Roman ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, however, there are

Hoysala Dynasty

2005-02-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Family that ruled from about 1006 to about 1346 in the southern Deccan and for a time in the Cauvery Valley. The first kings came from the hills northwest of Dorasamudra (modern Halebid), which became their capital about 1060. With their hardy, hill-dwelling, Kanarese-speaking followers, they gradually absorbed Gangavadi (Mysore state) and the rich lands beyond the Tungabhadra toward

Forbes (of Culloden), Duncan

2005-02-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

Trained in law, Forbes entered local politics and in 1715 aided the Hanoverian cause during the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of that year. Forbes was elected

Computers, COBOL

2005-02-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

Catastasis

2005-02-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

Plural catastases the dramatic complication that immediately precedes the climax of a play or that occurs during the climax of a play. Compare catastrophe.

Tsun-i

2005-02-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

The city was brought under regular Chinese administration only in the early 7th century AD. A county was set up there in 640, and its present name, Tsun-i, was given in 642. It remained the seat of Tsun-i hsien (county), but the area did not begin to be developed

Stephen F. Austin State University

2005-02-16T03:31:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher education in Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. It comprises the Graduate School, the Arthur Temple College of Forestry, and colleges of applied arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, liberal arts, and sciences and mathematics. Bachelor's and master's degrees are offered in a range of fields, and doctoral degrees are available

Mountain, The North American Cordillera

2005-02-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Subduction of oceanic lithosphere presently occurs only beneath two segments of the coast of western North America. The subduction

Badminton

2005-02-14T23:07:00.000-08:00

The temporary retirement of reigning Olympic badminton gold medalist Gong Zhichao opened the door for Denmark's Camilla Martin at the All England championships in Birmingham, Eng., in March 2002. Nevertheless, Martin had to overcome four formidable Chinese opponents on her way to her first All England title, including a semifinal victory over Dai Yun and a final-round

Anderson, Regina M.

2005-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Anderson attended several colleges, including Wilberforce University in Ohio and the University of Chicago. She received a Master of Library Science degree from Columbia University

Electron Spectroscopy

2005-02-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

Method of determining the energy with which electrons are bound in chemical species by measuring the kinetic energies of the electrons emitted upon bombardment of the species with X-ray or ultraviolet radiation. Details of the structure may be inferred from the results because differences in the arrangements of the atoms affect the amount of energy required

Osh

2005-02-13T00:08:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Kyrgyzstan. The city lies at an elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) on the Akbura River where it emerges from the Alay foothills. First mentioned in writings of the 9th century, it was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century and subsequently rebuilt. In the 15th century, before the sea routes were discovered, it was an important post on the trade routes to China and India.

Melito Of Sardis

2005-02-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

The 4th-century chronicles of Eusebius of Caesarea identify Melito as a bishop who addressed a discourse to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, arguing that Christianity

Atholl

2005-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Mountainous traditional region covering approximately 450 square miles (1,165 square km) in northern Perth and Kinross council area, historic county of Perthshire, Scotland. Enclosed by several ranges of the Grampians, which exceed 3,000 feet (900 metres) in elevation, the Atholl basin, with an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 metres), is entered by the passes of Drumochter in the north and Killiecrankie

Manchuria

2005-02-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Prior to the 17th century, the history of Manchuria was shaped by three converging ethnic groups: the Chinese, the people collectively known as the Tungus, and the Mongols and Proto-Mongols. The Tungus (from which several groups emerged) were forest and plain dwellers who had a mixed economy of primitive agriculture, fishing, hunting, and livestock breeding. Those in Manchuria

Ironclad

2005-02-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Type of warship developed in Europe and the United States in the mid-19th century, characterized by the iron casemates that protected the hull. In the Crimean War (1853–56) the French and British successfully attacked Russian fortifications with “floating batteries,” ironclad barges mounting heavy guns, that were towed into position. The French built the first iron

Waddington, C.h.

