LowRock

organic bed linen

2006-10-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

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

Ueno

2005-03-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

City, Mie ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies in an intermontane basin at the head of the Kii Peninsula. The city developed around a castle built in 1611 and still retains some of its early character. Hakuho Park is on the site of the old castle, which was rebuilt in 1953. The Aizen Temple in Ueno is dedicated to the god of love. The industry of the city includes the traditional manufacture

Hesse, Hermann

2005-03-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

German novelist, poet, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, whose main theme deals with man's breaking out of the established modes of civilization to find his essential spirit. With his appeal for self-realization and his celebration of Eastern mysticism, Hesse posthumously became a cult figure to young people in the

Ríma

2005-03-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

One of three genres of popular early Icelandic poetry (the other two being dances and ballads), rímur were produced from the 14th to the 19th century. They combine an end-rhymed metrical form derived from Latin hymns with the techniques of syllable counting, alliteration

Diethylcarbamazine

2005-03-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

Synthetic anthelmintic drug effective against certain parasitic filarial worms, which are endemic throughout most of the subtropical and tropical regions of the world. These parasites infect the blood and lymph channels in humans, causing the debilitating disease filariasis. Diethylcarbamazine is effective in treating filariasis caused by Wuchereria

Polaron

2005-03-08T01:40:00.000-08:00

Electron moving through the constituent atoms of a solid material, causing the neighbouring positive charges to shift toward it and the neighbouring negative charges to shift away. This distortion of the regular position of electrical charges constitutes a region of polarization that travels along with the moving electron. After the electron passes, the region

Chrismation

2005-03-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

(from Greek chriein, “to anoint”), in Eastern Christianity, sacrament that, together with baptism, introduces new members into the church. It is the Eastern equivalent of confirmation in the West. A priest anoints the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, breast, hands, and feet of the newly baptized with chrism (myron), a mixture of olive oil and balsam blessed by a bishop, and

Mädler, Johann Heinrich Von

2005-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

German astronomer who (with Wilhelm Beer) published the most complete map of the Moon of the time, Mappa Selenographica, 4 vol. (1834–36). It was the first lunar map to be divided into quadrants, and it remained unsurpassed in its detail until J.F. Julius Schmidt's map of 1878. The Mappa Selenographica was accompanied in 1837 by a volume providing

Ambros, August Wilhelm

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

Ambros studied law, entered the civil service in 1840, and became public prosecutor in Prague in 1850. A keen, well-trained musician and composer of a Czech opera, Bretislaw a Jitka, he also established himself as a brilliant writer on music. His pamphlet Über

Silky Terrier

2005-02-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

Australian breed of toy dog, first shown in 1907. It originated in Sydney and was once known as the Sydney Silky. A rather low-set dog, the silky terrier stands 9 to 10 inches (23 to 25.5 centimetres) and weighs 8 to 10 pounds (3.5 to 4.5 kilograms). Its silky, fine coat is glossy blue-gray and tan, with a silver-gray or tan topknot. Developed as a companion dog, the silky is generally friendly and responsive,

Art And Architecture, Anatolian, Early Bronze Age

2005-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

In the Early Bronze Age the further development of military architecture is best illustrated at Troy, where parts of a fortress were uncovered. The most convincingly reconstructed plan dates from the second phase of the Early Bronze Age (c. 2700–c. 2500 BC). It shows a polygonal enclosure, hardly 300 feet in diameter, surrounded by heavy mud-brick walls on a stone substructure. There

Yale, Linus

2005-02-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

At first Yale tried portrait painting, but he became interested in locks after his father began to manufacture bank locks in Newport, N.Y., about 1840. His first achievement was the Yale Infallible Bank Lock in 1851. Later he opened his own shop in Shelburne

Ashikaga Tadayoshi

2005-02-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

When in 1333 Takauji joined forces with the emperor Go-Daigo, Tadayoshi accompanied him, becoming a leading commander of the

Welsh Corgi

2005-02-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Cardigan Welsh corgi (see photograph), named after Cardiganshire, can be traced back to dogs brought to Wales by the Celts about 1200 BC. The original type was known as the Bronant and

