TightLeaf

Pachymeres, George

2005-11-17T23:40:00.000-08:00

Upon the fall in 1262 of the Latin Eastern Empire and the return of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus, Pachymeres went to Constantinople and was ordained to the

Rjr Nabisco, Inc.

2005-10-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Former conglomerate corporation formed by the merger in 1985 of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (a diversified company specializing in tobacco and food products), and Nabisco Brands, Inc., an international manufacturer of snack foods. In what was the biggest merger of its time, RJR Nabisco became privately owned in 1989 when it was merged into investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

Mabley, Moms

2005-07-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

Byname of Jackie Mabley , original name Loretta Mary Aiken American comedian who was one of the most successful black vaudeville performers. She modeled her stage persona largely on her grandmother, who had been a slave. Wise, clever, and often ribald, Mabley dressed in frumpy clothes and used her deep voice and elastic face (and, in later years, her toothlessness) to great

Amphibian, Distribution and abundance

2005-07-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

Found in almost every type of environment except the high latitudes in the Arctic, Antarctica, various oceanic islands, and some extremely xeric (dry) deserts, frogs and toads show the greatest diversity in humid tropical environments. Salamanders primarily inhabit the Northern Hemisphere and are most abundant in cool, moist, montane forests;

Factor

2005-07-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

In mathematics, a number or algebraic expression that divides another number or expression evenly, i.e., with no remainder. For example, 3 and 6 are factors of 12 because 12 ¸ 3 = 4 exactly and 12 ¸ 6 = 2 exactly. The other factors of 12 are 1, 2, 4, and 12. With the exception of 1, a positive integer or an algebraic expression that has only two factors (i.e., itself and 1) is termed prime; a positive integer or an algebraic

Brandt, Bill

2005-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Following early schooling in Germany and a stay in Switzerland, during which he took up photography, Brandt briefly worked in the Paris studio of the American artist and photographer Man Ray in 1929. In 1931 he returned

Uda

2005-06-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

The son of the emperor Koko, Uda was one of the few rulers during this period whose mother was not a member of the Fujiwara family, which, partly through intermarriage with the imperial line, dominated Japan from 859 to 1160. During the first part of Uda's reign, Mototsune, the head of the Fujiwara house, occupied the post of kampaku,

Abu Al-fida'

2005-06-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

Abu al-Fida' was a descendant of Ayyub, the father of Saladin, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty that had been supplanted by the Mamluks in Egypt and elsewhere before his birth. In 1285 he accompanied his father and his cousin (prince of Hamah and a Mamluk client)

Philemon

2005-06-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

As a playwright Philemon was noted for his neatly contrived plots, vivid description, dramatic surprises, and platitudinous moralizing. By 328 he was producing plays in Athens, where he eventually became a citizen; he also worked in Alexandria for a time.

Encina, Juan Del

2005-05-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

After youthful training as a chorister at Salamanca cathedral (c. 1484) and at the University of Salamanca (before 1490), Encina entered the service of the Duke of Alba as

Paracanthopterygian

2005-05-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Any member of the superorder Paracanthopterygii, a predatory, primarily marine group that forms one of about six major branches of the Teleostei, or bony fishes, the dominant modern aquatic vertebrates. Approximately 1,160 living species of paracanthopterygian fishes have been described. They range in length from just a few centimetres to roughly two metres (more

Alcoy

2005-05-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

The town is a rail

Priapea, Dionysis & Good parties

2005-03-15T21:52:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Priapeia� poems in honour of the the god of fertility Priapus. Although there are ancient Greek poems addressed to him, the name Priapea is mainly applied to a collection of 85 or 86 short Latin poems composed in various metres and dealing with the fertility god who, with his sickle, protected gardens and vineyards against thieves and from whose axe-hewn image of figwood or willow. Poetry is all good and well and one should really consult the White Goddess who presides over the creation of all poetry and song and is the riverblood of everything that poetry stands for.

My favourite God can only be one person and that is Dionysis. Yes that old thoroughbred the God of the Vine... friends, he is one of the best figures in the land of ancient Greek gods. The party rolls on with this figure and so it should... accompanied by Satyrs and nymphs he strays from zone to zone playing music and indulging heavily in wine and merriment. Consider the God Dionysis crowned with olives and furs and drinking fine Chateau Margaux from a gold chalis. Praise be to God... praise be to God.... our God dionysis.