2005-02-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

Waddington graduated in geology from the University of Cambridge (1926), and it was only after studying paleontology that he turned to biology. Before World War II he taught zoology and embryology at Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge. From 1947 until

Robecchi-bricchetti, Luigi

2005-02-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

On his first African expedition he reached the oasis of Siwa (in western Egypt) in 1886, where he found a vast necropolis from which he collected skulls for European museums. On his two greatest expeditions, he twice traversed the previously unexplored

Yenisey River

2005-02-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

The peoples of the Yenisey valley are diverse. Around the western headwaters (Great and Little Yenisey) Tuvans predominate in the rural areas, but they are joined by significant numbers of Russians in Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva. To the north of Tuva the Krasnoyarsk kray (territory) of Russia extends down the entire valley northward to the Kara Sea; its population comprises

Baram River

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

River in northwestern Borneo. Rising in the Iran Mountains, it flows 250 miles (400 km) west and northwest, mostly through primary rain forest to the South China Sea at Baram Point. Above the lowest 100 miles, gorges and rapids make upstream navigation difficult. The Baram is Sarawak's second longest river; its tributaries include the Bakong, Apoh, Palutan, and Patah.

Balchin, Nigel

2005-02-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

After studying natural science at the University of Cambridge, Balchin divided his time between research work in science and industry (as an industrial psychologist) and writing. During World War II he was deputy scientific adviser to the Army

Antarctica, Climate

2005-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Morton J. Rubin (ed.), Studies in Antarctic Meteorology (1966); S. Orvig (ed.), Climates of the Polar Regions (1970); W.S. Weyant, The Antarctic Atmosphere: Climatology of the Surface Environment (1967); and W. Schwerdtfeger, Weather and Climate of the Antarctic (1984), include topical studies and a few general review articles.

Alexander

2005-02-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

The only child of Prince (later King) Milan (reigned 1868–89) and his consort, Natalie, Alexander ascended the Serbian throne on March 6 (Feb. 22), 1889, after his father had abdicated and named a regency

Turing, Alan M.

2005-02-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

In full Alan Mathison Turing British mathematician and logician who made major contributions to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, and biology and to the new areas later named computer science, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and artificial life.

Kern, Johann Conrad

2005-02-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

A lawyer and doctor of jurisprudence, Kern was, after 1837, the guiding spirit of Thurgau's cantonal government, especially in the administration of justice. As deputy to the national Diet, he was almost alone in opposing (1838) the extradition

Qabis

2005-02-03T00:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gabès, Latin Tacapa, town, southeastern Tunisia. The town is located at the mouth of the Qabis River, which has its source 6 miles (10 km) upstream at the Ras al-Oued (springs), the town's main water source. Situated on a Mediterranean oasis along the Gulf of Gabes, Qabis was founded as the Roman trading centre of Tacapa. Declining somewhat under Turkish rule, it experienced a modest revival during the

