SimpleKey

0800 Promote

2006-11-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

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.

Sessions, Roger (huntington)

2005-04-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

He studied at Harvard University and at the Yale School of Music and later took composition lessons from Ernest Bloch. After several years in Europe he returned to the United

Jazz

2005-03-31T00:37:00.000-08:00

Whereas most of these postwar musicians worked out their individual styles through personal explorations within the central modern tradition, the arrival of saxophonist Ornette Coleman and trumpeter Donald Cherry constituted an even more radical break from the recent past. Eschewing conventional key and time signatures, Coleman also abandoned all the

Nicholson, Jack

2005-03-29T05:04:00.000-08:00

Nicholson, whose father abandoned his family, grew up believing that his grandmother was his mother and that his mother was his older sister; it was not

Congonhas

2005-03-26T03:41:00.000-08:00

Town, east-central Minas Gerais estado (“state”), Brazil, in the Brazilian Highlands, at 2,854 feet (870 metres) above sea level. The settlement was made the seat of a municipality in 1938. Known as Congonhas do Campo before 1948, the town is a centre for the mining of iron, nickel, gold, and other minerals. The town is dominated by the great pilgrimage church of Bom Jesus (1773) and its chapels, which are set

To' Janggut

2005-03-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Muhammad Hasan, known as To' Janggut because of his long white beard, was a peasant farmer and an itinerant rice trader in

Earth, Ellipsoidal era

2005-03-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

The period from Eratosthenes to Picard can be called the spherical era of geodesy. A new ellipsoidal era was begun by Newton and the Dutch mathematician and scientist Christiaan Huygens. In Ptolemaic astronomy it had seemed natural to assume that the Earth was an exact sphere with a centre that, in turn, all too easily became regarded as the centre of the entire universe.

Karsh, Yousuf

2005-03-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

As an Armenian in Turkey, the young Karsh endured persecution and privation. In 1924, at age 16, he immigrated to Canada, joining his uncle, who was a photographer, in Sherbrooke, Quebec. From 1928 to 1931 he served as an apprentice to a Boston painter

Abdülhak Hâmid

2005-03-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

Born into a family of famous scholars, Hâmid was educated in Istanbul and in Paris. Later in Tehran, he studied Arabic and Persian poetry.

Arts, Central Asian

2005-03-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

Of the relatively few Central Asian languages that have developed written literatures, the most important are Turkic, Tibetan, and Mongol. (For a treatment of these languages, see Altaic languages and Sino-Tibetan languages.) This article will deal with Tibetan and Mongolian literatures from their inception to the 20th century and with Turkic literature from its

Clouded Leopard

2005-03-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

(Neofelis nebulosa), also called clouded tiger strikingly marked cat, very similar in colouring and coat pattern to the smaller, unrelated marbled cat (Felis marmorata). The clouded leopard is found in southeastern Asia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Taiwan, particularly in forests and other wooded regions; the population declined sharply in the latter half of the 20th century as a result of hunting

Southeast Asia, History Of, Reappearance of regional interests

2005-03-15T22:25:00.000-08:00

After the end of the 17th century, the long-developed polities of Southeast Asia were pulled into a Western-dominated world economy, weakening regional trade networks and strengthening ties with distant colonial powers. In the early years of independence these ties often remained strong enough to be called neocolonial by critics, but after the mid-1960s these partnerships

Kora

2005-03-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

Long-necked harp lute of the Malinke people of western Africa. The instrument's body is composed of a long hardwood neck that passes through a calabash gourd resonator, itself covered by a leather soundboard. Twenty-one leather or nylon strings are attached to the top of the neck with leather tuning rings. The strings pass over a notched bridge (10 strings

Hippolytus Of Rome, Saint

2005-03-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hippolytus was a leader of the Roman church during the pontificate (c. 199–217) of St. Zephyrinus, whom he attacked as being a modalist (one who conceives that the entire Trinity dwells in Christ and who maintains that the names Father and Son are only different designations

Myanmar, Traditional regions

2005-03-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Speakers of Burmese and Mon historically have lived in the plains, while speakers of a dialect of Burmese retaining archaic features occupied the Arakan and Tenasserim coastal plains. The hills were inhabited by those speaking Shan, Kachin, Chin, and numerous other languages. In the plains the division between northern and southern Myanmar (Upper and Lower Burma,

