HealthyChin

Florida

2005-04-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

The surrounding region is characterized by rolling hills. In addition to its

France, History Of, The Thermidorian reaction

2005-04-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

With control passing from the Montagnards after Robespierre's fall, moderates in the convention hoped to put the Terror and sansculotte militance behind them while standing fast against counterrevolution and rallying all patriots around the original principles of the Revolution. But far from stabilizing the Revolution, the fall of “the tyrant” on 9 Thermidor

Iridosmine

2005-04-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Also called Osmiridium, mineral consisting of an alloy of iridium and a smaller proportion of osmium. It occurs in gold-bearing conglomerates, as at the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and in gold sands, as in California and Oregon, U.S. Because of their hardness and resistance to corrosion, both natural and synthetic iridosmine are used for tips of pen nibs, surgical needles, and sparking points

Brun, Johan Nordahl

2005-04-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Brun was an indifferent student at the University of Copenhagen but, briefly, a prominent member of the so-called Norske Selskab (Norwegian Society), a group of younger Norwegian litterateurs in the Danish

Heiberg, Johan Ludvig

2005-04-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

Playwright, poet, literary historian, and critic whose romantic idealism in a sense epitomized the Danish Romantic school, which he helped bring to an end when he established a new era of topical, sophisticated, and satirical literature. Heiberg also introduced both Hegelian philosophy and vaudeville, or ballad opera,

Nervous System Disease, Vestibulocochlear nerve

2005-04-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

When both divisions of the vestibulocochlear nerve are affected by disease, symptoms may include ringing in the ear (tinnitus), a sensation of spinning (vertigo), and other symptoms such as deafness. Deafness, if not caused by middle-ear disease, suggests damage to the cochlear portion of the nerve. Compression of the nerve at the cerebellopontine angle by a tumour, an

Carthusian

2005-04-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

Member of Order of Carthusians (O.Cart.) an order of monks founded by St. Bruno of Cologne in 1084 in the valley of Chartreuse, north of Grenoble, Fr. The Carthusians, who played an important role in the monastic-reform movement of the 11th and 12th centuries, combine the solitary life of hermits with a common life within the walls of a monastery. The monks live in individual cells, where they pray, study, eat, and sleep, gathering

Gongola River

2005-03-31T08:34:00.000-08:00

Principal tributary of the Benue River, northeastern Nigeria. It rises in several branches (including the Lere and Maijuju rivers) on the eastern slopes of the Jos Plateau and cascades (with several scenic waterfalls) onto the plains of the Gongola Basin, where it follows a northeasterly course. It then flows past Nafada and takes an abrupt turn toward the south. Its

Iberian Peninsula

2005-03-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Peninsula in southwestern Europe, occupied by Spain and Portugal. Its name derives from its ancient inhabitants whom the Greeks called Iberians, probably after the Ebro (Iberus), the peninsula's second longest river (after the Tagus). The Pyrenees form an effective land barrier in the northeast from the rest of Europe, and in the south at Gibraltar the peninsula is separated

Scanlon, John Patrick

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

American public relations consultant (b. Feb. 27, 1935, New York, N.Y.—d. May 4, 2001, New York), specialized in representing high-profile and often controversial clients. He worked as a press spokesman for various New York City government agencies and corporations before embarking on a career as an independent consultant. Among other notable clients, Scanlon represented the tobacco

Aristide, Jean-bertrand

2005-03-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

Aristide attended a school in Port-au-Prince run by the Roman Catholic Salesian order, and in 1966 he moved to the Salesian seminary at Cap-Haitien and began to prepare for the priesthood.

Poxvirus

2005-03-28T23:34:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of viruses constituting the family Poxviridae, responsible for a wide range of pox diseases in human beings and other animals. Poxvirus was the cause in human beings of smallpox (q.v.), which was declared eradicated worldwide in 1977. (Chicken pox of human beings is caused by a herpesvirus; see herpes zoster.) The virus particle is somewhat brick-shaped, with the

Aras River

2005-03-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

Armenian Araks, Persian Rud-e Aras, Turkish Aras Nehri, Greek Araxes river rising south of Erzurum in the Bingöl Daglari (mountains) of Turkey; it flows eastward, forming for approximately 275 miles (440 km) the international boundary between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the north and Turkey and Iran on the south. Below the eastern boundary of Armenia, the stream emerges into a broad valley and then crosses the Mugan Steppe. After a course of about

