List of projects of the Belt and Road Initiative

China's signature international program is the Belt and Road Initiative. According to New China TV, as of January 2021 cooperation documents have been signed with or projects undertaken in 171 countries and international organisations. The BRI, which launched in September 2013, is Xi Jinping's "grand political-economic project". It affects three-quarters of the known energy reserves in the world.
Africa.
As of April 2020, China's official Belt and Road website lists 42 African countries who have signed onto an agreement or understanding with the One Belt One Road initiative. Africa is considered a key part of China's One Belt One Road efforts, due to its potential for rails, roads, and energy. Many African countries are also in need of better infrastructure, which is still seen as a major barrier to development in the region. In 2018, only 40 percent of Africans had access to electricity, 33 percent had access to paved roads, and 5 percent of agricultural land was irrigated. China began many of its investment activities in the East Africa region, given its access to ports and need for rails and roads, but initiatives have since branched out to numerous projects across the continent. Major road infrastructure projects stretch to south and north Africa, such as Mozambique's Maputo–Katembe bridge and Algeria's Cherchell Ring Expressway Project. Belt and Road projects in Africa focus generally on transport and power but include variation within, from international rail and expressways, seaports, hydropower to carbon-based power, water supply and sanitation, and many other programs.
Subsequently, China's investments in the region have also risen significantly since the beginning of 2000, with total spending from the Chinese government and companies reaching US$6 billion in 2014. China is now the largest funder of infrastructure projects in Africa, financially backing around a fifth of all projects and constructing a third of them. A McKinsey & Company report estimates that more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operate in Africa, with about 90 percent privately owned. Numerous studies have shown that Chinese investment has had a positive effect on Africa, though growing debt has led to some states slightly pulling back on their plans. According to the Johns Hopkins China Africa Research Initiative, East African countries alone have borrowed more than $29 billion from China for various projects. Some countries like Djibouti, Kenya, and Uganda have issued warnings over the ballooning debt, following the case of the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port transfer in Sri Lanka.
To build many of the construction projects, China has sent a large number of Chinese workers to developing countries. However, this has become a point of controversy especially in Africa, as high unemployment rates continue to hurt the large young population. Aside from economic activities, China has also shaped the Belt and Road as an opportunity to build cultural ties between Africa and China.
Djibouti.
Djibouti, a remote country at the Horn of Africa, is at the heart of China's multibillion-dollar "Belt and Road Initiative", supporting Beijing's juggling of commercial and military objectives amid Western suspicions about its motives. Djibouti's Doraleh Multi-purpose Port, the Hassan Gouled Aptidon International Airport, and Ahmed Dini Admed International Airpot in Obock were built with about US$596 million in support from China. In total, the Export-Import Bank of China has lent approximately US$1 billion to Djibouti, funding nearly 40 percent of Djibouti's substantial infrastructure and investment projects.
Due to the Belt and Road initiative, Ethiopia and Djibouti are now bridged through the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and Ethiopia-Djibouti Water Pipeline.
China's economic relations with Djibouti have extended to increased military involvement in the Horn of Africa region. Among the numerous Djibouti infrastructure projects, China built a military base and has deployed ships from its South Sea Fleet. Djibouti's base is a sign of China's growing naval presence across the globe. Meanwhile, China has argued that its anti-piracy missions from the Djibouti base has increased its capacity to support One Belt One Road projects.
Egypt.
Egypt has traditionally had a very strong relationship with China, so when China first announced its Belt and Road Initiative, Egypt was one of the first countries to sign onto the agreement. Following the instability from the 2011 Arab Spring protests, China was one of few countries willing to provide loans and financial support to Egypt. Since, China has introduced a number of projects including a Chinese industrial zone in the Gulf of Suez, an electric train system for its new capital, and investments in the Western Sahara. Egypt's New Administrative Capital is also a landmark for the Belt and Road Initiative. From 2015 to 2017, Egypt borrowed US$1.03 billion from China to finance various infrastructure projects. The same time period brought in around 1,900 workers from China to work on construction.
The scale of China's projects and consistent Belt and Road activity has also strengthened diplomatic ties between Egypt and China. President Xi Jinping and President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi have praised one another repeatedly for their efforts in the One Belt One Road initiative, and emphasized their shared history of ancient civilizations and infrastructure. Egypt is seen as a vital part of China's One Belt One Road initiative, due to its geographical position and close diplomatic relationship. In 2018, a Chinese consortium that included Shanghai Electric and Dongfang Electric won a tender for a 6,000 megawatt coal-fired electricity-generating plant in Hamrawein, on the Red Sea, with a bid of $4.4 billion. In February 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Egypt postponed indefinitely China-funded construction of the power plant at Hamrawein.
Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's Eastern Industrial Zone is a manufacturing hub outside Addis Ababa that was built by China and occupied by factories of Chinese manufacturers. According to Chinese media and the vice director of the industrial zone, there were 83 companies resident within the zone, of which 56 had started production. However, a study in "Geoforum" noted that the EIZ has yet to serve as a catalyst for Ethiopia's overall economic development due to many factors including poor infrastructure outside the zone. Discrepancies between the two countries' industries also mean that Ethiopia cannot benefit from direct technological transfer and innovation.
From October 2011 to February 2012, Chinese companies were contracted to supersede the century-old Ethio-Djibouti Railways by constructing a new electric standard gauge Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway. The new railway line, stretching more than and travelling at , shortens the journey time between Addis Ababa and Djibouti from three days to about 12 hours. The first freight service began in November 2015 and passenger service followed in October 2016. On China–Ethiopia cooperation on international affairs, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and Ethiopia are both developing countries, and both countries are faced with a complicated international environment. He stated that the partnership will be a model at the forefront of developing China–Africa relations.
Kenya.
In May 2014, Premier Li Keqiang signed a cooperation agreement with the Kenyan government to build the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway connecting Mombasa to Nairobi. The railway cost US$3.2bn and was Kenya's biggest infrastructure project since independence. The railway was claimed to cut the journey time from Mombasa to Nairobi from 9 hours by bus or 12 hours on the previous railway to 4.5 hours. In May 2017, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called the 470 km railway a new chapter that "would begin to reshape the story of Kenya for the next 100 years". The project is seen as President Kenyatta's legacy project According to Kenya Railways Corporation, the railway carried 1.3 million Kenyans with a 96.7% seat occupancy and 600,000 tons of cargo in its first year of operation. Chinese media claim that the railway line boosted the country's GDP by 1.5% and created 46,000 jobs for locals and trained 1,600 railway professionals. However, in 2019, China suddenly stopped funding of its railway, about 75 miles short of Nairobi. Cease in funding came rather surprisingly, but may be attributed to rising concerns globally that "Belt and Road was loading poorer nations with unsustainable debt. Xi signaled in April that Beijing would exert more control over projects and tighten oversight."
Nigeria.
On 12 January 2019, Nigeria's first standard gauge railway, which has been successfully operated for 900 days, had no major accidents since its inception. With the successful completion of the railway construction by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), the Abuja Kaduna train service began commercial operation on 27 July 2016. The Abuja-Kaduna railway line is one of the first standard gauge railroad railway modernization projects (SGRMP) in Nigeria. This is the first part of the Lagos-Kano standard metrics project, which will connect the business centres of Nigeria with the economic activity centres of the northwestern part of the country.
In a resolution of the Johannesburg Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in 2015, the Chinese government promised to provide satellite television to 10,000 African villages. It is reported that each of the 1,000 selected villages in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, will receive two sets of solar projection television systems and a set of solar 32-inch digital TV integrated terminal systems. A total of 20,000 Nigerian rural families will benefit from the project. Kpaduma, an underdeveloped rural community on the edge of the Nigerian capital of Abuja, is familiar with analog TV and has no chance to see the satellite TV channels enjoyed by people in Nigerian towns. The implementation of the project will create more jobs, 1,000 Nigerians in selected villages have received training on how to install, recharge and operate satellite TV systems.
Sudan.
In Sudan, China has helped the country establish its oil industry and provided agricultural assistance for the cotton industry.
Future plans include developing railways, roads, ports, a nuclear power station, solar power farms and more dams for irrigation and electricity generation.
Uganda.
In Uganda, Chinese companies have financed two major hydroelectricity projects, the Karuma Hydropower Project and Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station. The Export-Import Bank of China granted loans that covered approximately 85% of funding for both projects, while the government of Uganda provided the remaining 15 percent. Uganda also borrowed $350 million to build the Entebbe–Kampala Expressway, the terms of which include 20 years with a 7 years grace period and 2% fixed interest rate. More recently in 2020, Uganda announced it would be borrowing another US$118 million for roads, part of an oil production project that Uganda has looked to kickoff for the past few years.
Diplomatically, President Museveni has praised China for its willingness to fund projects with "no strings attached", allowing Museveni to take on a number of projects for the first time in his three-decade term. China's Ambassador Zheng Zhuqian also reaffirmed the relationship with Uganda, remarking that China "firmly supports the Ugandan exploration for a development path with Ugandan characteristics." However, critics warn over Uganda's burgeoning debt, which was at $10 billion in 2018 and a third of which is owed to China.
Europe.
Freight train services between China and Europe were initiated in March 2011. The service's first freight route linked China to Tehran. The China–Britain route was launched in January 2017. , the network had expanded to cover 48 Chinese cities and 42 European destinations, delivering goods between China and Europe. The 10,000th trip was completed on 26 August 2018 with the arrival of freight train X8044 in Wuhan, China from Hamburg, Germany. The network was further extended southward to Vietnam in March 2018.
Poland.
Poland was one of the first European countries to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with China about the BRI in 2015. Poland's President Duda said that he hopes Poland will become a gateway to Europe for China.
Greece.
The foreign ministers of China and Greece signed a memorandum of understanding related to further cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative on 29 August 2018. COSCO revitalized and currently runs the Port of Piraeus. Both China and Greece see each other as natural allies in developing the Belt & Road", Chinese leader Xi Jinping said at the start of a state visit aimed at deepening cooperation with Greece across the board, adding his desire to "keep the momentum going" and "reinforce" bilateral relations
Portugal.
During president Xi's visit to Lisbon in December 2018, the Southern European nation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China.
Italy.
In March 2019, Italy became the first G7 Nation to join China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Austria.
During a visit of Chancellor Kurz to China in April 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Austria's cooperation in the BRI project. According to Kurz, Austria "support[s] the One Belt One Road initiative and [is] trying to forge a close economic cooperation [with China]. Austria has know-how and expertise to offer in many areas where China is looking for the same".
Luxembourg.
On 27 March 2019, Luxembourg signed an agreement with China to cooperate on Belt and Road Initiative.
Switzerland.
On 29 April 2019, during his visit to Beijing, Swiss President Ueli Maurer signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Caucasus.
Armenia.
On 4 April 2019, the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received a delegation led by Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairwoman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee of China in Yerevan, Armenia. President Sarkissian stated that Armenia and China are ancient countries with centuries-old tradition of cooperation since the existence of the Silk Road. The President noted the development of cooperation in the 21st century in the sidelines of the One Belt One Road program initiated by the top leadership of China and stated that "It’s time for Armenia to become part of the new Silk Road".
Azerbaijan.
On 25–27 April 2019, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing, China. A delegation led by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the Forum. The event brought together heads of governments from 37 countries, including Azerbaijan, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Austria, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Singapore, the UAE, and others, as well as heads of international organizations. In his speech, the President Ilham Aliyev stated that, "From the very beginning Azerbaijan supported the Belt and Road initiative put forward by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This initiative not only provides transportation of productivity, it strengthens ties between different countries, serve the course of dialogue and cooperation, creates new opportunities for international trade."
