When financial issues become so overwhelming that it looks like there’s no way out, a chapter 7 bankruptcy filing might be the answer. As far as bankruptcies are concerned, it’s considered a quick and relatively efficient way to get rid of eligible debts—a reset, of sorts. But “eligible” is a key

circus: History: …the first instance of a Chapter Eleven bankruptcy in the United States.

chapter house, chamber or building, often reached through the cloister, in which the chapter, or heads of monastic bodies, assemble to transact business. Chapter houses occur in various forms. In England the chapter houses of the medieval cathedrals were originally rectangular in plan (e.g.,

Western painting: International Gothic: ) Subsequently, however, in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey (probably executed c. 1370) there was strong Germanic influence, which has been tentatively compared with the work of Master Bertram at Hamburg.

serial, a novel or other work appearing (as in a magazine) in parts at intervals. Novels written in the 19th century were commonly published as serials. Many works by Charles Dickens, George Eliot, William Makepeace Thackeray, Anthony Trollope, and others first appeared serially in such magazines

Frank Herbert: …Heretics of Dune (1984), and Chapterhouse: Dune (1985). These books followed Paul Atreides and House Atreides through future millennia. In the late 1990s Herbert’s son Brian began collaborating with Kevin J. Anderson on books set in the world of Dune, employing some of the elder Herbert’s notes. The first, Dune:…

Henry Adams: These articles were published in Chapters of Erie and Other Essays (1871). The mediocrity of the nation’s “statesmen” constantly irritated him. Adams liked to repeat Pres. Ulysses S. Grant’s remark that Venice would be a fine city if it were drained.

Israel Abrahams: …works on Jewish writings is Chapters on Jewish Literature (1899), a survey of the period from the fall of Jerusalem in ad 70 to the death of the Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn in 1786.

Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu was a French sculptor and portrait medallist whose works were softened expressions of the Neoclassical tradition. Early in his career Chapu spent five years in Italy after winning the Prix de Rome in 1855. Success came to him with his statue “Mercury” (1861) and his

Chapultepec, rocky hill about 200 feet (60 meters) high on the western edge of Mexico City that has long played a prominent role in the history of Mexico. The Aztecs fortified the hill but were expelled by neighboring peoples; after their consolidation of power in the Valley of Mexico about 1325,

National Museum of History, in Mexico City, an offshoot of the National Museum of Anthropology (founded 1825). In 1940 the National Historical Museum became a separate institution specializing in Mexican history from the Spanish conquest in the 1500s to the promulgation of the constitution of 1917.

Chapultepec: Maximilian also beautified the surrounding park, today a principal cultural and recreational center of the city. Among its features are several museums, including the world-famous Museo Nacional de Antropología, designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and built in 1963–64.

El Salvador: Civil war: …the two parties signed the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City on January 16, 1992. By that time more than 75,000 people (mostly noncombatants) had lost their lives, the economy was in shambles, and massive damage to the infrastructure was evident everywhere.

Chapultepec Zoo, zoo located in Mexico City on the original site of Montezuma’s game reserve. Opened in 1926, the zoo is administered by the municipal government. Its grounds cover 13.5 hectares (33 acres) and house nearly 2,000 specimens of about 280 species, mostly in Victorian-style caging. The

Battle of Chapultepec, an engagement of the Mexican-American War that occurred September 12–14, 1847. The fortified castle of Chapultepec, commissioned by Spanish Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez in 1785, sat on a rocky hill overlooking causeways leading to Mexico City’s two western gates. It was the

Jefferson Airplane: The band was started in the mid-1960s by former folk musicians; in late 1966, however, edgy-voiced ex-model Grace Slick and the harder, rumbling rhythms pouring from bassist Jack…

