583 résultats pour "often"

• Canadian Parliament.

  government’s legislative program. Members of Commons can also present a motion in response to the Budget Speech, which reviews the government’s economicrecord, taxation, and expenditure plans, and to Supply Motions, which concern budgets for individual departments. If a majority of MPs support a no-confidence motion,the government must resign. Also, if Parliament rejects a significant government proposal, the government is expected to resign and request the governor-general to call an election....

• Prison.

  Furthermore, experts disagree about whether imprisoning criminals actually prevents further crime. Some critics charge that American prisons simply warehouseviolence—meaning that U.S. prison inmates are confined and incapacitated in large numbers, with little or no effort made to rehabilitate them. Critics have labeled theresult of this process turnstile justice, referring to the fact that most inmates are chronic and persistent offenders and return to prison following conviction for new crime...

• Supreme Court of the United States.

  The Constitution does not specify formal qualifications for membership on the Supreme Court. From the beginning, though, justices have all been lawyers, and mostpursued legal and political careers before serving on the Court. Many justices served as members of Congress, governors, or members of the Cabinet. One president,William Howard Taft, was later appointed chief justice. Some justices came to the Court from private law practice, and others were appointed from positions as lawprofessors. Man...

• Slavery in Africa.

  The spread of Islam from Arabia into Africa after the religion’s founding in the 7th century AD affected the practice of slavery and slave trading in West, Central, and East Africa. Arabs had practiced slave raiding and trading in Arabia for centuries prior to the founding of Islam, and slavery became a component of Islamic traditions.Both the Qur'an (Koran) (the sacred scripture of Islam) and Islamic religious law served to codify and justify the existence of slavery. As Muslim Arabs conquered...

• 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,...

• Human Evolution.

  Strepsirhines are the most primitive types of living primates. The last common ancestors of strepsirhines and other mammals—creatures similar to tree shrews andclassified as Plesiadapiformes—evolved at least 65 million years ago. The earliest primates evolved by about 55 million years ago, and fossil species similar to lemursevolved during the Eocene Epoch (about 55 million to 38 million years ago). Strepsirhines share all of the basic characteristics of primates, although their brains are notpa...

• Human Evolution - biology.

  classified as Plesiadapiformes—evolved at least 65 million years ago. The earliest primates evolved by about 55 million years ago, and fossil species similar to lemursevolved during the Eocene Epoch (about 55 million to 38 million years ago). Strepsirhines share all of the basic characteristics of primates, although their brains are notparticularly large or complex and they have a more elaborate and sensitive olfactory system (sense of smell) than do other primates. B Haplorhines B1 Tarsiers T...

• Halloween.

  Halloween traditions in southern colonies such as Virginia and Maryland. Irish immigrants helped popularize Halloween traditions throughout the United States in themid-19th century. As belief in many of the old superstitions waned during the late 19th century, Halloween was increasingly regarded as a children’s holiday. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, young people often observed Halloween by perpetrating minor acts of vandalism, such as overturning sheds or breaking windows.Beginning in th...

• Human Disease.

  disease can be transmitted through food infected with mutated proteins. B Spread of Infectious Disease Some pathogens are spread from one person to another by direct contact. They leave the first person through body openings, mucous membranes, and skin wounds,and they enter the second person through similar channels. For example, the viruses that cause respiratory diseases such as influenza and the common cold are spreadin moisture droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A hand that...

• Drug. I INTRODUCTION Drug, substance that affects the function of living cells, used

  normalizing chemical activity in the emotional centers of the brain. Antianxiety drugs, also referred to as tranquilizers, treat anxiety by decreasing the activity in theanxiety centers of the brain. Sedative-hypnotic drugs are used both as sedatives to reduce anxiety and as hypnotics to induce sleep. Sedative-hypnotic drugs act by reducing brain-cell activity.Stimulant drugs, on the other hand, increase neuronal (nerve cell) activity and reduce fatigue and appetite. Analgesic drugs reduce pain...

• Renaissance Art and Architecture I INTRODUCTION Renaissance Composition During the Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries) artists discovered new ways to help them create more realistic and compelling images.

  with reliefs, had been familiar for centuries. A Early Renaissance Sculpture Ghiberti’s Gates of ParadiseThe Gates of Paradise are bronze doors created by Italian Renaissance sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti between 1425 and 1452for the east entrance to the baptistery of the Florence Cathedral in Italy. This detail, showing Isaac and Esau, is from oneof the doors' ten panels, each of which illustrates a story from the Bible. Ghiberti endowed the scenes with volume, depth,and movement, and helped initi...

