Norm Sartorius

Norm Sartorius (born 1947) is an American woodworker who carves fine art spoons in many styles including natural, biomorphic, abstract, symbolic, ethnic, and ceremonial. His works are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other public and private collections. He is a frequent participant in woodworking and craft shows in America, and won the Award of Excellence in Wood at the 2015 American Craft Council show in Baltimore and the 2015 Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, DC. Since 2008, he has co-directed a grant-funded research project on the life, work, and legacy of American woodworker Emil Milan.
Early life and education.
Born in Salisbury, MD, Sartorius grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the son of a country doctor. In interviews, he said that the arts were not emphasized in his family, but he was highly attuned to nature as a child. He received his BA in Psychology from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in 1969, then worked as a psychiatric social worker for five years at Spring Grove State Hospital in Catonsville, MD. He changed careers and completed an apprenticeship with crafters Phil and Sandye Jurus (Jurus Studio, Baltimore, MD), who had studied with Emil Milan. There, he learned how to make small functional wooden items, including spoons.
Early career.
In the mid-1970s, he moved to rural West Virginia and started selling wooden works including cutting boards, pie servers, canes, knife racks, and spoons at regional craft fairs. At Winterfair, an annual Ohio Designer Craftsmen show in Columbus, Ohio, he met studio furniture maker Bobby Reed Falwell, who encouraged him to focus on spoons and to see spoons as small sculptures. He was an assistant for 18 months at Falwell's studio in Murray, KY in 1980-81.
Early exhibitions of his fine art spoons included the West Virginia Craft Exhibit at the Union Carbide Gallery, New York City (1977) and an invitational exhibit of West Virginia craft at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum in Washington, DC (1979). In 1978, a work of his was selected for the "Fine Woodworking Design Book." He was juried into the American Craft Council craft show in Baltimore for the first time 1979. In 1981, and again in 1989 and 1991, he received the Governor's Award of Excellence at the West Virginia Juried Exhibition, resulting in the works being purchased for the state's permanent craft collection. The annual Mountain State Art and Craft Fair in Ripley, WV was particularly important as a proving ground for his maturing design style and craft business. He met his future wife, glass artist Diane Bosley, at the annual Fair in 1981, moved to Parkersburg, WV in 1982, and they married in 1983.
In 1986, his spoons were featured in an exhibit at the Pro-Art Gallery in St. Louis in conjunction with the Craft Alliance's high-level "Wooden Vessels" exhibit. Other early exhibits included the Huntington Gallery (WV) traveling craft exhibit (1985–86); another exhibit at the Pro-Art Gallery entitled "The Medium is Wood" (1987); and the exhibit "Contemporary Works in Wood" at the Cultural Arts Center, Athens, Ohio (1986, 1989). The 1990 American Craft Council show in Atlanta has been cited as a major turning point for Sartorius' career. He focused exclusively on high end spoons and redesigned his booth to create a gallery-like environment, presenting each spoon as a sculpture.
Artistic approach and influences.
Sartorius has stated that he sees the concept of "spoon" like any other craft category such as "bowl," "plate," or "teapot," in that each allows endless exploration of form, size, color, texture, symbolism, meaning, and emotional valence. His works have been said to not only "explore the possibilities of what it means to be a spoon," but "play with deep-seated assumptions regarding a spoon's characteristics." He has stated that, "Spoons are an infinite category. You can make thousands and no two are alike."
He credits James Krenov's book "A Cabinetmakers' Notebook" (1976) with stimulating his sensitivity to the unique character of each piece of wood. He attributes his sculptural style that shuns embellishment in favor of pure line and form to Emil Milan, an American woodworker who trained as a sculptor. Although Sartorius never met Milan, his first mentors, Phil and Sandye Jurus, studied with Milan and passed on key aspects of his approach and tool use. Sartorius' sculpture "Homage" now in the Yale University Art Gallery is a tribute to Milan. Other acknowledged influences are Dona Meilach's books on small wooden works and articles in the early volumes of "Fine Woodworking" magazine.
Sartorius has acknowledged several sources of inspiration. First, he has drawn on spoon-making traditions in diverse cultures ranging from Northwest Coast Native American horn spoons to carved spoons from West Africa. In 1996, he obtained a grant to study and photograph spoons from around the world at the Smithsonian's repository in Suitland, MD. Second, he stated in an interview that he "sees spoons" in everything, particularly in natural forms such as seedpods, leaves, flowers, and found and weathered objects. It has been noted that the influence of seashells, crustaceans, shore birds and other sealife often show through in this work. Third, he is inspired by the wood itself, particularly contrasting heartwood and sapwood colors, unusual grain, knots, textures, or weathering in a piece. Every piece he crafts, he has said, "starts with the wood itself." He has estimated that the characteristics of the piece of wood itself suggest the size and shape of more than 75% of his finished pieces.
Overall, he has described his creative approach as intuitive in that he reacts to the virtues of each piece of wood rather than forcing his own design intentions. "The wood is usually the inspiration for the first cuts," he has said, "And the shape of the piece has to do with the texture, grain, and figure of it..." He has stated that he places his most interesting pieces of wood within sight of his workbench, often for months, to contemplate possible spoons may that lie within. Once he sees the spoon a piece can become, he has said, he acts quickly on the idea because he feels his creative inspirations cannot be turned on and off at will, but must be recognized and acted upon.
Wood, tools, and work process.
Sartorius prefers to work with very dense hardwood, especially root wood and burls with contrasting heartwood and sapwood colors, figured grain, and unique character from knots, deformities, damage, weathering, or other idiosyncrasies. Frequently, he uses scraps or cutoffs sent to him by other woodworkers from around the world—often with an interesting background story. He, in turn, sends his scraps to carvers and jewelers who work at even smaller scale. The provenance of his raw materials contributes significantly to both the making and the sale of his spoons.
He follows the same sequence of steps when crafting his spoons. First, he uses a bandsaw to roughly shape the overall form of the spoon. Then, an inflatable sanding drum with very coarse 24-grit sandpaper is used to remove saw marks, smooth out the facets of the cuts, and shape the convex curves of the exterior of the bowl. He determines the exterior shape first before working on the inside of the spoon bowl. "It fixes the outside form," he has said, "which is sculpturally what one sees first." A die grinder (rotary tool) with a carbide cutter is then used to remove mass from the concave interior of the bowl. Small cutters are used to further shape the piece, particularly the transition between the bowl and the handle, which he sees as particularly critical. The fine details of the spoon are made with a carving knife, then a die grinder with a ball-shaped burr is used to clean up and refine the interior of the spoon bowl. This is followed by hours of hand work, sanding, scraping, and polishing the work.
Shows and awards.
For the past 25 years, Sartorius has participated in several juried craft shows each year including the Smithsonian Craft Show; the American Craft Council Fairs (principally Baltimore and Atlanta); the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show; the American Craft Exposition (Evanston, IL); the West Palm Beach Craft Show; and Craft Boston, among others. He has won the "Award of Excellence" for wood at the Smithsonian Craft Show four times, most recently in 2015. He won the Collectors of Wood Art "Award for Excellence" at the American Craft Council Baltimore show in February 2015. He has aso won the "Best of Show" award and the "Wharton Esherick Award" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show; and "Best In Wood" awards at both the Washington Craft Expo and the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, IL. In 2014, he was awarded a Fellowship by the Tamarack Artisan Foundation for lifetime achievement in the arts.
Exhibitions.
"Beyond Boundaries" (2014)
"Nature in Craft" (2013)
"Across the Grain" (2013)
"Poplar Culture" (2012)
"What is Beautiful?"(2012)
"Is Ornament a Crime?" (2010)
"A Revolution in Wood" (2010)
"A Gathering of Spoons" (2010)
"DysFUNctional" (2008-2011)
"Yale Collects Wood" (2002)
"Wood--Small Treasures" (2000-2002, 2004, 2006-2007, 2009)
"Woodturning in North America Since 1930" (2001-2002)
"Objects for Use: Handmade by Design" (2001-2002)
"Living With Form" (2000)
"Art in Embassies Program" (1998-2001)
"Expressions in Wood" (1997-98)
"West Virginia Juried Exhibition" (1995–96, 1999-2000, 2005, 2007, 2008)
Challenge V, Lathe-Turned Objects, (1994–97)
The Year of American Craft" (1993–94)
Permanent collections.
Works by Sartorius are in permanent collections of many museums including the Arkansas Arts Center; the Carnegie Museum of Art (PA); the Center for Art in Wood (PA); the Fuller Craft Museum (MA); the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; the Museum of Art and Design (NY); the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (TX); the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Racine Art Museum (WI); the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery (DC); and the Yale University Art Gallery (CT).
The Emil Milan research project.
Since 2008, Sartorius has collaborated with woodworkers Phil Jurus and Barry Gordon on a research project focused on the life, work, and legacy of American master craftsman Emil Milan. Funded by a grant from the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, the Emil Milan Research Project has resulted in an article in "Woodwork" magazine and a research report containing extensive biographical and archival material. Sartorius played a major role in curating the exhibit entitled "Emil Milan: Midcentury Designer Craftsman" held at the Henry Gallery on the campus of Penn State Great Valley in Malvern, PA June 9 – September 26, 2014. The exhibit, which included works by Sartorius, traveled to the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia and was expanded to include 19 artists influenced by Milan. The exhibit, entitled "Rediscovering Emil Milan and his Circle of Influence," was held at the Center November 7, 2014 – January 24, 2015. Sartorius was a speaker and panelist at a symposium held in conjunction with the exhibit focusing on Milan’s life, work, and influence.


