FlatCastle

organic bed linen

2006-10-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

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.

Yamato

2005-03-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

City, Kanagawa ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan, in the eastern part of the Sagamihara Plateau. During the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) it was a local trade centre for the surrounding sericultural region. An air base of the Imperial Japanese Army, established in the city in 1942, was taken over by U.S. occupation forces after World War II. The city has rapidly industrialized since 1955, producing

Karakum Desert, Climate

2005-03-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

The climate of the Turkmen Karakum is continental, with long, hot, dry summers and unpredictable but relatively warm winters. The average temperature in July in the north and along the shore of the Caspian Sea ranges from 79 to 82 °F (26 to 28 °C), and in the central part of the Central Karakum from 86 to 93 °F (30 to 34 °C). In January, average temperatures are 25 °F (-4 °C) in the north and 39 °F (4 °C) in the south, but temperatures

Affidavit

2005-03-14T04:48:00.000-08:00

A written statement of fact made voluntarily, confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it, and signed before a notary or other officer empowered to administer such oaths. Affidavits generally name the place of execution and certify that the person making it states certain facts and appeared before the officer on a certain date and “subscribed and

Mindanao

2005-03-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

Alinsky, Saul (david)

2005-03-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

After college training in archaeology and criminology, Alinsky worked as a criminologist in Illinois for eight years. In 1938, he undertook his first community organizing campaign in a working-class area of Chicago; the result

Dualism

2005-03-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

In philosophy, the use of two irreducible, heterogeneous principles (sometimes in conflict, sometimes complementary) to analyze the knowing process (epistemological dualism) or to explain all of reality or some broad aspect of it (metaphysical dualism). Examples of epistemological dualism are being and thought, subject and object, and sense datum and thing; examples

Carlile, Richard

2005-03-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Radical English journalist who was a notable champion of the freedom of the press. Although convinced that the free propagation of ideas was more important than specific reforms, he was an early advocate of almost all the Radical causes of his time, including the abolition of monarchy, completely secular education, and the

Chatter Mark

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

Small, curved fracture found on glaciated rock surfaces. Chatter marks are commonly 1–5 centimetres ( 1/2–2 inches) but may be submicroscopic or as much as 50 cm in length. They occur mainly on hard, brittle rocks such as granite and are formed under a glacier by the pressure and impact of boulders moved along by irregular rolling or sliding. Chatter marks are commonly arranged

Zambales Mountains

2005-03-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

Volcanic range in the southwestern part of northern Luzon in the Philippines. The range stretches northwest-southeast from Lingayen Gulf in the north to the Bataan Peninsula and the entrance to Manila Bay in the south. Its greatest elevation is High Peak (6,683 feet [2,037 m]). Lying farther south and across the bay from Manila is Mount Mariveles (4,659 feet [1,420 m]), which marks the southern

Gulf War Syndrome

2005-02-26T02:51:00.000-08:00

Cluster of illnesses in veterans of the Persian Gulf War (1990–91) characterized not by any definable medical condition or diagnostic test but by variable and nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, muscle and joint pains, headaches, memory loss, and posttraumatic stress reactions. The cause of Gulf War syndrome is unknown. The disorder does not appear to be fatal

Resonance

2005-02-24T02:11:00.000-08:00

In particle physics, an extremely short-lived phenomenon associated with subatomic particles called hadrons that decay via the strong nuclear force. This force is so powerful that it allows resonances to exist only for the amount of time it takes light to cross each such “object.” A resonance occurs when the net energy of the colliding subatomic particles is just

Say, Léon

2005-02-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Say was born into a prominent Protestant family and was the grandson of another well-known economist, Jean-Baptiste Say. Early in his career, Say worked for the Journal des Débats, later becoming its editor. He became known for his opposition to the Second Empire in general

Uruguay

2005-02-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

Country located on the southeastern coast of South America. The second smallest nation on the continent, Uruguay has long been overshadowed politically and economically by the adjacent republics of Brazil and Argentina, with both of which it shares many cultural and historical similarities. “On the map, surrounded by its large neighbors, Uruguay seems tiny,” writes

Boitano, Brian

2005-02-19T04:12:00.000-08:00

Boitano began skating at age eight. Shortly after that, he began taking skating lessons from Linda Leaver, who remained his only coach throughout his career. He quickly gained

