| Section2 = | Section3 = }}

Titanium nitride () (sometimes known as “Tinite” or “TiNite” or “TiN”) is an extremely hard ceramic material, often used as a coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbide, and aluminium components to improve the substrate's surface properties.

Applied as a thin coating, TiN is used to harden and protect cutting and sliding surfaces, for decorative purposes (due to its gold appearance), and as a non-toxic exterior for medical implants. In most applications a coating of less than is applied.

Characteristics

Summary of characteristics

Vickers hardness 18-21 GPa

Modulus of elasticity 251 GPa

Thermal conductivity 19.2 W/(m·°C)

Thermal expansion coefficient 9.35×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹

Superconducting transition temperature 5.6 K

Magnetic susceptibility +38×10⁻⁶ emu/mol

TiN will oxidize at 800 °C at normal atmosphere. It is chemically stable at room temperature and is attacked by hot concentrated acids.

TiN has excellent infrared (IR) reflectivity properties, reflecting in a spectrum similar to elemental gold (Au), which gives it a yellowish color. Depending on the substrate material and surface finish, TiN will have a coefficient of friction ranging from 0.4 to 0.9 versus itself (non-lubricated). Typical formation has a crystal structure of NaCl-type with a roughly 1:1 stoichiometry; however TiN_x compounds with ''x'' ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 are thermodynamically stable. A thin film of titanium nitride was chilled to near absolute zero converting it into the first known superinsulator, with resistance suddenly increased by a factor of 100,000.

Uses

thumb|left|100px|TiN-coated drill bit thumb|100px|Dark gray TiCN coating on a [[Gerber Legendary Blades|Gerber pocketknife]] A well-known use for TiN coating is for edge retention and corrosion resistance on machine tooling, such as drill bits and milling cutters, often improving their lifetime by a factor of three or more.

Because of TiN's metallic gold color, it is used to coat costume jewelry and automotive trim for decorative purposes. TiN is also widely used as a top-layer coating, usually with nickel (Ni) or chromium (Cr) plated substrates, on consumer plumbing fixtures and door hardware. As a coating it is used in aerospace and military applications and to protect the sliding surfaces of suspension forks of bicycles and motorcycles as well as the shock shafts of radio controlled cars. TiN is non-toxic, meets FDA guidelines and has seen use in medical devices such as scalpel blades and orthopedic bone saw blades where sharpness and edge retention are important. TiN coatings have also been used in implanted prostheses (especially hip replacement implants) and other medical implants.

Though less visible, thin films of TiN are also used in microelectronics, where they serve as conductive barrier between the active device and the metal contacts used to operate it. While the film blocks diffusion of metal into the silicon, it is conductive enough (30–70 μΩ·cm) to allow a good electrical connection. In this context, TiN is classified as a "barrier metal", even though it is clearly a ceramic from the perspective of chemistry or mechanical behavior. Recent chip design in the 45 nm technology and beyond also makes use of TiN as a ''metal'' material for improved transistor performance. In combination with gate dielectrics (e.g. HfSiO) that have a higher permittivity compared to standard SiO₂ the gate length can be scaled down with low leakage, higher drive current and same or better threshold voltage.

Due to their high biostability, TiN layers may also be used as electrodes in bioelectronic applications like in intelligent implants or in-vivo biosensors that have to withstand the severe corrosion caused by the body fluid. TiN electrodes have already been applied in the subretinal prothesis project as well as in biomedical microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS).

Fabrication

The most common methods of TiN thin film creation are physical vapor deposition (PVD, usually sputter deposition, cathodic arc deposition or electron beam heating) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In both methods, pure titanium is sublimated and reacted with nitrogen in a high-energy, vacuum environment. TiN film may also be produced on Ti workpieces by reactive growth (for example, annealing) in a nitrogen atmosphere. PVD is preferred for steel parts because the deposition temperatures exceeds the austenitizing temperature of steel. TiN layers are also sputtered on a variety of higher melting point materials such as stainless steels, titanium and titanium alloys. Its high Young's modulus (values between 450 and 590 GPa have been reported in the literature ) means that thick coatings tend to flake away, making them much less durable than thin ones. Titanium nitride coatings can also be deposited by thermal spraying whereas TiN powders are produced by nitridation of titanium with nitrogen or ammonia at 1200 °C.

Bulk ceramic objects can be fabricated by packing powdered metallic titanium into the desired shape, compressing it to the proper density, then igniting it in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen. The heat released by the chemical reaction between the metal and gas is sufficient to sinter the nitride reaction product into a hard, finished item. See powder metallurgy.

