SecretWall

Robert Irving Burns Property Consultants

2006-11-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

Robert Irving Burns has been established for over 40 years and is an independent partnership, who specialise in a full range of property services. These include commercial property
and commercial offices as well as property to let london. Whilst my business partner and I were looking for Offices, we found Rib’s expertise invaluable.

Ray, James Earl

2005-03-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

Ray had been a small-time crook, a robber of gas stations and stores, who had served time in prison, once in Illinois and twice in Missouri, and received a suspended sentence in Los Angeles. He escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary on April 23, 1967; and in Memphis,

Dragoman

2005-03-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

Arabic Tarjuman, Turkish Tercüman, official interpreter in countries where Arabic, Turkish, and Persian are spoken. Originally the term applied to any intermediary between Europeans and Middle Easterners, whether as a hotel tout or as a traveller's guide, but there developed the official dragomans of foreign ministries and embassies, whose functions at one time included the conduct of important

Buddhism, The Bka'-gdams-pa and Dge-lugs-pa

2005-03-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Bka'-gdams-pa school was based on the teachings of Atisa (an Indian monk who came to Tibet in the 11th century). It was founded by his chief disciple, 'Brom-ston (c. 1008–c. 1064), who emphasized austere discipline. The school produced the Bka'-gdams gces-bsdus (“Collection of the Sayings of the Bka'-gdams-pa Saints”), which preserves the often highly poetic utterances of those close to the founder.

Hinton, Milt

2005-03-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

Hinton grew up in Chicago, where he began playing bass in high school and then worked with jazz bands in the early to mid-1930s, most notably with violinist Eddie

Habitual Offender

2005-03-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

Person who frequently has been convicted of criminal behaviour and is presumed to be a danger to society. In an attempt to protect society from such criminals, penal systems throughout the world provide for lengthier terms of imprisonment for them than for first-time offenders. In the 1990s habitual-offender laws became harsher, and in extreme cases some offenders

Alimentary Paste

2005-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

A shaped and dried dough prepared from semolina, farina, wheat flour, or a mixture of these with water or milk and with or without egg or egg yolk. See pasta.

Indian Law

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

The legal practices and institutions of India. The general history of law in India is a well-documented case of reception as well as of grafting. Foreign laws have been “received” into the Indian subcontinent—for example, in the demand by the Hindus of Goa for Portuguese civil law; and the enactment by independent India of statutes such as the Estate Duty Act (1953), the Copyright

Biblical Literature, First introductory discourse of Moses

2005-03-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

The first introductory discourse, spoken by Moses, traces the journey of the Israelites from Mt. Horeb to Moab, with some noticeable differences in detail from the account in Exodus and Numbers and an emphasis on Moses being banned from entrance into the Promised Land because the Lord was angry at the Israelites. To this historical retrospect is appended an exhortation

Skeltonics

2005-03-03T04:39:00.000-08:00

Short verses of an irregular metre much used by the Tudor poet John Skelton. The verses have two or three stresses arranged sometimes in falling and sometimes in rising rhythm. They rely on such devices as alliteration, parallelism, and multiple rhymes and are related to doggerel. Skelton wrote his verses as works of satire and protest, and thus the form was considered

Appomattox Court House

2005-02-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

In the American Civil War, site in Virginia of the surrender of the Confederate forces to those of the North on April 9, 1865. After an engagement with Federal cavalry, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was surrounded at Appomattox, seat of Appomattox county, Virginia, 25 miles east of Lynchburg. Three miles to the northeast, at the former county seat, known as Appomattox

Quadrille

2005-02-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

Fashionable late 18th- and 19th-century dance for four couples in square formation. Imported by English aristocrats in 1815 from elite Parisian ballrooms, it consisted of four, or sometimes five, contredanses; like the contredanse (q.v.), the quadrille depended more on the cooperative execution of intertwining figures, or floor patterns, than on intricate stepwork. Each of the

Duck Lake

2005-02-24T01:26:00.000-08:00

Town, central Saskatchewan, Canada. It lies between the North and South Saskatchewan rivers, 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Prince Albert. Originally settled about 1870 on nearby Duck Lake, the town was the site of the first clash (March 26, 1885) of the Riel (North West) Rebellion between Métis (people of mixed American Indian and French or Scottish ancestry) led by Gabriel Dumont and a detachment

Anthropology And Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology.

