SmallScissors

Leap Of Faith

2005-04-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

Metaphor used by the 19th-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in his Afsluttende uvidenskabelig Efterskrift (1846; Concluding Unscientific Postscript) to describe commitment to an objective uncertainty, specifically to the Christian God. For Kierkegaard, God is totally other than man; between God and man there exists a gulf that faith alone can bridge. Kierkegaard

Christensen, Benjamin

2005-04-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Christensen began his career as an opera singer in 1902 but later became an actor and then a director. By 1913 he was known as the writer, star, and director of a film exploring the unknown, Det Hemmeligheds fulde X (The Mysterious X), his first investigation of the horror of

Akh

2005-04-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

In Egyptian religion, the spirit of a deceased person and, with the ka and ba (qq.v.), a principal aspect of the soul. By enabling the soul to assume temporarily any form it desired, for the purpose of revisiting the earth or for its own enjoyment, the akh characterized the soul of a deceased person as an effective entity in the next world. The akh-soul was generally represented

X Ray

2005-04-02T00:03:00.000-08:00

According to classical electromagnetic theory, the deceleration of electrons will produce electromagnetic radiation, in the same way that accelerated electrons in a radio antenna produce radio waves. The failure of magnetic fields to deflect an X-ray beam seems to confirm this classical idea of the origin of X rays. Crucial evidence for the existence of waves

Bacillus

2005-03-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

(genus Bacillus), any of a group of rod-shaped, gram-positive, aerobic or (under some conditions) anaerobic bacteria widely found in soil and water. The term bacillus in a general sense has been applied to all cylindrical or rodlike bacteria. The largest species are about 2 mm (micrometres; 1 mm = 10-6 m) across by 7 mm long and frequently occur in chains. Bacillus species form dormant spores

Locmariaquer

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

Village and seaside resort, on the coast of the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan département, Bretagne région, western France, south of Auray. It is famous for its megalithic monuments, notably the Fairies' Stone, a huge, broken standing stone, originally 66 feet (20 m) high—the greatest known menhir (upright monumental stone) in existence. Behind it is the Merchants' Table, composed

Gabon, Flag Of

2005-03-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

The French did not allow the development of national flags in their colonies, fearing the flags might become symbols around which separatists could rally. Therefore there were few such traditions in French Africa when autonomous governments were established in 1958 (the year of the new constitution of France). Whereas some countries did not adopt flags for more than

Interior Design, Lighting

2005-03-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

Light is one of the key elements of interior design. Most interior spaces constructed in the 20th century are used as much with artificial light as with daylight; because of this lighting has become a very significant tool for the interior designer. There are three major aspects to lighting: function, aesthetics, and health. The latter factor is often ignored, but insufficient

Morecambe Bay

2005-03-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

Bay of the Irish Sea deeply indenting the northwest coast of England between the port of Barrow-in-Furness to the north and the seaside resorts of Morecambe and Heysham to the south. The bay separates the Furness region of the historic county of Lancashire (now in the administrative county of Cumbria) from the remainder of Lancashire. Much of the Lake District massif,

Permafrost, Origins

2005-03-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

The origin of ground ice was first studied in Siberia, and discussions in print of the origin of large ground-ice masses in perennially frozen ground of North America have gone on since Otto von Kotzebue recorded ground ice in 1816 at a spot now called Elephant's Point in Eschscholtz Bay of Seward Peninsula. The theory for the origin of ice wedges now generally accepted

Discus Throw

2005-03-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

The sport was known in the days of the Greek poet Homer, who mentions it in both the

Reptile, The embryo

2005-03-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

The embryo of a reptile develops a thin sac, the amnion, that envelops the embryo and becomes filled with a watery fluid. The entire structure serves to protect the embryo from desiccation and mechanical injury. A parchment-like shell, which also contributes mechanical protection, is produced by the female parent and surrounds the amnion; between the shell and the

Permafrost, Origins

2005-03-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Chemical element, metal of Group VIII of the periodic table, the most used and cheapest metal.