Japan, Ancient Japan

2005-03-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

The Nara and Heian periods are discussed in Robert Borgen, Sugawara no Michizane and the Early Heian Court (1986, reissued 1994); G. Cameron Hurst III, Insei: Abdicated Sovereigns in the Politics of Late Heian Japan, 1086–1185 (1976); Allan G. Grapard, The Protocol of the Gods: A Study of the Kasuga Cult in Japanese History (1992); Ivan Morris, The World of The Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan (1964, reissued 1994); Karl F. Friday, Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan (1992); and William Wayne Farris, Population, Disease, and Land in Early Japan, 645–900 (1985), and Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500–1300 (1992).

Ibn Tibbon, Samuel Ben Judah

2005-03-26T22:06:00.000-08:00

From his father, Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, Samuel received a thorough grounding in medicine, Jewish law and lore,

Viscount Melville Sound

2005-03-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Formerly Melville Sound, arm of the Arctic Ocean, Kitikmeot and Baffin regions, Northwest Territories, northern Canada. It is 250 miles (400 km) long and 100 miles (160 km) wide. The discovery of this body of water, reached from the east by Sir William Edward Parry (1819–20) and from the west (1850–54) by Sir Robert McClure, proved the existence of the Northwest Passage and provided passage through the Arctic archipelago. A crossroads

Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl Of, Baron Of Raby

2005-03-26T04:01:00.000-08:00

Leading adviser of England's King Charles I. His attempt to consolidate the sovereign power of the king led to his impeachment and execution by Parliament.

Racan, Honorat De Bueil, Seigneur De

2005-03-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

Racan became a page at the court of Henry IV and served in the army. His works include the celebrated Stances sur la retraite (c. 1618; “Stanzas on Retreat”), which reflects his love of nature and his reluctance to adhere to the poetic discipline of his master, François de Malherbe, whose

Endocrine System, Human, Hyperaldosteronism (Conn's syndrome)

2005-03-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

In 1955, an American internist, Jerome Conn, described a form of high blood pressure associated with hypokalemia and reduced acidity of the blood (alkalosis) in patients who harboured a benign tumour of adrenal glomerulosa cells. These patients were found to have high levels of aldosterone in the circulation, and for most the hypertension and hypokalemia disappeared

Wieschaus, Eric F.

2005-03-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

American developmental biologist who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, with geneticists Edward B. Lewis and Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (qq.v.), for discovering the genetic controls of early embryonic development. Working together with Nüsslein-Volhard, Wieschaus expanded upon the innovative work of Lewis, who likewise

World War I, The Western Front, JanuaryMay 1917

2005-03-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

The western Allies had good reason to be profoundly dissatisfied with the poor results of their enterprises of 1916, and this dissatisfaction was signalized by two major changes made at the end of the year. In Great Britain, the government of H.H. Asquith, already turned into a coalition in May 1915, was replaced in December 1916 by a coalition under David Lloyd George; and that same

Basidiocarp

2005-03-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

In fungi, a large sporophore, or fruiting body, in which sexually produced spores are formed on the surface of club-shaped structures (basidia). Basidiocarps are found among the members of the class Basidiomycetes (q.v.), with the exception of the rust and smut fungi. The largest basidiocarps include giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea), which can be 1.6 m (5.25 feet) long, 1.35 m broad, and

Ogata Kenzan

2005-03-21T05:31:00.000-08:00

Kenzan received a classical Chinese and Japanese education and pursued Zen Buddhism. At the age of 27 he began studying with the potter Ninsei and in 1699 established his own kiln in Narutaki. Encountering financial

Basil

2005-03-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

Albanian in origin, Basil acceded to the throne of Moldavia in the spring of 1634. He intrigued throughout his reign to acquire the Walachian throne as well, and in 1637 and 1639 led unsuccessful expeditions against the ruling prince

Police Zone

2005-03-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

Southern two-thirds of South West Africa (now Namibia) in which the German and later South African colonial administrations were able to establish effective European-style police control beginning in the early 20th century. The name of the area and its original boundary were adopted in 1919 by the South Africans from a 1911 German map of the territory on which the area was marked