Karl Philipp Moritz

Karl Philipp Moritz (Hameln, 15 September 1756 – Berlin, 26 June 1793) was a German author, editor and essayist of the "Sturm und Drang", late enlightenment, and classicist periods, influencing early German Romanticism as well. He led a life as a hatter's apprentice, teacher, journalist, literary critic, professor of art and linguistics, and member of both of Berlin's academies.
Biography.
Moritz was born into impoverished circumstances in Hameln in 1756. After receiving a scanty schooling, he was apprenticed to a hat maker. After distressful attempts to gain a living, he caught the attention of a patron in Hanover and entered a gymnasium; however, he soon accepted an engagement as actor under Ekhof at Gotha, failing in which he returned to study (1776) at Erfurt; but tiring again he joined the "Herrnhuter" (Moravian Church) at Barby, and studied theology at Wittenberg (1777); then taught philanthropy at the Potsdam military orphanage, soon again to take to wandering.
Teaching in Berlin, he made a reputation as writer, preacher and poet, and went to England. Then he became professor at the gymnasium at Berlin (). Next he tried editing the "Vossische Zeitung" to make it proletarian, but failed. Later he traveled to Italy (1786) where he met Goethe, and on his return to Germany he took up residence as Goethe's guest at Weimar. Duke Karl August helped him join the Berlin Academy of Sciences, and in 1789 Moritz became a professor of antiquities at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. Among his students were Ludwig Tieck, Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder and Alexander von Humboldt. He was an avid admirer of Jean Paul, and befriended Moses Mendelssohn, and Asmus Jakob Carstens.
Works.
Apart from a four-part autobiographical novel, "Anton Reiser", and two fictional "Andreas Hartknopf" novels, he also wrote a number of theoretical writings on aesthetics, especially "Über die bildende Nachahmung des Schönen" (On the Formative Imitation of Beauty), which Goethe excerpted in his "Italian Journey". Moritz's "Magazin zur Erfahrungsseelenkunde als ein Lesebuch für Gelehrte und Ungelehrte" (Journal of Experiential Psychology, as reading for scholars and laymen) was one of the first Germanophone journals of psychology. His works include:


Flatbush Avenue station (Connecticut)

Flatbush Avenue is a bus rapid transit station on the CTfastrak line, located near the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and New Park Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut. It opened with the line on March 28, 2015. The station consists of one island platform to the side of the busway, with passing lanes to allow express buses to pass buses stopped at the station. A CTrailHartford Line commuter rail platform is planned to open in 2022 under the name West Hartford.
Railroad history.
The New York and New England Railroad (and predecessor Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad) operated a station named Charter Oak Park at Oakwood Street slightly to the south, serving the Charter Oak Park racing track and the Luna Park recreation area. It opened with the track in 1874, was rebuilt in 1900, and likely closed with the racetrack in 1940. The New Haven Railroad had an adjacent Oakwood station on its parallel Springfield Line; it opened in 1874 and was closed in the late 1890s after the New Haven's purchase of the NY&NE rendered it redundant.
Future plans.
The Hartford Line commuter rail service between New Haven, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts via Hartford commenced on June 16, 2018. It initially connects to CTfastrak at Union Station. Hartford Line stations adjacent to the CTfastrak stops at West Hartford (Flatbush Avenue) and are planned to open later.
The 2012 environmental assessment for the Hartford Line included preliminary plans for four infill stations including West Hartford and Newington Junction; although they were not yet funded, this would allow future planning and construction to be expedited. On January 12, 2015, the state announced that $5.75 million in funding would be made available for environmental mitigation and design at ten Hartford Line and New Haven Line stations, including design funding for Hartford Line platforms at West Hartford and Newington Junction. In February 2017, the state announced an additional $50 million in funds, including money to complete design of West Hartford station. Design will be completed by 2020. The state aims to construct all infill stations on the line by 2022.


Adobe Graphics Assembly Language


Deep Gap (Watauga County, North Carolina)


