224 résultats pour "means"
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Manhattan Project - U.
other possible uses of nuclear energy, such as using uranium to operate large power plants or, perhaps, as power sources for ships or submarines. Then Nazi Germanyinvaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and Europe plunged into war. The scientists realized that any plans to build large-scale nuclear power plants would have to waituntil the war was over. Two weeks after the invasion of Poland, Hitler made a radio speech in which he threatened Britain with “a weapon against which there is no defense.”...
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Islam.
commanded to face the Kaaba, an ancient shrine in the city of Mecca. The Qur’an also refers to the recitation of parts of the Qur’an as a form of prayer. However, evenwith its numerous references, the Qur’an alone does not give exact instructions for this central ritual of prayer. The most detailed descriptions of the rituals for prayer derive from the example set by the prophet Muhammad and are preserved in later Islamic traditions. Somedetails of these rituals vary, however all Muslims agree t...
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Nevada - geography.
The Truckee, Carson, and Walker rivers flow out of the Sierra Nevada, thread their way around several of the desert ranges, and also end in closed basins. The Walkerflows into Walker Lake, the Carson into Lahontan Reservoir. The major part of the Truckee’s flow is now diverted to Lahontan Reservoir, although as required by lawsome of it empties into Pyramid Lake. Because these three streams flow constantly, the lakes into which they empty never dry up. Winnemucca Lake formerly receivedoverflow w...
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Nevada - USA History.
The Truckee, Carson, and Walker rivers flow out of the Sierra Nevada, thread their way around several of the desert ranges, and also end in closed basins. The Walkerflows into Walker Lake, the Carson into Lahontan Reservoir. The major part of the Truckee’s flow is now diverted to Lahontan Reservoir, although as required by lawsome of it empties into Pyramid Lake. Because these three streams flow constantly, the lakes into which they empty never dry up. Winnemucca Lake formerly receivedoverflow w...
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Japan - country.
island’s fertile soils support agriculture and provide the vast majority of Japan’s pasturelands. In addition, Hokkaidō contains coal deposits, and the cold currents off itsshores supply cold-water fish. Winters are long and harsh, so most of Hokkaid ō is lightly settled, housing about 5 percent of Japan’s population on approximately 20 percent of its land area. However,its snowy winters and unspoiled natural beauty attract many skiers and tourists. Hokkaid ō is thought of as Japan’s northern fr...
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five or fifty minutes.
THE ONLY ANIMAL I read thefirst chapter of A Brief History ofTime when Dadwasstillalive, andIgot incredibly heavybootsabout how relatively insignificant lifeis,and how, compared tothe universe andcompared totime, itdidn't evenmatter ifIexisted at all. When Dadwastucking meinthat night andwewere talking aboutthebook, Iasked ifhe could thinkofasolution to that problem. "Whichproblem?" "Theproblem ofhow relatively insignificant weare." Hesaid, "Well, whatwould happen ifaplane dropped youinthe mid...
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Bible.
collection of many different books. The Old Testament is by no means a unified book in terms of authorship, date of composition, or literary type; it is instead a veritablelibrary. Generally speaking, the books of the Old Testament and their component parts may be identified as narratives, poetic works, prophetic works, law, or apocalypses.Most of these are broad categories that include various distinct types or genres of literature and oral tradition. None of these categories is limited to the...
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Atom - chemistry.
Atoms have several properties that help distinguish one type of atom from another and determine how atoms change under certain conditions. A Atomic Number Each element has a unique number of protons in its atoms. This number is called the atomic number (abbreviated Z). Because atoms are normally electrically neutral,the atomic number also specifies how many electrons an atom will have. The number of electrons, in turn, determines many of the chemical and physical properties ofthe atom. The ligh...
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United States Government.
Article II establishes an executive department headed by a president and vice president. The article further describes the powers of the offices, the manner of election,and the qualifications for office. Of special significance is the president’s constitutional role as commander of the nation’s armed forces, which assures civilian controlover the military. Because the president is the head of the armed forces and only Congress can declare war, the authority of the military is diffused and its po...
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Cuba - country.
Only two land mammals, the hutia, or cane rat, and the solenodon, a rare insectivore that resembles a rat, are known to be indigenous. The island has numerous batsand nearly 300 kinds of birds, including vultures, wild turkeys, quail, finches, gulls, macaws, parakeets, and hummingbirds. The bee hummingbird of Cuba is thesmallest bird in the world. Among the few reptiles are tortoises, caimans, the Cuban crocodile, and a species of boa that can attain a length of 3.7 m (12 ft). More than700 speci...