South America: Indians: …of foot plow called the chaquitaclla. Highland soils also were improved by constructing long earthen irrigation canals or (in the Central Andes) some of the world’s most elaborate and beautiful stone-walled terracing. In most parts of the Andes, areas of high population density were organized into chiefdoms—such as the Chibcha…

char, (Salvelinus), any of several freshwater food and game fishes distinguished from the similar trout by light, rather than black, spots and by a boat-shaped bone (vomer) that is toothed only in front, on the roof of the mouth. Chars are of the trout and salmon family, Salmonidae, and often have

Brahmaputra River: Hydrology: …sizable newly deposited lands (chars) in the river appear and disappear seasonally. The chars are valuable to the economy of Bangladesh as additional cultivable areas.

coal utilization: Combustion reactions: …subsequent combustion of the residual char. Following ignition and combustion of the evolving volatile matter, oxygen diffuses to the surface of the particle and ignites the char. In some instances, ignition of volatile matter and char occurs simultaneously. The steps involved in char oxidation are as follows:

tank: Interwar developments: …75-mm-gun tanks, notably the 30-ton Char B of 1936.

burn: Such burns are of the fourth degree, also called black (because of the typical colour of the burn), or char, burns. Fourth-degree burns are of grave prognosis, particularly if they involve more than a small portion of the body. In these deep burns toxic materials may be released into the…

René Char was a French poet who began as a Surrealist but who, after his experiences as a Resistance leader in World War II, wrote economical verse with moralistic overtones. After completing his education in Provence, Char moved in the late 1920s to Paris, where he became friends with Surrealist

algae: Annotated classification: Includes the macroscopic stonewort Chara, filamentous Spirogyra, and desmids. Class Pleurastrophyceae Freshwater and marine; includes marine flagellate Tetraselmis. Class

charabanc, (from French char à bancs: “wagon with benches”), long, four-wheeled carriage with several rows of forward-facing seats, originated in France in the early 19th century. It was pulled by up to six horses and was used by private owners to convey guests on excursions. It was soon adopted in

Mesene, ancient Parthian vassal state located in the south of Babylonia (modern southern Iraq). After the fall of the Seleucid king Antiochus VII Sidetes in 129 bc, a local prince, Hyspaosines (also called Aspasine, or Spasines), founded the Mesene kingdom, which survived until the rise of the

characin, any of the numerous freshwater fishes of the family Characidae. Hundreds of species of characins are found in Central and South America, a smaller number in tropical Africa. Characins are distinguished by toothed jaws and, usually, an adipose (second dorsal) fin on the back. They range in

fish: Annotated classification: Order Characiformes Mouth not protractile; jaws toothed. Characidae most generalized; other families have specialized skeletal structures, jaws, and teeth. North, Central, and South America, and Africa. 18 families with about 270 genera and nearly 1,700 species. Cretaceous (about 112 million years ago) to present. Order Cypriniformes…

characin, any of the numerous freshwater fishes of the family Characidae. Hundreds of species of characins are found in Central and South America, a smaller number in tropical Africa. Characins are distinguished by toothed jaws and, usually, an adipose (second dorsal) fin on the back. They range in

Al-Karak, town, west-central Jordan. It lies along the Wadi Al-Karak, 15 miles (24 km) east of the Dead Sea. Built on a small, steep-walled butte about 3,100 feet (950 metres) above sea level, the town is the Qir-hareseth, or Qir-heres, of the Bible and was one of the capitals of ancient Moab. Its

character, in biology, any observable feature, or trait, of an organism, whether acquired or inherited. An acquired character is a response to the environment; an inherited character is produced by genes transmitted from parent to offspring (their expressions are often modified by environmental

writing: Types of writing systems: …marks, forms, or structures called characters or graphs that are related to some structure in the linguistic system. Roughly speaking, if a character represents a meaningful unit, such as a morpheme or a word, the orthography is called a logographic writing system; if it represents a syllable, it is called…

dramatic literature: Common elements of drama: …detach the idea of a character from the situation in which he is placed, though it may seem possible after the experience of the whole play. Whether the playwright conceives character before situation, or vice versa, is arbitrary. More relevant are the scope and scale of the character-in-situation—whether, for example,…

