LooseHouse

Boise National Forest

2005-04-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Large area of evergreen coniferous forest in southwestern Idaho, U.S., located north and east of Boise. Established in 1908, it has an area of about 4,080 square miles (10,570 square km). Portions of both Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness and Sawtooth Wilderness Area are located in the forest. Payette National Forest borders it on the north, and Challis and Sawtooth national forests

Alexander I

2005-04-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

The son of Prince Alexander of Hesse (previously created prince of Battenberg upon his morganatic marriage) and a favourite nephew of Alexander II of Russia, Alexander served during 1877 with the Russian forces in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), which resulted in the autonomy of Bulgaria.

Estonia

2005-04-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

Officially Republic of Estonia, Estonian Eesti, or Eesti Vabariik, country in northeastern Europe, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. It is bounded on the west and north by the Baltic Sea and on the east by Lake Peipus (Peipsi; Russian: Chudskoye Ozero) and the Narva River; it is bordered on the east and southeast by Russia and on the south by Latvia. Estonia has an area of 17,462 square miles (45,227 square kilometres), of which about one-tenth

Epistemology, Philosophy of mind and epistemology

2005-04-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

In the late 1970s a series of developments occurred in a variety of intellectual fields that promise to cast new light on the nature of the human mind. There have been explosive advances in neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, neurobiology, artificial intelligence, and computer studies. These have resulted in a new understanding of how seeing works, how the mind

Wildcat Bank

2005-04-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Unsound bank chartered under state law during the period of uncontrolled state banking (1816–63) in the United States. Such banks distributed nearly worthless currency backed by questionable security (e.g., mortgages, bonds) and were located in inaccessible areas to discourage note redemption. Note circulation by state banks ended after the passage of the National Bank

India, The Anglo-French struggle, 174063

2005-04-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

In 1740 India appeared to be relatively tranquil. In the north the Persian Nadir Shah's invasion (1739) had proved only to be a large-scale raid. In the Deccan, the Nizam-ul-Mulk (“Deputy for the Whole Empire”) provided some measure of stability. In western India the Marathas were dominant. However, there was competition between Marathas, Mughals, and local rulers for political supremacy in the

Rama Ii

2005-04-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

The second ruler (1809–24) of the present Chakkri dynasty, under whose rule relations were reopened with the West and Siam began a forward policy on the Malay peninsula. A gifted poet and dramatist, Rama II wrote a famous version of Inao, dramatic version of a popular traditional story, as well as episodes of

Agung, Mount

2005-04-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

According to one Balinese myth, the deities made mountains for their thrones and placed the highest, Mount Agung, in Bali. According to another myth,

Skaraborg

2005-03-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

Former län (county) of south-central Sweden, located between Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Founded as a county in 1634, it was merged with the counties of Älvsborg and Göteborg och Bohus in 1998 to form the county of Västra Götaland.

Maccabiah Games

2005-03-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

International games held in Palestine (later Israel) from 1932, sponsored by the World Maccabi Union, an international Jewish sports organization founded in 1921. Events held are such Olympic events as athletics (track and field), swimming, water polo, fencing, boxing, wrestling, football (soccer), basketball, tennis, table tennis, and volleyball and such non-Olympic events as

Binet, Alfred

2005-03-29T02:29:00.000-08:00

Fascinated by the work of the French neurologist Jean Charcot on hypnosis at the Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, Binet abandoned a law career in 1878 to devote himself

Marsden, William

2005-03-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

Marsden was preparing to enter Trinity College, Dublin, when in 1770 he was persuaded to follow his brother John into the service of the East India Company in western Sumatra. Arriving there at the age of 16, he was appointed a writer

China, International affairs

2005-03-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

China's foreign policy since 1978 generally has reflected the country's preoccupation with domestic economic development and its desire to promote a peaceful and stable environment in which to achieve these domestic goals. Except for its disagreement with Vietnam over that country's invasion of Cambodia in 1978, China has by and large avoided disputes and encouraged

France, History Of, Military reforms

2005-03-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

The fiscal reorganization facilitated equally significant military reforms. The Peace of Arras, rather than pacifying France, had only thrown the people once again to the mercies of disbanded mercenaries and brigands. In 1439 an ordinance made the recruitment of military companies the king's monopoly and provided for uniform strength in contingents, supervision,