Berchtesgaden

2005-03-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Town, Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany, situated on the Berchtesgaden Stream in a deep valley surrounded on three sides by Austrian territory. The opening of its salt mines in the 12th century was the beginning of many centuries of bitter rivalry with Salzburg and Hallein. From 1300 the town was ruled by the provosts of its Augustinian abbey (founded c. 1102), who became princes

China

2005-03-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

A true Painted Pottery culture developed in the northwest partly from the Wei Valley and Pan-p'o traditions of the 5th millennium. The Miao-ti-kou I horizon, dated from the first half of the 4th millennium, produced burnished bowls and basins of fine red pottery, some 15 percent of which were painted, generally in black, with dots, spirals, and sinuous lines. It was succeeded

Hughes, David (edward)

2005-03-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

Anglo-American inventor of the carbon microphone, which was important to the development of telephony. His family emigrated to the United States when he was seven years old. In 1850 he became professor of music at St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky. Five years later he took out a U.S. patent for a type-printing telegraph instrument; its success was immediate,

Gama, (josé) Basílio Da

2005-03-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Gama completed his novitiate with the Jesuits in 1759. In that same year the order was expelled from Brazil and all other Portuguese

Effen, Justus Van

2005-03-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

Dutch essayist and journalist whose straightforward didactic pieces, modelled on foreign examples, had a wholesome influence on the contemporary Dutch fashion of rococo writing. His other occupations included private tutor, secretary at the Netherlands embassy in London (1715 and 1727), and clerk in the Dutch government's warehouses

Connally, John Bowden, Jr.

2005-03-19T04:55:00.000-08:00

U.S. politician (b. Feb. 27, 1917, Floresville, Texas--d. June 15, 1993, Houston, Texas), was an ambitious political figure who, besides helping elect Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson, served as secretary of the navy in the Kennedy administration (1961), as a three-term governor of Texas (1963-69), and as secretary of the treasury (1971) under Pres. Richard M. Nixon; he was indelibly identified

Cactus

2005-03-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

The Cactaceae are native through most of the length

Mandalay

2005-03-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

Mandalay was built mainly in 1857–59 by King Mindon to replace Amarapura as his capital. It was the last capital of the Myanmar kingdom and

Gumbo

2005-03-17T04:28:00.000-08:00

A gumbo begins with a roux, a mixture of fat and flour slowly browned over low heat. To this base are

Hexameter

2005-03-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

A line of verse containing six feet, usually dactyls (¢ {breve} {breve}). Dactylic hexameter is the oldest known form of Greek poetry and is the preeminent metre of narrative and didactic poetry in Greek and Latin, in which its position is comparable to that of iambic pentameter in English versification. The epics of Homer and of Virgil are composed in dactylic hexameter.

Ansgar, Saint

2005-03-16T05:13:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, Ansgar entered the Benedictine abbey of Corbie in Picardy, where he was educated. After 823 he taught in the monastic school at Corvey (“New Corbie”), Westphalia, where

Bridgnorth

2005-03-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

The town of Bridgnorth lies mainly on a high red sandstone rock along the River Severn and has been a bridging point since Saxon times. Aethelflaed, lady of Mercia, rebuilt

Vulvitis

2005-03-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Inflammation and infection of the vulva—the external genitalia of the female. The external organs of the vulva include the labia majora and minora (folds of skin), the clitoris, and the vestibular glands. The basic symptoms of vulvitis are superficial red, swollen, and moisture-laden lesions on the skin of the vulva. Itching sensations are a particularly prominent

Earth, Nucleosynthetic processes

2005-03-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

The astrophysical concept of nucleosynthesis remains the starting point in tracing planetary evolution. This includes the nuclear processes by which the light elements—hydrogen through boron—were produced at the birth of the universe, some 10,000,000,000 to 20,000,000,000 years ago. By analogy with what astronomers presently observe to happen, it is thought that the solar system represents

