Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant

The Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, formerly known as the Louisiana Ordnance Plant or as The Shell Plant, is an inactive plant to load, assemble and pack ammunitions items. During production from 1942 to 1994, the Army disposed of untreated explosives-laden wastewater in on-site lagoons, contaminating soil, sediments and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. It is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility located off U.S. Highway 80 in Webster Parish near Doyline between Minden and Bossier City, Louisiana. Part of LAAP is known as Camp Minden, a training center for the Louisiana Army National Guard. LAAP and Camp Minden have become nearly interchangeable terms, with most references to Camp Minden.
Location.
The Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant is a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility located off U.S. Highway 80 in Webster Parish, Louisiana between Minden, Louisiana and Bossier City, Louisiana.
History.
World War II, 1941-1945.
At the beginning of 1939, the government imposed eminent domain to purchase land for the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant (LAAP). Handled by the attorney Harvey Locke Carey of Shreveport, then with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, completed the acquisition in 1941 even before the United States entered World War II.
LAAP was completed in eleven months under the direction of the contractor, Silas Mason. At the time, the entire area was rural and thinly settled. In May 1942, eight production lines were opened. In December 1944, the number of employees peaked at 10,754, the month of the decisive Battle of the Bulge. In the summer of 1945 production ceased with V-J Day, and the plant was deactivated three months later.
In the building of the plant, nine rural cemeteries in Webster and Bossier parishes came uniquely under the perpetual care of the United States government. Existing wooden grave markers were replaced with small concrete slabs without the names of the deceased listed on the markers. The cemeteries are Allentown, Crowe, Jim Davis, Keene, Knotttingham, Raine, Richardson, Vanorsdel, and Walker. Those interred are listed with dates of birth and death and occasionally with other information in a printed survey, but individuals cannot visit LAAP grounds to look for specific graves; none would be found by the names were such a search conducted. The Crowe and Richardson cemeteries have the greatest number of individual grave listings.
Plant operations, 1951-1975.
LAAP was restored to service during the Korean War under Remington Rand in 1951, and employment reached 5,000 in 1953. LAAP included a metals forging and machining plant area known as the Y-Line Chromic Acid Etching Facility, which manufactured 155-mm projectiles.
The plant was activated once more during the Vietnam War in September 1961 by Sperry Rand, the contractor until 1975. It produced mines, shaped charges, fuzes, boosters, bombs, demolition blocks, projectiles, etc. During this time there were two tragic accidental explosions in 1962 and again in 1968. LAAP had 7,800 employees at the height of the Vietnam War in 1967. The Army had four production areas for classified ammunitions.
While in operation, LAAP was like a town unto itself, with its own 20-bed hospital, fire department, telephone line, water wells, sewerage and lighting systems, roads, staff housing, and meal services. The facility was so large that many needed a map to find their way around the grounds. There were major safety and security programs with certain employees designated as "guards"; to prevent fires employees were forbidden to enter the plant with smoking materials in their possession.
Among the plant managers during the Vietnam activation was retired United States Army Colonel Thomas L. Gaines (1901-1989), a native of Dickson County in western Tennessee who fought in both theaters of World War II, left the active military in 1956 and was the LAAP general manager from 1961 until August 1969. Gaines also held the national position of chief of ammunition manufacture for all twenty-six Army munitions plants scattered throughout the United States.
James E. McMichael (1932-2009) served as the LAAP employment manager for a number of years. He was a former teacher/coach at the defunct Lowe Junior High School in Minden and an administrator in vocational technical education. Applicants selected had to pass a manual dexterity test.
From 1975 until 1989, LAAP colloquially known as "the shell plant", was operated by Morton Thiokol, now Thiokol, which also managed the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant near Marshall, Texas. In 1979, under manager Steve Shows, employment had shrunk to 1,700 people. Production included 155-mm metal parts and LAP operations on M692,4.2 inch mortar, Ml07 LAP Composition B, M73 Grenade Assembly, and some 2.75 inch warheads.
Later years, 1989-1992.
When the government stopped buying the 4.2-inch mortar round of ammunition people were laid off. Attrition continued; in March 1992, Shows announced that 332 employees would be dismissed in phases beginning on April 1.
LAAP was the largest payroll provider in Webster Parish for many years. In 1990, it was one of fourteen active munitions plants in the United States, and had 1,400 employees, half involved in production. The plant pumped $36 million into the local economy. LAAP spent $37 million per year in the purchase of materials to produce mines, grenades, mortar, and artillery rounds.
In 1993 LAAP began to seek commercial clients to lease partial use of the plant facilities. In the mid-1990s, the property came under the management of Lea Hall Properties of Shreveport. In addition to the National Guard installation, the former LAAP is now leased to various commercial entities.
Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, 2002- present.
, a $7.3 million state-of-the-art prison opened within LAAP, the Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, named for Dorcheat Bayou. Pushed to completion by former Webster Parish Sheriff Larkin T. Riser, the prison was constructed to house up to 340 prisoners. Because the land on which the center sits is former military property, Riser depended on then U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu to break through the federal regulations: "She was a real champion for us. She ... helped us get through everything that had to be done in Washington." In addition to the Dorcheat Center, the sheriff's department also has facilities for forty-five inmates on the top floor of the Webster Parish Courthouse in Minden.
New facilities opened as Camp Minden, 2013.
In December 2013, a $26 million facility to house three military units in more modern facilities opened at Camp Minden. The Armed Forces Reserve Center, visible from U.S. Highway 80, had been under planning and construction since 2008. It provides permanent, consolidated housing for the 1083rd Transportation Company, the 39th Military Police Company, and the 122nd Air Support Operations Squadron. More than three hundred soldiers and airmen were impacted by the new facility. As of 2013 a second project, a Regional Training Institute, was under construction. The U.S. government funded the majority of the construction costs, the state provided $1 million, with another $6 million for infrastructure improvements.
Environmental contamination.
On March 31, 1989, LAAP was listed as a Superfund site on the National Priorities List. The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that the ground water was contaminated by explosive wastes including cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) and trinitrotoluene (TNT).
On August 24, 2006, an explosion of the Explo Systems, Inc., site leased at Camp Minden, where bombs were disassembled and recycled led to the evacuation of six hundred pupils nearby but caused no injuries or fatalities.
A large explosion in October 2012 of 15 million pounds of M6 propellant of the Explo Systems, Inc., site rocketed Camp Minden, shattering windows 4 miles away and created a 7,000-foot mushroom cloud contaminating the area.
In December 2012, police began to remove 2,700 tons of explosives haphazardly stashed in warehouses and in open air from the Explo Systems site leading to evacuations from nearby Doyline. After materials had been relocated into buildings within Camp Minden, Explo Systems, Inc. filed bankruptcy, and in August 2013 abandoned the materials
M6 propellant disposal.
In July 2014, the EPA ordered the Army to clean up the site on the grounds, that the military should not have entrusted Explo Systems to handle such a large amount of the propellant. Three private firms, General Dynamics Corporation, Alliant Techsystems, and the Ashland, Inc., unit known as "Hercules" have been participating in the cleanup.
In October, 2014 EPA, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Army agreed to dispose of explosive M6 propellant by "open burn", in "prepared trays containing a shallow layer of the material, [as] has been used in other cleanups."
In May 2015, EPA in conjunction with a Citizens' Advisory Group announced, that a contained burn system in the form of an incinerator would be used. The plan was to dismantle the incinerator and remove it after burns would be finished. To oversee the cleanup, the EPA charged about $8 million on top of $1.2 million which the state of Louisiana had already paid. In June 2015, Explo systems executives asked a state judge to throw out charges, because M6 was not classified as explosive in Louisiana. The Army intended to dispose of the explosives through "open burns".
In June 2015, after months of public controversy, the Louisiana National Guard announced a contract had been awarded to remove millions of pounds of M6 propellant from Camp Minden. A contained burn unit was to be built. The initial $19 million contract could be increased to as much as $35 million to account for additional requirements set forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which approved the cleanup. The spokesman for the National Guard said that "Explosive Service International" of Baton Rouge, Louisiana was to oversee the operation. The company received notice from the Louisiana Office of State Procurement to begin work.
Eventually a private facility in Colfax, Louisiana 95 miles south, operated by Clean Harbors was chosen. It is "the only commercial facility in the nation allowed to burn explosives and munitions waste with no environmental emissions controls."


Molo fire

An oil spill ignition occurred in Molo, Kenya, on January 31, 2009, and resulted in the deaths of at least 113 people and critical injuries to over 200 more. The incident occurred when an oil spill from an overturned truck burst into flames as onlookers attempted to obtain remnants of the spilled fuel for personal use. Rescuers suggested the cause to be static electricity, an accidentally-discarded cigarette, or an individual angered at a police blockade who sought vengeance. Police have described the carnage as Kenya's worst disaster in recent times, occurring in a country hit by frequent fuel shortages and just days after a supermarket fire killed 25.
In June 2009, another similar accident occurred, when an oil tanker fire killed at least four and injured nearly 50 people at Kapokyek village near Kericho. The victims were siphoning fuel from the tanker that had fallen off the road.
Kenyan disaster management.
The fire was the second such disaster in Kenya that week, following the deaths of at least 25 people in a Nairobi supermarket when a branch of Nakumatt caught fire. The Media of Kenya Kenyan media has been criticizing the government for its poor safety standards and inadequate Emergency management disaster preparation. Following that blaze, the "Daily Nation" reported that Nairobi's three million inhabitants were served only by one fire station situated close to a traffic-choked business district.