Furniture, Fabrics

2005-03-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

The use of fabrics in furnishing rooms is closely bound up with the need for heating. In the primitively heated rooms of the Middle Ages, textiles were used to keep out cold and drafts. In 12th- and 13th-century churches, painted textile drapery can still be discerned beneath the picture friezes. In rather cold churches, just as in poorly heated homes, loosely hung textile

Indian Philosophy, Vaisnava schools

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

The main philosophers of the medieval Vaisnavism have been noted above. Vaisnavism, however, has a long history, traceable to the Vishnu worship of the Rigveda, the Bhakti conception of the epics, and the Vasudeva cult of the pre-Christian era. Of the two main Vaisnava scriptures, or agamas, the Pañcaratra (“Relating to the Period of Five Nights”) and the Vaikhanasa (“Relating to a Hermit

Latin-american Literature, Vanguard literature

2005-03-25T02:51:00.000-08:00

When the Modernist leaders Darío and Lugones turned to frequent use of more traditional forms and especially to themes dealing with the troubled external world, their followers and many younger poets continued to explore the complex versification and language and new thematic sources with which Modernism had enriched Hispanic poetry. Prominent among them

Brehon Laws

2005-03-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

Analysis

Byzantine Chant

2005-03-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

Monophonic, or unison, liturgical chant of the Greek Orthodox church during the Byzantine Empire (330–1453) and down to the 16th century; in modern Greece the term refers to ecclesiastical music of any period. Although Byzantine music is linked with the spread of Christianity in Greek-speaking areas of the Eastern Roman Empire, it probably derives mostly from Hebrew and early

Wake Island, Battle Of

2005-03-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

Battle for a small atoll named Wake Island in the central Pacific in December 1941, waged between U.S. Marine and civilian defenders and Japanese invaders. At that time, Wake Island was the site of a half-completed U.S. air and submarine base. The Japanese first attacked Wake with 36 bombers at noon on Dec. 8, 1941 (Wake time; December 7, Hawaiian time), a few hours after the Pearl Harbor attack.

Tunisia, Relief and drainage

2005-03-22T03:35:00.000-08:00

Tunisia is characterized by moderate relief. The Tunisian Dorsal, or High Tell, a southwest-to-northeast mountain range that is an extension of the Saharan Atlas (Atlas Saharien) of Algeria, tapers off in the direction of the Cape Bon peninsula in the northeast, south of the Gulf of Tunis. The highest mountain, Mount ash-Sha'nabi (Djebel Chambi), located near the centre of

Permafrost, Permafrost zones

2005-03-21T02:37:00.000-08:00

Permafrost is widespread in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere, where it occurs in 85 percent of Alaska, 55 percent of Russia and Canada, and probably all of Antarctica. Permafrost is more widespread and extends to greater depths in the north than in the south. It is 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) thick in northern Siberia, 740 metres thick in northern Alaska, and thins progressively

Anthropology

2005-03-21T01:10:00.000-08:00

The discovery of fossil evidence in Ethiopia supporting the evolutionary divergence of humans and apes roughly 4.5 million to 6 million years ago, long predicted on the basis of molecular evidence, was announced in 1994. Consisting of teeth, jaw fragments, a skull base, and an arm, the fossils were classified as a new species of hominid, Australopithecus ramidus. The bones, which

Apra Harbor

2005-03-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

Also called Port Apra, port on the west coast of Guam, Mariana Islands, western Pacific. It is the best anchorage on the island and is located just west of Agana. It is the port of entry and site of a U.S. naval base. With 2,400 feet (730 m) of frontage for deepwater docking, it is a transshipment point for various Micronesian islands. The harbour, which is protected (south) by Orote Peninsula and (north) by Cabras

Alvarado, Pedro De

2005-03-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Alvarado went to Santo Domingo in 1510 and in 1518 commanded one of Juan de Grijalva's ships sent from Cuba to explore the Yucatán Peninsula. In February 1519 he accompanied the army, led from Cuba by Hernán Cortés, that was to conquer Mexico. Alvarado was placed

