SoftBlade

Robert Irving Burns Property Consultants

2006-11-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

Robert Irving Burns has been established for over 40 years and is an independent partnership, who specialise in a full range of property services. These include commercial property
and commercial offices as well as property to let london. Whilst my business partner and I were looking for Offices, we found Rib’s expertise invaluable.

Vulgar Latin

2005-04-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Spoken form of non-Classical Latin from which originated the Romance group of languages. Vulgar Latin was primarily the speech of the middle classes in Rome and the Roman provinces; it is derived from Classical Latin but varied across Roman-occupied areas according to the extent of education of the population, communication with Rome, and the original languages

Medicine, Public health practice

2005-04-04T00:13:00.000-07:00

The physician working in the field of public health is mainly concerned with the environmental causes of ill health and in their prevention. Bad drainage, polluted water and atmosphere, noise and smells, infected food, bad housing, and poverty in general are all his special concern. Perhaps the most descriptive title he can be given is that of community physician.

Art And Architecture, Mesopotamian, Architecture

2005-04-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

The beginnings of monumental architecture in Mesopotamia are usually considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities and the invention of writing, in about 3100 BC. Conscious attempts at architectural design during this so-called Protoliterate period (c. 3400–c. 2900 BC) are recognizable in the construction of religious buildings. There is, however,

Kireyevsky, Ivan Vasilyevich

2005-04-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Born into an aristocratic family, Kireyevsky studied metaphysics in Germany in 1830. Upon his return to Russia he founded in 1832 a literary journal called Yevropeyets (“European”), which was banned

Artaxerxes I

2005-04-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

He was surnamed in Greek Macrocheir (“Longhand”) and in Latin Longimanus. A younger son of Xerxes I and Amestris, he was raised to the throne by the commander of the guard, Artabanus, who had murdered Xerxes. A few months later, Artaxerxes slew Artabanus in a hand-to-hand fight. His reign, though generally peaceful, was

Lodge

2005-04-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

The lodge became a more permanent type of house as the lands around European

'adud Ad-dawlah

2005-03-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

Becoming ruler of Fars province in southern Iran in 944, 'Adud ad-Dawlah did not actually reign on his own until almost a decade later. But by 979 his authority extended, through inheritance and conquest, over all southern Iran and most of what is now Iraq. He became famous for his public works, which included a dam still standing near

Dinawari, Ad-

2005-03-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

Ad-Dinawari studied philology in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Kufah. The systematic approach to learning that he acquired there is reflected in the preserved fragments of

Thomas, R.s.

2005-03-30T04:57:00.000-08:00

Thomas was educated in Wales at University College at Bangor (1935) and ordained in the Church of Wales (1936), in which he held appointments in several parishes. He published

Chad

2005-03-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

Although

Mountain, Volcanic structures along subduction zones

2005-03-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Linear or arcuate belts of volcanoes are commonly associated with subduction zones. Volcanoes typically lie 150 to 200 kilometres landward of deep-sea trenches, such as those that border much of the Pacific Basin. The volcanoes overlie a zone of intense earthquake activity that begins at a shallow depth near such a trench and that dips beneath the volcanoes. They often

Qasrayn, Al-

2005-03-28T03:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kasserine, town, west-central Tunisia. The town is an important market, road, and rail junction and is the centre of an irrigated agricultural area. Its economic activities include the cultivation of olives and esparto grass and the manufacture of paper pulp. Kasserine Pass to the northwest was the scene of a decisive battle of the Tunisian campaign in World War II, which contributed

Camargo, Marie (-anne De Cupis De)

2005-03-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Camargo studied in Paris under Françoise Prevost and danced in Brussels and Rouen before her Paris Opéra debut in 1726 in Les Caractères de la danse. Her success provoked the jealousy of her aging teacher, Prevost, who

Pyrenees, Peace Of The

2005-03-27T00:06:00.000-08:00

During the years from the end of the Thirty Years' War until 1659 Spain and France engaged in almost continuous warfare. During the struggle Spain found itself also involved in hostilities with England,

