Preface

Terminology for 18650 batteries can be very confusing. In this blog post I will clear five common myths.

Myth #1 - You have individual 18650 batteries

Myth #2 - What is better, Li-Po or Li-ion?

Myth #3 - When you charge a cell, its capacity increases

Myth #4 - 18650 batteries can be either Primary or Secondary cells

Myth #5 - Impedance and Resistance are interchangeable terms

I decided to go into some detail for each point so that readers may fully appreciate what lies behind each myth. With detail also lies some complexity. Admittedly I'm worried. I want this post to clear up 18650 battery myths, not confuse even more.

For that reason I added as many metaphors for phenomenon as possible. When you come across these, really take a moment to think about what is going on. I find these metaphors are really the best way to quickly grasp complicated concepts.

And lastly, if you come across any mistakes, have any questions, or disagree with something I've written, please let me know in the comments!

Myth #1 - You have individual 18650 batteries

Answer: Technically, you have individual 18650 cells, not batteries

The terminology problem here arises because of the difference between consumers and engineers.

1 - Cell

Technically speaking, an individual 18650 battery is actually a cell. A cell is the smallest packaged form a battery can take (and for 18650 batteries a cell is normally 4.2V).

2 - Module

The next step up in the hierarchy is a module, which can consist of several 18650 cells connected in either parallel or series. Modules can range in size from several cells to several hundred cells depending on energy requirements.

A BMW i3 lithium-ion battery pack, with viewable individual battery modules

3 - Battery (or Battery Pack)

A battery is a group of cells or modules connected together in either parallel or series, commonly referred to as a battery pack. Both engineers and consumers refer to the final package as a battery pack. However, only engineers typically refer to the pack with the single world “battery” in the context of lithium-ion 18650 batteries. 18650 battery packs almost always contain a BMS (battery management system), which is circuitry that regulates the cells and modules.

If needed to distinguish between a pack and a battery, the “pack” is often smaller, while the “battery” is larger

Do I really have to start calling them cells and not batteries?

Well it depends who you are and what you’re doing.

Calling an individual 18650 cell a battery, is completely acceptable for most people. We do it frequently on Battery Bro. This is because for most consumers, an 18650 is a battery just like an AA is a battery. It a little cylinder thing that gives us power - it’s easy to communicate.

But nomenclature for engineers is different. Concerns for efficiency dictate an adherence to standards and depending on their work philosophy, some engineers can take this quite personally. I have come across such, and do not disagree with them.

That is because typically a battery is a self-contained system capable of powering a device safely. The key point is battery safety. An 18650 cell on the other hand, needs additional regulation circuitry to operate safely because lithium is so chemically reactive.

The addition of a BMS is also critical to maintaining a li-ions expected long cycle life. Individual cells do not have a BMS, that is the job of the pack.

Remember the three tier system used in building battery packs - cells, modules, and battery. Each category has a different set of rules so they can’t share their names. So in some cases the distinction between cell and battery is necessary.

To recap, an individual 18650 is a cell, and a group of 18650s is a battery.

Consumers say: 18650 Battery

Engineers say: 18650 Cell

Consumers say: 18650 Battery Pack

Engineers say: 18650 Battery (or 18650 Battery Pack)

Myth #2 - What is better, Li-Po or Li-ion?

Answer: You can not actually compare the two.

There are two uses for the word LiPo (lithium polymer).

(Uncommon) The original meaning, referring to a “polymer electrolyte” (Common) The new meaning, a cell with a “pouch format” In this new meaning, cells do not have a different electrochemistry than li-ion (lithium ion)

Usage #1 - (Uncommon) Polymer Electrolyte

Many years ago, there was development of a chemistry dubbed LiPo. It never really was applied, and is not often menioned. In this type of cell actual polymer electrolytes are used - but it has not reached commercialization and is very much a prototype research cell.

Usage #2 - (Common) Polymer Casing or Pouch Format

Today, the word LiPo means Lithium Polymer. Polymer being a malleable, soft material that creates the external shell of the battery.

This is a bulging (decomposing) lipo cell (usually from age). Note an 18650 could never bulge like this.

Lithium Polymer (LiPo, LiPoly, etc.) is used for mobile phone and tablet batteries; think of their varying shapes and easy-to-puncture material. Contrast that with the steel-shelled 18650 cylindrical battery - which is standardized, hard, and cylindrical. 18650 (18mm by 65mm) batteries never share the characteristic of using a soft, malleable polymer pouch casing.

If we take a step back we can then see, that both the hard-shelled, and soft-shelled batteries use the same fundamental electrochemistry. They are both lithium-ion (li-ion, liion, etc.) batteries.

That is, they both give us usable energy by shunting lithium ions between the cathode and anode sheets. The ions move in one direction during charge, and in the other direction during discharge. This fundamental movement is present in both the hard 18650 and the soft LiPo type batteries. Both are lithium ion batteries.

Awesome, aren't all these different polymer architectures nice?

Confusion - All cells contain a little polymer, but it’s not reactive

So what is polymer exactly? In ancient Greek, polus had the meaning “many, much” and meros “parts”. A polymer is a large molecule composed of many repeating subunits. This broad definition means there are many types of polymers - notably synthetic plastics, and other natural biopolymers like DNA.

That means even an 18650 cell without a polymer separator, or any electrolyte may still contain “polymer”. In fact lithium ion cells do have internal polymer but it accounts for less than 5% of the total weight and does not provide any electrochemical reactions.

This polymer is often a binding agent. It may be poly(vinylidene fluoride) or PVdF - which helps the mix of chemicals stick to the copper and aluminium foils inside the battery.

This binding agent shouldn’t be confused with the true meaning of lipo. Lip means “pouch format”.

Myth #3 - When you charge a cell, its capacity increases

Answer: When you charge a cell, its charge increases and not its capacity.

The distinction between charge and capacity is not intuitively clear so this myth arises.

The fuel gauge is a great way to think about battery charge

The “Fuel Gage”

The easiest way to explain the charge is with an analogy to a fuel or gas gauge of a car. With this gauge you can easily compare the energy left in your car with the energy you had when it was full. The fuel gauge quickly lets you see how much energy you have left, until you need to recharge.

For batteries, this condition is called the State of Charge (SOC)(%), also known as the “Fuel Gauge” function.

Now think about holding your battery and asking “How charged is it?” It’s the same type of answer you expect if you ask “How much fuel is in my car?” That means when you are talking about charge of a battery, what you really want to know is its SOC (state of charge) - not its capacity.

To recap: When you want to see something like a fuel-gauge for your battery, you are asking about its charge, and not its capacity.

In contrast with the fuel gauge, buckets are a great way to think about battery capacity

Capacity

The best way to understand capacity is to think of it as a bucket. A bucket in the middle of a sandstorm. Every day you can see how much water is in the bucket, and how much can be refilled. However, every time you open the lid, sand gets in and builds up at the bottom of the bucket. Gradually your capacity decreases as sand increases.

The bucket is capacity, and the water is energy. The sand is battery degradation (due to cell oxidation) which is a naturally occurring and irreversible process.

Jump to France in the 1780’s - a man named Charles-Augustin de Coulomb invented the SI unit of electric charge - which is now named after him. The coulomb unit is equal to the amount of electricity produced or consumed in exactly one second by one amp.

When we are talking about battery capacity, we are talking about its coulometric capacity which is derived from discharging the battery.

Coulometric capacity is calculated with the following formula:

(Discharge Current in Amps) x (Discharge Time*)

*Discharge time is the range between its fully charged SOC to the cut-off voltage.

For example:

(2 A) x (2 Hours) = 4Ah or 4000mAh

(20 A) x (6 Minutes) = 2Ah or 2000mAh

The resulting coulometric capacity is expressed in amp hours, or often translated to milliamp hours.

That is the equivalent of “I know how much space is in my bucket, if I drink it with a 2mm straw and it takes me 2 hours, I can say I have 4 millimeter hours left in my bucket.”

If you take this measurement when your bucket is brand new (no sand, no degradation) it is called rated capacity. If you take the measurement after some use, it is called current or actual capacity.

Environmental conditions like temperature and variations in amperage during charge and discharge can significantly alter the useable capacity of a cell. Think of the bucket analogy - if the water is too hot you can’t sip it at full speed. Likewise with brainfreeze on the other end of the spectrum. You can’t measure the bucket well unless the water is at or near its optimal temperature.

Furthermore,

SOC depends on capacity

The SOC reference can be either the current capacity or the rated capacity. Remember current capacity is what the cell or battery can hold, while the rated capacity is what it can hold when it’s brand new, in optimal conditions.

Using the rated capacity can be very misleading because of cell degradation over time.

Without accounting for the loss of performance from degradation, the fuel meter would always read 100% when charged, even if it could only hold half as much fuel as it could in the beginning of its life. Imagine if your fuel tank slowly shrunk over time, and car manufacturers did not tell you.

During high amp continuous discharge or high amp pulses, the cell is used too fast and inefficiencies occur hence the loss of capacity. This is because chemical reactions take a finite time, and more energy can be put in than can be reacted to. The best analogy I have heard to explain this is with the pouring of beer. You have to pour it in slowly to fill it. Pouring it too fast leads to froth and annoyingly little beer.

Discharging at high rates removes more power in an exponential way, and reversely, discharging at low rates increases the run-time significantly. This is dealt with by using Peukert’s equation (I n T = C).

Overview

Charge is like a fuel gauge - it’s easy to see how much you have left. Capacity is the total amount of fuel you can carry. You can measure the capacity for any given SOC (state of charge) but it is only an estimation.

Myth #4 - 18650 batteries can be either Primary or Secondary cells

Answer: All 18650 batteries are secondary cells.

A primary cell is one that is not rechargeable (or can not be easily recharged) after it is discharged. Primary cells are like disposable plates - used once and then discarded.

A secondary cell is one that is rechargeable.

Note: a rechargeable alkaline battery like a rechargeable AA is considered a rechargeable primary cell rather than a secondary cell, adding to confusion

Secondary cells have become more and more popular and have replaced primary cells in many applications. However, in some use-cases like smoke detectors it still makes sense to use primary cells because their self-discharge rate is much lower.