2005-02-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Cultural anthropology, the only social science traditionally dedicated to describing and understanding the diversities and commonalities of human culture and society, remained a discipline in creative ferment during 1999. Ethnographers, those who describe culture, continued searching for more effective data-collection methods as they struggled to determine

Baha' Al-din

2005-02-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

In July 1188, after making the pilgrimage to Mecca, Baha' al-Din entered the service of Saladin, who was waging war against the Christians in Palestine. Baha' al-Din sought Saladin's favour by urging him to the vigorous prosecution

Marchesi De Castrone, Mathilde

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

She studied in Paris under Manuel García, the foremost teacher of singing of the 19th century, and made her debut as a singer in 1849. In 1854 she began teaching. She taught at the conservatories of Vienna and Cologne as well as in London and

Maumee River

2005-02-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

River formed near Fort Wayne, Ind., U.S., by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers. It flows northeast into Ohio, past Defiance and on to Toledo, where it enters Lake Erie through Maumee Bay. About 130 miles (210 km) long, the Maumee is navigable for about 12 miles (19 km) from its mouth and serves as the harbour of Toledo. It receives the Auglaize River, its chief tributary, at Defiance.

Jian

2005-02-15T23:54:00.000-08:00

The jian, which has a simple silhouette, is supported upon a narrow ring base. It has two or four ring handles that freely hang from slightly modeled monster masks (taotie). The decoration of the jian characteristic of the late Zhou dynasty (c. 600–256/255 BC), from which the

France, History Of, France from 1789 to 1815

2005-02-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

The best overview of the period is D.M.G. Sutherland, France 1789–1815: Revolution and Counter-Revolution (1985). General surveys of the French Revolution include William Doyle, The Oxford History of the French Revolution (1989); and Norman Hampson, A Social History of the French Revolution (1963, reprinted 1982). The origins and the first phase of the Revolution are treated in Michel Vovelle, The Fall of the French Monarchy, 1787–1792 (1984; originally published in French, 1972). The best book on the Terror is still R.R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution (1941, reissued 1989). Martyn Lyons, France Under the Directory (1975), surveys the Revolution's later phase. François Furet and Mona Ozouf (eds.), A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution (1989; originally published in French, 1988), is an important and original collection of short essays on selected events, actors, institutions, ideas, and historians of the French Revolution. Lynn Hunt, Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution (1984), analyzes the imagery and sociology of revolutionary politics. Notable thematic studies include Georges Lefebvre, The Great Fear of 1789: Rural Panic in Revolutionary France (1973, reissued 1989; originally published in French, 1932); P.M. Jones, The Peasantry in the French Revolution (1988); Albert Soboul, The Parisian Sans-culottes and the French Revolution, 1793–4, trans. from French (1964, reprinted 1979); George Rudé, The Crowd in the French Revolution (1959, reprinted 1986); John McManners, The French Revolution and the Church (1969, reprinted 1982); Jean-Paul Bertaud, The Army of the French Revolution (1988; originally published in French, 1979); Emmet Kennedy, A Cultural History of the French Revolution (1989); and Jacques Godechot, The Counter-Revolution: Doctrine and Action, 1789–1804 (1971, reissued 1981; originally published in French, 1961). The international dimension of the Revolution is interpreted in R.R. Palmer, The World of the French Revolution (1971). The best biography of a revolutionary leader is Leo Gershoy, Bertrand Barère: A Reluctant Terrorist (1962). A lively introduction to the Napoleonic era is J. Christopher Herold, The Age of Napoleon (1963, reprinted 1987). Informative volumes on the life and times of Napoleon include Felix Markham, Napoleon (1963); and Jean Tulard, Napoleon: The Myth of the Saviour (1984; originally published in French, 1977). The best volume on the Napoleonic regime in France is Louis Bergeron, France Under Napoleon (1981; originally published in French, 1972). Owen Connelly, Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (1987), is a critical and incisive analysis. For the views of historians across the generations, see Pieter Geyl, Napoleon: For and Against (1949, reissued 1976; originally published in Dutch, 1946).