San Francisco and Alameda Railroad

The San Francisco and Alameda Railroad (SF&A) was a short-lived railroad company in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. The railroad line opened 1864–1865 from Alameda Terminal on Alameda Island to Hayward, California, with ferry service between Alameda Terminal and San Francisco started in 1864. After being bankrupted by the 1868 Hayward earthquake, it was acquired by a subsidiary of the Central Pacific Railroad in August 1869. Part of the SF&A line between Alameda Terminal and San Leandro served as a portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad starting in September 1869 (though most was replaced by the San Francisco and Oakland Railroad by November 1869), while the southern section was abandoned in 1873.
The remaining part of the line became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad. From 1911 to 1941, the section on Alameda was used for electrified commuter service. Freight service on Alameda lasted until 1960. The middle section of the SF&A line between Fruitvale and San Leandro is still in service as part of the Union Pacific Railroad Niles Subdivision. It is used by Amtrak "Capitol Corridor" and "Coast Starlight" passenger trains and Union Pacific freight trains.
History.
In 1863 A. A. Cohen, a prominent San Francisco attorney, together with Charles Minturn, an operator of river steamboats and bay ferries, E. B. Mastick, a prominent Alameda landowner, and others incorporated the San Francisco and Alameda Railroad to provide passenger and freight ferry-train service to Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward (then called Haywards) and perhaps farther.
Construction.
System construction began in 1864 on a wharf and railroad station (Alameda Terminal) at the foot of Pacific Avenue in Alameda and a railroad from there along Pacific Ave. to 4th St., private right-of-way to 5th St., Linnet St. (later Railroad Ave., then Lincoln Ave.) to Alameda station at Park St. with a few intermediate stations including Mastick, east of 8th St., and Encinal, east of Grand St., named after the neighborhood, but also known as Fasskings after the nearby entertainment pavilion. Service began later that year.
Construction continued via private right-of-way between the Oakland Estuary and San Leandro Bay, (Alameda was then a peninsula rather than an island) to stations named Fruit Vale (later renamed Fernside) at Fernside Blvd. and Pearl St. near the present Fruitvale Bridge, to Simpson's (later renamed Melrose) near the present 48th Ave. and then, turning southeastward, to Fitch's (later named Fitchburg) near the present 77th Ave., to Jones (later Elmhurst) near the present 98th Ave. to the Bay side of San Leandro near Davis St.
At San Leandro, the track turned sharply left (heading east) there onto Ward (now West Estudillo) St. to the SF&A San Leandro station at the intersection with the county road (now East 14th St). The track then turned sharply to the right to follow the county road southward (now East 14th St. in San Leandro, and Mission Blvd. in Hayward). Near Hayward, the track angled to the right on private right-of-way to A St. and Watkins St., following Watkins St. to D St. where a station was built. Service to Hayward started in 1865. There were five trips daily, linking Hayward to San Francisco, and made commuting for Hayward area residents a viable option for the first time. But with only 30 homes in Hayward at that time, it was not profitable.
Mergers and acquisitions.
In 1865, Cohen gained control of the overextended San Francisco and Oakland Railroad. After Central Pacific Railroad decided to make Oakland the western terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad in April 1868, its subsidiary purchased the majority of stock in SF&O from Cohen in August 1868. After the October 1868 Hayward earthquake bankrupted SF&A, the CP subsidiary purchased also the majority of stock in SF&A while retaining Cohen on the CP payroll as a lawyer.
By 1866 the Western Pacific Railroad had built a line from San Jose northwest to Vallejo Mills (mouth of Niles Canyon, later Niles and now part of Fremont) and had laid out the rest of the line through the canyon, through Livermore Valley, over Altamont Pass, and on to Stockton and Sacramento, before running out of money. A Central Pacific subsidiary then took control of the Western Pacific, finished building the line, and added a line northwest from Niles toward Oakland. It was determined that the SF&A track north of Hayward with its sharp turns on Ward St. in San Leandro was unsuitable for main-line trains. Thus the Western Pacific connection was made on the Bay side (west of Alvarado and Davis Sts) of San Leandro, establishing a new San Leandro station there and providing a through route to Alameda Pier. On September 6, 1869, the first transcontinental train to the Bay Area ran through Alameda to Alameda Terminal, where the passengers boarded the ferryboat "Alameda" to San Francisco. A California Historical Landmark plaque (no. 440) commemorates this event. Construction was then started on the connection from Simpson's to the SF&O in San Antonio. When the connection to the SF&O was completed in November, the transcontinental trains operated to Oakland Pier instead. Alameda then went back to local train service only.
In June 1870 the SF&O and SF&A were merged to form the "San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Railroad", which existed for two months before it was brought back into the Central Pacific Railroad.
In 1873 the Central Pacific Railroad made some economy cutbacks. The Alameda train service now used new track north from Fernside station alongside Fruitvale Avenue to a new Fruitvale station at the junction with the CPRR main line from Oakland south and terminated there. The former SF&A line from San Leandro to Hayward was abandoned, despite the protests from these towns. Track was laid north from Mastick station to a bridge being built across the Oakland Estuary to connect with Alice St. with the tracks continuing along this street to 7th St. so that Alameda trains could continue to Oakland Pier. Alameda Pier (at Pacific Ave.) was no longer used.
In 1887, the Central Pacific Railroad was leased to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1898 the Alice St. bridge and tracks to 7th St. in Oakland were replaced by a bridge to Harrison St. with a track connection to the 1st St. line to Oakland Pier. In 1903 the Oakland Tidal Canal was finished, linking the Oakland Estuary with San Leandro Bay, making Alameda into an island, and requiring the construction of the Fruitvale Bridge. In 1906, some Alameda trains started using the newer Alameda Pier, originally built by the South Pacific Coast Railroad, located on the south shore of the Oakland Estuary at the far western end of Alameda.
Later years.
In 1911 the Southern Pacific Railroad electrified most of its local lines in the East Bay. The electrified Alameda line, now called the Lincoln Ave. line, went from Alameda Pier via private right of way to Main St, to the original Pacific Ave. tracks, then to Alameda and Fernside stations, and then to a new loop around the eastern end of Alameda to connect with the Encinal Ave. line, originally built by the South Pacific Coast Railroad.
In 1939, Alameda Pier was abandoned and the Lincoln Ave. line continued beyond Alameda station across the Fruitvale Bridge to a connection with the 7th St. line at the later Fruitvale station. The trains then followed the 7th St. line through Oakland and across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal. This was an indirect route for passengers from western Alameda. Passenger service was abandoned in January, 1941, and replaced by Key System buses using a shorter route via a tunnel (Posey Tube), aligned with Harrison St. in Oakland, but freight service continued over most of the route. The last passenger train on this line was an excursion train, pulled by a steam engine, for the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association in April, 1954. Freight service ended in 1960 and the tracks were removed.
Ferryboats.
The first ferryboat used by the SF&A was a river packet named "Sophie MacLane", leased from Charles Minturn's company. It soon proved to be too small, so it was returned to Sacramento River service and Minturn moved the "Contra Costa", a ferryboat built for service from San Francisco to the foot of Broadway in Oakland, over to the SF&A route. As business built up, even the "Contra Costa" became inadequate, so the SF&A had a new ferryboat built. It was completed in January 1866, was named "Alameda", and was the first double-ended ferryboat on the Bay. After the SF&A was taken over by the Central Pacific Railroad, the "Alameda" was placed in the pool of CP ferryboats and served in various locations.
Locomotives.
The initial order for locomotives was for two of the 2-2-0 type. They arrived in 1864 and one was named "E. B. Mastick" and the other was sold to a Southern California railroad. Soon after service was started, it was realized that a more powerful locomotive was needed, so the "J. C. Kellogg", a 4-4-0 type, was built by the SF&A. In 1868 another 4-4-0 locomotive was ordered and delivered. It was named the "F. D. Atherton" and was heavily damaged in the wreck at Simpson's the following year, but was rebuilt. When the Central Pacific Railroad took over the SF&A, other locomotives were brought in and the three SF&A locomotives were sent elsewhere on the CP system.
Wreck.
On November 14, 1869, the first major railroad accident in California occurred east of Simpson's. The morning eastbound transcontinental train left Oakland Pier, but was delayed. The morning inbound SF&A local left Hayward, but was delayed also. They were scheduled to pass at Simpson's, which was in a heavy fog area that morning. The transcontinental train arrived at Simpson's first and had a confused exchange with the switchman. Assuming that the local had already passed, the transcontinental train proceeded east in the fog at speed and collided with the local train. Among the 15 killed were 4 from the engine crews, and 21 passengers were injured, some seriously. Both locomotives were heavily damaged, but were rebuilt. Several passenger cars were destroyed. An inquest was held which found the switchman to be negligent. He was tried for manslaughter, but found not guilty. A second track was soon built between Simpson's and San Leandro.