Cladoselache

2005-03-14T03:18:00.000-08:00

Cladoselache was a very primitive form and had many archaic features in the skull and skeleton. Two dorsal fins were

X-ray Style

2005-03-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

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

Ruthenian

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

Also called Ruthene any of those Ukrainians who were formerly Polish or Austrian and Austro-Hungarian subjects. The name is a Latinized form of the word Russian, but the Ruthenians are Ukrainians who, by accidents of history in the late Middle Ages, were absorbed into the territory of Lithuania, which in turn was united with Poland. The term Little Russians has also been applied to them.

Oberbayern

2005-03-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

English Upper Bavaria Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), southeastern Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. Oberbayern is bordered by Austria to the east and south and the Regierungsbezirke of Schwaben (Swabia) to the west, Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia) and Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) to the north, and Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) to the northeast. It is the largest of seven

Vitamin D

2005-03-10T03:43:00.000-08:00

The most important of these sterols are 7-dehydrocholesterol, formed by metabolic processes in animals, and ergosterol (q.v.), present in vegetable oils. The action of sunlight converts these two compounds,

Coindre, André

2005-03-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

Coindre, in his formative years, witnessed the devastating aftermath of the persecution of the church conducted by

Takeda Shingen

2005-03-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

Original name Takeda Harunobu one of the most famous of the military leaders who struggled for mastery of the strategic Kanto Plain in central Japan during the chaotic period of civil unrest in the 16th century. Takeda is especially well known for his series of battles with the noted warrior Uesugi Kenshin, not only famous in the annals of Japanese

Sarangpur

2005-03-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India, just east of the Kali Sindh River. Sarangpur is located on an ancient site. It has a number of Jaina and Hindu ruins, including a 12th-century Jaina statue. It rose to importance in the 13th century under Sarang Singh Khichi, after whom it is named, and was a chief Mughal trade centre. It passed to Dewas princely state by treaty

Sea Level

2005-03-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

Position of the air-sea interface, to which all terrestrial elevations and submarine depths are referred. The sea level constantly changes at every locality with the changes in tides, atmospheric pressure, and wind conditions. Longer-term changes in sea level are influenced by the Earth's changing climates. Consequently, the level is better defined as mean sea

Taraori, Battles Of

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

Muhammad had taken Lahore from the last of the

New Castle

2005-03-05T23:54:00.000-08:00

City, New Castle county, northern Delaware, U.S. It is just south of Wilmington on the Delaware River, there linked to New Jersey by the twin spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The original settlement, called Santhoeck, was established in 1651, when Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch administrator, built Fort Casimir there. The settlement was seized by the Swedes in 1654 but was regained

Land Snail

2005-03-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

Any of the approximately 22,000 species of snails adapted to life away from water. Most are members of the subclass Pulmonata (class Gastropoda); a few are members of the subclass Prosobranchia. Typically, land snails live on or near the ground, feed on decaying plant matter, and lay their eggs in the soil. They are most common on tropical islands but occur also

Race, Contemporary perspectives

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

Modern scientific views of human diversity are the subjects of Ashley Montagu (ed.), The Concept of Race (1969); Jonathan Marks, Human Biodiversity: Genes, Race, and History (1995); Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and F. Cavalli-Sforza, The Great Human Diasporas: The History of Diversity and Evolution (1995); Christopher Stringer and Robin McKie, African Exodus: The Origins of Modern Humanity (1996); and A.E. Mourant, Blood Relations: Blood Groups and Anthropology (1983).

