ThinPluto

organic bed linen

2006-10-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

Livs range of soft luxurious bed linenis sourced ethically from India and using a fair trade policy. Liv also provide duvet cover set and bath towel set.

Noland, Kenneth

2005-04-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Noland attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina and studied

Amambaí Mountains

2005-04-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

Extending south-southwest initially as the Maracaju Mountains for approximately 200 miles (320 km) from Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, they form the western side of the Brazilian Highlands and mark the divide between the tributaries of the Paraguay River and those of the Paraná

'abbas Ii

2005-04-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of his reign, 'Abbas attempted to rule independently of Lord Cromer, the British agent and consul general in Egypt. Encouraged by popular

Tea And Coffee Service

2005-04-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

Set of vessels and implements for making and serving tea and coffee, the items often of matched design. Elaborate 18th-century examples had tea and coffee pots, a milk or cream jug, a pair of tea caddies, a sugar bowl and pair of tongs, teaspoons and a small tray for them, a tea strainer, and cups and saucers. All of these were normally placed on a tray, while an urn or kettle on a separate

Mahamudra

2005-04-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

(Sanskrit: “the great seal”), in Tantric Buddhism, the final goal, the union of all apparent dualities. Mudra, in addition to its more usual meaning, has in Tantric Buddhism the esoteric meaning of “female partner,” which in turn symbolizes prajna (“wisdom”). The union of the Tantric initiate with his sexual partner signifies the symbolic union of the upaya (the “means,” or method of

Dahlmann, Friedrich (christoph)

2005-04-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

Dahlmann was appointed professor

Harald I

2005-03-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

He was the son of Gorm the Old, the first significant figure in a new royal line centred at Jelling (North Jutland). Harald completed the country's unification begun by his father, converted the Danes to Christianity, and conquered Norway. After Harald's Baptism (c. 960) his father's pagan

Crab Nebula

2005-03-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

(catalog numbers NGC 1952 and M1), probably the most intensely studied bright nebula, in the constellation Taurus, about 5,000 light-years from Earth. Roughly 5 to 10 light-years in diameter, it is assumed to be the remnant of a supernova (violently exploding star) observed by Chinese and other astronomers first on July 4, 1054. The supernova was visible in daylight for 23 days and at night for almost

Losey, Joseph

2005-03-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

After graduating from Dartmouth College (B.A., 1929) and Harvard University (M.A., 1930), Losey wrote book and theatre reviews. In 1935, while working as a European-based reporter for Variety, the

Macaque

2005-03-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

(Macaca), any of about 12 species of gregarious, diurnal monkeys, belonging to the family Cercopithecidae, found primarily in Asia. Macaques are robust animals with arms and legs of about the same length. Their fur is generally a shade of brown or blackish and their muzzles, like those of baboons, are doglike but are rounded in profile and bear the nostrils

Baha' Al-din

2005-03-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

In July 1188, after making the pilgrimage to Mecca, Baha' al-Din entered the service of Saladin, who was waging war against the Christians in Palestine. Baha' al-Din sought Saladin's favour by urging him to the vigorous prosecution

Art And Architecture, Anatolian, Early Bronze Age

2005-03-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

In the Early Bronze Age the further development of military architecture is best illustrated at Troy, where parts of a fortress were uncovered. The most convincingly reconstructed plan dates from the second phase of the Early Bronze Age (c. 2700–c. 2500 BC). It shows a polygonal enclosure, hardly 300 feet in diameter, surrounded by heavy mud-brick walls on a stone substructure. There

Ramanathapuram

2005-03-27T01:33:00.000-08:00

Ramanathapuram district occupies part of the flat southern coastal plain, including the island of Rameswaram. Protected

Queen Anne's

2005-03-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

County, eastern Maryland, U.S., bordered by the Chester River to the north, Delaware to the east, and Chesapeake Bay to the west. It consists of a coastal lowland and includes Kent Island, which is linked across the bay to Anne Arundel county by the William Preston Lane, Jr., Memorial Bridge (completed 1952). The southeastern corner of the county includes part of Tuckahoe State

