SecondEgg

Audit

2005-03-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Examination of the records and reports of an enterprise by accounting specialists other than those responsible for their preparation. Public auditing by independent accountants has acquired professional status and become increasingly common with the rise of large business units and the separation of ownership from control. The public accountant performs

Kadare, Ismail

2005-03-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

The son of a post-office worker in the town of Gjirokastër, Kadare studied at the University of Tiranë and later at the Gorky Institute of World Literature in Moscow until 1960. Upon returning to Albania, he became a journalist and also embarked on a literary career. He endured

Ecstasy

2005-03-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

In mysticism, the experience of an inner vision of God or of one's relation to or union with the divine. Various methods have been used to achieve ecstasy, which is a primary goal in most forms of religious mysticism. The most typical consists of four stages: (1) purgation (of bodily desire); (2) purification (of the will); (3) illumination (of the mind); and (4) unification (of one's being or

Novi Pazar

2005-03-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Serbia, Yugoslavia. It lies in the Raška River valley, in rough and hilly country near the site of Ras, which was the capital city of the medieval Serbian state in the 12th–14th century. In the vicinity are Roman baths, and the Church of St. Peter, one of the oldest in Yugoslavia (7th or 8th century), is an interesting example of early Slav architecture. A few miles west is

Beresford, William Carr Beresford, Viscount, Baron Beresford Of Albuera And Dungarvan, Duke (duque) De Elvas

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

An illegitimate son of the 2nd Earl of Tyrone (afterward 1st Marquess of Waterford), Beresford entered the British army in 1785. As a brigadier general

Muscle Disease, Vitamin D deficiency

2005-03-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

A similar mechanism underlies the wasting and weakness associated with lack of vitamin D (osteomalacia) in which marked atrophy of type 2 fibres may be seen. The actions of vitamin D in muscle are not fully understood, but it appears that at least one of its metabolites, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, may influence the resting energy state of the muscle and also protein turnover.

Insurance, Workers' compensation insurance

2005-03-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

The scope of employment injury laws, originally limited to persons in forms of

Murnau, F.w.

2005-03-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

Murnau studied philosophy, art history, and literature at the Universities of Heidelberg and Berlin. In 1908 he joined the company of renowned

Solar Cycle

2005-03-03T03:28:00.000-08:00

Period in which several important kinds of solar activity repeat themselves. The cycle, lasting about 22 years on the average, includes two 11-year cycles of sunspots, which display opposite magnetic polarities in alternate cycles, and two peaks and two declines in each of the various phenomena that vary in the same period as sunspots. These phenomena include fluctuations

Faguibine, Lake

2005-03-01T02:53:00.000-08:00

French Lac Faguibine, isolated lake in Mali, west of Timbuktu (Tombouctou). It lies north of the Niger River in the Macina depression, and it is reached by branches of the Niger in times of flood. At high water it reaches a length of about 50 miles (80 km).

Aeterni Patris

2005-02-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

An encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on Aug. 4, 1879, which strengthened the position of the philosophical system of the medieval Scholastic philosopher-theologian St. Thomas Aquinas and soon made Thomism the dominant philosophical viewpoint in Roman Catholicism.

Steamboat

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

Steamboat pioneering began in America in 1787 when John Fitch made a successful trial of such a vessel. Robert Fulton's profitable

Trademark

2005-02-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

Any visible sign or device used by a business enterprise to identify its goods and distinguish them from those made or carried by others. Trademarks may be words or groups of words, letters, numerals, devices, names, the shape or other presentation of products or their packages, colour combinations with signs, combinations of colours, and combinations of any of the

Pendant

2005-02-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

In stone ceilings the use of pendant vaulting was

Computers And Information Systems, E-Commerce.

