Mal Duncan

Malcolm "Mal" Arnold Duncan, currently known as Vox (also known as the Guardian, Hornblower, and the Herald), is a fictional character, existing in DC Comics' main shared universe. He made his first appearance in Teen Titans #26 (March–April 1970), and is one of DC's first black superheroes.

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Malcolm "Mal" Duncan saves the Teen Titans from a street gang called the Hell Hawks by beating their leader in a boxing match. Recruited by the Teen Titans, Mal feels unworthy due to his lack of abilities, and stows away on a rocket flight, which nearly costs him his life. After a time, Mal discovers a strength-enhancing exoskeleton and the costume of the Guardian. Using these, he becomes the second Guardian.

After assuming the Guardian mantle, Mal fights Azrael - The Angel of Death. Believing it to be a hallucination, Mal is surprised to awaken with the mystical Gabriel's Horn. Having defeated Azrael, Mal is permitted to live, provided he never loses another fight. The horn grants Mal unspecified powers, whenever the odds are against him in battle. Armed with the horn, Mal assumes the name Hornblower.

Vox (journal)

VOX Journal is a literary journal based in Oxford, Mississippi. It was founded in fall 2004 by poet Louis E. Bourgeois, short story writer and musician Max Bishop Hipp, and poet and self-taught artist J. E. Pitts. As of this writing, it has produced three issues, in April of 2005, 2006, and 2007. VOX describes itself as an independent literary journal, an experimental literary journal, and the “new avant-garde”. The issue, produced in 2007, was the most experimental release yet and included work by "the last Surrealist", Gisele Prassinos, and a variety of prose poems and found poems. The next issue, #4, would concentrate on a variety of themes pertaining to war and its effects.

References

External links

Doll

A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls go back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The use of dolls as toys was documented in Greece around 100 AD. They have been made as crude, rudimentary playthings as well as elaborate art. Modern doll manufacturing has its roots in Germany, going back to the 15th century. With industrialization and new materials such as porcelain and plastic, dolls were increasingly mass-produced. During the 20th century dolls became increasingly popular as collectibles.

History, types and materials

Early history and traditional dolls

The earliest dolls were made from available materials such as clay, stone, wood, bone, ivory, leather, wax, etc. Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy. Wooden paddle dolls have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to as early as 21st century BC. Dolls with movable limbs and removable clothing date back to at least 200 BC. Greek dolls were made of clay and articulated at the hips and shoulders. There are stories from ancient Greece around 100 AD that show that dolls were used by little girls as playthings. In Rome dolls were made of clay, wood or ivory. Dolls have been found in the graves of Roman children. Like children today, the younger members of Roman civilization would have dressed their dolls according to the latest fashions. When Greek and Roman girls got married they would dedicate their doll to a goddess.Rag dolls are traditionally home-made from spare scraps of cloth material. Roman rag dolls have been found dating back to 300 BC.

Doll (Scandal song)

"Doll" is a Japanese-language song by girl pop rock band Scandal. The song begins "Koisuru otome wa utsukushii to iu shoumei dekinai genjitsu / Akogare idaiteru bakari atashi kirei ni kazarareta doll".

It was the major debut single (fourth overall) released by the band, released in two versions: a limited CD+DVD edition and a regular CD-only edition. The title track was used as the October and November 2008 opening theme for TBS's "Rank Oukoku", as well as the October 2008 ending theme for Tokyo MX's "Break Poing". The single reached #26 on the Oricon weekly chart and charted for five weeks, selling 12,572 copies. The DVD includes the karaoke PV for "Doll" with cheers from Scandal.

Track listing

CD

DVD

References

Doll (locomotive)

Doll is a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge 0-6-0 T steam locomotive based at the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway in Bedfordshire.

History

Industry

Doll was built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. in 1919 (works number 1641), and was one of three identical engines built for the Sydenham ironstone quarries, near Banbury in Oxfordshire. The quarries were closed in 1925 and the engines were sent to Bilston steelworks, near Wolverhampton. Doll worked there until she was withdrawn from service in 1959.

Preservation

Doll was then preserved near Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and then at Bressingham Steam and Gardens museum, Doll arrived at Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway in 1969.

Doll was temporarily withdrawn from service at the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway in 19??,. at which point she received a new all welded boiler from Bennett Boiler and a full bottom end overhaul at Alan Keef Ltd. The valve gear was fitted with new eccentrics and repined and bushed to remove the lost motion which had developed. It was seen that at some point in the locomotive's past the wear had been compensated for by sawing part of the lap from the slide valves and filling in notches in the reversing quadrant near mid-gear. After repair the engine returned to LBNGR and was in regular use from 2004 before the boiler certificate expired. It is now undergoing another overhaul.