DeepCircle

Insurance, General average clause

2005-04-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

The general average clause in ocean marine insurance obligates the insurers of various interests to share the cost of losses incurred voluntarily to save the voyage from complete destruction. Such sacrifices must be made voluntarily, must be necessary, and must be successful. For example, if a shipper's cargo is voluntarily jettisoned in a storm in order to save

Marechera, Dambudzo

2005-04-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Marechera grew up in poverty. He reacted against his upbringing and adopted an increasingly self-destructive lifestyle. He studied at the

Ryan, T. Claude

2005-04-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Ryan learned to fly in 1917, trained with the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1919 at Marsh Field, California, and served with the U.S. Aerial Forest Patrol until 1922. Ryan established a flight school and a business

Auerbach, Erich

2005-04-01T23:56:00.000-08:00

After gaining a doctorate in philology at the University of Greifswald, Germany, in 1921, Auerbach served as librarian for the Prussian State Library. From 1927 to 1947 he was professor of Romance philology at the University of Marburg in Germany and at the Turkish State University

Amos, Valerie Ann, Baroness Amos Of Brondesbury

2005-04-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

British politician, the first woman of African descent to serve in a British cabinet and as leader of the House of Lords. She was educated at Townley Grammar School for Girls and received a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Warwick (1976) and a master's degree in cultural studies from the University of Birmingham (1977). She worked

Radetzky, Joseph, Count (graf)

2005-04-01T03:04:00.000-08:00

Radetzky joined the Austrian army in 1784 and served in the Turkish War of 1787–92 and in the Low Countries in the first years of the French Revolutionary Wars. His courage and enterprise were conspicuous

Insurance, Renewability

2005-03-31T01:37:00.000-08:00

An important condition of health insurance is that of renewability. Some contracts are cancelable at any time upon short notice. Others are not cancelable during the year's term of coverage, but the insurer may refuse to renew coverage for a subsequent year or may renew only at higher rates or under restrictive conditions. Thus the insured may become ill with a chronic

Taenia

2005-03-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Genus of tapeworms parasitic in mammals. See tapeworm.

Italy, The Ostrogothic kingdom

2005-03-30T03:19:00.000-08:00

Odoacer was conquered and killed by Theoderic, king of the Ostrogoths (489–526). The decades of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy (489–552) can be seen as the first true period of Germanic rule in the peninsula, for an entire tribe of 100,000 to 200,000 people came with Theoderic. Still, the Ostrogothic kingdom continued to operate inside a largely Roman political system. Like Odoacer, Theoderic courted

Korfball

2005-03-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

Game similar to netball and basketball, invented in 1901 by an Amsterdam schoolmaster, Nico Broekhuysen. It was first demonstrated in The Netherlands in 1902 and was played on an international level, primarily in Europe, by the 1970s. It was devised as a game for both sexes. A national association was formed in 1903, and the game spread to Belgium, Indonesia, Suriname, Germany, Spain, New Guinea,

Qadarif, Al-

2005-03-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled El-gedaref, town, east-central Sudan. It is situated about 120 miles (200 km) southwest of Kassala town. Located at an elevation of 1,975 feet (608 m), it is a commercial centre for the cotton, cereals, sesame seeds, and fodder produced in the surrounding area. The Gash Irrigation Project is located to the northwest of al-Qadarif. Light industries include cotton ginning and spinning mills and soap factories.

Ibn Al-athir

2005-03-28T04:11:00.000-08:00

Ibn al-Athir spent a scholarly life in Mosul, but often visited Baghdad. He was for a time with Saladin's army in Syria and later lived in Aleppo and Damascus. His chief work was a history of the world, al-Kamil fi at-tarikh (“The Complete History”), starting with

Encarnación

2005-03-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Formerly Itapúa city, southeastern Paraguay. The city was founded in 1614 on the west bank of the Upper Paraná River, opposite Posadas, Arg., to which it is linked by a bridge completed in 1987. Severely damaged by a tornado in 1926, it is now one of the largest cities of Paraguay and a busy commercial, manufacturing, and communications centre. The city is divided into two sectors: the High (old) City and the

