Maurienne
High Alpine valley, about 80 miles (130 km) long, in southeastern France. Drained by the Arc River, a tributary of the Is�re, it consists of a succession of large basins and narrow, wild gorges that are cut through outcrops of heavily folded and overthrust rocks. Twenty-four hydroelectric stations in the valley generate power for electrochemical plants, aluminum refining,
Mor�as, Jean
Early inspired by a French governess who instilled in him a passion for French poetry, Mor�as moved to Paris in 1879, becoming a familiar figure in the literary circles frequenting the caf�s and in the literary pages of newspapers and reviews. He published
Mor�as, Jean
Early inspired by a French governess who instilled in him a passion for French poetry, Mor�as moved to Paris in 1879, becoming a familiar figure in the literary circles frequenting the caf�s and in the literary pages of newspapers and reviews. He published
Danelaw
Also spelled �Danelagh, or Danelaga, � the northern, central, and eastern region of Anglo-Saxon England colonized by invading Danish armies in the late 9th century. In the 11th and 12th centuries, it was recognized that all of eastern England between the Rivers Tees and Thames formed a region in which a distinctive form of customary law prevailed in the local courts, differing from West Saxon law to the south
Scipio Africanus The Elder
Latin �Scipio Africanus Major�, in full �Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus� Roman general noted for his victory over the Carthaginian leader Hannibal in the great Battle of Zama (202 BC), ending the Second Punic War. For his victory he won the surname Africanus (201 BC).
Jackson, Shoeless Joe
Born into extreme poverty, Jackson began work in a cotton mill when he was barely six and never went to school. He survived a sickly childhood
China, Invasion of the Sung
During the next decades there was an uneasy coexistence between the Mongols in northern China and the Sung state in the south. The Mongols resumed their advance in 1250 under the grand khan M�ngke and his brother Kublai Khan - grandsons of Genghis Khan. Their armies outflanked the main Sung defenses on the Yangtze River and penetrated deeply into southwestern China,
Odonata, Wings and flight
Odonates use their wings
Durant, William Crapo
After establishing a carriage company in Michigan in 1886, Durant took over a small firm in 1903 and began to manufacture Buick motorcars. He brought together several automotive manufacturers
Hughes, Charles Evans
A member of a major New York City
Fable, Parable, And Allegory, Parable
In the West the conventions of parable were largely established by the teachings of Christ. The New Testament records a sufficient number of his parables, with their occasions, to show that to some extent his disciples were chosen as his initiates and followers because they �had ears to hear� the true meaning of his parables. (It has already been noted that the parable
Iron Gate
Romanian �Portile de Fier�, Serbo-Croatian �Gvozdena Vrata� the last gorge of the Djerdap gorge system on the Danube River, dividing the Carpathian and Balkan mountains and forming part of the boundary between Yugoslavia and Romania. It is about 2 miles (3 km) long and 530 feet (162 m) wide, with towering rock cliffs that make it one of the most dramatic natural wonders of Europe. Near the town of Sip a large rock reef (called Perigrada) obstructed
Fuselage
Central portion of the body of an airplane, designed to accommodate the crew, passengers, and cargo. It varies greatly in design and size according to the function of the aircraft. In a jet fighter the fuselage consists of a cockpit large enough only for the controls and pilot, but in a jet airliner it includes a much larger cockpit as well as a cabin that has separate decks
Anna Comnena
Anna received a good education, studying, among other subjects, literature, philosophy, history, and geography. She married the
Caudata, Bones and cartilage
The rather weak skull of adults is composed of various paired and unpaired bones. These bones may fuse or be lost in different groups, and their presence and arrangement are important in classification. Much of the fusion and loss of skull bones is associated with a trend toward tongue feeding. Small, double-cusped teeth line the margins of the jaw and spread over parts
Kshitigarbha