Azaña Y Díaz, Manuel

2005-02-18T02:26:00.000-08:00

Azaña studied law in Madrid and became a civil servant, journalist, and writer, figuring prominently in Ateneo, a Madrid literary club. He

Tank

2005-02-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

The need to cross rivers and other water obstacles led to the development of amphibious tanks, beginning with the British Medium D, designed in 1918. Amphibious tanks built during 1920s and '30s sacrificed armament and armour to achieve low weight in relation to their bulk and, therefore, sufficient buoyancy to float. This confined their usefulness to reconnaissance. A late

Italian Literature, The Hermetic movement

2005-02-15T04:45:00.000-08:00

Poetry in the fascist period underwent a process of involution, partly influenced by French Symbolism, with its faith in the mystical power of words, and partly under the stress of changed political conditions after World War I, during which literature had declined. Many poets of the wartime generation, weary of tradition and rhetoric, had been seeking new expression:

Carter, Betty

2005-02-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

Carter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory of Music in her native Michigan. At age 16 she began singing in Detroit jazz clubs, and after 1946 she worked

Computers, Bigger brains

2005-02-11T00:51:00.000-08:00

The computers built during the war were built under unusual constraints. The British work was largely focused on code breaking, the American work on computing projectile trajectories and calculations for the atomic bomb. The computers were built as special-purpose devices, although they often embodied more general-purpose computing capabilities than their

Norm

2005-02-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

Also called Social Norm, rule or standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group. Norms may be internalized—i.e., incorporated within the individual so that there is conformity without external rewards or punishments, or they may be enforced by positive or negative sanctions from without. The social unit sharing particular norms may be small (e.g., a clique of friends) or may include

Rescue Mission

2005-02-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

Also called Inner Mission, Christian religious organization established to provide spiritual, physical, and social assistance to the poor and needy. It originated in the city mission movement among evangelical laymen and ministers early in the 19th century. The work of rescue missions resembles that of settlement houses, institutional churches, and charitable societies, but rescue missions

Sibley Provincial Park

2005-02-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

Park, southwestern Ontario, Canada, on Sibley Peninsula on the northern shore of Lake Superior, 20 miles (32 km) east of Thunder Bay. Established in 1950, the park has an area of 94 square miles (243 square km). It is the site of the 19th-century village of Silver Islet (including a restored hotel, store, and church), which was at one time the home of miners and lumbermen. Sibley has varied Canadian

Acuña, Rosario De

2005-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Acuña's early life. One of Spain's few women playwrights, she was considered radical for her willingness to address such issues as religious fanaticism, atheism, illegitimacy, civil marriage (and the possibility of divorce, anathema

B.e.m.

2005-01-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

Recipient of the British Empire Medal. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Spontaneous Combustion

2005-01-28T02:24:00.000-08:00

The outbreak of fire without application of heat from an external source. Spontaneous combustion may occur when combustible matter, such as hay or coal, is stored in bulk. It begins with a slow oxidation process (as bacterial fermentation or atmospheric oxidation) under conditions not permitting ready dissipation of heat—e.g., in the centre of a haystack or a pile of

Lignite

2005-01-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

Brown to black coal that has been formed from peat under moderate pressure; it is one of the first products of coalification and is intermediate between peat and subbituminous coal. Dry lignite contains about 60 to 75 percent carbon. It has been estimated that about 45 percent of the world's total coal reserves are lignitic, but these reserves have not been exploited to any

Anthimus Vii Tsatsos

2005-01-24T04:32:00.000-08:00

Like Anthimus VI, his predecessor of a half-century earlier, Anthimus VII is known for his encyclical letter to the Orthodox world refuting a papal encyclical, Praeclara Gratulationis (“Splendid

Blois

2005-01-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

Under Robert the Strong (d. 866), duke of the entire region between the Seine and Loire rivers and ancestor of the French royal house of Capet, Blois was an appointive viscounty. About

Aerospace Industry

2005-01-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

Assemblage of manufacturing concerns that deal with vehicular flight within and beyond the Earth's atmosphere. (The term aerospace is derived from the words aeronautics and spaceflight.) The aerospace industry is engaged in the research, development, and manufacture of flight vehicles, including unpowered gliders and sailplanes (see gliding), lighter-than-air craft

