Europe, James Reese

Europe studied piano and violin in his youth and about 1904 settled in New York City, where he directed musical comedies and, in 1910, he helped organize the Clef Club, a union of African-American musicians. The 125-member Clef Club orchestra that he conducted

Rabbit

J.C. Sandford, The Domestic Rabbit, 5th ed. (1996), describes the 50-plus breeds and all aspects of raising domestic rabbits. Harry V. Thompson and Carolyn M. King (eds.), The European Rabbit: The History and Biology of a Successful Colonizer (1994), thoroughly examines the biology of the European rabbit worldwide. Joseph A. Chapman and John E.C. Flux (compilers and eds.), Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (1990), is a taxonomically arranged review of the biology and status of the world's rabbits and other lagomorphs. Ronald M. Nowak, Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed., 2 vol. (1999), photographically illustrates an article on each rabbit genus.

Bindweed

Plants of the closely related genera Convolvulus and Calystegia, mostly twining, often weedy, and producing handsome white, pink, or blue, funnel-shaped flowers. Bellbine, or greater bindweed (Calystegia sepium), native in Eurasia and North America, bears arrow-shaped leaves and white to pink, 5-centimetre (2-inch) flowers. This twining perennial grows

Ovando, Nicol�s De

The son of a noble family, Ovando grew up close

Price Maintenance

Also called �resale price maintenance� measures taken by manufacturers or distributors to control the resale prices of their products charged by resellers. The practice is more effective in retail sales than at other levels of marketing. Only a few types of goods have come under such controls, the leading examples being drugs and pharmaceuticals, books, photographic supplies, liquors, miscellaneous

Balbo, Italo

After studying at Florence University and the Institute of Social Science in Rome, Balbo served as an officer in the Alpine Corps during World War I. An early Fascist, he led the Blackshirt militia in the March on Rome (October

Amphibole

W.A. Deer, R.A. Howie, and J. Zussman, Rock-forming Minerals, 5 vol. (1962 - 63), with a 2nd ed. in progress (1978 - ); Manual of Mineralogy (after James D. Dana), 20th ed. by Cornelis Klein and Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr. (1985); J.J. Papike and M. Cameron, �Crystal Chemistry of Silicate Minerals of Geophysical Interest,� Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics, 14(1):37 - 80 (1976); B.E. Leake (comp.), �Nomenclature of Amphiboles,� American Mineralogist, 63(11 - 12):1023 - 52 (1978); David R. Veblen (ed.), Amphiboles and Other Hydrous Pyriboles: Mineralogy (1981); David R. Veblen and Paul H. Ribbe (eds.), Amphiboles: Petrology and Experimental Phase Relations (1982).

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The (zaire)

On May 25, 1998, Pres. Laurent Kabila promulgated a decree that established a national constituent and legislative assembly. This apparent move toward democracy was, however, belied by a series of arrests of people believed to be critical of the government, including,

Harald Ii Eiriksson,

The son of Erik Bloodax, who was the half brother of Haakon I, Harald took refuge in Denmark following his father's death. Aided by his uncle, the Danish king Harald Bluetooth (Bl�tand), Harald

Carlile, Richard

Radical English journalist who was a notable champion of the freedom of the press. Although convinced that the free propagation of ideas was more important than specific reforms, he was an early advocate of almost all the Radical causes of his time, including the abolition of monarchy, completely secular education, and the

Mineral Deposit, Flowing surface water

For effective concentration, placer minerals must not only have a high

Nilo-saharan Languages

The original expansion of the Nilo-Saharan family may have been associated with the Aquatic industry. This industry, which dates to the 8th millennium BC, is a conglomeration of cultures that exploited the food resources of lakes, rivers, and surrounding areas from Lake Rudolf in East Africa to the bend of the Niger River in West Africa during a long era of wetter climate

Van Depoele, Charles Joseph

After immigrating to the United States in 1869, Van Depoele became a successful manufacturer of church furniture and then began to pursue his interest in electricity. In addition to his notable

Cullinan Diamond

World's largest gem diamond, which weighed about 3,106 carats in rough form when found in 1905 at the Premier mine in Transvaal, S.Af. Named for Sir Thomas Cullinan, who had discovered the mine three years earlier, the colourless stone was purchased by the Transvaal government and was presented (1907) to the reigning British monarch, King Edward VII. It was cut into 9 large stones and about

Hawaii, Industry

Hawaii has several hundred companies engaged in diversified manufacturing. Heavy-manufacturing plants, using raw materials for the most part imported from the U.S. mainland, include an oil refinery that produces a variety of petroleum products and chemical compounds, a steel mill manufacturing reinforcing bars, several cement plants, a concrete-pipe plant, and

China, The armed forces

The command of the armed forces was also arranged so as to avoid giving excessive powers to a single individual. General officers were usually appointed in pairs, and, in times of emergency or when a campaign was being planned with a defined objective, officers were appointed for a specific task; when their mission was fulfilled, their commands were brought to a close.

