BoilingWire

Wood Working Machinery

2006-10-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

Morgan Rogers WoodWorking Machinery supply quality affordable used Woodworking Machinery and New Woodworking Machineryall over the world. With over 40 years experience in the Wood Working Machines industry no order is to small

Safe-conduct

2005-03-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

Procedure by which a person is permitted to enter or leave a jurisdiction in which he would normally be subject to arrest, detention, or other deprivation. Historically, the habit of princes in granting safe-conducts to foreigners who, as aliens, did not ordinarily enjoy the full protection of the host-country's law developed into the system of diplomatic

Ganesha

2005-03-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

Ganesha, considered the remover of obstacles, is the first god invoked at the beginning of worship or of a new enterprise, and he is often positioned near thresholds and gateways. He is a patron of letters and learning, and he is the

Primate, General structure

2005-03-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

The basis of the success of the order Primates is the relatively unspecialized nature of their structure and the highly specialized plasticity of their behaviour. This combination has permitted the primates throughout their evolutionary history to exploit the wide variety of novel ecological opportunities that have come their way. Although there are a few

Offroad Racing

2005-03-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

Numerous offroad race circuits have developed, notably Score International Off Road Racing, which hosts the

Carnivore, Importance to humans

2005-03-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

If taken when young, the grizzly can be tamed quite easily and is not uncommon in circus acts. Unfortunately, man has come to picture the bear as being quite tame and harmless, with the result that the bear is viewed without the respect that this potentially dangerous creature deserves. The grizzly is the most dangerous of the bears to man, of the most interest economically

Tablature

2005-03-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

Lute tablatures were of three main varieties, French, Italian (used also in Spain), and German. The French type, used c. 1500–c. 1800, proved to be the most practical and contained an important

Vulcan

2005-03-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

In Roman religion, god of fire, particularly in its destructive aspects as volcanoes or conflagrations. Poetically, he is given all the attributes of the Greek Hephaestus (q.v.). His worship was very ancient, and at Rome he had his own priest (flamen). His chief festival, the Volcanalia, was held on August 23 and was marked by a rite of unknown significance: the heads of Roman families

Biblical Literature, Papyri

2005-03-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

The earliest New Testament manuscript witnesses (2nd–8th centuries) are papyri mainly found preserved in fragments in the dry sands of Egypt. Only in the latter decades of the 20th century have the relatively recently discovered New Testament papyri been published. Of those cataloged to date, there are about 76 New Testament manuscripts with fragments of various parts

Palomino De Castro Y Velasco

2005-03-05T22:24:00.000-08:00

After study at the University of Córdoba, Palomino was a student of the painter Valdes Leal and later Alfaro. In 1688 Palomino was appointed court painter and continued to concentrate on easel work until 1699. Thereafter he assisted Luca Giordano in the fresco

Weather Satellite

2005-03-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Any of a class of Earth satellites designed to monitor meteorological conditions (see Earth satellite).

Dome

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

In architecture, hemispherical structure evolved from the arch, usually forming a ceiling or roof. Domes first appeared as solid mounds and in techniques adaptable only to the smallest buildings, such as round huts and tombs in the ancient Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean. The Romans introduced the large-scale masonry hemisphere. The dome exerts thrusts

Eystein I Magnusson

2005-03-03T00:36:00.000-08:00

An illegitimate son of Magnus III Barefoot, Eystein succeeded to the throne in 1103 with his younger brothers Sigurd I and Olaf (IV); the latter, a child, died in 1115, but Sigurd outlived Eystein. While Sigurd was off on crusades in Moorish Spain and the Holy

Dielectric Heating

2005-03-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

Also called Capacitance Heating, method by which the temperature of an electrically nonconducting (insulating) material can be raised by subjecting the material to a high-frequency electromagnetic field. The method is widely employed industrially for heating thermosetting glues, for drying lumber and other fibrous materials, for preheating plastics before molding, and for fast jelling and