Edes

2005-03-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

Abbreviation of Greek Ellínikos Dímokratikos Ethnikós Strátos , English Greek Democratic National Army nationalist guerrilla force that, bolstered by British support, constituted the only serious challenge to EAM-ELAS (q.v.) control of the resistance movement in occupied Greece during World War II. Led by Gen. Napoleon Zervas, EDES was originally liberal and antimonarchist; but it moved steadily to the political right. It cooperated with ELAS for a time in operations

Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University

2005-03-10T23:04:00.000-08:00

Byname Florida A&M University public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. It is a historically black, land-grant institution and part of the State University System of Florida; its enrollment remains predominantly African American. The university includes colleges of arts and sciences, education, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and engineering

Stefan Nemanja

2005-03-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

Nemanja became grand zupan (clan leader) of Raška under Byzantine suzerainty in 1169. He subsequently sided with the Venetians and was eventually defeated by the avenging Byzantines, but he was pardoned. Nemanja later conquered Skopje, Prizren, and Tetovo. Though again defeated, he retained Kosovo, Pec, Prizren, Bar, Skadar (Shkodër), and Kotor. He abdicated

Domenico Veneziano,

2005-03-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

Domenico was probably first trained in the International Gothic manner in Venice, where it is likely he saw paintings by northern European artists. He settled in Florence about 1439 and, except for brief periods, worked there until his

Scorpius

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

In astrology,

Black Mountain Poet

2005-03-06T00:30:00.000-08:00

The group grew up around the poets Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, and Charles Olson while they were teaching at Black Mountain

China, Rural areas

2005-03-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Except in the mountains and hills, an overwhelming majority of the rural settlements of China consist of sizable compact (nucleated) villages. The formation of such rural settlements is related not only to the increasing population and to a long historical background but also to water supply (the practice of drilling deep wells, for instance) and to defense (especially,

Induction

2005-03-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

In embryology, process by which the presence of one tissue influences the development of others. Certain tissues, especially in very young embryos, apparently have the potential to direct the differentiation of adjacent cells. Absence of the inducing tissue results in lack of or improper development of the induced tissue. The converse is often true as well; i.e., the

Beas River

2005-03-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Bias , ancient (Greek) Hyphasis , Sanskrit Vipasa river in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab states, northwestern India. It is one of the five rivers that give the Punjab (“Five Rivers”) its name. It rises at an elevation of 14,308 feet (4,361 m) in the Rohtang Pass in the Punjab Himalayas, in central Himachal Pradesh. From there it flows south through the Kulu valley, receiving tributaries from the flanking mountains, and then turns west to flow

Agustini, Delmira

2005-03-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Agustini was the first woman in Latin-American literature to deal boldly with the themes of sensuality and passion, and her poems have a force lacking from most Modernist poetry of the period. Her life ended tragically when she was murdered by her estranged husband. Her chief

Cardiovascular System, Conducting system of the heart

2005-03-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

Both the atrioventricular node, with an intrinsic beat of 40–60 beats per minute, and the Purkinje fibres, with an intrinsic beat of 15–40 beats per minute, are self-stimulating and capable of rhythmic contraction, but at a rate slower than that of the sinoatrial node, which possesses an intrinsic capacity to beat 72 times per minute. Therefore, since recovery time is faster in the

Melrhir, Chott

2005-03-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

Lake in northeastern Algeria. Lying almost entirely below sea level, the Chott Melrhir is a marshy, saline lake that fluctuates in area with the seasons; usually, it is more than 80 miles (130 km) wide east–west. The Melrhir occupies the westernmost of a series of depressions extending into the Sahara from the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. The lowest point in Algeria, 131 feet (40 m) below sea

Jammu And Kashmir, Resources and agriculture

2005-02-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

The state has limited mineral and fossil-fuel resources, and much of these are concentrated in the Jammu region. Small reserves of natural gas are found near Jammu, and bauxite and gypsum deposits occur in the Udhampur district. Other minerals include limestone, coal, zinc, and copper. The pressure of population on land is everywhere apparent, and all available resources

Nitrogen Fixation

2005-02-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

Under ordinary conditions nitrogen does not react with other elements. Yet nitrogenous compounds are found in all fertile soils,

Amino Acid

2005-02-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

The only exceptions to this basic structure are proline and hydroxyproline, in which the primary amino group is replaced by a secondary amino group present

Idealism, Basic arguments

2005-02-24T05:47:00.000-08:00

Idealists delight in arguments. They agree with Socrates and Plato in thinking that every philosopher should follow the argument wherever it leads, and, like them, they believe that it will eventually lead to some type of Idealism. Four basic arguments found in the literature of Idealism may be briefly summarized.

