SecondScissors

Bridgeport

2005-04-05T03:42:00.000-07:00

City, coextensive with the town (township) of Bridgeport, Fairfield county, southwestern Connecticut, U.S. The city, the most populous in the state, is a port on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Pequonnock River. Settled in 1639, it was first known as Newfield and later as Stratfield. In 1800 it was incorporated as a borough and named Bridgeport for the first drawbridge over the

Pyroelectricity

2005-04-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Development of opposite electrical charges on different parts of a crystal that is subjected to temperature change. First observed (1824) in quartz, pyroelectricity is exhibited only in crystallized nonconducting substances having at least one axis of symmetry that is polar (that is, having no centre of symmetry, the different crystal faces occurring on opposite

Lapse, Doctrine Of

2005-04-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

In Indian history, formula devised by Lord Dalhousie, governor-general of India (1848–56), to deal with questions of succession to Hindu Indian states. It was a corollary to the doctrine of paramountcy, by which Great Britain, as the ruling power of the Indian subcontinent, claimed the superintendence of the subordinate Indian states and so also the regulation of their

Fénelon, François De Salignac De La Mothe-

2005-04-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

French archbishop, theologian, and man of letters whose liberal views on politics and education and whose involvement in a controversy over the nature of mystical prayer caused concerted opposition from church and state. His pedagogical concepts and literary works, nevertheless, exerted a lasting influence on

Xenakis, Iannis

2005-04-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Xenakis was born to a wealthy family of Greek ancestry, and he moved to Greece in 1932. He fought in the Greek resistance movement

Hetaera

2005-04-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Greek Hetaira (Female Companion), one of a class of professional independent courtesans of ancient Greece who, besides developing physical beauty, cultivated their minds and talents to a degree far beyond that allowed to the average Attic woman. Usually living fashionably alone, or sometimes two or three together, the hetaerae enjoyed an enviable and respected position of wealth

John I

2005-04-01T22:50:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of his reign John had to contend with the hostility of John of Gaunt, who claimed the crown by right of his wife Constance, daughter of Peter I the Cruel. The king of Castile finally bought off the claim of his English competitor by arranging

Aenesidemus

2005-04-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Philosopher and dialectician of the Greek Academy who revived the Pyrrhonian principle of “suspended judgment” (epoche) as a practical solution to the vexing and “insoluble” problem of knowledge. In his Pyrrhonian Discourses Aenesidemus formulated 10 tropes in defense of Skepticism, four suggesting arguments that arise from the nature

Jack-o'-lantern

2005-04-01T01:36:00.000-08:00

In American holiday custom, a hollowed-out-pumpkin lantern that is displayed on Halloween. The surface of the pumpkin is carved to resemble a face. Light from a candle inserted inside can be seen flickering through the jack-o'-lantern's cutout eyes, nose, and usually grotesquely grinning mouth. The custom originated in the British Isles, with a large turnip or other vegetable

Davidson (of Lambeth), Randall Thomas Davidson, Baron

2005-03-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

Ordained in 1875, Davidson became resident chaplain two years later to the archbishop of Canterbury, Archibald C. Tait. He soon won the trust of Queen Victoria, whose influence

Ribbonfish

2005-03-30T03:34:00.000-08:00

Any of several species of deep-sea, marine fishes constituting the family Trachipteridae (order Lampridiformes). The family contains three genera: Trachipteras, Desmodema, and Zu. These slender-bodied fishes occur in all the major oceans. The name ribbonfish comes from the long, stringlike dorsal fin that originates behind the head and waves like a ribbon as the fish

Jordan, Relief and drainage

2005-03-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

The desert is mostly within the Syrian (or North Arabian) Desert and occupies the eastern and southern parts of the country, comprising more than four-fifths of its territory.

