Aguascalientes

State, central Mexico. One of the country's smallest states (2,112 square miles [5,471 square km]), it occupies part of the central plateau between 3,300 and 10,000 feet (1,000 and 3,000 metres) above sea level, extending from two spurs of the Sierra Madre eastward and southward to rolling fertile plains. It is well watered and has a mild climate with light rainfall. The name, from the Spanish for �hot waters,� stems

Roiphe, Anne

Anne Roth graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1957 and married Jack Richardson in 1958. The marriage ended in divorce in 1963, and in 1967 she married Herman Roiphe. That year she also published

Amasya

Historically �Amaseia�, or �Amasia� city, capital of Amasya il (province), northern Turkey, on the Yesil River, also called the Iris River. Capital of the kings of Pontus until about 183 BC, it was made a free city and the administrative centre of a large territory by Pompey in 65 BC. In the 2nd century AD, it received the titles �metropolis� and �first city� under the Romans. It was the capital of the Turkmen Danismend emirs until annexed

La Sale, Antoine De

From 1400 to 1448 La Sale served the dukes of Anjou, Louis II, Louis III, and Ren�, as squire, soldier, administrator and, ultimately, governor of Ren�'s son and heir, Jean

Alberta, Relief and drainage

Along the southwest border, Mount Columbia (12,294 feet [3,747 metres]) is the highest of 26 magnificent peaks reaching above 11,000 feet. Beyond the narrow foothills, soft rocks form an undulating plateau falling from over 3,000 feet to under 1,000 feet in the northeast, where the ancient rocks of the Precambrian shield outcrop. Outliers of higher ground include the Cypress and Swan hills and the Caribou

Mindanao

Kango

Town, northwestern Gabon. The town is situated about 50 miles (80 km) east of Libreville and lies on the Como River at the head of the Gabon Estuary. Kango is the site of one of Africa's largest cellulose and paper-pulp factories, which was built in the 1970s to process products of the surrounding forest. The factory draws its electric power from the Kingu�l� dam on the Mbei River, a

Lords, House Of

The upper chamber of Great Britain's bicameral legislature. Originating in the 11th century, when the Anglo-Saxon kings consulted witans (councils) composed of religious leaders and the monarch's ministers, it emerged as a distinct element of Parliament in the 13th and 14th centuries. It currently comprises the following elements: (1) the Lords Spiritual, including the archbishops

Aluminum Bronze

Any of a group of strong, corrosion-resistant alloys of copper containing from 4 to 15 percent aluminum and small amounts of other metals, used to make many machine parts and tools. Because of their golden colour and high tarnish resistance, the alloys are also used for jewelry and in architecture. Their resistance to oxidation at high temperatures and to corrosion, particularly

T�rminos Lagoon

Spanish �Laguna De T�rminos, � lagoon in southwestern Campeche state, at the base of the Yucat�n Peninsula, eastern Mexico. An inlet of the Bay of Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico, it measures 45 mi (72 km) east - west and 12 to 15 mi north - south. Long, narrow Carmen Island stretches across its entrance. The lagoon is fed by the Palizada and Candelaria rivers. Shrimp, fish, and turtles are taken from T�rminos, and crocodiles

Furniture, Renaissance and later

(Italy): George Leland Hunter, Italian Furniture and Interiors, 2 vol. (1918), mostly illustrations; William M. Odom, A History of Italian Furniture from the 4th to the Early 19th Centuries, 2 vol. (1918 - 19). (Spain): Arthur Byne and Mildred Stapley, Spanish Interiors and Furniture (1921), profusely illustrated with scale drawings and photographs. (Germany): Heinrich Kreisel, Die Kunst des deutschen M�bels, 2 vol. (1968 - 70), thorough, illustrated history of German furniture. (France): Pierre Verlet, Le Mobilier royal fran�ais, 2 vol. (1945 - 55); Les Meubles fran�ais du XVIIIe siecle, 2 vol. (1956), a learned treatise on French furniture. (England and the colonies): Percy Macquoeo and Ralph Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture from the Middle Ages to the Late Georgian Period, 2nd ed., 3 vol. (1954), documented survey of English and American furniture; Ralph Fastenedge, English Furniture Styles from 1500 to 1830 (1962), an excellent elementary introduction to the study of English furniture; Anthony Coleridge, Chippendale Furniture (1968), illustrated study of Chippendale and his contemporaries; Clifford Musgrave, Adam and Hepplewhite and Other NeoClassical Furniture (1966), written by one of the best informed students of the Neoclassical English style of furniture; Charles F. Montgomery, American Furniture (1966), a survey of Federal period furniture. See also Berry B. Tracy, The Federal Furniture and Decorative Arts at Boscobel (1981); Charles Santore, The Windsor Style in America (1981); John T. Kirk, American Furniture and the British Tradition to 1830 (1983).

Kschessinska, Mathilde

Kschessinska also spelled �Kshessinska, �Russian �in full Mathilda-maria Feliksovna Kshesinskaya� prima ballerina assoluta of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the first Russian dancer to master 32 consecutive fouett�s en tournant (�whipped turns� done in place and on one leg), a feat previously performed only by Italian dancers and considered in that era the supreme achievement in dance

Axis Powers

The coalition headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan that opposed the Allied Powers in World War II. The alliance originated in a series of agreements between Germany and Italy, followed by the proclamation of an �axis� binding Rome and Berlin (Oct. 25, 1936) and then by the German-Japanese Anti-Comintern Pact against the Soviet Union (Nov. 25, 1936). The connection was strengthened by a full

Pridi Phanomyong

After studies at the Royal Law School, Pridi won a government scholarship to study law in France; he earned a doctorate in law from Paris in 1927. While in Paris he was strongly influenced by French socialism,

Dennis

Town (township), Barnstable county, southeastern Massachusetts, U.S. It extends across Cape Cod and includes the villages of Dennis, Dennis Port (Dennisport), East Dennis, South Dennis, and West Dennis. Settled in 1639, it was a part of Yarmouth until 1793, when it was incorporated and named for Josiah Dennis, pastor of the first meetinghouse. Clipper ships were once built in Shiverick

Quadrature

In astronomy, that aspect of a heavenly body in which its direction as seen from the Earth makes a right angle with the direction of the Sun. The Moon at First or Last Quarter is said to be at east or west quadrature, respectively. A superior planet (outside the Earth's orbit) is at west quadrature when its position is 90� west of the Sun. It rises around midnight, reaches the meridian

Radar, Antennas

A widely used form of radar antenna is the parabolic reflector, the principle of which is shown in cross section in Figure 4 (A). A horn antenna or other small antenna is placed at the focus of the parabola to illuminate the parabolic surface of the reflector. After being reflected by this surface, the electromagnetic energy is radiated as a narrow beam. A paraboloid, which

Cinerama

In motion pictures, a process in which three synchronized movie projectors each project one-third of the picture on a wide, curving screen. Many viewers believe that the screen, which thus annexes their entire field of vision, gives a sense of reality unmatched by the flat screen. Invented by the New York City photographer Fred Waller, the first Cinerama movie, This

Skeleton Shrimp

Aeginella longicornis (longicornia), which occurs among eelgrass, sponges, and wharf pilings

Switzerland, Agriculture and forestry

Of the territory that makes up Switzerland, only three-fourths is productive. About one-fourth of that productive land is devoted to agricultural cultivation (grains, fodder, vegetables, fruits, vineyards, etc.), and one-fifth is pasture, reflecting the significance of stock raising and dairying. Grain cultivation, accounting for about one-sixth of productive land,

Switzerland, Agriculture and forestry

Of the territory that makes up Switzerland, only three-fourths is productive. About one-fourth of that productive land is devoted to agricultural cultivation (grains, fodder, vegetables, fruits, vineyards, etc.), and one-fifth is pasture, reflecting the significance of stock raising and dairying. Grain cultivation, accounting for about one-sixth of productive land,

Bar-salibi, Jacob

A native of Melitene (now Malatya, Turkey), Bar-Salibi was made bishop of Marash in 1154 and, a year later, of Mabbog as well. In 1166 he was transferred to the metropolitan see of Amid (Diyarbakir), where he remained until his death. His works include poems, prayers, homilies, liturgies, a commentary on the six

Apur�mac

The name �Apur�mac� is a Quechua term meaning �great oracle,� or �lordly speaker.� From as early as 1800 BC the surrounding mountains have supported gold-mining activities, evidenced by the uncovering

Windsor, Marie

American actress (b. Dec. 11, 1919, Marysvale, Utah - d. Dec. 10, 2000, Beverly Hills, Calif.), portrayed strong but often unsavoury women in most of her more than 70 films and was known as the �queen of the B's� - a title she wore proudly - because of the many B films, including Cat Women of the Moon (1954) and Swamp Women (1955), in which she appeared. She was, however, best remembered for her first film as star, The Narrow

Interior Design, Aesthetic components of design

A general definition of beauty and aesthetic excellence would be difficult, but fortunately there are a number of generally accepted principles that can be used to achieve an understanding of the aesthetic considerations in design. One must note, however, that such understanding requires exposure and learning; an appreciation of any form of art needs such a

Syriac Language

Semitic language belonging to the Northern Central, or Northwestern, group; it was an important Christian literary and liturgical language from the 3rd through the 7th century AD. Syriac was based on the East Aramaic dialect of Edessa, Osro�ne (present-day Sanliurfa, in southeastern Turkey), which became one of the chief centres of Christianity in the Middle East at the end

Terminus

(Latin: Boundary Stone), originally, in Roman cult, a boundary stone or post fixed in the ground during a ceremony of sacrifice and anointment. Anyone who removed a boundary stone was accursed and might be slain; a fine was later substituted for the death penalty. From this sacred object evolved the god Terminus. On February 23 (the end of the old Roman year) the festival called

Jet�

(French jet�: �thrown�), ballet leap in which the weight of the dancer is transferred from one foot to the other. The dancer �throws� one leg to the front, side, or back and holds the other leg in any desired position upon landing. Among the commonly seen forms of this step are the jet� battu, in which the legs are crossed in the air before the descent; the grand jet�, a broad,