Ausonius, Decimus Magnus

2005-02-10T22:45:00.000-08:00

Ausonius taught in the famous schools of Burdigala (now Bordeaux, Fr.), first as a grammarian and then as a rhetorician, so successfully that Valentinian I called him to Trier to tutor Gratian, who, on his

Rowell, Newton Wesley

2005-02-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

Rowell was called to the bar in 1891 and made king's counselor in 1902. As a member of the Ontario legislative assembly in 1911, he became leader of the Liberal opposition. He entered the Dominion House of Commons in 1917 and served in Sir Robert Laird Borden's Unionist

Breckinridge, John

2005-02-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

Breckinridge grew up on the Virginia frontier but nonetheless managed to attend William and Mary College for two years. While a student there he was elected to a seat in the Virginia legislature

Fly

2005-02-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

Any of several thousand species of insects belonging to the order Diptera and characterized by the use of only one pair of wings for flight and the reduction of the second pair of wings to knobs (called halteres) used for balance. The term fly is commonly used for almost any small flying insect. In entomology, however, the name refers specifically to the approximately

English Literature, Prose

2005-01-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

The earliest English prose work, the law code of King Aethelberht I of Kent, was written within a few years of St. Augustine of Canterbury's arrival in England (597). Other 7th- and 8th-century prose, similarly practical in character, includes more laws, wills, and charters. According to Cuthbert, who was a monk at Jarrow, Bede had just finished a translation of the Gospel of St. John

Ancient Rome, Second Punic War (218201 BC)

2005-01-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

It seemed that the superiority of the Romans at sea ought to have enabled them to choose the field of battle. They decided to send one army to Spain and another to Sicily and Africa. But before their preparations were complete, Hannibal began the series of operations that dictated the course of the war for the greater part of its duration. He realized that as long as the

Desargues, Girard

2005-01-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Not much is known

Gatineau

2005-01-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

City, Outaouais region, southwestern Quebec province, Canada. It is situated on the north bank of the Ottawa River, opposite Ottawa and adjacent to Hull, near the mouth of the Gatineau River. The city derives its name from the river, which itself was named for Nicolas Gatineau, a fur trader who reportedly drowned in its waters about 1683. Gatineau was originally a part of Templeton

Forbes-robertson, Sir Johnston

2005-01-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

Educated at Charterhouse School, he studied art before turning to the theatre in 1874, when he first appeared on the London stage. He acted with the Bancrofts—Squire

Sosnowiec

2005-01-22T19:37:00.000-08:00

A castle was built in Sosnowiec in

K.b.e.

2005-01-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

Knight commander of the British Empire, member of the second highest class of a British order of knighthood. See British Empire, The Most Excellent Order of the.

Mabinogion

2005-01-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

The finest of the tales are the four related

Far'ah, Tall Al-

2005-01-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

Ancient site in southwestern Palestine, located on the Wadi Ghazzah near Tall al-'Ajjul, in modern Israel. The site was excavated between 1928 and 1930 by British archaeologists in Egypt under the direction of Sir Flinders Petrie, who identified the site as Beth-pelet. Other scholars, however, are probably correct in their belief that the site is instead ancient Sharuhen, an

Paleoanthropology

2005-01-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Palaeoanthropology, also called Human Paleontology, interdisciplinary branch of anthropology concerned with the origins and development of early humans. Fossils are assessed by the techniques of physical anthropology, comparative anatomy, and the theory of evolution. Artifacts, such as bone and stone tools, are identified and their significance for the physical and mental development of early humans interpreted

Insurance, Problems

2005-01-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

Private health insurance contracts are in general quite restricted in coverage, to the point that many consider them to be inadequate for modern conditions. They also lend themselves to abuses such as overutilization of coverage, multiple policies, and insuring for more than 100 percent of the expected loss. Health insurance, by its very existence, helps to escalate

Ji Pengfei

2005-01-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

Chinese diplomat (b. 1910, Linyi, Shanxi province, China—d. Feb. 10, 2000, Beijing, China), served from 1982 to 1990 as director of Hong Kong and Macau affairs in the State Council, playing a lead role in the negotiations with Britain over the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. He was also chairman of the committee that drafted the Basic Law, the constitution governing the relationship between

Scandinavian Literature, 20th-century literary trends

2005-01-08T16:44:00.000-08:00

The two greatest early 20th-century novelists

Gobi

2005-01-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

The population density is small—fewer than three persons per square mile (one per square kilometre)—mostly Mongols with Chinese in Inner Mongolia. The Chinese population has increased greatly since 1950. The main occupation of the inhabitants is nomadic cattle raising, though agriculture is predominant in regions where the Chinese are concentrated. The traditional

Sundial

2005-01-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

The first device for indicating the time of day was probably the gnomon, dating from

Bajer, Fredrik

2005-01-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

Bajer entered the Danish army but was discharged when it was reduced after the 1864 war with Prussia. He then started working for the emancipation of women, for the peace movement, and for Scandinavian cooperation. He was a founder of the

Wagner, Richard

2005-01-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

In 1869 Wagner had resumed work on The Ring which he now brought to its world-renouncing conclusion. It had been agreed with the King that the tetralogy should be first performed in its entirety at Munich, but Wagner broke the agreement, convinced that a new type of theatre must be built for the purpose. Having discovered a suitable site at the Bavarian town of Bayreuth, he

Biblical Literature, Slavic versions

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

The earliest Old Church Slavonic translations are connected with the arrival of the brothers Cyril and Methodius in Moravia in 863, and resulted from the desire to provide vernacular renderings of those parts of the Bible used liturgically. The oldest manuscripts derive from the 11th and 12th centuries. The earliest complete Bible manuscript, dated 1499, was used for the first

Rose Of Lima, Saint

2004-12-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

Born into a wealthy family, Rosa (the name by which she was always known) was drawn to penitential practices and a spiritual

Science Fiction

2004-12-30T02:19:00.000-08:00

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

Kuwait, Plant and animal life

2004-12-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

The harsh climate limits

Celestine Iii

2004-12-27T05:37:00.000-08:00

He was Peter Abélard's student and friend, and he carried out many important legations in Germany, Spain, and Portugal; St. Thomas Becket considered him his most reliable friend at the Roman Curia. He had been cardinal deacon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Italy, for 47 years when, on March 30, 1191, at the age of 85, he was elected as the first

Locke, Matthew

2004-12-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

By 1661 Locke had been appointed composer in ordinary to the king. After his conversion to Roman Catholicism he was appointed organist to the queen. With Christopher Gibbons he wrote the music for James Shirley's masque Cupid and Death (1653), possibly the most elaborate

France, History Of, France after de Gaulle

2004-12-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

De Gaulle's departure from the scene provoked some early speculation about the survival of the Fifth Republic and of the Gaullist party (the UDR); both, after all, had been tailored to the general's measure. But both proved to be durable, although his successors gave the system a somewhat different tone. Georges Pompidou won the presidency in June 1969 over several left and

Priestly Code

2004-12-23T17:29:00.000-08:00

Also called Priestly Source, or P, biblical source that, according to the document hypothesis, is one of the four original sources of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). The priestly writings are so named because they emphasize the priestly tradition or interest, giving detailed explanations and descriptions of ritual laws and procedures.

Duchesne, Louis-marie-olivier

2004-12-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Ordained a priest in 1867, he studied in Rome and in Paris (1871–73), where he was appointed professor at the Catholic

East Friesland

2004-12-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

German Ostfriesland, cultural region bordering the North Sea and encompassing the coastal marshlands and East Frisian Islands (Ostfriesische Inseln) of northwestern Lower Saxony Land (state), north-central Germany. The region has close cultural ties with West Friesland in The Netherlands and North Friesland on the west coast of the Jutland Peninsula. The Frisians, traditionally

Heiden, Eric

2004-12-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

Heiden started skating

Arts, Central Asian, Arctic regions

2004-12-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

In the arctic zone of Central Asia, the prehistoric age extends from the 3rd millennium BC to the arrival of Europeans around AD 1800. Knowledge of the region's arts is still very limited, for it is wholly dependent upon the sculptures produced by Eskimos living on the shores and in the hinterland of Siberia and the Bering Strait. These sculptures are mostly in walrus tusk, though

Salaj

2004-12-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), northwestern Romania. The Western Carpathian Mountains of Romania, including the Ses Mountains, rise above settlement areas in the valleys. The county is drained northwestward by the Somes River and its tributaries. Zalau (q.v.) is the county capital. Metal products, building materials, timber, and foodstuffs are produced in Zalau and Simleu Silvaniei. Lignite

Silky Oak

2004-12-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

In Australia it is cut for timber, but elsewhere it is valued for its graceful, feathery foliage and orange flower clusters at the ends of leafless branches.

Zoji

2004-12-16T03:25:00.000-08:00

Pass across the Himalayas in the Indian-held part of Jammu and Kashmir state, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Situated at an elevation of 11,580 feet (3,529 m), Zoji Pass carries the only road leading from the Vale of Kashmir eastward to Leh, in Ladakh district, and on to Tibet. Heavily forested, the pass is the lowest in the western axis of the Himalayas but is extremely

Aicard, Jean

2004-12-15T04:32:00.000-08:00

As a young man Aicard studied law but abandoned it to devote himself to literature. His first book of poetry, Jeunes croyances (1867; “Beliefs of a Youth”), showed the influence of the Romantic poet Alphonse de Lamartine and was well received upon its appearance. He went

Ahad Ha'am

2004-12-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

Reared in Russia in a rigidly Orthodox Jewish family, he mastered rabbinic literature but soon was attracted to the rationalist school

Textile, Napping and shearing

2004-12-13T00:44:00.000-08:00

Napping is a process that may be applied to woollens, cottons, spun silks, and spun rayons, including both woven and knitted types, to raise a velvety, soft surface. The process involves passing the fabric over revolving cylinders covered with fine wires that lift the short, loose fibres, usually from the weft yarns, to the surface, forming a nap. The process, which increases

Paul, Les

2004-12-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

Paul designed a solid-body electric guitar in 1941, but, by the time the Les Paul Standard was ready for production by the Gibson Guitar Company in 1952, Leo Fender had already mass-produced the Fender Broadcaster four years earlier, thus beating Paul to popular credit for the invention. Nonetheless, the

Adams, Marian

2004-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Marian Hooper was the youngest of three children of Boston Brahmins. When her mother died, about five years after Marian was born, the children were cared for by their father, who took great pains over their education. After her marriage to the historian

China, Growth of the economy

2004-12-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

The 8th and 9th centuries were a period of growth and prosperity. The gradual movement of the population away from the north, with its harsh climate and dry farming, into the more fertile and productive south meant a great proportional increase in productivity. The south still had large areas of virgin land. Fukien, for example, was still only marginally settled along

Waterford

2004-12-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

Town (township), New London county, southeastern Connecticut, U.S., on Long Island Sound just west of the city of New London. The area, settled about 1653, was separated from New London and incorporated as a town in 1801. Drained by the Thames and Niantic rivers, it has a name descriptive of local fordable shallows. Early industries included paper mills and a granite quarry, which was

Basil

2004-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Also called Sweet Basil, spice consisting of the dried leaves of Ocimum basilicum, an annual herb of the family Lamiaceae (Labiatae) native to India and Iran. A number of varieties are used in commerce including the small-leaf common basil, the larger leaf Italian basil, and the large lettuce-leaf basil. The dried large-leaf varieties have a fragrant aroma faintly reminiscent of anise, and a