Camagüey

2005-02-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

Because of the great production of livestock, sugarcane, and other agricultural products and of chromite

Automobile Racing

2005-02-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

The stunning success of Nigel Mansell, 1992 Formula One champion, in his first year in U.S. IndyCar competition highlighted a year in which virtuosity and tragedy shared centre stage. The 40-year-old Englishman, driving a Lola-Ford Cosworth for Newman-Haas Racing, edged 1993 Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi for the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) championship. Mansell

Campa

2005-02-21T04:19:00.000-08:00

Campa is often mentioned in early Buddhist literature as a city of importance and was one

Cacus And Caca

2005-02-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

In Roman religion, brother and sister, respectively, originally fire deities of the early Roman settlement on the Palatine Hill, where “Cacus' stairs” were later situated. The Roman poet Virgil described Cacus as the son of the flame god Vulcan and as a monstrous fire-breathing brigand who terrorized the countryside. He stole some of the giant Geryon's cattle from the

Babbler

2005-02-20T03:39:00.000-08:00

Also called Chatterer, any of more than 250 Old World songbirds of the family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes); they are treated by many authorities as a subfamily of the Muscicapidae (q.v.). Noted for their continual and rapid vocalizations, babblers are sometimes called babbling thrushes or chatterers. The name babbler is often used in compound form suggesting habitat, appearance, or behaviour:

India, From Banda Singh Bahadur to Ranjit Singh

2005-02-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

The quelling by Mughal forces of the Sikhs under Banda did not mean an end to Sikh resistance to Mughal claims. In the 1720s and '30s, Amritsar emerged as a centre of Sikh activity, partly because of its preeminence as a pilgrimage centre. Kapur Singh, the most important of the Sikh leaders of the time, operated from its vicinity and gradually set about consolidating a revenue-cum-military

Melanesian Pidgin

2005-02-18T05:07:00.000-08:00

Also called Melanesian Pidgin English, Neo-melanesian, Beach-la-mar, or Sandalwood English, an English-based pidgin that is used widely in Melanesia as a trade and mission language; in some areas it has become established as a creole (i.e., it has become the native language of some communities). Melanesian Pidgin has also become the lingua franca of Papua New Guinea, where several hundred native languages are spoken, most of them being mutually

Duck Lake

2005-02-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

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

Poza Rica

2005-02-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Poza Rica was the scene of a major air pollution disaster in 1950, in which 22 persons

China, The Nan Mountains

2005-02-15T02:26:00.000-08:00

The Nan Mountains (in Chinese Nan Ling) are composed of many ranges of mountains running from northeast to southwest. These ranges form the watershed between the Yangtze to the north and the Pearl River (Chu Chiang) to the south. The main peaks along the watershed are above 5,000 feet, and some are more than 6,500 feet. But a large part of the land to the south of the Nan Mountains is also

Ada

2005-02-14T00:54:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1907) of Pontotoc county, south-central Oklahoma, U.S. It lies along Clear Boggy Creek, south of the Canadian River, and was named for the daughter of the first postmaster, William J. Reed, who built a log store there in 1889. The railroad arrived in 1900, and the city developed as a marketing and trading centre for a large cattle and grain area. The discovery of oil in the vicinity

Mysticism, Other definitions and experiences of mysticism

2005-02-13T01:57:00.000-08:00

Such undifferentiated unity or union between the individual and the supreme self is unacceptable to certain traditions and temperaments. The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber emphasized an “I–Thou” relationship: “All real living is meeting,” and one Thou cannot become It. But even his own “unforgettable experience” of union he would explain as “illusory.” With a wider

