Eyre Var\, Lake Salt lake, northeastern South Australia. With a total area of 3,700 sq mi (9,600 sq km), Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, 50 ft (15 m) below sea level. The lake consists of two sections: Lake Eyre North, 90 mi (144 km) long and 40 mi (65 km) wide, is joined by the narrow Goyder Channel to Lake Eyre South, which is 40 mi (65 km) long and about 15 mi (24 km) wide. Lake Eyre is normally dry, and it fills completely only (on average) twice a century. When filled, the lake takes about two years to dry up again. The region is within Lake Eyre National Park.
Ezekiel \i-'zek-yal\ (fl. 6th century bc) Priest and prophet of ancient Israel. He was the subject and partial author of the biblical book of Ezek¬ iel. He began to prophesy to the Jews in Palestine c. 592 bc, pronounc¬ ing God’s judgment on a sinful nation. He witnessed the conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon and saw his fellow Israelites taken away into cap¬ tivity. He offered a promise of Israel’s restoration in his famous vision of a valley of dry bones that revive and assemble themselves. He envisaged a theocratic community revolving around a restored Temple in Jerusalem.
Ezhov, Nikolay See Nikolay Yezhov
Ezra (fl. 4th century bc, Babylon and Jerusalem) Jewish religious leader and reformer. He restored the Jewish community after its exile in Baby¬ lon, persuading the people of Judah to return to a strict observance of Mosaic law. He served as a commissioner of the Persian government, which was tolerant of other religions but required order and authority. His efforts led to a restoration of traditional worship in the rebuilt Temple of Jerusalem and the dissolution of all mixed marriages. For creating a Jew¬ ish community based on the Law, which could exist without political statehood, he is often considered the founder of modern Judaism. His story is told in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
medial rectus muscle
retinal blood vessels
posterior
chamber
cornea pupil lens
macula lutea
chamber
iris-
conjunctiva
lateral rectus
retina
-choroid
-sclera
vitreous humour (vitreous body)
Structure of the human eye. The outer portion consists of the white protective sclera and transparent cornea, through which light enters. The middle layer includes the blood-supplying choroid and pigmented iris. Light passing into the interior through the pupil is regulated by muscles that control the pupil's size. The retina comprises the third layer and contains receptor cells (rods and cones) that transform light waves into nervous impulses. The lens, lying directly behind the iris, focuses light onto the retina. The macula lutea, in the centre of the retina, is a region of high visual acuity and colour discrimination. Nerve fibres pass out through the optic nerve to the brain's visual centre. The eye's anterior and posterior chambers con¬ tain a watery fluid that nourishes the cornea and lens. The vitreous humour helps maintain the eye's shape. A thin layer of mucous membrane (conjunctiva) protects the eye's exposed surface. External muscles, including the medial rectus and lateral rectus muscles, connect and move the eye in its socket.
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652 I F-15 ► fact-value distinction
F-15 or Eagle Twin-engine jet fighter built by the Boeing Company. F-15s were delivered to the U.S. Air Force beginning in 1974 and have been sold to U.S. allies in the Middle East. The F-15 is powered by two turbofan engines that can accelerate it to more than twice the speed of sound. The single-seat F-15 is armed with a 20-mm rotary cannon and an array of short-range and medium-range air-to-air missiles. The fighter- bomber version, known as the Strike Eagle, includes a second seat for the weapons officer, who controls the delivery of missiles and bombs. It car¬ ried out much of the nighttime precision bombing of Iraqi installations in the Persian Gulf War.
F-l 6 or Fighting Falcon Single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by Lockheed Martin Corp. The first model was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1978; it has since been sold to more than a dozen other countries. Produced to fill the need for a lightweight, cost-effective fighter, it is 49 ft (15 m) long and has a wingspan of 31 ft (9.5 m). It can accel¬ erate to more than twice the speed of sound, and its weap¬ onry includes a 20-mm rotary cannon and attachments under the wings and fuselage for a variety of bombs and missiles.
