1131 résultats pour "been"
-
Uzbekistan - country.
E Environmental Issues The evaporation of the Aral Sea is one of the worst ecological disasters in the world. The Aral has shrunk so much that it now holds only about one-fifth the volume ofwater it held in 1960. The shrinkage is due to irrigation withdrawals from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, a practice that began on a massive scale in the early 1960s aspart of the Soviet Union’s ill-conceived drive to increase cotton yields in Central Asia. Growing cotton in the naturally arid and saline soil...
-
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...
-
President of the United States.
Democrats and Republicans—select delegates to attend their party conventions. Primary voters and caucus participants choose delegates who will support their favoredcandidate at the convention. The party conventions, held in the summer before the November general election, formally nominate the winner of the primaries andcaucuses. Would-be candidates crisscross the states that hold the earliest primaries, especially New Hampshire, which holds the country’s first primary, usually in mid-February....
-
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...
-
Astrobiology - astronomy.
water to help reactions along. American chemists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey tested part of Oparin and Haldane’s hypothesis in the early 1950s by simulating conditions of the early Earth. In whathas become known as the Miller-Urey experiment, the two scientists connected two flasks with a loop of glass tubing that allowed the gases to pass between the flasks.They filled the upper flask with methane, ammonia, and hydrogen—components thought to have been in the early atmosphere. They filled the...
-
Belarus - country.
In the last complete census conducted in the Soviet Union in 1989, the population of Belarus was 10,151,806; a 2008 estimate was 9,685,768, giving the country apopulation density of 47 persons per sq km (121 per sq mi). The most notable demographic trend since the 1950s has been the steady migration of the population fromthe villages to urban centers, and the correspondent aging of the population remaining in the rural areas. In 1959 urban residents accounted for 31 percent of thepopulation; in...
-
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...
-
Western Music
I
INTRODUCTION
Bizet's Carmen
Georges Bizet's Carmen, first performed in Paris in 1875, was a milestone in the history of French opera.
church ceremonies during the period from the 5th to the 7th century. Roman chant became known as Gregorian chant after Pope Gregory I, the Great, who may havecomposed some of the melodies and who actively encouraged an orderly, ritualized use of music by the church. Because Gregory and later popes preferred Gregorianchant to the varieties that had developed elsewhere in Europe, Gregorian chant eventually superseded most of the others. Gregorian and other chant styles arepreserved in many manuscr...
-
-
Brian Mulroney.
At the party convention Mulroney was one of the candidates who ran against Clark. This time Mulroney did not have to contend with a rival candidate from Québec. Healso had the support of the remnants of the Diefenbaker faction—who disliked Clark even more than they disliked Mulroney. Mulroney was also endorsed by asubstantial group of members of Parliament; this endorsement helped allay concerns about whether he could provide effective leadership in Parliament. Mulroney waselected leader of the...
-
Brian Mulroney - Canadian History.
At the party convention Mulroney was one of the candidates who ran against Clark. This time Mulroney did not have to contend with a rival candidate from Québec. Healso had the support of the remnants of the Diefenbaker faction—who disliked Clark even more than they disliked Mulroney. Mulroney was also endorsed by asubstantial group of members of Parliament; this endorsement helped allay concerns about whether he could provide effective leadership in Parliament. Mulroney waselected leader of the...
-
Toys.
I
INTRODUCTION
Toys, objects that serve as playthings for children. Although the
clay. These readily available elements were also used to make more elaborate toys as human society advanced. Archaeologists have found primitive, handmade toys such as wooden or cloth dolls, clay marbles, and terracotta figures that date back thousands of years. In ancientEgypt, Greece, and Rome, people placed dolls or clay figures in the graves or tombs of children for them to play with in the afterlife. The yo-yo may seem like a 20th-century fad, but it actually dates back at least 2,500 years...
-
Gerald Ford.
In May 1973 the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Activities opened hearings and in a series of startling revelations, Dean testified that Mitchell had ordered thebreak-in and that the president had authorized payments to the burglars to keep them quiet. The Nixon administration vehemently denied these assertions. In March 1974 a grand jury indicted Mitchell, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and four other White House officials for their part in covering up the Watergate break-in andreferred to Nixon...
-
Gerald Ford
In May 1973 the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Activities opened hearings and in a series of startling revelations, Dean testified that Mitchell had ordered thebreak-in and that the president had authorized payments to the burglars to keep them quiet. The Nixon administration vehemently denied these assertions. In March 1974 a grand jury indicted Mitchell, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and four other White House officials for their part in covering up the Watergate break-in andreferred to Nixon...