The creation of modern infrastructure is one of the priorities for Azerbaijan and will foster the flow of international trade by building bridges between Europe and Asia. Among these notable infrastructure projects are Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Baku International Sea Trade Port (the Port of Baku) that play an important role in transportation in Eurasia. Currently, the Port of Baku has the capacity to handle 15 million tons of cargo, including 100000 TEU, which will grow to 25 million tons of cargo and 500000 TEU in the future. By investing in modern transportation and logistics infrastructure Azerbaijan not only transforms itself into an important transportation hub but also contributes to the cooperation with countries involved in east–west and North-South Corridors.
Georgia.
On 25 April 2019, the Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Georgia Maya Tskitishvili stated that, "One Belt-One Road initiative is important for Georgia and the country is actively involved in its development." She also noted that Georgia was among the first countries who signed the memorandum for developing the 'One Belt-One Road' initiative in March 2015.
Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.
On 26 April 2019, the leaders of Russia and China called their countries "good friends" and vowed to work together in pursuing greater economic integration of Eurasia. On the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China's paramount leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin pledged to further strengthen economic and trade cooperation between the two sides. Vladimir Putin further stated that, "countries gathering under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union share long-term strategic interests of peace and growth".
In June 2019, Xi and Putin stated they were committed to the concept of building the "Great Eurasian Partnership". That took the form of Xi stating that he had agreed with Putin to link the Eurasian Economic Union with China's Belt & Road Initiative.
The China–Belarus Industrial Park is a special economic zone established in Smolevichy, Minsk in 2013. According to the park's chief administrator, 36 international companies have settled in the park as of August 2018. Chinese media said the park will create 6,000 jobs and become a real city with 10,000 residents by 2020.
Asia.
Central Asia.
The five countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – are an important part of the land route of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Central Asia Data-Gathering and Analysis Team has identified 261 BRI projects within Central Asian nations with a minimum investment totaling more than US$136 million.
As of April 2019, Kazakhstan invested about $30 billion on infrastructure development, transport and logistics assets and competence as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Due to Kazakhstan's infrastructure modernization, The Western Europe – Western China intercontinental highway now connects Europe and China through Russia and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan stands to receive a potential $5 billion annually in transit fees from goods moving through it to other markets.
In Kyrgyzstan, 2011–2017 BRI projects total committed funds is equal to US$4.1 billion. Employment created from established companies is not significant, making up only 0.1–0.3% of total employment in the country, just several thousand jobs. The weight of debt repayment for BRI projects will not be felt until the 2020s, because of the grace periods on most loans ranging from 5–11 years. Kyrgyzstan has the potential to benefit greatly from BRI; If tax legislation is handled well, particularly in manufacturing and transit projects, then revenue will be high.
“From the perspective of Uzbekistan, the BRI could help open the corridor to the Persian Gulf, enabling expansion of commercial and trade routes for the country." Exporting Uzbek goods to more regions is a highly attractive incentive for Uzbekistan. At the First Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing May 2017 both presidents, Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Xi Jinping of China, spoke positively of future collaboration in BRI advancement. During those meetings, the "two countries signed 115 deals worth more $23 billion on enhancing their cooperation in electrical power, oil production, chemicals, architecture, textiles, pharmaceutical engineering, transportation, infrastructure and agriculture." In 2019 Uzbekistan established a new government group in charge of aligning their own country's development plan with China's BRI ambitions. China is Uzbekistan's largest trade partner (both in imports and exports) and has more than 1500 Chinese businesses within its territory. In 2018, "China-Uzbekistan trade surged 48.4 percent year-on-year, reaching 6.26 billion U.S. dollars."
“BRI projects in Tajikistan range from roads and railways to pipelines and power plants, even including traffic cameras." In 2018, "Tajikistan paid a Chinese company building a power plant with a gold mine; a few years earlier it swapped Beijing some land for debt."
Turkmenistan in most regards has been closed off to the world. However, Turkmenistan, because of a desire to see infrastructure and energy projects move ahead, is increasingly opening itself to the world. Turkmenistan doesn't have the capabilities of seeing many of its projects come to fruition on its own. In June 2016, Gurbanguly, Turkmenistan's president, approached Xi Jinping to discuss his desire to become more involved in BRI and seeing previously planned projects completed and or expanded. These projects include the Turkmenistan's and China gas pipeline (with four lines, the fourth forthcoming), The International North-South transportation corridor (which provides railway connections between Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, with another line connecting China to Iran via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan), The Lapis Lazuli international transit corridor (rail connecting Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey), and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project.
Hong Kong.
During his 2016 policy address, Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying's announced his intention of setting up a Maritime Authority aimed at strengthening Hong Kong's maritime logistics in line with Beijing's economic policy. Leung mentioned "One Belt, One Road" no fewer than 48 times during the policy address, but details were scant.
Indonesia.
In 2016, China Railway International won a bid to build Indonesia's first high-speed rail, the Jakarta–Bandung High Speed Rail. It will shorten the journey time between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to forty minutes The project, initially scheduled for completion in 2019, was delayed by land clearance issues. 2000 locals are working on the project.
Laos.
In Laos, construction of the Vientiane–Boten Railway began on 25 December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in 2021. It is China's first overseas railway project that will connect to China's railway network. Once operational, the Laos–China Railway will be Laos' longest and connect with Thailand to become part of the proposed Kunming–Singapore railway, extending from the Chinese city of Kunming and running through Thailand and Laos to terminate at Singapore. It is estimated to cost US$5.95 billion with 70% of the railway owned by China, while Laos's remaining 30% stake will be mostly financed by loans from China. However, it faces opposition within Laos due to the high cost of the project.
Maldives.
Maldives undertook a number of China funded projects under the Presidency of Abdullah Yameen (2013–18), including the China Maldives Friendship Bridge, The Velana International Airport and the artificial island of Hulhulmale. Many of these investments were made without adequate disclosures to the public on their cost and other terms. Under President Yameen, Maldives also amended its constitution to allow foreigners to own land in the archipelago – following which the island of Feydhoo Finholu was taken up on a long-term lease by a Chinese company.
Malaysia.
Under the Premiership of Najib Razak, Malaysia signed multiple investment deals with China, including a US$27 billion East Coast Rail Link project, pipeline projects worth more than $3.1 billion, as well as a $100 billion Forest City in Johor. During the 2018 Malaysian general election, then-opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad expressed disapproval of Chinese investment in Malaysia, comparing it to selling off the country to foreigners. Upon election as Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir labelled the China-funded projects as "unfair" deals authorized by former prime minister Najib Razak and would leave Malaysia "indebted" to China. As was argued by Kit Wei Zheng of Citibank, he believed that the projects were likely to have been driven more by China's geopolitical interests than by the profit motive, such that China would have access to the Straits of Malacca.
In August 2018, at the end of an official visit to China, Mahathir cancelled the East Coast Rail Link project and two other pipeline projects that had been awarded to the China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau. These had been linked to corruption at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, citing a need to reduce debt incurred by the previous government.
In addition, Mahathir also threatened to deny foreign buyers a long-stay visa, prompting a clarification by Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin and the Prime Minister's Office.
The project undergo negotiations for several months and close to be cancelled off. After rounds of negotiation and diplomatic mission, the ECRL project is resumed after Malaysia and China agreed to continue the project with reduced cost of RM 44 billion (US$10.68 billion) from the original of RM 65.5 billion.
Pakistan.
The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor is a major Belt and Road Initiative project encompassing investments in transport, energy and maritime infrastructure.
As Belt and Road News reported Pakistan’s Orange Line Metro Train Project in the Country’s Eastern City of Lahore under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), was completed and delivered to Pakistan on October 11, 2020.
Sri Lanka.
China's main investment in Sri Lanka was the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, mostly funded by the Chinese government and built by two Chinese companies. It claims to be the largest port in Sri Lanka after the Port of Colombo and the "biggest port constructed on land to date in the country". It was initially intended to be owned by the Government of Sri Lanka and operated by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, however it incurred heavy operational losses and the Sri Lankan government was unable to service the debt to China. In a debt restructuring plan on 9 December 2017, 70% of the port was leased and port operations were handed over to China for 99 years, The deal gave the Sri Lankan government $1.4 billion, that they will be using to pay off the debt to China. This led to accusations that China was practicing debt-trap diplomacy.
The port's strategic location and subsequent ownership spurred concern over China's growing economic footprint in the Indian Ocean and speculation that it could be used as a naval base. The Sri Lankan government promised that it was intended "purely for civilian use".
Colombo International Financial City built on land reclaimed from the Indian Ocean and funded with $1.4bn in Chinese investment is a special financial zone and another major Chinese investment in Sri Lanka.
Thailand.
In Thailand in 2005, the Chinese pharmaceutical company, Holley Group, and the Thai industrial estate developer, Amata Group, signed an agreement to develop the Thai–Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone. Since 2012, Chinese companies have also opened solar, rubber, and industrial manufacturing plants in the zone, and the zone expects the number to increase to 500 by 2021. Chinese media have attributed this to Thailand's zero tax incentives on land use and export products as well as favorable labor costs, and claimed that the zone had created more than 3000 local jobs.
In December 2017, China and Thailand began the construction of a high-speed railway that links the cities of Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, which will be extended to Nong Khai to connect with Laos, as part of the planned Kunming–Singapore railway. The first high-speed rail rail station in Thailand should be complete in 2021, with lines to enter service in 2024.
Progress on the high-speed line has stuttered for several years with Thai authorities uneasy over the high-interest rates charged by Chinese financing, the track design and even the need for the scheme. In September 2020 the Thai cabinet released a fresh portion of US$380 million cash to purchase Chinese-made bullet trains and tracks. After years of stuttering progress on a 250 km high-speed rail link, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed a deal in Bangkok in October 2020.
Turkey.
A "Memorandum of Understanding on Aligning the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor Initiative” was signed between Turkey and China in November 2015 during the G-20 Leaders Summit in Antalya, Turkey.
in his 2019 visit to China, President Erdogan reaffirmed his high support for the development of the BRI and asked to increase trade volume, referring to the fact that the volume of trade between the two countries reached $50 billion in the first phase, and in the second phase $100 billion in other goals. Thanks to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway being integrated with Edirne-Kars high-speed train, projects with China will be able to transport their goods to Europe much sooner.
Americas.
Panama was the first to sign BRI agreements, followed by Bolivia, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. Newer additions include: Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, and Suriname.
Panama.
Since late 2018, China is the biggest user of the Panama Canal for importing and exporting goods using the Belt and Road Initiative. The country of Panama links Central and South America for exporting Chinese goods.
Argentina.
The Argentine-China Joint Hydropower Project will build two dams on the Santa Cruz River in southern Argentina: Condor Cliff and La Barrancosa. The China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) will be responsible for the project, which is expected to provide 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs in the country. It will generate 4,950 MWh of electricity, reducing the dependence on fossil fuels.
Barbados.
On 21 February 2019, Barbados signed a memorandum of understanding for Barbados to join the BRI.
Jamaica.
On 11 April 2019, Jamaica and China signed a memorandum of understanding for Jamaica to join the BRI.
Venezuela.
Although not technically in the BRI, in 2001 Venezuela became the first country in South America to sign an agreement with China it termed "strategic development partnership". As of January 2019, the list totals 790 projects. Loans from China to Venezuela reached at least $50 billion by 2017, or one-third of the Chinese Development Bank investment in the continent. Along with the money came 500,000 Chinese citizens. Chinese geologists have mapped and prospected just under 1,000,000 square kilometres of Venezuelan land. The Chinese covet the Thorium deposits for their planned global constellation of nuclear reactors.


