Girondin
Also called �Brissotin� a label applied to a loose grouping of republican politicians, some of them originally from the d�partement of the Gironde, who played a leading role in the Legislative Assembly from October 1791 to September 1792 during the French Revolution. Lawyers, intellectuals and journalists, the Girondins attracted a following of businessmen, merchants, industrialists, and financiers.
Margin
In finance, the amount by which the value of collateral provided as security for a loan exceeds the amount of the loan. This excess represents the borrower's equity contribution in a transaction that is partly financed by borrowed funds; thus it provides a �margin� of safety to the lender over and above the collateral that is pledged. The size of the margin that is required
Margin
In finance, the amount by which the value of collateral provided as security for a loan exceeds the amount of the loan. This excess represents the borrower's equity contribution in a transaction that is partly financed by borrowed funds; thus it provides a �margin� of safety to the lender over and above the collateral that is pledged. The size of the margin that is required
Resistance
Also called �Underground� in European history, any of various secret and clandestine groups that sprang up throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II to oppose Nazi rule. The exact number of those who took part is unknown, but they included civilians who worked secretly against the occupation as well as armed bands of partisans or guerrilla fighters. Their activities ranged
Cloak And Sword Drama
Also called �cloak and dagger theatre�, Spanish �comedia de capa y espada� 17th-century Spanish plays of upper middle class manners and intrigue. The name derives from the cloak and sword that were part of the typical street dress of students, soldiers, and cavaliers, the favourite heroes. The type was anticipated by the plays of Bartolom� de Torres Naharro, but its popularity was established by the inventive dramas of Lope de Vega and Tirso
Yoro
City, northwestern Honduras. Situated in the highlands at an elevation of 1,837 feet (559 m), it is located near the headwaters of the Agu�n River. Although its founding date is uncertain, it was first mentioned in 1684. It is now a commercial and manufacturing centre in a fertile agricultural area. Coffee, tobacco, livestock, and timber are the principal products of the region. In the
Ottoman Empire, Origins and expansion of the Ottoman state, c. 1300 - 1402
In their initial stages of expansion, the Ottomans were leaders of the Turkish warriors for the faith of Islam, known as ghazis, who fought against the shrinking Christian Byzantine state. The ancestors of Osman I, the founder of the dynasty, were members of the Kayi tribe who had entered Anatolia along with a mass of Turkmen Oguz nomads. These nomads, fleeing from the Mongols
Empiricism, Broader senses
In both everyday attitudes and philosophical theories, the experiences referred to are principally those arising from stimulation of the sense organs, in particular those of sight and touch. Most philosophical Empiricists, however, have maintained that sensation is not the only provider of experience, admitting as empirical the awareness of mental states
Wichale, Treaty Of
Article XVII of the Treaty of Wichale stated that the emperor of Ethiopia �could� have
Tyumen
Also spelled �Tiumen, or T'umen� ', oblast (province), central Russia, occupying an area of 554,100 square miles (1,435,200 square km) in the Ob-Irtysh Basin. In the extreme west the Ural Mountains attain 6,217 feet (1,895 m) in Mount Narodnaya, but the remainder of the oblast's huge area is a low, exceptionally flat plain, with innumerable lakes and very extensive swamps. The oblast stretches from tundra in the north, with its scanty vegetation
Cond�, Maryse
Cond� wrote her first novel at the age of 11. In the politically turbulent years between 1960 and 1968, she taught in Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal. She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris (M.A., Ph.D., 1975). Her own peripatetic life provided the background for her novel H�r�
'abbas Mirza
Although he was not the eldest son of Fath 'Ali Shah (1797 - 1834), 'Abbas Mirza was named crown prince and appointed governor of the province of Azerbaijan in 1798 or 1799. When war broke out between Russia and Iran in 1804, he was made commander of the Iranian expeditionary
Gmelinite
Hydrated sodium and calcium aluminosilicate mineral in the zeolite family. Its crystal structure and chemical composition are similar to those of chabazite (q.v.), with which it is commonly found.