France, History Of, Seeds of discord

2005-03-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

Security could not be taken for granted, however, because the Revolution progressively alienated or disappointed important elements of French society. Among the elites, opposition began almost immediately when some of the king's close relatives left the country in disgust after July 14, thus becoming the first émigrés. Each turning point in the Revolution touched

Muhammad Ibn Al-hanafiyah

2005-03-28T02:05:00.000-08:00

Muslim religious figure who many thought was the legitimate caliph. He was a son of 'Ali, the fourth caliph, but not by his wife, Fatimah, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. By nature, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah was retiring and inclined to avoid partisan strife; he acted with much caution despite the support of various factions that would

Swan Service

2005-03-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

Set of porcelain tableware made at the Meissen factory in Germany between 1737 and 1741 by Johann Joachim Kändler and Johann Friedrich Eberlein. Made for Heinrich, Count von Brühl, the factory director, it was composed of 2,200 pieces modeled and painted in the Rococo style with such aquatic motifs as swans and water nymphs. It is probably the single finest table service ever made

Gulf War Syndrome

2005-03-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

Cluster of illnesses in veterans of the Persian Gulf War (1990–91) characterized not by any definable medical condition or diagnostic test but by variable and nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, muscle and joint pains, headaches, memory loss, and posttraumatic stress reactions. The cause of Gulf War syndrome is unknown. The disorder does not appear to be fatal

Tipperary

2005-03-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

Irish Tiobraid Árann (“House of the Well of Ara”) town and urban district, County Tipperary, Ireland. The town grew up around a castle erected by Prince John (later King John) when he was lord of Ireland; the outline of the bailey remains. A chancel arch from a 13th-century Augustinian abbey still stands. In 1339 the town was burned by the O'Briens. New Tipperary was founded in 1890, but it was later abandoned. There is a monument to the

Constantine (ii)

2005-03-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

He was a soldier and—through the support of his brother Toto, duke of the bishopric of Nepi near Rome—was elected pope on July 5, 767, to succeed St. Paul I. Constantine's opponents, led by Christopher, the powerful chief of the notaries, fled to the Lombards. Constantine, failing to win support from the Carolingian king Pippin III the Short or from

Memphis

2005-03-24T02:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Manf, Minf, or Manfish,

Insurance, Financing and administering employment injury insurance

2005-03-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

Almost all systems of employment injury insurance are financed by employers' contributions exclusively, and in almost all these systems the contribution is proportional to the risk represented by the class of activity in which the employer is engaged. Usually the insurance institution adapts the contribution to the accident experience of the undertaking

Calcrete

2005-03-23T01:48:00.000-08:00

Also called Hardpan, calcium-rich duricrust, a hardened layer in or on a soil. It is formed on calcareous materials as a result of climatic fluctuations in arid and semiarid regions. Calcite is dissolved in groundwater and, under drying conditions, is precipitated as the water evaporates at the surface. Rainwater saturated with carbon dioxide acts as an acid and also dissolves calcite

Spaniel

2005-03-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

The cocker spaniel is a small dog standing 14 to 15 inches (36 to 39 centimetres) and weighing 22 to 29 pounds (10 to 13 kilograms). Compact and sturdily built, it has a rounded head, floppy ears, and

Polaris

2005-03-21T22:29:00.000-08:00

Also called Alpha Ursae Minoris Earth's present northern polestar, or North Star, at the end of the “handle” of the so-called Little Dipper in the constellation Ursa Minor. Polaris is actually a triple star, the brighter of two visual components being a spectroscopic binary with a period of about 30 years and a Cepheid variable with a period of about 4 days. Its changes in brightness are too slight to be detected

Eye Disease, The uveal tract

2005-03-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

The uveal tract is a vascular layer of tissue—that is, a layer rich in blood vessels—lying next to the inner surface of the sclera. It is divided into three structures: the choroid, a highly vascular layer that supplies blood to the outer layers of the retina; the ciliary body, largely muscle tissue, which by its contraction and relaxation alters the focussing of the lens;

Jansson, Tove

2005-03-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

Jansson was the

Eye Disease, The uveal tract

2005-03-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

Largest trade-union federation in India. INTUC was established in 1947 in cooperation with the Indian National Congress, which favoured a less militant union movement than the All-India Trade Union Congress. INTUC is largely anticommunist; it is affiliated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

Shamanism

2005-03-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

The residues of shamanism may be found among peoples who have been converted to religions of a later stage of culture—e.g., Finno-Ugric peoples who became Christians, Turkic peoples in Central Asia and Asia Minor who became Muslim, and Mongols who became Buddhists. Among the Finns, the tietäjä, a figure equivalent to the shaman, also is born with one more tooth than normal.

