Sa Dec
Formerly �Sa Dac, � town on the Mekong River delta, southern Vietnam. It is a river port, agricultural trading centre, and transshipment point for small craft on the left bank of the shallow Bassac River (Song Han Giang), 88 miles (140 km) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). It is linked by highway to Rach Gia, on the Gulf of Thailand, via Long Xuyen. It is crossed east-west by a waterway linking
Botucatu
City, central S�o Paulo estado (�state�), Brazil. It lies near the Pardo River in the Serra de Botucatu at 2,549 feet (777 m) above sea level. It was given town status in 1855 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1876. Crops (including coffee, cotton, rice, sugarcane, feij�o [beans], and potatoes) grown in the region are processed in the city, which also has foundries, textile mills, bakeries, and factories
Hinn Island
Norwegian �Hinn�ya� island, in the Norwegian Sea, northern Norway. Forming part of the Vester�len group and with an area of 849 square miles (2,198 square km), it is Norway's second largest island after Spitsbergen (principal island of Svalbard). It is divided between Nordland and Troms fylker (counties) and separated from the mainland by the narrow Tjeld Strait. Irregularly shaped and deeply indented
Ars Nova
(Medieval Latin: �New Art�), in music history, period of the tremendous flowering of music in the 14th century, particularly in France. The designation Ars Nova, as opposed to the Ars Antiqua (q.v.) of 13th-century France, was the title of a treatise written about 1320 by the composer Philippe de Vitry. Philippe, the most enthusiastic proponent of the �New Art,� demonstrates in his treatise
Kantor, Mackinlay
After finishing high school, Kantor became a reporter for The Webster City Daily News, of which his
Boniface Viii
He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but when he learned that Boniface was about to publish a new bull announcing Philip's excommunication, Nogaret, with the assistance of Sciarra Colonna - a bold member of the powerful family - and with the connivance of some of the cardinals, decided to capture the Pope at Anagni, where the Pope was spending the summer. In this he succeeded
Gabon, Flag Of
The French did not allow the development of national flags in their colonies, fearing the flags might become symbols around which separatists could rally. Therefore there were few such traditions in French Africa when autonomous governments were established in 1958 (the year of the new constitution of France). Whereas some countries did not adopt flags for more than
Ear, Human, Organ of Corti
Arranged on the surface of the basilar membrane are orderly rows of the sensory hair cells, which generate nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations. Together with their supporting cells they form a complex neuroepithelium called the basilar papilla, or organ of Corti. The organ of Corti is named after the Italian anatomist Alfonso Corti, who first described
Scipio Africanus The Younger
Scipio was the second son of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, hero of the Third Macedonian War and son of the consul (of the same name) who fell at the Battle of Cannae in 216. Paullus himself, twice consul, was an outstanding Roman leader who combined traditional Roman virtues with a keen interest in Greek culture. Soon after Scipio's birth, Paullus divorced his wife
Abbevillian Industry
Prehistoric stone-tool tradition generally considered to represent the oldest occurrence in Europe of a bifacial (hand-ax) technology. The Abbevillian industry dates from an imprecisely determined part of the Middle Pleistocene, somewhat less than 700,000 years ago. It was recovered from high terrace sediments of the lower Somme valley, in a suburb of Abbeville, Fr. The
Talbiyah
In Islam, the formulaic pronouncement labbaykah allahummah labbaykah (�at your service, O Lord, at your service�), recited especially during a pilgrimage when pious Muslims perform the tawaf - i.e., walk around the sacred shrine of the Ka'bah. The question whether the talbiyah is obligatory or merely a commendable tradition has been much discussed, but Muslim theologians have
Cytokine
Any of a group of small, short-lived proteins that are released by one cell to regulate the function of another cell, thereby serving as intercellular chemical messengers. Cytokines effect changes in cellular behaviour that are important in a number of physiological processes, including reproduction, growth and development, and injury repair. However, they are
Switzerland, Environment
A number of environmental problems must be addressed if Switzerland is to maintain the integrity of its unique landscape. Air pollution in the cities and the mountain valleys, depending on atmospheric conditions, has steadily worsened despite federal legislation. All Swiss vehicles must pass an annual emissions test; however, weak links are the millions of foreign
Nebuchadrezzar Ii
Nebuchadrezzar II was the oldest son and successor of Nabopolassar, founder of the Chaldean empire. He is known from cuneiform inscriptions, the Bible and later Jewish sources,
Gaillardia
They have purple disk flowers and yellow, orange, or white ray flowers with three or more teeth
Indian Evidence Act
Act passed by the British Parliament in 1872 that set forth the rules of evidence admissible in Indian courts and that had far-reaching consequences for the traditional systems of caste government in India. Since ancient times, the way of resolving intracaste disputes had been by discussing the grievances in open meetings of the caste council. All information that
Toutin, Jean; And Toutin, Henri
Although the art of enamelwork was hundreds of years old, the elder Toutin developed a revolutionary new technique for enamel painting.