Jezebel

2005-03-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Jezabel in the Old Testament (Kings I and II), the wife of King Ahab, who ruled the kingdom of Israel; by interfering with the exclusive worship of the Hebrew god Yahweh, disregarding the rights of the common man, and defying the great prophets Elijah and Elisha, she provoked the internecine strife that enfeebled Israel for decades. She has come to be known as an archetype of the

Procedural Law, Common law

2005-03-26T02:25:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American legal systems, a convicted defendant may move in the trial court to arrest judgment, or he may file a motion for a new trial. The legality of the conviction may also be challenged by appeal to a higher court. Criminal appeals were unknown in the traditional common law, but today they are universally granted by statute. In the United Kingdom, the Criminal

Arts, Islamic, Roba'iyat: Omar Khayyam

2005-03-25T22:53:00.000-08:00

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

Seligman, C.g.

2005-03-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

Although educated as a physician, in 1898 Seligman joined the Cambridge University expedition to the Torres Strait (between New Guinea and Australia). After returning to England, he resumed

Piceni

2005-03-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

English Picenes Early Iron Age inhabitants of the Adriatic coast of Italy from Rimini to the Sangro River. Men and women dressed in wool; men wore armour, weapons, and ornaments of bronze or iron; women had numerous fibulae, torques, bracelets, girdles, and ornamental pendants. They had two main centres, one at Novilara in the north, and another around Belmonte and Fermo farther south. The

East African Mountains

2005-03-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Mountain region of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo (Kinshasa), Rwanda, and Burundi. The mountains are intimately related to the East African Rift System, the fractures of which extend discontinuously between the Zambezi River valley and the Red Sea and are flanked in many areas by highlands. Of the major mountains, all but one group—the Ruwenzori (Rwenzori) Range—are of

Nicholas (v)

2005-03-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

An assembly of priests and laymen in Rome under the influence of the Holy Roman emperor Louis IV the Bavarian, whom John had excommunicated, elected the Franciscan monk Pietro Rainalducci as the antipope

Murcia

2005-03-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Murcia provincia and comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southeastern Spain. It lies at the confluence of the Segura and Guadalentín (Sangonera) rivers in a fertile, irrigated area known as the huerta (orchard land), northeast of Granada city. The site was settled before the Roman occupation of southern Spain in the 3rd century BC, but its name even

China, The Northern Expedition

2005-03-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

In the Northern Expedition the outnumbered southern forces were infused with revolutionary spirit and fought with great élan. They were assisted by propaganda corps, which subverted enemy troops and agitated among the populace in the enemy's rear. Soviet military advisers accompanied most of the divisions, and Soviet pilots reconnoitred the enemy positions.

Biblical Literature, Susanna

2005-03-20T23:47:00.000-08:00

The second addition to Daniel, the story of Susanna, and the third one, Bel and the Dragon, are preserved in two Greek versions. In both stories the hero is the wise Daniel. Susanna was the pious and beautiful wife of Joakim, a wealthy Jew in Babylon. Two aged judges became inflamed with love for her. They tried to force her to yield to their lust, and, when she refused, they accused

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The people

2005-03-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

The Nicobarese probably descend from both Malay and Myanmar (Mon or Talaing) peoples. Their dialects belong to the Mon-Khmer language group; English, Burmese, and Hindustani also are spoken. Most of the population is Hindu, although Christianity has been widely adopted and there is also a significant Muslim minority. The coconut and betel nut are major crops, and yams

Mckenna, Siobhan

2005-03-18T23:50:00.000-08:00

A member of an amateur Gaelic theatre group, McKenna made her

Andaman And Nicobar Islands, The people

2005-03-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

Rodent native to Eurasia but introduced worldwide through association with humans. Highly adaptive, the house mouse has both behavioral and physiological traits—such as the ability to survive in buildings and aboard ships, a tendency to move into agricultural fields and leave when the habitat changes, and a rapid rate of reproduction—that allow

Powder River

2005-03-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

Stream of the northwestern United States. It rises in several headstreams in foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming and flows northward for 486 miles (782 km) to join the Yellowstone River near Terry, Mont. Tributaries include the Little Powder River and Crazy Woman Creek.