Yamanoue Okura

2005-03-19T02:27:00.000-08:00

One of the most individualistic, even eccentric, of Japan's classical poets, who lived and wrote in an age of bold experimentation when native Japanese poetry was developing rapidly under the stimulus of Chinese literature. His poems are characterized by a Confucian-inspired moral emphasis unique in Japanese poetry. The stern logic of Confucian morality, however,

Antarctica, Glaciation

2005-03-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

Antarctica provides the best available picture of the probable appearance 20,000 years ago of northern North America under the great Laurentide Ice Sheet. Mountain glaciers, which formed on such highlands as the Sentinel Range perhaps as early as 50 million years ago, advanced down valleys to calve into the sea. Fringing ice shelves were built and later became grounded

Argos

2005-03-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

The name Argos (adjectival form Argive) apparently signified an agricultural plain and was applied to several districts in ancient Greece. Historically, the Argolis was the easternmost portion of the Peloponnesian peninsula, and the city

Tsimshian

2005-03-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Chimmesyan, Indians of the North Pacific Coast of North America, inhabiting the mainland and islands around the Skeena and Nass rivers and Milbanke Sound in what is now British Columbia and Alaska. They speak any of three Tsimshian dialects: Niska, spoken along the Nass River; coastal Tsimshian, along the lower Skeena and the coast; and Kitksan (or Gitksan), along the upper Skeena.

Macarthur, Charles

2005-03-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

At the age of 17, MacArthur moved to Chicago to begin a career in journalism, which was briefly interrupted by military service, first in 1916 in Mexico and then in World War I. He wrote for the Chicago

Name, Other patterns of naming

2005-03-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

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

Amir Khosrow

2005-03-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

Amir Khosrow was the son of a Turkish officer in the service of Iltutmish, sultan of Delhi, and for his entire life he enjoyed the patronage of the Muslim rulers of Delhi, especially Sultan Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban and his son Muhammad Khan of Multan. During his youth

Starr, Kenneth W.

2005-03-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

On Sept. 9, 1998, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr reported to the U.S. Congress grounds for finding that Bill Clinton (q.v.) had committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as U.S. president. In the report, which was accompanied by voluminous evidence that included a semen-stained dress, tapes of telephone conversations, and grand jury testimony,

Jackson, Andrew

2005-03-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

Jackson's interest in public affairs and in politics had always been keen. He had gone to Nashville as a political appointee, and in 1796 he became a member of the convention that drafted a constitution for the new state of Tennessee. In the same year he was elected as the first representative from Tennessee to the U.S. House of Representatives. An undistinguished legislator, he refused to seek reelection and served only until March 4, 1797. Jackson returned to Tennessee, vowing never to enter public life again, but before the end of the year he was elected to the U.S. Senate. His willingness to accept the office reflects his emergence as an acknowledged leader of one of the two political factions contending for control of the state. Nevertheless, Jackson resigned from the Senate in 1798 after an uneventful year. Soon after his return to Nashville he was elected a judge of the superior court (in effect, the supreme court) of the state and served in that post until 1804. In 1802 Jackson had also been elected major general of the Tennessee militia, a position he still held when the War of 1812 opened the door to a command in the field and a hero's role.

Floral Decoration

2005-03-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

Plant materials are customarily arranged in containers, woven into garlands, and worn or carried for personal adornment. Flower bouquets that are carried include the nosegay and corsage. In the mid-19th century, the nosegay, or posy (a small bunch of mixed flowers), was much in fashion. No well-dressed Victorian lady appeared at a social gathering without carrying one,

China, Population movements

2005-03-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Censuses taken during the Sui and T'ang dynasties provide some evidence as to population changes. Surviving figures for 609 and for 742, representing two of the most complete of the earlier Chinese population registrations, give totals of some 9,000,000 households, or slightly more than 50,000,000 persons. Contemporary officials considered that only about 70 percent of the population was

Buzkashi

2005-03-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Buzkashi has two main forms: the traditional, grassroots game, known as tudabaray (Persian [Dari]: “coming out of the crowd”), and the modern government-sponsored version, qarajay (“black place”). Both feature mounted