Pre-columbian Civilizations, The Spanish conquest

2005-03-26T05:44:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile, the Spaniards had landed at Tumbes on the northern coast of Peru early in 1532 and were seeking an interview with Atahuallpa so that they could kidnap him. It is clear that they understood the nature of the Inca civil war and were dealing with emissaries from both factions. Their actions, however, must have seemed puzzling to Atahuallpa. On the one hand, Pizarro

France, History Of, Charles Martel

2005-03-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

The situation was rectified by Pepin's illegitimate son, Charles Martel. Defeating the Neustrians at Amblève (716), Vincy (717), and Soissons (719), he made himself master of northern Francia. He then re-established Frankish authority in southern Gaul, where the local authorities could not cope with the Islamic threat; he stopped the Muslims near Poitiers (Battle of Tours; 732) and used this

Jewish Agency

2005-03-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

Zionists needed financial backing for their project of creating a Jewish national home in Palestine. The Jewish Agency became an external arm of

Earthshine

2005-03-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

At this time an observer on the Moon would see the Earth as a bright body, four times the diameter of the Moon as seen from Earth, almost completely illuminated

Itbay

2005-03-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Also called 'atbay, mountainous region of southeastern Egypt and the northeastern part of The Sudan, paralleling the Red Sea. It lies largely south of Egypt's administrative boundary with The Sudan and separates the coastal lowland of the Red Sea from the Nile River valley. The north-south–trending mountain chains in the Itbay region are called the Red Sea Hills.

Békéscsaba

2005-03-22T03:20:00.000-08:00

Town, seat of Békés megye (county), southeastern Hungary. A central point for road and rail communications, it is also connected by canal with the Körös River and serves as an agricultural and industrial centre for a large fertile countryside. A 13th-century Roman Catholic church (rebuilt in the 18th century) is evidence of the town's long occupation. The settlement in the

Shilling Shocker

2005-03-22T02:37:00.000-08:00

A novel of crime or violence especially popular in late Victorian England and originally costing one shilling. Shilling shockers were usually characterized by sensational incidents and lurid writing. Compare dime novel; penny dreadful.

Arête

2005-03-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

(French: “ridge”), in geology, a sharp-crested serrate ridge separating the heads of opposing valleys (cirques) that formerly were occupied by Alpine glaciers. It has steep sides formed by the collapse of unsupported rock, undercut by continual freezing and thawing (glacial sapping; see cirque). Two opposing glaciers meeting at an arête will carve a low, smooth gap, or col

Zalygin, Sergey Pavlovich

2005-03-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

Russian writer and editor (b. Dec. 6, 1913, Durasovka, Russia—d. April 19, 2000, Moscow, Russia), was a respected Soviet novelist and the first non-Communist Party editor in chief of the monthly literary magazine Novy Mir; during Zalygin's tenure (1986–98) at Novy Mir he took advantage of Pres. Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost policy and published many previously banned writings, including Boris Pasternak's

Nematode

2005-03-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

Also called Roundworm, any worm of the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes, though many authorities consider the Nematoda to be a distinct phylum). Nematodes are among the most abundant animals, occurring as parasites in animals and plants or as free-living forms in soil, freshwater, marine environments, and even such unusual places as vinegar and beer malts. The number of named species

River, Deltas and time

2005-03-19T01:02:00.000-08:00

The most significant effect is that the site of deposition shifts dramatically with time.

