Margaret Fernie Eaton

Margaret Fernie Eaton (1871-1953) was an artist, born in England and schooled and worked as an artist in the United States. She created watercolor paintings in her early career, and is best known for her pyrographic works illustrations. She collaborated with her husband, fellow artist Hugh M. Eaton on book-plates and other works of art.
Early life.
Margaret Fernie Eaton was born in Leamington, England on April 22, 1871. After she studied under J.B. Whitaker in Brooklyn, Eaton attended the Art Students League of New York. Her instructors there included Harry Siddons Mowbray and Kenyon Cox. She also attended Adelphi Academy.
Career.
Watercolors she made by 1895 are " A Little Picture Book", "The Clerk" and "The Story Book". In 1898, regarding her ability as a watercolor artist, it was said that she "had a rare talent for the human, and her socialistic studies like "The China Painter" and "Left for Retrimming", show increasing power from year to year—both in sight and technic."
Eaton was known for her pyrography works of nude figures that resembled etchings. She is thought to be the first artist to use pyrography for magazine illustrations, like the "Winter" and "March" illustrations, and created book covers using pyrography. A noted work is a frieze, "Song of the Sea". She and her husband, Hugh M. Eaton, collaborated on their work and shared their Brooklyn workplace, Valhall Studio. The designed book-plates, book binding, illuminations, etchings, and pyrographic works of art. They were also interested in photography. Hugh, who owned a printing press, published illustrations made by the himk and/or his wife. She created architectural panel designs like "Song of Iris" for a dining room, nursery, and "Even-Song" to be placed over a mantel. By 1901, she illustrated the story "Bettina's Easter Stock" and with her husband illustrated "Hail and Farewell".
She was a member and vice-president of the Art Students League and a member of the New York Watercolor Club, and exhibited her works there. Both Margaret and Hugh were members of the Black and White Club.
Personal life.
Margaret Fernie married Hugh M. Eaton (1865–1924). He graduated from the Polytech Institute and studied art in several places, including the Art Students League of New York. He was art manager at "Leslie's Weekly" and "The American Magazine." They lived at 339 Halsey Street in Brooklyn and operated a studio, Valhall Studio, with two of Hugh's sisters. He died on September 14, 1924.
She married Rev. Dr. Frederic W. Norris in Summerville, South Carolina at the St. Paul's Church on November 17, 1929. At that time, Norris was the rector emeritus of St. Matthew's Church in Brooklyn. Norris died on November 22, 1931.
Eaton died in 1953.


Frank Comstock (politician)

Frank Comstock (August 19, 1856 – October 6, 1914) was a one-term Republican mayor of South Norwalk, Connecticut in 1889. He was born in Wilton in 1856. He was the son of John R. Comstock and Helen Eugenia Whitney. He served for three years as a Burgess of the Borough of Norwalk. Comstock served in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1893.
In 1882, Comstock founded, along with Samuel Raymond, the Raymond & Comstock Company, a hat factory at 50 Day Street, in Norwalk.


Teller mine

The Teller mine () was a German-made antitank mine common in World War II. With explosives sealed inside a sheet metal casing and fitted with a pressure-actuated fuze, Teller mines had a built-in carrying handle on the side. As the name suggests ("Teller" is the German word for dish or plate) the mines were plate-shaped.
Containing little more than 5.5 kilograms of TNT and a fuze activation pressure of approximately , the Teller mine was capable of blasting the tracks off any World War II-era tank or destroying a lightly armored vehicle. Because of its rather high operating pressure, only a vehicle or heavy object passing over the Teller mine would set it off.
Of the two types of pressure-fuze available for Teller mines, the T.Mi.Z.43 fuze was notable for featuring an integral anti-handling device as standard: when the T.Mi.Z.43 fuze is inserted and the pressure plate (or screw cap) is screwed down into place, it shears a weak arming pin inside the fuze with an audible "snap". This action arms the anti-handling device. Thereafter, any attempt to disarm the mine by unscrewing the pressure plate (or screw cap) to remove the fuze will automatically release the spring-loaded firing pin inside it, triggering detonation.
Since it is impossible to determine which fuze type has been installed, no pressure plate or screw cap can ever be safely removed from a Teller mine. The T.Mi.Z.43 fuze can be fitted to the Teller mine 35, 42 and 43 series.
To hinder demining, all Teller mines featured two additional fuze wells (located on the side and underneath) to enable anti-handling devices to be attached, typically some form of pull-fuze.
Models.
There were four models of Teller mine made during World War II:
Approximately 3,622,900 of these mines were produced by Germany for the Wehrmacht from 1943 to 1944.


HMS Eclipse (H08)

HMS "Eclipse" was an E-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, until sunk by a mine in the Aegean Sea on 24 October 1943.
Description.
The E-class ships were slightly improved versions of the preceding D class. They displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ships had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . They were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . "Eclipse" carried a maximum of of fuel oil that gave her a range of at . The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.
The ships mounted four 45-calibre 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. The E class was fitted with two above-water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for torpedoes. One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.
Construction and career.
"Eclipse", the eighth ship of that name to serve with the Royal Navy, was ordered 1 November 1932, from Denny under the 1931 Naval Programme. She was laid down on 22 March 1933 at their Dumbarton dockyard, and launched on 12 April 1934. The ship was commissioned on 29 November 1934, at a total cost of £246, 664, excluding government-furnished equipment like the armament.
Assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet with her sister ships, "Eclipse" served around the British Isles for the next several months, departing Plymouth on 31 August 1935 for the Mediterranean Fleet with most of the rest of the flotilla during the Abyssinia Crisis. The destroyer was based at Haifa from 8 September to 3 October, Alexandria from 4 October to 5 January 1936, and at several bases in the Eastern Mediterranean until her departure from the region in March. She was refitted from 20 March to 30 April at Devonport after returning to the British Isles.
Operation Menace.
In autumn 1940, "Eclipse" was deployed as part of the protective screen for troopships sailing to West Africa in Operation Menace (for proposed landings at Dakar, later abandoned). She returned home to join the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla after repairs – first at Freetown, Sierra Leone, and subsequently at Gibraltar. In this period, one member of her crew was Charles Causley, the Cornish poet and broadcaster, who served as a Coder. He subsequently published two poems about the ship and this voyage: 'HMS "Eclipse" Approaches Freetown'; and 'Immunity', which recounts an inoculation session, and then anticipates the ship's loss later in the war.
From 12 April 1941 "Eclipse" was refitted at Devonport Dockyard, sailing in early June to rejoin the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla. On 25 June she was deployed to protect the ships of the 1st Minelaying Squadron during a minelay in the Northern Barrage, replacing the destroyer , which had been damaged in a collision with the cruiser . At the end of July she was part of the destroyer screen of Force P—the carriers and , and the cruisers and —during the raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo (Operation EF).
Operation Gauntlet.
In mid-August "Eclipse" and five other destroyers were deployed as the screen for the cruisers and , as they escorted the troopship and the auxiliary tanker to Spitsbergen in Operation Gauntlet. Canadian troops landed to destroy mining equipment and two radio stations, while Norwegian and Russian civilians were evacuated.
Operation Gearbox.
"Eclipse" remained on screening duty from June to August, transferring to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla in July. In September she was deployed with the destroyers , , and as the screen for the cruisers and to establish a refuelling facility at Lowe Sound, Spitsbergen, and re-supply the garrison there (Operation Gearbox).
She then refitted at a shipyard on the Humber before rejoining the Flotilla at Scapa Flow on 20 November.
Convoy HX 231.
In April 1043 "Eclipse" was one of the escorts of Convoy HX 231, which was attacked by 11 U-boats from four flotillas. "Eclipse" rescued 16 survivors from the Dutch cargo ship on 9 April, and landed them at Reykjavík the next day.
Sinking of "Gaetano Donizetti".
The Italian of 3,428 tons, had been confiscated by the Germans to bring arms to Rhodes. The Germans stowed some 1,600 prisoners in the cargo hold. "Gaetano Donizetti" set sail on 22 September 1943 . The vessel sailed along the east coast of Rhodes, and headed south-west, passing Lindos to the south. The Italian ship was escorted by the German torpedo boat "TA10" under "Oberleutnant" Jobst Hahndorff. This was the former French torpedo boat "La Pomone" and later the Italian "FR 42".
Around 01:10 that night (on 23 September), the convoy was detected by "Eclipse" under Commander E. Mack, who immediately opened fire. "Gaetano Donizetti" went down in seconds, taking with her the entire crew and all the Italian prisoners of war and German guards and crew. "TA10" was heavily damaged and later towed back to Rhodes, where it was scuttled a few days later.
Demise.
On 24 October 1943 "Eclipse" hit a mine east off Kalymnos in position . She broke in two and sank within five minutes with the loss of 119 of the ship's company and 134 soldiers (from A Company, 4th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)).


William Dowd

William Richmond Dowd (28 February 1922 – 25 November 2008) was an American harpsichord maker and one of the most important pioneers of the historical harpsichord movement.
Life and career.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, he studied English literature at Harvard, graduating with AB in 1948. He and his friend Frank Hubbard built a clavichord when they were both graduate students; this led to their both deciding to abandon their intended careers as teachers of English and instead to become harpsichord builders, basing their methods on historical principles. They separated for their apprenticeship; Dowd worked at the Detroit workshop of John Challis, who himself had learned from Arnold Dolmetsch. At this time, Challis was the leading harpsichord builder in the United States.
In autumn 1949 Dowd and Hubbard jointly founded a workshop in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1955, Hubbard had left on research trips around Europe, studying original instruments, while Dowd continued the new builds and restoration of antique instruments. He worked out a standard design based on the harpsichords of Pascal Taskin, which was to become much used by professional performers.
Their joint business came to an end in 1958, and Dowd established a workshop in Cambridge, Massachusetts along historical lines, producing around twenty instruments a year until 1988. From 1971 to 1985, there was a workshop in Paris under his name producing a similar number of instruments, which he ran with Reinhard von Nagel. His favoured models were two-manual harpsichords based on the French instruments of Blanchet and Taskin, including Ruckers harpsichords adapted by the "grand ravalement" process.
Dowd's instruments have long provided the benchmark for reliability in terms of tuning and general stability, cleanliness of construction, and for the influence that they have had on succeeding generations of builders. He was the first builder to seriously consider the eighteenth-century German instruments of Michael Mietke (in contrast to his colleague Hubbard). His instruments were used in performance and recording by such artists as Gustav Leonhardt, Isolde Ahlgrimm, Ralph Kirkpatrick, Igor Kipnis, Bob van Asperen, and many others.
He died in Reston, Virginia, in November 2008.


