1664 résultats pour "others"

• Blacks in Latin America.

  Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean the slave population declined at the astonishing rate of 2 to 4 percent a year; thus, by the time slavery was abolished, theoverall slave population in many places was far less than the total number of slaves imported. The British colony of Jamaica, for example, imported more than 600,000slaves during the 18th century; yet, in 1838, the slave population numbered little more than 300,000. The French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti)imported mo...

• Euthanasia.

  permission from the family. B In Other Countries In 1995 the Northern Territory of Australia became the first jurisdiction to explicitly legalize voluntary active euthanasia. However, the federal parliament of Australiaoverturned the law in 1997. In 2001 The Netherlands became the first country to legalize active euthanasia and assisted suicide, formalizing medical practices that thegovernment had tolerated for years. Under the Dutch law, euthanasia is justified (not legally punishable) if the...

• Michigan - geography.

  The interior location of Michigan in the northern part of North America results in a continental climate, characterized by four definite seasons with moist, mild to hotsummers and snowy, cold winters. Winds off of Lakes Michigan and Superior in winter create heavy snow accumulations in nearby areas. The tempering effects of LakeMichigan account for the presence of the state’s famous fruit-growing belt along the lake’s shore. Since the water is colder than the land in spring, the westerly windspa...

• Michigan - USA History.

  The interior location of Michigan in the northern part of North America results in a continental climate, characterized by four definite seasons with moist, mild to hotsummers and snowy, cold winters. Winds off of Lakes Michigan and Superior in winter create heavy snow accumulations in nearby areas. The tempering effects of LakeMichigan account for the presence of the state’s famous fruit-growing belt along the lake’s shore. Since the water is colder than the land in spring, the westerly windspa...

• Light - astronomy.

  Each different frequency or wavelength of visible light causes our eye to see a slightly different color. The longest wavelength we can see is deep red at about 700 nm.The shortest wavelength humans can detect is deep blue or violet at about 400 nm. Most light sources do not radiate monochromatic light. What we call white light,such as light from the Sun, is a mixture of all the colors in the visible spectrum, with some represented more strongly than others. Human eyes respond best to greenlight...

• National Socialism .

  VII THE PARTY IN THE REICHSTAG The movement grew rapidly, recruiting thousands of discharged civil servants, ruined shopkeepers and small-business owners, impoverished farmers, workersdisillusioned with the Socialist and Communist parties, and a host of frustrated and embittered young people of all classes, brought up in the postwar years and withouthope of personal economic security. In the Reichstag elections of 1930 the National Socialists polled almost 6.5 million votes (more than 18 perce...

• Ethnic Groups in Canada - Canadian History.

  Ontario and the Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island). Most of the Irish live in rural areas of NovaScotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and Québec. The Welsh are by far the smallest group among the British Canadians, and they have also settled inthe Atlantic provinces and Ontario. B Culture The language spoken by British Canadians is mostly English, but some Welsh speak their own Celtic language and some Scots, Gae...

• Egypt - country.

  Egypt has a wide variety of mineral deposits, some of which, such as gold and red granite, have been exploited since ancient times. The chief mineral resource ofcontemporary value is petroleum, found mainly in the Red Sea coastal region, at Al ‘Alamayn (El ‘Alamein) on the Mediterranean, and on the Sinai Peninsula. Otherminerals include phosphates, manganese, iron ore, and uranium. Natural gas is also extracted. D Plants and Animals The vegetation of Egypt is confined largely to the Nile Delta,...

• Native American Architecture I INTRODUCTION Native American Architecture, traditional architecture of the peoples of who lived in North America before Europeans arrived.

  Mound Builders who resided in the area.John Elk III/Bruce Coleman, Inc. Another mound building culture, named Hopewell, also appears to have originated in Ohio but expanded west to Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma, south to Louisiana,Mississippi, and Alabama, east to Georgia and the Appalachian Mountains, and north to Wisconsin, Michigan, and lower Ontario in Canada. The Hopewell culture lastedfrom about 200 BC to 400 AD. Hopewell people built large, linear mounds to create enclosures in geometrical...

• Honduras - country.

  A Principal Cities The capital and largest city of Honduras is Tegucigalpa (2006 estimate, 1,324,000), located in the south-central highlands region. The country’s second largest city isSan Pedro Sula (549,498). The principal city and commercial center in the north, it lies in the heart of the vast banana plantations on the Caribbean Sea. La Ceiba(127,590) and Puerto Cortés (90,161) are among the leading Caribbean ports. B Language and Religion Spanish is the official language and is spoken by...

