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organic bed linen

2006-10-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

Livs range of soft luxurious bed linenis sourced ethically from India and using a fair trade policy. Liv also provide duvet cover set and bath towel set.

Applebee, Constance M.k.

2005-04-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Applebee was a frail child and received her education at home from local clergymen. She studied physical education, in part, to improve her health, ultimately graduating from London's British College of Physical

Suffren De Saint-tropez, Pierre André De

2005-04-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

A Knight of Malta, Suffren de Saint-Tropez served under Admiral C.H. d'Estaing in America and was sent to assist French military operations in India in 1781. In a remarkable series of engagements with British Admiral

Uriburu, José Félix

2005-04-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Argentine soldier and statesman who led the military coup that in September 1930 overthrew the liberal regime of President Hipólito Irigoyen and restored the old landed oligarchy to the political power it had lost after the revolution of 1916. German militarist ideas and Benito Mussolini's corporate state idea were said to be

Anderson, Regina M.

2005-04-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Anderson attended several colleges, including Wilberforce University in Ohio and the University of Chicago. She received a Master of Library Science degree from Columbia University

Pierre

2005-04-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

Capital of South Dakota, U.S., seat (1880) of Hughes county, on the Missouri River, in the geographic centre of the state. Before 1800 the capital of the Arikara Indian nation was located on its site. Founded in June 1880 as the western terminus of the Chicago and North Western Railway, it was first known as Mahto (Sioux: “Bear”) but was renamed in December 1880 for Pierre Chouteau, a French fur trader.

Earth Sciences, The theory of plate tectonics

2005-04-01T01:59:00.000-08:00

Plate tectonics has revolutionized virtually every discipline of the Earth sciences since the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has served as a unifying model or paradigm for explaining geologic phenomena that were formerly considered in unrelated fashion. Plate tectonics describes seismic activity, volcanism, mountain building, and various other Earth processes in

Antarctica, Post-IGY research

2005-03-31T08:33:00.000-08:00

In order to continue and coordinate the international Antarctic scientific effort in the post-IGY period, ICSU in September 1957 organized the Special Committee on Antarctic Research, or SCAR. (In 1961 the word Scientific was substituted for Special.) The foundations for the committee were laid at its first meeting in The Hague in 1958. SCAR, a nonpolitical body, coordinates not

Tarbes

2005-03-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

After the Roman occupation, when it was a city of considerable importance, Tarbes was seized for a time by the Arabs. In the 10th century it became the capital of the ancient countship

Quaking Grass

2005-03-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

The various species are native to Eurasia. Briza maxima, B. media, and B. minor (shivery grass) are cultivated as ornamentals and have become naturalized in temperate

Euwe, Max

2005-03-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

Euwe won his first (minor) tournament at the age of 10 but played little thereafter until he had completed his formal education in 1926 at the University

'abd Al-qadir Al-jilani

2005-03-28T18:07:00.000-08:00

He studied Islamic law in Baghdad and was introduced to Sufism rather late in life, first appearing as a preacher in 1127. His great reputation as a preacher and teacher attracted disciples from the entire Islamic world, and he is said to have converted numerous Jews and Christians

Follen, Karl

2005-03-28T16:22:00.000-08:00

Graduated from the University of Giessen as a doctor of civil and canonical law (1818), Follen taught there and in the

Biblical Literature, In Judaism

2005-03-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

After the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had fallen, in 722 BCE (before the Common Era, equivalent to BC) and 587/586 BCE, respectively, the Hebrew people outlived defeat, captivity, and the loss of their national independence, largely because they possessed writings that preserved their history and traditions. Many of them did not return to Palestine after their exile. Those who did return

Lowell, A(bbott) Lawrence

2005-03-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

A member of a prominent Boston family, Lowell was the brother of the astronomer Percival Lowell and of the poet Amy Lowell. He graduated from Harvard (A.B. 1877, LL.B. 1880) and practiced law in Boston for 17 years before turning

Top Moss

2005-03-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Common species of urn moss (q.v.).