Lorde, Audre

2005-03-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Grenadan parents, Lorde attended Hunter College and received a B.A. in 1959 and a master's degree in library science in 1961. She married in 1962 and wrote poetry while working as a librarian at

Settle

2005-03-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

Long wooden bench with backrest and arms, designed to seat several people. Originating in Europe in the 10th century, it was apparently derived from the chest, a resemblance often retained, with additional elements based on the monastic choir stall. It could be used for a variety of purposes: as a seat, a bed, a chest, and, in examples with a hinged backrest that can be turned

Demosthenes

2005-03-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

From this point on (354), Demosthenes' career is virtually the history of Athenian foreign policy. It was not very long before his oratorical skill made him, in effect, the leader of what today might be called the democratic party. Some interests, especially the wealthy, would have preferred an oligarchy instead of a democracy; many merchants would have preferred peace at

Actuary

2005-03-16T23:08:00.000-08:00

Most actuaries are

Bouvard, Alexis

2005-03-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Astronomer and director of the Paris Observatory, who is noted for discovering eight comets and writing Tables astronomiques of Jupiter and Saturn (1808) and of Uranus (1821). Bouvard's tables accurately predicted orbital locations of Jupiter and Saturn, but his tables for Uranus failed, leading him to hypothesize that irregularities in Uranus'

Wright, Patience

2005-03-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Patience Lovell was born into a prosperous Quaker farm family. In 1748 she married Joseph Wright. Little is known of her life from then until 1769, when she was left a widow with five children. About this time she began modeling in wax. Her recorded

Arinnitti

2005-03-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hattian Wurusemu Hittite sun goddess, the principal deity and patron of the Hittite empire and monarchy. Her consort, the weather god Taru, was second to Arinnitti in importance, indicating that she probably originated in matriarchal times. Arinnitti's precursor seems to have been a mother-goddess of Anatolia, symbolic of earth and fertility. Arinnitti's attributes were righteous

Muhavura

2005-03-14T03:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Volcan Muhabura, extinct volcano at the easternmost end of the Virunga Mountains in east central Africa. It lies northeast of Lake Kivu on the border between Uganda and Rwanda. It is more than 13,500 ft high, and its crater contains a lake. The volcano forms part of the Virunga National Park, which is the home of the mountain gorilla.

Henbury Craters

2005-03-14T02:07:00.000-08:00

Group of 13 meteorite craters in a desert area 8 mi (13 km) west-southwest of Henbury, Northern Territory, central Australia, within the Henbury Meteorite Conservation Park. The craters, recognized in 1931, lie in an area of 0.5 sq mi (1.25 sq km) and are distributed in a scattering ellipse typical of a cluster fall of meteorites. The largest crater (thought to be a coalescence of two smaller

Amphibian, Size range and diversity of structure

2005-03-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

The three living groups of amphibians vary greatly in size and structure. Long tails and two pairs of limbs of about equal size distinguish the salamander, although members of the family Sirenidae have no hindlimbs. Their total length varies greatly; a diminutive terrestrial species in Mexico measures 27 millimetres (1.06 inches) long, and the giant aquatic salamander

Augustine, Saint

2005-03-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

The creation narrative of the book of Genesis was for Augustine scripture par excellence. He wrote at least five sustained treatises on those chapters (if we include the last three books of the Confessions and books 11–14 of City of God). His De genesi ad litteram (401–414/415; Literal Commentary on Genesis) was the result of many years of work from the late 390s to the early 410s. Its notion of “literal

North America, Mangrove thickets

2005-03-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

Ringing southern Florida and the Mexican lowlands facing the Caribbean, mangrove thickets are backed by quick-oak and palms. Ibis fleck the woods with their gleaming white feathers. Water moccasin and other venomous snakes are common in swamps, as are alligators.

China, Buddhism

2005-03-11T23:46:00.000-08:00

The spokesmen of Chinese Buddhism under the early Mongol rulers came from the Ch'an sect (meditation Buddhism). Their high intellectuality and refined aestheticism, however, did not appeal to the Mongols, who felt more attracted by the mixture of magic practices, rather nebulous metaphysics, and impressive symbolism in the visual arts of Tibetan Buddhism. Kublai

Aryballos

2005-03-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Small, narrow-necked, spherical or globular Greek vase. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, particularly by athletes at the baths, the aryballos derives from the globular wine pourer (oinochoe) of the Geometric style (9th century BC), evolving its distinctive shape in the early Proto-Corinthian style (8th century BC). From the many aryballoi that have been found dating from