F-86 also called Sabre Vsa-bsrX Early U.S. jet fighter manufactured by North American Aviation, Inc. Built with wings swept back to limit transonic drag as flight speed approached the sound barrier, it could exceed the speed of sound in a dive. The first squadron became operational in 1949, and the fighter saw combat in the Korean War. Pro¬ duction ended in 1956. A single-seat, single-engine fighter, the F-86 was powered by a series of turbojet engines, reaching a top speed of almost 700 mph (1,100 kph) in level flight. It carried guided missiles, machine guns or cannon in the fuselage, and rockets or bombs under the wings.
Fa-hsien See Faxian
Faber Vfa-borV Lothar von (b. June 12, 1817, Stein, Bavaria—d. July 26,1896, Stein) German manufacturer of writing products and art supplies. He took over the family pencil business in Bavaria and transformed it into a worldwide firm, establishing branches throughout Europe and the U.S. and contracting in 1856 for exclusive control of all graphite being mined in Siberia. His brother John Eberhard Faber (1822-79) settled in the U.S. in 1849 and built a large Faber manufacturing plant. The Eberhard Faber Pen¬ cil Co. was incorporated in the U.S. in 1898, and in the same year the Ger¬ man company was renamed Faber-Castell. The contemporary company, Faber-Castell AG, manufactures pens, pencils, and art supplies.
Faberge \fa-ber-'zha\, (Peter) Carl orig. Karl Gustavovich Fab- erge (b. May 18, 1846, St. Petersburg, Russia—d. Sept. 24, 1920, Lau¬ sanne, Switz.) Russian goldsmith, jeweler, and designer. Educated in Europe and England, he took over his father’s jewelry business in St. Petersburg in 1870. The objects he designed quickly won him the patron¬ age of European and Russian royalty. Specializing in gold, silver, mala¬ chite, jade, lapis lazuli, and gemstones, he manufactured not only conventional jewelry but objects of fantasy, much of it inspired by the decorative arts of the Louis XVI style. He opened workshops in Moscow, Kiev, and London and became most famous for his jeweled Easter eggs for Alexander III and Nicholas II. His workshops were shut down after the 1917 revolution, and he died in exile.
Fabian Society Vfa-be-9n\ Socialist society founded in 1883-84 in London, to establish a democratic socialist state in Britain. The name derived from Fabius Maximus Cunctator, whose elusive tactics in avoiding pitched battles led to victory over stronger forces. Fabians believed in evolutionary socialism rather than revolution, and used public meetings and lectures, research, and publishing to educate the public. Important early members included George Bernard Shaw and Sidney and Beatrice Webb. They helped organize a separate party that became the Labour Party in 1906, and many Labour members of Parliament have been Fabians.
Fabius Maximus Cunctator V'fa-be-ss-'mak-si-mss-.ksqk-'ta-tsrX, Quintus (d. 203 bc) Roman commander and statesman. He served as con¬ sul in 233 bc (an office he would hold five times) and censor in 230. Elected dictator in 217, he used a strategy of harassment and attrition in the Second Punic War against Hannibal (218-201). These cautious delaying tactics (Cunctator means “delayer”) allowed Rome to recover and take the offen¬ sive, but Roman impatience led to defeat at the Battle of Cannae. He unsuc¬ cessfully opposed the invasion of Africa by Scipio Africanus in 205.
fable Narration intended to enforce a useful truth, especially one in which animals or inanimate objects speak and act like human beings. Unlike a folktale, it has a moral that is woven into the story and often explicitly formulated at the end. The Western fable tradition began with tales ascribed to Aesop. It flourished in the Middle Ages, reached a high point in 17th-century France in the works of Jean de La Fontaine, and found a new audience in the 19th century with the rise of children’s literature. Fables also have ancient roots in the literary and religious traditions of India, China, and Japan.