Huygens, Christiaan

2005-02-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Huygens was from a wealthy and distinguished middle-class family. His father, Constantijn Huygens,

Sha'ir

2005-02-27T02:13:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “poet”), in Arabic literature, poet who in pre-Islamic times was a tribal dignitary whose poetic utterances were deemed supernaturally inspired by such spirits as jinn and shaitans. As such, his word was needed to insure the success of certain tribal activities, particularly war, grazing, and the invocation of the gods. In times of intertribal strife, the satire

Outram, Sir James, 1st Baronet

2005-02-24T20:39:00.000-08:00

Outram was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, Scot., and went to Bombay as a cadet in 1819. After serving with distinction in the

Amphipod

2005-02-23T02:31:00.000-08:00

Any member of the invertebrate order Amphipoda (class Crustacea) inhabiting all parts of the sea, lakes, rivers, sand beaches, caves, and moist (warm) habitats on many tropical islands. Marine amphipods have been found at depths of more than 9,100 m (30,000 feet). Freshwater and marine beach species are commonly known as scuds; those that occupy sand beaches are called

Dyula

2005-02-21T03:18:00.000-08:00

The Dyula were active gold traders as long ago as the time of the ancient African kingdom of Ghana. They flourished under the empire of Mali, when they provided a link between the gold-producing forestlands in

Andijon

2005-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Andizhan, or Andizan, city, extreme eastern Uzbekistan. Andijon lies in the southeastern part of the Fergana Valley. The city, which stands on ancient deposits of the Andijon River, dates back at least to the 9th century. In the 15th century it became the capital of the Fergana Valley and, being on the Silk Road caravan route to China, its chief centre of trade and handicrafts. In the 18th century it

Tutankhamen

2005-02-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

Medical analysis of his mummy shows that Tutankhaten was probably a brother of Smenkhkare, his immediate

China, Art

2005-02-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

Late Shang culture is also defined by the size, elaborate shapes, and evolved decor of the ritual bronzes, many of which were used in wine offerings to the ancestors and some of which were inscribed with ancestral dedications such as “Made for Father Ting.” Their surfaces were ornamented with zoomorphic and theriomorphic elements set against intricate backgrounds

Haarlemmermeer

2005-02-13T02:18:00.000-08:00

Gemeente (commune), Noord-Holland provincie, The Netherlands, occupying the reclaimed Haarlem Lake, which was drained between 1840 and 1852. There is a network of roads and ditches at right angles within the enclosing canal and dike. The population is concentrated in the villages of Hoofddorp, Nieuw-Vennep, Badhoevedorp, and Zwanenburg, which are situated along the dike and

Táchira

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

State, western Venezuela, bounded on the west by Colombia. The territory of 4,300 square miles (11,100 square km) lies in the southwestern reaches of the Andean Cordillera de Mérida. Agriculture dominates the state's economy; coffee and sugarcane are the leading commercial crops. Rural industry, closely related to agriculture, is usually carried on in the local homes. Relatively

Gatlinburg

2005-02-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

City, Sevier county, eastern Tennessee, U.S. It lies about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Knoxville, at the northwestern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. English and Scotch-Irish settlers began to arrive along the Little Pigeon River about 1795; by 1835 the settlement was called White Oak Flats. It was renamed in 1860 for Radford Gatlin, who opened a store there in 1855. In an American

Ancaeus

2005-02-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, the son of Zeus or Poseidon and king of the Leleges of Samos. In the Argonautic expedition, after the death of Tiphys, the helmsman of the Argo, Ancaeus took his place. According to legend, while planting a vineyard, Ancaeus was told by a seer that he would never drink of its wine. When the grapes were ripe, he squeezed the juice into a cup and, raising it to