Latin America, History Of, Cities

2005-03-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

In the late 15th century most of Iberia was consolidated into three kingdoms—Portugal, Castile, and Aragon—of which the last two were united through royal marriage. But society itself was still quite provincial. The most important entity for purposes of organization and affiliation was the city and the large territory attached to it. More people were engaged in agricultural

Pieris

2005-03-25T06:33:00.000-08:00

The leaves are usually alternate, broad, leathery, lance-shaped, and toothed. The flowers, which are cylindrical or urn-shaped, have a five-lobed calyx (the sepals, collectively) and grow in a terminal or

Bracken

2005-03-24T03:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Brake, genus of ferns (Pteridium), the sole species (P. aquilinum) of which is widely distributed throughout the world in temperate and tropical regions. The species is represented by 12 varieties, 4 of which occur in North America and Great Britain. Variety pubescens grows from Alaska to Mexico, east to Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas. Variety latiusculum, growing also in

Kandahar

2005-03-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

The strategic and

Qatif, Al-

2005-03-22T05:22:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Katif, town and oasis, northeastern Saudi Arabia. It lies along the Persian Gulf, over Al-Qatif petroleum field. Since the development of the oil fields in the late 1940s, Al-Qatif has lost its status as an important port to Ad-Dammam. In addition to several oil wells, Al-Qatif has oil-gas separator plants, pipelines, and large residential quarters for workers. A major irrigation project (completed

Goniophora

2005-03-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

Extinct genus of clams found in Silurian to Devonian rocks (the Silurian Period began 438 million years ago and lasted about 30 million years; it was followed by the Devonian, which lasted some 48 million years). Goniophora is characterized by a distinctive shell that is sharply angular. A prominent ridge extends the length of the shell; from it the shell flanks taper away. Fine

Equestrian Sports, International.

2005-03-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

In 2003 the introduction of North American-style alternatives to turf courses was accelerating in European Thoroughbred racing. Sweden, Germany, and Belgium had been the first European countries to introduce dirt racing, and Lingfield Park had opened the first British “all-weather” track in October 1989. Cagnes-sur-Mer and Pau, two winter courses in the south of France, first

Maceió

2005-03-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

Capital, Alagoas estado (“state”), northeastern Brazil. It is situated below low bluffs on a level strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Norte (or Mundaú) Lagoon, a shallow body of water extending inward for several miles. Formerly called Macayo, the city dates from 1815, when a small settlement there was made a villa. In 1839 it became capital of Alagoas (then a provincia) and

Arrian

2005-03-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

Latin in full Flavius Arrianus Greek historian and philosopher who was the author of a work describing the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Entitled Anabasis, presumably in order to recall Xenophon's work of that title, it describes Alexander's military exploits in seven books; an eighth, the Indica, tells of Indian customs and the voyage of Nearchus in the Persian

Carlisle, John G(riffin)

2005-03-19T14:41:00.000-08:00

Carlisle was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1858 and practiced law in Covington before his election to a term in the state legislature (1859–61); he also served in the Kentucky state senate (1866–71) and as lieutenant

Jansen, Cornelius Otto

2005-03-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

Flemish leader of the Roman Catholic reform movement known as Jansenism. He wrote biblical commentaries and pamphlets against the Protestants. His major work was Augustinus, published by his friends in 1640. Although condemned by Pope Urban VIII in 1642, it was of critical importance

Indonesia, Volcanoes

2005-03-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

Volcanoes play a major role in soil development and enrichment,

Bar Mitzvah

2005-03-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bar Mitzva, or Mitzwa (Hebrew: “Son of the Commandment”), plural Bar Mitzvahs, Bar Mitzvot, or Bar Mitzwot, Jewish religious ritual and family celebration commemorating the religious adulthood of a boy on his 13th birthday. The boy, now deemed personally responsible for fulfilling all the commandments, may henceforth don phylacteries (religious symbols worn on the forehead and left arm) during the weekday-morning prayers and may be counted an adult whenever 10 male adults

Bridger, Jim

2005-03-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

In 1812, Bridger's father, a surveyor and an innkeeper, moved his family to an Illinois farm near St. Louis, Mo. The young Bridger joined his first fur-trapping expedition in 1822 (that of William H. Ashley and Andrew Henry, up the Missouri River), and for the next 20 years

