RoundRat

0800 Promote

2006-11-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

0800 Promote are a London based company, established in 1989, primarily to supply quality business gifts. 0800promote provide an all-round facility to promote all aspects of corporate promotional activity and promotional products, including promotional printing,http://0800promote.com/printed-clothes.php and http://0800promote.com/printed-pen.php to name a few. We are a small building business who needed items printing on for a buyers show we were attending and we were extremely happy with 0800 Promotes services.

Nevada, Emma

2005-04-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Emma Wixom grew up in Nevada City, California, and in Austin, Nevada. She graduated from Mills Seminary (now College) in Oakland, California, in 1876. In Vienna on a European study tour in 1877, she met and was taken as a pupil by the

Ysopet

2005-04-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Isopet, in French literature, a medieval collection of fables, often versions of Aesop's Fables. The word was first applied to a collection of tales written by Marie de France in the late 12th century; they were said to be based directly on an English version of Aesop's Fables (Esope) attributed to King Alfred the Great, of Wessex, and no longer extant. Another source, better-documented,

Dafydd Ap Gwilym

2005-04-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Little is known of his life, except that he was a member of an aristocratic family from South Wales,

Arsaces

2005-04-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Iranian name borne by the Parthian royal house as being descended from Arsaces, son of Phriapites (date unknown), a chief of the seminomadic Parni tribe from the Caspian steppes. The first of his line to gain power in Parthia was Arsaces I, who reigned from about 250 to about 211 BC. (Some authorities believe that a brother, Tiridates I, succeeded Arsaces about 248 and ruled until 211; other

Gamma Globulin

2005-03-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

Subgroup of the blood proteins called globulins. In humans and many of the other mammals, antibodies, when they are formed, occur in the gamma globulins. Persons who lack gamma globulin or who have an inadequate supply of it—conditions called, respectively, agammaglobulinemia and hypogammaglobulinemia—have frequently recurring infections because of their inability

China, Communist-Nationalist cooperation

2005-03-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

By then, however, the CCP was in serious difficulty. The railway unions had been brutally suppressed, and there were few places in China where it was safe to be a known Communist. In June 1923 the Third Congress of the CCP met in Canton, where Sun Yat-sen provided a sanctuary. After long debate this congress accepted the Comintern strategy pressed by Maring—that Communists

Arnsberg

2005-03-29T03:29:00.000-08:00

Regierungsbezirk (administrative district), east-central North Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. Arnsberg is bordered by Hesse Land to the east, Rhineland-Palatinate Land to the southwest, and the Regierungsbezirke of Köln and Düsseldorf to the west and Münster and Detmold to the north. The largest of five districts in North Rhine–Westphalia, it occupies

Wildfowl Trust, The

2005-03-29T00:06:00.000-08:00

Centre of the world's largest collection of waterfowl. It was established in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott on 418 acres (169 hectares) along the River Severn near Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, Eng. Nearly a quarter of the land is fenced off for captive birds and breeding stock; the rest of the refuge is traditional wintering ground for many species of ducks and geese. In addition to accommodating

Gobineau, Joseph-arthur, Comte De

2005-03-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

Gobineau was a member of an aristocratic royalist family. He went to Paris in 1835, held a succession of minor clerical

Rouget De Lisle, Claude-joseph

2005-03-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

Author of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem. A lowly army officer and only a moderate republican, Rouget de Lisle never wrote anything else of significance. He composed both the words and music of “La Marseillaise” for his comrades in 1792 while stationed at Strasbourg; it was originally called “Chant de guerre de l'armée

Denishawn School Of Dancing And Related Arts

2005-03-25T15:50:00.000-08:00

Dance school and company founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn. Considered a fountainhead of American modern dance, the Denishawn organization systematically promoted nonballetic dance movement and fostered such leading modern dancers as Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman. Because St. Denis and Shawn believed that all dance techniques