Wilhelm Reich: In Charakteranalyse (1933; Character Analysis), Reich called attention to the use of character structure as a protective armour to keep the individual from discovering his own underlying neuroses. He believed that repressed feelings were also manifested as muscular tension and that this mental and physical armour could be…

John Elliott Cairnes: In his first book, The Character and Logical Method of Political Economy (1857), Cairnes emphasized the abstract deductive nature of classical political economy, arguing that, in light of political policies and principles, the classical approach could be seen as scientific and neutral. His “Essays on the Gold Question” (published…

Fanny Elssler: …introduced theatricalized folk dance (character dance) into ballet. She was celebrated for her spirited, spectacular dancing and for her technique, especially her point work.

personality disorder, mental disorder that is marked by deeply ingrained and lasting patterns of inflexible, maladaptive, or antisocial behaviour. A personality disorder is an accentuation of one or more personality traits to the point that the trait significantly impairs an individual’s social or

community ecology: The effects of competition: This process, called character displacement, results as natural selection favours those individuals in each species that compete least with individuals of the other species. Experimental studies of coexisting seed-feeding rodents in the deserts of North America have shown that these species have evolved differences in size and other…

animal behaviour: Character mapping: The first approach, called character mapping, begins by constructing a phylogenetic tree (that is, a depiction of the presumed relationship of a species of interest to its closest living relatives). Phylogeny refers to the evolutionary history of one or a group of interrelated…

character piece, relatively brief musical composition, usually for piano, expressive of a specific mood or nonmusical idea. Closely associated with the Romantic movement, especially in Germany, 19th-century character pieces often bore titles citing their inspiration from literature (such as Robert

literary sketch: …of the sketch is the character sketch, a form of casual biography usually consisting of a series of anecdotes about a real or imaginary person.

personality disorder: …accentuation of one or more personality traits to the point that the trait significantly impairs an individual’s social or occupational functioning. Personality disorders are not, strictly speaking, illnesses, since they need not involve the disruption of emotional, intellectual, or perceptual functioning. In many cases, an individual with a personality disorder…

character writer, any writer who produced a type of character sketch that was popular in 17th-century England and France. Their writings stemmed from a series of character sketches that the Greek philosopher and teacher Theophrastus (fl. c. 372 bc) had written, possibly as part of a larger work and

writing: Types of writing systems: …marks, forms, or structures called characters or graphs that are related to some structure in the linguistic system. Roughly speaking, if a character represents a meaningful unit, such as a morpheme or a word, the orthography is called a logographic writing system; if it represents a syllable, it is called…

shorthand: History and development of shorthand: ) Bright’s system was called Characterie: an Arte of Shorte, Swifte, and Secrete Writing by Character.

pulsar: Period changes: This so-called characteristic, or timing, age can be in close agreement with the actual age. For example, the Crab Pulsar, which was formed during a supernova explosion observed in 1054 ce, has a characteristic age of 1,240 years; however, pulsar J0205+6449, which was formed during a supernova…

mechanics: Coupled oscillators: …frequencies, are known as the normal modes of the system.

history of logic: Leibniz: …a “universally characteristic language” (lingua characteristica universalis) that would, first, notationally represent concepts by displaying the more basic concepts of which they were composed, and second, naturally represent (in the manner of graphs or pictures, “iconically”) the concept in a way that could be easily grasped by readers, no…

character piece, relatively brief musical composition, usually for piano, expressive of a specific mood or nonmusical idea. Closely associated with the Romantic movement, especially in Germany, 19th-century character pieces often bore titles citing their inspiration from literature (such as Robert

eigenvalue, one of a set of discrete values of a parameter, k, in an equation of the form Pψ = kψ, in which P is a linear operator (that is, a symbol denoting a linear operation to be performed), for which there are solutions satisfying given boundary conditions. The symbol ψ (psi) represents an

linear algebra: Eigenvectors: When studying linear transformations, it is extremely useful to find nonzero vectors whose direction is left unchanged by the transformation. These are called eigenvectors (also known as characteristic vectors). If v is an eigenvector for the linear transformation T, then T(v) = λv for…