Alembert, Jean Le Rond D'

2004-12-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

His earlier literary and philosophical activity, however, led to the publication of his Mélanges de littérature, d'histoire et de philosophie (1753). This work contained the impressive Essai sur les gens de lettres, which exhorted writers to pursue “liberty, truth and poverty” and also urged aristocratic patrons to respect the talents and independence of such

Pitr

2004-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Pitri (Sanskrit: “father”) , plural Pitaras, Pitrs , or Pitris in Hinduism, any of the spirits of the dead ancestors or of all the dead who have been cremated or buried in accordance with the proper rites. In the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of ancient India, the “fathers” were considered to be immortal like the gods and to share in the sacrifice, though they received different offerings. The “way of the fathers,” characterized by observance

Daudet, Alphonse

2004-12-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

French short-story writer and novelist, now remembered chiefly as the author of sentimental tales of provincial life in the south of France.

National Aquarium

2004-12-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

The facility houses more than 1,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of fishes in 54 individual display tanks ranging in capacity from 285 to

Yangtze River, The upper course

2004-12-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

The upper course of the Yangtze flows across the Plateau of Tibet and descends through deep valleys in the mountains east of the plateau, emerging onto the Yunnan-Kweichou (Yunkwei) Plateau. The summers are warm and the winters cold. The source of the Yangtze is the Wu-lan-mu-lun (Ulan Muren) River, which originates in glacial meltwaters on the slopes of the T'ang-ku-la

Scythe

2004-11-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

One of the most important of all agricultural hand tools, consisting of a curved blade fitted at an angle to a long, curved handle and used for cutting grain. In modern scythes the handle has a projecting peg that is grasped by one hand, facilitating control of the swinging motion by which grass and grain are cut. The exact origin of the scythe is unknown, but it was little

Tz'u

2004-11-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

In Chinese poetry, song form characterized by lines of unequal length, with prescribed rhyme schemes and tonal patterns, each bearing the name of a musical air. The varying line lengths are comparable to the natural rhythm of speech and therefore easily understood when sung. First sung by ordinary folk, they were popularized by professional women singers and poets

Jackson, William

2004-11-28T02:07:00.000-08:00

Jackson was organist and choirmaster at Exeter cathedral from 1777. His best-known other compositions are Twelve Songs (1755) and Twelve Canzonets for Two Voices (c. 1770). His name is also associated with an Anglican service of dubious authenticity,

Fort Stanwix, Treaties Of

2004-11-27T01:48:00.000-08:00

(1768, 1784), cession by the Iroquois Confederacy of land in what are now western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New York, opening vast tracts of territory west of the Appalachian Mountains to white exploitation and settlement. Soon after the Proclamation of 1763 (see 1763, Proclamation of), which followed the last French and Indian War, British authorities recognized that

Gundulic, Ivan (franov)

2004-11-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

A prolific writer, Gundulic also occupied various governmental positions in the Dubrovnik

Arts, South Asian, Mughal style: Aurangzeb and the later Mughals (16591806)

2004-11-24T16:06:00.000-08:00

From the reign of Aurangzeb (1659–1707), a few pictures have survived that essentially continue the cold style of Shah Jahan; but the rest of the work is nondescript, consisting chiefly of an array of lifeless portraits, most of them the output of workshops other than the imperial atelier. Genre scenes, showing gatherings of ascetics and holy men, lovers in a garden or on a terrace,

Zanjan

2004-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Geographic region of northwestern Iran. It lies west of Tehran and is bordered on the northwest by Azerbaijan and on the southwest by Kordestan. The region constitutes one of the uplands that frame central Iran and has an average elevation of 8,200 feet (2,500 m). It forms part of the Caspian Sea basin. The Zanjan River is the only major river in the region. Agriculture is the principal

Biblical Literature, Printed editions

2004-11-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

The first edition of the entire Hebrew Bible was printed at Soncino (in Italy) in 1488 with punctuation and accents, but without any commentary. The second complete