Orant

2005-03-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

In Christian art, a figure in a posture of prayer, usually standing upright with raised arms. The motif of the orant, which seems to reflect the standard attitude of prayer adopted by the first Christians, is particularly important in Early Christian art (c. 2nd–6th century) and especially in the frescoes and graffiti that decorated Roman catacombs from the 2nd century

Chile, Political uncertainty, 192038

2005-03-12T02:19:00.000-08:00

In the decade following World War I, falling saltpetre sales and rising inflation fueled dissatisfaction among the middle and working classes. They supported the election of the reformist president Arturo Alessandri Palma in 1920. When the legislature blocked his initiatives, discontent spread to middle-class army officers. They intervened in 1924 to force parliamentary

Gadamer, Hans-georg

2005-03-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

The son of a chemistry professor, Gadamer studied the humanities at the universities

Lowin, John

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

Lowin was the son of a carpenter. He worked as a goldsmith's apprentice for eight years and then joined the Earl of Worcester's Men as an actor in 1602. By 1603 he was a member of the King's Men. He is known to have specialized in the roles of comic soldiers as well as downright villains.

Hessian Fly

2005-03-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

In the spring the dark-coloured female lays about 250 to 300 reddish

Ozier Pattern

2005-03-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

In tableware, molded basket-weave pattern produced in Germany in the 1730s on Meissen porcelain tableware. It was probably one of the numerous inventions of the celebrated modeler Johann Joachim Kändler. There are four basic types of ozier molding: the ordinair-ozier (“ordinary ozier”), a kind of zigzag basket weave; the alt-ozier (“old ozier”), which has radial ribs; the neu-ozier

Arad

2005-03-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), western Romania, bounded on the west by Hungary. The Mures and Crisul Alb rivers flow westward through the county, while the Western Carpathians, including the Zarand and Codru-Moma ranges, lie in the eastern portion. Settlements are found in the lowlands and intermontane valleys. Cereal growing, livestock raising, and vineyard and fruit cultivation are

Gundlakamma River

2005-03-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

River, east-central Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. The Gundlakamma rises in the Nallamalla Range of the Eastern Ghats. After crossing the mountains, it enters the plains and flows in a northeasterly direction past Markapur to the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, into which it empties 12 miles (19 km) east of Ongole, after a course of 140 miles (225 km).

Mexico, History Of, Classic Period

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

The characteristic Middle American aesthetic and religious patterns that began in the Late Formative crystallized in the Classic Period. In the Maya Lowlands polychrome ceramics, the use of the corbeled vault in temple construction, the foreshadowings of typical Maya art, and the probable beginnings of Initial Series calendrics all belong to the end of the

Multinational And Regional Organizations

2005-03-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

Severely challenged by the social and political unrest produced by the Asian economic crisis, foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN, whose members included Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar [Burma], the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) held their annual meeting in Manila on July 24, 1998. ASEAN's reluctance to "interfere"

Paul The Deacon,

2005-03-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

Born to a rich and noble family of Friuli, northeast of Venice, Paul spent many years at the Lombard court in Pavia, serving as councillor under King Desiderius. After the fall of the

Folengo, Teofilo

2005-03-06T03:39:00.000-08:00

Folengo entered the Benedictine order as a young man, taking the name Teofilo by which he is known. He lived in the monasteries of Brescia, Mantua,

Wild Radish

2005-03-06T03:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Jointed Charlock (species Raphanus raphanistrum), widespread annual weed of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized in North America. It is believed by some authorities to be the ancestor of the domestic radish (R. sativus). Wild radish has a stout taproot, a rosette of unequally divided leaves and very bristly flowering stalks 60 cm (2 feet) tall. The four-petaled

Gwynn, Tony

2005-03-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Gwynn attended San Diego (California) State University on a basketball scholarship, where he set a school record for assists as the team's point guard. He also excelled at baseball and was drafted in 1981 by

Kordofanian Languages

2005-03-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

A branch of the Niger-Congo language family that is geographically separated from the rest of the Niger-Congo languages and is believed to represent the oldest layer of languages in the region. The Kordofanian branch consists of some 20 languages spoken by 250,000 to 500,000 people, mainly in the Nuba Hills of central Sudan. Kordofanian is divided into four main groups of languages:

Metabolic Disease

2005-03-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

Any of the diseases or disorders that disrupt normal metabolism. They may arise from nutritional deficiencies, especially of vitamins or proteins; in connection with diseases of the endocrine system, the liver, or the kidneys; or as a result of genetic defects.

