China clay, or kaolin, is usually mined from pits like this, for making pottery, or china, as well as other things such as plastics. To make porcelain (the finest kind of china) it is fused with china stone, or petuntse, at very high temperature.
Read More »Dr. D Ashish
Dr. D Ashish — Kolkata, the City of Joy, is also the city that houses the sick, the starved and the homeless. But they aren’t the only ones scouring the slums and shanties of this metropolis. At least twice a week you might just bump into D Ashish and his troupe of volunteers walking through the streets collecting medicines which …
Read More »When was chicory first used in coffee?
Chicory was first roasted and used in coffee in Holland around 1750. It soon became a popular replacement for coffee. By 1785, James Bowdoin, the governor of Massachusetts, had introduced it to US. In 1806, Napoleon attempted to make France completely self-sufficient by using as a substitute. While this did not last long, the French continued to use chicory to …
Read More »What’s a sevillana dress?
The sevillana dress is worn by artistes who perform sevillana, a colourful and exciting style of song and dance that originated in Castile, Spain. It is a variation of a style of dance known as the seguidilla. It is performed to a strict 3/4 rhythm by pairs or groups of people. This style of dance is performed at fiestas of …
Read More »Dr. Avtar Singh Paintal
Dr. Avtar Singh Paintal M.D., Ph.D. (September 24, 1925 in Mogok, Burma – December 21, 2004 in Delhi, India) was a medical scientist who has made pioneering discoveries in the area of neurosciences and respiratory sciences. When people, whether young or old, climb a mountain, they are easily tired. If they still over exert themselves, breathlessness overcomes them and they …
Read More »What was Renoir’s style of painting?
Renoir’s style was impressionist. He delighted in the effect of sunshine filtering through trees, dappling revellers in its light. Near the end of his life, Renoir finally found a style which was a combination of impressionism and the older styles. Renoir was one of the co-founders of impressionism, a style in quick brush strokes are employed. His paintings are notable …
Read More »Dola Banerjee
Dola Banerjee is an Indian Archer, and is considered to be one of the best female Archers India has ever produced. Also, she has to her credit the honor of being the first female Archer who has been bestowed upon the Arjuna Award. Early Life She was born on the 2nd of June 1980 at Baranagar, near Kolkata, West Bengal …
Read More »What is the Snow White Project?
Installation artist Catherine Bay obviously feels rather strongly about consumerism. In her recent work, the Snow White Project, currently on display in New York, she makes a grand statement against it by showcasing several avatars of the fairytale character Snow White. They are clad in various costumes and hold placards proclaiming ‘I Am An Everyday Consumer Product” and ‘My Life …
Read More »Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks — Natalie Maines’ 15 words can’t top George Bush’s 16—the ones about uranium in Niger—for political effect. But when the Dixie Chicks played London in 2003, 10 days before the Iraq invasion, and Maines said, “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas,” the tremors in the conservative country music scene …
Read More »What is the origin of the term ‘The Whole Nine Yards’?
This phrase origins has several interpretations. Some popular ones are as follows: nine yards probably refers to the amount of cloth / material needed to make a wedding dress or bridal train, a man’s three piece suit or a burial shroud. Also, the term, perhaps, comes from from World War II pilots who wanted to be sure that they were …
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