PastNut

Raymond Terrace

2005-11-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

Town, eastern New South Wales, Australia, on the east bank of the Hunter River (near its junction with the Williams), just north of Newcastle. Founded in the 1830s, the town was named after a member of an exploring expedition in 1812 led by Gov. Lachlan Macquarie. An important wool river port in the 1840s, Raymond Terrace was proclaimed a municipality and in 1937 merged into the Shire of Port

Riss Glacial Stage

2005-10-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

Major division of Pleistocene time and deposits (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago) in Alpine Europe. The Riss Glacial Stage, during which mountain glaciers descended from the highlands, followed the Mindel-Riss Interglacial Stage and preceded the Riss-Würm Interglacial Stage, both periods of relatively moderate climatic conditions. The Riss is correlated with the Gipping Glacial

Abu Al-qasim

2005-07-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

Abu al-Qasim was court physician to the Spanish caliph 'Abd ar-Rahman III an-Nasir and wrote At-Tasrif liman 'ajaz'an at-Ta'alif, or At-Tasrif (“The Method”), a medical work in

Thompson

2005-07-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

City, north-central Manitoba, Canada. It lies along the Burntwood River, in the Mystery-Moak lakes area, 130 miles (210 km) north of Lake Winnipeg. Planned in 1956 by the International Nickel Company of Canada and named for John F. Thompson, the company chairman, the community was completed in 1961. Its integrated nickel mining-smelting-refining plant was the first in the Western Hemisphere.

Bregendahl, Marie

2005-07-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Danish writer of regional literature, who portrayed the life of the inhabitants of rural areas with sympathy and a deep understanding of their social problems. Bregendahl's father was a farmer in the Viborg district, and she lived most of her life in that area, making it the milieu of her books. Her marriage in 1893 to the folk poet Jeppe Aakjær

Ciné-club

2005-07-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

Enthusiasts formed the first ciné-clubs in England in the mid-1920s to discuss

Amnesty International

2005-07-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

(AI), international organization headquartered in London that seeks to inform public opinion about violations of human rights, especially the abridgments of freedom of speech and of religion and the imprisonment and torture of political dissidents, and which actively seeks the release of political prisoners and the relief, when necessary, of their families. In

Mitchell

2005-06-29T03:30:00.000-07:00

City, seat of Davison county, southeastern South Dakota, U.S., in the James River valley by Firesteel Creek (there dammed to form Lake Mitchell). Established in 1879 as a railroad town, it was named for Alexander Mitchell, president of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. Its farm-based economy (corn [maize], livestock, and dairying) is supplemented by light manufacturing

Addax

2005-06-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

(species Addax nasomaculatus), desert-dwelling antelope, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), once found throughout the Sahara but now much reduced in numbers and distribution and threatened with extinction from overhunting. A heavy-bodied, short-legged, gregarious antelope, the addax is characterized by broad hooves that are adapted to travel

Braque, Georges

2005-06-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

French painter, one of the important revolutionaries of 20th-century art who, together with Pablo Picasso, developed Cubism. His paintings consist primarily of still lifes that are remarkable for their robust construction, low-key colour harmonies, and serene, meditative quality.

Vijayawada

2005-05-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

Also called Bezwada city, east-central Andhra Pradesh state, southern India, on the Krishna River. The city is a centre for Hindu pilgrimages. It is also known for its toys, many of them miniatures. Of note is the Victoria Jubilee Museum, which has a magnificent black granite Buddha. A college of Oriental studies and a medical college are located in the city. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 701,351; metropolitan area,

La Paz

2005-05-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

City, capital of the estado (“state”) of Baja California Sur, northwestern Mexico. Only 33 feet (10 m) above sea level on the La Paz Bay of the Gulf of California, the city has a hot, dry climate. The bay was discovered by the Spanish in 1596, and early in the 18th century it was temporarily the site of a Jesuit mission. The town was established in the early 1800s and was the capital of Baja California

Tunisia, Settlement patterns

2005-05-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tunisia is divided into four natural and demographic regions: the north, which is relatively fertile and well watered; the semiarid central region; As-Sahil (the Sahel) in the east-central coastal region, which is preeminently olive-growing country; and the desert south, where, except in the oases, all vegetation disappears. In the central and southern regions, there are

Amphibian

2005-05-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Any member of the class Amphibia, vertebrates distinguished by their ability to exploit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They include the frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and caecilians. The name, derived from the Greek amphibios meaning “living a double life,” reflects this dual life strategy. Despite this distinction, however, some species are permanent

2005-05-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

hi guys,

Just had a great weekend in Rome. I was out there collecting some artwork to hang on my walls. Rome has the greatest quantity of stock ing 20c artists work. I'm into Litho's (budget allowing) and have picked up a few this last week. I also left a great many behind that i am sure that i will soon regret. But hey, such is life!