Burgas

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

Port and town, southeastern Bulgaria, on the Gulf of Burgas, an inlet of the Black Sea. Founded in the 17th century as a fishing village on the site of medieval Pyrgos, it developed after Bulgaria's liberation (1878), mainly with the arrival of the railway from Sofia (1890) and harbour improvements (1904). It now rivals Varna to the north as the nation's chief port, claiming much of Bulgaria's Black

Andersen, Hans Christian

2005-03-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Unique master of the fairy tale whose stories are famous throughout the world; he is also the author of plays, novels, poems, travel books, and several autobiographies. While many of these works are almost unknown outside Denmark, his fairy tales are among the most frequently translated works in all literary

Hysteria

2005-03-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

A type of mental disorder in which a wide variety of sensory, motor, or psychic disturbances may occur. It is traditionally classified as one of the psychoneuroses and is not dependent upon any known organic or structural pathology. The term is derived from the Greek hystera, meaning “uterus,” and reflects the ancient notion that hysteria was a specifically female

Water Witch Incident

2005-03-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

In 1853 the “Water Witch” set out on a scientific study, organized by the U.S. government, of the Río de La Plata waterways. In 1854, after Page became involved in a

East Greenland Orogen

2005-03-01T02:02:00.000-08:00

Also called East Greenland Geosyncline a linear orogenic (mountain) belt that developed from late Precambrian time to the middle of the Paleozoic Era (roughly 650 million to 350 million years ago) along a portion of the eastern coast of Greenland. Deformation occurred during several phases of the Caledonian orogeny (mountain-building episode) between Late Silurian and Late Devonian times (about 423 million to 354 million

Egypt, The Valley

2005-02-28T22:29:00.000-08:00

The cultivated portion of the Nile Valley between Cairo and Aswan varies from five to 10 miles in width, although there are places where it narrows to a few hundred yards and others where it broadens to 14 miles. Since the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, the 2,500,000-acre valley has been under perennial irrigation. The inhabitants of the Valley from Cairo up to Aswan muhafazah are referred

Plain Weave

2005-02-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

Also called Tabby Weave, simplest and most common of the three basic textile weaves. It is made by passing each filling yarn over and under each warp yarn, with each row alternating, producing a high number of intersections. Plain-weave fabrics that are not printed or given a surface finish have no right or wrong side. They do not ravel easily but tend to wrinkle and have less absorbency than

Visistadvaita

2005-02-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: Nonduality of the Qualified), one of the principal schools of Vedanta, an orthodox philosophy of India. This school grew out of the Vaisnava (worship of the god Vishnu [Visnu]) devotional movement prominent in South India from the 7th century on. One of the early Brahmans (class of priests) who began to guide the movement was Nathamuni (10th century), head priest of the temple

Artemisa

2005-02-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

City, western La Habana provincia, western Cuba, situated east of the Sierra del Rosario. Artemisa is a key commercial and processing centre of the region. Sugarcane, tobacco, and pineapples and other fruits are its major agricultural products. Liquor and soap are made in the city, and sugar refineries are nearby. Artemisa lies on the main highway and main railroad line

Wieman, Carl E.

2005-02-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

After studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1973), Wieman earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1977. He then taught and conducted research

Mountain, The Caribbean chains

2005-02-24T01:36:00.000-08:00

The mountain range along the coast of Venezuela is a remnant of a phase when the Caribbean Sea was subducted southward beneath Venezuela and where rocks were folded along east–west axes. Right-lateral strike-slip faulting and rather slow mountain building occur there today, as much by slight vertical displacement on predominantly strike-slip faults as by slow

Cabrera Infante, Guillermo

2005-02-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

In the 1940s Cabrera Infante moved to Havana with his impoverished

Chan Painting

2005-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization Ch'an school of Chinese painting inspired by the “meditative” school of Buddhism called, in Chinese, Chan (Japanese: Zen). Although Chan originated in China with an Indian monk, Bodhidharma, it came to be the most Chinese of Buddhist schools. The ideals of the school later frequently found expression in a special kind of art, typically composed

