CutBrick

Mahavastu

2005-04-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

(Sanskrit: “Great Story”), important legendary life of the Buddha, produced as a late canonical work by the Mahasanghika school of early Buddhism and presented as a historical introduction to the vinaya, the section of the canon dealing with monastic discipline. Its three sections treat the Buddha's former lives, the events from his entering the womb of Queen Maha Maya to his

1801, Concordat Of

2005-04-04T01:08:00.000-07:00

In the agreement the First

Ya-an

2005-04-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

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

Ibn Babawayh

2005-04-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Little is known about Ibn Babawayh's life. According to legend he was born as the result of special prayers to the mahdi (the expected one). In 966 he left Khorasan for Baghdad, possibly attracted by the Shi'i inclination of the

Auden, W(ystan) H(ugh)

2005-04-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

English-born poet and man of letters who achieved early fame in the 1930s as a hero of the left during the Great Depression. Most of his verse dramas of this period were written in collaboration with Christopher Isherwood. In 1939 Auden settled in the United States, becoming a U.S. citizen.

Saint Clair's Defeat

2005-04-01T04:43:00.000-08:00

(November 4, 1791), one of the worst defeats ever suffered by U.S. forces in Indian warfare, precipitated by British-Indian confrontation with settlers and militia in the Northwest Territory following the American Revolution. Despite specific provisions in the Treaty of 1783 for the evacuation of its forts on the northwestern border, Britain had failed to yield these lucrative

Duality

2005-03-31T06:17:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, principle whereby one true statement can be obtained from another by merely interchanging two words. It is a property belonging to the branch of algebra known as lattice theory, which is involved with the concepts of order and structure common to different mathematical systems. A mathematical structure is called a lattice if it can be ordered in

Jew's Harp

2005-03-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Jaw's Harp, or Guimbarde, musical instrument consisting of a thin wood or metal tongue fixed at one end to the base of a two-pronged frame. The player holds the frame to his mouth, which forms a resonance cavity, and plucks the instrument's tongue. The notes produced are limited to the fourth through tenth tones of the harmonic series (in relative pitch, c–e–g–b [approximately]–c¢–d¢–e¢). The tongue produces

Walking

2005-03-30T02:22:00.000-08:00

Activity that ranges from a competitive sport, usually known as race walking, to a primary and popular form of outdoor recreation and mild aerobic exercise.

Duality

2005-03-29T02:59:00.000-08:00

Obsessions are recurring or persistent thoughts, images, or impulses that, rather than being voluntarily produced, seem to invade a person's consciousness despite his

Coase, Ronald

2005-03-29T02:31:00.000-08:00

Coase attended the London School of Economics, where he received a bachelor of commerce degree in 1932 and a Ph.D. in economics in 1951. He was employed at various universities, including the London School of Economics (1935–51), the University of Buffalo, New York

Mahir, Ahmad

2005-03-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

Mahir was educated at the Khedivial Law school and the University of Montpellier in France. A younger brother of 'Ali Mahir, who had on three previous occasions been premier of Egypt, Ahmad occupied a number of important government positions from the early 1920s. Early in his career, Mahir was

Melrhir, Chott

2005-03-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

Lake in northeastern Algeria. Lying almost entirely below sea level, the Chott Melrhir is a marshy, saline lake that fluctuates in area with the seasons; usually, it is more than 80 miles (130 km) wide east–west. The Melrhir occupies the westernmost of a series of depressions extending into the Sahara from the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. The lowest point in Algeria, 131 feet (40 m) below sea

Afar

2005-03-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

Amharic Adal, Arabic Denakil, a people of the Horn of Africa who speak Saho, a language of the Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic (formerly Hamito-Semitic) family. They live in northeastern Ethiopia and in Djibouti, where, with the Issas, they are the dominant people. It is thought that the Afars were the first of the present inhabitants of Ethiopia to elaborate their pastoral life into full-scale

