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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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1992-09-02
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*
Human
Of or belonging to man-woman, a member of the
Human race- HomoSapiens. An upright, bipedal,
sentient inhabitant of Earth ranging in
colour from black, through various shades of
brown and yellow, to white.
Also- showing or having the qualities that
are a distinction of Man.
#
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Mansion
A Manor or very large house having many
rooms. The official residence of the Lord
Mayor of London is called the Mansion house.
Now sometimes used to describe a large house
which has been seperated into flats.
#
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Roadrage
A phenomenon of modern motoring, the word is
used to describe what is, at the least,
grievous bodily harm and, at the worst,
murder. Usually resulting from an imagined
slight by one driver upon another which
causes the supposedly slighted driver to
assault the other. Even the smallest affront
appears to be reason enough to cause this
assault.
#
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Car-Boot Sale
Probably beginning as the "garage sales" of
the U.S. it developed into sales from the
boots of cars (usually of unwanted personal
possessions) and then from this into
organised sales from numerous vehicles, the
owners` paying for the use of a site. Now
called `BootSale` it has since grown into
what is really an open-air market and, in
recent times, into a sale, undercover, at
which cars are on longer used.
#
*
Plimsoll
A canvas topped, rubber soled, shoe usually
worn for leisure activities or sports. A
favourite foot-wear for children on the beach
where they were then called Sandshoes or in
the gym. where they were called Gymshoes. The
modern equivalent being Trainers.
#
*
Dominoes
A game played with, usually, 28 rectangular
pieces of wood or ivory (or similar
materials) approximately 2in by 1in, which
are generally coloured black. The upper side
is divided equally into two, the two halves
being either blank or being marked with spots
in combinations from double blank to double
six. Also- the game played with these pieces
in which they are placed with the matching
ends in contact.
The word is also a name for a hooded, loose,
cloak (thought to be of Venetian origin)
which, together with a mask, was worn at
masquerades and was also the name given to
the wearer of this cloak.
#
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Columbian Icefield
With an area of approx.130 sq miles(325km) it
is the largest body of ice in the Rocky
Mountains and, after the Arctic & Antarctic
Ice Caps,the largest permanent body of ice on
Earth. With a height of 12,284ft(3745m) the
highest point is Mt. Columbia and the average
elevation is about 10,000ft(3000m).
The estimated depth at its greatest is
1,200ft(360m). Tourists are taken in
specially designed coaches to an altitude
of 7000ft(2210m), on to the Athabasca Glacier
which, at the height of 8,900ft is an outlet
glacier for the icefield.
#
*
Belgium
A small nation of N.Europe, the name derives
from the latin Belgae who occupied this
territory in Roman times. Originally the
South Netherlands it became an independent
kingdom in 1830, its constitution dates from
the following year. Its neutrality was
guaranteed by the European powers and Russia
in 1839 but this was violated by the German
invasion in 1914 and again in 1940.
Capital- Brussels.
Major ports- Antwerp, Ostend and Zeebrugge.
Major towns- Liege, Ghent and Bruges.
Principal exports are iron and steel,
textiles and petrochemicals.
A mainly flat country, with some hills and
forest in the S.E. it is inhabited by people
of Flemish and French extraction which
resulted in two main languages being spoken.
In the north Flemish and in the south Walloon
with some German on the eastern borders.
The currency is the Belgian Franc.
Became a founder member of the Benelux Union
in 1948, a founder member of the Council of
Europe in 1949, a founder member of European
Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952 and a
founder member of the European Community(EEC)
in 1957.
#
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Roller Skates
A development of the ice skate, roller skates
have, instead of the blade, a set of small
wheels (rollers) and are used for skating
on smooth surfaces. A further development are
Roller Blades which, instead of having the
wheels one in each corner, have four slightly
larger wheels in line along the length of
the skate. The sport of Roller Hockey has
become a very popular pastime, with leagues
forming country-wide.
#
*
Rooster
The name is mainly of American usage the
English version being Cock.
The male of the domestic fowl, differing from
the hen in having a `Comb` or crest on the
crown of its head.
The name is also used for the male of other
birds.
#
*
Aconcagua
The highest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua
is an extinct volcano in the Argentinian
Andes with a height of 22,834ft (6960m).
It was first climbed in 1897.
#