Chenault, Kenneth

2005-03-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

The son of a dentist and a dental hygienist, Chenault grew up on Long Island and attended the Waldorf School, an alternative school, where he developed his first leadership skills as senior

Eclogue

2005-03-16T01:51:00.000-08:00

A short pastoral poem, usually in dialogue, on the subject of rural life and the society of shepherds, depicting rural life as free from the complexity and corruption of more civilized life. The eclogue first appeared in the Idylls of the Greek poet Theocritus (c. 310–250 BC), generally recognized as the inventor of pastoral poetry. The Roman poet Virgil (70–19 BC) adopted the form for his

Switzerland, Education

2005-03-16T00:21:00.000-08:00

The 1874 constitution stipulates that each canton or demi-canton is sovereign in education, that elementary education is compulsory and free, and that all public schools must be directed by the cantons. The confederation financially assists vocational training and the cantonal universities, and, by regulating examinations for the professions, it also influences

Ikeda Hayato

2005-03-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Born into a sake brewer's family, he graduated from Kyoto Imperial University law school in 1925 and began his career in the Ministry of Finance. After rising to the position of vice minister

Robert Iii

2005-03-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of Robert the Steward (the future Robert II) and Elizabeth Mure, he was legitimated by their marriage several years after

Coin, Scandinavia

2005-03-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

The origin of Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish coinages is clearly the result of the Danish conquest of England. The Runic alphabet was employed, though not by any means exclusively, on many early coins of Denmark and Norway. The Norwegian series began with Haakon the Great (c. 970–995), who copied the pennies of Ethelred II. In the second half of the 11th century, a coinage of small, thin

Duck Lake

2005-03-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

Town, central Saskatchewan, Canada. It lies between the North and South Saskatchewan rivers, 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Prince Albert. Originally settled about 1870 on nearby Duck Lake, the town was the site of the first clash (March 26, 1885) of the Riel (North West) Rebellion between Métis (people of mixed American Indian and French or Scottish ancestry) led by Gabriel Dumont and a detachment

Pénicaud Family

2005-03-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

French enamelers active in Limoges during the 16th century, considered to be among the finest such craftsmen of their time. They were noted for their work in grisaille enamel, monochromatically painted enamel work intended to look like sculpture. Nardon Pénicaud (c. 1470–c. 1542), the first recorded member of the family, worked in the French Gothic style, but his brother or son, Jean

Alclad

2005-03-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Laminated metal produced in sheets composed of a Duralumin (q.v.) core and outer layers of aluminum.

Morris, Clara

2005-03-13T04:50:00.000-08:00

Morris was the eldest child of a bigamous marriage. When she was three her father was exposed, and her mother fled with her to Cleveland, Ohio, where they adopted her grandmother's name, Morrison. Clara received only

Swan Islands

2005-03-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

Spanish Islas Del Cisne, two islets (Greater and Lesser Swan) in the Caribbean Sea, 97 mi (156 km) north of Honduras. Discovered by Christopher Columbus on St. Anne's day in 1502, they were named Islas Santa Ana. The islands, only 3 sq mi (8 sq km) in area, served as a pirate haunt from the 16th through the 18th century. In 1775 they appeared on a map as the Swan Islands. The notorious U.S. filibuster William Walker occupied them in 1860; following

Uyuni

2005-03-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

Town, southwestern Bolivia. It lies on the cold, windswept Altiplano, a high intermontane plateau, at 12,024 feet (3,665 m) above sea level, just east of the vast Uyuni Salt Flat. Founded in 1890, it prospered, with the assistance of Slav and Syrian colonists, as a railroad junction and mining and market centre. Northeast of the town are the Pulacayo and Huanchaca silver mines. From Uyuni a branch

Waddington, C.h.

2005-03-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Waddington graduated in geology from the University of Cambridge (1926), and it was only after studying paleontology that he turned to biology. Before World War II he taught zoology and embryology at Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge. From 1947 until

Cane Furniture

2005-03-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

Furniture in which a mesh of split canes is stretched over parts of the framework, principally on the backs and seats of chairs. It was made in India as early as the 2nd century AD and was also known in China. Cane was imported into Europe by the East India Company, and cane furniture became fashionable in England and the Netherlands toward the end of the 17th century. It is particularly

China

2005-03-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

Officially People's Republic of China, Chinese (Wade-Giles) Chung-hua or Chung-hua Jen-min Kung-ho-kuo, (Pinyin) Zhonghua or Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo country of East Asia. It is the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population of any country in the world. Occupying nearly the entire East Asian landmass, it stretches for about 3,100 miles (5,000 km) from east to west and 3,400 miles from north to south and covers an area of about 3,696,100 square miles (9,572,900 square km), which is approximately one-fourteenth of the land area of the Earth.