Hellenistic Age, Science and medicine

2005-02-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

The three great areas of Hellenistic scholarship were medicine, astronomy, and mathematics. Alexandria attracted Herophilus (fl. 3rd century BC) from Chalcedon, who refused to stand in awe of the accepted medical dogmas and was distinguished in systematic anatomy, and the notable physiologist Erasistratus (fl. 3rd century BC) from Ceos, who realized that the heart is the

Pregnancy, Chorionic villi sampling

2005-02-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

The technique of retrieving a sample of villi from the chorion (outer embryonic membrane) within the uterus is similar to amniocentesis but can be carried out much earlier in pregnancy, between the 8th and 12th week of gestation. The test can be performed through either the abdomen or the vagina and cervix. The latter technique is carried out using ultrasonic visualization,

Ardmore

2005-02-21T01:28:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Carter county, southern Oklahoma, U.S., north of the Red River, near Lake Texoma and the Texas state line. Founded in 1887 in Chickasaw Indian Territory after the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, the town was named for the Philadelphia suburb that was the home of a railroad official. Populated by African Americans, Native Americans, and whites

Alakol, Lake

2005-02-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

Kazak Alaköl , Russian Ozero Alakol , also called Ozero Ala-Kul salt lake in Kazakstan, 110 miles (180 km) east of Lake Balqash, near the border with the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China. Lake Alakol has a drainage basin of about 26,500 square miles (68,700 square km), an area of 1,025 square miles, reaches a depth of about 148 feet (45 m), and receives the Urdzhar River (north).

Law, Crime, And Law Enforcement, Terrorism.

2005-02-19T05:58:00.000-08:00

Throughout the year a relentless international hunt continued to bring to justice those responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. In September Pakistani authorities arrested a key al-Qaeda operative, 30-year-old Yemen native Ramzi Binalshibh, in Karachi. Binalshibh was believed to have been designated as the 20th hijacker on September 11, but he had failed

China, The dynastic succession

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

The Ming dynasty, which encompassed the reigns of 16 emperors, proved to be one of the stablest and longest dynasties of Chinese history. Rulers of Korea, Mongolia, East Turkistan, Burma, Siam, and Nam Viet regularly acknowledged Ming overlordship, and at times tribute was received from as far away as Japan, Java and Sumatra, Ceylon and South India, the East African coast,

Manchester

2005-02-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

City, Hillsborough county, southern New Hampshire, U.S. It lies along the Amoskeag Falls (named for the Amoskeag Indians who once inhabited the area) of the Merrimack River, the 55-foot (17-metre) drop of which provides hydroelectric power. Manchester is the state's largest city and the centre of a metropolitan area that includes Goffstown, Bedford, Londonderry, and

Field, David Dudley

2005-02-18T00:14:00.000-08:00

U.S. lawyer whose advocacy of law codification had international influence. The “Field Code” of civil procedure, enacted by New York state in 1848, was subsequently adopted in whole or in part in many other U.S. states, in the federal court system, and in England, Ireland (both 1873), and several British overseas possessions, notably India. He was

Aksum

2005-02-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

Once the seat of the kingdom of Aksum, it is now a tourist town and religious centre best known for its antiquities. Tall granite obelisks, 126 in all, stand (or lie broken) in the central square. One measuring 110 feet (34 m), now fallen, is said to be the tallest obelisk ever erected. The obelisks

Rachmaninoff, Sergey

2005-02-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Rachmaninoff's music, although written mostly in the 20th century, remains firmly entrenched in the 19th-century musical idiom. He was, in effect, the final expression of the tradition embodied by Tchaikovsky—a melodist of Romantic dimensions still writing in an era of explosive change and experimentation.

