HealthyStar

Scypha

2005-04-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Also called Sycon, genus of marine sponges of the class Calcispongiae (calcareous sponges), characterized by a fingerlike body shape known as the syconoid type of structure. In the syconoid sponges, each “finger,” known as a radial canal, is perforated by many tiny pores through which water passes into the central cavity. The water exits through an oscule, or larger opening, at the tip. Scypha

Arsenide

2005-04-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Any member of a rare mineral group consisting of compounds of one or more metals with arsenic (As). The coordination of the metal is almost always octahedral or tetrahedral. In the former case, each metal ion occupies a position within an octahedron composed of six oppositely charged arsenic ions, whereas in the latter each of the metal ions is surrounded by six oppositely

Osco-umbrian Languages

2005-04-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Language group proposed by some scholars to be included in the Italic branch of Indo-European languages. The group includes Oscan, Umbrian, and the minor dialects of central Italy—Marsian, Marrucinian, Paelignian, Sabine, Vestinian, and Volscian. Oscan, the language imposed by the Samnites on the Osci of Campania, is known from over 200 inscriptions dated between 400 and 89 BC. Umbrian

Fibre Optics

2005-04-03T01:44:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Fiber Optics, the science of transmitting data, voice, and images by the passage of light through thin, transparent fibres. In telecommunications, fibre optic technology has virtually replaced copper wire in long-distance telephone lines, and it is used to link computers within local area networks. Fibre optics is also the basis of the fibrescopes used in examining internal

Hardoi

2005-04-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

The surrounding area is a level plain bordered (south) by the Ganges River and drained by its tributaries.

Saxon

2005-04-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Member of a Germanic people who in ancient times lived in the area of modern Schleswig and along the Baltic coast. The period of Roman decline in the West was marked by vigorous Saxon piracy in the North Sea. During the early part of the 5th century AD, the Saxons spread rapidly through north Germany and along the coasts of Gaul and Britain. The coastal stretch from the Elbe

Bahr Az-zaraf

2005-04-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bahr el-Zaraf , English Giraffe River river, an arm of the Nile River in as-Sudd region of south-central Sudan. It is formed in the swamps north of Shambe, diverting water from the Bahr al-Jabal (Mountain Nile), and flows 150 miles (240 km) north, past Fangak, to join the Bahr al-Jabal, 35 miles (56 km) west of Malakal. It is not navigable but is permanently connected to the Bahr al-Jabal by two cuts dredged where the streams are close

Baby's Breath

2005-04-01T02:44:00.000-08:00

Annual baby's breath, up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall, is

John

2005-04-01T01:22:00.000-08:00

He was born the son of the future Holy Roman emperor Henry VII of the house of Luxembourg and was made count of Luxembourg in 1310. At about the same time, he also was named king of Bohemia, and on Feb.

Parakramabahu I

2005-03-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

The son of Manabharana (one of Ceylon's four regional lords), who controlled the south and who died while Parakrama was still a boy, Parakrama succeeded his father's successor, Siri Megha,

Melamine

2005-03-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

Melamine is manufactured by heating dicyandiamide under pressure. Its most important reaction is that with formaldehyde, forming resinous compounds of high molecular weight.

Chondrichthian, Annotated classification

2005-03-30T00:35:00.000-08:00

Welded Tuff

2005-03-28T02:12:00.000-08:00

Rock composed of compacted volcanic ejecta (see tuff).