Edward Gawler Prior

Edward Gawler Prior, (May 21, 1853 – December 12, 1920) was a mining engineer and politician in British Columbia.
Early life.
Prior was born in Dallowgill, Yorkshire, England and worked as a mining engineer in England until 1873. He then moved to British Columbia, where he settled in Nanaimo and took employment as assistant manager of the Vancouver Coal Mining & Land Co., Ltd. In 1878 he resigned and was appointed Inspector of Mines for the British Columbia government. He left that position and went into business as an iron and hardware merchant in 1880.
Political career.
Prior was first elected to the provincial legislature in 1886. In 1888, Prior won a seat in the House of Commons of Canada as a Conservative. From December 1895 to July 1896 and 1897 Prior served as Controller of Inland Revenue in the cabinets of Prime Minister Sir Mackenzie Bowell and his successor Sir Charles Tupper.
He lost his seat in 1901 due to violations of election rules. He moved to provincial politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1902 becoming minister of mines. In 1902 he became the 15th premier leading the province's last non-partisan administration but was dismissed by the lieutenant governor in 1903 due to charges of conflict of interest that involved giving an important construction contract to his own hardware business, and did not run in the subsequent 1903 general election. He was defeated in 1904 in an attempt to return to the federal House of Commons.
Prior was appointed the 11th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia in 1919 but became ill and died in office within a year of his appointment. Edward Gawler Prior is interred in the Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, British Columbia.
Prior was the last Canadian premier to be dismissed by a lieutenant-governor, (though William Aberhart, Premier of Alberta, was nearly so in 1937).


Doug Irwin

Doug Irwin is a luthier, best known as the designer of 5 custom guitars for Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. The guitars he built for Garcia included
Eagle (Alembic),
Wolf,
Tiger,
Wolf Jr. (headless) and
Rosebud.
Doug also built more than 50 other guitars and basses including a bass for Pete Sears and a bass for Phil Lesh. Two other guitars are documented as being built by Irwin: Rosewood and a Les Paul type guitar. These two guitars appear in the one and only D. Irwin Guitar Company sales brochure.
After the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, Jerry's will directed that his Irwin-made guitars be returned to Doug Irwin. After a legal battle with the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, the parties settled and agreed that Doug would receive "Wolf" and "Tiger" and GD Productions would keep "Rosebud" and "Wolf Jr." (Wolf Jr. is sometimes referred to as "headless" and was never played by Jerry in concert). In the agreement Doug was to sell Tiger and Wolf at auction. Wolf went for $789,500 including the buyer's premium, Tiger sold for $957,500 including the buyer's premium. It is believed that at the time, Tiger's price was the highest ever paid for a guitar at auction.
Eagle, the first guitar that Doug Irwin built under his own name, and the first Irwin guitar purchased by Jerry Garcia was auctioned via Bonhams on May 8, 2007 for $186,000, inclusive of the buyer's premium.
External Website.
Official Website


George Lowden

George Lowden is a luthier based in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. He constructs steel and nylon string acoustic guitars by hand without any UV finishing as well as solid-body electric guitars.
Early life.
George Lowden was born in Bangor, Northern Ireland in 1952. He made his first guitar at the age of 10.
Company.
Lowden founded George Lowden Guitars in 1974 at the age of 22 and soon completed Lowden guitar serial No.1.
Initially Lowden produced his first guitars with A-frame bracing but from 1976 he began producing them with his own modified A-bracing system with a dolphin voicing profile which in many ways established the Lowden guitar's unique sound.
The first Irish studio/workshop, in 6a High Street, Bangor employed four trainee guitar makers, Colin ‘Dusty’ Miller, Frank Kernaghan, Sam Irwin and Michael Hull. It produced approximately 100 guitars during this period, which can be identified by small blue rectangular labels.
Beginning in 1980, Lowden licensed manufacturing of his guitars to a small group of master luthiers in Japan, near Nagoya. Initially four models were soon being produced within a few years this had risen up to 15 and by the mid 1980s up to 1,000 Lowdens were being produced in Japan. In 1985, as a result of the rise in interest for all electronic instruments in music, sales of acoustic instruments slumped worldwide and the owners of the Japanese factory decided to close it and move production of Lowden guitars to a larger factory where other rival brands were made. Lowden was concerned about this outcome, and decided to try setting up a new factory in Ireland. With little capital and through the help of an investor (David Jebb), he rented a building in the Balloo Industrial Estate in Bangor, County Down and began to employ and train new craftsmen.
Change of ownership.
The acoustic guitar market had begun to flourish again during the 1990s, but the company, significantly hampered by under-investment, had not been able to achieve its potential. In November 1998, keen to participate in a progressive plan to develop the business further, George Lowden, along with Steve McIlwrath and Alastair McIlveen set up a new holding company to buy a controlling interest in the Lowden Guitar Company. Lowden's vision was, "...that the company should become as good as the guitars themselves…"
25th anniversary.
In November 1998, a visitor to the factory showed up, guitar case in hand, with the Lowden guitar serial No.1, the very first guitar Lowden designed and built. This was an excellent reminder of how far the Lowden Guitar had come. As a celebration of this long journey, Lowden designed the 25th anniversary limited edition model. "My aim with the design and build details was to make available in reasonable numbers, a guitar which was as close as possible to the guitars which I am only able to build personally for a very few players each year under my full name. I therefore included as many as I could of the construction, voicing and cosmetic details, found in my own guitars in this limited edition of 101 instruments."
Millennium Twins.
By this time, the community of Lowden enthusiasts had grown considerably. Players were attracted by Lowden's tone and quality, and by the fact that they were not mass-produced. To fulfill requests for ‘special edition’ Lowdens, Lowden designed the Millennium Twins. "As a luthier, I find that designing a few ‘special’ guitars does stretch my creative abilities and I enjoy that challenge. I believe this does help to develop the art of guitar making in a much wider sense as well. I introduced the limited edition Millennium twins with their matching sets of figured walnut back and sides and adjacent sets of redwood tops sourced from trees, which had fallen naturally."
In 2002 the company introduced the more affordable Avalon range.
In 2003, the licence with the Lowden Guitar Co ended and production of Lowden guitars at the Newtownards factory ceased at the end of December 2003.
George Lowden Guitars Ltd..
Since 2004, Lowden guitars have been manufactured by a family-run company in Downpatrick, Co. Down.
Notable users of Lowden guitars.
Among the artists who have played Lowden guitars have been Jan Akkerman, Pierre Bensusan, David Gray, Michael Hedges, Jacques Stotzen, Richard Thompson, Luka Bloom, Dermot Kennedy, Niall Horan and Ed Sheeran.