Fresno station (California High-Speed Rail)

Fresno is a California High-Speed Rail station being constructed in Fresno, California; the groundbreaking ceremony for the system was held at the station site on January 6, 2015. The first purpose-built high speed rail station in the United States, it is part of the system's Initial Construction Segment. The facility is located in Downtown Fresno at H Street between Fresno and Tulare Streets, and is about 7 blocks south from the existing Fresno Amtrak station. The high-speed rail line runs along the right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad at this location.
History.
The station itself replaced a Greyhound bus terminal dating from the 1950s. In July 2015, it was estimated that construction of the station building itself would commence in 2017 or 2018 and was expected to spur new development in Downtown Fresno. Several existing industrial and office buildings in the vicinity had to be demolished to make way for the station and tracks. In October 2016, the plans called for the station to occupy about 120,000 square feet and cost about $80 million, with the planning work being finished by the end of 2019. At the end of January 2017, demolition was begun on the former Greyhound bus station occupying the site of the future high-speed rail station.


Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD; ) is an international organisation working in mine action. Based in the Maison de la paix in Geneva, it is legally a non-profit foundation in Switzerland.
It was established by Switzerland and several other countries in April 1998. In March 2003, the GICHD concluded a status agreement with the Swiss Government guaranteeing its independence and freedom of action. The Centre has over 40 staff members and is financially supported by about 20 countries and international organisations. The GICHD's primary functions include: lobbying against the use of mines and other devices that may result in explosive remnants of war (ERW), evaluating the effects of ERW on civilians worldwide, and providing expertise in the prevention of civilian casualties due to ERW.
Mission.
The GICHD works for the elimination of anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and for the reduction of the humanitarian impact of other landmines and explosive remnants of war. The GICHD is committed to the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.
Competence.
The Centre's areas of competence include anti-personnel mines, all other types of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in a broad sense of the term, including all forms of mines, booby traps, unexploded ordnance (UXO) including cluster munitions, and
abandoned ordnance (AXO). The GICHD responds across the full spectrum of emergency, reconstruction, peace-keeping, disarmament, reconstruction and development. It does so by respecting the primary responsibility of affected states for mine action, and by placing emphasis on local ownership and capacity building.
Partners.
The Centre’s main partners are national governments, international and regional organisations, local and international non-governmental organisations, research centres and commercial companies working in the area of mine action and explosive remnants of war. Its sister organisations are the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. The GICHD shares its offices with the Gender and Mine Action Programme of the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Activities.
The GICHD, in partnership with others, strives to provide capacity development support, undertake applied research and develop standards, all aimed at increasing the performance and professionalism of mine action. In addition, the GICHD supports the implementation of relevant instruments of international law.:
Operational assistance.
The Centre’s main operational assistance activities are:
Standards.
The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) are standards issued by the United Nations to guide the planning, implementation and management of mine action programmes. They have been developed to improve safety and efficiency in mine action by providing guidance, establishing principles and, in some cases, by defining international requirements and specifications. They provide a frame that encourages the sponsors and managers of mine action programmes and projects to achieve and demonstrate agreed levels of effectiveness and safety. The IMAS are a framework for the development of national mine action standards (NMAS), which can more accurately reflect specific local realities and circumstances in a given country. The GICHD manages the development and review of the IMAS on behalf of the United Nations Mine Action Service.
Support of relevant instruments of international law.
The Centre supports the development and implementation of instruments of international law that address landmines and explosive remnants of war.
Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
"The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction", also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, is central to the efforts aimed at ending the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines. The Convention includes a comprehensive ban on anti-personnel mines, a framework of action to address the humanitarian impact of mines, and mechanisms to facilitate cooperation in implementing the Convention. The Convention was concluded on 18 September 1997 and it entered into force on 1 March 1999. As of 1 February 2011, 156 states had joined the Convention. The GICHD has observer status at the States Parties meetings of the Convention.
Since 1999, the GICHD has supported the implementation of the Convention, primarily by hosting meetings of the Standing Committees established by the Convention’s States Parties. In September 2001, the States Parties mandated the GICHD to provide enhanced support to their efforts through the establishment of an "Implementation Support Unit" (ISU). The ISU's duties include providing support and advice to the Presidency of the Meetings of the State Parties and to Standing Committee Co-chairs, communicating information about the Convention and its implementation, and developing and maintaining a Documentation Centre. On behalf of a group of donors, the GICHD administers its sponsorship programme. In addition, on an ongoing basis, the GICHD provides expert advice to the States Parties on mine clearance, mine risk education, and stockpile destruction.
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
"The Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects", also known as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), was adopted on 10 October 1980, and entered into force on 2 December 1983.
The CCW is a framework convention with five protocols, which ban or restrict the use of various types of weapons that are deemed to cause unnecessary suffering, or affect either soldiers or civilians indiscriminately. The weapons covered include: weapons that leave undetectable fragments in the body (Protocol I - 1980); mines, booby-traps and other devices (Protocol II - 1980, amended in 1996); incendiary weapons (Protocol III - 1980); blinding laser weapons (Protocol IV - 1995); and explosive remnants of war (Protocol V - 2003). As of 1 February 2011, 113 States had joined the Convention. The GICHD has observer status at the High Contracting Parties meetings taking place in the framework of the CCW.
The Centre has an observer status and assists High Contracting Parties, at their request, in their efforts to minimise human suffering caused by landmines, booby traps and other devices, explosive remnants of war and cluster munitions, which are covered by the ongoing work of the CCW and its Group of Governmental Experts. Since 1999, the GICHD has supported the CCW, primarily by providing expert advice in order to promote the development of, and compliance with, the obligations contained in CCW. In addition, the GICHD is administering the CCW Sponsorship Programme, as mandated by the High Contracting Parties at the CCW Third Review Conference in November 2006.
Convention on Cluster Munitions.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) entered into force on 1 August 2010. As of 1 February 2011, 51 States joined the CCM. The Convention prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions. The GICHD supports the States Parties and other stakeholders with its knowledge and experience in implementing the CCM.
Location.
GICHD's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland in the maison de la paix building (the "house of peace"), which is owned by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. It shares the building with the Graduate Institute, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). It is the main element of the "campus de la paix" (the "campus of peace").