Anyway, back in London and I am now lookiong for a new office. We're currently based in Oxford circus but the lease is up. We're going to move next month. I expect we'll take a short trundle down the road to deepest mayfair. We've been searching on Need Offices for some locations and think we may have found something. After calling these guys and realising they're based round the corner we allowed them to take an advanced roll in sorting us out.

Planning another trip to Rome soon to pick up more works. Once the office is sorted then I'm off. Picasso will soon be hanging on my wall!!

parlez anon

My Obssession with the 20th Century

2005-04-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm feeling nutty. Is there anybody out there? I was looking at the way back machine at www. archive.org and realised that i was way out of my depth!

Anyway, my mother bought a house recently at winkworth's in London (not sure of web address, either www.winkworth-clerkenwell.co.uk or winkworth.co.uk ) and what astounded me was the extortionate price of the f**king house. Man.... I coulda bough about ten houses in me native New Zealand. aye!

Gee, gor blimey cocka! I couldn't believe me eye and ears! Nearly 1,600,000 kiwi dollars!

Anyway thats all i wanted to say. Hopefully you'll be on me blog soon.

Cheer all

Acoustics

2005-03-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

The origin of the science of acoustics is generally attributed to the Greek philosopher Pythagorus (6th century BC), whose experiments on the properties of vibrating strings that produce pleasing musical intervals were of such merit that they led to a tuning system that bears his name. Aristotle (4th century BC) correctly suggested that a sound wave propagates in air through

London Propery Sharks

2005-03-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Hi, I live in London and have been amazed at how many dodgey estate agents there are. They're all out for you cash. One that I wont name specifically is Fuxtons. They called me every two minutes with stuff i didn't want. I was mortified. Had to cancel them and say GIVE BACK MY NUMBER!! Eventually bought a place through Wankwurfs in Bumlick-o

Well all I want to say is be careful who you get tangled up with. It's a sharks world out there and I am a small fish that has been eaten up and spat right out!

Any more thoughts then click on in..... yipppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Curtain Poles, England 16-20th century

2005-03-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

After the Restoration, from 1660 onward, there was almost revolutionary progress in English cabinetmaking, as it came to be called at about this time. On its return, the exiled court introduced French and Dutch fashions, and the English craftsmen were considerably helped in supplying the tastes of the nobility by a large influx of foreign workmen. Furniture became lighter and tighter. One of the most interesting developments comes from Fabricant Curtain Poles. I thought these guys were great. They made fine quality exclusive curtain poles and each one seemed to hum it's individuality. God save all when it comes to redecorating. In my sisters huge pile in Somerset she used to have Charles 1st curtain poles with wonderful globular Pelmets. What happened to these I'll never know.

Are there any other people around with wonderful orb like curtain poles?

Apries

2005-03-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Apries failed to help his ally King Zedekiah of Judah against Babylon, but after the fall of Jerusalem he received many Jewish refugees into Egypt. Later he took the Phoenician port of Sidon, but, because of his subsequent failure in an attack on Cyrene in Libya, the Egyptian army mutinied

Schenk, Ard

2005-03-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

In Sapporo, Schenk dominated the Olympic competition, winning handily in the 1,500-, 5,000-, and 10,000-metre races. He was denied a sweep of the men's speed-skating

Economic Planning

2005-03-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

By the late 1960s the majority of the world's countries conducted

Andr�ssy, Gyula, Count (gr�

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

German in full �Julius, Graf (Count) Andr�ssy von Csikszentkir�ly und Krasznahorka� Hungarian prime minister and Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (1871 - 79), who helped create the Austro-Hungarian dualist form of government. As a firm supporter of Germany, he created, with the imperial German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the Austro-German