Merlo

2005-03-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Cabacera (county seat) and partido (county) of Gran Buenos Aires, Argentina, west of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia. The region of the present-day partido was colonized shortly after the second and permanent founding of Buenos Aires (1580). In 1730 an interim parish was founded near the estancia (landholding) of Francisco de Merlo. In the same year, Merlo founded

Fredericia

2005-03-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

City and port, Vejle amtskommune (county commune), eastern Jutland, Denmark, on the Little Strait, there bridged to Fyn (Funen) island. Founded and chartered in 1650 by Frederick III as a fortress to defend Jutland, it enjoyed special privileges, including freedom of worship and exemption from taxes. After a destructive siege in 1849, the Danes drove off the allied Prussians and

Intercostalis Muscle

2005-03-18T01:16:00.000-08:00

In human physiology, any of a series of short muscles that extend between the ribs and serve to draw them together during inspiration and forced expiration or expulsive actions. A set of external and internal intercostalis muscles is found between each vertical pair of ribs on each side of the chest.

Accius, Lucius

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

Accius also spelled Attius one of the greatest of the Roman tragic poets, in the view of his contemporaries. His plays (more than 40 titles are known, and about 700 lines survive) were mostly free translations from Greek tragedy, many from Euripides, with violent plots, flamboyant characterizations, and forceful rhetoric. His tragedies were performed until the end of the republic

Southampton, William Fitzwilliam, Earl Of

2005-03-17T09:11:00.000-08:00

A son of Sir William Fitzwilliam of Aldwarke, near Rotherham, Fitzwilliam was a companion in boyhood of Henry VIII and was knighted for his services at the siege of Tournai in 1513. Later he was treasurer of Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey's household and was sent several times to France

Phek

2005-03-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Nagaland state, northeastern India, 75 miles (121 km) east of Kohima town. It is a rural town whose inhabitants practice shifting cultivation. Weaving is the important cottage industry. The people of the region belong to different ethnic groups of Mongolian descent; they are referred to as Kirats in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata. Pop. (1981) 13,609.

Fredericia

2005-03-16T01:53:00.000-08:00

Public broadcasting service over AM and FM radio networks and television networks in English and French, two national cable television channels, and shortwave radio, among other media in Canada. Advertising sales and, primarily, annual appropriations from Parliament finance the CBC's operations. It is especially noted for the high quality of its news and public

Duricrust

2005-03-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

Surface or near-surface of the Earth consisting of a hardened accumulation of silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), and iron oxide (Fe2O3), in varying proportions. Admixtures of other substances commonly are present and duricrusts may be enriched with oxides of manganese or titanium within restricted areas. Thus, siliceous, ferruginous, and aluminous crusts constitute duricrusts

Clare, John Fitzgibbon, 1st Earl Of

2005-03-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

He entered the Irish

Chinese Cabbage

2005-03-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

Either of two widely cultivated members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Brassica pekinensis, also called celery cabbage, forms a tight head of crinkled light green leaves. One type, Michihli, or Tientsin, forms slender cylindrical heads about 45 cm (18 inches) tall. It has long been grown in the United States as a salad vegetable. Napa is similar, but

Croatia

2005-03-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Officially Republic of Croatia, Serbo-Croatian Hrvatska, or Republika Hrvatska, country located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a small yet highly diverse, crescent-shaped country. The upper arm of the Croatian crescent is bordered on the east by the Vojvodina region of Serbia and on the north by Hungary and Slovenia. The body of the crescent forms a long coastal strip along the Adriatic Sea, and the southern tip touches on

Colosseum

2005-03-14T03:23:00.000-08:00

Originally called Flavian Amphitheatre giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime between AD 70 and 72 during the reign of Vespasian; the structure was officially dedicated in AD 80 by Titus in a ceremony that included 100 days of games. Later, in AD 82, Domitian completed the work by adding the uppermost story. Unlike earlier amphitheatres, which were nearly

Rhys, Siôn Dafydd

2005-03-13T01:55:00.000-08:00

Rhys spent some time at Oxford then earned a degree in medicine from the University of Siena, Italy. He practiced as a physician at Cardiff,