Mauritania, Flag Of

Although Mauritania includes both black African and Arab-Berber populations, the official symbolism of the nation's flag and coat of arms is associated with the latter. The flag's green background and its star and crescent are traditional Muslim symbols, in use for centuries. The design is of the conservative type common before the 20th century and still used by such

Graf, Urs

The son of a goldsmith, Hugo Graf, he probably studied first under his father and later at Basel, following the style of Albrecht D�rer and of D�rer's assistant, the German painter and draftsman Hans Baldung-Grien. Settling in Basel in 1509, Graf executed his masterpiece

Harden, Maximilian Felix Ernst

Initially an actor, Harden founded and edited the weekly Die Zukunft (1892 - 1923; �The Future�), which attained great influence by tasteless methods. Calling war a �bracing educational

Turing, Alan M.

In full �Alan Mathison Turing� British mathematician and logician who made major contributions to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, and biology and to the new areas later named computer science, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and artificial life.

Abaiang Atoll

Also spelled �Apaiang, �also called �Apia, �formerly �Charlotte Island, � coral atoll of the Gilbert Islands, part of Kiribati, in the west-central Pacific Ocean. Comprising six islets in the northern Gilberts with a total land area of 6 square miles (16 square km), the atoll has a lagoon (16 by 5 miles [26 by 8 km]) that provides sheltered anchorage. Captain Thomas Gilbert, its European discoverer (1788), named it Matthew's Island, after the owner of his ship, the Charlotte.

Kirkcudbrightshire

Also called �Kirkcudbright� or �East Galloway� historic county, southwestern Scotland. It lies entirely within Dumfries and Galloway council area. Kirkcudbrightshire forms the eastern portion of the historic province of Galloway. It encompasses the shores of the Solway Firth and Irish Sea between the Rivers Nith and Cree and extends inland across an undulating landscape of hills and valleys, rising in the

Visistadvaita

(Sanskrit: Nonduality of the Qualified), one of the principal schools of Vedanta, an orthodox philosophy of India. This school grew out of the Vaisnava (worship of the god Vishnu [Visnu]) devotional movement prominent in South India from the 7th century on. One of the early Brahmans (class of priests) who began to guide the movement was Nathamuni (10th century), head priest of the temple

Cherub

Plural �Cherubim, � in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature, a celestial winged being with human, animal, or birdlike characteristics who functions as a throne bearer of the deity. Derived from ancient Middle Eastern mythology and iconography, these celestial beings serve important liturgical and intercessory functions in the hierarchy of angels. The term most likely derives

Ahmose Ii

In 570, after Apries' unsuccessful campaign against Cyrene, in modern Libya, the Egyptian

Denham, Sir James Steuart, 4th Baronet

Denham was educated at the University of Edinburgh (1724 - 25). In the course of continental travels following his qualification as a lawyer (1735), he became embroiled in the Jacobite cause. His involvement in the 1745 rebellion of the Stuart pretender to the throne

Fresnillo

In full� Fresnillo De Gonz�lez Echeverr�a, � city, central Zacatecas state, north central Mexico. It lies on an interior plateau more than 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above sea level and northwest of Zacatecas city, the state capital. It was founded in 1554 and has been an important silver-mining centre since 1569. Limited quantities of gold, copper, lead, and zinc are also produced. Irrigation has increased grain and vegetable production in the

Salem

Town (township), Rockingham county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., just west of Haverhill, Massachusetts. The town includes the communities of Salem, Salem Depot, and North Salem. Originally a part of Haverhill, it was set off in 1725 and incorporated as Methuen. The final decision of the Massachusetts - New Hampshire boundary line (1741) divided the town; the New Hampshire portion

Japan, The Yamato polity

The pattern of administrative control established is called the uji-kabane system. Uji is usually translated as �clan� in English. The uji are thought to be extensions of original agricultural communities, perhaps what early Chinese records referred to as �states.� Essentially, farming communities were associated into lineal groups, united by the belief that harvests

Amakusa Islands

Japanese �Amakusa-shoto, � archipelago off western Kyushu, Japan, in the Amakusa Sea. Administered by Kumamoto ken (prefecture), it includes about 100 islands, the largest of which are Kami (�Upper�) Island and Shimo (�Lower�) Island. There is little farming because of the rough, mountainous terrain, and there are few industries, but forestry, orange cultivation, and offshore fishing are actively