YoungKettle

Robert Irving Burns Property Consultants

2006-11-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Clarence, Thomas Plantagenet, Duke Of

2005-04-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

He twice visited Ireland, where he was nominally lord lieutenant, 1401–13. For a short time, in 1412, he replaced his elder brother, afterward King Henry V, as the chief figure in the government. Clarence favoured an alliance with the Orléanists and led an unsuccessful expedition

Pérez De Ayala, Ramón

2005-04-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

Pérez de Ayala studied law at Oviedo University and philosophy and literature at the University of Madrid. During World War I he covered France, Italy, England, South America, and the United States as a correspondent for the Buenos Aires periodical

Fabricius, Johann Albert

2005-04-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

In 1689, after two years at the University of Leipzig, Fabricius graduated as master of philosophy and published anonymously his Decas decadum, Sive plagiariorum et pseudonymorum centuria, a survey of 100 writers accused of plagiarism or literary mystification. In 1694 he became librarian

Quin, James

2005-04-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

Quin made his first stage appearance at the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, in 1712. He was engaged for small parts at London's Drury Lane Theatre, where his remarkable memory enabled him to fill in at short notice as Bajazet in Nicholas Rowe's Tamerlane, in which he had great success.

Earth Sciences, Weather and climate

2005-04-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Modern meteorology began when the daily weather map was developed as a device for analysis and forecasting, and the instrument that made this kind of map possible was the electromagnetic telegraph. In the United States the first telegraph line was strung in 1844 between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Concurrently with the expansion of telegraphic networks, the physicist

Rupp, Adolph

2005-03-31T04:13:00.000-08:00

Rupp grew up on a Kansas farm and was hardly aware of basketball until he went to college. He was a member of the University of Kansas (Lawrence) Big Eight Conference championship team of 1923. After coaching five years

Francien Dialect

2005-03-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

The medieval dialect of Old French that furnishes the basis for the literary and official form of the modern French language. Francien was spoken in the region of Île-de-France, which included the city of Paris, and its preeminence is an indication of the political and intellectual prominence of Paris in the 13th and 14th centuries. Despite its importance, the dialect

Argand Diagram

2005-03-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

Graphic portrayal of complex numbers, those of the form a + bi, in which a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1; it was devised by the Swiss mathematician Jean Robert Argand in about 1806. One axis represents the pure imaginary numbers (those consisting of the bi portion only); the second represents the real numbers (a values only). This permits the complex numbers to

Earth, Dipolar field

2005-03-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

The magnetic field lines shown in the diagram are not real entities although they are frequently treated as such. A magnetic field is a continuous function that exists at every point in space. A field line is simply a means for visualizing the direction of this field. It is defined as a curve in three dimensions that is everywhere tangential to the local magnetic field.

Daigak Guksa

2005-03-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

A son of the Koryo king Munjong, Uich'on became a Buddhist monk at age 11, and in 1084 he went to the Sung court of China and stayed a year and a half studying and collecting Buddhist literature. When Uich'on returned home to Korea, he brought with him the doctrines of the Chinese T'ien T'ai (Korean pronunciation

Ilf, Ilya; And Petrov, Yevgeny

2005-03-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

Born into a poor Jewish family, Ilf worked at various trades while a youth, becoming a journalist in Odessa at the age of 18. He went

Azerbaijan

2005-03-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Azarbaijan , or Azarbayjan , Persian Azarbayjan, geographic region that comprises the extreme northwestern portion of Iran. It is bounded on the north by the Aras River, which separates it from independent Azerbaijan and Armenia; on the east by the Iranian region of Gilan and the Caspian Sea; on the south by the Iranian regions of Zanjan and Kordestan; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. Azerbaijan is about 40,000 square miles

Melbourne, University Of

2005-03-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

Coeducational institution of higher learning in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, financed mainly by the national government. One of the oldest universities in Australia, it was founded by the Victoria legislature in 1853 and at first offered a liberal arts course. A law school was added in 1857, engineering instruction in 1860, and a medical school in 1862; a music conservatory, now the

Culloden, Battle Of

2005-03-26T01:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Battle Of Drummossie (April 16, 1746), the last battle of the “Forty-five Rebellion,” when the Jacobites, under Charles Edward, the Young Pretender (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”), were defeated by British forces under William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Culloden is a tract of moorland in the county of Inverness, Scotland, forming a part of the northeast of Drummossie Moor and lying about 6 miles (10 km) east of