Lockport

2005-03-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1822) of Niagara county, western New York, U.S. It lies 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Buffalo. It was founded in 1821 and grew around the series of five double locks (1847) of the Erie Canal built to overcome a difference of about 60 feet (18 metres) between the levels of Lake Erie and the Genesee River. Two modern locks (1918) of the New York State Canal System replaced one of the sets of five locks; the

Poynting, John Henry

2005-03-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

He was a professor of physics at Mason Science College (later the University of Birmingham) from 1880 until his death. In papers published in 1884–85, he showed that the flow of energy

Botta, Carlo Giuseppe Guglielmo

2005-03-12T00:17:00.000-08:00

Having graduated in medicine at the University of Turin in 1786, Botta was in his youth inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution. Arrested as a spy for the French in 1794, he left Italy for France the following year and from 1796 to 1798 served as a physician

Calvus, Gaius Licinius Macer

2005-03-11T23:17:00.000-08:00

Calvus was a son of the annalist Licinius Macer. As an orator he was the leader of a group who opposed the florid Asiatic school, taking the simplest Attic orators as their model. Of his speeches, 21 are mentioned, the most famous being those delivered against Publius Vatinius,

Sunbird

2005-03-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Any of about 95 species of the songbird family Nectariniidae (order Passeriformes) that have brilliant plumage in breeding males. They are 9 to 15 cm (3 1/2 to 6 inches) long and live chiefly on nectar. Unlike hummingbirds, sunbirds rarely hover while feeding but instead perch on the flower stalk (see photo). Sunbirds are most numerous

Qasr 'amrah

2005-03-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Qasr Al-'amrah, palace in Jordan, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Amman. Built about AD 712–715, it served as both a hunting lodge and a fortress, and it is one of the best-preserved monuments of Islamic architecture from the Umayyad period. Its main chamber is roofed with three parallel vaults that rest on broad arches. The vaults are covered with frescoes of people and animals in scenes from daily life; a

Income Tax, International variations in rate structures

2005-03-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

Attention has already been called to several types of variations found in the income tax practices of different countries, mainly those relating to the determination of taxable income. Something should now be said about variations in rate structures. The important variants in these structures are (1) the starting point and levels of first-bracket rates, (2) the top

Gabon

2005-03-09T04:17:00.000-08:00

Officially Gabonese Republic, French Gabon, or République Gabonaise, country lying on the west coast of Africa, astride the Equator, with a total area estimated at 103,347 square miles (267,667 square kilometres). It is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; the island state of São Tomé and Príncipe is situated off the coast. Gabon's capital is Libreville.

Dowa Highlands

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

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

Bukittinggi

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

Formerly Fort De Kock, city, Sumatera Barat provinsi (“province”), Sumatra, Indonesia. It lies at an elevation of 3,000 feet (900 m) on the Agam Plateau, a ridge of high land parallel to the coast. The city is in the Minangkabau country, one of the most scenic sections of Indonesia. Typical of the region are houses with saddle-shaped roofs, the ends pointing upward like buffalo horns. Bukittinggi is an important

Computers, The graphical user interface

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

In 1982 Apple introduced its Lisa computer, a much more powerful computer with many innovations. The Lisa used a more advanced microprocessor, the Motorola 68000. It also had a different way of interacting with the user, called a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI replaced the typed command lines common on previous computers with graphical icons on the screen that invoked

Calcisol

2005-03-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

One of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Calcisols are characterized by a layer of translocated (migrated) calcium carbonate—whether soft and powdery or hard and cemented—at some depth in the soil profile. They are usually well-drained soils with fine to medium texture, and they are relatively fertile because

Caraway

2005-03-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

The dried fruit, commonly called seed, of Carum carvi, a biennial herb of the parsley family (Apiaceae, or Umbelliferae), native to Europe and western Asia and cultivated since ancient times. Caraway has a distinctive aroma reminiscent of anise and a warm, slightly sharp taste. It is used as a seasoning in meat dishes, breads, and cheese and in such vegetables as sauerkraut

Graebe, Carl

2005-03-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the University of Heidelberg, Graebe was a lecturer-assistant to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen. Later, as a student of Adolf von Baeyer

Algebra, Modern, Structural axioms

2005-03-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

The basic rules, or axioms, for addition and multiplication are shown in the table, and a set that satisfies all 10 of these rules is called a field. A set satisfying only axioms 1–7 is called a ring, and if it also satisfies axiom 9 it is called a ring with unity. A ring satisfying the commutative law of multiplication (axiom 8) is known as a commutative ring. When axioms 1–9 hold and there

