OldChin

Aehrenthal, Aloys, Count Lexa Von

2005-04-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Entering the imperial foreign service as attaché in Paris (1877), Aehrenthal subsequently worked at

Waterfall

2005-04-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Area where flowing river water drops abruptly and nearly vertically (see video). Waterfalls represent major interruptions in river flow. Under most circumstances rivers tend to smooth out irregularities in their flow by processes of erosion and deposition. In time, the long profile of a river (the graph of its gradient) takes the form of a smooth curve, steepest toward

Yizkor

2005-03-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

(Hebrew: “may he [i.e., God] remember”), the opening word of memorial prayers recited for the dead by Ashkenazic (German-rite) Jews during synagogue services on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), on the eighth day of Passover (Pesah), on Shemini Atzeret (the eighth day of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles), and on the second day of Shavuot (Feast of Weeks). The prayers, recited after the reading

Pittsburgh, University Of

2005-03-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

Coeducational state system of higher learning in Pennsylvania, U.S., comprising a main campus in Pittsburgh and branches in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville. The Pittsburgh campus is a comprehensive research institution of higher learning and includes 16 schools that offer more than 360 degree programs. Among these schools are those of Medicine, Dental

France, Flag Of

2005-03-25T06:13:00.000-08:00

Under the ancien régime, France had a great number of flags, and many of its military and naval flags were elaborate and subject to artistic variations. The royal coat of arms, a blue shield with three golden fleurs-de-lis, was the basis for the state flag. After the Bourbons came to power, this shield was generally displayed against a background of the Bourbon dynastic

East Indiaman

2005-03-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

Large sailing vessel of the type built from the 16th to the 19th century for the trade between Europe and southern Asia. The first were Portuguese and Dutch; English Indiamen appeared late in the 16th century and eventually came to dominate the trade. The ships varied in size from about 400 to 1,500 tons and more; often they were larger than contemporary men-of-war. They were three-masted

Highland Games

2005-03-23T07:26:00.000-08:00

Originally, athletic meetings carried out in the Scottish Highlands. The name now denotes similar athletic competitions in any part of the world, usually conducted under the auspices of a local Caledonian society and held according to what are believed to be traditional customs. The games originated in impromptu competitions at clan assemblies summoned by

Dandridge, Dorothy

2005-03-22T23:39:00.000-08:00

Dandridge's mother was an entertainer and comedic actress who, after settling in Los Angeles, had some success in radio and, later, television. The young Dorothy and her sister Vivian

Argentina, Political developments

2005-03-21T01:46:00.000-08:00

Works on Juan Perón and Peronism include Frederick C. Turner and José Enrique Miguens (eds.), Juan Perón and the Reshaping of Argentina (1983); Joseph A. Page, Perón: A Biography (1983); Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro, Eva Perón (1980, reissued as Evita, 1996); Jeane Kirkpatrick, Leader and Vanguard in Mass Society: A Study of Peronist Argentina (1971); and Guido Di Tella, Argentina Under Perón, 1973–76: The Nation's Experience with a Labour-Based Government (1983).

Hatto I

2005-03-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

Hatto was elected abbot of Reichenau (888) and Ellwangen (889) and archbishop of Mainz (891). A trusted adviser of King

Bureaucracy

2005-03-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

A professional corps of officials organized in a pyramidal hierarchy and functioning under impersonal, uniform rules and procedures. In the social sciences, the term usually does not carry the pejorative associations of popular usage.

Loyalty Islands

2005-03-18T13:21:00.000-08:00

French Îles Loyauté, limestone coral group in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, southwestern Pacific Ocean. Comprising the islands of Ouvéa, Lifou, and Maré (qq.v.), the group has a total area of 761 square miles (1,970 square km) and nowhere rises higher than 300 feet (90 m). The islands were sighted by Europeans early in the 19th century and were long a focus of Anglo-French conflict. Annexed by France

Trailing Arbutus

2005-03-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

Also called Ground Laurel, Winter Pink, or Mayflower (species Epigaea repens), trailing plant of the heath family (Ericaceae), native to sandy or boggy, acid woodlands of eastern North America. It has oblong, hairy evergreen leaves 2–6 cm (0.75–2.5 inches) long. The highly fragrant white, pink, or rosy flowers have a five-lobed corolla (the petals, collectively) and grow in dense clusters. Trailing arbutus grows in shady wildflower

