Nepalganj
Also spelled �Nepalgunj, � town, southwestern Nepal. It is situated in the Tarai, a low, fertile plain northeast of Nanpara, India. Nepalganj is a trading centre for rice, wheat, corn (maize), oilseeds, and hides produced in the surrounding area. The largest town in western Nepal, it is 4 miles (6 km) from a railway terminus across the border in India. It also has road connections to villages to the west and to a nearby
Saint Bernard
Working dog credited with saving the lives of some 2,500 people in 300 years of service as pathfinder and rescue dog at the hospice founded by St. Bernard of Montjoux in Great St. Bernard Pass in the Pennine Alps. Probably descended from mastifflike dogs that were introduced from Asia to Europe by the Romans, the St. Bernard appears to have been brought to the hospice in the late
Romanche Gap
The Romanche Gap is one of the
Ha-mi
Pinyin �Hami�, Uighur �Qomul� city and oasis in eastern Uighur autonomous ch'� (region) of Sinkiang, China. An important stage on the roads from Kansu province into Central Asia and to the west, Ha-mi was known to the Chinese in early times as I-wu, the name Ha-mi being the Chinese rendering of the Mongolian version (Khamil) of the Uighur name for the city. The Chinese occupied the oasis in early times, when
Ayckbourn, Alan
Successful and prolific British playwright, whose works - mostly farces and comedies - deal with marital and class conflicts and point up the fears and weaknesses of the English lower-middle class. He wrote more than 50 plays and other entertainments, most of which were first staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round in Scarborough,
Medicine
George Rosen, The Structure of American Medical Practice, 1875 - 1941 (1983), is a historical study. Particular kinds of medical practice are explored in Wesley Fabb and John Fry (eds.), Principles of Practice Management in Primary Care (1984); Sir Douglas Black et al., Inequalities in Health: The Black Report, edited by Peter Townsend and Nick Davidson (1982); David Sanders and Richard Carver, The Struggle for Health: Medicine and the Politics of Underdevelopment (1985); and V. Djukanovic and E.P. Mach (eds.), Alternative Approaches to Meeting Basic Health Needs in Developing Countries: A Joint UNICEF/WHO Study (1975). Also see the articles of such journals as Private Practice (monthly) and Modern Healthcare (semimonthly). For a view of alternative medicine, see Douglas Stalker and Clark Glymour (eds.), Examining Holistic Medicine (1985); and Richard Grossman, The Other Medicines (1985). The variety of roles in the health-care profession are the subject of Louise Simmers, Diversified Health Occupations (1983); C. Wesley Eisele, William R. Fifer, and Toma C. Wilson, The Medical Staff and the Modern Hospital (1985); and Eli Ginzberg (ed.), From Physician Shortage to Patient Shortage: The Uncertain Future of Medical Practice (1986).
John George Iv
At the beginning of his reign his chief adviser was Hans Adam von Sch�ning (1641 - 96), who counselled a union between Saxony and Brandenburg and a more independent attitude toward the emperor Leopold I. In accordance with this advice certain proposals were put before Leopold to which he refused to agree; consequently the
Kordofanian Languages
A branch of the Niger-Congo language family that is geographically separated from the rest of the Niger-Congo languages and is believed to represent the oldest layer of languages in the region. The Kordofanian branch consists of some 20 languages spoken by 250,000 to 500,000 people, mainly in the Nuba Hills of central Sudan. Kordofanian is divided into four main groups of languages:
Ben-gurion, David
Zionist statesman and political leader, the first prime minister (1948 - 53, 1955 - 63) and defense minister (1948 - 53; 1955 - 63) of Israel. It was Ben-Gurion who, on May 14, 1948, at Tel Aviv, delivered Israel's declaration of independence. His charismatic personality won him the adoration of the masses, and, after his retirement
Kubera
In Hindu mythology, the king of the yaksas (nature spirits) and the god of wealth. He is associated with the earth, mountains, all treasures such as minerals and jewels that lie underground, and riches in general. According to most accounts he first lived in Lanka (Sri Lanka), but his palace was taken away from him by his half brother, Ravana, and he now resides in a beautiful mountain
Stranitzky, Joseph Anton
Stranitzky began his career as an itinerant puppeteer. After his arrival in Vienna (c. 1705) he formed his own company, which performed burlesques and farces in German, often based on Italian libretti. By 1711 he and his troupe had become
Costa Alegre, Caetano Da
Costa Alegre was born into a creole family but moved in 1882 to Portugal, where he enrolled in the Medical School of Lisbon. Before he could graduate and
Caldas
Departamento, west-central Colombia. It is situated in the Cordillera Central of the Andes Mountains and is bounded by the Magdalena River on the east and the Cauca River on the west. Penetrated by Spaniards early in the 16th century, Caldas gained prominence as a gold-mining region. It was created a department in 1905. Coffee is the chief product, but other agricultural products
Earthfill Dam
Also called �Earth Dam, or Embankment Dam, � dam built up by compacting successive layers of earth, using the most impervious materials to form a core and placing more permeable substances on the upstream and downstream sides. A facing of crushed stone prevents erosion by wind or rain, and an ample spillway, usually of concrete, protects against catastrophic washout should the water overtop the dam.
Insurance, Sue and labour clause
The sue and labour clause requires the ship owner to make every attempt to reduce or save the exposed interests from loss. Under the terms of the clause, the insurer pays for any necessary costs incurred in carrying out the requirements of the sue and labour clause. Thus, if a ship is stranded, under the sue and labour clause the hull owner would be required to hire salvors
Iberia
In full �Compa��a Mercantil An�nima Iberia (Spanish: �Iberia Commercial Limited-Liability Company�)� Spanish airline created by law on June 7, 1940, and given rights to the air transport of persons and cargo within Spain. It took control of a privately owned company established in 1937, which in turn had revived the name of a company called Iberia, Compa��a A�rea de Transportes, founded June 28, 1927; the current name was adopted in 1941. Iberia was nationalized in 1944, but in the late 1990s the Spanish
Yemen
A republic of the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has coastlines on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea. Area: 555,000 sq km (214,300 sq mi), including the undemarcated area bordered by Saudi Arabia and claimed by Yemen. Pop. (1996 est.): 16.6 million. Cap.: San'a`. Monetary unit: Yemen Rial, with (Oct. 11, 1996) a free rate of YRls 100 to U.S. $1 (YRls 157.53 = �1 sterling). President in 1996, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdallah Salih; prime minister,
Xavier, Saint Francis
After all the members of the band had completed their studies, they reassembled in Venice, where Xavier was ordained priest on June 24, 1537. Having for more than a year sought passage to the Holy Land in vain, the seven, along with fresh recruits, went to Rome to put themselves at the disposal of the Pope. Meanwhile, as a result of their preaching and care of the sick throughout central
Abel
In the Old Testament, second son of Adam and Eve, who was slain by his older brother, Cain (Genesis 4:1 - 16). According to Genesis, Abel, a shepherd, offered the Lord the firstborn of his flock. The Lord respected Abel's sacrifice but did not respect that offered by Cain. In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel. Cain then became a fugitive because his brother's innocent blood put a curse
Switzerland
With political maneuvering for the next general elections--scheduled
Murdoch, James Edward
After performing with amateur groups in Philadelphia, Murdoch made his successful debut at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, in Lovers' Vows by August von Kotzebue. Following an unsalaried season with the company, he traveled about North America, playing with
Ancient Italic People, The populations of the Picenum
In historic times, expansion of the eastern Italic peoples placed them firmly along the Adriatic coastal tract corresponding to what is now the Marches region. Epigraphic and archaeological data give evidence also of the presence in the Picenum (an ancient region between the Apennines and the Adriatic) of the trans-Adriatic Liburni and the pre-Indo-European Asili.
Ahom
Tribe that ruled much of Assam from the 13th century until the establishment of British rule in 1838. Their power in Assam reached its peak during the reign of King Rudra Singh (1696 - 1714). They originated in the Chinese province of Yunnan and began migrating into Indochina and northern Myanmar (Burma) in the first centuries AD. Their original language is now extinct, and they speak Assamese.
Sea Hen
Fish, a species of lumpsucker (q.v.).
Celaya
City, south-central Guanajuato estado (�state�), north-central Mexico. It is in the fertile Baj�o region on the Mexican Plateau, 2.5 miles (4 km) north of the Laja River and 5,774 feet (1,760 m) above sea level. Founded as Pur�sima Concepci�n de Celaya in 1571, the city played an important role in 19th-century Mexican history when it changed hands several times during Mexico's struggle for independence
Beneden, Edouard (joseph Louis-marie) Van
During his early years, van Beneden worked with his father, P.J. van Beneden, a professor of zoology at the Catholic University in Louvain, who was noted for his studies on protozoans,
Aur�
Latin �Aurasius Mons, � mountains, part of the Saharan Atlas in northeastern Algeria, northern Africa, fronted by rugged cliffs in the north and opening out in the south into the two parallel fertile valleys of the wadies Abiod and 'Abdi, facing the Sahara. The highest peaks, which are snowcapped during winter, include Mount Ch�lia (7,638 feet [2,328 m]), the highest point in northern Algeria, and Mount Mahmel
Music, Opera.
The Finnish National Opera opened a new house in Helsinki, and the Op�ra de Lyon (France) inaugurated a bold new home set within and above the walls of an 1831 theatre. With Glyndebourne's theatre under construction, the British company's productions were transferred to the Royal Festival Hall in London and the new Symphony Hall in Birmingham. The Metropolitan Opera in
Atkinson, Sir Harry
Atkinson left England for Taranaki province, N.Z., in 1853 and attained distinction as a soldier in the wars of 1860 and 1863 against the native Maoris. As minister of defense (1864 - 65) in the administration