Arab Legion

2005-02-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

Arabic Al-jaish Al-'arabi, police force raised in 1921 by British Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Gerard Peake in what was then the British protectorate of Transjordan, to keep order among Transjordanian tribes and to safeguard Transjordanian villagers from Bedouins. In 1939 Major (later General) John Bagot Glubb, called Glubb Pasha, became the legion's commander and transformed it into the most effective

Gippius, Zinaida Nikolayevna

2005-02-15T00:45:00.000-08:00

During the

Aarau

2005-02-14T03:07:00.000-08:00

Capital of Aargau canton, northern Switzerland, at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, on the right bank of the Aare River, west of Zürich. Founded about 1240 by the counts of Kyburg, it passed to the Habsburgs in 1264 and was taken by the Bernese in 1415. In 1798 it became the capital of the Helvetian Republic. Notable landmarks include several 13th-century towers, the town church (1471), the town

United Kingdom, Flag Of The

2005-02-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

The earliest form of the flag of Great Britain, developed in 1606 and used during the reigns of James I (1603–25) and Charles I (1625–49), displayed the red cross of England superimposed on the white cross of Scotland, with the blue field of the latter. Because in heraldry a red on blue is not considered permissible, the red cross had to be bordered with white, its own correct field. During the Commonwealth

Italy, The end of the Roman world

2005-02-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Eastern emperors in Constantinople regarded themselves as the legitimate rulers of the West, including Italy, after 476; both Odoacer and, for a time, Theoderic had recognized them, and they had strong links with the Roman Senate. In 533–534 Belisarius, general for the Eastern emperor, Justinian (527–565), conquered Vandal Africa; Amalasuntha's death was the necessary excuse to invade

Fisher

2005-02-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Also called fisher marten, fisher cat, Pennant's marten, Pennant's cat, big marten, black fox, black cat , or Pekan (species Martes pennanti) rare North American carnivore of northern forests, trapped for its valuable brownish black fur (especially fine in the female). It is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae). The fisher has a weasellike body, bushy tail, tapered muzzle, and low, rounded ears. Adults are usually 50–63 cm (20–25 inches) long, excluding the 33–42-centimetre tail, and weigh 1.4–6.8 kg (3–15 pounds). Males are

Bacchus Marsh

2005-02-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

Town in southern Victoria, Australia. It is located 32 miles (51 km) northwest of Melbourne (to which a growing proportion of its residents commute daily) on the east bank of the Werribee River. In 1838, Captain William Henry Bacchus founded the town, and it grew as a stopping place for Cobb and Company coaches traveling from Melbourne to the Ballarat goldfields. Bacchus Marsh is

Painting, Western, Late Gothic

2005-02-11T02:50:00.000-08:00

The key to much 15th-century painting in northern Europe lies in the Low Countries. The influence of Paris and Dijon decreased, partly because of the renewal of the Hundred Years' War between England and France and partly because of the removal of the Burgundian court, after the mid-1420s, from Dijon to Brussels, which subsequently became the centre of an extensive court

Athetosis

2005-02-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

Slow, purposeless, and involuntary movements of the hands, feet, face, tongue, and neck (as well as other muscle groups). The fingers are separately flexed and extended in an entirely irregular way. The hands as a whole are also moved, and the arms, toes, and feet may be affected. The condition is usually caused by malfunctioning of the basal ganglia of the cerebrum. The movements

Mammal, Skeleton

2005-02-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

The mammalian skeletal system shows a number of advances over that of lower vertebrates. The mode of ossification of the long bones is characteristic. In lower vertebrates each long bone has a single center of ossification, the diaphysis, and replacement of cartilage by bone proceeds from the center toward the ends, which may remain cartilaginous, even in adults.

Mun River

2005-02-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

Thai Mae Nam Mun main river system of the Khorat Plateau, in eastern Thailand. The Mun rises in the San Kamphaeng Range northeast of Bangkok and flows east for 418 miles (673 km), receiving the Chi River, its main tributary, and entering the Mekong River at the Laotian border. Nakhon Ratchasima and Ubon Ratchathani are the chief towns on its banks. The river is seasonally navigable below Ubon

Heredia, José Maria De

2005-02-08T01:07:00.000-08:00

The son of a wealthy Spanish coffee plantation owner and a French mother, Heredia was educated at Senlis, near Paris. He claimed France as “the country of my mind and heart”; and, although he went home after finishing his schooling, he quickly returned to Paris and studied at the

