disk, hard See hard disk disk flower See composite family diskette See floppy disk
dislocation Displacement of the bones of a joint. It disrupts the liga¬ ments, muscles, and capsule (encasing membrane) holding the joint in place. The joint, painful and tender, appears misshapen and swollen, with discoloration of the overlying skin. The patient cannot use the joint and often feels a grating or grinding sensation on trying to move it. The bones must be returned to their normal position (reduction) and the joint kept immobile until healed. Recurrent and congenital dislocations usually require surgical reconstruction.
Dismal Swamp or Great Dismal Swamp Wetland region, south¬ eastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, U.S. Despite much lum¬ bering and widespread destruction by fire, the area is still heavily wooded. About 30 mi (48 km) long and 10 mi (16 km) wide, it is home to many rare birds and numerous poisonous
snakes. Noted for its fishing and hunting, it is traversed by the Dismal Swamp Canal, part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Disney, Walt(er Elias) (b. Dec. 5, 1901, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—d. Dec. 15, 1966, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. animator and entertainment execu¬ tive. In the 1920s he joined with his brother Roy and his friend Ub Iwerks (1901-71) to establish an animation studio. Together they created Mickey Mouse, the cheerful rodent— customarily drawn by Iwerks, with Disney providing the voice—that
Walt Disney, 1950.
ALFRED EISENSTAEDT-TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES
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starred in the first animated film with sound, Steamboat Willie (1928). The brothers formed Walt Disney Productions (later the Disney Co.) in 1929. Mickey Mouse’s instant popularity led them to invent other char¬ acters such as Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy and to make several short cartoon films, including The Three Little Pigs (1933). Their first full- length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), was fol¬ lowed by classics such as Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), and Cinderella (1950). A perfectionist, an innovator, and a skilled business¬ man, Walt Disney maintained tight control over the company in both cre¬ ative and business aspects. He oversaw the company’s expansion into live-action films, television programming, theme parks, and mass mer¬ chandising. By his death in 1966, Disney had transformed the family entertainment industry and influenced more than one generation of Ameri¬ can children.
Disney Co. U.S. entertainment corporation. It was founded by Walt Disney and his brother Roy as Walt Disney Productions in 1929 to incor¬ porate their cartoon animation studio. It produced short and full-length animated cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s, then expanded in the 1950s to make nature documentaries and live-action films as well as television programs. The opening of the amusement parks Disneyland (1955) and Walt Disney World (1971; see Disney World and Disneyland) strengthened the company’s dominance of the family entertainment industry in the U.S. The company declined after Disney’s death in 1966 but was revitalized under new management in the 1980s. As the Walt Disney Co. it expanded its production units to include Touchstone Pictures and Miramax, makers of films for more mature audiences, and revitalized its animation divi¬ sion, producing films such as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Toy Story (1995), the first full-length computer-animated film. The company took an active role in reviving and commercializing New York City’s Times Square, including the recreation of some of its animated films, such as The Lion King (1994), as Broadway musicals. In 1994 it opened Celebra¬ tion, a planned community in central Florida. It acquired the ABC tele¬ vision network in 1996 and became the world’s largest media and entertainment corporation; it also operates the cable television Disney Channel. See also Michael Eisner.
Disney World and Disneyland Two theme parks built by the Walt Disney Co. (see Disney Co.), a U.S. corporation that became the best- known 20th-century purveyor of entertainment. Disneyland, an interac¬ tive, family-oriented fantasy environment that opened in Anaheim, Calif., in 1955, was Walt Disney’s response to typical amusement parks, which entertained children but not their parents. The park, which has architec¬ ture that is a blend of futurism and nostalgic 19th-century reproductions, has different sections devoted to specific themes. Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Fla., in 1971. Besides containing Epcot Center (an idealized city), Disney-MGM Studios, and the Magic Kingdom and Ani¬ mal Kingdom theme parks, Disney World was the first amusement park to incorporate hotels (including two designed by Michael Graves) and sports and other recreational facilities into its master plan. In the late 20th century new Disney theme parks also opened in Paris and Tokyo.
disorderly conduct Conduct likely to lead to a disturbance of the public peace or that offends public decency. It has been held to include the use of obscene language in public, fighting in a public place, block¬ ing public ways, and making threats. Statutes against disorderly conduct must identify the specific acts that constitute it. The offense usually car¬ ries minor penalties.
dispersion Any phenomenon associated with the propagation of indi¬ vidual waves at speeds that depend on their wavelengths. Wavelength determines the speeds at which waves travel through media. This varia¬ tion in speed causes radiation to separate into components that have dif¬ ferent frequencies and wavelengths. For example, when a beam of white light is sent through a glass prism, refraction causes the beam to disperse into an array of its component colours of light, producing a rainbowlike effect.
displacement activity Performance by an animal of an act inappro¬ priate for the stimulus or stimuli that evoked it. It usually occurs when an animal is torn between two conflicting drives, such as fear and aggres¬ sion. Displacement activities often consist of comfort movements (e.g., grooming, scratching).
display behaviour Ritualized activity by which an animal conveys specific information. The best-known displays are visual, but others rely on sound, smell, or touch. Agonistic (aggressive) displays make it unnec¬
essary to chase intruders from a territory or for animals to injure each other in competition for mates. One type of defensive display deceives predators or lures them away from vulnerable young. See also birdsong; COURTSHIP BEHAVIOUR.
disposable income Portion of an individual’s income over which the recipient has complete discretion. To assess disposable income, it is nec¬ essary to determine total income, including not only wages and salaries, interest and dividend payments, and business profits, but also transfer income such as social-security benefits, pensions, and alimony. Obliga¬ tory payments, including personal income taxes and compulsory social- insurance contributions, must be subtracted. Disposable income may be used for consumption or saving.
Dispur \dis-'pur\ City, capital of Assam state, northeastern India. Fol¬ lowing the administrative reorganization of the region in 1972, Dispur, a suburb of Guwahati, became the state capital.
Disraeli \diz-'ra-le\, Benjamin, earl of Beaconsfield (b. Dec. 21, 1804, London, Eng.—d. April 19, 1881, London) British politician and author who was twice prime minister (1868, 1874-80). Of Italian-Jewish descent, he was baptized a Christian as a child, which enabled his future career, because until 1858, practitioners of Judaism were excluded from Parliament. He first made his mark as a writer with Vivian Grey (1826— 27); later novels included Coningsby (1844) and Sybil (1845). He was elected to Parliament as a Conservative in 1837. In 1845 he made a series of brilliant speeches against Sir Robert Peel’s decision to repeal the Corn Laws, which helped him to become leader of the Conservatives. He served three stints as chancellor of the Exchequer (1852, 1858-59, 1865-68) and played a prominent role in passing the Reform Bill of 1867. He was prime minister briefly in 1868, then returned in his second ministry (1874-80) to promote social reform. An advocate of a strong foreign policy, he secured a triumph for imperial prestige with his acquisition of Suez Canal shares and won concessions for England at the Congress of Berlin. A trusted friend of Queen Victoria, he introduced a bill conferring on her the title Empress of India. After the Conservatives were defeated in 1880, he kept the party leadership and finished his political novel Endymion (1880).