-
W. L. Mackenzie King.
I
INTRODUCTION
W. L. Mackenzie King (1874-1950), tenth prime
V SECOND TERM AS PRIME MINISTER By the election of 1925 most of the rifts in the Liberal Party were healed. Little had been achieved by King's government except for some tariff reduction and thereorganization of Canadian railroads, but no mistakes had been made. The real issue of the election was the personalities of the party leaders, King and the brilliant butarrogant Conservative, Arthur Meighen. The Conservatives swept English-speaking Canada, and they won 116 seats. The Liberals won 101, a...
-
Connecticut Yankee - anthology.
This missionary knight's name was La Cote Male Taile, and he said that this castle was the abode of Morgan le Fay, sister of King Arthur, and wife of King Uriens,monarch of a realm about as big as the District of Columbia—you could stand in the middle of it and throw bricks into the next kingdom. “Kings” and “Kingdoms”were as thick in Britain as they had been in little Palestine in Joshua's time, when people had to sleep with their knees pulled up because they couldn't stretch outwithout a passp...
-
Spanish-American War.
A Blockade of Cuba The Navy’s basic job was to blockade the island of Cuba. If the Spanish army could be cut off from seaborne supplies from Spain, it could not maintain itself for longagainst the Cuban insurgents, let alone prepare to fight the U.S. forces. To maintain a successful blockade, the U.S. Navy would have to control the sea approaches toCuba. To accomplish this, the United States determined that the Spanish navy had to be destroyed wherever it was found. Thus the U.S. war objectives...
-
-
It might not matter to you, but my brother was having an affair with my wife.
upon them kissing oneafternoon inthe field behind theshed behind ourhouse. Itmade mesoexcited. Ifelt asifIwere kissing someone. Ihad never kissed anyone. Iwas more excited thanifit had been me.Ourhouse wassmall. AnnaandI shared abed. That night Itold herwhat Ihad seen. Shemade mepromise nevertospeak aword about it.Ipromised her. She said, Whyshould Ibelieve you? I wanted totell her, Because whatIsaw would nolonger bemine ifItalked aboutit.Isaid, Because Iam your sister. Thank you. Can Iwatch you...
-
Notions essentielles anglais
Notions essentielles Anglais : Lexique : Détester-Aimer-Préférer : (L1) Détester ➔ Au sens général ➔ To hate + verbe en -ing Il déteste conduire sur la neige ➔ He hates driving on the snow ➔ Au sens plus limité dans le temps, l’espace ➔ to hate + in nitif complet Je déteste penser à ce qu’elle dira ➔ I hate to think what she will say when she learns this Je déteste le dire, mais vous êtes renvoyé.➔ I hate to say so, but you are red Aimer ➔ To like ➔ Idée d’habitude ➔ to like...
-
Ape - biology.
previous infant has been weaned. This process—like all aspects of ape development—takes a remarkable length of time. A gibbon is weaned by the age of about 2years, while chimps take more than 4 years. Like young monkeys, young apes are carried by their mothers. They either cling to the mother's belly or, in the case ofolder chimps, ride on her back. In great apes, infant care is largely the job of the females, while in some gibbons the mother hands over responsibility to the fatherwhen the infan...
-
From Gibbons v.
Can a trading expedition between two adjoining States, commence and terminate outside of each? And if the trading intercourse be between two States remote fromeach other, must it not commence in one, terminate in the other, and probably pass through a third? We are now arrived at the inquiry—What is this power? It is the power to regulate, that is, to prescribe the rule by which commerce is to be governed. This power, like all others vested in Congress, is complete in itself, maybe exercised to...
-
Gold - chemistry.
producers of gold during this period. Spain's domination in South America resulted, in the 16th century, in a large increase in gold produced in the New World; someresulted from simple seizure of gold from the Native Americans, who had long mined the metal. In the same century Mexico contributed about 9 percent of the totalworld production. Gold was discovered in Australia in February 1851, and rich fields were found there. By the middle of the 19th century the United States produced a considera...
-
Metalwork
I
INTRODUCTION
Metalwork, in the fine arts, objects of artistic, decorative, and utilitarian value made of one or more kinds of metal--from precious to base--fashioned by either casting,
hammering, or joining or a combination of these techniques.
Early Bronze DiskThis disk with the head of Acheloos, an Etruscan river god, was made of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, sometime inthe early 5th century bc. It comes from the necropolis of Monte Quaglieri in Tarquinia. Alloys are made by smelting twodifferent metals together.Scala/Art Resource, NY Knowledge of smelting ultimately led to knowledge of mixing different ores together in the smelting process to produce simple alloys. This followed an intermediateperiod, about 3000 BC, when comp...