• Christianity.

  history of architecture. See Basilica; Church; Early Christian Art and Architecture;Prayer. C Christian Life The instruction and exhortation of Christian preaching and teaching concern all the themes of doctrine and morals: the love of God and the love of neighbor, the twochief commandments in the ethical message of Jesus (see Matthew 22: 34-40). Application of these commandments to the concrete situations of human life, bothpersonal and social, does not produce a uniformity of moral or polit...

• Bird. I INTRODUCTION Bird, animal with feathers and wings. Birds are the only

  B Physical Adaptations for Flight The internal body parts of all birds, including flightless ones, reflect the evolution of birds as flying creatures. Birds have lightweight skeletons in which many of themajor bones are hollow. A unique feature of birds is the furculum, or wishbone, which is comparable to the collarbones of humans, although in birds the left and rightportions are fused together. The furculum absorbs the shock of wing motion and acts as a spring to help birds breathe while they...

• Bird - biology.

  B Physical Adaptations for Flight The internal body parts of all birds, including flightless ones, reflect the evolution of birds as flying creatures. Birds have lightweight skeletons in which many of themajor bones are hollow. A unique feature of birds is the furculum, or wishbone, which is comparable to the collarbones of humans, although in birds the left and rightportions are fused together. The furculum absorbs the shock of wing motion and acts as a spring to help birds breathe while they...

• 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...

• Basketball.

  rebound. Play continues as the teams score and possession changes. A time-out, when the game is stopped for a certain amount of time, allows coaches to instructplayers or to develop a new game strategy. A Offense Playing offense is perhaps the most prominent part of playing basketball, as it allows players to demonstrate and improve upon individual skills necessary to beingsuccessful. Many of basketball's best players have exceptional talents on offense. Basic offensive skills are passing, ball...

• Sun - astronomy.

  A The Sun’s Place in the Milky Way The Milky Way Galaxy contains about 400 billion stars. All of these stars, and the gas and dust between them, are rotating about a galactic center. Stars that arefarther away from the center move at slower speeds and take longer to go around it. The Sun is located in the outer part of the galaxy, at a distance of 2.6 × 10 17 km (1.6 × 10 17 mi) from the center. The Sun, which is moving around the center at a velocity of 220 km/s (140 mi/s), takes 250 million y...

• House (architecture) I INTRODUCTION Trulli in Alberobello, Italy Alberobello, in the Apulia region of southeastern Italy, is noted for its unusual limestone houses known as trulli (from Greek trullos, dome).

  Fresco in the Villa of the Mysteries, PompeiiThe Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy (built about 50 bc), featured a large hall with this mural encircling it. The mural ispainted in the Second Style of Roman painting. (Historians of art recognize four periods or styles in Roman wall painting.)The mural in the Villa of the Mysteries is thought to depict the initiation rituals of a mystery religion. For this reason, it hasbeen conjectured that the hall was used for cult rituals.Bridgeman Art Li...

• Animal Courtship and Mating - biology.

  activity. These animals frequently copulate in water, and the penis helps transfer sperm before it is carried away by the currents Ostriches and rheas also contain apenis within the cloaca. Virtually all snakes and lizards display yet another variation of internal fertilization. Located in the tail are two penises, called hemepenes, which are covered by spinesand knobs that help lock it into place during mating. The male uses one hemepene at a time for copulation. Male salamanders secrete large...

• Arabic Literature I INTRODUCTION Arabic Literature, literature written in the Arabic language, from the 6th century to the present.

  The life of the Prophet Muhammad also generated its own literary sources, primary among which is the hadith. The hadiths were a collection of the Prophet's sayings and actions, transmitted through a chain of authorities said to go back to Muhammad himself. The two most famous collections of hadiths are those of al-Bukhari andMuslim in the 9th century. These works provide a wealth of information covering all aspects of a Muslim's life, from prayer to personal, social, and business conduct. The...

• Confucian philosophy, Japanese

  1 Confucian philosophy in early Japan The earliest extant Japanese histories record that in AD 285 - the actual date was probably a century or so later - Wani, of the Korean kingdom of Paekche, brought copies of the Analects (Lunyu ; in Japanese, Rongo ) of Confucius and the Qianziwen (Thousand Character Classic; Senjimon in Japanese) from Korea to Japan ( Confucian philosophy, Korean ). Even though most scholarship on Japan tends to identify this introduction of Confucian texts with...

• Inca Empire.

