StraightStore

Sakakah

2005-04-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oasis, northwestern Saudi Arabia. It lies on an old caravan route from the Mediterranean Sea coast to the central and southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Sakakah lies north of the desert an-Nafud and northeast of al-Jawf oasis. The government tried to improve agricultural conditions in the area. The main products of the oasis are dates and dairy products.

Alliance

2005-04-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

City, Stark county, northeastern Ohio, U.S., on the Mahoning River, 21 mi (34 km) northeast of Canton. In 1854 the villages of Williamsport, Freedom, and Liberty were incorporated as the village of Alliance, so named for the junction and crossing there of the former New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads. The village of Mount Union (settled in 1833) became a part of Alliance in 1854. Now highly

Saho

2005-04-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Sao, Shaho, Shoho, or Shiho, also called Afar-saho, language spoken by several peoples, most of whom inhabit the coastal plains of southern Eritrea. Saho is generally classified as an Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic (formerly Hamito-Semitic) language family. The Saho-speaking peoples are bordered to the north by the Tigre, to the west by the Tigray, and to the south and east by the Afar, with whose language

Malabo

2005-04-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1973) Santa Isabel, capital of Equatorial Guinea. It lies on the northern edge of the island of Bioko (or Fernando Po) on the rim of a sunken volcano. With an average temperature of 77° F (25° C) and an annual rainfall of 75 inches (1,900 mm), it has one of the more onerous climates in the Bight of Biafra (Gulf of Guinea). Malabo is the republic's commercial and financial centre. Its harbour can dock several ships, and

Durand, Guillaume

2005-04-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

After receiving a doctorate in canon law at Bologna, Italy, Durand taught briefly there and later at Modena, Italy. Some time after 1260 he was appointed auditor (a judge commissioned to hear cases of appeal brought to the Holy See). At the second Council of Lyon (1274), he helped draft the statutes

Enciclopedia Italiana Di Scienze, Lettere Ed Arti

2005-03-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Enciclopedia italiana contains many excellent lengthy articles, usually

Eisenhower, Dwight D.

2005-03-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

In full Dwight David Eisenhower 34th president of the United States (1953–61), who had been supreme commander of the Allied forces in western Europe during World War II. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America. See also Cabinet of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

Hess, Dame Myra

2005-03-29T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hess studied at the Guildhall School of Music and at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay. She made her concert debut in London in 1907 and in the United States in 1922. From 1939 to 1946, even during the height of the German bombardment of London, she

Lagos

2005-03-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

State, southwestern Nigeria, on the coast of the Bight of Benin. It is bounded by the state of Ogun on the north and east, by the Bight of Benin on the south, and by the Republic of Benin on the west. From 1914 to 1954 the area included in the state was administered by the British as part of the colony of Nigeria. The provisions of the 1954 constitution led to the creation of the Federal Territory

Zadkine, Ossip

2005-03-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

As a boy, Zadkine, son of a professor of Greek and Latin, much preferred clay modeling to his studies.

Río De La Plata, Viceroyalty Of The

2005-03-26T21:04:00.000-08:00

Spanish Virreinato Del Río De La Plata, the final of the four viceroyalties that Spain created during its colonization of Central and South America. Including the territory now comprising Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia, the new viceroyalty (established in 1776) controlled an area previously under the administration of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The decision to create a fourth viceroyalty was a

Danish Literature

2005-03-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

The first written evidences of Danish may be found in runic inscriptions, the extant majority of which date from 800 to 1100. With the introduction of Christianity in the 12th century, Latin became the predominant literary language of Denmark and remained so until the Protestant Reformation of 1536, when a new literary movement was inaugurated

Carnivore, Form and function

2005-03-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

Viverrids have short legs with five toes on each foot, except for the meerkats; Suricata has four toes on each foot and Cynictis four on the hindfoot. The pollex (“thumb”) and hallux (“big toe”) are functionless and do not touch the ground. Each toe is capped with semiretractile

Astrolabe

2005-03-23T02:24:00.000-08:00

Any of a type of early scientific instrument used for reckoning time and for observational purposes. One widely employed variety, the planispheric astrolabe, enabled astronomers to calculate the position of the Sun and prominent stars with respect to both the horizon and the meridian. It provided them with a plane image of the celestial sphere and the principal

Ad Valorem Tax

2005-03-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

Ad valorem rates, which have come into increased use, have the important advantage of adjusting the

Port Arthur

2005-03-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

Inlet of the Tasman Sea on the south coast of the Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia. It is known for the penal settlement established there in 1830 by Sir George Arthur, then lieutenant governor, who attempted to centralize the several settlements in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). A model reformatory for boys also existed from 1835 to 1849 at Point Puer, a rocky headland in the inlet.