Arts, Central Asian, Decorative architectural motifs

2005-03-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

For temples, monasteries, and official residences such as the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, the Tibetans used their own solid indigenous styles but embellished these with Indian, Nepalese, and (very much later) Chinese motifs. Tiered, ornamented temple roofs are of Indian origin, as received through Nepal and later through China. The magnificent interior

Ta'izz

2005-03-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

The Ayyubid dynasty under Turan Shah, brother of Saladin, which conquered Yemen in 1173–74, made its capital first at Zabid and then moved it to Ta'izz. The Ayyubids were succeeded by the Rasulids (1229–1454) and the Tahirids (1454–1516), who moved the capital to San'a'. In the latter year Ta'izz

Arts, Central Asian

2005-03-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

The performing arts have played an important role in the spiritual and social life of Central Asia, where they evolved as didactic art forms within a religious context. Performance, therefore, occurs in conjunction with some religious or special event. Two main types of performance predominate throughout Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Mongolia, and the former Soviet

Chamber Music

2005-03-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

For well over a century after its inception about 1600, chamber music was supported primarily by the nobility. Aristocratic establishments customarily employed groups of musicians who served as composers, conductors, and performers of a variety of operatic, orchestral, and chamber music; and traditionally the audiences were restricted to the patrons and their guests.

Neorealism

2005-03-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

The movement was rooted in the 1920s and, though suppressed for nearly two decades by Fascist control, emerged in great strength after the Fascist regime fell at the end of World War II. Neorealismo is similar in general aims to the earlier Italian movement verismo (Realism), from which it originated, but differs in that its upsurge was brought about by the intense feelings,

Geography, Aerial photography and remote sensing

2005-03-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

During the 20th century immense strides have been made in observing features on the Earth's surface, first by the development of aerial photography and later by satellite imagery. Aerial photography was first used extensively during World War I for reconnaissance. A new profession of photographic interpretation evolved in which the identification of both natural

Arikara

2005-03-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

American Plains Indian people of the Caddoan linguistic family who lived along the Missouri River between the Cheyenne River in South Dakota and Fort Berthold in North Dakota. The cultural roots of Caddoan-speaking peoples lay in the prehistoric mound-building societies of the lower Mississippi River valley. The Arikara were culturally related to

Neorealism

2005-03-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

A rare and slow-moving South American rodent found only in tropical forests of the western Amazon River basin and adjacent foothills of the Andes Mountains from northwestern Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia. It has a chunky body and is large for a rodent, weighing up to 15 kg (33 pounds) and measuring up to 79 cm (31.1 inches) in length, not including the thick, furry tail of

Chelmsford

2005-03-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Remains of the Roman settlement of Caesaromagus have been discovered in the locality. In 1227 Chelmsford town became the regular seat of the county judicial gatherings known as assizes and quarter

Buzkashi

2005-03-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

Buzkashi has two main forms: the traditional, grassroots game, known as tudabaray (Persian [Dari]: “coming out of the crowd”), and the modern government-sponsored version, qarajay (“black place”). Both feature mounted

Condé, Louis I De Bourbon, 1er Prince De (1st Prince Of)

2005-03-13T23:18:00.000-08:00

Louis de Bourbon was the hunchback youngest son of Charles, duc de Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon. Brought up among Huguenots, he was married in

Narcolepsy

2005-03-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

The syndrome usually occurs in youth or early adult life and is presumably due to dysfunction of the diencephalic reticular system. The narcoleptic can fall asleep anywhere, anytime—while in conversation, at work, while eating,

Quaking Grass

2005-03-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

The various species are native to Eurasia. Briza maxima, B. media, and B. minor (shivery grass) are cultivated as ornamentals and have become naturalized in temperate

Endodontics

2005-03-12T02:45:00.000-08:00

The practice of endodontics is concerned primarily with the removal of diseased dental pulp and its replacement with filling

Integrator

2005-03-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

The earliest integrator was a mechanical instrument called the planimeter (q.v.). The illustration (top) shows a simple mechanical integrator of the disk-and-wheel variety,

Iris

2005-03-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

In anatomy, pigmented muscular curtain at the front of the eye, between the cornea and the lens and perforated by an opening called the pupil. The iris consists of two sheets of smooth muscle with contrary actions, expansion and contraction. These muscles control the size of the pupil and thus determine how much light reaches the sensory tissue of the retina. The sphincter

