Edsel

The Edsel was an automobile marque that was planned, developed, and manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. With the Edsel, Ford had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors and Chrysler and close the gap between itself and GM in the domestic American automotive market. But contrary to Ford's internal plans and projections, the Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. The Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development, manufacturing and marketing. The very word "Edsel" became a popular symbol for a commercial failure.

History

Ford Motor Company became a publicly traded corporation on January 17, 1956, and thus was no longer entirely owned by members of the Ford family. The company was now able to sell cars according to current market trends following the sellers' market of the postwar years. Ford's new management compared the company's roster of makes with that of General Motors and Chrysler, and concluded that Lincoln was competing not with Cadillac, but with Oldsmobile, Buick and DeSoto. Ford developed a plan to move Lincoln upmarket, with the Continental broken out as a separate make at the top of Ford's product line, and to add a premium/intermediate vehicle to the intermediate slot vacated by Lincoln.

Edsel (given name)

Edsel is a masculine given name which may refer to:

Edsel (band)

Edsel was an indie rock/post-hardcore band from Washington, DC. The band originally broke up in 1997, having released four full-length albums, numerous 7" singles and an EP.

The group reformed in October 2012 for two shows in New York City to celebrate the remastered reissue of their 1995 album, Techniques Of Speed Hypnosis. They have since been included in a Descendents covers compilation by Filter Magazine and will be playing at SXSW in Austin, TX in March.

The band was formed in 1988 by Sohrab Habibion (guitar and vocals, currently a member of Obits), Steve Ward (bass), and Nick Pellicciotto (drums). Over the years, the group's members would include Geoff Sanoff (bass, currently an independent sound engineer and producer), Steve Raskin (guitar, currently in the band/collectives Thunderball and Fort Knox Five), Eli Janney (keyboards), and John Dugan (drums, formerly of Chisel).

Edsel's first single, "My Manacles," was the first release on the DeSoto Records label.

The label Comedy Minus One reissued remastered digital editions of Edsel's "The Everlasting Belt Co." and "Detroit Folly" in September 2011 with "Techniques of Speed Hypnosis" following in October 2012.

Feather

Feathers are epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups. Feathers have also been noticed in those Theropoda which have been termed feathered dinosaurs.

Although feathers cover most parts of the body of birds, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, and waterproofing. In addition, coloration helps in communication and protection.Plumology (or plumage science) is the name for the science that is associated with the study of feathers.

Structures and characteristics

Feathers are among the most complex integumentary appendages found in vertebrates and are formed in tiny follicles in the epidermis, or outer skin layer, that produce keratin proteins. The β-keratins in feathers, beaks and claws — and the claws, scales and shells of reptiles — are composed of protein strands hydrogen-bonded into β-pleated sheets, which are then further twisted and crosslinked by disulfide bridges into structures even tougher than the α-keratins of mammalian hair, horns and hoof. The exact signals that induce the growth of feathers on the skin are not known, but it has been found that the transcription factor cDermo-1 induces the growth of feathers on skin and scales on the leg.

Super Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart (スーパーマリオカート, Sūpā Mario Kāto) is a 1992 go-kart racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD for the Super Famicom (SFC) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game of the Mario Kart series, it was launched in Japan on August 27, 1992, in North America on September 1, 1992, and in Europe on January 21, 1993. Selling nine million copies worldwide, the game went on to become the third best selling SNES game of all time.Super Mario Kart was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on June 9, 2009, North America on November 23, 2009, and in Europe on April 2, 2010.Super Mario Kart was re-released again on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan on June 19, 2013, Europe on March 27, 2014, and in North America on August 6, 2014.

In Super Mario Kart the player takes control of one of eight Mario series characters, each with differing capabilities. In single player mode players can race against computer controlled characters in multi-race cups over three difficulty levels. During the races, offensive and speed boosting power-ups can be used to gain an advantage. Alternatively players can race against the clock in a Time Trial mode. In multi-player mode two players can simultaneously take part in the cups or can race against each other one-on-one in Match Race mode. In a third multiplayer mode – Battle Mode – the aim is to defeat the other players by attacking them with power-ups, destroying balloons which surround each kart.

Feather (step)

Feather or Feather step is a dance figure in the International Style Foxtrot. Depending on a syllabus, it consists of three or four steps (man stepping basically forward), with the third step (right foot) done outside the lady (lady on the right side) with a slight turn in the body position to the right.

The feather is also known as the continuity finish in silver American Style Foxtrot.

The step was first introduced in 1920 by G. K. Anderson.

The ISTD syllabus considers the fourth step that aligns the man with the lady into a normal dance position to be part of the Feather Step variation, while the IDTA syllabus does not.

The pattern and especially its distinctive part (steps 2 and 3) gave rise to several variations:

Horn (anatomy)

A horn is a pointed projection on the head of various animals consisting of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. In mammals, true horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cattle, goats, antelope etc.).

One pair of horns is usual; however, two or more pairs occur in a few wild species and domesticated breeds of sheep. Polycerate (multi-horned) sheep breeds include the Hebridean, Icelandic, Jacob, Manx Loaghtan, and the Navajo-Churro.

Horns usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. In many species only males have horns. Horns start to grow soon after birth, and continue to grow throughout the life of the animal (except in pronghorns, which shed the outer layer annually, but retain the bony core). Partial or deformed horns in livestock are called scurs. Similar growths on other parts of the body are not usually called horns, but spurs, claws or hoofs depending on the part of the body on which they occur.