Priesthood

2005-03-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

The Vedic, Brahmanic, and Upanishadic conceptions of priesthood and the predominance of the Brahman caste in Hinduism are discussed in Arthur Berriedale Keith, The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads, 2 vol. (1925, reprinted 1989); S. Radhakrishnan, The Hindu View of Life (1927, reissued 1980), and Eastern Religions and Western Thought, 2nd ed. (1940, reissued 1991); J.H. Hutton, Caste in India, 2nd ed. (1951); and R.C. Zaehner, Hinduism (1962, reissued 1977), with a full bibliography. C.J. Fuller, Servants of the Goddess: The Priests of a South Indian Temple (1984), analyzes the complex interrelationships between the priests of the Minaksi Temple in Madurai and the economic, political, and social structure of contemporary India. V. Bouillier and G. Toffin (eds.), Priesthood, Power, and Authority in the Himalayas (1989), in English and French, is a collection of ethnographic papers concerning the role of the priesthood in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and two tribal religions, the Tharu of Dang and the cult of Kham Magar. The sublimation of priesthood in Buddhism in India, China, and Japan is treated in Paul Dahlke, Buddhism and Its Place in the Mental Life of Mankind (1927); and Edward Conze, Buddhism: Its Essence and Development (1951, reissued 1975). D. Howard Smith, Chinese Religions (1968), introduces religious thought and sacerdotal practice in China. Religious Studies in Japan (1959), a collection of papers from the ninth International Congress for the History of Religions, is a very informative composite volume in English by a group of Japanese scholars. Texts concerning the Zen sect include Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Manual of Zen Buddhism, 2nd ed. (1950, reissued 1983); and Alan Watts, The Way of Zen (1957, reprinted 1989); while reference is made to it in R.C. Zaehner, Mysticism, Sacred and Profane (1957, reissued 1980). The priesthood in Shinto is discussed in D.C. Holtom, The National Faith of Japan (1938, reissued 1965).

Clotilda, Saint

2005-03-27T03:24:00.000-08:00

Clotilda was the granddaughter of Gundioc, king of Burgundy, who was related to the Visigothic kings and shared their Arian Christian faith. At Gundioc's death his kingdom was divided between his four sons, Gundobad, Godegesil,

Checkers

2005-03-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Draughts, board game, one of the world's oldest games. Checkers is played by two persons who oppose each other across a board of 64 light and dark squares, the same as a chessboard. The 24 playing pieces are disk-shaped and of contrasting colours (whatever their colours, they are identified as black and white). At the start of the game, each contestant has 12 pieces arranged on the board. While

Turks And Caicos Islands, Cultural life

2005-03-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

Water sports—sailing, big game fishing, and, especially, scuba diving among the coral reefs—are popular and attract tourists to the islands. Radio and satellite-cable television are available. Publications include the Turks and Caicos News (weekly) and Conch News (weekly).

Cat

2005-03-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Computerized Axial Tomography, a radiologic diagnostic technique used in medicine. See tomography.

Gyliakian Series

2005-03-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

Major division of Cretaceous rocks and time in Japan (the Cretaceous Period began about 144,000,000 years ago and lasted about 77,600,000 years). Rocks of the Gyliakian Series overlie those of the Miyakoan Series and underlie rocks of the Urakawan Series. Two stages, the Upper and Lower Gyliakian stages, are recognized and represent shorter spans of time. Distinctive fossil cephalopods

Italy, The rise of Mussolini

2005-03-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

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

Rachmaninoff, Sergey

2005-03-23T01:21:00.000-08:00

Rachmaninoff's letters have been collected and published in Russian in Pisma, ed. by Z.A. Apetian (1955), which includes all previously published letters and some newly published ones. Rachmaninoff's Recollections, Told to Oskar von Riesemann, trans. from German by Dolly Rutherford (1934, reissued 1979), are reminiscences by the composer about his life and work; the last chapter is Riesemann's analysis of Rachmaninoff's qualities as a composer. Sergei Bertensson, Jay Leyda, and Sophia Satin, Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music (1956, reissued 1965), is a comprehensive biography whose preparation was assisted by the composer's cousin and sister-in-law; it is especially useful for its description of the composer's years in the United States. Other biographical studies are Patrick Piggott, Rachmaninov (1978), including detailed musical commentary and critique; Barrie Martyn, Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor (1990), drawing extensively on archival and Russian-language sources, with a discography; and Geoffrey Norris, Rachmaninoff, rev. and updated ed. (1994).