Kogarasu Maru

The Kogarasu Maru (小烏丸), or ""Little Crow Circle", is a unique Japanese tachi sword believed to have been created by legendary Japanese smith Amakuni during the 8th century AD.
Blade classification and history.
"Kissaki Moroha Zukuri" (鋒両刃造) blades like the Kogarasu Maru are sometimes referred to as "Kogarasu Zukuri" (小烏造), since the blade of the Kogarasu Maru is shaped this way and is well known for its distinctive sugata. The Kogarasu Maru is unique as a bridge between the old double-edged Japanese ken (based on the Chinese jian) and the traditional Japanese tachi and eventual katana.
The Kogarasu Maru was designed with a curved double-edged blade approximately 62.8 cm long. One edge of the blade is shaped in normal tachi fashion, but unlike the tachi, the tip is symmetrical and both edges of the blade are sharp, except for about 20 cm of the trailing or concave edge nearest the hilt, which is rounded. A single "koshi-hi" (腰樋) style groove runs from the tang to the transition point where the blade becomes double-edged, and is invariably accompanied by a "soe-hi" (添樋). The hardening process yielded a straight temper line ("sugaha hamon", 直刃刃文) on both sides of the blade.
The Kogarasu Maru is currently in the Japanese Imperial Collection. The tang of the Kogarasu Maru is not signed but the blade is believed to have been made during the either the early Heian period or late Nara period, by the swordsmith Amakuni, who is said to have created the first curved Japanese sword and is believed to have lived during this period. Two other "Kogarasu Zukuri" blades exist from this era, but many other blades of this type have been created throughout Japanese history.
Tsuneyoshi Murata, a General of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji era, created the first Gunto, famously known as Murata-To which is a Kissaki Moroha Zukuri style double edged Katana.
In popular culture.
Though rare, Kissaki Moroha Zukuri style Katanas have also been featured in Japanese novels, mangas and animes.
Rumors.
The Kogarasu Maru is believed by some to have been a cut down naginata or yari blade that was fashioned into a tachi, as its shape is similar to that of some pole arms. Nevertheless, no evidence of shortening is found on any of the three extant examples from this time period.


HMS Anne Galley

HMS "Anne Galley" was an 8-gun fire ship of the Royal Navy, launched in 1739 and in active service during the War of the Austrian Succession against Spain and France. Employed against the Spanish Fleet in 1744 off Toulon, she was destroyed while engaging the Spanish flagship "Real Felipe".
Construction.
"Anne Galley" was originally a commercial vessel owned by merchant George Stevens of Deptford. As built, she was long with an keel, a beam of , and measuring 302 tonnes burthen. She was two-decked, with a hold and four 6-pounder cannons located on each side of the lower deck.
Stevens sold "Anne Galley" to the Royal Navy on 22 June 1739 for £1,209 and a further £87 for ship's stores. On 3 July "Anne Galley" arrived at Deptford Dockyard for fitting out as a fire ship. Conversion to the role of fire ship involverd the construction of compartments in her hold for the storage of gunpowder and other combustible materials, and the cutting of a series of small chimneys into her deck to help ventilate fires set below. The eight lower deck gun ports had their hinges changed so they would fall open when their supporting ropes had burned through, further fanning any flames. Lastly, she received eight ½-pounder swivel guns along the upper deck railings for anti-personnel use.
Naval service.
"Anne Galley" was commissioned into the Navy in late July 1739 under Commander Richard Hughes. She was put to sea in August with a crew of 55 men, and assigned to Britain's Mediterranean fleet under the overall command of Vice-Admiral Nicholas Haddock. Britain was at war with Spain, and "Anne Galley" was sent to form part of the blockading squadron off the port of Cadiz. She saw no active service during the year, although Commander Hughes was promoted to the rank of post-captain in October. In 1741 she was with Haddock's fleet as it cruised between Cadiz and Toulon without engagement with the enemy at either port.
Haddock was replaced in February 1742 by Admiral Richard Lestock, who determined to take a more aggressive position against the Spanish than had his predecessor. Command of "Anne Galley" also changed hands, passing to Commander Richard Hodsoll For the next few months "Anne Galley" was deployed as a messenger to convey Lestock's orders to the captains of his larger ships. She was also part of a small three-vessel squadron sent to the Bay of Ajaccio under Vice-Admiral Thomas Mathews to investigate reports that a single Spanish ship of the line was anchored there for repairs. On reaching the Bay the squadron, comprising , and "Anne Galley", encountered and overwhelmed the 70-gun Spanish warship "Isidoro". The Spanish vessel was set on fire by her crew to avoid her being captured, and sank in the Bay. This battle was "Anne Galley"s only engagement under Hodsoll's command, as he was replaced shortly afterward by Commander James Mackie.
Battle of Toulon.
France entered the war against Britain in 1743, leaving the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet at risk from the combined French and Spanish forces. On 9 February 1744 the fleet, comprising 38 vessels under Admiral Mathews, encountered a combined French and Spanish fleet of equivalent size off the port of Toulon. On the following morning both fleets formed lines of battle. "Anne Galley" was placed behind the centre of the British line but light winds and heavy swell kept the fleets apart throughout the day. At midday on the 11th, Admiral Mathews observed that the French and Spanish were seeking to depart without fighting, and gave the signal for immediate engagement.
The subsequent battle centred around the Royal Navy flagship and the Spanish flagship "Real Felipe". Both became disabled, with "Real Felipe" losing its masts and suffering around 500 casualties. Seizing the opportunity, Mathews ordered Commander Mackie to bring "Anne Galley" forward to set the Spanish flagship ablaze. Mathews had expected that the 70-gun would provide covering fire for "Anne Galley" but her captain, Richard Norris, refused to do so. When asked by his officers why he would not support the fire ship, Norris replied "We must not go down [to her aid]. If we do, we shall be sunk and tore to pieces."
The Spanish observed "Anne Galley"s unsupported approach and opened fire with the remaining guns aboard "Real Felipe" as well as those of the 70-gun "Hercules". The fire ship was repeatedly struck in the hull, and quantities of gunpowder were blown from the compartments across the decks and into the hold. To avoid casualties Commander Mackie ordered all but five of the crew to take to the boats, which were trailed on the far side of the ship to shelter them from enemy fire. Those still aboard busied themselves by opening the gun ports and scuttles and clearing the deck chimneys to ready the ship for being set alight. While they worked, Commander Mackie waited on deck holding the fuses that would light the explosives stored below.
Despite these preparations, the fire ship was now so damaged that she seemed likely to sink before she reached the "Real Felipe". A Spanish launch was also approaching "Anne Galley" with the intention of towing her away. Mackie went below and opened fire on the launch with "Anne Galley"s waist guns, but to no avail. Eventually, "Real Felipe"'s gunfire hit "Anne Galley"'s bows and may have ignited the loose gunpowder scattered about the fire ship's hold. Other authors reported that the gunpowder was ignited by sparks from Mackie's attack on the launch. Either way "Anne Galley" promptly exploded, killing Mackie and all others aboard. According to one observer she was "within her own length", or roughly , from the disabled "Real Felipe" when she sank. Those of "Anne Galley"s crew who had already taken to the boats before the explosion survived the fire ship's sinking and were able to make their way back to the British line.
Aftermath.
Naval historian William Clowes has described Mackie's handling of "Anne Galley" as demonstrating "great ability and gallantry." Despite this the fire ship did no real damage to the Spanish, with "Real Felipe" subsequently towed to safety by other vessels.
Captain Richard Norris of HMS "Essex" was court-martialed for cowardice following his failure to support "Anne Galley", but the trial was abandoned in deference to his father, Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Norris. The younger Norris avoided a second court-martial for the same offence by resigning his Navy commission in February 1745.


Vepr

The Vepr (Ukrainian: Вепр, "wild boar") was announced in 2003 as the first indigenous Ukrainian assault rifle, designed by the State Space Agency of Ukraine. It is one of several bullpup conversions of the conventional AKM design, along with the Polish Kbk wz. 2005 Jantar, the Chinese Norinco Type 86S, the Russian OTs-14 Groza, the Finnish Valmet M82 and the South African Vektor CR-21.
History.
Prior to the development of the Vepr, the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were equipped mainly with the Soviet AKM and AK-74 assault rifle designs.
The first Vepr rifle was shown on 28 August 2003. Only ten Veprs were made until 9 October 2004
In addition, one test prototype («Malyuk») was made in 2005
The Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has declared intentions to purchase thousands of Veprs by the year 2010 but as of March 2014 there was not a single Vepr in the Ukrainian Army
However, since the political tides in Ukraine are moving towards a NATO and possibly a European Union membership, and since 2009 a well-launched Ukrainian gun manufacturer (RPC Fort) is offering on the Ukrainian market firearms in "western" calibers such as the Israeli Tavor assault rifle, Negev light machinegun and Galil sniper rifle, the future of this weapon in Ukrainian service may be in jeopardy.
In March 2019, it was announced that the National Police of Ukraine would replace Kalashnikov assault rifles with HK MP5 submachine guns. As of 2020, most Ukrainian personnel still use AK-74s.
Currently, only small number of Veprs are used by the Ukrainian security service.
Design.
Although the Vepr has been proclaimed as a revolutionary upgrade to the AK-74, it is, in fact, an interesting yet fairly simple modification of the basic AK-74 system in a bullpup design, with the following modifications:
Common characteristics with the AK-74.
The weapon still fires 5.45×39mm ammunition from 30-round magazines at an approximate rate of fire of 600 to 650 rounds per minute, the barrel length remains the same and the muzzle brake has been retained, which suggests that the Vepr's ballistic performance should be identical to that of the AK-74. The weapon's weight is almost the same as that of the AK-74M variant, and its length is comparable to that of a folding-stock AK with the stock folded. The main advantage of the bullpup layout thus lies in the fact that the weapon becomes much shorter and thus easier to store, to carry and to handle in confined spaces. However, the bullpup's overall superiority to conventional rifle configurations, in which the magazine and chamber are in front of the trigger and pistol grip rather than behind, has yet to be seen.
Right-handed use.
The Vepr's only serious readily-visible drawback seems to be the fact that its layout, as that of the British SA80, does not favour ambidextrous operation, for three reasons:
Accessories.
The Vepr includes adjustable open sights and a conventional side mount, on the left, for day or night scopes. The front sight is strikingly similar to that of the American M16 series of rifles. A relatively large red dot sight of Ukrainian production can also be fitted as standard. The latest versions of the Vepr also include an integral 40mm underslung grenade launcher, with a dual trigger layout in which the front trigger fires the grenade launcher and the rear trigger fires the rifle.