Biblical Literature, The oracles of Trito-Isaiah

2005-03-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Chapters 56–66 are a collection of oracles from the restoration period (after 538 BCE). Emphasis is placed upon cultic acts, attacks against idolatry, and a right motivation in the worship of Yahweh. Repentance and social justice are themes that have been retained from the earlier Isaiah traditions, and the ever-present element of hope in the creative goodness of Yahweh that pervaded

Gainsborough

2005-03-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Town, West Lindsey district, administrative and historic county of Lincolnshire, England. It stands on the River Trent, bordering Nottinghamshire. Gainsborough's early importance as a Saxon settlement was augmented when it became a military centre under the Danes (9th–11th centuries). Its position on a navigable river and a main road between London and the north of England

Landa, Diego De

2005-03-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Landa was born to a noble family and when quite young joined the Franciscans (1541). His religious fervour manifested itself early, and he asked to be sent as a missionary to the New World. Once in Mexico he tried to help the Indians, who

Black Flag

2005-03-14T09:02:00.000-08:00

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,

Corvidae

2005-03-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Songbird family, of the order Passeriformes, that includes crows, jays, and magpies. The 100 species occur throughout the world; most are nonmigratory. Corvids are strongly built, stout-billed birds 23–71 cm (9–28 inches) long, some being the largest passerines. They have plain, often glossy plumage that may be monochromatic or contrastingly patterned. The sexes

Husayn Shah 'ala' Ad-din

2005-03-12T03:37:00.000-08:00

The details of 'Ala' ad-Din's early life are obscured by myth and legend. His father is said to have been a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad and an Arab who emigrated to Bengal. After completing his studies,

Gabon Estuary

2005-03-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

French Estuaire Du Gabon, inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in western Gabon. It is fed by the Como and Mbeï rivers, which rise in the Cristal Mountains to the northeast. The estuary is 40 miles (64 km) long and 9 miles (14 km) wide at its mouth. It was explored in the 1470s by Portuguese navigators who may have named it Gabão (“Hooded Cloak with Sleeves”; hence Gabon) because of its shape, and it was long considered the finest harbour

Defamation

2005-03-09T04:28:00.000-08:00

Although defamation is a creation of English law, similar doctrines existed several thousand years ago. In Roman law abusive chants were

Gentil, émile

2005-03-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

A naval officer, Gentil led an expedition from the French Congo down the Chari (Shari) River to Lake Chad in 1895–97, establishing a French protectorate

Andalusite

2005-03-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

(Al2SiO5), aluminum silicate mineral that occurs in relatively small amounts in various metamorphic rocks, particularly in altered sediments. It is found in commercial quantities in the Inyo Mountains, Mono county, Calif., in the United States; in Kazakstan; and in South Africa. Such deposits are mined as a raw material for refractories and porcelain used in spark plugs

Niterói

2005-03-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

City, Rio de Janeiro estado (“state”), eastern Brazil. It lies on the eastern side of the entrance to Guanabara Bay. The city of Rio de Janeiro on the opposite side is connected to Niterói by ferry, railroad, and, since 1974, the President Costa e Silva Bridge, spanning Guanabara Bay; this is one of the longest bridges in Brazil. Both cities are located on low ground at the heads of inlets,

Abdominal Muscle

2005-03-06T03:05:00.000-08:00

The first three muscle layers

Aerobics

2005-03-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

System of physical conditioning developed to increase the efficiency of the body's intake of oxygen. Typical aerobic exercises (e.g., walking, running, swimming, dancing, and cycling) stimulate heart and lung activity long enough to produce beneficial changes in the body. To be effective, aerobic training must include a minimum of three sessions per week. During each

Biblical Literature, Textual criticism

2005-03-03T01:36:00.000-08:00

Textual criticism is concerned with the basic task of establishing, as far as possible, the original text of the documents on the basis of the available materials. For the Old Testament, until 1947, these materials consisted principally of: (1) Hebrew manuscripts dated from the 9th century AD onward, the Masoretic text, the traditional Jewish text with its vocalization and punctuation

