SameDrawer

serviced offices

2006-11-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

Office planet have a huge database of serviced offices throughout the UK. serviced offices provide an affordable and hassle free office solution

Cephallenia

2005-04-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

Also called Cephalonia , Modern Greek Kefallinía island, largest of the Ionian Islands, west of the Gulf of Patraïkós. With the island of Ithaca (Itháki) and smaller nearby islands, it forms the nomós (department) of Kefallinía in modern Greece. The island, 302 square miles (781 square km) in area, is mountainous, with Mount Aínos (ancient Mount Aenos; 5,341 feet [1,628 m]) often snowcapped for months. Except for the Raki, there are few permanent streams,

Kerll, Johann Caspar Von

2005-04-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

In 1645 Kerll was sent by Ferdinand III to study in Rome with the prominent composers Giacomo Carissimi and Girolamo Frescobaldi; earlier he had studied in Vienna. His study in Italy had great influence on his composition, much of which is Italianate in

Kyrenia Mountains

2005-04-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

Mountain range in northern Cyprus extending east to west for about 100 miles (160 km) from Cape Andreas, on the Karpas Peninsula, to Cape Kormakiti. Rising from the coast a short distance inland, the range flanks a narrow coastal plain and reaches a maximum height of 3,360 feet (1,024 m) at Mount Kyparissovouno, in the western region, ending in low hills at the tip of Cape Andreas in the east.

Bomber

2005-04-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

Military aircraft designed to drop bombs on surface targets. Aerial bombardment can be traced to the Italo-Turkish War, in which early in December 1911 an Italian pilot on an observation mission reached over the side of his airplane and dropped four grenades on two Turkish targets. During World War I the Germans used their rigid airships, known as Zeppelins, as strategic

Arraiolos Rug

2005-04-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

Embroidered floor covering made at Arraiolos, north of Évora in Portugal. The technique is herringbone or cross-stitch on a linen cloth foundation. Early Arraiolos rugs utilized designs derived from the Persians, from whom the Portuguese learned the craft. Portuguese artisans soon replaced these Persian designs with Portuguese folk-art patterns in more limited

X Ray

2005-04-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

Any electromagnetic radiation of an extremely short wavelength produced by the deceleration of charged particles or the transitions of electrons in atoms. As can be seen in the Figure, the wavelengths of X rays range from about 10-8 metres to 12-12 metres, with corresponding frequencies of 1016 to 1021 hertz (Hz). Like other forms of electromagnetic radiation (gamma rays, ultraviolet,

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Parable

2005-03-31T22:21:00.000-08:00

In the West the conventions of parable were largely established by the teachings of Christ. The New Testament records a sufficient number of his parables, with their occasions, to show that to some extent his disciples were chosen as his initiates and followers because they “had ears to hear” the true meaning of his parables. (It has already been noted that the parable

Thomas, Saint

2005-03-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

Thomas' character is outlined in The Gospel

Abell, Kjeld

2005-03-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

Abell studied political science but afterward began a career as a stage designer in Paris. He

Gatchina

2005-03-29T00:15:00.000-08:00

Formerly (until 1929) Khotchino , or (1929–44) Krasnogvardeysk city, Leningrad oblast (province), northwestern Russia, lying 15 miles (24 km) southwest of St. Petersburg. The first mention of Khotchino dates from 1499, when it was a possession of Novgorod. Later it belonged to Livonia and Sweden. After 1721 it was returned to Russia and in the 1720s belonged to the sister of Peter I the Great, Natalia. The town grew only after the building, between 1766 and 1772, of a summer

Narew River

2005-03-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

East-bank tributary of the Vistula River that rises in western Belarus and flows into eastern Poland. The Narew River is 272 miles (438 km) long and drains an area of more than 10,800 square miles (28,000 square km). It rises in the Belovezhskaya Forest in western Belarus and flows westward through wooded plains and marshlands. After entering Poland it swings north near Bialystok before