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

E-commerce continued the downward slide that had begun in early 2000. In the first half of 2001, U.S. Internet advertising revenues declined 7.8% from the same period a year earlier. The on-line ad sales decline compared with revenue growth of 78% in 2000 and marked the end of several years of substantial growth in on-line ad revenues. The Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group, said the

Disney, Walt

2005-02-15T05:48:00.000-08:00

Byname of Walter Elias Disney American motion-picture and television producer and showman, famous as a pioneer of animated cartoon films and as the creator of such cartoon characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He also planned and built Disneyland, a huge amusement park that opened near Los Angeles in 1955, and before his death he

Amalric Ii

2005-02-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

Amalric had been constable of Palestine before he was summoned by the Franks in Cyprus to become king there after the death of his brother Guy of Lusignan. Amalric planned a close alliance with Henry of Champagne, the uncrowned ruler of Palestine, betrothing his three sons to Henry's

Quillen, Daniel Gray

2005-02-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Quillen was awarded the Fields Medal at the International

Amazon River, Early European exploration

2005-02-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

In the early days the river was the only means of access into the forest. Francisco de Orellana descended the main course of the river from the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic in 1541–42. Nearly a century later, Pedro Teixeira went from Belém to Quito, Ecuador, and the region increasingly became known through the explorations of the Portuguese. In 1743 the French naturalist Charles-Marie

Waterford

2005-02-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

Town (township), New London county, southeastern Connecticut, U.S., on Long Island Sound just west of the city of New London. The area, settled about 1653, was separated from New London and incorporated as a town in 1801. Drained by the Thames and Niantic rivers, it has a name descriptive of local fordable shallows. Early industries included paper mills and a granite quarry, which was

Staffordshire Moorlands

2005-02-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Staffordshire, central England, directly east of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Staffordshire Moorlands includes part of the Peak District National Park in the northeast, where it is characterized by many bleak gritstone and limestone moorlands. Within the southern extremity of the Pennines, the moorlands extend

Frederick Ix

2005-02-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

The eldest son

Paul Of The Cross, Saint

2005-02-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

In 1720 Paul dedicated his life to God and began to experience visions, in the last of which the Virgin Mary appeared to him. He was inspired by this vision to found a congregation devoted to the suffering of Christ on the cross, and his

Saint Vincent And The Grenadines

2005-01-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

In June 1998 the New Democratic Party (NDP), headed by Sir James Mitchell, narrowly won a fourth straight term in the general election. The NDP obtained 8 of the 15 House of Assembly

Yacht

2005-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ocean racing began in 1866 with a match race held under NYYC rules from Sandy Hook, Conn., to Cowes, Isle of Wight, Eng., by three schooners of 32- to 32.6-metre length: Fleetwing, Vesta, and Henrietta. Henrietta, owned by the American newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett, won in 13 days of sailing. The first single-sailor transatlantic voyage was made in a 6-metre boat by Alfred Johnson in

Abbot

2005-01-26T03:06:00.000-08:00

Late Latin and Greek Abbas, the superior of a monastic community that follows the Benedictine Rule (Benedictines, Cistercians, Camaldolese, Trappists) and of certain other orders (Premonstratensians, canons regular of the Lateran). The word derives from the Aramaic ab (“father”), or aba (“my father”), which in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) and in New Testament Greek was written

Cariboo Mountains

2005-01-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

Range in eastern British Columbia, Canada, forming the northern subdivision of the Columbia Mountains. The Cariboo Mountains lie within an area enclosed by the great bend of the Fraser River and its tributary, the North Thompson. The mountains extend for about 190 miles (305 km) and parallel the Rocky Mountain Trench, which separates them from the Canadian Rockies. From Mount

Morales, Cristóbal De

2005-01-22T22:49:00.000-08:00

Morales's first post was as maestro de capilla at the cathedral at Ávila (1526–29). After a short stay at Plasencia he joined the papal choir in Rome (1535), where he remained

Sanddab

2005-01-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Any of certain edible, American Pacific flatfishes of the genus Citharichthys (family Bothidae). As in other flatfishes, sanddabs have both eyes on the same side of the head; as in other bothids, the eyes are usually on the left side. The most common species of sanddab is the Pacific sanddab (C. sordidus), a brownish fish mottled, in the male, with dull orange. It grows to about