Darshan

2005-03-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Sanskrit Darsana (“auspicious viewing”), in Hindu worship, the beholding of an auspicious deity, person, or object. The experience results in a blessing of the viewer. The rathayatras (car festivals), in which images of gods are taken in procession through the streets, enable even those who in former days were not allowed to enter the temple to have darshan of the deity. The capability of darshan

Clare, Ada

2005-03-01T04:26:00.000-08:00

Jane McElhenney was of a prosperous and well-connected family. From about age 11 she grew up under the care of her maternal grandfather. About 1854 she struck out on her own. In New York City she began contributing love poems and sketches

Marriage

2005-02-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

A legally and socially sanctioned union, usually between a man and a woman, that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties of the partners and accords status to their offspring (if any). The universality of marriage within different societies and cultures is attributed to the many basic social and personal functions

Kafue River

2005-02-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

River rising on the Congo (Kinshasa)–Zambia border. It meanders generally southward until it turns west near the Lukanga Swamp (which it drains). The river then flows south and finally east through the Kafue Flats and Kafue Gorge to join the Zambezi River near Chirundu, Zimbabwe, after a course of 600 miles (960 km). One of Zambia's major rivers, its waters are used for irrigation.

Anbar

2005-02-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

Also called Massice , or Fairuz Sapur ancient Mesopotamian town located on the left bank of the Euphrates River, downstream from modern Ar-Ramadi in central Iraq. Originally called Massice and Fairuz Sapur, it was destroyed by the Roman emperor Julian in AD 363. The town was rebuilt and became known from at least the 6th century as Anbar (“Stores”). Jews from the academy of Pumbedita took refuge there from Sasanian persecution

Clone

2005-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Also spelled clon population of genetically identical cells or organisms that are derived originally from a single original cell or organism by asexual methods. Cloning is fundamental to most living things, since the body cells of plants and animals are clones ultimately derived from the mitosis of a single fertilized egg. More narrowly, a clone can be defined as an individual

Clone

2005-02-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

American cable television network and multimedia group providing news, entertainment, and other programming developed primarily for African American viewers. BET also operates a jazz network, BET Jazz, features contemporary music through BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, produces documentaries and movies for distribution on the BET channel, and sponsors the BET

Carte-de-visite

2005-02-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

Originally, a calling card, especially one with a photographic portrait mounted on it. Immensely popular in the mid-19th century, the carte-de-visite was touted by the Parisian portrait photographer André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, who patented the method in 1854. Disdéri used a four-lensed camera, which made eight 3.5- by 2.5-inch (8.89- by 6.35-cm) negatives on one full-sized plate. The large print

Dacia

2005-02-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

In antiquity, the area of the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania, in present north-central and western Romania. The Dacian people had earlier occupied lands south of the Danube and north of the mountains, and the Roman province eventually included wider territories both to the north and east. The Dacians were agricultural and also worked their rich mines of

Apure

2005-02-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

The state is famous for its llaneros (cowboys), who were key fighters in the independence movement of the early 19th century. Mounted llaneros

Hadrian's Wall

2005-02-20T00:42:00.000-08:00

Wild Rice

2005-02-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Indian Rice, Water Rice, or Water Oats (species Zizania aquatica), coarse annual grass of the family Poaceae whose grain, now often considered a delicacy, has long been an important food of North American Indians. Despite its name, the plant is not related to rice (Oryza sativa). Wild rice grows in shallow water in marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes in north-central North America.

India, Southern Indian kingdoms

2005-02-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Inscriptions in Brahmi (recently read as Tamil Brahmi) date to between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century

Calvus, Gaius Licinius Macer

2005-02-18T03:46:00.000-08:00

Calvus was a son of the annalist Licinius Macer. As an orator he was the leader of a group who opposed the florid Asiatic school, taking the simplest Attic orators as their model. Of his speeches, 21 are mentioned, the most famous being those delivered against Publius Vatinius,