Eastern Africa, History Of, The Solomonids

2005-03-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

An amalgamated Christian state, led by Semitized Agew, had reappeared in the 12th century. This Zagwe dynasty gave way in the late 13th century to a dynasty that claimed descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, a genealogy providing the legitimacy and continuity so honoured in Ethiopia's subsequent national history. During the 14th and 15th centuries the Solomonid

Alexander The Great, Asia Minor and the Battle of Issus

2005-03-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

In winter 334–333 Alexander conquered western Asia Minor, subduing the hill tribes of Lycia and Pisidia; and in spring 333 he advanced along the coastal road to Perga, passing the cliffs of Mt. Climax, thanks to a fortunate change of wind. The fall in the level of the sea was interpreted as a mark of divine favour by Alexander's flatterers, including the historian Callisthenes. At

Python

2005-03-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

(subfamily Pythoninae) any of 20 to 25 species of snakes of the family Boidae, found in tropical and temperate regions from western Africa to China, Australia, and the Pacific islands. The dwarf python (Loxocemus bicolor) of Central America is sometimes placed in this subfamily. Pythons are not venomous; they kill by constriction. Most species are found near water; some are arboreal.

China, Road networks

2005-03-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

The first modern highway in China was built in 1913 in Hunan Province. The highways of China may be divided into three categories: (1) state, provincial, or regional highways of political, economic, or military importance; (2) local highways of secondary importance, operated by counties or communes; (3) special-purpose highways, mostly managed by factories, mines, state farms, forestry

Dowa Highlands

2005-03-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

Also called Chitembwe-mwera Highlands, central Malawi, rectangular formation covering an area of about 360 square miles (930 sq km); they comprise rolling hills crowned by high ridges including the heights of Dowa (5,571 feet [1,698 m]) and Ntchisi peaks. The highlands are bounded on three sides by steep slopes, forming the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley wall to the east and overlooking the Bua and Lilongwe river valleys to the north

Tigereye

2005-03-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Tiger's-eye, semiprecious quartz gem displaying chatoyancy, a vertical luminescent band like that of a cat's eye. Veins of parallel, blue asbestos (crocidolite) fibres are first altered to iron oxides and then replaced by silica. The gem has a rich yellow to yellow-brown or brown colour and, when polished, a fine golden lustre. The best stones come from Griqualand West, S.Af. Hawk's-eye

Distress

2005-03-22T05:12:00.000-08:00

In law, process that enables a person to seize and detain from a wrongdoer some chattel, or item of personal property, as a pledge for the redressing of an injury, the performance of a duty, or the satisfaction of a demand. Distress was frequently levied without legal process, but requirements have become more stringent and now often necessitate some type of court

Uzhhorod

2005-03-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

Russian Uzhgorod, also spelled Uzgorod, Hungarian Ungvár, city and administrative centre of Zakarpattya oblast (province), western Ukraine. It is situated along the Uzh River just east of the Slovakian border. It was first mentioned in 903, and its position has long given it trading and military significance. Formerly in Austria-Hungary, it passed to Czechoslovakia in 1919, to Hungary in 1938, back to Czechoslovakia in 1945, and to the Soviet

Mascagni, Pietro

2005-03-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Mascagni studied at the conservatory at Milan, but, unable to submit to the discipline of his master, Amilcare Ponchielli, he left to join a traveling

China

2005-03-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

A true Painted Pottery culture developed in the northwest partly from the Wei Valley and Pan-p'o traditions of the 5th millennium. The Miao-ti-kou I horizon, dated from the first half of the 4th millennium, produced burnished bowls and basins of fine red pottery, some 15 percent of which were painted, generally in black, with dots, spirals, and sinuous lines. It was succeeded

Kerry

2005-03-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

Irish Ciarraí county in the province of Munster, southwestern Ireland. With an area of 1,815 square miles (4,701 square km), it is bounded by Counties Limerick and Cork to the east and by the Atlantic Ocean or its inlets to the south, west, and north. Tralee is the county seat. The principal highlands of Kerry, among which are the highest mountains in Ireland, are of sandstone. Three, and part of a fourth,

Oates, Joyce Carol

2005-03-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Oates's life and work are discussed in Eileen Teper Bender, Joyce Carol Oates, Artist in Residence (1987); Joanne V. Creighton, Joyce Carol Oates (1979), and Joyce Carol Oates: Novels of the Middle Years (1992); Greg Johnson, Understanding Joyce Carol Oates (1987), Joyce Carol Oates: A Study of the Short Fiction (1994), and Invisible Writer: A Biography of Joyce Carol Oates (1998); and Brenda Daly, Lavish Self-Divisions: The Novels of Joyce Carol Oates (1996).