Abqaiq

2005-03-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Buqayq, � town, eastern Saudi Arabia, about 25 miles (40 km) west of the Persian Gulf. It is situated in the southern end of the Abqaiq oil field, one of the largest and most productive in the kingdom. Abqaiq grew rapidly following the discovery of the field in 1940. By 1950 the town was the southern terminus of the Tapline (Trans-Arabian Pipeline), a 1,068-mile- (1,718-kilometre-) long pipeline to Sayda (Sidon), Lebanon; Oil, oil oil... it's such a dirty unfriendly bore. Every country involved in the production of oil is aggressive. We should all start investing our money in Wine and running our cars on that instead. Has anybody thought of that little gem before? I think not. OPEQ could be renamed WinePEQ.... Don't you love it? I bet you do!!

Any thoughts drifters?

Wryneck

2005-03-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

Either of two species of birds that constitute the subfamily Jynginae of the woodpecker family (Picidae) but may be separated as the family Jyngidae. Wrynecks are gray-brown birds of open woods and brushlands, named for their habit of twisting their necks snakily when alarmed. They flick up ants from the ground or insects from trees with their long tongues, and they

Asclepiades Of Bithynia

2005-03-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

He opposed the humoral doctrine of Hippocrates and instead taught that disease results from constricted or relaxed conditions of the solid particles, a doctrine derived from the atomic

My Perfect Wine Wrack

2005-03-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, bleeders, it's me again. I want to tell you all somthing about my beautiful wine. I've been buying tonnes of it from french wine direct and must say that I am loving it. Last weekend I was slaughtered on a lovely 1992 Nicholas Foulliet Champagne. Dribbling drunk I was. But loved it all the same. This week I am aiming for a Poulley Fume.... yum yum...

Anyone got any good p*ss up stories on particularly fine plonk?

I hope so... much love

Locomotion, Invertebrates

2005-03-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

As in the protozoans, aquatic locomotion in invertebrates (animals without backbones) consists of both swimming and bottom movements. In swimming, the propulsive force is derived entirely from the interaction between the organism and the water; in bottom movements, the bottom surface provides the interacting surface. Whereas some bottom movements are identical

Forbes, James David

2005-03-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Forbes became a professor there in 1833. Between 1836 and 1844 he published four series of �Researches on Heat� in which he described the polarization (alignment of waves to vibrate in a plane) of radiant infrared heat by the mineral

Sogn Og Fjordane

2005-03-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

Fylke (county), western Norway, bordering the North Sea. Its inland extension includes the Jostedals Glacier and part of the Jotunheim Mountains. In the northern part of the fylke is Nord Fjord, which penetrates 55 miles (90 km) inland, and in the south is Norway's longest fjord, Sogn Fjord (q.v.). Centrally located on the northern bank of Sogn Fjord is the village of Leikanger, administrative

Biblical Literature, The Second Letter of John

2005-03-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

II John warns a specific church (or perhaps churches), designated as �the elect lady and her children,� against the influence of the Docetic heresy combatted in I John, whose proponents lured Christians from �following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.� In II John, as in the Gospel According to John and I John, the light - darkness images are similar to those

Michelsen, (peter) Christian (hersleb Kjerschow)

2005-03-04T04:09:00.000-08:00

Michelsen began his career as a lawyer; later he started his own shipping firm, which became one of the largest in Norway. A member of the Storting (parliament) from 1891, he adhered at first to the �Pure� Left Party but later broke with

Germany, Additional benefits

2005-03-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Germany also provides several special systems of coverage for groups such as war widows, orphans, and farmers. Unemployment insurance is funded through deductions from wages and salaries. Allowances are made for families with one or more children. Additional public allowances are granted to persons suffering disabilities from wartime injury, whether as military

Antigonus I Monophthalmus

2005-03-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

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.

Cone, Fairfax M.

2005-03-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Cone's father was a prospector and mining engineer, and his mother was a schoolteacher. He studied English at the University of California, working as a summertime copy boy on the San Francisco

Toothwort

2005-02-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

Any of about 10 species of perennial herbs belonging to the genus Dentaria, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to northern temperate areas. The name toothwort refers to the plant's toothed, or scaly, rootstock. The four-petaled flowers, borne in a terminal cluster, are white, pink, or pale purple. Toothwort, pepperwort, or crinklewort (D.

Foreclosure

2005-02-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

Legal proceeding by which a mortgagor's rights to a mortgaged property may be extinguished if the mortgagor (borrower) fails to live up to the obligations agreed to in the mortgage. The mortgagee (the lender) may then declare the entire debt due and owing and may seek to satisfy the debt by foreclosing on the property. Most foreclosures are brought in equity proceedings.