France, History Of, France since 1815

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

Volumes 2 and 3 of the already mentioned Alfred Cobban, A History of Modern France, 3 vol. (1957–62, reprinted 1969), present the period from the First Empire to the Republics in a sophisticated synthesis; and Gordon Wright, France in Modern Times: From the Enlightenment to the Present, 4th ed. (1987), is an interpretive general survey. Appropriate parts of the massive collective work Histoire économique et sociale de la France, 4 vol. in 8 (1970–82), Fernand Braudel and Ernest Labrousse (eds.), provide coverage by some of the best French experts of economic and social developments up to the last quarter of the 20th century. Surveys of special topics on all or most of the period since 1815 include René Rémond, The Right Wing in France from 1815 to De Gaulle, 2nd ed. (1969; originally published in French, 3rd ed., 1968; rev. French ed., 1982), tracing change and continuity of the political right; Gérard Cholvy and Yves-Marie Hilaire, Histoire religieuse de la France contemporaine, 3 vol. (1985–88), an analysis of the role of various religions; and Raoul Girardet, La Société militaire dans la France contemporaine, 1815–1939 (1953), on the changing role and composition of the military corps. The role of France in world affairs is emphasized in Pierre Renouvin, Le XIXe, 2 vol. (1954–55), on the developments of the 19th century, part of the series “Histoire des relations internationales.” François Caron, An Economic History of Modern France, trans. from French (1979, reissued 1983), revises older views about France's rate of growth; Theodore Zeldin, France, 1848–1945, 2 vol. (1973–77), explores modern French society, stressing its complexity and continuity; and Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France (1976), argues that a sense of nationhood came to rural France only in the late 19th century. Period studies include Guillaume de Bertier de Sauvigny, The Bourbon Restoration (1966, originally published in French, 1955), the standard work on the period 1815–1830; David H. Pinkney, Decisive Years in France, 1840–1847 (1986), arguing that France changed fundamentally in these years; Roger Price, The French Second Republic: A Social History (1972), a thoughtful reevaluation; Ted W. Margadant, French Peasants in Revolt: The Insurrection of 1851 (1979), suggesting that leftist views remained vigorous after 1848; J.P.T. Bury, Napoléon III and the Second Empire (1964), a well-informed analysis; Michael Howard, The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France, 1870–1871 (1961, reissued 1981), a model study; and Stewart Edwards, The Paris Commune, 1871 (1971), a balanced reevaluation. Roger Shattuck, The Banquet Years: The Origins of the Avant Garde in France, 1885 to World War I, rev. ed. (1968, reissued 1984), is a brilliant survey of Parisian culture of the period; and Charles Rearick, Pleasures of the Belle Epoque: Entertainment and Festivity in Turn-of-the-Century France (1985), describes the high life in Monmartre. D.W. Brogan, France Under the Republic: The Development of Modern France, 1870–1939 (1940, reprinted 1974), is a classic account; Jacques Chastenet, Histoire de la Troisième République, 7 vol. (1952–63, reissued in 4 vol., 1974), remains the most detailed treatment of the period; David Thomson, Democracy in France Since 1870, 5th ed. (1969), offers a penetrating study of political and social aspects; and Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus (1986; originally published in French, 1983), provides a highly readable account of the great crisis. For the 20th century, see Eugen Weber, Action Française: Royalism and Reaction in Twentieth Century France (1962), a full analysis of this right-wing movement; Zeev Sternhell, La Droite Révolutionnaire, 1885–1914: les origines françaises du fascisme (1978, reprinted 1984), a controversial argument that fascism was born in France; Marc Ferro, The Great War, 1914–1918 (1973, reissued 1987; originally published in French, 1969), a good synthesis; Robert O. Paxton, Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order, 1940–1944 (1972, reissued 1982), a critical analysis of the Pétain regime; Jean-Baptiste Duroselle, La Décadence, 1932–1939, 3rd rev. ed. (1985), and L'Abîme: 1939–1945, 2nd rev. ed. (1986), two volumes of devastating analysis of French foreign policy before and during World War II; Charles de Gaulle, War Memoirs, 5 vol. (1955–60; originally published in French, 1954–59), and Memoirs of Hope: Renewal and Endeavor (1971; originally published in French, 2 vol., 1970–71), indispensable for an understanding of the Gaullist era; Jean Lacouture, Charles de Gaulle, 3 vol. (1984–86), a full and perceptive biography; Philip M. Williams, Crisis and Compromise: Politics in the Fourth Republic, 3rd ed. (1964, reissued 1972), an excellent account of that system of government; Pierre Viansson-Ponté, Histoire de la république gaullienne, 2 vol. (1970–71, reissued in 1 vol., 1984), on the Fifth Republic's Gaullist phase; Stanley Hoffmann et al., In Search of France (1963), an analysis of postwar France; George Ross, Stanley Hoffmann, and Sylvia Malzacher (eds.), The Mitterrand Experiment: Continuity and Change in Modern France (1987), a study of the socialist years; and Alfred Grosser, Affaires extérieures: la politique de la France, 1944–1989 (1989), a penetrating analysis of postwar France's role in the world.

Marquette

2005-02-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1851) of Marquette county, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S., on Lake Superior, overlooked by Sugar Loaf Mountain (north), 66 mi (106 km) north-northwest of Escanaba. Founded in 1849 as Worcester and renamed for Jacques Marquette, it became an important iron ore and lumber port. Manufactures include foundry and wood products and mining machinery. Other economic factors are the

Kazin, Alfred

2005-01-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Kazin attended the City College of New York during the Great Depression and then worked as a freelance book reviewer for The New Republic and other periodicals. At age 27 he wrote a sweeping