Córdoba

2005-03-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

City, west-central Veracruz estado (“state”), east-central Mexico. It lies at 3,031 feet (924 m) above sea level along the San Antonio River, within sight of the dormant volcano Citlaltépetl. The settlement was founded in 1618 as Villa de Córdoba and was host to the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba on Aug. 24, 1821, giving Mexico its independence from Spain. The city is set in a tropical landscape and

Managua, Lake

2005-03-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

Spanish Lago De Managua, lake in western Nicaragua, in a rift valley at an elevation of 128 feet (39 m) above sea level. The lake, 65 feet (20 m) in depth, is 36 miles (58 km) from east to west and 16 miles (25 km) from north to south; its area is 400 square miles (1,035 square km). Also known by its Indian name, Xolotlán, the lake is fed by numerous streams rising in the central highlands and the Diriamba Highlands. It is drained by the Tipitapa River,

Biron, Armand-louis De Gontaut, Duc De (duke Of)

2005-03-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

In his youth, as Duke de Lauzun, he dissipated his fortune, traveling about Europe and earning notoriety for his gallantry and success with

Dance, Western, The Soviet ballet

2005-03-26T05:20:00.000-08:00

Although Diaghilev's achievements were ignored there, the Soviet Union in the 1920s abounded with the daring choreographic experiments of Fyodor Lopukhov (1886–1973) and others. Despite the official imposition of “socialist realism” as the criterion of artistic acceptability in 1932, ballet gained enormous popularity with the Soviet people. They loved their dancers, who were superbly

Strangford Lough

2005-03-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

Irish Loch Cuan inlet of the Irish Sea between Ards and Down districts, Northern Ireland. The lough (lake) is about 16 miles (26 km) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide, with a very narrow entrance, which cuts across the northeast-southwest trend of the rocks in the area. The edges of the lough are characterized by many drumlins, or long oval mounds, which are also seen in submerged form in the lough. Strangford

Peregrinus Of Maricourt, Peter

2005-03-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

Almost nothing is known about Peregrinus' life, except that he wrote his famous treatise while serving as an engineer in the army of Charles I of Anjou that was besieging Lucera (in Italy) in August 1269 in a “crusade” sanctioned by the pope. Peregrinus' abilities

Arpino, Gerald

2005-03-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

While serving in the U.S. Coast Guard (1945–48), Arpino met dancer Robert Joffrey in Seattle, Wash., and learned dancing in his spare time. Later, after training and performing in New York City, he toured with the Ballet Russe and appeared in Broadway musicals. He helped Joffrey

Elgon, Mount

2005-03-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

Extinct volcano on the Kenya-Uganda boundary. Its crater, about 5 miles (8 km) in diameter, contains several peaks, of which Wagagai (14,178 feet [4,321 m]) is the highest. Its extrusions cover about 1,250 square miles (3,200 square km) and consist largely of fragmental rocks and only a smattering of lavas. The mountain slope is gentle and the outline unimpressive. On the east and southeast at about 6,200 feet

Acclimatization

2005-03-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

The numerous sudden changes that evoke rapid and short-term responses via the nervous and hormonal systems are not examples of acclimatization. An individual

Bingham, Amelia

2005-03-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

Amelia Swilley left Ohio Wesleyan University in 1890 when she was encouraged by Lloyd Bingham, manager of a traveling professional theatrical company, to go on the stage.

Kandahar

2005-03-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

The strategic and

Villon, François

2005-03-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

The criminal history of Villon's life can all too easily obscure the scholar, trained in the rigorous intellectual disciplines of the medieval schools. While it is true that his poetry makes a direct unsentimental appeal to our emotions, it is also true that it displays a remarkable control of rhyme and reveals a disciplined composition that suggests a deep concern

Disinfectant

2005-03-19T20:42:00.000-08:00

Any substance, such as creosote or alcohol, applied to inanimate objects to kill microorganisms. Disinfectants and antiseptics are alike in that both are germicidal, but antiseptics are applied primarily to living tissue. The ideal disinfectant would rapidly destroy bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans, would not corrode surgical instruments, and would not

Yaksha

2005-03-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

Yakshas were often given homage as tutelary deities of a city, district, lake, or well. Their worship, together

Annelid, Behaviour and associations.