Subiaco

2005-02-16T23:54:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) Sublaqueum town, Roma provincia, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies along the Aniene River, 1,345 feet (410 m) above sea level, about 45 miles (73 km) east of Rome. Its ancient name recalls its position below three small lakes where the emperor Nero built a villa. An inundation destroyed the lakes in 1305, and only traces remain of the villa. St. Benedict retired as a hermit (c. 494) to a cave, Sacro Speco (“Holy

Armenian Catholic Church

2005-02-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

An Eastern-rite member of the Roman Catholic church. The Armenians embraced Christianity about AD 300 and were the first people to do so as a nation. About 50 years after the Council of Chalcedon (451), the Armenians repudiated the Christological decisions of the council and became the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church, a body that basically adhered to the doctrinal beliefs

Thomas, Lewis

2005-02-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Lewis attended Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., and Harvard Medical School (M.D., 1937). He served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps and taught at Johns Hopkins and Tulane universities

Vilar, Jean

2005-02-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

Vilar trained as an actor and stage manager, then toured with an acting company throughout France. In 1943 he began his career as a director with a season in a small Paris theatre. Invited to direct the first

Cubism

2005-02-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

Highly influential visual arts style of the 20th century that was created principally by the artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris between 1907 and 1914. The Cubist style emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the picture plane, rejecting the traditional techniques of perspective, foreshortening, modeling, and chiaroscuro, and refuting time-honoured

France, History Of, The constitution of the Third Republic

2005-02-10T00:18:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, the task of writing a constitution for the republic could no longer be postponed. The assembly began its deliberations in 1873; in 1875 it adopted a series of fundamental laws, which, taken collectively, came to be known as the constitution of the Third Republic. A patchwork compromise, it established a two-house legislature (with an indirectly elected Senate as a

Babson College

2005-02-07T03:36:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S. Business management education is emphasized at the college, which offers B.S. and M.B.A. degrees. It consists of divisions of accounting and law, arts and humanities, economics, finance, history and society, management, marketing, and math and science. Students are required to take

Elista

2005-02-07T02:35:00.000-08:00

Formerly (1944–57) Stepnoy, city and capital of Kalmykia republic, southwestern Russia. It was founded in 1865 and became a city in 1930. In 1944, when the Kalmyks were exiled by Joseph Stalin for their alleged collaboration with the Germans, the republic was dissolved and the city became known as Stepnoy (“Steppe”). The Kalmyk A.S.S.R. and the name Elista were restored in 1957. Agriculture employs the most workers, though

Palatal

2005-02-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

In phonetics, a consonant sound produced by raising the blade, or front, of the tongue toward or against the hard palate just behind the alveolar ridge (the gums). The German ch sound in ich and the French gn (pronounced ny) in agneau are palatal consonants. English has no purely palatal consonants, except for the y sound (a semivowel) in “you.” (The sh sound in “ship” and the zh sound

Land Reform

2005-02-05T01:15:00.000-08:00

The concept of land reform has varied over time according to the range of functions which land

Rabbinical Assembly, The

2005-02-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Organization of Conservative rabbis in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Israel. It was founded in 1900 as the Alumni Association of the Jewish Theological Seminary and was reorganized in 1940 as the Rabbinical Assembly of America; in 1962 it acquired its present name and international scope. The Rabbinical Assembly recommends rabbis for appointment to Conservative

Huizinga, Johan

2005-02-04T03:13:00.000-08:00

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

Biblical Literature, The primeval history

2005-02-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Bible begins with the creation of the universe. It tells the story with images borrowed from Babylonian mythology, transformed to express its own distinctive view of God and man. Out of primary chaos, darkness, void, depths, and waters God creates the heaven and the earth and all that dwell therein—a coherent order of things—by his will and word alone. He says, “Let there

Gobi

2005-02-01T04:32:00.000-08:00

Also called Gobi Desert, great desert and semidesert region of Central Asia. The Gobi (from Mongolian gobi, meaning “waterless place”) stretches across huge portions of both Mongolia and China. Contrary to the perhaps romantic image long associated with what—at least to the European mind—was a remote and unexplored region, much of the Gobi is not sandy desert but bare rock. It is possible to drive

Pieris

2005-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

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

Eyre, Lake

2005-01-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

Great salt lake in central South Australia, with a total area of 3,700 square miles (9,300 square km). It lies in the southwestern corner of the Great Artesian Basin, a closed inland basin about 440,150 square miles (1,140,000 square km) in area that is drained only by intermittent streams. Normally dry but susceptible to occasional flooding, the lake occupies the lowest part of the Australian continent.