Asalluhe

2005-03-25T21:52:00.000-08:00

In Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city god of Ku'ara, near Eridu in the southern marshland region. Asalluhe was active with the god Enki (Akkadian: Ea) in rituals of lustration (purification) magic and was considered his son. He may have originally been a god of thundershowers and would thus have corresponded to the other Sumerian gods Ishkur and Ninurta. In incantations

Caruso, Enrico

2005-03-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

Caruso was of a poor family and was the 18th of 20 children. Although he was a musical child who sang Neapolitan folk songs everywhere and joined his parish choir at the age of nine, he received no formal

Lattre De Tassigny, Jean De

2005-03-25T04:12:00.000-08:00

After service in World War I and Morocco (1921–26), de Lattre held a staff commission early

Kubin, Alfred

2005-03-23T17:58:00.000-08:00

In 1898 Kubin went to Munich, Bavaria, in the German Empire (now Germany), to study art. As a student, he discovered the works that would become his major influences: the fantastic

Lord Chancellor

2005-03-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

The office dates back to Edward the Confessor (1042–66), who followed the model

Afonso Iv

2005-03-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

Afonso IV was the son of King Dinis and of Isabella, daughter of Peter II of Aragon. Afonso resented his father's generosity toward two illegitimate sons and in 1320 demanded to be given power, remaining in open revolt until May 1322. His mother reconciled them, but the conflict broke out again. When Dinis died, Afonso succeeded to

Hookworm Disease

2005-03-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

Also called ancylostomiasis , or uncinariasis a parasitic infestation of humans, dogs, or cats caused by bloodsucking worms (see photograph) living in the small intestine—sometimes associated with secondary anemia. Several species of hookworm can cause the disease. Necator americanus, which ranges in size from 5 to 11 millimetres (0.2 to 0.4 inch), is responsible for about 90 percent of human hookworm infections

Philip Ii

2005-03-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Characteristically, Philip declined the trial of strength, prepared to wait for six years until he could gain Thermopylae by negotiation and without striking a blow. Meanwhile his Thessalian victory earned him election as president (archon) of the Thessalian League (probably 352), a position unique for a foreigner in a Greek confederation and one that was to bind Thessaly

Hara Takashi

2005-03-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hara was the son of a high-ranking samurai family of northern Japan. After graduating from Tokyo University he became a journalist. In 1882 he entered the foreign service, upon which he rose rapidly

Loch (of Drylaw), Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron

2005-03-19T17:11:00.000-08:00

A career soldier, Loch began his service in India (1844–53) and fought in the Crimean War (1853–56) and in the second and third China wars (1857–58 and 1860). After 1860 he held civil appointments. From

Agrigento

2005-03-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1927) Girgenti, Greek Acragas, Latin Agrigentum, capital of Agrigento provincia, near the southern coast of Sicily, Italy. It lies on a plateau encircled by low cliffs overlooking the junction of the Drago (ancient Hypsas) and San Biagio (Acragas) rivers and is dominated from the north by a ridge with twin peaks. Agrigento was a wealthy ancient city founded about 581 BC by Greek colonists from Gela. It was ruled 570–554 BC by the notorious

Giri, Varahagiri Venkata

2005-03-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

Giri began his education at Khallikote College, Berhampore, and then went to Dublin to study law. There he became engaged in the Sinn Féin movement and was expelled from Ireland in 1916. Upon his return to India, he joined the nascent labour movement. He became general secretary and

Mutualism

2005-03-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

Association between organisms of two different species in which each is benefited. Mutualistic arrangements are most likely to develop between organisms with widely differing living requirements. The partnership between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and leguminous plants is an example, as is the association between cows and rumen bacteria (the bacteria live

Gyor-moson-sopron

2005-03-17T02:02:00.000-08:00

Megye (county), northwestern Hungary, bordering Austria and Slovakia to the north. It contains some of the nation's richest farmland, supporting sugar beets, apricots, and livestock. In the west-central part of the megye is the Hanság, a region of swamps and moorland, partly drained and recovered through canalization. Between the Danube main channel and the Moson arm