Puerto Cortés

2005-03-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

City, northwestern Honduras, situated on the Gulf of Honduras. It is backed by Alvarado Lagoon and extends for 2 miles (3 km) along the southern shore of Caballos Point. Puerto Cortés serves as the seaport for San Pedro Sula and the Sula Valley. The town was founded in 1524 as Puerto Caballos, just to the south across Cortés Bay, but was moved and had its name changed to Puerto

Deere, John

2005-03-18T01:05:00.000-08:00

Apprenticed to a blacksmith at age 17, Deere set up his own smithy trade four years later and, for 12 years, did work in various towns of his native Vermont. In 1837, when 33 years old, he headed west and eventually settled in Grand Detour, Ill., where he set up a blacksmith's shop, and

Anderson, Helen Eugenie Moore

2005-03-18T00:20:00.000-08:00

Eugenie Moore attended Stephens College (Columbia, Missouri) in 1926–27, Simpson College (Indianola, Iowa) in 1927–28, and Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota) in 1929–30; she took no degree. In 1930 she married John P. Anderson. During two years in New York City she studied piano at the Juilliard

Mughal Dynasty

2005-03-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Mogul , Arabic Mongol Muslim dynasty that ruled most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid-18th century. The Mughal dynasty was notable for about two centuries of effective rule over much of India, for the ability of its rulers, who through seven generations maintained a record of unusual talent, and for its administrative organization. A further distinction was the attempt of the

Asansol

2005-03-17T01:44:00.000-08:00

City, West Bengal state, northeastern India. Situated in the heart of the Raniganj coalfield, it is the centre of the Kulti-Burnpur industrial complex. Asansol is connected by the Grand Trunk Road and by rail with Calcutta, Durgapur, and Burdwan. The city is an important coal-trading and railway centre, with large railway workshops and a railway colony. Its major industries

Deere, John

2005-03-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

The NDP grew out of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which was founded in 1933 as Canada's first political party representing workers and small farmers. The CCF secured power in Saskatchewan in

Quadros, Jânio Da Silva

2005-03-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Quadros graduated from the University of São Paulo in 1939. He practiced law and taught Portuguese

Carlow

2005-03-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

Irish Ceatharlach (“The Four Lakes”) county in the province of Leinster, Ireland. The second smallest Irish county, it is bounded by County Kildare (north), Counties Wicklow and Wexford (east), and Counties Kilkenny and Laoighis (west). The town of Carlow is the county seat. In the east are the granitic mountains of the Leinster Chain, which are crossed by the River Slaney and flanked to the west by the River Barrow

Epistemology, Innate versus learned

2005-03-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

The puzzle about origins of knowledge has led historically to two different kinds of issues. One of these is the question of whether knowledge (or at least certain kinds of knowledge) is innate, meaning that it is not acquired or learned through experience but in some important sense is present in the human psyche at birth. The matter is still a live issue today, not only

Ryder, Albert Pinkham

2005-03-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

About 1870 Ryder settled permanently in New York City, where he briefly studied painting. His formal training, however, did little to affect his early work, consisting largely of naive and idyllic landscapes. He made several short trips

Comte, Auguste

2005-03-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

In full Isidore-auguste-marie-françois-xavier Comte French philosopher known as the founder of sociology and of positivism. Comte gave the science of sociology its name and established the new subject in a systematic fashion.

Essen, Louis

2005-03-13T01:09:00.000-08:00

Essen studied physics at Nottingham University College, where he earned a University of London physics degree

Daendels, Herman Willem

2005-03-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Daendels was a lawyer in his native town; he led the Patriot Movement there against William V of Orange, stadtholder

Literature, Latin America.