Arts, Islamic, The new style

2005-01-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

The new approach to poetry that developed during the 9th century was first accorded scholarly discussion in the Kitab al-badi ' (“Book of the Novel and Strange”) by Ibn al-Mu'tazz (died 908), caliph for one day, who laid down rules for the use of metaphors, similes, and verbal puns. The ideal of these “modern” poets was the richest possible embellishment of verses by the use of tropes, brilliant

Regeneration, Annelids

2005-01-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

The segmented worms exhibit variable degrees of regeneration. The leeches, as already noted, are wholly lacking in the ability to replace lost segments, whereas the earthworms and various marine annelids (polychaetes) can often regenerate forward and backward. The expression of such regenerative capacities depends very much on the level of amputation. Anteriorly

French Confederation Of Christian Workers

2005-01-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

French Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens (CFTC), French labour-union federation that was founded in 1919 by Roman Catholic workers who opposed both the syndicalist and communist movements of the day. The confederation, based on Catholic social and anti-Marxist principles, rejected the theory of class warfare but occasionally collaborated on strikes with the leftist General Confederation of Labour (Confédération

Marghilon

2005-01-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Formerly Margilan, city, eastern Uzbekistan. It lies 19 miles (30 km) north of Fergana. Originally known as Marginan, it probably dates back to the 2nd–1st century BC, when one branch of the great Silk Road to the Orient ran through the Fergana Valley. It was an important commercial town in the 10th–12th century AD, and one of the largest cities in the valley in the 16th century. It formed part of the khanate of Kokand

Ashide-e

2005-01-24T06:08:00.000-08:00

(Japanese: “reed-script picture”), decorative, cursive style of Japanese calligraphy, the characters of which resemble natural objects, that is used to decorate scrolls, stationery, and lacquerware. The typical ashide-e is a decorative representation of a poem, in which stylized characters serve as both

Biblical Literature, Apocalypticism

2005-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

In intertestamental Jewish literature a special trend developed: namely, apocalypticism. Apokalypsis is a Greek term meaning “revelation of divine mysteries,” both about the nature of God and about the last days (eschatology). Apocalyptic writings were composed in both Judaism and Christianity; one of them (the Book of Daniel) was accepted in the Jewish canon and another

Visalia

2005-01-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1853) of Tulare county, south-central California, U.S. It lies on the Kaweah River delta in the San Joaquin Valley, 42 miles (68 km) southeast of Fresno. Founded in 1852 by Nathaniel Vise, it developed as an agricultural (olives, grapes, cotton) and livestock-shipping centre, now supplemented by light manufacturing. It is the seat of the College of the Sequoias (1925). Sequoia and Kings Canyon

Eakins, Thomas

2005-01-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

All paintings in oils unless otherwise noted. “A Street Scene in Seville” (1870; Mrs. John R. Garrett, Sr. Collection); “Home Scene” (1871; Brooklyn Museum, New York); “Max Schmitt in a Single Scull” (1871; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City); “Katherine” (1872; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.); “The Pair-Oared Shell” (1872; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake” (1873; Cleveland Museum of Art); “John Biglin in a Single Scull” (watercolour, 1873; Metropolitan Museum of Art); “Sailing” (1874; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “Pushing for Rail” (1874; Metropolitan Museum of Art); “The Gross Clinic” (1875; Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia); “Will Schuster and Blackman Going Shooting” (1876; Yale University Art Gallery); “Chess Players” (1876; Metropolitan Museum of Art); “William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River” (1877; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “The Fairman Rogers Four-in-Hand” (1879; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “The Crucifixion” (1880; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “The Pathetic Song” (1881; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.); “The Swimming Hole” (1883; Fort Worth Art Center Museum, Fort Worth, Texas); “Lady with a Setter Dog (Mrs. Eakins)” (1885; Metropolitan Museum of Art); “Walt Whitman” (1887; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia); “Letitia Wilson Jordan Bacon” (1888; Brooklyn Museum); “Miss Van Buren” (c. 1889; Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.); “The Agnew Clinic” (1889; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia); “Professor Henry A. Rowland” (1891; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Mass.); “The Concert Singer” (1892; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “Frank Hamilton Cushing” (1894–95; Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, Tulsa, Okla.); “Taking the Count” (1898; Yale University Art Gallery); “Salutat” (1898; Addison Gallery of American Art); “Between Rounds” (1899; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “Benjamin Eakins” (1899; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “Mrs. William D. Frishmuth” (1900; Philadelphia Museum of Art); “The Thinker: Louis N. Kenton” (1900; Metropolitan Museum of Art); “Self-Portrait” (1902; National Academy of Design, New York); “Mrs. Edith Mahon” (1904; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Mass.); “Monsignor Diomede Falconio” (1905; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.).