Spanish Literature, The Romantic movement

2005-03-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Literature in Spain in the first third of the 19th century was still affected by the Napoleonic Wars and their long aftermath. Many liberals driven into exile by Ferdinand VII after 1823 sought refuge in France; and, when they returned to Spain after his death in 1833, they had been so influenced by French Romanticism that this date has been taken as the beginning of the Romantic

Eisenstaedt, Alfred

2005-03-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

Eisenstaedt served in the German army in World War I from 1916 to 1918, sustaining injuries in both legs. He became an enthusiastic

Selim Ii

2005-03-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

Selim,

Madagascar, Settlement patterns

2005-03-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

Despite the importance of intensive rice cultivation, the land is used primarily for pastoral purposes. Cattle are kept in all parts of the island. Fewer are found in the dense forest areas of the eastern escarpment, but elsewhere pastoralism predominates, most often coexisting with the cultivation of subsistence crops. On the plateau, the valley floors and irrigable

Ekkehard Iv

2005-03-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

He grew up at Sankt Gallen, being educated by the celebrated German scholar Notker Labeo, Ekkehard I's nephew. From sometime after 1022 until 1031 he was director

Eagles, The

2005-03-07T02:48:00.000-08:00

American band that cultivated country rock as the reigning style and sensibility of white youth in the United States during the 1970s. The original members were Don Henley (b. July 22, 1947, Gilmer, Texas, U.S.), Glenn Frey (b. November 6, 1948, Detroit, Michigan), Bernie Leadon (b. July 19, 1947, Minneapolis, Minnesota), and Randy Meisner (b. March 8, 1946, Scottsbluff, Nebraska). Later members included Don Felder (b. September

Thököly, Imre

2005-03-06T00:57:00.000-08:00

The scion of a rich Protestant family, Thököly moved to Transylvania after his father was executed for having had a role in the Hungarian magnates' conspiracy against the Habsburg emperor Leopold

Niue

2005-03-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

Internally self-governing island state in free association with New Zealand. It is the westernmost of the Cook Islands but is administratively separate from them. Niue lies 1,340 miles (2,156 km) northeast of Auckland and 240 miles (385 km) east of Vava'u, Tonga, in the south-central Pacific. The capital is Alofi. Area 100 square miles (260 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 2,200.

Lentil

2005-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

(species Lens esculenta), small annual legume of the pea family (Leguminosae) and its lens-shaped edible seed, which is rich in protein and one of the most ancient of cultivated foods. Of unknown origin, the lentil is widely cultivated throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa but is little grown in the Western Hemisphere. The seeds are used chiefly in soups and the herbage

Hyperion

2005-03-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

One of the smaller satellites of Saturn, discovered in 1848 independently by the astronomers William Bond and George Bond of the United States and William Lassell of England. Hyperion orbits Saturn once every 21.3 days at a distance of 1,482,000 km (918,840 miles), between the orbits of the major satellites Titan and Iapetus. Its orbit is unusual in that it is somewhat eccentric (e = 0.104°) yet uninclined

Aluminum Processing

2005-03-04T01:47:00.000-08:00

Aluminum, or aluminium (Al), is a silvery white metal with a melting point of 660° C (1,220° F) and a density of 2.7 grams per cubic centimetre. The most abundant metallic element, it constitutes 8.1 percent of the Earth's crust. In nature it occurs chemically combined with oxygen and other elements. In the pure state it is soft and ductile, but

Marseille

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

Also spelled Marseilles, ancient Massilia, or Massalia, city, capital of Bouches-du-Rhône département, France, and also the administrative and commercial capital of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, one of France's fastest growing régions. Located west of the French Riviera, Marseille is one of the major ports of the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated on the Mediterranean's Gulf of Lion within a semicircle of limestone hills and

