SpecialBridge

Estate Agent London

2006-10-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Robert Irving Burns specialise in London Commercial and Residential property services, including estate agent london and estate agent central london. Their centrally located ground floor offices, minutes from Oxford Circus offer an ideal marketing base for your property.

Gray, Sir James

2005-04-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

English zoologist who played a leading part in changing the main objective of 20th-century zoological research from evolutionary comparative anatomy to the functional analysis of living cells and living animals, particularly through his editorship (1925–54) of the Journal of Experimental Biology. He was noted for his work

Cronjé, Pieter Arnoldus

2005-04-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Cronjé was born in the Cape Colony but was taken in early life to the Transvaal, during the Great Trek. In the Transvaal, in November 1880, he began a rebellion against British rule, leading resistance to the distraint

Ikare

2005-04-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Town, Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies in the Yoruba Hills, at the intersection of roads from Owo, Okene, Kabba, and Ado-Ekiti. An agricultural trade centre (yams, cassava, corn [maize], okra, pumpkins, rice) for the local Yoruba people, it is also a collecting point for cocoa, palm produce, tobacco, and cotton (which is sent to the textile mill at Ado-Ekiti, 37 miles [60 km] west). The

Literature, Yiddish

2005-04-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Baym rand fun kholem (“At the Edge of a Dream”), by master of the short novella Tsvi Ayznman, was a family chronicle of tales and sketches that traced a life journey from Poland to the Soviet Union, with sojourns in the Czech lands, Italy, and Cyprus. After finally settling in Israel,

Biblical Literature, The documentary hypothesis

2005-04-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

Beyond these obvious discrepancies, modern literary analysis and criticism of the texts has pointed up significant differences in style, vocabulary, and content, apparently indicating a variety of original sources for the first four books, as well as an independent origin for Deuteronomy. According to this view, the Tetrateuch is a redaction primarily of three

Kecskemét

2005-04-01T01:56:00.000-08:00

Town and seat, Bács-Kiskun megye (county), central Hungary. Long established as a centre for handicrafts and cattle raising, it has also grown in importance for its viticulture, vegetables, and fruit. It is surrounded by flat sandy farmland, often referred to as “the orchard of Hungary.” The locality provides as much as 25 percent of the country's fruit, notably apricots, and

Kecskemét

2005-03-31T21:34:00.000-08:00

American collegiate athletic organization formed in 1953 as an offshoot of the Southern Conference. Member schools are Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University (joined in 1990), the Georgia Institute of Technology (joined in 1979), the University of Maryland, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, the University of Virginia, and

Ernest Augustus

2005-03-31T02:47:00.000-08:00

Ernest Augustus studied at Göttingen, entered the Hanoverian army, and served as a leader of cavalry when war broke out between Great Britain and France in 1793. When Hanover withdrew from the war in 1795 he returned to England, being made lieutenant general in

Oak Bay

2005-03-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

District municipality, southwestern British Columbia, Canada, on southeastern Vancouver Island. It is an eastern residential suburb of Victoria, the provincial capital, and is a popular retirement community, with one of the highest percentages of persons over 65 in Canada. Inc. 1906. Pop. (1991) 17,815.

Sea Whip

2005-03-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

Any of several genera of corals of the order Gorgonacea (phylum Cnidaria), characterized by a long, whiplike growth and a variety of bright colours. The “whip” consists of a colony of tiny polyps (cylindrical, stalklike forms with a mouth and eight tentacles at the upper, or free, end) that grow upon one another in a continuous single stem. Spicules, or needlelike

Tarantella

2005-03-29T04:49:00.000-08:00

Couple folk dance of Italy characterized by light, quick steps and teasing, flirtatious behaviour between partners; women dancers frequently carry tambourines. The music is in lively 6/8 time. Tarantellas for two couples are also danced. The tarantella's origin is connected with tarantism, a disease or form of hysteria that appeared in Italy in the 15th to the 17th