Bryennius, Nicephorus

2005-02-17T03:17:00.000-08:00

A favourite of the emperor Alexius I Comnenus, who gave him the title of caesar, Bryennius assisted Alexius in dealing with Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade, by successfully

Malherbe, Daniel François

2005-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

South African novelist, poet, and dramatist whose work helped establish Afrikaans as the cultural language of South Africa. He published many volumes of poetry and drama but is known primarily as a novelist for such works as Vergeet nil (1913; “Don't Forget”), an extremely popular novel about the South African

Trichur

2005-02-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

Town, administrative headquarters of Trichur district, central Kerala state, southwestern India. The town is located 12 mi (19 km) inland on an extensive lagoon system. A commercial and cultural centre, it is considered to be the oldest town on the west coast of India; its name means “small sacred place.” Trichur is built around a hillock topped by the Vatakkunatha temple, the focus

Lévi, Sylvain

2005-02-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

Appointed a lecturer at the school of higher studies in Paris (1886), he taught Sanskrit at the Sorbonne (1889–94) and wrote his doctoral dissertation, Le Théâtre indien (1890; “The Indian Theatre”), which became a standard treatise on

Muhammad Al-mahdi Al-hujjah

2005-02-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

Also called Muhammad Al-muntazar, Hidden Imam, or Twelfth Imam (disappeared 878), 12th and last imam, venerated by the Ithna 'Ashariyah, or Twelver sect, the main body of Shi'ite Muslims. It is believed that Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah has been concealed by God (a doctrine known as ghaybah, or occultation) and that he will reappear in time as the mahdi, or messianic deliverer. See also Ithna 'Ashariyah.

Muhammad Al-mahdi Al-hujjah

2005-02-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Any member or relative of the dinosaur genus Brachiosaurus, which lived 150 million to 130 million years ago from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous Period. Brachiosaurs were the heaviest and tallest sauropod dinosaurs for which complete skeletons exist; larger fossil bones belonging to other (and possibly related) sauropods have been found, but these specimens

Chuuk Islands

2005-02-05T02:31:00.000-08:00

Formerly Truk Islands, or Hogoleu, cluster of 14 much-eroded high volcanic islands in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, in the western Pacific Ocean. Forming part of the eastern Caroline Islands, the Chuuk Islands are enclosed within an encircling barrier bank composed of some 69 sand and coral islets. The bank (often referred to as a reef) encloses a lagoon of 822 square miles (2,129 square km) in area and

North Germanic Languages, Icelandic

2005-02-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

Important factors in the survival of Icelandic during the period of Danish rule were its continued use for literary purposes, the geographic remoteness of Iceland, a scattered population, and the great linguistic differences between Danish and Icelandic. While the Scandinavian languages in continental Europe were losing inflection, Icelandic preserved

Hugh Iii

2005-01-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

Succeeding his cousin Hugh II as king of Cyprus in 1267, he obtained the disputed crown of the dwindling crusader kingdom of Jerusalem two years later. The efforts of his rival, Charles I of Anjou, king of Sicily, who also claimed his rights to be a king of Jerusalem, and the resistance

Biblical Literature, Letters

2005-01-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

Among the apocryphal letters are: a 2nd-century Epistula Apostolorum (“Epistle of the Apostles”; actually apocalyptic and antiheretical), the Letter of Barnabas, a lost Letter of Paul to the Alexandrians (said to have been forged by followers of Marcion), the late-2nd-century letter called “III Corinthians” (part of the Acts of Paul and composed largely out of the genuine letters

Shagamu

2005-01-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

Town, Ogun state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies along the Ibu River and the Eruwuru Stream, between Lagos and Ibadan. Founded in the mid-19th century by members of the Ijebu branch of the Yoruba people, it soon became a major market centre of the Ijebu Remo kingdom. Following the British destruction of the Ijebu trade monopoly in 1892 and their later decision to build the railway

Beyers, C.f.