Name, Other patterns of naming

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

Names and naming practices in other cultural areas show a strong similarity in the basic trends. Among the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian names are theophoric designations such as Ashurbanipal, meaning “Ashur [a god] created son,” and Nabukudurriusur (Nebuchadrezzar of the Bible), translated as “Nabu [a god] protected the estate.” The Phoenician (Carthaginian) name Hannibal

Ax

2005-03-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Axe, hand tool used for chopping, splitting, chipping, and piercing. Stone Age hand axes originated in simple stone implements that acquired wooden hafts, or handles, about 30,000 BC. Copper-bladed axes appeared in Egypt about 4000 BC and were followed by axes with blades of bronze and eventually iron; blades were fastened to hafts by a variety of means—e.g., lashed into a wooden sleeve, bound

China, General works

2005-02-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

Overviews of China's physical and human geography may be found in Keith Buchanan, The Transformation of the Chinese Earth (1970); Ping-chia Kuo, China, 3rd ed. (1970); T.R. Tregear, China: A Geographical Survey (1980); Albert Kolb, East Asia: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam: Geography of a Cultural Region (1971, reprinted 1977; originally published in German, 1963); Brian Hook (ed.), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China (1982); Robert L. Worden, Andrea Matles Savada, and Ronald E. Dolan (eds.), China, a Country Study, 4th ed. (1988); and Information China, 3 vol. (1989), an encyclopaedic work prepared under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and ed. by C.V. James.

Ahern, Bertie

2005-02-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

Ahern was educated at St. Aidan's Christian Brothers secondary school, Rathmines College of Commerce, University College in Dublin, and the London School of Economics, obtaining degrees in taxation, business administration, and computer science. He was elected to the Dáil (lower house of Parliament)

Eye, Human, The transparent media

2005-02-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

Within the cavities enclosed by the three layers of the globe described above there are the aqueous humour in the anterior and posterior chambers; the crystalline lens behind the iris; and the vitreous body, which fills the large cavity behind the lens and iris (Figure 1).

Steel, Annealing

2005-02-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

To make steel ductile for subsequent forming operations, an annealing treatment is applied. In annealing, the steel is usually held for several hours at several degrees below Ar1 (shown by the P-S-K line in the figure) and then slowly cooled. This precipitates and coagulates the carbides and results in large ferrite crystals. Cold-formed steel is usually annealed and

Pierce, Franklin

2005-02-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

(For an additional writing by Pierce, see The Military Academy.)

Mayo, Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl Of, Viscount Mayo Of Monycrower, Baron Naas Of Naas

2005-02-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of the 5th earl, Richard Bourke spent 1838–39 traveling in Europe

Adelaide, Saint

2005-02-27T02:19:00.000-08:00

The daughter of Rudolf II (d. 937), king of Burgundy, and Bertha of Swabia, Adelaide was married (947) to Lothair, who succeeded his father, Hugh of Arles, as king of Italy

China, The armed forces

2005-02-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

The command of the armed forces was also arranged so as to avoid giving excessive powers to a single individual. General officers were usually appointed in pairs, and, in times of emergency or when a campaign was being planned with a defined objective, officers were appointed for a specific task; when their mission was fulfilled, their commands were brought to a close.

Amory, Thomas

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

A staunch Unitarian

Biblical Literature, The Samaritan canon

2005-02-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

As has been mentioned, the Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch from the Jews. They know of no other section of the Bible, however, and did not expand their Pentateuchal canon even by the inclusion of any strictly Samaritan compositions.

Aram, Eugene

2005-02-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

In 1745, when Aram was schoolmaster at Knaresborough, a man named Daniel Clark, his intimate friend, after obtaining a considerable quantity of goods from tradesmen, disappeared.

China, The Boxer Rebellion

2005-02-24T01:11:00.000-08:00

The crisis of 1896–98 stirred a furious antiforeign uprising in Shantung, aroused by the German advances and encouraged by the provincial governor. It was staged by a band of people called the I-ho ch'üan (Righteous and Harmonious Fists) who believed that a mysterious boxing art rendered them invulnerable to harm. The group's origin is generally supposed to have been in the

Lungwebungu River

2005-02-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

Largest headwater tributary of the Zambezi River, in southwest central Africa. It rises in the central plateau of Angola as the Lungué-Bungo River to flow east and southeast into Zambia. There it joins the Zambezi 65 miles (105 km) north of Mongu, after a course of 400 miles (645 km).