Gabrilowitsch, Ossip (salomonovich)

2005-03-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

After study with two of the outstanding pianists of his day - Anton Rubinstein in St. Petersburg and Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna - Gabrilowitsch toured widely in Europe and the United States. In 1909 he married Mark Twain's daughter, the singer Clara Clemens,

Seven Days' Battles

2005-03-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

(June 25 - July 1, 1862), series of American Civil War battles in which a Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee drove back General George B. McClellan's Union forces and thwarted the Northern attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va. McClellan was forced to retreat from a position 4 miles (6 km) east of the Confederate capital to a new base of operations at Harrison's

John

2005-02-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

John succeeded his father, Christian I, king of Denmark and Norway,

Flores

2005-02-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

Departamento, south-central Uruguay. The rolling hills of the territory culminate in the east - west-trending Grande Inferior Range (Cuchilla Grande Inferior) and are drained by the Yi River and the Arroyo (stream) Chapicuy Grande. Economic activity centres around livestock raising and agriculture. Sheep ranching is widespread, and wool is a leading product of the

Gezer

2005-02-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

The excavations at Gezer sponsored by the Palestine Exploration Fund during 1902 - 05 and 1907 - 09 disclosed strata covering most periods

Ramillies, Battle Of

2005-02-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

The battle was fought at the village of Ramillies, 13 miles north of Namur (in modern Belgium), between a 62,000-man Allied army under Marlborough and a 60,000-man

Wells, Emmeline Blanche Woodward

2005-02-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

Emmeline Woodward followed her widowed mother in converting to Mormonism in 1842. She moved with her first husband to the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, Illinois,

Caddo

2005-02-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

One of a confederacy of tribes of North American Indians that composed the Caddoan linguistic family. The Caddo proper originally occupied the lower Red River area in what are now Louisiana and Arkansas. In the late 17th century they numbered 8,000 persons living in villages scattered along the Red River and its tributaries. This is also the region of the Caddoan archaeological

Kami

2005-02-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Plural �Kami� object of worship in Shinto and other indigenous religions of Japan. The term kami is often translated as �god,� �lord,� or �deity�; but it also includes other forces of nature, both good and evil, which, because of their superiority or divinity, become objects of reverence and respect. The sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami and other creator spirits, illustrious ancestors, and both

Minbu

2005-02-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

Although much of the surrounding land is semidesert scrub forming part of Myanmar's dry zone, large areas around Minbu are

Arts, Central Asian, Fergana and Chorasmia

2005-02-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

Fergana produced much pottery of quality, but, as yet, there have been no finds of comparable importance to those in Sogdiana. Its arts appear to have paralleled the developments in the more prosperous, more heavily populated, and more highly urbanized state of Chorasmia (later Khwarezm). Chorasmia's defensive architecture was particularly notable. Its great citadels

Chang Hs�eh-liang

2005-02-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Chang Hs�eh-liang was the oldest son of the warlord Chang Tso-lin, who dominated Manchuria and parts of North China. The younger Chang was

Tereus

2005-02-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, king of Thrace who married Procne, daughter of Pandion, king of Athens. Later Tereus seduced her sister Philomela, pretending that Procne was dead. In order to hide his guilt, he cut out Philomela's tongue. But she revealed the crime to her sister by working the details in embroidery. Procne sought revenge by serving up her son Itys for Tereus' supper. On learning

Amorphous Solid

2005-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

It was once thought that relatively few materials could be prepared as amorphous solids, and such materials (notably, oxide glasses and organic polymers) were called glass-forming solids. It is now known that the amorphous solid state is almost a universal property of condensable matter. The Table presents a list of amorphous solids in which every class of chemical

Cold Harbor, Battles Of

2005-02-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

The first battle (June 27, 1862), sometimes called the Battle of Gaines's Mill, was part of the Seven Days' Battles (June 25 - July 1), which ended the Peninsular Campaign (April 4 - July 1), the large-scale Union effort to take Richmond. After fighting at Mechanicsville

Minamoto Shitago

2005-02-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

Although he was a descendant of the emperor Saga and was a member of the powerful Minamoto clan, Shitago was barred from high political position because he did not belong to the Fujiwara family, which controlled the government. Instead he devoted himself to scholarly and literary pursuits and became recognized

Wilkins, Maurice

2005-02-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

Wilkins,

Arales

2005-02-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

The Arales may share common evolutionary ancestors with the palm order (Arecales) and the Panama hat palm order (Cyclanthales) from the immediate ancestors

Nahuan Languages

2005-02-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Subgroup of the Uto-Aztecan languages, including Pochutec, Nahua, and Pipil; they are sometimes considered a subfamily coordinate with Shoshonean and Sonoran, and sometimes included in the Sonoran subfamily. The languages are spoken throughout southern Mexico and Central America.