X-ray: Production of X-rays: This “characteristic radiation” results from the excitation of the target atoms by collisions with the fast-moving electrons. Most commonly, a collision first causes a tightly bound inner-shell electron to be ejected from the atom; a loosely bound outer-shell electron then falls into the inner shell to…

history of logic: Leibniz: …a “universally characteristic language” (lingua characteristica universalis) that would, first, notationally represent concepts by displaying the more basic concepts of which they were composed, and second, naturally represent (in the manner of graphs or pictures, “iconically”) the concept in a way that could be easily grasped by readers, no…

aesthetics: The origins of modern aesthetics: …conducive to our good (Characteristiks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, 1711). Taste is a kind of balanced discernment, whereby a person recognizes that which is congenial to his sentiments and therefore an object of pleasurable contemplation. Following Locke, Shaftesbury laid much emphasis on the association of ideas as a…

aesthetics: The origins of modern aesthetics: …conducive to our good (Characteristiks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, 1711). Taste is a kind of balanced discernment, whereby a person recognizes that which is congenial to his sentiments and therefore an object of pleasurable contemplation. Following Locke, Shaftesbury laid much emphasis on the association of ideas as a…

Johann Gottlieb Fichte: Years in Berlin: …Zeitalters (1806; lectures delivered 1804–05; The Characteristics of the Present Age), analyzing the Enlightenment and defining its place in the historical evolution of the general human consciousness but also indicating its defects and looking forward to belief in the divine order of the universe as the highest aspect of the…

coal mining: Preparation steps: …steps need to be considered: characterization, liberation, separation, and disposition.

Joseph Hall: …a book of characters, with Characters of Vertues and Vices (1608). As a moral philosopher he achieved a European reputation for his Christianization of Stoicism.

Joseph Hall: …a book of characters, with Characters of Vertues and Vices (1608). As a moral philosopher he achieved a European reputation for his Christianization of Stoicism.

Jean de La Bruyère: …moeurs de ce siècle (1688; The Characters, or the Manners of the Age, with The Characters of Theophrastus), which is considered to be one of the masterpieces of French literature.

charactonym, a name of a fictional character that suggests a distinctive trait of that character. Examples of charactonyms include Mistress Quickly and Sir Toby

charade, originally a kind of riddle, probably invented in France during the 18th century, in which a word or phrase is divined by guessing and combining its different syllables, each of which is described independently by the giver of the charade. Charades may be given in prose or verse. The

Charade, American romantic comedy caper film, released in 1963, that is a classic of the genre. It was directed by Stanley Donen and features the elegant romantic pairing of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Grant played a charming international man of mystery who meets the beautiful Regina Lampert

charade, originally a kind of riddle, probably invented in France during the 18th century, in which a word or phrase is divined by guessing and combining its different syllables, each of which is described independently by the giver of the charade. Charades may be given in prose or verse. The

Janette Turner Hospital: The protagonist of Charades (1988) seeks answers to both personal and metaphysical dilemmas. Like her previous novels, The Last Magician (1992) offers a diversity of ideas along with the mystery at its plot’s centre. Oyster (1996) is an eerie and complex novel about an underground community willing to…

shorebird, any member of the suborder Charadrii (order Charadriiformes) that is commonly found on sea beaches or inland mudflats; in Britain they are called waders, or wading birds. Shorebirds include the avocet, courser, lapwing, oystercatcher, phalarope, plover, pratincole, sandpiper, and snipe

charadriiform: Annotated classification: Family Charadriidae (plovers, lapwings) Small to medium-sized birds. Mostly with bold (but often concealing) plumage patterns of solid blacks, gray, browns, and white; many with one or two chest bands. Some with wattles and wing spurs. Bill usually short, with a swollen tip. Legs moderately long…

charadriiform, (order Charadriiformes), any member of the large group of birds that includes the sandpipers, plovers, gulls, auks, and their relatives. These birds form an important and familiar segment of the avifauna of the world’s coasts and inland waterways, of the Arctic regions, and of the

charadriiform, (order Charadriiformes), any member of the large group of birds that includes the sandpipers, plovers, gulls, auks, and their relatives. These birds form an important and familiar segment of the avifauna of the world’s coasts and inland waterways, of the Arctic regions, and of the