Scotch yoke

The Scotch Yoke (also known as slotted link mechanism) is a reciprocating motion mechanism, converting the linear motion of a slider into rotational motion, or vice versa. The piston or other reciprocating part is directly coupled to a sliding yoke with a slot that engages a pin on the rotating part. The location of the piston versus time is simple harmonic motion, i.e., a sine wave having constant amplitude and constant frequency, given a constant rotational speed.
Applications.
This setup is most commonly used in control valve actuators in high-pressure oil and gas pipelines.
Although not a common metalworking machine nowadays, crude shapers can use Scotch yokes. Almost all those use a Whitworth linkage, which gives a slow speed forward cutting stroke and a faster return.
It has been used in various internal combustion engines, such as the Bourke engine, SyTech engine, and many hot air engines and steam engines.
The term "scotch yoke" continues to be used when the slot in the yoke is shorter than the diameter of the circle made by the crank pin. For example, the side rods of a locomotive may have scotch yokes to permit vertical motion of intermediate driving axles.
What is essentially a Scotch yoke, is used in the Tide-Predicting Machine No. 2 to generate a sinusoidal motion (sine functions).
Internal combustion engine uses.
Under ideal engineering conditions, force is applied directly in the line of travel of the assembly. The sinusoidal motion, cosinusoidal velocity, and sinusoidal acceleration (assuming constant angular velocity) result in smoother operation. The higher percentage of time spent at top dead centre (dwell) improves theoretical engine efficiency of constant volume combustion cycles. It allows the elimination of joints typically served by a wrist pin, and near elimination of piston skirts and cylinder scuffing, as side loading of piston due to sine of connecting rod angle is mitigated. The longer the distance between the piston and the yoke, the less wear that occurs, but greater the inertia, making such increases in the piston rod length realistically only suitable for lower RPM (but higher torque) applications.
The Scotch yoke is not used in most internal combustion engines because of the rapid wear of the slot in the yoke caused by sliding friction and high contact pressures. This is mitigated by a sliding block between the crank and the slot in the piston rod. Also, increased heat loss during combustion due to extended dwell at top dead centre offsets any constant volume combustion improvements in real engines. In an engine application, less percent of the time is spent at bottom dead centre when compared to a conventional piston and crankshaft mechanism, which reduces blowdown time for two-stroke engines. Experiments have shown that extended dwell time does not work well with constant volume combustion Otto cycle engines. Gains might be more apparent in Otto cycle engines using a stratified direct injection (diesel or similar) cycle to reduce heat losses.
Modifications.
An improved Scotch yoke, with a means of absorbing sideways thrust, was patented in 1978 by William L. Carlson, Jr., .


HMS Jupiter (F85)

HMS "Jupiter" was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy.
Design.
As completed, "Jupiter" had a main gun armament of six QF Mark XII guns in three twin mountings, two forward and one aft. These guns could only elevate to an angle of 40 degrees, and so were of limited use in the anti-aircraft role, while the aft mount was arranged so that it could fire forwards over the ship's superstructure to maximise the forward firing firepower, but was therefore incapable of firing directly aft. A short range anti-aircraft armament of a four-barrelled 2 pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft mount and eight .50 in machine guns in two quadruple mounts was fitted, while torpedo armament consisted of ten torpedo tubes in two quintuple mounts.
Construction and career.
"Jupiter" was ordered, along with the rest of the J class, on 25 March 1937, and was laid down by Yarrow, Limited, at their Scotstoun, Glasgow shipyard on Clydebank in Scotland on 28 September 1937 and launched on 27 October 1938. She was commissioned on 22 June 1939, and was completed on 25 June 1939, at a cost of £389,511.
After commissioning, "Jupiter" underwent sea trials and worked up at Portland, with these activities being delayed by problems with the ship's turbines that required repair at Devonport Dockyard. "Jupiter" completed trials on 1 September 1939, and joined the 7th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, based on the Humber, in time for the British declaration of war on 3 September 1939.
On 29 November 1941, "Jupiter" and the destroyer detached from the Mediterranean Fleet, joined up with Force G at Colombo, and the five ships sailed later that day. They rendezvoused with the battlecruiser at sea, and set course for Singapore, where they arrived on 2 December. They spent a few days there with shore leave and refit, while waiting for orders. On 1 December, it was announced that Sir Tom Phillips had been promoted to full Admiral, and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet. A few days later, "Repulse" started on a trip to Australia with the destroyers "Vampire" and "Tenedos", but the force was recalled. It was not until nine days later that "Tenedos" and "Repulse" would join Phillips' Force Z in attacking the Japanese invasion force, and he himself would perish when both "Repulse" and the battleship "Prince of Wales" were bombed and sunk by Japanese land based bombers. During her campaign in the Pacific, "Jupiter" was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Norman V. J. T. Thew.
"Jupiter" sank the on 17 January 1942. On 27 February 1942 she struck a mine laid earlier in the day by the Dutch minelayer as she steamed with the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) cruiser force during the Battle of the Java Sea. The destroyer sank off the north Java coast in the Java Sea at 21:16 hours. Initially, the explosion was thought to have been caused by a Japanese torpedo.
The wreck has been plotted, and is described by the Admiralty as "very broken up, partly salvaged, and very close to the Java coast".


Henry Asher Robbins

Henry Asher Robbins (1829 – January 21, 1914) was an American manufacturer who was prominent member of New York society during the Gilded Age.
Early life.
Robbins was born in 1829 in Berlin, Connecticut. His father was the pastor of the Kensington Congregational Church in Kensington, Connecticut for forty-three years.
Robbins was a direct descendant of Asher Robbins, the United States Senator from Rhode Island.
Career.
Together with his brother Royal E. Robbins, he founded the Waltham Watch Company, which merged with Robbins, Appleton & Co., a watch importing company based out of Boston that owned the Waltham, Massachusetts based American Watch Company.
Society life.
In 1892, both Robins and his wife were both included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in "The New York Times". Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom.
Personal life.
In 1866, Robbins married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Pelham Bend (–1933). Lizzie was the sister of prominent banker George H. Bend. Together, they were the parents of two children, a son and a daughter:
The Robbins built "Asher House" in Southampton, New York designed by Grosvenor Atterbury.
Robbins died of pneumonia at his apartment in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on January 21, 1914. His widow died at her residence, 540 Park Avenue in New York, in July 1933. Her funeral was held at St. Andrew's Dune Church in Southampton.


Insole


Hammond Gateway station

Hammond Gateway is a planned rail station on the South Shore Line in Hammond, Indiana. Intended to serve as the interchange point to the West Lake Corridor, it is expected to open to revenue service in 2025. It will replace Hammond station, located about to the east. The City of Hammond's financial contribution to the West Lake Corridor project was dependent on construction of this station. In 2017, the NICTD began demolition of houses between Hanover and Brunswick streets to begin construction.
Layout and services.
Gateway Station features three tracks – two for the original South Shore Line and one for West Lake Corridor services. An island platform between the rerouted main line tracks will serve as replacement for the old Hammond station, and will be connected via pedestrian walkway to a side platform along the single elevated West Lake Corridor track.
West Lake Corridor trains are planned to either continue to Millennium Station at peak service hours or terminate here as short turn at other times, with transfers available on the main line platform.


Dead blow hammer

A dead blow hammer is a specialized mallet helpful in minimizing damage to the struck surface and in controlling striking force, with minimal rebound from the struck surface. The minimal rebound is helpful in avoiding accidental damage to precision work, especially in tight locations and in applications such as maintenance work on hydraulic cylinders.
Description.
The head of the dead blow hammer can be solid or hollow (often partially filled with loose steel shot), which distributes the energy of the strike over a longer period of time and reduces rebound. If a filled hammer head breaks while in use, it is likely to scatter a spray of the loose filler particles in the vicinity. Therefore, use of a traditional hollow dead blow hammer may be restricted in certain settings, such as a manufacturing clean room, where contamination by foreign material could occur.
Solid head dead blow hammers are usually made of rubber or resilient plastic (such as ultra high molecular weight plastic, UHMW) and rely on the inherent properties of the material to absorb shock and reduce rebound. Commonly constructed of polyurethane, dead blow hammers regularly appear in solid orange or black. Composite heads and fiberglass handle models are also available, with optional shock-absorbent rubber grips. A variant design omits the handle entirely; the dead blow head is gripped directly in the hand, for use in tight locations.
Some dead blow hammers have replaceable striking faces, attached by screwing or pressing them into place on the main body of the hammer. These replaceable inserts allow selection of the appropriate hardness for the striking face to reduce damage to an object being hammered, while optimizing the energy transfer of impact. Also, worn or damaged inserts can be replaced without discarding the entire handtool.
Principle of operation.
In a conventional solid-head hammer, the force of the entire solid mass of the head is delivered at the moment of impact. Compared to a conventional hammer of similar weight, a dead blow hammer conveys less peak force, spread over a longer time.
At the moment the face of the hammer head contacts the surface being struck, the sand or shot within the head is effectively trailing it (due to inertia, it is collected at the opposite end of the head). The force imparted by this additional loose mass within the head is not imparted to the struck surface at the moment of contact. Instead, this force is spread out over some period of time, as the sand or shot descends to fill the "face" end of the head. Such a blow is less "sharp" than that of the conventional hammer and feels more "dead" (less elastic rebound) to the user, hence the name.
Applications.
In auto repair, dead blow hammers are commonly used for chassis work, dislodging stuck parts and sometimes used for hubcap installation and removal (e.g. knock-off hubs). They can be used to pop out small dents when doing auto body repair. They allow controlled use of impact force when performing engine or transmission repair.
In maintenance of hydraulic machinery and aerospace work, dead blow hammers are useful in freeing stuck cylinders without damaging their precision-formed surfaces or any nearby bearings.
Dead blow hammers are used in woodworking to knock joints together or apart without denting the wood pieces being worked on.
In metalworking, a dead blow hammer can be used to properly seat the workpiece against parallels in a machine vise.
Dead blow hammers are sometimes used in orthopedic surgical procedures. The tools are also used in telecommunications to form large diameter cables within cable runs.
Deadblow mallets are also used in the installation of commercial and residential slab marble and granite applications.