Pendant

2005-03-26T04:01:00.000-08:00

In stone ceilings the use of pendant vaulting was

West Des Moines

2005-03-25T08:44:00.000-08:00

City and suburb of Des Moines (which lies immediately to the east), Polk county, central Iowa, U.S. The area was settled in the 1840s and became an important rail junction in the 1850s called Valley Junction. James Cunningham Jordan, the town's first settler, operated a station on the Underground Railroad assisting fugitive slaves; his Victorian-style house (c. 1850) is preserved and is

Robert The Devil

2005-03-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

French Robert Le Diable, legendary son of a duke of Normandy, born in answer to prayers addressed to the devil. He uses his immense strength only for crime. Directed by the pope to consult a certain holy hermit, he is delivered from his curse by maintaining absolute silence, feigning madness, taking his food from the mouth of a dog, and provoking ill-treatment from the common people without retaliating.

Gobi, Animal life

2005-03-24T00:32:00.000-08:00

Animal life is varied, with such large mammals as the wild camel, the kulan (Equus hemionus), the dzheiran gazelle, and the dzeren (an antelope). Przewalski's horse, which once ranged in the western region of the desert, is probably extinct in the wild. Rodents include marmots and gophers, and there are reptiles.

Basil The Great, Saint

2005-03-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

Latin Basilius early Church Father who defended the orthodox faith against the heretical Arians. As bishop of Caesarea he wrote several works on monasticism, theology, and canon law. He was declared a saint soon after his death.

Dog, Skeletal structure

2005-03-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

The skeletal frame of the dog consists of 319 bones. If a dog's tail is docked or absent at birth, there obviously are fewer bones in the skeleton. The muscles and tendons of a dog are similar to those of a human; however, a dog's upper body muscles bear half the weight of the entire body and are better developed than a human's. The weight distribution between the front and the rear

Pacific Mountain System, Geology

2005-03-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

In general, the movement of tectonic plates has been responsible for the development of the Pacific mountain system. The coastal mountains from the Queen Charlotte Islands southward to southern California have been folded, faulted, and intruded with molten rock as a result of this movement. The most significant activity has been the lateral, northerly movement

Biblical Literature, Song of Solomon

2005-03-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs and Canticle of Canticles) consists of a series of love poems in which lovers describe the physical beauty and excellence of their beloved and their sexual enjoyment of each other. The Hebrew title of the book mentions Solomon as its author, but this seems improbable, primarily because of the late vocabulary of the work.

Anthelmintic

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

Most of the anthelmintics

Asclepiades Of Bithynia

2005-03-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

He opposed the humoral doctrine of Hippocrates and instead taught that disease results from constricted or relaxed conditions of the solid particles, a doctrine derived from the atomic

Procedural Law, Common law

2005-03-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

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

Frederick Augustus Ii

2005-03-18T23:11:00.000-08:00

Frederick Augustus shared the regency with his uncle, King Anton, from 1830 to 1836, when he succeeded to the throne. The constitution of 1831, granting a measure of representative

Rivoli

2005-03-18T22:46:00.000-08:00

Town, Torino provincia, Piemonte (Piedmont) regione, northwestern Italy, just west of Turin (Torino). Once the favourite resort of the counts of Savoy, the town is dominated by a castle begun by Victor Amadeus II, king of Sicily and Sardinia, in 1712 on the site of an older structure. The house of the Green Count (Amadeus VI), dating from the 14th–15th century, is typical of the elegant patrician

Sun Rose

2005-03-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

Helianthemum apenninum, H. cinereum, H. glaucum, and H. hirsutum are dwarf

Desert Palace

2005-03-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

At one time the complexes were thought to be rural retreats for nomadic rulers and members of ruling families who tired of city life, but, because all of these desert residences now seem to have been located on irrigated estates, in military encampments, and at trade centres,

Qatar, Agriculture

2005-03-16T04:13:00.000-08:00

The scarcity of fertile land and water imposes severe limitations on agriculture, and a large proportion of the country's food must be imported. Use of treated sewage effluent and desalinated water for irrigation have helped to expand the production of fruits, such as dates and melons, and of vegetables, such as tomatoes, squash, and eggplants. The cultivation of vegetables

K.c.m.g.