La Rochefoucauld Family

2005-03-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

One of France's noblest families, traceable in Angoumois to the year 1019. Ducal titles belonging to it are: duke (duc) de La Rochefoucauld (1622); duke de La Roche-Guyon (1679); duke d'Anville (1732); duke d'Estissac; duke de Liancourt (1747); duke de Doudeauville (1780); duke (duca) di Bisaccia (Neapolitan title; 1851); and duke (duque) de Estrées (Spanish title; 1892). Its two best-known members, François VI, Duke de La Rochefoucauld,

Accordion

2005-03-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

The advent of the accordion is the subject of debate among researchers. Many credit C. Friedrich L. Buschmann, whose Handäoline was patented in Berlin in 1822, as the

Rescue Mission

2005-03-15T02:40:00.000-08:00

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

Hugh The Great

2005-03-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

Son of a king (Robert I), father of another (Hugh Capet), and brother-in-law of three more (Rudolf of France, Athelstan of England, and Otto of Germany),

Cilea, Francesco

2005-03-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

While studying at the Naples Conservatory, Cilea produced an opera, Gina, which secured for him a commission from a publisher. His first important work, L'Arlesiana (1897), after Alphonse Daudet, was the vehicle for the tenor Enrico Caruso's first success. Cilea's

Huizinga, Johan

2005-03-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Huizinga was educated at the universities of Groningen and Leipzig. After teaching history in Haarlem and lecturing in Indian literature at Amsterdam, he was professor of history first at Groningen (1905–15) and then at Leiden

Bribie Island

2005-03-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Island off the southeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, at the northern extremity of Moreton Bay. The island is 20 miles (32 km) long and from 1 to 5 miles wide and has an area of 59 square miles (153 square km). Its surface, generally low with some higher sand ridges, is wooded with cypress pine. Matthew Flinders, the English navigator, landed in 1799 at its southern tip, which he named Skirmish

Ardea

2005-03-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

Ancient town of the Rutuli people, and now a modern village in Roma provincia, Lazio regione, west-central Italy. It lies 23 miles (37 km) south of Rome. In ancient times it was an important centre of the cult of Juno. Ardea developed into one of the most important Latin cities and was a member of the Latin leagues of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. In 444 the town signed a treaty with the Romans,

Christensen, Harold

2005-03-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

Christensen studied dancing with the famous choreographer George Balanchine and appeared with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet (1934), Ballet Caravan (1936–40), San Francisco Opera Ballet (1942), and San

Devers, Gail

2005-03-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

Devers began running in high school. Later, at the University of California at Los Angeles, she won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 100-metre dash in 1988 and set an American record of 12.61 sec in the 100-metre hurdles, which she held or shared

Back, Sir George

2005-03-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

The first of these expeditions, in 1833, was to search for another British explorer, John

Daddi, Bernardo

2005-03-10T23:18:00.000-08:00

Early Italian Renaissance painter who was a pupil of Giotto and was influenced by Lorenzetti. Daddi's efforts to fuse the plastic qualities of Giotto's art with some aspects of Sienese art came to represent the dominant style of painting directly after Giotto. Daddi's work, from the period 1328–48, ranges from Madonna images in large church altarpieces

Mammal, Skeleton

2005-03-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

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

Ayre

2005-03-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Air, genre of solo song with lute accompaniment that flourished in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The outstanding composers in the genre were the lutanist John Dowland, whose “Flow, my teares” (“Lachrimae”) became so popular that a large number of continental and English instrumental pieces were based on its melody, and the poet and composer Thomas

Agung, Mount

2005-03-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

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

Karachay-cherkessia

2005-03-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Karachayevo-cherkessiya, republic, Stavropol kray (region), southwestern Russia. It extends south from the foreland plains across the northern ranges and deep intervening valleys and gorges of the Greater Caucasus range as far as the crestline, which reaches 13,274 feet (4,046 m) in Mount Dombay-Ulgen. Cherkessk is the administrative centre. The republic's scenery is spectacular, with densely forested

Cord

2005-03-09T00:04:00.000-08:00

Unit of volume for measuring stacked firewood. A cord is generally equivalent to a stack 4 ´ 4 ´ 8 feet (128 cubic feet), and its principal subdivision is the cord foot, which measures 4 ´ 4 ´ 1 feet. A standard cord consists of sticks or pieces 4 feet long stacked in a 4 ´ 8-foot rick. A short cord is a 4 ´ 8-foot rick of pieces shorter than 4 feet, and a long cord is a similar rick of pieces longer than 4 feet. A face

