Oates, Titus (b. Sept. 15, 1649, Oakham, Rutland, Eng.—d. July 12/13, 1705, London) English fabricator of the Popish Plot. Son of a Baptist preacher, he was ordained in the Church of England. Although jailed for perjury in 1674, he became chaplain to the Protestants in the household of the Catholic 6th duke of Norfolk in 1677. In 1678, with the fanatically anti-Catholic Israel Tonge, he invented the Popish Plot, a fictitious Jesuit conspiracy to kill Charles II and place his Catholic brother James (later James II) on the throne. Oates’s testimony caused some 35 persons to be
executed, but inconsistencies in his story emerged, and he was convicted of perjury and imprisoned in 1685; released in 1688, he died in obscurity.
oats Hardy cereal plant (Avena sativa), cultivated in temperate regions, that is able to live in poor soil. The edible starchy grain is used primarily as livestock feed, but is also processed into rolled oats and oat flour for human consumption. High in carbohydrates, oats also provide protein, fat, calcium, iron, and B vitamins. Oat straw is used for animal feed and bed¬ ding.
OAU See Organization of African Unity
Oaxaca \wa-'ha-ka\ State (pop., 2000: 3,438,765), southern Mexico. Bounded by the Pacific Ocean, it occupies 36,275 sq mi (93,952 sq km) and includes most of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The capital is Oaxaca city. The Sierra Madre del Sur ends at the isthmus. Remains of pre-Columbian Zapotec and Mixtec structures are found at Mitla and Monte Alban. It has the largest population of Indian descent in Mexico. It is an agricultural and mining area.
Oaxaca in full Oaxaca de Juarez City (pop., 2000: 251,846), capital of Oaxaca state, southern Mexico. It lies in the fertile Oaxaca Val¬ ley, about 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level. Founded in 1486 as an Aztec garrison and con¬ quered by the Spanish in 1521, it had an important role in Mexican history and was the home of Benito Juarez and Porfirio Diaz. It is noted for its 16th- century architecture and its handicrafts.
Ob Vob\ River River, west-central Russia. Flowing across western Siberia northwestward from the Altai Mountains of central Asia, it courses through the Gulf of Ob into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is about 2,268 mi (3,650 km) long. Its middle course is through taiga, swampy coniferous forest with expanses of marsh¬ land. In the north are vast stretches of icy, treeless tundra. The Ob is an important source of hydroelectric power and one of Siberia’s major trans¬ portation routes during the six months of the year when it is not frozen.
Obadiah X.o-bo-'dI-oX (fl. between the 9th and 6th century bc) One of the 12 Minor Prophets in the Bible, traditional author of the book of Oba¬ diah. The shortest book of the Hebrew scriptures, it consists of one chap¬ ter of 21 verses. (It is part of a larger book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon.) Nothing is known of Obadiah, whose name means “servant of Yahweh (God).” He castigates Edom for failing to help Israel repel for¬ eign invaders and announces that the Day of Judgment is near for all nations. The final verses predict the restoration of the Jews to their native land.
O'Bail, John See Cornplanter
obelisk Tapered four-sided pillar, originally erected in pairs at the entrance to ancient Egyptian temples. The Egyptian obelisk was carved from a single piece of stone, usually granite, and embellished with hiero¬ glyphics. It was wider at its square or rectangular base than at its pyra¬ midal top, and could be over 100 ft (30 m) high. During the Roman empire, many obelisks were transported from Egypt to Italy. A well- known modern obelisk is the Washington Monument.
Oberammergau See Passion play
Oberlin College Private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. Founded in 1833, it was the first U.S. college to admit women and the first to admit black students on an equal footing with whites. In its early years it was a station on the Underground Railroad. It has faculties of arts, communica¬ tions, foreign languages, law, letters, mathematics, psychology, public service, science, and social sciences, as well as a music conservatory.
obesity Excessive body fat. It is usually caused by sedentary habits and a diet high in fat, alcohol, or total calories. Calories consumed but not used are stored as fat. Rare causes include glandular defects and excess steroids (see Cushing syndrome). Obesity raises the risk of heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Treatment, by reducing calorie intake and increasing exer¬ cise, is best undertaken with a doctor’s advice.
obia or obeah Yo-be-a\ In West African folklore, a gigantic animal that steals into villages by night to kidnap girls on behalf of witches. In some Caribbean cultures the word is used to refer to overpowering and extremely evil forms of witchcraft and sorcery. Bewitched objects, bur-
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object-oriented programming ► obscenity I 1393
ied with the intent of causing harm, are sometimes called obia. A person who uses the power of obia is called an obiama or obiaman.
object-oriented programming (OOP) Computer programming that emphasizes the structure of data and their encapsulation with the pro¬ cedures that operate upon it. It is a departure from traditional or proce¬ dural programming. OOP languages incorporate objects that are self- contained collections of computational procedures and data structures. Programs can be written by assembling sets of these predefined objects in far less time than is possible using conventional procedural languages. OOP has become extremely popular because of its high programming productivity. C++ and Objective-C (early 1980s) are object-oriented ver¬ sions of C that have gained much popularity. See also Java.
oblation In Christianity, the offering up by the faithful of any gift for use usually by the clergy, the church, or the sick or poor. The bread and wine offered for consecration in the Eucharist are oblations. In the Middle Ages children dedicated to a monastery and left there to be brought up were called oblates. Later, oblates were laity who lived at or in close con¬ nection with a monastery but who did not take religious vows. Members of certain Roman Catholic communities take the title oblate (e.g., the Oblates Regular of St. Benedict).
oboe Double-reed woodwind instrument. The oboe developed out of the more powerful shawm in the early 17th century. Intended (unlike the shawm) for indoor use with stringed instruments, its tone was softer and less brilliant. With its sweet but piercing sound, it was by the end of the 17th century the principal wind instrument of the orchestra and military band and, after the violin, the leading solo instrument of the time. The early oboe had only 2 keys, but in France by 1839 the number of keys had gradually increased to 10. With the decline in popularity of the mili¬ tary band, the oboe likewise declined somewhat in popularity. Today the orchestra generally includes two oboes. The oboe d’amore, an alto oboe with a pear-shaped bell, was especially popular in the 18th century; the modern alto oboe is the English horn.
Obote \o-'bo-ta\, (Apollo) Milton (b. Dec. 28, 1924, Akoroko vil- lage, Lango, Uganda—d. Oct. 10,
2005, Johannesburg, S.Af.) First prime minister (1962-70) and presi¬ dent (1966-71, 1980-85) of Uganda.
Elected to the Legislative Council in 1958, he led his country to indepen¬ dence in 1962. As prime minister, he accepted a constitution that granted federal status to five traditional king¬ doms, including Buganda, but in 1966 he sent troops under Gen. Idi Amin to subdue B Uganda’s ruler,