2005-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

A graduate of Victoria College (now Stellenbosch University), Beyers migrated to the Transvaal, where he was naturalized and practiced as a lawyer. Joining the Boer forces in 1899, he rose

Antarctica, National rivalries and claims

2005-01-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

The early discoveries led to a few controversies not only for territorial claims but also in geographic nomenclature. The struggle for national influence was especially acute in the slender peninsular landmass south of Scotia Sea that became known as O'Higgins Land (Tierra O'Higgins) to Chileans and San Martin Land (Tierra San Martín) to Argentines, named for national

Arequipa

2005-01-19T05:31:00.000-08:00

Capital of Arequipa departamento and región, southern Peru, in the Chili River valley of the Andes Mountains. Arequipa lies at more than 7,550 feet (2,300 metres) above sea level, at the foot of the dormant cone of Misti Volcano, which reaches an elevation of 19,098 feet (5,821 metres). Flanking Misti are Mounts Chachani and Pichupichu. Earthquakes have damaged the city several times, notably

Ta-ch'ing

2005-01-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Daqing oil field in Heilungkiang province, China, one of the country's most important sources of oil. It is situated in the north of the Sungari-Liao River basin, between Tsitsihar and Harbin, in the general vicinity of An-ta, northwest of Harbin. The field was discovered in the late 1950s and drilling began in 1958, often in difficult conditions caused by the extreme winter cold and by

Spruce Knob

2005-01-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Highest point in West Virginia, U.S., located in the Allegheny Mountains in the eastern part of the state, about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Elkins. Spruce Knob lies at an elevation of 4,863 feet (1,482 metres) at the southern end of Spruce Mountain, a ridge extending northeast-southwest along the western edge of Pendleton county. The peak, accessible by road from nearby Judy Gap, is within

Angiolini, Gasparo

2005-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

In 1757 he became ballet master of the Vienna court opera house, where his first ballet dramas frequently relied upon gesture to convey plot. In 1761, however, Angiolini collaborated with the composer Cristoph Gluck to produce Don

Cambridge, George William Frederick Charles, 2nd Duke Of

2005-01-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

After brief service in the Hanoverian army, George William became a colonel in the British army in 1837 and inherited his father's dukedom in 1850. At the beginning of the

Gravel

2005-01-10T23:14:00.000-08:00

Fragments in gravel range in size from pebbles

Foy, Maximilien(-sébastien)

2005-01-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

Foy served in the artillery and the infantry, attaining the rank of major in 1796, staff colonel in 1799, and brigadier

Taboret

2005-01-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

The name acquired a more specialized meaning in France in the late 17th century, when it referred to upholstered stools provided at the palace of Versailles for the more privileged ladies of the court of Louis XIV to sit

Dado

2005-01-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

In Classical architecture, the plain portion between the base and cornice of the pedestal of a column and, in later architecture, the paneled, painted, or otherwise decorated lower part of a wall, up to 2 or 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) above the floor. Internal walls were so treated between the 16th and the 18th century, though toward the close of that period the dado was left plain and merely defined

Ibn Sa'ud

2005-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

Tribal and Muslim religious leader who formed the modern state of Saudi Arabia and initiated the exploitation of its oil.

Hyacinthus

2004-12-31T21:56:00.000-08:00

In Greek legend, a young man of Amyclae in Laconia. According to the usual version, his great beauty attracted the love of Apollo, who killed him accidentally while teaching him to throw the discus; others related that Zephyrus (or Boreas) out of jealousy deflected the discus so that it hit Hyacinthus on the head and killed him. Out of his blood there grew the flower called

Computers, Application software

2004-12-29T03:12:00.000-08:00

The availability of BASIC and CP/M enabled more widespread software development. By 1977, a two-person firm called Structured Systems Group started developing a General Ledger program, perhaps the first serious business software, which sold for $995. The company shipped its software in zip-lock bags with a manual, a practice that became common in the industry. General Ledger

Tasmania, Ethnic and religious groups

2004-12-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

The original Tasmanians were an anthropologically interesting Negritoid people, with the widest nasal index ever recorded and shorter and broader heads than the Aboriginal peoples of the continental mainland. They may originally have drifted across from the mainland or arrived from as far as the New Hebrides, several thousand miles to the northeast. Estimates

Emecheta, Buchi

2004-12-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

Emecheta was married at age 16 and immigrated with her husband to London in 1962. The problems she encountered in London during the early 1960s provided background for the books that are called her immigrant novels. Her first two books,