Basel, Council Of

2005-01-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

A general council of the Roman Catholic church held in Basel, Switz. It was called by Pope Martin V a few weeks before his death in 1431 and then confirmed by Pope Eugenius IV. Meeting at a time when the prestige of the papacy had been weakened by the Great Schism (1378–1417), it was concerned with two major problems: the question of papal supremacy and the Hussite heresy. (The Hussites were

Disinfectant

2005-01-15T04:26:00.000-08:00

Any substance, such as creosote or alcohol, applied to inanimate objects to kill microorganisms. Disinfectants and antiseptics are alike in that both are germicidal, but antiseptics are applied primarily to living tissue. The ideal disinfectant would rapidly destroy bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans, would not corrode surgical instruments, and would not

Augustan History

2005-01-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

The work is incomplete in its surviving form (it probably originally began with one of Hadrian's predecessors, Nerva or Trajan), and its original title is unknown. Its authorship and date of composition are also matters of argument.

Vierordt, Karl Von

2005-01-11T02:21:00.000-08:00

Vierordt studied at the universities of Berlin, Göttingen, Vienna, and Heidelberg and started a practice at Karlsruhe in 1842. His first papers, on respiration and strabismus

Sucre, Antonio José De

2005-01-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

At the age of 15 Sucre entered the

Ascus

2005-01-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

Plural Asci, a saclike structure produced by fungi of the class Ascomycetes (sac fungi) in which sexually produced spores (ascospores), usually four or eight in number, are formed. Asci may arise from the fungal mycelium (the filaments, or hyphae, constituting the organism) without a distinct fruiting structure, as in the leaf curl fungi; it may arise within a fruiting structure (ascocarp)

Lutetian Stage

2005-01-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

The stage's name is derived from Lutetia, the ancient Latin name for Paris, France, whose surrounding area is usually considered

Robbins, Frederick Chapman

2005-01-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

American pediatrician and virologist who received (with John Enders and Thomas Weller) the 1954 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for successfully cultivating poliomyelitis virus in tissue cultures. This accomplishment made possible the production of polio vaccines, the development of sophisticated diagnostic

Gillars, Mildred

2005-01-01T04:53:00.000-08:00

Gillars was an aspiring actress who played minor parts in some American theatrical touring companies. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University but left in 1922. In 1929 she traveled to North Africa, with the intention of going on to Europe. In 1934 she

Davis, Benjamin O., Jr.

2004-12-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

Davis studied at the University of Chicago before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point,

Biblical Literature, Bel and the Dragon

2004-12-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

The third Greek addition to the Book of Daniel is the story of Bel and the Dragon. The Babylonians worshipped the idol of the god Bel and daily provided him with much food, but Daniel proved to the King that the food was in reality eaten by the priests. The priests were punished by death and Bel's temple destroyed. The Babylonians also worshipped a dragon, but Daniel declined

Wolf Snake

2004-12-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Cape wolf snake (Lycophidion capense), abundant from Egypt to South Africa, is a small, drab species with a metallic sheen and lives chiefly

Caucasian Languages, Vocabulary

2004-12-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

The original vocabulary of the North Caucasian languages has been fairly well preserved in the modern languages, although many words have been borrowed from Arabic (through Islam), the Turkic languages, and Persian. There are also loanwords that have been taken from the neighbouring languages (Georgian, Ossetic). Russian, which was a major influence from the late 19th

Lin Shu

2004-12-23T01:02:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Lin Shu translator who first made available to Chinese readers more than 171 works of Western literature, even though he himself had no firsthand knowledge of any foreign language and had never traveled abroad. Working through oral interpreters, Lin Shu translated fiction from England, the United States, France, Russia, Switzerland,

Dennie, Joseph

2004-12-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

Dennie graduated from Harvard College in 1790 and spent three years as a law clerk before being admitted to the bar in 1794. His practice failed to flourish, however, and in the meantime he had turned to writing. He and Royall Tyler formed a literary

Beilby, Sir George Thomas

2004-12-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

After graduating from the University of

Anna

2004-12-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

Daughter of Ivan V (reigned 1682–96) and niece of Peter I the Great (reigned 1682–1725), Anna was married to Frederick William, ruler of the Baltic seacoast duchy of Courland, on Oct. 31 (Nov. 11), 1710. Although her husband died on the journey to Courland after their wedding in St. Petersburg, Anna remained at Mitau (now Jelgava,

Sea Level

2004-12-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

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

Ariminum, Council Of

2004-12-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

It was attended by some 400 bishops of the Western Roman Empire, with the Eastern bishops simultaneously meeting at Seleucia (now Silifke, Turkey). The majority of bishops at

China

2004-12-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

Two major cultures can be identified in the northwest: Lao-kuan-t'ai, in eastern and southern Shensi and northwestern Honan, and Ta-ti-wan I—a development of Lao-kuan-t'ai culture—in eastern Kansu and western Shensi. In these cultures pots were low-fired, sand-tempered, and mainly red in colour, and bowls with three stubby feet or ring feet were common. The painted bands of

Biblical Literature, Types of manuscript errors

2004-12-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

Since scribes either copied manuscripts or wrote from dictation, manuscript variants could be of several types: copying, hearing, accidental, or intentional. Errors in copying were common, particularly with uncial letters that looked alike. In early manuscripts OC (for hos, “[he] who”), for example, might easily be mistaken for the traditional abbreviation of God: QC (for

Amiens

2004-12-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Somme département, Picardie région, principal city and ancient capital of Picardy, northern France, in the Somme River valley, north of Paris. Famed since the European Middle Ages are its textile industry and its great Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame, one of the finest in France. Known as Samarobriva in pre-Roman times and capital of the Ambiani (whence

Sardana

2004-12-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Communal dance intimately bound up with Catalan national consciousness. It is danced by men and women who join hands alternately in a closed circle. As they dance to the music of tenores and tabales (shawms and small drums), their faces remain solemn and dignified. The basic pattern of the sardana is a series of long (llarg) and short (curt) steps; the precise combination

Sunday, Billy

2004-11-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday grew up as an orphan and worked as an undertaker's assistant before entering professional baseball in 1883. In 1891 he gave up baseball to become a YMCA worker but turned in 1896 to conducting

Proclus

2004-11-26T06:36:00.000-08:00

Proclus was reared at Xanthus in Lycia, and he studied philosophy under Olympiodorus the Elder at Alexandria. At Athens he studied under the Greek philosophers Plutarch and Syrianus,

Arran, James Hamilton, 2nd Earl Of, Duc (duke) De Châtelherault

2004-11-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

He negotiated for a marriage between Mary and Prince Edward (afterward Edward VI of England) but suddenly abandoned the project and joined the French party. He then agreed to the marriage of Mary with the

Mammal, Social behavior

2004-11-22T02:34:00.000-08:00

The dependence of the young mammal on its mother for nourishment has made possible a period of training. Such training permits the nongenetic transfer of information between generations. The ability of young mammals to learn from the experience of their elders has allowed a behavioral plasticity unknown in any other group of organisms and has been a primary

Plumtree

2004-11-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Zimbabwe. At the Botswana border, it is the last major Zimbabwean station on the Bulawayo–Cape Town railway and has customs, immigration, and quarantine facilities. Founded in 1897, it serves the Bulalima-Mangwe district as administrative centre. Local industries include grain milling and brickmaking. Pop. (1982) 3,250.

Canaan

2004-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Area variously defined in historical and biblical literature, but always centred on Palestine. Its original pre-Israelite inhabitants were called Canaanites. The names Canaan and Canaanite occur in cuneiform, Egyptian, and Phoenician writings from about the 15th century BC as well as in the Old Testament. In these sources, “Canaan” refers sometimes to an area encompassing

Acton (of Aldenham), John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron, 8th Baronet

2004-11-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

English Liberal historian and moralist, the first great modern philosopher of resistance to the evil state, whether its form be authoritarian, democratic, or socialist. A comment that he wrote in a letter, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” today has become a familiar aphorism. He succeeded to the

Acheulean Industry

2004-11-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

Acheulean also spelled Acheulian, first standardized tradition of toolmaking of Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens. Named for the type site, Saint-Acheul, in Somme département, in northern France, Acheulean tools were made of stone with good fracture characteristics, including chalcedony, jasper, and flint; in regions lacking these, quartzite might be used. During the Acheulean period, which lasted