Claude, Georges

2005-03-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

In 1897 Claude discovered that acetylene gas could be transported safely by dissolving it in acetone. His method was generally adopted and brought a wide expansion to the acetylene industry. Independently

Fabricius, Johannes

2005-03-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Dutch astronomer who may have been the first observer of sunspots (1610/1611) and was the first to publish information on such observations. He did so in his Narratio de maculis in sole observatis et apparente earum cum sole conversione (1611; “Account of Spots Observed on the Sun and of Their Apparent Rotation with the Sun”). The son of the astronomer David Fabricius,

Framingham

2005-03-21T00:59:00.000-08:00

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

Catawba

2005-03-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

North American Indian tribe of Siouan language stock who inhabited the territory around the Catawba River in the Carolinas. Their principal village was on the west side of the river in what is now York county, S.C. They were known among white traders as flatheads because, like a number of other tribes of the Southeast, they practiced ritual deformation of the head on

Dewey, George

2005-03-19T01:43:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., in 1858, Dewey was commissioned a lieutenant three years later. In the U.S. Civil War (1861–65), he served with Union naval forces in the battles of New Orleans (1862) and Port Hudson and Donaldsonville,

Shillong

2005-03-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Meghalaya state, northeastern India. The city is located on the Shillong Plateau at an elevation of 4,990 feet (1,520 m). Shillong first became prominent in 1864, when it succeeded Cherrapunji as the district headquarters; in 1874 it was made the capital of the new province of Assam. An earthquake destroyed the city in 1897, necessitating its complete rebuilding. The North East

Morse, Jedidiah

2005-03-18T04:39:00.000-08:00

While a young man teaching school in New Haven, Morse developed an interest

China, Taoism

2005-03-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Under the Chin dynasty several popular Taoist sects had flourished in northern China, and Genghis Khan had apparently been impressed by the Taoist patriarch Ch'ang-ch'un. In 1223 Genghis Khan granted to Ch'ang-ch'un and his followers full exemption from taxes and other duties demanded by the government; this was the first of a series of edicts granting special privileges

Altman, Robert

2005-03-17T02:05:00.000-08:00

Unconventional and independent American motion-picture director whose works emphasize character and atmosphere over plot in exploring themes of innocence, corruption, and survival. Perhaps his best-known film was his first and biggest commercial success, the antiwar comedy M*A*S*H (1970), set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during

Sea Cucumber

2005-03-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

Any of the 1,100 species of marine invertebrates constituting the class Holothuroidea (or Holothurioidea) of the phylum Echinodermata. The soft, cylindrical body, 2 to 200 cm (about 3/4 inch to 6 1/2 feet) long and 1 to 20 cm (0.4–8 inches) thick, usually is a dull, dark colour and often warty, thus resembling a cucumber. The internal skeleton is reduced to numerous distinctively

Dado

2005-03-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

In Classical architecture, the plain portion between the base and cornice of the pedestal of a column and, in later architecture, the paneled, painted, or otherwise decorated lower part of a wall, up to 2 or 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) above the floor. Internal walls were so treated between the 16th and the 18th century, though toward the close of that period the dado was left plain and merely defined

Benedict I

2005-03-15T05:38:00.000-08:00

Little is known about his life. He was elected to succeed John III, probably just after the latter's death (July 574), but was not consecrated until June 575, so that the see of Rome was vacant for almost 11 months. He consecrated 21 bishops during his pontificate and granted the Massa Veneris, an estate near Minturnae (near modern Minturo, Italy), to Abbot Stephen

Arts, Islamic, Roba'iyat: Omar Khayyam

2005-03-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

The work done in mathematics by early Arabic scholars and by al-Biruni was continued by Omar Khayyam (died 1122), to whom the Seljuq empire in fact owes the reform of its calendar. But Omar has become famous in the West through the free adaptations by Edward FitzGerald of his roba'iyat. These quatrains have been translated into almost every known language and are largely responsible