Crabtree Falls (North Carolina)

Crabtree Falls is a waterfall located near the boundary of McDowell County and Yancey County, North Carolina.
Geology and Natural History.
Crabtree Falls is a 70 ft. cascade on Big Crabtree Creek. The creek spreads over a rock face with many small ledges, giving it a delicate appearance, before trickling into a clear pool at the base. Though there are hardly any crabtrees here now, in the spring, an impressive array of wildflowers abound on the trail, including four species of trillium. By July, ferns fill the forest and soak in the spray of the falls, with rosebay rhododendron in bloom.
History.
The Celo USGS topographic quadrangle map labels this falls "Upper Falls", and shows another waterfall some distance away and on another creek being called Crabtree Falls. Originally, the falls was known as Murphy's Falls and a small community was located nearby, including a church and blacksmith shop. When the Blue Ridge Parkway was constructed in the 1930s, the falls was renamed Crabtree Falls by the National Park Service.
Visiting the falls.
The trailhead is located outside Crabtree Falls Campground at mile marker 339.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A trail leads to a footbridge over the creek at the base of the falls. The trailhead loop starts at the parking area just before the entrance to the campground, and is a medium to strenuous hike at just under 2.5 miles in length. The path to the falls is a rugged, downhill 0.9-mile, with a gentler 1.5-mile uphill return following Crabtree creek upstream before looping back to the parking area.


Paul McNulty (piano maker)

Paul McNulty (born 1953) is a builder of historical pianos, described by the New Grove as "famous for the high standard of [his] instruments." Within the community of builders, McNulty is noted for his efforts to extend the production of historically informed instruments later into history: while he has built many fortepianos in 18th-century style, he has also progressively sought to span the gap between the fortepiano (the cradle of modern historical-piano construction) and the fully modern piano that emerged around the last third of the 19th century. The expanding diversity of McNulty's productions has thus helped "provide an opportunity to extend keyboard performing practice to include the piano repertory of the 19th century" (New Grove).
Life.
He was born in 1953 in Houston, Texas. In 1976 he attended the Peabody Conservatory, studying classical guitar, then became interested in historical instruments, studying lute performance, etc. In 1978 he entered the New England School of Stringed Keyboard Instrument Technology, where he studied under Bill Garlick. At his final examination McNulty gained the highest possible qualification: "tuning examiner". He attended a seminar at the Steinway factory in New York and was recruited to work there as a technician, but chose instead to embark on a career as a fortepiano builder, and served his apprenticeship for two years under Robert Smith in Somerville, Massachusetts.
In 1986 John Gibbons invited McNulty to accompany his European tour with Frans Brüggen's Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. Gibbons performed Mozart's concertos K.491 and K.466. In the same year McNulty moved to Amsterdam. The search for the best materials led McNulty to move to the Czech Republic. It was written that Viennese piano makers preferred to get his soundboards from the Schwarzenberg Forest (now Šumava) in southern Bohemia. Since 1995 McNulty has been living and working in Divišov, a small Czech town. In 2004 he married Russian-Canadian fortepianist Viviana Sofronitsky.
McNulty's fortepiano was purchased by Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. It is worth mentioning that the Austrian pianist Paul Badura-Skoda also placed an order, as did Trevor Pinnock, ordering a fortepiano for a concert at Carnegie Hall. In September 2018 McNulty fortepianos Graf copy 1819, Pleyel 1830 and Boisselot 1826 were used in the first International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments.
McNulty's fortepianos.
At present, McNulty builds fortepianos suitable for performances of piano works from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Chopin, Liszt and Brahms.
In 2009, McNulty produced the first modern copy of a French piano, a Pleyel, which was Chopin's favorite brand. In 2011, at request of Klassik Stiftung Weimar he reproduced one of Liszt's personal pianos, the Boisselot op. 2800. This instrument was made in 1846 for Liszt's 1847 Russian tour. In 2015 McNulty extended his list of first modern copies with Streicher piano, Johannes Brahms' favourite piano model. In 2020 Paul McNulty produced his first Silbermann fortepiano for prof. Malcolm Bilson.
Since 1985 McNulty has made more than 300 pianos, with customers from different countries. USA: Harvard University, Cornell University, Stanford University, Oberlin College, Malcolm Bilson, Robert Levin, Vladimir Feltsman; England: Kristian Bezuidenhout, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Academy of Music (London), Royal College of Music (London); Austria: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Paul Badura-Skoda, Wien Konservatorium Privatuniversitat, Vienna Volksoper; France: Opera National de Paris, Paris Conservatoire CNSMDP, Katia & Marielle Labeque. Australia: Geoffrey Lancaster, Australian National University, Melbourne Recital Center. Poland: Chopin's Institute Warsaw; Germany: Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Trossingen, Koeln and Hannover Hochschule für Musik; Switzerland: Schola Cantorum Basiliensis; Netherlands: Ronald Brautigam, Amsterdam Conservatory, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague;  Denmark: The Royal Danish Opera; China: Central Conservatory Beijing etc.


Lulu M. Hefner

Lulu M. Hefner (August 9, 1874 – July 19, 1954) was a Cherokee businessperson from Nowata, Oklahoma who became successful in the oil industry. She was notable for being the first women to drill for oil on her own property and the first female oil operator in Oklahoma.
Career.
Lulu M. Hefner (sometimes spelled Heffner) was a Cherokee businesswoman from Nowata, Oklahoma who opened the first millinery store in that city. However, after learning about the excitement of oil drilling in her native state, she sold the shop and used her own funds to begin drilling on her own property, struck oil, and earned the title of "the first female oil operator in Oklahoma."
In a 1921 article about her accomplishments, Hefner called the state of Oklahoma "A Happy Hunting Ground" because of its oil reserves and as a nod to her Native American ancestry. By that year, Hefner had already drilled 28 oil wells, of which all produced oil, and none were dry wells, called "dusters." She was asked about her consistent luck in finding oil.'I do not depend on luck,' responded Mrs. Heffner, instantly, 'I back geological science with my own judgement and intuition. I always operate on my own money and so I cannot afford to waste time on 'dusters' — I must get producers.'After finding success in Oklahoma's oil industry, Hefner moved to Texas in search for more oil.
Although Hefner believed that "a woman's judgement beats a man's every time when applied to business," she said she had a collaborative relationship with the oil fraternity and was "always willing to listen to good counsel and advice from the older heads in the oil fields; but depends upon her own business judgment in the last analysis."
Hefner also managed several side businesses, including a successful motion picture theater and became the owner of the largest garage in Oklahoma. She enjoyed a considerable income from all of those ventures, and became known as "largest lady property owner" in Nowata.
Family Life.
Lulu May Tittle was born to James Marion and Annie Henrietta Tittle. She was raised in Oklahoma and attended the Cherokee Female Seminary for her education. She married John Emory Hefner on December 29, 1892 at Lenapah, Oklahoma. Together they had four children: Roy Emory, born on March 13, 1903, Edith Lena, born on December 18, 1905, Helen K., born on October 2, 1905 and Ruby L., born on January 20, 1907.


Leslie Hancock (cricketer)

Leslie Frank Hancock (25 October 1899 – 12 July 1944) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.
Hancock was born at Jamnagar in British India to a British Indian Army major. He was educated in England at Cheltenham College, deciding upon the completion of his education to take a career in the military. Going up to the Royal Military College, he graduated into the Royal Engineers as a second lieutenant in July 1921, before gaining the rank of lieutenant in July 1923. He played first-class cricket twice for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1926 against Wales and Cambridge University, with both matches played at Lord's. He scored 24 runs in his two matches, in addition to taking a single wicket with his right-arm medium-fast bowling, that of Wales' Cyril Rowland.
He was granted the temporary rank of captain while serving as an adjutant with the Territorial Army in October 1929, later gaining the rank in full in July 1932. Hancock later served in the Second World War with the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In the aftermath of the Normandy Landings in June 1944, Hancock commanded engineers constructing advanced landing grounds (ALG). While overseeing the construction of the Royal Air Force ALG B-12 at Ellon, Hancock was killed when the jeep he was travelling in struck a landmine near Maupertus-sur-Mer on 12 July. His body was buried shortly thereafter at the Bayeux war cemetery. He was survived by his wife, the actress Ellen Pollock, with whom he had one son. He was posthumously made an OBE in the 1945 New Year Honours for his services during the war.


