Razor

A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of unwanted body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, disposable razor, and electric razors.

While the razor has been in existence since before the Bronze Age (the oldest razor like-object has been dated to 18,000 B.C.), its modern counterpart was invented in the 18th century, and the 1930s saw the invention of electric razors. In the 21st century, the safety razor – electric or not – is most commonly used by both men and women, but other kinds still exist.

History

Razors have been identified from many Bronze Age cultures. These were made of bronze or obsidian and were generally oval in shape, with a small tang protruding from one of the short ends.

Various forms of razors were used throughout history, which are different in appearance but similar in use to modern straight razors. In prehistoric times clam shells, shark teeth, and flint were sharpened and used to shave with. Drawings of such blades were found in prehistoric caves. Some tribes still use blades made of flint to this day. Excavations in Egypt have unearthed solid gold and copper razors in tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC. The Roman historian Livy reported that the razor was introduced in ancient Rome in the 6th century BC. by legendary king Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Priscus was ahead of his time because razors did not come to general use until a century later.

Razor (short story)

"Razor" is a short story by the Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov. It was first published (as Britva) in the expatriate Russian literary magazine Rul' in 1926, but a French translation did not appear until 1991, and an English one (by Dmitri Nabokov, the writer's son) not until 1995.

Plot summary

Ivanov, an exiled Russian and former military officer living in Berlin, has taken up employment as a barber; an apt position, Nabokov notes, as Ivanov's sharp facial appearance had earned him the nickname "Razor" in his earlier life. On a hot day, an unnamed character dressed largely in black enters the barber's, deserted save for Ivanov, and requests a shave. Ivanov quickly realises that the customer is a fellow Russian who, the reader gathers, tortured Ivanov during Russia's period of revolutionary upheaval. With the unnamed character sitting in the chair, his face lathered with shaving cream, Ivanov reminds him of their last encounter. Ivanov then proceeds begins to shave him, recounting their previous meeting while also strongly hinting at the effect that one slip of the razor could have. The reader half expects Ivanov to exact his revenge. But having told his story, Ivanov relents and the terrified and clean-shaven Soviet flees from the barber's.

Safety razor

A safety razor is a shaving implement with a protective device positioned between the edge of the blade and the skin. The initial purpose of these protective devices was to reduce the level of skill needed for injury-free shaving, thereby reducing the reliance on professional barbers for that service and raising grooming standards.

The term was first used in a patent issued in 1880, for a razor in the basic contemporary configuration with a handle attached at right angles to a head in which a removable blade is placed (although this form predated the patent).

Plastic disposable razors, and razors with replaceable blade attachments, are in common use today. Razors commonly include one to five cutting edges (but sometimes up to seven).

History

Early designs

The basic form of a razor, "the cutting blade of which is at right angles with the handle, and resembles somewhat the form of a common hoe", was first described in a patent application in 1847 by William S. Henson. This also covered a "comb tooth guard or protector" which could be attached both to the hoe form and to a conventional straight razor.

Resistance (Burning Spear album)

Resistance is a studio album by Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear.

It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985. Resistance, Spear's first release for Heartbeat, is regarded as one of Burning Spear's most solid albums, and reflects the atmospheric sound that defined Spear in the early eighties. This sound is also reflected in the albums Fittest of the Fittest and Farover, both of which were released on EMI. Burning Spear would venture into more modern, electric driven rhythms on his follow-up release People of the World, released on Slash Records.

Track listing

Credits

Resistance (Owen Sheers novel)

Resistance is an alternative history novel by Welsh poet and author Owen Sheers. The plot centers around the inhabitants of a valley near Abergavenny in Wales in 1944–45, shortly after the failure of Operation Overlord and a successful German counter-invasion of Britain (see Operation Sea Lion). A group of German Wehrmacht soldiers stay there after the wives' husbands leave to serve in the covert British Resistance. The novel follows abandoned farmer's wife, Sarah Lewis and German commanding officer, Albrecht Wolfram as they form an unlikely relationship in spite of their backgrounds and political standings.

The novel was adapted for film in 2011.

The Hereford Mappa Mundi features prominently in the book.

Plot

Upon her husband's disappearance Sarah is forced to take care of the farm. Meanwhile, she develops a relationship with German commanding officer Albrecht as he and the other invaders seek to locate an item for Himmler's collection.

Characters

Resistance (V franchise)

This is a list of the known members of the Resistance, a fictional worldwide movement consisting of a large number of groups dedicated to fighting the Visitors in the V science fiction franchise.

The Atkins

David Atkins was a scientist and a widely respected Professor at Caltech University, as an expert in psycho-cybernetics and computer technology. Later as he became a computer Doctor working for Science Frontiers, where he became friends with Kyle Bates. He was a good person and had a son named Henry, whom he was proud of and had higher expectations for when he got older. When the Visitors came and started discrediting scientists, they ruined his career, and was fired from his position. To make ends meet, he opened a small market shop called "Atkins Deluxe Market", which he ran with Henry. Despite him having lost everything during the First Invasion, David still wanted his son to be a great scientist and taught him everything he knew about computers, leading Henry to become an expert himself and run many personal projects in making computers better.