Gambia, Flag Of The

2005-01-21T02:21:00.000-08:00

The British Parliament's Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 provided that the British Blue Ensign would be “defaced” by a badge for each government department or colony making use of it. These distinctive ensigns became de facto national flags even before the colonies achieved independence. In the case of The Gambia, the badge in question was a yellow disk bearing an elephant

Sapru, Sir Tej Bahadur

2005-01-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

Educated at Agra College, Allahabad, Sapru practiced law before the High Court at Allahabad from 1896. He was a member of

Electronic Music, Tape music

2005-01-19T03:16:00.000-08:00

With tape music the history of electronic music in the narrower sense begins. This history seems split into three main periods: an early (by now classical) period lasting from the commercial introduction of the tape recorder immediately following World War II until about 1960; a second period that featured the introduction of electronic music synthesizers and the

Indian Tobacco

2005-01-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

The Indian tobacco's leafy flower spike, about 1 m (3 feet) tall, begins blooming at the bottom

Talking Drum

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

Five varieties of dùndún pressure drums of the Yoruba and the atumpani and fontomfron of the Ashanti are especially notable. They send messages up to 20 miles (32 kilometres),

Ayton, Sir Robert

2005-01-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of St. Andrews, in the county of Fife, Ayton came into favour at court for a Latin panegyric on the accession of James VI to the English throne. He was knighted in 1612 and subsequently held various lucrative offices, including that

Crichton, Charles Ainslie

2005-01-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

British film director who achieved near-legendary status with a series of classic comedies he made for Ealing Studios in the 1940s and '50s, notably Hue and Cry (1947), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), and The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953); by the 1960s he had retreated to directing for television, but he made a triumphant big-screen comeback—and garnered an Academy Award nomination—for A Fish Called

Mclean, Alice Throckmorton

2005-01-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

McLean traveled widely as a child, mastered several languages, and was educated privately. An early marriage

Iberville, Pierre Le Moyne D'

2005-01-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

The son of prominent Montreal fur trader Charles Le Moyne, Iberville spent his young manhood in raids against English trading posts on

Rwanda, Flag Of

2005-01-11T23:05:00.000-08:00

Under the Belgian colonial regime, the elite Tutsi minority ruled the social, political, and economic life of Rwanda. The majority Hutu eventually organized a revolt against this feudal system, which culminated in a civil war that began on November 1, 1959. On March 23, 1960, the new Provisional Special Council, which was established by the Belgians and dominated by Hutu members,

Flores Sea

2005-01-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

Bahasa Indonesia Laut Flores portion of the western South Pacific Ocean, bounded on the north by the island of Celebes (Sulawesi) and on the south by the Lesser Sunda Islands of Flores and Sumbawa. Occupying a total surface area of 93,000 sq mi (240,000 sq km), it opens northwest through Makassar Strait to the Celebes Sea, west to the Java Sea, and east to the Banda Sea. Teluk (gulf of) Bone cuts deeply into the Celebes coast.