Iris

2005-03-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

In anatomy, pigmented muscular curtain at the front of the eye, between the cornea and the lens and perforated by an opening called the pupil. The iris consists of two sheets of smooth muscle with contrary actions, expansion and contraction. These muscles control the size of the pupil and thus determine how much light reaches the sensory tissue of the retina. The sphincter

Ternate Island

2005-03-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Indonesian Pulau Ternate one of the northernmost of a line of Indonesian islands stretching southward along the western coast of the island of Halmahera to the Bacan Islands east of the Molucca Sea. Ternate Island, which lies within North Maluku propinsi (province), is situated 14 miles (23 km) west of Halmahera. The island is dominated by a volcano (5,646 feet [1,721 metres]) with three peaks. It has suffered from

Plymouth Company

2005-03-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

The Plymouth Company was less successful than its twin, the London Company (q.v.). In 1606 it established two colonies, and in 1607 settlers landed at the mouth of the

France, History Of, Later Capetians

2005-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philip III (ruled 1270–85); his grandson, Philip IV the Fair (ruled 1285–1314); and three great-grandsons, Louis X (ruled 1314–16), Philip V (ruled 1316–22), and Charles IV (ruled 1322–28). The greatest of these last Capetian reigns was that of Philip IV. Worldly and ambitious, yet pious and intelligent, he was less accommodating than his forebears and more devoted to his power than to his reputation.

Annamese Cordillera

2005-03-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

French Chaîne Annamitique , Vietnamese Giai Truong Son principal mountain range of Indochina and the watershed between the Mekong River and the South China Sea. It extends parallel to the coast in a gentle curve generally northwest-southeast, forming the boundary between Laos and Vietnam. A fairly continuous range for about 700 miles (1,100 km), its rather precipitous eastern slopes leave a narrow coastal plain. Although its

Earth Sciences, Ore deposits and mineralogy

2005-03-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

The German scientist Georgius Agricola has with much justification been called the father of mineralogy. Of his seven geologic books, De natura fossilium (1546; “On Natural

Naruto

2005-03-05T01:47:00.000-08:00

City, Tokushima ken (prefecture), eastern Shikoku, Japan. The city lies along the Naruto Strait (Naruto-kaikyo), which connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The narrow strait separates Naruto from Awaji Island, a large island of the eastern Inland Sea. During the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) Naruto was a flourishing port and centre of salt production. Since the late 19th century,

Brie

2005-03-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

The preliminary soft curd of Brie is molded in flat, pancakelike rounds 9–15 inches (23–38 cm) in diameter and 1–1.5 inches (2.5–3.8 cm) in thickness. After the curd becomes firm, the cheese is sprayed with spores of penicillium candidum, a mold that forms a thin, downy white crust. The cheese ripens within

France, History Of, Frankish expansion and the unification of Gaul

2005-03-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

During the years following his accession, Clovis consolidated the position of the Franks in northern Gaul. In 486 he defeated Syagrius, the last Roman ruler in Gaul, and in a series of subsequent campaigns with strong Gallo-Roman support occupied an area situated between the Frankish kingdom of Tournai, the Visigothic and Burgundian kingdoms, and the lands occupied

Saar, Betye

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

Saar studied design at the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1949) and education and printmaking at California State University at Long Beach. In the early 1960s she created etchings

Zetterling, Mai Elisabeth

2005-03-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Swedish actress and director (b. May 24, 1925, Vasteras, Sweden--d. March 15?, 1994, London, England), was a popular stage and screen actress in post-World War II Britain; in the 1960s she became a successful film director. Zetterling grew up in poverty and was largely self-educated. Her stage debut at age 16 earned her an invitation to join the Royal Dramatic Theatre School in Stockholm. She gained international

Cambrian Period, Boundaries and subdivisions

2005-03-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

The lower boundary of the Cambrian System is defined at a formal global stratotype section and point (GSSP), which was ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 1992. The stratotype section is located at Fortune Head on the Burin Peninsula of southeastern Newfoundland in Canada. It contains a thick and continuous marine succession of mostly

Adams, Herbert Baxter

2005-03-02T06:57:00.000-08:00

The son of a successful merchant and manufacturer, Adams graduated from Amherst College, Massachusetts, in 1872 and attended lectures in Germany between 1874 and 1876 at Göttingen,