Thoburn, Isabella

2005-03-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

Thoburn attended local schools and the Wheeling Female Seminary in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). In 1866, after she had taught for several years, Thoburn was invited by her brother

Giorgi, Giovanni

2005-03-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Giorgi studied civil engineering at the Institute of Technology in Rome and from 1906 to 1923 directed the Technology Office of Rome. He taught (1913–39) at the University of Rome and also held appointments

Gumal River

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

River that rises in eastern Afghanistan near Sarwandi on the Khumbur Khule Range and enters western Pakistan near Domandi, being joined there by the Kundar River. Further joined by the Wana Toi and Zhob rivers, it falls into the Indus River just south of Dera Ismail Khan after a course of 150 miles (240 km). Dams under construction in the 1980s at Mian Nur and Khajuri Kach, below the confluence

Preston, May Wilson

2005-03-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

May Wilson displayed marked artistic ability from an early age. In 1889, when she was barely out of high school, she helped found the Women's Art

Mittelfranken

2005-03-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

English Middle Franconia Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), west-central Bavaria Land (state), southern Germany. Mittelfranken is bordered by Baden-Württemberg Land to the west and the Regierungsbezirke of Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) and Oberfranken (Upper Franconia) to the north, Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) to the east, and Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) and Schwaben (Swabia) to

Antequera

2005-03-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

City, Málaga province, in the autonomous community (region) of Andalusia, southern Spain, northwest of Málaga, at the foot of the Sierra del Torcal. Neolithic dolmens (Menga, Viera, and El Romeral) attest to prehistoric occupation of the site. The city, known to the Romans as Anticaria and to the Moors as Madinah Antakira, was reconquered for Christian Spain by the infante

Padjelanta National Park

2005-03-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

Park in Norrbotten län (county), northwestern Sweden, adjoining Norway (west) and Sarek National Park (east). It is the largest of the Swedish national parks and one of the largest parks in Europe, with an area of 776 square miles (2,010 square km). It was established in 1962. Padjelanta National Park contains several lakes, the largest of which are Virihaure, Vastenjaure, and Salojaure, as

Calendar Of 2000

2005-03-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

Following four months of intensive negotiations, the Austrian People's Party agrees to form a coalition with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), led by ultranationalist Jörg Haider; the FPÖ's success has clouded Austrian politics, and on January 31 the European Union had threatened to break with Austria if the right-wingers were allowed to participate in the

Rhine, Confederation Of The

2005-03-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

French Confédération du Rhin German Rheinbund union (1806–13) of all the states of Germany, except Austria and Prussia, under the aegis of Napoleon I, which enabled the French to unify and dominate the country until Napoleon's downfall. The formation of the confederation was preceded by French encroachment in Germany beginning in 1792: all territory west of the Rhine River was annexed outright, and the first steps toward consolidation

Arden, John

2005-03-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

Arden grew up in the industrial town of Barnsley, the character of which he captured in his play The Workhouse

Nitti, Frank

2005-03-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Starting as a barber, Nitti became a fence for stolen goods and about 1920 joined Capone's gang. He was sent to prison for 18 months after pleading guilty in 1930 to income-tax evasion, but thereafter he nominally

Lihue

2005-03-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

City, seat of Kauai county, in southeastern Kauai Island, Hawaii, U.S. It is the island's chief port and its cultural and business centre. Sugarcane became the locality's economic mainstay with the foundation of the Lihue Sugar Plantation (1849) by German colonists. The Germans built a Lutheran church (1883), a fusion of classical New England architecture and Bavarian Baroque. The

Sabre-toothed Cat

2005-03-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Any of the extinct carnivores forming the subfamily Machairodontinae of the cat family, Felidae. Sabre-toothed cats are named for the pair of elongated, bladelike canine teeth they possessed in the upper jaw. They are often called sabre-toothed tigers or sabre-toothed lions, although the lion and tiger are of a different subfamily of felids, the true cats