Lithium-ion batteries are secondary cells, but they are used as primary cells were used in the past - for example when they direct power in laptops, mobile phones, and electric bikes. Even though li-ion is often used as primary cells have been in the past - liion is still considered a secondary cell.

Myth #5 - Impedance and Resistance are interchangeable terms

Answer: There is little relationship between the two, and while they both function with the same purpose - the output (in Ohms) is always different.

To understand the difference between DC resistance and AC impedance you should understand that electrical loads have both resistive, and reactive phenomenon.

So keep these two things in mind:

Resistive phenomenon Reactive phenomenon

Know these interchangeable terms:

DC Approach / load = Internal Resistance

AC Approach / signal = Internal Impedance

Ohmic resistance (Ro)

Measuring internal resistance disregards the reactive elements.

This is the inside view of an internal heating element

Looking at the internal resistance of a cell or battery from a purely resistive value (ohms) disregards reactive elements. The best analogy I have heard for this is that of a heating element that produces heat by the friction (resistance) of current passing through. The more internal resistance, the more heat is generated. In this scenario there are no reactive components, only one resistive one determining the output.

When your voltage drops from use, this is because the battery current is flowing through its internal resistance.

The older DC approach

The DC approach is dubbed: Internal Resistance

The first and most common approach is to load-stress the battery. You apply a certain number of amps for a certain given time (eg. 20 amps for 5 seconds) and measure the resulting drop in voltage.

This is like adding friction to the heating element from the previous analogy, and measuring its resulting increase in heat.

How difficult would it be to hear someone from across this room?

A note should be made regarding signal-to-noise ratio. Early DC tests required high-amperage for this reason. Imagine being at a cocktail party and trying to listen to a conversation across the room. It is only possible to do if the person is screaming.

The AC approach

The AC approach is dubbed: Internal Impedance

A newer, improved approach to measuring resistance came after the DC approach. Using AC power, battery scientists were able to send an AC signal through the battery at a very specific frequency. The frequency here is the key point.

If we go back to the cocktail party. Now imagine we are a dog, and the person across the room has a dog-whistle. This is what using a specific AC frequency can do - it can allow us to very accurately discern the signal from the noise with a unique signature.

The problem is that this AC ripple will interact with other elements of the battery (inductive reactance from coil, and capacitance reactive from capacitor) which will degrade the signal quality. This is akin to the dog whistle bouncing off the walls and people.

Impedance is used by manufacturers who frequently test 18650 cells at an AC of 1 kHz.

The newer DC approach

There are newer approaches where high amperage is no longer required, and tiny amounts of pulsed current can be applied to accurately discern the signal. This is akin to now being able to clearly hear a butterfly flap its wings across the room at the cocktail party.

The capacity and SOC (state of charge) of lithium-ion is not correlated with its internal resistance (measured by the DC approach)

Reactions

As we can see, the DC approach to measure internal resistance does not measure anything reactive. It is like a heater, you have more friction and you have more heat - there is nothing else. On the other hand,- the AC ripple reacts with coils and capacitors. One utilizes a DC load, the other an AC signal.

When measuring an 18650 battery or cell, it’s important to note which approach you are using because the resulting ohm values will be different.

A new, fully charged 18650 cell tested with the AC approach (1kHz) may yield between 30 and 60 milliOhms.

While with the equivalent DC approach it may yield 100 to 130 milliOhms.

Comparing resistance to impedance is not comparing apples to oranges - they are different non-interchangeable terms.

Finish

And that is the end of these five battery myths. Here is a recap of the myths and their answers:

Myth #1 - You have individual 18650 batteries

Answer: Technically, you have individual 18650 cells, not batteries

Myth #2 - What is better, Li-Po or Li-ion?

Answer: You can not compare the two.

Myth #3 - When you charge a cell, its capacity increases

Answer: When you charge a cell, its charge increases and not its capacity.

Myth #4 - 18650 batteries can be either Primary or Secondary cells

Answer: All 18650 batteries are secondary cells.

Myth #5 - Impedance and Resistance are interchangeable terms

Answer: There is little relationship between the two, and while they both function with the same purpose - the output (in Ohms) is always different.


Jamie Vardy scored his first hat-trick since his three goals for Fleetwood against Ebbsfleet on 21 February 2012

Jamie Vardy scored a hat-trick as Leicester City pulled off a stunning victory over an out-of-sorts Manchester City.

The Foxes were 2-0 up in five minutes as Vardy ended his 10-game run without a Premier League goal by slotting home, and Andy King curled in moments later.

It was 3-0 within 20 minutes as Vardy added another after skipping past visiting keeper Claudio Bravo, and he completed his hat-trick by intercepting a misplaced John Stones pass and finishing from a narrow angle.

Aleksandar Kolarov, with a free-kick, and Nolito scored late consolation goals for the away side.

They have now lost back-to-back league games for the first time since Pep Guardiola took over in the summer, and are four points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

For defending champions Leicester, victory ended a five-game run without a league win and moved them up to 14th.

Man City pay for chaotic defending

Guardiola said this week he wanted a new rule to allow teams to use up to six substitutes - and after five minutes he may have hoped his wish was a reality.

Manchester City have kept just two Premier League clean sheets this season, and Guardiola reshuffled his formation to start with a back three of Pablo Zabaleta, John Stones and Bacary Sagna.

That strategy was swiftly scrapped, though, when his side fell 2-0 down after just 255 seconds - Kolarov was hauled out of midfield and into a hastily created back four.

Only Islam Slimani (19) averaged most of his playing time in the opposition half for Leicester - eight Manchester City outfield players spent most of the game in Leicester territory

The visitors, looking marginally better for the change, still managed to get caught on the break for Leicester's third and frequently put themselves under pressure by trying to play out from the back - Stones' misplaced backpass for Vardy's third the costliest example.

Their fragility could well be a result of their lack of a consistent starting XI, with Guardiola never having kept the same line-up for two consecutive games during his time at Etihad Stadium.

Suspensions for Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi had forced the Spaniard to make changes here, and his side were devoid of cohesion.

For all their possession, they did not have their first shot on target until Kolarov scored a well-placed free-kick in the 82nd minute, and only salvaged further respectability when Nolito tapped in the Serb's low cross late on.

Foxes show championship charm again

Leicester, who were a point above the relegation zone when they kicked off, were superb and, for perhaps the first time this season, showed all the hallmarks of last term's incredible title-winning campaign.

That most unlikely of championships was built on resolute defending, lightning-quick counter-attacking, Vardy's goals and Riyad Mahrez's magic - all of which were on show.

Mahrez pulled off a superb first touch to direct a high ball to Islam Slimani, who in turn slid in Vardy for the opener, and the Algerian repeated the feat when he redirected a long ball into the path of Vardy for Leicester's third.

Vardy, who scored 24 Premier League goals last season, had endured a 741-minute goal drought in the league, but took his tally for this term to five when he capitalised on Stones' error and somehow threaded a finish from the tightest of angles.

Man of the match - Jamie Vardy

A first hat-trick for Leicester in a performance reminiscent of his best displays last season - the confidence poured back into him after his first goal

'Welcome back Jamie' - what they said

Media playback is not supported on this device Leicester City 4-2 Manchester City: Ranieri praises "true" Leicester

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri told BBC Sport: "It was the true Leicester, maybe because we have played so badly in our last few matches, but today we were so strong.

"We played smart, slowed down the tempo.

"I am very pleased for Jamie. When he finished, I said 'welcome back'."

Former Leicester defender Matt Elliott on BBC Radio Leicester: "There was a spark and zip about Leicester's play from the off. You could sense it, a freshness in the air.

"That's their best performance by some distance this season and that might just reignite their season, certainly in domestic terms."

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport: "Leicester won the second balls and scored fantastic goals.

Media playback is not supported on this device Leicester 4-2 Manchester City: Guardiola will 'look inside' himself after defeat

"Football is a game with mistakes, especially today. I would never complain to my players and I will look inside myself and analyse the reason why we have problems with the second balls when they arrive.

"Our game is not bad, but in the box we have a lot of problems."

Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy: "That's as good as I've seen Leicester this season, it was like the Leicester of last season. But City didn't half help them.

"Kolarov was supposed to be playing as a third centre-half but he played so far forward, he left Stones isolated. Zabaleta was playing in a weird in-between position and it didn't look like he knew what he was doing.

"Kevin de Bruyne appeared to be at left-wing-back. The communication and lack of line was pretty bad. Kolarov was playing his own game going forward so often. They gave Leicester so many opportunities to attack them. It could have been more.

"Fifty changes, they've made this season. It's nice to build relationships and have some familiarity. You can't keep changing players."

Defensive numbers make bad reading for Guardiola

Guardiola has seen his side concede three or more goals in back-to-back league games for the first time as a manager.

A Guardiola side conceded four goals in a league for only the third time (Atletico Madrid 4-3 Barcelona in 2009, Wolfsburg 4-1 Bayern Munich in 2015).

Only Crystal Palace, Hull and Sunderland (one) have kept fewer clean sheets than Manchester City in the Premier League this season.

Claudio Ranieri has won eight of his nine Premier League matches as a manager against Manchester City, drawing the other.

Manchester City conceded twice in the opening five minutes of a Premier League game for the first time since October 2006 against Wigan.

What's next?

On Monday, both sides find out who they will face in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Manchester City will be drawn against one of Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Monaco or Napoli.

Leicester City will meet Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid or Sevilla.

On Tuesday, Leicester travel to Bournemouth (19:45 GMT). Manchester City host Watford the following day (20:00).


The English city of Norwich is an undeniably small place, even by European standards. With a population of just 210,000 (including its suburbs), it’s not surprising that Norwich is largely unknown in global terms. But for lovers of beer and ale, there’s no better place to experience England’s rich drinking heritage.

“Brewing has taken place in Norwich since before 1249. The brewing of beer was a way to purify water, which was often unsafe to drink,” says Philip Cutter, Landlord at The Murderers, a pub that has operated in the city since 1696. “During the construction of the Norwich Anglican Cathedral, Franciscan monks brewed beer for the workmen at The Adam and Eve Pub, which still trades in the Cathedral grounds today.”