Bridges, Calvin Blackman

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

The year after he entered Columbia University (1909), Bridges obtained a position there as laboratory assistant to the geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan. He and Morgan designed experiments using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which

Loreto

2005-03-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Loreto lies almost entirely in the Amazonian rain forest at an average elevation of about 500 ft (152 m). The climate is hot and humid, with heavy rainfall. The Ucayali River

Gabrovo

2005-03-14T05:42:00.000-08:00

Town, north-central Bulgaria. It is situated on both banks of the Yantra River, at the foot of the Shipka Pass in the Balkan Mountains. A major industrial centre, Gabrovo has a high in-migration population from the surrounding area. Called the “Bulgarian Manchester,” the town has a large textile industry—clothes, leather goods, and accessories. Other manufactures are machine

China, Sun Yat-sen and the United League

2005-03-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Sun's leadership in the league was far from undisputed. His understanding that the support of foreign powers was indispensable for Chinese revolution militated against the anti-imperialist trend of the young intellectuals. Only half-heartedly accepted was the principle of people's livelihood, or socialism, one of his Three Principles. Though various evaluations

Amur

2005-03-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

Russian Amurskaya oblast (province), far eastern Russia. It occupies the basins of the middle Amur River and its tributary the Zeya and extends up to the crest of the Stanovoy Range. In 1689 Russia yielded the Amur region to China by the Treaty of Nerchinsk, but Russian Cossacks reincorporated it in the latter part of the 19th century. Amur oblast was formed in 1932 from Khabarovsk kray (region), and its

Luks, George

2005-03-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

Born in a coal-mining region of north-central Pennsylvania, Luks studied first at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, and later in Germany,

Aegean Sea

2005-03-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Greek Aigaíon Pélagos, Turkish Ege Deniz, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between the Greek peninsula on the west and Asia Minor on the east. About 380 miles (611 km) long and 186 miles (299 km) wide, it has a total area of some 83,000 square miles (214,000 square km). The Aegean is connected through the straits of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus with the Black Sea, while the island of Crete can be taken as marking its boundary

Kachina

2005-03-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

In Pueblo Indian religious practice, any of more than 500 divine ancestral spirits who act as intermediaries between man and god. Each tribe has its distinct forms and variations. Kachinas are believed to reside with the tribe for half of each year. They will allow themselves to be seen by the community if the men properly perform a traditional ritual while wearing kachina

Perciform, Use as food

2005-03-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

Since early times, the rivers and oceans have provided man with food; fishing was one of man's earliest means for securing food. Archaeological findings among shell mounds of Scotland indicate that the sea bream (family Sparidae) formed part of the diet of early man. The Nile perches (family Latidae) have been found as mummies in ancient tombs in Egypt. The goatfishes

Livius Andronicus, Lucius

2005-03-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

His main work, the Odyssia, a translation of Homer's Odyssey, was possibly done for use as a schoolbook. Written

Carnivore, Natural history

2005-03-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hyenas form a relatively homogeneous family that includes two basic types: the true hyenas (two species of Hyaena and one of Crocuta) and the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus; see photograph). Hyenas are noted for their scavenger feeding and bone-crushing habits, although they do hunt live animals. Their food consists largely of the remains of artiodactyls,

Humanism, The English humanists

2005-03-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

Though continental humanists had held court positions since the days of Humphrey

Ma'daba

2005-03-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

An ancient city, Ma'daba was mentioned in the Old Testament as being laid waste by the Israelites under Moses when the Amorites refused passage through their territory (Numbers 21). It was subsequently

Lead Processing

2005-03-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

Lead (Pb) is one of the oldest metals known, being one of seven metals used in the ancient world (the others are gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and mercury). Its low melting point of 327° C (621° F), coupled with its easy castability and softness and malleability, make lead and lead alloys especially suitable for a wide range of cast products,

Alagoinhas

2005-03-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

City, northeastern Bahia state, northeastern Brazil, lying 35 miles (56 km) inland from the Atlantic coast at 607 feet (185 metres) above sea level. It was elevated to city rank in 1880, and its municipality is the largest orange-producing region in the state. Bananas, lemons, and cassava (manioc) are also cultivated, and dairying is widespread. Tanning, coal mining, and lumbering are also important.