Kiribati, Flag Of

2005-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

The British acquired extensive colonies and protectorates in the Pacific Ocean during the 19th century, including the Gilbert Islands, with their Micronesian population, and the nearby Ellice Islands, which were dominated by Polynesians. In anticipation of independence from Britain, a referendum was held and the two territories were separated in 1976. The former Gilbert

'amr Ibn Al-'as

2005-01-31T18:22:00.000-08:00

A wealthy member of the Banu Sahm clan of the important tribe of Quraysh, 'Amr accepted Islam in 629–630. Sent to Oman, in southeastern Arabia, by the Prophet Muhammad, he successfully completed his first mission by converting its rulers to Islam. As the leader of one of the three military forces sent to Palestine by the caliph Abu Bakr, he took

Greek Religion, The Hellenistic period

2005-01-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

Greek religion, having no creed, did not proselytize. In the heyday of the polis, the Greek religion was spread by the founding of new poleis, whose colonists took with them part of the sacred fire from the hearth of the mother city and the cults of the city's gods. (“Heroes,” being essentially bound to the territory in which they were buried, had to be left behind.) There was a tendency

Pridoli Series

2005-01-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

Pridoli also spelled Prídolí, also called Pridolian, the uppermost of four main divisions of the Silurian System, representing rocks deposited worldwide during the Pridoli Epoch (414 to 408 million years ago). The series' name is derived from the Prídolí area of the Daleje Valley on the outskirts of Prague in the Czech Republic, where about 20–50 m (65–165 feet) of platy limestone strata rich in cephalopods and bivalves are well

Genetic Disease, Human, Ethical issues

2005-01-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

Because many couples choose to terminate a pregnancy when the fetus is found to be carrying a severe genetic disorder, prenatal diagnosis has become entangled in the ethical debate that surrounds elective abortion. It is regrettable that to many people intrauterine diagnosis is synonymous with abortion, which it is not. The vast majority of women who have genetic

Great Appalachian Valley

2005-01-24T02:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Great Valley Region, longitudinal chain of valley lowlands of the Appalachian mountain system of North America. Extending from Canada on the northeast to Alabama, U.S., on the southwest, it includes the St. Lawrence River valley in Canada and the Kittatinny, Cumberland, Shenandoah, and Tennessee river valleys in the United States. In its southerly region the Great Appalachian Valley divides

Egypt, Hydroelectric and other power resources

2005-01-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Nile constitutes an incomparable source of energy; further sources are represented by coal, oil, and gas deposits. Almost half of Egypt's electrical energy comes from thermal stations; hydroelectric plants, including those at the Aswan High Dam, supply the remainder.

Steeple

2005-01-19T02:07:00.000-08:00

Tall ornamental tower, sometimes a belfry, usually attached to an ecclesiastical or public building. The steeple is usually composed of a series of diminishing stories and is topped by a spire, cupola, or pyramid (qq.v.), although in ordinary usage the term steeple denotes the entire structure.

Hypocoly

2005-01-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

(Hypocolius ampelinus), Middle Eastern songbird believed by some authorities to be related to the waxwing (family Bombycillidae) but often separated as the sole member of the family Hypocoliidae (order Passeriformes). The hypocoly is a slim grayish bird, about 18 cm (7 inches) long, with a black mask and a slight crest. The wings are black, tipped with white. The beak is short,

Straits Times, The

2005-01-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

It was founded in 1845 as a single-sheet weekly by Robert Carr Woods to provide commercial information needed by Singapore's bustling port community. The paper became a daily in 1858. Its facilities were destroyed by fire in 1869, but the paper

Korbut, Olga Valentinovna

2005-01-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

At age 11, Korbut entered a Soviet sports school led by Renald Knysh, her future coach. He taught her the difficult backward somersault on the balance beam. Using this maneuver, she first competed in the 1969 U.S.S.R. championships, placing fifth. In the

Ausgleich

2005-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

(German: “Compromise”), the compact, finally concluded on Feb. 8, 1867, that regulated the relations between Austria and Hungary and established the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary (q.v.).