Plum-yew

2004-11-14T00:07:00.000-08:00

(Cephalotaxus species), any of about seven species of small coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Cephalotaxus, comprising the plum-yew family (Cephalotaxaceae). Native to central and eastern Asia, these plants are used in many temperate-zone areas as ornamentals. The small, fleshy, plumlike fruit contains a single, hard seed. The Japanese plum-yew, or cow's tail pine

Dagestanian Languages

2004-11-13T02:05:00.000-08:00

Also called East Caucasian Languages, group of languages spoken in the northeastern part of the Caucasus and including the Avar-Andi-Dido, the Lak-Dargin (Lak-Dargwa), and the Lezgian groups. One of the distinctive characteristics of a majority of these languages is the contrast of strong and weak voiceless consonants. The Dagestanian languages are often classified together with the Nakh

Kuala Belait

2004-11-12T17:46:00.000-08:00

Town, western Brunei. It lies along the Belait River near the South China Sea, west of Seria. It is the centre of an oil field that includes offshore wells. Kuala Belait is a river port on the coastal road that runs eastward to Seria and Bandar Seri Begawan, the national capital. A government vocational school supplies technical training in construction and engineering

Writ

2004-11-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

In common law, order issued by a court in the name of a sovereign authority requiring the performance of a specific act. The most common modern writs are those, such as the summons, used to initiate an action. Other writs may be used to enforce the judgment of a court (attachment, delivery) or to require a lower court to furnish certain records (error) or perform a certain act

Wang An-shih

2004-11-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

Wang emerged from a rising new group of southern bureaucrats with a strong utilitarian bent, who challenged

Berent, Waclaw

2004-11-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Born to an affluent merchant family, Berent studied in Zürich, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany, where he concentrated on the natural sciences. Ideologically related to the Young Poland

Ankhesenamen

2004-11-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

The third daughter of Akhenaton and Nefertiti, the rulers of the Amarna revolution, Ankhesenamen probably was married to her father about the 16th year of his reign. Although the marriage was primarily political, to secure Akhenaton's throne, a daughter was

Palau

2004-11-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Palau , Palauan Belu'u era Belau , Palau also spelled Pelew country in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of some 340 coral and volcanic islands perched on the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. The Palau archipelago lies in the southwest corner of Micronesia, with the Philippines 550 miles (885 km) to the west, New Guinea 400 miles (644 km) to the south, and Guam 830 miles (1,336 km) to the northeast. It reaches from latitude 2°55¢ to 8°12¢ N and from longitude 131°05¢ to 134°44¢ E. A huge barrier reef

Tear Gas

2004-11-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

Also called Lacrimator, any of a group of substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, causing a stinging sensation and tears. They may also irritate the upper respiratory tract, causing coughing, choking, and general debility. Tear gas was first used in World War I in chemical warfare, but since its effects are short-lasting and rarely disabling, it came into use by law-enforcement

Gahanbar

2004-11-04T04:25:00.000-08:00

In Zoroastrianism, any of six festivals, occurring at irregular intervals throughout the year, which celebrate the seasons and possibly the six stages in the creation of the world (the heavens, water, the earth, the vegetable world, the animal world, and man). Each lasting five days, the Gahanbars are: Maidhyaoizaremaya (Midspring), occurring in the month of Artavahisht,

Theligonales

2004-11-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Problematic order of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing one family (Theligonaceae, sometimes called Cynocrambaceae) and one genus (Theligonum) with three species distributed in the Canary Islands, Mediterranean region, southwestern China, and Japan. The plants are somewhat succulent (fleshy) herbs with separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

Ancient Rome, The Illyrian emperors

2004-11-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

After Claudius II's unexpected death, the empire was ruled from 270 to 284 by several “Illyrian” emperors, who were good generals and who tried in an energetic way to restore equilibrium. The most remarkable was Aurelian. He first gained hard-won victories over the Alemanni and the Juthungi, who had invaded the Alpine provinces and northern Italy. To cheer the inhabitants of