Sankara

2005-02-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shankara , also called Sankaracarya philosopher and theologian, most renowned exponent of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, from whose doctrines the main currents of modern Indian thought are derived. He wrote commentaries on the Brahma-sutra and the principal Upanisads, affirming his belief in one eternal unchanging reality (Brahman) and the illusion of plurality

Edenbridge

2005-02-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

Town (“parish”), Sevenoaks district, administrative and historic county of Kent, England, south of London near the Surrey border, on the River Eden. It was enlarged after 1970 to accommodate overspill population from London, and light industries have been introduced. Nearby Hever Castle is a moated mansion of the 15th and 16th centuries, associated with the family of Anne Boleyn,

Régnier, Henri (-françois-joseph) De

2005-02-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Born of an old Norman family, Régnier began to prepare for a career as a diplomat, but while studying law in Paris he came under the influence of the Symbolist poets and published his first volume of poems, Lendemains (“Tomorrows”), in 1885. Other volumes followed: Les Jeux rustiques et

Early Christian Art

2005-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

Also called Paleo-christian Art, or Primitive Christian Art, architecture, painting, and sculpture from the beginnings of Christianity until about the early 6th century, particularly the art of Italy and the western Mediterranean. (Early Christian art in the eastern part of the Roman Empire is usually considered to be part of Byzantine art; q.v.) The Christian religion was part of a general trend in the late Roman Empire toward

Venezuela, The colonial era

2005-02-08T03:32:00.000-08:00

Christopher Columbus arrived in what is now Venezuela in 1498, during his third voyage to the New World. European explorers named the region Venezuela (“Little Venice”) after observing local Indian houses on stilts over water. During the first quarter-century of contact, the Europeans limited themselves to slave hunting and pearl fishing on the northeastern coast; the

Morea, Despotate Of

2005-02-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

Autonomous Byzantine principality located on the Greek Peloponnese (Morea). It was established in the mid-14th century by the Byzantine emperor John VI Cantacuzenus (reigned 1347–54) as an appanage for his son Manuel. Manuel Cantacuzenus consolidated his territory against the claims of Latins (western Europeans) and the inroads of Turks, but after his death (1380) the Palaeologians

China, The dynasty's founder

2005-02-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

Chu Yüan-chang, founder of the new dynasty, came from a family of physiognomists from K'ai-feng who in Yüan times had deteriorated into itinerant tenant farmers in northern Anhwei Province. Orphaned by famine and plague in 1344, young Chu was taken into a small Buddhist monastery near Feng-yang city as a lay novice. For more than three years he wandered as a mendicant through

Arabia, History Of, Mamluk and Ottoman influence

2005-02-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Although the Yemeni Rasulids sometimes disputed with the Mamluks the overlordship of the Holy Cities, the Mamluks generally prevailed. Egyptians and Meccans attacked al-Mujahid the Rasulid on a pilgrimage in 1350, and he was held prisoner in Egypt though released later.

North America, Mangrove thickets

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

Ringing southern Florida and the Mexican lowlands facing the Caribbean, mangrove thickets are backed by quick-oak and palms. Ibis fleck the woods with their gleaming white feathers. Water moccasin and other venomous snakes are common in swamps, as are alligators.

Fuchs, Leonhard

2005-02-01T03:43:00.000-08:00

Fuchs obtained a humanistic education under Catholic guidance

Hawkins, Sir John

2005-01-31T23:29:00.000-08:00

A kinsman of Sir Francis Drake, Hawkins began his career as a merchant in the African trade and soon became the first English slave trader. By carrying slaves from Guinea, in West Africa,

Nabatiyah At-tahta, An-

2005-01-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

Town, southern Lebanon. It is the major centre of tobacco growing in Lebanon. Other agricultural products are grapes, olives, figs, and grains. Most of the inhabitants of the town are Shi'ite Muslims. A main road crosses the region connecting an-Nabatiyah at-Tahta to Sidon via the road along the Mediterranean Coast, to Marj 'Uyun, and southeastward to the Israeli border and the

Spanish Literature, Revival of the Spanish novel

2005-01-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

For more than two centuries the novel, with which Spain had made its greatest contribution to literature, had been almost extinct. The first novels of the revival were more interesting for powers of observation and description (a continuation of costumbrismo) than for imaginative or narrative quality. A woman novelist, Fernán Caballero, determined the technique

Howard, Oliver O.