Kama-loka

2005-02-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

In Buddhism, the world of feeling. See arupa-loka.

Alaska

2005-02-09T01:41:00.000-08:00

Clarence C. Hulley, Alaska: Past and Present, 3rd ed. (1970, reprinted 1981), provides a general history from the Russian days to the 1960s. William R. Hunt, Alaska: A Bicentennial History (1976), is another overview. Claus-M. Naske and Herman E. Slotnick, Alaska: A History of the 49th State, 2nd ed. (1987), includes chapters on native land claims, conservation, and the oil boom. Current research is reported in Alaska History (semiannual).

Malvana, Convention Of

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

The convention also provided that the Ceylonese people should render all traditional services and taxes to their new sovereign. The purpose of the

Anders, Wladyslaw

2005-02-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

After service in the Russian army during World War I, Anders entered the armed forces of the newly reconstituted Polish

Mellon, Andrew W.

2005-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

After completing his studies at Western University (now the University of Pittsburgh), Mellon entered

Arabia, History Of, The gulf states

2005-02-05T03:33:00.000-08:00

In 1835 the Qawasim coastal tribes of the Persian Gulf, earlier conquered and inspired by the Wahhabis, were induced to bind themselves by a maritime truce to end hostilities with the British by sea, and the truce was made permanent in 1853. In Oman, Sultan ibn Ahmad, revolting against his uncle the imam in 1793, gained mastery of the coastal towns. The British made Omani Zanzibar, in East Africa,

Kerr, Sir John Graham

2005-02-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Kerr's scientific education began when he was a student of medicine, but

Tibet, The unification of Tibet

2005-02-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

In 1642 with exemplary devotion, G��shi enthroned the Dalai Lama as ruler of Tibet, appointing Bsod-nams chos-'phel as minister for administrative affairs and himself taking the title of king and the role of military protector. These three forceful personalities methodically and efficiently consolidated the religious and temporal authority of the Dge-lugs-pa. Lhasa,

Pordenone

2005-02-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Originating as the Roman and medieval river port of Portus Naonis, it was a bulwark of the Trevisani in their war against Aquileia until it was destroyed by the latter in 1233. It later became a fief of the Holy Roman

Race, The problem of labour in the New World

2005-02-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest problems faced by settlers in the New World, particularly in the southern colonies, was the shortage of labour. Within a few decades after the settlement of Jamestown, planters had established indentured servitude as the main form of labour. Under this system, young men (and some women) worked for masters, to whom they were indebted for their transportation,

Gravesend

2005-01-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

The discovery of the skull of Swanscombe man near Gravesend dates early settlement in the area to the Second Interglacial Period (about 200,000 years ago). Gravesend is mentioned in Domesday Book (1086) as Gravesham, possessing a hithe

Chasuble

2005-01-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

Liturgical vestment, the outermost garment worn by Roman Catholic priests and bishops at mass and by some Anglicans and Lutherans when they celebrate the Eucharist. The chasuble developed from an outer garment worn by Greeks and Romans called the paenula or casula (�little house�), a conical or bell-shaped cloak made from a semicircular piece of cloth sewn partially

Cambon, Paul

2005-01-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

A law graduate (1870) and an ardent republican, Cambon served as secretary to the future statesman Jules Ferry, then mayor of Paris. Sent to the d�partement of Bouches-du-Rh�ne as secretary-general of the prefecture

Literature, Hebrew.