Italy, The rise of Mussolini

2004-10-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

The political crisis of the postwar years provided an opportunity for militant, patriotic movements, including those of ex-servicemen and former assault troops, radical students, ex-syndicalists, and former pro-war agitators. D'Annunzio in Fiume led one such movement, but the ex-Socialist journalist Benito Mussolini soon became even more prominent, founding his

Mahi River

2004-10-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

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

Mauritania, European intervention

2004-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

In 1442 Portuguese mariners rounded Cape Blanc, and in 1448 they founded the fort of Arguin, whence traders derived gold, gum arabic, and slaves. Later French and English shipping frequented Portendick, and the French settled at Saint-Louis at the mouth of the Sénégal River. In 1858 Colonel Louis Faidherbe waged a military campaign that ended Moorish domination in lower Sénégal.

Tacitus

2004-10-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

In the 40 years before Tacitus assumed power the empire was ruled by a succession of usurpers and emperors who had been career army officers. On the murder of the emperor Aurelian in 275, the army council invited the Senate to select a nobleman as head of state. The Senate delayed six months before choosing (September

Semiconductor Device, The p-n junction

2004-10-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

If an abrupt change in impurity type from acceptors (p-type) to donors (n-type) occurs within a single crystal structure, a p-n junction is formed (see Figure 3B and 3C). On the p side, the holes constitute the dominant carriers and so are called majority carriers. A few thermally generated electrons will also exist in the p side; these are termed minority carriers. On the n

Gielgud, Sir John

2004-10-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

In full Sir Arthur John Gielgud English actor, producer, and director, who is considered one of the greatest performers of his generation on stage and screen, particularly as a Shakespearean actor. He was knighted in 1953 for services to the theatre. (Click here to hear Gielgud reading from “A Midsummer Night's Dream” and “The

Aiken, Conrad

2004-10-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

In full Conrad Potter Aiken American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, short-story writer, novelist, and critic whose works, influenced by early psychoanalytic theory, are concerned largely with the human need for self-awareness and a sense of identity. Aiken himself faced considerable trauma in his childhood when he found the bodies of his parents

Radar, Transmitter power and antenna size

2004-10-24T01:26:00.000-07:00

The maximum range of a radar system depends in large part on the average power of its transmitter and the physical size of its antenna. (In technical terms, this is the power-aperture product.) There are practical limits to each. As noted before, some radar systems have an average power of roughly one megawatt. Phased-array radars about 100 feet in diameter are not uncommon;

National Zoological Gardens Of South Africa

2004-10-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

Also called Pretoria Zoo, zoo near Pretoria, S.Af., that is noted for its wildlife conservation programs. It was opened in 1899 by the State Museum of the South African Republic on a small stretch of land along the Apies River, which flows through Pretoria. In 1913 the zoo became the Transvaal Zoological Gardens, independent of the state museum; in 1916 it adopted its present name, and in 1933 the state took over management

The Revolution

2004-10-22T03:16:00.000-07:00

A scant three years after the end of the Civil War, the United States was embroiled in the issue of suffrage for African-American men, and many suffragists—notably those who formed the American

Tyson, Edward

2004-10-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

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

Arcaro, Eddie

2004-10-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Byname of George Edward Arcaro American jockey who was the first to ride five Kentucky Derby winners and two U.S. Triple Crown champions (winners of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes). In 31 years of riding Thoroughbreds (1931–61), he won 549 stakes events, a total of 4,779 races, and more than $30,000,000 in purses. On Feb. 20, 1958, at Santa Anita Race Track in California, he became

Pemberton, John Clifford

2004-10-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Pemberton grew up and was educated in Philadelphia, entered West Point in 1833, and graduated four years later. He fought in the Mexican War and was cited for bravery while participating in many of

Goa

2004-10-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

Goa, with a coastline of 65 miles, is hilly and includes a portion of the Western Ghats rising to nearly 4,000 feet. The two largest rivers are the Mandavi and Zuari, between the mouths of which lies the island of Goa (Ilhas). The island is triangular, the apex (called the cape) being a rocky headland separating the harbour of Goa into two anchorages. There are three principal cities in

