DirtyPebble

Promotional pens: everyone seems to want one.

2007-02-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for potential suppliers of promotional
products? From economy ballpoint pens to exclusive pen sets, you can choose
the best advertising promotional
pens for your advertising needs. That is a great way to easily promote your
business. Cheap promotional pens are always popular and extremely affordable (also
they travel well). But not forget to consider other effective products:t-shirt
(can be seen by hundreds of people each time your shirt is worn), key chains,
mugs and travel Mugs, magnets, desk Items, calendars. Think carefully about your
target audience and their lifestyle, then you can determine if these promotional
products are the best selection to accomplish your objectives.

Croker, John Wilson

2005-04-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

After graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, and studying law at Lincoln's Inn, London, Croker was called to the Irish bar in 1802. He entered Parliament in 1807 and from 1810 to 1830 was secretary of the Admiralty during the long Tory

Sannyasi

2005-04-03T03:47:00.000-07:00

Also spelled sannyasin , Sanskrit Sannyasin (“abandoning,” or “throwing down”) in Hinduism, a religious ascetic, one who has renounced the world, having achieved the fourth ashrama, or stage, of life. The name sannyasi also specifically designates an ascetic who pays particular allegiance to the god Siva, who is sometimes known as “the great ascetic.” The Saiva ascetics were organized in the 8th century AD by the renowned Hindu teacher Sankara into 10 orders,

Priesthood

2005-04-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

The function of the priest as the mediator and maintainer of the equilibrium between the sacred and the profane in human society, and as the stabilizer of the social structures and the cultic organizations, determines the various criteria for holding the priestly office. In preliterate society the functions are accomplished by ritual experts who are trained

Coin, Scandinavia

2005-03-30T04:27:00.000-08:00

The origin of Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish coinages is clearly the result of the Danish conquest of England. The Runic alphabet was employed, though not by any means exclusively, on many early coins of Denmark and Norway. The Norwegian series began with Haakon the Great (c. 970–995), who copied the pennies of Ethelred II. In the second half of the 11th century, a coinage of small, thin

Orvieto Ware

2005-03-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

Italian maiolica, a tin-glazed earthenware produced originally at Orvieto, in Umbria, from the 13th century onward. It was copied from, or inspired by, the faience produced in Paterna, Spain. The most common colours of Orvieto ware are the green and manganese purple of their Spanish prototype, though sometimes blue and yellow were added. The style of decoration is Gothic,

Abadan

2005-03-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

Arabic 'Abbadan city, extreme southwestern Iran. The city is situated in Khuzestan, part of the oil-producing region of Iran. Abadan lies on an island of the same name along the eastern bank of the Shatt Al-'Arab (river), 33 miles (53 km) from the Persian Gulf. The city thus lies along Iran's border with Iraq. Abadan Island is bounded on the west by the Shatt Al-'Arab and on the east by the Bahmanshir, which is an outlet

Computers, ALGOL

2005-03-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

During the late 1950s a multitude of programming languages appeared. This proliferation

Gambling

2005-03-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

Gambling games may vary in complexity from betting on the outcome of the toss of a coin, in which the

Caracas, Transportation

2005-03-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

Caracas is linked directly with other major urban centres of the world by air and ocean transport. Maiquetía Airport, located 10 miles by road from Caracas on the coast, provides international connections as well as domestic flights to all parts of the republic. Two smaller airports, La Carlota and Francisco de Miranda, also serve the city. La Guaira and, to a lesser extent,

Paderewski, Ignacy (jan)

2005-03-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

The son of a steward of a Polish landowner, he studied music from 1872 at the Warsaw Conservatory and from 1878 taught piano there. In 1880 he married one of his pupils, Antonina Korsak, who died in childbirth the following year. Encouraged

Microtonal Music

2005-03-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Much of the world's music, however, of both past and present times, uses intervals greater or smaller than 100 cents.

Mitnagged

2005-03-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Misnagid (Hebrew: Opponent), plural Mitnaggedim, or Misnagidim, member of a group of tradition-minded Jews who vigorously opposed the mid-18th-century Hasidic movement of eastern Europe when it threatened to encompass large numbers of Jews. Under the leadership of Elijah ben Solomon, called the Vilna Gaon, the Mitnaggedim excommunicated all Hasidic groups from Orthodox Jewish communities. The Hasidim were accused of espousing

Izumi Kyoka

2005-03-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

Kyoka was born into a family of provincial artists and artisans, from whom he inherited artistic skill and a deep faith that shaded into an actual belief in mysterious forces. He

Kiesinger, Kurt Georg

2005-03-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

Kiesinger was educated at Berlin and Tübingen, after which he began to practice law. He joined the Nazi Party after Adolf

Wilkes, John

2005-03-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

A profligate by nature, Wilkes became a member of the congenial

Buchner, Hans

2005-03-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

The brother of the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Eduard

Olympic National Park

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

National park, northwestern Washington, U.S., established in 1938 to preserve the Olympic Mountains and their magnificent forests and wildlife. The park, which covers 1,442 square miles (3,735 square km), includes a strip of Pacific Northwest shoreline geographically separated from the rest of the park. There are active glaciers on the highest peak, Mount Olympus (7,965 feet [2,428 m]), and others,

Malatesta Family

2005-03-10T01:19:00.000-08:00

Italian family that ruled Rimini, south of Ravenna, in the European Middle Ages and led the region's Guelf (papal) party. Originating as feudal lords of the Apennine hinterland, the family became powerful in Rimini in the 13th century, when Malatesta da Verucchio (d. 1312) expelled Ghibelline (imperial party) leaders in 1295 and became lord of the city. Possibly the best-known episode

Antarctic Treaty

2005-03-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

(Dec. 1, 1959), agreement signed by 12 nations, in which the Antarctic continent was made a demilitarized zone to be preserved for scientific research. The treaty resulted from a conference in Washington, D.C., attended by representatives of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Later other

Fiedler, Arthur

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

Maestro of the Boston Pops Orchestra for 50 seasons and the best-selling classical conductor of all time; his recordings with the Pops sold some 50,000,000 discs. (The Pops Orchestra is the Boston Symphony minus its principal players.) Fiedler, whose principal aim was “to give audiences a good time,” led the Pops in performances of popular tunes, show

Yacht

2005-03-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Sailboat races are held over two kinds of courses: point-to-point and closed. Most ocean racing is point-to-point, as in transoceanic races, global circumnavigation, the Bermuda Race (q.v.; first raced in 1906 from Newport to Bermuda), and the Transpacific Race (q.v.; first raced in 1906 from California to Hawaii). Such offshore races as the America's Cup and the Fastnet Cup (qq.v.) are closed

Alipore

2005-03-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Alipur town, West Bengal state, northeastern India. A southern suburb of Calcutta included within the city municipality, it has major industries, including printing and bookbinding, cement manufacture, oilseed milling, and general engineering works. Alipore is the site of zoological-horticultural gardens and of Belvedere House, onetime residence of the former British

Bowling

2005-03-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

The crown jewel among all international tenpin bowling tournaments of 1994 was the third world youth championships, held in Monterrey, Mexico, August 6-13. A record 29 countries sent their best young bowlers to Mexico to compete for world titles in boys' and girls' divisions. Stars of the tournament were Jaana Puhakka and Pasi Pöllänen of Finland, each of whom won two individual

Abu Ruwaysh

2005-03-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Abu Roash,

La Sale, Antoine De

2005-03-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

From 1400 to 1448 La Sale served the dukes of Anjou, Louis II, Louis III, and René, as squire, soldier, administrator and, ultimately, governor of René's son and heir, Jean

Moreau River

2005-03-03T03:23:00.000-08:00

River, formed by the confluence of several headstreams in Butte and Harding counties, northwestern South Dakota, U.S. It flows about 290 mi (470 km) east through the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, where it receives several north-bank tributaries (including Thunder Butte and Little Moreau), to the Missouri River south of Mobridge. The lower Moreau Basin was inundated by

Japanese Alps

2005-03-01T23:23:00.000-08:00

The ranges are a popular skiing and mountain-climbing area. The Hida Range is included within Chubu-Sangaku National Park, which stretches over Gifu, Toyama, Nagano, and Niigata prefectures and

Saint Augustine

2005-03-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Spanish

Russell, John Scott

2005-02-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

A graduate of the University of Glasgow (at age 16), Russell became professor of natural philosophy in 1832 at the University of Edinburgh, where he first began his research into the nature of water

France, History Of, Louis VIII

2005-02-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

The reign of Louis VIII (ruled 1223–26) had an importance out of proportion to its brevity. It was he (this frail husband of the formidable Blanche of Castile and father of famous sons) who first brought Languedoc under the crown of France and who inaugurated the appanages—grants of patrimonial land to members of the royal family or royal favourites—thereby creating a familial

Puerta Del Sol

2005-02-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Main plaza of Madrid, Spain. It was reputedly named for a gate (puerta) that stood there until 1510 and had on its front a representation of the sun (sol). Throughout Madrid's history the square has been the focal point of transportation and of intellectual and economic activity. It was the first part of the city to be equipped with modern conveniences (electric lights, streetcars)

Songhai Empire

2005-02-24T04:19:00.000-08:00

Though the Songhai people are said to have established themselves in the city of Gao about AD 800, they did not regard it as their capital until the beginning of

Mammal, The skin and hair

2005-02-24T01:06:00.000-08:00

The skin of mammals is constructed of two layers, a superficial nonvascular epidermis and an inner layer, the dermis or corium. The two layers interdigitate in dermal papillae (fingerlike projections), ridges of sensitive vascular dermis projecting into the epidermis. The outermost layers of the epidermis are cornified (i.e., impregnated with various tough proteins)

Mugwump

2005-02-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

In U.S. politics, member of a reform-oriented faction of the Republican Party that refused to support the candidacy of James G. Blaine for the presidency in 1884. Instead, the Mugwumps supported the Democratic nominee, Grover Cleveland. Their leaders included Theodore Roosevelt, George Curtis, and Henry Cabot Lodge; all returned to Republican ranks after the defeat of Blaine.

Abdul Razak Bin Hussein, Tun Haji

2005-02-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

A lawyer by training, Abdul Razak joined the civil service in 1950, entered politics in 1955, and was a key figure in gaining his country's independence from Britain in 1957. As deputy prime minister and defense minister (1957–70) and as minister

Danbury

2005-02-21T03:54:00.000-08:00

City, coextensive with the town (township) of Danbury, Fairfield county, southwestern Connecticut, U.S. It lies along the Still River in the foothills of the Berkshire Hills. Settled in 1685, it was named in 1687 for Danbury, England, and was incorporated as a town in 1702. The municipality within the original town tract became a borough in 1822 and a city in 1889; the town and city were consolidated

Ear Disease, Secretory otitis media

2005-02-19T14:53:00.000-08:00

In secretory otitis media the middle-ear cavity becomes filled with a clear, pale yellowish, noninfected fluid. The disorder is the result of inadequate ventilation of the middle ear through the eustachian tube. The air in the middle ear, when it is no longer replenished through this tube, is gradually absorbed by the mucous membrane, and fluid takes its place. Eventually,

North America, The Western sclerophyllous scrub forest

2005-02-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

In the hills of southern California and throughout much of the American Southwest the Western sclerophyllous forest occurs. There trees and small shrubs must be adapted both to dry, hot summers when the tropical continental air is dominant and to moist, mild winters when polar Pacific air sweeps down from the north. A thin, short, open scrub of chaparral, or stunted

Nicephorus I, Saint

2005-02-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

Although his conservatively Orthodox

Hughes, John Ceiriog

2005-02-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

After working successively as a grocer's helper, a clerk in Manchester, and a railway official in Wales, Hughes began winning poetry prizes in the 1850s and thereafter published several volumes of verse, the first

Botanical Garden

2005-02-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

German Botanischer Garten, botanical garden founded in 1914 by the German botanist Karl von Goebel in Munich. The garden's vast array of greenhouses, completed in 1958, includes 17 for display and 8 for service functions. The palm house is particularly notable. Other significant greenhouse collections are composed of alpine plants, insectivorous plants, cacti, African succulents, Crassula, and Mesembryanthemeae.

Muroran

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

City, southern Hokkaido, Japan, on Cape Chikyu at the entrance to Uchiura Bay. After 1906 it began to grow from a village to a company town, producing steel and iron products. In 1982 Muroran succeeded in securing its water supply system from the company. It became the major heavy industrial centre (by value) on Hokkaido. The port also handles coal, machinery, wood, pulp, and marine products.

Bates, Marston

2005-02-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

After several years of fieldwork, Bates received his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1934. From 1937 to 1952 he served on the staff of the International Division of the Rockefeller Foundation

Affenpinscher

2005-02-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Also called Monkey Terrier, breed of toy dog known since the 17th century. The affenpinscher stands 26 cm (10 inches) or less and weighs 3 to 3.5 kg (7 to 8 pounds). A sturdily built, terrier-like dog, it has small, erect ears, round black eyes, and a short, docked tail. Its wiry, preferably black coat is short on parts of the body but longer on the legs and on the face, where it produces the monkey-like expression for which the

Santa Anna, Antonio López De

2005-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

The son of a minor colonial official, Santa Anna served in the Spanish army and rose to the rank of captain. He fought on both sides of nearly every issue of the day. In 1821 he supported Agustín de Iturbide and the

Arguedas, Alcides

2005-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Arguedas studied sociology in Paris and pursued an active career in government. He represented

Training, Transfer Of

2005-02-09T01:35:00.000-08:00

Influence the learning of one skill has on the learning or performance of another. Will knowledge of English help a person learn German? Are skillful table-tennis (Ping-Pong) players generally good court-tennis players? Can a child who does not know how to add learn to multiply? Such questions represent the problems of transfer of training.

Nolde, Emil

2005-02-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

Born of a peasant family, the youthful Nolde made his living as a wood-carver. He was able to study art formally only when some of his early works

Csokonai Vitéz, Mihály

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

Csokonai's early sympathies with the revolutionary trends of his age made life difficult for him in the wave of reaction that accompanied Napoleon's invasion of Europe. Dismissed after a brief career as an assistant master at the Calvinist college in Debrecen, he became a wandering

Children's Literature, Prehistory (1646?1865)

2005-02-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

The prehistoric annals are short and simple. Dominated by England, native creativity—to refer only to books with even the thinnest claim to literary quality—amounted to little. The Puritan view of the unredeemable child obtained almost into the era of Andrew Jackson. Jonathan Edwards put it neatly: unrepentant children were “young vipers and infinitely more hateful

Musical Notation, Tablatures

2005-02-05T05:01:00.000-08:00

A tablature notates music as a series of playing positions. Hence a tablature for a plucked stringed instrument guides the player's fingers to the string he must pluck and to the fret at which the string should be stopped. Similarly, a tablature for a wind instrument guides a player's fingers to cover certain holes, and a tablature for percussion directs a player as

Bharatpur

2005-02-04T01:30:00.000-08:00

Also called Bhurtpore town, eastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It lies 34 miles (55 km) west of Agra. The town, which was the capital of the former princely state of Bharatpur, was founded about 1733. A communications centre connected by road and rail with Jaipur, Agra, and Mathura, Bharatpur is an important industrial and agricultural market centre. Its major industries include oil mills, metal-fabricating

Paul Iii

2005-02-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Original name Alessandro Farnese Italian noble who was the last of the Renaissance popes (reigned 1534–49) and the first pope of the Counter-Reformation. The worldly Paul III was a notable patron of the arts and at the same time encouraged the beginning of the reform movement that was to affect deeply the Roman Catholic Church in the later 16th century. He called the Council of

Berdyayev, Nikolay Aleksandrovich

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

During his student days at Kiev

China, Foreign relations in the 1860s

2005-02-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Tsungli Yamen had two offices attached to it: the Inspectorate General of Customs and the Language School, called T'ung-wen-kuan. The former was the centre for the Maritime Custom Service, administered by Western personnel appointed by the Ch'ing. The latter was opened to train the children of bannermen in foreign languages, and later some Western sciences were

Gabon

2005-02-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

Protesting the disparity between living conditions in the capital and those in the regional towns,

Watercress

2005-01-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

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

China, Transportation

2005-01-30T06:04:00.000-08:00

Great emphasis has been placed on the development of transport, because it is closely related to the development of the national economy, the consolidation of the national defense system, and the strengthening of national unification. Nevertheless, China's domestic transport system continues to constitute a major constraint on economic growth and the efficient

Nepenthes

2005-01-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

Nepenthes species are perennial,

China, The tide begins to shift

2005-01-28T06:45:00.000-08:00

Although government forces overran Yen-an in March 1947, the strategic initiative passed to the PLA during that year. In midsummer Liu Bocheng started moving toward the Yangtze; by late in the year the Communists had concentrated strong forces in central China. Chen Yi operated on both sides of the Lung-hai, east of K'ai-feng; Liu Bocheng was firmly established in the Ta-pieh

Country Furniture

2005-01-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

Furniture made by country craftsmen, varying from purely functional pieces made by amateurs to expertly constructed and carved work based on luxurious furniture made for the rich. Much country furniture is naive, with the best of such examples falling into the category of folk art. The furniture is sturdy, rarely delicate in design or workmanship, and restricted

Cartridge

2005-01-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

In weaponry, unit of small-arms ammunition, composed of a metal (usually brass) case, a propellant charge, a projectile or bullet, and a primer. The first cartridges, appearing in the second half of the 16th century, consisted merely of charges of powder wrapped in paper; the ball was loaded separately. During the next century, methods of including the ball with the powder were

Elimelech Of Lizhensk

2005-01-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

Elimelech was a disciple of Tov Baer, one of the early Hasidic leaders, and after Baer's death he settled in Lizhensk, which subsequently became an important Hasidic centre. Elimelech emphasized the importance of the leader (zaddik, meaning “righteous

La Libertad

2005-01-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Once the home of the Mochica and Chimú cultures—renowned for their ceramics, irrigation works, and vast urban

Tasmania, The postwar period

2005-01-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

Through the next quarter-century Tasmania benefited much from Australia's general prosperity. The population passed 370,000 by 1966, and living standards approached the national norm. Premiers Robert Cosgrove (1939–58) and Eric Elliott Reece (1958–69 and 1972–75) were tough and efficient; they saved the local Labor Party from the blows it was suffering elsewhere. They sustained faith in hydroelectricity,

Moscow Zoo

2005-01-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Russian Moskovsky Zoo-park, largest zoo in Russia, exhibiting an outstanding collection of northern animals and many exotic species. Founded by a public society in 1864, the zoo later was privately owned. In 1919 it was declared the property of Soviet Russia and in 1923 was put under the Moscow City Soviet (council). It incorporates 20 hectares (49 acres) and includes small, unbarred enclosures as well as large paddocks

Venetian School

2005-01-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

The founder of the dynasty of painters that was most important

Strangler Fig

2005-01-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

Of the 150 or so species of New World figs, most are stranglers, including F. obtusifolia and F. nymphaeifolia. Beginning life as a sticky

Addison

2005-01-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

County, western Vermont, U.S. It is bounded by Lake Champlain (constituting the border with New York state) to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. Lowlands in the west give way to foothills and mountains in the east. The county is drained by Otter Creek, the state's longest stream, and its tributaries, the Lemon Fair, New Haven, Leicester, and Middlebury rivers. Other

Welles, Gideon

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

Born into a wealthy family, Welles was educated at private schools. He studied law but in 1826 became cofounder and editor of the Hartford Times. The next year, he became the youngest member of the Connecticut legislature and served there until 1835. An ardent

Kidney Vetch

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

Also called ladies' fingers (species Anthyllis vulneraria) perennial herb, of the pea family (Fabaceae), found in meadows, alpine pastures, and dry places of Europe and northern Africa. The low, hairy plant grows to a height of 15–40 cm (6–16 inches) and has narrow leaves 1.4–3.8 cm (0.5–1.5 inches) long and yellow, reddish, or white flowers. It was formerly used as a remedy for kidney disorders but is now frequently cultivated in rock gardens.

Fredericksburg

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

City, administratively independent of, but located in, Spotsylvania county, northeastern Virginia, U.S., at the head of navigation of the Rappahannock River. The site, settled in 1671, was laid out in 1727 and named for Prince Frederick Louis, father of King George III of England. It developed as a port with a busy English trade (mostly of tobacco and iron products). William Paul, brother

Moscherosch, Johann Michael

2004-12-31T07:31:00.000-08:00

Moscherosch was educated at Strassburg (now Strasbourg)

Rocket And Missile System

2004-12-28T02:51:00.000-08:00

Strategic missiles represent a logical step in the attempt to attack enemy forces at a distance. As such, they can be seen as extensions of either artillery (in the case of ballistic missiles) or manned aircraft (in the case of cruise missiles). Ballistic missiles are rocket-propelled weapons that travel by momentum in a high, arcing trajectory after they have been launched

Wappinger

2004-12-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

A confederacy of Algonquian-speaking Indians in eastern North America who early in the 17th century lived along the east bank of the Hudson River from Manhattan Island to what is now Poughkeepsie and eastward to the lower Connecticut River valley. They were semisedentary, moving seasonally between fixed sites as food resources required. They depended largely

Cytochrome

2004-12-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of hemoprotein cell components that, by readily undergoing reduction and oxidation (gain and loss of electrons) with the aid of enzymes, serve a vital function in the transfer of energy within cells. Hemoproteins are proteins linked to a nonprotein, iron-bearing component. It is the iron (heme) group attached to the protein that can undergo reversible

Sorrento

2004-12-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

Latin Surrentum, town and archiepiscopal see, Napoli provincia, Campania regione, southern Italy. It lies on a peninsula separating the Bay of Naples, which it faces, from the Gulf of Salerno, south-southeast of Naples. The backbone of the peninsula is formed by the Lattari Mountains, which culminate in Mount Sant'Angelo (4,734 feet [1,443 m]). Probably of Greek origin, the town was the ancient Surrentum,

Lagerkvist, Pär

2004-12-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Lagerkvist was reared in a traditional religious manner in a small town. The influence of his early years remained strong despite his introduction to modern scientific ideas

Ovary

2004-12-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

A simple or unicarpellate ovary is formed from a single carpel, an evolutionarily modified leaf. It has one chamber (locule), within

Earth Sciences, Paleontology and stratigraphy

2004-12-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

During the 17th century the guiding principles of paleontology and historical geology began to emerge in the work of a few individuals. Nicolaus Steno, a Danish scientist and theologian, presented carefully reasoned arguments favouring the organic origin of what are now called fossils. Also, he elucidated three principles that made possible the reconstruction

Jhansi

2004-12-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

City, southwestern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India, at a major road and rail junction. The main city, which is enclosed by a wall, arose around a fort built in 1613 by the ruler of Orchha. The area fell to the Marathas in 1732 and was acquired by the British in 1853. A massacre of British officers and civilians occurred at Jhansi during the 1857 Indian Mutiny. In 1886 Jhansi came under British rule in

Skeletal System, Human

2004-12-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

The internal skeleton that serves as a framework for the body. This framework consists of many individual bones and cartilages. There also are bands of fibrous connective tissue, the ligaments and tendons, in intimate relationship with the parts of the skeleton. This article is concerned primarily with the gross structure and the function of the skeleton of the

Sublime

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

The author

Arrhenius Equation

2004-12-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Mathematical expression that describes the effect of temperature on the velocity of a chemical reaction, the basis of all predictive expressions used for calculating reaction-rate constants. In the Arrhenius equation, k is the reaction-rate constant, A and E are numerical constants characteristic of the reacting substances, R is the thermodynamic gas constant, and

Dielectric Constant

2004-12-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

Property of an electrical insulating material (a dielectric) equal to the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor filled with the given material to the capacitance of an identical capacitor in a vacuum without the dielectric material. The insertion of a dielectric between the plates of, say, a parallel-plate capacitor always increases its capacitance, or ability

Gryphius, Andreas

2004-12-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Gryphius (the family name Greif was latinized after the fashion of the times) was orphaned early in life, and the horrors of the Thirty Years' War soon cast a shadow over his unsettled childhood. A refugee from his native town, he was educated in various

Norm

2004-11-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Social Norm, rule or standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group. Norms may be internalized—i.e., incorporated within the individual so that there is conformity without external rewards or punishments, or they may be enforced by positive or negative sanctions from without. The social unit sharing particular norms may be small (e.g., a clique of friends) or may include

Price Index

2004-11-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

Measure of relative price changes, consisting of a series of numbers arranged so that a comparison between the values for any two periods or places will show the average change in prices between periods or the average difference in prices between places. Price indexes were first developed to measure changes in the cost of living in order to determine the wage increases

Talavera De La Reina

2004-11-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

Town, Toledo provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Castile-La Mancha, central Spain, on the northern bank of the Tagus River near its confluence with the Alberche. The town originated as the Roman Caesarobriga and was conquered by King Alfonso VI in 1082. Alfonso XI gave it to his queen, Maria of Portugal, whence its appellation de la Reina (“of the

Dress, Ancient Greece

2004-11-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

The long period of Greek culture is customarily classified into three segments. Up to about 500 BC is described as the Archaic period. This was the time when the several different civilizations of mainland and island Greece, Anatolia, and North Africa coexisted, the arts and costume of each influencing the others. The Dorians had invaded the Minoan kingdoms in Crete and

Arabia, The Hejaz and Asir

2004-11-22T01:14:00.000-08:00

A virtually unbroken escarpment runs the length of the peninsula above the Red Sea. The stretch from the Gulf of Aqaba to a point about 200 miles south of Mecca is called the Hejaz (Al-Hijaz, meaning “The Barrier”), and the higher stretch from there to the Najran region near the Yemeni border has acquired the name of Asir ('Asir; from the name, meaning “Difficult,” of a prominent highland

Babuyan Islands

2004-11-20T02:01:00.000-08:00

Island group of the Philippines that is a northerly extension of the Philippine archipelago. The Babuyan Islands lie in the Luzon Strait, south of the Batan Islands and Balintang Channel. They lie 20 miles (32 km) north of Luzon across the Babuyan Channel. With a total area of 230 square miles (600 square km), they comprise 24 volcanic-coralline islands, the chief of which are Babuyan,

Paleography

2004-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Precise boundaries for paleography are hard to define. For example, epigraphy, the study of inscriptions cut on immovable objects for permanent public inspection, is related to paleography. Casual graffiti, sale or election notices as found on the walls

Ear, Human, Detection of linear acceleration: static equilibrium

2004-11-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

The gravity receptors that respond to linear acceleration of the head are the maculae of the utricle and saccule (see Anatomy of the human ear: Inner ear: Vestibule). The left and right utricular maculae are in the same, approximately horizontal, plane and because of this position are more useful in providing information about the position of the head and its side-to-side

Shirk

2004-11-14T00:53:00.000-08:00

The Qur'an (Islamic scripture) stresses in many verses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik). It warns those who believe their idols will intercede for them that they, together with the idols, will become fuel for hellfire on the Day of Judgment

Lahar

2004-11-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

Mudflow of volcanic material. Lahars may carry all sizes of material from ash to large boulders and produce deposits of volcanic conglomerate. Lahars may be the result of heavy rain on loose ash material such as deposits of nuées ardentes (dense clouds of gases charged with incandescent dust, discharging volcanic sand in avalanche fashion); or they may result from

Indian Hemp

2004-11-11T06:38:00.000-08:00

Also called Hemp Dogbane (species Apocynum cannabinum), North American plant of the dogbane family Apocynaceae (order Gentianales). It is a branched perennial that grows up to 1.5 m (5 feet) tall and has smooth opposite leaves and small greenish white flowers. Indians used the fibres from the stem to make bags, mats, nets, and cordage. Its milky juice, or latex, yields rubber, and the dried roots of Indian

Ya-an

2004-11-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Established as the seat of a county under the Ch'in (221–206 BC) and Han (206 BC–AD 220) dynasties,

Hardwick, Elizabeth

2004-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hardwick attended the University of Kentucky (B.A., 1938; M.A., 1939) and Columbia University in New York City. Her experience as a young Southern woman in Manhattan provided the backdrop for her somber, introspective first novel, The Ghostly