Zane, Betty

2005-02-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Zane lived in her native Virginia (now part of West Virginia) in the town of Wheeling, which was founded in 1769 by her older brothers Ebenezer,

Annelid, Size range and diversity of structure

2005-02-25T23:31:00.000-08:00

The length of annelids varies from a fraction of an inch to more than six metres (about 20 feet). The width may exceed 2.5 centimetres (about one inch) in the contracted state. Free-moving polychaetes and earthworms include the largest species. Leeches attain lengths of about 0.4 metre in the contracted state.

Averro�

2005-02-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Medieval Latin �Averrho�s�, also called �Ibn Rushd�, Arabic in full �Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rushd � influential Islamic religious philosopher who integrated Islamic traditions with ancient Greek thought. At the request of the Almohad caliph Abu Ya'qub Yusuf, he produced a series of summaries and commentaries on most of Aristotle's works (1169 - 95) and on Plato's Republic, which exerted considerable influence in

Gum

2005-02-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

In botany, adhesive substance of vegetable origin, mostly obtained as exudate from the bark of trees or shrubs belonging to the family Fabaceae (Leguminosae) of the pea order Fabales. Some plant gums are used in the form of water solutions in the manufacture of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and foods. When the water evaporates, a film having a considerable adhesive character

Algeria, Nationalist movements

2005-02-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Algerian nationalism developed out of three different tendencies. The first consisted of Algerians who had gained access to French education and earned their living in the French sector. Often called assimilationists, they pursued gradualist, reformist tactics, shunned illegal actions, and were prepared to consider permanent union with France if the rights

Hippolytus

2005-02-21T03:38:00.000-08:00

In Euripides' tragedy Hippolytus, he was son of Theseus, king of Athens, and the Amazon Hippolyte. Theseus' queen, Phaedra, fell in love

Epic

2005-02-20T03:18:00.000-08:00

Long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds, although the term has also been loosely used to describe novels, such as Tolstoy's War and Peace, and motion pictures, such as Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible. In literary usage, the term encompasses both oral and written compositions. The prime examples of the oral epic are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Outstanding examples

Biblical Literature, Old Testament canon, texts, and versions

2005-02-19T21:38:00.000-08:00

Otto Eissfeldt, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 3rd ed. (1964; Eng. trans., The Old Testament: An Introduction, 1965); The Cambridge History of the Bible (chb), 3 vol. (1963 - 70). (The Canon): Frants Buhl, Kanon und Text des Alten Testaments (1891; Eng. trans., Canon and Text of the Old Testament, 1892); Max L. Margolis, The Hebrew Scriptures in the Making (1922); Herbert E. Ryle, The Canon of the Old Testament, 2nd ed. (1895); Solomon Zeitlin, �An Historical Study of the Canonization of the Hebrew Scriptures,� Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, pp. 121 - 158 (1932). (Textual criticism, texts and manuscripts, and early versions): Frank Moore Cross, The Ancient Library of Qumr�n and Modern Biblical Studies, 2nd ed. (1961); �The History of the Biblical Text in the Light of Discoveries in the Judaean Desert,� Harvard Theological Review, 57:281 - 299 (1964); and �The Contribution of the Qumr�n Discoveries to the Study of the Biblical Text,� Israel Exploration Journal, 16:81 - 95 (1966); Christian D. Ginsburg, Introduction to the Massoretico: Critical Edition of the Hebrew Bible (1897, reprinted 1966); Moshe H. Goshen-gottstein, Linguistic Structure and Tradition in the Qumran Documents (1958); �Theory and Practice of Textual Criticism,� Textus, 3:130 - 158 (1963); and The Book of Isaiah: Sample Edition with Introduction (1965); Moshe Greenberg, �The Stabilization of the Text of the Hebrew Bible,� Journal of the American Oriental Society, 76:157 - 167 (1956). Paul Kahle, The Cairo Genizah, 2nd ed. (1959); Frederick G. Kenyon, The Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, 5th ed. rev. (1958); Harry M. Orlinsky, �The Textual Criticism of the Old Testament,� in George E. Wright (ed.), The Bible and the Ancient Near East, pp. 113 - 132 (1961); Bleddyn J. Roberts, The Old Testament Text and Versions (1951); and �The Old Testament: Manuscripts, Text and Versions,� CHB, vol. 2, pp. 1 - 26 (1969); P.W. Skehan, �Qumran and the Present State of Old Testament Text Studies,� Journal of Biblical Literature, 78:21 - 25 (1959); S. Talmon, �Aspects of the Textual Transmission of the Bible in the Light of Qumran Manuscripts,� Textus, 4:95 - 132 (1964); Ernst Wurthwein, Der Text des Alten Testaments (1952; Eng. trans., The Text of the Old Testament, 1957). (Later and modern versions - English versions): David Daiches, The King James Version of the English Bible (1941, reprinted 1968); Margaret Deanesly, The Lollard Bible and Other Medieval Biblical Versions (1920, reprinted 1966); Herman Hailperin, Rashi and the Christian Scholars (1963); William F. Moulton, The History of the English Bible, 5th ed. (1911); Alfred W. Pollard, Records of the English Bible (1911); and, with G.R. Redgrave, A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad 1475 - 1640 (1926, reprinted 1969); B.F. Westcott, A General View of the History of the English Bible, 3rd ed. rev. by W.A. Wright (1905). (Continental versions and non-European versions): Thomas H. Darlow and Horace F. Moule, Historical Catalogue of the Printed Editions of the Holy Scripture in the Library of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 2 vol. (1903 - 11); Josef Schmid (ed.), �Moderne Bibel�bersetzungen,� Zeitschrift f�r katholische Theologie, 82:290 - 332 (1960).

Aniene River

2005-02-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

Also called �Teverone, �Latin �Anio, � major tributary of the Tiber (Tevere) River in central Italy. It rises from two springs in the Simbruini Mountains near Subiaco, southeast of Rome, flows through a narrow valley past Tivoli, and meanders through the Campagna di Roma (territory) to join the Tiber north of Rome. It is 67 miles (108 km) long and has a drainage basin of 569 square miles (1,474 square km). The Roman emperor Nero created

Bacan

2005-02-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Also spelled �Bachan, or Batjan, � island, Maluku Utara kabupaten (North Molucca regency), Maluku propinsi (province), Indonesia, one of the northern Moluccas in the Molucca Sea. The islands of Kasiruta to the northwest, Mandioli to the west, and about 80 other islets compose the Kepulauan Bacan group. With an area of about 700 sq mi (1,800 sq km), Bacan is mountainous in the south, rising to 6,926 ft (2,111 m), relatively level and lower

Motion Picture, History Of The, Germany

2005-02-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Because of its ownership of the Tobis-Klangfilm patents, the German film industry found itself in a position of relative strength in the early years of sound, and it produced several important films during that period, including Josef von Sternberg's Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel, 1930), G.W. Pabst's two antiwar films, Westfront 1918 (1930) and Kameradschaft (1931), and his adaptation of Bertolt

Bulge, Battle Of The

2005-02-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

Also called �Battle Of The Ardennes� (Dec. 16, 1944 - Jan. 16, 1945), the last German offensive on the Western Front during World War II; an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory. The name Battle of the Bulge was appropriated from Winston Churchill's optimistic description, in May 1940, of the resistance that he mistakenly supposed was being offered to the Germans' breakthrough in that area just

Vihara

2005-02-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

Early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for them to lead the wanderer's life. They took on a sacred character when small stupas (housing sacred relics) and images

Biblical Literature, The Book of Jubilees

2005-02-13T02:55:00.000-08:00

The book is written in the form of a revealed history of Israel from the creation until the dwelling of Moses on Mt. Sinai, where the content of the book was

Malacostracan, The nervous system and sensory organs

2005-02-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

The malacostracan central nervous system consists, in primitive forms, of a ventral nerve cord and ganglia within each body segment. The supraesophageal ganglion innervates the eyes, antennules, and antennae, and the subesophageal ganglion innervates the mouthparts of the head region. In amphipods and anomuran decapods the ganglia of abdominal segments are

Malacostracan, The nervous system and sensory organs

2005-02-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

Chemical element, metal of Group IIb, or the zinc group, of the periodic table.

Lunda

2005-02-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

Any of several Bantu-speaking peoples scattered over wide areas of the southeastern part of Congo (Kinshasa), eastern Angola, and northern and northwestern Zambia. The various regional groups - the Lunda of Musokantanda in Congo, Kazembe, Shinje, Kanongesha, Ndembu, Luvale (Luena, Balovale), Chokwe, Luchazi, Songo, and Mbunda - are all of Congo origin and broke away from the

Raden

2005-02-09T23:54:00.000-08:00

Japanese decorative technique used for lacquerware and woodenware, in which linings of mother-of-pearl or of abalone shells are cut into designs and either glued onto or inserted into the surface of the lacquer or wood. There are several varieties of raden lacquerware. Atsugai-ho, a technique using thick shell, consists of two methods, one of which is inlay: the shell

Sanmicheli, Michele

2005-02-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

He was a pupil of his father, Giovanni, and his uncle Bartolomeo, both architects in Verona. At an early age he went to Rome, where he studied with architects trained under Donato Bramante and Giuliano da Sangallo. There

Eni

2005-02-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

Eni is an outgrowth of Agip (Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli), an oil and gas agency set up by the Italian fascist

Parallax

2005-02-06T02:08:00.000-08:00

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

New Zealand, Annexation and further settlement

2005-02-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

In 1838 the British government decided upon at least partial annexation. In 1839 it commissioned William Hobson, a naval officer, as lieutenant governor and consul to the Maori chiefs, and he annexed the whole country, the North Island by the right of cession from the Maori chiefs and the South Island by the right of discovery. At first New Zealand was legally part of New South

Bebel, August

2005-02-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Bebel was the son of a Prussian noncommissioned officer. Growing up in extreme poverty

Scaevola, Gaius Mucius

2005-02-03T01:10:00.000-08:00

Legendary Roman hero who is said to have saved Rome (c. 509 BC) from conquest by the Etruscan king Lars Porsena. According to the legend, Mucius volunteered to assassinate Porsena, who was besieging Rome, but killed his victim's attendant by mistake. Brought before the Etruscan royal tribunal, he declared that he was one of 300 noble youths who had sworn to take the king's life. He demonstrated

Zittau

2005-02-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

City, Saxony Land (state), eastern Germany, on the Lausitzer Neisse River, near the frontiers of Poland and the Czech Republic. Originating as the Slav settlement of Sitowir, it was mentioned in 1230 and chartered in 1255, when it belonged to Bohemia. Zittau joined the federation of Lusatian towns in 1346 and fell to Saxony in 1635. Four 13th- and 15th-century churches still remain. There are training

Poland, History Of, World War II

2005-01-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

The Poles, fighting alone against the Wehrmacht's overwhelming might, particularly in air power and armour, were doomed. On September 17 the Red Army invaded Poland from the east, and on September 28 Hitler and Stalin agreed on a final partition, the Soviets taking eastern Galicia and lands east of the Bug River (i.e., more than half of the country, where the Poles constituted

Baie-comeau

2005-01-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

Town, regional county municipality (RCM) of C�te-Nord region, east-central Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River, near the mouth of the Manicouagan River. Named after Napol�on-Alexandre Comeau, a local naturalist, it was founded in 1936 at the instigation of Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, as a pulp and newsprint milling

Redford, Robert

2005-01-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

After years of drifting and studying art in both Europe and the United States, Redford enrolled at

Fudge

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

Creamy candy made with butter, sugar, milk, and usually chocolate, cooked together and beaten to a soft, smooth texture. Fudge may be thought of as having a consistency harder than that of fondant (q.v.) and softer than that of hard chocolate. According to most recipes, the ingredients of fudge are cooked to what is termed in kitchen parlance the soft ball stage, that point

Micronesia

2005-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

To the west of the Federated States

Amp�re, Andr�-marie

2005-01-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

Amp�re was a prodigy who mastered all mathematics then extant by the time he was 12 years old. He became a professor of physics and chemistry at Bourg-en-Bresse in 1801 and a professor of mathematics at the �cole Polytechnique in Paris in

Gamelin, Maurice(-gustave)

2005-01-24T01:29:00.000-08:00

Gamelin graduated from the Saint-Cyr military academy in 1893 and ended World War I as a brigadier general in command of a division. He rose steadily after the war, becoming

Schach, Rabbi Eliezer Menachem

2005-01-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Lithuanian-born Israeli Orthodox Jewish scholar and political leader (b. 1896?, Wabolnick [now Vabalninkas], Lithuania, Russian Empire - d. Nov. 2, 2001, Tel Aviv, Israel), as the spiritual leader of Israel's non-Zionist ultra-Orthodox political parties - Agudat Yisrael, Shas, and Degel Hatorah - wielded great influence on Israeli government policies. In 1940 Schach emigrated from Lithuania

Ear, Human

2005-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

A.J. Hudspeth, �How the Ear's Works Work,� Nature, 341(6241):397 - 404 (Oct. 5, 1989), gives an account of the role of hair cells in hearing. Further details are found in Lewis G. Tilney and Mary S. Tilney, �Actin Filaments, Stereocilia, and Hair Cells: How Cells Count and Measure,� Annual Review of Cell Biology, 8:257 - 274 (1992). As an accessible introduction to the clinical concerns of otology and audiology, John Ballantyne, M.C. Martin, and Antony Martin (eds.), Deafness, 5th ed. (1993), remains unsurpassed. For detailed, up-to-date treatments of other topics and problems considered in this section, the series Springer Handbook of Auditory Research is highly recommended, especially vol. 1, The Mammalian Auditory Pathway: Neuroanatomy, ed. by Douglas B. Webster, Arthur N. Popper, and Richard R. Fay (1992), vol. 2, The Mammalian Auditory Pathway: Neurophysiology, ed. by Arthur N. Popper and Richard R. Fay (1992), vol. 7, Clinical Aspects of Hearing, ed. by Thomas R. Van de Water, Arthur N. Popper, and Richard R. Fay (1996), and vol. 8, The Cochlea, ed. by Peter Dallos, Arthur N. Popper, and Richard R. Fay (1996). Information on the anatomy and physiology of the vestibular system and the disorders, peripheral and central, that can affect it may be found in the still-useful work by Ralph F. Naunton (ed.), The Vestibular System (1975).

Anhydrite

2005-01-21T03:16:00.000-08:00

An important rock-forming mineral, anhydrous calcium sulfate (CaSO4). It differs chemically from gypsum (to which it alters in humid conditions) by having no water of crystallization. Anhydrite occurs most often with salt deposits in association with gypsum, as in the cap rock of the Texas-Louisiana salt domes. Anhydrite is one of the major minerals in evaporite deposits;

Follen, Karl

2005-01-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Graduated from the University of Giessen as a doctor of civil and canonical law (1818), Follen taught there and in the

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

2005-01-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

Of pure Arab stock, Ibn Hanbal belonged to the tribe of Shayban through both parents. He was still an infant when his father died at 30. When Ibn Hanbal was 15 he began to study the Traditions (Hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad. Seeking to learn from the great masters of his day, he travelled to the cities of Kufah and Basra in Iraq; Mecca, Hejaz, and Medina in Arabia; and to the lands of Yemen and

Toradja

2005-01-18T01:40:00.000-08:00

Group of peoples of central Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia. They are believed to be descendants of the invading Austronesian-speaking people that overran the island and absorbed or exterminated the aboriginal population. Later they were driven back from the coasts by Muslim Indonesians such as the Buginese. Their warfare and headhunting made it necessary to locate

Metalloid

2005-01-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

A chemical element with properties intermediate between those of typical metals and nonmetals. Usually considered under this classification are the chemical elements boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, and tellurium. The rare elements polonium and astatine are also sometimes included. Most of these elements are important industrial materials, being

Penelope

2005-01-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

In Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. In the Odyssey is told the story of how, during her husband's long absence after the Trojan War, many chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands became her suitors. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes,

Ernst, Richard R.

2005-01-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

Ernst received both his B.A. in

Performing Arts, Popular - International.

2005-01-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a classic one for African music, and arguably the finest of a batch of great new albums came from the celebrated Malian singer Salif Keita. His recent work had included excursions into jazz-rock and funk, but the album Moffou was very different - an acoustic set that marked a return to his African roots. The relaxed, gently rhythmic backing was provided by

Claque

2005-01-13T05:16:00.000-08:00

(French claquer: �to clap�), organized body of persons who, either for hire or from other motives, band together to applaud or deride a performance and thereby attempt to influence the audience. As an institution, the claque dates from performances at the theatre of Dionysus in ancient Athens. Philemon frequently defeated Menander in the 4th century BC in the comedy competitions,

Race, South Africa

2005-01-12T11:51:00.000-08:00

Although race categories and racial ideology are both arbitrary and subjective, race was a convenient way to organize people within structures of presumed permanent inequality. South Africa's policy of apartheid exhibited the same basic racial ideology as the North American system but differed in two respects: the systematic state classification of races

Cone

2005-01-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

In mathematics, the surface traced by a moving straight line (the generatrix) that always passes through a fixed point (the vertex). The path, to be definite, is directed by some closed plane curve (the directrix), along which the line always glides. In a right circular cone, the directrix is a circle, and the cone is a surface of revolution. The axis of this cone is a line through

Ava

2005-01-10T03:40:00.000-08:00

Ancient capital of central Myanmar (Burma), on the left bank of the Irrawaddy River at the Myitnge confluence. It is linked by a road and rail bridge, 5,894 feet (1,796 m) long, to the town of Sagaing; this is the only place where the Irrawaddy is bridged. Its name is a corruption of the Burmese Inwa, meaning �entrance to the lake.� The site was chosen in 1364 by the Shans who succeeded the Pagan dynasty.

Lock Haven University Of Pennsylvania

2005-01-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Public coeducational institution of higher learning in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is part of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education and comprises colleges of Arts and Sciences, and Education and Human Services. The university offers a range of bachelor's degree programs and several master's degree programs. It also offers a cooperative engineering

Thutmose Iv

2005-01-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

Thutmose IV was the son of his predecessor's chief queen. As prince, he was assigned to the military operational base at Memphis, near modern Cairo, where he spent his leisure

Computers, Herman Hollerith's census tabulator

2005-01-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be performed every 10 years. The first attempt at any mechanization of the census was in 1870, when statistical data were transcribed onto a rolling paper tape displayed through a small slotted window. As the size of America's population exploded in the 19th century, and the number of census questions expanded, the

Dyer-bennet, Richard

2005-01-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

Though born in England, Dyer-Bennet grew up in Canada and California and attended the University of California at

Insurance, Conditions

2005-01-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

Homeowner's policies may include the following conditions: (1) Owners are required to give immediate written notice of loss to the insurer or the insurer's agent. (2) The insured must provide proof of the amount of loss. This suggests that owners should keep accurate records of the items in a building and of their original cost. (3) The insured must cooperate with the insurer

Cymbeline

2005-01-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

In the play Cymbeline, the king

Anderson, Poul William

2005-01-03T02:40:00.000-08:00

American science-fiction writer (b. Nov. 25, 1926, Bristol, Pa. - d. July 31, 2001, Orinda, Calif.), was the prolific author of more than 100 books of science fiction and fantasy. Over a period of about half a century, he tapped his knowledge of both science and Scandinavian folklore and mythology to create powerfully imaginative depictions of the future, writing in such varied styles as farce, adventure

Altitude And Azimuth

2005-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

In astronomy, gunnery, navigation, and other fields, two coordinates describing the position of an object above the Earth. Altitude in this sense is expressed as angular elevation (up to 90�) above the horizon. Azimuth, in astronomical measurement, is the number of degrees clockwise from due south (usually) to the object's vertical circle (i.e., a great circle through the object

Arts, South Asian, Classical Sanskrit kavya (200 - 1200)

2005-01-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

Prepared for by the systematization of the Sanskrit language by Panini, the development of the great epics, notably the Ramayana, and the refinements of prosody represented by the Pali lyrics, there arose, in the first centuries AD, a Sanskrit literary style that governed canons of taste for a millennium and remained influential far later through modern Indian languages

Alaska, Tourism

2004-12-31T06:25:00.000-08:00

Alaska has had an upsurge of tourism. Travelers arrive mainly by air or sea and can now cover large areas by airplane and road. The influx is partly the result of the 500-passenger, 100-car ferries that operate as the Alaska Marine Highway. One ferry system connects Kodiak with mainland Seward and the Alaska Railroad, another links Cordova and Valdez, and a third serves panhandle

Cone, Claribel; And Cone, Etta

2004-12-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

The Cone sisters, daughters of German immigrant parents, grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Claribel

Moray

2004-12-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

Any of 80 or more species of eels of the family Muraenidae. Moray eels occur in all tropical and subtropical seas, where they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks and hide in crevices. They differ from other eels in having small rounded gill openings and in generally lacking pectoral fins. Their skin is thick, smooth, and scaleless, while the mouth is wide and the jaws

Kumarajiva

2004-12-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

Before his ordination at the

China, Ch'ing society

2004-12-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

Chinese society continued to be highly stratified during the early Ch'ing. Hereditary status groups in the society ranged from the descendants of the Imperial line down to the �mean people� at the bottom of the social ladder. Many professions were hereditary: bannermen, brewers, dyers, doctors, navigators, and Taoist priests usually passed on their occupations to

Rotimi, Ola

2004-12-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

Rotimi was born to an Ijaw mother and a Yoruba father, and cultural diversity was a frequent theme in his work. Educated in Nigeria in Port Harcourt and Lagos, he traveled to the United States in 1959 to study at Boston University. After receiving a B.A. in fine arts in 1963, he attended the Yale School

Szabolcs-szatm�r-bereg

2004-12-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

Megye (county), extreme northeastern Hungary, occupying an area of mainly lowland country traversed by many small river courses. Lying within the megye is the Ny�rs�g, a district of sandy soils and the site of Ny�regyh�za (q.v.), the megye seat. Crossed by the Tisza River system, the sandy terrain has been stabilized by planting fruit and other trees. Elsewhere in the megye

Essex

2004-12-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

One of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England; i.e., that of the East Saxons. An area of early settlement, it probably originally included the territory of the modern county of Middlesex; London was its chief town. Essex sometimes had joint kings, and from 664 they were subject to the rulers of the midland kingdom of Mercia. From 825 Essex was controlled by Wessex, first as a subkingdom

Hadron

2004-12-23T00:20:00.000-08:00

In physics, any of the subatomic particles that are built from quarks and thus react through the agency of the strong nuclear force. The hadrons embrace mesons (e.g., pions and kaons), baryons (e.g., protons, neutrons, and sigma particles), and their many resonances. All observed subatomic particles except bosons (e.g., photons, W particles, and Z particles) and leptons (e.g., electrons,

Arabia

2004-12-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

Arabic �Jazirat Al-'Arab (�Island of the Arabs�), � peninsular region, together with offshore islands, located in the extreme southwestern corner of Asia. The Arabian Peninsula is bounded by the Red Sea on the west and southwest, the Gulf of Aden on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south and southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf (also called the Arabian Gulf) on the northeast. Geographically the peninsula

Owo

2004-12-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

Town, Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria, at the southern edge of the Yoruba Hills (elevation 1,130 feet [344 m]) and at the intersection of roads from Akure, Kabba, Benin City, and Siluko. A major collecting point for cocoa, it also serves as a market centre (yams, cassava, corn [maize], rice, palm oil and kernels, pumpkins, okra). Cotton and teak are cultivated in the surrounding area, which was

Catalysis

2004-12-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

The term catalysis was first used in 1835 by the Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzelius to characterize phenomena observed by chemists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Examples of catalysis, however, were known much

Ramesseum

2004-12-19T01:56:00.000-08:00

Funerary temple of Ramses II (1279 - 13 BC), erected on the west bank of the Nile River at Thebes in Upper Egypt. The temple, famous for its 57-foot (17-metre) seated statue of Ramses II (of which only fragments are left), was dedicated to the god Amon and the deceased king. The walls of the Ramesseum, which is only about half preserved, are decorated with reliefs, including scenes depicting the

�pernon, Jean-louis De Nogaret De La Valette, Duke (duc) D'

2004-12-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

Of obscure nobility, La Valette rose to prominence as a favourite of Henry III, who created him duke and peer of France in 1582. He and Anne de Joyeuse acted virtually as prime ministers in the 1580s. His rapacity was notorious, but he also showed great political ability

Spotlight: Latin America's New Transportation Links

2004-12-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

By 1998 the common market concept within Latin America, as exemplified by Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, with Chile and Bolivia joining as associate members), several bilateral trade agreements, and the rejuvenation of the Andean Community and the Central American Common Market, was contributing to a diminution of old geopolitical rivalries in

Atat�rk, Kemal

2004-12-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

Mustafa Kemal then embarked upon the reform of his country, his goal being to bring it into the 20th century. His instrument was the Republican People's Party, formed on Aug. 9, 1923, to replace the defense-of-rights associations. His program was embodied in the party's �Six Arrows�: republicanism, nationalism, populism, statism (state-owned and state-operated industrialization

Karate

2004-12-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

Unarmed martial-arts discipline employing kicking, striking, and defensive blocking with arms and legs. Emphasis is on concentrating as much of the body's power as possible at the point and instant of impact. Striking surfaces include the hands (particularly the knuckles and the outer edge), ball of the foot, heel, forearm, knee, and elbow. All are toughened by practice

Sacred Kingship, The king as judge

2004-12-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

From earliest times, in addition to other functions, the chief was the judge of his tribe; he personified the protection that the community provided for the individual. Providing for a balance of power in the community, mediating quarrels, and protecting individual rights, the chief or king was the lawgiver and the highest administrator for all community affairs.