Arrhenius Theory

2004-12-22T02:03:00.000-08:00

Theory, introduced in 1887 by the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius, that acids are substances that dissociate in water to yield electrically charged atoms or molecules, called ions, one of which is a hydrogen ion (H+), and that bases ionize in water to yield hydroxide ions (OH-). It is now known that the hydrogen ion cannot exist alone in water solution; rather, it exists in a combined

Haworth, Sir Norman

2004-12-21T03:26:00.000-08:00

Haworth graduated from the University of Manchester in 1906 and received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Göttingen in 1910. He taught at the University

Biblical Literature, Slavic versions

2004-12-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

The earliest Old Church Slavonic translations are connected with the arrival of the brothers Cyril and Methodius in Moravia in 863, and resulted from the desire to provide vernacular renderings of those parts of the Bible used liturgically. The oldest manuscripts derive from the 11th and 12th centuries. The earliest complete Bible manuscript, dated 1499, was used for the first

B-52

2004-12-17T05:53:00.000-08:00

Also called Stratofortress, U.S. long-range heavy bomber, designed in 1948 and first flown in 1952. Though originally intended to be an atomic-bomb carrier capable of reaching the Soviet Union, it proved adaptable to a number of missions, and some B-52s were thus expected to remain in service for the rest of the 20th century. The B-52 has a wingspan of 185 feet (56 m) and a length of 160 feet 10.9 inches (49 m). It is powered by eight jet engines

Waitangi, Treaty Of

2004-12-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

(Feb. 6, 1840), historic pact between Great Britain and a number of New Zealand Maori tribes of North Island. It purported to protect Maori rights and was the immediate basis of the British annexation of New Zealand. Negotiated at the settlement of Waitangi on February 5–6 by Britain's designated consul and lieutenant governor William Hobson and many leading Maori chiefs, the

Pérez De Ayala, Ramón

2004-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

Pérez de Ayala studied law at Oviedo University and philosophy and literature at the University of Madrid. During World War I he covered France, Italy, England, South America, and the United States as a correspondent for the Buenos Aires periodical

Andrew, John Albion

2004-12-10T00:06:00.000-08:00

Andrew entered political life as a Whig opposed to the Mexican War (1846–48). In 1848 he joined the Free-Soil movement against the spread of slavery. After the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854), which permitted those

Maubeuge

2004-12-08T03:12:00.000-08:00

Town, Nord département, Nord-Pas-de-Calais région, northern France, on the Sambre River, near the Belgian frontier, south of Mons. Maubeuge (Latin: Malbodium, signifying “bad place or dwelling”) grew up around the monastery of Sainte-Aldegonde (7th century). Part of the medieval county of Hainaut, and later of the Spanish Netherlands, the town was ceded to France by the Peace of

Jackson, Andrew

2004-12-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

When Jackson arrived in Nashville, the community was still a frontier settlement. As prosecuting attorney, Jackson was principally occupied with suits for the collection of debts. He was so successful in these litigations that he soon had a thriving private practice and had gained the friendship of landowners and creditors. For almost 30 years Jackson was allied with this group in Tennessee politics. Jackson boarded in the home of Colonel John Donelson, where he met and married the colonel's daughter, Rachel Robards (Rachel Jackson).

Chemical Compound, Aromatics

2004-12-05T00:35:00.000-08:00

A distinctive set of physical and chemical properties is imparted to molecules that contain a functional group composed of three pairs of doubly bonded atoms (usually all carbon atoms) bonded together in the shape of a regular, planar (flat) hexagon. The hexagonal ring is usually drawn with an alternating sequence of single and double bonds. The molecule benzene

Evans, Walker

2004-12-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

American photographer, important primarily for documenting the effects of economic depression in the American South and photographically interpreting American folk architecture. His approach to photography was largely formed by the documentary photographs of the French photographer Eugène Atget, whose influence

Argentina, The crisis of 1890

2004-11-30T04:45:00.000-08:00

The economic expansion led ultimately to inflation, the issuance of too much paper currency, and the onset of a financial crisis. A political crisis also followed. The government of Roca's successor, Miguel Juárez Celman (1886–90), had avoided launching an unpopular anti-inflationary program, but this inaction sparked criticism both within and outside the official party