Switzerland, Architecture

2005-02-23T01:10:00.000-08:00

The 12th-century Romanesque style found particularly rich expression in the cathedrals of Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Sion, and Chur and in the many castles and fortresses. The Gothic style was expressed in the cathedrals of Zug, Zürich, and Schaffhausen. Notable examples of Baroque churches are located in Einsiedeln, east of Zug, and in St. Gall. In the Renaissance period

United Nations, Flag Of The

2005-02-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

In April 1945, near the end of World War II, 50 Allied nations gathered in San Francisco. The lapel button worn by delegates was “smoke blue,” a shade chosen by U.S. Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. The design on the button, by Donal McLaughlin, showed a view of the Earth based on a projection centred on the North Pole. This indicated the worldwide scope of the new organization,

Tara Singh

2005-02-22T02:53:00.000-08:00

Tara Singh was born a Hindu, but while a student in Rawalpindi he became attracted to Sikhism and underwent the required initiation ceremony.

Proclus

2005-02-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

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

Domicile

2005-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

In law, a person's dwelling place as it is defined for purposes of judicial jurisdiction and governmental burdens and benefits. Certain aspects of a person's legal existence do not vary with the state he happens to be in at any given moment but are governed by a personal law that follows him at all times. In Anglo-American countries applying the common law, one's personal

Bank One

2005-02-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

Former U.S. bank holding company that merged with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2004. Bank One had been created through the 1998 merger of First Chicago NBD Corp. and Banc One. Although the 1998 merger created one of the country's largest banks, it performed poorly until Jamie Dimon, a former Citigroup executive, became chief executive officer and revamped operations. Based in Chicago, Bank

Lungwebungu River

2005-02-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

An extinct bird of the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes) that was native to New Zealand. It was last seen in the early 1900s. Laughing owls nested on the ground, where they fell prey to cats, rats, goats, and weasels. About 40 cm (1.3 feet) long and brownish in colour, they ate rodents, lizards, and insects.

Argentina, Discovery and settlement

2005-02-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

The main Atlantic outline of Argentina was revealed to European explorers in the early 16th century. The Río de la Plata estuary was discovered years before Ferdinand Magellan traversed the Strait of Magellan in 1520, although historians dispute whether the estuary was first reached by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501–02 or by Juan Díaz de Solís in his ill-fated voyage of 1516. Solís and a

Aymé, Marcel

2005-02-18T05:38:00.000-08:00

He grew up in the country among farmers, in a world of close-knit families bounded by the barnyard on one side, the schoolhouse on the other.

Earth Sciences, Hydrologic sciences

2005-02-18T03:45:00.000-08:00

The idea that there is a circulatory system within the Earth, by which seawater is conveyed to mountaintops and there discharged, persisted until early in the 18th century. Two questions left unresolved by this theory were acknowledged even by its advocates. How is seawater forced uphill? How is the salt lost in the process?

Talbiyah

2005-02-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

In Islam, the formulaic pronouncement labbaykah allahummah labbaykah (“at your service, O Lord, at your service”), recited especially during a pilgrimage when pious Muslims perform the tawaf—i.e., walk around the sacred shrine of the Ka'bah. The question whether the talbiyah is obligatory or merely a commendable tradition has been much discussed, but Muslim theologians have

Aalto, Alvar

2005-02-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

Aalto's architectural studies at the Technical Institute of Helsinki in Otaniemi, Fin., were interrupted by the Finnish War of Independence, in which he participated. Following his graduation in 1921, Aalto toured Europe and upon his return began practice in Jyväskylä, in central Finland. In 1927 he moved his office to Turku, where he worked in association with Erik Bryggman

Allele

2005-02-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

Also called Allelomorph, any one of two or more genes that may occur alternatively at a given site (locus) on a chromosome. Alleles may occur in pairs, or there may be multiple alleles affecting the expression (phenotype) of a particular trait. If the paired alleles are the same, the organism is said to be homozygous for that trait; if they are different, the organism is heterozygous. A dominant allele