2005-03-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

Various polychaetes (for example, Syllis, Chaetopterus, Cirratulus, Terebella) are bioluminescent—that is, capable of producing light. The phenomenon occurs within the cells of Polynoe; the lower surfaces of some scale worms (Halosydna) have special photocells that produce light when stimulated. Odontosyllis light production is related to sexual maturity and

Lan-chou

2005-03-18T00:02:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Lanzhou, conventional Lanchow city, capital of Kansu province (sheng), China. It is situated on the upper course of the Huang Ho (Yellow River), where the river emerges from the mountains. Lan-chou has been a centre since early times, being at the southern end of the route leading via the Kansu Corridor across Central Asia; it also commands the approaches to the ancient capital area of Ch'ang-an (modern Sian

Amsterdam

2005-03-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

City, Montgomery county, eastern New York, U.S. It lies along the Mohawk River, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Schenectady. Settled by Albert Veeder in 1783, it was known as Veedersburg until it was renamed for Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1804. Its location on the Mohawk Trail, the completion of the Erie Canal (1825; now part of the New York State Canal System), and the arrival of the railroad (1836) stimulated

Spoleto

2005-03-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

The site of an Umbrian township from at least the 7th to the 6th century BC, Spoleto became a Roman colony in 241 BC. It successfully

Watercress

2005-03-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

Also called Cress (Nasturtium officinale), perennial plant, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout North America in cool, flowing streams where it grows submerged, floating on the water, or spread over mud surfaces. Watercress often is cultivated in tanks for its young shoots, which are used in salads. The plant bears four-petalled, white flowers

Malolos

2005-03-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central Luzon, Philippines. It lies at the head of the Pampanga River delta, near the northern shore of Manila Bay. During a revolt against U.S. administration, the insurgent congress met there in the Barasoain Church, where they framed the “Malolos Constitution” and proclaimed a republic on January 23, 1899. The insurgent leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, established his

Sudra

2005-03-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shudra, Sanskrit Sudra, the fourth and lowest of the traditional varnas, or social classes, of Hindu India, traditionally artisans and labourers. The term does not appear in the earliest Vedic literature. In its first application it probably included all conquered peoples of the Indus civilization as they were assimilated as menials to the three-class society of the Brahmans (priests

Alkaptonuria

2005-03-14T23:49:00.000-08:00

Rather rare (one in 200,000 births) inherited disorder of protein metabolism characterized by an inability of the body to metabolize the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. In the normal metabolic pathway of tyrosine, homogentisic acid is converted to maleylacetoacetate in the liver by the enzyme homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase. This enzyme is not active in individuals

Spongilla

2005-03-14T01:56:00.000-08:00

Sponge genus that includes the freshwater sponge (q.v.) species.

Bruce Series

2005-03-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

Division of Precambrian rocks in North America that is well-developed northeast of the Lake Huron region (the Precambrian began about 3.8 billion years ago and ended 540 million years ago). The Bruce Series is the lowermost of the three major divisions of the Huronian System; it overlies pre-Huronian schists, underlies rocks of the Cobalt Series, and consists of about 1,500 m (about

Ear Disease

2005-03-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

The air-filled middle-ear cavity and the air cells in the mastoid bone that extend backward from it are supplied with air by the eustachian tube that extends from the upper part of the pharynx to the middle-ear cavity. The brain cavity lies just above and behind the middle ear and mastoid air spaces, separated from them only by thin plates of bone. The nerve that supplies

Sicilian School

2005-03-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

A group of Sicilian, southern Italian, and Tuscan poets centred in the courts of Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250) and his son Manfred (d. 1266); they established the vernacular, as opposed to Provençal, as the standard language for Italian love poetry, and they also, under the influence of Provençal, northern French, and possibly Arabic poetic traditions, are credited with the invention

Computer Crime

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

Since the first reported case of computer abuse in 1958, computers have been involved in most types of crimes, including theft, burglary, larceny, fraud, embezzlement,

Theatre, Western

2005-03-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature, and the articles on individual national literatures. For detailed information on the arts of theatrical performance and stagecraft, see theatre, directing, acting, and theatrical production.

Ba Maw

2005-03-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Ba Maw was educated at Rangoon College, Calcutta University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Bordeaux, Fr., where he received a doctorate in 1924. Admitted to

Maucherite

2005-03-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

A nickel arsenide mineral with chemical composition approximating Ni3As2 or Ni11As8, assigned to the group of sulfide minerals. It often occurs with niccolite (to which it alters), as at Mansfeld, Ger.; Los Jarales, Málaga, Spain; and Ontario, Can. Its crystals belong to the tetragonal system. It is identical to the furnace product placodine. For chemical formula and detailed

Cleveland Bay

2005-03-09T05:01:00.000-08:00

The Cleveland Bay is descended

Armilus

2005-03-08T01:14:00.000-08:00

In Jewish legends, an enemy who will conquer Jerusalem and persecute Jews until his final defeat at the hands of God or the true Messiah. His inevitable destruction symbolizes the ultimate victory of good over evil in the messianic era. Some sources depict Armilus as partially deaf and partially maimed, the frightful offspring of Satan or evil creatures. Parallel

Pitchstone

2005-03-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

Most pitchstone occurs as dikes or marginal phases of dikes and therefore may grade into porphyry. Pitchstone porphyry (vitrophyre)

Paullus Macedonicus, Lucius Aemilius

2005-03-07T00:26:00.000-08:00

Paullus' father, a consul of the same name, had been killed fighting the Carthaginians at Cannae in 216. Praetor in 191 and consul in 182, Paullus campaigned against the Lusitanians in Spain (191–189) and the Ingauni in Liguria (181). As consul again in 168, he decisively defeated the Macedonian king Perseus

Arts, Native American, Andean peoples

2005-03-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Andean tribes, across the mountains from the Jívaro, also favour pentatonic scales, but they evolved a more sophisticated musical style during prehistory and in the period of Spanish colonization. They retain fragments of ancient ceremonial music, such as the invocation to the rain god on the Island of Taquila in Lake Titicaca—a repetitious tune for whistle and

Utsunomiya

2005-03-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Capital, Tochigi ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. The city is situated on the alluvial plain between the Ta River and the Kinu River. A castle town in the 11th century, it later served as a post town on the Nikko Highway during the Tokugawa era (1603–1867). The city became the prefectural administrative centre in 1884. During World War II industries were relocated to Utsunomiya from Tokyo, producing

China, Twentieth-century China

2005-03-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

The bibliography on contemporary Chinese history is vast and growing rapidly. Although publications on modern China are uneven in coverage and quality, most subjects of interest have been discussed in the writings of scholars and visitors to China and Taiwan. A comprehensive bibliography of these writings is compiled annually by the Journal of Asian Studies. See also George Ginsburgs and Michael Mathos, Communist China and Tibet: The First Dozen Years (1964); Edgar Snow, Red China Today (1971); John Wilson Lewis, Leadership in Communist China (1963, reprinted 1978), and (ed.), The City in Communist China (1971); Benjamin I. Schwartz, Communism and China: Ideology in Flux (1968); C.K. Yang, The Chinese Communist Society: The Family and the Village (1965); Byung-joon Ahn, Chinese Politics and the Cultural Revolution: Dynamics of Policy Processes (1976); Lowell Dittmer, Liu Shao-Ch'i and the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The Politics of Mass Criticism (1974); Kenneth Lieberthal, Revolution and Tradition in Tientsin, 1949–1952 (1980); Maurice Miesner, Mao's China: History of the People's Republic (1977); William E. Griffith, The Sino-Soviet Rift, Analysed and Documented (1964), and Sino-Soviet Relations, 1964–1965 (1967); Richard Baum, Prelude to Revolution: Mao, the Party, and the Peasant Question, 1962–66 (1975); Roderick MacFarquhar, The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, 2 vol. (1974–83); Frederick C. Teiwes, Politics and Purges in China: Rectifications and the Decline of Party Norms, 1950–1965 (1979); Tang Tsou, The Cultural Revolution and Post-Mao Reforms (1986); Edward E. Rice, Mao's Way (1972); Robert A. Scalapino (ed.), Elites in the People's Republic of China (1972); Stuart Schram (ed.), Mao Tse-tung Unrehearsed: Talks and Letters: 1956–71 (1974, U.S. title, Chairman Mao Talks to the People: Talks and Letters, 1956–1971); Frederic Wakeman, Jr., History and Will: Philosophical Perspectives of Mao Tse-tung's Thought (1973); William W. Whitson and Chen-hsia Huang, The Chinese High Command: A History of Communist Military Politics, 1927–71 (1973); Martin King Whyte, Small Groups and Political Rituals in China (1974); Margery Wolf and Roxane Witke (eds.), Women in Chinese Society (1975); and Margery Wolf, Revolution Postponed: Women in Contemporary China (1985).

Hop

2005-03-05T01:23:00.000-08:00

Either of two species of the genus Humulus, nonwoody annual or perennial vines in the hemp family (Cannabeceae) native to temperate North America, Eurasia, and South America. The hops used in the brewery industry are the dried female flower clusters (cones) of the common hop (H. lupulus). The Japanese hop (H. japonicus) is a quick-growing annual species used

Entente Cordiale

2005-03-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

(April 8, 1904), Anglo-French agreement that, by settling a number of controversial matters, ended antagonisms between Great Britain and France and paved the way for their diplomatic cooperation against German pressures in the decade preceding World War I (1914–18). The agreement in no sense created an alliance and did not entangle Great Britain with a French commitment to Russia

Aksak

2005-03-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Bulgarian Rhythm, variety of musical metre characterized by combinations of unequal units of beats, such as 2 plus 3 or 3 plus 2 and their extensions. Thus 3 + 3 + 2, or 2 + 3 + 3, produces 8/8 units quite unlike the 4/4 common to Western music. As non-Western music, as well as eastern European folk music, began to exert influence in the West, aksak rhythms found their way into the works of a number of 20th-century composers

Antarctic Ocean

2005-03-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

Also called Southern Ocean, the southern portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans and their tributary seas surrounding Antarctica. Unbroken by any other continental landmass, the Antarctic Ocean's narrowest constriction is the Drake Passage, 600 miles (1,000 km) wide, between South America and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The structure of the ocean floor includes a continental shelf

Dagda

2005-03-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Also called Eochaid Ollathair (“Eochaid the All-Father”) , or In Ruad Ro-fhessa (“Red [or Mighty] One of Great Wisdom”) in Celtic religion, one of the leaders of a mythological Irish people, the Tuatha Dé Danann (“People of the Goddess Danu”). The Dagda was credited with many powers and possessed a caldron that was never empty, fruit trees that were never barren, and two pigs—one live and the other perpetually roasting. He also had a huge club that had the power both to kill men and to restore

Ginsberg, (irwin) Allen

2005-02-28T22:07:00.000-08:00

American poet (b. June 3, 1926, Newark, N.J.--d. April 5, 1997, New York, N.Y.), was the poet laureate of the cultural movement in the 1950s whose members were known as the Beat Generation, disaffected antiestablishment writers whose lifestyle embraced alienation, nonconformity, and, often, drug use. His influence on art, music, and politics lasted throughout the following four decades, and such varied

Fields, Dorothy

2005-02-28T02:54:00.000-08:00

Fields was the daughter of Lew M. Fields of the vaudeville comedy team of Weber and Fields. After graduating from high school in New York City, she taught drama

Cumberland

2005-02-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

County, south-central Pennsylvania, U.S. It consists of a hilly region in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley physiographic province bounded to the north by Blue Mountain, to the east by the Susquehanna River, to the southeast by Yellow Breeches Creek, and to the south by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Conodoguinet Creek and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail cross the

Interior Design, Preliminary phases

2005-02-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

The first step is the interview with the client. This is often a series of conversations and must eventually lead to a mutual agreement. Clients usually have a good idea of their needs and preferences, yet an experienced designer frequently sees some needs not envisioned by the client, and often he must reeducate the client's attitude about preferences. Obviously,

Cassone

2005-02-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

Italian chest, usually used as a marriage chest, and the most elaborately decorated piece of furniture of the Renaissance. Cassoni traditionally were made in pairs and sometimes bore the respective coats of arms of the bride and groom. They contained the bride's clothes, linen, and many other items of her dowry. In the 15th century, when the greatest importance was attached

Constantine (ii)

2005-02-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

He was a soldier and—through the support of his brother Toto, duke of the bishopric of Nepi near Rome—was elected pope on July 5, 767, to succeed St. Paul I. Constantine's opponents, led by Christopher, the powerful chief of the notaries, fled to the Lombards. Constantine, failing to win support from the Carolingian king Pippin III the Short or from

Water Parsnip

2005-02-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

Any of several aromatic herbs of the genus Sium, especially S. latifolium, belonging to the parsley family (Apiaceae), distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. They grow in moist areas, and some species are even partially submerged. All are perennial herbs with divided leaves and clusters of white flowers. S. sisarum, known as skirret, is cultivated

Amazon Rainforest

2005-02-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

Large, tropical rainforest occupying the drainage basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries in northern South America, and covering an area of 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square km). Comprising about 40 percent of Brazil's total area, it is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Andes Mountain Ranges to the west, the Brazilian central plateau to the south, and the Atlantic

Backhuysen, Ludolf

2005-02-22T22:15:00.000-08:00

Backhuysen studied under the Dutch painters Allart van Everdingen and Hendrik Dubbels. His numerous compositions are nearly all variations of marine themes, in a style peculiarly his own, marked by intense realism. In his later years Backhuysen employed his time in etching

Guayas River

2005-02-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

Spanish Río Guayas, river system of the coastal lowlands of Ecuador. Its eastern tributaries rise on the western slopes of the Andes and descend to drain the wet lowlands. Official usage as to how much of the system should be called the Guayas River differs; the name is certainly applied to the unified stream formed just above the city of Guayaquil by the two principal tributaries, the

Philippines, The downfall of Marcos and return of democratic government

2005-02-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

The assassination of Benigno Aquino as he returned to Manila in August 1983 was generally thought to have been the work of the military; it became the focal point of a renewed and more heavily supported opposition to Marcos' rule. By late 1985 Marcos, under mounting pressure both inside and outside the Philippines, called a snap presidential election for February 1986. Corazon

Zuiderzee

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

English Southern Sea former inlet of the North Sea. From the 13th to the 20th century, the Zuiderzee penetrated The Netherlands and occupied some 2,000 square miles (5,000 square km); it was separated from the North Sea by an arc of former sandflats that are now the West Frisian Islands. From about AD 400 these low-lying sandflats were inhabited by the Frisians, who in the face of rising sea levels built the first

Insurance

2005-02-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

A system under which the insurer, for a consideration usually agreed upon in advance, promises to reimburse the insured or to render services to the insured in the event that certain accidental occurrences result in losses during a given period. It thus is a method of coping with risk. Its primary function is to substitute certainty for uncertainty as regards the

Gambier Islands

2005-02-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

French Îles Gambier, also called Mangareva Islands, southeasternmost extension of the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia in the central South Pacific, nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) east-southeast of Tahiti. The principal inhabited group of the Gambiers comprises the volcanic islets Mangareva (Magareva), Taravai, Akamaru, and Aukena. Mangareva, which is 5 miles (8 km) long and encircled by a barrier reef, rises to approximately

Baie-comeau

2005-02-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

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

Agung, Mount

2005-02-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

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

Dulany, Daniel

2005-02-16T03:49:00.000-08:00

Daniel Dulany went to Maryland in 1703, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1709. He soon became prominent and wealthy from his legal practice. A year after Dulany moved to Annapolis, he was elected to represent the town in the Maryland Assembly. At first, Dulany became

Owens, Jesse

2005-02-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

As a student in a Cleveland,

Catanduanes

2005-02-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

Island, east-central Philippines, in the Philippine Sea, separated from southeastern Luzon (Rungus Point) by the shallow Maqueda Channel. The island has an area of 550 square miles (1,425 square km). Farming is diversified (rice, corn [maize], copra, abaca) on the hilly, rolling land. Virac, the chief port, is on the southern coast in a lowland area. The island is known for its stone churches.

Epistemology, Necessary versus contingent propositions

2005-02-14T01:31:00.000-08:00

A proposition is said to be necessary if it holds (is true) under all possible circumstances or conditions. “All husbands are married” is such a proposition. There are no possible or conceivable conditions under which this statement would not be true (on the assumption, of course, that the words “husband” and “married” are taken to mean what they ordinarily mean). In contrast,

Keryx

2005-02-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

Inviolable ancient Greek messenger. In Homer's time, the keryx was simply a trusted attendant or retainer of a chieftain. The role of kerykes expanded, however, to include acting as inviolable messengers between states, even in time of war, proclaiming meetings of the council, popular assembly, or court of law, reciting there the formulas of prayer, and summoning persons

Schelde River

2005-02-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Scheldt, French Escaut, river, 270 miles (435 km) long, that rises in northern France and flows across Belgium to its North Sea outlet in Dutch territory. Along with the Lower Rhine and the Meuse rivers, it drains one of the world's most densely populated areas. As a waterway, with its numerous branch canals and navigable tributaries, it serves an area including the agriculturally important Flanders

Ecuador, Domination of Velasco Ibarra (post-World War II)

2005-02-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

Politics and government after World War II presented contradictions. Ecuador enjoyed a long period of constitutional government and relatively free elections following the presidency of the Radical Liberal leader Galo Plaza (1948–52). There were also two long interludes of military government (1963–66; 1972–79), but the period was dominated by one of Latin America's great caudillos,

Biblical Literature, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

2005-02-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

The third pseudepigraphon that shows important affinities with the Dead Sea sect is the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the last speeches of the 12 sons of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. In its extant form, containing Christian passages, the book was written in Greek. Fragments of two original Semitic sources of the book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls: the Aramaic

Lokoja

2005-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Town and river port, capital of Kogi state, south-central Nigeria, on the west bank of the Niger River opposite the mouth of the Benue River. British merchants established a trading post at the Benue-Niger confluence in the late 1850s; and in 1860 William Balfour Baikie, the Scottish explorer, founded Lokoja. Besides being an important commercial settlement, the site (originally

Macdonnell, Sorley Boy

2005-02-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

From an ancestor who had married Margaret Bisset, heiress of the district on the Antrim coast known as the Glynns (or Glens), MacDonnell inherited a claim to

Volcano, Lava domes

2005-02-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Landforms of this sort consist of steep domal mounds of lava so viscous that the lava piles up over its vent without flowing away. The rock types that form lava domes are generally andesites, dacites, or rhyolites. Somehow these viscous lavas have lost much of their gas content in prior eruptions or by slow rise to the surface. Even so, it is not unusual for an actively

Arabian Basin

2005-02-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Submarine basin of the southern Arabian Sea, rising to meet the submerged Carlsberg Ridge to the south, the Maldive Island chain to the southeast, India and Pakistan to the northeast, Iran to the north, and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. It has a maximum depth of 19,275 feet (5,875 m) and is separated by the Carlsberg Ridge from the deeper Somali Basin to the south and west. The sill

Westmorland, Ralph Neville, 1st Earl Of, 4th Baron Neville Of Raby

2005-02-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of John, 3rd Baron Neville, he was knighted during a French expedition in 1380, succeeded to his father's barony in 1388, and was created Earl of Westmorland on Sept. 29, 1397. Further royal

Chelmsford (of Chelmsford), Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount, Baron Chelmsford Of Chelmsford

2005-02-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

The eldest son of

Juan De Austria

2005-02-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Removed from his mother, a burgher's daughter, at an early age, he was

Steatite

2005-02-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

Compact form of talc (q.v.).

Tractor

2005-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

High-power, low-speed traction vehicle and power unit mechanically similar to an automobile or truck but designed for use off the road. The two main types are wheeled, which is the earliest form, and continuous track. Tractors are used in agriculture, construction, road building, etc., in the form of bulldozers, scrapers, and diggers. A notable feature of tractors in many

Griffey, Ken, Jr.

2005-02-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

In 1987 Griffey was the first player selected by the major league baseball draft and was signed by the American League Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut in 1989. His father, outfielder

Zambezi River

2005-02-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

The Lozi (Barotse), who dominate much of the upper Zambezi, have taken advantage of the seasonal flooding of the Barotse Plain for centuries and have an agricultural economy that is supplemented by animal husbandry, fishing, and trade. The main groups of the middle Zambezi include the Tonga, Shona, Chewa, and Nsenga peoples, all of whom largely practice subsistence agriculture.

Osa

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

City and administrative centre of Osa rayon (sector), Perm oblast (province), Russia, on the left bank of the Kama River near its confluence with the Tulva River. The city is about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of the city of Perm. Originally a village of Khanty (Ostyak), a Ugric-speaking people, it became the Russian town of Nikolskaya Sloboda in 1557 and was renamed Osa in 1737. Yemelyan Pugachov

Artiodactyl, Modifications of the skin

2005-02-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Pigs are covered with rather sparse, coarse hairs, and peccaries with a denser coat of coarse hairs. Except for those of the warthog and the babirusa (Babyrousa babirussa), piglets have longitudinal stripes or flecks. Hippopotamuses are naked. Tragulids have light-coloured flecks and stripes in their fur. The coats of camelids and deer are much thicker in species living

Aerospace Industry

2005-02-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

The product line of the aerospace industry is, by necessity, broad because its primary products—flight vehicles—require up to millions of individual parts. In addition, many support systems are needed to operate and maintain the vehicles. In terms of sales, military aircraft have the largest market share, followed by space systems and civil aircraft, with missiles

Louis

2005-01-31T09:44:00.000-08:00

Also called Louis D'or, gold coin circulated in France before the Revolution. The franc (q.v.) and livre were silver coins that had shrunk in value to such an extent that by 1740 coins of a larger denomination were needed. The French kings therefore had gold coins struck and called after their name Louis, or louis d'or (“gold Louis”). After the Revolution, Napoleon continued the practice but called the

Atlanta Compromise

2005-01-30T17:26:00.000-08:00

Classic statement on race relations, articulated by Booker T. Washington, a leading black educator in the United States in the late 19th century. In a speech at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 18, 1895, Washington asserted that vocational education, which gave blacks an opportunity for economic security, was more valuable to

Maccready, Paul Beattie

2005-01-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

MacCready was a national champion model-plane builder in the 1930s and received his pilot's license at the age of 16. He graduated with a B.S. degree in physics from

Internationale, L'

2005-01-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

About 1871 a Parisian transport worker, Eugène Pottier, wrote the words (as a poem), which begin, “Debout, les damnés de la terre” (“Arise, the wretched of the earth”) and acclaim, “Nous n'étions rien—donc, soyons tout!” (“We were

Coster, Charles De

2005-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

De Coster lived most of his life in poverty and obscurity and took 10 years to write his masterpiece, La Légende et les aventures héroïques, joyeuses, et glorieuses d'Ulenspiegel

Cabarrus, François, Conde De

2005-01-27T04:18:00.000-08:00

Cabarrus originally settled in Madrid as a soap manufacturer but soon became conspicuous within a circle of enlightened reformers who advised the king. His ideas were crucial in the creation of the first Spanish central bank in 1783. He also was involved

China, Drainage

2005-01-27T03:59:00.000-08:00

The three principal rivers of

Bush, George W.

2005-01-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

In full George Walker Bush 43rd president of the United States (2001– ). Narrowly winning the electoral college vote over Vice President Al Gore in one of the closest and most controversial elections in American history, George W. Bush became the first person since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 to become president despite having lost the nationwide popular vote. He was narrowly reelected in 2004, defeating Democratic challenger John Kerry. Before assuming the presidency of the United States, Bush was a businessman and served as governor of Texas (1995–2000). (For a discussion of the history and nature of the presidency, see presidency of the United States of America.)