Froe club


Rotary actuator

A rotary actuator is an actuator that produces a rotary motion or torque.
The simplest actuator is purely mechanical, where linear motion in one direction gives rise to rotation. The most common actuators are electrically powered; others may be powered pneumatically or hydraulically, or use energy stored in springs.
The motion produced by an actuator may be either continuous rotation, as for an electric motor, or movement to a fixed angular position as for servomotors and stepper motors. A further form, the torque motor, does not necessarily produce any rotation but merely generates a precise torque which then either causes rotation or is balanced by some opposing torque.
Actuator power sources.
Electric actuators.
Stepper motors.
Stepper motors are a form of electric motor that has the ability to move in discrete steps of a fixed size. This can be used either to produce continuous rotation at a controlled speed or to move by a controlled angular amount. If the stepper is combined with either a position encoder or at least a single datum sensor at the zero position, it is possible to move the motor to any angular position and so to act as a rotary actuator.
Servomotors.
A servomotor is a packaged of several components: a motor (usually electric, although fluid power motors may also be used), a gear train to reduce the many rotations of the motor to a higher torque rotation, a position encoder that identifies the position of the output shaft and an inbuilt control system. The input control signal to the servo indicates the desired output position. Any difference between the position commanded and the position of the encoder gives rise to an error signal that causes the motor and geartrain to rotate until the encoder reflects a position matching that commanded.
A simple low-cost servo of this type is widely used for radio-controlled models.
Other types.
A recent, and novel, form of ultra-lightweight actuator uses memory wire. As a current is applied, the wire is heated above its transition temperature and so changes shape, applying a torque to the output shaft. When power is removed, the wire cools and returns to its earlier shape.
Fluid power actuators.
Both hydraulic and pneumatic power may be used to drive an actuator, usually the larger and more powerful types. As their internal construction is generally similar (in principle, if not in size) they are often considered together as "fluid power" actuators. Fluid power actuators are of two common forms: those where a linear piston and cylinder mechanism is geared to produce rotation ("illustrated"), and those where a rotating asymmetrical vane swings through a cylinder of two different radii. The differential pressure between the two sides of the vane gives rise to an unbalanced force and thus a torque on the output shaft. Vane actuators require a number of sliding seals and the joints between these seals have tended to cause more problems with leakage than for the piston and cylinder type.
Vacuum actuators.
Where a supply of vacuum is available, but not pneumatic power, rotary actuators have even been made to work from vacuum power. The only common instance of these was for early automatic windscreen wipers on cars up until around 1960. These used the manifold vacuum of a petrol engine to work a quarter-turn oscillating vane actuator. Such windscreen wipers worked adequately when the engine was running under light load, but they were notorious that when working hard at top speed or climbing a hill, the manifold vacuum was reduced and the wipers slowed to a crawl.
Applications.
Rotary actuators are used in a vast range of applications. These require actuators of all sizes, power and operating speed. These can range from zero power actuators that are only used as display devices, such as air core gauges. Others include valve actuators that operate pipeline and process valves in the petrochemical industry, through to actuators for large civil engineering projects such as sluice gates and dams. Examples are...
Car wiper,


Speed (ride)

Speed is an amusement ride design produced by the Dutch company KMG.
It is commonly referred to as KMG Booster, due to its similarity with the Fabbri Booster ride.
It has become an extremely common ride on European travelling funfairs, particularly in the UK. This is due to a combination of the ride's spectacular visual impact, and its highly practical operation. The ride can be transported on only one trailer, and requires just three hours to build up.
Design and operation.
The ride is primarily a 37-metre arm, connected midway to the main support of the ride. Two sets of two seats are mounted at the end of each arm, back to back. Each four-seat assembly can swing through 360 degrees.
The arm rotates at up to 13 revolutions per minute, producing an acceleration of 3.5 "g" on the riders.


MacCullagh ellipsoid

The MacCullagh ellipsoid is defined by the equation:
where formula_2 is the energy and formula_3 are the components of the angular momentum, given in body's principal reference frame, with corresponding principal moments of inertia formula_4. The construction of such ellipsoid was conceived by James MacCullagh.


Drag link

A drag link converts rotary motion from a crank arm, to a second bellcrank, usually in an automotive steering system.
While the origin of the term is not clear, it pre-dates the automobile, and is described as in use in 1849 as a means of rotating a Ducie cultivator being operated by cable by stationary steam engine (or between engines).
Automotive use.
The term is commonly used in automotive technology for the link in steering linkage that connects the drop arm (also called pitman arm) on the steering box to a "steering arm" which causes the wheels to steer the vehicle. Normally the drop link connects to one wheel which is connected to the other wheel by a track rod (or tie rod) which is an adjustable rod which determines the relative wheel alignment.
Typically, one end of the drag link is connected via the drop arm (also called Pitman arm) and steering gearbox to the steering wheel (providing the connection between the driver and the steering system); the other end is attached to one of the wheels by the steering arm.
An alternate steering mechanism is a rack and pinion, a three bar linkage that eliminates the drag link by directly moving a center link.
"The drag link connects the pitman arm to the steering arm, or in some applications it connects to the tie rod assembly. Unlike a center link, the drag link does not connect to an idler arm, and has no inner tie rod ends attached to it. On some applications the drag link swings from the front to the rear of the vehicle. On these applications the drag link connects to the steering arm located at the wheel. In some Jeep applications, the drag link will swing from right to left on the vehicle and will connect to the steering arm at the wheel. Drag links can be a solid one-piece design or an adjustable design. Many drag links have replaceable or rebuildable ends."
Effect of wear.
Wear in the joints at the end of the drag link in a steering system will result in play in the steering. It will not affect the wheel alignment as that is determined by the track rod (tie rod in USA).


Miguel Vargas

Miguel Octavio Vargas Maldonado (born 26 September 1950) is a Dominican civil engineer, businessman, and politician. He is the current chairman of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Biography.
Miguel Vargas is the extra marital son of Altagracia Maldonado and Pedro Antonio Rivera Abreu, an agro-industrial businessman and politician. Vargas is named after the husband of his mother, Octavio Vargas. Vargas studied at the Colegio San Juan Bosco, where obtained his high school diploma. Afterwards, he pursued a Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.
Upon graduation, Vargas began his professional life as a supervising engineer in the engineering department and buildings of the Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos (CODETEL). Years later, he founded Planinco, his first engineering firm.
Vargas received a substantial inheritance from his biological father, who was serving as senator for La Vega Province when he died in a car accident in 1994.
Vargas is currently married to María de los Ángeles García Frangie, and has three children: Alberto Manuel, Alan Omar, and Miguel Paúl.
Political life.
Miguel Vargas Maldonado began his political career in the mid-1970s, the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), which has fought for nearly forty years. In the party leadership he has held the roles of Vice President, member of the Presidium, a member of the National Executive Committee (CEN) and the Political Commission and National Secretary of Finance.
Between 1982 and 1984, in the government of Salvador Jorge Blanco (PRD 1982–1986), he was director general of the "Water Supply and Sewerage Corporation of Santo Domingo CAASD". In the government of Hipolito Mejia (2000–2004), it was "Secretary of State for Public Works and Communications".
He was appointed as Chancellor of the Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina by 16 August 2016.
Primary Dominican Revolutionary Party (2007).
On 28 January 2007, Vargas Maldonado beat his opponent Milagros Ortiz Bosch, with about 80% of the votes, thus becoming the official candidate of the PRD to the Presidency of the Republic for the elections of 16 May 2008.
Campaign proposals as a presidential candidate election 2008.
Vargas Maldonado said that, if elected president in 2008, would cut taxes in order to boost the economy. Grant 50% of charges of public administration to women, and increase spending on social investment. His election campaign was based on his proposals to deal with pressing problems of the Dominican people as unemployment, crime, homelessness and high tax rates, as well as criticism of the government administration of President Leonel Fernandez Reyna (2004–2008 ).
Election Results 2008.
In the elections of 16 May 2008, voting for the PRD candidate with Vargas as obtained rose 33% in 2004 to 41% in 2008. However, he won by the PLD candidate and candidate for reelection, Dr. Leonel Fernandez, with over 53% of the vote.
PRD President.
On Sunday 7 June 2009 Miguel Vargas was elected by the Political Commission of the PRD as party president. The election was decided by 244 votes in favor. Perredeísta membership of that body at that time was 312 people.
Election Results 2010.
Chaired by Miguel Vargas, the PRD attended the congressional and municipal elections on 16 May 2010. Although the result in terms of votes absolutes improved from the last election, no seat was achieved in the Senate . However, enrollment of deputies and mayors increased, which was considered a breakthrough by the PRD.
PRD Convention 2011.
On 6 March 2011 was held a convention where Vargas competed against former president of the Dominican Republic Hipolito Mejia, the official candidacy for president. In a closed dispute, the convention Mejia won with 53.30% against a 46.70%. The loser pre-candidate Vargas, claimed that some records in his favor were not counted, and other members of opposing parties, as the PLD and PRSC, could vote at this convention not having been excluded from the list of voters.
In his sworn statement of assets 2011 to run for the presidential candidate for the PRD declared a heritage of more than 100 million pesos. In January 2014 was the subject of controversy when it was discovered that received a loan from the Banco de Reservas on 13 December 2011 for $15 million, well above the equity amount Vargas said owning earlier this year, although the offered guarantees were previously rejected by the management of the Bank Valuations. Members of his party insinuated that the loan, which was approved in eleven days, would be related to Vargas Maldonado's refusal to participate in favor of the party's presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía in the election campaign 2012.
He is currently president of the PRD. He is also president of the "Socialist International for Latin America and the Caribbean" and, since 2013, vice president of the International Socialist worldwide.