2005-03-12T03:28:00.000-08:00

Carlos Fuentes

Phase Diagram

2005-03-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

Graph showing the limiting conditions for solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of a single substance or of a mixture of substances while undergoing changes in pressure and temperature or in some other combination of variables, such as solubility and temperature. The Figure shows a typical phase diagram for a one-component system (i.e., one consisting of a single pure

Cambon, Paul

2005-03-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

A law graduate (1870) and an ardent republican, Cambon served as secretary to the future statesman Jules Ferry, then mayor of Paris. Sent to the département of Bouches-du-Rhône as secretary-general of the prefecture

Asbest

2005-03-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

City, Sverdlovsk oblast (province), west-central Russia. It lies in the eastern foothills of the middle Ural Mountains. Developed from the settlement of Kudelka, founded in 1720 around the first Russian discovery of asbestos—from which it takes its name—it became a city in 1933. Asbestos production from the Bazhenovo deposit has been carried on since the 1880s. A century later the

Furniture, France and England: 17th and 18th centuries

2005-03-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

The French Rococo chair in its most mature form—that is, as developed in Paris around 1750—spread over most of Europe and has been imitated or copied into the mid-20th century. The model owes its popularity to a combination of comfort and elegance. The seat conforms to the human body and permits a relaxed sitting position. The back is bow-shaped, the legs curved. Normally the seat

Turkish Bath

2005-03-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

Kind of bath that originated in the Middle East and combines exposure to warm air, then steam or hot-air immersion, massage, and finally a cold-water bath or shower. The Turkish bath typically requires movement from one room or chamber to the next. Separate wash rooms and soaking pools may be included in the bath building, as are dressing and rest rooms. The Turkish bath

Mayon Volcano

2005-03-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

Active volcano, southeastern Luzon, Philippines, dominating the city of Legaspi. Called the world's most perfect cone, it has a base 80 miles (130 km) in circumference and rises to 7,943 feet (2,421 m) from the shores of Albay Gulf. Popular with climbers and campers, it is the centre of Mayon Volcano National Park (21 square miles [55 square km]). There are large abaca plantations on its lower slopes.

Ash'ari, Abu Al-hasan Al-

2005-03-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

Muslim Arab theologian noted for having integrated the rationalist methodology of the speculative theologians into the framework of orthodox Islam. In his Maqalat al-Islamiyin (“Theological Opinions of the Muslims”), compiled during his early period, al-Ash'ari brought together the varied opinions of scholars on Muslim theological questions. From

Aerospace Industry, Inspection technologies

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

The most critical portion of maintenance work is inspection to detect cracks, flaws, debonds, delamination, corrosion, and other detrimental changes before they threaten the aircraft. Inspectors do much of their work visually, often using nothing more sophisticated than a flashlight and a mirror. For most of the remainder, they use ultrasound, X-rays, eddy currents,

Social Behaviour In Animals

2005-03-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

To understand social behaviour more fully, it is necessary to examine it throughout the range of animal life. W.C. Allee, in his classic book The Social Life of Animals, distinguishes two major types of animal societies. One is the parental, or familial, society, in which parent and offspring stay together for varying lengths of time. The other is the pair bond, or club, society,

North America, The dispossession of the Indians

2005-03-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

The process of removing the Indians from their ancestral lands led to bitter disputes. The British tried to end one such problem by setting up the Proclamation Line of 1763 along the Appalachian divide, allowing whites to take over what lay to the east but attempting to reserve what lay to the west as Indian territory. After their independence from Britain, the Americans

Kuharic, Franjo Cardinal

2005-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Croatian Roman Catholic cleric (b. April 15, 1919, Pribic, Yugos.—d. March 11, 2002, Zagreb, Croatia), served as a strong nationalist symbol for his countrymen during Croatia's 1991 secession from Yugoslavia and the war that ensued (1991–95). In his role as archbishop of Zagreb (1970–97) and, thus, Roman Catholic primate of Croatia, Kuharic condemned religious intolerance and violence against Serbs and Muslims.

Orléans, Ferdinand-louis-philippe-charles-henri, Duc D' (duke Of)

2005-03-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

He was a noted soldier and served in Algeria from 1834 to 1836. In 1837 he married Princess Helena of Mecklenburg. In 1839 he again went to Algeria, but the fatigues of the campaign were too much for him. He died at Neuilly at the age of 31. His sons refused

Resonance, Theory Of

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

In chemistry, theory by which the actual normal state of a molecule is represented not by a single valence-bond structure but by a combination of several alternative distinct structures. The molecule is then said to resonate among the several valence-bond structures or to have a structure that is a resonance hybrid of these structures. The energy calculated for

Sardana

2005-03-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

Communal dance intimately bound up with Catalan national consciousness. It is danced by men and women who join hands alternately in a closed circle. As they dance to the music of tenores and tabales (shawms and small drums), their faces remain solemn and dignified. The basic pattern of the sardana is a series of long (llarg) and short (curt) steps; the precise combination

Dow, Herbert H.