Tallinn

2005-03-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

Russian Tallin , German Reval , formerly (until 1918) Revel city, capital of Estonia, on Tallinn Bay of the Gulf of Finland. A fortified settlement existed there from the late 1st millennium BC until the 10th–11th century AD, and there was a town on the site in the 12th century. In 1219 it was captured by the Danes, who built a new fortress on Toompea hill. Trade flourished, especially after Tallinn joined the Hanseatic League in 1285. In 1346 it was sold to the

Trachoma

2005-03-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

Chronic inflammatory disease of the eye caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, a bacterium-like microorganism that grows only within tissue cells of the infected host. The conjunctiva becomes thickened and roughened, and deformation may result. Extension of inflammation to the cornea occurs in varying degree; resultant scarring can lead to corneal opacity and blindness.

Mountain

2005-03-22T01:42:00.000-08:00

Landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined summit area, and considerable local relief. Mountains generally are understood to be larger than hills, but the term has no standardized geological meaning. Very rarely do mountains occur individually. In most cases, they are found in elongated ranges

Robinson, (esmé Stuart) Lennox

2005-03-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

When still young Robinson became devoted to the cause of Irish nationalism through seeing performances of the Abbey Theatre Company in Cork, and his country's troubles were

Staffordshire Ware

2005-03-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Lead-glazed earthenware and unglazed or salt-glazed stoneware made in Staffordshire, England, from the 17th century onward. Abundance of local clays and coal gave rise to a concentration of pottery factories that made Staffordshire one of the foremost pottery centres in Europe. Porcelain was first made at Longton Hall c. 1750. Among the distinguished factories located

Rambouillet, Catherine De Vivonne, Marquise De

2005-03-20T03:04:00.000-08:00

Mme de Rambouillet was of noble background and was married at the age of 12 to Charles d'Angennes, later marquis de Rambouillet. Revolted by the coarseness of the French court under Henry IV and distressed by the amount

Top Shell

2005-03-19T23:42:00.000-08:00

Any marine snail of the family Trochidae (subclass Prosobranchia, class Gastropoda), characterized by a spiral, conical shell. Although top shells are found from the intertidal zone to the deep open seas, they occur with greatest diversity in the shallow waters along rocky shores from the equator to the high latitudes. Species of the genera Gibbula, Monodonta, and

Kertanagara

2005-03-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last king (1268–92) of Tumapel (or Singhasari) in Java, still venerated among the Javanese as one of their greatest rulers. He united Java, extended his influence over Sumatra, and resisted Mongol attempts to exact tribute from his kingdom.

Yunus Emre

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

Though legend obscures the facts of his life, he is known to have been a Sufi (Islamic mystic) who sat for 40 years at the feet of his master, Tapduk Emre. Yunus Emre was well versed in mystical philosophy, especially that of the 13th-century poet and mystic Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi. Like Rumi, Yunus Emre

Tocantins

2005-03-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

Inland estado (“state”) of north-central Brazil. A part of the sparsely settled Central-West region, Tocantins is bounded by the states of Maranhão and Piauí to the northeast, Bahia to the east, Goiás to the south, Mato Grosso to the west, and Pará to the northwest. Tocantins was created from the northern half of Goiás (q.v.) state in 1989. Its area is 107,075 square miles (277,322 square km). The capital

Amphissa

2005-03-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Ámfissa, agricultural centre, chief town of the eparkhía (“eparchy”) of Parnassus (Parnassós), capital of the nomós (department) of Fokís (Phocis), central Greece, at the northwestern limit of the fertile Crisaean plain between the Gióna Mountains and the Parnassus massif. The economy includes trade in wheat, livestock, and particularly olives grown on the Crisaean plain. Bauxite

Min

2005-03-17T19:55:00.000-08:00

In ancient Egyptian religion, a god of fertility and harvest, embodiment of the masculine principle; he was also worshiped as the Lord of the Eastern Desert. His cult originated in predynastic times (4th millennium BC). Min was represented with phallus erect, a flail in his raised right hand. His cult was strongest in Coptos and Akhmim (Panopolis), where in his honour great festivals