Corelli, Franco

2004-10-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Italian tenor (b. April 8, 1921, Ancona, Italy—d. Oct. 29, 2003, Milan, Italy), thrilled opera audiences throughout the world with his passion, power, and charisma, particularly in heroic roles. Corelli made his opera debut in 1951 at Spoleto as Don José in Carmen, first sang at Milan's La Scala in 1954 with Maria Callas in Gaspare Spontini's La vestale, and went on to become an international star. He retired

God, Truce Of

2004-10-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

It is traceable to at least the Synod of Elne (1027), which suspended all warfare from Saturday night until prime on Monday. By 1042 the truce extended from Wednesday evening to Monday morning in every week and also, in most

Well Logging

2004-10-15T00:26:00.000-07:00

When electrical instruments are employed, the technique involves the recording of variations in the natural electrical properties of subsurface formations. Changes in the porosity, fluid content, or lithology (rock character) of the formation are indicated

Wahoo

2004-10-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

(Acanthocybium solanderi), swift-moving, powerful, predacious food and game fish of the family Scombridae (order Perciformes) found worldwide, especially in the tropics. The wahoo is a slim, streamlined fish with sharp-toothed, beaklike jaws and a tapered body ending in a slender tail base and a crescent-shaped tail. Gray-blue above and paler below, it is marked with a series

New England, Council For

2004-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

In British American colonial history, joint stock company organized in 1620 by a charter from the British crown with authority to colonize and govern the area now known as New England. Drawing from landed gentry rather than merchants, the company was dominated by its president, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who intended to distribute the land as manors and fiefs among the council's

Cumberland Plateau

2004-10-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

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

'id Al-adha

2004-10-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Eid al-Adha , also called 'Id al-Qurban or al-'Id al-Kabir (Major Festival) , Turkish Kurban Bayram the second of two great Muslim festivals, the other being 'Id al-Fitr. 'Id al-Adha marks the culmination of the hajj (pilgrimage) rites at Mina, Saudi Arabia, near Mecca, but is celebrated by Muslims throughout the world. As with 'Id al-Fitr, it is distinguished by the performance of communal prayer (salat) at daybreak on its first day. It begins on the 10th of Dhu'l-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic

Nicaragua, Lake

2004-10-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Spanish Lago De Nicaragua, the largest of several freshwater lakes in southwestern Nicaragua and the dominant physical feature of the country; it is also the largest lake in Central America. Its aboriginal name was Cocibolca, meaning “sweet sea”; the Spanish called it Mar Dulce; its present name is said to have been derived from that of Nicarao, an Indian chief whose people lived on the lake shores.

Abc

2004-10-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Tabloid daily newspaper published in Madrid and long regarded as one of Spain's leading papers. It was founded as a weekly in 1903 by a distinguished journalist, Torcuato Luca de Tena y Alvarez-Ossorio, who later (1929) was made the Marqués de Luca de Tena by King Alfonso XIII in recognition of his accomplishments with ABC. The paper became a daily in 1905 and after 1929 published a Seville

Ta Hsüeh

2004-10-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ta hsüeh states that world peace is impossible unless a ruler first regulates

Mandalgovi

2004-10-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Mandal Gobi, town, central Mongolian People's Republic. The town is located on the transition zone of scattered bunch grass of the great Gobi (desert) about 186 miles (300 km) south of Ulaanbaatar, the national capital. The area's economy is dominated by animal husbandry, as the terrain and climate are too harsh for agriculture. Sheep, cattle, and goats survive on the scanty vegetation. Light

Chang Chien

2004-10-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Chang received a traditional Confucian education and, at the age of 41, he passed the top level of the civil service examination. The following year China was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War, and Chang retired from office to

Say, Thomas

2004-10-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Say accompanied various expeditions in North American territory, including an exploration of the Rocky Mountains led by Stephen

Burgess, Hugh

2004-10-04T01:14:00.000-07:00

Little is known of his early life. In 1851 he and Watt developed a process in which pulpwood was cut into small chips, boiled in a solution of caustic alkali at high temperature and pressure in a closed container,