2005-03-16T01:11:00.000-08:00

Knight commander of St. Michael and St. George, member of the second highest rank of a British order of knighthood. See Saint Michael and Saint George, The Most Distinguished Order of.

Craigavon, James Craig, 1st Viscount

2005-03-15T23:23:00.000-08:00

Craig became a stockbroker, served with an Irish unit in the South African (Boer) War, and in 1906 entered

Colegate, Isabel

2005-03-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

At the age of 19 Colegate began working as an assistant to literary agent Anthony Blond; when Blond became a publisher, one of the first books he brought out was Colgate's first novel, The Blackmailer (1958). Her next novel, A Man of Power (1960), portrays a newly rich businessman

Bracegirdle, Anne

2005-03-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Bracegirdle studied acting with Thomas Betterton, her guardian, and appeared on the stage as early as six years of age. In 1688 her performance in Thomas Shadwell's The Squire of Alsatia at Drury Lane Theatre, London, brought her notice. Different playwrights, particularly William Congreve and Nicholas Rowe,

Aldfrith

2005-03-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

King of Northumbria (685–704) and patron of literature. An illegitimate son of Oswiu, he succeeded to the throne when his brother Ecgfrith was killed at the Battle of Nechtansmere. Educated for the priesthood, he stimulated the growth of scholarship in Northumbria during his reign, producing conditions under which the historian Bede flourished.

Switzerland, Agriculture and forestry

2005-03-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

Of the territory that makes up Switzerland, only three-fourths is productive. About one-fourth of that productive land is devoted to agricultural cultivation (grains, fodder, vegetables, fruits, vineyards, etc.), and one-fifth is pasture, reflecting the significance of stock raising and dairying. Grain cultivation, accounting for about one-sixth of productive land,

Guiney, Louise Imogen

2005-03-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Guiney was educated at Elmhurst, a convent school in Providence, Rhode Island. To help support her family she began contributing to various newspapers and magazines. Her poems, collected in

Plectomycetes

2005-03-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Name often given fungi constituting a series of the class Ascomycetes (sac fungi) within the division Mycota. Its more than 2,500 species produce saclike structures (asci) containing ascospores in either a closed fruiting body (ascocarp) or spore balls. Economically important genera include Ceratocystis, which includes the agents of Dutch elm disease and oak wilt, and

Bond, Sir Robert

2005-03-12T04:13:00.000-08:00

Bond was elected to the Newfoundland House of Assembly in 1882. He became speaker in 1884 and colonial secretary in 1889 in the Liberal ministry. His attempts to settle the fishing rights allowed to France and the United States were overruled by

Epistemology, Substance

2005-03-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

One of the cornerstones of philosophy from Plato to Berkeley was the notion of substance, that which exists in itself and does not depend upon anything else for its existence. Substance is contrasted with accident or modes of being, which exist in substances and depend on them for their existence. A dog is a substance, and its colour, shape, weight, and bark exist in the

Malay Archipelago

2005-03-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Largest group of islands in the world, consisting of the more than 13,000 islands of Indonesia and the some 7,000 islands of the Philippines. The regional name “East Indies” is sometimes used as a synonym for the archipelago. New Guinea is usually arbitrarily included in the Malay Archipelago while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the northwest and the Bismarck Archipelago

Iliad

2005-03-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Epic poem on the Trojan War traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer.