Malcolm I

2005-01-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Malcolm succeeded to the crown when his cousin Constantine II entered a monastery (943). He annexed Moray to the kingdom for the first time. After driving the Danes from York, the English king Edmund turned Cumbria over to Malcolm, apparently as a fief or seal of alliance. Later, when Norsemen again invaded the land, the Scots sent raids against

Novomoskovsk

2005-01-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1934) Bobriki , or (1934–61) Stalinogorsk city, Tula oblast (province), western Russia, situated on the upper Don River. Founded in 1930 as Bobriki, the town developed as a major chemical centre, making fertilizers and plastics and mining lignite (brown coal). Pop. (1993 est.) 145,000.

Caryophyllales, Distribution

2005-01-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

The most striking single ecological feature in the order is the dominance of the Chenopodiaceae in alkaline situations and the prominence of succulent Aizoaceae in the deserts of southern Africa. The other members of the order occur in any of several types of habitat, but in general none is conspicuous. Even the Aizoaceae in the southern African deserts are not

Beza, Theodore

2005-01-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

After studying law at Orléans, Fr. (1535–39), Beza established a practice in Paris, where he published Juvenilia (1548), a volume of amorous verse that earned him a reputation as a leading Latin poet. On recovering

Atherton

2005-01-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Town in the metropolitan borough of Wigan, metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, historic county of Lancashire, England. The manor was held by the Atherton family from the early 13th century to 1738. Atherton was an early centre of Presbyterianism, a chapel being built in 1645 and replaced in 1722; this is now the Chowbent (the name of the old part of the town) Unitarian Chapel. Cotton

Arrest

2004-12-30T03:53:00.000-08:00

Placing of a person in custody or under restraint, usually for the purpose of compelling obedience to the law. If the arrest occurs in the course of criminal procedure, the purpose of the restraint is to hold the person for answer to a criminal charge or to prevent him from committing an offense. In civil proceedings, the purpose is to hold the person to a demand made against

Wabash

2004-12-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1835) of Wabash county, northeastern Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 45 miles (72 km) west-southwest of Fort Wayne. It was settled in 1835 on land ceded to the U.S. government by the Potawatomi Indian chief Pierish in the Treaty of Paradise Springs signed on a local hilltop in 1826. Completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1850s stimulated the community's growth. Wabash was one of the

Acre

2004-12-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

Unit of land measurement in the British Imperial and United States Customary systems, equal to 43,560 square feet, or 160 square rods. One acre is equivalent to 0.4047 hectares (4,047 square metres). Derived from Middle English aker (from Old English aecer) and akin to Latin ager (“field”), the acre had one origin in the typical area that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen pulling a wooden

New Harmony

2004-12-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

Town, Posey county, southwestern Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, at the Illinois border, 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Evansville. The site was first occupied by prehistoric Mound Builders and later was a camping ground for Piankashaw and other Indians. The settlement of Harmonie was founded in 1814–15 by George Rapp, a German Pietist preacher who had first come to Pennsylvania in

Bergson, Henri

2004-12-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

In full Henri-Louis Bergson French philosopher, the first to elaborate what came to be called a process philosophy, which rejected static values in favour of values of motion, change, and evolution. He was also a master literary stylist, of both academic and popular appeal, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1927.

Radar

2004-12-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

(from “radio detecting and ranging”), electromagnetic sensor used for detecting, locating, tracking, and identifying objects of various kinds at considerable distances. It operates by transmitting electromagnetic energy toward objects, commonly referred to as targets, and observing the echoes returned from them. The targets may be aircraft, ships, spacecraft, automotive

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2004-12-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

Posterity has not confirmed the judgment of those contemporaries who placed d'Alembert's reputation next to Voltaire's. In spite of his original contributions to the mathematical sciences, intellectual timidity prevented his literary and philosophical work from attaining true greatness. Nevertheless, his scientific background enabled him to elaborate

