Closure

Closure or clausure may refer to:

Physical

Conceptual

Philosophy

Psychology

Law

Computer science

Closure (container)

Closures are devices and techniques used to close or seal a bottle, jug, jar, tube, can, etc. Closures can be a cap, cover, lid, plug, etc.

Other types of containers such as boxes and drums may also have closures but are not discussed in this article.

Purpose of closures

Many containers and packages require a means of closing. It can be a separate device or seal or sometimes an integral latch or lock. Depending on the contents and container, closures have several functions:

Closure (business)

Closure is the term used to refer to the actions necessary when it is no longer necessary or possible for a business or other organization to continue to operate. Closure may be the result of a bankruptcy, where the organization lacks sufficient funds to continue operations, as a result of the proprietor of the business dying, as a result of a business being purchased by another organization (or a competitor) and shut down as superfluous, or because it is the non-surviving entity in a corporate merger. A closure may occur because the purpose for which the organization was created is no longer necessary.

While a closure is typically of a business or a non-profit organization, any entity which is created by human beings can be subject to a closure, from a single church to a whole religion, up to and including an entire country if, for some reason, it ceases to exist.

Closures are of two types, voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary closures of organizations are much rarer than involuntary ones, as, in the absence of some change making operations impossible or unnecessary, most operations will continue until something happens that causes a change requiring this situation.

Hood (band)

Hood are an English indie rock band from Leeds, formed in 1991. The band consists of brothers Chris and Richard Adams, and friends (including, at times, Craig Tattersall and Andrew Johnson of The Remote Viewer, and Nicola Hodgkinson of Empress).

History

Hood's first releases were very limited vinyl singles on various small independent record labels.

In 1994, record labels Fluff and Slumberland Records released Hood's first full length album, Cabled Linear Traction. Slumberland also released 1996's Silent '88, and the following year Happy Go Lucky Records released Structured Disasters, a compilation of tracks from singles. All featured a large number of short tracks (many of less than a minute), a mixture of indie rock, noise experiments reminiscent of Sonic Youth or Pavement, and an increasing interest in electronics.

In 1997, Domino Records signed Hood and released the single "Useless". Produced by Matt Elliott (better known as the Third Eye Foundation), it was a far more straightforward and tuneful song than any they had released so far. Elliott toured with the band, and produced the albums Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys and The Cycle of Days and Seasons. Like the single, these abandoned the short songs and instrumental snippets for longer pieces, with a pastoral sound similar to Bark Psychosis or Talk Talk. The band continued to release singles for other labels; "The Weight", for 555 Recordings, was a return to the older style with eight tracks on a 7" disc.

Convertible

A convertible or cabriolet is an automobile body style that can convert between an open-air mode and an enclosed one, varying in degree and means by model. Convertibles evolved from the earlier phaeton, an open vehicle without glass side windows that may have had removable panels of fabric or other material for protection from the elements.

Historically, a retractable roof consisted of an articulated frame covered with a folding textile-based fabric similar to that on an open carriage evolved into the most common form. A lesser seen detachable hardtop provided a more weatherproof and secure alternative. As technology improved a retractable hardtop which removes and stows its own rigid roof in its trunk appeared, increasingly becoming the most popular form.

A semi-convertible also known as a cabrio coach has a retractable or removable top which retains fully framed windows on its doors and side glass. A landaulet is a semi-enclosed convertible with a fully enclosed front cabin and an open rear, typically with a folding fabric top and roll-down glass all round.

Hood (Thunderbirds)

The Hood is the main villain and adversary of International Rescue in the Thunderbirds TV series.

Background

The name "Hood" was derived from the term "hoodlum"; Gerry Anderson also observed that the character was frequently masked, and that a mask "could be described as a 'hood'."Sylvia Anderson acknowledges that the Hood's appearances became less regular towards the end of the series (the character is absent from the six episodes of Series Two), explaining that, like Kyrano, the character "turned out to be less viable on the screen than on the page." To strengthen the character's antagonistic appearance, the Supermarionation puppet was fitted with an over-sized head and hands.

Appearances

TV series

The Hood's precise origins are unknown. While it is known that he is the half-brother of Kyrano, the precise details of their relationship – such as which parent they share or which of them is the elder – remain a mystery, as does the origin of his mysterious hypnotic powers. Even his real name remains a mystery; throughout the TV series, he is only ever referred to as "Agent Seven-Nine" and "671", and each codename is used on one occasion only ("Agent Seven-Nine" when he is working for "General X", a military officer from an unspecified eastern European country, and "671" when he is working for General Bron). The name "The Hood" is only used once used in the TV episodes; at the end of the episode Edge of impact the General can be heard uttering the word Hood through the speaker of the Hood's vehicle underwater (hence why it is never mentioned in Thunderbirds books or on fan websites). Instead, the name was revealed in spin-off media and tie-in promotional materials.