Ardmore

2005-03-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Carter county, southern Oklahoma, U.S., north of the Red River, near Lake Texoma and the Texas state line. Founded in 1887 in Chickasaw Indian Territory after the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, the town was named for the Philadelphia suburb that was the home of a railroad official. Populated by African Americans, Native Americans, and whites

Ardmore

2005-03-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

Daniel Rutherford, a medical student in Edinburgh, is usually

Calchas

2005-03-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the son of Thestor (a priest of Apollo) and the most famous soothsayer among the Greeks at the time of the Trojan War. He foretold the duration of the siege of Troy, demanded the sacrifice of Iphigeneia, daughter of Agamemnon (king of Mycenae), and advised the construction of the wooden horse with which the Greeks finally took Troy. It had been predicted

Economic Forecasting

2005-03-09T01:29:00.000-08:00

Formal economic forecasting is usually based on a specific theory as to how the economy works. Some theories are complicated,

Daigo

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

The son of the emperor Uda, he ascended the throne in 897 and assumed the reign name Daigo; Uda, however, continued to hold power as the retired emperor. Like his father, Daigo attempted

Ibuprofen

2005-03-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of minor pain, fever, and inflammation. Like aspirin, ibuprofen works by inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins, body chemicals that sensitize nerve endings. The drug may irritate the gastrointestinal tract. Marketed under trade names such as Advil and Nuprin, ibuprofen is not recommended for use

Nordal, Sigurdur Jóhannesson

2005-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Nordal received his doctorate in Old Norse philology from the University of Copenhagen in 1914, with a thesis on the saga of Saint Olaf. He studied philosophy

Mola Di Bari

2005-03-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

Town, Bari provincia, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southern Italy. In the European Middle Ages it was an embarkation point for the crusaders, and it has a 13th-century cathedral of Renaissance reconstruction. A fishing port and bathing resort, the modern town has tanneries and soap and button factories. Pop. (1989 est.) mun., 26,942.

Mahi River

2005-03-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Stream in western India, rising in the western Vindhya Range, just south of Sardarpur, and flowing northward through Madhya Pradesh state. Turning northwest, it enters Rajasthan state and then turns southwest to flow through Gujarat state and enter the sea by a wide estuary past Cambay after about a 360-mile (580-kilometre) course. The silt brought down by the Mahi has contributed

Caoshu

2005-03-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization ts'ao-shu in Chinese calligraphy, a cursive variant of the standard Chinese scripts lishu and kaishu and their semicursive derivative xingshu. The script developed during the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), and it had its period of greatest growth during the Tang dynasty (618–907). In caoshu the number of strokes in characters are reduced to single scrawls or abstract abbreviations of curves and dots.

Lahbabi, Mohammed Aziz

2005-03-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Moroccan writer and philosopher (b. Dec. 25, 1922, Fès, Morocco--d. Aug. 23, 1993, Rabat, Morocco), had influence in the Arab world through his many writings, some of which were translated into as many as 30 languages. Lahbabi was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and received a doctorate of philosophy. He taught philosophy at Muhammad V University, Rabat, and the University of Algiers and held other

Witches' Sabbath

2005-03-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Nocturnal gathering of witches, a colourful and intriguing part of the lore surrounding them in Christian European tradition. The concept dates from the mid-14th century when it first appeared in Inquisition records, although revels and feasts mentioned by such classical authors as the Romans Apuleius and Petronius Arbiter may have served as inspiration. The

Dahn, (julius Sophus) Felix

2005-03-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dahn's most substantial

Endocrine System, Subphylum Cephalochordata

2005-03-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

The cephalochordate brain contains neurosecretory neurons that possibly are related to a structure called Hatschek's pit, located near the brain. Hatschek's pit appears to be related to the neural gland and hence to the vertebrate pituitary gland. Treatment of amphioxus with GnRH or luteinizing hormone (LH) reportedly stimulates the onset of spermatogenesis

Chandpur

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

River port, south-central Bangladesh, situated at the confluence of the Dakatia and Meghna rivers. It is a major jute-shipping centre, connected by road and rail with Comilla and Noakhali and by river steamer with Calcutta (through the Sundarbans), Goalundo Ghat, and Narayanganj. Industries served by its thermal power station include jute presses, oilseed and plywood mills,

Computer Security

2005-03-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

The protection of computer systems and information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Computer hardware is typically protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipment, namely, serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarms. The protection of information and system access, on the other hand, is achieved through other tactics, some