Indonesian Literatures

2005-03-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

The poetry and prose writings in Javanese, Malay, Sundanese, and other languages of the peoples of Indonesia. They include works orally transmitted and then preserved in written form by the Indonesian peoples, oral literature recorded by Western anthropologists and ethnologists, and the modern literatures that began to emerge in the early 20th century as the result

Chamber Music, Classical period, c. 17501825

2005-03-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

The 83 string quartets (of which seven are single-movement arrangements of orchestral pieces titled The Seven Words of Our Saviour on the Cross and known as The Seven Last Words) by Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) constitute a series in which virtually the entire history of the string quartet is represented. Most of them appeared in sets of six, each under a separate opus number. The earliest

Bridgend

2005-03-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

Welsh Pen-y-bont Ar Ogwr town, Bridgend county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), Wales, on the River Ogmore. It has grown up on the site of medieval riverside twin villages (Oldcastle and Newcastle) with a 12th-century castle and 15th-century hospice; a stone bridge was built over the river about 1435. Historically, Bridgend has been the market town for the western Glamorgan lowland and

Seymour, David

2005-03-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

Seymour studied graphic arts in Warsaw and in 1931 went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, where he became interested in photography. During this period he befriended

Chia-i

2005-03-17T04:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Chiayi, shih (municipality) and seat of Chia-i hsien (county), on the western coastal plain of Taiwan. It lies at the foot of the A-li Mountains, on Taiwan's main north–south rail and highway routes. Narrow-gauge branch railways built by the Japanese (who occupied Taiwan from 1895 to 1945) run from Chia-i to the sugar-producing plains to the west and into the A-li Mountains for the transport of lumber.

Nebula, Supergiant nebulae

2005-03-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

The most energetic diffuse nebulae in the Galaxy are revealed only by radio telescope—they are so heavily obscured by dust that they are inconspicuous optically. These nebulae have over 100 times more ionizations per second than does the Orion Nebula, too many to be provided by a single star (unless there are stars more luminous than any known within the Galaxy). Indeed,

France, History Of, The kings and the war, 13281429

2005-03-16T03:38:00.000-08:00

At the accession of the house of Valois in 1328, France was the most powerful kingdom in Europe. Its ruler could muster larger armies than his rivals elsewhere; he could tap enormous fiscal resources, including taxes authorized by sympathetic popes of French extraction; there remained only four great fiefs—the duchies of Aquitaine, Brittany, and Burgundy, and the county

T'ien Ming

2005-03-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

The continuation of the mandate was believed to be conditioned by the personal behaviour of the ruler, who was expected to possess i (“righteousness”) and jen (“benevolence

Insurance, Other provisions

2005-03-15T01:25:00.000-08:00

Life insurance policies contain various clauses that protect the rights of beneficiaries and the insured. Perhaps the best-known is the incontestable clause, which provides that if a policy has been in force for two years the insurer may not afterward refuse to pay the proceeds or cancel the contract for any reason except nonpayment of premiums. Thus, if the insured

Chagai

2005-03-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

District in Quetta Division, Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan, on the east and south by Kalat and Kharan districts, and on the west by Iran and has an area of 19,516 sq mi (50,546 sq km), consisting of a level plain in the east, part of the Baluchistan desert in the west, the Chagai Hills in the north, and the Ras Koh Range in the south. Sparse scrub vegetation

Ambergris

2005-03-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

A solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon). In Eastern cultures ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice; in the West it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes. Ambergris floats and washes ashore most frequently on the coasts of China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas and on tropical islands such

Afghanistan

2005-03-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Landlocked, multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen

Mauchline

2005-03-13T03:32:00.000-08:00

Village, situated near the River Ayr in East Ayrshire council area, historic county of Ayrshire, Scotland, and closely associated with the Scottish national poet, Robert Burns. It is the site of the Burns National Memorial. Mauchline has many links with the poet, who lived with his brother Gilbert at nearby Mossgiel from 1784 to 1788. In Castle Street stands a house, now a museum,