Kertanagara

2005-03-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

Organization set up by a convention signed in Paris in April 1948 to coordinate efforts to restore Europe's economy under the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan). Among its many functions, the OEEC helped abolish quantitative trade restrictions between its member countries, allocated scarce resources among them, and devised a system for regular consultation

Mesopotamia, History Of, The Hurrians

2005-03-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Hurrians enter the orbit of ancient Middle Eastern civilization toward the end of the 3rd millennium BC. They arrived in Mesopotamia from the north or the east, but it is not known how long they had lived in the peripheral regions. There is a brief inscription in Hurrian language from the end of the period of Akkad, while that of King Arishen (or Atalshen) of Urkish and

Aeschylus

2005-03-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

The Oresteia trilogy consists of three closely connected plays, all extant, that were presented in 458 BC. In Agamemnon the great Greek king of that name returns triumphant from the siege of Troy, along with his concubine, the Trojan prophetess Cassandra, only to be humiliated and murdered by his fiercely vengeful wife, Clytemnestra. She is driven to this act partly by a desire

Eleazar Ben Azariah

2005-03-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

Eleazar was a wealthy, learned, and highly esteemed resident of Jabneh who traced his descent through Ezra, the legendary spiritual leader of Palestine. He served

Macadamia

2005-03-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

Macadamias originated in the coastal rain forests and scrubs of what is now Queensland in northeastern Australia. The macadamias grown commercially in Hawaii and Australia are principally

Biblical Literature, The Letter of Paul to the Romans

2005-03-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Romans differs from all the other Pauline letters in that it was written to a congregation over which Paul did not claim apostolic authority. He stressed that he was merely going to Rome in transit, because it was his principle not to evangelize where others had worked. Because his apostolic ministry appeared to be completed in Asia Minor and Greece, Paul planned

Pendant

2005-03-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

In stone ceilings the use of pendant vaulting was

Judaism, The gaonate of Sa'adia ben Joseph

2005-03-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

In a bold effort to restore discipline and respect for the gaonate, an able exilarch, David ben Zakkai (916/917–940), bypassed the families from whom the geonim had traditionally been selected and in 928 appointed Sa'adia ben Joseph al-Fayyumi to head the academy of Sura. Of Egyptian birth, Sa'adia had gained wide acclaim for his scholarly retorts to Karaites, heretics, and Palestinian

Densusianu, Ovid

2005-03-12T03:52:00.000-08:00

Educated at Iasi and later in Berlin and Paris, Densusianu was appointed professor of Romance languages at the University of Bucharest. Strongly influenced by western European Symbolism, he opposed the bucolic school

Johannesburg

2005-03-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

One of the youngest of the world's major cities, Johannesburg was founded in 1886, following the discovery of gold. The city was initially part of the Transvaal, an independent Afrikaner, or Boer, republic that later became one of the four provinces of South Africa. Today the

Agobard, Saint

2005-03-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

Moving from Spain to southern Gaul in 782, he went to Lyon in 792 and was ordained priest in 804. As archbishop, he was frequently in conflict with the secular powers,

Cadmium Poisoning

2005-03-10T04:02:00.000-08:00

Toxic effects of cadmium or its compounds on body tissues and functions. Poisoning may result from the ingestion of an acid food or drink prepared in a cadmium-lined vessel (e.g., lemonade served from cadmium-plated cans). Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and prostration usually occur within 15 minutes after ingestion and subside within 24 hours. Inhalation of cadmium fumes in

Vtol Airplane

2005-03-10T03:47:00.000-08:00

The first operational VTOL jet aircraft was the British Royal Air Force Harrier; its jet engines are

Xia Gui

2005-03-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

Xia's birth and death dates are unknown. According to most Chinese sources, however, he served in the Imperial Academy (Yuhuayuan) under the emperor Ning Zong (reigned 1194/95–1224/25), eventually attaining the rank of daizhao, or “painter in attendance,” and being awarded the highest honour a court painter could receive, the Golden Belt. The earliest source of information on him, however,