Duchesne, Louis-marie-olivier

2005-01-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

Ordained a priest in 1867, he studied in Rome and in Paris (1871–73), where he was appointed professor at the Catholic

Alain-fournier

2005-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier French writer whose only completed novel, Le Grand Meaulnes (1913; The Wanderer, 1928, or The Lost Domain, 1959), is a modern classic. Based on his happy childhood in a remote village in central France, it reflects his longing for a lost world of delight. The hero, an idealistic but forceful

Mercury Processing

2005-01-13T00:09:00.000-08:00

Mercury (Hg) has a unique combination of physical properties. Its low melting point (-38.87° C [-38° F]) and boiling point (356.9° C [674° F]), high specific gravity (13.5 grams per cubic centimetre), uniform volume expansion over the entire range of temperatures in its liquid state, and high surface tension (so that it does not wet glass) make it useful for

Australia

2005-01-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

The Australian mainland extends from west to east for nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) and

Siliceous Rock

2005-01-07T01:53:00.000-08:00

The most common siliceous rock is chert, which is a dense, microcrystalline rock composed

Scandinavian Literature, Swedish

2005-01-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

The early years of the 20th century were a period of decadence and pessimism in Swedish literature. Representative of this mood were Hjalmar Söderberg and Bo Bergman. Söderberg's forte was the short story (Historietter [1898]), in which psychological subtlety and irony were happily combined and in which, as in his novels Martin Bircks ungdom (1901; “Martin Birck's Youth”) and Doktor

Cushing, Caleb

2005-01-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

After serving in the state legislature and the U.S. Congress (1835–43), Cushing was appointed U.S. commissioner to China. There he negotiated the Treaty of Wanghia (1844) establishing the principle of extraterritoriality. In 1852 he became an associate

Peralta, Pedro De

2005-01-01T21:12:00.000-08:00

Peralta arrived in Mexico City during the winter of 1608–09 following his university studies in Spain. In March 1609 the viceroy of Mexico appointed him to the post of governor of New Mexico; and, from April to October of that year, Peralta organized an expedition to that province. He

Dyarchy

2004-12-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Diarchy, system of double government introduced by the Government of India Act (1919) for the provinces of British India. It marked the first introduction of the democratic principle into the executive branch of the British administration of India. Though much-criticized, it signified a breakthrough in British Indian government and was the forerunner of India's full provincial

Borman, Frank

2004-12-29T17:40:00.000-08:00

Borman graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1950, was commissioned in the Air

Rachmaninoff, Sergey

2004-12-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Rachmaninoff was born on an estate belonging to his grandparents, situated near Lake Ilmen in the Novgorod district. His father was a retired army officer and his mother the daughter of a general. The boy was destined to become an army officer until his father lost the entire family fortune through risky financial ventures and then deserted the family. Young Sergey's

P'eng-hu Islands

2004-12-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

P'eng-hu also spelled Penghu , Chinese (Wade-Giles) P'eng-hu Ch'ün-tao , or P'eng-hu Lieh-tao conventional Pescadores archipelago and hsien (county) of Taiwan, consisting of about 64 small islands, approximately 30 miles (50 km) west of the coast of Taiwan, from which it is separated by the P'eng-hu Channel. Of volcanic origin, many of the islands consist of weathered basalt, and they are surrounded by coral reefs. The islands are low-lying, most rising only about 100–130 feet (30–40 m) above sea level. The highest

Toque

2004-12-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

In the late 16th century, brimless, black velvet toques were popular with men and women. Throughout the 19th century, women wore toques, often small, trimmed with fur, lace,

Polk, James K.

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

During his campaign Polk surprised the country by taking a positive stand on two burning issues of the day. Whereas other candidates hedged on the question of whether to annex Texas, which had been independent of Mexico since 1836, he demanded annexation. Whereas other candidates evaded the problem of joint occupancy of Oregon with England, he openly laid claim to the whole territory that extended as far north as latitude 54°40¢ with the campaign slogan “Fifty-four forty or fight.” His election was close, but it was decisive—a popular plurality of about 38,000 votes and 170 electoral votes against 105 for Clay.