KS-23

The KS-23 is a Soviet shotgun, although because it uses a rifled barrel it is officially designated by the Russian military as a carbine. KS stands for "Karabin Spetsialniy", "Special Carbine". It is renowned for its large caliber, firing a 23 mm round, equating to 6.27 gauge using the British and American standards of shotgun gauges and approximately 4 gauge using the current European standards (based on the metric CIP tables), making it the largest-bore shotgun in use today.
History.
The KS-23 was designed in the 1970s for suppressing prison riots. It was created by TsNIITochMash, a key Soviet weapons developer, for the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). The barrel for the KS-23 were made from 23 mm aircraft gun barrels that were rejected due to manufacturing flaws. These rejected barrels were deemed to be acceptable for the lower stress of firing slugs and less-lethal rounds, and thus were cut down in length for use as shotgun barrels.
The KS-23 began to see use during the mid-1980s by several MVD forces. During the 1990s, research was made into improving the original design to make it usable in confined indoor areas. Two prototypes were proposed, the KS-23M and KS-23K, although only the M version saw use.
Ammunition.
The KS-23 was created with the capability to fire several different types of ammunition, listed below:
Later, two add-on muzzle mortars were produced, the 36 mm Nasadka-6 and 82 mm Nasadka-12, bringing with them several new ammunition types:
Variants.
KS-23.
The original KS-23 was developed jointly by NIISpetstekhniki (MVD) and TsNIITochmash in 1971, it was accepted for use by the Soviet police in 1985. The gun has a barrel length of 510 mm and an overall length of 1040 mm. The KS-23 has an underbarrel tubular magazine capable of holding three rounds, with one in the chamber giving the gun a maximum round capacity of four. The gun's effective range is 150 m.
KS-23M.
The KS-23M «дрозд» (Carbine, Special, 23 mm, modernized - project: "Drozd" > "Thrush") was developed on the base of the KS-23. Development for it was started in October 1990. Twenty-five carbines were submitted for testing on December 10, 1991. After which the winner, then designated S-3, became the KS-23M "Thrush" and was accepted for use by the police and the Internal Troops of Russia. The KS-23M includes a detachable wire buttstock and shortened barrel, as opposed to the fixed wooden stock on standard KS-23s. The gun is still chambered in 23 mm. Its overall length with the buttstock is 875 mm, without, 650 mm, and the barrel is 410 mm long. The gun's effective range is 150 m.
KS-23K.
The KS-23K is a redesigned KS-23 that features a bullpup layout. The KS-23K was accepted in 1998 for the use of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). Development and adoption of this carbine was motivated by the fact that in the earlier accepted configurations of the KS-23 and KS-23M a major noted deficiency was that the tubular magazine did not make it possible to rapidly reload or change the type of ammunition being used, because of this a major design change for the KS-23K is that it has an extended box magazine that holds seven shells instead of the three shells seen on the other models. The gun has a mechanical safety located on the left side, above the pistol handle and open non adjustable sights. The gun's effective range is 100 m.
TOZ-123.
The civilian version of the KS-23 is the TOЗ-123 «Селезень-4» ("ТОZ-123 "Drake-4"). It is manufactured by Tulsky Oruzheiny Zavod and features a smoothbore design, making it more similar to a traditional shotgun, and is chambered in standard 4-gauge. It has been legal to use as a civilian hunting shotgun in Russia since August 1996.
The gun maker's website has this as the description for the shotgun.
The shotgun is multicharged, with a tubular underbarrel magazine of 3-cartridge capacity. Reloading is provided with a removable fore-end. The presence of the special barrel rear projection on the frame combined with the rear sight gives the possibility of mounting an optical sight. The shotgun is intended for the amateur hunting with shot cartridges.
The TOZ-123 was banned from import into the United States during the Clinton administration.


Anelace

An anelace (or in Middle English anelas) was a medieval dagger worn as a gentleman's accoutrement in 14th century England.
Frederick William Fairholt (1846) describes it as "a knife or dagger worn at the girdle", and George Russell French (1869) as "a large dagger, or a short sword, [that] appears to have been worn, suspended by a ring from the girdle, almost exclusively by civilians".
Anelaces had a broad blade "sharp on both edges, and became narrower from hilt to point". Auguste Demmin (1870) also uses the term "anelace" for the similar cinquedeas of 15th century Italy. The term is attested from 1250 to 1300 in the Middle English form of "an(e)las", which is derived from the Old French "ale(s)naz", a derivative of "alesne" (awl), itself derived from the Old High German "alasna".
French mentions numerous examples of anelaces appearing in 14th century English art. They were also mentioned in literature. In Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales", a franklin (a landowner) wears "an anelace and a gipciere [pouch] all of silk / Hung at his girdle, white as morwe milk", and in an undated English translation of the poem of Partonopeus de Blois, King Sornegur wears "an anelas sharp-pointed".


Kettering Grammar School

Kettering Grammar School was a boys' grammar school (selective) that had a number of homes in Kettering, Northamptonshire throughout its history.
History.
The school was based in a building in Gold Street which, together with the master's house, was completed in 1857. It then relocated to Bowling Green Road, a building designed by John Alfred Gotch in the Neoclassical style and completed in 1913. The building was occupied on the left side by Kettering High School (for girls) and on the right side by Kettering Grammar School (for boys).
After the school moved to Windmill Avenue, to the east of the town north of Wicksteed Park, the Bowling Green Road building became the municipal offices of Kettering Borough Council.
Comprehensive.
In later years the Windmill Avenue buildings housed Kettering Boys School, with many of the same teachers as the Grammar School but no longer selective, and now part of the area's Comprehensive education system. It operated on two sites - a lower and upper school. The Kettering High School became Kettering School for Girls on Lewis Road (near Wicksteed Park) and then Southfield School for Girls on Lewis Road.
Further education college.
The Windmill Avenue site has been occupied by Tresham College of Further and Higher Education, (Kettering Campus), since 1993. The former Grammar School buildings were knocked down in 2007 to make way for the Tresham's new block.
Space research.
In the 1960s, Geoffrey Perry, head of the school Physics department experimented with using satellite signals and the Doppler effect as an aid to teaching. The activity soon grew into regular monitoring of Soviet launched satellites and expanded into an international collaboration that became known as the "Kettering Group". The group was headed by Geoffrey Perry, who by then had become Head of Science Teaching. On the technical front Geoff was partnered by the head of the Chemistry department, Derek Slater - a Radio Amateur, G3FOZ.
The activities of Perry and his team created considerable interest: an article which had been published in Aviation Week magazine in 1957 had revealed that the U.S. had been tracking Russian missile launches from advanced long-range radar units in Turkey. The article caused a furore, with President Dwight D. Eisenhower's special assistant for National Security Affairs, Robert Cutler, referring to the article as "treasonable". It was claimed that the story started out with Geoffrey Perry and his students and that that Perry had advised a writer at the magazine that a radar in Turkey was doing important space intel tracking, so the writer dug deeper into the story.
In 1966 the project went international when Swedish student Sven Grahn contacted the group with a recording of the signals from Kosmos 104. The same year it discovered Soviet launches from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, officially unacknowledged until 1983.
In 1969, a group used simple radio equipment to monitor the Apollo 11 mission and calculated its orbits. According to the group, in December 1972 a member "pick[ed] up Apollo 17 on its way to the Moon".
In 1973 the group tracked Skylab and in July 1975, the team supported ITN in their coverage of the Soyuz - Apollo link up which took place 140 miles over Bognor Regis on 17 July 1975.
In 1978 the group predicted the crash of Kosmos 954 spacecraft.
In May 1985, Geoffrey Perry talked about the project in the Radio 4 programme "The Kettering Project". In March 1987, Channel 4 featured the Group in the programme "Sputniks, Bleeps & Mr Perry".
Pictures of the school's space tracking team, originally published in "The Times" newspaper, would later find their way onto record covers of The Wonder Stuff for their album, "Construction for the Modern Idiot".


Surtseyan eruption

A Surtseyan eruption is an explosive style of volcanic eruption that takes place in shallow seas or lakes when rapidly rising and fragmenting hot magma interacts explosively with water and with water-steam-tephra slurries. The eruption style is named after an eruption off the southern coast of Iceland in 1963 that caused the emergence of a new volcanic island, Surtsey.
Surtseyan eruptions are hydromagmatic eruptions, in that they are violently explosive as a result of vigorous interaction between rising magma and lake or sea water. The magma is commonly basaltic and fragments into small pyroclasts (known as 'ash' and 'lapilli'), and these accumulate around the crater to form a small cone or ring-shaped heap. Volcanoes of this type are known as 'tuff cones' and 'tuff rings' because the volcanic ash of which they are made soon solidifies by chemical reaction into a hard rock known as 'tuff'.
Surtseyan eruptions are characteristically unsteady, with phases of rapid repeated short, violent explosions separated by more quiescent phases dominated by steam generation and condensation. Ash and lapilli (see 'pyroclastic deposits') are emplaced by ash fall (frequently moist or wet), and by short-duration, pyroclastic density currents. The resultant deposits are characteristically well bedded with abundant evidence for moist conditions (e.g. ash aggregates, vesiculated ash layers, and soft-sate deformed layers). Much of the wet tephra repeatedly slumps back down into the volcano's crater to be re-ejected by further watery explosions.
Characteristics.
Although similar in nature to phreatomagmatic eruptions, there are several specific characteristics:
References.
Kokelaar, B.P (1983) The Mechanisms of Surtseyan volcanism. Journal of the Geological Society, London.140, 939–944.


Nankai megathrust earthquakes

Nankai megathrust earthquakes are great megathrust earthquakes that occur along the "Nankai megathrust" – the fault under the Nankai Trough – which forms the plate interface between the subducting Philippine Sea Plate and the overriding Amurian Plate (part of the Eurasian Plate), which dips beneath southwestern Honshu, Japan. The fault is divided into five segments in three zones, which rupture separately or in combination, and depending on location, the resulting earthquakes are subdivided by zone from west to east into Nankai earthquakes, Tōnankai earthquakes, and Tōkai earthquakes.
The earthquakes occur with a return period of about 90–200 years, and often occur in pairs, where a rupture along part of the fault is followed by a rupture elsewhere, notably the 1854 Ansei-Tōkai earthquake and the 1854 Ansei-Nankai earthquake the next day, and the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, followed by the 1946 Nankaidō earthquake. In one recorded case (the 1707 Hōei earthquake) the fault ruptured along its entire length. All of these great earthquakes have resulted in damaging tsunamis, which are particularly damaging due to the Japanese population being concentrated on the Taiheiyō Belt, especially the coastal cities of Tokyo and Osaka, the two most populous in Japan. The area remains seismically active, and future earthquakes are anticipated, with a high risk of a Nankai earthquake in the near future, which could be potentially very damaging.
Tectonic setting.
The Nankai Trough is the surface expression of the subduction zone between the Philippine Sea and Amur plates. Honshu itself is formed from the island arc developed over the subducting plate. The megathrust boundary extends about 700 km from the southern end of Kyūshū to the triple junction with the Okhotsk Plate near Mount Fuji. At its southwestern end, there is another triple junction, where the overriding plate becomes the Okinawa Plate.
Megathrust geometry.
The megathrust dip increases from about 5° near the surface to 10° as it passes beneath the coast of Honshu. Analysis of seismic reflection data suggests that some of the displacement is carried by a splay fault dipping at about 25°. This 'megasplay' fault system has caused an unusually thick section of fluid-rich sedimentary rocks to be deeply underthrust. The presence of this 'weak' zone may lead to shallow coseismic rupture along the megasplay faults during megathrust earthquakes, explaining the large tsunamis created by these events.
Historical seismicity.
The Nankai megathrust is thought to have caused at least 12 major earthquakes in the last ca. 1300 years. The pattern of historical seismicity reveals that the megathrust surface is segmented, with five separate zones of rupturing identified, conventionally labelled A–E, from west to east. Earthquakes involving the A+B segments are generally referred to as "Nankai" (literally "South Sea") earthquakes, C+D "Tonankai" (literally "Southeast Sea") earthquakes and C+D+E "Tokai" (literally "East Sea") earthquakes. The earthquake repeat intervals are generally in the range 90–200 years.
On all but one occasion, rupture of segment C (±D ±E) has been followed by rupture of segments A+B within a few years. This behaviour has been reproduced by modelling the viscoelastic response of the megathrust fault plane with lateral variations in both convergence rate and frictional properties.
Future earthquake risk.
The northeasternmost part of the megathrust, segment E, has not ruptured since 1854. A future great earthquake involving rupture along this and possibly other segments has been proposed as a major risk for the southern coast of Honshu.
In 1999, the likelihood of the occurrence of a great earthquake in the Tokai area in the period 2000-2010 was estimated to be in the range of 0.35–0.45.
Despite the uncertainty of when such an earthquake will occur, local authorities are already taking action to prepare residents for what they regard as an inevitability.
Potential effects.
The Japanese government estimates that a major earthquake on the Nankai Trough would cause 169.5 trillion yen in direct damage and 50.8 trillion yen in economic losses for the following year. A study by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers in 2018 estimated that the long-term damage from the earthquake could result in 1,240 trillion yen in economic losses over a 20-year period. It is predicted that the economic damage is likely to be 10 times higher than for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A death toll as high as 230,000 has been suggested for such an event.
List of occurrences.
All the dates shown in the table use the Gregorian calendar. Some sources use the Julian calendar for the earlier earthquakes in the list.


Vapentidningen

Vapentidningen ("Firearms Journal") is a Swedish firearms magazine published in Norway, Sweden and Denmark since 1994. The magazine is directed towards shooters, hunters and collectors, with material covering general firearm news, product tests, buying guides and historical articles. The magazine is currently published 12 times a year. Since 2010, the magazine has been published by Tidningen HiFi musik AB in Solna. Between 1994 and 2010, the magazine was published by Tidningen Jakt & vapen AB in Stockholm.


Amphitheatre of Capua

The Amphitheatre of Capua was a Roman amphitheatre in the city of Capua (modern Santa Maria Capua Vetere), second only to the Colosseum in size and probably the model for it. It may have been the first amphitheatre to be built by the Romans. and was the location of the first and most famous gladiator school.
Today, its remains are found in the comune of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, on Piazza I Ottobre. Much of the stone from the amphitheatre was reused by the Capuans in the Norman period to build the Castello delle Pietre. Some of the ornamental busts that were originally used as keystones for the arches of the amphitheatre are found today in the façade of the Palazzo del comune of Capua. Since December 2014, the museum, amphitheatre, and mithraeum have been under the control of the state museum of Campania.
Structure.
Like all amphitheatres, the building had an elliptical plan. Its dimensions approach those of the Colosseum in Rome, with which it shares so many structural features that the Capuan amphitheatre is believed to have provided the direct model for the Colosseum.
The major axis of the structure is 170 m and the minor axis is 139 m. The façade had a total height of 46 m, divided into four levels, all of the Tuscan order. The lower three levels consisted of 80 arches, each made of travertine and decorated with a bust of a god in the keystone. Seven of these busts have been incorporated into the Palazzo Municipale of Capua, where they remain visible. Others are displayed in the city's museum.
Some remains are visible in the Museo Campano in Capua and in the in Santa Maria Capua Vetere. More remains can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, such as the Venus of Capua, which was discovered in the general area of the amphitheatre.
History.
During the excavations of September 1726, a damaged inscription was found in front of the southern gate. It was restored by archaeologist Alessio Simmaco Mazzocchi, as follows:
The inscription, originally placed at the entrance to the amphitheatre, was put on display under the arch of the church of St Eligio a Capua, but is now conserved in the Museo Campano in Capua.
As a result, reconstructing the history of the amphitheatre was possible. It was constructed by the colony after its establishment by Augustus following the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and was restored by Hadrian in 119 AD, who added statues and columns. Emperor Antoninus Pius inaugurated it in AD 155.
Not all historians agree on the date of the amphitheatre's construction in the first century BC, which would make it the oldest of all known amphitheatres. Many claim that the current structure was built around AD 100 on the ruins of an earlier amphitheatre. If this hypothesis is correct, then the earliest known amphitheatre would instead be the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, built in 70 BC.
Middle Ages.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the amphitheatre was damaged by the Vandals under Genseric. Along with the rest of the city, it was further damaged by the Saracens in 841, during the war of succession for the Duchy of Benevento.
The structure was used as a fortress by the Lombard princes of Capua. From the end of the 9th century, it was largely spoliated by the Capuans themselves following the transfer of the "Civitas Capuana" from its old Roman site to "Casilinum" (the current location of the town), especially for the construction of the Lombard castle. It was also used as a quarry of marble and other materials for the construction of the Duomo, the campanile, and several palaces in Capua. Later, it was also spoliated for the construction of the Church of the Annunciation, but the story that the amphitheatre was spoliated for the construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta is false. The spoliation was very thorough. Large blocks were broken up to get at the bronze and lead that held them together, and the smaller stones were used for paving the streets. Only in the Bourbon period was the destruction of the amphitheatre halted, when the king declared it a national monument.


Dha (sword)

Dha (; also spelled "dah") is the Burmese word for "knife" similar term to daab or darb () in Thai language for a single edge sword. The term dha is conventionally used to refer to a wide variety of knives and swords used by many people across Southeast Asia, especially present-day Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Yunnan, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Origins.
The broad use and diffusion of the dha across Southeast Asia makes it difficult to attribute a definitive origin. The Burmese moved into Southeast Asia from the northwest (present day India), passing through Assam and Nagaland. The dha and its variants were possibly derived from the Assamese and Naga dao, a broadsword used by both the Assamese people and Naga people of northeast India for digging as well as killing. The Naga weapon was a thick, heavy, eighteen-inch long backsword with a bevel instead of a point, and this form of blade is found on some dha.
Alternatively, the dha may have its origins with the Tai people who migrated to the area from present-day Yunnan Province in southern China. The Khmer and Mon peoples were well established before the arrival the Tai or the Burmese people; perhaps they invented the dha as 13th-century reliefs at Angkor depict the weapon. The history of the region includes many periods where one or the other of these groups dominated, bringing along their culture and weapons to conquered areas.
Similar terms exist in the surrounding area with slightly different meanings. The Chinese word "dao" ("dou" in Cantonese) means knife but can refer to any bladed weapon with only one edge. From the Himalayas, the dao spread to Southeast Asia where it came into its present shape. While it is pronounced dha in Burmese, among Khmer-speakers it is known as "dav" (Khmer:ដាវ) and it may be related to the Malay words "pedang" and "sundang", meaning sword. A related term, "dap", means a long-handled sword in Malay. In Thailand, the dha corresponds to the "krabi" () but the equivalent Thai term is "daab" which is usually a single-edge sword.
Anatomy.
Dha vary considerably according to locality but they share a few features that define them apart from other weapons and tools of the area. These features are a round cross-section grip, a long, gently curving blade (sometimes upward, other times downward in the direction of use) with a single edge, and no guard. Knives and swords with these characteristics are viewed by ethnic groups of the region as being of a single type, albeit with variations arising from local style and tradition.
There are a large number of possible shapes for the tip, with upswept, downswept, squared-off and spear-like varieties all being found. The blades are often inscribed, which can range from a simple maker's mark to quite intricate designs that may also feature inlays.
Hilts range from hand-width to quite long. A blade/hilt length ratio of 2:1 is not uncommon. Despite these long handles, most dha are meant for single-handed use, although some two-handed weapons exist. Guards are small, if present at all. Thai daab may have a guard similar to that of the Japanese katana. The montagnard dha may have a guard that barely exceeds the diameter of the handle and they can be regarded more as a spacer. The construction of the hilt varies widely by type and region or origin. Hilts range from simple wood, possibly wrapped in rattan or covered in ray skin, to elaborately worked silver and ivory. Pommels may or may not be present. Scabbards are made from two strips of wood, often bamboo, secured by metal bands, rattan (e.g., "village" dha), or completely wrapped in metal.


Burning Mountain

Burning Mountain, the common name for Mount Wingen, is a hill near Wingen, New South Wales, Australia, approximately north of Sydney just off the New England Highway. It takes its name from a smouldering coal seam running underground through the sandstone. Burning Mountain is contained within the Burning Mountain Nature Reserve, which is administered by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
A trail with information panels runs from the parking lots to the site where smoke emanates from the ground.
The Leyland brothers reported on Mount Wingen in the first episode of their travel programme, "Ask The Leyland Brothers":
Coal seam fire.
The underground fire is estimated to be at a depth of around . It is estimated that the fire has burned for approximately 6,000 years and is the oldest known coal fire.
European explorers and settlers to the area believed the smoke, coming from the ground, was volcanic in origin. It was not until 1829 that geologist Reverend C. P. N. Wilton identified it as a coal seam fire.
The fire is generally moving in a southerly direction at a rate of about per year. The combustion has caused soil discolouration and an uneven ground surface in the area.


RT-23 Molodets

The RT-23 Molodets (, lit. "brave man" or "fine fellow"; NATO reporting name: SS-24 Scalpel) was a cold-launched, three-stage, solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile developed and produced before 1991 by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnipro, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). It came in silo- and rail-based variants, and was armed with 10 MIRV warheads (GRAU index: "15Ф444") of 550 kt yield. All missiles were decommissioned by 2005 in accordance with the START II.
History.
The missile and rail-based missile complex - or (, lit. "Combat Rail-based Missile Complex") - were developed by the brothers Vladimir and as chief engineers in Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and Design Bureau for Special Machine-Building respectively. It was the culmination of a major Soviet effort to develop a solid-propellant ICBM with multiple basing modes which was initiated in 1969. As addition to the silo- and rail-based versions, a road-mobile version was considered but eventually rejected. The new missile was to replace the older liquid-fueled UR-100N which were entirely silo-based. Its United States counterpart was the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, which was never deployed.
The missile was tested through the 1980s and was deployed in 1987. A typical "BZhRK" consisted of three modified M62-class locomotives (designated "DM62"; were not different in appearance) and seventeen railcars: a camouflaged tank with diesel fuel and lubricants reserve, three 3-car autonomous launching modules (a launch support systems car, a car with an erectable SS-24 launcher and a launcher command post car), a regiment command post car, a communications systems car, a main diesel generator car, a provision storage car with refrigerators and water tanks, a dining car and two separate living compartment cars for officers and enlisted personnel. All the railcars were camouflaged as either refrigerated vans or passenger cars. The lead locomotive was driven by three Railway Troops officers with good knowledge of a patrolling route, while the two others were operated by enlisted personnel. The train was able to cruise at speed of and launch the missiles at any point of the route on any Soviet rail line, which was made possible by implementation of the special mechanism for short-circuiting and diverting the overhead line (). Shortly after ejection by the powder pressure accumulator, at a height of 20–30 m, the missile would incline itself, so that the first-stage exhaust would not damage or overturn the railcar launcher, and then ignite the first-stage engine. The rail-based missile incorporated an inflatable nose cone as a means of length reduction for accommodation in a refrigerator car, while the silo-based variant was equipped with a more robust folding nose cone, since it was expected to be operated in a much harsher pre-emptive nuclear strike environment. In order to prevent damage to the railroad tracks caused by high weight of the launching car with a missile (>200 tons), the special three-car coupling system was developed for the launching modules, allowing for even weight distribution between neighboring cars. The missile train was able to function autonomously for up to 28 days.
In order to evaluate effects of a nearby nuclear explosion on the missile complex, on 27 February 1991, in Plesetsk, the "Sdvig" (, lit. "Shift") experiment was conducted, upon which a pile of 100,000 TM-57 anti-tank mines was detonated with the yield of 1,000 tons of TNT at a distance of 850 and 450 meters from the two separate groups of railcar launching and command modules. The experiment showed that, despite moderate damage to the railcars, the complexes were still able to conduct simulated missile launches (computer system of one of them required a reboot). The level of acoustic pressure in the command modules, however, "exceeded 150 dB" and "would have resulted in a 20-minutes hearing loss" for the personnel. Prior to that, in 1988, at Semipalatinsk Test Site, the rail-based complex took part in the "Siyanie" (, lit. "Shining") and "Groza" (, lit. "Thunderstorm") experiments, meant to evaluate its EMP and lightning protection effectiveness.
According to US Defense Department, as of September 1991, production of the RT-23 had ended with approximately 90 missiles deployed. Its production facilities were located in Ukraine, and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the production of the missile was halted. The 46 silo-based missiles located in Ukraine were deactivated by mid-1996 and put into storage awaiting a decision on a feasible disposal method, while their warheads were sent to Russia for dismantlement. In 1998–2001, all Ukrainian RT-23 missiles were dismantled and 45 out of 46 RT-23 silos exploded, with one of them left intact for exhibition purposes. A total of 46 missiles remained in service by April 1997 with the Strategic Missile Forces (10 silo- and 36 rail-based). The remaining 10 silo-based missiles in Russia were deactivated and sent for dismantlement in 2001, and their silos were modified for Topol-M complexes. After 2000, the rail-based missiles were also gradually withdrawn from service, with the remaining 15 decommissioned in August 2005. In that same year, Nikolay Solovtsov, then commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, officially announced retirement of the RT-23 rail-based complex. The last RT-23 ICBM in Russia was eliminated in April 2008.
Its successor, BZhRK Barguzin, was reportedly under development for the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN), but in 2017 it was announced the project had been frozen due to insufficient funding.


Laser Quest

Laser Quest is a British indoor laser tag franchise. Its laser tag games use infrared (IR) hand-held units and vests. Laser Quest's oldest centre is located in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England.
In September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Laser Quest ceased operations in North America, where it operated several locations across the United States and Canada since 1993 with headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario.
Overview of the game of Laser Quest.
The player's goal in Laser Quest is to tag their opponents as many times as possible, while the player avoids being tagged. The players are equipped with an infrared/laser hand held unit and a pack with infrared sensors. Players start the game in a large multi-level maze-like arena filled with ramps, catwalks and windows. In Laser Quest centres, the playing arenas are filled with theatrical fog and black light, strobes and UV-reactive painted surfaces. While play can seem chaotic, there are rules that are enforced. Players recite a "Player's Code" in the Briefing Room, where they go to learn how to play the game. The Player's Code includes a vow not to run, climb, jump, sit, kneel, lie down, cover any sensors, make physical contact with other players, use offensive language, and to 'play hard, play smart, and play to survive!'. At least one employee or "Marshal" is present in the arena at all times, to ensure fair and safe game play and to make sure people enjoy their time.
Equipment.
Every LQ centre is equipped with approximately 30 packs, also called vests or ponchos. This number varies with busier arenas having more packs to accommodate larger crowds. The pack is made of a thick canvas-type material that hangs over the shoulders. When laid out flat on a table the vest forms a diamond shape. Sensors placed on various parts of the vest covering the chest, the back, and each shoulder. "There are additional sensors housed within the hand-held 'laser' unit located at the front, and both sides of the laser."
The infrared sensors are attached to printed circuit boards, which include several colours of LEDs, often red and green or red and blue, that light up when the pack is active. Each PCB is housed in a hard plastic cover. Part of each cover is made from clear plastic to allow the IR beams to reach the sensors.
Inside the laser shell is the PCB with sensors and lights, a speaker to indicate the status of the pack, a trigger, and an LCD to display the status of the pack to the player. The IR unit is what emits the visible laser the eye sees and the invisible IR beam which "tags" the opponent's packs.
The laser has a display in the rear. When a player is tagged, it displays the codename of the tagger and the location of the tag. It also occasionally displays the player's current ranking as the game progresses.
Scoring.
Laser Quest players gain points by tagging other players or by tagging the opposing team's base. They lose points when they are tagged by other players, or when they are caught in a trap. The number of points lost depends on where the player hit and game settings. The scale for a typical game is as follows:
Players always gain more points for making a tag than they lose for being tagged. In a standardized game, a player gains ten points when tagging another, and loses points corresponding to the above scale when they are tagged themselves.
Players may also be awarded bonus points based on their accuracy—usually 10 points for every 1% hit rate. In other words, if a player achieved a hit rate of 10%, he or she would be awarded 100 bonus points. In a standard 'Solo' game, this bonus is limited to a maximum of 100 points, far less than the theoretical maximum of 1000 points awarded to a 100% accuracy. This prevents players tagging one person with their first tag and then hiding for the rest of the game. As it is possible to tag multiple players with one tag, it is possible for a player's accuracy ratio to exceed 100%.
In team games, the team score is the sum of all similarly colored players' individual scores.
Game variants.
The hardware and software used limit what types of games a Laser Quest center can hold. Up to four different groups of settings can be created; it is normal for everyone on a team to have the same settings, though this is not required. When giving packs "within" a team different settings, the packs will not be visibly different in-game, with the exception of 'sentinel' packs that have the ability to give lives and ammunition to teammates. These packs are identified by an alternate light pattern on the front and back sensor.
The settings which can be altered are:
The number of shots used can be quite large; in certain game types, players routinely fire 3000+ shots. This will give an accuracy rate of perhaps 5%. This seemingly low amount is a result of constant firing and dodging, as players are not directly penalized for missed shots. The average is 6% ratio of accuracy.
Downtime is defined as the period of time after a player is tagged that they remain deactivated. After the downtime has expired, the de-activated player's pack will re-energise and they are able to play as before.
Cheating.
Although all players are required to recite a code of conduct before play, some may still cheat. One of the main ways in which players cheat is by taking duct tape into the arena and placing it over the sensors. Although duct tape does not completely stop the sensor from getting tagged, it does make the play difficult. Most cheating is stopped by the marshal instantly and will have the player ejected from the game for that type of behaviour. Laser pointers do not work as the hit is determined by the IR beam and not the laser beam. Another way is what players call 'Spocking', when a player makes a 'V' shape with their hand and blocks the sensor on the end of the laser.
World Laser Quest Challenge/Championship (WLC).
This tournament occurs every couple of years where teams and players from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, France, and the UK compete to be the best in the world. The WLC alternates between participating countries.
WLC Champions
This tournament is often held irregularly dependant on player interest.
The current format of the tournament is 6-man teams compete in quad or triple quest prelim games, then depending on their prelim rank they will either play the cup or plate knockouts which are pack-set double/triple quest games. The top teams in the cup and the plate will then go onto the finals which are pack-set double-quest games.
The next WLC will be held in Europe in either 2021 or 2022. Due to the closure of every Laser Quest centre in North America the next one could be the last.
North America Challenge (NAC).
Laser Quest used to hold a corporate tournament called the North America Challenge, or NAC. To qualify for NAC, members from a particular centre hold a series of try-outs. The top nine players, plus one potential alternate, then go to one of three regional tournaments held in June of each year. The top teams from each of these regional tournaments will then proceed to the continental tournament, typically held in September. The top teams from each regional tournaments compete in the national event to determine the best team in Laser Quest.
Beginning in 1999, and continuing until 2007, the top five teams from each of the four North American regions advanced. Following a series of centre closures, and new centres opening, regional lines were redrawn and three regions formed.
Changed again in 2010, each centre did not have a tryout, and teams were able to form their own homegrown teams, with 8 starters, and 1 extra for an alternate.
European Laser Quest Championship (ELC).
This 9-man constructed team tournament consists of players from UK, France and the Netherlands. The tournament is held annually, with the location alternating amongst participating countries. The current format of the tournament is 6-man teams compete in triple-quest prelim games, then depending on their prelim rank they will either play the cup or plate knockouts which are pack-set double/triple quest games. The top teams in the cup and the plate will then go onto the finals which are pack-set double-quest games.
ELC Results
Currently, 14 European Championships have taken place. France currently holds 7 European titles. The UK holds 5 European titles. The Netherlands holds 2 European titles. France are the current European Champions. However, The Tribe Called Quest hold the most titles.
The next ELC will be held at Laser Quest Eindhoven, NL, 2021.


George Winne Jr.

George Winne Jr. (April 2, 1947 – May 11, 1970) was an American student who, in protest of the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War, set himself on fire in an act of self-immolation at Revelle Plaza on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. Winne's act was inspired by the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức.
Death.
At noon on May 11, a memorial service was held in Revelle Plaza. Speakers included history professor and chair of the faculty senate Gabriel Jackson and philosophy professor Herbert Marcuse.
Memorials.
In 2013, a group of students studying the history of progressive activism at UC San Diego, proposed a "memory site" near the location of Winne's act. Rather than focusing on his individual act, the memorial remembered all those who fought for peace during the American war in Vietnam as well as all those who struggle for peace today. With input and support from Winne's cousin, Keith Stowe, and others, the site was completed in 2014.
A small plaque was also installed on the ground near the memorial, which reads "In honor of George Winne Jr. Who immolated himself in Revelle Plaza in protest of the Vietnam war in 1970. He held a sign that read 'In the name of God, end the war'".


Johnny Grabowski

John Patrick Grabowski (January 7, 1900 – May 23, 1946) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball for 12 years from 1922 to 1933, including seven years as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox (1924–1926), New York Yankees (1927–1929), and Detroit Tigers (1931). He was a member of the 1927 and 1928 New York Yankees teams that won consecutive World Series championships. Grabowski was one of a number of American athletes in the first half of the 20th century to be nicknamed "Nig", being referred to as such in newspaper reports as early as October 1924.
Early years.
Grabowski was born in Ware, Massachusetts, in 1900 to a family of Polish descent.
Professional baseball.
Grabowski began his professional baseball career in 1922 with the St. Joseph Saints and in 1923 and 1924 with the Minneapolis Millers the American Association. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in July 1924 and made his major league debut that month. He played for the White Sox for three years from 1924 to 1926, appearing in 89 games, 78 of them as a catcher. One of the games Grabowski caught was Ted Lyons' no-hitter on August 21, 1926.
In January 1927, the White Sox traded Grabowski to the New York Yankees. He had his best season for the 1927 "Murderer's Row" New York Yankees, considered by some to be the best baseball team in history. Grabowski appeared in 70 games for the 1927 Yankees, sharing the catching duty with Pat Collins and Benny Bengough in 1927. Grabowski had a .350 on-base percentage for the 1927 Yankees. He remained with the Yankees through the 1929 season and won two World Series championships with the Yankees in 1927 and 1928.
After spending 1930 with the St. Paul Saints, Grabowski returned to the major leagues in 1930 with the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in 40 games with the Tigers, 39 as a catcher. He appeared in his last major league game in September 1931. In seven major league seasons, Grabowski appeared in 296 games, 282 as a catcher, and compiled a career .252 batting average and .295 on-base percentage.
Grabowski concluded his playing career playing for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1932 and 1933.
Later years.
After retiring as a player, Grabowski became an umpire in the Canadian–American League (1937), Eastern League (1938–1939), and International League (1940–1941). He suffered severe burns in 1946 after a fire at his home in Guilderland, New York. He died at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, New York, at age 46.


Robins Air Force Base

Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The base is named in honor of Brig Gen Augustine Warner Robins, the Air Force's "father of logistics".
Robins AFB is the home of the Air Force Materiel Command's Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC) (FLZ) which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, software and avionics and accessories components. The commander of WR-ALC is Brigadier General John C. Kubinec. It is one of three Air Force Air Logistic Centers, the others being Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC) at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma and Ogden Air Logistics Center (OO-ALC) at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The host unit at Robins AFB is the 78th Air Base Wing (78 ABW) which provides services and support for the Warner-Robins Air Logistics Complex and its tenant organizations. The Wing and Installation Commander of Robins Air Force Base is Colonel Brian R. Moore. The Wing Vice Commander is Colonel Katrina C. Stephens.
History.
The War Department, in search of a site for an Army Air Corps Depot, selected the sleepy whistle-stop town known as Wellston, Georgia, 18 miles south of Macon. Army Colonel Charles Thomas, originally from Atlanta, landed at the Herbert Smart Airport near Camp Wheeler near Macon in October 1941 to oversee the building of the location which would later become the home to Wellston Air Depot at Robins Field (later to become Robins AFB).
It was Col. Thomas who chose the name "Robins" for his mentor Brig. Gen. Augustine Warner Robins. Brig. Gen. Robins is considered the 'father of logistics' for his system of cataloging supplies and materials. He had a lengthy military career prior to becoming the chief of the Air Corps Materiel Division. Robins traveled in China disguised as a millionaire tourist, collecting intelligence for the Army. He also went to Mexico where he served under Gen. John J. Pershing in the Army's campaign against Pancho Villa. He trained during World War I to become a pilot earning his wings in June 1918. He didn't get to see combat because the war was ending. Robins suffered a near-fatal plane crash in 1921 in which his jaw and arm were severely broken. Brig. Gen. Robins died of a heart attack on Father's Day, 16 June 1940 at Randolph Field, Texas, while he was Commandant of the Air Corps Training Center.
After World War II, the number of military and civilian employees dropped until in March 1946 it reached a total of only 3,900. The workforce grew again as the base supported the Berlin Airlift, until by 1949 the workforce had grown again to 11,000. When the Air Force closed down its maintenance depots at the former Brookley AFB in Mobile, Alabama and the former Olmsted AFB in Middleton Township, Pennsylvania, Robins AFB assumed the workload of these depots.
On 28 October 1949, Robins AFB became the headquarters of the 14th Air Force, the numbered air force responsible for administering the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard.
Some Robins AFB SAC units went to Guam or Vietnam during the Vietnam War and took part in many of the bombing missions. Maintenance teams from Robins frequently traveled to Southeast Asia to repair severely damaged aircraft. Robins AFB eventually managed the Lockheed C-141, C-7, and the F-15 Eagle as well as modifying the C-130s to the gunship configuration.
Robins played a key role in the Vietnam War (1964–73), supplying troops and materiel through the Southeast Asian Pipeline and modifying AC-119G/K and AC-130 gunships. Also playing a role were the C-141, the C-130, the C-123, and the C-124 cargo aircraft—all maintained at Robins. In 1973 these same C-141s supported the resupply of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. In October 1983, C-130s from Robins supported U.S. forces in the invasion of Grenada.
Between 1977 and 1981, Robins was the air base used by former President Jimmy Carter during his tenure on visits to his hometown of Plains. SAC's B-52s left Robins in 1983 leaving the 19th Wing as the sole SAC unit on the base with its KC-135s.
Modern era.
In 1990–91, during the Persian Gulf War, Robins provided record numbers of parts, repairs, and personnel to coalition forces in the Persian Gulf. Robins-maintained F-15 Eagles and the E-8 Joint STARS played key roles in defeating the Iraqi military powers. In March–June 1999, during Operation Allied Force, the same employees and weapon systems played a decisive role in defeating the forces of the Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic.
In 1996, the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Fighter Wing at Dobbins AFB relinquished their F-15 aircraft and moved to Robins, transitioning to B-1 Lancer bombers and being redesignated as the 116th Bomb Wing. That same year, the former 93rd Bomb Wing at Robins was reactivated as the 93rd Air Control Wing with the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft. In 2001, the B-1 bombers left Robins AFB and the Georgia Air National Guard entered into a merged Active-Guard "associate" wing arrangement in the Joint STARS mission with the active Air Force, with the Air National Guard holding lead responsibility as the 116th Air Control Wing.
The Warner Robins Air Logistic Complex and Robins AFB form the largest single industrial complex in the State of Georgia. The 23,000 civilian employees have an annual payroll over $1 billion. The Logistic Complex manages and overhauls the F-15, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, and the AC-130 gunships—and all of the Air Force's helicopters. In addition, the Complex also supports the C-17 Globemaster III and U-2 aircraft.
Until June 2008, Robins was also the home of the KC-135s of the 19th Air Refueling Group, when the unit was inactivated, then reactivated a month later as the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. The E-8s of the 116th Air Control Wing continues to operate at Robins as a combined Regular Air Force and Georgia Air National Guard air control wing, and the headquarters of the Air Force Reserve Command is also located on the base. The metropolis of Warner Robins, Georgia has grown in proportion to become the sixth largest city in Georgia.
For a brief period, Robins AFB was the home of the C-27J Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse officially began classes at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia on 9 September 2009. L-3 Link (a subsidiary of the former L3 Technologies) operated the official C-27J schoolhouse at the Georgia Department of Defense's Fixed Wing Flight Facility at Robins AFB. This flight facility included training classrooms, computer learning center, a 100-person auditorium, flight planning, and fight operations areas. The facility also housesed the resident Government Flight Representative and Aviation Program Team assigned to the C-27J contract. Fixed Wing Flight Facility Robins AFB is also home of Hotel Company, 171st Aviation Regiment, Georgia Army National Guard, flying the cargo delivery Short C-23 Sherpa. The schoolhouse was deactivated when the Air Force divested its C-27J fleet as part of the 2014 National Defence Authorization Act.
On 1 April 2016, an EF-1 tornado ripped through the northeast corner of Centerville and continued over Robins Air Force Base, ripping off hangar roofs.
Role and operations.
[[File:Team Robins.jpg|thumb|200px|Team Robins Logo]]
[[Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex]].
Has worldwide management and engineering responsibility for the repair, modification and overhaul of the [[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle|F-15 Eagle]], [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules]], [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 Globemaster III]], and [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy|C-5 Galaxy]], C-5M Super Galaxy, Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, RQ-4A Global Hawk, Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft. In addition to these weapon systems, the ALC has worldwide management responsibility for the [[Lockheed U-2|U-2S Dragon Lady]], all Air Force helicopters, all special operations aircraft and their peculiar avionics systems. The center also provides logistic support for all the [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 Globemaster III]], Air Force missiles, vehicles, general purpose computers, and many avionics and electronic warfare systems used on most Air Force aircraft.
[[78th Air Base Wing]].
The wing provides support for Robins AFB and its 39 associate units. Responsible for logistics readiness, medical, civil engineer, security, comptroller activities, contracting, morale and welfare, mission support, public affairs, legal civilian personnel, environmental management, fire emergency services, and emergency management for the installation.
[[330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing]].
The wing provides weapon system logistics support, oversees unscheduled and programmed depot maintenance, and manages modification efforts for the Air Force's fleet of C-5, C-130, C-17, F-15, U-2, and E-8C Joint STARS aircraft, Global Hawk,Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), MC-130, HC-130 and various special operations combat search and rescue aircraft and helicopters to include AC-130H/U,MC-130E/H/P/J, EC-130J, MH-53J/M, HH-60G, UH-1N,TH-1H, and HC-130P/N/J. In addition the wing is the engineering authority for all the aircraft above except for Boeing C-17A, RQ-4A/B Global Hawk, and E-8C.
[[402d Maintenance Wing]].
Provides depot maintenance, engineering support and software development to major weapon systems (F-15, C-5, C-130, C-17 and SOF aircraft) to support peacetime maintenance requirements, wartime emergency demands, aircraft battle damage repair and a ready source of maintenance of critical items.
[[542d Combat Sustainment Wing]].
The 542 CSW works by designing, acquiring, installing, and sustaining electronic warfare, avionics, support equipment, vehicles, missiles, and weapons. Responsible for life-cycle management of over 800 systems valued at $56.2B. Manages $4.21B in executable funds and $8B in contracts to foster improvement in the agile logistics environment. Directly responsible for management of seven ACAT II programs. Programs include: electronic warfare, airborne and ground communication, navigation, precision attack systems, weapons and missiles, support equipment (SE),Automatic Test Systems (ATS), industrial equipment, vehicles, Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR),Air Force life support systems, armament, specialized programs, and supply chain management activities for WR-ALC.
Based units.
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Robins Air Force Base.
Units marked GSU are [[Geographically Separate Unit]]s, which although based at Robins, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force.
[[Air Force Materiel Command]] (AFMC)
[[Air Combat Command]] (ACC)
[[Air Force Reserve Command]] (AMRC)
[[Air National Guard]] (ANG)
United States Army.
[[Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army)|Military Intelligence Corps]]
[[Army National Guard]] (ARNG)
Museum of Aviation.
[[File:Museum of Aviation - Robins AFB.jpg|thumb|Airphoto of the museum]]
Near the base is the [[Museum of Aviation (Warner Robins)|Museum of Aviation]], begun in 1981, has four major structures on forty-three acres and ninety historic aircraft. The museum is also home to the [[Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame]] which honors outstanding Georgians prominent in aviation.
The 93 aircraft and missiles on display include a B-52, SR-71, a [[Marietta, Georgia]]-built B-29, and a specially modified [[C-130 Hercules]] that was used in [[Operation Eagle Claw]] the failed Iran-hostage rescue mission.
It has become a major regional educational and historical resource that hosts more than 500,000 visitors annually.
Geography.
The base is located in northeastern [[Houston County, Georgia|Houston County]], bordered to the west by the city of [[Warner Robins, Georgia|Warner Robins]]. The [[Ocmulgee River]] is to the east. It is south of [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]].
Demographics.
[[File:President George W. Bush hugs a trick-or-treater Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006, during a Halloween visit.jpg|thumb|left|President [[George W. Bush]] hugs a [[trick-or-treat]]er Tuesday, 31 October 2006, during a Halloween visit to a [[housing development]] on base.]]
The base is the single largest industrial complex in Georgia, employing a workforce of over 25,584 civilian, contractor, and military members.
As of the 2010 census, the residential population on the base was 1,170, in 231 households, 203 of which were families. There were 245 housing units. The racial makeup of the base residents was 72.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 18.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.6% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.6% [[Race (United States Census)|some other race]], and 5.3% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 9.2% of the population.
72.3% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% were headed by married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.1% were non-families. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33, and the average family size was 3.62.
28.4% of the residential population were under the age of 18, 38.4% were from 18 to 24, 27.5% were from 25 to 44, 5.2% were from 45 to 64, and 0.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 157.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 196.1 males.
For the period 2011–15, the estimated median annual income for a household in the base was $62,125, and the median income for a family was $62,375. Male full-time workers had a median income of $28,529 versus $35,500 for females. The per capita income for the base was $20,122. About 7.8% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Tornadoes.
As with the adjacent city of Warner Robins, tornadoes have continually plagued the base since its inception with the 1950s seeing at least two catastrophic tornadoes strike the area. The first one occurred on [[April–May 1953 tornado outbreak sequence|30 April 1953]], when an F4 tornado with winds of over 200 mph hit the base, killing 18 people and injuring 300 more. Just ten months later on [[Tornadoes of 1954#March 13|March 13, 1954]], a long-tracked F1 tornado struck the base, killing one and injuring five. To date, at least seven tornadoes have hit the base and the surrounding area.
External links.
[[Category:Installations of the United States Air Force in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Houston County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Strategic Air Command military installations]]
[[Category:Installations of the United States Air National Guard]]
[[Category:Military Superfund sites]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Houston County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Superfund sites in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Post-World War II aircraft storage facilities]]
[[Category:World War II airfields in the United States]]


Water Warriors

Water Warriors is a water gun brand owned by Buzz Bee Toys that was created by the company in 2003. The toy line comprises a large variety of pressurized water guns (similar to early Super Soaker blasters), as well as smaller water guns for younger children.
History.
In the 1990s, Larami's Super Soaker was the leading brand of water guns. In 2002, Larami was acquired by Hasbro and subsequently terminated a number of Larami engineers. In 2003, the former Hasbro engineers started a company called Buzz Bee Toys and created the Water Warriors brand.
The "Firefly", "Hornet", "Zzapper", "Wasp", "Lightning" and "Blazer" were the first six types of water guns offered by Buzz Bee Toys. The Firefly, Hornet and Zzapper were standard air pressure water guns, the Wasp was a "piston pumper", and the Blazer and Lightning employed "Hydro-Power", a system that the Buzz Bee Toys engineers invented. Hydro-Power is an alternative to the patented Super Soaker Constant Pressure System (CPS).
Water Gun Designs.
Water Warriors guns have several designs that work in different ways. These include the following:
Squirt guns.
Buzz Bee Toys has made traditional squirt pistols such as the Kwik Grip and Kwik Grip XL. Some of their squirt pistol designs have improved features. These include the Power Shot and Power Squirt.
Piston Pumper.
Piston water guns have been produced for many years. These guns do not have triggers; they are fired simply by pumping. Although this design feature allows them to reload rapidly, piston pumpers tend to have less range and less power than other designs.
Air Pressure (Pressurized Reservoir).
Originally made popular by the Super Soaker 50, pressurized reservoir systems are still common for small water guns. A water gun using this system is pressurized by air being pumped and compressed into its reservoir. When the trigger is pulled, a valve is opened and the compressed air pushes the water out of the nozzle.
Water Warriors started with three pressurized reservoir water guns, and has continued to produce them in various shapes and sizes.
Air Pressure (Separate Chamber).
This is a more powerful air pressure system that was also first introduced by Super Soaker. It is designed so that water is pumped from the reservoir into an empty plastic container. As the water is pumped in, the air sitting inside becomes compressed. When the trigger is pulled, the valve opens and the compressed air forces the water out. Although Water Warriors did not use this design for the first several years of production, they did use a variation they referred to as "air-piston" (below). The brand first used separate air pressure in 2009. After being sued by Hasbro, Buzz Bee started taking advantage of air pressure technology, releasing the Gorgon, Ultimate Explorer, Colossus, and others.
Hydro-Power.
Hydro-Power was Buzz Bee's equivalent of Super Soaker's Constant Pressure System (CPS). Hydro-Power consists of a flat, circular sheet of rubber (known as a diaphragm) clamped with several bolts onto a disk with a hole in it. Water is pumped into the hole, pressing on the rubber sheet and building up pressure.
In 2009, Buzz Bee Toys started manufacturing water guns with CPS type bladders under the same name of Hydro-Power. Because of this, Buzz Bee was sued by Hasbro.
Air Piston.
Air piston was a short-lived variation of air pressure that was made in 2005 under the Aqua Master Pre-Charger lineup. A tube with a piston in it was pressurized with air in the back, pushing the piston to the front. Then the gun was switched to water mode, and water would be pumped in the front, pushing the piston to the back again. This system gave the guns extra pressure, and allowed them to shoot any direction.
Spring-Powered.
Water Warriors has made a variety of spring-powered water guns. The first was the Splat Blaster, which was cocked with a lever action, and fired a small burst of water. Next was the Steady Stream, which was pumped like a piston blaster, but had a spring-loaded pressure chamber behind the nozzle. This gave it a constant stream, and allowed it to continue shooting for a moment after pumping ceased. In 2009, Water Warriors made the Pulse series, a line of pressurized water guns that used spring-loaded pressure chambers.
Motorized.
Water Warriors has produced a few motorized water guns. The first was the Scorpion, which used a motor to automatically pump water into its Hydro-Power pressure chamber. In 2007, they made the Tarantula, which ran entirely off of a motor to fire water. The Tarantula was considered by "Popular Mechanics" to be "The Best Battery-Powered Gun." They also made the Jet, a smaller and less powerful gun intended for small children.
User feedback.
In relation to its test of four water gun types, "Popular Mechanics" commented that the Water Warriors Gorgon was "too heavy for even the oldest tester, and the pump-fire was hard to shoot on the run." The criticism was isolated and similar comments have not appeared in other internet reviews.
A consumer perspective on the Water Warriors products was ascertained in a survey of water gun enthusiasts from WaterWar.net. All of the enthusiasts who participated in the survey agreed that, although they preferred the appearance of Super Soakers, Water Warriors, at the time of the survey, manufactured the best water guns.
Buzz Bee Toys has previously invited selected enthusiasts to its annual meeting in order to assist with effective decision-making.
Lawsuit.
In 2010, Buzz Bee Toys was successfully sued by Hasbro for patent infringement. Hasbro claimed that Buzz Bee Toys infringed on a patent related to its "Super Soaker water toy." Although it is unknown exactly what the dispute was over, it is strongly suggested that Hasbro was suing for the Water Warriors Hydro-Power water guns, which were becoming too similar to Super Soaker's Constant Pressure System. As a result, the Water Warriors line did not contain a single Hydro-Power water gun again until the CPS patent expired.


M734 fuze

The M734 multi-option fuze is a rangefinder and collision detection system used on 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm mortar shells as a trigger to detonate the shells at the most damaging heights of burst when combating four types of battlefield threats:
This integration of four functions into a single fuze reduces the logistics and cost to support mortar crews on the battlefield.
Settings.
A typical mortar firing procedure is for a squad leader to select a target and call for one of the four fuze settings. A gunner sights the mortar onto the target and an ammunition bearer sets the fuze. An assistant gunner drops the shell into the tube upon a command to fire from the squad leader.
Tools are not required to install or set the fuze. It is adjusted by hand, even with Arctic mittens, simply by rotating the top of the fuze clockwise until a three-letter engraving is above an index line. Additionally, the setting can be changed any number of times without causing damage to the fuze. The four engravings around the circumference of metal housing of the fuze have the following meanings for detonation height:
In all four settings, the high explosive in the mortar shell is detonated by a cascading explosive train of four increasing energies within the fuze. These are the Microdet electric detonator, the explosive lead, the explosive booster, and the delay primer assembly functioning as follows:
Safety.
Fuzes assembled by the manufacturer are preset to PRX and stockpiled on mortar shells for immediate use. The fuze is safe to handle, however, because the two detonators are mounted in a safety and arming (S&A) assembly that holds them 180 degrees out of alignment with the explosive lead and booster. The events required to rotate the explosive train into alignment and generate power for the fuze electronics cannot be accomplished by accident or deliberately by a vandal because three actions difficult to simulate must be applied in rapid succession:
Axial acceleration and wind stream forces combine to arm the fuze 100 meters or more from the launcher. This mechanical arming is accomplished by a torsion spring rotating the detonators 180 degrees into an explosive train alignment as soon as the spring is unlocked by the acceleration forces depressing a zig-zag setback device and the wind stream forces unscrewing a jackscrew locking device.
This delay in mechanical arming after two independent features of gunfire is a basic safety requirement called "dual-safing". An unprecedented third safety factor incorporated as a product improvement in the M734A1 fuze was to delay the electrical arming of the PROX, NSB, and IMP settings beyond 100 meters out to the highest point of shell flight.
Power supply.
The wind stream in flight provides both the mechanical power needed to arm the S&A and the electrical power needed for the fuze electronics. There is a system of components used in the M734 to capture and regulate air flow within the fuze and convert a portion of the air power to mechanical and electrical power before exiting the fuze.
Since arming is required to occur after a flight of 100 meters for three mortars that have a wide range in launch velocities, the rpm that releases the jackscrew at the slowest launch velocity must increase in direct proportion to any increase in launch velocity. The turbine, however, will tend to spin faster than desired, so, to prevent early arming, three governors are used to reduce the spin:
Once the air flows from the tips, the air outlet directs the exhaust into the atmosphere at an angle oblique to the external wind stream. The resulting turbulence degrades the accuracy of flight toward the target, so the exhaust is directed onto a vertical metal fin that guides the flow into the external wind stream.
The performance of the turbine alternator is unaffected if the mortar shell encounters a tropical rainstorm while en route to the target.
History.
The M734 fuze was developed at the Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL) for the 60mm lightweight company mortar system, which now is managed by the Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Fuze Division. It was determined to be suitable for army use in July 1977 and accorded type classification standard. To demonstrate readiness for transition into full rate production by the Armament Munitions and Chemical Command (AMCCOM), ARDEC/HDL managed the first production for war reserves as well as the construction of automated initial production facilities (IPF) for mobilization readiness. HDL awarded three competitive contracts in 1978/79: Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY) for the fuze assembly and IPF, Motorola (Scottsdale, AZ) for the amplifier assembly and IPF, and Alinabal (Milford, CT.) for the alternator assembly and IPF. After successful first article inspection and production lot acceptance tests, transition was completed in March 1983. AMCCOM performed all procurements for stockpile with technical support by ARDEC. The Army Mortar Plan issued in 1985 expanded use of the M734 fuze to 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm mortars. Improvements in the fuze reliability and performance by ARDEC engineers led to production of the M734A1 fuze manufactured by L-3 FOS (Formerly KDI).


Joint Combat Pistol

The Joint Combat Pistol was the name for a former US program for a new military sidearm to replace the M9 Pistol, extant from late 2005 to early 2006. The program was started in 2005 and run by USSOCOM. It is the result of a merger of two earlier programs, the army's "Future Handgun System" (FHS) and the "Special Operations Forces Combat Pistol". Current requirements for the JCP include being chambered for caliber .45 ACP, having an integrated Picatinny rail, including day/night sights, and being capable of accepting a suppressor.
On March 10, 2006 a modification to the earlier request was made, changing the name from "Joint Combat Pistol" to "Combat Pistol". The number of pistols sought was reduced from 645,000 handguns to 50,000. This effectively reverted to the "SOF Combat Pistol" program in terms of its scale, as the army dropped its participation. In the autumn of 2006, the Combat Pistol (CP) program was suspended indefinitely.
In a 2007 supplemental session, the congressional defense sub-committee appropriated $5 million to a Joint Combat Pistol study.
Background.
A new cross-service US military sidearm is a notable event in that there have been only two major adoption programs over a 100-year span of military history. While new sidearms were adopted at a fairly steady pace in the late 19th century, the 20th century yielded only the M1911 (the result of a 1900 program) and the M9 (the result of a 1980s program). The previous adoption took over a decade, involved several acts of Congress and multiple lawsuits, and stirred up great controversy. The current program might have been shelved (such as the XM8 rifle program) or result in few problems, though there is a great deal of potential for controversy. The short-lived JCP program was not an exception, only surviving a few months before being drastically scaled back and renamed. Its successor, the Combat Pistol program fared even worse, being halted just a few months later.
Overview of 2005 JCP solicitation.
This was based on original solicitation, which was later modified, and finally, heavily changed in March 2006, with the program renamed to "Combat Pistol".
While this is the max procurement, in comparison the initial order for M9 pistols was for 300,000 pistols (followed by more later).
Timeline.
A Q&A listed the following projected dates:
JCP and CP candidates.
A large variety of .45 ACP pistols were entered into the competition. These include the:


European Cartridge Research Association

European Cartridge Research Association (ECRA) is a nonprofit organization which aims to promote interest and knowledge about ammunition of all types and forms. The organization was founded in 1965 under the name "European Cartridge Collectors Club" by the Belgian Emile Timmermans, and later changed name to the European Cartridge Research Association. While ECRA consists of European member associations, it also has individual members from outside Europe.
History.
The founder of ECRA, Emile Timmermans, had started collecting in 1945, and in 1964 wrote a letter to 10 other collectors in Germany, England, France and Switzerland where he described his ideas, whereupon he received 20 enthusiastic answers. On 1 January 1965, the first edition of the bulletin "The Cartridge Researcher" was published, written by Emile Timmermans. The Bulletinen has always been published with English as its main language, but has also been translated. Today there are five language groups within ECRA, which covers English, French, Spanish, German and Dutch. "The Cartridge Researcher" bulletin is published monthly.
On 20 September 1980, Norwegian and Swedish cartridge collectors met in the town of Grums in Sweden and agreed that a Scandinavian organization should be to established. This led to the Scandinavian Ammunition Research Association (SARA) which was formally founded on 22 August 1981 in the city of Arvika in Sweden. SARA today has increased its activity to also include collectors from Denmark, Finland and Iceland, and as such acts as the Nordic branch of ECRA.
Independently from ECRA, the U.S. based International Ammunition Association (IAA) was founded in 1955.
Resources.
ECRA edits the "ECRA Caliber Data Viewer" (ECDV) which is regarded as one of the most important cartridge identification databases in the world, with more than registered small caliber cartridges up to 50 mm.