Ibisbill
(Ibidorhyncha struthersii), Asian bird named for its long, red, down-curved bill (similar to that of an ibis), which it uses to probe for food under stones along streams and ponds. Rather heavyset birds about 40 centimetres (16 inches) long, ibisbills have shorter legs than their familial relatives the avocets and stilts (family Recurvirostridae,
Philae
Arabic� Jazirat Filah (�Philae Island�),� or� Jazirat al-Birba (�Temple Island�),�
Sarapul
City and centre of Sarapul rayon (sector) of Udmurtia, in western Russia. It is a port on the Kama River. Founded in the 16th century as a Russian stronghold on the trade route to Siberia, it was attacked by Pugachov rebels in 1774; it was chartered in 1780. Sarapul's industries produce machine tools, radios, footwear, and foods. Several technical colleges and an agricultural college
Sprint
Racers compete in groups of two (sometimes called a match sprint) or three, and they frequently spend the early laps of the race moving relatively slowly and trying to manoeuvre their opponents into the lead, while at the same time following close
Ferreira, Verg�lio
Portuguese novelist and essayist (b. Jan. 28, 1916, Melo, Port.--d. March 1, 1996, Sintra, Port.), was a leading literary figure who created extremely sympathetic and eloquent characters--often old men looking back on their lives--who sought the ultimate meaning of human existence. Contrary to the wishes of his family, Ferreira abandoned his religious training for a degree in classics from
Mckim, Ruby
N�e �Ruby Short� one of the 20th century's most innovative American quilt designers. Educated at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts (now Parsons School of Design) in New York City, she later taught art classes for the Kansas City school system. Her first published quilt pattern, for the Kansas City Star in 1916, was an outgrowth
Rio De Janeiro Botanical Garden
Portuguese �Jardim Bot�nico do Rio de Janeiro � one of the great tropical botanical gardens and arboretums of the world. It was founded in 1808 by John, prince regent of the United Kingdom of Brazil and Portugal (later King John VI), for introducing and acclimatizing economically beneficial plants brought from other tropical regions of the world. The garden, located on a 350-acre (141-hectare) site below high peaks, has a collection
Ancillon, Charles
Born of a distinguished family of French Protestants, Ancillon studied law at Marburg, Geneva, and Paris. He pleaded the cause of the Huguenots - the French Protestants - of Metz at the court of Louis XIV, urging that an exception
Ciller, Tansu
Ciller was born to an affluent family in Istanbul. Graduating from the University of Bosporus with a degree in economics, she continued her studies in the United States, where she earned graduate degrees from the Universities of
Tequila
Distilled liquor, usually clear in colour and unaged, that is made from the fermented juice of the Mexican agave plant, specifically several varieties of Agave tequilana Weber. Tequila contains 40 - 50 percent alcohol (80 - 100 U.S. proof). The beverage, which was developed soon after the Spaniards introduced distillation to Mexico, is named for the town of Tequila in the Mexican state
Stef�nsson, Dav�
Stef�nsson came of a cultured yeoman family and was brought up with a love for his homeland, its literature, and its folklore. He frequently journeyed abroad but lived most of his life in the town of Akureyri, where he was a librarian (1925 - 52). He wrote a powerful
Hawthorn
Also called �Haw, or Thornapple, � any of a number of thorny shrubs or small trees of the genus Crataegus, in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to the North Temperate Zone. Many species are native to North America. The hawthorn's leaves are simple, and usually toothed or lobed. The white or pink flowers, usually in clusters, are followed by small applelike, red fruits, or more rarely by blue or black
Moloch
The laws given to Moses by God expressly forbade the Jews to do what was done in Egypt or
Furniture, Metal
Metals have been used since antiquity for making furniture or ornaments for furniture. Splendid Egyptian pieces, such as the thrones and stool that were found in the tomb of the youthful Tutankhamen (14th century BC), were rich in gold mounts (decorative details). In ancient Greece, bronze, iron, and silver were used for making furniture. Finds that were buried in the ashes
Florencio Varela
The partido of Florencio
Blobel, G�
Blobel received a medical degree at Eberhard-Karl University of T�bingen, Germany, in 1960 and in 1967 earned a Ph.D. in
France, History Of, Frankish expansion and the unification of Gaul
During the years following his accession, Clovis consolidated the position of the Franks in northern Gaul. In 486 he defeated Syagrius, the last Roman ruler in Gaul, and in a series of subsequent campaigns with strong Gallo-Roman support occupied an area situated between the Frankish kingdom of Tournai, the Visigothic and Burgundian kingdoms, and the lands occupied
Skat
Skat is for three players. A pack of 32 cards, omitting the 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s, is used. Each player receives 10 cards; the remaining 2 are
Isidore Of Sevilla, Saint
Also spelled �Saint Isidore of Seville�, Latin �Isidorus Hispalensis� theologian, last of the Western Latin Fathers, archbishop, and encyclopaedist, whose Etymologies, an encyclopaedia of human and divine subjects, was one of the chief landmarks in glossography (the compilation of glossaries) and was for many centuries one of the most important reference
Middleton, Stanley
Educated at University College, Nottingham (now University of Nottingham; B.A., 1940; M.Ed, 1952), Middleton served in the British army's Royal Artillery and in the Army Education Corps. He later taught English and became department
Priesthood, Christianity
At this critical juncture in Judaism, Christianity, with its own particular conception of priesthood and sacrificial redemption, began in Palestine and rapidly spread throughout the surrounding regions in the Greco-Roman world. In the New Testament the imminent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and its worship is predicted, and the culmination of its high
Lowell, Francis Cabot
While visiting the British Isles (1810 - 12) Lowell closely studied the textile industries
Alabama, Climate
The Alabama climate is temperate, with an average annual temperature of about 64� F (18� C), mellowed by altitude to some 60� F (16� C) in the northern counties and reaching 67� F (19� C) in the southern counties, although summer heat is often alleviated somewhat by the winds blowing in from the Gulf. Occasionally the temperature may rise to 100� F (38� C) in the summer, whereas snow may occasionally fall in
Crocodile Bird
(Pluvianus aegyptius; see photograph), shorebird belonging to the family Glareolidae (order Charadriiformes). The crocodile bird is a plover-like courser that derives its name from its frequent association with the Nile crocodile, from whose hide it picks parasites for food. By their cries, the birds also serve to warn crocodiles of approaching
Wild Rice
Also called �Indian Rice, Water Rice, or Water Oats� (species Zizania aquatica), coarse annual grass of the family Poaceae whose grain, now often considered a delicacy, has long been an important food of North American Indians. Despite its name, the plant is not related to rice (Oryza sativa). Wild rice grows in shallow water in marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes in north-central North America.
Sunga Script
Brahmi script of north India, possibly connected with the late Maurya scripts and the early Kalinga character, and associated with the Sunga dynasty (c. 185 BC - c. 73 BC). The script was one of three prototypes of the North Indian subdivision of Brahmi script, out of which the Gupta scripts rose.