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Sound
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INTRODUCTION
Sound, physical phenomenon that stimulates the sense of hearing.
A fundamental law of harmony states that two notes an octave apart, when sounded together, produce a pleasant-sounding combination. Other combinations of notescan also be pleasing. Physically, an interval of a fifth consists of two notes, the frequencies of which bear the arithmetical ratio 3 to 2, and a major third, the ratio 5 to4. Fundamentally, the law of harmony states that two or more notes sound pleasant when played together if their frequencies bear small, whole number ratios; if thefreq...
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Excerpt from A Christmas Carol - anthology.
External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snowwas more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet,could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often “came down” handsomely and Scrooge never did. Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with g...
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Light
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INTRODUCTION
Light, form of energy visible to the human eye that is radiated by moving charged particles.
simulates the action of a moving charge upon the electric field. It creates a wave that travels along the rope in a direction that is perpendicular to the initial up anddown movement. Because electromagnetic waves are transverse—that is, the vibration that creates them is perpendicular to the direction in which they travel, they are similar to waveson a rope or waves traveling on the surface of water. Unlike these waves, however, which require a rope or water, light does not need a medium, or su...
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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...
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Medical Ethics.
medical profession. In recent years, however, the field of medical ethics has struggled to keep pace with the many complex issues raised by new technologies for creating and sustaininglife. Artificial-respiration devices, kidney dialysis, and other machines can keep patients alive who previously would have succumbed to their illnesses or injuries.Advances in organ transplantation have brought new hope to those afflicted with diseased organs. New techniques have enabled prospective parents to con...
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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...
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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...
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Electronic Music
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INTRODUCTION
Electronic Music, music that requires the use of electronic devices to produce or manipulate sound during its composition and performance.
III SYNTHESIZERS AND OTHER ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY Moog SynthesizerThe musical synthesizer was invented by American Robert Moog. Soon after Moog introduced an early version in 1964, itbecame known as the “Moog Synthesizer,” and then simply as the “Moog.” Here, Japanese composer Isao Tomita uses aMoog synthesizer in his studio.Huynh Cong/AP/Wide World Photos In the 1950s sound synthesizers were developed, principally in the United States. Synthesizers enabled composers to produce sounds electroni...
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verbes irréguliers
Hit Hit Hit Frapper Hit Hit Hit Frapper Hold Held Held Tenir Hold Held Held Tenir Keep Kept Kept Garder Keep Kept Kept Garder Know Knew Known Savoir Know Knew Known Savoir Lay Laid Laid Disposer Lay Laid Laid Disposer Lead Led Led Guider Lead Led Led Guider Learn Learnt Learnt Apprendre Learn Learnt Learnt Apprendre Leave Lef Left Partir Leave Lef Left Partir Lend Lent Lent Prêter Lend Lent Lent Prêter Let Let Let Permettre Let Let Let Permettre Lose Lost Lost Perdre Lose Lost Lost Perdre Make M...
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Excerpt from Emma - anthology.
Her sister, though comparatively but little removed by matrimony, being settled in London, only sixteen miles off, was much beyond her daily reach; and many along October and November evening must be struggled through at Hartfield, before Christmas brought the next visit from Isabella and her husband and their littlechildren to fill the house and give her pleasant society again. Highbury, the large and populous village almost amounting to a town, to which Hartfield, in spite of its separate...
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Arithmetic
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INTRODUCTION
Arithmetic, branch of mathematics that arises from counting, the most basic mathematical operation.
Subtract the units: 6 - 3 = 3. Then subtract the tens column: 6 – 2 = 4. The results of these two single-digit subtractions, written side by side, provide the answer: Subtraction is a bit more complicated if we need to subtract a larger digit from a smaller one. For example, when subtracting 47 from 92, the units value (7) of 47 isgreater than the units value (2) of 92. We can handle this situation using a procedure called borrowing, which is like carrying in reverse. Ten units can be borrowe...
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Psychotherapy.
Other managed-care companies pay therapists a set fee to meet with a client for up to a specified maximum number of sessions depending on the nature of theproblem, free of interference from case reviewers. For example, a managed-care firm may pay a therapist $200 to hold up to eight sessions with a person. If the clientuses all eight sessions, the therapist normally loses money. But if treatment stops after two or three sessions, the therapist makes a profit. This relatively new system iscontrov...