Chronology

2005-03-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

The era at present in vogue among the Jews, counted from the creation of the world (anno mundi; abbreviated to AM), came into popular use about the 9th century AD. Traceable in dates recorded much earlier, this era has five styles conventionally indicated by Hebrew letters used as numerals and combined into mnemonics, which state the times of occurrence of the epochal mean

Trade Wind

2005-03-04T04:43:00.000-08:00

Very steady wind that blows westward and toward the equator from the subtropical high-pressure belts at latitudes near 30° N and 30° S toward the intertropical convergence zone. It is stronger and more consistent over the oceans than over land and produces fairly clear skies that make trade-wind islands popular tourist resorts. Its average speed is about 5 to 6 m per second

Switzerland, The growth of confederation

2005-03-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

The threatened communities of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden were populated by a large number of free peasants. Although the origin of their freedom is not exactly known, it can be attributed in part to their need to cooperate in order to maintain an agrarian economy in the severe environmental conditions of the Alpine valleys. Problems relating to the use of pasturelands,

Reproduction, Life cycles of animals

2005-03-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

Invertebrate animals have a rich variety of life cycles, especially among those forms that undergo metamorphosis, a radical physical change. Butterflies, for instance, have a caterpillar stage (larva), a dormant chrysalis stage (pupa), and an adult stage (imago). One remarkable aspect of this development is that, during the transition from caterpillar to adult, most of

Mountain

2005-02-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

Mountains and mountain belts exist because tectonic processes have created and maintained high elevations in the face of erosion, which works to destroy them. The topography of a mountain belt depends not only on the processes that create the elevated terrain but also on the forces that support this terrain and on the types of processes (erosional or tectonic)

Fontana, Carlo

2005-02-28T00:48:00.000-08:00

Italian architect, engineer, and publisher whose prolific studio produced widely imitated designs for fountains, palaces, tombs, and altars, as well as the curved facade on the S. Marcello al Corso (1682–83). His many international students included M.D. Poppelmann of Germany, James Gibbs of England, Filippa Juvarra of Italy, Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt

Sorsogon

2005-02-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

Town, southeastern Luzon, Philippines, near the southernmost tip of the Bicol Peninsula. The town of Sorsogon is a port on the northeastern shore of Sorsogon Bay. The adjacent hinterland consists of volcanic cones interspersed with broad, level farmlands that produce abaca, coconuts, rice, and sweet potatoes. Sorsogon has processing facilities for abaca and copra.

Epic Formula

2005-02-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

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

Avidya

2005-02-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit), in the Buddhist chain of dependent origination, the ignorance that fetters man to transmigration. See pratitya-samutpada.

France, History Of, Urban prosperity

2005-02-26T15:34:00.000-08:00

Town life continued to flourish. A few places, favoured by political and ecclesiastical as well as by economic circumstances, grew far larger than the rest. Paris could probably count more than 100,000 inhabitants by the late 13th century, possibly many more than that; some great provincial centres—e.g., Toulouse, Bordeaux, Arras, Rouen—may have surpassed 25,000, but most of the older cities

Puerto Cortés

2005-02-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Honduras, situated on the Gulf of Honduras. It is backed by Alvarado Lagoon and extends for 2 miles (3 km) along the southern shore of Caballos Point. Puerto Cortés serves as the seaport for San Pedro Sula and the Sula Valley. The town was founded in 1524 as Puerto Caballos, just to the south across Cortés Bay, but was moved and had its name changed to Puerto

Alanine

2005-02-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Either of two amino acids, one of which (a-alanine) is a constituent of proteins. An especially rich source of a-alanine is silk fibroin, from which the amino acid was first isolated in 1879. Alanine is one of several so-called nonessential amino acids for birds and mammals; i.e., they can synthesize it from pyruvic acid (formed in the breakdown of carbohydrates) and do not require

La Salle

2005-02-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

City, Montréal region, southern Quebec province, Canada, on the south shore of Île de Montréal (Montreal Island), at the head of the Lachine Rapids of the St. Lawrence River. Settlement of the site began in 1668, when Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, established a fortified townsite first known as Saint-Sulpice and later as La Petite Chine, or Lachine. Surviving an Iroquois Indian