Steichen, Edward

2005-03-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

Pioneer of American photography who, with Alfred Stieglitz, was a leader of the Photo-Secession Group. His style evolved from painterly impressionism to a sharp realism after World War I. His portraits of artists and celebrities from the 1920s and '30s are remarkable evocations of character. In 1955 he organized the “Family of Man” exhibition

Stage Wagon

2005-03-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Early, four-wheeled, American vehicle, used to carry both passengers and cargo. It was a precursor of the stagecoach. The first stage wagons had no springs, backless wooden benches, sides of wood, and canvas tops. Later improvements were roll-up leather curtains, solid flat tops, backrests, and springs or straps for the seats. A stage wagon of 1771, whose owner called it “The Flying

Malherbe, François De

2005-03-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

Malherbe received a Protestant education at Caen and Paris and later at the universities of Basel (1571) and Heidelberg (1573) but was shortly converted

Regional Development Program

2005-03-01T01:48:00.000-08:00

Any government program designed to encourage the industrial and economic development of regions that are stagnant or in which a large portion of the population is experiencing prolonged unemployment. The measures taken may include loans, grants, and tax incentives to private industries relocating in such areas; assistance in developing power, light, transportation,

Haakon Ii Sigurdsson

2005-02-27T04:50:00.000-08:00

On the death of his uncle King Eystein II in 1157, the 10-year-old Haakon received the support of Eystein's partisans against the rival king, Inge I, whom they finally defeated and killed in 1161. In 1162, however, the supporters of another pretender, Magnus Erlingsson, defeated the forces of the boy-king Haakon and killed him.

Davidovic, Ljubomir

2005-02-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

Entering the Serbian Parliament in 1901, Davidovic helped found the Independent Radical Party in the same year. He was elected leader of his party in 1912 and served as minister of education (1914–17) in Nikola Pašic's coalition Cabinet and in the

Hoover, Herbert

2005-02-27T00:46:00.000-08:00

Hoover and his wife—the former Lou Henry (Lou Hoover), also a Stanford-trained geologist—moved first to Palo Alto, California, and then to New York City, where they took up residence at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. For the next 30 years, Hoover was closely identified with the most conservative elements in the Republican Party, condemning what he regarded as the radicalism of the New Deal and opposing Roosevelt's attempts to take a more active role against German and Japanese aggression. He believed fascism lay at the root of government programs like the New Deal and argued so in The Challenge to Liberty (1934) and the eight-volume Addresses upon the American Road (1936–61), as well as in the speeches Against the Proposed New Deal (1932, see original text) and The New Deal and European Collectivism (1936, see original text). An ardent anticommunist and foe of international crusades, he opposed American entry into World War II (until the attack on Pearl Harbor) and denounced American involvement in the Korean and Vietnam wars. His last major activity was heading the Hoover Commission, under Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, which aimed at streamlining the federal bureaucracy. The research-oriented Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University—founded in 1919 as the Hoover War Collection, a library on World War I—is named in his honour.

Stefan Nemanja

2005-02-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

Nemanja became grand zupan (clan leader) of Raška under Byzantine suzerainty in 1169. He subsequently sided with the Venetians and was eventually defeated by the avenging Byzantines, but he was pardoned. Nemanja later conquered Skopje, Prizren, and Tetovo. Though again defeated, he retained Kosovo, Pec, Prizren, Bar, Skadar (Shkodër), and Kotor. He abdicated

Race

2005-02-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

Although their numbers are dwindling, some scientists continue to believe that it is possible to divide Homo sapiens into discrete populations called races. They believe that the physical differences manifest in wide geographic regions are more than superficial; they reflect innate intellectual, moral, emotional, and other behavioral differences among human

Jastrzebie-zdrój

2005-02-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

City, Katowice województwo (province), south-central Poland. With the cities of Racibórz, Rybnik, and Katowice, Jastrzebie-Zdrój constitutes a secondary industrial zone within Poland's Upper Silesian agglomeration bordering on the Czech industrial region of Ostrava. Jastrzebie-Zdrój became popular in the 1860s as a thermal spa whose iodobromide waters were used to treat

Rawlins

2005-02-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1886) of Carbon county, south-central Wyoming, U.S. It lies just east of the Continental Divide at an elevation of 6,755 feet (2,059 metres). Founded in 1868 when the Union Pacific Railroad arrived, it was first named Rawlins Springs for U.S. Army Chief of Staff General John A. Rawlins, who requested a freshwater spring there bear his name. In 1874 “Rawlins Red” pigment from the local paint mines