Kazankina, Tatyana

2005-03-09T01:16:00.000-08:00

A seemingly fragile individual standing 1.61 metres (5 feet 3 inches) tall and weighing just 48 kg (106 pounds), Kazankina made an international impression with her fortitude and speed during a string of victories

Yüeh Fei

2005-03-08T04:50:00.000-08:00

In 1126 North China was overrun by the nomadic Juchen and the Sung capital at K'ai-feng taken. The former emperor Hui-tsung, who had abdicated in 1125/26, together with his son, the emperor Ch'in-tsung (reigned 1125/26–27), was carried into captivity. Another son of Hui-tsung, later known as Kao-tsung (reigned

Faridpur

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

City, central Bangladesh, on the west bank of the Mara (Dead) Padma stream, a tributary of the Padma. It serves as a rail terminus for the branch line connecting Goalundo Ghat with Calcutta and is linked by road with Kushtia, Meherpur, Khulna, Barisal, and Jessore. The city takes its name from the Muslim saint Farid-ud-Din Mas'ud, whose shrine is located there. Constituted a municipality

Metatarsal

2005-03-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

Any of several tubular bones between the ankle (tarsal) bones and each of the hindlimb digits, in land vertebrates corresponding to the metacarpal bones of the hand (forepaw). In humans the five metatarsal bones help form longitudinal arches along the inner and outer sides of the foot and a transverse arch at the ball of the foot. The first metatarsal (which adjoins the

Orange Bowl

2005-03-07T01:24:00.000-08:00

The game was first played in 1933 to attract winter tourists to Florida a month

Medicine

2005-03-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

It is generally the goal of most countries to have their health services organized in such a way to ensure that individuals, families, and communities obtain the maximum benefit from current knowledge and technology available for the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health. In order to play their part in this process, governments and other agencies are

Aviculture

2005-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Raising and care of wild birds in captivity, for the breeding of game stock, the perpetuation of declining species, or for display and education. The simulation of natural conditions is a necessary goal of aviculturists, allowing them to study aspects of mating and breeding behaviour that may not be easily observed in the wild. As a result of such study, a number of species,

Elizabethton

2005-03-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1796) of Carter county, northeastern Tennessee, U.S. It lies at the confluence of the Doe and Watauga rivers, in the southern Appalachian Mountains, about 105 miles (170 km) northeast of Knoxville and just east of Johnson City. Situated in the valley of the Watauga, it is one of the region's oldest settlements, where a compact for self-government (the Watauga Association) was

Ugaki Kazushige

2005-03-04T01:52:00.000-08:00

Japanese soldier-statesman, who in the years before World War II headed the so-called Control Faction of the Japanese army, a group that stressed the development of new weapons and opposed the rightist “Imperial Way” faction, which emphasized increased indoctrination of troops with ultranationalist ideology. Ugaki's

Toadflax

2005-03-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

Also called Spurred Snapdragon, any member of a genus (Linaria) of nearly 100 herbaceous plants native to the North Temperate Zone, particularly the Mediterranean region. The common name refers to their flaxlike leaves; the flowers are two-lipped and spurred like snapdragons. Among the prominent members are common toadflax, or butter-and-eggs (L. vulgaris), with yellow and orange flower

Great Rye Island

2005-03-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

Slovak Vel'ký Zitný Ostrov riverine island, Západní Slovensko kraj (region), Slovakia. The island lies southeast of Bratislava, between the Little Danube and Váh rivers to the north and the Danube to the south. It is composed of rich alluvial sediments deposited by the Danube in the Little Alföld, which is a plain shared by Hungary and Slovakia. Like Little Schütt Island (Szigetköz) on the Hungarian

Szeged

2005-03-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

The city was replanned

Costa Rica, Ethnic and religious groups

2005-03-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica is noted for having the largest percentage of Spanish population in Central America. The Meseta Central, with more than half the nation's population, is the most predominantly Spanish region in both its manner of living and its ancestry. Spanish is spoken with distinctive national accents and usages. In Central America, a Costa Rican is called a Tico, for