Wichita Orogeny

2005-02-22T01:46:00.000-08:00

A period of block faulting in the southern part of the Wichita–Arbuckle System in western Oklahoma and northern Texas. The uplift is dated from the Late Carboniferous epoch (formerly the Pennsylvanian period; the Late Carboniferous epoch occurred from 320 to 286 million years ago). The Apishipa–Sierra Grande uplift in eastern Colorado and northern New Mexico is of similar

Florence

2005-02-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

Town, seat (1875) of Pinal county, central Arizona, U.S., 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Phoenix. It lies on the Gila River in a farming area (mainly cotton) that is irrigated by means of the Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam. One of the oldest white settlements in the state, Florence was founded in 1866 and named for the sister of Governor Richard McCormick. The community developed as a copper-mining

Pevsner, Antoine

2005-02-20T23:50:00.000-08:00

Pevsner studied art in Kiev, went to Paris in 1911 and 1913, and in 1915 joined his brother Naum in Oslo, where they

Hinterland

2005-02-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

George G. Chisholm (Handbook of Commercial Geography, 1888) transcribed the German word hinterland (land in back of), as hinderland, and used it to refer to the backcountry of a port or coastal settlement. Chisholm continued to use hinderland in subsequent editions

Albanian Literature

2005-02-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

The development of Albanian literature was seriously hindered by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Albania from the 15th to the late 19th century and prohibited publications in the Albanian language for most of that time. The oldest fragment of writing in Albanian

Ani

2005-02-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

Situated along a major east-west caravan route, Ani first rose to prominence in the 5th century AD and had become a flourishing town by the time Ashot III the Merciful (reigned 952–977), the Bagratid king of Armenia, transferred his

Syracuse University

2005-02-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher education, located in Syracuse, New York, U.S. It offers more than 200 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through 15 colleges and schools. Research facilities include the All-University Gerontology Center (established 1972), the Center for Advanced Technology in Computer Applications and Software Engineering

Lutfi As-sayyid, Ahmad

2005-02-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

Lutfi studied law and accepted a job in the legal department of the central government. In March 1907 he founded a newspaper, al-Jaridah, to present the views of the Ummah Party, representing the moderate wing of Egyptian nationalism. With the advent of

Atom, The existence of antiparticles

2005-02-15T17:29:00.000-08:00

The English physicist P.A.M. Dirac introduced a new equation for the electron in 1928. The Schrödinger equation does not satisfy the principles of relativity, and so it can be used to describe only those phenomena in which the particles move much more slowly than the velocity of light. In order to satisfy the conditions of relativity, Dirac was forced to postulate not one

Christ, Church Of

2005-02-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

Any of several conservative Protestant churches, found chiefly in the United States. They are strongest in parts of the Midwest and in the western and southern parts of the United States. Each church is known locally as a Church of Christ, and its members as Christians; and each church is autonomous in government, with elders, deacons, and a minister or ministers. There

Ace, Goodman

2005-02-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

From childhood Ace wanted to be a writer, and his writing was admired by his teachers. He was editor of his high school newspaper when he met

Peter Iii

2005-02-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

In 1262 he had married Constance, heiress of Manfred, the Hohenstaufen king of Sicily; and after the revolt of the Sicilians in 1282 he invaded the island and was proclaimed king at Palermo, despite strong Guelph and papal opposition (see Sicilian

Eastern Africa, Habitat

2005-02-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

A more useful way of grouping the East African peoples into types is according to their habitats, which can be summarized as follows: wet lowland, wet highland, semiarid, and arid. Wet lowland habitats are concentrated around Lake Victoria, and among the peoples found there about 1900 were the Ganda and Luo, both large in number. Wet highland habitats are less concentrated

Jaén

2005-02-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

Provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, south-central Spain. It is surrounded by the Sierra Morena (north), the Segura and Cazorla ranges (east), and Parapanda, Lucena, and Segura mountains (south). The western part of the province is composed of plains that lead to the fertile Guadalquivir River valley. There are several irrigation dams