Robert

2004-12-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Robert was a younger son of Peter of Courtenay (died early 1219?) and Yolande of Flanders and Hainaut, who was empress regent for her sons until her death in September 1219. Their eldest son, Philip of

Trinidad And Tobago, Plant and animal life

2004-12-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

Vegetation zones are well defined on both islands. In general, the highest areas coincide with the most luxuriant tropical rain forest vegetation. Cultivated estates or small settlements are established in clearings on the hills. In the dry season the hills are dotted with the orange flowers of the mountain immortelle, a large flowering tree that grows to a height

Norge, Géo

2004-12-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

In the 1920s Norge flirted with the avant-garde, writing some loosely experimental plays (which were criticized by the Surrealists) and joining Raymond Rouleau in an experimental theatre group, Groupe Libre. Norge's good-natured irony

Adams, William

2004-12-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

At the age of 12 Adams was apprenticed in the merchant marine, afterward sailing in the British navy and later serving a company of Barbary merchants. In 1598 he shipped as pilot major with five Dutch ships bound from Europe for the East Indies via the Straits of Magellan.

Vigny, Alfred-victor, Comte De

2004-12-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

Poet, dramatist, and novelist who was the most philosophical of the French Romantic writers.

Yuma

2004-12-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1871) of Yuma county, southwestern Arizona, U.S. It is situated on the Colorado River at the mouth of the Gila River, just north of the Mexican frontier. Founded in 1854 as Colorado City, it was renamed Arizona City (1862) and Yuma (1873), probably from the Spanish word humo, meaning “smoke,” because of the local Quechan (Yuma) practice of creating smoke clouds to induce rain. A strategic river

Maine, Explorations and disputes

2004-12-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

The first European explorations of Maine are shrouded in mystery. Evidence that Norsemen landed on the coast is scant and disputed, and serious questions exist about some of the early British claims based on John Cabot's voyages in the late 1490s. Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English explorers did probe the islands, the bays, and the rivers of the “maine” throughout the

Czerny, Carl

2004-11-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

He studied piano, first with his father, Wenzel Czerny, and later with Ludwig van Beethoven and knew and was influenced by Muzio Clementi and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. He began teaching in Vienna at the age of 15; among his pupils were Franz Liszt and Beethoven's

Aquino

2004-11-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

Ancient (Latin) Aquinum town, Frosinone provincia, Lazio regione, south-central Italy, southeast of Frosinone city. The ancient town (the site of which is nearby) prospered from its position on the Roman road, Via Latina, until it was laid waste by Totila, a Gothic king, in the mid-6th century and abandoned for the more fertile present site. During the feudal struggles Riccardo, count of Acerra and

Regla

2004-11-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

City, northern Ciudad de la Habana provincia, west-central Cuba. Situated on the southeastern shore of La Habana Bay, Regla was a centre for smuggling activities in the 19th century. It is now an industrial suburb of Havana, with which it is linked by ferry as well as by land. Its foundries, petroleum refineries, shipyards, docks, and warehouses suggest its importance as both

Berenice I

2004-11-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Berenice arrived in Egypt in the retinue of Eurydice, Ptolemy's second queen, whom he married as part of a political agreement with her father, Antipater of Macedonia. About 317 Ptolemy married Berenice. Probably because she was not of royal blood, a genealogy was fabricated

Dyer, Mary Barrett

2004-11-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Married in 1633 in London to William Dyer, Mary Dyer went with him to America (c. 1635) and settled in Boston. She began to accept the antinomian

More, Sir Thomas

2004-11-18T23:17:00.000-08:00

Also called Saint Thomas More humanist and statesman, chancellor of England (1529–32), who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic church.