Basilan

2005-03-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Island and city, southern Philippines, in the Celebes Sea. Basilan island lies 5 miles (8 km) off the southern tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula of Mindanao, across the Basilan Strait. With an area of 495 square miles (1,282 square km), it is the largest and northernmost island of the Sulu Archipelago. Most of the island consists of rugged or rolling forested uplands, with several volcanic

Overweg, Adolf

2005-03-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

In 1849 Overweg joined an expedition, headed by the English explorer James

Sa'adia Ben Joseph

2005-02-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

Sa'adia's opus magnum was on exegesis. He prepared

Vakhan

2005-02-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Wakhan, or Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous region and panhandle in the Pamir Mountains of extreme northeastern Afghanistan. From the demarcation of the Afghan frontier (1895–96), the panhandle formed a political buffer between Russian Turkistan, British India, and China. It is now bounded by Tajikistan (north), China (east), and Pakistan (south). The Vakhan River flows from west to east through Vakhan for 100 miles

Alunogen

2005-02-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

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

Yacht

2005-02-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

The yacht races held in every Olympic meet since 1900, except for 1904, illustrate the general tendency in the period toward smaller boats and, after mid-century, the increasing popularity of one-class racing. Earlier Olympics included races for boats of various sizes and weights. The difficulty and expense of freighting boats and the increasing difficulty of recruiting

Leningrad Affair

2005-02-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

(1948–50), in the history of the Soviet Union, a sudden and sweeping purge of Communist Party and government officials in Leningrad and the surrounding region. The purge occurred several months after the sudden death of Andrey A. Zhdanov (Aug. 31, 1948), who had been the Leningrad party boss as well as one of Joseph Stalin's most powerful lieutenants in the postwar period. The purge, which

Cone, Fairfax M.

2005-02-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

Cone's father was a prospector and mining engineer, and his mother was a schoolteacher. He studied English at the University of California, working as a summertime copy boy on the San Francisco

Peter Claver, Saint

2005-02-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

Peter entered the Society of Jesus in 1602 and eight years later was sent to Cartagena, where he was ordained in 1616. The miserable condition of the slaves aboard ship and in the pens

Pantheism, Buddhist doctrines

2005-02-24T01:52:00.000-08:00

Some 600 years after Buddha, a new and more speculative school of Buddhism arose to challenge the 18 or 20 schools of Buddhism then in existence. One of the early representatives of this new school, which came to be known as Mahayana (Sanskrit “Greater Vehicle”) Buddhism, was Asvaghosa. Like Sankara (whom he antedated by 700 years), Asvaghosa not only distinguished between the pure Absolute

Schauspiel

2005-02-23T23:27:00.000-08:00

Any spectacle or public performance. In late 18th-century German literature the word took on the more specific meaning of a play that has characteristics of both a tragedy and a comedy in that it is a serious play with a happy ending and in which the hero does not die.

Gobi

2005-02-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

Information on the Gobi is available in surveys of explorations in the area: Jack Autrey Dabbs, History of the Discovery and Exploration of Chinese Turkestan (1963), a comprehensive introduction with a bibliography; and Sven Hedin, Central Asia and Tibet, trans. from Swedish, 2 vol. (1903, reissued 1969), and Across the Goby Desert (1931, reprinted 1968; originally published in Swedish, 1928). Other records of archaeological and geographic explorations in the area include Aurel Stein, Ruins of Desert Cathay: Personal Narrative of Explorations in Central Asia and Westernmost China, 2 vol. (1912, reprinted 1987), and On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks: Brief Narrative of Three Expeditions in Innermost Asia and North-Western China (1933, reissued 1971); Owen Lattimore, Inner Asian Frontiers of China (1940, reprinted 1988); Paul Pelliot, Les Grottes de Touen-Houang: peintures and sculptures bouddhiques des époques des Wei, des T'ang, et des Song, 6 vol. in 4 (1914–24); Peter Hopkirk, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia (1980); and Basil Davidson, Turkestan Alive: New Travels in Chinese Central Asia (1957). Specific treatments of the Gobi are Mildred Cable, The Gobi Desert (1942, reprinted 1987); and Alonzo W. Pond, Climate and Weather in the Central Gobi of Mongolia (1954). An overview of the contemporary economic and social situation is presented in Terry Cannon and Alan Jenkins (ed.), The Geography of Contemporary China: The Impact of Deng Xiaoping's Decade (1990).

Cambrian Period, Boundaries and subdivisions

2005-02-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

The lower boundary of the Cambrian System is defined at a formal global stratotype section and point (GSSP), which was ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 1992. The stratotype section is located at Fortune Head on the Burin Peninsula of southeastern Newfoundland in Canada. It contains a thick and continuous marine succession of mostly

France, History Of, The Consulate

2005-02-22T04:39:00.000-08:00

The “revisionists” who engineered the Brumaire coup intended to create a strong, elitist government that would curb the republic's political turmoil and guarantee the conquests of 1789. They had in mind what might be called a senatorial oligarchy rather than a personal dictatorship. General Bonaparte, however, advocated a more drastic concentration of power. Within

Gulf Stream

2005-02-21T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Gulf Stream is part of a general

Thomas, Martha Carey

2005-02-21T04:16:00.000-08:00

Carey Thomas, as she preferred to be known, was the daughter of a modestly prosperous Quaker family. She attended Quaker schools in her native Baltimore, Maryland, and in Ithaca, New York, then overrode her father's objections

Coif

2005-02-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

The coif could also be an indoor skullcap

Biblical Literature, Manuscripts and printed editions of the Septuagint

2005-02-20T04:36:00.000-08:00

The manuscripts are conveniently classified by papyri uncials (capital letters) and minuscules (cursive script). The papyri fragments run into the hundreds, of varying sizes and importance, ranging from the formative period of the Septuagint through the middle of the 7th century. Two pre-Christian fragments of Deuteronomy from Egypt are of outstanding significance.

Gtor-ma

2005-02-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

Sacrificial cakes used in Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies as offerings to deities. The unbaked cakes are prepared by kneading parched barley flour and butter into the shapes of cones, decorated with pats of butter. The cakes form part of the phyi-mchod, or eight offerings of external worship, as well as part of the offerings of the five senses, which are considered internal

Port Blair

2005-02-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

City and capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India, in the Bay of Bengal. The city lies on the hilly southeastern coast of South Andaman Island. It is a market town with a sawmill, several local museums, and an airport. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 74,810.

Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeoamericana

2005-02-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

Spanish and Spanish-American biography and gazetteer information are especially strong. Major articles—e.g., on countries—are quite long and include lengthy bibliographies of international scope. Although coverage is considered

Mellon Financial Corporation

2005-02-18T01:30:00.000-08:00

The original bank, T. Mellon and Sons Bank, was founded in 1869 by Thomas Mellon (1813–1908), a native of Ireland. One of his four sons, Andrew W. Mellon (1855–1937), joined the business in 1874 and proved so capable that the elder Mellon

Scheie's Syndrome

2005-02-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Mucopolysaccharidosis I S , or Mps I S uncommon hereditary metabolic disease characterized by clawing of the hands, corneal clouding, incompetence of the aortic valve of the heart, and painful nerve compression in the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome). The disease was described by Harold Scheie of the United States in 1962 and is a mild variant of Hurler's syndrome (MPS I H), a disorder associated with subnormal

Harald Iii Sigurdsson

2005-02-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

The son of Sigurd Sow (Syr), a chieftain in eastern Norway, and of Estrid, mother of the Norwegian king Olaf II Haraldsson (St. Olaf), Harald fought at the age of 15 against the Danes

Yard-of-ale Glass

2005-02-16T08:18:00.000-08:00

Tall, extremely narrow drinking glass that was known in England from the 17th century. It is approximately 1 yard (90 cm) long and holds about 1 pint (0.5 litre). The glass has a trumpet-shaped opening at one end and either a foot at the other or a trick bulb, which makes drinking more difficult, for when air gets into it the ale is forced out in a rush. Impractical for ordinary use, it appears

Duricrust

2005-02-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

Surface or near-surface of the Earth consisting of a hardened accumulation of silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), and iron oxide (Fe2O3), in varying proportions. Admixtures of other substances commonly are present and duricrusts may be enriched with oxides of manganese or titanium within restricted areas. Thus, siliceous, ferruginous, and aluminous crusts constitute duricrusts

Phocis

2005-02-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

Modern Greek Fokís, district of ancient central Greece, extending northward from the Gulf of Corinth over the range of Mount Parnassus to the Locrian Mountains, which formed the northern frontier. In the fertile Cephissus River valley, between the two mountain ranges, lay most of the Phocian settlements: Amphicleia (or Amphicaea), Tithorea, Elatea, Hyampolis, Abae, and Daulis. A mountain

Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Old Testament

2005-02-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament, including its prophetic books, has a core of historical record focusing on the trials of the tribes of Israel. In their own view an elect nation, the Israelites believe their history spells out a providential design. The Prophets understand the earliest texts, Genesis and Exodus, in terms of this providential scheme. Hebraic texts are interpreted

China, Phase three: approaching crisis (194445)

2005-02-14T05:02:00.000-08:00

China was in crisis in 1944. Japan faced increasing pressure in the Pacific and threats to its supply bases and communications lines in China as well as to nearby shipping. Its response was twofold—first, to attack from Burma toward Assam to cut the supply lines or capture the airfields at the western end of the Hump, and, second, to capture the railway system in China from

Durant, William Crapo

2005-02-14T00:48:00.000-08:00

After establishing a carriage company in Michigan in 1886, Durant took over a small firm in 1903 and began to manufacture Buick motorcars. He brought together several automotive manufacturers

Mannar Island

2005-02-13T04:57:00.000-08:00

Dry, barren island that lies at the eastern end of Adam's Bridge, a chain of shoals off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. Mannar Island has an area of about 50 square miles (130 square km). Fishing is economically important. The small port of Mannar is on the southeastern shore. Pop. (1990 est.) 132,000.

Chambers, John Graham

2005-02-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

After a distinguished college career rowing for Cambridge, Chambers coached the Cambridge team from 1871 to 1874. In 1866 he founded the Amateur Athletic Club and was instrumental in organizing the

Southampton, William Fitzwilliam, Earl Of

2005-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

A son of Sir William Fitzwilliam of Aldwarke, near Rotherham, Fitzwilliam was a companion in boyhood of Henry VIII and was knighted for his services at the siege of Tournai in 1513. Later he was treasurer of Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey's household and was sent several times to France

Bektashi

2005-02-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

Originally one of many Sufi orders within orthodox Sunnite Islam, the Bektashi order in the 16th century adopted tenets of the Shi'ite sect,

Lurton, Horace H(armon)

2005-02-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

Lurton enlisted in the Confederate army at the outbreak of the war and was twice taken prisoner, but he was paroled by President Abraham Lincoln the second time upon his mother's appeal, pleading illness. After the war he finished his studies and established a successful

Alabama, Plant and animal life

2005-02-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

The warm climate of Alabama has nurtured a rich plant cover, including more than 125 tree varieties. Most of the thick forests are in the north and northeast. Pine trees predominate, and live oaks are also found statewide, lending grace to the streets of the older towns and cities. Sweet gum and black walnut are also common, while the colourful red cedar is most abundant in

Durham

2005-02-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1881) of Durham county, north-central North Carolina, U.S. It is situated about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Chapel Hill and 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Raleigh, the three cities forming one of the state's major urban areas—the Research Triangle. The first settlement (about 1750) in what is now Durham was called Prattsburg for William Pratt, a landowner. When Pratt refused to give land

