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Reference-work for "The Book of Masks," "The Wandering Stars," and "Student Bodies." |
| The Challengers Cinematic Universe [from Wikipedia] [Note: BoM exists in a floating timeline, so this article uses "BCY" to refer to years before the current BoM year, and "Y+" to refer to years after.] The Challengers Cinematic Universe (CCU) is an American film franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Challenger Studios, based on characters appearing in American comic books published by Challenging Comics. The franchise, much like the original Challenger Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over plot elements, settings, cast, and characters from franchises that were originally separate. Background and History Challenging Comics was originally founded in 1957, but had become defunct by 1975 after being purchased by the Quaker Oats Company. In 1987 Jim Bullard and Seymour Nieman, two former editors at Marvel and DC, purchased the assets of Challenging and revived the company under its original name. It initially produced books independently for DC Comics, featuring original and licensed characters. In 1997 it was joined by four popular writer-artists—Terry McCoy, Ed Salazar, Mickey Donaldson, and Bradley Lundegaard—in an arrangement that gave those artists creative control and ownership of their own characters as well as an ownership share in those originally developed by Bullard and Nieman. Though each artist was given autonomous control of his own characters and titles, a shared universe began to be developed under the common concept that the Earth had been invaded and conquered in the 1940s from another dimension, and was currently ruled by the fascistic "dark god" Baal-Thawn. This incursion, however, had caused metahumans to start appearing amongst the human population (an explicit comparison was made within-universe to "antibodies" repelling an infection), with each hero fighting usually singly but sometimes jointly against the invaders and their human collaborators. Among the characters who were linked in this shared universe were Esau Oliver (Ebon Orisha), Kerry Moon (Skydragon), Jared Strong (Stormcrow), and Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats). Brand Finnsson (the Mercurian) was not originally a part of the Challenger universe. In 2004, Challenging Comics went bankrupt and was purchased by Newport Capital Partners in a deal that that also transferred ownership of all associated intellectual properties to the purchasers in return for generous royalty payments to the original creators. A new editor-in-chief, Ivan Shakarian, was installed. In 2006 Shakarian purchased the comic book company outright from Newport in a deal that returned ownership of the characters to the original creators while retaining all other media rights in return for a temporary moratorium on royalty payments. In 15BCY, shortly before the moratorium was to be lifted, Shakarian sold Challenging Comics to Enterprising Artists, a Hollywood-based talent agency and management firm. When Enterprising shut down the publishing business, it returned the publishing license of the character to their original owners while retaining all other rights. Three of the surviving original owners of Challenging—Bullard, Salazar, and Lundegaard; Donaldson had died in 17BCY, and Nieman in 16BCY—then arranged to publish their creator-owned comics through Dark Horse. McCoy had retired by that point. In 13BCY, Enterprising partnered with private-equity groups DRG Capital, L.P., and Mondegreen Capital, L.P., to form Capitol Studios with the aim of developing movies and television shows from the intellectual properties Enterprising had purchased. (By this point, in addition to the Challengers IP, Enterprise owned a catalog that included the 1960s "Rocky Raccoon" cartoon show, and such pulp characters as Prince Zedd, Jade Viper, and the works of author Clark Hoarwell, including the Ebony Abyss mythos. (The latter was developed into a series of low- to mid-budget horror films, starting with The Horror at Bletchfield Farms, while Prince Zedd and the Jade Viper eventually were folded into the expanding Challenger franchise.) Aaron Rogers was named president of Capitol Studios, and Ivan Shakarian was named creative director. In BCY3, Challenger Studios was separated from Capitol Studios as its own production entity under the leadership of Aaron Rogers. Shakarian resigned from Challenger Studios at the time of the reorganization. Challenger Studios releases its films in sequences called "Sagas," with each Saga climaxing in a team-up crossover event released under The Challengers banner. Each Saga has also been distributed by a different studio under multi-picture deals. The first, known as "The Savage City Saga," began with Savage City and climaxed with The Challengers, and was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. The second saga, known as "The Wormwood Saga," began with The Shadow Walkers: Day of Wrath and climaxed with The Challengers: Vengeance Brigade, and was distributed by Sony Pictures. The forthcoming "Abyss Saga" will begin with The Mercurian: Event Horizon and is expected to climax with two Challengers films to be released six months apart from each other, The Challengers: Gods of the Abyss and The Challengers: Shatterday. Universal Pictures will distribute. Development The Challenger characters initially languished under Enterprising's ownership until 13BCY, when Ivan Shakarian pitched Enterprising the idea for multiple pictures based upon the Challenger characters. In Shakarian's original conception, various characters would first appear in a Justice League-like team to battle Baal-Thawn before separating into multiple, independent sequels. Enterprising was intrigued by the pitch but was reluctant to invest the money necessary to make a movie of the scale implied by Shakarian's concept of a team picture, and instead concentrated on developing the single-hero pictures first, then further whittled the idea down to a single picture, one concentrated on the character of Ebon Orisha, represented in the revised story as a gladiator in a set of games staged by Baal-Thawn for the entertainment of his deity-level allies. Among the revisions made, Ebon Orisha became the Shadow Walker, and the final film was titled after its setting, Savage City. Scripts for movies employing Skydragon, Stormcrow, and the Sewer Rats continued to be low-key developed, but only a script for The Mercurian (which was being developed separate from the Challengers films) came alive when Chris Previn signed to star in it. Both films were finally greenlit in BCY8 after Goldman Sachs partnered with Capitol by extending a line of credit to produce both films. Released with a notable degree of critical acclaim in BCY7, Savage City went on to become the second-biggest grossing film of the year, helped in part by its featuring a strong and independent black protagonist in a year which saw a great deal of racial unrest and media attention to the plight of urban populations [citation needed]. The studio had already sensed it had a hit on its hands even before the film's release, and reactivated development of other Challenger titles. In addition, a prologue was shot and added to The Mercurian to tie it to Savage City. Late in BCY7 Shakarian was named creative consultant at the studio and tasked with revising his original pitch for a multi-film arc. While retaining his original idea for a team-up, the new plan called for multiple origin films to be produced, which would climax in a crossover event, which was given the title of The Challengers. A sequel to Savage City was prepared, bringing back the character of Shadow Walker, and Montgomery Stewart, a supporting antagonist in the original film, was brought back as the anti-hero Stormcrow in his own standalone film. The Shadow Walker was released in BCY5, Stormcrow in BCY4, and The Challengers in BCY3. All proved to be major hits. At Shakarian's urging, the studio had been careful to keep certain elements in the films open-ended so that not only could more sequels be made, but a new multi-film saga could be developed. Thus, the "Savage City Saga" was followed by the six-film "Wormwood" saga, which brought The Mercurian to Earth and added Skydragon and The Sewer Rats to the ongoing story. For the third Saga (upcoming) plans are to add the characters Jade Viper and Prince Zedd, who were not part of the comic books but were independent characters acquired by Capitol. Controversies Despite its worldwide success, the Challengers Cinematic Universe has been mired in a series of controversies almost from its inception. The appearance of Savage City in the summer of BCY7 coincided with many inner-city riots, and its popularity in this context was the source of much discussion, with some praising the film as expressive of the hopelessness of inner-city life and the resentments of a racial underclass against its perceived exploitation by a ruling class, and others condemning it for stoking race-based animosities. It was found universally notable, however, that a black protagonist sporting superpowers had taken a film to the top of the box office charts, and Zakhele Zuma, who played the Shadow Walker, was universally praised for his performance and by the poise he showed in the midst of the controversies. Controversies continued, however, with the release of The Mercurian. Comic book fans were startled by the way the film explicitly tied itself to the universe of Savage City, with many criticizing it for the liberties taken with the source material in order to make these connections, even though creator Terry McCoy said that he had been careful not to write anything in the original comics that would contradict anything established in the shared universe being developed elsewhere, in case a crossover were ever planned. Moreover, many black fans of the Shadow Walker expressed dismay that a film starring Chris Previn, an established white star of some heft, was being added to the developing universe, feeling that a white actor was in this way overshadowing the breakout performance of a black actor. More criticism was directed at the producers for turning the antagonist henchman Stormcrow, who had acted as an enforcer for the invaders, into another rebel and giving him a movie of his own. Matters where not improved when certain old television interviews featuring Montgomery Adair were circulated in which he was shown making disparaging remarks about women and minorities. The actor was forced to apologize. More recently there has been online controversy about the addition of Jade Venom and Prince Zedd to the universe. These characters were not part of the original comics but appeared as a hero-villain pair in a series of novellas and short stories published in the 1940s in the Weird Spice pulp magazine. There has been a suspicion that Challenger Studios intends to gradually phase out the original characters, over whom there are ownership disputes (see below) and whose actors are commanding increasingly high fees, for characters that they own outright and who can be cast with cheaper, unknown actors. The series has also been mired in lawsuits related to the original formation of the modern Challenging Comics and to the various transactions related to it. In particular, a three-way battle has developed between Jim Bullard and the heirs of Seymour Nieman in one corner; Terry McCoy, Ed Salazar, Mickey Donaldson, and Bradley Lundegaard in another corner; and Challenger Studios and Ivan Shakarian in another. In particular, it has been alleged by McCoy, et al, that Bullard and Nieman had structured the sale of the bankrupt Challenging Comics to Newport in a way that gave Bullard and Nieman a de facto share of royalties all of which should have gone to the artists. Meanwhile, Bullard and Nieman's heirs have joined with the artists in a lawsuit alleging that Shakarian's failure to pay royalties prior to the sale of Challenging to Enterprising Artists meant that all rights, including film rights, had reverted to them. These lawsuits are ongoing. In BCY3, Ivan Shakarian was forced out of Challenger Studios following a reorganization. He brought suit, eventually dismissed, alleging wrongful termination. Bullard, Nieman, McCoy, et al, subsequently dropped Shakarian from their suit against Challenger Studios, and Shakarian, though he continues to plead the validity of the contract by which he sold Challenging to Enterprising Artists, has publicly stated that the character creators should as a moral matter be given a share of the profits from the movies, to which contractually they are not otherwise entitled. Sagas and Films The Savage City Saga. Released by Twentieth Century Fox Savage City (released BCY7). Starring Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Benedick Morison as Baal-Thawn. Directed by Patrick Hughes. A human gladiator who fights for the entertainment of the dark gods that rule Earth suddenly manifests metahuman powers; but, knowing he will be executed if his powers are discovered, he must continue to fight without using them even as he secretly wields them to defend his housing project from the criminal gang that is terrorizing it. The Mercurian (released BCY6). Starring Chris Previn as Brand Finnsson (The Mercurian). Directed by Oscar Jenkins. A "lost colony" of metahuman Vikings on Mercury is facing an extinction event, and only Brand Finnsson, who has been marked for extermination because of his weak constitution, has the know-how to prevent it. A prologue explains that this "lost colony" was formed by an earlier incursion from the dimension of Khaoz, which transported the Vikings to Mercury and gave them the metahuman powers they need to survive there. The Shadow Walker (released BCY5). Starring Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Benedick Morison as Baal-Thawn. Directed by Patrick Hughes. The Shadow Walker is transported to Khaoz, home dimension of the invaders, for a new series of gladitorial games. He is forced to reveal his metahuman powers in order to survive, and then must organize a breakout that will return himself and a ship of human slaves to Earth. In a post-credit scene he is approached by his one-time adversary, Stormcrow, with an offer of alliance to overthrow the invaders. Stormcrow (released BCY4). Starring Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon); Benedick Morison as Baal-Thawn; Anthony Ali as Dimzud-Thrash. Directed by Richard Scott. Jared Strong, the billionaire industrialist who acts to enforce the invaders' grip upon the Earth, rebels after he begins manifesting metahuman powers, and must convince erstwhile foes Kerry Moon (Skydragon) and Dimzud-Thrash to join a campaign of terror against the invaders. In a post-credit scene, the Shadow Walker offers Skydragon a partnership that will destroy Baal-Thawn and Stormcrow both. The Challengers (released BCY3). Starring Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Benedick Morison as Baal-Thawn; Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon); Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); David Carpenter as Omniac. Directed by J. M. Forrester. A team of metahuman heroes unite to overthrow the tyrannical rule of interdimensional invaders. In a post-credit scene, the defeated rulers of Khaoz gloat that the Earth will soon be at the mercy of Wormwood the Great. The Wormwood Saga. Released by Sony Pictures. The Shadow Walker: The Way of Omniac (released BCY2). Starring Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); David Carpenter as Omniac. Directed by David Thurgood. The Shadow Walker battles the computer Omniac when it attempts to unite the shattered peoples of Earth under its rule. In a post-credit scene, the Shadow Walker receives a transmission from the Mercurian, warning that "Wormwood is coming." Skydragon (released BCY2). Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon); Fiona Duncan as Tam-Vale (Parasite-Queen). Directed by Mike Sturges. Skydragon is transported to a planet of Earth exiles where her metahuman powers are taken by the Parasite-Queen (another metahuman); she must defeat the Parasite-Queen in order to free the planet and regain her powers so she can return home. In a post-credit scene, Skydragon materializes on Earth in a city completely devoid of life. Stormcrow: Blood of Innocents (released BCY1). Starring Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); Fredric Mueller as Gunther Esterhazy (Death Head); Ezra Bigelow as Billy Watson (Apophis). Directed by Richard Scott. Former allies Stormcrow and Shadow Walker duel when the former begins a series of targeted assassinations of metahumans, arguing that they are a threat to the eventual happiness and well-being of the human race. In a post-credit scene, it is revealed that Billy Watson, a child metahuman saved by Shadow Walker, will take the name "Apophis" as his alias. The Mercurian: Starlost. (released BCY1). Starring Chris Previn as Brand Finnsson (The Mercurian); Kamal Basumatary as Wormwood. Directed by Oscar Jenkins. After Mercury is destroyed by Wormwood, an exiled god from Khaoz, Brand Finnsson makes the hazardous journey to Earth to warn of the dark lord's coming; but he arrives to find that Khaoz cultists have already defeated and exiled the other Challengers. In a post-credit scene (after the Mercurian has also been exiled), the victorious Wormwood addresses his worshippers, promising to conquer Earth and lead its armies in an invasion of Khaoz. Savage City: The Sewer Rats. (Released current year (April)). Starring Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); Kamal Basumatary as Wormwood. Directed by Eduardo Ramirez. Wormwood has restored peace to Earth, and the Sewer Rats are simply common thieves; their latest caper, involving the theft of a power-stone that Wormwood covets, puts them in contact with a number of metahumans who escaped Stormcrow's purge. In a post-credit scene, Billy Watson (Apophis) is shown opening the portal leading to the Intertemporal Void where the Challengers have been imprisoned. The Challengers: Vengeance Brigade (Released current year (July)). Starring Chris Previn as Brand Finnsson (The Mercurian); Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon); Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); Ezra Bigelow as Apophis. Directed by J. M. Forrester. Shadow Walker, after being released by Apophis, must work with the ragtag team assembled by the Sewer Rats to release the other Challengers from their prisons; and together they must thwart Wormwood before he can reopen the interdimensional rift and invade Khaoz. In a post-credit scene, Apophis takes advantage of a Sewer King caper to rob a museum of a relic. Upcoming: The Abyss Saga. To be distributed by Universal Pictures Stormcrow: Day of Wrath (Releases Y+1 (February)). Starring Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Ezra Bigelow as Apophis. Directed by Zachary Janssen. A time-slip hurtles Stormcrow into a future world that is ruled by Apophis the Dire, and must find a way to return to the past in order to warn the others. Jade Viper (Releases Y+1 (August)). Starring Park Ju-won as Jonathan Cho (Jade Viper). Directed by Lee Seong-hun. A repentant member of the Temple of Wormwood battles his former lover when she tries to revive the cult and return it to power. The Sewer Rats: World Tour (Releases Y+2 (April)). Starring Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); Brian McKee as Mozart Welles. Directed by Eduardo Ramirez. The Sewer Rats race against tycoon Mozart Welles to secure ownership of valuable relics important to an occult ritual. The Mercurian: Event Horizon (Releases Y+2 (November)). Starring Chris Previn as Brand Finnsson (The Mercurian). Directed by Oscar Jenkins. Skydragon: The Plague-King (Releases Y+3 (May)). Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon). Directed by Patrick Hughes. Jade Viper: Year of the Tiger (Releases Y3 (October)). Starring Park Ju-won as Jonathan Cho (Jade Viper). Directed by Bae Jung-rae. The Challengers: Gods of the Abyss (Releases Y+4 (June)). Starring Chris Previn as Brand Finnsson (The Mercurian); Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon); Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); Park Ju-won as Jonathan Cho (Jade Viper); Ezra Bigelow as Billy Watson (Apophis). Directed by J. M. Forrester. The Challengers: Shatterday (Releases Y+4 (November)). Starring Chris Previn as Brand Finnsson (The Mercurian); Zakhele Zuma as Esau Oliver (The Shadow Walker); Montgomery Adair as Jared Strong (Stormcrow); Paola Viani as Kerry Moon (Skydragon); Dominic Conner and Seth Chamberlain as Ethan and Andrew Grant (the Sewer Rats); Park Ju-won as Jonathan Cho (Jade Viper); Ezra Bigelow as Billy Watson (Apophis). Directed by J. M. Forrester. * * * Murray-Huemler Avionics [from Wikipedia] Murray-Huemler Avionics is an American aircraft parts supplier and manufacturer of jet engines. History Murray-McDougal In 1892 the Standard Screw & Propeller Co. was formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following the merger of five smaller manufacturers of ship's propellors: Hamilton Steel Co., Adams Dial & Screw, Prittney & Sons, McDougal Flange & Pressing, and Jackson-Brill Iron Co. In 1908 the company expanded into the manufacture of airplane propellors with the purchase of three smaller makers of airplane propellors, including Murray Gyroscopic. In 1918 the company merged with McDougal Ship Motors, an integrated manufacturer of ship propulsion parts and systems and consolidated all its businesses into three units: Murray Aero, McDougal Maritime, and Jackson-Brill Manufacturing. In 1920 it changed its name to Murray-McDougal. Its major plants were located in Columbus, Ohio; Newport News, Virginia; and Saratoga Falls, Tennessee. As a result of World War II the company evolved into a major military contractor. Huemler Huemler Corporation was founded in 1964 in a merger of the Rock Island Tool Co. and H. H. Huemler Controls, Inc. It was known as Huemler-Rock Island until 1968 when shareholders voted to change the name to Huemler Corporation. In the early 1950s Huemler had developed the technology to accurately meter fuel in jet engines, and its fuel controls were employed by Boeing and the Douglas Aircraft Co. in their airplanes. In 1958, Huemler's first environmental control system entered service, and in 1961 it began delivering automatic, electronic systems for control of cabin pressure in aircraft. Rock Island's mechanical fuel controls, in use since the 1950s, evolved into electronically controlled fuel controls, and eventually, to full-authority digital electronic controls (FADEC) for jet engines, which are in use today on many commuter, airline, and military engine applications. Huemler's environmental systems and early association with NASA were highlighted in the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. Merger In 1977 Murray-McDougal and Huemler attempted a merger, but were blocked by the U. S. Justice Department. In a compromise, the department allowed a complicated series of divestitures and mergers. McDougal Maritime and Jackson-Brill were separated into two independent companies, following which Murray Aero was allowed to merge with Huemler to create Murray-Huemler Avionics, by which name the company continues to be known. In 1997 the company was acquired by Fane-Powers Corp. In 2006 Fane-Powers sold a 50% stake in Murray-Huemler to Fane PLC of the United Kingdom. Facilities Murray-Huemler maintains factories in Rockford, Illinois; MacGregor, Texas; and Saratoga Falls, Tennessee. In 1998 it expanded its facilities in Saratoga Falls by purchasing certain assets from United Technologies, which had acquired Jackson-Brill in the meantime. * * * Spartan Techadyne, Inc. [From Wikipedia] Spartan Techadyne is a multinational corporation headquartered in Saratoga Falls, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. History Spartan Manufacturing Spartan Manufacturing began in 1919 as the Wisconsin Plating and Stamping Co., which merged with the Detroit Axle and Bumper Co. in 1928. After changing its name to Allied-American Automotive Manufacturing, the company continued to expand its manufacturing investments in the automotive industry with the acquisition in 1935 of Thompkins & Beard Batteries, Delta-General Auto Parts in 1937, and the United States Steel Spring Corporation in 1941. The company had overextended itself, however, and in 1944, as a result of wartime economies which restricted the manufacture of automobiles, the company was placed in receivership. It emerged reorganized as a result of a merger with another bankrupt manufacturer, Walker-Trecker. By 1958, as a result of the postwar boom in automobile sales, Allied-American comprised 17 factories in the Upper Midwestern U. S. It changed its name to Spartan Manufacturing in 1961 following its purchase of the Perry Jet Engine Co., a military contractor. The purchase of Perry Jet inaugurated a period of diversification, and in short order the company, through a series of stock-backed purchases, expanded to include Admiralty Motorcycles, Eagle Zinc Company, K & S Hydraulic Pressing & Forging, Palmer Valley Iron and Railroad, Dominguez Sugar, Capitol Insurance, Cielo Vista Cigars, Bliss Faucets, Spot Records, and the Palmer-Stanley-Fox chain of movie theaters. By 1973, conglomerates were out of fashion on Wall Street, and the company began to downsize, and by 1975 it had reduced itself once again to a company narrowly focused on manufacturing. However, a severe recession in the automotive industry, coupled with military downsizing post-Vietnam, which hurt its military contracting business, left the company with large losses. Dynamic Electronics Ross A. Collins founded Dynamo Radio Company in 1933 in Des Moines, Iowa. It designed and produced both shortwave radio equipment and equipment for the AM radio broadcast industry. Dynamo supplied the military, the scientific community, and the larger AM radio stations with equipment. In 1936, Collins had expanded to produce audio consoles, portable field announcers boxes, and broadcast transmissions. During World War II, Dynamo was the principal supplier of radio and navigation equipment used in the military.[citation needed] In the postwar years, the Dynamo expanded its work into flight-control instruments, radio-communication devices, and satellite voice transmissions. In 1968, it changed its name to Dynamic Electronics. Technical Electronic Laboratories In 1967, after retiring from the U. S. Army, General Richard B. Terrell founded Technical Electronics Laboratories (TEL) in Saratoga Falls, Iowa. Terrell had been chief executive officer of the Army's Signal Corps Laboratories at the nearby Fort Suffolk military installation, and his new company was formed to research, design and service electronic gear for Fort Suffolk. TEL's work was of a sensitive nature, and despite its obvious commercial applications, the company was contractually prevented from offering any of its designs or products to any but the U. S. military. Merger By 1978 the U. S. government was expressing grave concerns about the health of Spartan Manufacturing, which was one of its key military contractors, and was also concerned that the much smaller Dynamic Electronics, another key contractor, might be bought out by another firm. The Defense Department therefore coordinated with Fane-Powers Corp. to effect a three-way merger of Spartan, Dynamic, and TEL. In the complex transaction that followed, Fane-Powers assumed ownership of most of Spartan's money-losing industrial manufacturing companies while selling it portions of its own defense contracting businesses; Fane-Powers also financed Spartan's purchase of TEL, whose products the combined entity would be empowered to release commercially; and an all-stock merger was completed with Dynamic. Fane-Powers then accumulated a 20% stake in the resulting company, Spartan Techadyne, Inc. The management of TEL assumed control of the combined companies, despite being by far the smallest of the merger partners. In 1995, Fane-Powers Corp. purchased the company outright, and operates it as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Facilities and operations Spartan Techadyne maintains division headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Canoga Park, California, and Neosho, Missouri. Its military products include unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles, and jet trainers. Its commercial products include navigation and communication systems for commercial aircraft, and cabin products such as in-flight entertainment. It also maintains a major research laboratory complex in Saratoga Falls, Iowa, where the company is headquartered. Products with commercial application that have emerged from the laboratory (after a period of exclusively military application) include high-speed electronics, human-computer interfaces, augmented reality devices, and imaging systems. The laboratory also has conducted research in metalorganic epitaxy. * * * The Tabernacle of Jehovah [from Wikipedia] The First Synod of the Tabernacle of Jehovah, also known as the Tabernacle of Jehovah or the Knights of Jehovah was a denomination in the Restorationist branch of Christianity. It originated in western New York, United States, around 1810. There are no known churches or congregations belonging to it currently. History The Tabernacle of Jehovah was established formally in 1813 by Irving Henry of Saratoga, New York, but Henry and his earliest adherents are known to have been active as early as 1805. Between 1799 and 1804 Henry lived in Switzerland, from which he made excursions (despite the wartime conditions on the continent) into Germany and Great Britain, before returning to the United States. It is unknown to what extent his views before his Swiss sojourn had been heterodox, but they had certainly evolved beyond the boundaries of the mainstream churches by the time of his return to the United States. Henry found his earliest and most notable converts in the Hudson Valley of New York, most prominently among certain wealthy Dutch families. These financed his church and supported a scheme to create a utopian colony in those trans-Appalachian regions of the United States that were being opened to settlement. By 1823 definite plans were being drawn up for a colony of believers. The bulk of the church membership seems to have undertaken the migration westward in 1825 under the leadership of Philip Sidney Batcheller, establishing the new colony on the Mohegan River. The financial backers remained in the east while making only occasional visits. The settlement proved fruitful, and by 1840 Saratoga Falls was the largest settlement in its valley and was rapidly overshadowing its neighbors. However, its very success undermined its religious character as new arrivals swamped the old believers. In 1848 its founding charter was revoked and a new charter making no references to the Tabernacle or any of its principles established. The Tabernacle itself ceased to operate as a functioning congregation at about this time, and its beliefs and practices seem to have gradually died out. Irving Henry himself died in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1845; any worshippers who continued to meet must have done so privately and leaving records behind. Doctrine The Tabernacle of Jehovah had few permanent doctrines or dogmas associated with it. Beyond its general belief structure, derived from Judeo-Christianity, its only stable doctrine was the Doctrine of Perpetual Exodus, which held that the community of Christian souls must exist in a state of perpetual "exodus" from the "Egypt" of the material world toward the "Jerusalem" of God's world. As the community could only exist amidst perpetual "strivings" and "wanderings", it held that no permanent doctrine should be espoused. Instead, it looked to direct and circumstantially dictated inspiration by God's angelic ministers. Speaking in tongues and automatic writing were held to be the primary means by which these angelic ministers communicated, though as time passed the use of mediums and planchettes was also employed. No sacred texts were ever collected; in fact, it was practice to ritually burn all such texts shortly after their deliverance, that they might not impede the receiving of new angelic instruction. Organization and structure The Jehovah of the Old Testament was held to be the Supreme Governor of the universe, who employed a variety of messengers to receive and to impart communications with men. The prophets of Israel, along with certain "sages" of other countries, were held to have been His earliest messengers. A fundamental change was held to have occurred, however, with the ministry of Jesus Christ, whom Henry held was not an incarnation of the deity but merely another angel, but one whose crucifixion and resurrection had opened a new and more reliable channel of communication to Jehovah, and which enabled the deity to communicate directly to divinely inspired believers through another angelic messenger named Elochaim. It was to Elochaim that Henry ascribed his inspirations, and urged his followers to open themselves as well to the angel's influence. Henry himself disdained to occupy any office in his new church, but instead organized a permanent synod of five believers whose responsibility it would be to receive angelic instruction, and to examine such instructions (when received by single individuals rather than by the synod as a whole) for veracity. Henry held that this synod would be only the first of his burgeoning church and that others would be organized as the new faith spread, and so this first church came to be known as the First Synod of the Tabernacle of Jehovah. Subsidiary to the synod were the five Knights of the Tabernacle of Jehovah. These acted to examine followers for their faith and to encourage them to follow the revelations of the synod. The body of believers were known as the Wilderness, for they were held to be desolate in the absence of the Tabernacle, and to be a people only when animated by the revelations of the Synod. There was apparently no organization within the Wilderness. Worship Practices In keeping with its Doctrine of Perpetual Exodus, the Tabernacle of Jehovah did not erect permanent churches but instead worshipped in large tents which could be struck and moved. These originally were temporary structures that often were struck when local populations, disturbed by the sect's heterodox views, became threatening, but as time passed and the sect became established in safer, remoter regions, these took on a kind of permanence. The Tabernacle of Saratoga Falls, for instance, appears to have been constructed of heavy canvas and affixed semi-permanently to the ground, but there are indications that it was semi-regularly and ritualistically struck before being re-erected on the same grounds. Little is known about the hymns and worship practices within the tabernacles, and these probably comported to no set ritual, as worshippers were known to be encouraged to improvise hymns and praises alongside the improvised exhortations of the worship leaders. There were no known sacraments or liturgies among the Wilderness, and though there were rumors of "secrets and mysteries" that were revealed to the Knights and to the Synod, and of rituals practiced by them, none were ever categorically recorded. Notable members The total population of adherents to the Tabernacle of Jehovah probably never exceeded 2000, and few attained any great degree of prominence. The most socially prominent may have Ruyter Van den Berg, a wealthy landowner in the Hudson Valley, though he was not known to have officially joined the sect. One of his sons, Theodore Van den Berg, was a member of the governing synod, and helped organize and direct the move to Saratoga Falls upon its founding. Though there is no indication that Theodore's family continued to worship as adherents of the Tabernacle in later years, some these became locally prominent and influential. One of Theodore's grandsons, Gustav Aaron Van den Berg became a state governor; another grandson, Vanstetter T. Van den Berg, became a director of the New York Central Railroad; and a great-grandson, Richard B. Terrell, became a general in the United States Army. The only other notable member of the Tabernacle was possibly William Henry Hocking, a nineteenth writer and poet, and contemporary of Edgar Alan Poe. His short story "The Haunted Tabernacle," may be read as a parable of the disappearance of the sect. Controversies For a such small, short-lived, and obscure Restorationist sect, the Tabernacle of Jehovah has been the object of much controversy and vitriol. At the time of its existence the sect, like others of its kind, was unpopular with its neighbors, whose hostility was possibly an inspiration for the Doctrine of Perpetual Exodus, as such a doctrine would be quite practical at justifying sudden changes of location. Despite its obscurity, memories of sect seem to linger, particularly among fundamentalist Christian sects, some members of whom particularly abhor it as a "Satanic" anti-church. It is listed by eschatological author Lyle Halbrandt as one of the "ten churches of Satan", who further identifies Irving Henry as the fourth of six "anticipations of Antichrist" whose appearance would foretell the end times. Patrick Goodall, another Christian author, has claimed that apostates of the Tabernacle recorded and revealed its secret doctrines after its disappearance. These included claims that the angel Elochaim was known by the synod to be the brother and vicgerent of Lucifer, tasked with leading astray the "children of Israel" who would otherwise be faithful; that the tabernacles were always erected upon five foundations which formed the points of a Satanic pentacle; and that the sect had as its end goal the construction of a city that would become, in parody of the New Jerusalem, the seat of government of the Antichrist and the "capital of Hell." More soberly, Eric Schreiber, in his book Hitler's Demons: The Supernatural in Nazi Germany, describes the history and subsequent influence of the 18th century, Swiss-based esoteric society Temple of the Rose, and in passing lists Irving Henry as a possible convert and evangelist for the society. Various Christian commentators have extrapolated from Schreiber's book that the Tabernacle of Jehovah was secretly a revived offshoot of the Knights Templar in its supposed final incarnation as a body of devil worshippers. Talk:The Tabernacle of Jehovah Knights vs. Tabernacle; is there a difference? It appears that the religious organization that is the subject of this page and that of "The Knights of Jehovah" are the same, only difference being in the colloquial name given each. Suggest merger of pages? 7 January 2004 [reply] Agree. Which name to appear on main article though? 13 February 2004 [reply] Defaced by lunatics Bigot fundamentalists been through multiple pages including this one defaced with slanders and libels. Full cleanup made. 25 November 2007 [reply] I have reverted the page to the "defaced" version pending a more careful perusal. Please do not perform major edits, even to restore a page, without having an editor look over matters. 27 November 2007 [reply] Why? The page now looks like it was written by a coked-up subcommittee of the Spanish Inquisition. 28 November 2007 [reply] While most of the charges may be spurious and uncorroborated, controversies about religious sects are allowed to be posted in articles provided that allegations are described as such and that said allegations themselves appear in literature related to the subject. 28 November 2007 [reply] So if I self-publish a book saying that Abraham Lincoln was a pedophile, can I edit Lincoln's page to call him an "alleged pedophile"? 5 December 2007 [reply] Don't be asinine or I will take action against you. I have referred the matter to an academic specialist who will review the page. 6 December 2007 [reply] Wholesale revision needed Current entry is a mess of poorly documented historical gossip overlaid with unsubstantiated and frankly deranged fantasies. I almost want to frame it and hang it in my office. When I have time I will provide a proposed revision. 19 March 2008. [reply] Revision posted. Beyond reporting the known facts, I have strained to be charitable to the "lunatics" referred to above by including some of their charges and criticisms in a section devoted to such. I would justify its inclusion because it seems to me that the sect is notable today, to the extent it is notable at all, for having been the target of so much contemporary vitriol. 21 July 2009. [reply] * * * |
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