Cáceres

2005-03-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

Provincia of the Extremadura comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), western Spain, bordering Portugal on the west. The Tagus River runs through the province. Conquered by Alfonso IX from the Moors in 1229, it became part of the kingdom of Leon and was made a province of Spain in 1833. Mountainous areas in the extreme north and south are formed by the Central and Toledo mountains,

Babbitt, Irving

2005-03-06T00:36:00.000-08:00

A vigorous teacher, lecturer, and essayist, Babbitt was the

Cambium

2005-03-05T05:06:00.000-08:00

Plural Cambiums, or Cambia, in plants, layer of actively dividing cells between xylem (wood) and phloem (bast) tissues that is responsible for the secondary growth of stems and roots (secondary growth occurs after the first season and results in increase in thickness). Theoretically, the cambium is a single layer of cells, called initial cells; practically, it is difficult to distinguish the initials

Grafström, Gillis

2005-03-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Grafström won his first gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, despite breaking

Czech Republic

2005-03-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

Czech Ceská Republika, landlocked country in central Europe. It comprises the historic lands of Bohemia and Moravia (collectively often called the Czech Lands) and the southwestern corner of Silesia. The modern Czech nation was inaugurated on Jan. 1, 1993, when the union with Slovakia, dating from 1918, was dissolved; the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia controlled the federal government from 1948 to

Reform Judaism

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

A religious movement that has modified or abandoned many traditional Jewish beliefs, laws, and practices in an effort to adapt Judaism to the changed social, political, and cultural conditions of the modern world. Reform Judaism sets itself at variance with Orthodox Judaism by challenging the binding force of ritual, laws, and customs set down in the Bible and in

Manas

2005-03-02T01:49:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “thought”), in Indian philosophy, the human “mind,” that faculty which coordinates sensory impressions before they are presented to the consciousness. Thus, when a person sees, hears, and smells an object—three different and not necessarily related impressions—the manas makes certain that he is conscious that it is the same object.

Uruguay River

2005-03-02T00:24:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Uruguai, Spanish Río Uruguay, river in southern South America that rises in the coastal range of southern Brazil. Its chief headstream, the Pelotas River, rises just 40 miles (64 km) from the Atlantic coast at Alto do Bispo in Santa Catarina state, Brazil, and takes the name Uruguay after it is joined by the Canoas River near Piratuba. Flowing west through the coastal range of Brazil (separating Santa Catarina

Intention

2005-03-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

(Latin: intentio), in scholastic logic and psychology, a concept used to describe a mode of being or relation. In knowing, the mind is said to “intend” or “tend toward” its object, and a thing as known, or in the knowing mind, has “intentional being.” Intention may mean either the mind knowing or the knowledge itself, analogous to the use of perception for the act of perceiving or for

Intercalation

2005-03-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

Insertion of days into a calendar to bring it into line with the solar year (year of the seasons). One example is the periodic inclusion of leap-year day (February 29) in the Gregorian calendar now in general use. To keep the months of a lunar calendar (e.g., the Hindu calendar) in their proper seasons, an entire month must be intercalated or extracalated (dropped) periodically,

Arabia, Ethnic groups

2005-03-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

In ethnographic terms, Arabs belong to the Mediterranean local race, a subgroup of the Caucasoid geographic race. According to tradition, Arabs are descended from a southern Arabian ancestor, Qahtan, forebear of the “pure” or “genuine” Arabs (known as al-'Arab al-'Aribah), and a northern Arabian ancestor, 'Adnan, forebear of the “Arabicized” Arabs (al-'Arab al-Musta'ribah). A tradition,

Crabtree, Lotta

2005-02-28T07:04:00.000-08:00

Crabtree grew up from the age of four in California, where her father moved the family during the Gold Rush of the early 1850s. At the Grass Valley mining camp she met Lola