Nerchinsk, Treaty Of

2005-03-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

(1689), peace settlement between Russia and the Manchu Chinese empire that checked Russia's eastward expansion by removing its outposts from the Amur River basin. By the treaty's terms Russia lost easy access to the Sea of Okhotsk and Far Eastern markets but secured its claim to Transbaikalia (the area east of Lake Baikal) and gained the right of passage to Beijing for its

East Hampshire

2005-03-12T04:19:00.000-08:00

The district's two principal parishes (towns), Alton and

Midas

2005-03-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Missile Defense Alarm System, any of a series of unmanned U.S. military satellites developed to provide warning against surprise attacks by Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles. Midas was the first such warning system in the world. Launched during the early 1960s, the reconnaissance satellites were equipped with infrared sensors capable of detecting the heat of a ballistic missile's rocket

Tu Fu

2005-03-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Born into a scholarly family, Tu Fu received a traditional Confucian education but failed in the imperial examinations of 736. As a result, he spent much of his youth traveling, during which he won renown as a poet and met the other poets of the period,

Ibagué

2005-03-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Capital of Tolima department, central Colombia, on the eastern slopes of the Andean Cordillera Central (Central Mountains). Founded as San Bonifacio de Ibagué in 1550 on the site of an Indian village, it was moved to its present location, on a plain 4,216 ft (1,285 m) above sea level, because of Indian attacks. It was the capital of the republic for a short time in 1854. The rapid expansion of coffee

Talleyrand(-périgord), Charles-maurice De, Prince De Bénévent

2005-03-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

French statesman and diplomat noted for his capacity for political survival, who held high office during the French Revolution, under Napoleon, at the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, and under King Louis-Philippe.

Culiacán

2005-03-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

City, capital of Sinaloa estado (“state”), western Mexico. It is on a small coastal plain (276 feet [84 m] above sea level) at the foot of the lofty Sierra Madre Occidental, on the Culiacán River. Founded in 1531, Culiacán played an important role in early colonial days as a base for Spanish expeditions. An elaborate irrigation system in the valley provides for a great variety of crops, including

Hancock

2005-03-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

County, southeastern Maine, U.S. It is located in a mountain-and-valley region bounded to the west by the Penobscot River and to the south by several bays of the Atlantic Ocean and includes many islands. The rugged coastline was formed by a flooded mountain range; Mount Desert Island features Cadillac Mountain (1,532 feet [467 metres]), the highest Atlantic coast summit in Maine,

Rca Corporation

2005-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

RCA was founded as Radio Corporation of America by the General Electric Company in 1919 to acquire Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America (incorporated in

Pitted Shell Turtle

2005-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Also called Fly River Turtle, or New Guinea Plateless Turtle (species Carettochelys insculpta), any member of a single species in the turtle family Carettochelyidae. The species lives in rivers in southern New Guinea and in a limited region in northern Australia. A combination of characteristics separates C. insculpta from other turtles, including a leathery shell with no scutes and sea turtlelike flippers. Little is known

Fibre

2005-03-07T23:38:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Fiber, in textile production, basic unit of raw material having suitable length, pliability, and strength for conversion into yarns and fabrics. A fibre of extreme length is a filament. Fibres can occur naturally or can be produced artificially. See Man-Made Fibres; natural fibre.