• Ireland - country.

  F Plants and Animals Ireland’s animal life does not differ markedly from that of England or France. Over many centuries of human settlement almost all of Ireland’s natural woodlands werecleared, and indigenous animals such as bear, wolf, wildcat, beaver, wild cattle, and the giant Irish deer (a type of fallow deer) gradually disappeared. However, thehardy and versatile Connemara pony, Ireland’s only native pony breed, has been used by Irish farmers since prehistoric times. The great auk, or gar...

• United Nations.

  and programs to carry out its recommendations. It elects members to serve on certain agencies and programs, and it coordinates those programs through variouscommittees. B Security Council The Security Council is the most powerful body in the UN. It is responsible for maintaining international peace, and for restoring peace when conflicts arise. Its decisionsare binding on all UN members and have the force of international law. The Security Council has the power to define what is a threat to sec...

• Earthquake.

  III CAUSES Most earthquakes are caused by the sudden slip along geologic faults. The faults slip because of movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. This concept is called theelastic rebound theory. The rocky tectonic plates move very slowly, floating on top of a weaker rocky layer. As the plates collide with each other or slide past eachother, pressure builds up within the rocky crust. Earthquakes occur when pressure within the crust increases slowly over hundreds of years and finally exceeds...

• New York - geography.

  The Adirondack province consists of a large highland area occupying 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq mi) in the northeastern quarter of the state. The region is domelike inshape, with the higher elevations toward the east. The western Adirondack province is more a rugged hill region and not truly mountainous. Geologically, this area isrelated to the Laurentian Upland, or Canadian Shield, which lies north of the St. Lawrence River, for it is composed of the same very old igneous rocks, principallygranite...

• New York - USA History.

  The Adirondack province consists of a large highland area occupying 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq mi) in the northeastern quarter of the state. The region is domelike inshape, with the higher elevations toward the east. The western Adirondack province is more a rugged hill region and not truly mountainous. Geologically, this area isrelated to the Laurentian Upland, or Canadian Shield, which lies north of the St. Lawrence River, for it is composed of the same very old igneous rocks, principallygranite...

• Warfare.

  organizations as the League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations in 1945, and détente (suggested for scaling down the cold war). See Arms Control. Modern antiwar sentiment and organized peace movements are derived in large part from the beliefs of religious sects such as the Society of Friends and the MennoniteChurch. The first peace societies in history were established in the U.S. in 1815, and since then pacifists have actively opposed wars and conscription, and promoted thecause of con...

• Birth Control.

  without a prescription and used alone or with a condom, diaphragm, or cervical cap. Spermicides used alone must be inserted deep into the vagina before each act ofintercourse and a woman should not douche for six to eight hours after intercourse. With typical use, spermicides used alone are effective in preventing pregnancyabout 74 percent of the time. They may cause an allergic reaction such as irritation of the vagina or penis. B Intrauterine Device The intrauterine device (IUD) is a small pl...

• Accounting and Bookkeeping.

  The proliferation of mandated notes that accompany financial statements is a particularly visible example. Such notes disclose information that is not already included inthe body of the financial statement. One of the very first notes identifies the accounting methods adopted when acceptable alternative methods also exist, or when theunique nature of the company's business justifies an otherwise unconventional approach. The notes also disclose information about lease commitments, contingent liab...

• Railroads.

  III GAUGES The gauge of track is the distance between the inner edges of the rails at points 1.59 cm (0.626 in) below the top of the heads. In the United States, Canada, theUnited Kingdom, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, and much of continental Europe, the standard gauge is 143.51 cm (56.5 in). Why this measurement became the standard isa matter of speculation. Probably the tradition is inherited from early tramroads built to accommodate wagons with axles 1.5 m (5 ft) long; some of the early edge rail...

• Dog. I INTRODUCTION Dog, mammal generally considered to be the first domesticated animal.

  French word for butterfly because it has ears that resemble butterfly wings, is a happy, friendly dog, suitable for small living spaces. The final dog group, nonsporting ,includes a wide variety of purebreds that differ in size, coat, overall appearance, and personality, from the shorthaired spotted dalmatian to the curly-haired poodle. V DOG BEHAVIOR Instinctive behaviors of the domestic dog are comparable to those of its wild relatives, the wolf, coyote, fox, and jackal. Unlike trained behavi...

• Dog - biology.

  French word for butterfly because it has ears that resemble butterfly wings, is a happy, friendly dog, suitable for small living spaces. The final dog group, nonsporting ,includes a wide variety of purebreds that differ in size, coat, overall appearance, and personality, from the shorthaired spotted dalmatian to the curly-haired poodle. V DOG BEHAVIOR Instinctive behaviors of the domestic dog are comparable to those of its wild relatives, the wolf, coyote, fox, and jackal. Unlike trained behavi...

• Honolulu - geography.

  Much of Honolulu’s growth and development has concentrated along the southern coast of Oahu. This area is framed to the east by the remnants of a large extinct volcanoknown as Diamond Head and includes Waikiki, located west of Diamond Head; the downtown area, situated near Honolulu Harbor; Honolulu International Airport; andnewer communities in the western part of the island. Two parallel mountain ranges of volcanic origin, the Koolau and Waianae mountains, run north to south across much ofthe i...

• Algeria - country.

  areas to fishing. National parks, including the giant Tassili N’Ajjer National Park in the eastern corner of the country, comprise a large proportion of the protected area. The effects of Algeria’s human population on the fragile landscape have been severe. The greatest ecological threats are deforestation and burning of scrub vegetation,conversion of steppe habitat to arable land, and soil erosion due to overgrazing and poor farming practices. Pollution of Mediterranean coastal waters is pervas...

• South Africa - country.

  The major soil zones are conditioned largely by climatic factors. In the semiarid north and west, soils are alkaline and poorly developed. In the southern part of WesternCape Province, rain falls mostly in the winter months, and soils there form slowly and are generally thin and immature. The moderate temperatures and summer rainfallof the High Veld and eastern coastal areas create conditions for more productive organic decomposition, leading to dark, fertile soils, or chernozems, similar to tho...

• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

  A Religious Freedom Although religious freedom has not generally been curtailed in the United States, Roman Catholics, Jews, and members of such unconventional Protestant groups as theOneida Community and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have historically been discriminated against and sometimes have even been persecuted,although today overt discrimination has almost vanished. The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as many state and local laws, prohibits religious discrimi...

• Global Warming.

  some of the warming influence of increasing greenhouse gases. A1 Carbon Dioxide Carbon dioxide is the second most abundant greenhouse gas, after water vapor. Carbon dioxide constantly circulates in the environment through a variety of naturalprocesses known as the carbon cycle. It is released into the atmosphere from natural processes such as eruptions of volcanoes; the respiration of animals, whichbreathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; and the burning or decay of plants and other organic...

• Amphibian (animal) - biology.

  strong enough to kill potential predators. C Hearing, Vision, and Vocalizations Amphibians rely on their senses to find food and evade predators. Amphibians lack external ears but have well-developed internal ears. Hearing is most acute in frogs,which typically have a middle ear cavity for transferring sound vibrations from the eardrum, or tympanum, to the inner ear. Frogs and toads also use their keen hearingin communicating with one another. Using a true voice box, or larynx, and a large, exp...

• Saskatchewan (province) - Geography.

  The length of the frost-free season varies within the province. In the southwest, particularly in the valley lands along the South Saskatchewan River, the frost-freeperiod ranges from 150 to 160 days. Regina enjoys about 123 frost-free days, and Saskatoon has about 111. The far north has only from 85 to 95 frost-free days. One important characteristic of Saskatchewan’s climate is the great variability in temperature and precipitation from year to year, which is often critical for agriculture.The...

• Saskatchewan (province) - Canadian History.

  The length of the frost-free season varies within the province. In the southwest, particularly in the valley lands along the South Saskatchewan River, the frost-freeperiod ranges from 150 to 160 days. Regina enjoys about 123 frost-free days, and Saskatoon has about 111. The far north has only from 85 to 95 frost-free days. One important characteristic of Saskatchewan’s climate is the great variability in temperature and precipitation from year to year, which is often critical for agriculture.The...

• European Union .

  safeguard the interests of the member states, a common assembly with advisory authority only, and a court of justice to settle disputes. D European Economic Community (EEC) In 1957 the participants in the ECSC signed two more treaties, known as the Treaties of Rome. These treaties created the European Atomic Energy Community(Euratom) for the development of peaceful uses of atomic energy and, most important, the European Economic Community (EEC, often referred to as the CommonMarket). The EEC tr...

• Adolf Hitler I INTRODUCTION Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), German political and military leader and one of the 20th century's most powerful dictators.

  A Economic Collapse At the end of World War I, the Allies (those countries who had fought against Germany) had demanded that Germany pay reparations—that is, payments for wardamages. The government refused to pay all that was demanded by the Allies. When Germany failed to pay enough, France and Belgium occupied the coal mines in theRuhr industrial area in west central Germany in January 1923. In protest, the German government halted all reparation payments and called for passive resistance by a...

• Adolf Hitler.

  A Economic Collapse At the end of World War I, the Allies (those countries who had fought against Germany) had demanded that Germany pay reparations—that is, payments for wardamages. The government refused to pay all that was demanded by the Allies. When Germany failed to pay enough, France and Belgium occupied the coal mines in theRuhr industrial area in west central Germany in January 1923. In protest, the German government halted all reparation payments and called for passive resistance by a...

• Adolf Hitler .

  A Economic Collapse At the end of World War I, the Allies (those countries who had fought against Germany) had demanded that Germany pay reparations—that is, payments for wardamages. The government refused to pay all that was demanded by the Allies. When Germany failed to pay enough, France and Belgium occupied the coal mines in theRuhr industrial area in west central Germany in January 1923. In protest, the German government halted all reparation payments and called for passive resistance by a...

• Tunisia - country.

  mixture of Berber and Arab stock, and they regard themselves as Arabs. Nearly everyone speaks Arabic. The population of Tunisia is concentrated in the coastal plain. It is fairly dense in the hilly north, but the arid plateau, basin, and south are thinly settled. About two-thirds of the country’s people live in urban areas. A Principal Cities The capital and largest city of Tunisia is the seaport of Tunis. Other important cities include Sfax, a port and center of trade on the eastern coast; Sūs...

• Nova Scotia - Geography.

  summer. Nova Scotia receives an average of more than 1,140 mm (45 in) of rain annually, with the Atlantic shore receiving 1,400 mm (55 in) or more. Most of the provincereceives about 1,900 mm (about 70 in) of snow, and considerable winter precipitation comes in the form of rain or ice storms. The average temperature in January, thecoldest month, is generally about -4°C (about 25°F) near the coast and somewhat colder toward the interior. The average temperature in July, the hottest month, isabout...

• Nova Scotia - Canadian History.

  summer. Nova Scotia receives an average of more than 1,140 mm (45 in) of rain annually, with the Atlantic shore receiving 1,400 mm (55 in) or more. Most of the provincereceives about 1,900 mm (about 70 in) of snow, and considerable winter precipitation comes in the form of rain or ice storms. The average temperature in January, thecoldest month, is generally about -4°C (about 25°F) near the coast and somewhat colder toward the interior. The average temperature in July, the hottest month, isabout...

• The Souls of Black Folk by W.

  in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in onedark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. Inthis merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, f...

• Israel (country) - country.

  harbor in the northern part of the country, and Ashdod, an artificial deepwater port to the south, serve as the main seaports on the Mediterranean. The port of Elat onthe Gulf of Aqaba provides Israel’s only access to the Red Sea, making it extremely important to the country’s shipping interests. D Natural Resources Although much of Israel’s desert regions contain poor soils, the northern Negev, the coastal plains, and the interior valleys provide patches of productive soils. Anestimated 18 per...

• Oklahoma - geography.

  portion and the Panhandle are classified as a steppe, where precipitation, typically 250 to 500 mm (10 to 20 in), is the controlling characteristic. January is usually the coldest month with an average of about 3°C (38°F) and extremes from -33°C (-27°F), the lowest ever recorded, to 33°C (92°F). Summer arelong and hot with temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) common from May until September across the state. The growing season varies from less than 180days in the western Panhandle to...

• Oklahoma - USA History.

  portion and the Panhandle are classified as a steppe, where precipitation, typically 250 to 500 mm (10 to 20 in), is the controlling characteristic. January is usually the coldest month with an average of about 3°C (38°F) and extremes from -33°C (-27°F), the lowest ever recorded, to 33°C (92°F). Summer arelong and hot with temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) common from May until September across the state. The growing season varies from less than 180days in the western Panhandle to...

• Latin American Independence.

  be inferior and were not permitted a university education. In the lowest caste were the African slaves. As the Spanish monarchy tried to increase its authority, it was hampered by the power of the Catholic Church. The church, including various religious orders, hadacquired great wealth, including large holdings of land, in the colonies. The Jesuit order especially had gained extraordinary wealth and political influence, and it alsocontrolled much of the university and high school education in th...

• Pottery I INTRODUCTION Pottery, clay that is chemically altered and permanently hardened by firing in a kiln.

  basket, or a clay or plaster form. Liquid clay can be poured into plaster molds. A pot can be coil built: Clay is rolled between the palms of the hands and extended intolong coils, a coil is formed into a ring, and the pot is built up by superimposing rings. Also, a ball of clay can be pinched into the desired shape. The most sophisticatedpottery-making technique is wheel throwing. The potter's wheel, invented in the 4th millennium BC, is a flat disk that revolves horizontally on a pivot. Both...

• William Shakespeare I INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, who lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s, is regarded as the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature.

  Avon, Warwickshire, a prosperous town in the English Midlands. Based on this record and on the fact that children in Shakespeare’s time were usually baptized two orthree days after birth, April 23 has traditionally been accepted as his date of birth. The third of eight children, William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John Shakespeare, a locally prominent glovemaker and wool merchant, and Mary Arden, thedaughter of a well-to-do landowner in the nearby village of Wilmcote. The young Shakespeare...

• Trinidad and Tobago - country.

  III PEOPLE The history of Trinidad and Tobago is reflected in the makeup of its population, among the most ethnically diverse in the Caribbean. Blacks of African ancestry andAsians of Indian ancestry each make up about 40 percent of the population. The remainder is mainly of mixed ancestry, although there are also small groups of peopleof Chinese, European, South American, and Middle Eastern descent. The ethnic diversity of Trinidad and Tobago owes its origins to slavery and its abolition. Afr...

• John F.

  by the United States, was unable to withstand the advance of Communist forces under Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung). By the end of 1949 government troops had beenoverwhelmingly defeated, and Chiang led his forces into exile on Taiwan. The triumphant Mao formed the People’s Republic of China. Truman’s critics, includingKennedy, charged that the administration had failed to support Chiang Kai-shek against the Communists. Kennedy easily won reelection to Congress in 1948 and 1950. In 1952 he decided to r...

• John F.

  by the United States, was unable to withstand the advance of Communist forces under Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung). By the end of 1949 government troops had beenoverwhelmingly defeated, and Chiang led his forces into exile on Taiwan. The triumphant Mao formed the People’s Republic of China. Truman’s critics, includingKennedy, charged that the administration had failed to support Chiang Kai-shek against the Communists. Kennedy easily won reelection to Congress in 1948 and 1950. In 1952 he decided to r...

• Skiing.

  Safety is very important to all skiers, and all Alpine resorts have a ski patrol. The ski patrol’s responsibility is to take care of injured skiers, to mark hazardous spots ontrails, to make sure that trails are in good condition before opening them, and, at times, to act as traffic police in congested areas. Skiers are also responsible for takingtheir own safety into consideration, as well as that of others. Anyone who participates in the sport should be aware of the Skier’s Responsibility Code...

• Johann Sebastian Bach I INTRODUCTION Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German composer and one of the world's greatest musical geniuses.

  Bach served nine years at the Weimar court, first as organist and then, from 1714, as concertmaster as well. His employer, Wilhelm Ernst, duke of Weimar, was a greatadmirer of the organ, and spurred by the duke’s enthusiasm Bach proceeded to compose a vast number of unprecedented works for the instrument: the Orgelbüchlein (“Little Organ Book”), a collection of small chorale preludes for the church year; the so-called Great Eighteen Chorales of larger size; and a series of dramatic preludes a...

• Johann Sebastian Bach.

  from his duties, and even tossed him into jail for “too obstinately requesting his dismissal.” But after several weeks the duke saw it was of no use and let him go. E Köthen: 1717-1723 Bach’s new employer, Leopold, loved and understood music and could play the violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord as well as sing bass. The prince held Bach in highregard and stood as godfather for his seventh child. Bach, in turn, named the child Leopold August in his employer’s honor. Bach later said that the...

• William Shakespeare I INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists.

  Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...