Argentina, Foreign policies

2005-02-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

Rosas's foreign policies left no room for anything other than total success or total failure, and international difficulties arose as extensions of domestic turmoil. In January 1833 Britain reasserted an earlier claim to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), and a British warship took possession of the islands. More troublesome was the growing independence of neighbouring

Austin, John Langshaw

2005-02-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

After receiving early education at Shrewsbury School and Balliol College, Oxford, he became a fellow at All Souls College (1933) and Magdalen College (1935), where he studied traditional Greco-Roman

East Hartford

2005-02-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Urban town (township), Hartford county, central Connecticut, U.S., across the Connecticut River from Hartford. The area, called Podunk by the Indians, was first settled in 1639 by John Crow. Organized as a parish in 1746 and originally part of Hartford, it was incorporated as a separate town in 1783 and experienced early industrial development (papermaking and the manufacture of gunpowder,

Prodromus, Theodore

2005-02-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

He wrote many occasional pieces for a widespread circle of patrons at the imperial court. Some of the work attributed to him is unpublished and some of it may be wrongly attributed to him. Even so, there does emerge from these writings the figure of an author in reduced circumstances,

Cabrera, Lydia

2005-02-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Cuban historian Raimundo Cabrera, Lydia Cabrera was told African folk legends by her nanny and the household servants during her childhood.

Research And Development

2005-02-25T04:18:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation R and D, or R & D, in industry, two intimately related processes by which new products and new forms of old products are brought into being through technological innovation.

China, The practice of government

2005-02-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

As the final arbiter of power, the emperor—and at times the empress dowager—issued edicts declaring the Imperial will. Such instructions often took the form of repeating officials' proposals with a note of approval. Some edicts were couched as comments on the current situation and called in general terms for an improvement in the quality of government or for more

Yale University

2005-02-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

Private university in New Haven, Conn., one of the Ivy League schools. It was founded in 1701 and is the third oldest university in the United States. Yale was originally chartered by the colonial legislature of Connecticut as the Collegiate School and was held at Killingworth and other locations. In 1716 the school was moved to New Haven, and in 1718 it was renamed Yale College in honour

Research And Development

2005-02-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

International cooperative agency of Lutheran churches, organized at Lund, Swed., in 1947. It developed from the Lutheran World Convention, which held conventions in 1923, 1929, and 1935. The effectiveness of the Lutheran World Convention during the war years was hampered because it had no constitution or defined organization. At the Lund conference in 1947 the Lutheran World Convention

Aragats, Mount

2005-02-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

Russian Gora Aragats, also spelled Gora Aragac, mountain in Armenia, northwest of Yerevan and north of the Ararat Plain. The highest point in both Armenia and the Lesser Caucasus range (13,418 feet [4,090 m]), Aragats is a circular, shieldlike mountain composed of both lavas and tufas. A volcanic cone of recent geologic age lies atop far older rocks. The crater of the volcano has become the steep-walled basin, or cirque, of a glacier,

Sobibor

2005-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sobibor was one of the three Operation Reinhard camps established after the Wannsee

Gorbachev, Mikhail

2005-02-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

In full Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev Soviet official, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1985 to 1991 and president of the Soviet Union in 1990–91. His efforts to democratize his country's political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. In part because he ended the Soviet

Zaporizhzhya

2005-02-21T04:49:00.000-08:00

Russian Zaporozhye, also spelled Zaporozhe, or Zaporozje, formerly (until 1921) Aleksandrovsk, city and administrative centre of Zaporizhzhya oblast (province), southeastern Ukraine, on the Dnieper River just below its former rapids. In 1770 the fortress of Aleksandrovsk was established to ensure government control over the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, whose headquarters were on nearby Khortitsa Island. The settlement became a town in 1806. The growth of the city dates

Mercenary

2005-02-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Employment of mercenaries could be politically dangerous

Sackville-west, V(ictoria Mary)