Theatrical Production, The modern repertory company

2004-12-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

During the rise of the stock company and single-show system, there continued to exist highly refined examples of the repertory ensemble. The Comédie Française, originally an amalgamation of two Parisian troupes, has existed since 1680. In opera the repertory system remains fundamentally unchanged. Toward the end of the 19th century, however, a widespread transformation

Alekseyev, Mikhail Vasilyevich

2004-12-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

The son of a private soldier, Alekseyev entered the Russian Army in 1876 and was graduated in 1890 from

Gumel

2004-12-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Gummel town and traditional emirate, northern Jigawa state, northern Nigeria. The emirate was founded about 1750 by Dan Juma of Kano city (75 miles [121 km] southwest) and his followers of the Manga (Mangawa) tribe. Shortly after his death in 1754, it became a tributary state of the Bornu kingdom. The emirate survived the Fulani attacks of Usman dan Fodio's jihad (“holy war”) in the early 19th century and

Nolde, Emil

2004-12-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

Born of a peasant family, the youthful Nolde made his living as a wood-carver. He was able to study art formally only when some of his early works

English Oak

2004-12-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

Also called Brown Oak (Quercus robur), ornamental and timber tree of the beech family (Fagaceae) that is native to Eurasia but also cultivated in North America and Australia. The tree has a short, stout trunk with wide-spreading branches and may grow to a height of 25 m (82.5 feet). The short-stalked leaves, 13 cm (5 inches) or more long, have three to seven pairs of rounded lobes; they are dark green

Alemán, Miguel

2004-12-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

The son of a village shopkeeper who subsequently became a general in the revolution, Alemán studied law and set up practice in Mexico City, specializing in labour cases. Appointed senator from Veracruz, he became governor of the state in 1936. In 1940 he resigned to manage the successful presidential campaign of

Schäuffelein, Hans Leonhard

2004-12-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

In 1509 Schäuffelein worked in the Tirol and later in Bavaria. There he painted the altarpiece for the Benedictine abbey

Dubuffet, Jean(-philippe-arthur)

2004-12-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

After World War II, as one of

Tasmania, Resources

2004-11-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Important mineral deposits include iron at Savage River; high-grade lead-zinc-silver at Hellyer, Que River, and Rosebery; low-grade copper at Queenstown; low-grade tin at Renison Bell; tin and tungsten in the northeast; and high-grade silica at Corinna and Beaconsfield. There is high-quality limestone for cement at Railton, while low-quality coal abounds near Fingal.

Oraon

2004-11-29T01:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Kurukh, aboriginal people of the Chota Nagpur region in the state of Bihar, India. They call themselves Kurukh and speak a Dravidian language akin to Gondi and other tribal languages of central India. They once lived farther to the southwest on the Rohtas Plateau, but they were dislodged by other populations and migrated to Chota Nagpur, where they settled in the vicinity of Munda-speaking

Social Insurance

2004-11-27T03:59:00.000-08:00

The first compulsory social insurance programs on

Ariadne

2004-11-24T05:37:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, daughter of Pasiphae and the Cretan king Minos. She fell in love with the Athenian hero Theseus and, with a thread or glittering jewels, helped him escape the Labyrinth after he slew the Minotaur, a beast half bull and half man that Minos kept in the Labyrinth. Here the legends diverge: she was abandoned by Theseus and hanged herself; Theseus carried

Jam And Lewis

2004-11-22T02:44:00.000-08:00

Jam and Lewis's emergence as major record producers was kick-started by Prince's pique. Keyboard player Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and bassist Terry Lewis played together in local Minneapolis bands while in high school, graduating to Flyte Tyme, which evolved into Prince's backing band, the Time, in 1981. When Jam and Lewis produced the SOS Band's hit “Just Be Good to Me” in 1983, they