  The Incas’ public works were built through a labor tax known as mit’a. This tax required most people incorporated into the Inca Empire to provide labor for public worksduring certain portions of each year. This labor tax supported large-scale public works that required the marshalling of large labor forces, such as for the building offorts, roads, and bridges, or the mining of metals and gems. It also allowed the emperor to raise large armies to undertake wars of conquest. Road building was impo...

• Inca Empire - History.

  The Incas’ public works were built through a labor tax known as mit’a. This tax required most people incorporated into the Inca Empire to provide labor for public worksduring certain portions of each year. This labor tax supported large-scale public works that required the marshalling of large labor forces, such as for the building offorts, roads, and bridges, or the mining of metals and gems. It also allowed the emperor to raise large armies to undertake wars of conquest. Road building was impo...

• Great Depression in the United States - U.

  prices would continue to rise and they could soon sell their stocks at a profit. The widespread belief that anyone could get rich led many less affluent Americans into the market as well. Investors bought millions of shares of stock “on margin,” arisky practice similar to buying products on credit. They paid only a small part of the price and borrowed the rest, gambling that they could sell the stock at a highenough price to repay the loan and make a profit. For a time this was true: In 1928 the...

• Radio.

  signal, such as a musical note. This form of modulation, AM, is used in many radiotelephony services including standard radiobroadcasts. AM is also employed for carriercurrent telephony, in which the modulated carrier is transmitted by wire, and in the transmission of still pictures by wire or radio. See Broadcasting, Radio and Television. In FM the frequency of the carrier wave is varied within a fixed range at a rate corresponding to the frequency of a sound signal. This form of modulation, p...

• Canadian Architecture I INTRODUCTION L'Anse aux Meadows In around ad 1000 Norse Vikings sailed from Greenland to North America and set up a village on the tip of what is now the island of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula.

  IglooSome Inuit peoples in the Arctic regions of Canada live in domed houses of snow, or igloos, which provide good insulationand protection from wind. The word igloo comes from the Inuit iglu, meaning “house.”George Holton/Photo Researchers, Inc. Canada’s original inhabitants are known as the First Nations. At the time of European arrival, about 40 nations were scattered across Canada. Many of them lived alongthe coasts, where they could fish. These nations can be classified into five major gro...

• National Parks and Preserves.

  Some ibex raised in Italy’s 700 sq km (220 sq mi) Gran Paradiso National Park (1922) were transferred to aid herd restoration elsewhere in the country. Switzerlandreturned lynx to Swiss National Park to keep red deer populations in check. The growth of national parks also enabled many European countries to restore forests thathad given way to industrialization by the early 20th century. Africa’s wildlife was hunted heavily from the late 19th century well into the 20th century. By 1920 big-game h...

• Lebanon (country) - country.

  during the civil war. Within the country, thousands of Shia Muslim refugees fled fighting in southern Lebanon in the 1990s and moved into shantytowns in Beirut’ssouthern suburbs. Lebanon’s major cities were greatly affected by the civil war. Beirut has gradually regained most of its prewar population and remains the country’s largest city. Tripoli,the northern port, is the second largest city. Jūniyah, north of Beirut, was developed as a wartime port and subsequently had a population boom. Za ḩl...

• Middle East - Geography.

  though overall they have improved considerably since the 1970s. This variation reflects the different levels of wealth and development in countries of the Middle East. Inthe highly developed country of Israel the infant mortality rate was 8 deaths per 1000 live births in 1997. By comparison, the rate per 1000 live births was 71 in less-developed Egypt and 75 in Yemen. A Ethnic Groups and Languages Arabs make up the majority of the people of the Middle East, accounting for almost the entire popu...

• Albania - country.

  Joining the international community in its concern over the degradation of the environment, Albania is party to international agreements concerning biodiversity, climatechange, and wetlands. III THE PEOPLE OF ALBANIA In 2008 Albania’s population estimate was 3,619,778, resulting in an average density of 132 persons per sq km (342 per sq mi). More and more people have left ruralareas for urban ones, particularly in the northern districts, such that in 2005 some 45 percent of the population live...

• Colorado - geography.

  Although the rivers of Colorado are navigable only by small boats, they are important as a source of irrigation water for use in Colorado and adjoining states. However,the water level of the rivers fluctuates seasonally and from year to year. The level is generally low in winter and high in spring and summer, during the runoff of meltedsnow from the mountains. Colorado has no large lakes of natural origin, but there are numerous small lakes in the mountains. The largest bodies of water in Colora...

• Colorado - USA History.