Japanese Beetle

2005-03-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

(species Popillia japonica), an insect that is a major pest and belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae (family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera). It was accidentally introduced into the United States from Japan about 1916, probably as larvae in the soil around imported plants. Japanese beetles are known to feed on more than 200 species of plants, including a wide

Apuleius, Lucius

2005-03-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

Apuleius, who was educated at Carthage and Athens,

Gatling Gun

2005-03-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hand-driven machine gun, the first to solve the problems of loading, reliability, and the firing of sustained bursts. It was invented by Richard J. Gatling during the American Civil War (about 1862). After early experiments with a single barrel using paper cartridges (which had to have a separate percussion cap), he saw in the newly invented brass cartridge (which had its own

Valencia

2005-03-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Carabobo state, northwestern Venezuela, on the Río Cabriales in the central highlands at 1,600 ft (490 m) above sea level, near the western shore of Lake Valencia. It was founded in 1555, eight years before the founding of Caracas, the national capital, as Nueva Valencia del Rey by Alonso Díaz Moreno, a soldier from the Spanish city of Valencia; it rivalled Caracas as the

Spain, Flag Of

2005-03-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

Many symbols used today by Spain have origins that, according to tradition, stretch back for centuries. Even when not documented, the myths associated with these symbols are powerful forces for national pride. For example, the lion symbol of León is supposed to have been used by a Roman legion in the 1st century AD, and the gold shield with four red bars of the kingdom of Aragon

Catabolism

2005-03-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

Energy is released in three phases. In the first, such large molecules as those of proteins,

Nordström, Ludvig Anselm

2005-03-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

Born of a Swedish father and an English mother, Nordström was much influenced by English writers, especially Charles Dickens, Thomas Carlyle, Laurence Sterne, H.G. Wells, and G.K. Chesterton. He most delighted his readers with

Babol

2005-02-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Babul, formerly Barfurush, city, northern Iran, on the Babol River, about 15 miles (24 km) south of the Caspian Sea. Babol gained importance during the reign (1797–1834) of Fath 'Ali Shah, though 'Abbas I (died 1629) had laid out a pleasure garden and summer palace there. The city has paved streets, large and crowded bazaars, well-built houses, and small, handsome mosques and funeral towers. There are some manufacturing activities, but

Augustus, Caesar

2005-02-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

Remembering, however, that Caesar had been assassinated because of his resort to naked power, Octavian realized that the governing class would welcome him as the terminator of civil war only if he concealed his autocracy beneath provisions avowedly harking back to republican traditions. From 31 until 23 BC the constitutional basis of his power remained a continuous

Van Fleet, Jo

2005-02-28T03:12:00.000-08:00

U.S. actress who played bold, matronly women on stage and screen, notably in Elia Kazan films, beginning with her role as the mother of James Dean's character in East of Eden (1955), for which she won an Academy Award (b. Dec. 30, 1919--d. June 10, 1996).

Fracture

2005-02-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

In pathology, a break in a bone caused by stress. Certain normal and pathological conditions may predispose bones to fracture. Children have relatively weak bones because of incomplete calcification, and older adults, especially women past menopause, develop osteoporosis, a weakening of bone concomitant with aging. Pathological conditions involving the skeleton,

Syrtis Major

2005-02-27T05:57:00.000-08:00

Distinctive dark marking on the surface of the planet Mars, centred near 290° W and 10° N, which extends some 1,500 km (930 miles) north from the planet's equator and spans 1,000 km (620 miles) from west to east. It was noticed as early as 1659, for it appears in a drawing of Mars of that date by Christiaan Huygens. It is an extensive regional slope elongated north to south that drops 4 km (2.5 miles) from its western

Reston

2005-02-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

Urban community, in Fairfax county, northeastern Virginia, U.S. It lies adjacent to Herndon, 22 miles (35 km) west-northwest of Washington, D.C. The community was developed after 1962 by Robert E. Simon, whose initials form the first syllable of its name; it opened in 1965. Reston, an original concept in urban planning, consists of a number of villages (separated by woodland tracts), each with