Andijon

2005-02-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Andizhan, or Andizan, city, extreme eastern Uzbekistan. Andijon lies in the southeastern part of the Fergana Valley. The city, which stands on ancient deposits of the Andijon River, dates back at least to the 9th century. In the 15th century it became the capital of the Fergana Valley and, being on the Silk Road caravan route to China, its chief centre of trade and handicrafts. In the 18th century it

Yakuza

2005-02-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

In Japan, gangster, a member of a boryokudan (q.v.), or gang of racketeers. The word yakuza, which has come to mean “good for nothing,” is derived from a worthless hand in a Japanese card game similar to blackjack: the cards ya-ku-za (“eight-nine-three”), when added up, exceed the winning number of 19.

Tsimshian

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

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

Hindustani Music

2005-02-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

The music of northern India and Pakistan that developed as a distinct type from the late 12th or early 13th century, when the Islamic conquest of the northern parts of the subcontinent brought special emphasis to Arabic and Iranian musical practices, which merged with ancient Hindu traditions. The latter traditions, less affected by foreign influences, remain in the

Cremona

2005-02-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Cremona provincia, Lombardia (Lombardy) regione, northern Italy, on the north bank of the Po River southeast of Milan. It was founded by the Romans in 218 BC on the site of an earlier Gallic village of the Cenomani. Virgil, the Roman poet, went to school there. With the decline of the Roman Empire, Cremona was repeatedly sacked by the Goths and the Huns before being

Ricardo (leite), Cassiano

2005-02-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

Ricardo's poetic production covers the period 1915–71. He was a prime mover

Yang Kuei-fei

2005-02-21T04:17:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yang Guifei notorious beauty and concubine of the great T'ang emperor Hsüan Tsung (reigned 712–756). Because of her the Emperor is said to have neglected his duties, and the T'ang dynasty (618–907) was greatly weakened by a rebellion that ensued. Her story has been the subject of many outstanding Chinese poems and dramas. The daughter of a high official, she was one of the few obese women

Eckstine, Billy

2005-02-21T01:40:00.000-08:00

Eckstine left Howard University after winning an amateur contest in 1933 and began singing in nightclubs and with xance bands. From 1939 to 1943 he sang with Earl Hines's band, and at his urging Hines hired

Ikot Ekpene

2005-02-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Town, Akwa Ibom state, southern Nigeria. The town lies along the coastal highway, between Calabar and Aba. It is the chief trade centre (yams, cassava, taro, corn [maize], and palm produce) for a densely populated area known for its export of palm oil and kernels. It is mainly inhabited by the Anang branch of the Ibibio people, who are noted for their cane furniture and basket handicrafts.

Acto Adicional Of 1834

2005-02-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

The abdication of the unpopular Brazilian emperor Pedro I in 1831 precipitated the surfacing of violently opposed factions and civil

Computers, Handheld computers

2005-02-19T00:23:00.000-08:00

The origins of handheld computers go back to the 1960s, when Alan Kay, a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, promoted the vision of a small, powerful notebook-style computer that he called the Dynabook. Kay never actually built a Dynabook (the technology had yet to be invented), but his vision helped to catalyze the research that would eventually make his dream

Amphibole

2005-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

Long prismatic, acicular, or fibrous crystal habit, Mohs hardness between 5 and 6, and two directions of cleavage intersecting at approximately 56° and 124° generally suffice to identify amphiboles in hand specimens. The specific gravity values of amphiboles range from about 2.9 to 3.6. Amphiboles yield water when heated in a closed tube and fuse with difficulty in a flame. Their

Adams, Gerry

2005-02-17T01:36:00.000-08:00

Born into a strongly Republican

Excretion, The contractile vacuoles of protozoans

2005-02-16T22:48:00.000-08:00

Some protozoan animals possess an organelle having the form of an internal sac, or vacuole, which enlarges by the accumulation of a clear fluid and then discharges its contents to the exterior. The cycle of filling and emptying may be repeated as frequently as every half minute. The chief role of the contractile vacuole appears to be in osmotic regulation, not in nitrogen

Kazakhstan, Flag Of

2005-02-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Kazakhs are (in part) descended from the “Blue Horde”—Turkic-Mongol peoples who, centuries ago, flew the “Blue Banner” in Central Asia. The colour also stands for the great skies under which these traditionally nomadic peoples have lived. Light blue was chosen as the background for the national flag of Kazakhstan officially adopted in June 1992. The designer of the flag