James Morgan (engineer)

James Morgan (1776?– 18 February 1856) was a British architect and engineer, notably associated with the construction of the Regent's Canal in London.
Morgan is thought to have been born in Carmarthen, south Wales, where he became employed by noted architect and planner John Nash – an association which was to last some 40 years. As a master-planner, Nash often left the completion of projects to his assistants and Morgan was no exception. His 1811 masterplan for Regent's Park and the surrounding areas, for example, saw Morgan gainfully employed in supervising much of the park's layout.
That same year, Nash was approached by Thomas Homer to join a venture to construct a canal across north central London. Morgan, again, became responsible for the project's details, his plans formed the basis for the Regent's Canal Act passed by Parliament in 1812 and he was subsequently appointed the company’s engineer.
Although not a civil engineer of anything like the stature of contemporaries such as Thomas Telford, Morgan rose to the challenge of designing and supervising bridges, tunnels, basins and docks. Perhaps his most notable achievements were the Maida Hill and Islington tunnels – the latter was the longest on the canal, and when Telford himself was invited to inspect it in 1818, he opined: "materials and workmanship excellent, and its direction perfectly straight". The tunnel opened in 1820 and Morgan retained his role with the company for a further 15 years.
Morgan's other projects included: proposals (never realised) to canalise a stretch of the River Stour to Canterbury in Kent, a terrace of houses in Leamington Spa (with Nash) in 1827, St George's Church, Wolverhampton (1828-1830), and alterations to Bushbury Church, to the north of Wolverhampton (also 1830).
He died in London, and is buried in Brompton Cemetery.


NR 25 mine

The NR 25 is a circular Dutch steel cased anti-tank blast mine. It is broadly similar in appearance to the German Tellermine 43, although it is larger. The mine has a central domed pressure plate, underneath which is an NR-29 mechanical pressure fuze, which is inserted into a fuze well. A doughnut-shaped main charge surrounds a central booster charge. Two secondary fuze wells are provided on the side and base of the mine, for anti-handling devices.
The mine is in service with the Royal Netherlands Army and is found in Lebanon.


Te Hemo Ata Henare

Te Hemo Ata Henare is a New Zealand Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver).
Biography.
Henare learnt to weave when she was 12 years old. As an adult she became a teacher of weaving, and teaches at NorthTec polytechnic college in Northland.
She holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Māori Visual Arts from Massey University.
Henare is deputy chair of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa.


Bouquet Canyon Dam


Jean-Henri Naderman

Jean-Henri Naderman (baptised 20 July 1734 – 4 February 1799) was one of the leading harp-makers in Paris in the 18th century, and also a music publisher. He supplied the Royal Household with his instruments and wrote his music in classical style, with a large influence of the baroque. He had two sons, François Joseph Naderman, renowned harpist, and Henri Naderman, harp maker.
Life.
Jean-Henri Naderman was baptised (and presumably born) in Lichtenau in the archdiocese of Paderborn, but emigrated to France around 1756 where he began working as a harp manufacturer. Later in 1777 he was licensed to work as a music publisher. He rose to fame when he was commissioned to create and perfect the harps of Queen Marie-Antoinette on her arrival in France, together with the Czech composer and harpist Jean-Baptiste Krumpholtz.
The Naderman single-pedal harp is supposed to have been modelled after the successful eighteenth-century Bavarian single-action mechanism pedal harp, whose manufacture, although claimed by several other harp makers including Jean Paul Vetter of Nuremberg and Johann Hausen of Weimar, is often attributed to Jacob Hochbrucker. Today, six harps of this specific model have been located. Jean-Henri Naderman died in Paris.


Healdsburg station

Healdsburg is a former and future rail station in Healdsburg, California. It will be served by Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit after a further phase of construction.
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad began serving Healdsburg in July 1871, and built the station building around 1891. In 1928, the station was remodeled and a "waiting room arcade" was constructed nearby. Train service was discontinued in 1958, whereupon the building was boarded up for several years after. It was rebuilt in 2011 by the city with the anticipation of future rail service.


J. Michael Dorsey

J. Michael Dorsey (born February 6, 1943) is a retired American attorney and administrator. He served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1987–1989, Administrative Counsel of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives (CAO) from 1995–2003, and Chief of Administrative Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from 2003–2004. He was briefly Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1989 during the transition from the Reagan to the Bush administrations.
Early life and education.
Dorsey was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 6, 1943. He graduated from Stanford University with a BA in 1965, and from the University of Missouri with a JD in 1968 and an LLM in 1973.
Legal and political career.
Dorsey worked as the Legal Aid and Defender Society of Greater Kansas City as an assistant director, managing attorney, and staff attorney, from 1969 to 1973. In 1973, he began working for a year as Assistant Attorney General of Missouri, under John Danforth. In 1974, he became a partner at the law firm of Stinson, Mag & Fizzell in Kansas City, Missouri.
In May 1986, Dorsey was nominated by Ronald Reagan to serve as Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in place of Warren T. Lindquist who had resigned. Dorsey was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by voice vote on August 2, 1986. During his time as Assistant Secretary, he described housing vouchers as "the centerpiece of the Reagan housing program" to the "Chicago Tribune".
In January 1987, Dorsey was nominated as General Counsel of HUD, to succeed John J. Knapp. He was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote on March 12, 1987. As General Counsel, Dorsey formed part of the selection committee for public money for housing, alongside Thomas Demery and Carl Covitz. The committee was the subject of controversy when a federal audit released in 1989 said that most of the money approved by it went to developers with HUD connections. It said that Dorsey and Covitz typically agreed to suggestions that Demery made. He briefly served as Acting Secretary of HUD in 1989, before Jack Kemp became Secretary. On July 13, 1989, Frank Keating was confirmed as General Counsel, succeeding Dorsey. On July 13, 1990, Joseph G. Schiff was confirmed as Assistant Secretary in place of Dorsey.
Dorsey became Administrative Counsel of the newly-formed Office of the Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives when it was formed in 1995. His tenure lasted from January 1, 1995 to February 14, 2003. During some of that time he served as Acting Associate Administrator. Dorsey became Chief of Administrative Services of the newly-founded United States Department of Homeland Security on February 15, 2003, serving until June 11, 2004. In this role, he was subordinate to the Under Secretary for Management, Janet Hale.
Personal life and retirement.
Dorsey is married and had two children. He retired to the town of Boulder, Colorado.


Henry Bridges (clockmaker)

Henry Bridges (1697–1754) was a carpenter, showman and clockmaker of Waltham Abbey, England. He was father of James Bridges, architect and engineer.
Henry is famous as the builder of the giant clock, the Microcosm. He is buried with his wife in the churchyard of Waltham Abbey, the largest monument there, which was restored several years ago by a local clockmaker. The clock was on tour from 1733 until 1775 and was seen by thousands of people in England, Ireland, Scotland, The West Indies, and North America including George Washington and Richard Edgeworth who wrote an account of it in his memoirs. All trace has been lost of it until found in the 1920s in Paris. The astronomical part is now on display in the British Museum.
Henry Married Sarah Trevise, whose family provided him with a large house in Waltham Abbey. In his will of 1754 he left a number of properties in and around Waltham Cross. There is a similar mystery about his son's work history before his arrival in Bristol. James was a highly talented architect and civil engineer who claimed he was taught by his father and that he had seen the works of the ancients, suggesting he had done the Grand Tour. Given the closeness of Waltham Abbey Gunpowder Works, it is possible the Bridges family were involved in the very lucrative secretive business of gunpowder manufacture.
The design was incredibly complex, the only similar monumental clock was by Jacob Lovelace of Exeter, suggesting some form of links with and inspiration from the Christian Church. It also coincided with European automata arriving to tour, some of which were fraudulent, so the Microcosm demonstrated Britain at the time, but also inspired viewers to learn and improve their skills, to recover what had been lost in the Reformation and Civil War. It was an important demonstration piece, and part of a world of touring science and technology which filled the absence of royal and aristocratic patronage.


Magnus Harmonica Corporation

The Magnus Harmonica Corporation (originally the International Plastic Harmonica Corporation) was founded in 1944 in New Jersey by Danish immigrant Finn Magnus (1905–1976). First supplying American troops in World War II, and later marketed to children and other beginners, the company's harmonicas (as well as its accordions, bagpipes, and mechanical reed organs) used a then-unique molded-plastic reed comb. The styrene-based plastic construction resulted in lower cost, greater durability, and a distinct sound compared to other free reed aerophones with metal reeds.
In 1958, Magnus joined with television salesman Eugene Tracey, and their company went on to sell millions of inexpensive electric chord organs and song books until the late 1970s under the name Magnus Organ Corporation. Early Magnus Chord Organs were either laptop or tabletop models, with some of the later models having integrated legs and a lighted music stand. At its peak, Magnus employed over 1,800 workers in Linden, New Jersey, including a "mother's shift" during school hours and a "work release" program for non-violent inmates of the nearby Rahway State Prison.
After Magnus and Tracey retired, the publishers of World Book Encyclopedia ultimately acquired the Magnus sheet music catalog and ceased production of Magnus instruments.


Mahanama Samaraweera

Mahanama Samaraweera (12 October 1917 - 19 March 1966) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was a Cabinet minister and a member of parliament.
Early life and education.
Mahanama Samaraweera was born on 12 October 1917 in Matara, the eldest of two sons of Don Francis Samaraweera, landowner and licensed surveyor, and Lydia Margaret Samaraweera (née Wickremasinghe). Don Francis remarried, after the death of his first wife, to Trincina Helena (née Samarajiva) and they had five children. Samaraweera was educated at St. Aloysius' College, Galle and St. Joseph's College, Colombo. He entered Ceylon Law College in 1939 and qualified as a proctor.
Political career.
Samaraweera established his legal practice in Matara, and entered politics. He was elected onto the Urban Council of Matara in 1943.
In 1952, standing as the Communist Party's candidate, Samaraweera was elected to the second parliament of Ceylon, representing the Matara electorate. He changed allegiances to the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna prior to the next election in 1956, where he successfully retained his seat, increasing his margin to almost 60%.
Samaraweera, was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Home Affairs in the S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike cabinet. During his tenure in the Ministry of Justice, he introduced the Capital Punishment Act No. 20 in Parliament, which repealed the death sentence and replaced it with life imprisonment.
On 23 July 1960 he was appointed Minister of Local Government and Housing and then on 28 May 1963 the Minister of Communications, as part of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet.
In 1964 Samaraweera joined the Leader of the House, C. P. de Silva to leave the government with twelve other parliamentarians against the government's introduction of the Press Council Bill, which resulted in the early dissolution of the parliament. Samraweera subsequently joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Socialist Party and contested the 1965 Parliamentary election as a coalition partner of the United National Party. He was however unsuccessful, losing the Matara electorate, by less than 1,000 votes. The Prime Minister, Dudley Senanayake then appointed Samaraweera as the Chairman of the Kantale Sugar Corporation, an important State institution at the time. A position he held until his death in 1966.
The Mahanama Bridge that runs over the Nilawala river and connects two sections of Matara, is named after Samaraweera as it was a project initiated by him (though completed posthumously). The original bridge was updated, widened, and strengthened following the 2004 tsunami through a project initiated by his son Mangala with funding from the Korean government.
Family.
He married Khema Padmawathi Amaraweera in 1944. They had three children: Jaimini (an architect); Jayanthi Chandani (travel director and political activist); and Mangala Pinsiri cabinet minister and Member of Parliament for Matara. His wife Khema Padmawathi Samaraweera served as a member of the Matara Urban Council.


Slewing bearing

To "slew" means to turn without change of place.
A slewing bearing or slew[ing] ring (also called a turntable bearing) is a rotational rolling-element bearing that typically supports a heavy but slow-turning or slowly-oscillating loads in combination (axial, radial and moment loads), often a horizontal platform such as a conventional crane, a swing yarder, or the wind-facing platform of a horizontal-axis (yaw) windmill. In other orientations (e.g. a horizontal axis of rotation) they are used in materials handling grapples, forklift attachments, welding turnover jigs and so on.
Compared to a "normal" ball bearing the rings are quite wide and usually have holes drilled in them to provide fixation to a structure. Seals can be provided between the rings to protect the rolling elements. Compared to other rolling-element bearings, slewing bearings are relatively thin section and require that the structure to which they are bolted is stiff enough so that under load predefined limits of distortion are not exceeded.
Slewing rings range in size from as little as 100mm diameter to well over 15 000mm (often segmented at this size for easy transport and handling); for example the bearings on the Falkirk Wheel are 4 meters diameter and fit over a 3.5 meter axle. Slewing bearings are often made with gear teeth integral with the inner or outer race (or both in rare cases) used to drive the platform relative to the base (for example in winches).
Slewing bearing designs range from single row ball or roller style, through double row ball or roller, triple row roller, combined (1 roller/ 1 ball) or wore guided raceways - each design having its own special characteristics and application. Old designs can have split rings to allow tight control on preload during assembly..
As for other bearings that reciprocate, rather than rotating continuously, lubrication can be difficult. The oil wedge built up in a continuously rotating bearing is disrupted by the stop start motion of slewing. Instead, a hydrostatic bearing with pumped oil flow may be used.
Standards.
Most manufacturers of slewing rings have their own set of manufacturing standards but the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) publishes the following Standard:


549th Engineer Light Ponton Company

The 549th Engineers Light Pontoon Company was a combat engineer company of the United States Army during World War II. Operationally attached to the 1150th Engineer Combat Group, it served under XXI Corps of the Seventh Army in action in France and Germany in 1944 and 1945.
The 549th was primarily a highly mobile pontoon bridge construction unit, which also provided both M2 assault boats and a selection of infantry support bridging, ferries, and rafts. It was created on 14 January 1943, but was not committed troops until training began five months later at Camp Hood, Texas. The company was composed of black American troops and NCOs, with primarily white senior officers.
The 549th's bridge building, assault troop ferrying, and other combat capabilities were drawn on for the assault of Saarbrücken on the Saar River at the Siegfried Line, the crossing of the Main River and capture of Würzburg, and the Danube at Dillingen, then continued on towards Austria as three separate platoons.
In the European Theater of Operations it was often just ahead or behind the 289th Engineer Combat Battalion during the months of March, April, and May 1945. At various points it detached a platoon to the 289th and traded an officer back and forth in April. On 1 April 1945, the detached 1st Platoon enjoyed Easter Dinner with the 289th at the Mudau Hotel in Mudau, Germany.
By war's end its units were scattered throughout a fast-moving front that saw spearheads of U.S. troops spread throughout southern Germany and into borderlands of Austria and Italy.
The 1st platoon went south from Augsburg to Landsberg, where it bridged the Lech River before ending up on the Chiemsee in southeast Germany just miles from Salzburg, Austria.
The Second platoon ended up in Kufstein at the Inn River in the Austrian Tyrol in support of the 12th Armored and 36th Infantry Divisions.
The 3rd Platoon bridged Saalach River the at Bad Reichenhall to clear the way for the U.S. 101st Airborne and the French First Army in their bids to be first to reach the Third Reich's Bavarian retreat of Berchtesgarden and capture Adolf Hitler's Berhof and Eagle's Nest.
History.
By war's end the 549th's 2nd platoon had reached Kufstein, Austria, where it had bridged the Inn River in support of the 12th Armored Division in its race to be first to the Brenner Pass. The 1st platoon rested on the Chiemsee in southeast Germany, just miles from Salzburg, Austria.
The 3rd platoon was the last to finish its mission, which was in support of the 101st Airborne Division and the 2nd Armored Division (France) of the French First Army in their bids to capture the Nazi high command's retreat in the "National Redoubt" of Berchtesgarden. While attached to the 48th Engineer Combat Battalion it constructed three Bailey bridges totaling 400 feet to open the road-net ahead of the competing divisions. According to the unit's history, "The last bridge, which totaled 200 feet in length, was completed on May 8 and the boys really proceeded to celebrate V-E Day 'royally' in Hitler's 'Nest'".
Unit headquarters was still at Degerndorf when the news arrived that Germany had surrendered. Rumors were rife about where they would go next, some suggesting Italy, but on 13 May the 549th departed for Oringen, Germany back toward the Rhine.
There were no changes in assignment and attachments during the 549th's service in the ETO. It remained assigned to the Sixth Army Group, Seventh Army, attached to the XXI Corps and assigned to the 1150th Engineer Combat Group for operational duty.
A lot of hard work awaited the company when it reached Oringen on 13 May getting its vehicles and equipment ready to move closer to France and eventually the United States of America.
Capabilities.
The 549th was primarily a bridge construction unit. As a combat engineers, though, they could be called upon to deliver a number of diverse services when needed. These included, but were not limited to:
Primarily the units were devoted to the construction of various pontoon bridges and the deployment and operation of ferries, rafts, and assault boats
Equipage.
A Light Pontoon Bridge company was equipped with the M3 pneumatic bridge, which could handle all normal infantry division loads and could be reinforced to carry heavier loads. The pontoon bridge was supported by heavy inflatable pneumatic floats. It had two bridge platoons, each equipped with one unit of M3 pneumatic bridge, and a lightly equipped platoon which had one unit of footbridge and equipment for ferrying.
Its equipment included:
Engineers were required to operate assault boats ferrying infantry troops and equipment in combat.
Awards.
Twelve members of the 549th received awards for meritorious service in connection with the successful crossing of three rivers in Germany and the Alps:
NORMANDY BASE SECTION, France – At its first and last formation, 12 members of the 549th Engineer Light Pontoon Company were awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in connection with the successful crossing of three rivers in Germany and the Alps. One of two colored pontoon bridge units in the ETO, the 549th in April, after ferrying assault troops across the Saar River„ erected 1084 feet of Bailey Bridge and Infantry foot bridge over the river. The men, who; had helped capture Saarbrücken, moved on to Würzburg, which they helped subdue, and swinging southward, threw up 1400 feet of bridge over the Main and Danube Rivers.
Under Constant Fire
Then assigned the job of bridging the river at Würzburg, the pontoners worked three days and nights under constant fire erecting a 570-foot triple bridge, strong enough for the heaviest train load. Finally attached to the 12th Armored Division of General Patton's [sic] Seventh Army they worked through to Bad Reichenthal, Germany, where on V-E day they finished a 190-foot bridge, that proved a gateway for French and American troops. During its three campaigns, the company lost only one man, T/Sgt. Elmer Barrett of 2208 Dickinson St., Philadelphia, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
The three officers and nine enlisted men who received the Bronze Star from Col. E. J. Dowling of the 1150th Engineer Combat Group were:
1st Sgt. Leon Wilburn. Florence Villa, Fla.; Sgt. Evan T. Guess, 711 Elm St., Madison. Ind.: S/Sgt. Weldon D. Bryant, NYC.; S/Sgt. Wilson R. Forney, Cornelius, NC.: PFC Johnnie D. Townsend. Chattanooga. Tenn.; T/4 Milton Green. Panama City, Fla.: S/ Sgt. Stanley J. Short, Pittsburgh; Cpl. Lawrence C. Cooke, Palatka, Fla.; Sgt. Daniel I. Poe, 2231 Tort St., Detroit; 1st Lt. John R. Hopkins, Florence. Ma.; 1st Lt. Robert A. Flynn, NYC.. and 1st Lt. George
"The Afro-American", 25 August 1945, page 1-2


Tapered roller bearing

Tapered roller bearings are rolling element bearings that can support axial forces (i.e., they are good thrust bearings) as well as radial forces.
Description.
The inner and outer ring raceways are segments of cones and the rollers are tapered so that the conical surfaces of the raceways, and the roller axes, if projected, would all meet at a common point on the main axis of the bearing. This geometry makes the motion of the cones remain coaxial, with no sliding motion between the raceways and the outside diameter of the rollers.
This conical geometry creates a linear contact patch which permits greater loads to be carried than with spherical (ball) bearings, which have point contact. The geometry means that the tangential speeds of the surfaces of each of the rollers are the same as their raceways along the whole length of the contact patch and no differential scrubbing occurs.
The rollers are stabilized and restrained by a flange on the inner ring, against which their large end slides, which stops the rollers from popping out due to the "pumpkin seed effect" of their conical shape.
The larger the half angles of these cones the larger the axial force that the bearing can sustain.
Tapered roller bearings are separable into a cone assembly and a cup. The non-separable cone assembly consists of the inner ring, the rollers, and a cage that retains and evenly spaces the rollers. The cup is simply the outer ring. Internal clearance is established during mounting by the axial position of the cone relative to the cup, although preloaded installations without clearance are common.
Metric tapered roller bearings follow the designation system defined by ISO 355.
History.
On March 23, 1895, John Lincoln Scott, a farmer and carpenter from Wilmot, Indiana applied for a patent from the United States Patent Office for his invention of a roller bearing that fit on "the axle-skeins and hubs of wagons, buggies, or other wheeled vehicles". The bearing was composed of two sets of cylindrical rollers, one set larger in diameter than the other, that fit on flats machined on the tapered axle-skein. In 1898, Henry Timken was awarded a patent for the tapered roller bearing which used conical rollers. At the time, Timken was a carriage-maker in St. Louis and held three patents for carriage springs. However, it was his patent for tapered roller bearings that allowed his company to become successful.
Tapered roller bearings were a breakthrough at the end of the 19th century because bearings used in wheel axles had not changed much since ancient times. They consisted of a cylindrical seat on the frame and part of the axle enclosed in a "case" or "box" that held a lubricant. These were called "journal bearings" and relied on the lubricant to form a "fluid bearing". Without adequate lubrication, journal bearings would fail due to the excessive heat caused by friction. Timken was able to significantly reduce the friction on his axle bearings by adding tapered elements which actually rolled while transferring the load evenly from axle to frame through the hardened steel inner and outer rings and the rollers - his "tapered roller bearing".
The tapered roller bearing in combination with modern lubricants is extremely durable and is used almost universally in applications involving rotating axle and transmission shafts. Bearing durability is such that these shafts often require no maintenance for hundreds of thousands of kilometers of operation.
Applications.
In many applications tapered roller bearings are used in back-to-back pairs so that axial forces can be supported equally in either direction.
Pairs of tapered roller bearings are used in car and vehicle wheel bearings where they must cope simultaneously with large vertical (radial) and horizontal (axial) forces. Tapered roller bearings are commonly used for moderate speed, heavy duty applications where durability is required. Common real world applications are in agriculture, construction and mining equipment, sports robot combat, axle systems, gear box, engine motors and reducers, propeller shaft, railroad axle-box, differential, wind turbines, etc. A tapered roller bearing is a unit that consists of both tapered raceways (inner and outer rings), and tapered rollers. The construction is intended for combination loads, such as dual acting axial and radial loads. The bearing axis is where the projected lines of the raceway combine at a common location to improve rolling, while reducing friction. The load capacity can be increased or decreased depending on the contact angle being increased or decreased. The higher the degree of angle, the greater the contact angle. They are commonly used in pairs for better radial load handling, and in some heavy duty applications, can be found in two or four rows combined in a single unit.


Japanese submarine I-30

I-30 was a Type B1 submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. After operating in the Indian Ocean she participated in a "Yanagi" mission, aimed at connecting Japan and Nazi Germany by submarine. She was the first Japanese submarine to reach Europe, arriving at Lorient, France in August 1942. "I-30" returned to Singapore loaded with military technology and information, but hit a mine outside the harbour and sank. Only part of her cargo was salvaged.
Service history.
The submarine was laid down at the Kure Naval Arsenal on 7 June 1939, launched on 17 September 1940, completed on 28 February 1942, and commissioned with Commander Endo Shinobu in command.
Indian Ocean operations.
On 27 March 1942 the German "Kriegsmarine" naval staff requested that the Imperial Navy launch operations against Allied convoys in the Indian Ocean, and on 8 April the Japanese agreed to dispatch a detachment of submarines to the East Coast of Africa. Submarine Squadron 8's 1st Division was withdrawn from its base at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and assigned the task.
On 11 April, "I-30" departed Kure for Penang, Malaya, arriving on the 20th. Two days later she sailed from Penang accompanied by the auxiliary cruiser and supply ship "Aikoku Maru" to reconnoitre selected points on the East African coast for possible attack. In May "I-30" sailed along the coast of Africa, launching its Yokosuka E14Y floatplane on a series of reconnaissance flights over Aden, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Simon's Town in South Africa searching for targets.
On the night of 29 May "I-30" she sent her aircraft to the harbour of Diego Suarez at the northern tip of Madagascar, which was occupied by the British. The aircraft sighted the battleship at anchor in the bay, along with the destroyers and , corvettes and , troopship "Karanja", hospital ship "Atlantis", tanker "British Loyalty", merchant ship "Llandaff Castle", and an ammunition ship. The next night the Type C submarines "I-16" and "I-20" launched their "Ko-hyoteki" midget submarines about 10 miles from the harbour. At 20:25, one torpedoed and damaged the "Ramillies". The corvettes counter-attacked with depth charges, but at 21:20 the midget from "I-20" torpedoed and sank the "British Loyalty". The "I-16"s midget submarine went missing, presumed sunk, while the "I-20"s beached further along the coast. Its two crewmen were discovered by Royal Marines, and in the ensuing firefight both were killed.
Voyage to Europe.
In mid-June 1942 "I-30" was sent on a "Yanagi" mission to Europe, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and entering the Atlantic en route to France. On 2 August she arrived in the Bay of Biscay and was escorted into Lorient by a powerful force of German M-class minesweepers and "Luftwaffe" Junkers Ju 88 bombers. "I-30" was the first Japanese submarine to arrive in Europe during World War II.
The officers and crew of "I-30" were greeted by "Grossadmiral" Erich Raeder, Admiral Karl Dönitz, and Captain Yokoi Tadao, the Japanese Naval Attaché to Germany. The officers and crew of "I-30" were feted by their German allies, travelling to Berlin where Commander Endo was presented to Adolf Hitler, and returning to Lorient via a sightseeing trip to Paris. In the meantime the "I-30"s cargo of of mica and of shellac was unloaded. They also supplied the Germans with blueprints of the Type 91 aerial torpedo. In return "I-30" was repainted "U-boat" grey and fitted with a Metox radar detector and a Flakvierling 38 quad 20 mm AA gun, replacing her Type 96 25 mm AA guns.
"I-30" departed Lorient on 22 August carrying a Japanese engineer as a passenger. Her cargo included blueprints and a full set of the Würzburg air defense ground radar, five German G7a and three G7e torpedoes, five "Torpedovorhalterechner" (torpedo data computers), 240 "Bolde" sonar countermeasure rounds, rocket and glider bombs, anti-tank guns, a Zeiss anti-aircraft artillery director (fire control system), two hundred 20 mm AA guns, industrial diamonds valued at one million yen, and fifty Enigma T coding machines.
Sinking.
On 8 October 1942 "I-30" arrived at Penang to refuel and replenish, then sailed for Singapore, arriving early on the 13th. Just after 4 p.m. the same day, she departed for Japan, but three miles east of Keppel Harbour hit a British mine and quickly sank with the loss of 13 men. Divers from No. 101 Navy Repair Unit recovered some of her cargo, including most of the 20 mm guns, torpedo data computers, and the radar blueprints, though they were found to be unusable after their immersion in salt water. The radar equipment was completely destroyed.
Between August 1959 and February 1960 the wreck was salvaged and then scrapped by Hokusei Sempaku Kogyo K.K.


GVA Consultants

GVA Consultants is a Swedish marine and offshore engineering company specialising in the design of offshore structures, and semi-submersible platforms.
History.
The experience of GVA as a marine engineering company stretches back more than 25 years. There is an even longer history of building ships of various types, semi-submersibles, jack-ups and offshore modules at the shipyard Götaverken Arendal AB where GVA is based.
From the late 1970s the yard focused mainly on the offshore industry. Thus, the company designed, constructed and delivered 14 semisubmersibles from its facilities in Gothenburg. Seven units of the GVA series have also been built by yards all over the world, in different sizes and for various requirements. The units built at the yard in Gothenburg were adapted for duties such as production, drilling, diving support and accommodation/service. The deliveries included six Pacesetter type units and eight GVA designs.
The shipyard closed down in 1989 and GVA Consultants AB was established from the shipyards technical departments. GVA started out as a small company focusing on engineering services and conceptual studies. The company grew considerably during the years when larger contracts such as Visund, Troll C, Åsgard B and Kristin Gas Field were awarded to them. The company has continued to grow and has taken on even larger projects such as the Thunder Horse and Atlantis oil fields.
In 2001, Halliburton KBR (KBR), formerly Kellogg Brown & Root acquired GVA Consultants AB from British Maritime Technology Ltd (BMT) for an undisclosed amount." Halliburton KBR was the engineering and construction segment of Halliburton, the world's largest provider of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries.
GVA Consultant's range of products and services includes:
GVA is a subsidiary to KBR but operates as a fully independent company providing specialized design services.


Cavendish Pianos

Cavendish Pianos is a brand of pianos made at Yorkshire Pianos, the only company producing pianos still wholly built in the United Kingdom.
History.
Inspired by the closure of the Yamaha Kemble factory in Milton Keynes, Adam Cox and his wife Charlie used their experience as piano dealers and repairers together with investment from the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, to begin production of their own brand of pianos in the United Kingdom. The Cavendish name comes from the Duke of Devonshire, whose support was critical to the foundation of the firm. The Cox family, with three piano-playing daughters, have regularly acted as hosts for players in the Leeds International Piano Competition.
The firm was founded in 2012 after a three-year period of planning and research. The first three Cavendish pianos were shown at the Musikmesse trade fair in Frankfurt in 2012.
In September 2013, Jamie Cullum visited the firm while recording a BBC Radio 4 documentary, "Jamie Cullum's Piano Pilgrimage", due for broadcast in January 2014.
Pianos.
Cavendish source their skills and materials from the Yorkshire area. The firm has organized and works with a network of local craftsmen who produce key parts of the pianos, which they call a "craftsman's co-operative". The firm also has links to Lincoln College, which is the last facility in the UK to teach piano technology, and it has provided employment to graduates of the college.
The firm currently produces five models of piano:
Grand pianos:
Upright pianos:
The "Times" notes in February 2013 that prices of the upright models start at £4,995, which reflects the British manufacture using traditional materials and skills.
Music Instrument Professional has reviewed the Cavendish Classic model which it says is "an affordable, compact piano built around a solid spruce soundboard. A family-focused instrument retailing at under £5,000, the Classic is built in the traditional way, with all wooden action and parts. The Chatsworth 125 was designed in the style of a 1920s British upright. From the cabinet maker build, solid walnut paneled case to the British ash and oak used in the pedal mechanism, this is a fairly unique specimen."
The company produces around 50 instruments per year.


620th Engineer General Service Company

The 620th Engineer General Service Company was a United States Army Corps of Engineers company active during World War II whose rank and file were American soldiers, both native and foreign born who were suspected of disloyalty or subversion.
Formation.
The idea of US Army formations consisting on suspect soldiers was created by a United States Department of War order of 3 October 1942. The units were to be composed of soldiers from all over the United States suspected, but not proved of disloyalty or subversive tendencies. The 620th Engineer General Service Co was formed on 1 November 1942 at Fort Meade, South Dakota where it was assigned to the 7th Service Command. In addition to the 620th, two similar units in the same command were the 358th Quartermaster Service Co. at Camp Carson, Colorado composed of suspected Italian-American and German-American soldiers. and the 525th Engineer General Service Co. at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri that consisted of suspected Japanese-American soldiers. An engineer general service unit's official function was to perform "general engineer work".
The company's table of organization and equipment was authorised a strength of five officers and 127 non commissioned officers and other ranks. Unlike the rest of the army, the company was dressed in the obsolete pre-war blue denim fatigue uniform that was the same uniform worn by prisoners of war with the exception that the initials "PW" were not painted on the uniforms. The company was not allowed to bear arms.
The 620th was transferred to Camp Hale, Colorado in December 1943 due to the closure of Ft. Meade. At the same base were the 10th Mountain Division that included several anti-National Socialist Austrian ski instructors and a group of approximately 200 German Afrika Korps prisoners of war. The close relations between some of the company's members and the POWs led to one of the Engineers, Dale Maple, taking two of the POWs to Mexico where they were sent back across the US border and recaptured. Maple became the first soldier in the United States Army to be convicted of crime equivalent to treason.
In March 1944 the 620th was re-designated Company "A" of the 1800th Engineer General Service Battalion and assigned to Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Company "B" was formerly the 525th Engineer General Service Co and Company "C" was formerly the 358th Quartermaster Service Co. The good treatment and apparent easy life of the unit attracted a variety of American soldiers suspected of avoiding combat duty where it was joked "a subversive word a day keeps the foxhole away"
In June 1945 Companies "A" and "C" were re-designated the 5000th Quartermaster Service Company and sent to the South West Pacific. Company "B" was re-designated the 4000th Engineer General Service Company.
Disbandment.
The units were soon disbanded after the surrender of Japan.


Del Langejans

Delwyn J. Langejans is an American luthier. He handcrafts everything from reversible dualette guitars to harp guitars.
A descendant of farmer immigrants from Bentheim, Germany, Langejans was born and raised in Holland, Michigan, where his luthier shop keeps him busy building guitars for such notable musicians as Thom Bresh (Merle Travis's son) and Jars of Clay.
His father being a homebuilder, woodworking was a skill Langejans picked up early in life. While in school, he developed a strong work ethic and an even stronger love of music. During his time in the US Navy, Langejans made regular practice of entertaining his fellow sailors with his accordion and guitar talents.
After his naval discharge, Langejans took a job at Meyer Music in Holland, where he was trained in the intricacies of instrument repair and electronics. In 1971, he began to design and build his own guitars, originally bearing the name "Del's". He has made over 1200 guitars as of 2006, many of them custom-made-to-order, putting Langejans guitars in the hands of numerous stars from all genre of music.
The Langejans Dualette is a two sided guitar which was custom made for Thom Bresh. On one side is a steel string-guitar and on the other is a nylon-string. The harp guitar at the right was custom made for Hall of Fame Finger-picker Muriel Anderson. Langejans also makes banjo-guitars as well as standard type models. At one point, so many orders had been called in that there was a four-year waiting list for a Langejans guitar. As of 2013, the Langejans website stated "Del is no longer making guitars".
Artist list.
Musical artists who use guitars made by Langejans include:


Lize Business District station

Lize Business District station () is a planned interchange station on Lines 14, 16 and Daxing Airport Express of the Beijing Subway in Fengtai District.
Planned opening time.
Line 14 (Middle section): 2021
Line 16 (Southern section): 2021
Daxing Airport Express (Northern extension): 2022
Location.
The station, located outside the Southwest 2nd Ring Road, is being built at the intersection of the east-west Lize Road (), which Line 14 will run parallel to, and the north-south East Luotuowan Road (), which Line 16 will run parallel to. Both roads are under construction in the station's vicinity.
Station Layout.
Both the line 14 and line 16 stations have underground island platforms. The Daxing Airport Express station features a city terminal which provides in-town check-in and baggage drop services.


Jakob Sotriffer

Johann Jakob Sotriffer (30 January 1796, St. Ulrich in Gröden - 28 April 1856, St. Ulrich in Gröden) was an Austrian sculptor and drawing teacher in South Tyrol.
Biography.
In 1821, Emperor Francis II approved the establishment of a drawing school in St. Ulrich. Sotriffer, who had learned various types of carving from his father, was selected from four applicants and sent to Vienna for training. In thanks, he presented the Emperor with two alabaster religious figures he had made, and was given 300 Gulden.
He attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts as well as receiving practical instruction in the workshops of sculptors, turners, gilders and varnishers. In 1824, he was awarded the Academy's Gundel-Prize for excellence. Later that year, he finished his training and the drawing school was opened with great fanfare in January, 1825.
Although he was trained as a sculptor, he was not allowed to teach modelling in wax until 1832. His Pietà, carved in alabaster, may be seen at the Museum Gherdëina. He also carved the doors on the main portal at the Parish Church of St. Ulrich and angels for the church in Brixen.
In addition to his work at the school, he served as the Armenfondverwalter (Poor Fund Administrator) for the municipality.
Upon retiring, he was succeeded by his son, Christian (1835–1908), then and, finally, Vinzenz Runggaldier-Janon (1839–1892). The school closed in 1890.


Mjolnir (comics)

Mjolnir, known more formally as Mjölnir () is a fictional magical weapon appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as the principal weapon of the superhero Thor and Jane Foster. Mjolnir, which first appears in "Journey into Mystery" #83 (August 1962), was created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artists Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott.
Mjolnir is typically depicted as a large, square-headed gray sledgehammer, with a short, round handle wrapped in brown leather, culminating in a looped lanyard. The object is based on Mjölnir, the weapon of the mythological Thor.
Publication history.
"Mjolnar" was initially conceived by writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby for the story "The Villain from Valhalla", in "Adventure Comics" #75 (Jun. 1942).
Mjolnir debuted in Marvel Comics title " Journey into Mystery" #83 (Aug. 1962), being the means by which physician Donald Blake transformed into Thunder god Thor Odinson (by striking it on the ground). The first use of the hammer's name was in the "Tales of Asgard" feature in "Thor" #135 (Dec. 1966) in a story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The weapon's origin is eventually revealed in "Thor" Annual #11 (1983), with another version presented in "Thor" vol. 2, #80 (Aug. 2004).
In a 2002 documentary with Kevin Smith, Lee says his brother and co-creator Larry Lieber originally referred to Mjolnir as the "Uru Hammer". Writer Roy Thomas eventually changed the name of the hammer to the mythologically correct name of "Mjolnir" but maintained the Larry Lieber concept of it being composed of fictional metal "uru".
Origin.
Mjolnir's origin in Marvel continuity mirrors the original Norse legend. The hammer is created when Odin's adopted son Loki cuts off the hair of the goddess Sif as part of a cruel jest, and, when threatened with violence by Thor, promises to fetch replacement hair from the dwarf smiths. Loki commissions the hair from the Sons of Ivaldi, and the obliging dwarves create the hair and a magic ship and spear as gifts for the gods. Loki is convinced that no one can match their workmanship, and challenges a dwarf named Eitri to make finer treasures. Eitri creates a golden ring and golden boar spear with magical properties, and then begins work on a hammer. Loki panics at the sight of the treasures, and, afraid he will lose the wager, transforms himself into a mayfly and stings Eitri's assistant on the brow as he is working the bellows for the forge. The assistant stops for a moment to wipe away the blood, and the bellows fall flat. As a result, the hammer's handle is shorter in length than Eitri had originally intended, meaning that the hammer could only be wielded one-handed.
Despite the error, the Norse gods consider Eitri to have forged the greater treasures. Loki loses the bet and in retaliation the Sons of Ivaldi sew Loki's lips shut. The ruler of the Norse gods, Odin, uses the hammer – called Mjolnir ("Grinder") by Eitri – and eventually passes it to his son Thor, on the condition that he first prove he is worthy to wield the weapon.
In the second volume of "Thor", another version of the hammer's origin is depicted when Odin orders the dwarven blacksmiths Eitri, Brok and Buri to forge Mjolnir using the core of a star.
The series "The Mighty Thor" provides another version of Mjolnir's origin: after an extended battle Odin traps a galaxy-sized storm called "Mother Storm" in a nugget of uru, which Odin orders the dwarves to use to create a weapon capable of using Mother Storm's power.
Enchantments.
Odin placed several enchantments upon Mjolnir prior to Thor wielding the hammer:
The last enchantment was eventually removed and transferred to Stormbreaker, the hammer of character Beta Ray Bill. After this the Donald Blake persona disappeared (eventually returning from the after life ), and Thor assumed a civilian identity simply by changing into modern clothing (carrying Mjolnir concealed within a duffel bag). Thor eventually adopts the mortal persona of Jake Olson as penance for accidentally causing the original Olson's death during a battle, and simply pounds a fist to effect a change. During this period Mjolnir would disappear when Thor became Olson, and reappear when returning to his true form. Thor was also once again bound by the original rule whereby he would revert to Olson if kept away from Mjolnir for more than a minute.
The enchantment eventually changes: during the "Original Sin" storyline, Nick Fury whispers an undisclosed secret to Thor that causes him to lose the ability to pick up Mjolnir. The change extends to other gods, as Odin also cannot lift it (Fury's comment to Thor was simply "Gorr was right", validating to Thor that an old foe's claim that gods brought only pain and suffering was correct). The hammer is subsequently picked up by an unknown female - later revealed to be Jane Foster - who inherits the power and title of Thor, with the inscription changing to read "if she be worthy".
Powers and abilities.
Capable of creating:
Generating exceptional offensives:
Mjolnir can also absorb energy;
The hammer is also capable of empowering others - accidentally endowing the hero Union Jack with the ability to generate electricity. - and removing any harmful radiation or other toxins from a host.
There are also several rarely used abilities:
As a former religious relic, Mjolnir is also lethal to the undead, causing creatures such as vampires to burst into flame and crumble to dust.
Mjolnir is also not indestructible, having been damaged or destroyed several times in continuity: a force beam from the Asgardian Destroyer slices it in two; the Molecule Man dispels the atomic bonds between the hammer's molecules, vaporizing Mjolnir; shattered after channeling an immeasurable amount of energy at the Celestial Exitar; Dark god Perrikus slices Mjolnir in half with a magical scythe; and shattered when it collided with the uru weapons of Loki's Storm Giant followers, resulting in an atomic-scale explosion. Mjolnir was not recreated after this last incident until Thor returned to Earth several years later.
Temporary wielder Jane Foster sacrifices Mjolnir and herself to defeat the monster Mangog by hurling them all into the Sun. Thor and Odin are able to resurrect Jane, who subsequently presents Thor with the last fragment of his hammer.
During the War of the Realms storyline, Thor is able to channel the power of the ancient Mother Storm to reforge Mjolnir, declaring that Gorr was right and vowing to prove himself better than the gods who had come before.
Wielders.
Other than Thor and Odin, certain other individuals have proven capable of lifting Mjolnir in the primary continuity:
Several imitations of Mjolnir have also existed:
Other versions.
In the Ultimate Marvel imprint title "The Ultimates" and its sequel "The Ultimates 2", the Ultimate version of Thor wields a Mjolnir styled after a classical war hammer. This version was used a plot device when the hammer temporarily crossed over into the mainstream Earth-616 universe, being found and used by the Asgardian Volstagg and later Jane Foster before being destroyed. The surviving fragments are reassembled into another weapon for Foster once she abandons the Thor persona.
Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Mjolnir is a recurring item throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise, most often used by Thor. Like its comic book counterpart, it is a powerful Asgardian hammer used as an offensive, defensive, and projectile weapon. It is capable of controlling and conjuring weather including lightning, and allows the carrier to fly if the hammer is spun and released with enough power. Mjolnir is enchanted by Odin, requiring any person who lifts it to be "worthy" and grants the user "the power of Thor" if they are able to do so.


Pygmalion (mythology)

Pygmalion (; Ancient Greek: Πυγμαλίων "Pugmalíōn", "gen".: Πυγμαλίωνος) is a legendary figure of Cyprus in Greek mythology who was a king and a sculptor. He is most familiar from Ovid's narrative poem "Metamorphoses", in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.
In Ovid.
In book 10 of Ovid's "Metamorphoses", Pygmalion was a Cypriot sculptor who carved a woman out of ivory. According to Ovid, after seeing the Propoetides prostituting themselves, Pygmalion declared that he was "not interested in women", but then found his statue was so beautiful and realistic that he fell in love with it.
In time, Aphrodite's festival day came, and Pygmalion made offerings at the altar of Aphrodite. There, too scared to admit his desire, he quietly wished for a bride who would be "the living likeness of my ivory girl." When he returned home, he kissed his ivory statue, and found that its lips felt warm. He kissed it again, and found that the ivory had lost its hardness. Aphrodite had granted Pygmalion's wish.
Pygmalion married the ivory sculpture which changed to a woman under Aphrodite's blessing. In Ovid's narrative, they had a daughter, Paphos, from whom the city's name is derived.
In some versions, Paphos was a son, and they also had a daughter, Metharme.
Ovid's mention of Paphos suggests that he was drawing on a more circumstantial account than the source for a passing mention of Pygmalion in Pseudo-Apollodorus' "Bibliotheke", a Hellenic mythography of the 2nd-century AD. Perhaps he drew on the lost narrative by Philostephanus that was paraphrased by Clement of Alexandria. In the story of Dido, Pygmalion is an evil king.
Parallels in Greek myth.
The story of the breath of life in a statue has parallels in the examples of Daedalus, who used quicksilver to install a voice in his statues; of Hephaestus, who created automata for his workshop; of Talos, an artificial man of bronze; and (according to Hesiod) of Pandora, who was made from clay at the behest of Zeus.
The moral anecdote of the "Apega of Nabis", recounted by the historian Polybius, described a supposed mechanical simulacrum of the tyrant's wife, that crushed victims in her embrace.
The trope of a sculpture so lifelike that it seemed about to move was a commonplace with writers on works of art in antiquity. This trope was inherited by writers on art after the Renaissance.
Reinterpretations.
The basic Pygmalion story has been widely transmitted and re-presented in the arts through the centuries. At an unknown date, later authors give as the name of the statue that of the sea-nymph Galatea or Galathea. Goethe calls her Elise, based upon the variants in the story of Dido/Elissa.
A variant of this theme can also be seen in the story of "Pinocchio", in which a wooden puppet is transformed into a "real boy", though in this case the puppet possesses sapience prior to its transformation; it is the puppet and not its creator, the woodcarver Geppetto, who beseeches the divine powers for the miracle.
In the final scene of William Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale", a statue of Queen Hermione which comes to life is revealed as Hermione herself, so bringing the play to a conclusion of reconciliations.
In George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play "Pygmalion", a modern variant of the myth with a subtle hint of feminism, the underclass flower-girl Eliza Doolittle is metaphorically "brought to life" by a phonetics professor, Henry Higgins, who teaches her to refine her accent and conversation and otherwise conduct herself with upper-class manners in social situations. This play in turn inspired a 1938 film adaptation, as well as the 1956 musical "My Fair Lady" and its 1964 film adaptation.
The 2007 film "Lars and the Real Girl" tells the story of a man who purchases a doll and treats her as a real person in order to reconnect with the rest of the world. Although she never comes to life, he believes she is real, and in doing so develops more connections to his community. When he no longer needs her, he lets her go. This is a reversal of the myth of Pygmalion.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Opening_of_Misty_Beethoven
The Opening of Misty Beethoven is an American pornographic comedy film released in 1976. It was produced with a relatively high budget and filmed on elaborate locations in Paris, New York City and Rome with a musical score, and owes much to its director Radley Metzger (directing this film as "Henry Paris"). [another version opening outside a movie theater]
Paintings.
The story has been the subject of notable paintings by Agnolo Bronzino, Jean-Léon Gérôme ("Pygmalion and Galatea"), Honoré Daumier, Edward Burne-Jones (four major works from 1868–1870, then again in larger versions from 1875–1878 with the title "Pygmalion and the Image"), Auguste Rodin, Ernest Normand, Paul Delvaux, Francisco Goya, Franz von Stuck, François Boucher, Eduardo Chicharro y Agüera and Thomas Rowlandson, among others. There have also been numerous sculptures of the "awakening".
Literature.
Ovid's Pygmalion has inspired many works of literature, some of which are listed below. The popularity of the Pygmalion myth surged in the 19th century.
Stage plays.
Though it is not based on the story of Pygmalion, Shakespeare's play "Measure for Measure" references Pygmalion in a line spoken by Lucio in Act 3, Scene 2: "What, is there none of Pygmalion's images, newly made woman, to be had now, for putting the hand in the pocket and extracting it clutch'd?"
There have also been successful stage-plays based upon the work, such as W. S. Gilbert's "Pygmalion and Galatea " (1871). It was revived twice, in 1884 and in 1888. The play was parodied the musical 1883 burlesque "Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed", which was performed at the Gaiety Theatre with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens and W. Webster, and a score composed by Wilhelm Meyer Lutz.
In January, 1872, "Ganymede and Galatea" opened at the Gaiety Theatre. This was a comic version of Franz von Suppé's "Die schöne Galathee", coincidentally with Arthur Sullivan's brother, Fred Sullivan, in the cast.
In March 1872, William Brough's 1867 play "Pygmalion; or, The Statue Fair" was revived, and in May of that year, a visiting French company produced Victor Massé's "Galathée".
George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" (1912, staged 1913) owes something to both the Greek Pygmalion and the legend of "King Cophetua and the beggar maid"; in which a king lacks interest in women, but one day falls in love with a young beggar-girl, later educating her to be his queen. Shaw's comedy of manners in turn was the basis for the Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" (1956), as well as numerous other adaptations.
P. L. Deshpande's play "Ti Fulrani" ("Queen of Flowers") is also based on Shaw's "Pygmalion". The play was a huge success in Marathi theater and has earned many accolades. Madhu Rye adapted "Pygmalion" in Gujarati as "Santu Rangili" (1976) which was successful.