BlackNut

Robert Irving Burns Property Consultants

2006-11-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Robert Irving Burns has been established for over 40 years and is an independent partnership, who specialise in a full range of property services. These include commercial property
and commercial offices as well as property to let london. Whilst my business partner and I were looking for Offices, we found Rib’s expertise invaluable.

Spontaneous Generation

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

Also called Abiogenesis, the hypothetical process by which living organisms develop from nonliving matter; also, the archaic theory that utilizes this process to explain the origin of life. Pieces of cheese and bread wrapped in rags and left in a dark corner, for example, were thus thought to produce mice, according to this theory, because after several weeks, there were mice in the rags. Many

Roman Catholicism, History Of, The reign of Leo XIII (18781903)

2005-03-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Although Leo XIII was no less conservative in his theological inclinations than his predecessor, his positive appreciation of the church's opportunities in modern society gave his pontificate a significantly different cast from that of Pius. On issues of church doctrine and discipline his administration was a strict one. It was during his reign that the Modernist

Fracastoro, Girolamo

2005-03-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

At the University of Padua Fracastoro was a colleague of the astronomer Copernicus. As a physician, he maintained

Bioceramics

2005-03-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Ceramic products or components employed in medical and dental applications, mainly as implants and replacements. This article briefly describes the principal ceramic materials and surveys the uses to which they are put in medical and dental applications. For an explanation of important issues in biomedical uses of all materials (including ceramics), see the

Radek, Karl (bernhardovich)

2005-03-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

A member of a Galician Jewish family, Radek attended the universities of Kraków and Bern. Having joined the Social Democratic Party of Poland and

Mountain

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

Landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined summit area, and considerable local relief. Mountains generally are understood to be larger than hills, but the term has no standardized geological meaning. Very rarely do mountains occur individually. In most cases, they are found in elongated ranges

Cumbres De Monterrey National Park

2005-03-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Park in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Nuevo León estado (“state”), northeastern Mexico. Established in 1939, it has a total area of 952 square miles (2,465 square km). Among the attractions are its mountainous setting (more than 7,000 feet [2,100 m] above sea level), with scenic pine and oak forests on the lower slopes; Santa Catarina Canyon; and Cola de Caballo (Spanish: “Horse Tail”) Falls, southwest of

Ungava-quebec Crater

2005-03-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

Formerly Chubb Crater, the largest crater on the Earth's surface that is definitely known to be of meteoritic origin. It is located in the northwestern part of the Ungava Peninsula, northern Quebec province, Canada. First studied in 1950, the crater is 2.1 miles (3.3 km) in diameter and 1,203 feet (367 m) deep, with a rim standing 333 feet (101 m) above ground level. Filled by a lake, it is surrounded by many smaller circular lakes.

La Bourdonnais, Bertrand-françois Mahé, Count (comte) De

2005-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

La Bourdonnais entered the service of the French East India Company as a lieutenant at 19, was promoted to captain in 1724, and took part in the capture of Mahé on the Malabar Coast (southwestern India) in 1726. From 1735 to 1740, he was governor

Stadholder

2005-03-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Stadtholder, Dutch Stadhouder, provincial executive officer in the Low Countries, or Netherlands, from the 15th through the 18th century. The office acquired extensive powers in the United Provinces of the Netherlands (Dutch Republic). Introduced by the ruling Burgundian dukes in the 15th century and continued unchanged by the succeeding Habsburg rulers, the stadholderates were at first occupied

Fabricius, Johann Christian

2005-02-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

Danish entomologist known for his extensive taxonomic research based upon the structure of insect mouthparts rather than upon their wings. He also advanced theoretical propositions that were progressive for his time, particularly his view that new species and varieties could arise through hybridization and by environmental influence

Armstrong, Lance

2005-02-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

Armstrong entered sports at a young age, excelling in both swimming and cycling, and, by the time he was a teenager, he was competing in triathlons and swimming competitions. Before his high-school graduation, the Junior National Cycling Team, part of the U.S. Cycling

Arpad

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

Coming under Assyrian influence in the 9th century BC, Arpad regained its independence in 754, and it successfully sided with Sardur II of Urartu until the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III defeated both Urartu and Arpad. Tiglath-pileser made Arpad the capital