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Renaissance
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INTRODUCTION
Renaissance, series of literary and cultural movements in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.
the great writings of ancient Greece and Rome. Intellectuals continued to build on the ideas of the Renaissance during the 18th century Age of Enlightenment, a time when scientific advancements led to a newemphasis on the power of human reason. One of the early Enlightenment thinkers was French philosopher and writer Voltaire. He claimed that the Renaissance was acrucial stage in liberating the mind from the superstition and error that he believed characterized Christian society during the Middl...
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Renaissance .
the great writings of ancient Greece and Rome. Intellectuals continued to build on the ideas of the Renaissance during the 18th century Age of Enlightenment, a time when scientific advancements led to a newemphasis on the power of human reason. One of the early Enlightenment thinkers was French philosopher and writer Voltaire. He claimed that the Renaissance was acrucial stage in liberating the mind from the superstition and error that he believed characterized Christian society during the Middl...
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Alaska - geography.
depression surrounded by highlands and have the coldest winter and hottest summer temperatures in Alaska. Once the Kuskokwim River passes through theKuskokwim Mountains, it forms the southern edge of a vast lake-studded alluvial plain bounded on the north by the Yukon River. This water-logged lowland is a majorsummer nesting area for birds. Fairbanks is the major city in this region, while Fort Yukon is the major community in the Yukon Flats and Bethel the largest settlementon the Lower Kuskokwi...
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Alaska - USA History.
depression surrounded by highlands and have the coldest winter and hottest summer temperatures in Alaska. Once the Kuskokwim River passes through theKuskokwim Mountains, it forms the southern edge of a vast lake-studded alluvial plain bounded on the north by the Yukon River. This water-logged lowland is a majorsummer nesting area for birds. Fairbanks is the major city in this region, while Fort Yukon is the major community in the Yukon Flats and Bethel the largest settlementon the Lower Kuskokwi...
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Internal-Combustion Engine.
any Otto-cycle engine and in actual engines today is slightly more than 40 percent. Diesels are, in general, slow-speed engines with crankshaft speeds of 100 to 750revolutions per minute (rpm) as compared to 2500 to 5000 rpm for typical Otto-cycle engines. Some types of diesel, however, have speeds up to 2000 rpm. Becausediesels use compression ratios of 14 or more to 1, they are generally more heavily built than Otto-cycle engines, but this disadvantage is counterbalanced by theirgreater effici...
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Geometry
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INTRODUCTION
Geometry, branch of mathematics that deals with shapes and sizes.
Conic sections, a commonly studied topic of geometry, are two-dimensional curves created by slicing a plane through a three-dimensional hollow cone. A Euclid’s Postulates Euclid, who lived about 300 BC, realized that only a small number of postulates underlay the various geometric theorems known at the time. He determined that these theorems could be deduced from just five postulates. 1. A straight line may be drawn through any two given points. 2. A straight line may be drawn infinitely or be...
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Algebra
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INTRODUCTION
Algebra, branch of mathematics in which symbols (usually letters) represent unknown numbers in mathematical equations.
B Order of Operations and Grouping Algebra relies on an established sequence for performing arithmetic operations. This ensures that everyone who executes a string of operations arrives at the sameanswer. Multiplication is performed first, then division, followed by addition, then subtraction. For example: 1 + 2 · 3 equals 7 because 2 and 3 are multiplied first and then added to 1. Exponents and roots have even higher priority than multiplication: 3 · 2 2 = 3 · 4 = 12 Grouping symbols override...
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Confucian philosophy, Chinese
occupies a pre-eminent place in the history of Chinese philosophy. The core of Confucian thought lies in the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC) contained in the Analects ( Lunyu ), along with the brilliant and divergent contributions of Mencius (372?-289 BC) and Xunzi ( fl. 298-238 BC), as well as the Daxue (Great Learning) and the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean), originally chapters in the Liji (Book of Rites). Significant and original developments, particularly along a quasi-metaphysica...
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Rocket.
the vacuum of space, however, demonstrated that this belief was not true. In fact, rockets produce more thrust in the vacuum of space than on Earth. Air pressure andfriction with the air reduce a rocket’s thrust by about 10 percent on Earth as compared to the rocket’s performance in space. B Thrust and Efficiency Thrust is a measurement of the force of a rocket, or the amount of “push” exerted backward to move a rocket forward. Thrusts vary greatly from rocket to rocket.Engineers measure thrust...