Ocean, Seamounts, guyots, and abyssal hills

2005-03-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

Seamounts are submarine volcanoes with more than 1,000 metres of relief. Aseismic ridges are built by chains of overlapping seamounts. A seamount is akin to a subaerial shield volcano in that it also has gently sloping sides (5° to 15°) and is constructed by nonexplosive eruptions of alkaline basalt lavas that are thought to originate from depths of roughly 150 kilometres. About

Powys

2005-03-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

County of east-central Wales, bordering on England. Powys county is by far the largest in Wales. It covers a rugged landscape of valleys and mountains, including most of Brecon Beacons National Park, and it encompasses the entire historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire, and the southern edge of the historic county of Denbighshire

Andaman And Nicobar Islands

2005-03-17T21:04:00.000-08:00

Linked administratively by the British in 1872, the two groups became a union territory of the Republic of India in 1956. The territory

Gabú

2005-03-17T06:07:00.000-08:00

Formerly Nova Lamego town, eastern Guinea-Bissau, western Africa. Gabú is situated along the Colufe River, a tributary of the Gêba River, and is an agricultural marketing centre. Peanuts (groundnuts), grown mainly by the Muslim Fulani peoples, are the principal crop of the region. The town is connected by road to Bissau, the national capital, and to other coastal towns. Pop. (latest est.) town, 7,803.

Marr, Nikolay Yakovlevich

2005-03-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

A professor at St. Petersburg University from 1900, Marr published numerous collections of old Georgian and Armenian literature and attempted to prove a relationship between

Tura

2005-03-16T01:20:00.000-08:00

Urban settlement and administrative centre of Evenky autonomous okrug (district), Krasnoyarsk kray (region), east-central Russia. The settlement lies along the Nizhnaya (Lower) Tunguska River at its confluence with the Kochechum. Tura is a transshipment point on the river. It is also the site of an institute of agriculture of the far north and a regional museum. Pop. (1991 est.)

Isomerase

2005-03-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Any one of a class of enzymes that catalyze reactions involving a structural rearrangement of a molecule. Alanine racemase, for example, catalyzes the conversion of L-alanine into its isomeric (mirror-image) form, D-alanine. An isomerase called mutarotase catalyzes the conversion of a-d-glucose into b-d-glucose. cf. ligase, lyase.

Andaman And Nicobar Islands

2005-03-15T00:51:00.000-08:00

Degus have a large head, large eyes, and moderate-sized, nearly hairless ears. They weigh 170 to

Mercator Projection

2005-03-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

Type of map projection introduced in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator. It is often described as a cylindrical projection, but it must be derived mathematically. The meridians are equally spaced, parallel vertical lines, and the parallels of latitude are parallel, horizontal straight lines, spaced farther and farther apart as their distance from the Equator increases. This

Middle America

2005-03-14T02:24:00.000-08:00

The isthmian tract between the southern Rocky Mountains and the northern tip of the Andes (or, generally, from the southern border of the United States to the northern border of Colombia), marking the territorial transition from North America to South America. The difference between this designation and “Central America” is that Middle America includes Mexico; sometimes

Performing Arts, India.

2005-03-13T18:47:00.000-08:00

With the rise of an international taste for “Bollywood”—Indian commercial cinema—two spectacular all-star films vied for the claim to be the most costly films in Indian history; Devdas was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali from a much-filmed early 20th-century novel with a Romeo and Juliet theme, and Karan Johar's Kabhi khushi kabhie gham ... (2001; Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes

Atmosphere, Transition to an aerobic environment

2005-03-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

Pyrite and uraninite are minerals of iron and uranium, respectively, that are not stable in the presence of O2. Though they can be found in some modern river sediments, neither can survive in them for thousands of years. Yet, many sediments older than about 2,200,000,000 years contain well-rounded grains of these minerals. Their shapes and locations indicate prolonged exposure and

Venice, Gulf Of

2005-03-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

Italian Golfo Di Venezia, northern section of the Adriatic Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea), extending eastward for 60 miles (95 km) from the Po River delta, Italy, to the coast of Istria, in Slovenia and Croatia. It receives the Po, Adige, Piave, and Tagliamento rivers. Marshes, lagoons, and sandspits border the gulf's shores as far as Trieste, Italy, where the low plateau of the Istrian Peninsula begins.