Interior Design, Elements of design

2005-02-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

Of all the component elements that together form a completed interior, the single most important element is space. Spaces can be exhilarating or depressing, cheerful or serene, all depending upon the use the designer has made of the various elements that form the whole. Space is, in modern times, a costly commodity. The beautiful space of the Gothic cathedral achieved

Tammany Hall

2005-02-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

Also called Tammany, the executive committee of the Democratic Party in New York City historically exercising political control through the typical boss-ist blend of charity and patronage. The name was derived from a pre-Revolutionary association named after Tammanend, a wise and benevolent Delaware Indian chief. When Tammany was organized in New York in 1789, it represented middle-class

Cambridge, Adolphus Frederick, 1st Duke Of

2005-02-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

Having studied at the University of Göttingen, he served in the Hanoverian army and with the British army in the Low Countries, being severely wounded in 1793. He was created Earl of Tipperary and Duke of Cambridge in November 1801 and became a privy councillor in 1802. In 1813 he was promoted field marshal

China, Establishment of the People's Republic

2005-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

The Communist victory in 1949 brought to power a peasant party that had learned its techniques in the countryside but had adopted Marxist ideology and believed in class struggle and rapid industrial development. Extensive experience in running base areas and waging war before 1949 had given the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deeply ingrained operational habits and proclivities.

Slowacki, Juliusz

2005-02-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

The son of a university professor, Slowacki was educated in Wilno (now Vilnius), Lithuania, until 1829, when he joined the Department of the Treasury in Warsaw. He was absorbed with reading and writing poetry. During the November

Arts, Central Asian, Classical music

2005-02-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

In contrast to the folk music styles just described, the court-derived classical style of Bukhara and Samarkand represents a highly systematic, theoretically grounded, cosmopolitan musical tradition. Lying along the medieval Silk Road, the Turkistani oases were open to musical cross-currents. Today's musical roots may reach back to the period in which urban Central

Sardana

2005-02-23T03:41:00.000-08:00

Communal dance intimately bound up with Catalan national consciousness. It is danced by men and women who join hands alternately in a closed circle. As they dance to the music of tenores and tabales (shawms and small drums), their faces remain solemn and dignified. The basic pattern of the sardana is a series of long (llarg) and short (curt) steps; the precise combination

Paul, Les

2005-02-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

Paul designed a solid-body electric guitar in 1941, but, by the time the Les Paul Standard was ready for production by the Gibson Guitar Company in 1952, Leo Fender had already mass-produced the Fender Broadcaster four years earlier, thus beating Paul to popular credit for the invention. Nonetheless, the

Wyatt, James

2005-02-21T02:03:00.000-08:00

In 1762 Wyatt went to Italy, where he remained six years. On his return to England, he designed the London Pantheon (opened 1772; later demolished), a Neoclassical building

Ancient Rome, Augustan art and literature

2005-02-21T00:26:00.000-08:00

In 17 BC Rome held Secular Games, a traditional celebration to announce the entry into a new epoch (saeculum). New it was, for, though Augustus preserved what he could of republican institutions, he added much that was his own. His Rome had become very Italian, and this spirit is reflected in the art and literature of his reign. Its greatest writers were native Italians, and, like

Chad, From the 16th to the 19th century

2005-02-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Products of the Islamized Sudanic culture diffused from Kanem were the kingdoms of Bagirmi and Ouaddaï, which emerged in the early years of the 17th century

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

2005-02-20T03:26:00.000-08:00

American symphony orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1895 by the all-female board of trustees of the Cincinnati Orchestra Association, headed by Helen Herron Taft, wife of future U.S. president William Howard Taft. The fifth oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony maintains a year-round performing schedule, including

Harding, Warren G.

2005-02-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

Harding was never personally implicated in the scandals, but he was aware of the actions of Forbes, Smith, and the Ohio Gang and failed to bring their corruption to light. By the mid-1920s, the public began to regard Harding as a man who simply did not measure up to the responsibilities of his high office. Rumours of his heavy drinking in the White House (at a time when Prohibition was the law of the land) and of his involvement in extramarital affairs further degraded his reputation. In 1927 Nan Britton published The President's Daughter, in which she claimed that in 1919 she had given birth to a child fathered by the future president. While historians have challenged the veracity of this and other allegations made against Harding, most of them agree that he was the least capable of the nation's chief executives.