Charadrius, bird genus of the family Charadriidae, including certain species known as killdeer and plover

killdeer, (Charadrius, sometimes Oxyechus, vociferus), American bird that frequents grassy mud flats, pastures, and fields. It belongs to the plover family of shorebirds (Charadriidae, order Charadriiformes). The killdeer’s name is suggestive of its loud insistent whistle. The bird is about 25

moidams of the Ahom dynasty: Charaideo, the royal necropolis: In 1268 ce Chau-lung Siu-ka-pha (also known as Sukapha), the first Ahom king, was buried in Charaideo (pronounced locally as sorai-deo), a place some 20 miles (30 km) from modern-day Sivasagar. The name Charaideo is derived from the Tai Ahom words…

Charaka-samhita: …ancient Indian medicine credited to Charaka, who was a practitioner of the traditional system of Indian medicine known as Ayurveda. Charaka is thought to have flourished sometime between the 2nd century bce and the 2nd century ce.

Charaka-samhita, comprehensive text on ancient Indian medicine credited to Charaka, who was a practitioner of the traditional system of Indian medicine known as Ayurveda. Charaka is thought to have flourished sometime between the 2nd century bce and the 2nd century ce. The Charaka-samhita as it

Wilhelm Reich: In Charakteranalyse (1933; Character Analysis), Reich called attention to the use of character structure as a protective armour to keep the individual from discovering his own underlying neuroses. He believed that repressed feelings were also manifested as muscular tension and that this mental and physical armour could be…

Theophrastus: His notable Charaktēres (many English translations) consists of 30 brief and vigorous character sketches delineating moral types derived from studies that Aristotle had made for ethical and rhetorical purposes; this work later formed the basis for the masterpiece of Jean de La Bruyère, Les Caractères . .…

Friedrich Nicolai: His Charakterischen Anekdoten von Friedrich II (1788–92), an account of events in the court of Frederick II the Great, has some historical value. His romances are forgotten, although Das Leben und die Meinungen des Magisters Sebaldus Nothanker (1773–76; “The Life and Opinions of Master Sebaldus Nothanker”)…

character piece, relatively brief musical composition, usually for piano, expressive of a specific mood or nonmusical idea. Closely associated with the Romantic movement, especially in Germany, 19th-century character pieces often bore titles citing their inspiration from literature (such as Robert

stonewort, (order Charales), order of green algae (class Charophyceae) comprising six genera. Most stoneworts occur in fresh water and generally are submerged and attached to the muddy bottoms of fresh or brackish rivers and lakes. Stoneworts are of little direct importance to humans. However, many

Caran, Hindu caste of hereditary genealogists, bards, and storytellers located in Gujarat state in western India, historically associated with the Rajput caste of Rajasthan. Many of their customs are similar to those of their northern Indian counterparts, the Bhaṭs; both groups had a reputation of

Latin American music: Characteristic instruments: …area, for example, the common charango is a lutelike or guitarlike instrument of five courses of multiple strings, frequently with a body made of an armadillo shell; it sounds quite differently among Indians, who use thin metal strings, and mestizos, who use nylon strings. The Spanish classical guitar and the…

hashish, hallucinogenic drug preparation derived from the resin secreted by the flowering tops of cultivated female plants of the genus Cannabis. More loosely, in Arabic-speaking countries the term may denote a preparation made from any of various parts of cannabis plants—such as the leaves or

cynodont: The oldest known form, Charassognathus gracilis, which was discovered in South African rocks dating to the Permian’s Wuchiapingian Age (259.5 million to 254.1 million years ago), was described in 2007. Cynodonts survived until the middle of the Cretaceous Period, and the last known forms—members of the family Tritylodontidae (which…