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Rocket - astronomy.
the vacuum of space, however, demonstrated that this belief was not true. In fact, rockets produce more thrust in the vacuum of space than on Earth. Air pressure andfriction with the air reduce a rocket’s thrust by about 10 percent on Earth as compared to the rocket’s performance in space. B Thrust and Efficiency Thrust is a measurement of the force of a rocket, or the amount of “push” exerted backward to move a rocket forward. Thrusts vary greatly from rocket to rocket.Engineers measure thrust...
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Banking.
loans, and some commercial loans in addition to checking accounts and time deposits. Credit unions, SLAs, and savings banks help encourage thriftiness by paying interest to consumers who put their money in savings deposits. Consequently, creditunions, SLAs, and savings banks are often referred to as thrift institutions. Of the various types of banks in the United States, commercial banks account for the greatest single source of the financial industry’s assets. In 2000 the 8,528commercial banks...
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Modern Art
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INTRODUCTION
American Gothic
American Gothic was painted by the 20th-century American artist Grant Wood in 1930.
while at the other side a woman in black appears to mourn the end of her participation in the dance. Click on the buttonsto learn more.© Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. In view of this diversity, it is difficult to define modern art in a way that includes all of 20th-century Western art. For some critics, the most important characteristic ofmodern art is its attempt to make painting and sculpture ends in themselves, thus distinguishing modernism from earlier forms of art that had con...
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Poverty.
economic and demographic trends, and (7) welfare incentives. A Overpopulation Overpopulation, the situation of having large numbers of people with too few resources and too little space, is closely associated with poverty. It can result from highpopulation density (the ratio of people to land area, usually expressed as numbers of persons per square kilometer or square mile) or from low amounts of resources, or from both. Excessively high population densities put stress on available resources....
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"'Well, what can you say about that?
names belonged toresidents ofthe Sixth Borough, andwere carved whenCentral Parkstillresided there,instead ofin Manhattan. Somepeople believe theyaremade-up namesand,totake thedoubt astep further, thatthegestures oflove were made-up gestures. Othersbelieve otherthings." "Whatdoyou believe?" "Well, it'shard foranyone, eventhemost pessimistic ofpessimists, tospend morethanafew minutes inCentral Park without feelingthatheorshe isexperiencing sometense inaddition tothe present, right?""I guess. " "Ma...
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confess, I've never thought too much about giving lessons.
unpopularity atschool, Grandma's coupons,storagefacilities, peoplewhodon't know whattheInternet is,bad handwriting, beautifulsongs,howthere won't behumans infifty years—" "Whosaidthere won't behumans infifty years?" Iasked her,"Are youanoptimist orapessimist?" Shelooked ather watch andsaid, "I'm optimistic. " "Then Ihave some badnews foryou, because humansaregoing todestroy eachother assoon asitbecomes easyenough to,which will bevery soon." "Whydobeautiful songsmakeyousad?" "Because theyaren't t...
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exactly what to do.
him upthe next Saturday at7:00, andwewould startthen. Itold him, "I'mnoteven through withtheA's." Hesaid, "OK," and thesound ofhis own voice made himcrythe most. Message three.9:31A.M. Hello? Hello?Hello? When Momtucked meinthat night, shecould tellthat something wasonmy mind, andasked ifIwanted totalk. Idid, but not toher, soIsaid, "Nooffense, butno." "Are yousure?" " Tresfatigué, " Isaid, waving myhand. "Doyouwant meto read something toyou?" "It'sOK." "Wecould gothrough the New YorkTimes for m...
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Excerpt from Hard Times - anthology.
Mr Bounderby, the two gentlemen at this present moment walking through Coketown, and both eminently practical, who could, on occasion, furnish more tabularstatements derived from their own personal experience, and illustrated by cases they had known and seen, from which it clearly appeared—in short it was the onlyclear thing in the case—that these same people were a bad lot altogether, gentlemen; that do what you would for them they were never thankful for it, gentlemen; thatthey were restless,...
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Inuit.
VII HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, AND CLOTHING Inuit homes are of two kinds: walrus or sealskin tents for summer and huts or houses for winter. Winter houses are usually made of stone, with a driftwood orwhalebone frame, chinked and covered with moss or sod. The entrance is a long, narrow passage just high enough to admit a person crawling on hands and knees.During long journeys some Canadian Inuit build igloos, winter houses of snow blocks piled in a dome shape (the term igloo comes from the I...