Ludwig Bausch

Ludwig Christian August Bausch (15 January 1805 in Dresden26 May 1871 in Leipzig) was a German "Bogenmacher" / bow maker. He became known as the "German Tourte".
Bausch started a dynasty of makers. He studied violin making in Dresden with J.B. Fritsche and eventually set up his own firm in Leipzig. He combined the best elements of French and German styles, and achieved great fame.
He was very much influenced by the late F.X. Tourte model, nevertheless his work is very distinct and personal.
His two sons, Ludwig jun. Bausch (Karl Friedrich Ludwig jun.) (1829-1871) and Otto Julius Bausch (1841-1874) produced bows until 1874.
"From the turn of the century (1900 AD) until now, thousands of cheap bows branded with the Bausch name were exported from Germany and sold throughout the world. Genuine Bausch bows, once plentiful, are now scarce and these vary from commercial grade bows to bows of exceptional beauty." - Kenway Lee 1994
"Along with Heinrich Knopf, it is very possible that Ludwig Bausch supplied some bows to Nicolaus Kittel (as there are substantial similarities in some of these bows by Kittel and Bausch)" - Gennady Filimonov


Tawas MRT station

Tawas MRT station is a proposed Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Jurong Region Line in Western Water Catchment, Singapore.
Derived from the namesake road nearby, "Lorong Tawas", it will be the Northern terminus of the West Branch of the Jurong Region Line from 2027 to 2029 before Peng Kang Hill MRT station opens. There will be two station names in the naming exercise - Tawas and Cleantech.
History.
On 9 May 2018, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that Tawas station would be part of the proposed Jurong Region line (JRL). The station will be constructed as part of Phase 1, JRL (West), consisting of 10 stations between Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Tawas, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Contract J107 for the design and construction of Tawas Station and associated viaducts was awarded to Sembcorp Design and Construction Pte Ltd at a sum of . Construction will start in 2020, with completion in 2027. Contract J107 also includes the design and construction of Gek Poh, and associated viaducts.
Initially expected to open in 2026, the restrictions on the construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays in the JRL line completion, and the date was pushed to 2027.
Location.
The station complex will be situated at JTC CleanTech Park. It is located within the Western Water Catchment planning area, to the west of the Jurong Eco-Garden.
Access to the station will be via 4 exits.


Bellflower station

Bellflower is a planned light rail station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is part of the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor project. Measure M funds are programmed for a scheduled completion in 2041, though the project timeline is expected to be accelerated for an earlier opening.
The station is located across Bellflower Boulevard from the former Pacific Electric West Santa Ana Branch depot, built in 1927. Passenger services operated between 1905 and 1958; it served as the terminus of the line after 1950. Early maps use the former name of the town for the stop: Somerset.


Luoxiu Road station

Luoxiu Road () is a metro station on the Line 15 of the Shanghai Metro. Located at the intersection of Laohumin Road and Luoxiu Road in Xuhui District, Shanghai, the station was scheduled to open with the rest of Line 15 by the end of 2020. However, the station eventually opened on 23 January 2021 following a one-month postponement. The station is located between to the north and to the south.


List of civil engineers

This list of civil engineers is a list of notable people who have been trained in or have practiced civil engineering.


William Marriott (engineer)

William Marriott (1857 – 17 November 1943) was the engineer, locomotive superintendent and traffic manager of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN)
Marriott was born at Basel, Switzerland where his father was a professor of English at the University of Basel. He was orphaned in 1868 and was brought to live in Bideford, receiving an education in England and on the continent. He served an apprenticeship with Ransomes & Rapier Ltd in Ipswich from 1875-9 and as a draughtsman in 1880. He left Ransomes in 1881 to become an assistant engineer with Wilkinson & Jarvis Ltd completing a six-week unpaid trial period on the Yarmouth & North Norfolk Railway at Yarmouth. He was offered a permanent post which he accepted, and in 1883 he became the civil engineer and in 1884 the locomotive superintendent of the Eastern & Midlands Railway. This company was the amalgamation of all the Wilkinson & Jarvis lines in Norfolk, including both the Yarmouth & North Norfolk Railway and the Lynn & Fakenham Railway. At the time he was possibly the youngest engineer of a public railway since the 1850s. When the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway jointly purchased the Eastern & Midlands Railway in 1893, from which time it was known as the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway, he was expecting to become Traffic Manager as well, but was passed over in favour of an outside appointment. After many years service improving the line and developing the use of reinforced concrete, he was finally appointed as the railway's traffic manager in 1919, in which post he remained until his retirement on 31 December 1924. He died in Sheringham on 17 November 1943.
North Norfolk Railway.
A section of the M&GN railway formerly run by Marriott has been preserved by volunteers as the North Norfolk Railway, popularly known as the "Poppy Line". This organisation also runs the William Marriott Museum which is located at Holt station. The museum houses railway artifacts relating to Marriott and the M&GN railway.
Legacy.
The Marriott's Way a long distance footpath that follows the route of two former (M&GN) lines in Norfolk takes its name from him.
Thorpe Marriott a residential development at Taverham bears his name.


Bellingham Square station

Bellingham Square and Chelsea are a pair of adjacent transit stations located near Bellingham Square slightly north of downtown Chelsea, Massachusetts. The Silver Line bus rapid transit service SL3 service, which began on April 21, 2018, includes a bus rapid transit stop called Bellingham Square. Chelsea station, opened in 1985, is an MBTA Commuter Rail station served by the Newburyport/Rockport Line. Unlike all other stations on the line, save limited-service River Works and Prides Crossing, Chelsea is not accessible. However, the stop is planned to be moved to a new accessible station in 2021.
History.
Commuter Rail.
After the opening of the Charlestown Bridge in 1901 and the East Boston Tunnel in 1904, Boston and Maine railroad stations in Everett and Chelsea lost ridership to slower but more frequent streetcar service. On April 18, 1958, the Boston and Maine Railroad received permission from the Public Utilities Commission to drastically curtail its suburban commuter service, including abandoning branches, closing stations, and cutting trains. Among the approved cuts was the closure of all Eastern Division service south of Lynn, including the entirety of the Saugus Branch, plus mainline stations at East Somerville, Everett, Chelsea, and Forbes. These areas were largely within the Metropolitan Transit Authority bus service area, acquired from the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway in 1936. The Saugus Branch and mainline stations were closed on May 16, 1958.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the newly formed MBTA reopened several inner-suburb commuter rail stations in response to community desire for service that was faster if less frequent than buses. In 1976, Chelsea station was considered for reactivation, but ridership was expected to be relatively small due to the nearby and buses.
On September 4, 1985, the MBTA Board awarded a $412,000 contract to construct a new station at Chelsea. The station opened on December 1, 1985, concurrent with the restoration of regular service on the Rockport/Ipswich Line following the 1984 fire that destroyed the Beverly Draw. The station was built onto the existing right of way, with the outbound platform paved over one of the former Grand Junction Branch tracks. (The rails of the former track were still visible in the platform until it was removed in 2015.) It was one of the last non-accessible stations opened by the MBTA. The MBTA was unable to secure an easement from Conrail to construct accessible platforms; the MBTA's failure to make the station accessible results in fines from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board in 1989.
Silver Line.
Chelsea was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring Project. The Urban Ring was to be a circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) line designed to connect the current radial MBTA rail lines, to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations. Under draft plans released in 2008, the commuter rail platforms would have been extended to full length and raised for accessibility, with a new bus station built on the south side of the station. Although the full project was shelved in 2010 due to the MBTA's financial difficulties, some corridor routes are receiving more limited work.
In March 2013, the MBTA began studying an extension of the Silver Line to Chelsea via a newly constructed bypass road in East Boston. Three alternatives were discussed for the Chelsea section. One followed the abandoned section of the Grand Junction Railroad right-of-way from Eastern Avenue to Chelsea station with stops at Eastern Avenue, Highland/Box District, Chelsea station, and Mystic Mall. The second alignment followed the Grand Junction to just short of the station, then diverged onto surface roads to Bellingham Square. The third alignment ran entirely on surface streets, serving two stops on Central Avenue and four stops along a loop serving Chelsea station and the MGH Chelsea healthcare center. In September 2013, the MBTA indicated that it would pursue the first alternative despite potential issues with bridge clearances and rebuilding Chelsea station.
On October 30, 2013, MassDOT announced $82.5 million in state funding for a modified version of the first alternative to be constructed. The commuter rail station would be moved to the new Chelsea station (at Mystic Mall), where more room was available for platforms, with only the Silver Line stopping at the existing site near Bellingham Square. Service was then expected to begin in late 2015. A construction contract was approved in September 2014, and construction began in March 2015. In June 2015, the outbound platform was removed to make way for the busway construction; a temporary asphalt platform was placed between the tracks. Silver Line service on the SL3 branch began on April 21, 2018. The second phase of the project includes the relocated Chelsea commuter rail station plus transit signal priority upgrades for the SL3. Construction began in August 2019, with completion planned for late 2021.
Bus connections.
Five MBTA bus routes converge on Bellingham Square near the station:
Routes 112 and 114 serve the station directly on 6th Street, while route 111 serves the station directly from Washington Avenue. Routes 116 and 117 run on other streets to the east.