2005-01-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. (1854), Howard resigned his regular army commission at the beginning of the war to become colonel of a Maine volunteer regiment. He was

Rya Rug

2005-01-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

Floor covering handmade in Sweden and Finland using techniques resembling those employed in Oriental carpets but having extremely long, recumbent pile and great flexibility. In one Swedish type the nap is produced by Ghiordes knots that include a third warp, the fabric having been made on a cloth loom with open shed. Early examples of rya rugs, which were intended

Fa-hsiang

2005-01-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

School of Chinese Buddhism derived from the Indian Yogacara school. See Yogacara.

Hu-lun Lake

2005-01-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hu-lun Lake has varied considerably in area according to variations in the climate. At one time it was part of a large lake that included Pei-erh Lake, a somewhat

O'brien, William Smith

2005-01-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

O'Brien sat in the British House of Commons from 1828 to 1848. Although he was a Protestant, he actively favoured Roman Catholic emancipation, but he also wished

Bebel, August

2005-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

Bebel was the son of a Prussian noncommissioned officer. Growing up in extreme poverty

Dactyl

2005-01-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Metrical foot consisting of one long (classical verse) or stressed (English verse) syllable followed by two short, or unstressed, syllables. Probably the oldest and most common metre in classical verse is the dactylic hexameter, the metre of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and of other ancient epics. Dactylic metres are fairly rare in English verse, one difficulty being that

Museums, History Of, Evidence from antiquity

2005-01-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

The origins of the twin concepts of preservation and interpretation, which form the basis of the museum, lie in the human propensity to acquire and inquire. Collections of objects have been found in Paleolithic burials, while evidence of inquiry into the environment, and communication of the findings, can be seen in the cave and mobiliary art of the same period. A development

Computers, Howard Aiken's digital calculators

2005-01-19T05:38:00.000-08:00

While Bush was working on analog computing at MIT, across town Harvard professor Howard Aiken was working with digital devices for calculation. He had begun to realize in hardware something like Babbage's Analytical Engine, which he had read about. Starting in 1937, he laid out detailed plans for a series of four calculating machines of increasing sophistication, based

Gaea

2005-01-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Also called Ge, Greek personification of the Earth as a goddess. Mother and wife of Uranus (Heaven), from whom the Titan Cronus, her last born child by him, separated her, she was also mother of the other Titans, the Gigantes, the Erinyes, and the Cyclopes (see giant; Fury; Cyclops); hence literature and art sometimes made her the enemy of Zeus, for the Titans and Gigantes threatened him. Gaea may

Kresge, S.s.

2005-01-14T23:09:00.000-08:00

Kresge worked as a traveling salesman before going into business with one of his customers, John G. McCrory, the owner of several department and five-and-ten-cent stores. They became partners in 1897 in two new five-and-dime

Oates, Joyce Carol

2005-01-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

Oates studied English at Syracuse University (B.A., 1960) and the University of Wisconsin (M.A., 1961). She contributed short stories to a number of magazines

Cytoplasmic Streaming

2005-01-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Also called protoplasmic streaming the movement of the living substance (cytoplasm) within a plant or animal cell. The motion transports nutrients, enzymes, and, in plants, large virus particles within cells. In unicellular organisms such as amoeba, it provides the mechanism for cell locomotion. First discovered in the 1830s, the presence of cytoplasmic streaming helped convince biologists that cells

Leningrad, Siege Of

2005-01-07T01:39:00.000-08:00

After Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, German armies by early September had approached Leningrad from the west and south while their Finnish allies approached to the north down the

Raymond Vii

2005-01-05T04:07:00.000-08:00

After helping to recover lands of which his

Raymond Vii

2005-01-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

French Banque Africaine De Développement African organization established in August 1963 and operational beginning in July 1966 and dedicated to economic development. The Secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, together with a nine-member committee of experts from member states, engineered the original agreement of establishment, but the bank is not formally associated with the

Murnau, F.w.