Welf Dynasty

2005-02-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

The origin of the “Elder House” of Welf is a matter of controversy, since Welf in the Carolingian period seems

Hypertension

2005-02-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

Normally, the pumping of the heart creates a rhythmic pulsing of blood along and against the walls of the blood vessels, which are flexible enough to dilate or contract and thus keep the pressure

Moreau River

2005-02-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

River, formed by the confluence of several headstreams in Butte and Harding counties, northwestern South Dakota, U.S. It flows about 290 mi (470 km) east through the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, where it receives several north-bank tributaries (including Thunder Butte and Little Moreau), to the Missouri River south of Mobridge. The lower Moreau Basin was inundated by

Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary

2005-02-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

Wildlife preserve in Idukki district, Kerala state, southern India. The sanctuary is noted for herds of elephants, sometimes numbering 50 members. In addition, bonnet monkey, nilgai, langur, porcupine, sloth bear, tiger, leopard, Asian elephant, barking deer, gray jungle fowl, kingfisher, the great Indian hornbill, and the southern grackle are found in the preserve. Extending

Pro Juárez, Miguel

2005-02-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

The son of a socially prominent family, Pro entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1911. Because of government persecutions, he fled to California (1914–15) and then to Spain (1915–19) and taught in Nicaragua from 1919 to 1922. He returned to Spain and then studied in Enghien,

Firminy

2005-02-13T05:27:00.000-08:00

Town, Loire département, Rhône-Alpes région, southeast-central France. It lies on the Ondaine River immediately southwest of Saint-Étienne. The name, originally Firminiaco signifying “place of Firmin,” was first recorded (971) in a charter given by the king of Burgundy. It is the site of two historic churches, one built in the 12th century, the other in the 16th. Firminy-Vert is a complex

Bin Laden, Osama

2005-02-13T03:14:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Usamah ibn Ladin mastermind of numerous terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western powers, including the 1993 bombing of New York City's World Trade Center, the 2000 suicide bombing of the U.S. warship Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, and the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. (see September 11

Christo

2005-02-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Christo attended the Fine Arts Academy in Sofia, Bulg., and had begun working with the Burian Theatre in Prague when the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 broke out. He fled to Vienna, where he studied for a semester, and then, after a brief stay in Switzerland,

Floor Exercise

2005-02-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics event in which movements are performed on the floor in an area 12 metres (40 feet) square. This area is covered by some type of cloth or mat, usually with some cushioning. No other apparatus is used. Men's routines are 50 to 70 seconds in duration. The type of exercise required is a series of movements combining elements of flexibility, strength, jumps, holding of poses, and

Spotlight: Sub-saharan Africa In A New Era

2005-02-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Although 41 of the 48 governments in the region had committed themselves to establishing multiparty parliamentary systems, by year's end only 9 could be judged to have met the criteria for pluralism

Amaryllidaceae

2005-02-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

Family of perennial herbs in the flowering plant order Liliales, containing about 65 genera and at least 835 species, distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Members of the family have bulbs or underground stems; several strap- or lance-shaped leaves grouped at the base of the stem or arranged alternately along the stem; flowers usually with

Black, Conrad

2005-02-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

In 1994 financier Conrad Black, whose inherited wealth and acquisitive nature helped establish him as an international press baron, expanded his already vast empire by purchasing the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. As head of one of Canada's largest conglomerates, he was a symbol of Canadian capitalism. Black began in 1967 as part-owner and operator of two small Quebec weeklies.

Jackson, Peter

2005-02-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

Jackson won the Australian heavyweight championship in 1886 and the British Empire title in 1892. On May 21, 1891, in San Francisco, he fought a 61-round

Nagoya

2005-02-09T06:57:00.000-08:00

The history of Nagoya dates from 1610, when a great castle was erected by the Owari branch of the powerful Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), which marked the end of shogunal government, Nagoya continued as a commercial

Wolin

2005-02-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

Island off the northwestern coast of Poland, in Szczecin województwo (province). It is surrounded by the Baltic Sea on the north, the Dziwna River on the east, the Szczecinski Lagoon on the south, and the Swina River on the west. Its area is 95 square miles (245 square km). The main towns are Wolin in the south and Miedzyzdroje in the north. The central area contains the Wolin National