2005-02-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

She was the daughter of the 3rd Baron Sackville and a granddaughter of Pepita, a Spanish dancer, whose story she told in Pepita (1937). In 1913 she married Harold Nicolson, a diplomat

Vening Meinesz, Felix Andries

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

Participating in a gravimetric survey of The Netherlands soon after he graduated from Delft Technical University as a civil engineer in 1910, Vening Meinesz devised an apparatus based on pendulums swinging together in opposite phase for use on the

Hoorn

2005-02-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noord-Holland provincie, northwestern Netherlands, on the IJsselmeer (lake). Founded about 1300 and chartered in 1357, it was the capital of medieval West Friesland. Its horn-shaped harbour (for which it is named) was one of the principal ports of the Netherlands until the Zuiderzee silted up in the 18th century. The first great net for herring fishing was made in

Skeleton Sledding

2005-02-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Also called Cresta sledding winter sport in which the skeleton sled, or Cresta, consisting of steel runners fastened to a platform chassis, is ridden in a headfirst, prone position. Skeleton sledding competitions are typically held on the same courses used for bobsled contests. It is a dangerous and thrilling sport where riders, with their faces just inches above the icy course, attain speeds

Tigre

2005-02-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

The largest federation of Tigre is that of the Amer (Beni Amer), a branch of the historically important Beja peoples. These Muslims all recognize the religious

Zeiss, Carl

2005-02-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

In 1846 Zeiss opened a workshop in Jena for producing microscopes and other optical instruments. Realizing that improvements in optical instruments depended on advances in optical theory, he engaged as research

Mithradates I

2005-02-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

Before 160 Mithradates I seized Media from the Seleucid ruler Timarchus. Turning to the east, he won two provinces, Tapuria and Traxiana, from the Bactrian king Eucratides. Mithradates then captured the province of Elymais (ancient Elam) and invaded Babylonia (142 or 141). The Seleucid king Demetrius II

Aschelminth, Internal features

2005-02-17T02:35:00.000-08:00

The graceful body waves by which nematodes move are brought about by the alternating contraction of dorsal and ventral longitudinal muscles acting on the cuticle and opposed by hydrostatic pressure in the body tissues. This hydraulic skeleton affects all aspects of the nematode. The cuticle must resist stretching in length and circumference and yet remain

Eadwig

2005-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

Early historical sources are biased against Eadwig. According to one writer, he hated the great monastic reformer Dunstan because he made Eadwig return to his coronation

Gypsisol

2005-02-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Gypsisols are characterized by a subsurface layer of gypsum (a hydrated calcium sulfate) accumulated by the precipitation of calcium and sulfate from downward percolating waters in the soil profile. With intensive management, irrigated crops can be grown on these

Ann, Cape

2005-02-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

Cape on the Atlantic Ocean comprising the eastern extremity of Essex county, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S., 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Boston. Sheltering Ipswich Bay, it is indented by Annisquam Harbor on the north and Gloucester Harbor on the south. The tidal Annisquam River, a 4-mile- (6.4-km-) long navigable waterway, connects the two harbours. The cape also shelters the northern

Sa'adia Ben Joseph

2005-02-14T18:02:00.000-08:00

Arabic Sa'id Ibn Yusuf Al-fayyumi Jewish exegete, philosopher, and polemicist whose influence on Jewish literary and communal activities made him one of the most important Jewish scholars of his time. His unique qualities became especially apparent in 921 in Babylonia during a dispute over Jewish calendrical calculations. He produced his greatest

Muscovy Company

2005-02-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Russia Company, body of English merchants trading with Russia. The company was formed in 1555 by the navigator and explorer Sebastian Cabot and various London merchants and was granted a monopoly of Anglo-Russian trade. It was the first English joint-stock company in which the capital remained regularly in use instead of being repaid after every voyage. In 1553 Sir Hugh Willoughby and Richard