Argentina, Porteños and gauchos

2004-11-21T02:49:00.000-08:00

The people of the port of Buenos Aires, the porteños, often call their cultured and glamorous city the Paris of South America. But there is another Argentina away from the capital: that of the Pampas and the interior. The interior gave to all Argentines their symbol of national identity, the gaucho, who occupies a position in South American lore similar to that of the

Biblical Literature, II Esdras (or IV Esdras)

2004-11-18T03:51:00.000-08:00

Two important apocalyptic pseudepigrapha (II Esdras and the Apocalypse of Baruch), in which the political and eschatological aspects are central to the aim of the books, were written in Palestine at the end of the 1st century CE as a consequence of the catastrophic destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (70). Both were written as if they reflected the doom that befell

Tea

2004-11-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

Beverage produced by steeping in freshly boiled water the young leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Two principal varieties are used, the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica). Hybrids of these two varieties are also grown. The leaves may be fermented or left unfermented.

Ai Qing

2004-11-12T01:43:00.000-08:00

The son of a well-to-do landowner, Ai Qing was encouraged to learn Western languages. He studied painting in Paris

Williams, Betty

2004-11-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

Williams, an office worker and wife and mother, took little part in public life until August 1976, when she witnessed an incident that moved her to speak out. An Irish Republican Army terrorist was shot by British

Nobel Prizes

2004-11-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Chinese émigré writer Gao Xingjian was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature for “an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama.” Gao, the first Chinese-language writer to win the award, was a respected novelist, playwright, translator, and critic whose works had been banned in

Probate

2004-11-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

In Anglo-American law, the judicial proceedings by which it is determined whether or not a paper purporting to be the last will of a deceased person is the legally valid last will. What appears to be a valid will may not be so: it may have been forged, not executed in the way required by law, signed by the testator while mentally incompetent or under duress, or subsequently

Kirkman, Jacob

2004-11-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

Kirkman was trained as a cabinetmaker and went to England in the early 1730s to work for an obscure immigrant Flemish harpsichord maker in London. He eventually became harpsichord

Grubenmann, Hans Ulrich; And Grubenmann, Johannes

2004-11-02T02:58:00.000-08:00

Swiss carpenters and bridge builders whose bridge (1758) over the Limmat River at the town of Wettingen, near Zürich, is believed to be the first timber bridge to employ a true arch in its design. The brothers' ingenious combination of the arch and truss principles made it possible to construct longer and better timber bridges

Venetian School

2004-11-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty of painters that was most important

Quill

2004-10-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Also called Calamus, hollow, horny barrel of a bird's feather, used as the principal writing instrument from the 6th century until the mid-19th century, when steel pen points were introduced. The strongest quills were obtained from living birds in their new growth period in the spring. Only the five outer wing feathers (follicles) were considered suitable for writing; the second and third were

Neo-hegelianism

2004-10-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

The doctrines of an idealist school of philosophers that was prominent in Great Britain and in the United States between 1870 and 1920. The name is also sometimes applied to cover other philosophies of the period that were Hegelian in inspiration—for instance, those of Benedetto Croce and of Giovanni Gentile. Neo-Hegelianism in Great Britain developed originally as a natural

Spondylolisthesis

2004-10-25T03:13:00.000-07:00

Forward slipping of the body of one of the lumbar (lower back) vertebrae on the subjacent vertebra or on the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spinal column. The condition is often associated with incompleteness of the vertebral arch, which surrounds the spinal cord. Pressure transmitted to the arch from above encourages slippage. Deformity (lordosis)

Animal Learning, Habituation

2004-10-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

A classic example of habituation is the following observation on the snail Helix albolabris. If the snail is moving along a wooden surface, it will immediately withdraw into its shell if the experimenter taps on the surface. It emerges after a pause, only to withdraw again if the tap is repeated. But continued repetition of the same tapping at regular intervals elicits