Mitchell, Joni

2005-03-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Mitchell studied commercial art in her native Alberta before moving to Toronto in

Afonso I

2005-03-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

Nzinga Mbemba, who became the sixth manikongo (lord of the Kongo) in 1506 or 1507, encouraged the penetration of his country by the Portuguese that had begun under his predecessor, Nzinga Nkuwa. Becoming a Christian and adopting

David

2005-03-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

Second of the Israelite kings (after Saul), reigning c. 1000 to c. 962 BC, who established a united kingdom over all Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital. In Jewish tradition he became the ideal king, the founder of an enduring dynasty, around whose figure and reign clustered messianic expectations of the people of Israel. Since he was a symbol of fulfillment

Olt River

2005-03-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

River, rising close to the headwaters of the Mures River, in the Ciuc Depression, east central Romania, at an elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m); it flows generally southwest and then south for 420 miles (670 km), entering the Danube at Turnu-Magurele. The river exits from the Ciuc Depression through the mountains at Tusnad, carving out a valley where several resorts and spas are located (including

Rusk, Dean

2005-03-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Davidson College in 1931, Rusk earned his master's degree at St. John's College, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar.

Lipmann, Fritz Albert

2005-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

Lipmann earned an M.D. degree (1924) and a Ph.D. degree (1927) from the University

Dachau

2005-03-05T02:55:00.000-08:00

During World War II the main camp was supplemented by about 150 branches scattered throughout

Mills, Florence

2005-03-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Born into poverty, Mills early demonstrated a talent for singing and dancing. Under the name “Baby Florence,” she

Susah

2005-03-03T01:54:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Sousse, or Sousa, capital of Susah wilayah (governorate), central east Tunisia. The town, an important port and commercial centre, originated as the Phoenician settlement of Hadrumetum. It declined under Arab control but was revived by the Aghlabid rulers of al-Qayrawan (Kairouan) in the 9th century, whose port it remained until the invasions of the Bedouin Arabs in the 11th century. Reestablished

Visitandine

2005-03-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

Member of Visitation Order , formally Congregation of the Visitation of Holy Mary (V.H.M.) a Roman Catholic order of nuns founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal at Annecy, Fr., in 1610. The order was originally destined for charitable work, visiting and caring for the sick and poor in their homes, as well as for prayer. But, after five years of this work, the founders were obliged to accept a rule of strict enclosure, or cloistered life, which at the

Xu Beihong

2005-03-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

Xu was first taught art in his childhood by his father, Xu Dazhang, a locally known portrait painter. Xu became an itinerant professional

Zamakhshari, Abu Al-qasim Mahmud Ibn 'umar Az-

2005-03-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

As a theologian, he was one of the Mu'tazilite school. As a philologist, he considered Arabic the queen of languages, in spite of the fact that his own mother tongue was Persian. His commentary on the Qur'an, al-Kashshaf 'an Haq

Portuguese Literature

2005-03-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

The literature of Portugal is distinguished by a wealth and variety of lyric poetry, which has characterized it from the beginning; by its medieval lack of and later

Nuisance

2005-03-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

In law, a human activity or a physical condition that is harmful or offensive to others and gives rise to a cause of action. A public nuisance created in a public place or on public land, or affecting the morals, safety, or health of the community, is considered an offense against the state. Such activities as obstructing a public road, polluting air and water, operating

Theatre, Western, Imitation of Greek models

2005-03-01T00:20:00.000-08:00

In the literary theatre, plot invention and characters were largely taken from Greek plays. Livius Andronicus, a Greek living in Rome, was the first to adapt Greek plays (in 240 BC), and his example was followed in 235 BC by the poet Gnaeus Naevius, a native of Campania. Naevius can be regarded as the first native Italian playwright, and the genre of comedies he founded was called fabula

Chancre

2005-02-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

Typical skin lesion of the primary stage of infectious syphilis, usually appearing on the penis, labia, cervix, or anorectal region. (Because in women the chancre often occurs internally, it may go unnoticed.) The lesion often occurs in combination with a painless swelling of the regional lymph nodes, and together these symptoms are the major characteristics of syphilis

Mahavira

2005-02-26T23:23:00.000-08:00

Also known as Vardhamana Epithet of Vardhamana, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras (“Ford-makers,” i.e., saviours who promulgated Jainism), and the reformer of the Jain monastic community. According to the traditions of the two main Jain sects, the Shvetambara (“White-robed”) and the Digambara (“Sky-clad,” i.e., naked), Mahavira became