-
Capital Punishment.
deterrent effect. Capital punishment advocates note that because the death penalty is reserved for the most aggravated murders, the deterrent effect of capitalpunishment on such crimes may not be apparent in data on homicide rates in general. Supporters also urge that the conflicting results of various studies indicate thatthe deterrent effect of the death penalty cannot not be proven or disproven with any certainty. They maintain that in the absence of conclusive proof that the threat ofexecuti...
-
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...
-
-
Map - Geography.
Often only southeast slopes are hachured or shaded, giving somewhat the effect of a bird's-eye view of the area illuminated by light from the northwest. Shadings orcarefully drawn hachures, neither of which give elevations, are more easily interpreted than contour lines and are sometimes used in conjunction with them for greaterclarity. IV MAP PROJECTIONS For the representation of the entire surface of the earth without any kind of distortion, a map must have a spherical surface; a map of this...
-
Comoros - country.
Since 1981 the currency has been the Comorian franc. The Comorian franc had a fixed exchange rate with the French franc of 50 to 1 until 1994, when the rate was changed to 75 Comorian francs to 1 French franc. In 2006, the Comorian franc exchanged at an average of 392 to U.S.$1. Transport between the islands is mostly by air, and there is an international airport at Hahaia on Njazidja where jets can land. Road networks have been built betweenmost of the main island settlements, but the mountai...
-
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...
-
Mars (planet) - astronomy.
The Martian core is probably much like Earth’s, consisting mostly of iron, with a small amount of nickel. If other light elements, particularly sulfur, exist there as well, thecore may be larger than presently thought. From studying Earth’s magnetic field and core, scientists theorize that the motions of the liquid rock in Earth’s core generateits magnetic field. Mars does not have a significant magnetic field, so scientists believe that Mars’s core is probably solid. However, spacecraft data in...
-
International Law.
merchants), modernized the rights of neutrals during maritime war, and required blockades to be effective. The Declaration of Paris also initiated the practice of allowingnations other than the original signatories to accede (become a party to) to an agreement. In 1864 a conference convened in Geneva, Switzerland, at the invitation of the Swiss government. The conference approved a convention for the proper treatment ofwounded soldiers on the battlefield and the protection of medical personnel;...
-
Greece - country.
minerals, such as chromium, copper, uranium, and magnesium, are relatively small. Greece’s small petroleum deposits, located under the Aegean Sea near the island ofThásos, are rapidly being depleted. There are no significant reserves of natural gas. Greece’s forests, probably abundant in ancient times, have been significantly depleted. Subsequent soil erosion has made reforestation efforts difficult. Although muchof Greece’s soil is rocky and dry, the country’s mountains are interspersed with sm...
-
Galileo
I
INTRODUCTION
Galileo (1564-1642), Italian physicist and astronomer who, with German astronomer Johannes Kepler, initiated the scientific revolution that flowered in the work of
English physicist Sir Isaac Newton.
V WORK IN ASTRONOMY During most of his time in Padua, Galileo showed little interest in astronomy, although in 1595 he declared in a letter that he preferred the Copernican theory that Earthrevolves around the Sun to the assumptions of Aristotle and Ptolemy that planets circle a fixed Earth ( see Astronomy: The Copernican Theory ; Ptolemaic System). A Observations with the Telescope In 1609 Galileo heard that a telescope had been invented in Holland. In August of that year he constructed a t...
-
Galileo.
V WORK IN ASTRONOMY During most of his time in Padua, Galileo showed little interest in astronomy, although in 1595 he declared in a letter that he preferred the Copernican theory that Earthrevolves around the Sun to the assumptions of Aristotle and Ptolemy that planets circle a fixed Earth ( see Astronomy: The Copernican Theory ; Ptolemaic System). A Observations with the Telescope In 1609 Galileo heard that a telescope had been invented in Holland. In August of that year he constructed a t...
-
-
Radio Astronomy - astronomy.
equivalent to the apparent angular dimensions of a basketball at the distance of the moon. In 1984, the U.S. government appropriated funds for the construction of aninstallation called the very long baseline array (VLBA), a network of 10 radio antennas spread from the U.S.-Canadian border to Puerto Rico and from Hawaii to the U.S.Atlantic coast. The VLBA is expected to provide angular resolutions in the range of 200-millionths of an arc second. Canada and Australia are both planning similarprogr...
-
Qing Dynasty - History.
The Manchus also dealt with the problem of Russian expansion into northeastern Asia. In 1689 the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed by an envoy from the Manchu courtand a Russian representing Peter the Great. The treaty, the first between China and a Western country, established territorial boundaries and defined rules ofcommerce for the two powers. Through the mid-18th century, the Manchus continued to consolidate their power. In 1720 the Qing ruler sent forces to fight the Mongols in Tibet and the...