2005-03-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

Dow first became interested in brines (concentrated solutions of salts and water) while attending Case School of Applied Science (now Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland (B.S.; 1888). His analysis of brines from several sites revealed

Japanese Beetle

2005-03-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

(species Popillia japonica), an insect that is a major pest and belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae (family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera). It was accidentally introduced into the United States from Japan about 1916, probably as larvae in the soil around imported plants. Japanese beetles are known to feed on more than 200 species of plants, including a wide

Fu

2005-03-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization fu type of Chinese bronze vessel used as a food container, it was produced largely from the middle Zhou period (c. 900–c. 600 BC) through the Warring States period (475–221 BC). Rectangular in shape and divided into two parts, the vessel was supported by angular feet at each corner; the lid was almost a duplicate of the bottom (in principle much like the dui). In ancient documents the vessel was also

Kirovohrad

2005-03-04T05:18:00.000-08:00

Russian Kirovograd oblast (province), south-central Ukraine. It extends from the Dnieper River in the northeast across the rolling hills of the Dnieper Upland to the basin of the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River in the southwest. The oblast's natural vegetation of grass steppe on fertile soils has been almost wholly plowed up, and unsound practices have resulted in serious and widespread

Cartwright, Peter

2005-03-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

His father, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, took his family to Kentucky in 1790. There Cartwright had little opportunity for schooling but was exposed to the rude surroundings of the frontier, becoming a gambler at cards and horse racing. This way of life came to

Maret, Hugues-bernard, Duc (duke) De Bassano

2005-03-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

A journalist in the early stages of the French Revolution, Maret entered the diplomatic service in 1792. After the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire (Nov. 9, 1799), Napoleon appointed him secretary of state to the consuls. He grew in Napoleon's esteem and acted as his confidential adviser. From April 1811 to November 1813, Maret

Settling

2005-03-01T01:02:00.000-08:00

Settling also refers to movement of structures located above deep beds of soft

Gonder

2005-02-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Gonder was the capital of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1855, and it has the remains of castles and palaces constructed by a series of emperors from Fasilides (reigned 1632–67) to Iyasu II (1730–55). The ruins of these structures stand within a walled imperial

Darling, Grace

2005-02-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

The daughter of a lighthouse keeper, Darling grew up on Longstone in the Farne Islands. Intensely shy and private, she become the focus of national attention after the steamship Forfarshire sank during a severe storm in September

Hythe

2005-02-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Shepway district, administrative and historic county of Kent, England, on the English Channel coast at the eastern end of Romney Marsh and on the Royal Military Canal. (The canal was built as a defensive moat when Napoleon threatened invasion of Britain.) The old town lies on the hillside inland from the canal, and the modern town, a seaside resort, lies between

Benedetti, Mario

2005-02-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

Benedetti was born to a prosperous family of Italian immigrants. His father was a viniculturist and a chemist. At age four the boy was taken to Montevideo, where he received a superior education at a private school. He was deeply affected by his early experience of the capital

Altis

2005-02-27T02:14:00.000-08:00

In Greek religion, the sacred grove of Zeus, or the sacred precinct in Olympia, Greece. It was an irregular quadrangular area more than 200 yards (183 m) on each side, and walled except to the north, where it was bounded by the Kronion (hill of Cronus). In it were the temples of Zeus and of Hera, his consort; the principal altars and votive offerings; the small treasuries built by various

Hess, Victor Francis

2005-02-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Graz, Hess received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1906. His research

Margaret

2005-02-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

Margaret's father was Eric II, king of Norway; her mother, Margaret, a daughter of King Alexander III of Scotland (ruled 1249–86), died in 1283. Because none of Alexander III's other children were alive at the time of his death (March 1286), the Scottish

Fusarium Wilt

2005-02-25T01:18:00.000-08:00

Also called Yellows, widespread plant disease caused by many forms of the soil-inhabiting fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Several hundred plant species are susceptible at soil temperatures above 75° F (24° C). Infected plants are usually stunted; their leaves turn pale green to golden yellow and later wilt, wither, die, and drop off progressively upward from the stem base. Dark streaks occur in vascular

Maxwell, James Clerk

2005-02-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

In 1865 Maxwell resigned his professorship at King's College and retired to the family estate in Glenlair. He continued to visit London every spring and served as external examiner for the Mathematical Tripos (exams) at Cambridge. In the spring and early summer of 1867 he toured Italy. But most of his energy during this period was devoted to writing his famous treatise on electricity

Earth Sciences

2005-02-24T04:58:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Graz, Hess received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1906. His research

Philodemus

2005-02-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

After studying under the Epicurean Zeno of Sidon at Athens, he moved to Rome c. 75 BC and became the mentor of the Roman aristocrat Lucius Calpurnius Piso, who invited Philodemus to live in his villa at Herculaneum, near Naples. In the ruins of that villa

Mcminnville

2005-02-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1886) of Yamhill county, northwestern Oregon, U.S., on the South Yamhill River. Settled in 1844 and named for McMinnville, Tennessee, it developed as a service centre for Yamhill Valley farmers. Linfield College (1849), affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, sponsors the Linfield Research Institute, a scientific laboratory. The economy is geared to lumber and food-processing

Tadpole

2005-02-22T00:42:00.000-08:00

Most tadpoles are vegetarians, although those of some species are carnivorous or even cannibalistic. Tadpole metamorphosis follows

Yaksha

2005-02-21T22:54:00.000-08:00

Yakshas were often given homage as tutelary deities of a city, district, lake, or well. Their worship, together

Waterberg Series

2005-02-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

Also called Waterberg System, major division of rocks in southern Africa. The age of the Waterberg is in doubt; it is possible that the Waterberg is late Precambrian or Early Paleozoic (older or younger than 540 million years, respectively). Waterberg rocks consist of several thousand feet of brown, red, and purple sandstones and some rather minor shales. Sedimentary structures such as ripple marks,

Colbert, Claudette

2005-02-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Colbert moved with her family to New York City about 1910. While studying fashion design, she landed a small role in the Broadway play The Wild Westcotts (1923) after

Vietnam, Flag Of

2005-02-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

Vietnam has long utilized ceremonies and symbols that originated in China, its northern neighbour. In recent centuries the emperors of Vietnam had banners of yellow when that was the imperial colour of the Ch'ing (Manchu) dynasty in China. Red, a symbol of “the south,” was also often featured in Vietnamese flags. Vietnam was under French colonial government from the 19th

La Gruyère

2005-02-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

German Greyerz, region and southernmost district of Fribourg canton, western Switzerland. La Gruyère lies along the middle reach of La Sarine (Saane) River, on the edge of the Vaudois uplands and the Bernese Oberland (highland), south of Fribourg. The name is derived either from gruyer, a forestry officer, or from the crane (grue), the bird crest of the powerful counts of La Gruyère (923–1555). The principal

Gumal Pass

2005-02-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gomal Pass, route along the Gumal River valley in the extreme southwestern portion of North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The most important pass between the Khyber and Bolan passes, it connects Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan with Tank and Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan via Domandi and Kot Murtaza. Actually a 4-mile (6-kilometre) defile (gorge), the name is sometimes applied to the full

Antarctica, IGY and the Antarctic Treaty

2005-02-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

The importance of coordinating polar science efforts was recognized in 1879 by the International Polar Commission meeting in Hamburg, Ger., and thus the 11 participating nations organized the First International Polar Year of 1882–83. Most work was planned for the better-known Arctic, and, of the four geomagnetic and meteorologic stations scheduled for Antarctic regions, only

Epistatic Gene

2005-02-18T03:37:00.000-08:00

In genetics, a gene that determines whether or not a trait will be expressed. The system of genes that determines skin colour in man, for example, is independent of the gene responsible for albinism (lack of pigment) or the development of skin colour. This gene is an epistatic gene. When the albino condition occurs, the genes that determine skin colour are present but not

Tsukuba Science City

2005-02-18T00:37:00.000-08:00

Tsukuba Science City was developed in the 1970s and 1980s to stimulate scientific discovery.