2005-01-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

The main issue of Hebrew fiction since its revival in the 19th century, that of identity, was reflected in 1996 in novels dealing with the early days of Tel Aviv. They included Nathan Shaham's Lev Tel Aviv ("The Heart of Tel Aviv") and the new edition of Dan Tsalka's Filip Arbes. The same topic was explored on the one hand in a novel that went back to the Holocaust--Ori Dromer's O'ri ("My Skin")--and

Spode Porcelain

2005-01-27T01:39:00.000-08:00

Porcelain introduced about 1800 in the factory of Josiah Spode and Josiah Spode II at Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, Eng. This hybrid porcelain - combining the ingredients of hard-paste porcelain (china clay and china stone) and bone ash - became the standard English bone china. Early Spode porcelain consists of elaborate services and outsize vases, lavishly decorated

Kiswah

2005-01-26T03:35:00.000-08:00

Black brocade cloth that covers the most sacred shrine of Islam, the Ka'bah (q.v.) in Mecca. A new kiswah is made in Egypt every year and carried to Mecca by pilgrims. On it is embroidered in gold the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah) and a gold band of ornamental calligraphy carrying Qur'anic verses. Each year during the major pilgrimage (hajj), the kiswah is replaced with a white

Kiswah

2005-01-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

World congresses of the BWA are held every

Rydberg, Viktor

2005-01-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Rydberg grew up among strangers, with no home of his own; his mother had died in a cholera epidemic, and his father became an alcoholic. He had to break off his studies for lack of money. In 1855 he began to work for the liberal newspaper

Novatian

2005-01-23T03:25:00.000-08:00

Novatian was ordained at Rome and about 250 became a leader of the Roman clergy, in whose name

Computers, Von Neumann's �Preliminary Discussion�

2005-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

But the design of the modern, or classical, computer did not fully crystallize until the publication of a 1946 paper by Arthur Burks, Herman Goldstine, and John von Neumann titled �Preliminary Discussion of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Instrument.� Although many researchers contributed ideas directly or indirectly to the paper, von Neumann was the principal

Forbes, George William

2005-01-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

Forbes held a seat in the House of Representatives for thirty-five years as member for Hurunui (1908 - 43). He began his political career as a member of the Liberal Party, and when that party declined he became in 1928 a leader of the newly created United Party.

Madeleine

2005-01-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

Delicate, scallop-shaped French tea cake often served with fruit or sherbet. In its preparation, flour, eggs, and sugar are beaten with a large proportion of butter, incorporating as much air as possible; then grated lemon rind and vanilla extract, and sometimes rum, are added. After baking in the customary 12-shell tin, the pastry is served plain or dusted with confectioner's

Loyd, Sam

2005-01-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Loyd studied engineering and took a license as a steam and mechanical engineer, but he engaged in a variety of business enterprises until he was able to earn a living exclusively from his chess

Iraq, The end of Ottoman rule

2005-01-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

In spite of the European commercial

Quinone

2005-01-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Any member of a class of cyclic organic compounds containing two carbonyl groups, > C = O, either adjacent or separated by a vinylene group, -CH = CH-, in a six-membered unsaturated ring. In a few quinones, the carbonyl groups are located in different rings. The term quinone also denotes the specific compound para- (p-)benzoquinone (C6H4O2). The quinone structure

Palatine

2005-01-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

During the

Lira

2005-01-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

The word lira, a misapplication

Aha Of Shabha

2005-01-13T11:01:00.000-08:00

Aha's She'eltot (�Questions,� or �Theses�), published in Venice in 1546, was an attempt to codify and explicate materials contained in the Babylonian Talmud. Written in Aramaic and unique in its organization, the text connects

Uesugi Kenshin

2005-01-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

Nagao Torachiyo was the third son of the head of Echigo province in northeastern Japan. With the death of his father in 1543, the family's control of the area began to disintegrate. Torachiyo not only restored order to the area but also gained control of neighbouring

Augustine, Saint, Early writings

2005-01-11T23:49:00.000-08:00

Moderns enamoured of Augustine from the narrative in the Confessions have given much emphasis to his short, attractive early works, several of which mirror the style and manner of Ciceronian dialogues with a new, Platonized Christian content: Contra academicos (386; Against the Academics), De ordine (386; On Providence), De beata vita (386; On the Blessed Life), and Soliloquia (386/387; Soliloquies