Biblical Literature, The Alexandrian canon

2005-03-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament as it has come down in Greek translation from the Jews of Alexandria via the Christian Church differs in many respects from the Hebrew Scriptures. The books of the second and third divisions have been redistributed and arranged according to categories of literature—history, poetry, wisdom, and prophecy. Esther and Daniel contain supplementary

Pendle

2005-03-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

Borough (district), administrative county of Lancashire, England, on the eastern boundary of the county. Most of the borough—including its largest towns Burnley, Nelson, and Colne—lies in the historic county of Lancashire, but an area in the northeast, including the towns of Barnoldswick and Earby, belongs to the historic county of Yorkshire. The borough takes its name

Switzerland, Economic expansion

2005-03-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

The unification of the Swiss economy both promoted and was promoted by the rail network that rapidly expanded as soon as the new constitution had been adopted. In 1847 the first railroad had opened between Zürich and Baden. The railways were built not according to central planning but through competition among private entrepreneurs. The result was an extensive network

Algeria, Press and broadcasting

2005-03-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Daily newspapers are published in both Arabic and French in Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. Several weeklies and a host of magazines are also published in the country. The number and range of newspapers increased during the 1990s, despite frequent violent attacks directed against journalists by Islamic extremists. Radiodiffusion Télévision Algérienne operates

Van Dine, S.s.

2005-02-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

Wright was educated at St. Vincent and Pomona colleges in California, at Harvard University, and in Munich and Paris. Pursuing a career as a writer, Wright became literary editor of the

Ekistics

2005-02-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

Science of human settlements. Ekistics involves the descriptive study of all kinds of human settlements and the formulation of general conclusions aimed at achieving harmony between the inhabitants of a settlement and their physical and sociocultural environments. Descriptive study involves the examination of the content, such as man alone or in societies,

Mauritania, Climate

2005-02-26T05:22:00.000-08:00

The climate owes its aridity to the northeastern trade winds, which blow constantly in the north and throughout most of the year in the rest of the country; the drying effect produced by these winds is increased by the harmattan, or east wind. With the exception of the few winter rains that occur as a result of climatic disturbances originating in the mid-latitude regions,

Crambo

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

Plural cramboes , also called capping the rhyme a game in which one player gave a word or line of verse to be matched in rhyme by other players. Thus, one said, “I know a word that rhymes with bird.” A second asked, “Is it ridiculous?” “No, it is not absurd.” “Is it a part of speech?” “No, it is not a word.” This proceeded until the right word was guessed. Under the name of the ABC of Aristotle, crambo reportedly was played in England as early as

China, The Manchurian Plain

2005-02-25T23:41:00.000-08:00

The Manchurian Plain (also known as the Northeast Plain and the Sung-liao Plain) is located in China's Northeast, the region formerly known as Manchuria. An undulating plain split into northern and southern halves by a low divide rising from 500 to 850 feet, it is drained in its northern part by the Sungari River and tributaries and in its southern part by the Liao River. Most

Argall, Sir Samuel

2005-02-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

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

Sarcoma

2005-02-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

Tumour of connective tissue (also called mesodermal, or mesenchymal, cells). This form of cancer is relatively rare in adults but is one of the more common malignancies among children; it often spreads to other tissues in the body. Sarcomas are generally divided into bone and soft-tissue tumours, the latter being much less common. Because mesenchymal cells form a variety

Kadesh

2005-02-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

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

Race

2005-02-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

Scientists have known for many decades that there is little correlation between “race,” used in its popular sense, and actual physical variations in the human species. In the United States, for example, the people identified as African Americans do not share a common set of physical characteristics. There is a greater range of skin colours, hair colours and textures,

Coin

2005-02-23T01:08:00.000-08:00

The use of cast-metal pieces as a medium of exchange is very ancient and probably developed out of the use in commerce of ordinary ingots of bronze and other metals that possessed an intrinsic value. Until