Melissa Cody

Melissa Cody (born 1983) is a Native American textile artist from No Water Mesa, Arizona, United States. Her Germantown Revival style weavings are known for their bold colors and intricate three dimensional patterns. Cody maintains aspects of traditional Navajo tapestries, but also adds her own elements into her work. These elements range from personal tributes to pop culture references.
Her tapestries have been described as "[…] deeply personal, beautifully crafted, powerfully expressive works of art that speak to her culture and generation."
Early life and education.
Cody was born in 1983 in No Water Mesa, Arizona. She is a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation and grew up on a Navajo Reservation in Leupp, Arizona and at times lived in Southern California and Texas. She currently resides in Long Beach, California.
Cody is a fourth generation textile artist who began weaving at the age of 5. She grew up watching her mother Lola Cody, her grandmother Martha Schultz and other family members work at the loom and was encouraged to challenge and explore her own capabilities on the loom.
Melissa Cody primarily works in the Germantown Revival style of weaving. This style is a traditional Navajo style of weaving that was created during a time of oppression, the Navajo Long Walk, that used wool from government issued wool blankets. Curators Besaw et al. explain that this style is known for its, "vibrant hues, diamond patterns, geometric forms and overlapping lines". Cody weaves on a traditional Navajo loom, which are all built by her father, using Germantown style wool yarn. She is known for incorporating traditional Germantown styles with modern elements in her tapestries. Her works also include Navajo symbols, personal references as well as pop culture references. Cody's tapestries have been credited as giving off a three dimensional illusion.
In 2007, Cody graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and received a B.A. in Studio Arts and Museum Studies. After college Cody interned at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM and at the National museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
Artworks.
"Dopamine Regression" - 2010.
In this 70 x 48 in. textile, Cody uses brightly colored wool that is said to give off a three dimensional look. According to the curators Besaw et al., Cody created this work to honor her father, as he struggles with Parkinson's disease. Besaw et al. further explain that the several black crosses represent her deep sorrow to his condition. The red cross at the top of the tapestry refers to the medical red cross, as well as the Navajo goddess, Spider Woman. This goddess is known for her strength, goodness and for teaching the art of weaving. Overall, this tapestry contains Navajo symbols and personal references.
"Deep Brain Stimulation" - 2011.
"Deep Brain Stimulation" is held in a collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and maintains the Germantown Revival style with bright "eye dazzling designs". With dimensions of 40 x 30 in. Cody uses intensely colored wool that creates rainbow like patterns. There are black and white crosses across the piece that symbolize the Navajo goddess, Spider Woman once again. The artwork's title is meant to pay tribute to her father, who has Parkinson's disease, as it refers to a neural treatment for the disease.
"World Traveler" - 2014.
A selected work at the Garth Greenman gallery and part of the Stark Museum "Navajo Weaving: Tradition and Trade" exhibit, "World Traveler" is a 90x 48 in. wool textile piece. Like the Germantown Revival style of weaving, Cody is said to create a "illusion of movement". According to curators Besaw et al., "World Traveler" "features a panel with sixteen concentric half-circles decorated with a checkerboard pattern" that gives a "psychedelic effect".
Collections.
Cody's work is included in:


Gibson

Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was formerly known as Gibson Guitar Corporation and renamed Gibson Brands, Inc. on June 11, 2013.
Orville Gibson started making instruments in 1894 and founded the company in 1902 as the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd. in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to make mandolin-family instruments. Gibson invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of carved, arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, used and popularized by Charlie Christian. In 1944, Gibson was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation. Gibson was owned by Norlin Corporation from 1969 to 1986. In 1986, the company was acquired by a group led by Henry Juszkiewicz and David H. Berryman. In November 2018, the company was acquired by a group of investors led by private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
Gibson sells guitars under a variety of brand names and builds one of the world's best-known guitars, the Gibson Les Paul. Gibson was at the forefront of innovation in acoustic guitars, especially in the big band era of the 1930s; the Gibson Super 400 was widely imitated. In 1952, Gibson introduced its first solid-body electric guitar, the Les Paul, which became its most popular guitar to date— designed by a team led by Ted McCarty.
In addition to guitars, Gibson offers consumer electronics through the Gibson Pro Audio division, which includes KRK.
On May 1, 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and announced a restructuring plan to return to profitability by closing down unprofitable consumer electronics divisions such as Gibson Innovations. The company exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2018.
In January 2020, the company launched Gibson TV, an online television network focused on guitars and music culture.
History.
Beginnings.
Orville Gibson patented a single-piece mandolin design in 1898 that was more durable than other mandolins and could be manufactured in volume. Orville Gibson began to sell his instruments in 1894 out of a one-room workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 1902, the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd. was incorporated to market the instruments. Initially, the company produced only Orville Gibson's original designs. Orville died in 1918 of endocarditis (inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and valves).
The following year, the company hired designer Lloyd Loar to create newer instruments. Loar designed the flagship L-5 archtop guitar and the Gibson F-5 mandolin that was introduced in 1922, before leaving the company in 1924. In 1936, Gibson introduced their first "Electric Spanish" model, the ES-150, followed by other electric instruments like steel guitars, banjos and mandolins.
During World War II, instrument manufacturing at Gibson slowed due to shortages of wood and metal, and Gibson began manufacturing wood and metal parts for the military. Between 1942–1945, Gibson employed women to manufacture guitars. "Women produced nearly 25,000 guitars during World War II yet Gibson denied ever building instruments over this period," according to a 2013 history of the company. Gibson folklore has also claimed its guitars were made by "seasoned craftsmen" who were "too old for war."
In 1944 Gibson was purchased by Chicago Musical Instruments. The ES-175 was introduced in 1949. Gibson hired Ted McCarty in 1948, who became President in 1950. He led an expansion of the guitar line with new guitars such as the "Les Paul" guitar introduced in 1952, endorsed by Les Paul, a popular musician in the 1950s. The guitar was offered in Custom, Standard, Special, and Junior models.
In the mid-1950s, the Thinline series was produced, which included a line of thinner guitars like the Byrdland. The first Byrdlands were slim, custom built, L-5 models for guitarists Billy Byrd and Hank Garland. Later, a shorter neck was added. Other models such as the ES-350T and the ES-225T were introduced as less costly alternatives. In 1958, Gibson introduced the ES-335T model. Similar in size to the hollow-body Thinlines, the ES-335 family had a solid center, giving the string tone a longer sustain.
In the 1950s, Gibson also produced the Tune-o-matic bridge system and its version of the humbucking pickup, the PAF ("Patent Applied For"), first released in 1957 and still sought after for its sound.
In 1958, Gibson produced two new designs: the eccentrically shaped Explorer and Flying V. These "modernistic" guitars did not sell initially. It was only in the late 1960s and early 70s when the two guitars were reintroduced to the market that they sold well. The Firebird, in the early 60s, was a reprise of the modernistic idea, though less extreme.
Modernization.
In the late 50s, McCarty knew that Gibson was seen as a traditional company and began an effort to create more modern guitars. In 1961 the body design of the Les Paul was changed due to the demand for a double-cutaway body design. The new body design then became known as the SG (for "solid guitar"), due to disapproval from Les Paul himself. The original Les Paul design returned to the Gibson catalog in 1968.
On December 22, 1969, Gibson parent company Chicago Musical Instruments was taken over by the South American brewing conglomerate ECL. Gibson remained under the control of CMI until 1974 when it became a subsidiary of Norlin Musical Instruments. Norlin Musical Instruments was a member of Norlin Industries which was named for ECL president Norton Stevens and CMI president Arnold Berlin. This began an era characterized by corporate mismanagement and decreasing product quality.
Between 1976 and 1984, production of Gibson guitars was shifted from Kalamazoo to Nashville, Tennessee. The Kalamazoo plant kept going for a few years as a custom-instrument shop, but was closed in 1984; several Gibson employees led by plant manager Jim Duerloo established Heritage Guitars in the old factory, building versions of classic Gibson designs.
The company was within three months of going out of business before it was bought by Henry E. Juszkiewicz, David H. Berryman, and Gary A. Zebrowski in January 1986. Gibson's wholesale shipments in 1993 were an estimated $70 million, up from $50 million in 1992. When Juszkiewicz and Berryman took over in 1986, sales were below $10 million. New production plants were opened in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as Bozeman, Montana. The Memphis facility is used for semi-hollow and custom shop instruments, while the Bozeman facility is dedicated to acoustic instruments.
Since 2007.
Gibson purchased Garrison Guitars in 2007. In mid-2009, Gibson reduced its work force to adjust for a decline in guitar industry sales in the United States.
In 2011, Gibson acquired the Stanton Group, including Cerwin Vega, KRK Systems and Stanton DJ. Gibson then formed a new division, Gibson Pro Audio, which will deliver professional grade audio items, including headphones, loudspeakers and DJ equipment. In June 2020, Cerwin Vega Inc. acquired Cerwin Vega from Gibson. On May 21, 2021, Stanton was sold to inMusic.
Gibson announced a partnership with the Japanese-based Onkyo Corporation in 2012. Onkyo, known for audio equipment and home theater systems, became part of the Gibson Pro-Audio division. In 2013, Gibson acquired a majority stake in TEAC Corporation. In 2014, Gibson acquired the Woox consumer electronics brand from Royal Philips. In October 2017, Gibson announced plans to relocate its Memphis operations to a smaller location and plans to sell the Memphis property. Gibson opened its Memphis facility 18 years before, which occupies just a portion of a massive 127,620 square foot complex. According to the "Memphis Daily News", Gibson plans to search for a new facility for its Memphis operations and will stay in the current spot for the next 18 to 24 months. The facility, which sits across from the FedExForum along South B.B. King Boulevard, is expected to list for $17 million.
Since its opening, the Gibson Memphis shop mostly focused on building hollow and semi-hollowbody guitars, such as the famed ES series. Presumably, this shuffling of assets was meant to address Gibson's well-publicized financial troubles.
Gibson issued a press release about the move, with former CEO Henry Juszkiewicz stating:
In December 2017, the Gibson Guitar Factory building, Downtown Memphis was sold to Somera Road, an investment company in New York. Two years later Gibson closed the Memphis factory and moved hollow-body production to Nashville. It also moved its Nashville headquarters to Cummins Station in 2019. Gibson also started shipping Murphy Lab guitars through its Murphy Lab Division of the Gibson Custom Shop in March of 2021. The opening of this division was announced in December 2019.
Bankruptcy.
On May 1, 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of its debt restructuring, the company closed and liquidated the unprofitable Gibson Innovations division, which was focused on selling audio equipment outside of the U.S., allowing Gibson to focus on its most profitable ventures, such as musical instruments. The production of Gibson and Epiphone branded guitars was not interrupted by the bankruptcy. Additionally, $135 million was provided by existing creditors to provide liquidity to maintain existing operations.
On September 6, 2018, the company announced that a global settlement had been reached, with a reorganization plan for the company to emerge from Chapter 11. Under the plan the company would focus on its core musical instruments business with "essentially no debt". Juszkiewicz stepped down as CEO and assumed the role of consultant.
On October 23, 2018, the company announced the appointment of James "JC" Curleigh as the new President and CEO; Cesar Gueikian as Chief Merchant Officer; Kim Mattoon as Chief Financial Officer; and Christian Schmitz as Chief Production Officer. The appointments were effective November 1, 2018. The company exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2018.
Legal actions.
Origin of "lawsuit guitars".
In 1977, Gibson sued Hoshino Gakki/Elger Guitars for copying the ”archtop” headstock. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Ibanez replaced the headstock with a revised design.
In 2000, Gibson sued Fernandes Guitars in a Tokyo court for allegedly copying Gibson designs. Gibson did not prevail.
PRS.
Gibson also sued PRS Guitars in 2005, to stop them from making their Singlecut model. Initially successful,
the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the lower court's decision and ordered the dismissal of Gibson's suit against PRS.
FWS raids & Lacey Act violation.
Gibson's factories were raided in 2009 and 2011 by agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In November 2009 authorities found illegally imported ebony wood from Madagascar. A second raid was conducted in August 2011, during which the FWS seized wood imports from India that had been mislabeled on the US Customs declaration. Gibson Guitar Corp. filed a motion in January 2011 to recover seized materials and overturn the charges, which was denied by the court.
The United States Department of Justice found emails from 2008 and 2009 in which Gibson employees discussed the "gray market" nature of the ebony wood available from a German wood dealer—who obtained it from a supplier in Madagascar—as well as plans to obtain the wood. It filed a civil proceeding in June 2011, the first such case under the amended Lacey Act, which requires importing companies to purchase legally harvested wood and follow the environmental laws of the producing countries regardless of corruption or lack of enforcement. Gibson argued in a statement the following day that authorities were "bullying Gibson without filing charges" and denied any wrongdoing. Arguing against the federal regulations and claiming that the move threatened jobs, Republicans and Tea Party members spoke out against the raids and supported Juszkiewicz.
The case was settled on August 6, 2012, with Gibson admitting to violating the Lacey Act and agreeing to pay a fine of $300,000 in addition to a $50,000 community payment. Gibson also forfeited the wood seized in the raids, which was valued at roughly the same amount as the settlement. However, in a subsequent statement Gibson maintained its innocence with Juszkiewicz claiming that "Gibson was inappropriately targeted" and that the government raids were "so outrageous and overreaching as to deserve further Congressional investigation." Juszkiewicz continued to state, "We felt compelled to settle as the costs of proving our case at trial would have cost millions of dollars and taken a very long time to resolve."
Gibson reclaimed some wood stock that was confiscated during the raids, and produced a new series of guitar marketed to draw attention to the raids and seizures.
In the midst of the controversy, conservative commentators alleged that the raid was a politically motivated act of retaliation by the Obama administration, as Juszkiewicz had frequently donated to Republican politicians. Chris Martin IV, the CEO of Gibson competitor C.F. Martin & Co., had donated over $35,000 to the Democratic National Committee and Democratic candidates in the same time period. Though Martin featured several guitars in its catalog made with the same Indian wood as Gibson, but with correct documentation filed, the company was not subjected to a raid.
Paper Jamz.
Gibson filed a lawsuit November 18, 2010, in Federal court, the Central District of California, against WowWee USA and their Paper Jamz battery operated guitar toys charging trademark infringement. The lawsuit claimed the Paper Jamz toy guitars copied the looks of some of Gibson's famous guitars, the Gibson Les Paul, the Gibson Flying V, the Gibson Explorer, and the Gibson SG. On December 21, 2010 Gibson was granted a request for an injunction against WowWee and retailers in the United States which were selling Paper Jamz guitars: Walmart, Amazon, Big Lots stores, Kmart Corporation, Target Corporation, Toys "R" Us, Walgreens, Brookstone, Best Buy, eBay, Toywiz.com, and Home Shopping Network (HSN) The case was dismissed with prejudice (dismissed permanently) January 11, 2011 by Federal Judge R. Gary Klausner.
Instruments.
Gibson also owns and makes instruments under brands such as Epiphone, Kramer, Maestro, Steinberger, and Tobias, along with the ownership of historical brands such as Kalamazoo, Dobro, Valley Arts, and Baldwin (including Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer). It also owned Slingerland Drum Company but it was sold to Drum Workshop in November 2019. Gibson relaunched Kramer Guitars at Winter NAMM 2020 on January 16. Icon, Baretta, Pacer, Focus , and SM-1 are in the original collection with the modern collection including Assault, Striker , Nite-V, and Bass. The artists collaborations for the relaunched Kramer Guitar includes Tracii Guns 'Gunstar Voyager,' the Charlie Parra 'Vanguard' and the Dave Sabo 'Snake-Baret.
Gibson makes authorized copies of its most successful guitar designs. They are less expensive than those bearing the Gibson name. A former competitor, Epiphone, was purchased by Gibson in 1957 and now makes competitively-priced Gibson models, such as the Les Paul and SG, sold under the Epiphone brand, while continuing to make Epiphone-specific models like the Sheraton, Sorrento, and Casino. In Japan, Orville by Gibson once made Gibson designs sold in that country. Gibson has sought legal action against those that make and sell guitars Gibson believes are too similar to their own.
In 1977, Gibson introduced the serial numbering system in use until 2006. An eight-digit number on the back shows the date when the instrument was produced, where it was produced, and its order of production that day (e.g., first instrument stamped that day, second, etc.). An exception is the year 1994, Gibson's centennial year; many 1994 serial numbers start with "94", followed by a six-digit production number. As of 2006, the company used seven (six since 1999) serial number systems, making it difficult to identify guitars by their serial number alone. The Gibson website provides a book to help with serial number deciphering.
In 2006, Gibson introduced a nine-digit serial number system replacing the eight-digit system used since 1977, but the sixth digit now represents a batch number.
In 2003, Gibson debuted its Ethernet-based audio protocol, MaGIC, which it developed in partnership with 3Com, Advanced Micro Devices, and Xilinx. Replacing traditional analog hook-ups with a digital connection to "satisfy the unique requirements of live audio performances". This system requires a special pickup, and cabling is provided by a standard Cat-5 Ethernet cable.
The Gibson "self-tuning guitar", also known as a "robot model", an option on some newer Les Paul, SG, Flying V and Explorer instruments, tunes itself in about two seconds using robotics technology developed by Tronical GmbH. Under the tradename Min-ETune, this device became standard on several models in 2014.
In 2013, Gibson introduced the "Government Series" of Les Paul, SG, Flying V, Explorer and ES-335 guitars which were constructed solely of tonewood the US government seized but later returned to Gibson after the resolution of the company's Lacey Act violation in 2011. The guitars were finished in "government grey" and also featured decorations which intended to draw attention to the issue of government. A year later in 2014, Gibson released the "Government Series II" of guitars, which were essentially the same as the first series, only finished in a new color: "government tan".
In 2021, Gibson acquired the iconic electric guitar amplifier brand, Mesa Boogie.
Factories.
All Gibson-brand guitars are currently made at three facilities, depending on the type of guitar. Solid body electric guitars such as the Gibson Les Paul and the Gibson SG are made in Nashville, Tennessee at Gibson USA and the Gibson Custom Shop. Semi-acoustic guitars such as the Gibson ES Series were made in Memphis, Tennessee at Gibson USA. Full acoustic guitars such as the Gibson J Series are made in Bozeman, Montana. The Nashville and Bozeman facilities are off-limits to visitors. As of March 2021, Gibson has started working on 25,000 sq. ft. expansion of the Bozeman facility.
All Gibson instruments are made in USA. Below are some of the facilities used to produce Gibson instruments, along with years of their operation:


John Towlerton Leather

John Towlerton Leather (1804–1885) was a British civil engineering contractor.
In his early career was employed by the Sheffield Waterworks company, and involved in the construction of several dams. He entered private practice in 1839, initially in partnership with Mr Waring (of Waring Brothers).
He was contracted on civil engineering works including railways, harbour walls and bridge foundation construction. In the 1860s he was a consulting engineer on the Dale Dyke Dam which collapsed causing the Great Sheffield Flood.
He also known for his work on the breakwater at Portland harbour, the forts at Spithead, an extension to the Portsmouth Dockyards, and as the founder of the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds. Leather was also, for many years, the proprietor of Waterloo Main Colliery near Leeds.
Biography.
John Towlerton Leather was born in Beeston Park, Yorkshire on 30 August 1804. He trained under his uncle George Leather, engineer of the Aire and Calder Navigation, and of the Goole docks. In 1829 he began his own practice in Sheffield, and became engineer of the Sheffield Waterworks in 1833.
As engineer to the Sheffield Waterworks he helped create the Redmires Reservoirs and the Crooke's Moore reservoirs, during which time the young John Fowler trained under him.
In 1839 he entered into partnership with Mr Waring (later of Waring Brothers) as contractors - they were involved in construction of parts of the Midland Railway (Chesterfield) and London and North Western Railway (Chester and Crewe). The partnership with Waring ended and Leather undertook the construction (c.1846-9) of the Tadcaster to York section of the York and North Midland Railway's York to Leeds line, the construction of which was abandoned before it was completed. Between 1847 and 1850 he carried out the Erewash Valley Line. In the mid 1850s he was contracted to carry out improvements to the River Nene, which were also abandoned. In 1849 he was awarded the contract for the construction of the breakwater at Portland Harbour.
J. T. Leather was also involved in coalmining enterprises. In 1843 he invested £3500 to join in a new partnership with Kirkby Fenton to run his existing Waterloo colliery at Temple Newsam near Leeds and he came to live at Leventhorpe Hall which had recently been vacated by Fenton. Leather withdrew from the partnership in 1851 and shortly after opened his own colliery nearby, calling it Waterloo Main.
He was also involved in difficult work on the foundations of the Ness Suspension Bridge in the 1850s, and repair work to the Middle Level Navigations in the 1860s under John Hawkshaw.
In 1864 the Dale Dyke Dam, the construction of which he had been supervising, collapsed, causing the Great Sheffield Flood which killed over 200 people. Expert opinion at the time differed over the causes of the collapse. The jury at the inquest into the disaster stated that sufficient care had not been taken in the construction of the works.
In 1864 he established the Hunslet Engine Company, a locomotive manufacture, in Leeds on part of the site of the former Railway Foundry. The company was sold to James Campbell in 1871 for £25,000.
He was employed by the War Office in the 1860s, for the construction of the sea forts at Spithead, as well as Fort Gilkicker and St Helens Fort. In 1867 he was contracted together with George Smith to construct an extension of the Portsmouth Dockyard, which was completed 1877.
In 1877 he retired from the contracting and civil engineering business. He was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1875.
Married twice, he died in Leeds on 6 June 1885.


T. R. Robinson

T. R. Robinson was a horologist and an authority on turret clocks. He was a Fellow of the British Horological Institute (FBHI).
Robinson appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme "Desert Island Discs" on 2 December 1963.


Sonia Snowden

Sonia Armana Snowden (born 1946) is a New Zealand Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver) who tutored in arts and weaving at Te Wananga o Raukawa. She identifies with the Ngāpuhi iwi. Her works are held in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa).
Biography.
The small community of Waikare, in the far north of New Zealand is where Snowden grew up.
Snowden learnt her craft from such distinguished weavers as Ramari Ropata, Emily Schuster, Erenora Puketapu-Hetet, Aromea Tahiwi, and Nellie Frost. She started weaving in the early 1980s and is known for the use of fine strands of natural fibres from harakeke, pīngao and kiekie. In 2001, after the Rangiatea Church was damaged by fire, Snowden supervised a group of weavers replicating the tukutuku panels of the church for its restoration. In 2013 Snowden was part of a group of weavers whose work was displayed at the United Nations Headquarters General Assembly building. In 2016 a New Zealand stamp was issued showing a kete created by Snowden and held at Te Papa. Snowden gained formal acknowledgement of her master weaver status when in 2018 she was appointed to the Ngā Kahui Whiritoi of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa. In 2019 Snowden was awarded the Ngā Tohu ā tā Kingi Ihaka award recognising her lifetime of contributions to Māori arts.
Snowden has passed on her knowledge as a tutor for many years at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, a Māori university in Ōtaki.
Notable works.
Te Papa holds the 'Matariki' tukutuku panel, woven by Snowden, in their permanent collection. It was woven from kiekie, raupõ, kakaho (the flower of the toetoe) and pingaoto and was created to celebrate Matariki. Te Papa is also the custodian of a kete created by Snowden and named Tatai Whetu ki te Rangi. Another taonga created by Snowden and held by Te Papa is the hieke or raincape she created in March 2000. This is made from neinei.


Paxton station

Paxton is a planned light rail station on the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. The station is part of the East San Fernando Light Rail Project. It is located on San Fernando Road between the base of the northbound California State Route 118 interchange and the intersection with Paxton Street in Pacoima. Metrolink Antelope Valley Line trains pass but will not stop here. It is planned to open as part of the second phase of the project.


Mykhailo Domontovych

Mykhailo (Mykola) Domontovych () (Zlobintsev) (1875? – 1933?)
Mykhailo (in Yemetz he is noted as being Mykola) Domontovych's real name was Mykhailo Zlobintsev. He was a graduate of Kiev University, where he completed his studies in mathematics (1909). He used the stage name Domontovych inspired by the fact that he came from the town of Domontiv, not far from Lubny in the Poltava Governorate (province) of the Russian Empire.
In Kiev he organized one of the first bandura ensembles, which performed to great acclaim in 1906 for the Shevchenko Festivities there. In 1909 he graduated and moved back to Zolotonosha, where he taught mathematics at the men's gymnasia there.
He became one of the first authors of a bandura textbooks which he had published in Odessa in 1913–14.
It seems that Domontovych was influenced greatly by the music played by the "kobzar" Tereshko Parkhomenko. He may have been a student of his guide boy Vasyl' Potapenko. From descriptions of his bandura technique it seemed that he played in a style that was reminiscent of T. Parkhomenko.
Domontovych was a prolific author of poetic and various textbooks in Ukrainian. Some 50 books and pamphlets were published by him on various aspects of Ukrainian culture.
He taught mathematics in Zolotonosha and organised a bandurist ensemble there in the 1920s where all of the instruments were made by the members of the ensemble.
After 1928 we have no information about him. It is thought that by this date he may have been arrested and sentenced or executed.


Pearl Flutes

Pearl Flutes (established Chiba, Japan, 1968) is part of the Pearl Musical Instrument Company which was founded in 1946. The flutes are distributed worldwide by Pearl Musical Instrument Company, in the United States by Pearl Corporation based in Nashville, Tennessee, and in Europe by Pearl Music Europe based in Venlo, The Netherlands.
Pearl is more famous for its line of drums and percussion instruments, but in recent years it has become highly regarded for its wide range of flutes from student and mid-range instruments, including an Alto flute and a composite bodied Piccolo which are made in its Taiwanese factory, to fully handmade solid silver and 10K, 14K and 18K gold instruments in its factory in Chiba, Japan.
Pearl Flutes manufacture all of their instruments with French Pointed Keywork, and a Pinless Mechanism system based on the use of socket headed screws. This is different from other flute makers, most of whom would choose to use small pins to hold together critical parts of the flute's mechanism - which have been known to snag on clothing and let moisture into the delicate internal workings of the flute.
The slogan of Pearl Flutes is "A Tradition of Innovation".


Quezon Memorial station

Quezon Memorial station is an under construction station of the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 7 located within the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City.
Close landmarks include the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, Department of Agriculture Building, Quezon City Hall, Department of Agrarian Reform Building, the National Housing Authority and PTV Complex.
History.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 7 took place at the site of the Quezon Memorial station on April 20, 2016.
During development of the station, the Quezon City government suspends above-ground construction on February 18, 2020 as the proposed structure is claimed to damage the park's integrity. The current space for construction is more than five times the indicated 4,997 square meters. Mayor Joy Belmonte ordered a temporary cease and desist order on the above-ground construction of the station. Belmonte then discussed the issue with San Miguel Corporation, EEI Corporation, and the Department of Transportation for further clarification. At that time there was still no major above-ground structures at the site with most of the construction work still taking place underground. The design of the above-ground structure for the station was also still in the finalization phase.
The initial design of the station was approved as far back as the term of former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista. It was also planned that a 2,500-square meter establishment would be constructed above-ground and it would expand to 11,000 square meters. On February 28, 2020, authorities from San Miguel Corporation and EEI Corporation presented a revised design of the above-ground area of the station consisting of only a utility room. It reduced almost 11,000 square meters to 426 square meters, and the height from 12 meters to 6 meters. Belmonte lifted the temporary cease and desist order on the same day.


Type 500 training mine

Type 500 training mine was jointly developed by Fengxi Machinery Factory (汾西机器厂) and the First Division of the
. This training mine is very similar to the Training-1 training bottom mine except that Type 500 training mine can be planted by aircraft. It is used to train pilots to drop mines into the ocean. Like the Training-1 training bottom mine, this mine can also be rapidly converted into live round by adopting warheads on regular mines.