Dire Wolf

2005-03-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

(species Canis dirus), wolf that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (1,600,000 to 10,000 years ago). It is probably the most common mammalian species to be found preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits in southern California. The dire wolf differed from the modern wolf in several ways: it was larger and it had a more massive skull, a smaller brain, and relatively light limbs. It is probable that

Adams, John, Biographies

2005-03-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

Among the full-length biographies, three stand out: Page Smith, John Adams, 2 vol. (1962–63, reprinted in 1 vol., 1988); Peter Shaw, The Character of John Adams (1976); and John Ferling, John Adams: A Life (1992, reissued 1996). Although a fictional biography, Catherine Drinker Bowen, John Adams and the American Revolution (1950), is unsurpassed in bringing Adams to life during the early stages of his career. For the latter phase of his life, see Joseph J. Ellis, Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams (1993). The Adams presidency is the focus of two books: Stephen G. Kurtz, The Presidency of John Adams: The Collapse of Federalism, 1795–1800 (1957, reissued 1961); and Ralph Adams Brown, The Presidency of John Adams (1975). An old but still valuable rendering of the presidential years is Manning J. Dauer, The Adams Federalists (1953, reprinted 1984).

Cullman

2005-03-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1877) of Cullman county, on Brindley Mountain, northern Alabama, U.S., about 45 miles (70 km) north of Birmingham. It was founded in 1873 by German settlers led by Johann Gottfried Cullmann. The Cullman area is the top agricultural producer in Alabama, with poultry being most important. Industry is also a major factor in the local economy; it includes the manufacture of automotive

Lenormant, François

2005-03-09T03:59:00.000-08:00

French Assyriologist and numismatist who recognized, from cuneiform inscriptions, a language now known as Akkadian that proved valuable to the understanding of Mesopotamian civilization 3,000 years before the Christian era. He published his first archaeological paper at 14 and went on to become a scholar of wide achievement. He published La Monnaie

Alkaline Phosphatase

2005-03-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

Enzyme that is normally present in high concentrations in growing bone and in bile. It is essential for the deposition of minerals in the bones and teeth. Alkaline phosphatase deficiency is a hereditary trait called hypophosphatasia, which results in bone deformities. In severe cases, the deficiency leads to early death from infection. Alkaline phosphatase is

Literature

2005-03-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

The Turkish literary field proved fertile in 2001. Many impressive works of fiction with wide-ranging themes and topics appeared, including Ahmet Altan's Isyan günlerinde ask (“Love in Days of Rebellion”), about an early 20th-century fundamentalist uprising; Buket Uzuner's Uzun beyaz bulut—Gelibolu (“Tall White Cloud—Gallipoli”); Ayla Kutlu's Zehir zikkim hikâyeler (“Bitter

Conservative Baptist Association Of America

2005-03-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Association of independent, autonomous Baptist churches in the United States, organized May 17, 1947, in Atlantic City, N.J. The founders originally organized the Fundamentalist Fellowship in 1920 but remained within the American (then Northern) Baptist Convention. Disputes over interpretation of Scripture and theology, as well as fundamentalist objections to sending liberal

Oraibi

2005-03-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

Also called Orayvi, or Old Oraibi, Hopi pueblo (village), Navajo county, northeastern Arizona, U.S. The pueblo is situated on the narrow, rocky Third Mesa of the Hopi Indian Reservation. It is the unofficial capital of the reservation and is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States (from about AD 1150). It lies at an elevation of nearly 6,500 feet (1,980 metres). Oraibi was the site of the San

Gai Saber

2005-03-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Old Provençal: “gay knowledge” or “gay science” the art of composing love poetry; especially the art of the Provençal troubadours as set forth in a 14th-century work called the Leys d'amors. The Old Provençal phrase gai saber is associated with the Consistòri del Gai Saber, originally the Sobregaya compannia dels VII Trobadors de Tolosa (“Very Gay Company of the Seven Troubadours of Toulouse”), a group of seven citizens