Oshogbo

2004-11-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

Originally settled by the Ilesha (Ijesha, a subtribe of the Yoruba) from Ibokun, 12 miles (19 km) east, it remained a small town subservient

O'higgins, Bernardo

2004-11-15T01:50:00.000-08:00

Bernardo O'Higgins was born in Chillán, a town in southern Chile, then a colony of Spain. As noted in his certificate of Baptism, he was the illegitimate

Manchu

2004-11-12T19:13:00.000-08:00

Also called Man, people who lived for many centuries in Manchuria and adjacent areas and who in the 17th century conquered China and ruled that country for more than 250 years. The term Manchu dates from the 16th century, but it is certain that the Manchu are descended from a group of peoples collectively called the Tungus (the Even and Evenk [Evenki] are also descended from that group). The Manchu,

Lancet Window

2004-11-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

Narrow, high window capped by a lancet, or acute, arch. The lancet arch is a variety of pointed arch in which each of the arcs, or curves, of the arch have a radius longer than the width of the arch. It takes its name from being shaped like the tip of a lance. The lancet window is one of the typical features of the Early English (13th century) period in Gothic architecture.

Antigonus I Monophthalmus

2004-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Also called Antigonus I Cyclops Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who founded the Macedonian dynasty of the Antigonids (306–168 BC), becoming king in 306. An exceptional strategist and combat leader, he was also an astute ruler who cultivated the friendship of Athens and other Greek city-states.

Cabaletta

2004-11-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

(Italian cobola: “couplet”), originally an operatic aria with a simple, animated rhythm, and later a fast concluding section of an operatic aria, usually at the end of an act. An example of the earlier type is “Le belle immagini” (“The Beautiful Images”) in Gluck's Paride ed Elena (1770). In 19th-century Italian opera, cabaletta may mean either a short aria in quick tempo with repeated sections

Production Function

2004-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

The production function can

Arts, Central Asian, RussianSoviet period

2004-11-02T00:51:00.000-08:00

In 1882 the emirate of Bukhara was incorporated as a Russian state. This political act had little cultural effect, and European art remained unknown to Central Asians. Traditional indigenous architecture of baked or unbaked brick construction was revived in the 18th century. Carved doors and screens were again produced. Old styles of Islamic script were combined with

West Florida Controversy

2004-10-31T06:40:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, dispute over the status of the territory lying on the Gulf of Mexico between the Apalachicola and Mississippi rivers. Though Spain claimed the area as part of its New World discovery in 1492, France occupied it as a portion of Louisiana after 1695. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1763, West Florida was held by Great Britain, which returned it to Spain under the Treaty of Paris

Tara Singh

2004-10-29T04:08:00.000-07:00

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

Anderson, Elda Emma

2004-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Anderson's affinity for numbers and her general intellectual gifts were apparent from girlhood. After graduating from Ripon College (B.S., 1922) in Ripon, Wisconsin, she earned (1924) a master's degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin. Her

Biblical Literature, The succession of Solomon to the throne

2004-10-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

I Kings (chapters 1 and 2) continues the story of David and the struggle for the succession of his throne. The sides were drawn between Adonijah, David's eldest living son, and Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba. Supporting Adonijah were the “old guard”—the general Joab and the priest Abiathar—and supporting Solomon were the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and the captain

Nord-norge

2004-10-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

English Northern Norway geographic region of Norway. It reaches from Nordland about 575 miles (925 km) northward to the North Cape (Nordkapp), the northernmost point in Europe. It includes the fylker (counties) of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark. An arm of the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, which flows past its coast, provides a relatively mild maritime climate. Commonly known as the “Land of the Midnight

Hadad

2004-10-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Had, Hadda , or Haddu the Old Testament Rimmon, West Semitic god of storms, thunder, and rain, the consort of the goddess Atargatis. His attributes were identical with those of Adad of the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon. He was the chief baal (“lord”) of the West Semites (including both sedentary and nomadic Aramaeans) in north Syria, along the Phoenician coast, and along the Euphrates River. As Baal-Hadad

Corvidae

2004-10-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

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

Aquinas, Thomas, Saint

2004-10-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Escape from the feudal world, rapid commitment

Adret, Solomon Ben Abraham

2004-10-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

As a leading scholar of the Talmud, the rabbinical compendium

Tano River

2004-10-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

River, western Ghana, West Africa. It rises near Techiman and flows southward for 250 miles (400 km) to enter the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean), at Aby Lagoon, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Its lower course forms the Ghana–Côte d'Ivoire boundary. It is navigable from its mouth for about 60 miles (95 km) to Tanoso, where further travel is blocked by the Sutre Falls. The Tano and the parallel Ankobra