Both The Murderers and The Adam and Eve are what’s known as “real ale” pubs, meaning they stock high-quality, natural ales that have gone through secondary fermentation – a process that involves the ale being left to mature in the cask it’s served from. The trend for this method of traditional production took off around 40 years ago, and has been growing ever since.

“It’s the process of secondary fermentation which makes real ale unique and develops the wonderful tastes and aromas which processed beers can never provide,” says Rob Whitmore, Norwich and Norfolk Branch Secretary of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional “real” ales.

CAMRA began its work in the 1970s as a response to a rut in the UK beer market. Concerned that the availability of traditional, flavorful English ales was becoming a thing of the past, four ale lovers from the north-west of England came together to campaign against the domination of the industry by big companies producing large quantities of low quality ale. Today, CAMRA is known as one of the most successful consumer campaigns in European history. The organization itself now boasts 200 branches in the UK and more than 160,000 members from across the world.

Fur & Feather Inn is recognized in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide.

In Norwich, the city once said to have a pub for every day of the year, real ale has become a significant part of the urban architecture; a defining point in where and what you choose to drink. “We’ve developed a strong bank of local brewers who have helped Norwich pubs not only survive, but become better and stronger,” Whitmore explains. “If you did a tour of all the pubs in Norwich on any given day, it would not be uncommon to see over 250 different real ales for sale. This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, ratio per head in the country.”

The pubs themselves view real ale as a crucial part of their identity, and one that offers benefits to their business as much as it does to the city’s reputation as a standout destination for beer. “Being recognized as a ‘real ale’ pub is enormously important to us, and certainly brings in many customers locally, and attracts out of town visitors,” Cutter says. “Being part of a successful and vibrant real ale city makes us extremely fortunate – but being recognized as an award winning real ale pub put our establishment in the forefront, ahead of many others.”

Dawn Leeder is chair of the City of Ale Festival, a 10-day celebration of Norwich’s ale and pub scene every May, and she has seen enormous growth and renewed interest in the real ale scene over recent years. “The real ale renaissance of the 21st century has allowed many microbreweries to open in Norwich and Norfolk. Over 40 breweries took part in last year’s festival and several more have opened since then,” she says. “Norfolk also produces some of the finest malting barley in the world – the maritime microclimate of our county’s north coast gives rise to cooling harsh frosts which slow the ripening of the grain, intensifying the flavors to make very fine beer indeed.”

It’s this stellar combination of real ale production and availability that led Tim Hampson, Chairman of the British Guild of Beer Writers, to declare that Norwich’s status as a city of ale is “no longer a question, but a fact” earlier this year. A lot may have changed since the monks started brewing here in the 13th century, but Norwich is definitely still the heartland of England’s brewing culture.


Toys M.A.S.K. Toys

M.A.S.K. toys accompanied the cartoon that was first released in 1985 and went on to spawn toys, video games and comics. There were four series of toys released between 1985 and 1988 in the USA, however, in Europe a fifth series was released in 1986 which contained smaller toys that came in blister packs.

As with most toy-lines in the 1980’s the toys were split between the good guys M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand) and the bad guys V.E.N.O.M. (Viscous Evil Network of Mayhem), however, far more M.A.S.K. toys were released over the four series.

M.A.S.K. Toys

Series 1 (1985)

The first wave of toys was released in 1985 and featured all the major characters and vehicles from the first season of the TV show.

M.A.S.K.

Boulder Hill Condor Firecracker Gator Rhino T-Bob Thunderhawk

Boulder Hill – Service Station play-set, home of M.A.S.K.

– Service Station play-set, home of M.A.S.K. Brad Turner and Condor – A green motorcycle than can change into a helicopter.

– A green motorcycle than can change into a helicopter. Hondo MacLean and Firecracker – An orange pickup which elevates into a mobile weapon platform.

– An orange pickup which elevates into a mobile weapon platform. Dusty Hayes and Gator – An orange Jeep CJ7 with releasable boat.

– An orange Jeep CJ7 with releasable boat. Matt Tracker, Bruce Sato and Rhino – A Kenworth semi tractor that converts into a mobile defence platform and command centre.

– A Kenworth semi tractor that converts into a mobile defence platform and command centre. Matt Tracker and Thunderhawk – A Chevrolet Camaro which transforms into a jet airplane.

– A Chevrolet Camaro which transforms into a jet airplane. Scott Tracker – Comes with his robot T-Bob

V.E.N.O.M.

Jackhammer Piranha Switchblade

Cliff Dagger and Jackhammer – A Ford Bronco which turns into an assault vehicle.

– A Ford Bronco which turns into an assault vehicle. Sly Rax and Piranha – Motorcycle with releasable submarine side-car.

– Motorcycle with releasable submarine side-car. Miles Mayhem and Switchblade – A helicopter which can transform into a jet airplane.

Series 2 (1986)

The second series of toys tied in with the second season of the show apart from Hurricane, which appeared at the end of season one under the name “Nightstalker”.

M.A.S.K.

Firefly Hurricane Raven Slingshot Volcano

Julio Lopez and Firefly – An orange dune buggy that turns into a jet.

– An orange dune buggy that turns into a jet. Hondo MacLean and Hurricane – A 1957 Chevy which turns into a six-wheeled tank.

– A 1957 Chevy which turns into a six-wheeled tank. Calhoun Burns and Raven – A black Chevrolet Corvette which turns into a seaplane.

– A black Chevrolet Corvette which turns into a seaplane. Ace Riker and Slingshot – A van which transforms into a jet and launch ramp.

– A van which transforms into a jet and launch ramp. Matt Tracker, Jacques LaFleur and Volcano – A blue monster truck which converts into an attack station.

V.E.N.O.M.

Outlaw Stinger Vampire

Miles Mayhem, Nash Gorey and Outlaw – A tanker truck which transforms into an assault station and mobile command centre.

– A tanker truck which transforms into an assault station and mobile command centre. Bruno Sheppard and Stinger – An orange Pontiac GTO that turns into a tank.

– An orange Pontiac GTO that turns into a tank. Floyd Malloy and Vampire – A red motorbike that turns into a jet.

Series 3 (1987) “Racing Series”

The third wave of toys was the largest release and were all centred around a racing theme, hence the name “Racing Series”.

M.A.S.K.

Billboard Blast Bulldog Bullet Goliath Meteor Razorback The Collector Wildcat

Dusty Hayes and Billboard Blast – A billboard which opens up to reveal a gun emplacement.

– A billboard which opens up to reveal a gun emplacement. Boris Bushkin and Bulldog – A white semi tractor truck which turns into a half-track tank.

– A white semi tractor truck which turns into a half-track tank. Ali Bombay and Bullet – A blue and white racing motorcycle which turns into a hovercraft.

– A blue and white racing motorcycle which turns into a hovercraft. Matt Trakker, Nevada Rushmore and Goliath – A purple race car that becomes a jet.

– A purple race car that becomes a jet. Ace Riker and Meteor – A white jet that splits into an aerial fighter and a missile launching tank.

– A white jet that splits into an aerial fighter and a missile launching tank. Brad Turner and Razorback – A red and white Ford Thunderbird which turns into an elevated platform.

– A red and white Ford Thunderbird which turns into an elevated platform. Alex Sector and The Collector – A toll booth that transforms into an attack installation.

– A toll booth that transforms into an attack installation. Buddy Hawks and Wildcat – A red truck which turns into a tall tank.

V.E.N.O.M

Buzzard Iguana Manta Pit Stop Catapult

Miles Mayehm, Maximum Mayhem and Buzzard – A Formula 1 race car which splits into a drone pilot-controlled jet and two smaller assault motorcycles.

– A Formula 1 race car which splits into a drone pilot-controlled jet and two smaller assault motorcycles. Lester Sludge and Iguana – An off-road vehicle which turns into a mobile buzz-saw.

– An off-road vehicle which turns into a mobile buzz-saw. Vanessa Warfield and Manta – A Nissan 300 ZX which turns into a plane.

– A Nissan 300 ZX which turns into a plane. Sly Rax and Pitstop Catapult – An armoured gasoline stand.

M.A.S.K. Laser Command (1987)

Hornet Ratfang

Hornet – A M.A.S.K. packing crate that opens to reveal an attack vehicle.

Ratfang – A V.E.N.O.M. truck with limited transforming capabilities, its doors, wheels and hood burst off when triggered by infra-red beams from Hornet.

Series 4 (1987-1988) “Split Seconds”

The fourth and final series of M.A.S.K toys was called “Split Seconds” as each vehicle could split into two separate parts, most of theses toys never appeared in the cartoon.

M.A.S.K.

The Collector Wildcat Afterburner Detonator Dynamo Fireforce Skybolt Stiletto

Dusty Hayes and Afterburner – A dragster that splits into a small jet plane and an elevated turret.

– A dragster that splits into a small jet plane and an elevated turret. Jacques LaFleur and Detonator – A VW Beetle that separates into an attack boat and an assault quad bike.

– A VW Beetle that separates into an attack boat and an assault quad bike. Bruce Sato and Dynamo – A dune buggy that splits into a helicopter and assault car.

– A dune buggy that splits into a helicopter and assault car. Julio Lopez and Fireforce – A Pontiac Fiero that splits into a jet plane and an assault quad bike.

– A Pontiac Fiero that splits into a jet plane and an assault quad bike. Matt Tracker and Skybolt – A jet fighter plane that splits into an assault rocket car and an aerial attack craft.

– A jet fighter plane that splits into an assault rocket car and an aerial attack craft. Gloria Baker and Stiletto – A Lamborghini Countach that split into a helicopter and assault plane.

V.E.N.O.M

Barracuda Vandal Wolfbeast

Bruno Sheppard and Barracuda – A motorbike that turns into a rocket glider and armed cycle.

– A motorbike that turns into a rocket glider and armed cycle. Floyd Malloy and Vandal – A front-end loader which splits into an aircraft and tank.