Bhartrhari

2004-11-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

Of noble birth, Bhartrhari was attached for a time to the court of the Maitraka king of

Tiy

2004-11-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

She was the daughter of Yuya, the commander of the Egyptian chariotry and overseer of the cattle of the local god Min; her mother, Thuya, was also an Egyptian. Although she was not of royal blood, Tiy became the favoured wife of Amenhotep III (reigned 1390–53 BC), a powerful king of the 18th dynasty, who gave her considerable prominence

San Diego

2004-11-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

Port, city, and important U.S. military and naval base, seat (1850) of San Diego county, southern California, U.S. It lies along the Pacific Ocean at San Diego Bay (there bridged to Coronado). Sighted in 1542 and named San Miguel by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the area was renamed San Diego de Alcalá de Henares in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno. Gaspar de Portolá founded a presidio (military post) there

Hooker, Joseph

2004-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

A West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican War (1846–48), Hooker left his California home at the outbreak of the Civil War to serve as brigadier general

Skiing

2004-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Recreation, sport, and mode of transportation that involves moving over snow by the use of a pair of long, flat runners, called skis, attached to shoes or boots.

Yuscarán

2004-11-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

Founded between 1730 and 1740, when gold and silver were discovered in the area, Yuscarán was a prosperous mining centre during the colonial period. Mining halted in the 19th century but was resumed in the 1940s. The town, which preserves a colonial

Qattara Depression

2004-11-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

Arid Libyan Desert (Eastern Saharan) basin in northwestern Egypt. Covering about 7,000 square miles (18,100 square km) and containing salt lakes and marshes, it descends to 435 feet (133 m) below sea level. During World War II, because it was impassable to military traffic, the depression formed a natural anchor at the southern end of the British defense lines at El-Alamein (Al-'Alamayn; in northwestern

Oradour-sur-glane

2004-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Oradour-sur-Glane was the site of a particularly brutal atrocity during World War II. The village and its inhabitants were destroyed by German troops on June 10, 1944, exactly two years after a similar fate had befallen the Czechoslovakian village of Lidice

González, Manuel

2004-11-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

Born on a ranch in the state of Tamaulipas, González began his military career in 1847 and became a general during the civil war of 1858–60. He became president in 1880 at the virtual dictation of his political friend Porfirio Díaz, who had preceded him as president. As head of state,

Hohenlohe Family

2004-11-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

German princely family which took its name from the district of Hohenlohe in Franconia. First mentioned in the 12th century as possessing the castle of Hohenloch or Hohenlohe, near Uffenheim, the family soon extended its influence over several of the Franconian valleys, including those of the Kocher, the Jagst, and the Tauber. Henry I (d. 1183) was the first to take the title

Ashwell, Lena

2004-11-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

Reared and educated in Canada, Ashwell studied music at Lausanne, Switz., and at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her voice proved

Lawes, Lewis Edward

2004-11-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

Assuming the office of warden of Sing Sing State Prison (now Ossining Correctional Facility), Ossining, N.Y., in 1920, Lawes instituted such reforms as the establishment of theatricals, film showings, and athletics;

Italian Literature, Fiction at the turn of the 21st century

2004-11-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

The competitive world of media- and market-driven culture thrives on self-promotion, provocation, “discoveries,” and “revelations.” Publishers and their talent scouts are eager to add “new voices.” The Sardinian Salvatore Satta, for example, was a professor of law whose considerable literary production—his best-known novel is Il giorno del giudizio (1979; The Day of

Fructosuria

2004-10-31T15:38:00.000-08:00

Disturbance of fructose metabolism resulting from a hereditary disorder or intolerance. Normally, fructose is first metabolized in the body to fructose-1-phosphate by a specific organic catalyst or enzyme called fructokinase. In fructosuria this particular enzyme is defective, and the concentration of fructose increases in the blood and urine. There are no

Silique

2004-10-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

Any dry fruit that separates at maturity into two or four segments called valves, leaving a persistent partition that bears the seeds. The valves remain connected at the top. A typical silique is an elongated capsule, such as in cabbage. A silicle, or silicula, is a short and broad silique, as in shepherd's purse (Capsella). Both types are characteristic of plants in the mustard

