The Soviet Union was the first of Europe's multiethnic states to confront the rising tide of nationalism by systematically promoting the national consciousness of its ethnic minorities and establishing for them many of the institutional forms characteristic of the modern nation-state. In the 1920s, the Bolshevik government, seeking to defuse nationalist sentiment, created tens of thousands of national territories. It trained new national leaders, established national languages, and financed the production of national-language cultural products.This was a massive and fascinating historical...

Woodturning is as popular as ever -- a constantly growing segement in the woodworking world and one of the most wide-reaching woodcrafts among artists and hands-on crafters. It s appeal is based on the short learning curve, the minimal equipment, and the sheer joy of learning to make something out of wood with one s own hands. But, unlike a lot of crafts that rely on individuality and creative thinking, the initial techniques of woodturning must be mastered. While at first liberating, these same techniques can eventually be confining because in mastering them, one must follow the lead of...