Bodhisattva (�buddha-to-be�) who, though known in India as early as the 4th century CE, became immensely popular in China as Dicang and in Japan as Jizo. He is the saviour of the oppressed, the dying, and the dreamer of evil dreams, for he has vowed not to stop his labours until he has saved the souls of all the dead condemned to hell. In China he is considered the overlord of hell and is
Tyard, Pontus De
Tyard was seigneur (lord) of Bissy-sur-Fley and an associate of the Lyonese poets, especially Maurice Sc�ve. In 1551 he translated Le�n Hebreo's Dialoghi di amore (�Dialogues
Alabaster
Fine-grained, massive gypsum (q.v.) that has been used for centuries for statuary, carvings, and other ornaments. It normally is snow-white and translucent but can be artificially dyed; it may be made opaque and similar in appearance to marble by heat treatment. Florence, Livorno, and Milan, in Italy, and Berlin are important centres of the alabaster trade. The alabaster of
Paulinus Of Nola, Saint
Paulinus became successively a Roman senator, consul, and governor of Campania, a region of southern Italy. Returning to Aquitaine he married and in 389 retired with his wife to Spain. The death of their only child, in 392, influenced
Balalaika
Russian stringed musical instrument of the lute family. It was developed in the 18th century from the dombra, or domra, a round-bodied, long-necked, three-stringed lute played in Russia and Central Asia. The balalaika is made in six sizes, from piccolo to double bass, and has a flat back and a triangular table, or belly, that tapers to the fretted neck. The frets are movable, and
Mubi
Probably founded in the late 18th century by the Fulani people, Mubi remained under the jurisdiction of the sultanate of Mandara until conquered in the Fulani jihad
Bukhari, Al-
In full �Abu 'abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Isma'il Al-bukhari� one of the greatest Muslim compilers and scholars of Hadith (the recorded corpus of the sayings and acts of the Prophet Muhammad). His chief work is accepted by Sunnite Muslims - i.e., those following the majority tradition - as second only to the Qur'an as both a source of religious law and a sacred
Marineland Of The Pacific
Also called �Hanna-barbera Marineland, � former large, commercially operated oceanarium at Rancho Palos Verdes near Los Angeles. It was opened in 1954 following the overwhelming success of Marineland in Florida. The aquarium had the world's largest holding tank, with a circumference of 76 metres (250 feet) and a capacity of close to 3,800,000 litres (1,000,000 gallons). This and other tanks housed an impressive array of fishes (4,000 specimens
Sun Bittern
(species Eurypyga helias), slender bird of tropical America, the sole member of the family Eurypygidae (order Gruiformes). It has strikingly patterned wings, which the male spreads in courtship and threat displays. The sun bittern is about 43 cm (17 inches) long, with full wings and a long tail beautifully marked in browns, yellows, black, and white. It lives on
Western Australia, Relief and drainage
The Kimberley region in the far north is a dissected plateau. The coastline is rugged and dangerous, with a tidal range of up to 39 feet and associated strong currents. Most of the region is sparsely wooded, and the moisture-storing boab (which has close affinities to the Indian and African baobabs) is particularly distinctive. Spinifex is ubiquitous, as it is throughout
Sinkiang, Uygur Autonomous Region Of, Drainage
The drainage pattern of Sinkiang is unique to China. The only stream whose waters reach the sea is the O-erh-ch'i-ssu, which rises in north-central Sinkiang, crosses into Kazakstan, and joins the Irtysh that (in Russia) flows into the Ob, which then empties into the Arctic Ocean. Other streams in Sinkiang issue from the mountains and disappear into inland deserts or salt
Dewberry
Any blackberry of the genus Rubus (family Rosaceae) so lacking woody fibre in the stems that it trails along the ground. In the eastern and southern United States, several trailing native species of Rubus, especially R. flagellaris, R. baileyanus, R. hispidus, R. enslenii, and R. trivialis, produce excellent fruits. Some varieties, especially Lucretia, are cultivated. See
Bou Sa�da
Town, north-central Algeria. It is located between el-Hodna Depression (a salt lake) and the mountains of the Saharan Atlas. Although north of the Sahara, Bou Sa�da is a true oasis, spread along the left bank of the Bou Sa�da Wadi and standing in pleasant contrast to the nearby barren Ouled Na�l Mountains and the often dry salt marsh. The town's old walled quarter (ksar) of arched,