Framingham

2005-02-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Sudbury River, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston. Settled in 1650, it was incorporated in 1700 and derived its name from Framlingham, Suffolk, England. Framingham Center, just north of the downtown area, was the original village. Framingham's industrial development dates from 1835, with the utilization of local

Sawhaj

2005-02-12T03:53:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sohag, or Suhag, town and capital of Sawhaj muhafazah (governorate) in the Nile River valley of Upper Egypt. The town is located on the Nile's western bank between Asyut and Jirja, immediately across from Akhmim on the eastern bank. It has cotton-ginning, textile-weaving, and food-processing factories. Automobile parts are distributed, and it is a centre for vehicle repair. The Sawhaj Institute

West Chester University Of Pennsylvania

2005-02-11T01:32:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is part of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. The university comprises the College of Arts and Sciences and schools of Education, Health Sciences, Music, and Business and Public Affairs. In addition to undergraduate studies, West Chester offers some 70 master's

Durg

2005-02-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

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

United Kingdom, The golden age of Bede

2005-02-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Within a century of Augustine's landing, England was in the forefront of scholarship. This high standard arose from a combination of influences: that from Ireland, which had escaped the decay caused elsewhere by the barbarian invasions, and that from the Mediterranean, which reached England mainly through Archbishop Theodore and his companion, the abbot Adrian

Middle Rhine Highlands

2005-02-10T04:45:00.000-08:00

Also called Rhenish Slate Mountains , German Rheinisches Schiefergebirge mountainous highlands lying mainly in northwestern Germany but also extending westward as the Ardennes through southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg, with an overlap into eastern France beyond the Meuse River. The Highlands form a greatly varied plateau with areas of rugged relief, as in the Eifel and the Rothaargebirge in the region of Sauerland, though

Anders, William A(lison)

2005-02-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

U.S. astronaut who participated in the Apollo 8 flight (Dec. 21–27, 1968), in which the first manned voyage around the Moon was made. The astronauts, including Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell, remained in an orbit about 70 miles (112 km) above the surface of the Moon for about 20 hours, transmitting television pictures back to Earth and verifying that lunar landmarks could be

Austausch Coefficient

2005-02-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

Also called Exchange Coefficient, Eddy Coefficient, or Eddy Diffusivity, in fluid mechanics, particularly in its applications to meteorology and oceanography, the proportionality between the rate of transport of a component of a turbulent fluid and the gradient of the component. In this context, the term component signifies not only material constituents of the fluid, such as dissolved or suspended substances, but also constituents

Pottery, Archaic period (c. 750c. 480 BC)

2005-02-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

By c. 550 BC Athens had once again become the principal centre of pottery manufacture in Greece, having ousted its Corinthian rivals from the overseas markets. Its success is at least partially due to a sudden improvement in technique, for its potters had learned how to obtain the familiar orange-red surface of their vases by mixing a proportion of ruddle, or red ochre, with

Annuity

2005-02-05T06:15:00.000-08:00

There are two main classes of annuities: annuities certain and contingent annuities. Under an annuity certain,

Zambezi River, Hydrology

2005-02-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

The Zambezi, according to measurements taken at Maramba (formerly Livingstone), Zambia, experiences its maximum flow in March or April. In October or November the discharge diminishes to less than 10 percent of the maximum. The annual average flow reaches about 247,000 cubic feet (7,000 cubic metres) per second. Measurements taken at Kariba Dam reflect the same seasonal pattern; the

Montfaucon, Bernard De

2005-02-05T01:01:00.000-08:00

He joined the Benedictine Congregation of Saint-Maur in 1676 and in 1687 was sent to Paris to edit the works of the Church Fathers. His major publications in this field were editions of Athanasius, 3 vol. (1698) and John Chrysostom, 13 vol. (1718–38). As a student of manuscripts