Highland Games

2005-03-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

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

Enchondroma

2005-03-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

A solitary cartilaginous lesion that occurs mostly in the shafts of bones of the hands and feet, usually between adolescence and about age 50. Enchondromas are benign, slow-growing tumours. As they grow they expand and thin the cortex of the parent bone, producing considerable deformity. They may also erupt through their bony covering and project outward into the surrounding

Waitangi, Treaty Of

2005-03-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

(Feb. 6, 1840), historic pact between Great Britain and a number of New Zealand Maori tribes of North Island. It purported to protect Maori rights and was the immediate basis of the British annexation of New Zealand. Negotiated at the settlement of Waitangi on February 5–6 by Britain's designated consul and lieutenant governor William Hobson and many leading Maori chiefs, the

France, History Of, The people

2005-03-10T04:09:00.000-08:00

Gaul was predominantly a Celtic land (see below), but it also contained pre-Celtic Ligurians and Iberians in the south and southwest and more recent Germanic immigrants in the northeast. Neighbouring Celtic communities on the Danube and in northern Italy, however, were not included. The south, in addition, had been heavily influenced by the Greek colony of Massilia

Vienna Circle

2005-03-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

German Wiener Kreis, a group of philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians formed in the 1920s that met regularly in Vienna to investigate scientific language and scientific methodology. The philosophical movement associated with the Circle has been called variously logical positivism, logical empiricism, scientific empiricism, neopositivism, and the unity of science movement.

Atbara River

2005-03-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Arabic Nahr 'atbarah, river joining the Nile as its last tributary at the town of 'Atbarah in The Sudan. The Atbara River rises in the Ethiopian highlands north of Lake Tana and flows westward into The Sudan, turning north to receive the Angareb and Satit (Takaze) rivers before heading northwestward to the Nile. It flows for a total of 500 miles (805 km). A dam at the rapids of Khashm al-Qirbah was built for

Shahadah

2005-03-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

(Arabic: “testimony”), the Muslim profession of faith: “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.” The shahadah is the first of the five Pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam). It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.

Graham, George

2005-03-09T00:13:00.000-08:00

Graham was apprenticed to a London watchmaker and came to the notice of the renowned watchmaker Thomas Tompion. After completing his apprenticeship, Graham succeeded to Tompion's business and to his reputation as the best watchmaker of his time. He perfected

Bonaparte, (marie-anne-)élisa

2005-03-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

She was married on May 1, 1797, to Félix Baciocchi, a member of a Corsican noble family. Napoleon gave her the principality of Piombino in March 1805 and the principality of Lucca in the following June and finally, in March 1809, made her grand duchess of Tuscany. Her pride and ability had great

France, History Of, Liberation

2005-03-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

When the Allied forces landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, the armed underground units had grown large enough to play an important role in the battles that followed—harassing the German forces and sabotaging railways and bridges. As the Germans gradually fell back, local Resistance organizations took over town halls and prefectures from Vichy incumbents. De Gaulle's

Gadsden

2005-03-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1866) of Etowah county, northeastern Alabama, U.S. It is situated on the Coosa River in the Appalachian foothills, 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Birmingham. The original farming settlement was known as Double Springs, and the town was founded there in 1846 as a steamboat station. It was renamed for James Gadsden, who later negotiated the Gadsden Purchase (1853) of territory from Mexico.

Sundiata

2005-03-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Sundiata was a Mandingo from the small kingdom of Kangaba, near the present Mali–Guinea border. Little is known about his early life. Mandingo oral traditions

Saruhan Dynasty

2005-03-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

The dynasty was founded by Saruhan, a tribal chief and frontier prince in the service of the Seljuqs of Anatolia who traced his descent to the Khwarezm-Shahs of Central Asia; after its conquest of Manisa (1313), the dynasty's principality extended its territories to the Aegean Sea. Surrounded by the Turkmen

April

2005-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Fourth month of the Gregorian calendar. See month and the accompanying Table.

Koga

2005-03-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

City, Ibaraki ken (prefecture), eastern Honshu, Japan. It lies at the confluence of the Omoi and Watarase rivers. An important river port, Koga was a castle town and post town on the Nikko-kaido (Nikko Highway) in the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). It became a major trade centre for the surrounding agricultural region after the Tohoku Main Line railway opened in 1891. Silk manufacture, introduced

1801, Concordat Of

2005-03-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

In the agreement the First

Wellesley (of Norragh), Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess

2005-03-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

British statesman who, as governor of Madras and governor general of Bengal (both 1797–1805), greatly enlarged the British Empire in India and who, as lord lieutenant of Ireland (1821–28, 1833–34), attempted to reconcile

Shahn, Ben

2005-03-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

Shahn immigrated with his family to New York City in 1906. In 1913–17 he worked as a lithographer's apprentice while attending high school at night. He later attended

Spain, Literature

2005-03-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

The most famous writer of the century, however, was poet and playwright Federico García Lorca (1898–1936). He was executed

Graham, Otto

2005-03-02T00:33:00.000-08:00

Graham was an all-around athlete in high school. At Northwestern

Barcelona, Archaeological Museum Of

2005-03-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

In full Archaeological Museum Of Barcelona And Institute Of Prehistory And Archaeology, Spanish Museo Arqueológica De Barcelona E Instituto De Prehistoria Y Arqueología, institution in Barcelona, Spain, notable for its collection of prehistoric objects and for its collection of ancient Greek and Roman art and examples illustrating Iberian archaeology. Exhibits include a scale model of a part of the excavation at Ampurias (Emporiae) and displays of Greek vases, glass, and sculpture. There is a fine statue of Asclepius of the 4th century

Mitchell, Wesley C.

2005-02-28T23:01:00.000-08:00

Mitchell was educated at the University of Chicago, where he came under the influence of Thorstein Veblen and John Dewey. He taught at numerous universities, including the University of Chicago (1900–02), the University of California (1902–12), Columbia University

Crabbe, George

2005-02-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Crabbe grew up in the impoverished seacoast village of Aldeburgh and was apprenticed to a surgeon at 14. Hating his mean surroundings and unsuccessful occupation, he abandoned both in 1780 and went to London. In 1781 he wrote a

Kamehameha Iii

2005-02-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

Only 10 years of age when he succeeded to the throne, he was initially under the regency of Kamehameha I's favourite wife, Kaahumanu, who had been regent ever since Kamehameha II had visited England in 1824 and died there. Converted to Christianity in 1824, she became known for her wise and beneficent

Insurance, Liability insurance

2005-02-27T02:32:00.000-08:00

There are at least four major types of liability insurance contracts:

Roseburg

2005-02-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1854) of Douglas county, southwestern Oregon, U.S., on the South Umpqua River, between the Coast (west) and Cascade (east) ranges. Settled in 1851, it was known as Deer Creek but was renamed for Aaron Rose, who laid out the town site in 1854. The city's economy was based for many years on wood-products industries and sawmills; sheep raising and wine making are other economic factors. There

Taaffe, Eduard, Count (graf) Von

2005-02-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

Taaffe, who was of Irish descent

Marsh Marigold

2005-02-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

The stem of a marsh marigold is hollow, and the leaves are kidney-shaped, heart-shaped, or round. The glossy flowers are 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) across and have pink, white, or yellow sepals. Petals are absent. The stems, leaves, and roots

Mondego River

2005-02-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Rio Mondego, largest of the exclusively Portuguese rivers, rising at 4,675 feet (1,425 m) on the northern slopes of Mount Estrela and flowing southwestward for 137 miles (220 km) to the Atlantic Ocean. It has a drainage basin of 2,615 square miles (6,772 square km). A sandbar prohibits navigation above Figueira da Foz, though small craft can sail 52 miles (84 km) upstream to Foz Dão; the river is tidal to Montemor-o-Velho (12 miles

Anniston

2005-02-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1899) of Calhoun county, eastern Alabama, U.S. It lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, about 60 miles (95 km) east of Birmingham. Founded in 1872 by Samuel Noble, Daniel Tyler, and Tyler's sons as a private industrial community (opened to the public in 1883), it was originally named for the Woodstock Iron Company; to avoid confusion with another Woodstock in Alabama, it was

Reggio Nell'emilia

2005-02-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

Founded in the 2nd century BC on the Roman road Via Aemilia by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus as Regium Lepidi, it was later the seat of a Lombard duchy and then was ruled by its bishops. Under the protection of the

Gaea

2005-02-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

Also called Ge, Greek personification of the Earth as a goddess. Mother and wife of Uranus (Heaven), from whom the Titan Cronus, her last born child by him, separated her, she was also mother of the other Titans, the Gigantes, the Erinyes, and the Cyclopes (see giant; Fury; Cyclops); hence literature and art sometimes made her the enemy of Zeus, for the Titans and Gigantes threatened him. Gaea may

Yevtushenko, Yevgeny (aleksandrovich)

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

Yevtushenko, a fourth-generation

Seven Days' Battles

2005-02-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

(June 25–July 1, 1862), series of American Civil War battles in which a Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee drove back General George B. McClellan's Union forces and thwarted the Northern attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va. McClellan was forced to retreat from a position 4 miles (6 km) east of the Confederate capital to a new base of operations at Harrison's

Bar-le-duc

2005-02-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Capital of Meuse département, Lorraine région, northeastern France. It extends out along the narrow valley of the Ornain River, west of Nancy. To the northeast is the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, on the southwest the Canal des Usines. The Ornain River valley is enclosed by wooded and vine-clad hills. From the 10th century Bar was the seat of a countship, and later a duchy. The remains

Mosca, Gaetano

2005-02-19T04:43:00.000-08:00

Italian jurist and political theorist who, by applying a historical method to political ideas and institutions, elaborated the concept of a ruling minority (classe politica) present in all societies. His theory seemed to have its greatest influence on apologists for fascism who

Kabir

2005-02-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

The birth of Kabir (Arabic: “Great”) remains to this day shrouded in mystery and legend. Authorities disagree

Deep-sea Trench

2005-02-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Trenches generally lie seaward of and parallel to adjacent island arcs or mountain ranges

France, History Of, The conquest of Burgundy

2005-02-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

In spite of these partitions, the Frankish kings continued their conquests. One of their primary concerns was to extend their dominion over the whole of Gaul. It took two campaigns to overcome the Burgundian kingdom. In 523 Clodomir, Childebert I, and Chlotar I, as allies of Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, moved into Burgundy, whose king, Sigismund, Theodoric's son-in-law,

Loras College

2005-02-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

Private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. Affiliated with the Roman Catholic church, the college is a liberal arts institution that offers undergraduate study in business, communications, and arts and sciences and awards master's degrees in education, English, physical education, psychology, theology, and ministry. Students can

Strain Theory

2005-02-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, a proposal made in 1885 by the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer that the stability of carbocyclic compounds (i.e., those of which the molecular structure includes one or more rings of carbon atoms) depends on the amount by which the angles between the chemical bonds deviate from the value (109°28¢) observed in compounds not containing such rings. The amount of deviation

Heine, Heinrich

2005-02-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

In full Christian Johann Heinrich Heine , original name (until 1825) Harry Heine German poet whose international literary reputation and influence were established by the Buch der Lieder (1827; The Book of Songs), frequently set to music, though the more sombre poems of his last years are also highly regarded.

Berchtesgaden

2005-02-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Town, Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany, situated on the Berchtesgaden Stream in a deep valley surrounded on three sides by Austrian territory. The opening of its salt mines in the 12th century was the beginning of many centuries of bitter rivalry with Salzburg and Hallein. From 1300 the town was ruled by the provosts of its Augustinian abbey (founded c. 1102), who became princes

Astome

2005-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Any uniformly ciliated protozoan of the order Astomatida, commonly found in annelid worms and other invertebrates. As the name implies, this parasite has no mouth. Some astomes attach themselves to their hosts by suckers; others use various types of hooks or barbs. Asexual reproduction is by transverse fission. In some cases, chains of individuals form by repeated

Dagan

2005-02-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Dagon West Semitic god of crop fertility, worshiped extensively throughout the ancient Middle East. Dagan was the Hebrew and Ugaritic common noun for “grain,” and the god Dagan was the legendary inventor of the plow. His cult is attested as early as about 2500 BC, and, according to texts found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), he was the father of the god Baal. Dagan had an important temple

Margaret

2005-02-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

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

Vow

2005-02-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

In the ancient Middle East, individuals often made vows to a deity to perform certain acts or to live in a certain way in return for a divine favour. Hannah, the mother of the Old Testament judge Samuel,

Ciudad Ojeda

2005-02-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

City, Zulia state, northwestern Venezuela. Lying on the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo, Ciudad Ojeda is an important oil centre. Just to the south lies the Lagunillas oil field, the largest in Latin America. From derricks on land and in the water, oil is piped to refineries at Cabimas, approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the north, and on the Península de Paraguaná. Ciudad Ojeda

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor

2005-02-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

English lyrical poet, critic, and philosopher. His Lyrical Ballads, written with William Wordsworth, heralded the English Romantic movement, and his Biographia Literaria (1817) is the most significant work of general literary criticism produced in the English Romantic period.

Vacarius

2005-02-12T03:56:00.000-08:00

Educated at Bologna, Vacarius went to England to act as counsel to Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, in his successful struggle (ending in 1146) to have the papal legateship transferred from the

David

2005-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Capital of Chiriquí provincia, western Panama, on the Río David and surrounded by fruit groves. It is Panama's largest city outside of the Panama City metropolitan area and is an important commercial centre, served by the Pacific seaports of Pedregal and Puerto Armuelles on the Gulf of Chiriquí and by Enrique Malek Airport. Industries include meatpacking, food processing

Automotive Industry, The industry in the United States

2005-02-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

At the end of World War II the American automobile industry had intact facilities, somewhat enlarged by construction for military needs. There was also a great demand for automobiles. This situation invited several attempts by newcomers to enter the industry, but all proved unsuccessful. The most promising, Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, lasted some 10 years but lacked

China, Buddhism

2005-02-11T01:55:00.000-08:00

The spokesmen of Chinese Buddhism under the early Mongol rulers came from the Ch'an sect (meditation Buddhism). Their high intellectuality and refined aestheticism, however, did not appeal to the Mongols, who felt more attracted by the mixture of magic practices, rather nebulous metaphysics, and impressive symbolism in the visual arts of Tibetan Buddhism. Kublai

Basalt

2005-02-10T01:06:00.000-08:00

Some basalts are quite glassy (tachylytes), and many are very fine-grained and compact; it is more usual, however, for them to exhibit porphyritic structure, with larger crystals (phenocrysts) of olivine, augite, or feldspar in a finely crystalline

Andaman Sea

2005-02-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

Sea, part of the northeastern Indian Ocean, with an area of 308,000 square miles (798,000 square km). Through such ports as Bassein, Moulmein, Tavoy, and Mergui—as well as Yangôn (Rangoon) itself—it forms the most important sea link between Myanmar (Burma) and other nations; it also forms part of a shipping route between India and China, via the Strait of Malacca. The Andaman Sea is bounded to

East Sea

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

(Pacific Ocean): see Japan, Sea of.

Christians Of Saint Thomas

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

The origins of the Christians of St. Thomas are uncertain, though they seem to have been in existence before the 6th century AD and probably

Ufer, Walter

2005-02-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

Ufer studied at the Royal Academy in Dresden, Ger., and at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1911 he abandoned a career in advertising to study painting in Munich and to travel across

Mitral Insufficiency

2005-02-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Mitral Regurgitation, inability of the mitral valve to prevent the flow of blood back from the left ventricle, or lower chamber of the heart, into the left atrium, or upper chamber. Normally, the valve permits blood to flow from the atrium to the ventricle but prevents its return. Most often, the inability of the mitral valve to close adequately is caused by scarring from rheumatic heart disease;

Fabian Society

2005-02-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

The name of the society is derived from the Roman general Fabius Cunctator, whose patient and elusive tactics in avoiding pitched battles secured his ultimate