2005-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

Murnau studied philosophy, art history, and literature at the Universities of Heidelberg and Berlin. In 1908 he joined the company of renowned

False Bay

2004-12-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

Afrikaans Valsbaai, bay on the south side of Cape Peninsula, South Africa, 13 mi (21 km) southeast of Cape Town. Cape Hangklip (east) and Cape Point (west) are about 20 mi apart. Its name refers to the fact that early sailors confused the bay with Table Bay to the north. It is well sheltered, though experiencing southeasterly winds in summer; and its waters are approximately 10° F (5.5° C) warmer than those of Table

Metal

2004-12-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

Approximately three-quarters of all known chemical elements are metals. The most abundant varieties in the Earth's crust are aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The vast majority of metals

Jube

2004-12-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

(from the French jubé), construction marking off the chancel, or sanctuary, of a church from the rest of the interior. Its mature medieval form consisted of three basic elements: a screen (known in England as a rood screen); a gallery, or loft, from which the words Jube, Domine, benedicere (hence jubé) were spoken; and a crucifix (rood) surmounting the whole. See rood screen.

Mosaic

2004-12-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

In botany, plant disease caused by various strains of several hundred viruses. Symptoms are variable but commonly include irregular leaf mottling (light and dark green or yellow patches or streaks). Leaves are commonly stunted, curled, or puckered; veins may be lighter than normal or banded with dark green or yellow. Plants are often dwarfed, with fruit and flowers

Fustat, Al-

2004-12-22T01:02:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Al-fostat, capital of the Muslim province of Egypt during the Umayyad and 'Abbasid caliphates and under succeeding dynasties, until captured by the Fatimid general Jawhar in 969. Founded in 641 by the Muslim conqueror of Egypt, 'Amr ibn al-'As, on the east bank of the Nile River, south of modern Cairo, Al-Fustat was the earliest Arab settlement in Egypt and site of the province's first mosque, Jami' 'Amr.

Hadrian's Wall

2004-12-21T21:44:00.000-08:00

Domeykite

2004-12-19T02:57:00.000-08:00

A copper arsenide mineral (formulated Cu3As) that is often intergrown with algodonite, another copper arsenide. Both are classified among the sulfide minerals, although they contain no sulfur. They occur in Chile, in Keweenaw County, Mich., and in other localities. Domeykite crystallizes in the isometric system. For detailed physical properties, see sulfide

Earth Sciences, The theory of plate tectonics

2004-12-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

Plate tectonics has revolutionized virtually every discipline of the Earth sciences since the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has served as a unifying model or paradigm for explaining geologic phenomena that were formerly considered in unrelated fashion. Plate tectonics describes seismic activity, volcanism, mountain building, and various other Earth processes in

African Popular Music

2004-12-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

In common with the rest of the world, Africa was strongly affected by the instrumentation, rhythms, and repertoire from the Americas during the 1920s and '30s, as radio and

Dance, African

2004-12-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Performing art deeply woven into the social fabric of Africa and generally involving aspects of music and theatre as well as rhythmic bodily movement. See also music, African, and mask.

China, The dynastic succession

2004-12-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

The Ming dynasty, which encompassed the reigns of 16 emperors, proved to be one of the stablest and longest dynasties of Chinese history. Rulers of Korea, Mongolia, East Turkistan, Burma, Siam, and Nam Viet regularly acknowledged Ming overlordship, and at times tribute was received from as far away as Japan, Java and Sumatra, Ceylon and South India, the East African coast,

Caesalpiniaceae

2004-12-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

Family of trees, shrubs, and rarely herbs, of the pea order (Fabales), comprising many tropical species. The largest genus within the family, Cassia, especially abundant in the Western Hemisphere, contains 500 or more species. The compound leaves are once or twice pinnate (i.e., the leaflets themselves may be simple or compound). The fruit is usually a legume or pod.

Jicarilla Apache

2004-12-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

The early Jicarilla were one of several loosely organized, autonomous bands of Apache living in the Southwest. Their ancient lands included parts of present-day Colorado,

Migration, Mammals

2004-11-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

Seasonal movements are not widespread among terrestrial species of mammals, because walking speed is relatively slow and energy consumption great. Marine and flying mammals have a much greater tendency to migrate, a tendency that is directly related to their locomotive powers.

Ghana, Relief and drainage

2004-11-28T01:59:00.000-08:00

Relief throughout Ghana is generally low, with altitudes nowhere exceeding 3,000 feet (900 metres). The southwestern, northwestern, and extreme northern parts of the country consist of a dissected peneplain—a land surface worn down by erosion to a nearly flat plain, later uplifted and again cut by erosion into hills and valleys or into flat uplands separated by valleys; it

Shimazu Family

2004-11-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Powerful warrior clan that controlled the southern tip of the Japanese island of Kyushu from the 12th to the 19th century. Ensconced in their isolated stronghold on the frontier of Japan, the Shimazu were the only feudal family to play a leading role in Japanese history in both medieval and modern times. During the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1867), the family's Satsuma fief was the

Velasco Ibarra, José María

2004-11-24T17:43:00.000-08:00

Velasco Ibarra was born into a wealthy family and educated in Quito and Paris. He held various public posts before being elected president as the Conservative Party's candidate in 1933, assuming office in 1934. His economic-development plans, which

Asyndeton

2004-11-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

The omission of the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses, as in the phrase “I came, I saw, I conquered” or in Matthew Arnold's poem The Scholar Gipsy:Thou hast not lived, why should'st thou perish, so?Thou hadst one aim, one business, one desire; Else wert thou long since numbered with the dead!

Drâa, Oued

2004-11-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Oued Dra, intermittent stream (wadi) of southern Morocco. Rising from two headstreams, Dadès and Imini, in the Haut (High) Atlas mountains of central Morocco, it flows southeastward to Tagounit, hence it courses southwestward, forming much of the Algerian–Moroccan frontier, to the Atlantic near Cap Drâa. Of its total length of 700 mi (1,100 km), the longest of any Moroccan river, all but the headstreams

Bharata-natya

2004-11-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

The principal of the main classical dance styles of India, the others being kuchipudi, kathak, kathakali, manipuri, and orissi. It is indigenous to the Tamil Nadu (Madras) region and prevalent in southern India. Bharata-natya serves the expression of Hindu religious themes and devotions, and its techniques and terminology have been traced back to ancient treatises such as

Pa

2004-11-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Ba ancient tribe and later an ancient Chinese feudal state that came into being in the 11th century BC, under the Western Chou. It was situated in the Chia-ling valley of what is now central Szechwan. Pa established relations with the mid-Yangtze kingdom of Ch'u in the 5th century BC. Shortly before 316 BC, the state was conquered by the Ch'in and incorporated into the Ch'in empire. In the middle

European Union

2004-11-15T23:40:00.000-08:00

The Maastricht Treaty (formally known as the Treaty on European Union), which was signed on February 7, 1992, created the European Union. The treaty met with substantial resistance in some countries. In Denmark, for example, voters who were worried about infringements upon their country's sovereignty defeated a referendum on the original treaty in June 1992, though a revised

Police

2004-11-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

All societies need some way to maintain order. In the smallest societies, informal sanctions discourage deviation. In

Starr, Kenneth W.

2004-11-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

On Sept. 9, 1998, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr reported to the U.S. Congress grounds for finding that Bill Clinton (q.v.) had committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as U.S. president. In the report, which was accompanied by voluminous evidence that included a semen-stained dress, tapes of telephone conversations, and grand jury testimony,

Frederick Iii (or Ii)

2004-11-07T02:32:00.000-08:00

Appointed regent of Sicily by his brother, James II of Aragon, in 1291, Frederick was elected king by the Sicilian parliament (Dec. 11, 1295), to prevent the island's return to the rule of the Angevin Charles II of Naples; he was crowned on March 25, 1296. To revive the Ghibelline

Landau

2004-11-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

In full Landau In Der Pfalz, city, Rhineland-Palatinate Land (state), southwestern Germany. It is picturesquely situated along the Queich River, at the slope of the Haardt Mountains. The settlement was first mentioned in 1106, and an Augustinian monastery was founded there in 1276. Landau became an imperial free town in 1291. It was occupied by the French (1680–1815) and granted to Bavaria in 1816. The city's Gothic Protestant

Alain-fournier

2004-11-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Robert Gibson, The Quest of Alain-Fournier (1953).