Nageire

2005-02-04T02:21:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “thrown in”), in Japanese floral art, the style of arranging that stresses fresh and spontaneous designs adhering only loosely to the classical principles of triangular structure and colour harmony. A single long branch with shorter branches and flowers at the base arranged in a tall upright vase are characteristic of the nageire style. Nageire was originally

Nachi-katsuura

2005-02-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

Town, Wakayama ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Lying within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, the town is a summer resort renowned for its proximity to more than 40 waterfalls. The main fall is one of the highest in Japan, dropping 427 feet (130 m); it is approached through a large gate set in a grove of ancient cedars. The 7th-century Seiganto Temple is an important

Domesday Book

2005-02-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

The original record or summary of William I the Conqueror's survey of England. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as “the description of England,” but the popular name Domesday—i.e., “doomsday,” when men face the record from which there is no appeal—was in general use by the mid-12th century. The survey, in the scope of its detail and the speed of its execution, was perhaps

Permafrost, Permafrost thawing and frost heaving

2005-02-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

Because thawing of permafrost and frost action are involved in almost all engineering problems in polar areas, it is advisable to consider these phenomena generally. The delicate thermal equilibrium of permafrost is disrupted when the vegetation, snow cover, or active layer is compacted. The permafrost table is lowered, the active layer is thickened, and considerable

Gag Rule

2005-02-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

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

Kuwait, Plant and animal life

2005-02-01T01:12:00.000-08:00

The harsh climate limits

Sana'i

2005-01-31T23:22:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Sana'i's early life. He was a resident of Ghazna and served for a time as poet at the court of the Ghaznavid sultans, composing panegyrics in praise of his patrons. At some point he underwent

Tasmania, Demographic trends

2005-01-31T07:37:00.000-08:00

Tasmania continues to have a higher birth rate than most other states, but, as in Australia generally, crude birth rates have tended to fall, average birth rates declining in the middle and late 20th century. Birth rates are lower in the cities than in the smaller towns and rural areas. Death rates remain fairly constant. Infant mortality rates are among the lowest in

G.c.

2005-01-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

The George Cross, a British decoration for bravery. See George Cross.

Ankle

2005-01-28T02:17:00.000-08:00

In humans, hinge-type, freely moving synovial joint between the foot and leg. The ankle contains seven tarsal bones that articulate (connect) with each other, with the metatarsal bones of the foot, and with the bones of the lower leg. The articulation of one of the tarsal bones, the ankle bone (talus, or astragalus), with the fibula and tibia of the lower leg forms the actual

M16 Rifle

2005-01-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

Also called Ar-15, assault rifle adopted as a standard weapon by the U.S. Army in 1967. The M16 superseded the M14 rifle. It is gas-operated and has both semiautomatic (i.e., autoloading) and fully automatic capabilities. Weighing less than 3.6 kg (8 pounds) and equipped with a 20-round or 30-round magazine, the M16 is 99 cm (39 inches) long and fires 5.56-millimetre (.223-calibre) ammunition at the rate of 700–950 rounds per minute. Both U.S. and

Biblical Literature, The English Revised Version

2005-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

The remarkable and total victory of the King James Version could not entirely obscure those inherent weaknesses that were independent of its typographical errors. The manner of its execution had resulted in a certain unequalness and lack of consistency. The translators' understanding of the Hebrew tense system was often limited so that their version contains

Vischer Family

2005-01-27T02:18:00.000-08:00

Sculptors and brass founders working in Nürnberg in the 15th and 16th centuries. Hermann the Elder (d. Jan. 13, 1488) established the foundry. His son Peter the Elder (1460–1529) was the most celebrated member of the family, producing monumental brasswork and bronzework that attracted patrons from as far off as Poland and Hungary. Works by Peter, who was assisted by his five sons, include the tomb

Leicestershire

2005-01-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

Administrative, geographic, and historic county in the East Midlands region of England, bordered by Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. The administrative, geographic, and historic counties occupy slightly different areas. The administrative county comprises seven districts: Blaby, Harborough

Siddur

2005-01-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Plural siddurim , or siddurs Jewish prayer book, which contains the entire Jewish liturgy used on the ordinary sabbath and on weekdays for domestic as well as synagogue ritual. It is distinguished from the mahzor, which is the prayer book used for the High Holidays. The prayers and benedictions of a siddur breathe Old Testament sentiments of praise, thanksgiving, petition, intercession, acknowledgment

Phidias

2005-01-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Pheidias Athenian sculptor, the artistic director of the construction of the Parthenon, who created its most important religious images and supervised and probably designed its overall sculptural decoration. It is said of Phidias that he alone had seen the exact image of the gods and that he revealed it to man. He established forever general conceptions of Zeus and

Powell, Enoch

2005-01-25T01:20:00.000-08:00

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

Anti-federalists

2005-01-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

In early U.S. history, a loose political coalition of popular politicians such as Patrick Henry who unsuccessfully opposed the strong central government envisioned in the U.S. Constitution of 1787 and whose agitations led to the addition of a Bill of Rights. The first in the long line of states'-rights advocates, they feared the authority of a single national government,

Arundel, Thomas Fitzalan, 5th Earl Of, 11th Earl Of Surrey

2005-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

King Richard II made him a ward of John Holland, duke of Exeter, from whose keeping he escaped about 1398 and joined his uncle, Archbishop Thomas Arundel, at Utrecht, returning to England in 1399 with Henry of Lancaster, afterward King Henry IV. In October 1400 he was restored to

Trail

2005-01-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

The modern city's economy rests on the mining and smelting of metals (especially silver, zinc, and lead) and on the production of chemicals and fertilizers,

Zemes Mate

2005-01-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

(Latvian), Lithuanian Zemyna the Earth Mother of Baltic religion. Zemes mate represents the female aspect of nature and the source of all life—human, animal, and plant. Interacting with Dievs (the sky), Zemes mate stimulates and protects the power of life. Libations of beer were offered to her at the opening of every festival, and such products of the earth as bread, ale, and herbs were buried in the ground

SmallScissors

Leap Of Faith

Christensen, Benjamin

Akh

X Ray

Bacillus

Locmariaquer

Gabon, Flag Of

Interior Design, Lighting

Morecambe Bay

Permafrost, Origins

Discus Throw

Reptile, The embryo

Permafrost, Origins

Berchtesgaden

China

Hughes, David (edward)

Gama, (josé) Basílio Da

Effen, Justus Van

Connally, John Bowden, Jr.

Cactus

Mandalay

Gumbo

Hexameter

Ansgar, Saint

Bridgnorth

Vulvitis

Earth, Nucleosynthetic processes

Cladoselache

X-ray Style

Ruthenian

Oberbayern

Vitamin D

Coindre, André

Takeda Shingen

Sarangpur

Sea Level

Taraori, Battles Of

New Castle

Land Snail

Race, Contemporary perspectives

Chronology

Trade Wind

Switzerland, The growth of confederation

Reproduction, Life cycles of animals

Mountain

Fontana, Carlo

Sorsogon

Epic Formula

Avidya

France, History Of, Urban prosperity

Puerto Cortés

Alanine

La Salle

Wichita Orogeny

Florence

Pevsner, Antoine

Hinterland

Albanian Literature

Ani

Syracuse University

Lutfi As-sayyid, Ahmad

Atom, The existence of antiparticles

Christ, Church Of

Ace, Goodman

Peter Iii

Eastern Africa, Habitat

Jaén

Framingham

Sawhaj

West Chester University Of Pennsylvania

Durg

United Kingdom, The golden age of Bede

Middle Rhine Highlands

Anders, William A(lison)

Austausch Coefficient

Pottery, Archaic period (c. 750c. 480 BC)

Annuity

Zambezi River, Hydrology

Montfaucon, Bernard De

Pottery, Archaic period (c. 750c. 480 BC)