Uberlândia

2005-03-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

City, western Minas Gerais estado (“state”), Brazil. It lies along the Bom Jardim River, which is a tributary of the Araguari River (also known as the Velhas River), at 2,802 feet (854 m) above sea level. It was given city status in 1892. Uberlândia is a trade centre for a primarily agricultural and pastoral hinterland whose chief crops include cotton, corn (maize), rice, and feijão (beans). The city

Awoonor, Kofi

2005-03-05T03:23:00.000-08:00

Awoonor studied at the University College of Ghana (B.A., 1960), University College, London (M.A., 1970), and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (Ph.D., 1972). He lectured in English and African literature at the University of Ghana, directed the Ghana Film Corporation,

Fibonacci Numbers

2005-03-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

The elements of the sequence of numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, , each of which, after the second, is the sum of the two previous numbers. These numbers were first noted by the medieval Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano (“Fibonacci”) in his Liber abaci (1202; “Book of the Abacus”), which also popularized Hindu-Arabic numerals and the decimal number system in Europe. For information on the interesting

Beta Decay

2005-03-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

Any of three processes of radioactive disintegration by which some unstable atomic nuclei spontaneously dissipate excess energy and undergo a change of one unit of positive charge without any change in mass number. The three processes are called electron emission, positron (positive electron) emission, and electron capture. Beta decay was named (1899) by Ernest Rutherford

Zonaras, Joannes

2005-03-03T04:03:00.000-08:00

After holding high office in Constantinople under Alexius I Comnenus, Zonaras became a monk and retired to a remote island. In Historical Epitome he drew on a rich collection of sources, some of which, notably several

Hackney

2005-03-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hackneys are heavily muscled, with wide chests, deep bodies, and arched necks; they average 14.2 to 15.2 hands

Mahalapye

2005-03-02T04:51:00.000-08:00

Village, eastern Botswana. It lies midway along the Mafikeng-Bulawayo railway and is 125 miles (200 km) northeast of Gaborone, the national capital. The name Mahalapye refers to an impala. The village is situated on a plateau with good pasturage, and its economy is based on cattle raising and extensive mixed farming of sorghum, corn (maize), and beans. Mahalapye has one of the country's

Yacht

2005-03-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

The yacht races held in every Olympic meet since 1900, except for 1904, illustrate the general tendency in the period toward smaller boats and, after mid-century, the increasing popularity of one-class racing. Earlier Olympics included races for boats of various sizes and weights. The difficulty and expense of freighting boats and the increasing difficulty of recruiting

Sprague, Kate Chase

2005-03-01T16:14:00.000-08:00

Educated by her father and in private schools, Kate Chase became the emotional focus of her father's life after the deaths of

Sa'id Pasha

2005-03-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

Sa'id, the fourth son of the viceroy Muhammad 'Ali Pasha, was educated in Paris and, in 1854, succeeded 'Abbas I as viceroy of Egypt. He was influenced by Western forms of landownership, and,

Zakarpattya

2005-02-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

Russian Zakarpatskaya, also spelled Zakarpatskaia, or Zakarpatskaja, oblast (province), western Ukraine. It is bounded by Slovakia and Hungary on the west, Poland on the northwest, and Romania on the south. The oblast extends from the northwest-southeast–trending Carpathian Mountain crestline (the Verkhovyna and Gorgany ranges, respectively), across the successive parallel Polonina and Vulhanichnyy ranges, and southwestward down

Guare, John

2005-02-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

Guare, who at age 11 produced his first play for friends and family, was educated at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (B.A., 1960), and at Yale University (M.F.A., 1963). He then began staging short plays, primarily in New York City, where he helped to found the Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theatre Playwrights'

Monchegorsk

2005-02-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Moncegorsk, town, Murmansk oblast (province), northwestern Russia, on the banks of Lake Imandra. The town developed through the exploitation of local copper and nickel deposits in the 1930s and was incorporated in 1937. Now it is a centre of this industry, and it also has fishery and forestry industries. Pop. (1991 est.) 72,900.