Halaf, Tall

2004-11-21T04:25:00.000-08:00

The site was excavated by German archaeologists between

Madinah 'isa

2004-11-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

English Isa Town planned community in the state and emirate of Bahrain, north-central Bahrain island, in the Persian Gulf. Conceived and underwritten by the Bahraini government as a residential settlement, it was laid out on an uninhabited site by British town planners in the early 1960s; the first units were occupied in 1968. The town is named for Sheikh 'Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, who ruled Bahrain

Grayling

2004-11-19T23:38:00.000-08:00

(Thymallus), any of several troutlike game fishes, family Salmonidae, found in cold, clear streams of Eurasia and northern North America. Graylings are handsome, silvery-purple fishes, which reach a length of about 40 cm (16 inches). They have rather large scales, large eyes, a small mouth with feeble teeth, and a saillike, brightly coloured dorsal fin, with 20 to 24 rays. They feed primarily

Pere Ubu

2004-11-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

American avant-garde art rock band generally considered to be a major force and influence in postpunk music. The original members were David Thomas (b. June 14, 1953), Peter Laughner (b. c. 1953—d. June 22, 1977), Tom Herman (b. April 19, 1949), Allen Ravenstine (b. May 9, 1950), Scott Krauss (b. Nov. 19, 1950), and Tim Wright. Later members included Tony Maimone (b. Sept. 27, 1952, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.), Jim Jones (b. March 12, 1950), Chris Cutler (b. Jan. 4, 1947), Mayo

Ancillon, Johann Peter Friedrich

2004-11-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

Educated in Geneva, Ancillon acquired a chair in history at the Berlin Military Academy in 1792. After the publication of Tableau des révolutions

Alunogen

2004-11-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

A sulfate mineral formed by sulfate solutions that attack aluminous minerals; alunogen is hydrated aluminum sulfate, formulated Al2(SO4)3×18H2O. It typically occurs as an efflorescence or crevice filling in pyrite-containing coal formations, shales, or slates, as well as in the gossan (weathered capping) of sulfide ore deposits and in volcanic fumarole deposits. In older

Costmary

2004-11-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

Also called Bible Leaf, or Ale Cost (Chrysanthemum balsamita), aromatic herb of the aster family (Asteracae) with yellow, button-shaped flowers. Its bitter, slightly lemony leaves may be used fresh in salads and fresh or dried as a flavouring, particularly for meats, poultry, and English ale. The dried leaves are also used as a tea and in potpourris.

Passeriform, Size range and structural diversity

2004-11-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

Passerines are small to medium-sized land birds, ranging from about 7.5 to about 117 centimetres (three to 46 inches) in overall length. Among the tiniest species are the New World flycatchers (Tyrannidae), New Zealand wrens (Xenicidae), titmice (Paridae), flower-peckers (Dicaeidae), tanagers (Thraupidae), and waxbills (Estrildidae). The heaviest are the lyrebirds (Menuridae) of Australia

Kerkrade

2004-11-13T03:02:00.000-08:00

The former abbey of Rolduc (1104) has a notable Romanesque church; its courtyard buildings now serve as a boys' school. A natural

Farah River

2004-11-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Dari Persian in full Darya-ye Farah Rud, river in western Afghanistan, rising on the southern slopes of the Band-e Bayan Range, flowing southwest past the town of Farah, and emptying into the Helmand (Sistan) swamps on the Iranian border after a course of 350 miles (560 km). The river fluctuates greatly with the seasons, sometimes flooding in the spring and becoming impassable. Its waters are used for irrigation along much

Dynamical Time

2004-11-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

The time scale of dynamical astronomy (celestial mechanics). The orbital motions of celestial bodies subject only to Newton's laws of motion and law of gravitation, as modified by relativity, proceed as a function of dynamical time. In 1952 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined a dynamical time scale named Ephemeris Time (ET), which is based on the Earth's orbital

Aequi

2004-11-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ancient people of Italy originally inhabiting the region watered by the tributaries of the Avens River (modern Velino). Long hostile to Rome, they became especially menacing in the 5th century BC, advancing to the Alban Hills. Although repulsed by the Romans in 431, the Aequi were not completely subdued by Rome until the end of the Second Samnite War (304 BC), when they received civitas

Rayy Ware

2004-11-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

In Islamic ceramics, style of pottery found at Rayy near Tehran and dating from the 12th century. Particularly characteristic is a fine minai (a kind of enamel) painting. Fine pottery with bold carving, occasional piercing, and translucent glaze is typical, as is a range of matte colours and silhouette decoration.