Tibet, The Dge-lugs-pa (Yellow Hat sect)

2005-02-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

For 70 peaceful years Byang-chub rgyal-mtshan (died 1364) and his two successors ruled a domain wider than that of the Sa-skya-pa. Thereafter, although the Phag-mo-gru Gong-ma (as the ruler was called) remained nominally supreme, violent dissension erupted again. In 1435 the lay princes of Rin-spungs, ministers of Gong-ma and patrons of the increasingly influential Karma-pa sect, rebelled

Loddon River

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

River, central Victoria, Australia, rising in the Eastern Highlands 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Melbourne and flowing northwest and north for more than 200 miles (320 km), past Kerang, joining with the Little Murray and then with the Murray near Swan Hill. Inconstant in volume, the Loddon has been dammed for several reservoirs, including Cairn Curran and Tullaroop, to form part of

Shah-nameh

2005-02-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

(1010; “Book of Kings”), celebrated work of the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi, in which the Persian national epic found its final and enduring form. Written for Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, the Shah-nameh is a poem of nearly 60,000 verses, mainly based on the Khvatay-namak, a history of the kings of Persia in Pahlavi (Middle Persian) from mythical times down to the 7th century. Ferdowsi versified and updated

Lurton, Horace H(armon)

2005-02-08T00:31:00.000-08:00

The OAU was established on May 25, 1963, and its activities included diplomacy

Lurton, Horace H(armon)

2005-02-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

French Agence Spatiale Européenne (ASE) western European space and space-technology research organization founded in 1975 from the merger of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), both established in 1964. Members include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

Chan Chan

2005-02-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

Great ruined and abandoned pre-Inca city on the present-day northern Peruvian coast, the capital of the Chimú kingdom (c. AD 1200–1400). The site is about 300 miles (480 km) north of Lima in the Moche Valley, between the Pacific and the city of Trujillo. The ruins, which cover nearly 14 square miles (36 square km), are in good condition because the area is rainless. The city was watered by irrigation ditches,

Eretna Dynasty

2005-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

The dynasty's founder, Eretna, was an officer of Uighur (Uyghur) origin in the service of Demirtas, the Il-Khanid governor of Anatolia, who revolted (1326) against the Il-Khanid ruler Abu Sa'id and escaped to Egypt. Eretna then became governor of Anatolia under the suzerainty of Hasan

Icaza, Jorge

2005-02-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Icaza started writing for the theatre, but when he was censured for a 1933 dramatic script, El dictador, he turned his attention, and his indignation,

Haakon Iii Sverresson

2005-02-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

During his short reign he tried to heal the breach between the crown and the church, so that exiled bishops returned to their sees. It was said that the sickness which caused his sudden death was the result of poison put into his drink at the instigation of his Swedish stepmother, Margaret.

Wicklow

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

Irish Cill Mhantáin county in the province of Leinster, Ireland. With an area of 782 sq mi (2,025 sq km), it is bounded on the east by the Irish Sea and by Counties Wexford (south), Carlow and Kildare (west), and Dublin (north). County Wicklow includes much of the Leinster Chain mountain range, notably the Wicklow Mountains, and has fertile lowland areas. Much of its coast comprises rocky cliffs and excellent

Grafton

2005-02-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

City and port, northeastern New South Wales, Australia, 42 mi (68 km) from the mouth of the Clarence River (and its Pacific outport of Yamba), in the North Coast district. The site was first settled in 1838 when the area was exploited by cedar getters. The city was proclaimed in 1885 and increased in size in 1956 by merging the municipalities of Grafton and South Grafton (both named after the Duke

Sacramento River

2005-02-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

River rising in the Klamath Mountains, near Mt. Shasta (in Siskiyou County), northern California, U.S., and flowing 382 mi (615 km) south-southwest between the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges, through the northern section (Sacramento Valley) of the Central Valley; it forms a common delta with the San Joaquin River before entering the north arm of San Francisco Bay. Its principal