Paul Fischer (luthier)

Paul Fischer (born Isle of man 1941), a British maker of musical instruments, began making harpsichords and clavichords in 1956 in Oxford under the tutelage of Robert Goble, with further study at the Oxford College of Art and Technology.
After military service (11th Hussars) he joined the lute and guitar maker David Rubio at Duns Tew, Oxfordshire. With the benefit of Fischer's experience, Rubio began making harpsichords, soon to be followed by theorbos, viheulas, pandoras, citterns and baroque guitars. Bowed instruments were to follow. As the workforce expanded to meet increasing demand, Fischer was appointed manager and oversaw the making of this wide range of instruments until establishing his own studio in 1975.
Fischer set up shop in Chipping Norton. The award of a Winston Churchill Fellowship and Southern Arts bursary at this time, provided the opportunity to take up the challenge. From this and the work of physicist Dr. Bernard Richardson the 'Taut' system of construction was developed.


Charles Stieff

Charles M. Stieff (1805–1862) was a 19th-century American industrialist and piano manufacturer, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Although his company went out of business in 1951, Stieff pianos are still highly regarded. They are often referred to as "The poor man's Steinway".
Biography.
Charles Maximilian Stieff was born in Württemberg on July 19, 1805 and was educated at Stuttgart. In 1831 he emigrated to America and settled at Baltimore, where he took a chair in Haspart's school as professor of languages and also acted as leader of a church choir. In 1842 he imported his first pianos from Germany, and opened piano warerooms on Liberty Street in 1843. Observing the success of the various piano manufacturers in Baltimore, Stieff undertook an extensive trip to Europe in 1852, studying the methods of the best piano manufacturers there. Upon his return he admitted his sons into partnership and started the manufacture of the "Stieff" piano, entrusting the management of the factory to Jacob Gross, an expert piano maker of the old school. On Christmas Day, 1860 Gross married Catharina Christiana Stieff (1833–1906), Charles' daughter. His joining the Stieff family business was an excellent combination.
The Stieff piano was considered one of the finest pianos made, superior even to the Steinway, because its piano action was made by Wessell, Nickel & Gross, "world-renowned and synonymous with the highest quality piano action that one could buy."
Charles M. Stieff died on January 1, 1862.
His company's later years.
After Stieff's death the business was carried on successfully by his sons, Charles and Frederick P. Stieff; the technical management of the factories being in the hands of Charles J. Gross, who was taught by his father, Jacob Gross. The factory narrowly escaped destruction during the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 when the fire stopped just short of the factory's walls. The firm distributed its products through its own stores and local/regional distributors, which were found in every prominent city of the southern States, as well as at Boston, San Francisco and elsewhere. The company ceased business in 1951.
The Stieff piano company was not associated with Stieff Silver, makers of sterling silver and pewter products, which was founded by Charles C. Stieff (Charles M.'s grandson) and operated in Baltimore from 1892 to 1999.
Sources.
This article is adapted from "Pianos and Their Makers: a Comprehensive History of the Development of the Piano from the Monochord to the Concert Grand Player Piano", by Alfred Dolge, published in 1911 by Covina Co.


Isaac and Josias Habrecht

Isaac (1544–1620) and Josias (1552–1575) Habrecht were two clockmaker brothers from Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
They were hired to build the second astronomical clock in Strasbourg between 1571 and 1574, its design being created by Christian Herlin and later his pupil Conrad Dasypodius.
Josias and Isaac were two sons of the clockmaker Joachim Habrecht
who built the astronomical clock in Schaffhausen.
Joachim Habrecht.
Joachim has also built a clock in Solothurn.
Isaac Habrecht.
Born 23 February 1544 in Schaffhausen, he died 11 November 1620 in Strasbourg.
In 1566 he married Anna Rueger. In 1586 he married Margarete Beck.
Josias Habrecht.
Brother of Isaac Habrecht.


Harbor Cay Condominium collapse

The Harbor Cay Condominium was a five-story flat plate residential development project in Cocoa Beach (Brevard County, Florida, United States) that collapsed during construction on March 27, 1981. Eleven workers were killed and 27 injured.
The building, being constructed by the Univel Corporation of Cocoa Beach, collapsed as workers were completing its framework by pouring concrete for the roof.
The accident led to more rigorous enforcement of engineering and construction codes in Florida and elsewhere.
Cause.
The collapse was due to numerous errors in design and construction. The concrete slabs were only thick and should have been thick to satisfy the American Concrete Institute's Building Code minimum. The plastic chair spacers used to support the slab steel were high, which coupled with the thin slabs led to a very small effective depth.
Charges.
Two engineers, an architect and two contractors were charged with negligence, misconduct and failing to conform to state and local building laws. At least one of the engineers surrendered his license, paid a fine, and said he would never practice again.


Namwirye station

Namwirye station () is an under-construction railway station on Line 8 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system.


George Bennett Bowell

George Bennett Bowell (1875–1942) was a British horologist, best known for the invention of the 'Synchronome switch'.
He met Frank Hope-Jones when the two worked at the electric organ factory of Frank's brother, Robert Hope-Jones, around 1894. Bowell and Frank Hope-Jones experimented making new designs of electric clocks, and secured their first patent in 1895, which included the Synchronome switch. The pair moved to London to exploit their invention, establishing the Synchronome business. The Synchronome Syndicate Ltd was formed in 1897 as a precursor to a London Stock Exchange float, but when this failed, Bowell left in 1899, to pursue his own business.
Bowell worked for the Pearson Fire Alarm company for several years, though continuing to work on electric clock designs. He began promoting his own design of slave clock from 1906, and by 1910-11 was operating as the Silent Electric Clock Company, which was incorporated in 1912. The General Post Office used Bowell's design of master and slave clock system from 1910, installing a Silent Electric 'chronopher' at St Martins-le-Grand for distributing the Greenwich Time Service around the Post Office network. Bowell had abandoned the electrically reset Gravity escapement of the Synchronome system in favour of the electrically maintained pendulum design of Matthäus Hipp, and the Post Office used his basic design of clock, in telephone exchanges and for call-timing purposes, for much of the balance of the twentieth century.
Bowell abandoned time systems before World War I to work on designs for a kinematograph known as the 'Flikless'. This was a commercial failure and Bowell was bankrupted in 1915, spending much of the remaining war working in munition work. His patent record suggests he continued to work on film apparatus in the 1920s.
Bowell's last involvement in horology was in collaboration with Reginald Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath, leading to a patent in 1937 for a clock escapement in which a constant force could be delivered, with unlocking independent of battery voltage.
Bowell married Phoebe March in June 1898. He died, aged 67, on 3 February 1942. In total, he was awarded thirty-two patents across five countries, of which twenty-two were British. His early collaborator, Frank Hope-Jones, contributed to Bowell's obituary, 'I understand that he met with an abundant share of the trials and difficulties which proverbially beset the inventor and that he failed to reap the reward due his skill and ingenuity. That must be attributed to his ill-health and his inventor's temperament, both ill weapons for fighting the battle of life'.