Mccardle, Ex Parte
William H. McCardle was a Mississippi editor who was arrested and jailed for sedition after criticizing both the local Union military commander and Congress. He was denied the benefit
Venkataraman, Ramaswamy
Venkataraman studied law at the University of Madras and began his legal practice in 1935. He became involved in India's independence struggle and was consequently jailed by the British (1942 - 44). After his release he continued to practice law,
Finno-ugric Languages
Group of languages constituting much the larger of the two branches of a more comprehensive grouping, the Uralic languages (q.v.). The Finno-Ugric languages are spoken by several million people distributed discontinuously over an area extending from Norway in the west to the Ob River region in Siberia and south to the lower Danube River in Europe. In this vast territory,
Qom
In the 8th century, Qom was one of the centres of Shi'ism; in 816 Fatimah, the sister of the imam (leader of Shi'ite Islam) 'Ali ar-Rida, died in the town and was buried there. It became a place of pilgrimage in the 17th century, when the Safavid rulers built a golden-domed
Quibd�
City, western Colombia, on the R�o Atrato, in the Pacific coastal plain. Its receipt of more than 420 inches (10,700 mm) of rain a year probably exceeds that of any other equatorial area on Earth. Founded in 1654 as San Francisco de Quibd�, the city has served as Choc�'s capital since 1948. It is a regional commercial and manufacturing centre, housing metalworks, sawmills, and clothing and soft-drink
Joyce, James
In full� James Augustine Aloysius Joyce � Irish novelist noted for his experimental use of language and exploration of new literary methods in such large works of fiction as Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939).
Chang Kuo-lao
Chang claimed to have been born in prehistoric times. Legends about him, however, seem to have accrued to a historical
Basic English
Basic English derives its vocabulary and grammar from English but reduces both to a remarkable extent: there
Teagarden, Jack
Beginning on trombone at age seven, Teagarden was entirely self-taught. After drifting across the Southwest, he eventually arrived in New York City in 1927 and made his recording debut; from that moment he was the acknowledged
Aepinus, Franz Maria Ulrich Theodor Hoch
Aepinus studied medicine before turning to physics and mathematics. His work in these new fields resulted
Boisrobert, Fran�ois Le M�tel, Seigneur De (lord Of)
A Norman Huguenot lawyer's son, he became a Catholic in the 1620s and began to take holy orders. His wit and effrontery won him the favour of Cardinal de Richelieu, and he was given a canonry at Rouen
Kafr Ash-shaykh
Also spelled �Kafr El-sheikh, � town, capital of Kafr ash-Shaykh muhafazah (governorate) of the central Nile Delta, Lower Egypt, bordering the Mediterranean. The town is situated in a fertile plain about 25 miles (40 km) north-northwest of Tanta. Industries in the town include cotton-processing plants and factories producing cigarettes, rice strawboard, rice chaff oil, and chemical products. A former royal palace
Teamsters Union
Byname of �International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America�, formerly (until 1940) �International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of America (IBT)� largest labour union in the United States, representing truck drivers and workers in related industries (such as aviation). The union was formed in 1903 when the Team Drivers International Union (1899) merged with the Teamsters National Union (1902). Local deliverymen using horse-drawn vehicles remained the core membership until the 1930s, when intercity truck drivers rose to predominance.
Ikirun
The modern town is a local trading centre (yams, corn [maize], cassava, pumpkins,