Ma'an

2005-02-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Jordan. It is a regional trade centre for the sparsely settled southern part of the country, which is inhabited mainly by the Huwaytat and other Bedouin tribes. Ma'an is the chief road and rail junction of southern Jordan. The town lies on the Hejaz-Jordan Railway, which runs north-south and connects to Damascus (Syria) in the north. The part of the rail line south

Midgard

2005-02-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Midgardr (Old Norse: Middle Abode) , also called Manna-Heim (“Home of Man”) in Norse mythology, the Middle Earth, the abode of mankind, made from the body of the first created being, the giant Aurgelmir (Ymir). According to legend, the gods killed Aurgelmir, rolled his body into the central void of the universe, and began fashioning the Midgard. Aurgelmir's flesh became the land, his blood the oceans, his bones the mountains, his teeth the cliffs, his

Devils Tower National Monument

2005-02-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

The tower has a flat top covering 1.5 acres (0.6 hectare) and fluted sides. It is 867 feet (264 metres) high as measured from its base and 1,267 feet (386 metres) as

Fulda

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

City, Hesse Land (state), central Germany, situated on the Fulda River between the Rhön and Vogelsberg mountains. It developed around a Benedictine abbey founded in 744 by Sturmi, a disciple of St. Boniface. The abbey became a missionary centre, and its school was one of Europe's important seats of learning during the early Middle Ages, after Rabanus Maurus (q.v.) became its director

Asafetida

2005-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Gum resin prized as a condiment in India and Iran, where it is used to flavour curries, meatballs, and pickles. It has been used in Europe and the United States in perfumes and for flavouring. Acrid in taste, it emits a strong onionlike odour because of its organic sulfur compounds. It is obtained chiefly from the plant Ferula foetida of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae).

Abductor Muscle

2005-02-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

Any of the muscles that cause movement of a limb away from the midplane of the body or away from a neighbouring part or limb (compare adductor muscle), as in raising the arms to the side (effected by the deltoideus muscle) or spreading the fingers or toes. In man certain muscles of the hands and feet are named for performing this function. In the hand, the abductor digiti minimi

Gonad

2005-02-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

The gonads in some lower invertebrate groups (e.g., hydrozoans) are temporary organs; in higher forms they are permanent. In some invertebrates, such as oligochaete worms and leeches, both

Powys, John Cowper

2005-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Educated at Sherborne School and the University of Cambridge, Powys was a university extension

Agulhas Current

2005-02-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

Surface oceanic current that is part of the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current, which turns southward along the east coast of Africa and then eastward to join the flow from Africa to Australia. A small part of Agulhas water may, however, continue westward around the Cape of Good Hope into the Atlantic. The Mozambique Current, between Madagascar and Africa,

David I

2005-02-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

One of the most powerful Scottish kings (reigned from 1124). He admitted into Scotland an Anglo-French (Norman) aristocracy that played a major part in the later history of the kingdom. He also reorganized Scottish Christianity to conform with continental European and English usages and founded many religious communities, mostly for Cistercian

Vietnam War

2005-02-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

(1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Called the “American War” in Vietnam (or, in full, the “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation”), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina

Gag Rule

2005-02-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

In U.S. history, any of a series of congressional resolutions that tabled, without discussion, petitions regarding slavery; passed by the House of Representatives between 1836 and 1840 and repealed in 1844. Abolition petitions, signed by more than 2,000,000 persons, had inundated Congress after the establishment of the American Anti-Slavery Society (1833). Gag rules, supported by proslavery congressmen,

Kaziranga National Park

2005-02-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

National park in Sibsagar district, Assam state, northeastern India, situated on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, 60 mi (97 km) west of Jorhat on the main road to Gauhati. Established in 1908 as a game reserve, it became a national park in 1974. It has an area of 165 sq mi (430 sq km) and lies between the Brahmaputra River and the Mikir Hills. Much of the park is marshland interspersed with large

Tees, River

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

River in northeastern England, rising on Cross Fell in the northern Pennines and flowing 70 miles (110 km) east to the North Sea. It forms the boundary between the historic counties of Yorkshire and Durham. In its upper course the Tees flows in a typical Pennines dale (valley) where high moorlands flank an attenuated strip of farmland. At Caldron Snout and High Force there are