Iron Guard

2005-02-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Romanian Garda De Fier Romanian fascist organization that constituted a major social and political force between 1930 and 1941. In 1927 Corneliu Zelea Codreanu founded the Legion of the Archangel Michael, which later became known as the Legion or Legionary Movement; it was committed to the “Christian and racial” renovation of Romania and fed on anti-Semitism and mystical nationalism. Codreanu established

France, History Of, The religious wars and the monarchy

2005-02-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

This succession of civil disturbances brought the French state close to disintegration and posed a threat to the crown that would not be matched again until 1789. The key factor in producing this situation lay in the nature of Calvinism, which provided both a rallying point for a wide cross section of opposition and the organization necessary to make that opposition

Factorial

2005-02-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Factorials are commonly encountered in the evaluation of permutations and combinations and in the coefficients of terms of binomial

Hydrosphere, Groundwaters and river runoff

2005-02-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

This section focuses on term R in equation (9) representing groundwater and river runoff losses from the soil-moisture zone. Water percolates from the soil-moisture zone through the unsaturated (vadose) zone to the water table. Flow through the unsaturated zone is complicated. After a rainfall, water may form nearly a continuous phase in pores in this zone, but with drying

Meléndez Valdés, Juan

2005-02-20T23:16:00.000-08:00

After studying law and classics at Salamanca, Meléndez Valdés was appointed

Méliès, Georges

2005-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

When the first genuine movies, made by the Lumière brothers, were shown in Paris in 1895, Méliès, a professional magician and manager-director of the Théâtre Robert-Houdin, was among the spectators. The films were scenes from real life having the novelty of

Adamov, Arthur

2005-02-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

In 1912 Adamov's wealthy Armenian family left Russia and settled in Freudenstadt, Ger. He was subsequently educated in Geneva, Mainz, and Paris, where, having mastered French, he settled in 1924, associating with Surrealist groups. He edited a periodical, Discontinuit

Porphyria

2005-02-19T03:05:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of diseases characterized by the marked overproduction and excretion of porphyrins or of one or another of their precursors. The porphyrins are reddish constituents of heme, the deep red iron-containing pigment of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein of the red blood cells. The deposition of porphyrin compounds in body tissues, notably the skin,

Insurance, Personal liability insurance

2005-02-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

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

Anderson, Marian

2005-02-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

U.S. singer (b. Feb. 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pa.--d. April 8, 1993, Portland, Ore.), maintained a quiet dignity while transcending the racial and cultural barriers imposed on her artistry and used her rich contralto voice brilliantly to interpret the works of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, Verdi, and Richard Strauss as well as spirituals. Though Anderson's birth certificate stated that

Cambridge

2005-02-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

City (district), administrative and historic county of Cambridgeshire, England, home of the internationally known University of Cambridge. The city lies immediately south of the fen country (a flat alluvial region only slightly above sea level) and is itself only 20 to 80 feet (6 to 24 metres) above sea level. Most of the city is built on the east bank of the River Cam, a tributary

Brunei, Flag Of

2005-02-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

Although a few countries have half of their national flag in yellow, Brunei alone has a yellow background. The avoidance of yellow in other flags may in part be due to the association of the colour with royalty, as in the former imperial flags of Austria and Russia, and with disease (yellow flags are internationally recognized as symbols of quarantine). Among the smaller

Tall-e Bakun

2005-02-16T04:14:00.000-08:00

Prehistoric Iranian site located near Persepolis in south-central Iran. The site, continuously inhabited from c. 4200 to c. 3000 BC, is the oldest yet discovered in that area of Iran. Excavations in 1928 by the University of Berlin and in 1932 by the University of Chicago uncovered several building levels, numerous flint implements, stamp and button seals, and many animal and human figurines.