Pietas

2005-02-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

In Roman religion, personification of a respectful and faithful attachment to gods, country, and relatives, especially parents. Pietas had a temple at Rome, dedicated in 181 BC, and was often represented on coins as a female figure carrying a palm branch and a sceptre or as a matron casting incense upon an altar, sometimes accompanied by a stork, the symbol of filial piety.

Malatesta, Errico

2005-02-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

Malatesta became politically active while still in his teens, joining the First International in 1871. A dynamic

Raymond Iv

2005-02-25T00:18:00.000-08:00

In the early years of his countship, Raymond was a pious

Ezra And Nehemiah, Books Of

2005-02-24T04:39:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Esdras and Nehemias, two Old Testament books that together with the books of Chronicles formed a single history of Israel from the time of Adam. Ezra and Nehemiah are a single book in the Jewish canon. Roman Catholics long associated the two, calling the second “Esdras alias Nehemias” in the Douay-Confraternity. Later works, e.g., the Jerusalem Bible, maintain separate identities but associate

La Línea

2005-02-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

In full La Línea de la Concepción town, Cadiz provincia, in the comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”) of Andalusia, southwestern Spain. It lies along the Bay of Gibraltar, between San Roque and the British colony of Gibraltar. The name is derived from the línea, or boundary, dividing Spanish territory from the district of Gibraltar. The town processes fruit and vegetables for sale in Gibraltar,

Grundy, Mrs.

2005-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Imaginary English character who typifies the censorship enacted in everyday life by conventional opinion. She first appears (but never onstage) in Thomas Morton's play Speed the Plough (produced 1798), in which one character, Dame Ashfield, continually worries about what her neighbour Mrs. Grundy will say of each development. Since then the term Mrs. Grundy has passed into

Pachelbel, Johann

2005-02-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

Pachelbel studied music at Altdorf and Regensburg and held posts as organist in Vienna, Stuttgart, and other cities. In 1695 he was appointed organist at the St. Sebalduskirche in Nürnberg, where he remained until his death.

Biblical Literature, Background and overview

2005-02-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

In the New Testament canon of 27 books, 21 are called “letters,” and even the Revelation to John starts and ends in letter form. Of the 21, 13 belong to the Pauline corpus; the Letter to the Hebrews is included in the Pauline corpus in the East but not, however, in the West. Three letters of this corpus, the Pastoral Letters, are pseudonymous and thus are not considered here. Of the remaining

Augereau, Pierre-françois-charles, Duc De Castiglione

2005-02-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

The son of a poor Parisian servant, Augereau turned to a military career at the age of 17, served in several foreign armies, and returned to France in 1792. He quickly advanced in rank and by 1793 was general of a division stationed

Karakoram Range

2005-02-21T02:32:00.000-08:00

Chinese (Wade-Giles) K'a-la-k'un-lun Shan, or (Pinyin) Karakorum Shan, great mountain system extending some 300 miles (500 kilometres) from the easternmost extension of Afghanistan in a southeasterly direction along the watershed between Central and South Asia. Found there are the greatest concentration of high mountains in the world and the longest glaciers outside the high latitudes. The borders of Tajikistan, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan

Nahan

2005-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

City, southern Himachal Pradesh state, northwestern India. It lies south-southeast of Simla, the state capital, at the foot of the Siwalik Range and is a trade centre for agricultural produce and timber. Its industries include handweaving, wood carving, and ironworking. Nahan was the capital of the Punjab Hill State of Sirmur during the British rule in India. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 21,867.

