Stinger

A stinger, or sting, is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. Technically, a stinger is the part of an insect or animal that holds a sting, where a sting is the pointed organ. In common usage, stinger is a colloquialism for sting. A sting differs from other piercing structures in that it pierces by its own action and injects venom, as opposed to teeth, which pierce by the force of opposing jaws. Stinging hairs which actively inject venom on plants such as stinging nettles are also sometimes known as stings, but not stingers.

An insect bite or sting is a break in the skin or puncture caused by an insect and complicated by introduction of the insect's saliva, venom, or excretory products. Specific components of these substances are believed to give rise to an allergic reaction, which in turn produces skin lesions that may vary from a small itching wheal, or slightly elevated area of the skin; to large areas of inflamed skin covered by vesicles and crusted lesions.

List of Marvel Comics characters: S

Sabra

Sabre

Sabre I

The first Sabre was a former knife thrower named Paul Richarde until he was selected by Modred to oppose Black Knight. Paul Richarde was given an armor, an animated gargoyle. and Mordred's Ebony Dagger (the weapon with which Mordred had killed the first Black Knight). He was defeated by Black Knight after his horse Aragorn kicked the dagger from Le Sabre's hand.

Sabre II

The second Sabre is a mutant super villain. His first appearance was in X-Men #106. Young and reckless, Sabre was chosen by Mystique to join her new Brotherhood of Mutants, though never actually participated in any missions. He had the mutant ability of super speed, and took the name of the deceased Super Sabre. It is unknown if he continues to serve Mystique behind the scenes, or if he even retains his powers after Decimation. Hyper-accelerated metabolism augments his natural speed, reflexes, coordination, endurance, and the healing properties of his body.

Invertigo (roller coaster)

Invertigo is a type of shuttle roller coaster manufactured by Dutch company, Vekoma. It is a variation on their traditional Boomerang design.

History

The first installation of an Invertigo roller coaster occurred at Liseberg in 1997. HangOver was originally scheduled to open in 1996 as a launched roller coaster, however, the technology at the time prevented this from occurring and forced the opening back by a year. On March 21, 1998, California's Great America opened a ride known simply as Invertigo. On April 17, 1999, Face/Off opened at Kings Island. It was originally themed after the 1997 Paramount Pictures film of the same name. On May 8, 1999, Two Face: The Flip Side opened at Six Flags America. It was themed after DC Comics' Batman rival, Harvey Dent A.K.A. Two-Face.

In 2002, HangOver at Liseberg closed and was relocated to Allou Fun Park the following year. The ride, however, was never set up there and was relocated to Sommerland Syd where it operated under the name Tornado from July 2, 2005.

Astrodome

The Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome, and officially named the NRG Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. It served as the second home to the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) from its opening in 1965 until 1999, and the home to the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 until 1996, and also the part-time home of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally, the Astrodome was the primary venue of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1966 until 2002. When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

The stadium is part of the NRG Park complex that was originally known as the "Astrodomain" located in Houston's Texas Medical Center business district, and was constructed from 1962 until 1964 after being funded for $35 million by Harris County taxpayers. It received considerable renovations in 1988 that significantly expanded seating, and altered many original features. The venue regularly hosted events until it was declared non-compliant with fire code by the Houston Fire Department in 2008. Parts of it were demolished in 2013, after several years of disuse.

Astrodome (aeronautics)

An astrodome is a hemispherical transparent dome fitted in the cabin roof of an aircraft to allow the use of a sextant during astro-navigation.

Prior to the introduction of electronic means of navigation the only way to fix an aircraft's position at night was by taking star sights using a sextant in the same manner as that used by marine navigators for hundreds of years on board ships. To do this requires a 360-degree view of the horizon and the astrodome was devised to allow an uninterrupted view of the sky from horizon to horizon.

Astrodomes were prominent on many Royal Air Force (RAF) and Commonwealth operated multi-engined aircraft of the Second World War, and on foreign aircraft ordered by them for their use, such as the Liberator and Dakota, as a considerable part of the RAF's operations and other flying were carried out at night.

Later use on ocean-racing yachts

In the 1950's and 60"s, astrodomes were gradually phased out, as radionavigation and ground plotting radars took over, but enjoyed a second career on ocean racing yachts (specially in singlehanded racing). Eric Tabarly, record-breaking winner of the 1964 OSTAR single-handed transatlantic race, and former French Aéronavale (Fleet air arm) pilot, had fitted lis revolutionary lightweight ketch-rigged racer Pen Duick II with an astrodome scavenged from a Shorts Sunderland decommissioned aircraft.