Ear Shell

2004-11-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

Any of various marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) that constitute the genus Haliotis and family Haliotidae. The characteristic planispiral shell has a broad, oblique aperture, which gives it an earlike shape. A series of perforations through the shell follow the spiral form. The inside of the shell is always nacreous, often in iridescent

Anthimus I

2004-11-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

As bishop of Trebizond Anthimus participated in discussions at Constantinople in 532, to effect religious and political unity between East and West. Although avowing support for the orthodox party, Anthimus

Mahadeo Hills

2004-11-06T05:01:00.000-08:00

Sandstone hills located in the northern part of the Satpura Range, in southern Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The hills have small plateaus and steep scarps that were formed during the Carboniferous Period (360 to 286 million years ago). The hills have a gentle northern slope but are steep to the south, where they drop abruptly from 3,600 feet (1,100 m) to less than 900 feet (275 m). The general

Kidderminster

2004-11-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

Town, Wyre Forest district, administrative and historic county of Worcestershire, England. It is situated along the River Stour and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. Recorded as Stour-in-Usmere in 736 CE, it was given to the comes (count) Cyneberght by King Aethelbald (reigned 716–757). Later it passed to the bishop of Worcester and thence to Cenwulf, king of Mercia (816), and it

Hawkesbury River

2004-11-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

River rising in the Great Dividing Range north of Lake George, New South Wales, Australia, and flowing 293 miles (472 km) north and east to the Tasman Sea at Broken Bay. It drains an area of about 8,390 square miles (21,730 square km). Known as the Wollondilly in its rugged upper course and as the Warragamba after receiving the Nattai and, later, the Nepean rivers, it becomes the Hawkesbury after

Pacaraima Mountains

2004-11-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Pakaraima, Portuguese Serra Pacaraimã, Spanish Sierra Pacaraima, also called (in Guyana) Pakaraima Mountains, central tabular upland of the Guiana Highlands in Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. The Pacaraima Mountains form the drainage divide between the Orinoco Valley to the north and the Amazon Basin to the south. Extending for 250 mi (400 km) in an east–west direction, the mountains mark the borders between Brazil and southeastern Venezuela and between Brazil and west central Guyana.

Placental Mammal

2004-11-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

Any member of the mammalian infraclass Eutheria, characterized by the presence of a placenta, which facilitates exchange of nutrients and wastes between the blood of the mother and that of the fetus. The infraclass Eutheria includes all living mammals except marsupials and monotremes. Some authorities consider the marsupials (infraclass Metatheria) to be placental

Entente Cordiale

2004-10-31T19:19:00.000-08:00

(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

Ramiro I

2004-10-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

First king of Aragon, who reigned from 1035. He was the illegitimate son of King Sancho III of Navarre. During his father's lifetime he governed this territory and was made king of it by his father's will. In 1045 he annexed the territories belonging to his brother Gonzalo upon the latter's death. Ramiro later conquered some territory from the Moors and made the Moorish kings

The Environment

2004-10-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

To the surprise of professional horticulturists, computers had a large impact on the field in 1997. Academics led the way, and numerous universities in industrialized countries converted their reference resources to on-line, searchable form, making them freely available via the World Wide Web. The types of information that were obtained from these sites included

Girandole

2004-10-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

Elaborate wall bracket incorporating one or more candleholders and frequently a mirror to reflect the light. An object of luxury, it was usually embellished with carving and gilding. Although the name is Italian in origin, girandoles reached the greatest heights of fashion (in the second half of the 18th century) in France and England. At the beginning of this period