Indian Philosophy, Metaphysics and epistemology

2004-10-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

For Vacaspati, creation was viewed in terms of the mere presence of the selves and the mere presentation to them of Matter (the undifferentiated primeval stuff). Such a view has obvious difficulties, for it would make creation eternal, because the selves and Matter are eternally copresent. Vijñanabhiksu considered the relation between the selves and Matter to be a real

Switzerland

2004-10-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

Although Switzerland may not rank foremost among the centres of European culture, the country nevertheless can boast an impressive list of contributors to the arts and sciences. On the one hand, because of limited opportunities at home, some of Switzerland's creative minds have chosen to live elsewhere. This has been especially true of architects. On the other hand,

Deception Bay

2004-10-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

Bay and resort town, southeastern Queensland, Australia. In 1823 the explorer John Oxley named the local stream the Deception River (now called the Caboolture River), because of the numerous shoals at its mouth. The river gave its name to the bay into which it flows, which in turn gave its name to the community. The town of Deception Bay offers safe swimming areas, fishing, boating,

Petroleum Refining, Aromatics

2004-10-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

The aromatic compounds, produced in the catalytic reforming of naphtha, are major sources of petrochemical products. In the traditional chemical industry, aromatics such as benzene, toluene, and the xylenes were made from coal during the course of carbonization in the production of coke and town gas. Today a much larger volume of these chemicals are made as refinery

Intelligence Test

2004-10-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

The most widely used intelligence tests include the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler scales. The Stanford-Binet is the American adaptation of the original French Binet-Simon intelligence test; it was first introduced in 1916 by Lewis

Epistemology, Rationalism versus empiricism

2004-10-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

The second issue that emerges from considerations of the origins of knowledge focuses on the distinction between rationalism and empiricism. Though closely related to the issue of innateness versus learning, the question in this case concerns the nature of the source from which knowledge arises. The history of discussion of the issue indicates that two main

Steam

2004-09-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Odourless, invisible gas consisting of vaporized water. It is usually interspersed with minute droplets of water, which gives it a white, cloudy appearance. In nature, steam is produced by the heating of underground water by volcanic processes and is emitted from hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, and certain types of volcanoes. Steam also can be generated on a large

Computers, Time-sharing from Project MAC to UNIX

2004-09-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

In 1959 Christopher Strachey in the United Kingdom and John McCarthy in the United States independently described something they called time-sharing. Meanwhile, computer pioneer J.C.R. Licklider at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began to promote the idea of interactive computing as an alternative to batch processing. Batch processing was the normal

Gobelin Family,

2004-09-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Who ran a factory in the Faubourg Saint-Marcel just southeast of Paris, discovered a scarlet dyestuff and spared no expense to exploit his creation. His descendants seem to have given up dyeing by the end of the 16th century; some of them bought titles of nobility

John Of Beverley, Saint

2004-09-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

After studies at St. Augustine's Monastery, Canterbury, Kent, under the celebrated abbot St. Adrian, John entered Whitby Abbey, Yorkshire. In 687 he succeeded St. Eata as bishop of Hexham, Northumberland, and in 705 was consecrated bishop of York. He founded a

Knaben Wunderhorn, Des

2004-09-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

(1805–08; German: “The Boy's Magic Horn”), anthology of German folk songs, subtitled Alte deutsche Lieder (“Old German Songs”), that established its editors, the poet Clemens Brentano and the antiquarian Achim von Arnim (qq.v.), as leaders of the Romantic movement by reviving enthusiasm for the Volkslied (“folk song,” or “peasant song”) tradition in German lyric poetry. Reputedly genuine folk

González Martínez, Enrique

2004-09-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

González Martínez began writing while practicing medicine in the provinces. With the coming of the Mexican Revolution (1911) he entered public life, serving in the Ministry of Education and holding diplomatic posts in Europe and various Latin-American

Holmium

2004-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

(Ho), chemical element, rare-earth metal of transition Group IIIb of the periodic table, one of the most paramagnetic substances known. Among the least abundant of the rare-earth elements, holmium and its compounds have limited application except for research. Holmium has been used as a component of some electronic devices; the trivalent ion has been used as a catalyst