La Piedad Cavadas
City, northwestern Michoac�n estado (�state�), west-central Mexico. On the Lerma River, which forms the Michoac�n-Guanajuato border, it is 314 miles (505 km) west-northwest of Mexico City and 119 miles (192 km) northwest of Morelia, the state capital. During the colonial era it was known as Zula la Vieja but was elevated to city rank and given its present name in 1871. Much of La Piedad's economy is
Interior Design, Japan
Interior decoration in Japan was much influenced by Chinese ideas, especially between the 8th and 12th centuries, but it developed along lighter, more austere and elegant lines. It has altered little since medieval days. The most important differences in modern design are that the matting has been extended to cover the whole of the wooden floor, and sliding doors have
Pre-columbian Civilizations, Civil war on the eve of the Spanish conquest
Huayna Capac's father had begun the custom of marrying a full sister in order to keep the royal bloodline pure and, more importantly, to prevent conflict over succession. According to this custom, one sister became the principal wife of the emperor, and one of their sons became the next ruler. As noted above, this system had failed at Huayna Capac's succession. Nor did it
Pre-columbian Civilizations, Civil war on the eve of the Spanish conquest
Huayna Capac's father had begun the custom of marrying a full sister in order to keep the royal bloodline pure and, more importantly, to prevent conflict over succession. According to this custom, one sister became the principal wife of the emperor, and one of their sons became the next ruler. As noted above, this system had failed at Huayna Capac's succession. Nor did it
Water Glass
Also called �Sodium Silicate, or Soluble Glass, � crystal-like lumps that range from colourless to white or grayish white and resemble glass but can be dissolved in water to form a syrupy liquid. Some forms are slightly soluble, and some are almost insoluble; they are best dissolved by heating with water under pressure. A little water dissolves water glass more readily than much water does. The solutions are strongly
�pernon, Jean-louis De Nogaret De La Valette, Duke (duc) D'
Of obscure nobility, La Valette rose to prominence as a favourite of Henry III, who created him duke and peer of France in 1582. He and Anne de Joyeuse acted virtually as prime ministers in the 1580s. His rapacity was notorious, but he also showed great political ability
Aram, Eugene
In 1745, when Aram was schoolmaster at Knaresborough, a man named Daniel Clark, his intimate friend, after obtaining a considerable quantity of goods from tradesmen, disappeared.
Military Aircraft, Bombers
The Stuka dive-bomber was used to great effect during the invasions of Poland, France, and the Low Countries in 1939 - 40, but its slow speed rendered it vulnerable to fighter attack. The Germans' principal bombers of the Battle of Britain were the twin-engined Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17, and Ju 88. The Ju 88 was fast, with a top speed of 280 miles per hour, but it carried a modest bombload; the other
Croly, Jane Cunningham
Jane Cunningham moved to the
Chemical Compound, Adrenal hormones
The adrenal cortex of vertebrates synthesizes oxygenated progesterone derivatives. These compounds are hormones that are vital to survival and are classified according to their biological activity. The glucocorticoids promote deposition of glycogen in the liver and the breakdown of body proteins. Mineralocorticoids stimulate retention of sodium in
Nepali Language
Eastern Pahari dialect spoken in Nepal. See Pahari languages.
Amazon
In Greek mythology, member of a race of women warriors. The story of the Amazons probably originated as a variant of a tale recurrent in many cultures, that of a distant land organized oppositely from one's own. The ascribed habitat of the Amazons necessarily became more remote as Greek geographic knowledge developed. When the Black Sea was colonized by Greeks, it
France, History Of, Wartime France
The German victory left the French groping for a new policy and new leadership. Some 30 prominent politicians - among them �douard Daladier and Pierre Mend�s-France - left for North Africa to set up a government-in-exile there; but P�tain blocked that enterprise by ordering their arrest on arrival in Morocco. The undersecretary of war in the fallen Reynaud Cabinet, General
World Water Crisis: Is There A Way Out?
In 1995 Swedish hydrologist Malin Falkenmark made a revolutionary contribution to hydrologic studies by distinguishing blue water, by which she meant all precipitation that contributes to stream runoff and groundwater and is readily withdrawn for human use, from green water, which is all precipitation that is transpired by vegetation or evaporated from the soil
Allende, Salvador
Allende, born into an upper-middle-class family, received his medical degree in 1932 from the University of Chile, where he was a Marxist activist. He participated in the founding (1933) of Chile's Socialist Party. After election to the Chamber of Deputies in 1937, he served (1939 - 42) as minister of health in the liberal leftist
Furniture, Egypt
Beds, stools, throne chairs, and boxes were the chief forms of furniture in ancient Egypt. Although only a few important examples of actual furniture survive, stone carvings, fresco paintings, and models made as funerary offerings present rich documentary evidence. The bed may have been the earliest form; it was constructed of wood and consisted of a simple framework