Baden Powell

2004-10-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. Aug. 6, 1937, Varre-e-Sai, Braz.—d. Sept. 26, 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Braz.), helped popularize the bossa nova (“new trend”), a romantic, sensual style of the 1950s and '60s that was created from a fusion of the samba, a Brazilian dance music, and cool jazz. He came from a musical family, and his father, who was a troop leader, named his son for Robert S.S. Baden-Powell, the British founder

Norito

2004-10-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

In the Shinto religious practices of Japan, words, or prayer, addressed by worshipers to a deity. The efficacy of prayer is founded on the concept of koto-dama, the spiritual power that resides in words. According to ancient belief, beautiful, correct words bring about good, whereas ugly, coarse language can cause evil. Accordingly, norito are expressed in elegant, classical

Earth

2004-10-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Scientists have applied the full battery of modern instrumentation to studying the Earth in ways that have not yet been possible for the other planets; thus,

New York, Emergence of political divisions

2004-10-20T01:56:00.000-07:00

During the 1780s an organization, eventually to be known

Kachchh, Rann Of

2004-10-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Kachchh also spelled Kutch, Cutch , or Kachh saline mudflats, west-central India and southern Pakistan. The Great Rann covers an area of about 7,000 square miles (18,000 square km) and lies almost entirely within Gujarat state, India, along the border with Pakistan. The Little Rann of Kachchh extends northeast from the Gulf of Kachchh and occupies about 2,000 square miles (5,100 square km) in Gujarat state. Originally an extension of the

Hawkins, Sir John

2004-10-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

A kinsman of Sir Francis Drake, Hawkins began his career as a merchant in the African trade and soon became the first English slave trader. By carrying slaves from Guinea, in West Africa,

Louvet, Jean

2004-10-15T02:45:00.000-07:00

Louvet was the son of a miner. As a young man, he was influenced by Existentialism, and left-wing politics led him into work in the theatre. Strongly autobiographical, his work goes beyond ideology to embrace the history of the Walloon people of southern

Abu

2004-10-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

Also called Mount Abu, city, southwestern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It is situated on the slopes of Mount Abu, an isolated feature of the Aravali Range. The city is a noted hill resort, and the Jaina temples at nearby Dilwara, built of white marble, are famous. Tejpal temple, built about AD 1200, is known for the delicacy and richness of its carving, especially for that on the underside of its dome.

Sunga Script

2004-10-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Brahmi script of north India, possibly connected with the late Maurya scripts and the early Kalinga character, and associated with the Sunga dynasty (c. 185 BC–c. 73 BC). The script was one of three prototypes of the North Indian subdivision of Brahmi script, out of which the Gupta scripts rose.

Omalius D'halloy, Jean-baptiste-julien D'

2004-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

D'Omalius was educated first in Liège and afterward in Paris. While a youth he became interested in geology (over the protests of his parents) and, having an independent income, was able to devote his energies to geologic researches. As early as 1808 he communicated

Braque, Georges

2004-10-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

French painter, one of the important revolutionaries of 20th-century art who, together with Pablo Picasso, developed Cubism. His paintings consist primarily of still lifes that are remarkable for their robust construction, low-key colour harmonies, and serene, meditative quality.

Country Furniture

2004-10-10T02:57:00.000-07:00

Furniture made by country craftsmen, varying from purely functional pieces made by amateurs to expertly constructed and carved work based on luxurious furniture made for the rich. Much country furniture is naive, with the best of such examples falling into the category of folk art. The furniture is sturdy, rarely delicate in design or workmanship, and restricted

Gaekwar Dynasty

2004-10-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

The founder of the dynasty was Damaji I who had risen to power by 1740. The last Gaekwar, Sayaji Rao III, died in 1939.

Consort

2004-10-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Though the authenticity of such terms is doubtful, some researchers have suggested that there were “whole” consorts, in which all the instruments were of one family (typically, stringed or wind instruments),

Sherwood, Robert E.