Drachten

2004-09-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Chief town of Smallingerland gemeente (commune), Friesland provincie, northwestern Netherlands. It lies along the Wijde Ee waterway, which is part of the canal system that flows into the larger Prinses Margriet Canal to the northwest. The surrounding area consists of lowlands; there are forests at nearby Beetsterwaag, and peat moors are found southwest of

United States, The European background

2004-09-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

During the years separating the failure of the Roanoke colony and the establishment in 1607 of the English settlement in Jamestown, English propagandists worked hard to convince the public that a colony in America would yield instant and easily exploitable wealth. Even men like the English geographer Richard Hakluyt were not certain that the Spanish colonization experience could or should be imitated but hoped nevertheless that the English colonies in the New World would prove to be a source of immediate commercial gain. There were, of course, other motives for colonization. Some hoped to discover the much-sought-after route to the Orient in North America. English imperialists thought it necessary to settle in the New World in order to limit Spanish expansion. Once it was proven that America was a suitable place for settlement, some Englishmen would travel to those particular colonies that promised to free them from religious persecution. There were also Englishmen, primarily of lower- and middle-class origin, who hoped the New World would provide them with increased economic opportunity in the form of free or inexpensive land. These last two motives, while they have been given considerable attention by historians, appear not to have been so much original motives for English colonization as they were shifts of attitude once colonization had begun.

Cradle

2004-09-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

In agriculture, rakelike harvesting implement of wood, devised in ancient times for gathering the stalks of wheat, oats, barley, and other grains (first cut with the sickle) and laying them in rows for binding. The later cradle scythe invented in Europe consisted of a framework of long, fingerlike prongs attached to the cutting edge of a long-handled scythe. The device

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2004-09-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

His earlier literary and philosophical activity, however, led to the publication of his Mélanges de littérature, d'histoire et de philosophie (1753). This work contained the impressive Essai sur les gens de lettres, which exhorted writers to pursue “liberty, truth and poverty” and also urged aristocratic patrons to respect the talents and independence of such

La Follette, Robert M

2004-09-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Foreign affairs catapulted La Follette back into a leadership position in 1917, this time of the anti-war movement. Since 1910 he had argued that U.S. interventions in the problems of foreign governments were intended to protect the investments of U.S. corporations and to smash revolutions. Now he believed that the United States entered World War I in 1917 because U.S. businessmen

Yevtushenko, Yevgeny (aleksandrovich)

2004-09-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Yevtushenko, a fourth-generation

Russell, John Scott

2004-09-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

A graduate of the University of Glasgow (at age 16), Russell became professor of natural philosophy in 1832 at the University of Edinburgh, where he first began his research into the nature of water

Jackson Hole National Monument

2004-09-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

Fertile mountain valley and wildlife reserve mostly in Grand Teton National Park (q.v.), northwestern Wyoming, U.S.

Avon, River

2004-08-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

With a drainage area

Yin-yang

2004-08-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Pinyin Yinyang, Japanese In-yo, in Eastern thought, the two complementary forces, or principles, that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. Yin is conceived of as earth, female, dark, passive, and absorbing; it is present in even numbers, in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the colour orange, and a broken line. Yang is conceived of as heaven, male, light, active, and penetrating; it is present

Cyrenaica

2004-08-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Cirenaica , Arabic Barqah historic region of North Africa and until 1963 a province of the United Kingdom of Libya. As early as c. 631 BC Greek colonists settled the northern half of ancient Cyrenaica, known then as Pentapolis for the five major cities they established: Euhesperides (Banghazi), Barce (al-Marj), Cyrene (Shahhat), Apollonia (Marsa Susah), and Tenchira (Tukrah). In later times Ptolemais (Tulmaythah) and Daims-Zarine

Lenau, Nikolaus

2004-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Severe depression and dissatisfaction characterized Lenau's life. He began, but never completed, studies in law, medicine, and philosophy. A legacy in 1830 enabled him to devote himself to writing.

Lighter

2004-08-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

Shallow-draft boat or barge, usually flat-bottomed, used in unloading (lightening) or loading ships offshore. Use of lighters requires extra handling and thus extra time and expense and is largely confined to ports without enough traffic to justify construction of piers or wharves. Lighters are also used in transporting freight for short distances, as around harbours.