– A front-end loader which splits into an aircraft and tank. Miles Mayhem and Wolfbeast – A Corvette Stingray which splits into a tank and jet plane.

Check out this collection of M.A.S.K. commercials from the 1980’s below!


What you should know about a new law that will make it tougher for consumers to clear their debts.

More on bankruptcy     QUICK VOTE Do you think people abuse the bankruptcy laws?

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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) � President Bush on Wednesday signed into law a bankruptcy reform bill that will make it harder for individuals to clear their debts through bankruptcy. So, experts say, if you were thinking about filing for bankruptcy, you might think twice -- or act twice as quickly, since major provisions of the law will go into effect six months from the day the law is signed. Individuals filing for bankruptcy usually do so either under Chapter 7 or under Chapter 13. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your assets (minus those exempted by your state) are liquidated and given to creditors, and many of your remaining debts are cancelled, giving you what's known as a "fresh start." In 2004, over 1.1 million people filed for Chapter 7, accounting for roughly 72 percent of non-business bankruptcies. Since many Chapter 7 filers don't have assets that qualify for liquidation, credit card companies and other creditors sometimes get nothing. In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you're put on a repayment plan of up to five years. Any debts not addressed by the repayment plan don't have to be paid. Last year, there were 445,574 Chapter 13 filings. Under the new law, fewer people will be allowed to file under Chapter 7; more will be forced to file under Chapter 13. Lawmakers who favor the legislation argue that it will prevent consumers from abusing the bankruptcy laws � using them to clear debts that they can afford to pay. But consumer advocates argue that the new law is a gift to creditors � particularly the credit card industry, which may receive $1 billion or more from repayment plans due to the expected increase in Chapter 13 filings, according to Robert McKinley, CEO of CardWeb.com. "The bill simply doesn't balance responsibility between families in debt trouble and the creditors whose practices have contributed to the rise in bankruptcies," said Travis Plunkett of the Consumer Federation of America in a written statement. Key changes Here are some of the major changes for consumers under the new law: A qualifying test: Currently, it's up to the court to determine if your case qualifies for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Under the new law, your income will be subject to a two-part means test. First, it will be subject to a formula that exempts certain expenses (rent, food, etc.) to determine whether you can afford to pay 25 percent of your "nonpriority unsecured debt" such as your credit card bills. Second, your income would be compared to your state's median income. You won't be allowed to file for Chapter 7 if your income is above your state's median and you can afford to pay 25 percent of your unsecured debt, said California-based bankruptcy attorney Stephen Elias, who is coauthor of the book "How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy." But, he said, you may be allowed to file for Chapter 13. If your income is below the state's median but you can pay 25 percent of your unsecured debt, you may be able to file Chapter 7, but the court can still require you to file Chapter 13 instead if it believes that you would be abusing the system by filing for Chapter 7, Elias said. Under current law, the court has great latitude in deciding whether debtors may file for bankruptcy in consideration of their personal circumstances. Under the new law, there will be few if any exceptions made to the means test, no matter how sympathetic your case, said Leon Bayer, a bankruptcy attorney in Los Angeles. Determining what you can afford to pay: Currently, if you file for Chapter 13 today, the court determines what you can afford to pay based on what you and the court deem to be reasonable and necessary expenses. Under the new law, the court will apply living standards derived by the IRS to determine what is reasonable to pay for rent, food and other expenses to figure out how much you have available to pay your debts. The IRS regulations are more stringent, and to contest them means asking for a hearing from a judge, which can mean more time and expense, Elias said. Tougher homestead exemptions: Currently, if you declare bankruptcy, the state where you file may allow you to protect from creditors some or all of your home equity. In Florida, for instance, your home may be entirely exempt, even if you bought it soon before filing. In Nevada, you may exempt up to $200,000. The new law, however, places more stringent restrictions on the homestead exemption. For instance, if filers haven't lived in a state for at least two years, they may only take the state exemption of the state where they lived for the majority of the time for the 180 days before the two-year period. Filers may only exempt up to $125,000, regardless of a state's exemption allowance, if their home was acquired less than 40 months before filing or if the filer has violated securities laws or been found guilty of certain criminal conduct. Unlike most of the other provisions, the new homestead exemption rules go into effect immediately. Lawyer liability: Under the new law, if information about a client's case is found to be inaccurate, the bankruptcy attorney may be subject to various fees and fines. What that means for consumers is it will be harder to find a bankruptcy attorney willing to file because of the liability and the additional work required to verify a client's information, Elias said. Those who are willing are likely to charge more. Credit counseling and money management: Under provisions of the new law you must meet with a credit counselor in the six months prior to applying for bankruptcy. And before debts are discharged, you must attend money management classes at your expense. What should you do? For those people who have considered bankruptcy, the time to act may be now, consumer advocates say. Talk to a good bankruptcy lawyer, Plunkett said. If together you decide bankruptcy is the right call, you might consider speeding up your plans to file since most of the main provisions of the new law won't go into effect until six months from now. Typically, it can take a couple of weeks to file for bankruptcy, said Bayer. See Money magazine's 9-step program for tackling your debt problem. Money 101: Controlling debt Debt reduction planner


The comments section might be set ablaze but, believe it or not, the Daily News Autos is here to tell you that the iconic BMW logo does not represent a stylized airplane propeller.

That’s right BMW fans, everything you thought you knew about the blue and white logo on your beloved M3 or hybrid-powered i8 is wrong.

FOLLOW DAILY NEWS AUTOS ON FACEBOOK. ‘LIKE’ US HERE.

Don’t feel bad, the idea that the famous BMW Roundel has roots in aviation stretches back almost to the very founding of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, which happened way back on March 7, 1916.

Car logo origins: From the Ferrari horse to the Lamborghini bull

And yes, the firm’s first technical creations happened to be aircraft engines. So wait a minute, how the heck can we be so smug about the BMW logo not having something to do with airplanes?

You can blame the world of marketing and advertising for this Bavarian-themed level of miscommunication.

The blue and white logo is borrowed from the colors in the Bavarian flag, nothing more. Go ahead and Google search “Bavarian flag,” we’ll wait while you do.

Here is the advertisement that ignited years of controversy surrounding the origins of BMW's iconic logo. (BMW AG)

While it’s true that BMW got its start in aircraft engines, the close of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles forbade the company from continuing down its original path. After the conclusion of WWI, BMW moved into motorcycle manufacturing. Eventually, the company was also allowed to restart the aviation side of its business.

It was an advertisement used in the late-1920s, in which the BMW logo cleverly represented the spinning propellers of an airplane, that we encounter the foundation of the famous Roundel/propeller controversy. Yes, the logo represented plane propellers - but only in the ad, not the logo in general.

The advertisement must have been popular, because for decades since, most people assume design and colors of the BMW Roundel are firmly rooted in aviation.

BMW Car Club of America E30 M3 showcase

Around the same time this ad apperared, so did the first BMW motorcar. The thin-tired and dainty-looking BMW Dixi 3/15 PS was powered by a small 4-cylinder engine that produced a grand total of 15-horsepower. Small, simple, and quite cheap; the little Dixi helped BMW survive the Great Depression, which arrived only months after the car first went on sale.

Somewhat ironically, this first BMW automobile owed nearly all of its design to the Austin 7, a huge sales hit that was originally designed and engineered entirely...in Britain!

LEARN MORE ABOUT BMW HERE.

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Turn to the nation's most objective and informative daily environmental news resource to learn how the United States and key players around the world are responding to the environmental...

By Rachel Leven

Sept. 10 — The Clean Power Plan presents a unique opportunity to shift how states and companies think about energy, but it won't be a “silver bullet” for all environmental justice issues related to power plants, an Environmental Protection Agency official said Sept. 10.

The EPA's landmark rule is intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, meaning that other pollutant emissions aren't required to be reduced under the rule, Kevin Culligan, an EPA associate division director, told justice advocates. But as states and companies think about how to comply with the rule, it provides them a “real opportunity” to look at their actions in “a larger energy-planning kind of way,” alongside other environmental mandates, he said during the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council's meeting in Arlington, Va.

“There isn't a single silver bullet” for resolving environmental justice concerns, Culligan said, urging justice advocates to harness all parts of the Clean Air Act and other laws to resolve these overburdened communities' other pollutant concerns.

“The real opportunity here is not that the Clean Power Plan itself can solve all of the concerns about all of the power plants … but in many ways, [the opportunity is] that it changed the dialogue” to think holistically, Culligan said.

The EPA released on Aug. 3 its final Clean Power Plan rule (RIN 2060-AR33), which sets state-specific power sector carbon dioxide emissions rates or alternatively mass-based targets. States must develop their own plans to meet these goals, which are phased in between 2022 and 2030. In order to receive an extension to develop and submit those plans, the states must demonstrate they have addressed overburdened communities as part of the planning process.

Benefits for EJ Communities

Culligan made his remarks following—and in response to—comments from several environmental justice advocates on the final rule, some of whom called for the EPA to do more to protect overburdened communities.

While council member Vernice Miller-Travis praised both the agency and justice advocates for their involvement in developing a rule that culminated in a strong environmental justice focus, council member Nicky Sheats and others said that the rule didn't ensure that overburdened communities received the benefits.

Justice advocates have expressed concern that actions such as carbon trading could result in increased activity at certain power plants, resulting in higher emissions for those communities, and the EPA moved to address those issues in its final rule.

“The rule does a good job of saying ‘we don’t want disproportionate impacts in overburdened communities,' ” Sheats said. “But what we really want is [an emissions] reduction in [environmental justice] communities.”

Several members of the council called for the EPA to encourage states to ensure that these communities saw reduced emissions locally, to establish clear investment and outcome metrics for state plans and to ensure that communities have the knowledge to engage with industry and states effectively on state plans as they are developed.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rachel Leven in Washington at rleven@bna.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Pearl at lpearl@bna.com


“When Europeans entered North America," writes Arthur Remillard of the Saint Francis University, “there were approximately 500 independent Indian cultures, each with its own unique spiritual world view." By Indians, Remillard here means the native Americans. The games that the natives played “also carried an air of sacredness". But the Europeans saw the games or “bodies in motion" as “an affront to Christianity, and a barrier to conversion". These bodies in motion were taken as evidence of “superstition"—an indication that Western Christianity’s “civilizing" role had yet to begin.