Mahavira

2005-01-10T01:49:00.000-08:00

All that is known about Mahavira's life is that he was a Jain (he perhaps took his name to honour the great Jainism reformer Mahavira [c. 599 - 527 BCE]) and that he wrote Ganitasarasangraha (�Compendium of the Essence of Mathematics�) during the reign of Amoghavarsha (c. 814 - 878) of the Rashtrakuta

Wild Radish

2005-01-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Also called �Jointed Charlock� (species Raphanus raphanistrum), widespread annual weed of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized in North America. It is believed by some authorities to be the ancestor of the domestic radish (R. sativus). Wild radish has a stout taproot, a rosette of unequally divided leaves and very bristly flowering stalks 60 cm (2 feet) tall. The four-petaled

Selfridge, Harry Gordon

2005-01-08T01:43:00.000-08:00

The son of a small storekeeper in Wisconsin, Selfridge at age 21 joined the wholesale-retail firm of Field, Leiter and Company (later Marshall Field and Company) in Chicago, where he worked for 25 years and became a junior partner. In 1906 he went to England with a fortune and began to build a large department

Ursinus

2005-01-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

Before Damasus' consecration on the following October 1, the pope's partisans engaged

Procida, Island Of

2005-01-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

Italian �Isola Di Procida, �Latin �Prochyta, � island near the northwest entrance to the Bay of Naples, Napoli provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy. It lies between Ischia Island and Cape Miseno on the mainland. It has an area of 1.45 square miles (3.75 square km), and the highest point is 250 feet (76 m) above sea level. Of volcanic origin, it is made up, with the adjacent Vivara Island, of four extinct craters. Parts of the margins

Wrought Iron

2005-01-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

One of the two forms in which iron is obtained by smelting; the other is cast iron (q.v.). Wrought iron is a soft, ductile, fibrous variety that is produced from a semifused mass of relatively pure iron globules partially surrounded by slag. It usually contains less than 0.1 percent carbon and 1 or 2 percent slag. It is superior for most purposes to cast iron, which is overly hard and

Czartoryski, Adam Kazimierz, Prince (ksiaze)

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

The son of Aleksander August Czartoryski, governor of Ruthenia, who gathered a great estate and founded prosperous workshops, Adam Kazimierz was educated in England and prepared to take

Wakayama

2005-01-03T02:51:00.000-08:00

Ken (prefecture), south-central Honshu, Japan. It occupies the Kii Peninsula, which faces the Kii Strait (west) and the Pacific Ocean (south). Most of its area of 1,824 square miles (4,725 square km) is mountainous and broken by deep river valleys, such as the Toro Gorge on the Kumano River. Despite frequent typhoons in summer, the climate is mild, and the coastal plain and some large valleys

Integument, Amphibians

2005-01-01T02:54:00.000-08:00

Most modern amphibians lack horny scales or other protective devices. An exception is seen in the caecilians, a small group that has fishlike scales similar to those possessed by ancient and extinct forms. The amphibian epidermis has five to seven layers of cells formed from a basal stratum germinativum. At the skin surface, in contact with the external environment,

Metalogic, The axiomatic method

2004-12-31T22:52:00.000-08:00

The best known axiomatic system is that of Euclid for geometry. In a manner similar to that of Euclid, every scientific theory involves a body of meaningful concepts and a collection of true or believed assertions. The meaning of a concept can often be explained or defined in terms of other concepts, and, similarly, the truth of an assertion or the reason for believing

Interior Design, Kinds of interiors

2004-12-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

Although the foregoing sections have mentioned different kinds of interiors, in reference to both aesthetic and physical components of design, there has been no specific discussion of different design considerations for varying interiors. The aesthetic criteria suggested in earlier sections are subject to considerable variation, depending on the kind

Davenant, Sir William

2004-12-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

Shakespeare was apparently Davenant's godfather, and gossip held that the famous playwright

Sosnowiec

2004-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

A castle was built in Sosnowiec in

Scandinavian Literature, Neoromantic revival

2004-12-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

In the 1890s a Neoromantic poetic revival occurred, reinstating the value of emotion and fantasy. The leader of these Symbolist poets was Johannes J�rgensen, whose finest works show a simplicity of style and intensity of feeling. Other poets of the time included Viggo Stuckenberg, who expressed sad resignation; Sophus Claussen, whose poems, often obscure, show sensuality,