Lean, Sir David

2005-03-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Lean was the son of strict Quaker parents and did not see his first film until age 17. He began his film career in 1928 as a teaboy for Gaumont-British studios, where he soon was promoted to clapboard boy, and finally to editor,

Spanish Fork

2005-03-10T01:07:00.000-08:00

City, Utah county, northern Utah, U.S. The city takes its name from the Spanish Fork River, along which the Spanish missionary-explorers Domínguez and Escalante traveled in their 1776 survey of the region. In 1854 Mormon settlers established a fort alongside the river, around which a town grew. Prosperous farms and food-production industries provided the economic basis for

Procyonid

2005-03-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

Any member of the mammalian family Procyonidae (order Carnivora), including the raccoon and allied species. They are hunted for their fur and flesh, and sometimes kept as pets. Except for the lesser panda of East Asia, the living forms inhabit North and Central America. Procyonids are closely related to bears (Ursidae) and dogs (Canidae). They are small animals with long,

Croatia, Industry

2005-03-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

Already more industrialized than most of its neighbours when the communists assumed power over Yugoslavia in 1945, Croatia continued its rapid industrialization under socialist policies of economic and social development. One unfortunate result was the squandering of a great deal of money through inefficiency and the misallocation of resources through the

Ma-wang-tui

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

In tomb number one was found the almost

Bradley, Joseph P.

2005-03-08T00:17:00.000-08:00

Associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1870. Bradley was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Electoral Commission of 1877, and his vote elected Rutherford B. Hayes president of the United States. As a justice he emphasized the power of the federal government to regulate commerce. His decisions reflecting this view, rendered during

Qasida

2005-03-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Plural qasida, also spelled kasida, Arabic qasidah poetic form developed in pre-Islamic Arabia and perpetuated throughout Islamic literary history into the present. It is a laudatory, elegiac, or satiric poem that is found in Arabic, Persian, and many related Asian literatures. The classic qasida is an elaborately structured ode of 60 to 100 lines, maintaining a single end rhyme that runs through the entire piece; the same

Arabian Sea, Climate and hydrology

2005-03-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

The Arabian Sea has a monsoon climate. Minimum air temperatures of about 75° to 77° F (24° to 25° C) at the sea's surface occur in the central Arabian Sea in January and February, while temperatures higher than 82° F (28° C) occur in both June and November. During the rainy season, which occurs when the southwest monsoon winds blow (April to November), salinities of less than 35 parts per thousand have

Nebula, Diffuse nebulae (H II regions)

2005-03-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

As noted above, clouds of gas and dust that contain stars hot enough to ionize their hydrogen are called diffuse nebulae, or H II regions. In contrast to dark or reflection nebulae, their spectrum consists of emission lines at various wavelengths characteristic of their ions. Like dark clouds, diffuse nebulae typically have little regular structure or sharp

Cabanis, Pierre-jean-georges

2005-03-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Cabanis' early interest in poetry and medicine and a budding political

Mauretania

2005-03-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

Its native inhabitants, seminomadic pastoralists of Berber stock, were known to the Romans as the Mauri (i.e., Moors) and the Massaesyli. From the 6th century BC the Phoenicians and Carthaginians also settled at points along the coast.

Pack, Otto Von

2005-03-05T03:01:00.000-08:00

Pack, a Saxon nobleman, studied law at the University of Leipzig, after which he entered the service of George, duke of Saxony. By 1519 most important governmental matters in Saxony were entrusted to him, and he represented his

Ramananda

2005-03-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

Ramananda left home as a youth and became a sannyasin (ascetic) before settling in Varanasi (Benares) to study Vedic texts, Ramanuja's philosophy,

General Security, Committee Of

2005-03-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

French Comité De Sûreté Générale, organ of the French Revolutionary government. It directed the political police and Revolutionary justice. Founded by the National Convention in 1792, the committee administered the Reign of Terror of 1793–94, along with the Committee of Public Safety. See also Revolutionary Tribunal.

Yangtze River, The upper course

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

The upper course of the Yangtze flows across the Plateau of Tibet and descends through deep valleys in the mountains east of the plateau, emerging onto the Yunnan-Kweichou (Yunkwei) Plateau. The summers are warm and the winters cold. The source of the Yangtze is the Wu-lan-mu-lun (Ulan Muren) River, which originates in glacial meltwaters on the slopes of the T'ang-ku-la

Dyspareunia

2005-03-03T03:30:00.000-08:00

Painful or difficult sexual intercourse in the female. Disorders are generally physical rather than psychological. Dyspareunia may be caused by inflammation or infection of the vagina, vaginismus (q.v.; voluntary or involuntary contraction of the lower vaginal muscles), remnants of the hymen, insufficient lubrication of the vagina, infection, endometriosis, tumours,

Sea Level

2005-03-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

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

Middlesex

2005-03-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

County, east-central New Jersey, U.S., bounded by the Millstone River to the southwest, the Raritan River to the northwest, the Rahway River to the northeast, and Raritan Bay to the east. It consists largely of a coastal lowland. Other bodies of water include Carnegie and Farrington lakes and the South River. Forested areas contain oak and hickory. Among the recreational

Intention

2005-03-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

(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

Balder

2005-02-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

Old Norse Baldr in Norse mythology, the son of the chief god Odin and his wife Frigg. Beautiful and just, he was the favourite of the gods. Most legends about him concern his death. Icelandic stories tell how the gods amused themselves by throwing objects at him, knowing that he was immune from harm. The blind god Höd, deceived by the evil Loki, killed Balder by hurling mistletoe, the only

Hooker, John Lee

2005-02-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

Born into a Mississippi sharecropping family, Hooker learned to play the guitar from his stepfather and developed an interest in gospel music as a child. In 1943 he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he made his mark

Candytuft

2005-02-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

Any of 30 species of Eurasian plants of the genus Iberis, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Most species are native to the Mediterranean region. Globe candytuft (I. umbellata), widely grown garden annual native to southern Europe, bears flat clusters of pink, violet, white, purple, or red flowers in late summer. The plants are 40 centimetres (16 inches) tall and have long, narrow

Tiwi

2005-02-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Resort town, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It is situated along Lagonoy Gulf of the Philippine Sea. The town lies in a bed of volcanic vents over an active geothermal area; through the vents, sulfurous live steam pours continuously. Tiwi Hot Springs National Park is nearby; there tourists can boil food in the steaming water. There are local handicraft industries

Hugh Of Lincoln, Little Saint

2005-02-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

The victim of an anonymous

Mclean, John

2005-02-26T04:01:00.000-08:00

After two terms in the U.S.

Christchurch

2005-02-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

Town and borough (district), administrative county of Dorset, historic county of Hampshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the Rivers Stour and Avon and adjoins the English Channel resort of Bournemouth. The site was significant during prehistoric times; Late Bronze–Early Iron Age trade with the European continent apparently focused on nearby Hengistbury

Aleni, Giulio

2005-02-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

Aleni entered the Society of Jesus in 1600 and was sent to the Far East. He landed at Macau in 1610 and went to China three years later. During his more than 30 years in China, he adopted that country's dress and manners. He built several churches

Jordan, Justice and security

2005-02-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

The judiciary is constitutionally independent, though judges are appointed and dismissed by royal iradah (“decree”) following a decision made by the Justices Council. There are three categories of courts. The first category consists of regular courts, including those of magistrates, courts of first instance, and courts of appeals and cassation in Amman, which hear

Anthomyiid Fly

2005-02-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

A common insect of the family Anthomyiidae (order Diptera) resembling the housefly in appearance. The lesser housefly (Fannia canicularis) and the latrine fly (F. scalaris) are important anthomyiid flies. They breed in filth, can carry diseases, and are often found in the home. Some larvae feed on plants and are serious pests, many are scavengers and live in excrement and

Ursa Major

2005-02-23T22:56:00.000-08:00

Also called The Great Bear, in astronomy, a constellation of the Northern Hemisphere, at about 10 hours 40 minutes right ascension (the coordinate on the celestial sphere analogous to longitude on the Earth) and 56° north declination (angular distance north of the celestial equator). It was referred to in the Old Testament (Job 9:9; 38:32) and mentioned by Homer in the Iliad (xviii, 487). The Greeks identified this constellation

Morales, Cristóbal De

2005-02-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

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

Improvisation

2005-02-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

Many of

Cuthred

2005-02-22T02:35:00.000-08:00

King of the West Saxons, or Wessex, who acceded to the throne (740) when neighbouring Mercia was at the height of its power. Cuthred was apparently a dependent of Aethelbald, king of Mercia, and throughout much of his reign of 16 years had to struggle against the Mercians as well as the Welsh. In 752 he defeated Aethelbald's forces at Burford in Oxfordshire, an epic event freeing Wessex

Ara

2005-02-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Arrah city, Bihar state, northeastern India. The city is a major rail and road junction. Agricultural trade and oilseed milling are carried on there. It is the site of several colleges affiliated with Magadh University. The Little House at Ara is a building that was defended by the British against Kunwar Singh during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. Ara was constituted a municipality

Apple Moss

2005-02-21T06:23:00.000-08:00

(Bartramia pomiformis), moss of the order Bryales that has apple-shaped capsules (spore cases) and forms wide, deep cushions in moist, rocky woods throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of more than 100 species in the genus Bartramia; more than 10 are found in North America. An apple moss is usually erect, with a two-forked caulid (stem) about 6 cm (about 2.25 inches) tall, with rust-coloured,

Scypha

2005-02-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

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

Hingham

2005-02-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Plymouth county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies on Hingham Harbor (an inlet of Massachusetts Bay), about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Boston. Settled in 1633, it was incorporated in 1635 and named for Hingham, England. During the 19th century it was a bustling industrial town (iron tools, nails, and textiles), and its harbour was a busy fishing and boatbuilding centre; these

Alva

2005-02-19T03:58:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Woods county, northwestern Oklahoma, U.S., on Salt Fork of the Arkansas River near the Kansas border. Established as a land office in 1893 at a Santa Fe Railway stop, it was named for Alva Adams, a railroad attorney and governor of Colorado (1887–89). It is a marketing and processing centre for a wheat and livestock area. Manufactures include tractors and furniture; petroleum

Port Hawkesbury

2005-02-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

Town, Inverness county, northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. It lies along the Strait of Canso, at the southern end of Cape Breton Island, 36 miles (58 km) east of Antigonish. Originally called Ship Harbour, the town was renamed in 1860, possibly for Charles Jenkinson, Baron Hawkesbury (1729–1808). It was a transportation hub, serving as the island terminus for the rail and highway ferries to the

Barakzay Dynasty

2005-02-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

Ruling family in Afghanistan in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Barakzay brothers seized control of Afghanistan and in 1826 divided the region between them. Dost Mohammad Khan gained preeminence and founded the dynasty about 1837. Thereafter his descendants ruled in direct succession until 1929, when the reigning monarch abdicated and his cousin Mohammad Nader Khan was elected

Victor (iv)

2005-02-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Made cardinal by Pope Innocent II in 1138, he was elected by a minority of cardinals in September 1159, while, concurrently, a majority elected Alexander

Auburn

2005-02-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1805) of Cayuga county, west-central New York, U.S. It lies at the north end of Owasco Lake, in the Finger Lakes region, 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Syracuse. Founded in 1793 by John Hardenbergh, an officer in the American Revolution, on the site of a Cayuga Indian village called Wasco, it was first known as Hardenbergh's Corners. It developed around Auburn State Prison (established

Ikot Ekpene

2005-02-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

Town, Akwa Ibom state, southern Nigeria. The town lies along the coastal highway, between Calabar and Aba. It is the chief trade centre (yams, cassava, taro, corn [maize], and palm produce) for a densely populated area known for its export of palm oil and kernels. It is mainly inhabited by the Anang branch of the Ibibio people, who are noted for their cane furniture and basket handicrafts.

Consonance And Dissonance

2005-02-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

In music, the impression of stability and repose (consonance) in relation to the impression of tension or clash (dissonance) experienced by a listener when certain combinations of tones or notes are sounded together. In certain musical styles, movement to and from consonance and dissonance gives shape and a sense of direction, for example, through increases and decreases

Mountain, The North American Cordillera

2005-02-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Subduction of oceanic lithosphere presently occurs only beneath two segments of the coast of western North America. The subduction

An-k'ang

2005-02-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Ankang, formerly Hsing-an, city in southeastern Shensi sheng (province), China. Situated in the narrow valley of the Han River between the Tsinling and Ta-pa mountain ranges, it has been an important trade centre since antiquity, being situated at the junction of the east-west route via the Han River valley and the route to the north over the mountains to Sian (Ch'ang-an). A rail line, completed in 1978, links

Bench

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

Long seat that may be freestanding, fixed to the wall, or placed against the wall. Paneled benches were used by the Romans, and they were the most common form of seating in medieval halls at a time when a chair was a rare luxury. Benches were not only used as seats but were normally wide enough to be used for sleeping on or eating from; as the Frankish ecclesiastic and historian

Ecloga

2005-02-14T01:58:00.000-08:00

Leo issued the law code in Greek instead of the traditional Latin, so that it could be understood by more people and utilized by judges

Rural Electrification

2005-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Project implemented in the United States in the second quarter of the 20th century by the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), a federal agency established in 1935, under the New Deal, in an effort to raise the standard of rural living and to slow the extensive migration of rural Americans to urban centres; more than 98 percent of the United States' farms were equipped

Stefan Nemanja

2005-02-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

Nemanja became grand zupan (clan leader) of Raška under Byzantine suzerainty in 1169. He subsequently sided with the Venetians and was eventually defeated by the avenging Byzantines, but he was pardoned. Nemanja later conquered Skopje, Prizren, and Tetovo. Though again defeated, he retained Kosovo, Pec, Prizren, Bar, Skadar (Shkodër), and Kotor. He abdicated

Ha

2005-02-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Abaha, or Waha, a Bantu-speaking people belonging to the Interlacustrine Bantu ethnolinguistic family who live in western Tanzania bordering on Lake Tanganyika. Their country, which they call Buha, comprises grasslands and open woodlands. Agriculture is their primary economic activity. Sorghum, millet, corn (maize), cassava, yams, peanuts (groundnuts), and other crops were cultivated

San Fernando

2005-02-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

Town, west-central Luzon, Philippines. Located on a bay of the South China Sea formed by a peninsula that ends in San Fernando Point, it served a tobacco- and rice-growing region as the northern terminus of the Philippine National Railway until the line was extended to Bacnotan in 1955. The town is on Luzon's main western coastal highway. Its outport, Poro, is the only national

Estébanez Calderón, Serafín

2005-02-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Estébanez also spelled Estévanes, byname El Solitario one of the best-known costumbristas, Spanish writers who depicted in short articles the typical customs of the people. He moved to Madrid in 1830, where he published newspaper articles under the pseudonym El Solitario and pursued a career that combined Arabic studies, poetry, and the collecting of manuscripts. He was also influential in the

Ts'ao Kuo-chiu

2005-02-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Cao Guojiu, in Chinese mythology, one of the Pa Hsien, the Eight Immortals of Taoism. Ts'ao is sometimes depicted in official robes and hat and carrying a tablet indicative of his rank and of his right to palace audiences. He was a man of exemplary character who often reminded a dissolute brother that though one can escape the laws of man, one cannot avoid the nets of heaven. In another

Heyward, Dubose

2005-02-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

At the age of 17 Heyward worked on the waterfront, where he observed the black Americans who were to become the subject of his writing. Heyward first wrote poems: Carolina Chansons (1922), a joint publication

Yuma Desert

2005-02-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Yuma Desert is a region of low sandy plains and dunes. The area is nearly barren,

Middlesex

2005-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

County, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S., west and northwest of Boston and bordered on the north by New Hampshire. The county consists of an upland region drained by the Merrimack, Nashua, Assabet, Concord, Sudbury, and Shawsheen rivers. Other waterways include Whitehall and Cambridge reservoirs, Lake Cochituate, and historic Walden Pond. Parklands include more than

Islamic World, Trans-Saharan Islam

2005-02-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

When the Ottomans expanded through the southern Mediterranean coast in the early 16th century, they were unable to incorporate Morocco, where a new state had been formed in reaction to the appearance of the Portuguese. The Portuguese were riding the momentum generated by their own seaborne expansion as well as by the fulfillment of the Reconquista and the establishment

Peter I

2005-02-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

Born the third son of the reigning prince Alexander Karadjordjevic (1842–58), Peter became heir to the throne on the death