Consolidated Rail Corporation

2005-02-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

Byname Conrail, publicly owned American railroad company established by the federal government under the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 to take over six bankrupt northeastern railroads. Conrail commenced operations on April 1, 1976, with major portions of the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey, Erie Lackawanna Railway Company, Lehigh & Hudson River Railway Company, Lehigh

Piero Della Francesca

2005-02-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Painter whose serene, disciplined exploration of perspective had little influence on his contemporaries but came to be recognized in the 20th century as a major contribution to the Italian Renaissance. The fresco cycle “The Legend of the True Cross” (1452–66) and the diptych portrait of Federico

Star Cluster, OB and T associations

2005-02-13T05:16:00.000-08:00

The chief distinguishing feature of the members of a stellar association is that the large majority of constituent stars have similar physical characteristics. An OB association consists of many hot, blue giant stars, spectral classes O and B, and a relatively small number of other objects. A T association consists of cooler dwarf stars, many of which exhibit irregular

Pueblo Libre

2005-02-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

Community in Pueblo Libre (formerly Magdalena Vieja) district, southwestern Lima–Callao metropolitan area, Peru. Mainly a middle-income residential community, it is dotted with small parks. Although many of the homes are modern, some predate Peru's independence from Spain (1824). The liberators Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín both lived in Pueblo Libre in what is now

Macaulay, Catharine

2005-02-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

She was privately educated, and her readings in Greek and Roman history inculcated in her an enthusiasm for libertarian and republican ideals. Following her marriage to the Scottish physician George Macaulay in 1760, she began her History of England from the Accession

Thompson, Daley

2005-02-11T03:19:00.000-08:00

The son of a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother, Thompson made his debut in the decathlon at age 16, winning a competition in Cwmbrân, Wales. Thompson's score of 6,685 points was a British junior record, and in that

Halberd

2005-02-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Halbert, or Halbard, weapon consisting of an ax blade balanced by a pick with an elongated pike head at the end of the staff. It was usually about 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 feet) long. The halberd was an important weapon in middle Europe in the 15th and early 16th centuries. It enabled a foot soldier to contend with an armoured man on horseback; the pike head was used to keep the horseman at a distance, and the ax blade

Guacanayabo, Gulf Of

2005-02-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Spanish Golfo De Guacanayabo, inlet of the Caribbean Sea, southeastern Cuba. The gulf stretches in a broad horseshoe shape from the southern coast of Camagüey province approximately 70 mi (110 km) to the southwestern shore of Granma province, north of Cabo (cape) Cruz. It is shallow and dotted with coral reefs, and the Gran Banco de Buena Esperanza surfaces in the central portion of the gulf, at the head of

Madeira Islands

2005-02-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Funchal Islands, Portuguese Arquipélago Da Madeira, archipelago of volcanic origin in the North Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Portugal and comprising two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two uninhabited groups, the Desertas and the Selvagens. The islands are the summits of mountains that have their bases on an abyssal ocean floor. Administratively they form the autonomous region of Madeira. The islands

Muhammadiyah

2005-02-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

Socioreligious organization in Indonesia, established in 1912 at Jogjakarta, aimed at adapting Islam to modern Indonesian life. The organization was chiefly inspired by an Egyptian reform movement, led by Muhammad 'Abduh, that had tried to bring the Muslim faith into harmony with modern rational thought. The Muhammadiyah advocated the abolition of all superstitious

Aeschylus

2005-02-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

One of a trilogy of unconnected tragedies presented in 472 BC, Persians (Greek Persai) is unique among surviving tragedies in that it dramatizes recent history rather than events from the distant age of mythical heroes. The play treats the decisive repulse of the Persians from Greece in 480, in particular their defeat at the Battle of Salamis. The play is set in the Persian capital,

Paradoxides

2005-02-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Genus of trilobites (an extinct group of arthropods) found as fossils in Middle Cambrian rocks of North America and western Europe (the Cambrian Period lasted from 540 to 505 million years ago). Paradoxides has a well-developed head region terminating laterally in pointed spines that vary in development from species to species; the tail region is poorly developed. The body