Smith, Abby Hadassah; And Smith, Julia Evelina

2005-02-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

The Smith sisters, the youngest of five children, lived almost their entire lives at the Connecticut

Disasters

2005-02-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

January 2-3, Fiji. Deadly Cyclone Kina ripped across the islands and caused widespread damage with winds swirling to 185 km/h (115 mph); at least 12 persons were known dead, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and three major bridges were washed

Charles

2005-02-14T04:49:00.000-08:00

The son of Duke Philip III the Good of Burgundy, Charles was brought up in the French manner as a friend of the French dauphin, afterward Louis XI of France, who spent five years in Burgundy before his accession. Although he had shown no hostility toward France before taking over the government of Burgundy during his father's last illness, he thereupon gave rein to an

Pacific Ocean, Minerals from seawater and alluvial deposits

2005-02-14T04:32:00.000-08:00

Common salt (sodium chloride) is the most important mineral obtained directly from seawater. Mexico leads the Pacific nations in salt extraction from the sea, mostly by solar evaporation. Bromine extracted from seawater is used in the food, dye, pharmaceutical, and photo industries. The United States and Japan lead in its production among Pacific riparian nations.

Van Halen

2005-02-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

American heavy metal band, widely popular in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, distinguished by the innovative electric-guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen. The original members were Eddie Van Halen (b. Jan. 26, 1957, Nijmegen, Neth.), Alex Van Halen (b. May 8, 1955, Nijmegen), Michael Anthony (b. June 20, 1955, Chicago, Ill., U.S.), and David Lee Roth (b. Oct. 10, 1955, Bloomington, Ind., U.S.). Later members were Sammy Hagar (b. Oct. 13, 1947, Monterey,

Intendant

2005-02-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

The origin of the office of intendant remains obscure, and no document has been

Vacarius

2005-02-12T01:31:00.000-08:00

Educated at Bologna, Vacarius went to England to act as counsel to Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, in his successful struggle (ending in 1146) to have the papal legateship transferred from the

Ekelöf, Gunnar

2005-02-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Ekelöf exerted great influence on his contemporaries. His radically modern style was influenced by such poets as Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud, Ezra Pound, and T.S. Eliot. In such poetry from the 1930s as Sent på jorden (1932; “Late on Earth”), Ekelöf was drawn to the Surrealist technique of automatism

Vendée, Wars Of The

2005-02-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

(1793–96), counterrevolutionary insurrections in the west of France during the French Revolution. The first and most important occurred in 1793 in the area known as the Vendée, which included large sections of the départements of Loire-Inférieure (Loire-Atlantique), Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sèvres, and the Vendée proper. In this fervently religious and economically backward region,

Cartland, Dame Barbara

2005-02-11T04:09:00.000-08:00

Following the death of her father in World War I, Cartland moved with her family to London. There she began contributing to the Daily Express newspaper, receiving instruction in writing from its proprietor,

Biosphere, Humidity

2005-02-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

Most terrestrial organisms must maintain their water content within fairly narrow limits. Water commonly is lost to the air through evaporation or, in plants, transpiration. Because most water loss occurs by diffusion and the rate of diffusion is determined by the gradient across the diffusion barrier such as the surface of a leaf or skin, the rate of water loss

Harcourt, Sir William

2005-02-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

A lawyer from 1854, Harcourt briefly taught international law at the University of Cambridge. Entering the House of Commons in 1868, Harcourt served Prime

Bar-salibi, Jacob

2005-02-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

A native of Melitene (now Malatya, Turkey), Bar-Salibi was made bishop of Marash in 1154 and, a year later, of Mabbog as well. In 1166 he was transferred to the metropolitan see of Amid (Diyarbakir), where he remained until his death. His works include poems, prayers, homilies, liturgies, a commentary on the six

China, Foreign policy

2005-02-08T03:34:00.000-08:00

While taking their principal cues in their foreign policies from domestic developments and generally adhering to the initial pro-Soviet line, the Chinese began to act—on the basis of several important lessons gained during the Korean struggle—to reduce Peking's militant and isolationist attitudes in international affairs. Peking had recognized that the great

Christian-jaque

2005-02-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Christian-Jaque was educated at the School of Fine Arts and the School of Decorative Arts, both in Paris. He started his career as a journalist and film critic and in 1926 entered the film industry