  Although the rivers of Colorado are navigable only by small boats, they are important as a source of irrigation water for use in Colorado and adjoining states. However,the water level of the rivers fluctuates seasonally and from year to year. The level is generally low in winter and high in spring and summer, during the runoff of meltedsnow from the mountains. Colorado has no large lakes of natural origin, but there are numerous small lakes in the mountains. The largest bodies of water in Colora...

• Sweden - country.

  mi) and is Sweden’s second largest lake, after Vänern. The two lakes, together with several smaller lakes, rivers, and canals, form an internal water route called theGöta Canal. Built in the early 19th century, the Göta Canal extends for about 386 km (about 240 mi) and provides a scenic transportation link between the Baltic Sea,at Stockholm, and the Kattegat. Sweden’s other large lakes in the district include Mälaren, Hjälmaren, and the famously picturesque Siljan. D Climate Although one-seven...

• Afghanistan - country.

  D Climate Most of Afghanistan has a subarctic mountain climate with dry and cold winters, except for the lowlands, which have arid and semiarid climates. In the mountains and afew of the valleys bordering Pakistan, a fringe effect of the Indian monsoon, coming usually from the southeast, brings moist maritime tropical air in summer.Afghanistan has clearly defined seasons: Summers are hot and winters can be bitterly cold. Summer temperatures as high as 49°C (120°F) have been recorded in thenorth...

• Grasses - biology.

  This, together with details of overall structure and less easily observed characteristics of anatomy, cytology, and chemistry, accounts for the tremendous number ofspecies of grasses. VI OTHER GRASSLIKE PLANTS Plants of two other groups, the sedges and the rushes, are superficially similar to grasses and are often confused with them. The three groups are easily distinguished,however, by examining their flowers, stems, and leaves. Rushes have flowers with six-part perianths (floral whorls) and...

• Book Publishing I INTRODUCTION Book Publishing, manufacture, publication, and distribution of books.

  they use advanced printers and binding techniques to run off as many books as required. Printing only as many books as needed allows companies to save money, andbeing able to store books digitally means that books can be printed whenever necessary, keeping them in print indefinitely. B Marketing and Distribution Once the book has been made, it is ready for distribution. Traditionally, trade books have been sold primarily by salespeople calling on bookstores across the countryand taking orders f...

• American Music I INTRODUCTION American Music, the folk, popular, and classical music of the United States--created by American-born or American-trained composers, or originating in American culture, or written primarily for American audiences.

  The country's first permanent orchestra was the New York Philharmonic Society, founded in 1842. Among the first symphonic and operatic composers the mostprominent was William Henry Fry, who composed the first opera by an American ( Leonora, 1845). Fry is best remembered, however, for four symphonies written in the 1850s and 1860s. George F. Bristow wrote the first opera on an American theme; his Rip Van Winkle was performed in New York City in 1855. Town bands, a popular form of community mu...

• Labor Unions in Canada - Canadian History.

  job. Before collective bargaining begins, workers elect a bargaining committee. The bargaining committee determines the workers’ demands and strategy innegotiations with the employer. Local unions usually are part of national or international unions. These national and international unions employ a staff for organizing workers at the local level, doingresearch, educating union members about labor and political matters, and working with local union leaders. Unions hold regular conventions of dele...

• Jazz I INTRODUCTION Joshua Redman Saxophonist Joshua Redman, a graduate of Harvard University, became a fast-rising star in jazz in the 1990s.

  performed a highly produced, jazz-inspired form of blues that was popular in traveling minstrel shows and vaudeville. Thisexample is from the song “St. Louis Blues,” written by American composer and trumpet player W. C. Handy in 1914 andrecorded by Smith in 1925."St. Louis Blues" performed by Bessie Smith, from The Riverside History of Classic Jazz (Cat.# Riverside RB-005) Riverside Records under master license to Fantasy, Inc. All rightsreserved./Frank DriggsCollection/Archive Photos Jazz is ro...

• United States House of Representatives.

  Because of the high cost of elections and the short two-year term of office, members of the House campaign almost constantly. They spend much of their time raisingcampaign funds, and they frequently return to their districts to keep in touch with voters. Because the elections are so frequent, House members tend to pay closeattention to how their votes in Congress will be seen in the short term. House members tend to come from wealthier family backgrounds than average Americans. Few working class...

• Ant - biology.