history of Mesopotamia: The Seleucid period: …cities, such as Furat and Charax, grew rich on the maritime trade with India; Charax became the main entrepôt for trade after the fall of the Seleucids. In the north there was no principal city, but several towns, such as Arbela (modern Irbīl) and Nisibis (modern Nusaybin), later became important…

vitrain, macroscopically distinguishable component, or lithotype, of coal characterized by a brilliant black, glossy lustre and composed primarily of the maceral group vitrinite, derived from the bark tissue of large plants. It occurs in narrow, sometimes markedly uniform bands that are rarely more

fusain, macroscopically distinguishable component, or lithotype, of coal that is commonly found in silvery-black layers only a few millimetres thick and occasionally in thicker lenses. It is extremely soft and crumbles readily into a fine, sootlike powder. Fusain is composed mainly of fusinite

durain, macroscopically distinguishable component, or lithotype, of coal characterized by a hard, granular texture and composed of the maceral groups exinite and inertinite as well as relatively large amounts of inorganic minerals. Durain occurs as thick, lenticular bands, usually dull black to

clarain, macroscopically distinguishable component, or lithotype, of coal that is characterized by alternating bright and dull black laminae. The brightest layers are composed chiefly of the maceral vitrinite and the duller layers of the other maceral groups exinite and inertinite. Clarain exhibits

Charbonnages de France, state-owned French coal-mining and processing company. Headquarters are in Paris. The company grew out of a general trend following World War II in which many postwar European governments became actively involved in economic planning and state investment in industry. Coal

Jean Charbonneau was a French-Canadian poet who was the primary force behind the founding of the Montreal Literary School (1895), a group of symbolists and aesthetes who reacted against the traditional Canadian themes of patriotism and local colour and, following the French Parnassians, espoused

Sacagawea: …gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste.

Robert Charbonneau was a French Canadian novelist and literary critic, well known for promoting the autonomy of Quebec literature. Charbonneau received a diploma in journalism from the University of Montreal in 1934. During his teens he had joined Jeune Canada (“Young Canada”), a Quebec nationalist

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Expedition from May 14, 1804, to October 16, 1805: …newly hired interpreters—a French Canadian, Toussaint Charbonneau, and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, who had given birth to a boy, Jean Baptiste, that February. The departure scene was described by Lewis in his journal:

Carbonari: …a similar movement called the Charbonnerie had taken root in France. It participated in outbreaks in 1821, and Lafayette himself condescended to be its head. An international organization called the Charbonnerie Démocratique Universelle continued to operate for a few years after 1830 under the leadership of Filippo Buonarroti (1761–1837), but…

Charolais: …breeds and dairy cows; the Charbray, a mixture of Charolais and Brahman, is a notable example.

dam: The Romans: …Roman dams in southwestern Spain, Proserpina and Cornalbo, are still in use, while the reservoirs of others have filled with silt. The Proserpina Dam, 12 metres (40 feet) high, features a masonry-faced core wall of concrete backed by earth that is strengthened by buttresses supporting the downstream face. The Cornalbo…

Bolivia: Early period: …Andean area, known then as Charcas or Upper Peru, was one of the wealthiest and most densely populated centers of the Spanish empire. Its mines were supplied with mitas (conscripted groups) of Indian laborers from throughout the Andes, and by the mid-17th century Potosí’s population had reached some 160,000—a size…

Sucre, judicial capital of Bolivia. (La Paz is the country’s administrative capital.) Sucre lies in a fertile valley crossed by the Cachimayo River, at an elevation of 9,153 feet (2,790 metres) above sea level. It was founded in 1539 by the conquistador Pedro de Anzúrez on the site of a Charcas

charcoal, impure form of graphitic carbon, obtained as a residue when carbonaceous material is partially burned, or heated with limited access of air. Coke, carbon black, and soot may be regarded as forms of charcoal; other forms often are designated by the name of the materials, such as wood,