Mardalsfossen

2005-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Waterfall at the head of Eikesdalsvatnet (lake), east-southeast of Åndalsnes, Nor. It consists of two cataracts in Mardøla district of Møre og Romsdal fylke (county), western Norway. The falls rank among the highest in the world, with their total drop of 1,696 ft (517 m) and individual descents of 974 and 722 ft. During the period of maximum snow melting in the spring, the waterfalls, descending

Bar

2005-02-19T04:37:00.000-08:00

Port in Montenegro, Yugoslavia, on the Adriatic Sea. It is the principal port of the Yugoslav federation and the only maritime outlet for the landlocked republic of Serbia. The current city is known as Novi (“New”) Bar. Stari (“Old”) Bar's ruins lie farther inland at the base of Mount Rumija. Stari Bar was first mentioned in the 9th century, when it came under the control of the Byzantine

Spain, Wildlife

2005-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

The proximity of Africa has given Spain more African species than are found in the other Mediterranean peninsulas, while the Pyrenean barrier and the general extent of the country explain the number of indigenous species. The European wolf and the brown bear survive in the wildest areas of the northeast. The Barbary ape is possibly indigenous but more likely an

United States, Domestic affairs

2005-02-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

The cost of living continued to rise, until by June 1970 it was 30 percent above the 1960 level; industrial production declined, as did the stock market. By mid-1971 unemployment reached a 10-year peak of 6 percent, and inflation continued. Wage and price controls were instituted, the dollar was devalued, and the limitation on the national debt was raised three times in 1972 alone. The U.S. trade deficit improved, but inflation remained unchecked.

Pacher, Michael

2005-02-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Little is known of Pacher's early life, but he is thought to have gone to Italy, where he was much impressed by the experiments in perspective of two eminent northern Italian

Theatre, Western, Commedia dell'arte

2005-02-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

Around the mid-16th century, there emerged in Italy a lively tradition of popular theatre that fused many disparate elements into a vigorous style, which profoundly influenced the development of European theatre. This was the legendary commedia dell'arte (“theatre of the professionals”), a nonliterary tradition that centred on the actor, as distinguished from the

Clam

2005-02-17T02:04:00.000-08:00

True clams, in the strict sense, are bivalves with equal shells closed by two

Spontaneous Fission

2005-02-17T01:22:00.000-08:00

Type of radioactive decay in which certain unstable nuclei of heavier elements split into two nearly equal fragments (nuclei of lighter elements) and liberate a large amount of energy. Spontaneous fission, discovered (1941) by the Russian physicists G.N. Flerov and K.A. Petrzhak in uranium-238, is observable in many nuclear species of mass number 230 or more. Among these nuclides,

Graves, Morris

2005-02-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

In full Morris Cole Graves American painter best known for introspective works that present a mystical view of nature. His style was greatly influenced by the three trips he made to East Asia between 1928 and 1930, and, like Mark Tobey, another painter of the Northwest school, Graves had a deep interest in Asian art and religion, including Zen

Franciabigio

2005-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

Also called Francesco Di Cristofano, Francesco Giudini, or Giudici Italian Renaissance painter, best known for his portraits and religious paintings, whose style included early Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Proto-Mannerist elements. His early style is filled with movement and attention to descriptive detail, strongly reminiscent of 15th-century Italian painting. Later, he was attracted to the Florentine

Abbeville

2005-02-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

Bridgnorth

2005-02-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

The town of Bridgnorth lies mainly on a high red sandstone rock along the River Severn and has been a bridging point since Saxon times. Aethelflaed, lady of Mercia, rebuilt

France, History Of, Girondins and Montagnards

2005-02-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

The Convention, however, was bitterly divided almost to the point of paralysis. From the opening day, two outspoken groups of deputies vied for the support of their less factional colleagues. The roots of this rivalry lay in a conflict between Robespierre and Brissot for leadership of the Jacobin Club in the spring and summer of 1792. At that time Robespierre had argued

Huizinga, Johan

2005-02-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

Huizinga was educated at the universities of Groningen and Leipzig. After teaching history in Haarlem and lecturing in Indian literature at Amsterdam, he was professor of history first at Groningen (1905–15) and then at Leiden

Khon Kaen

2005-02-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

Town, northeastern Thailand, on the Khorat Plateau. It is a rice-trading centre on the railway between Nakhon Ratchasima and Udon Thani. Khon Kaen University was founded in 1965; the Rajamangala Institute of Technology, Khon Kaen Campus (1963) is also there. Khon Kaen lies in a region drained by the Chi and the Phong rivers. A dam was built on the Phong in 1966 for irrigation and hydroelectricity.

Akwapim-togo Ranges

2005-02-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

Narrow belt of ridges and hills in Ghana, western Africa. They extend in a southwest-northeast line for about 200 miles (320 km) from the Densu River mouth (near Accra) on the Atlantic coast to the boundary with Togo. Averaging 1,500 feet (460 m) in height, the hills continue eastward to the Niger River as the Togo Mountains in Togo and as the Atakora Mountains in Benin, and they contain isolated

Kinguélé

2005-02-11T04:50:00.000-08:00

Waterfall and site of a hydroelectric complex on the Mbei River of Gabon. Kinguélé is situated near Kango and is about 95 miles (150 km) by road east of Libreville, the national capital. There are actually two sets of waterfalls. The upper Kinguélé falls drop a total of 115 feet (35 m) in three consecutive leaps. The larger, lower falls drop 148 feet (45 m). Below the lower falls, the Mbei River continues

Muhammadiyah

2005-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

Socioreligious organization in Indonesia, established in 1912 at Jogjakarta, aimed at adapting Islam to modern Indonesian life. The organization was chiefly inspired by an Egyptian reform movement, led by Muhammad 'Abduh, that had tried to bring the Muslim faith into harmony with modern rational thought. The Muhammadiyah advocated the abolition of all superstitious

Pontus

2005-02-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ancient district in northeastern Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea. In the 1st century BC it briefly contested Rome's hegemony in Anatolia. An independent Pontic kingdom with its capital at Amaseia (modern Amasya) was established at the end of the 4th century BC in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Superficially Hellenized, the kingdom retained its Persian social structure,

Indiana

2005-02-10T04:09:00.000-08:00

Borough (town), seat of Indiana county, west-central Pennsylvania, U.S., in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, 46 miles (74 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. Settled about 1764, it was laid out in 1805 on land donated for a county seat by George Clymer of Philadelphia, a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It was incorporated in 1816. Prior to the American Civil War, Indiana was a station

Kerch

2005-02-09T22:41:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Kerc , ancient (Greek) Panticapaion , or (Latin) Panticapaeum city and seaport, Crimea republic, southern Ukraine, on the western shore of the Strait of Kerch at the head of a small bay. Founded in the 6th century BC by Miletan Greeks, it flourished as a trading centre, and in the 5th century it became the capital of the kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus. Abundant archaeological evidence of its wealth occurs in catacombs and burial mounds,

Malcolm I

2005-02-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

Malcolm succeeded to the crown when his cousin Constantine II entered a monastery (943). He annexed Moray to the kingdom for the first time. After driving the Danes from York, the English king Edmund turned Cumbria over to Malcolm, apparently as a fief or seal of alliance. Later, when Norsemen again invaded the land, the Scots sent raids against

Visconti, Luchino

2005-02-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

In full Don Luchino Visconti, Conte (count) Di Modrone Italian motion-picture director whose realistic treatment of individuals caught in the conflicts of modern society contributed significantly to the post-World War II revolution in Italian filmmaking and earned him the title of father of Neorealism. He also established himself as an innovative theatrical and opera director in the years

Mac-mahon, Marie-edme-patrice-maurice, Comte De (count Of), Duc De (duke Of) Magenta

2005-02-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

A descendant of an Irish family that fled to France during

Paraguarí

2005-02-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

City, southern Paraguay. It lies on the southern slopes of the forested extension of the Brazilian Highlands, including the Cordillera de los Altos, a mountainous chain that reaches westward to Asunción. Originally a Jesuit mission, the city was formally organized in 1775. In 1811, when Paraguay stood aside from the Argentine colonies in their revolt against Spain,