Transportation, History Of, Formation of airlines

2005-03-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

With practical planes in hand in 1918 the organization of an airline to operate these craft on a scheduled basis over a consistent route was attempted. The first airline was formed in Germany; the Deutsche Luftreederie began service from Berlin to Leipzig and Weimar on Feb. 5, 1919, followed only three days later by the French Farman Company on the trans-channel crossing from

Hou Chi

2005-03-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Hou Ji, in Chinese mythology, Lord of Millet Grains, who was worshiped for the abundant harvests that he graciously provided for his people. The Chinese honoured him not only for past favours but in the hope that devotion to the deity would guarantee continued blessings. An old tradition explained that Hou Chi was miraculously conceived when his childless mother stepped

Benbow, John

2005-03-19T03:09:00.000-08:00

The son of a tanner of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Benbow served in the navy and merchant marine from 1678 and became captain of a naval vessel in 1689. As master of the fleet under Admiral Edward Russell, he helped destroy the French fleet

Scandinavian Literature, Renewed literary activity in Norway

2005-03-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

Political union between Denmark and Norway started in 1380, and the Danish language eventually became the official and the literary medium. Copenhagen, with its university, established itself as the cultural capital of the two countries. Not until after the Reformation were there signs of renewed literary activity in Norway itself; e.g., in the nostalgic apologia for

Labour Economics, Orthodox economic theories

2005-03-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

The complex character of labour as a commodity is nowhere more evident than in the relationship between pay and productivity. According to conventional economic theory, productivity should be the straightforward determinant of the employer's demand for labour. An employer who wishes to maximize profits will continue to recruit only up to the point at which

Pyrex

2005-03-17T01:32:00.000-08:00

(trademark), a type of glass and glassware that is resistant to heat, chemicals, and electricity. It is used to make chemical apparatus, industrial equipment, including piping and thermometers, and ovenware. Chemically, Pyrex contains borosilicate and expands only about one-third as much as common glass (silicate) when heated. As a result, it is less apt to break when subjected

Science Fiction

2005-03-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

Such literature may consist of a careful and informed extrapolation of scientific

Han River

2005-03-15T03:54:00.000-08:00

Wade–Giles romanization Han Shui, Pinyin Han Shui, one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze River of China. It has a total length of about 952 mi (1,532 km). The Han Shui rises in the Shen-ch'iung Shan (mountains), part of the Mi-t'sang Shan in the north of Ning-ch'iang County in the extreme southwest of Shensi Province. Its upper stream is known successively as the Yü-tai Ho, the Yang Shui, and, below Mien-hsien, the Mien Shui. At Han-chung

G.b.e.

2005-03-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

Knight grand cross, or dame grand cross, of the British Empire, member of the highest class of a British order of knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Epicharmus

2005-03-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Many of

Elijah's Cup

2005-03-13T03:16:00.000-08:00

In Judaism, the fifth ceremonial cup of wine poured during the family Seder dinner on Passover (Pesah). It is left untouched in honour of Elijah, who, according to tradition, will arrive one day as an unknown guest to herald the advent of the Messiah. During the Seder dinner, biblical verses are read while the door is briefly opened to welcome Elijah, who, it is further said,

Conservative Judaism

2005-03-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

Zacharias Frankel (1801–75), whose ideology inspired early Conservative ideas, broke with modernizing extremists after a series of Reform conferences in Germany

Endor, Witch Of

2005-03-11T00:33:00.000-08:00

In the Old Testament (1 Samuel 28:3–25), a female sorcerer who was visited by Saul, the first king of Israel. Although Saul had banished all sorcerers and conjurers from his kingdom, his concern about the final outcome of Israel's battle against the Philistines caused him to seek the services of someone with “a familiar spirit.” When his servants told him of such a woman at Endor, he

Baie-comeau

2005-03-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

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

Infection, Temperature regulation

2005-03-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Although it has been generally accepted that the usual range of deep body temperature is from 97.2° F to 100° F (36.2° C to 37.8° C), temperatures of 95.9° F to 101.2° F (35.5° C to 38.4° C) have been reported in normal individuals. The rectal temperature of a person may read 101° F (38.3° C) in the afternoon or after exercise. Core body temperature, in fact, varies with time of day, environmental temperature, physical activity, food intake,

Earth, The atmosphere

2005-03-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

The Earth is surrounded by a relatively thin atmosphere consisting of a mixture of gases, primarily molecular nitrogen (77 percent) and molecular oxygen (21 percent). This gaseous envelope, commonly called the air, also contains much smaller amounts of gases such as argon, carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour, along with minute solid and liquid particles in

Berengario Da Carpi, Jacopo

2005-03-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

Berengario was a professor at the University of Bologna from 1502 to 1527. While there he became known for his use of mercurial ointment in the treatment of syphilis.

Javorníky

2005-03-08T02:32:00.000-08:00

Mountains in central Czechoslovakia, on the western fringe of the Carpathian Mountains and forming part of the boundary between Moravia and Slovakia. The ridge of the Javorníky peaks—the highest, at 3,514 feet (1,071 m), is Velký Javorník, overlooking the village of Velké Karlovice—divides the Becva-Oder river systems to the north and west from the Váh River to the east. Climate

Kiesinger, Kurt Georg

2005-03-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Kiesinger was educated at Berlin and Tübingen, after which he began to practice law. He joined the Nazi Party after Adolf

Dominic, Saint

2005-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Spanish in full Santo Domingo De Guzmán founder of the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans), a religious order of mendicant friars with a universal mission of preaching, a centralized organization and government, and a great emphasis on scholarship.

Socialism, Other early socialists

2005-03-05T21:52:00.000-08:00

The 1840s saw the rise of a number of other socialist doctrines, particularly in France. Louis-Auguste Blanqui evolved a radical socialist—or, as he called it, communist—doctrine based on a democratic populism and on the belief that capitalism as an inherently unstable order would soon be replaced by cooperative associations. Impatient with theorizing, given to a strong

Selim, Mosque Of

2005-03-05T04:46:00.000-08:00

Turkish Selimiye Cami, in Edirne, Tur., mosque, considered to be the masterwork of the great Ottoman architect Sinan, completed in 1575. The sanctuary is a large square space, covered by a dome supported by columns placed close to the walls, an innovation at the time. Four tall, slender minarets contrast with the mass of domes and half-domes.

Mabini, Apolinario

2005-03-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Born into a peasant family, Mabini studied at San Juan de Letran College in Manila and won a law degree from the University of Santo Tomás in 1894. In an insurrection organized in August 1896 by nationalists, he joined the

Rowboat

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

A true rowboat or sculling boat has an easy motion through the water and, most important, glides between strokes. Thus the boat's forward motion never ceases; each stroke of the oar keeps the boat underway, and a steady tempo

Producer Goods

2005-03-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

Also called intermediate goods in economics, goods manufactured and used in further manufacturing, processing, or resale. Producer goods either become part of the final product or lose their distinct identity in the manufacturing stream. The prices of producer goods are not included in the summation of a country's gross national product (GNP), because their inclusion would involve double counting

Western Africa, Geology

2005-03-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

The crystalline rocks, collectively referred to as the West African shield or craton, comprise three main types of rock assemblage. The basement

Ram Allah

2005-02-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Ramallah, town, central Palestine, adjacent to the town of Al-Birah (east) and north of Jerusalem. Ram Allah (Arabic: “Height of God”) has since the Six-Day War of 1967 been under Israeli administration as part of the West Bank territory. An ancient settlement, it has buildings incorporating masonry from the time of Herod the Great (reigned 37–4 BC), but no complete structure antedates the Crusades of

Qadarif, Al-

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

Also spelled El-gedaref, town, east-central Sudan. It is situated about 120 miles (200 km) southwest of Kassala town. Located at an elevation of 1,975 feet (608 m), it is a commercial centre for the cotton, cereals, sesame seeds, and fodder produced in the surrounding area. The Gash Irrigation Project is located to the northwest of al-Qadarif. Light industries include cotton ginning and spinning mills and soap factories.

Yun, Isang

2005-02-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Yun began composing at the age of 14 and studied music in Japan in Osaka and Tokyo. He returned to Korea, where he was active in the resistance movement against the Japanese during World War

Germany, Insurance and services

2005-02-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

Health and retirement insurance are compulsory for all hourly workers and salaried employees earning below a certain level of income. Differing rules and rates apply to each group. Employees above a certain salary level or self-employed persons are generally exempt from most obligatory payment systems; however, although the former usually participate in a

China

2005-02-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

The year 2002 was a critical one for China. Domestically, it was a year of political transition to a new generation of leaders; internationally, significant changes in geopolitical alignments had major repercussions for the country. The 16th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), after some delay, was convened in early November. China's “Three Represents” doctrine

Fletcher, Alice Cunningham

2005-02-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Fletcher taught school for a number of years, lectured occasionally on various topics,

Loden Coat

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

Loden cloth is dyed in several colours, but bluish green is the most common. The jacket sometimes has a stiff, standup collar and is trimmed with

Harald Iv

2005-02-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

Byname Harald Gille, or Gilchrist king of Norway (1130–36), a ruthless sovereign whose feud with his fellow king Magnus IV the Blind over the Norwegian throne marked the beginning of a period of civil wars (1130–1240) during which the right to rule was constantly in dispute. Harald's weak character helped lay the foundation for the increasingly powerful role played by the aristocracy in the civil war

Tadoba National Park

2005-02-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

National park in Maharashtra state, western India. Extending over an area of 45 square miles (117 square km), the park consists of dense forests of sal (Shorea), margosa, mahua, and mango, interspersed with lakes and plains; stretches of bamboo thickets are found around Tadoba Lake, for which the park is named. It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1935 and declared a national park

Varthema, Lodovico De

2005-02-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

De Varthema also spelled Di Barthema, Latin Vartomanus, or Vertomannus, intrepid Italian traveler and adventurer whose account of his Middle Eastern and Asiatic wanderings was widely circulated throughout Europe and earned him high fame in his own lifetime. He made significant discoveries (especially in Arabia) and made many valuable observations of the peoples he visited; his ready wit enabled

Sahara

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

Classical accounts describe the Sahara much as it is today—a vast and formidable barrier. The Egyptians controlled only their neighbouring oases and, occasionally, lands to the south; the Carthaginians apparently continued the commercial relationships with the interior that had been established during the Bronze Age. Herodotus described a desert crossing

Loquat

2005-02-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

(Eriobotrya japonica), subtropical tree of the rose family (Rosaceae), related to the apple and other well-known fruit trees of the temperate zone. Ornamental in appearance and rarely more than 10 metres (33 feet) in height, the evergreen loquat is frequently planted in parks and gardens. The leaves, clustered toward the ends of the branches, are thick and

Anorthoclase

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

Any member of a continuous series of feldspar minerals related to sanidine (q.v.).

Sculpture, Western, Augustan Age

2005-02-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

The hallmark of portraits of Augustus is a naturalistic classicism. The rendering of his features and the forking of his hair above the brow is individual. But the Emperor is consistently idealized and never shown as elderly or aging. A marble statue from Livia's Villa at Prima Porta (in the Vatican), which presents him as addressing, as it were, the whole empire, is the

Macaw

2005-02-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

Common name of about 18 species of large colourful parrots native to tropical America. These brightly coloured, long-tailed birds are some of the most spectacular parrots in the world. The sexes look alike, which is uncommon among vividly coloured birds. The cobalt-blue hyacinthine macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay is the

Argentina, Education

2005-02-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

Argentina has one of the more educated populations in Latin America, which is reflected in its large number of schools and high literacy rate. Primary education is compulsory and free; secondary and higher education is offered in free public schools and in private schools subsidized by the state. Higher education in Argentina was seriously hampered by the censorship

Duan

2005-02-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

A poem or song in Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic literature. The word was used by James Macpherson for major divisions of his Ossianic verse and hence was taken to be the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of canto.

Computers, Apple Computer

2005-02-17T03:55:00.000-08:00

Like the founding of the early chip companies and the invention of the microprocessor, the story of Apple Computer is a key part of Silicon Valley folklore. Two whiz kids, Stephen G. Wozniak and Steven P. Jobs, shared an interest in electronics. Wozniak was an early and regular participant at Homebrew Computer Club meetings (see the earlier section The Altair), which Jobs

Armco Inc.

2005-02-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

Originally a manufacturer of sheet iron and steel, the company diversified, and its activities now

Puget Sound

2005-02-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

Deep inlet of the eastern North Pacific Ocean indenting northwestern Washington, U.S. It stretches south for 100 miles (160 km) from Admiralty Inlet and Whidbey Island (beyond which lie the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca). Hood Canal is a large western extension. The sound is the submerged northern end of the Cowlitz-Puget trough, which extends for some 350 miles (565 km) between the

Zoisite

2005-02-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Silicate mineral, calcium and aluminum silicate, Ca2Al3(SiO4)3OH, characteristic of regional metamorphism and of hydrothermal alteration of igneous rocks. A member of the epidote (q.v.) group of nesosilicates, zoisite occurs as white, green-brown, or gray crystals or masses in crystalline schists, often with amphibole minerals; in metamorphosed calcareous shales; very

Auburn

2005-02-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1854) of Androscoggin county, southwestern Maine, U.S., on the Androscoggin River opposite Lewiston and part of the Lewiston-Auburn metropolitan area. Settled in 1786, Auburn was separated from Minot in 1842 and is supposed to have been named for the Auburn of Oliver Goldsmith's poem The Deserted Village. The manufacture of shoes was once the city's chief industry. Today diversified

Cimon Of Cleonae

2005-02-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

Although Cimon has been dated to the 8th century BC, the fact would seem

International Trade, The Association of South East Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

2005-02-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) originated in 1961 as the Association of South East Asia (ASA), which had been founded by the Philippines, Thailand, and the Federation of Malaya (now part of Malaysia). In 1967 ASEAN was established by the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand to accelerate economic growth and social development

Biblical Literature, The Essenes

2005-02-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

Though the Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls are not mentioned in the New Testament, they are described by Philo, Josephus, and Eusebius, a 4th-century Christian historian. With publication of the Essenes' own sectarian writings since the 1950s, however, they have become well known. They did not have any really new ideas, but their founder, the Teacher of Righteousness, believed

Coral Sea

2005-02-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

Sea of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, extending east of Australia and New Guinea, west of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, and south of the Solomon Islands. It is about 1,400 miles (2,250 km) north-south and 1,500 miles east-west and covers an area of 1,849,800 square miles (4,791,000 square km). To the south it merges with the Tasman Sea, to the north with the Solomon Sea, and to the east with the Pacific; it is connected

'imad Ad-dawlah

2005-02-10T03:44:00.000-08:00

One of the founders of the Buyid dynasty of Iran. 'Ali and his brothers Ahmad and Hasan were followers of Mardaviz ebn Zeyar of northern Iran. In 934 'Ali revolted against local Zeyarid rulers and conquered Fars province in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital, ruling there until his death. After Ahmad established control over the 'Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad

Nitrous Acid

2005-02-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

Nitrous acid decomposes into nitric oxide,

Bezborodko, Aleksandr Andreyevich, Knyaz

2005-02-08T23:47:00.000-08:00

Recommended to Catherine by Count P.A. Rumyantsev, with whom he had

Probabilism

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

In casuistry, a principle of action grounded on the premise that, when one does not know whether an action would be sinful or permissible, he may rely on a “probable opinion” for its permissibility even though a more probable opinion calls it sinful. An opinion is considered probable either if sound, logical arguments can be cited in its favour (intrinsic probability)

Estébanez Calderón, Serafín

2005-02-08T01:24:00.000-08:00

Estébanez also spelled Estévanes, byname El Solitario one of the best-known costumbristas, Spanish writers who depicted in short articles the typical customs of the people. He moved to Madrid in 1830, where he published newspaper articles under the pseudonym El Solitario and pursued a career that combined Arabic studies, poetry, and the collecting of manuscripts. He was also influential in the

North Germanic Languages, Norwegian

2005-02-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

Old Norwegian writing traditions gradually died out in the 15th century after the union of Norway with Denmark and the removal of the central government to Copenhagen. After independence was achieved in 1814, the linguistic union with Danish persisted, but educational problems due to the linguistic distance between Danish and spoken Norwegian and socio-political

Straits Times, The

2005-02-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

It was founded in 1845 as a single-sheet weekly by Robert Carr Woods to provide commercial information needed by Singapore's bustling port community. The paper became a daily in 1858. Its facilities were destroyed by fire in 1869, but the paper

Garden And Landscape Design, Rhythm and balance

2005-02-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

Rhythm and balance result from the three-dimensional arrangement of elements and materials on the site. Rhythm is a sequence or repetition of similar elements—as a double row of trees. It tends to emphasize direction and movement, as along an allée toward a viewpoint or terminus. Balance is the sense one gets, looking in any direction, that the elements to one's left

Integral Equation

2005-02-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Asheboro

2005-02-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1796) of Randolph county, central North Carolina, U.S. It lies in the forested Uwharrie Mountains about 25 miles (40 km) south of Greensboro. Asheboro (originally Asheborough) was founded in 1796 on land that was once the home of Keyauwee Indians; a prehistoric Native American burial ground nearby was excavated in 1936. The name honours North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe (1725–1813). The community

Wage And Salary, Subsistence theory

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

Subsistence theories emphasize the supply aspects and neglect the demand aspects of the labour market. They hold that change in the supply of workers is the basic force that drives real wages to the minimum required for subsistence. Elements of a subsistence theory appear in The Wealth of Nations, where Smith wrote that the wages paid to workers had to be enough

Porsche, Ferdinand

2005-02-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Porsche became general director of the Austro-Daimler Company in 1916 and in 1923 moved to the Daimler Company in Stuttgart. He left in 1931 and formed his own firm to design sports and racing cars. Porsche became deeply involved in Hitler's project for a “people's

Tarija

2005-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

City, southern Bolivia, situated at 6,122 feet (1,866 m) above sea level in the Río Grande de Tarija (Guadalquivir) Valley. Founded in 1574 by the conquistador Luis de Fuentes as San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarija, it is one of Bolivia's oldest settlements. The inhabitants are well known for their outdoor religious processions. Although the city is accessible by air and road, transport

Welch, William Henry

2005-01-31T23:28:00.000-08:00

Undertaking graduate medical study in Germany (1876–78), Welch was working in the

Amado, Jorge

2005-01-31T22:54:00.000-08:00

Amado grew up on a cacao plantation, Auricídia, and was educated at the Jesuit college in Salvador and studied law at Federal University in Rio de Janeiro. He published his first novel at age 19. Three of his early works deal with the

Abel, Theodora Mead

2005-01-31T10:57:00.000-08:00

Abel was educated at Vassar College (B.A., 1921), Columbia University (M.A., 1924), and the University of Paris, where she received a diploma in psychology (1923). After earning a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1925, she taught at numerous institutions, including

Kayal

2005-01-30T01:39:00.000-08:00

The kayal is related to the longer melodic form known as the dhrupad but has fewer restrictions. It is usually accompanied

Nicholas I

2005-01-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

Russian in full Nikolay Pavlovich Russian emperor (1825–55), often considered the personification of classic autocracy; for his reactionary policies, he has been called the emperor who froze Russia for 30 years.

Paraboloid

2005-01-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

An open surface generated by rotating a parabola (q.v.) about its axis. If the axis of the surface is the z axis and the vertex is at the origin, the intersections of the surface with planes parallel to the xz and yz planes are parabolas (see Figure, top). The intersections of the surface with planes parallel to and above the xy plane are circles. The general equation for this

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Medieval allegory

2005-01-28T03:40:00.000-08:00

Erich Auerbach, Dante als Dichter der irdischen Welt (1929; Eng. trans., Dante: Poet of the Secular World, 1961); M.W. Bloomfield, “Symbolism in Medieval Literature,” Modern Philology, 56:73–81 (1958), and Piers Plowman As a Fourteenth-Century Apocalypse (1962); Edgar de Bruyne, Études d'esthétique médiévale, 3 vol. (1946); M.D. Chenu, La Théologie au douzième siècle (1957; Eng. trans. of nine selected essays, Nature, Man, and Society in the Twelfth Century, 1968); E.R. Curtius, Europäische Literatur und lateinisches Mittelalter (1948; Eng. trans., European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages, 1953); Raymond Klibansky, The Continuity of the Platonic Tradition During the Middle Ages (1939); C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature (1964); Joseph A. Mazzeo, Medieval Cultural Tradition in Dante's Comedy (1960); D.W. Robertson and B.F. Huppe, Piers Plowman and Scriptural Tradition (1951); Charles Singleton, Dante Studies, vol. 1, Commedia (1954).

Amazonas

2005-01-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

Estado (“state”), southern Venezuela. It is bounded on the north by the state of Bolívar, on the east and south by Brazil, and on the west by Colombia. The large but sparsely populated state lies within the drainage basins of the Orinoco River, which rises near the Brazilian border, and the Negro River, which is a northern tributary of the Amazon. Near the centre of the territory

Cheltenham

2005-01-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

A church is known to have existed at Cheltenham as early as 803. The town is first mentioned in documents in 1223, when the benefit of markets, fairs, and the hundred (feudal

Northwest Spitsbergen National Park

2005-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

Norwegian Nordvest-spitsbergen Nasjonalpark, national park and bird sanctuary established in 1973 by Norway on the northwestern corner of the island of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. With an area of 1,268 square miles (3,283 square km), the park typifies a high-arctic-tundra biologic community. The glaciated uplands of Albert I Land and Haakon VII Land, together with offshore islands, constitute

Gheyn, Matthias Van Den

2005-01-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

He was born into a celebrated family of Flemish bell founders. He moved with his family to Louvain in 1726 and probably received his first musical education

Grade Scale

2005-01-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

In sedimentology, division of a continuous range of particle sizes into a series of discrete groups, called grades. Several such scales have been devised for the purpose of standardizing terms and providing a basis for statistical analysis. On most scales, the finest particles are designated clay, followed by silt and then sand; other grades, which vary from scale

Pittsburg State University

2005-01-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

Public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Pittsburg, Kan., U.S. It comprises the College of Arts and Sciences, Gladys A. Kelce School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Technology and Applied Science. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers a selection of master's degree programs and specialist programs in education.

Interior Design, Institutional interiors

2005-01-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Schools, hospitals, and universities are examples of institutions now extensively using the services of interior designers and architects. Many universities have staff designers dealing with the institution's many design needs, from office spaces to dormitories. Certain institutional needs, such as operating rooms in hospitals, are strictly functional, yet

Rovigo

2005-01-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

Landmarks include the octagonal Church of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso (1594), called La Rotonda, with paintings

Indian Ocean

2005-01-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

Body of salt water, covering approximately one-fifth of the total ocean area of the world. It is the smallest, youngest, and physically most complex of the world's three major oceans. It stretches for more than 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometres) between the southern tips of Africa and Australia and, without its marginal seas, has an area of about 28,360,000 square miles (73,440,000 square kilometres). The Indian

Houdon, Jean-antoine

2005-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

Houdon began sculpturing at the age of nine and underwent the

Váh River

2005-01-20T19:08:00.000-08:00

Tributary of the Danube River in Slovakia. Rising in the Tatra Mountains as the Biely Váh (in the High Tatras) and Cierny Váh (in the Low Tatras), the river describes a long arc to the west and south. It joins the Little Danube to become the Váh Danube (Vázský Dunaj), which forms the eastern limit of Great Rye Island, and after several miles enters the Danube River at Komárno, in extreme

Distortion

2005-01-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

In acoustics and electronics, any change in a signal that alters the basic waveform or the relationship between various frequency components; it is usually a degradation of the signal. Straight amplification or attenuation without alteration of the waveform is not usually considered to be distortion. Amplitude distortion refers to unequal amplification