Tyumen

2005-02-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tiumen, or T'umen ', city and administrative centre of Tyumen oblast (province), central Russia. The city lies in the southwestern part of the West Siberian Plain. It is situated on both banks of the Tura River at its crossing by the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Founded in 1586, it is the oldest Russian city in Siberia, located on the site of a Tatar town, Chingi-Tura, founded in the 14th century. A river port,

Harald Iii Sigurdsson

2005-02-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

The son of Sigurd Sow (Syr), a chieftain in eastern Norway, and of Estrid, mother of the Norwegian king Olaf II Haraldsson (St. Olaf), Harald fought at the age of 15 against the Danes

Gisborne

2005-02-16T23:58:00.000-08:00

City (“district”) and port on Poverty Bay, Gisborne unitary authority, east coast of North Island, New Zealand. The city is located where the Waimata and Taruheru rivers join to form the Turanganui. It was the first area in New Zealand visited (1769) by Captain James Cook. It received its first permanent European settlers in 1852 and was surveyed in 1870 and given the name Gisborne for then

Southwest National Park

2005-02-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

Marked by rugged terrain and a cold, wet

Arden, Elizabeth

2005-02-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

Florence Graham briefly pursued nurse's training, worked as a secretary, and held various other jobs before moving from Canada to New York City about 1908. She became an assistant to a beauty specialist, Eleanor

Aedon

2005-02-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a daughter of Pandareus of Ephesus. According to Homer, she was the wife of Zethus, the king of Thebes. She had only two children and envied her sister-in-law, Niobe, who had many. She planned to murder Niobe's eldest son in his sleep, but by mistake killed her own son, Itylus, who was sharing his room. Zeus took pity on Aedon in her grief and changed her into a nightingale;

Priapus

2005-02-12T00:28:00.000-08:00

In Greek religion, a god of animal and vegetable fertility whose cult was originally located in the Hellespontine regions, centring especially on Lampsacus. He was represented in a caricature of the human form, grotesquely misshapen, with an enormous phallus. The ass was sacrificed in his honour, probably because the ass symbolized lecherousness and was associated

Epistemology, Necessary versus contingent propositions

2005-02-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

A proposition is said to be necessary if it holds (is true) under all possible circumstances or conditions. “All husbands are married” is such a proposition. There are no possible or conceivable conditions under which this statement would not be true (on the assumption, of course, that the words “husband” and “married” are taken to mean what they ordinarily mean). In contrast,

Church Universal And Triumphant

2005-02-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

The largest of several groups that emerged from I AM religious activity, a movement centred upon avowed contact with the Ascended Masters of the Great White Brotherhood, the order of spiritual beings, “the saints robed in white” that adherents believe guide the overall destiny of humankind. The church was founded by Mark L. Prophet (1918–73) and, after his death, was led by his

Córdoba, Mosque-cathedral Of

2005-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

The original structure was built by the Umayyad ruler 'Abd ar-Rahman I in 784–786 with extensions in the 9th and 10th centuries that doubled its size, ultimately making it one of the largest sacred buildings in the Islamic world. The ground plan of the completed building forms a vast rectangle

Bahrain

2005-02-08T02:56:00.000-08:00

Officially State of Bahrain, Arabic Dawlat Al-Bahrayn small Arab state in the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago consisting of Bahrain Island—extending about 30 miles (50 km) from north to south and 10 miles (16 km) from east to west—and some 30 smaller islands. Its Arabic name means “two seas.” Bahrain is situated in a bay on the southwestern coast of the Persian Gulf; Saudi Arabia lies to the west across the Gulf of Bahrain, while the Qatar peninsula

Mountain Goat

2005-02-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Rocky Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus), North American ruminant, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). Mountain goats occur from the Yukon to the northern U.S. Rockies. Although goatlike, they are more closely related to antelopes than to true goats. Stocky, and with a slight hump at the withers, mountain goats stand about 1 m (39 inches) at the shoulder. Members of both sexes

Giorgione

2005-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

Also called Giorgio Da Castelfranco , original name Giorgio Barbarelli extremely influential Italian painter who was one of the initiators of a High Renaissance style in Venetian art. His qualities of mood and mystery were epitomized in “The Tempest” (c. 1505), an evocative pastoral scene, which was among the first of its genre in Venetian painting.

Frame, Janet

2005-02-03T05:53:00.000-08:00

Frame's early years were traumatic. Her childhood was marked by poverty and the drowning deaths of two sisters, and in 1945, while studying to be a teacher, she suffered a breakdown. Misdiagnosed

Huizinga, Johan

2005-02-03T00:56:00.000-08:00

Huizinga was educated at the universities of Groningen and Leipzig. After teaching history in Haarlem and lecturing in Indian literature at Amsterdam, he was professor of history first at Groningen (1905–15) and then at Leiden

Evolution, Selection against one of the homozygotes

2005-02-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Suppose that one homozygous genotype, say A2A2, has lower fitness than the other two genotypes, A1A1 and A1A2. (This is the situation in many human diseases, such as phenylketonuria [PKU] and sickle-cell anemia. The heterozygotes and the homozygotes for the normal allele have equal fitness, higher than that of the homozygotes for the deleterious allele.) Call the fitness of these

Narmada River

2005-02-01T01:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Narbada , or Nerbudda river in central India, rising in the Maikala Range in east-central Madhya Pradesh state. Following a tortuous course through the hills of Mandla, it enters the structural trough between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges at Marble Rocks Gorge and then flows westward across Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states, entering the Gulf of Cambay through an estuary 13 miles (21 km) wide,

Crocket

2005-01-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

In architecture, a small, independent, sharply projecting medieval ornament, usually occurring in rows, and decorated with foliage. In the late 12th century, when it first appeared, the crocket had the form of a ball-like bud, with a spiral outline, similar to an uncurling fern frond; but in the later Gothic period it took the form of open, fully developed leaves that by the

Jam And Lewis

2005-01-30T03:36:00.000-08:00

Jam and Lewis's emergence as major record producers was kick-started by Prince's pique. Keyboard player Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and bassist Terry Lewis played together in local Minneapolis bands while in high school, graduating to Flyte Tyme, which evolved into Prince's backing band, the Time, in 1981. When Jam and Lewis produced the SOS Band's hit “Just Be Good to Me” in 1983, they

Dowa Highlands

2005-01-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Chitembwe-mwera Highlands, central Malawi, rectangular formation covering an area of about 360 square miles (930 sq km); they comprise rolling hills crowned by high ridges including the heights of Dowa (5,571 feet [1,698 m]) and Ntchisi peaks. The highlands are bounded on three sides by steep slopes, forming the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley wall to the east and overlooking the Bua and Lilongwe river valleys to the north

Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria De'

2005-01-27T04:19:00.000-08:00

After practicing law for eight years, he was ordained

Silicone

2005-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Polysiloxane, any of a diverse class of chemical polymers manufactured in the form of fluids, resins, or elastomers. Although they are partially organic in composition, the molecules of silicones differ from those of most polymers in that the backbone of their structure does not contain carbon, the characteristic element of organic compounds, but is a polysiloxane chain, in which

Africanus, Sextus Julius

2005-01-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

His life is not well documented, but evidence indicates that Africanus traveled considerably in Asia, Egypt, and Italy and later lived chiefly at Emmaus, in Palestine, where he served as prefect. He was named regional ambassador to Rome about 222, when he became a protégé of the emperor Severus

Maugham, Robin

2005-01-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

The only son of the 1st Viscount, Lord Chancellor Herbert Romer Maugham (whom he succeeded in 1958), Robin Maugham was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He served as an intelligence officer in World War

Houston Ship Channel

2005-01-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Waterway that connects Houston, Texas, with the Gulf of Mexico, passing through the former Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay. The channel, which was opened in 1914 and later improved, is 50.5 mi (81.3 km) long, 36 ft (11 m) deep, and has a minimum width of 300 ft (90 m). It requires no locks.

Arts, Islamic, Turkish

2005-01-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

In Turkey, the adoption of Western forms began in the 1920s. Of major importance in modern Turkish literature was Orhan Veli Kanik, who combined perfect technique with “Istanbulian” charm. His work is sometimes melancholy, sometimes frivolous, but always convincing. He strongly influenced a group of poets whose names are connected with the avant-garde literary magazine

Caucasian Languages, The Lak-Dargin languages

2005-01-20T02:57:00.000-08:00

Lak (also spelled Lakk, with some 100,000 speakers) and Dargin (or Dargwa, with 350,000) are spoken in the central part of Dagestan. Both are written languages. The Lak language is quite homogeneous with regard to its dialects; Dargin, however, possesses several diversified dialects—sometimes considered as separate languages (e.g., Kubachi). Some view Lak and Dargin as independent language

Paraguay, The Guaraní

2005-01-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

Indian tribes speaking the Guaraní language occupied the region between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers long before the arrival of Europeans. They were members of the Tupian language stock, which was widespread in South America, and in most respects resembled the other Indian tribes of the tropical forests. The women cultivated corn, manioc, and sweet potatoes,

Aerospace Engineering

2005-01-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

In most countries, governments are the aerospace industry's largest customers, and most engineers work on the design of military vehicles. The largest demand for aerospace engineers comes from the transport and fighter aircraft, missile, spacecraft, and general aviation industries. The typical aerospace engineer holds a bachelor's degree, but there are many engineers

Hou T'u

2005-01-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

At various times and in various

Sculpture, Western, Early Cycladic

2005-01-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

The Early Cycladic period is celebrated principally

Seleucia Pieria

2005-01-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

Greek Seleukeia, in ancient Syria, port of Antioch and frontier fortress on the Cilician border (near modern Samandag, Turkey), 4 miles (6 km) north of the mouth of the Orontes River. With Antioch, Apamea, and Laodicea it formed the Syrian tetrapolis. The town occupied the rocky slopes of Musa Dagi, and its natural fortifications and good harbour soon made it the port for the important city of Antioch.

Zacapú

2005-01-15T01:34:00.000-08:00

In full Zacapú De Mier, city, north-central Michoacán estado (“state”), west-central Mexico. It is in the Sierra de Nahuatzén, 6,500 feet (1,980 m) above sea level and west of Morelia, the state capital. Agriculture and livestock raising are the principal sources of income, the main crops being wheat, beans, and especially corn (maize). The remains of several Tarascan Indian buildings are nearby. The Heroica

Economic Forecasting

2005-01-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

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

Lussatite

2005-01-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

A widespread silica mineral, the fibrous variety of low-temperature cristobalite (compare opal) that occurs with opal and chalcedony near the surface of low-temperature hydrothermal deposits. Originally found in the bitumen veins at Lussat, Fr. (whence its name), it also occurs in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. For detailed physical properties, see silica

Widmann, Joseph Viktor

2005-01-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

As literary editor of the Bern daily newspaper Der Bund from 1880 to 1910, Widmann occupied an authoritative position in Swiss letters and promoted many talented writers. He was himself an accomplished though not a strikingly original writer, and he handled such

Lussatite

2005-01-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

United Nations (UN) specialized agency, founded at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 to secure international monetary cooperation, to stabilize currency exchange rates, and to expand international liquidity (access to hard currencies).

Cumali, Necati

2005-01-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

At the age of 18 Cumali began publishing poetry. After graduating from what is now Ankara (Turkey) University in 1941, he held a variety of jobs and practiced law from

China, The Ch'ing period

2005-01-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

(Revolutionary movements at the end of the Ch'ing): Michael Gasster, Chinese Intellectuals and the Revolution of 1911: The Birth of Modern Chinese Radicalism (1969); Robert A. Scalapino and George T. Yu, The Chinese Anarchist Movement (1961, reprinted 1980); Harold Z. Schiffrin, Sun Yat-sen and the Origins of the Chinese Revolution (1968); John H. Fincher, Chinese Democracy, the Self-Government Movement in Local, Provincial, and National Politics, 1905–1914 (1981); Mary B. Rankin, Early Chinese Revolutionaries: Radical Intellectuals in Shanghai and Chekiang, 1902–1911 (1971); Edward J.M. Rhoads, China's Republican Revolution: The Case of Kwangtung, 1895–1913 (1975); Joseph W. Esherick, Reform and Revolution in China: The 1911 Revolution in Hunan and Hubei (1976); and Edmund S.K. Fung, The Military Dimension of the Chinese Revolution: The New Army and Its Role in the Revolution of 1911 (1980).