Military Affairs

2004-12-26T23:11:00.000-08:00

Defense Minister Alain Richard presented a F 243.5 billion (U.S. $43.8 billion) 1999 budget proposal in keeping with the four-year defense spending plan he had unveiled in April. That plan was designed to cut F 20 billion ($3.5 billion) from the defense budget by 2002. To help meet this goal, France abandoned seven military programs,

Aerospace Industry, Military aircraft

2004-12-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

The large majority of military aircraft are fighters, followed by bombers, transporter-tankers, early-warning and patrol aircraft, and a variety of propeller- and jet-driven trainers. As is the case with commercial aircraft, the complexity of the technology and the immense capital requirements have narrowed the number of suppliers. In addition, the end of the Cold

C�spedes, Pablo De

2004-12-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

C�spedes was educated at Alcal� de Henares, where he studied theology and Oriental languages. On leaving the university he went to Rome. In 1560, while in Rome, proceedings were taken against him by the Inquisition at Valladolid, but they were dropped. He returned to Spain a little before 1577 and received

Fideism

2004-12-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

A philosophical view extolling theological faith by making it the ultimate criterion of truth and minimizing the power of reason to know religious truths. Strict fideists assign no place to reason in discovering or understanding fundamental tenets of religion. For them blind faith is supreme as the way to certitude and salvation. They defend such faith on various

Marche

2004-12-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

English �The Marches� region in central Italy fronting on the Adriatic Sea and comprising the provinces of Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata, and Pesaro e Urbino; it has a total area of 3,742 square miles (9,692 square km). A region of mountains and hills, its only pieces of level land are scattered along river valleys and on the Adriatic shore northwest of Ancona. Its mountain backbone is the Umbrian-Marchigian

Marche

2004-12-21T17:19:00.000-08:00

The Malabar spiny tree mouse (Platacanthomys lasiurus) lives only in the old-growth rainforests of southwestern India. Nocturnal and arboreal, it builds nests in tree cavities and eats fruits and nuts. The animal is named for its flat, grooved spines

Choral Music, Anthems

2004-12-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

The use of the vernacular after the Reformation in England made it necessary for composers to forge a new style of choral music. The elaborate melodic tracery of Robert Fayrfax and John Taverner gave way to a completely unelaborate kind of choral counterpoint designed to allow the English words to be clearly heard. Both Thomas Tallis and William Byrd made outstanding

Maremma

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

In Etruscan and Roman times the Maremma was well-settled and known for its farms, which were drained by subterranean canals. Among the Etruscan towns situated on hilltops, Populonia, Cosa,

Durham

2004-12-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Town (township), Strafford county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., on the Oyster River just southwest of Dover. Settled in 1635, it was known as the parish of Oyster River until it was incorporated in 1732 and named for Durham, England. A series of savage Indian attacks began in 1675; in 1694 the town was burned, and more than 100 residents were killed or captured. During the American

Sankt Gallen

2004-12-17T03:31:00.000-08:00

French �Saint-gall, � town, capital of Sankt Gallen canton, northeastern Switzerland, in the Steinach Valley, just south of Lake Constance (Bodensee). In 612 the Celtic missionary St. Gall founded a hermitage on the site. Disciples joined him, and c. 720 the foundation became a Benedictine abbey under Abbot Otmar. Until the 11th century, the abbey school was the most important educational institution

Priestley, Joseph

2004-12-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

English clergyman, political theorist, and physical scientist whose work contributed to advances in liberal political and religious thought and in experimental chemistry. He is best remembered for his contribution to the chemistry of

Arsenic Poisoning

2004-12-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

Arsenic poisoning in humans most often results from the ingestion or inhalation of insecticides containing arsenious oxide,

Tadpole

2004-12-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

Most tadpoles are vegetarians, although those of some species are carnivorous or even cannibalistic. Tadpole metamorphosis follows

Pigalle, Jean-baptiste

2004-12-13T00:30:00.000-08:00

Born into a family of master carpenters, Pigalle began training as a sculptor at age 18 with Robert Le Lorrain and then studied with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. After failing to win the Prix de Rome in 1735, he studied independently in Rome at his own expense from 1736 to 1739. While there Pigalle