Obasanjo, Olusegun

2005-01-09T03:04:00.000-08:00

On March 1, 1999, retired general Olusegun Obasanjo was declared the winner of the presidential election in Nigeria after 16 years of military dictatorships. Less than a year earlier, Obasanjo had been serving a 15-year jail term, having been imprisoned in 1995 for his outspoken views of Gen. Sani Abacha's repressive regime. Following Abacha's unexpected death in June 1998, Obasanjo was

Whittingham, Charles

2005-01-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

American horse trainer of over 2,500 winners, including Kentucky Derby winners Ferdinand (1986) and Sunday Silence (1989), both of which made him the oldest trainer of a Derby champion; he won top-trainer Eclipse Awards three times (1971, 1982, and 1989) and in 1974 was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame (b. April 13, 1913, Chula Vista, Calif.—d. April 20, 1999, Pasadena, Calif.).

Flint, F.s.

2005-01-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

The son of a commercial traveler, Flint left school at the age of 13 and worked at a variety of jobs. At the age of 17 his reading of a volume by the 19th-century Romantic poet John

Port Arthur

2005-01-06T00:04:00.000-08:00

Inlet of the Tasman Sea on the south coast of the Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia. It is known for the penal settlement established there in 1830 by Sir George Arthur, then lieutenant governor, who attempted to centralize the several settlements in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). A model reformatory for boys also existed from 1835 to 1849 at Point Puer, a rocky headland in the inlet.

Hawaii, University Of

2005-01-05T23:49:00.000-08:00

State university system consisting of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (main campus) in Honolulu, the University of Hawaii–West Oahu in Pearl City, the University of Hawaii at Hilo in Hilo, and seven community colleges on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. The main campus at Manoa is a comprehensive, land-grant university offering a wide range of undergraduate

Palauan Language

2005-01-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

Major language of Palau, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is classified as belonging to the eastern branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family of languages. Like Chamorro, which is spoken in the Mariana Islands, it is considered to be of the Indonesian type of languages, with closest relations to the Philippine languages. Palauan, with about 14,000 speakers in the

Industrial Engineering

2005-01-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

Application of engineering principles and techniques of scientific management to the maintenance of a high level of productivity at optimum cost in industrial enterprises.

Olympic Games

2005-01-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to amateurs, but since that time many events have been opened to professional athletes. The earliest Olympic Games comprised many of the sports now included in the Summer Games. In 1924 the Winter Games were sanctioned for winter

Kulakova, Galina

2004-12-31T04:11:00.000-08:00

A member of four Soviet Olympic ski teams from 1964 to 1976, Kulakova was a national champion from 1969 to 1971 and a world champion in 1969 and 1970. In 1968 at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, Kulakova won

Mercara

2004-12-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Madhu-keri town, southern Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India, in the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 3,800 feet (1,160 m), on the national highway from Mysore city to Mangalore. In 1681 Mudda Raja selected the central but inaccessible site for the capital of the independent Hindu dynasty of Coorg. A fort built in 1812 by Linge Raja and the hilltop Onkeshwara Temple overlook the quiet town.

Oahu

2004-12-29T04:48:00.000-08:00

Island, Honolulu county, Hawaii, U.S., separated from the islands of Kauai (northwest) and Molokai (southeast) by the Kauai and Kaiwi channels. Of volcanic origin with an area of 607 square miles (1,574 square km), Oahu is third in size and the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands. Two parallel mountain groups, the Koolau Range (see photograph) and Waianae Ranges, are connected by a central

Atoll

2004-12-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

Most of the reef itself is a submarine feature, rising from the abyssal floors of the ocean to just beneath high-tide level.

Mercara

2004-12-28T00:13:00.000-08:00

Also called espavé a tall, tropical forest tree of Central and South America closely related to the domesticated cashew, A. occidentale. The wild cashew grows to a height of over 30 metres (100 feet), and its wood possesses many desirable properties that make it a valuable source of timber. Strong and easily worked, the wood is commonly used by locals in the construction

Uwajima

2004-12-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

City, Ehime ken (prefecture), Shikoku, Japan. It faces the Bungo Channel between the Inland Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Uwajima developed as a castle town in the late 16th century. Connected by rail to major ports on the Inland Sea in 1945, it became the transport hub of southwestern Shikoku. The port is an active fishing centre; associated industries produce ships, processed foods,

Cabral De Melo Neto, João

2004-12-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

Cabral was born to a distinguished family of landowners. He had a brief stint as a public servant before he moved in 1940 to Rio de Janeiro. In 1942 he published his first collection of poems, Pedra do sono (“Stone of Sleep”). Although his early

Sa'id Ibn Sultan

2004-12-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ruler of Muscat and Oman and of Zanzibar (1806–56), who made Zanzibar the principal power in East Africa and the commercial capital of the western Indian Ocean.