-
Nebraska - geography.
by natural resource districts to limit the rate of pumping for irrigation. C Climate Nebraska has a typical continental climate with wide seasonal variations in temperature. C1 Temperature Winter temperatures below -20°C (0° F) and summer temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) are common. The average January temperature varies from about -7° C (about 20° F) in the northeast to about -2° C (about 29° F) in the southwest. The average for July, thehottest month, ranges from about 26° C...
-
Nebraska - USA History.
by natural resource districts to limit the rate of pumping for irrigation. C Climate Nebraska has a typical continental climate with wide seasonal variations in temperature. C1 Temperature Winter temperatures below -20°C (0° F) and summer temperatures in the upper 30°s C (lower 100°s F) are common. The average January temperature varies from about -7° C (about 20° F) in the northeast to about -2° C (about 29° F) in the southwest. The average for July, thehottest month, ranges from about 26° C...
-
James Monroe.
In October 1786, Monroe resigned from Congress and settled with his bride in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he began a law practice. His retirement from politics wasbrief. He was soon elected to the town council, and then once again to the Virginia legislature. However, Monroe never lost touch with national politics. He corresponded regularly with both Jefferson and Madison. In 1786 Monroe attended the AnnapolisConvention, which had been called to consider interstate commerce and other matters...
-
James Monroe - USA History.
In October 1786, Monroe resigned from Congress and settled with his bride in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he began a law practice. His retirement from politics wasbrief. He was soon elected to the town council, and then once again to the Virginia legislature. However, Monroe never lost touch with national politics. He corresponded regularly with both Jefferson and Madison. In 1786 Monroe attended the AnnapolisConvention, which had been called to consider interstate commerce and other matters...
-
Himalayas - geography.
result of deforestation the habitat of most of the wildlife has been destroyed. They are now restricted to special protected areas such as the Jaldapara and Kazirangasanctuaries in India ( see Kaziranga National Park) and the Chitawan preserve in Nepal. There are few animals in the Middle Himalayas because of extensive deforestation. In the Great Himalayas musk deer, wild goats, sheep, wolves, and snow leopards are found. The existence of the Abominable Snowman or Yeti has beenreported by highla...
-
William Howard Taft.
considered him an ideal successor. Because Roosevelt himself was satisfied that Taft's election would ensure that his reform programs were continued, he used hisinfluence with each state's Republican Party to get Taft the nomination. As a result, Taft became the Republican candidate on the first ballot. He was elected president in1908 with a popular vote of 7,675,320 to 6,412,294 for Nebraska editor and Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan, and an electoral vote of 321 to Bryan's 162.Alth...
-
-
William Howard Taft
considered him an ideal successor. Because Roosevelt himself was satisfied that Taft's election would ensure that his reform programs were continued, he used hisinfluence with each state's Republican Party to get Taft the nomination. As a result, Taft became the Republican candidate on the first ballot. He was elected president in1908 with a popular vote of 7,675,320 to 6,412,294 for Nebraska editor and Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan, and an electoral vote of 321 to Bryan's 162.Alth...
-
Fossil Fuels.
water molecules. This crystalline solid is known as gas hydrate. Because technology for the commercial extraction of gas hydrates has not yet been developed, this typeof fossil fuel is not included in most world energy resource estimates. However, in February 2007 the U.S. Department of Energy completed the drilling of a well toretrieve core samples of gas hydrates found in the Prudhoe Bay region of Alaska’s North Slope. By identifying the nature of these gas hydrates, the Energy Departmenthoped...
-
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...
-
Abortion.
Intact dilation and extraction, also referred to as a partial birth abortion, consists of partially removing the fetus from the uterus through the vaginal canal, feet first,and using suction to remove the brain and spinal fluid from the skull. The skull is then collapsed to allow complete removal of the fetus from the uterus. III SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES Abortion has become one of the most widely debated ethical issues of our time. On one side are pro-choice supporters—individuals who favor a...
-
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...
-
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...
-
-
Supreme Court of Canada.
whether the leave to appeal will be granted and the case heard by the Court. The Court has no specified criteria by which it determines whether to grant leave, and the Court does not give reasons for its decision. The key factor appears to be acase’s degree of national importance. Other factors might include the impact of uncertainty in the challenged law, the case’s appropriateness for developing the law torespond to changing social needs, and the presence of a split decision at the court of ap...
-
Vietnam War.
rigged, since about 150,000 more people voted in Saigon than were registered. Diem then deposed Bao Dai, who had been the only other candidate, and declaredSouth Vietnam to be an independent nation called the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), with himself as president and Saigon as its capital. Vietnamese Communists and manynon-Communist Vietnamese nationalists saw the creation of the RVN as an effort by the United States to interfere with the independence promised at Geneva. III THE BEGINNING OF THE...