Flying fish is a name for several species of bony fishes in which the pectoral fins are lengthened and wing-like and serve to sustain the fish in its short flights through the air. Generally, however, the name is limited to the species of the genus Exocoetus, which belongs to the family Scomberesocidae (mackerel-pikes). The pectoral tins, which are very large, are the principal instruments in their flight, serving to sustain the fish temporarily in the air after it has acquired an initial velocity in its rush through the water. After taking off the flying fish flex their tail from side to side to provide extra propulsion. Flying fish can pass through the air to a considerable distance, sometimes as much as 180 metres, which it does to escape from the attacks of other fishes, especially the dolphin. It is most common between the tropics. The best-known species are Exocoetus volitans, abundant in the warmer parts of the Atlantic, and Exocoetus exiliens of the Mediterranean. Some naturalists subdivide the genus into several, characterized by the presence or absence of barbels. Flying fish lay their eggs on floating debris, spawning in large groups and producing masses of eggs which can sink small boats if they remain stationary for several hours. Research Flying Fish
Nutrition is the strategy adopted by an organism to obtain the chemicals it needs to live, grow, and reproduce. The term is also applied to the science of food, and its effect on human and animal life, health, and disease.
Nutrition involves the study of the basic nutrients required to sustain life, their bio-availability in foods and overall diet, and the effects upon them of cooking and storage. It is also concerned with dietary deficiency diseases. There are six classes of nutrients: water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Water is involved in nearly every body process. Animals and humans will succumb to water deprivation sooner than to starvation. Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The major groups are starches, sugars, and cellulose and related material (or ' roughage'). The prime function of the carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body; they also serve as efficient sources of glucose, which the body requires for brain functioning, utilisation of foods, maintenance of body temperature. Roughage includes the stiff structural materials of vegetables, fruits, and cereal products. Proteins are made up of smaller units, amino acids. The primary function of dietary protein is to provide the amino acids
required for growth and maintenance of body tissues. Both vegetable and animal foods are protein sources. Fats serve as concentrated sources of energy, and protect vital organs such as the kidneys and skeleton. Saturated fats derive primarily from animal sources; unsaturated fats from vegetable sources such as nuts and seeds. Vitamins are essential for normal growth, and are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, essential to the maintenance of mucous membranes, particularly the conjunctiva of the eyes; D, important to the absorption of calcium; E, an antioxidant; and K, which aids blood clotting. Water-soluble vitamins are the B complex, essential to metabolic reactions, and C, for maintaining connective tissue and cell functioning. Minerals are vital to normal development; calcium and iron are particularly important as they are required in relatively large amounts. Minerals required by the body in trace amounts include chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc. Research Nutrition
Victoria was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India. She was born in 1819 and died in 1901. She succeeded to the throne in 1837 at the age of 18 and reigned until her death in 1901. As women could not inherit the Hanoverian throne, when Victoria ascended the British throne the Hanoverian throne passed to her uncle and the union with Hanover that had lasted 123 years ended. During the early years of her reign, Victoria was heavily influenced by her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, and after her marriage in 1840 by her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The marriage was very happy and they had nine children, most of whom married into European royal families. In 1861, Albert died of typhoid. Victoria retreated into seclusion, but kept up her constitutional duties, eventually resuming her public life.
Victoria's long reign coincided with a fundamental change in the nature of the British monarchy by which its power declined and was replaced by influence. In 1837 the government was still seen to a large extent as the Sovereign's government. However, the defeat of Melbourne's government in the 1841 general election meant that, for the first time, the electorate had in effect chosen a Prime Minister (Peel) against the Sovereign's wishes. But since the political groups in Parliament were not wholly cohesive and none could form a majority on its own, the Queen could still exert influence. The coalition government of 1852, led by Aberdeen, was the last to be brought into existence by royal initiative, but royal support could not sustain this coalition when it was accused of incompetence during the Crimean War and it fell in 1855. With the growth of the two-party system, which increasingly limited the Queen's power to choose her Prime Minister, her influence was directed more towards matters of government policy, particularly foreign affairs, and she was occasionally able to mediate in political crises. In 1856, the Queen instituted the Victoria Cross, which was the highest award for valour open to all ranks, made from Russian guns captured in the Crimean War.
In 1877, Victoria became Empress of India under the Royal Titles Act. The Monarchy's importance increased at home and abroad. During Victoria's reign, the spread of self-government in the colonies (Dominions) coincided with a growth in imperial sentiment and the Queen's personal prestige. In 1897 the Queen celebrated her DiamondJubilee amid scenes of popular enthusiasm. She had reigned longer than any other British monarch. Research Queen Victoria
Samuel Chase was an American patriot. He was born in 1741 at Maryland and died in 1811. He was a signer of the American Declaration of Independence and was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 until 1778. He became Chief Justice of the General Court of Maryland in 1791, and was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1796. In 1804 he was impeached by the House of Representatives, on the ground of Federalist partisanship, but the Senate failed to sustain the charges. Research Samuel Chase
The Maxim MG'08 was a classic German recoil operated, water-cooled machine gun produced from 1908 to 1918, serving with the German army through the Great War and some seeing action at the start of the Second World War. The Maxim MG'08 was a heavy, reliable machine-gun able to sustain a rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute for long periods of time. It took the 7.92 mm Mauser cartridge from a 250-round cloth beltfeed. Research Maxim MG'08
Microsoft's Midtown Madness is a frantic computer racing game for the IBMPC released in August 1999 set in downtown Chicago, from Wrigley Field in the north to the highway exchange south of McCormick Place. You get your choice of vehicles, including a Ford MustangGT, a CadillacEldorado, and a city bus. Try not to hit the pedestrians or newspaper stands, and look out for the ever presentpolice. What sets Midtown Madness apart from Microsoft's other big racing title, Monster Truck Madness 2, is that cars actually sustain damage during the course of this game: you can't crash into your opponents without putting sizable dents in your own car. Research Midtown Madness
Comprehensive income tax is an income tax for which the tax base consists not only of income but also of capital gains as well as other accretions of wealth, such as legacies. Although this is not a tax currently levied in Britain, tax theorists find it attractive since sometimes clear distinctions between income, capital gains, etc., are difficult to sustain. Research Comprehensive Income Tax
Fiscal policy is the use of government spending to influence macroeconomic conditions. John Keynes advocated the encouragement of public works in order to create employment during recessions, arguing that fiscal policy would be more effective than monetary policy. Fiscal policy was actively pursued to sustain full employment in the post-war years; however, monetarists and others have claimed that this set off the inflation of the 1970s. In fact, they claim that every œ1 spent by a government crowds out œ1 spent by the private sector, leaving no real effect. Fiscal policy has remained 'tight' in most western countries in the 1980s, with governments actively attempting to reduce the level of public expenditure. Research Fiscal Policy
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Flying Fish