Cloos, Hans

2005-02-18T00:35:00.000-08:00

Cloos was a professor at the University of Breslau from 1919 until 1926, when he became professor of geology at the University of Bonn. He studied the structure and development of the continents

Marriage Law

2005-02-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

The body of legal specifications and requirements and other laws that regulate the initiation, continuation, and validity of marriages. Marriage is a legally sanctioned union usually between one man and one woman. At the beginning of the 21st century, marriage between people of the same sex was legally recognized in two countries, The Netherlands (2001) and Belgium (2003), and

Shiga

2005-02-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Landlocked ken (prefecture), southern Honshu, Japan, containing Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. The lake and surrounding mountainous district form Lake Biwa Quasi-national Park. The prefecture's percentage of rice paddies is among the highest in Japan, and its Omi beef is well known throughout Japan. The textile industries at Otsu, the prefectural capital, Hikone,

La Grande River

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

Formerly Fort George River, river in Nord-du-Québec region, north-central Quebec province, Canada. Rising from Nichicun Lake in the Otish Mountains of central Quebec, it descends 1,737 feet (529 m) in its westward journey to James Bay, which forms part of Hudson Bay. For most of the river's course of 555 miles (893 km), its valley is almost uninhabited.

Biochemistry

2005-02-15T01:59:00.000-08:00

The field of science concerned with the chemical substances and processes that occur in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Specifically, it involves the quantitative determination and structural analysis of the organic compounds that comprise the basic constituents of cells (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) and of those that play a key role in chemical

Dubuffet, Jean(-philippe-arthur)

2005-02-15T00:50:00.000-08:00

After World War II, as one of

Switzerland, Architecture

2005-02-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

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

Zaqaziq, Az-

2005-02-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Zagazig, city and capital of ash-Sharqiyah muhafazah (governorate), Egypt, on the Nile River delta north-northeast of Cairo. The city dates from the 1820s, when cotton cultivation spread to the eastern delta. Located at the junction of two irrigation canals (Tur'at as-Suways al-Hulwah [Sweetwater Canal] and Tur'at al-Mu'iz), az-Zaqaziq is about 1 mile (2 km) north of mounds marking the site of the 4th-dynasty

Adret, Solomon Ben Abraham

2005-02-13T00:07:00.000-08:00

As a leading scholar of the Talmud, the rabbinical compendium

Jammu And Kashmir, Resources and agriculture

2005-02-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

The state has limited mineral and fossil-fuel resources, and much of these are concentrated in the Jammu region. Small reserves of natural gas are found near Jammu, and bauxite and gypsum deposits occur in the Udhampur district. Other minerals include limestone, coal, zinc, and copper. The pressure of population on land is everywhere apparent, and all available resources

Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank

2005-02-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

Among the businesses the bank developed were commercial banking

Qala'un

2005-02-12T02:35:00.000-08:00

In the 1250s Qala'un was an early and devoted supporter of the Mamluk commander Baybars, and, after the latter became sultan of Egypt and Syria in 1260, Qala'un's career advanced rapidly. Upon the death of Baybars in 1277, Qala'un quickly deposed and exiled two of Baybars' sons who had briefly succeeded to the sultanate,

Amphibian, Reproduction

2005-02-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

The three living groups of amphibians have distinct evolutionary lineages and exhibit a diverse range of life strategies. The breeding behaviour of each order will be discussed in its individual section below. One similar tendency among amphibians has been the evolution in some species of direct development of young in terrestrial eggs, thus eliminating the

Nigeria

2005-02-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Officially Federal Republic of Nigeria country located on the coast of western Africa. It has an area of 356,669 square miles (923,768 square km). It is bordered to the north by Niger, the east by Chad and Cameroon, the south by the Gulf of Guinea, and to the west by Benin. Nigeria is not only large in size—it is larger than the U.S. state of Texas—it is also Africa's most populous country. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging

Tariff

2005-02-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

Tariffs may be levied either to raise revenue or to protect domestic industries, but a tariff designed primarily to raise revenue may exercise a strong protective influence and a tariff

Arzew

2005-02-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Arzeu, port town, northwestern Algeria. Arzew lies near the mouth of the Wadi Mehgoun. Its natural harbour on the Mediterranean is sheltered by a mountainous promontory between the gulfs of Oran and Arzew. Arzew was an Almohad port in the 1100s. It was visited by Italian merchants in the 14th and 15th centuries and was captured and fortified by the Turks in the 16th. Occupied by the Algerian