Ibrahim Al-haqilani

2005-02-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ordained a deacon, Ibrahim taught Arabic and Syriac first at Pisa, then in Rome, and in 1628 he published a Syriac grammar. In 1640 he began collaborating on the Le Jay Polyglot Bible, publishing the Book of Ruth in Arabic,

Fichtel Hills

2005-02-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

German Fichtelgebirge , Czech Smrciny mountains in northeastern Bavaria Land (state), southeastern Germany. They lie at the Czech border between the Franconian Forest in the northwest, the Ore Mountains (in German, Erzgebirge; in Czech, Krušné Hory) in the northeast, and the Upper Palatinate Forest (a section of the Bohemian Forest) in the south. The rectangular plateau of the Fichtel Hills forms a watershed

Costa, Lorenzo

2005-02-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Costa was trained at Ferrara, probably under Cosmè Tura, who was the first important native-born Ferrarese painter. From at least 1485 he worked at Bologna in close connection

China, Religious beliefs and social organization

2005-02-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

The inhabitants of Neolithic China were, by the 5th millennium if not earlier, remarkably assiduous in the attention they paid to the disposition and commemoration of their dead. There was a consistency of orientation and posture, with the dead of the northwest given a westerly orientation and those of the east an easterly one. The dead were segregated, frequently

Ligand

2005-02-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

In chemistry, any atom or molecule attached to a central atom, usually a metallic element, in a coordination or complex compound. The atoms and molecules used as ligands are almost always those that are capable of functioning as the electron-pair donor in the electron-pair bond (a coordinate covalent bond) formed with the metal atom. Examples of common ligands are the

López, Francisco Solano

2005-02-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

López, the eldest son of the dictator Carlos Antonio López, seized power upon his father's death (Sept. 10, 1862) and quickly established his own

Arts, Central Asian

2005-02-23T03:01:00.000-08:00

Music in Central Asia flowered along centuries-old caravan routes linking the Middle East with China and India via what is often referred to as Turkistan, the vast region extending from the Caspian Sea to Sinkiang province in China. Musical instruments diffused from one region to another, and many of the musical styles still display foreign influence. The variety

Nachi-katsuura

2005-02-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

Town, Wakayama ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Lying within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, the town is a summer resort renowned for its proximity to more than 40 waterfalls. The main fall is one of the highest in Japan, dropping 427 feet (130 m); it is approached through a large gate set in a grove of ancient cedars. The 7th-century Seiganto Temple is an important

Psamtik Ii

2005-02-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

The Greek historian Herodotus, writing in the 5th century BC, refers briefly to an Ethiopian war of Psamtik, an expedition that contemporary records prove to have been of great importance. Perhaps suspecting a Cushite threat to Egypt,

Piura

2005-02-22T02:05:00.000-08:00

Capital of Piura department, northwestern Peru, on the Piura River in the warm coastal desert. San Miguel de Piura was the first city founded (1532) in Peru by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The original site proved unhealthful, and several other locations were occupied before the present site was settled in 1588. Piura retains a colonial flavour, especially in the church

Pinchot, Gifford

2005-02-21T04:19:00.000-08:00

Pinchot graduated from Yale in 1889 and studied at the National Forestry School in Nancy, France, and in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Upon his return home in 1892, he began the first systematic forestry work in the United States at Biltmore, the estate of George W. Vanderbilt,

Dwight, Timothy

2005-02-20T23:08:00.000-08:00

Educated by his mother, a daughter of the preacher Jonathan Edwards, Dwight entered Yale at age 13 and was graduated in 1769. He then pursued a variety of occupations, including those of a tutor at Yale, a school principal, a Massachusetts

Schaffner, Franklin (james)

2005-02-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

The son of Protestant American missionaries, Schaffner lived in the United States after the age of five and attended Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania (A.B., 1942). During World War II he served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant. In 1948 he became a director for CBS television;

Jack The Ripper

2005-02-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

All but one of Jack the Ripper's victims were killed while soliciting customers on the street. In each instance the victim's throat was cut, and the body was usually

Low, Juliette Gordon

2005-02-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

Juliette Gordon was born into a prominent Georgia family. She was educated at private schools in Virginia and New York City and for some years thereafter traveled widely. She married William M. Low, a fellow native of Savannah, Georgia, who was living in England,

Plurality System

2005-02-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

Advantages of the plurality system are

Qaeda, Al-

2005-02-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Al-Qaeda began as a logistical network to support Muslims fighting against the Soviet Union during the Afghan War; members were recruited throughout the Islamic world. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the organization dispersed but continued to oppose what its leaders

Weller, Thomas H.

2005-02-17T16:07:00.000-08:00

After

Celesta

2005-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Also spelled celeste, orchestral percussion instrument resembling a small upright piano, patented by a Parisian, Auguste Mustel, in 1886. It consists of a series of small metal bars (and hence is a metallophone) with a keyboard and a simplified piano action in which small felt hammers strike the bars. Each bar is resonated by a wooden box or similar chamber tuned to reinforce the fundamental

Sun River

2005-02-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

River in northwest-central Montana, U.S. It rises in Flathead National Forest, in Teton county near the Continental Divide, and flows southeastward for a course of 130 miles (209 km) into the Missouri River at Great Falls. The Sun River irrigation project includes a system of dams, reservoirs, and canals. Its three reservoirs are Gibson, Pishkun, and Willow Creek.

Cronin, James Watson

2005-02-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

Cronin graduated from Southern Methodist University at Dallas, Texas, in 1951 and received his

Tjurunga

2005-02-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Churinga, in Australian Aboriginal religion, a mythical being and a ritual object, usually made of wood or stone, that is a representation or manifestation of such a being. An Aranda word, tjurunga traditionally referred to sacred or secret–sacred things set apart, or taboo; for example, certain rites, stone, and wooden slab objects, bull-roarers, ground paintings and earth mounds,

Alvensleben-erxleben, Gustav, Graf Von (count Of)

2005-02-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

As a member of the Prussian general staff (1847–58), Alvensleben participated in the suppression of the revolution of 1849 in Baden and was named chief of staff for the troops that remained in occupation. In 1854 he

Laos, Relief

2005-02-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

Dominating the landscape of Laos are its inhospitable, forest-covered mountains, which in the north rise to a maximum elevation of 9,245 feet (2,818 metres) above sea level at Mount Bia and everywhere constitute an impediment to travel. The principal range lies along a northwest-southeast axis and forms part of the Annamese Cordillera (Chaîne Annamitique), but secondary ranges

Economic Indicator

2005-02-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Statistic used, along with other indicators, in an attempt to determine the state of general economic activity, especially in the future. A “leading indicator” is one of a statistical series that fairly reliably turn up or down before the general economy does. Common leading indicators are building permits (suggesting the future volume of new construction), common

Differential Geometry

2005-02-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

Differential geometry has its origin in the discovery in the 17th century of the infinitesimal calculus, one part of mathematics that deals with limits. The concept of the derivative of a function is essentially identical with that of the tangent line or slope of a curve, and the integral of a function

Zamoyski, Jan

2005-02-13T00:47:00.000-08:00

Educated in France and Italy, he returned to Poland in 1565 and was appointed secretary to King Sigismund II. After Sigismund's death (1572), he became one of the best-liked

Anthropology And Archaeology, Eastern Hemisphere.

2005-02-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 yielded a number of stunning archaeological discoveries. A 50-cm (20-in)-long limestone ossuary, or box for storage of bones, bearing a text in Aramaic, was hailed as the first archaeological evidence for the historical Jesus. The ossuary, found near Jerusalem, was carved with a single line of text reading, “Ya'akov bar Yosef akhui diYeshua,” or “James, son of Joseph, brother

Paraguay, The Guaraní

2005-02-12T02:08:00.000-08:00

Indian tribes speaking the Guaraní language occupied the region between the Paraguay and Paraná rivers long before the arrival of Europeans. They were members of the Tupian language stock, which was widespread in South America, and in most respects resembled the other Indian tribes of the tropical forests. The women cultivated corn, manioc, and sweet potatoes,

Sa'id, 'ali Ahmad

2005-02-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Sa'id received a degree in philosophy at the University of Damascus in 1954 and served in the Syrian military from 1954 to 1956. He then moved to Beirut, where he received a Ph.D. from St. Joseph University in 1973. In 1957 he helped Yusuf al-Khal found the avant-garde

Scandinavian Literature

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

The body of writings in the North Germanic group of languages, the modern forms of which include Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish, and Faeroese. The literary works written in these languages, though manifesting certain differences reflective of distinct national institutions, exhibit strong similarities stemming from deep-seated common linguistic and

Ravinia Park

2005-02-11T00:45:00.000-08:00

One of the oldest outdoor summer music and cultural centres in the United States, located in Highland Park, Ill., 25 miles (40 km) north of Chicago's Loop. It was established in 1905 on land purchased by the A.C. Frost Company, a subsidiary of the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad (the Chicago and North Western Railroad now bisects the property). Originally an amusement centre

Venetian Glass

2005-02-09T02:51:00.000-08:00

Variety of glasswares made in Venice from the 13th century, at the latest, to the present. Although a glassblowers' guild existed in Venice from 1224, the earliest extant specimens that can be dated with certainty are from the mid-15th century. The early history of Venetian glass is therefore largely conjectural. It is known that in 1291 the glasshouses moved across the lagoon to

Sufetula

2005-02-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

At Sufetula, as elsewhere in the interior of Tunisia, Roman skill in the conservation

SpecialBridge

Estate Agent London

Gray, Sir James

Cronjé, Pieter Arnoldus

Ikare

Literature, Yiddish

Biblical Literature, The documentary hypothesis

Kecskemét

Kecskemét

Ernest Augustus

Oak Bay

Sea Whip

Tarantella

Thoburn, Isabella

Giorgi, Giovanni

Gumal River

Preston, May Wilson

Mittelfranken

Antequera

Padjelanta National Park

Calendar Of 2000

Rhine, Confederation Of The

Arden, John

Nitti, Frank

Lihue

Sabre-toothed Cat

Indonesian Literatures

Chamber Music, Classical period, c. 17501825

Bridgend

Seymour, David

Chia-i

Nebula, Supergiant nebulae

France, History Of, The kings and the war, 13281429

T'ien Ming

Insurance, Other provisions

Chagai

Ambergris

Afghanistan

Mauchline

Nerchinsk, Treaty Of

East Hampshire

Midas

Tu Fu

Ibagué

Talleyrand(-périgord), Charles-maurice De, Prince De Bénévent

Culiacán

Hancock

Rca Corporation

Pitted Shell Turtle

Fibre

Mitchell, Joni

Afonso I

David

Olt River

Rusk, Dean

Lipmann, Fritz Albert

Dachau

Mills, Florence

Susah

Visitandine

Xu Beihong

Zamakhshari, Abu Al-qasim Mahmud Ibn 'umar Az-

Portuguese Literature

Nuisance

Theatre, Western, Imitation of Greek models

Chancre

Mahavira

Ibrahim Al-haqilani

Fichtel Hills

Costa, Lorenzo

China, Religious beliefs and social organization

Ligand

López, Francisco Solano

Arts, Central Asian

Nachi-katsuura

Psamtik Ii

Piura

Pinchot, Gifford

Dwight, Timothy

Schaffner, Franklin (james)

Chamber Music, Classical period, c. 17501825

France, History Of, The kings and the war, 13281429