The complex relationship that sport and religion have had over the centuries continues to this day. Last week, the International Basketball Federation or Fiba, the world governing body for basketball, ratified a new rule allowing players to wear headgear. The decision has been welcomed by many Islamic and Sikh groups as the new rule will allow players to wear hijab and turbans during the game. The demand to change the rules in various sports to accommodate different cultures has been growing for some years now. An impetus to such demands was provided by Ibtihaj Muhammad, the US fencer who became the first American athlete in Olympic history to wear a hijab in the Rio games of 2016.

The media also splashed images of female beach volleyball players from Egypt—some of them in hijab and all of them in full sleeves and long pants. This was in sharp contrast to their opponents, who were attired in the bikini-style apparel one would normally associate with beach volleyball. Following these developments, Nike, one of the top global sportswear brands, has announced that it will be coming out with a “Pro Hijab" for Muslim athletes.

Sports should indeed embrace more diversity. If an innocuous change in a rule or two will enable competitors from culturally different parts of the world to exhibit their skills, then those changes should be made. But changing rules cannot solve all the problems. Take the case of Heena Sidhu, the Indian shooter, for instance. She decided to pull out of the Asian Airgun Shooting Championship in Iran last year because of the compulsory hijab rule for women participants. The matter, as it can be seen, boils down to choice. And if some choice has to be taken away, which of the two—sport or religion—will be the final arbiter?

Sports is the ultimate celebration of merit over identity. The story of Jesse Owens is the best example: The African-American athlete single-handedly dismantled Nazi propaganda of Aryan superiority in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. When two players or teams battle it out against each other, the rules create the level playing field required for a black individual to contest against a white, or the underprivileged to challenge the wealthy. In other words, sport, unlike politics, is a great equalizer. Sometimes in the quest for enforcing this equality, the sport can end up stifling diversity. Therefore, periodic review of rules is a good practice.

But religion can be far more stifling—and the process of any change there can be far more cumbersome and protracted. While interpreting religious texts is a tricky business, more often than not the ambiguities of the text are exploited to cover for patriarchy and parochial politics. What else would explain the Taliban giving a go-ahead to men’s cricket in Afghanistan but not to women’s? Even the green-lighting of men’s cricket had more to do with the sheer popularity of the sport in Afghanistan than the fact that the gentleman’s game, unlike football, which the Taliban disapproves of, doesn’t let the knees show because of full-length trousers, as the Taliban would argue.

The Taliban wanted to use cricket to boost their domestic popularity and increase the acceptability of their regime worldwide. The Taliban government which was recognized internationally by just three countries—Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—thought an affiliate membership for the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (now Afghanistan Cricket Board) in the International Cricket Council would only serve to shore up its legitimacy.

Sport and religion, however, have not always been on a collision course. Christianity’s initial problems with sports, as shown in Remillard’s account, dissolved with time as sports became more popular and the idea of “Muscular Christianity" gained ground. While a patriarchal concept, Muscular Christianity’s emphasis on physical activity and good health would slowly win over the evangelicals. And although the domain of sports was not immune to anti-Semitism and unfortunately isn’t even today, Jewish minorities often found sports to be a good way of integrating with the mainstream. In Hinduism too, sports like wrestling have served as vehicles for social and caste mobility. Outside religion, sports would provide a platform of protest against racism—the champion boxer Muhammad Ali being the most recognized exponent of this crusade.

The impact of sports on human history has overwhelmingly been for the better. The sport-governing bodies should, however, realize that a quest for equality on the field of play should not end up imposing uniformity to the extent of throttling diversity. Hijabs, turbans and kippahs are non-threatening additions and can be embraced. To be fair, sport has shown the ability to respond to democratic demands. The performance of religion on this count has been slightly less encouraging, to put it mildly.

Is religion incompatible with sports? Tell us at views@livemint.com


We owe a hat tip to Aleister at Progressives Today for this one because the debate over Second Amendment rights may have just hit a new low. You may recall that we previously covered the release of some Second Amendment friendly reboots of Grimm’s Fairy Tales for the NRA, created by our friend Amelia Hamilton. That clearly didn’t sit well with anti-gun groups, particularly the Brady Campaign. As the Washington Free Beacon reports, they responded with a frank, well researched argument about how these portrayals are unproductive and offered alternate suggestions for crafting a more nuanced, accurate argument.

Naw… I’m just kidding. They produced their own fairy tale which features Alice of Wonderland fame shooting herself in the face.

A new ad from a prominent gun control group features the main character from Alice in Wonderland shooting herself in the face with a handgun. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence published the ad titled Alice PSA to its YouTube page Thursday. In it, Alice can be seen following the white rabbit through wonderland when she comes upon a room with a cabinet. In the cabinet she finds a gun, which she then shoots herself in the face with. “Over one-third of all American households have a gun,” a voiceover says as Alice pulls the trigger. “Ask your neighbor: Is there a gun where they play? Asking saves kids.”

That likely sounds so implausible as to border on science fiction so you should probably take a look for yourself. Don’t worry… it’s pretty short.

As you can imagine, Amelia wasn’t thrilled with their take on it.

Me: what if fairy tale characters were safe?

Brady campaign: what if they shot themselves in the face? — Amelia (@AmeliaHammy) April 12, 2016

What is it with these anti-gun groups? The original fairy tales – as I’m sure most people would agree – are pretty horrific and filled with violence as it is. But the violence is generally directed at the heroes and heroines of the story or innocent bystanders and supporting characters. In Amelia’s version, the characters have the chance to defend themselves and actually resolve some conflicts through intimidation rather than actually having to kill, skin or burn the evil-doer.

The Brady Campaign clearly chooses to go a different route. They’re so desperate to have some violence, preferably at the hands of someone with a gun, that they portray a young child unloading a handgun into her face. As if the original fairy tales weren’t scarring enough for kids who are trying to get some sleep!

This is just sick. There’s really no other way to describe it.


Meet the lesbian Atlanta Police officers suing for the right to legally marry in Georgia

Meet the lesbian Atlanta Police officers suing for the right to legally marry in Georgia

One Tuesday morning late last month, Rayshawn Chandler and her wife Avery Chandler pulled into the parking lot at the 730 Midtown building and began walking towards the entrance.

“Baby, you see the news trucks?” Rayshawn asked Avery.

Avery looked over, then back to Rayshawn. “Why would you say that?!” she asked, laughing, since Rayshawn was well aware that Avery was nervous.

They continued on into the building and the reason for Avery’s nerves—they were heading for the Southern Regional office of Lambda Legal, and about to step out of the shadows and in front of a horde of local and national press to be introduced to the world alongside their five fellow plaintiffs in Inniss v. Aderhold, the federal class-action lawsuit attempting to strike down Georgia’s 2004 same-sex marriage ban.

Avery recalls talking “a million miles a second” on the way to the press conference. “I was freaking out,” she says.

However, her wife balanced her out.

“I used that time to just think about the success of what’s going to happen,” Rayshawn says. “I’m really positive that things are going to come around for us.”

‘THE SKY JUST OPENED UP’

Rayshawn, 29 and a Miami native, and Avery, 30 and an Atlanta native, are both officers with the Atlanta Police Department. Avery is also in the Army Reserves.

They met at the police academy in 2010 and occasionally worked out or went on runs together. It was strictly a colleague relationship until the following March, when they worked a few extra jobs together and began to talk and learn more about each other. And it was clear who was chasing whom.

“I thought I was going to have to go get a rope and tie her down,” Rayshawn says laughing. “Oh my God, she was running.”

Avery thought Rayshawn was straight and told her she “didn’t need another straight friend.”

“My gaydar was broken,” Avery says.

She finally picked up on Rayshawn’s intentions and ended up accepting an invitation to Rayshawn’s June graduation from the police academy.

“She surprised me and came and I just thought that it was the sweetest thing,” Rayshawn says. “She went out to dinner with my family and I after graduation and it was wonderful.”

They consider that graduation day, June 26, their anniversary and have been dating ever since. They moved in together the following October, then were married the following June in West Hartford, Connecticut, on their two-year anniversary.

The ceremony occurred in a rose garden in Elizabeth Park.

“It seemed like it blossomed just for us because we were told that prior to our wedding day, it had rained the entire week,” Rayshawn says. “The sky just opened up on our wedding day.”

FIGHTING FOR THEIR FAMILY

Like many of the other plaintiffs involved in Inniss v. Aderhold, neither Rayshawn nor Avery, who call themselves “Team Chandler,” have any background in LGBT activism. They live a quiet life together in Jonesboro, getting together with friends and family for the occasional barbecue or bowling night. So how did they get from there to walking through Lambda Legal’s doors on April 22 and telling their story to the world?

The decision to join the suit didn’t come without concerns, with Rayshawn mentioning having their “life on a platter for everyone to look at and pick at and make their assumptions and put their opinions on,” and Avery was worried about “being vulnerable and exposed for everybody to look at.”

But the Chandlers want kids, and they were more concerned about moving forward with that plan without the legal protections afforded to straight families throughout Georgia than they were concerned about the intrusion a lawsuit would bring on their private lives.

“We want a family dynamic that’s fair and that receives the same respect that others get,” Rayshawn says. “That’s a pet peeve of mine. We don’t want to be tagged as ‘that lesbian couple.’ We’re just a couple. We just want to be normal.”

The perils of their jobs also factored into the decision, since their choice to protect the city of Atlanta (and in Avery’s case, the nation) increases the risk to their personal safety. Avery says that they want to ensure that “if anything were to happen to Ray or to me, we wouldn’t have to worry about having to fight anyone for our child,” she explains. “Or fight for the right to see my wife in the hospital.”

They’re in the planning phase of becoming parents and hope to take that step in the next year or so.

“This is a really important issue and it’s near and dear to my heart,” Avery continues. “And if it’s near and dear to your heart then you want to fight for it and make things right.”

‘SHOCK AND AWE’

The press conference ended up being an emotional scene, with several plaintiffs and even an attorney or two wiping away tears as each of the plaintiffs’ stories were told.

“To finally know the background of everybody and that we’re all fighting for the same mission, it meant so much,” Rayshawn says. “All of us have our own individual reasons for why [we’re joining the suit], so it was kind of like an ‘ah-ha’ moment. They all make sense. Look at that. They’re all valid reasons why this thing should be recognized.”

Following the press conference, and especially after segments on the lawsuit ran on the 12 o’clock news that day, came what Rayshawn called “shock and awe”—a barrage of phone calls, text messages and Facebook messages and friend requests from people far and wide trying to make a connection with this suddenly public couple.

Although well prepared for the attention the lawsuit would bring, the size of the initial onslaught still surprised them.

“The support was amazing,” Rayshawn says. “When we went into it, we didn’t look at how big it would be and how it would impact so many people. We were in a bubble. In our eyes we were just looking at our situation.”

Things have quieted down since then and gotten back to normal as Lambda Legal and the rest of the legal team await a response from the defendants in the lawsuit. The couple posts the occasional video to their YouTube channel, OurNormalLifeAtlanta, giving an update on their lives and fielding questions from viewers. They’ve also bonded with the other plaintiffs, meeting up for the occasional bite to eat and they’re planning a group outing soon.

“It’s like a little family,” Avery says.

If the lawsuit goes as they hope it to, Rayshawn, Avery and the rest of Georgia’s LGBT community will be able to rest easier knowing each of their little families will have the same rights and protections, no matter whom they love.

• Visit Rayshawn and Avery Chandler’s YouTube channel OurNormalLifeAtlanta at www.youtube.com/channel/UCWKT-wBeguIu-qrGk2-c1GA

psaunders@thegavoice.com | @patricksaunders


Microsoft is bringing its classic Hover! game back to life, on the web. The game combines bumper cars and capture the flag, and originally shipped on Windows 95 CDs in a special folder called fun stuff. Microsoft has worked with Dan Church, an independent developer, to bring Hover! to the web. It took around eight weeks to get it ready in time for the launch today, and Hover! fans will be able to play the PC classic in retro and modern modes.

"Dan actually approached Microsoft when he read about IE11 and WebGL," says Microsoft's senior director of IE marketing, Roger Capriotti, in an interview with The Verge. The partnership led to a new Hover! version built using the latest WebGL technologies, and it looks very different than the original game. However, the gameplay, physics engine, and original levels are all still in place so while there's a modern twist on a PC classic, it will feel all too familiar. Microsoft has also built in a new multiplayer option and touch support for its Hover! web version, allowing Internet Explorer 11 users on Windows 8.1 to make use of a touchscreen to play the game.

The most impressive part, at least for fans of the classic Hover! version, is that Microsoft has also built in a "secret" retro mode to activate a web version of Windows 95 complete with the original. If you visit the site and type bambi at the main screen, the original codename for the Windows 95 game release and a nod to an old Easter egg, it will activate the retro mode. While it's not a full version of Windows 95, you can also double click on share_fb.exe and tweet.exe from the desktop and Windows 95-style setup wizards will appear allowing you to share the site to Facebook and Twitter. It's all very retro and executed perfectly for those who remember using Windows 18 years ago.

For Microsoft, the project is mainly about reviving a classic game to showcase WebGL and IE11. "We build these experiences to showcase what the web can be," says Capriotti. While it's promoting Internet Explorer, the new Hover! web version will work with any browser that supports WebGL. Microsoft thinks the new site will highlight its work with WebGL, but also generate some nostalgia amongst fans. "There's over 10 unofficial versions of it [Hover!] floating around the web," says Capriotti, noting that it has a cult following. Hundreds of Hover! fans took to Reddit recently in a nostalgic thread to highlight the game. "There's a big fan base and we think folks are gonna share the game and talk about what the game was like in the '90s."


In addition to the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, the US government is pursuing court orders to force Apple to help bypass the security passcodes of "about a dozen" other iPhones, the Wall Street Journal reports. The other cases don't involve terror charges, the Journal's sources say, but prosecutors involved have also sought to use the same 220-year-old law — the All Writs Act of 1789 — to access the phones in question.

The FBI has argued that it only wants Apple to allow it to "guess" the passcode for the San Bernardino iPhone, but that innocuous-sounding process involves Apple performing a rewrite of the phone's iOS software, allowing the Bureau to use brute-force techniques to crack the passcode that might otherwise take years. The agency says it only wants this process performed on this one specific iPhone, but privacy advocates could see the additional cases as the US government already attempting to overreach this mandate.

It's not clear yet what the other cases involve

At this point, however, it's not clear what the dozen-or-so cases actually entail, nor what prosecutors are asking Apple to do exactly, or why Apple is pushing back. The FBI has complained that Apple is simply resisting its demand to unlock the phone so as not to "tarnish the Apple brand," but the company says if it gives in and allows the FBI to access the phone with "absent clear legal authority to do so," it would breach its consumers' trust.

Apple regularly assists law enforcement by helping authorities extract information from both on and off the device — from iCloud backups, for example — but it has pushed back in the San Bernardino case because the FBI is attempting to breach encryption methods introduced in newer versions of its iOS software. In cases involving phones running iOS 7 and earlier, Apple can pull out information without actively unlocking the phone for law enforcement, but iOS 8 introduced encryption linked to the passcode that made this impossible. We don't yet know which operating system the dozen other iPhones were running, but the WSJ says that many of them are using older software than iOS 9.


As I age, I get a feeling that I am becoming more and more nostalgic about the simple life, limited number of options and opportunities that were present, good food, clean environment, closer interactions with people and less of noise and emissions that electronic-mechanical machines cause. The recent trip to my hometown has already made me even more wistful, in fact. However, ‘change’ is must for the humanity to progress and… sigh… I have to live with the present.

As for my childhood to college life, I have so many things to share some of which was mentioned in a recent post on this blog. Today’s post is about some of those great old brands and products that have been part of our lives during the 70s and 80s. Of course, some of them are still being produced and sold but have transformed for good while many of them have been discontinued. Here are the things that I am talking about:

1. Parry’s Green hard candy

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of this but I am sure anybody in their 30s and 40s must have eaten whole lot of them during their childhood. These candies – known as ‘Green Parry’ (‘Paccha pyaari’ in Malayalam) – was among the four or five wrapped candy options that we had at that time apart from those local made ‘uncovered’ ones. I remember, Parry’s competitor Nutrine introducing an imitation of the same several years later.

The Parry’s Confectionery ltd company was taken over by ‘Lotte ’several years back and this particular product has been discontinued since then, I believe.

2. Hero Pens

As far as I am concerned, this is the ONLY Made in China product that I have ever liked in my whole life and it was my first Chinese experience as well. Unlike today’s children, we never got to use the ball point pen s until the age of 12 (or sixth grade) on account of ‘bad hand writing’ resulting from ball point pens. Most of us started our writing with cheaper ‘Bismi’ or ‘Jubilee’ fountain pens and then progressed to using the Hero Pens (fondly called ‘Heero pena’ In Malayalam. Many of us in fact get to use it only for exams – for some not until the SSLC examination – and it was indeed a super smooth experience to use them. Mostly people used to get these pens as gifts from those who worked in the Gulf countries but later on they were available in shops for Rs.25 or so in stationery shops.

The hero pens were cool due to their smooth quality of writing and the ability to fill ink via a cool press-suction operation. Old time pens had to be filled via direct pouring of the ink and we used to end up having the ink spilled on the floor as well as on our shirts.

As I moved to college, the Hero pen gave way to Pilots, Parkers and Sheaffers but the Hero fountain pen was always my hero!

3. Happy T-shirts

Now, this one is tricky and probably only Malayalis will understand what I am talking about. During those days mostly there would be at least one Keralite from every other household working in the Gulf countries (Generalized as ‘Persia’) and they make a visit once in every four or five years. At that time, everyone in the family – to the n’th relationship level – neighborhood and the village need to be gifted something or other. Cigarettes, cheap perfume sprays and synthetic clothe material or saris that will last beyond five generations were some of the cheaper options to keep everyone happy. Among these gifts, the kids usually gets the so-called “Happy T-shirt” which is nothing but a round neck T-shirt made of cheap synthetic fabric and a big H A P P Y written on it in a semi circle. We kids were, indeed, very happy to get them as gifts and would proudly wear them till they wore out. Those who wear Happy Tees were identified as the Gulf fellow’s son or relative.

(Several years later somebody revealed to me that a dozen of them would cost only something like 5 Dirhams or so and that’s how the poor Gulf Malayali could afford to buy them for everyone of our age group in that village. By the way, I do not know the actual the brand name of this T-shirt but it was always known as Happy shirt)

4. Chelpark Ink

Of course, the usage of fountain pen would mean daily refill of ink in the same. When we were in fourth or fifth grade, we used cheaper “Brill” or “Camel” brand of ink. At that time my father was using a Sheaffer’s pen and he used to buy this blue-black ink by Chelpark. It was super quality ink for the Indian standards and I believe it’s still being produced in India. However, the original wide-bottom glass bottle is missing now.

I used the Chelpark ink for several years, I would say till I got my first job but had totally forgotten about it until my co-brother Manoj reminded me of that brand last week. In fact, that was the inspiration behind this post.

5. Camel instrument box

The camel brand of math instrument box is no brainer. Camel is still a leading brand in India for stationery and art-craft supplies. However, during our school days it was something big and getting a Camel box was an ultimate achievement in one’s otherwise limited wish list. Some of us get them during fifth or sixth grade and had to use the same till you pass out of 10th standard. Many times, the original paper sleeve wrapper around the box would be preserved intact for many years in order to protect the precious box from losing any of its print work on the surface.

For those who couldn’t afford to spend two rupees more, there were brands like ‘Nataraj’ and the twin-brother of Camel was the ‘Camlin’ brand of instrument boxes.

6. Premier rubber slippers

Lungis and Dhotis were the perfect clothing (and it still is for many) for Malayalis due to the sultry climate conditions and rains aplenty. The perfect footwear that goes with them was a pair of ‘Premier’ rubber slippers. I believe, I am recalling the name right because before brands like ‘Paragon’, ‘Fisher’ etc surfaced, it was all about Premier Hawai chappals. I am attaching a picture of the currently available Paragon slippers to give you an idea of how Premier looked like. But I guess, Premier brand is not available any more.

Talking about these Hawai chappals, most Malayalis wore them to school, colleges or even to work. And like their ultra white dhotis (Mundu), these slippers used to be maintained ultra clean was well. The jobless and educated mallu’s main hobby – apart from discussing international politics and Hartal or Bandh opportunities – those days was cleaning own slippers not just from the top but from sides and bottom as well.

I have used this brand of slippers for many years and I still have a pair of Paragon at home.

7. Murphy radios

Now, this should ring the bell for all because many Indian families must have had one such Murphy or Philips vintage radio until recently. These were known as ‘valve sets’ which requires quite some skill to tune it to the right frequency and several precautions for proper maintenance. Many of the featured a green dancing light valve that can be seen outside and moves according to the tuning procedure. The frequency needle – mostly sitting at a centimeter or two away from the actual frequency numbers and usually dangling – had to be carefully positioned to get the right radio station and its position usually is not the same when you tune from left as compared to the right. Basically only the owner of the radio and most likely only the elder male member of the family could tune it to perfection.

These radios also had external antenna fittings and sometimes sporting a long mesh antenna – stretching from one end of the house to the other – was considered something royal. Due to issues in tuning or reception, most of the radio stations then used to sound like the distant Ceylon station. The cold starts used to be almost impossible and needed some heating via incandescent bulbs and occasional taps (out of frustration as well) on its wooden cabinet. Usually to listen to the 12:50 noon news (called Delhi news), one had to start preparing at around 12:30 itself.

Despite all the above issues, it was fun to see and listen to such a Murphy radio. And I almost forgot to mention the Murphy logo which had a sweet baby’s face.

Does anyone still have a vintage radio at your home?

8. Dyanora TV sets

Now, these are not really very old entities but it was the first Indian television brand that I got to watch (at my neighbour’s place). I believe it was in 1980 or so? These Dyanora TVs (black and white) used to be thrice as big as its picture tube itself with two speakers on either side and sliding shutters that would close from both sides. It had pathetic design aesthetics but who cares when the transmission itself is available for only one or two hours per day – that too in black and white and with full of interruptions (Rukaavat ke liye khed hai!)

Though I never ever liked Dyanora as a brand, I think it was one of the household names during those days and I remember it as the first TV I ever watched.

9. Vijay Super Scooter

Well, in a comment within my post about the Bajaj Chetak Scooter, I had mentioned about the Vijay super scooter. I learned riding on a Vijay super which is a discontinued model for years now. It was in fact something that looked like a Lamby and would run on a half-petrol half-kerosene mix. Though, this combination meant starting trouble and occasional ‘fut-phut’ sounds, I always remember it as the first geared two-wheeler I have ridden in my life not to forget the Luna moped which I had tried prior to that.

10. Tinopal

Now, how many of you can guess what it was? Tinopal (later it became Ranipal) was one of the clothe whitening agents (like Ujala) that I have seen my mother using during my childhood. It always amazed me because a drop of it was good enough for a bucketful of white clothes to make it surprisingly sparkling and smelling good. Its fragrance was similar to that of the modern fabric conditioners but I believe it was far superior. Sometimes, I just don’t understand why such brands were discontinued.

By the way, I managed to Google out this newspaper ad announcing the brand name change – Tinopal to Ranipal

Over to you

I am sure all of you have plenty to talk about those retro brands. I still have many in my list but some of them that I haven’t directly consumed or experienced.

Let me know if you have any pleasant memories to share about those products or old brands that you have seen, used or experienced 20 or 30 years (or even before) back!


Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below. For further information on Courtesy Titles see Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom.

Abbreviations [ edit ]

Several terms have been abbreviated in the table below. The forms used in the table are given first, followed by alternative acceptable abbreviations in parentheses.

Royalty [ edit ]

A formal announcement in The London Gazette reads:

"The Queen has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 31 December 2012 to declare that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of Royal Highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their Christian names or with such other titles of honour."

This refers to any children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Nobility [ edit ]

Peers, peeresses and non-peerage [ edit ]

Eldest sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of dukes, marquesses and earls [ edit ]

Eldest sons of dukes, marquesses and earls use their father's most senior subsidiary title as courtesy titles: note the absence of "The" before the title.[Note 8] If applicable, eldest sons of courtesy marquesses or courtesy earls also use a subsidiary title from their (great) grandfather, which is lower ranking than the one used by their father. Eldest daughters do not have courtesy titles; all courtesy peeresses are wives of courtesy peers.[Note 9]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Courtesy marquess Marquess of London My Lord or

Dear Lord London My Lord or

Lord London Courtesy marquess's wife Marchioness of London Madam or

Dear Lady London My Lady or

Lady London Courtesy earl Earl of London My Lord or

Dear Lord London My Lord or

Lord London Courtesy earl's wife Countess of London Madam or

Dear Lady London My Lady or

Lady London Courtesy viscount Viscount London My Lord or

Dear Lord London My Lord or

Lord London Courtesy viscount's wife Viscountess London Madam or

Dear Lady London My Lady or

Lady London Courtesy baron

Courtesy Lord of Parliament Lord London My Lord or

Dear Lord London My Lord or

Lord London Courtesy baron's wife

Wife of courtesy Lord of Parliament Lady London Madam or

Dear Lady London My Lady or

Lady London

Heirs-apparent and heirs-presumptive of Scottish peers [ edit ]

(Heirs-apparent and heirs-presumptive of Scottish peers use the titles "Master" and "Mistress"; these are substantive, not courtesy titles. If, however, the individual is the eldest son of a Duke, Marquess or Earl, then he uses the appropriate courtesy title, as noted above.)

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Scottish peer's heir-apparent

or heir-presumptive The Master of Edinburgh Sir or

Dear Master of Edinburgh Sir or

Master Scottish peer's heiress-apparent

or heiress-presumptive The Mistress of Edinburgh Madam or

Dear Mistress of Edinburgh Madam or

Mistress

Sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of peers [ edit ]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Duke's younger son

(Courtesy) Marquess's younger son The Lord John Smith My Lord or

Dear Lord John (Smith) My Lord or

Lord John Duke's younger son's wife

(Courtesy) Marquess's younger son's wife The Lady John Smith Madam or

Dear Lady John My Lady or

Lady John (Courtesy) Earl's younger son

(Courtesy) Viscount's son

(Courtesy) Baron's son

(Courtesy) Lord of Parliament's son The Hon John Smith Sir or

Dear Mr Smith Sir or

Mr Smith (Courtesy) Earl's younger son's wife

(Courtesy) Viscount's son's wife

(Courtesy) Baron's son's wife

(Courtesy) Lord of Parliament's son's wife The Hon Mrs John Smith Madam or

Dear Mrs Smith Madam or

Mrs Smith

Daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of peers [ edit ]

(If a daughter of a peer or courtesy peer marries another peer or courtesy peer, she takes her husband's rank. If she marries anyone else, she keeps her rank and title, using her husband's surname instead of her maiden name.)

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Duke's daughter

(Courtesy) Marquess's daughter

(Courtesy) Earl's daughter

(unmarried or married to a commoner) The Lady Mary Smith (if unmarried),

The Lady Mary Brown (husband's surname, if married) Madam or

Dear Lady Mary My Lady or

Lady Mary (Courtesy) Viscount's daughter

(Courtesy) Baron's daughter

(Courtesy) Lord of parliament's daughter

(unmarried) The Hon Mary Smith Madam or

Dear Miss Smith Madam or

Miss Smith (Courtesy) Viscount's daughter

(Courtesy) Baron's daughter

(Courtesy) Lord of Parliament's daughter

(married to a commoner) The Hon Mrs Brown (husband's surname) Madam or

Dear Mrs Brown Madam or

Mrs Brown

[10] Gentry and minor nobility [ edit ]

Baronets [ edit ]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Baronet Sir John Smith, Bt (or Bart)[Note 5] Sir or

Dear Sir John (Smith) Sir or

Sir John Baronetess in her own right Dame Mary Smith, Btss Madam or

Dear Dame Mary (Smith) Madam or

Dame Mary Baronet's wife Lady Smith Madam or

Dear Lady Smith My Lady or

Lady Smith Baronet's divorced wife Mary, Lady Smith Baronet's widow Mary, Lady Smith

Dowager Lady Smith, or

Lady Smith if the heir incumbent is unmarried

Knights [ edit ]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Knight (of any order) Sir John Smith[Note 5] Sir or

Dear Sir John (Smith) Sir or

Sir John Lady (of the Order of the Garter or the Thistle) Lady Mary Smith Madam or

Dear Lady Mary (Smith) My Lady or

Lady Mary Dame (of an order other than the Garter or the Thistle) Dame Mary Smith Madam or

Dear Dame Mary (Smith) Madam or

Dame Mary Knight's wife Lady Smith Madam or

Dear Lady Smith My Lady or

Lady Smith

Scottish barons (non-peerage nobility) [ edit ]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Feudal baron The Much Hon John Smith of Edinburgh

or The Much Hon John Smith,

Baron of Edinburgh or

The Much Hon The Baron of Edinburgh[8] Sir or

Dear Edinburgh or

Dear Baron Edinburgh or

Baron Female feudal baroness or

Feudal baron's wife As feudal baron,

substituting "Madam"

for first name and

substituting "Baroness" for "Baron", or

Lady Edinburgh[9] Madam or

Dear Baroness or Dear Lady Edinburgh Madam or

Baroness or

Lady Edinburgh

Chiefs, chieftains and lairds [ edit ]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Chief, chieftain or laird

(Only lairds recognised in a

territorial designation by

the Lord Lyon) John Smith of Smith or

John Smith of Edinburgh

or

John Smith of that Ilk or

The Smith of Smith or

The Smith of Edinburgh or

The Smith[Note 10]

(only the 2nd form of

address above applies

to lairds) Sir or

Dear Edinburgh (if placename in title) or

Dear Smith (otherwise) Edinburgh (if placename in title) or

Smith (otherwise) Female Chief, chieftain or laird or

Chief, chieftain or laird's wife Chief, chieftain or laird's wife, substituting

"Madam" or "Mrs" for first

name or "The"

or Lady Edinburgh[11][12][13] Madam or

as on envelope Madam or

as on envelope Chief (etc.)'s heir-apparent John Smith of Edinburgh, yr or

John Smith, yr of Edinburgh or

John Smith of Edinburgh

(last only if different first name to father) Sir or

Dear Younger of Edinburgh or

Dear Mr Smith of Edinburgh Sir or

Young Edinburgh or

The Younger of Edinburgh Chief (etc.)'s heir-apparent's wife Mrs Smith of Edinburgh, yr or

Mrs Smith, yr of Edinburgh Madam or

Dear Mrs Smith of Edinburgh the Younger Madam or

Mrs Smith of Edinburgh Chief (etc.)'s eldest daughter (if none senior) Miss Smith of Edinburgh or

Jane Smith, Maid of Edinburgh Madam or

Dear Miss Smith of Edinburgh or

Dear Maid of Edinburgh Madam or

Miss Smith of Edinburgh or

Maid of Edinburgh Chief (etc.)'s younger daughter Miss Mary Smith of Edinburgh Madam or

Dear Miss Smith of Edinburgh Madam or

Miss Smith of Edinburgh

Clergy [ edit ]

Church of England [ edit ]

Similar styles are also applied to clergy of equivalent status in other religious organisations. The words clergy and cleric/clerk are derived from the proper term for bishops, priests and deacons still used in legal documents: Clerk in Holy Orders (e.g. "Vivienne Frances Faull, Clerk in Holy Orders").

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Archbishop The Most Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury/York Dear Archbishop Your Grace or

Archbishop Archbishop that is not in Privy Council The Most Revd The Lord Archbishop of Wales Dear Archbishop Your Grace or

Archbishop Diocesan bishop in Privy Council The Rt Revd and Rt Hon The Lord Bishop of London Dear Bishop My Lord or

Bishop Bishop, diocesan or suffragan The Rt Revd The Lord Bishop of Durham Dear Bishop My Lord or

Bishop Dean The Very Revd The Dean of York Dear Mr/Madam Dean Dean or

Mr/Madam Dean Archdeacon The Ven The Archdeacon of London Dear Archdeacon Archdeacon Prebendary The Revd Prebendary Smith Dear Prebendary Smith Prebend Canon The Revd Canon John Smith Dear Canon Canon Priest The Revd John Smith Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Smith Mr/Mrs/Ms Smith or

Vicar/Rector/Prebendary/Curate/Chaplain etc. as applicable Deacon The Revd Deacon John Smith or

The Revd John Smith

Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Smith or

Dear Deacon Smith Deacon Smith or Mr/Mrs/Ms Smith

The usage 'Lord' as applied to a bishop pre-dates the United Kingdom, and is a well-established convention. It is more usual to abbreviate Reverend (if at all) to Rev'd rather than Rev. Where a personal name is not used for a priest or deacon, the manner of address is Rev Mr etc., i.e. the Rev is used with the usual title. Without this title, the use of Rev with a surname should not be used in the United Kingdom for any ordained person, whether Anglican or not - it is a solecism. Catholic (and Anglo-Catholic) clergy favour Fr (Father) {or Mthr (Mother)}. For further details see Crockford's Guide to addressing the Clergy.

Clergy: 'introduce as Mr Pike or Father Pike according to his preference' (Debrett's Etiquette and Modern Manners 1981 pg230)

Church of Scotland [ edit ]

It should be noted that the Church of Scotland as a Presbyterian Church recognizes state-awarded titles only as courtesy. In court (Assembly, Presbytery and Session) one may only be addressed as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr, Prof, etc. depending on academic achievement. Thus ministers are correctly addressed as, for example Mr Smith or Mrs Smith unless they have a higher degree or academic appointment e.g. Dr Smith or Prof. Smith. It is 'infra dig' to use the title 'Rev' and even the use of 'the Rev Mr' requires sensitivity to official style.

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly His Grace The Lord High Commissioner Your Grace Your Grace or Sir/Ma'am Clergy The Rev John Smith Dear Mr Smith Mr Smith/Dr Smith etc. Current Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Right Rev John Smith Dear Mr Smith Mr Smith/Dr Smith etc. Former Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Very Rev John Smith Dear Mr Smith Mr Smith/Dr Smith etc.

Judiciary [ edit ]

United Kingdom [ edit ]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address In court Male Justice of the Supreme Court The Lord Smith, PC Lord Smith Lord Smith My Lord[14] Female Justice of the Supreme Court The Lady Smith, PC Lady Smith Lady Smith My Lady[14]

England and Wales [ edit ]

Scotland [ edit ]

A judge's first name only forms part of their judicial style if, at the time of their appointment, there is a senior judge with the same or a similar surname. Thus, if there is a "Mr Justice Smith", subsequent judges will be "Mr Justice John Smith", "Mrs Justice Mary Smith", etc.

A member of the Bar (but not a solicitor) addresses a circuit judge or higher, out of court, as "Judge".

Academics [ edit ]

The forms of address used for academics can, in most cases, be either formal or social.[18][19]

Position On envelopes Salutation in letter Oral address In conversation Chancellor (formal) The Chancellor of [university name] Dear Chancellor Chancellor (if on a platform) or by name and title The Chancellor or by name Chancellor (social) [Name],[Note 13] Chancellor of [university name] By name By name or Chancellor The Chancellor or by name Vice-Chancellor (formal) The Vice-Chancellor of [university name][Note 14] Dear Sir/Madam/Vice-Chancellor Vice-Chancellor (if on a platform) or by name The Vice-Chancellor or by name Vice-Chancellor (social) [Name],[Note 13] Vice-Chancellor of [university name] By name or Dear Vice-Chancellor Vice-Chancellor (if on a platform) or by name The Vice-Chancellor or by name Professor (formal) Professor Jane Smith[Note 15] Dear Sir/Madam Professor Smith Professor Smith Professor (social) Professor Jane Smith Dear Professor Smith Professor Smith Professor Smith Doctor (formal)[Note 16] Dr Jane Smith or The Revd John Smith DD or Susan Brown MD or Tom Brown PhD, etc.[Note 17] Dear Sir/Madam Dr Smith Dr Smith Doctor (social)[Note 16] Dr Jane Smith Dear Dr Smith Dr Smith Dr Smith

See also [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ]

^ "London" represents any peerage title. ^ The forms given under "Salutation in Letter" are for use in social correspondence only. In formal letters, "Sir" or "Madam" would be used instead. ^ [3] and [4] The definite article "the" in the middle of two or more titles is sometimes capitalized, as in these tables. However this is controversial: traditional British guides use the lower-case "the". As a single example, Debrett's gives "Major-General the Lord……",and Pears' Cyclopaedia in the section on Modes of Address gives several examples where the definite article interior to a list of honours is lower case. a b c d "of" may be omitted in the form of Marquessates and Earldoms and included in the form of Scottish Viscountcies. It is never present in peerage Baronies and Lordships of Parliament and always present in Dukedoms and Scottish feudal Baronies. a b c d e f g h i Some styles that could represent more than one class of person are clarified by the use of post-nominal letters. For instance: Knights and Baronets are distinguished by the use of "Bt" (or, archaically, "Bart") after the latter's names (and by the use of the appropriate post-nominal letters if the former are members of an Order of Chivalry). Knights bachelor have no post-nominal letters. Substantive peers below the rank of Marquess and courtesy peers who are Privy Counsellors (both of whose titles are preceded by "The Rt Hon") are distinguished by the use of "PC" after the former's names. ^ "Smith" represents any surname. ^ "Edinburgh" represents any Scottish place name. ^ Some sources do not recommend the use of the definite article before certain courtesy titles (particularly those who have prospects of promotion within the family's titles), but it is used by official Court publications such as the Court Circular ^ If the definite article is not used before courtesy peerages and The Hon Elizabeth Smith marries Sir William Brown, she becomes The Hon Lady Brown, but if she marries the higher-ranked Lord Brown, a courtesy Baron, she becomes only Lady Brown. If this Sir William Brown's father is created Earl of London and Baron Brown, as a result of this ennoblement his wife's style will actually change, from "The Hon Lady Brown" to "Lady Brown". It is important to note that while the style may appear diminished, the precedence taken increases from that of a wife of a knight to that of a wife of an earl's eldest son. ^ The exact form of a Scottish chief's style varies from family to family, and is generally based on tradition rather than formal rules. ^ Some circuit judges – for example, the Recorder of Liverpool or circuit judges sitting in the Central Criminal Court – are addressed in court as "My Lord" or "My Lady". a b "Master" is used as the form of address whether the High Court Master is male or female. a b This is the full name and title as it would be according to the rules elsewhere on this page, e.g. The Viscount London, Sir John Smith, KBE, Professor Jane Doe, Dr Tom Brown. ^ Check official title for the university concerned: The Reverend the Vice-Chancellor (Oxford) The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancellor (Cambridge), The Vice-Chancellor and Warden (Durham), The President and Provost (UCL), etc. ^ If a professor holds an ecclesiastical rank this, strictly speaking, supersedes the academic rank. However, the academic style may still be used within academia and the two can be combined, e.g. as The Reverend Professor Jane Smith. If a professor holds a peerage or a knighthood, this title can be combined, e.g. Professor Lord Smith, Professor Sir John Smith, Professor Dame Jane Smith. a b The forms off address for a doctor applies to "the recipient of a doctorate conferred by a university or other body, such as the Council for National Academic Awards", not just those working in academia. The exception is surgeons, who are never addressed as Doctor even if they hold a doctorate. ^ Doctorates in divinity and medicine are always given as letters after the name, and this form may optionally be used for doctorates in other faculties. If "Dr" is used before the name, degrees are not given after it.