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Assisted Suicide.
regardless of the fairness of the procedures used (substantive due process). In the Glucksberg case, the Court indicated that the liberty interest protected by the 14th Amendment does not encompass the right to determine the timing and manner of one’s own death. The Court’s decision means that each state may determine whetheror not to prohibit or permit (and otherwise regulate) assisted suicide. In 2006 the Court upheld Oregon’s law permitting physician-assisted suicide. In a 6-to-3 decision,...
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La Psychiatrie est elle une science?
distinguish science from non-science. Philosophers of science now generally agree that the search for a demarcation criterion has failed. However, in other disciplines the search for a means of distinguishing science from pseudoscience continues. I review the current debate in psychology and psychiatry. Then, returning to philosophical work, I discuss and support accounts according to which 'science' is best considered a family resemblance term. This suggests that whether psychiatric research is...
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"Which was this.
was good. It'seasy tobe emotional. Youcanalways makeascene. Remember meeight months ago?Thatwaseasy." "It didn't sound easy.""Itwas simple. Highsandlows make youfeel that things matter, butthey're nothing." "Sowhat's something?" "Beingreliable issomething. Beinggood." "And what about thekey?" "Atthe end ofhis letter hewrote, 'Ihave something foryou. Inthe blue vase, onthe shelf in the bedroom, isakey. Itopens asafe-deposit boxatour bank. Ihope you'll understand whyIwanted youtohave it.'" "And? W...
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Marketing.
Where advertising reaches a mass audience, personal or direct selling focuses on one customer at a time. That kind of individual attention makes direct sellingexpensive, but it also makes it effective. As the costs of personal selling have risen, the utilization of salespeople has changed. Simple transactions are completed byclerks. Salespeople are now used primarily where the products are complex and require detailed explanation, customized application, or careful negotiation over priceand paym...
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Insect - biology.
they almost always have six legs. In some insects, such as beetles, the legs are practically identical, but in other insects each pair is a slightly different shape. Still otherinsects have specialized leg structures. Examples are praying mantises, which have grasping and stabbing forelegs armed with lethal spines, and grasshoppers andfleas, which have large, muscular hind legs that catapult them into the air. Mole crickets’ front legs are modified for digging, and backswimmers have hind legs de...
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Geology.
terminology. Today the geologic time scale is generally agreed upon and used by scientists around the world, dividing time into eons, eras, periods, and epochs. Everyfew years, the numerical time scale is refined based on new evidence, and geologists publish an update. Geologists use several methods to determine geologic time. These methods include physical stratigraphy, or the placement of events in the order of their occurrence,and biostratigraphy, which uses fossils to determine geologic time...
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Native American Architecture.
B Relationship to the Universe and Nature A more profound difference between European American and Native American perceptions lay in how human beings saw themselves in relationship to the universe andin what they believed their responsibilities were to the natural world and to each other. Most European Americans saw themselves as separate from creation andadversaries of nature, ever struggling to conquer and subdue nature and force it to yield to their will. Native Americans saw themselves as...
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Montana - geography.
(191 sq mi), is Montana’s largest lake, and the largest natural freshwater lake in the contiguous states west of the Mississippi River. C Climate Climatic regions in Montana coincide roughly with the two major physiographic regions. In western Montana, as compared with the eastern plains area, winters tend tobe milder while summers are cooler. Precipitation is more evenly distributed throughout the year in the west, and it is cloudier and somewhat more humid in all seasons.In addition, the grow...
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Montana - USA History.
(191 sq mi), is Montana’s largest lake, and the largest natural freshwater lake in the contiguous states west of the Mississippi River. C Climate Climatic regions in Montana coincide roughly with the two major physiographic regions. In western Montana, as compared with the eastern plains area, winters tend tobe milder while summers are cooler. Precipitation is more evenly distributed throughout the year in the west, and it is cloudier and somewhat more humid in all seasons.In addition, the grow...
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Ohio - geography.
conflict with modified Gulf air and causing frontal or cyclonic storms. Gulf air is dominant in summer. In fall, polar air passing over Lake Erie is modified, delaying thekilling frost along the adjacent shoreline. C1 Temperatures The mean annual temperatures for the state range from 9° C (48° F) in the northeast to 13° C (55° F) in the south. Average January temperatures range from -4° C(24° F) in the west to 2° C (35° F) in the south. July averages are 24° C (76° F) in the south and 23° C (73...