Talas

2005-02-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

Oblasty (province), northwestern Kyrgyzstan, centred on the Talas River valley that follows an essentially east-west axis through the northern portion of the oblasty. Reconstituted in 1990, the oblasty was formed in 1944 and remained in existence until 1956. It was reestablished in 1980–88 and once again re-formed in 1990. The population of Talas includes a large concentration of non-Central

Parallax

2005-02-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, the difference in direction of a celestial object as seen by an observer from two widely separated points. The measurement of parallax is used directly to find the distance of the body from the Earth (geocentric parallax) and from the Sun (heliocentric parallax). The two positions of the observer and the position of the object form a triangle; if the base

Architecture, History Of Western, 18th century

2005-02-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Urban design in the 18th century placed greater emphasis on unity and direction through the subordination of lesser parts to the whole. Entire cities were laid out on regularized multiaxial schemes (e.g., Washington, D.C., 1792, by Pierre L'Enfant); the spaces between the radiating avenues were subdivided either geometrically or on a gridiron pattern. New principles calling

Shamanism, Differences in quality and degree

2005-02-04T17:35:00.000-08:00

Shamans differ greatly in quality and in degree. Difference of quality is manifest in the kind of spirits the shaman communicates with. “White” shamans, for example, apply to a benevolent deity and the good spirits, while “black” shamans call on a wicked deity and the wicked spirits. The difference in degree is exemplified in the belief, of the Sakha (Yakut) people of northeastern

Waynesboro

2005-02-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

City, administratively independent of, but located in, Augusta county, north-central Virginia, U.S. It lies in the Shenandoah Valley along the South River, near the junction of Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, 28 miles (45 km) west of Charlottesville. The original settlement of Teesville, named for Joseph Tees, an early landowner, was established in 1739, based on a land grant

Würm Glacial Stage

2005-02-04T01:37:00.000-08:00

Major division of late Pleistocene deposits and time in Alpine Europe (the Pleistocene epoch began about 1,600,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago). The Würm glacial stage followed the Riss-Würm interglacial and is correlated with the Weichsel glacial stage of northern Europe and the Wisconsin glacial stage of North America. The Alpine glaciations of the Pleistocene

Sangamon River

2005-02-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

River formed by headstreams in northwestern Champaign County, Illinois, U.S. It flows southwesterly, bending around Decatur, where a dam impounds Lake Decatur, and turns west past Springfield, the state capital, and then north and west to join the Illinois River just north of Beardstown, after a course of 250 mi (400 km). The first Illinois home (1830) of Abraham Lincoln was on a bluff

Insurance, Direct losses

2005-02-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

Losses may be settled on a replacement-cost

Quantrill, William C.

2005-02-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

Growing up in Ohio, Quantrill taught school in Ohio and then Illinois and, in 1857, moved to Kansas,

Young Plan

2005-01-31T14:54:00.000-08:00

(1929), second renegotiation of Germany's World War I reparation payments. A new committee, chaired by the American Owen D. Young, met in Paris on Feb. 11, 1929, to revise the Dawes Plan of 1924. Its report (June 7, 1929), accepted with minor changes, went into effect on Sept. 1, 1930. It reduced the amount due from Germany to 121,000,000,000 Reichsmarks in 59 annuities, set up the Bank for International Settlements to handle the transfer

China

2005-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

The People's Republic of China is situated in eastern Asia, with coastlines on the Yellow Sea and the East and South China seas. Area: 9,572,900 sq km (3,696,100 sq mi), including Tibet and excluding Taiwan. (See Taiwan, below.) Pop. (1994 est., excluding Taiwan): 1,192,300,000. Cap.: Beijing (Peking). Monetary unit: renminbi yuan, with (Oct. 7, 1994) an interbank rate of 8.53 yuan to U.S. $1 (13.57 yuan = £ 1 sterling). President in 1994, Jiang Zemin (Chiang Tse-min); premier,

Zambezi River, Navigation

2005-01-30T17:09:00.000-08:00

Given its numerous natural barriers—sandbars at the mouth, shallowness, and rapids and cataracts—the Zambezi is of little economic significance as a trade route. About 1,620 miles of the river, however, are navigable by shallow-draft steamers. The longest stretch of unbroken water runs from the river delta about 400 miles upstream to the Cahora Bassa Dam. Above the dam Lake