Ghi

2004-12-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ghee, clarified butter, a staple food on the Indian subcontinent. See butterfat.

Cummings, E.e.

2004-12-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

In full Edward Estlin Cummings American poet and painter who first attracted attention, in an age of literary experimentation, for his eccentric punctuation and phrasing. The spirit of New England dissent and of Emersonian “Self-Reliance” underlies the urbanized Yankee colloquialism of Cummings' verse. Cummings' name is often styled “e.e. cummings” in the

Amphibian, Distribution and abundance

2004-12-20T00:02:00.000-08:00

Found in almost every type of environment except the high latitudes in the Arctic, Antarctica, various oceanic islands, and some extremely xeric (dry) deserts, frogs and toads show the greatest diversity in humid tropical environments. Salamanders primarily inhabit the Northern Hemisphere and are most abundant in cool, moist, montane forests;

All-america Team

2004-12-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

The first All-America team comprised football players, picked by Caspar

Dependent States

2004-12-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

French Polynesia Pres. Gaston Flosse continued to pursue constitutional changes that would increase French Polynesia's autonomy while retaining its connection to France. In October agreement was reached on France's financial assistance to the territory, with the provision of €150 million (about $155.6 million) for 2003. The new Economic Restructuring Fund replaced grants

Teesdale

2004-12-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

District, administrative county of Durham, northeastern England, in the southwestern part of the county. The district lies on both sides of the River Tees. The area north of the river belongs to the historic county of Durham, and the area to the south lies in the historic county of Yorkshire. Teesdale is mostly an upland area within the northern Pennines. Its bleak basalt

Linklater, Eric (robert)

2004-12-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

Linklater began studying medicine at Aberdeen University but switched to English literature. After service in the Black Watch in World War I, during which he was wounded, he turned to journalism, becoming assistant editor of the Times of India (1925–27). He

Dench, Dame Judi

2004-12-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Dench studied at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art in London. In 1957 she gave her first important critically acclaimed performance, as Ophelia in the Old Vic production of Hamlet

OldChin

Aehrenthal, Aloys, Count Lexa Von

Waterfall

Yizkor

Pittsburgh, University Of

France, Flag Of

East Indiaman

Highland Games

Dandridge, Dorothy

Argentina, Political developments

Hatto I

Bureaucracy

Loyalty Islands

Trailing Arbutus

Biblical Literature, The oracles of Trito-Isaiah

Gainsborough

Landa, Diego De

Black Flag

Corvidae

Husayn Shah 'ala' Ad-din

Gabon Estuary

Defamation

Gentil, émile

Andalusite

Niterói

Abdominal Muscle

Aerobics

Biblical Literature, Textual criticism

Darshan

Clare, Ada

Marriage

Kafue River

Anbar

Clone

Clone

Carte-de-visite

Dacia

Apure

Hadrian's Wall

Wild Rice

India, Southern Indian kingdoms

Calvus, Gaius Licinius Macer

Subiaco

Armenian Catholic Church

Thomas, Lewis

Vilar, Jean

Cubism

France, History Of, The constitution of the Third Republic

Babson College

Elista

Palatal

Land Reform

Rabbinical Assembly, The

Huizinga, Johan

Biblical Literature, The primeval history

Gobi

Pieris

Eyre, Lake

Arts, Islamic, The new style

Regeneration, Annelids

French Confederation Of Christian Workers

Marghilon

Ashide-e

Biblical Literature, Apocalypticism

Visalia

Eakins, Thomas

Gambia, Flag Of The

Sapru, Sir Tej Bahadur

Electronic Music, Tape music

Indian Tobacco

Talking Drum

Ayton, Sir Robert

Crichton, Charles Ainslie

Mclean, Alice Throckmorton

Iberville, Pierre Le Moyne D'

Rwanda, Flag Of

Flores Sea

Obasanjo, Olusegun

Whittingham, Charles

Flint, F.s.

Arts, Islamic, The new style