Swirl (band)

Swirl were a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock band, forming around 1990 and breaking up in 2002. They released three albums and a number of EP's, mostly through independent Sydney label Half A Cow.

History

Their debut album Aurora (1992) was mostly rock with some shoegazer elements, such as extensive use of guitar fuzz and reverb on vocals. Their next album, 1994's The Last Unicorn went further into shoegazing territory, with layered, feedback-washed guitar solos and ambient instrumental tracks between songs; it also featured a guest performance by Lara Goodridge, later of the FourPlay String Quartet, on violin. In subsequent years, Swirl released a few EPs and played live in Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian cities.

Their last studio album, Light Fill My Room, was released in 2001 on independent record label Um & Ah; it had been recorded a few years earlier and financed by Festival Mushroom Records, although the major label dropped them and the release was thus held up. Light Fill My Room was a more polished, radio-friendly affair; it had elements of Swirl's shoegazing sound, but also ballads and even a children's choir on one song. Swirl broke up in December 2002; the various members are pursuing other musical projects.

Eddy (fluid dynamics)

In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing fluid on the downstream side of the object. Fluid behind the obstacle flows into the void creating a swirl of fluid on each edge of the obstacle, followed by a short reverse flow of fluid behind the obstacle flowing upstream, toward the back of the obstacle. This phenomenon is most visible behind large emergent rocks in swift-flowing rivers.

Another possible type of turbulence is the vortex. This notion is now applied to gases, which have the same properties as liquids. Here, no void is created, but only an area of lower pressure, but again, a backflow causes the gas to rotate.

Mesoscale ocean eddies

Eddies are common in the ocean, and range in diameter from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers. The smallest scale eddies may last for a matter of seconds, while the larger features may persist for months to years.

Swirl (organization)

Swirl is an American anti-racist grassroots organization, incorporated in 2000, that serves the mixed heritage community. It aims to develop a national consciousness of mixed heritage issues to empower members to organize and take action towards progressive social change. There are currently chapters in New York, Boston, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Swirl has worked to increase voter participation and knowledge about legislation affecting the mixed heritage community. Is also maintains an email listserv which disseminates information relevant to the mixed heritage community.

References

Chain

A chain is a series of connected links which are typically made of metal. A chain may consist of two or more links.

Two distinct chains can be connected using a quick link which resembles a carabiner with a screw close rather than a latch.

Uses for chain

Uses for chain include:

Decoration

Chains (nautical)

The chains were small platforms, built on either side of the hull of a ship, used to provide a wide purchase for the shrouds, and to assist in the practice of depth sounding.

The chains provided a platform for a 'leadsman', the sailor assigned to swing the sounding line, or 'lead' into the water. The term originated from the practice of the sailor standing between the shrouds when casting the line, which were attached to the hull by chainplates, or, in earlier sailing ships, to lengths of chain along the ship's side. A length of chain was usually fixed at waist height to the stanchions above the chains, as an added safety measure. The chains were common on large sailing vessels, but the role of leadsman and swinging the lead to obtain depth soundings declined with developments in echo sounding, and ships are rarely now equipped with chains.

Notes

References

Chains (1949 film)

Catene (internationally released as Chains) is a 1949 Italian film in the Melodrama genre directed by Raffaello Matarazzo . It had an impressive commercial success, being seen by 6 million people, one in eight Italians of the time, and was followed by a series of other six successful films still directed by Matarazzo and featuring the couple Amedeo Nazzari and Yvonne Sanson. The film was remade in 1974.

The film's sets were designed by the art director Ottavio Scotti.

Plot and outline

A husband kills his wife's ex-boyfriend, who was blackmailing her. He flees to America, but is sent back to Italy to stand trial. The only way he can be set free is if his wife confesses to adultery – so the murder can be considered a crime of passion – but this estranges her from her family. Starring Amedeo Nazzari and actress of Greek origin Yvonne Sanson. Maligned by critics because it did not conform to precepts of neorealism, this did not prevent its unexpected box office success.

Cast