  The workers of many ant species carry a stinger within the hind end of the gaster. These ants use the stinger to defend against their enemies. In some species, workerants lack a stinger but use the tip of their gaster to squirt or dab poison at other small animals and when fighting battles with other ants, fending off predators, or killinginsects or other animals that they use as food. III PHYSIOLOGY Ants have a rigid, external skeleton called an exoskeleton that gives the soft, inner body its...

• American Literature: Drama I INTRODUCTION American Literature: Drama, literature intended for performance, written by Americans in the English language.

  American plays, while still a minority, began to appear in the theater repertory in the 19th century. Although American plays were still styled after British models, theirsubject matter came to be based on specifically American incidents or themes. In the United States as in Britain, many plays reflected the influence of romanticism , a European literary and artistic movement. Melodrama, with its outpourings of emotion, was the most prevalent dramatic form in the 19th century. Gothic melodramas...

• Mexico City - geography.

  The park houses some of Mexico's most important public buildings, including Chapultepec Castle. Construction of the castle began in 1783. Positioned on the park’shighest elevation, the castle functioned as a fortress during colonial times. It once served as the presidential residence and now houses the National Museum of History,which includes murals by 20th-century Mexican painter Juan O'Gorman. Los Pinos, the official residence and working offices of the president, is also on the grounds, buti...

• Ice Hockey.

  Each period begins with a face-off at the blue dot at center ice. During the face-off one player from each team lines up at the dot with the stick blade on the ice. After the referee drops the puck, the two players attempt to gain possession of it. Quick hands and strength are essential qualities for players participating in the face-off. Once the puck is dropped, it is in play until an official’s whistle stops it, a goal is scored, or time expires. The team on offense tries to move the puck f...

• Japanese Literature I INTRODUCTION Japanese Literature, literature of Japan, in written form from at least the 8th century AD to the present.

  The Man’yō’sh ū contains about 4,500 poems, most of them composed in the Nara period (710-784). Some of the poems are far older, however, and some of the verses date to earlier collections that have not survived. The work demonstrates a gradual change from basic verses on simple subjects to more sophisticated expressions with a broad range of subject matter. This text also shows the development of poetic forms such as the tanka (short poem), a form structured around alternating lines of 5 an...

• Taxation.

  Thus, corporate income faces a higher tax burden than income earned by individuals or by other types of businesses. Tax legislation passed in 2003 in the United Statesattempted to address this issue by lowering the tax rate on dividends. Some economists have proposed abolishing the corporate income tax and instead taxing the owners of corporations (shareholders) through the personal income tax.Other students of the tax system see the corporate income tax as the price corporations pay in return f...

• Los Angeles - geography.

  (2006 population, 472,494), located east of the Port of Los Angeles. The city of Compton (95,701) is located north of Long Beach, on the east side of the AlamedaCorridor. On the other side of the corridor are the cities of Torrance (142,350) and Inglewood (114,914). Northwest of Inglewood and west of downtown Los Angeles are the wealthy and fashionable Santa Monica (88,050) and Beverly Hills (34,979). Both cities are enclaves:Santa Monica is surrounded by the City of Los Angeles to the north, ea...

• Los Angeles - geography.

  (2006 population, 472,494), located east of the Port of Los Angeles. The city of Compton (95,701) is located north of Long Beach, on the east side of the AlamedaCorridor. On the other side of the corridor are the cities of Torrance (142,350) and Inglewood (114,914). Northwest of Inglewood and west of downtown Los Angeles are the wealthy and fashionable Santa Monica (88,050) and Beverly Hills (34,979). Both cities are enclaves:Santa Monica is surrounded by the City of Los Angeles to the north, ea...

• South Dakota - geography.

  C1 Temperatures Average January temperatures are everywhere less than -4° C (24° F) and decrease to less than -12° C (10° F) in some northern sections. The January temperaturesin Sioux Falls range from -16° to -4° C (3° to 24° F). Nightime lows of -29° C (-20° F) occur during most winters. July averages are in the low and middle 20°s C (lowand middle 70°s F) throughout most of the state, and are somewhat lower in the Black Hills. The average temperature range in Sioux Falls in July is 17° to 30...

• South Dakota - USA History.

  C1 Temperatures Average January temperatures are everywhere less than -4° C (24° F) and decrease to less than -12° C (10° F) in some northern sections. The January temperaturesin Sioux Falls range from -16° to -4° C (3° to 24° F). Nightime lows of -29° C (-20° F) occur during most winters. July averages are in the low and middle 20°s C (lowand middle 70°s F) throughout most of the state, and are somewhat lower in the Black Hills. The average temperature range in Sioux Falls in July is 17° to 30...