Solar Calendar

2004-10-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Any dating system based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 1/4 days, the time it takes the Earth to revolve once around the Sun. The Egyptians appear to have been the first to develop a solar calendar, using as a fixed point the annual sunrise reappearance of the Dog Star—Sirius, or Sothis—in the eastern sky, which coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River. They

Iasion

2004-10-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Also called Iasios, in Greek mythology, Cretan youth loved by Demeter, the corn goddess, who lay with him in a fallow field that had been thrice plowed. Their son was Plutus (q.v.), the wealth within the soil. According to another version, Iasion attempted to ravish the goddess and was struck by lightning hurled by Zeus. Iasion perhaps originated as an ancient agricultural deity associated

Daikoku

2004-10-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

In Japanese mythology, one of the Shichi-fuku-jin (Seven Gods of Luck); the god of wealth and guardian of farmers. He is depicted in legend and art as dark-skinned, stout, carrying a wish-granting mallet in his right hand, a bag of precious things slung over his back, and sitting on two rice bags. Rats are sometimes shown nibbling at the rice, further emphasizing the theme of

Aylmer, John

2004-10-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

Anglican bishop of London in the reign of Elizabeth I, known for his vigorous enforcement of the Act of Uniformity (1559) within his Church of England diocese. His harsh treatment of all (whether Puritan or Roman Catholic) who differed with him on ecclesiastical questions caused him to be attacked in the anti-episcopal Marprelate

Bhartrhari

2004-10-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

Of noble birth, Bhartrhari was attached for a time to the court of the Maitraka king of

Jam Master Jay

2004-10-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

American rap musician and producer (b. Jan. 21, 1965, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 30, 2002, New York City), was a member of Run-D.M.C., the first rap group to attract a worldwide audience. Jam Master Jay teamed with Joe (“Run”) Simmons and Darryl (“D.M.C.”) McDaniels to form the group in the early 1980s. The trio's debut album, Run-D.M.C. (1984), featuring the hit singles “It's like That” and “Sucker MCs,” became the first rap album to attain gold

Yevpatoriya

2004-10-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Evpatoriia, or Jevpatorija, city, Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the Kalamit Bay on the west coast of the Crimean Peninsula. Founded in the 6th century BC as a Greek colony and later renamed for Mithradates VI Eupator, sixth king of Pontus, the city has known many masters, passing to Russia with the annexation of the Crimea in 1783. Nearby the Allied armies landed (1854) during the Crimean War. With magnificent beaches,

Overture

2004-10-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

Arabia, History Of, The Ayyubids and Rasulids

2004-10-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Ayyubids of Egypt, when they invaded Yemen in 1173, found it parceled out among several dynasties. Ayyubid objectives were probably part political, to find themselves a haven and destroy the Isma'ilites, and part economic, to control the India trade route. They remained in power until about 1229, generally controlling Aden, Hadhramaut, the Tihamah, and the districts south of San

Western Australia, Relief and drainage

2004-10-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

The Kimberley region in the far north is a dissected plateau. The coastline is rugged and dangerous, with a tidal range of up to 39 feet and associated strong currents. Most of the region is sparsely wooded, and the moisture-storing boab (which has close affinities to the Indian and African baobabs) is particularly distinctive. Spinifex is ubiquitous, as it is throughout

Good Shepherd Sister

2004-09-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Member of The Religious of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (R.G.S.) , also called Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd a Roman Catholic order of religious devoted particularly to the care, rehabilitation, and education of girls and young women who have demonstrated delinquent behaviour. The congregation traces its history to an order founded by St. John Eudes in 1641 at Caen, Fr. This order, known as the Religious of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, was virtually destroyed during the French

New Georgia Group

2004-09-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Volcanic island group in the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 90 mi (145 km) northwest of Guadalcanal. The main islands (northwest to southeast) are Vella Lavella, Ranongga, Gizo, Kolombangara (cone-shaped, with a solfataric volcano, 5,800 ft [1,768 m]), Vona Vona, New Georgia (the largest, 50 mi long and 20 mi across at its widest point), Rendova, Tetepare, Vangunu, and Nggatokae. The islands

Adductor Muscle

2004-09-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Any of the muscles that draw a part of the body toward its median line or toward the axis of an extremity (compare abductor muscle), particularly three powerful muscles of the human thigh—adductor longus, adductor brevis, and adductor magnus. Originating at the pubis and the ischium (lower portions of the pelvis—the hipbone), these ribbonlike muscles are attached along

Berezina River

2004-09-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

River in Belarus, a tributary of the Dnieper, which it joins near Rechitsa. Its 381-mile (613-kilometre) length drains 9,450 square miles (24,500 square km). Rising north of the Minsk Elevation, it flows to the south-southeast in a meandering course through a swampy, forested basin. It is navigable only by small craft. During Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in 1812, a bitter engagement was fought on

Sweater

2004-09-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Outer garment, usually knitted or crocheted, that is worn on the upper part of the body, either pulled over the head or buttoned down the front or back. Although hand knitting of wool had been practiced for about 2,000 years, it was not until the 15th century that the first knitted shirts or tunics were produced on the English Channel islands of Guernsey and Jersey; hence the English

Fibre Optics

2004-09-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Fiber Optics, the science of transmitting data, voice, and images by the passage of light through thin, transparent fibres. In telecommunications, fibre optic technology has virtually replaced copper wire in long-distance telephone lines, and it is used to link computers within local area networks. Fibre optics is also the basis of the fibrescopes used in examining internal

Ahmedi, Taceddin

2004-09-18T03:06:00.000-07:00

As a young man, Ahmedi studied with the famous scholar Akmal ad-Din (al-Babarti) in Cairo. He then went to Kütahya, in Anatolia, and wrote for the ruler Amir Süleyman (1367–86). Later he went to the court of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I (1389–1403), and, at the Battle of Ankara, in which the Ottomans suffered a drastic defeat,

Huang-shih

2004-09-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Huangshi, city in southeastern Hupeh sheng (province), China. It is situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River about 60 miles (96 km) southeast of Wu-han. The nucleus of the present city was a small market town called Shih-tan-yao, or Shih-hui-yao; Huang-shih was the name of the landing on the Yangtze serving the town. When the nearby Ta-yeh iron mines began to be exploited at the end of the

Philemon And Baucis

2004-09-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

In Greek mythology, a pious Phrygian couple who hospitably received Zeus and Hermes when their richer neighbours turned away the two gods, who were disguised as wayfarers. As a reward, they were saved from a flood that drowned the rest of the country; their cottage was turned into a temple, and at their own request they became priest and priestess of it. Long after, they

Waitaki River

2004-09-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

River in central South Island, New Zealand. Streams issuing from Lakes Ohau, Pukaki, and Tekapo in the Southern Alps form the Waitaki (Maori: “Weeping Waters”), which, draining a 4,565-square-mile (11,823-square-kilometre) basin, flows southeast for 130 miles (209 km) to enter the Pacific at Glenavy, about 70 miles (113 km) north of Dunedin. The Waitaki River Power Development, which includes several large

India Rubber Plant

2004-09-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Young plants available in the florist's trade are durable

Sorites

2004-09-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

In syllogistic, or traditional, logic, a chain of successive syllogisms—or units of argument that pass from two premises (a major and then a minor) to a conclusion—in the first figure (i.e., with the middle, or repeated, term as the subject of the major and the predicate of the minor premise)—so related that either the conclusion of each (except the last) is the minor premise of

Tsushima

2004-09-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Archipelago, Nagasaki ken (prefecture), off the coast of southeastern Japan. The islands lie in the Korea Strait separating Japan and Korea, and divide the strait into the Tsushima Strait (west) and the Korea Strait (east). The archipelago consists principally of two rocky islands, Kami and Shimo, which are separated at one point by only a narrow channel. Kami has an area