Big-bang firing order

A big bang engine is an unconventional engine designed so that some of the power strokes occur simultaneously or in close succession. This is achieved by changing the ignition timing, changing or re-timing the camshaft, and sometimes in combination with a change in crankpin angle. The goal is to change the power delivery characteristics of the engine. A regular firing multi-cylinder engine fires at approximately even intervals, giving a smooth-running engine. Because a big-bang engine has uneven power delivery, they tend to run rougher and generate more vibration than an even-firing engine.
Twins and twingles.
Parallel twins.
The classic British parallel-twins (BSA, Triumph, Norton, AJS & Matchless) all had 360° crankshafts that, compared to a single, gave twice as many ignition pulses which were evenly spaced. However, the 360 twin had a mechanical primary engine balance that was no better than a single.
By contrast, Japanese parallel twins of the 1960s (such as the 1966 Honda “Black Bomber” and the Yamaha TX500) adopted a 180° crank that afforded perfect mechanical primary engine balance. However, the 180° crank yielded some "tingling" secondary vibration (which could be minimised with a balance shaft), and an uneven firing order.
The Yamaha TRX850 pioneered the use of a 270° crank. This configuration allowed a firing pattern more regular than a 180° crank, and less regular than a 360° crank. A 270° crank gives the best possible secondary engine balance for a parallel twin, and its exhaust note and power delivery resembles those of a 90° V-twin.
Twingles.
A "twingle" is a four-stroke twin-cylinder engine with an altered firing order designed to give power pulses similar to a single-cylinder four-stroke engine.
Inline twins with a 360° crankpin offset or flat-twins can be easily converted into twingles by firing both of the cylinders at the same time and installing a camshaft or camshafts that operate both cylinders' valves in parallel. Because many such engines already employ the wasted spark principle, only the camshaft modification is necessary. The Vintage Dirt Track Racing Association (VDTRA) 2010 Rules have banned vintage motorcycles from being set up as a twingle.
V twins.
A narrow angle V-twin such as the 45° Harley-Davidson naturally has slightly unevenly spaced power strokes. By changing the ignition timing on one of the cylinders by 360° the power strokes are very closely spaced. This will cause uneven fuel distribution in an engine with a single carburettor. The Harley-Davidson XR-750 with twin carburettors was a popular bike to twingle. It had great success in flattrack racing.
Three-cylinder engines.
A straight-three engine is most often equipped with a 120° crankshaft that fires evenly every 240°. The Laverda Jota 180, produced between 1973 and 1981, was the first motorcycle to use a different kind of crankshaft. In the Jota, a "flat-plane" crankshaft was used which has cylinders 1 and 3 offset by 360° while the second one is offset by 180° from the outer cylinders.
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is another company that used a different firing order on an inline-three and introduced a "T-plane" crankshaft on the 2020 Tiger 900. In this case, cylinders 1 and 2 are offset by 90° and cylinders 2 and 3 are offset by at 90°, resulting in the crank pin arrangement resembling the letter T. Triumph claims improved low-end character, off-road feel, and a unique sound.
Four-cylinder engines.
Note that typical two-stroke V4s have four crank throws or pins (see below) so it is important to stipulate all four crank pin phases with the two-stroke engines. The "split" in this case is referring to the difference in phase between piston pairs in "opposite" banks that would normally share a crank pin in a four-stroke engine.
The Ford V4s use split-pin crankshafts, like many 60° V6s. Just as with a boxer-four, piston pairs from opposite banks reach top-dead-centre at the same time, but with a crankpin split of only 60° instead of 180°, potentially giving a shorter and stronger or stiffer crankshaft. For 60° V6s, the crankpins are usually split the other way causing the paired pistons to reach top-dead-centre 120° apart.
Inline fours.
As with many even-firing engines with four or more cylinders, an even-firing four-cylinder engine is sometimes referred to as a "Screamer". A "long bang" inline 4 engine fires both pairs of cylinders in quick succession or simultaneously; the power delivery is identical to a parallel twin with a 180° crank and similar to a V-twin. In 2005 Kawasaki experimented with this configuration on the ZX-RR MotoGP bike.
2-stroke V4.
Typical two-stroke V4s have four crank throws, or crank pins, instead of the two that most four-stroke V4s have (two connecting rods sharing each pin). This is primarily because each piston needed its own sealed crankcase volume for the purposes of efficient induction, where in some cases separate crankshafts served each bank in order to achieve this.
The Honda NSR500 began and ended its life as a "screamer", where the pistons were phased similarly to a four-stroke V-four with a 180° crank. However, in 1990 Honda set the crankpin phases of each pair of pistons within each bank to be the same (like a four-stroke "droner": 360° crank), but with each bank's crankpins offset by 180° to each other (effectively "splitting" the pins and changing the V-angle, in terms of ignition timing). This was called a "big bang" engine.
Yamaha created a big bang YZR500 in 1992. The YZR500 had two crankshafts like a U engine and the angle between each pair of cylinders was 90°, like a V4.
In 1997 Mick Doohan wanted to run a 180° screamer engine. HRC crew chief Jerry Burgess explained "The 180 got back a direct relationship between the throttle and the rear wheel, When the tire spun I could roll off without losing drive. The big bang has a lot of engine braking, so it upsets the bike into corners, then when you open the throttle you get this sudden pulse of power, which again upsets the suspension. Mick's secret is corner speed, so he needs the bike to be smooth and the 180 is much smoother."


Gunnar Gunnarsson Helland

Gunnar Gunnarsson Helland (January 26, 1885 – April 20, 1976) was a Norwegian-American Hardanger fiddle maker.
Background.
Gunnar Gunnarsson Helland was a member of the Helland fiddle maker family of Bø, Norway. Helland worked in the traditional region of Telemark in the workshop of his father, Gunnar Olavsson Helland, until he emigrated to United States in 1901 and settled in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He had three children: Alton, Edith, and Gilman, with his wife, Edith.
Career.
Together with his brother Knut Gunnarsson Helland, he started the Helland Brothers workshop in 1905. His brother died in 1920 and Gunnar Helland ran Helland Brothers alone until he closed down in 1927, at a time when the demand for violins was in decline.
In 1927, Gunnar Helland moved to Minneapolis and spent two years working at Lundh & Rowe for Jacob Lundh (1865-1951) and Frederick Rowe (1884-1976). In 1929, he moved to Fargo, North Dakota where he established the Helland Music Company on the third floor of a building on Broadway. The business remained there until 1962 when it was bought by Lloyd Hammond. Gunnar continued to work for Lloyd Hammond until he was over 80. He built his last Hardanger fiddle in 1937. Gunnar Helland made several design changes on his later violins including lamination inside the sound holes for increased strength, shorter sound holes, a lower profile and a pattern that was much closer to the style of Guarneri del Gesu.


Broughton Suspension Bridge

Broughton Suspension Bridge was an iron chain suspension bridge built in 1826 to span the River Irwell between Broughton and Pendleton, now in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. One of Europe's first suspension bridges, it has been attributed to Samuel Brown, though some suggest it was built by Thomas Cheek Hewes, a Manchester millwright and textile machinery manufacturer.
On 12 April 1831, the bridge collapsed, reportedly due to mechanical resonance induced by troops marching in step. As a result of the incident, the British Army issued an order that troops should "break step" when crossing a bridge. Though rebuilt and strengthened, the bridge was subsequently propped with temporary piles whenever crowds were expected. In 1924 it was replaced by a Pratt truss footbridge, still in use.
Construction.
In 1826, John Fitzgerald, the wealthy owner of Castle Irwell House (later to become the site of the Manchester Racecourse), built, at his own expense, a suspension bridge across the River Irwell between Lower Broughton and Pendleton. According to John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72) all users of the bridge were required to pay a pontage to cross. The bridge was the only means of communication between the townships of Broughton and Pendleton and a source of great local pride, as the Menai Suspension Bridge had opened only that year and suspension bridges were then considered the "new wonder of the age".
Collapse.
On 12 April 1831, the 60th Rifle Corps carried out an exercise on Kersal Moor under the command of Lieutenant Percy Slingsby Fitzgerald, the son of John Fitzgerald, Member of Parliament and brother of the poet Edward FitzGerald. As a detachment of 74 men returned to barracks in Salford by way of the bridge, the soldiers, who were marching four abreast, felt it begin to vibrate in time with their footsteps. Finding the vibration amusing, some of them started to whistle a marching tune, and to "humour it by the manner in which they stepped", causing the bridge to vibrate even more. The head of the column had almost reached the Pendleton side when they heard "a sound resembling an irregular discharge of firearms". Immediately, one of the iron columns supporting the suspension chains on the Broughton side of the river fell towards the bridge, carrying with it a large stone from the pier to which it had been bolted. The corner of the bridge, no longer supported, then fell into the river, throwing about forty of the soldiers into the water or against the chains. The river was low and the water only about two feet (60 cm) deep at that point. None of the men were killed, but twenty were injured, including six who suffered severe injuries including broken arms and legs, severe bruising, and contusions to the head.
Cause.
The subsequent investigation found that a bolt in one of the stay-chains had snapped, at the point where it was attached to the masonry of the ground anchor. The report criticised the construction method used, as the attachment to the ground anchor relied on a single bolt (rather than two), and the bolt was found to have been badly forged. Several other bolts had bent but had not broken. Three years previously, the engineer Eaton Hodgkinson had questioned the strength of the stay chains (compared to the suspension chains). Hodgkinson had argued that the chains should be rigorously tested, but they were not. Before the accident one of the cross bolts had started to bend and crack, although it was believed to have been replaced by the time of the accident. The conclusion of the investigation was that the vibration caused by the marching precipitated the bolt's failure, but it would have failed eventually anyway.
Aftermath.
The collapse of the bridge caused something of a loss of confidence in suspension bridges, with one newspaper report at the time commenting:
This did not stop the building of more suspension bridges, and the main consequence of the collapse was that the British Army issued the order to "break step" when soldiers were crossing a bridge. French soldiers were also ordered to break step on bridgesnevertheless, marching was cited as a contributing factor to the collapse of the Angers Bridge in France during a storm in 1850, killing over 200 soldiers.
Broughton Suspension Bridge was rebuilt and strengthened, but, according to the "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72)", it was propped temporarily whenever a large crowd was expected. The suspension bridge was eventually replaced by a Pratt truss footbridge, designed by the Borough Engineer at a cost of about £2,300, which was formally opened on 2 April 1924.


Mount Pleasant station (Toronto)

Mount Pleasant is an underground light rail transit (LRT) station under construction on Line 5 Eglinton, a new line that is part of the Toronto subway system. The station will be located in North Toronto at the intersection of Mount Pleasant Road and Eglinton Avenue. Nearby destinations include Northern Secondary School and the Davisville Village neighbourhood. It is scheduled to open in 2022.
Description.
The station will have two entrances. The main, accessible entrance will be at the northwest corner of Eglinton Avenue and Mt. Pleasant Road. The secondary entrance will be just east of Mount Pleasant Road on the north side. The station will have storage for 30 bicycles.
The main entrance of the station at 256–258 Eglinton Avenue East was the location of a former branch of the Imperial Bank of Canada, in a building designed by architect Herbert Horner in 1928. Metrolinx had the building's façade disassembled brick-by-brick, cataloged, labelled and stored for reassembly upon completion of station structure. Only the building's façade will be preserved.
Surface connections.
The following routes would serve this station according to the report presented at the board meeting on February 25, 2016: