CupHat

Managua, Lake

2005-03-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

Spanish Lago De Managua, lake in western Nicaragua, in a rift valley at an elevation of 128 feet (39 m) above sea level. The lake, 65 feet (20 m) in depth, is 36 miles (58 km) from east to west and 16 miles (25 km) from north to south; its area is 400 square miles (1,035 square km). Also known by its Indian name, Xolotlán, the lake is fed by numerous streams rising in the central highlands and the Diriamba Highlands. It is drained by the Tipitapa River,

Overture

2005-03-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

Musical composition, usually the orchestral introduction to a musical work (often dramatic), but also an independent instrumental work. Early operas opened with a sung prologue or a short instrumental flourish, such as the trumpet “Toccata” that opens Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo (1607). Subsequent 17th-century operas were sometimes preceded by a short instrumental piece

Ciudad Ojeda

2005-03-15T05:42:00.000-08:00

City, Zulia state, northwestern Venezuela. Lying on the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo, Ciudad Ojeda is an important oil centre. Just to the south lies the Lagunillas oil field, the largest in Latin America. From derricks on land and in the water, oil is piped to refineries at Cabimas, approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the north, and on the Península de Paraguaná. Ciudad Ojeda

Auger Effect

2005-03-12T23:34:00.000-08:00

All atoms consist of a nucleus

Interactionism

2005-03-10T23:57:00.000-08:00

In Cartesian philosophy and the philosophy of mind, those dualistic theories that hold that mind and body, though separate and distinct substances, causally interact. Interactionists assert that a mental event, as when John Doe wills to kick a brick wall, can be the cause of a physical action, his leg and foot moving into the wall. Conversely, the physical event of his

Vrancea

2005-03-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), east-central Romania, occupying an area of 1,878 square miles (4,863 square km). The Eastern Carpathian and sub-Carpathian mountains rise above settlement areas in the county's valleys and lowlands. The southward-draining Siret River constitutes most of the county's eastern border. The Zabala, Rimna, and Trotus rivers also flow southeastward into the Siret. The county

Bot Fly

2005-03-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

Horse bot flies (family Gasterophilidae) include species of Gasterophilus, a serious horse pest. The adult horse fly, often known as a gad fly, deposits between about 400 and 500 eggs (nits) on the horse's

Syrian Chant

2005-03-08T03:56:00.000-08:00

Generic term for the vocal music of the various Syrian Christian churches, including Eastern Orthodox churches such as the Jacobites and Nestorians, and the Eastern churches in union with Rome—e.g., the Maronites (mostly in Lebanon) and the Chaldeans, who are dissidents from the Nestorians. To these should be added some branches of nearly all of these groupings in the

Egypt, Ancient, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton)

2005-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

The earliest monuments of Amenhotep IV, who in his fifth regnal year changed his name to Akhenaton (“one useful to Aton”), are conventional in their iconography and style, but from the first he gave the sun god a didactic title naming Aton, the solar disk. This title was later written inside a pair of cartouches, as a king's name would be. The king declared his religious allegiance

Ben-gurion, David

2005-03-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Zionist statesman and political leader, the first prime minister (1948–53, 1955–63) and defense minister (1948–53; 1955–63) of Israel. It was Ben-Gurion who, on May 14, 1948, at Tel Aviv, delivered Israel's declaration of independence. His charismatic personality won him the adoration of the masses, and, after his retirement

Afghanistan, Ya'qub Khan (1879)

2005-03-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Treaty of Gandamak (Gandomak; May 26, 1879) recognized Ya'qub Khan as emir, and he subsequently agreed to receive a permanent British embassy at Kabul. In addition, he agreed to conduct his foreign relations with other states in accordance “with the wishes and advice” of the British government. This British triumph, however, was short-lived. On September 3, 1879, the British envoy and

Misrule, Lord Of

2005-03-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Abbot Of Misrule, or King Of Misrule, official of the late medieval and early Tudor period in England, who was specially appointed to manage the Christmas festivities held at court, in the houses of great noblemen, in the law schools of the Inns of Court, and in many of the colleges at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford. During his reign, which lasted anywhere from 12 days to 3 months, the Lord of Misrule

Keaton, Buster

2005-03-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

The son of vaudevillians, Keaton is said to have earned his famous nickname when, at age 18 months, he fell down a staircase; magician

'brog-mi

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

'Brog-mi studied for one year in Nepal and for eight years at Vikramashila (Bihar, India). Coming under the influence of Atisa, an Indian Buddhist who arrived in Tibet about 1042, 'Brog-mi was a leader in the revival of Tibetan Buddhism. He founded a new and powerful order known as Sa-skya-pa. In 1073 his disciple Dkon-mchog rgyal-po established the

Gir Range

2005-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

Low mountain range in western Gujarat state, west-central India, on the southern Kathiawar Peninsula. The range is extremely rugged with a steep slope seaward to the south and a gradual slope inland to the north. From it to the north runs a low, narrow, dissected range rising to Gorakhnath (3,665 feet [1,117 m], believed to be an extinct volcano) in the broad mass of the Girnar Hills. The Gir Range

Plutarch

2005-02-28T03:06:00.000-08:00

Greek Plutarchos , Latin Plutarchus biographer and author whose works strongly influenced the evolution of the essay, the biography, and historical writing in Europe from the 16th to the 19th century. Among his approximately 227 works, the most important are the Bioi paralleloi (Parallel Lives), in which he recounts the noble deeds and characters of Greek and Roman soldiers, legislators,

Mcneill, William H(ardy)

2005-02-26T23:21:00.000-08:00

McNeill attended the University of Chicago (B.A., 1938; M.A., 1939) and Cornell University (Ph.D., 1947). During World War II he served in the U.S. Army (1941–46); part of that time he was the assistant military attaché to Greece (1944–46). McNeill taught history

Seton, Ernest Thompson

2005-02-26T00:36:00.000-08:00

Seton was raised in North America, his family having emigrated to Canada in 1866. Drawn to nature, Seton resisted his family's attempt to make an artist of him. He gained experience as a naturalist by trailing and

Glissant, édouard

2005-02-25T02:09:00.000-08:00

Glissant was a disciple and fellow countryman of the poet Aimé Césaire, who founded the Negritude movement to promote an African culture free of all colonial influences. Glissant recorded the awakening of colonized peoples

Kiesler, Frederick John

2005-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

After study at the Technical Academy and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Kiesler worked on a slum clearance and rebuilding project in Vienna with Adolf Loos. In the early 1920s Kiesler began to design

Steer Roping

2005-02-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

Rodeo event in which a mounted cowboy pursues a full-grown steer; lassos it with his rope, catching the animal by the horns; fastens the rope to his saddle; and stops his horse suddenly, throwing the steer to the ground. The cowboy then quickly dismounts and ties three of the steer's feet, raising both hands to signal completion. The event is timed, and the contestant with

Florida Current

2005-02-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Swift surface oceanic current flowing northward, following the shallow continental slope between the Straits of Florida and Cape Hatteras. Emerging from the Caribbean Sea, carrying about 880,000,000 cubic feet (25,000,000 cubic m) of water per second, the Florida Current is joined by the Antilles Current, which transports approximately 420,000,000 cubic feet (approximately 11,893,000 cubic m) per second. Florida

Shimane

2005-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

Because of its distance from central Honshu and its unfavourable

Pohjanmaa

2005-02-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

Also called Ostrobothnia, or Ostrobothnian Plain, Swedish Österbotten, lowland plain in Vaasa and Oulu läänit (provinces), western Finland, along the Gulf of Bothnia. Pohjanmaa is about 60 miles (100 km) wide and 160 miles (257 km) long. It consists of flat plains of sand and clay soil that are broken by rivers and bog areas. It is drained mainly by the Lapuan, Kyrön, and Iso rivers, which flow to the Gulf of Bothnia. The lowlands are divided between agricultural

Thomas The Rhymer

2005-02-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

Also called Thomas Learmont , or Thomas Of Erceldoune Scottish poet and prophet who was likely the author of the metrical romance Sir Tristrem, a version of the widely diffused Tristan legend. The romance was first printed in 1804 by Sir Walter Scott from a manuscript of about 1300. Thomas is now probably best known through the ballad “Thomas the Rhymer,” included by Scott in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802). In popular lore

Schenectady

2005-02-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

Local Mohawk Indians were involved in the

Wild Rye

2005-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

Sea lyme, or dune, grass (E. arenarius) is a Eurasian species 0.6 to 2.5 m (2 to 8 feet)

Lowell, Francis Cabot

2005-02-16T05:42:00.000-08:00

While visiting the British Isles (1810–12) Lowell closely studied the textile industries

Hounslow

2005-02-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

Outer borough of London, part of the historic county of Middlesex. It lies in the valley of the River Thames, on the western periphery of the metropolis. It was made a borough in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former metropolitan boroughs of Brentford and Chiswick and Heston and Isleworth with the Feltham Urban District. Hounslow includes the areas of (from west to east)

Chancelade Skeleton

2005-02-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

Human fossil remains discovered in a rock shelter at Chancelade in southwestern France in 1888. The skeleton was found in a curled posture—an indication of a deliberate burial—below the lower Magdalenian occupation floors of the shelter; it is assumed to be of Magdalenian age (about 17,000 years old). The Chancelade skull was studied by the French anatomist Jean-Léo Testut, who

Seti I

2005-02-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

In the early years of his reign, Seti led his army northward to restore Egyptian prestige, which had been partly lost during the troubled years of the late 18th dynasty. He battled in northern Palestine

Bijapur

2005-02-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

City, northern Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India. An important site of medieval Indian Islamic architecture, it was formerly called Vijayapura (meaning “city of victory”) and was an important community under the Yadava dynasty for more than a century until 1294, when it became a provincial capital of the Bahmani. In 1489 with the advent of Yusuf 'Adil Shah, the first 'Adil

Black Flag

2005-02-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

American band whose extensive touring and prolific recording helped to popularize hardcore punk, the genre that arose in California in the early 1980s in response to the punk movement of the 1970s. The original members were Greg Ginn (b. June 8, 1954), Chuck Dukowski (b. Feb. 1, 1954), Keith Morris, and Brian Migdol. Later members included Henry Rollins (original name Henry Garfield; b. Feb. 13, 1961, Washington,

Smith, Emmitt

2005-02-09T03:06:00.000-08:00

Smith excelled early in football, starring in youth leagues and,

Hawkins, Sir John

2005-02-08T22:45:00.000-08:00

A kinsman of Sir Francis Drake, Hawkins began his career as a merchant in the African trade and soon became the first English slave trader. By carrying slaves from Guinea, in West Africa,

Existentialism, Manner and style of human existence

2005-02-07T01:12:00.000-08:00

Existentialism is never a solipsism in the proper sense of the term (that I alone exist), because every existential possibility relates man to things and to other men. Sometimes it is presented as humanism in the sense that it places human destiny in the hands of men themselves. But this version is rejected by all of the currents of the movement that, starting with Heidegger,

Kazantzákis, Níkos

2005-02-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Kazantzákis was born during the period of revolt of Crete against rule by the Ottoman Turks, and his family fled for a short time to the Greek island of Náxos. He studied

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint

2005-02-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

Thomas was born to parents who were in possession of a modest feudal domain on a boundary constantly disputed by the emperor and the pope. His father was of Lombard origin; his mother was of the later invading Norman strain. His people were distinguished in the service of Emperor Frederick II during the civil strife in southern Italy between the papal and imperial

Janmastami

2005-02-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

The occasion is observed with particular

Strabismus

2005-02-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Also called squint , or heterotropia failure of the eyes to align properly on the object toward which a person seeks to direct his gaze. The deviant eye may be directed inward, toward the other eye (cross-eye, or esotropia); outward, away from the other eye (walleye, or exotropia); upward (hypertropia); or downward (hypotropia). The squint is called comitant if the deviation remains constant no matter in what direction

Naqadah

2005-02-02T00:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Nakada, town, Upper Egypt. It lies on the west bank of the Nile, in the great bend of the river, opposite Qus, in Qina muhafazah (governorate). One of the oldest regions of Egypt, it is the site of a Neolithic town and burial grounds of the Predynastic period (before c. 2925 BC). It was first excavated by the British archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie, and the cultures found are referred to by scholars

Acromegaly

2005-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

The onset of acromegaly

Amnesty

2005-01-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

In criminal law, sovereign act of oblivion or forgetfulness (from Greek amnesia) for past acts, granted by a government to persons who have been guilty of crimes. It is often conditional upon their return to obedience and duty within a prescribed period. Amnesty is granted usually for political crimes against the state, such as treason, sedition, or rebellion. It is addressed

Manaus

2005-01-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

City and river port, capital of Amazonas estado (“state”), northwestern Brazil. It lies along the north bank of the Negro River, 11 miles (18 km) above that river's influx into the Amazon River. Manaus is situated in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, 900 miles (1,450 km) inland from the Atlantic coast. The city, on a terrace overlooking the river, is traversed by several side channels called

L'engle, Madeleine

2005-01-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

L'Engle attended boarding schools in Europe and the United States and graduated with honours from Smith College (B.A., 1941). She pursued a career in the theatre before

Peru, Discovery and exploration by Europeans

2005-01-27T07:01:00.000-08:00

Spanish interest in the west coast of South America grew after Vasco Núñez de Balboa discovered the Pacific in 1513, but it was not until 1524 that Francisco Pizarro, aided by another soldier, Diego de Almagro, and a priest, Hernando de Luque, undertook explorations that led to the conquest of Peru. By 1527 they were convinced of the wealth of the Inca empire. Failing to win further cooperation

Tiglath-pileser Ii

2005-01-27T03:11:00.000-08:00

King of Assyria (c. 965–c. 932 BC). He apparently ruled effectively, as a successor addressed him by a title reserved for mighty monarchs. Otherwise, little is known of the period other than that Assyria was beginning to emerge from its collapse of a century before.

India Rubber Plant

2005-01-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Young plants available in the florist's trade are durable

Maundy Thursday

2005-01-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Holy Thursday the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ's institution of the Eucharist. The name is taken from an anthem sung in Roman Catholic churches on that day: “Mandatum novum do vobis” (“a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34). In the early Christian church the day was celebrated with a general communion of clergy and people. At a special mass the bishop

Feng Tao

2005-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Feng Dao Chinese Confucian minister generally given credit for instigating the first printing of the Confucian Classics, in 932. As a result, Confucian texts became cheap and accessible, the number of scholars and the knowledge of literature greatly increased throughout the nation, and the number of people able to compete in the

Aerospace Industry, Prototype testing and certification

2005-01-21T13:56:00.000-08:00

In the prototype construction phase, emphasis shifts to testing. A customary procedure is to build several test airplanes solely to verify the design. The structural integrity of the aircraft is determined in static and dynamic tests. Ground testing requires an array of facilities, including ovens for applying high temperatures to materials, acoustic chambers

Daud Khan, Mohammad

2005-01-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

Educated in Kabul and France, Daud Khan, a cousin and brother-in-law of Zahir Shah, pursued a career in the military. He rose to command an army corps in 1939 and held the post of minister

Nastase, Ilie

2005-01-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

A Davis Cup player since 1966, Nastase almost single-handedly powered Romania to the finals in 1969, 1971, and 1972, although the United States won each time. The most heartbreaking

Faraday's Laws Of Electrolysis

2005-01-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, quantitative laws used to express magnitudes of electrolytic effects, first described by the English scientist Michael Faraday in 1833. The laws state that (1) the amount of chemical change produced by current at an electrode-electrolyte boundary is proportional to the quantity of electricity used, and (2) the amounts of chemical changes produced by the same

Frederick Iii

2005-01-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

King of Prussia and German emperor for 99 days in 1888, during which time he was a voiceless invalid, dying of throat cancer. Although influenced by liberal, constitutional, and middle-class ideas, he retained a

Waikato River

2005-01-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

River, the longest in New Zealand, in central North Island. Rising on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park as the Tongariro River, it flows north through Lake Taupo and, issuing from the lake's northeastern corner, tumbles over Huka Falls and flows northwest to enter the Tasman Sea south of Auckland. The river is 264 miles (425 km) long. It has a gentle gradient

Baikalsky Nature Reserve

2005-01-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Natural area set aside for research in the natural sciences, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, southeastern Russia. The reserve was established in 1969 and has an area of 640 square miles (1,657 square km). It includes part of the Khamar-Daban mountain range. The park's vegetation includes poplar forests in the lowlands; taiga of spruce, fir, and larch on the mountain slopes; and thickets

Turdidae

2005-01-14T02:43:00.000-08:00

Members range in size from 11.5 to 33 centimetres (4.5 to 13 inches) long. They have slender bills and stout legs and feet, the lower leg smooth rather than scaly. Included

Antichrist

2005-01-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

The chief enemy of Christ. The earliest mention of the name Antichrist, which was probably first coined in Christian eschatological literature (concerned with the end of time), is in the letters of St. John (I John 2: 18, 22; II John 7), although the figure does appear in the earlier II Thessalonians as “the lawless one.” Yet the conception of a mighty ruler who will appear at the end of

Nordenflycht, Hedvig Charlotta

2005-01-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

The deaths

Malacca, Sultanate Of

2005-01-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

(1403?–1511), Malay dynasty that ruled the great entrepôt of Malacca (Melaka) and its dependencies and provided Malay history with its golden age, still evoked in idiom and institutions. The founder and first ruler of Malacca, Paramesvara (d. 1424, Malacca), a Sumatran prince who had fled his native Palembang under Javanese attack, established himself briefly in Tumasik (now Singapore)

Ithaca College

2005-01-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Ithaca, New York, U.S. It comprises the Roy H. Park School of Communications and schools of business, health sciences and human performance, humanities and sciences, and music. In addition to undergraduate studies, the college offers master's degree programs in communication, health sciences, and music. Students

Subsidence

2005-01-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Sinking of the Earth's surface in response to geologic or man-induced causes. When subsidence occurs in great belts, providing troughs for the accumulation of sediments, the resulting features are termed geosynclines; nonlinear subsidence produces basins and irregular depressions. Subsurface solution during cave formation may lead to a series of subsidence

Riddah

2005-01-09T03:33:00.000-08:00

Despite the traditional resistance of the Bedouins to any restraining central authority, by 631 Muhammad was able to exact from the majority of their tribes at least nominal adherence to Islam, payment of the zakat, a tax levied on Muslims to support

Devrient, Ludwig

2005-01-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Born to a family of wholesale drapers,

Rif

2005-01-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Rif Mountains, Arabic Er-Rif, mountain range of northern Morocco, extending from Tanger (Tangier) to the Moulouya River valley near the Moroccan-Algerian frontier. For the greater part of its 180-mile (290-kilometre) length, the range hugs the Mediterranean Sea, leaving only a few narrow coastal valleys suitable for agriculture or urban settlement. The higher peaks, including Mount Tidirhine, which at

Barcelona

2005-01-05T23:04:00.000-08:00

On his visit to the city in 1862, Hans Christian

Galactic Halo

2005-01-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, nearly spherical volume of thinly scattered stars, globular clusters of stars, and tenuous gas observed surrounding spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way—the galaxy in which the Earth is located. The roughly spherical halo of the Milky Way is thought to have a radius of some 50,000 light-years (about 5 ´ 1017 kilometres), and its gas is a source of radio emission, particularly

Muscovy Company

2005-01-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

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

Jackson, William

2005-01-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

Jackson was organist and choirmaster at Exeter cathedral from 1777. His best-known other compositions are Twelve Songs (1755) and Twelve Canzonets for Two Voices (c. 1770). His name is also associated with an Anglican service of dubious authenticity,

Icarus

2005-01-02T00:58:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, son of the inventor Daedalus who perished by flying too near the Sun with waxen wings. See Daedalus.

Submarine Mine

2004-12-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

Underwater weapon designed to explode when a target presents itself. See mine.

Armenian Rite

2004-12-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

The system of liturgical practices and discipline observed by both the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church and the Armenian Catholics. The Armenians, who regard themselves as the “first Christian nation,” were converted to Christianity by St. Gregory the Illuminator about AD 300. The Liturgy of St. Gregory the Illuminator, used by both Apostolic and Catholic Armenians,

La Follette, Robert M

2004-12-30T02:32:00.000-08:00

Resigning as governor in 1906, he was elected to the Senate at a time when that institution was widely believed to be a refuge for millionaires. La Follette acquired instant fame as a new type of senator, one who was not controlled by “the interests,” and in his first three years there La Follette achieved the passage of laws aimed against the freight rates, labour policies,

Domitian

2004-12-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

Titus Flavius Domitianus was the second son of the future emperor Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla. During the civil war of AD 69 over the imperial crown, Domitian remained unharmed in Rome, but on December 18 he took refuge in the

Mole Valley

2004-12-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

District, administrative and historic county of Surrey, England. The River Mole, from which the district takes its name, flows northward across it to join the Thames at Hampton Court, west of London; the river cuts through a line of chalk hills (the North Downs) in a steep-sided valley that is followed by road and rail routes. South of the Downs is a narrow lowland and then

La Sale, Antoine De

2004-12-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

From 1400 to 1448 La Sale served the dukes of Anjou, Louis II, Louis III, and René, as squire, soldier, administrator and, ultimately, governor of René's son and heir, Jean

Visconti, Gian Galeazzo

2004-12-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

The son of Galeazzo II Visconti, who shared the rule of Milan with his brother Bernabò, Gian Galeazzo was married in 1360 to Isabella of Valois, daughter of the king of France. After his father's death

Kyoto University

2004-12-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Japanese Kyoto Daigaku, coeducational state institution of higher education in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1897 under the provisions of an 1872 Japanese law that established a system of imperial universities admitting small numbers of carefully selected students to be trained as scholars and imperial officials. Kyoto Imperial University (Kyoto Teikoku Daigaku), popularly called Kyodai, soon

Cosamaloapan

2004-12-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

In full Cosamaloapan Del Carpio, city, southern Veracruz estado (“state”), south-central Mexico. It lies at 315 feet (96 m) above sea level in the Papaloapan River valley in the Gulf lowlands and is 91 miles (147 km) southeast of Veracruz. The hot, humid hinterland is Mexico's greatest sugarcane region; corn (maize), bananas, and mangoes also thrive. Livestock are raised in the vicinity, and charcoal is manufactured. The Papaloapan

Gastein, Convention Of

2004-12-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Convention Of Badgastein, agreement between Austria and Prussia reached on Aug. 20, 1865, after their seizure of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark in 1864; it temporarily postponed the final struggle between them for hegemony over Germany. The pact provided that both the emperor of Austria and the king of Prussia were to be sovereign over the duchies, Prussia administering Schleswig

North Germanic Languages, Orthography

2004-12-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

The five basic vowel symbols of the Latin alphabet are supplemented by a number of special symbols that are used mostly to represent umlauted vowels: thus, there is y (pronounced as German ü), æ (used in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese) and the corresponding ä (used in Swedish), ø (in Danish, Norwegian, and Faroese) and the corresponding ö (in Swedish and Icelandic), and

Cancer, Syndromes resulting from inherited defects in DNA repair mechanisms

2004-12-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

Another group of hereditary cancers comprises those that stem from inherited defects in DNA repair mechanisms. Examples include Bloom syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia, Fanconi anemia, and xeroderma pigmentosum. These syndromes are characterized by hypersensitivity to agents that damage DNA (e.g., chemicals and radiation). The failure of a cell to repair the defects

Mountain, Volcanic structures along subduction zones

2004-12-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

Linear or arcuate belts of volcanoes are commonly associated with subduction zones. Volcanoes typically lie 150 to 200 kilometres landward of deep-sea trenches, such as those that border much of the Pacific Basin. The volcanoes overlie a zone of intense earthquake activity that begins at a shallow depth near such a trench and that dips beneath the volcanoes. They often

Roman Script

2004-12-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Antiqua Script, Italian Lettera Antica, in calligraphy, script based upon the clear, orderly Carolingian writing that Italian humanists mistook for the ancient Roman script used at the time of Cicero (1st century BC). They used the term roman to distinguish this supposedly classical style from black-letter and national hands. It was upon the model of antica, or roman, scripts that Renaissance scribes evolved

Roman Script

2004-12-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

Formerly General and Municipal Workers' Union (GMWU) third largest trade union in Great Britain and one of the two giant general unions (the other being the Transport and General Workers' Union). The General and Municipal Workers' Union was formed in 1924 by the merger of the National Union of Gas and General Workers, the National Amalgamated Union of Labour, and the Municipal Employees' Association. From the start the union's

Allegory

2004-12-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Literary allegories typically describe situations and events or express abstract ideas in terms of material objects,

As If, Philosophy Of

2004-12-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

The system espoused by Hans Vaihinger in his major philosophical work Die Philosophie des Als Ob (1911; The Philosophy of “As If”), which proposed that man willingly accept falsehoods or fictions in order to live peacefully in an irrational world. Vaihinger, who saw life as a maze of contradictions and philosophy as a search for means to make life livable, began by accepting

X Ray

2004-12-14T23:52:00.000-08:00

Early experiments with X rays presented evidence that is difficult to explain unless one thinks of X rays as consisting of waves. Other experiments, however, indicated that X rays consist of particles. This dual nature is not restricted to X rays; indeed, it is a general property of all forms of energy and matter. X rays (and the other forms of electromagnetic radiation)

Epistemology, Impact of modern science on epistemology

2004-12-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), a cleric, argued in On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres (1543) that the Earth revolves around the Sun. His theory was epistemologically shocking for at least two reasons. First, it goes directly counter to how humans experience their relation to the Sun; it is everyone's prescientific view that the Sun revolves around the Earth. If science can

Encamp

2004-12-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

Village, Andorra, on a headstream of the Riu (river) Valira. Its agricultural economy is supplemented by tourism, especially skiing. Encamp has a broadcasting transmitter of Radio Andorra. Above the village is Engolasters Lake, accessible by cable car. There are facilities for generating hydroelectric power. In the locality is the Pic (peak) des Pessons (9,400 ft [2,865 m]). Pop. (1990) 7,489.

Applied Logic

2004-12-12T04:02:00.000-08:00

The applications of logic cover a vast range, relating

Alkali Flat

2004-12-11T04:37:00.000-08:00

Also called Salina, or Salt Flat, a playa, or dried-out desert lake, especially one containing high concentrations of precipitated dry, glistening salts. The term is generally limited to flats in the western United States, the most famous being the Bonneville Salt Flats (q.v.) west of Salt Lake City, where automobile speed records are set.

Rayy

2004-12-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

A settlement at the site dates from the 3rd millennium BC. Rayy is featured in the Avesta (the original document of Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion) as a sacred place, and it is

Lilac

2004-12-08T01:44:00.000-08:00

The common lilac

Sea Mouse

2004-12-07T23:38:00.000-08:00

Sea mice are usually 7.5–15 centimetres (3–6 inches) long; however, some attain a length of 30 centimetres (12 inches). The slightly arched back is covered with a dense mat of hairlike setae about 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) long. The sea mouse burrows and creeps

Arts, Central Asian, Emirate of Bukhara

2004-12-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Although fine-quality pottery decorated with animal, bird, and figural designs was being made in New Nisa in the 15th century, the artistic revival of the Mongol period that Timur had launched in western Turkistan had died out by the 16th century, when the emirate of Bukhara, incorporating much of Sogdiana, was established. Except for gold-thread embroidery and carpet

Calendar, The structure of the calendar

2004-12-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

The Jewish calendar in use today is lunisolar, the years being solar and the months lunar, but it also allows for a week of seven days. Because the year exceeds 12 lunar months by about 11 days, a 13th month of 30 days is intercalated in the third, sixth, eighth, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years of a 19-year cycle. For practical purposes—e.g., for reckoning the commencement of the Sabbath—the day begins

Great Leap Forward

2004-12-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

The campaign undertaken by the Chinese Communists between 1958 and early 1960 to organize its vast population, especially in large-scale rural communes, to meet China's industrial and agricultural problems. The Chinese hoped to develop labour-intensive methods of industrialization, which would emphasize manpower rather than machines. Thereby, it was hoped, the country

Zólkowski, Alojzy Fortunat

2004-12-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Zólkowski was born into a noble family and served in the army during the revolt of 1794. He made his acting debut in Warsaw in 1798, toured the country for four years, and then joined the National Theatre (Teatr Narodowy), where he was admired