Ribble Valley

2005-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

Borough (district), administrative county of Lancashire, northwestern England, along the county's eastern border, extending into the western Pennine uplands. The southern part of the borough, including the lower Ribble valley and the two largest towns, Clitheroe and Longridge, lies in the historic county of Lancashire. The remainder of the mostly rural borough, including

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

2005-01-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

Coastal habitat conservation area in southern Texas, U.S., located about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Corpus Christi. The refuge, parts of which are jointly administered by state and federal agencies, covers a total of 181 square miles (469 square km) on the Gulf of Mexico, including large tracts of land on Matagorda Island and on a broad peninsula between San Antonio Bay and St. Charles

Measurement System, Electric current: ampere

2005-01-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

The ampere is defined as the magnitude of the current that, when flowing through each of two long parallel wires separated by one metre in free space, results in a force between the two wires (due to their magnetic fields) of 2 ´ 10-7 newton (the newton is a unit of force equal to about 0.2 pound) for each metre of length.

Bahamas, The

2005-01-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

Officially Commonwealth of the Bahamas, archipelago and state on the northwestern edge of the West Indies. The group occupies an irregular submarine tableland that rises out of the Atlantic depths and is separated from nearby lands to the south and west by deepwater channels. Lying to the north of Cuba and Hispaniola, the archipelago comprises nearly 700 islands and cays, only about 30 of which are inhabited,

Oral Surgery

2005-01-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Dental specialty that deals with the diagnosis and surgical treatment of the diseases, injuries, and defects of the human mouth, jaw, and associated structures. The most common oral surgery procedure is tooth extraction. Other dental problems that require the skill of an oral surgeon include treatment of cysts (liquid- or semisolid-filled sacs), tumours, lesions, and

Lipid

2005-01-28T02:07:00.000-08:00

Any of a diverse group of organic compounds found in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Lipids are greasy to the touch and insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol, ether, and other organic solvents. Lipids comprise one of the three large classes of foods and, with proteins and carbohydrates, are components of all living cells. The proportion of lipids in foodstuffs

Middleton, Stanley

2005-01-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

Educated at University College, Nottingham (now University of Nottingham; B.A., 1940; M.Ed, 1952), Middleton served in the British army's Royal Artillery and in the Army Education Corps. He later taught English and became department

Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich

2005-01-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

Tsiolkovsky was from a family of modest

Harborough

2005-01-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Leicestershire, England. The district lies mostly within the historic county of Leicestershire, but it includes an area in Market Harborough that lies to the south of the River Welland in the historic county of Northamptonshire. The district encompasses the southern part of Leicestershire and is in general a rural area known

Cactus

2005-01-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

The Cactaceae are native through most of the length

Earth Sciences, Knowledge of the hydrologic cycle

2005-01-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

The idea of the hydrological cycle developed independently in China as early as the 4th century BC and was explicitly stated in the L

Procedural Law, Common law

2005-01-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American legal systems, a convicted defendant may move in the trial court to arrest judgment, or he may file a motion for a new trial. The legality of the conviction may also be challenged by appeal to a higher court. Criminal appeals were unknown in the traditional common law, but today they are universally granted by statute. In the United Kingdom, the Criminal

Hyde De Neuville, Jean-guillaume, Baron

2005-01-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

Devoted to Louis XVI, Hyde de Neuville remained a royalist agent after the outbreak of the Revolution. After taking part in a royalist insurrection in Berry (1796), he attempted first to discredit the Directory, then to convince Napoleon to reestablish the Bourbons on the

Biblical Literature, Habakkuk

2005-01-22T06:02:00.000-08:00

The Book of Habakkuk, the eighth book of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets, was written by a prophet difficult to identify. He may have been a professional prophet of the Temple from the 7th century BCE (probably between 605–597 BCE). Containing three chapters, Habakkuk combines lamentation and oracle. In the first chapter, he cries out for Yahweh to help his people: “O Lord, how long shall I cry for

Nephron

2005-01-21T22:29:00.000-08:00

Functional unit of the kidney, the structure that actually produces urine in the process of removing waste and excess substances from the blood. There are about 1,000,000 nephrons in each human kidney. The most primitive nephrons are found in the kidneys (pronephros; q.v.) of primitive fish, amphibian larvae, and embryos of more advanced vertebrates.