Waiuku

2005-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

Town, Auckland local government region, northern North Island, New Zealand. It lies along the Waiuku estuary, which is the southern arm of Manukau Harbour. The settlement was founded in 1843 as a port on the route between Auckland and the agricultural area of the Waikato River to the south. Its function as a trading centre ceased with the Waikato War of 1863–64, when it was made a stockade.

Astor, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn

2005-01-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Caroline Schermerhorn was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and had colonial Dutch aristocracy on both sides of her family tree. Her marriage to William Astor, son of William Backhouse

Subatomic Particle

2005-01-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

Subatomic particles are, literally, particles that are smaller than atoms. The physical study of such particles

Caroline

2005-01-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Maryland, U.S., lying between the Choptank River and Tuckahoe Creek to the west and Delaware to the east. In addition to the Choptank, it is drained by Marshyhope Creek. Caroline shares Tuckahoe State Park with neighbouring Queen Anne's county. The county was created in 1773 and named for Caroline Eden, a member of the Calvert family and wife of the last colonial

Loyalist

2005-01-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Tory colonist loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution. Loyalists constituted about one-third of the population of the American colonies during that conflict. They were not confined to any particular group or class, but their numbers were strongest among the following groups: officeholders and others who served the British crown and had a vested interest

Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke Of

2005-01-01T02:38:00.000-08:00

Grandson of the 2nd duke, Charles Fitzroy (1683–1757), and great-grandson of the 1st, he was educated at Westminster School and Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was secretary of state in 1765 under the Marquess of Rockingham but retired the following year. William

Swat River

2004-12-30T09:25:00.000-08:00

River in northern Pakistan, formed by the junction of the Gabrial and Ushu rivers at Kalam in the Kohistan region. Fed by melting snow and glaciers and receiving the drainage of the entire Swat River valley, the river flows southward, then westward, until joined by the Panjkora River. The united stream then flows southwestward into the Peshawar Plain and joins the Kabul River

Termini Imerese

2004-12-29T06:14:00.000-08:00

Latin Thermae Himerenses, town, Palermo province, northern Sicily, Italy, on the Golfo (gulf) di Termini Imerese (an inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea), southeast of Palermo city. It was possibly a Phoenician seaport or trading station, and its well-known thermal saline springs were praised by the 6th–5th-century BC Greek poet Pindar. The Carthaginians called it Thermae Himerenses after their destruction

Baccio D'agnolo

2004-12-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

Byname of Bartolomeo D'agnolo Baglioni wood-carver, sculptor, and architect who exerted an important influence on the Renaissance architecture of Florence. Between 1491 and 1502 he did much of the decorative carving in the church of Santa Maria Novella and in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He helped restore the Palazzo Vecchio and in 1506 was commissioned to complete the drum of the cupola

China, Transportation

2004-12-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Great emphasis has been placed on the development of transport, because it is closely related to the development of the national economy, the consolidation of the national defense system, and the strengthening of national unification. Nevertheless, China's domestic transport system continues to constitute a major constraint on economic growth and the efficient

Culebra Island

2004-12-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

Spanish Isla De Culebra, island, Puerto Rico, 20 miles (30 km) east of Puerto Rico island and 15 miles west of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The island fronts north on the Atlantic Ocean and south and west on Vieques Sound, which connects the Atlantic with the Caribbean Sea. About 7 miles (11 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide, Culebra Island is 10 square miles (26 square km) in area. Its hilly, almost barren mass of limestone and igneous

Offenburg

2004-12-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

City, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany, in the Kinzig River Valley, at the western edge of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). First mentioned in 1101, it was founded by the Zähringen margraves on the site of a Roman settlement and was an imperial free city from 1289 to 1802. In 1846–49 it was a centre of the revolutionary movement in Baden. Gothic and Baroque buildings and remains

Qi Baishi

2004-12-24T03:31:00.000-08:00

Qi was of humble origins, and it was largely through his own efforts that he became adept at the arts of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He was active to the end of his long life and served as head of the Beijing Institute of Chinese

Masochism

2004-12-24T02:41:00.000-08:00

Psychosexual disorder in which erotic release is achieved through having pain inflicted on oneself. The term derives from the name of Chevalier Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian who wrote extensively about the satisfaction he gained by being beaten and subjugated. The amount of pain involved can vary from ritual humiliation with little violence to severe

Binary Form

2004-12-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

In music, the structural pattern of many songs and instrumental pieces, primarily from the 17th to the 19th century, characterized by two complementary, related sections of more or less equal duration that may be represented schematically as ab. In 18th-century compositions, including dance-inspired movements by J.S. Bach and keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, the

Romain Du Roi

2004-12-21T02:58:00.000-08:00

(French: King's Roman), in printing, a roman typeface developed in France at the express order of King Louis XIV, who, in 1692, directed that a typeface be designed at any necessary expense for the exclusive use of the royal printer. The design was the work, for several years, of a committee of the Academy of Sciences, whose members ignored calligraphic models in favour of analytical

Motion Picture, History Of The, Germany

2004-12-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

Because of its ownership of the Tobis-Klangfilm patents, the German film industry found itself in a position of relative strength in the early years of sound, and it produced several important films during that period, including Josef von Sternberg's Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel, 1930), G.W. Pabst's two antiwar films, Westfront 1918 (1930) and Kameradschaft (1931), and his adaptation of Bertolt

Paleography, Abbreviations

2004-12-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

Abbreviations are the principal problem confronting paleographers. They were extensively used in Roman times by lawyers to avoid repetition of technical terms and formulas. Abbreviations fall into two classes, suspension and contraction. Suspension, omission of the end of a word and indication by a point or sign, was used in Roman public inscriptions—e.g., IMP.(ERATOR),

John I

2004-12-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

Byname The Prince of Fond Memory, or John of Aviz, John the Great, or John the Bastard, Portuguese O Principe de Boa Memória, or João de Aviz, João o Grande, or João o Bastardo king of Portugal from 1385 to 1433, who preserved his country's independence from Castile and initiated Portugal's overseas expansion. He was the founder of the Aviz, or Joanina (Johannine), dynasty.

Ibarra

2004-12-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

In full San Antonio De Ibarra, city, north-central Ecuador, situated in an Andean valley at an elevation of 7,300 feet (2,200 m), within the Ecuadorian Lake District. It was founded in 1606 by the soldier Cristóbal Torre, a representative of Miguel de Ibarra, the president of the royal audiencia of Quito (a judicial–legislative body), and was named for him. Though largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1868, it has retained much

Binomial Theorem

2004-12-17T07:34:00.000-08:00

In which n! (called n factorial) is the product of the first n natural numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . n (and where 0! is defined

Mysticism, Other definitions and experiences of mysticism

2004-12-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

Such undifferentiated unity or union between the individual and the supreme self is unacceptable to certain traditions and temperaments. The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber emphasized an “I–Thou” relationship: “All real living is meeting,” and one Thou cannot become It. But even his own “unforgettable experience” of union he would explain as “illusory.” With a wider

Farmerlabor Party

2004-12-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

An offshoot, the National Farmer–Labor Party, nominated P.P. Christensen in the 1920 presidential election. Lacking adequate finances and organization, the party won few votes and expired in 1923.

Seurat, Georges

2004-12-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Painter, founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism whose technique for portraying the play of light using tiny brushstrokes of contrasting colours became known as Pointillism. Using this techique, he created huge compositions with tiny, detached strokes of pure colour too small to be distinguished when looking at the

Egypt, Dynastic strife and decline (14530 BC)

2004-12-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Physcon was able to rule in Egypt until 116 BC with his sister Cleopatra II (except for a period in 131–130 BC when she was in revolt) and her daughter Cleopatra III. His reign was marked by generous benefactions to the Egyptian temples, but he was detested as a tyrant by the Greeks, and the historical accounts of the reign emphasize his stormy relations with the Alexandrian

Puerto Barrios

2004-12-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Guatemala, on Amatique Bay, off the Gulf of Honduras. Until the 1970s it was the principal port of Guatemala, used primarily for shipping agricultural commodities. It was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century as the Caribbean terminus of the railway built by foreign contractors from the coast to Guatemala City, which realized a century-old

China, The Szechwan Basin

2004-12-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

This basin (also known as the Red Basin) is one of the most attractive geographical regions of China. The basin is surrounded by mountains, which are higher in the west and north. Protected against the penetration of cold northern winds, the basin is much warmer in the winter than are the more southerly plains of southeast China. Except for the Ch'eng-tu Plain, the region

Aardvark

2004-12-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

Also called African Ant Bear (Orycteropus afer), heavily built mammal, ranging south of the Sahara in forest or plain, that constitutes the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for “earth pig”—refers to its stout, piglike body, up to 180 centimetres (6 feet) long, including the 60-cm tail. Its coat varies from glossy black and full to sandy yellow

Arao

2004-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

City, Kumamoto ken (prefecture), Kyushu, Japan, facing Ariake Bay. It was a poor village until the opening of the Miike coal mine and the arrival of a major railway in the early 20th century. A military munitions factory was established in 1940. After World War II, however, the mine and the factory closed. Arao is now a residential suburb of Omuta to the north. Pop. (1985) 62,570.

Aardvark

2004-12-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

Any of 53 species of small rodents found in a variety of habitats from Alaska and northern Canada southward to western Panama. They have bulging eyes and large ears, weigh from 15 to 110 grams (0.5 to 3.9 ounces), and are 8 to 17 cm (3.1 to 6.7 inches) long. The tail may be shorter than the head and body or strikingly longer, depending on the species. All deer mice have soft fur, but colour varies

Honduras, Gulf Of

2004-12-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Bay Of Honduras, wide inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. It extends from Dangriga (formerly Stann Creek), Belize, southeastward to La Ceiba, Honduras, a straight-line distance between the two localities of about 115 miles (185 km). The gulf receives many rivers, including the Ulúa and the Motagua, and it contains the reefs known as the Pelican Cays

Baraboo

2004-12-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1840) of Sauk county, south-central Wisconsin, U.S. It lies on small hills 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Madison. Baraboo originated in the early 19th century as a trading post established by the French trapper Jean Baribault, who lived along the river that was named (somewhat phonetically) for him. Incorporated in 1882, the community developed as a distribution centre for dairy

Guadalupe

2004-12-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Town, Cáceres province, in the Extremadura comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southwestern Spain. It lies on the southeastern slopes of the Guadalupe Mountains near the Guadalupejo River east of Cáceres city. The town is famous for its monastery, which had its origins as a small hermitage built in the early 14th century on the spot where a shepherd had found

Australia

2004-12-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

The Australian mainland extends from west to east for nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) and

Rackets

2004-12-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Racquets, game played with a ball and a strung racket in an enclosed court, all four walls of which are used in play. Rackets is played with a hard ball in a relatively large court, usually about 18 m (60 ft) long by 9 m wide—unlike the related game of squash rackets (q.v.), which is played with a soft ball on a smaller court.

Carpathian Mountains, Tourism

2004-12-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Carpathians are a popular tourist and recreation venue, especially for the people of Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovkia. Tourist travel from other countries is less developed, although a number of areas attract visitors from abroad. Most important among these is Zakopane, a centre of sports activities, tourism, and recreation, situated in

Le Maistre, Antoine

2004-11-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

Important figure in the Jansenist religious movement in France, a member of the Arnauld family (q.v.).

Disaccharide

2004-11-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Double Sugar, any substance that is composed of two molecules of simple sugars (monosaccharides) linked to each other. Sucrose, which is formed following photosynthesis in green plants, consists of one molecule of glucose and one of fructose; lactose (milk sugar), found in the milk of all mammals, consists of glucose and galactose; and maltose, a product of the breakdown of starches

'abd Ar-rahman I

2004-11-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

When the 'Abbasids overthrew the Umayyad caliphate in 750 and sought to kill as many members of the Umayyad family as possible, 'Abd ar-Rahman fled, eventually reaching Spain. The Iberian Peninsula had for some time been occupied by Muslim Arab forces, and he recognized political opportunity

Water Shield

2004-11-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

Each oval, floating leaf of water shield is 5 to 10 centimetres (about 2 to 4 inches) long. A long, jelly-coated

Berent, Waclaw

2004-11-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

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

Industrial Polymers, Major, Polyimides

2004-11-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

Polyimides are polymers that usually consist of aromatic rings coupled by imide linkages—that is, linkages in which two carbonyl (CO) groups are attached to the same nitrogen (N) atom. There are two categories of these polymers, condensation and addition. The former are made by step-growth polymerization and are linear in structure; the latter are synthesized by heat-activated

Epistemology, Faith and reason

2004-11-24T04:53:00.000-08:00

Modern philosophers as a group are usually thought to be purely secular thinkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the early 17th century until the middle of the 18th century, all of the great philosophers incorporated substantial religious elements into their work. Descartes, in his Meditations (1641), offered two different proofs for the existence of God, and

Affirmation

2004-11-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

In law, a promise by a witness concerning testimony allowed in place of an oath to those who cannot, because of conscience, swear an oath. For example, members of the Society of Friends (Quakers), Jehovah's Witnesses, and other persons who have objections against taking an oath are allowed to make affirmation in any manner they may declare to be binding upon their consciences

Puerta Del Sol

2004-11-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Main plaza of Madrid, Spain. It was reputedly named for a gate (puerta) that stood there until 1510 and had on its front a representation of the sun (sol). Throughout Madrid's history the square has been the focal point of transportation and of intellectual and economic activity. It was the first part of the city to be equipped with modern conveniences (electric lights, streetcars)

Brandt, Bill

2004-11-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

Following early schooling in Germany and a stay in Switzerland, during which he took up photography, Brandt briefly worked in the Paris studio of the American artist and photographer Man Ray in 1929. In 1931 he returned

Ibn Muqlah

2004-11-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

One of the foremost calligraphers of the 'Abbasid Age (750–1258), reputed inventor of the first cursive style of Arabic lettering, the naskhi script, which replaced the angular Kufic as the standard of Islamic calligraphy. In the naskhi script Ibn Muqlah introduced the rounded forms and curved lines that in later styles were

BlackNut

Robert Irving Burns Property Consultants

Spontaneous Generation

Roman Catholicism, History Of, The reign of Leo XIII (18781903)

Fracastoro, Girolamo

Bioceramics

Radek, Karl (bernhardovich)

Mountain

Cumbres De Monterrey National Park

Ungava-quebec Crater

La Bourdonnais, Bertrand-françois Mahé, Count (comte) De

Stadholder

Fabricius, Johann Christian

Armstrong, Lance

Arpad

Tyumen

Harald Iii Sigurdsson

Gisborne

Southwest National Park

Arden, Elizabeth

Aedon

Priapus

Epistemology, Necessary versus contingent propositions

Church Universal And Triumphant

Córdoba, Mosque-cathedral Of

Bahrain

Mountain Goat

Giorgione

Frame, Janet

Huizinga, Johan

Evolution, Selection against one of the homozygotes

Narmada River

Crocket

Jam And Lewis

Dowa Highlands

Liguori, Saint Alfonso Maria De'

Silicone

Africanus, Sextus Julius

Maugham, Robin

Houston Ship Channel

Arts, Islamic, Turkish

Caucasian Languages, The Lak-Dargin languages

Paraguay, The Guaraní

Aerospace Engineering

Hou T'u

Sculpture, Western, Early Cycladic

Seleucia Pieria

Zacapú

Economic Forecasting

Lussatite

Widmann, Joseph Viktor

Lussatite

Cumali, Necati

China, The Ch'ing period

Waiuku

Astor, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn

Subatomic Particle

Caroline

Loyalist

Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke Of

Swat River

Termini Imerese

Baccio D'agnolo

China, Transportation

Culebra Island

Offenburg

Qi Baishi

Masochism

Binary Form

Romain Du Roi

Motion Picture, History Of The, Germany

Paleography, Abbreviations

John I

Ibarra

Binomial Theorem

Mysticism, Other definitions and experiences of mysticism

Farmerlabor Party

Seurat, Georges

Egypt, Dynastic strife and decline (14530 BC)

Puerto Barrios

Roman Catholicism, History Of, The reign of Leo XIII (18781903)

Farmerlabor Party

Egypt, Dynastic strife and decline (14530 BC)