SA3 coupler

SA3 couplers (also known as СА3 or СА-3 couplers per the typical foundry stamp on top of these couplers, meaning "Советская Автосцепка, 3" in Russian or "Soviet Auto 3" in English) are railway rollingstock couplings used primarily in Russia and states influenced by the former Soviet Union, such as Finland and Mongolia.
Russian railways originally used buffers and chain couplers, however these had several disadvantages: their draft load was limited, they were susceptible to buffer lock, and they were not semiautomatic like the North American Janney couplers. Conversion to Janney couplers (as Japan and Australia had) was considered, as was development of a new design. The Willison coupler was patented in 1916 by John Willison from Derby, England. The Knorr-Bremse company bought it and it started to be used in Germany for some heavy trains and some suburban trains in Paris. In the 1930s, the Soviets improved on this design and then decided to make this coupler standard across the Russian railway system.
Experimentation.
In the late 1920s, the UIC had established a working group for the replacement of the chain link coupler, which restricts the efficiency of freight railroads in a major way. Many railroads ran prototypes. In Germany, coal trains with Scharfenberg couplers yielded unfavourable results in winter weather, other railroads did similar tests. But the UIC was not able to agree on one replacement. This failure of the UIC, which hampers freight operation in Europe even today, led to the decision by the Soviet Union to move forward without a standard being achieved in the talks.
The coupler was developed in (1932) and named SA3 (abbreviation of Russian , Soviet Automatic-Coupler 3rd Variant) and was an improved version of the Willison coupler, with better design of lock parts and mechanics. Conversion of rolling stock began in 1935. The Second World War delayed the introduction, so that the conversion was completed only 1957.
Operation.
Helper locomotives at the end of the train are rarely used in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The load of the freight per train is not as heavy as on American railways.
Although the SA3 coupler is primarily used in the countries of the former Soviet Union, they are visible every day at the transshipping stations, at the eastern borders of the European Union (Poland, Slovakia and Hungary). Since bogie exchange technology has progressed, this allows for cars with SA3 couplers to regularly operate on the standard gauge tracks. A special converter car is inserted between standard and Russian gauge cars for this operation, with different couplers (SA3 and standard) on either end. Although these coupling freight cars have room for cargo, they are always operated empty.
If the vehicle fitted with the SA3 retains its buffers, then a special adapter allows that vehicle to couple to another vehicle fitted with buffers and chain, provided that the buffers have the same spacing or gauge. This appears to be done in Iran.
On the Uzhhorod–Košice broad-gauge track between Košice and Uzhhorod, Ukraine, of which the major part is on Slovakian territory, SA3 couplings are used exclusively. The railway is used for ore and coal transports from Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine to the US Steel mill in Košice and coal to the power plant of Vojany.
In addition, the heavy iron ore trains on the Swedish Malmbanan began to use SA3 couplings in 1969 after problems with snapping chain couplers and a need for ever increasing capacity with higher train weights. Today, IORE locomotives haul trains of 68 hopper cars of with a total weight of over over gradients of 1% in harsh weather conditions, from the LKAB mine in Kiruna to the ice-free harbour of Narvik, Norway using couplings of the SA3 type without any problem. They tried out Janney couplers, too, when moving beyond 8,000 tons because SA3 hasn't seen much use at such loads before that: in the Soviet Union, freight trains rarely exceeded 6,000 tons. The earlier SJ Dm3 locomotives have buffers fitted; therefore, they can couple with rolling stock fitted with buffers and chain.
The longest and heaviest train with SA3 couplings ran on 20 February 1986 from Ekibastuz to the Urals, Soviet Union. The composition consisted of 439 coal wagons and several diesel locomotives distributed along the train with a mass of 43,400 tonnes and the total length of .
Future.
The new European Automatic Center Coupler (C-AKv) has been based on this coupler, with the extended features of automatic brake and electric couplings. It also has vertical stability added, so that the coupling cannot fall down and damage the tracks or cause a derailment. It is compatible with the standard SA3 coupler and will have buffers needed for use with the standard buffers and chain couplers under the long transition period. The electric plugs would be most useful with electronically controlled pneumatic brakes.
Usage.
The former Soviet Union:


Center for International Stabilization and Recovery

The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), formerly the Mine Action Information Center (MAIC), is a public policy center at James Madison University that manages information, conducts training, holds conferences and workshops, and performs research relevant to humanitarian mine clearance, victim assistance, mine risk reduction and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).
The CISR has a full-time staff that organizes faculty, students and other subject-matter experts into teams to address specific post-conflict issues. Drawing on university programs and mine-action experience, CISR facilitates integrative approaches and innovative solutions to information and training.
History.
The program began in 1996 under a directive by the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to serve as a humanitarian demining information clearinghouse. In 1997, it was chartered as a Department of Defense "Center of Excellence". Starting in 1998, it received support from the Department of State's Vietnam Initiative, and by 2001, the Department of State was the primary supporting agency. The center works internationally; its support network includes United Nations, Canada, Switzerland, and the Slovenia International Trust Fund. In 2008 the name was changed to the present title, and the scope expanded to include all explosive remnants of war and post-conflict recovery issues. Since February 2010 the center has been directed by Dr. Kenneth Rutherford.
Journal of ERW and Mine Action.
The "Journal of ERW and Mine Action" is a print and online magazine for the global landmine, ERW and post-conflict community. It is published three times a year; the print magazine has a circulation of 1,500, two-thirds outside the US, and the online site receives 135,000 views annually. The journal contains editorials, articles, reports, reviews, profiles dealing with current practices, new equipment and techniques, procedures, lessons learned and newsworthy information. The Journal is written by field experts along with in-house contributions, and is funded by contracts from the United States Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, and the United States Department of Defense's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.
Peer Support.
“Pathways to Resilience” (P2R) is a regional leadership and training program for survivors of landmines and explosive ordnance injuries. The program's purpose is to develop self-confidence, emotional and physical health and life direction for landmine survivors while empowering them to help other survivors in their country of origin. The first P2R program hosted 29 landmine survivors for a week-long peer-support program in Hamama, Lebanon from May 8–15, 2011.
Mine risk education.
"We Love Life" is a theatrical play and creative arts program aimed at raising awareness in the landmine and UXO (Unexploded Ordnance)-threatened provinces of north-western Jordan.
Management training.
CISR, working in close collaboration with faculty from JMU’s College of Business (COB), specializes in management training for leaders in mine action around the world. The Senior Managers’ Course in ERW and Mine Action seeks to integrate the latest thinking in the field of business management with the practical experience of ERW/mine action operators. The goal is to hone the skills of senior managers of national ERW and mine action programs so that countries can more effectively and efficiently clear their lands of landmines and other explosive remnants of war that adversely affect their citizens' well-being and impinge upon economic development. From 2004 - 2013 CISR hosted 9 courses on the campus of JMU with 172 participants from 40 countries.
CISR has also conducted regional training courses in Jordan, Colombia, Peru and in May 2014 will conduct a training in Tajikistan.
Global Mine Action Registry.
The Global Mine Action Registry is a resource database of contact information on hundreds of mine-action organizations.


Ampelmann system

The Ampelmann system is a high-tech offshore personnel transfer system which was founded in 2008 as a spin-off of the Delft University of Technology. The motion compensation platform allows easy, fast and safe access from a moving vessel to offshore structures, even in high wave conditions. With a doubling of the fleet every year since 2008, Ampelmann currently operates 55 systems world-wide transferring offshore crew from various types of vessels to offshore oil & gas platforms, offshore turbines, FPSO’s and all other fixed and floating structures at sea.
Ampelmann technology.
Accessing any offshore structure can be problematic due to the movement of a vessel compared to the structure. Ampelmann has developed the solution for this challenge. Similar to a flight simulator, the Ampelmann eliminates any relative motion by taking instant measurements of the ship’s motions and then compensating movement using 6 hydraulic cylinders. This means the top of the Ampelmann remains completely stationary compared to the structure. The offshore gangway can then be extended towards the structure, so all personnel can walk to work offshore safely, even in high wave conditions. The system operates at maximum windspeed of 20 m/s or 38 knots.
All products developed by Ampelmann are designed with safety in mind. This means that critical components are equipped redundantly to ensure safe operations at all times.
Ampelmann motion compensated gangway systems can be installed on any vessel with sufficient deck space in about 8 hours. The systems are plug & play and operate stand-alone with their own power packs. No modifications to the platform are required to enable safe landings with the heave compensated gangway making it a cost efficient operation.
Besides transferring people, the system can also be used for cargo transfer up to 1000kg. Several applications have been developed for small tools, larger equipment such as generators or for fuel- and grout hoses. The absence of relative motion between the Ampelmann and structures makes it safe and easy to transfer of goods and equipment.
Clients.
The customers that use this system are mainly operating in the offshore oil & gas industry and the offshore wind industry. They use the system to enable their employees to safely transfer to perform maintenance on offshore wind turbines or to work on an offshore oil rig. Both market segments are growing in a rapid pace. The offshore wind sector, for example, has grown 54% in 2009. This growth has mainly been caused by the shift to more sustainable forms of energy generation by governments all over the world. A good example of this is Germany that has plans to build more than forty wind parks in the near future.
The customer relation of Ampelmann is only business-to-business (B2B). Platforms are usually owned by private companies, whereas wind parks are always run by private companies. There is no agent of independent status between Ampelmann and the user of the system.


Minister for Housing, Planning and Regeneration


Bernard Gitton

Bernard Gitton (); born 24 June 1935) is a French physicist and artist who has built modern water clocks, fountains and other devices relating art and science.
Biography.
He constructed "The Water Clock", at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, "Clepsydra Water Clock" at Abbotsford, British Columbia, "Time Flow Clock" Europa Center, Berlin, and "Time-Flow Clock" Rødovre Centrum, Denmark. Also, he projected the Water Clocks displayed at the Iguatemi Mall in São Paulo city and the , Brazil. The clock stands there since 1983.
One of his clocks was installed in the 1990s at Yabachō Station in Nagoya, Japan. In 2011 a Waterclock of Gitton was installed in the entrance hall of NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam/the Netherlands


Oakdale station (Caltrain)


Controlled Demolition, Inc.

Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) is a controlled demolition firm headquartered in Phoenix, Maryland. Founded by Jack Loizeaux in 1947, Controlled Demolition claims to have imploded "more buildings, chimneys, towers, bridges, and other structures" than all of its other competitors combined.
The firm was created by Jack Loizeaux who used dynamite to remove tree stumps in the Baltimore, Maryland area, and moved on to using explosives to take down chimneys, overpasses and small buildings in the 1940s.
Records.
The firm has claimed world records for a series of 1998 projects: The June 23 demolition of the 1,201-foot-high Omega Radio Tower in Trelew, Argentina, "the tallest manmade structure ever felled with explosives"; The August 16 implosion of the 17-building Villa Panamericana and Las Orquideas public housing complex in San Juan, Puerto Rico, "the most buildings shot in a single implosion sequence"; and the October 24 project at the J. L. Hudson Department Store in Detroit, Michigan, which at in height became "the tallest building & the tallest structural steel building ever imploded" and its making it "the largest single building ever imploded".
Select projects.
Alfred P. Murrah Building, Oklahoma City.
On May 24, 1995, the firm was responsible for the demolition of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building after its bombing on April 19, 1995.
The Seattle Kingdome.
On March 26, 2000, the firm used 4,450 pounds of dynamite placed in 5,905 carefully sited holes and of detonation cord inserted over a period of four months to take down the 25,000-ton concrete roof of the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington in 16.8 seconds, one day before the 24th birthday of the stadium that had been the home of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. The total cost for the demolition project was $9 million. The firm carefully planned the collapse of the roof to prevent its simultaneous free fall, creating a delay pattern that would break the roof into pieces and setting up 15-foot-high earth berms on the floor of the stadium to absorb the impact of the falling concrete. The demolition of the Kingdome established the record for the largest structure, by volume, ever demolished with explosives. The implosion of the 125,000-ton concrete structure did not cause a single crack in the foundation of the new stadium being built away.
Gettysburg National Tower.
CDI donated their services without charge to demolish and clear away the controversial Gettysburg National Tower on July 3, 2000 — the 137th anniversary of the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The National Park Service, eager to accept CDI's offer and save the $1 million originally set aside for the project, swiftly coordinated efforts to prepare the tower for the requested date. The 2 million pound (900,000 kg) tower was felled by of explosives in front of a crowd of 10,000.
World Trade Center Site.
On September 22, 2001, eleven days after the 9/11 attacks, a preliminary cleanup plan for the World Trade Center site was delivered by Controlled Demolition, Inc. in which Mark Loizeaux, president of CDI, emphasized the importance of protecting the slurry wall (or "the bathtub") which kept the Hudson River from flooding the WTC's basement.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.
The tower was disassembled during late 2007 and early 2008. Demolition of the Mobile Service Structure (MSS), by means of a controlled explosion, occurred on 2008-04-27. "National Geographic Channel: Man Made: Rocket Tower" has a full episode on the demolition
Martin Tower.
Martin Tower, the 21-story world headquarters building of defunct Bethlehem Steel and the tallest building in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was imploded by Controlled Demolition on May 19, 2019, at a reported cost of $575,000.


Mason and Dixon, Pennsylvania

Mason and Dixon is an unincorporated community in Franklin County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
History.
The community lies at the Maryland—Pennsylvania state line, which once marked the Mason–Dixon line. A variant name was "Mason-Dixon". A post office called Mason And Dixon was established in 1868, and remained in operation until 1955.