Naruto

2005-02-17T05:54:00.000-08:00

City, Tokushima ken (prefecture), eastern Shikoku, Japan. The city lies along the Naruto Strait (Naruto-kaikyo), which connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The narrow strait separates Naruto from Awaji Island, a large island of the eastern Inland Sea. During the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) Naruto was a flourishing port and centre of salt production. Since the late 19th century,

Mauritania, Flag Of

2005-02-17T02:57:00.000-08:00

Although Mauritania includes both black African and Arab-Berber populations, the official symbolism of the nation's flag and coat of arms is associated with the latter. The flag's green background and its star and crescent are traditional Muslim symbols, in use for centuries. The design is of the conservative type common before the 20th century and still used by such

Doxology

2005-02-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

1. The greater doxology, or Gloria in Excelsis, is the Gloria of the Roman Catholic and Anglican masses, and in its hundreds of musical settings it is usually sung in Latin. It is used in the Roman Catholic liturgy in a contemporary translation and is used liturgically, often in older

Wild, Jonathan

2005-02-15T04:40:00.000-08:00

Married while in his teens, Wild at about the age of 21 deserted his wife and child for the life of London, where he quickly learned the criminal trade while held in a debtors' prison. He was a master

Qurayyat, Al-

2005-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Mintaqah (province), western Northern region, northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is bordered by the manatiq (provinces) of al-Hudud ash-Shamaliyah to the northeast, al-Jawf to the east, and Tabuk to the south, and by Jordan on the north. Al-Qurayyat fronts the Gulf of Aqaba on the west. The mintaqah is mostly upland plateau with rock and gravel and is covered with grass and shrub that are used

Dachau

2005-02-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

Dachau is situated on a hill, on the summit of which are the castle of the Wittelsbachs and a parish church (1625). The city's picturesque natural setting has long attracted landscape painters.

Mitropoulos, Dimitri

2005-02-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

Mitropoulos studied in Athens, where his opera Soeur Béatrice (after Maeterlinck) was performed in 1919. Later in Berlin he studied piano under the brilliant pianist, composer, and teacher Ferruccio Busoni. An excellent pianist, Mitropoulos sometimes conducted from the keyboard (e.g., in 1930 and

Middle East And North Africa: Middle Eastern And North African Affairs

2005-02-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

The bilateral agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for self-government in parts of the Israeli-occupied territories was signed by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representative Mahmoud Abbas in a historic ceremony on the U.S. White House lawn on Sept. 13, 1993. The accord was the most significant breakthrough

Rab

2005-02-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

Italian Arbe, island in the Adriatic Sea forming the northernmost part of Dalmatia in Croatia. With an area of 35 sq mi (91 sq km), it reaches a maximum altitude of 1,339 ft (408 m) at Mt. Kamenjak and comprises three ridges of limestone. Over 300 freshwater springs provide a valuable water supply to the population of the island—which, in contrast to most of the Adriatic islands, is increasing, in part because

Macaulay, Catharine

2005-02-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

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

Skåne Question

2005-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Although contiguous with the Swedish polity, Skåne belonged to Denmark when the Middle Ages began

France, History Of, Alienation and coups

2005-02-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

After the Fructidor coup of 1797 the Directory imprudently resumed the republic's assault on the Roman Catholic religion. Besides prohibiting the outward signs of Catholicism such as the ringing of church bells or the display of crosses, the government revived the Revolutionary calendar. Instituted in 1793, the new calendar featured a 10-day week called the décade, designed

Dacier, Anne

2005-02-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Anne Dacier was the

Epistemology, Logical versus factual propositions

2005-02-10T02:29:00.000-08:00

The term “logical” in this connection is used in a wide sense to include a proposition such as “All husbands are married.” By analyzing the meaning of its constituent terms one can reduce the proposition to a logical truth, e.g., to “A and B implies A.” In contrast, factual propositions, such as “All Model-T Fords are black,” have syntactical and semantic structures that differentiate

Wilde, Cornel

2005-02-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

Wilde, a member of the 1936 Olympic fencing team, studied to become a physician at Columbia University in New York City, before finding