Lancet Fish

2005-02-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Either of two species of widely distributed, deepwater marine fish of the genus Alepisaurus (the family Alepisauridae). Lancet fish are elongated and slender, with a long, very tall dorsal fin and a large mouth that is equipped with formidable fanglike teeth. The fish grow to a large size, attaining a maximum length of about 1.8 m (6 feet). Voracious and carnivorous, they feed

Chaeronea

2005-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

In ancient Greece, fortified town on Mt. Petrachus, guarding the entry into the northern plain of Boeotia. Controlled by the Boeotian city of Orchomenus (q.v.) in the 5th century BC, it was the scene of the battle in which Philip II of Macedon defeated Thebes and Athens (338 BC). The battle is commemorated by a statue of a large lion sitting on its haunches. In 86 BC Chaeronea was the scene of

Penelope

2005-02-10T04:58:00.000-08:00

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,

Colepeper (of Thoresway), John Colepeper, 1st Baron

2005-02-10T00:21:00.000-08:00

Elected member for Kent in the Long Parliament, he took the popular side, supporting the Earl of Strafford's attainder and receiving an appointment to the Parliamentary committee of defense in 1641. He separated, however, from the popular party on the church

ávila Camacho, Manuel

2005-02-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

Ávila Camacho joined the army of Venustiano Carranza in 1914 and rose rapidly through the ranks. A skilled organizer and administrator,

Szymanowski, Karol

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

Szymanowski began to compose and play the piano at an early age. In 1901 he went to Warsaw and studied harmony, counterpoint, and composition privately until 1904. Finding the musical life in Warsaw limiting, he went to Berlin, where he organized the Young Polish

Irkutsk

2005-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Oblast (province), east-central Russia, occupying an area of 296,500 square miles (767,900 square km) west and north of Lake Baikal. It consists mostly of the hills and broad valleys of the Central Siberian Plateau and of its eastern extension, the Patom Plateau. In the south the oblast extends to the eastern crestline of the Sayan Mountains. Dense taiga dominated by Siberian and Dahurian

HealthyChin

Florida

France, History Of, The Thermidorian reaction

Iridosmine

Brun, Johan Nordahl

Heiberg, Johan Ludvig

Nervous System Disease, Vestibulocochlear nerve

Carthusian

Gongola River

Iberian Peninsula

Scanlon, John Patrick

Aristide, Jean-bertrand

Poxvirus

Aras River

Japan, Ancient Japan

Ibn Tibbon, Samuel Ben Judah

Viscount Melville Sound

Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl Of, Baron Of Raby

Racan, Honorat De Bueil, Seigneur De

Endocrine System, Human, Hyperaldosteronism (Conn's syndrome)

Wieschaus, Eric F.

World War I, The Western Front, JanuaryMay 1917

Basidiocarp

Ogata Kenzan

Basil

Police Zone

Merlo

Fredericia

Intercostalis Muscle

Accius, Lucius

Southampton, William Fitzwilliam, Earl Of

Phek

Fredericia

Duricrust

Clare, John Fitzgibbon, 1st Earl Of

Chinese Cabbage

Croatia

Colosseum

Rhys, Siôn Dafydd

Lockport

Poynting, John Henry

Botta, Carlo Giuseppe Guglielmo

Calvus, Gaius Licinius Macer

Sunbird

Qasr 'amrah

Income Tax, International variations in rate structures

Gabon

Dowa Highlands

Bukittinggi

Computers, The graphical user interface

Calcisol

Caraway

Graebe, Carl

Algebra, Modern, Structural axioms

Japanese Beetle

Apuleius, Lucius

Gatling Gun

Valencia

Spain, Flag Of

Catabolism

Nordström, Ludvig Anselm

Babol

Augustus, Caesar

Van Fleet, Jo

Fracture

Syrtis Major

Reston

Interior Design, Elements of design

Tammany Hall

Cambridge, Adolphus Frederick, 1st Duke Of

China, Establishment of the People's Republic

Slowacki, Juliusz

Arts, Central Asian, Classical music

Sardana

Paul, Les

Wyatt, James

Ancient Rome, Augustan art and literature

Chad, From the 16th to the 19th century

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Harding, Warren G.

World War I, The Western Front, JanuaryMay 1917