2004-10-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

Sherwood was an indifferent student at Milton Academy and Harvard University, failing the freshman rhetoric course while performing well and happily on the Lampoon, the humour magazine, and with the Hasty Pudding club, which

Alabama, European rivalry, settlement, and growth

2004-10-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

The first known European explorers were of Spanish descent and arrived at Mobile Bay in 1519. The main thrust of exploration came in 1540, when Hernando de Soto and his army of about 500 men entered the interior from the valley of the Tennessee River to search for gold. His expedition, which extensively crisscrossed the area, was important because of his discovery of the Mississippi

Arts, Native American, Gourd rattles

2004-10-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Agriculture introduced the gourd rattle, which is always shaken by the dancer or singer, never worn. Its shapes and sizes are as varied as those of the squash and gourd, and it is ornamented with ingenuity. The Arizona Papago shaman, sometimes the Iroquois and Cherokee, leaves the stem on as a handle. Usually a wooden handle is inserted, perhaps decorated with beads or

Tonga, Human settlement

2004-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

The majority of the population live in

Chemical Compound, Adrenal hormones

2004-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

The adrenal cortex of vertebrates synthesizes oxygenated progesterone derivatives. These compounds are hormones that are vital to survival and are classified according to their biological activity. The glucocorticoids promote deposition of glycogen in the liver and the breakdown of body proteins. Mineralocorticoids stimulate retention of sodium in

Astyanax

2004-10-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

In Greek legend, prince, son of the Trojan prince Hector and his wife Andromache; he was also known as Scamandrius, after the River Scamander, near Troy. After the fall of Troy he was hurled from the battlements of the city by the Greek warrior Neoptolemus. According to medieval legend, however, he survived the war, established the kingdom of Messina in Sicily, and founded

Constance

2004-09-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

The daughter of King Roger II of Sicily, Constance married the future emperor Henry VI in 1186 and was crowned with him in Rome in 1191. On the death of her nephew William

Zanzibar

2004-09-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Both Zanzibar and Pemba are believed to have once formed part of the African continent, the

Fredegund

2004-09-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Originally a servant, Fredegund became Chilperic's mistress after he had murdered his wife and queen, Galswintha (c. 568). Galswintha, however, was also the sister of Brunhild, the wife of Chilperic's half-brother Sigebert I, king of the eastern kingdom of Austrasia. Galswintha's murder engendered

'abd-us-samad, Khwaja

2004-09-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

'Abd-us-Samad was born into a family of good social standing in Iran, and he had already gained a reputation as a calligrapher

Wandsworth

2004-09-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Inner borough of London, lying west of Lambeth and stretching for 5 miles (8 km) along the south bank of the River Thames. Wandsworth was established in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan borough of Battersea with approximately two-thirds of what then constituted Wandsworth (the remainder of which went to Lambeth). The present borough includes such districts as (roughly

Xu Wei

2004-09-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

As a young man, Xu repeatedly failed to pass civil service examinations. During the 1550s and '60s he did succeed in gaining a reputation as a poet and painter, but as his reputation as an artist

Rouher, Eugène

2004-09-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

He was elected to the National Assembly in 1848, and his conservative attitudes and fear of disorder led him to support Louis-Napoléon. Appointed minister of justice in 1849, he suppressed

Clairvoyance

2004-09-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

(French: “clear seeing”), knowledge of information not necessarily known to any other person, not obtained by ordinary channels of perceiving or reasoning; thus a form of extrasensory perception ESP. Spiritualists also use the term to mean seeing or hearing (clairaudience) the spirits of the dead that are said to surround the living. Parapsychological research, using

Aurochs

2004-09-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

Also spelled Auroch (species Bos primigenius), extinct wild ox of Europe, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), from which cattle are probably descended. The aurochs survived in central Poland until 1627. The aurochs was black, stood 1.8 m (6 feet) high at the shoulder, and had spreading, forward-curving horns. Some German breeders claim that since 1945 they have re-created this race by crossing Spanish fighting

Fact, Theatre Of

2004-09-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Also called Documentary Theatre German dramatic movement that arose during the early 1960s, associated primarily with Rolf Hochhuth, Peter Weiss, and Heinar Kipphardt. Their political plays examined recent historical events, often through official documents and court records. Their concern that the West, and especially Germany, was forgetting the political horrors of the Nazi era led them to explore

Absentee Voting

2004-09-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Electoral process that enables persons who cannot appear at their designated polling places to vote from another location. The usual method of absentee voting is by mail, although provision is sometimes made for voting at prescribed places in advance of the polling date. Absentee voting requires special administrative arrangements to ensure the secrecy and