Other commercial variants

There are several commercially-used variants of TiN that have been developed in the past decade, such as titanium carbon nitride (TiCN), titanium aluminium nitride (TiAlN or AlTiN), and titanium aluminum carbon nitride, which may be used individually or in alternating layers with TiN. These coatings offer similar or superior enhancements in corrosion resistance and hardness, and additional colors ranging from light gray to nearly black, to a dark iridescent bluish-purple depending on the exact process of application. These coatings are becoming common on sporting goods, particularly knives and handguns, where they are used for both cosmetic and functional reasons.

As a constituent in steel making

Titanium nitride is also produced intentionally within some steels by judicious addition of titanium to the alloy. TiN forms at very high temperatures because of its very low enthalpy of formation, and even nucleates directly from the melt in secondary steelmaking. It forms discrete, micrometre-sized cubic particles at grain boundaries and triple points, and prevents grain growth by Ostwald ripening up to very high homologous temperatures. Titanium nitride has the lowest solubility product of any metal nitride or carbide in austenite, a useful attribute in microalloyed steel formulas.

References

Category:Nitrides Category:Titanium compounds Category:Semiconductor device fabrication Category:Superhard materials

ca:Nitrur de titani de:Titannitrid es:Nitruro de titanio fa:تیتانیوم نیترید hr:Titanijev nitrid it:Nitruro di titanio no:Titannitrid pt:Nitreto de titânio ru:Нитрид титана sl:Titanov nitrid fi:Titaaninitridi sv:Titannitrid tr:Titanyum nitrit

name	Future Islands
background	group_or_band
origin	Greenville, NC, United States
instrument	Synthesizer, bass guitar, guitar
genre	Synthpop, New Wave, Indie Rock
years active	2006–present
label	Thrill Jockey, Upset the Rhythm
associated acts	Art Lord & the Self Portraits, Moss of Aura, The Snails, Ruin Yer Stereo
website	future-islands.com
current members	J. Gerrit Welmers William Cashion Samuel Herring
past members	Erick Murillo Samuel N. Ortiz-Payero
notable instruments	}}

Future Islands are a synthpop band based in Baltimore, Maryland. The band is composed of Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (bass, acoustic and electric guitars), and Samuel T. Herring (words and vocals). Future Islands formed in January 2006 in Greenville, North Carolina.

History

The band met and formed in while studying art at East Carolina University in Greenville. Their first band was Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, which included Samuel T. Herring, William Cashion, Gerrit Welmers, Adam Beeby, and Kymia Nawabi. That band lasted from February 2003 until Fall of 2005. In 2006, Cashion, Herring, and Welmers formed Future Islands with Erick Murillo, who played an electronic drum kit.

Future Islands released ''Little Advances'' in April 2006 and a self-released split CD with Welmers' solo project Moss of Aura in January 2007. They recorded their debut album "Wave Like Home" with Chester Gwazda at Backdoor Skateshop in Greenville, NC later that year. London-based label Upset the Rhythm released ''Wave Like Home'' in the Summer of 2008. The cover art was designed by Kymia Nawabi, a former member of Art Lord & the Self-Portraits.

In late 2007/early 2008, the band relocated to Baltimore, MD. The "Feathers and Hallways" 7" was recorded in Oakland, CA during their first US tour and was their first release as a focused three-piece. Their second album, ''In Evening Air'', was recorded in the band's living room in the historic Marble Hill neighborhood in Baltimore.

In 2009 the band signed to Chicago independent record company Thrill Jockey. Following a year of solid touring, they recorded their third album ''On the Water'' in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and released it in the autumn of 2011.

Discography

Albums

''Wave Like Home'' (Upset the Rhythm - August 25, 2008)

''In Evening Air'' (Thrill Jockey - May 4, 2010)

''On the Water'' (Thrill Jockey - October 11, 2011)

EPs and Singles

''Little Advances'' (self-released - April 28, 2006)

Split CD-R with Moss of Aura (self-released - January 6, 2007)

Split 7" with Dan Deacon (307 Knox Records - August 5, 2008 - purple vinyl, limited to 1000)

''Feathers & Hallways'' 7" EP (Upset the Rhythm - April 15, 2009 - white virgin vinyl)

''Post Office Wave Chapel'' 12" remix EP (Free Danger - February 2010, limited to 500)

''In The Fall'' 12" EP (Thrill Jockey - April 2010 - Blue Vinyl, limited to 1000)

''Undressed'' 12" EP (Thrill Jockey - September 2010, limited to 1000)

Split 7" with Lonnie Walker (Friends Records - November 2010, limited to 1000)

''Before the Bridge'' 7" single (Thrill Jockey - July 19, 2011, limited to 750)

As Art Lord & the Self-Portraits:

''Searching for a Complement'' (self-released - August 2003)

''In Your Boombox'' (self-released - October 2003)

''Ideas for Housecrafts'' (self-released - February 2004)

''Snail'' (self-released - 2005)

"Sad Apples, Dance!" featured on ''Compulation Vol. 2: Songs from North Carolina'' (Poxworld Empire)

''In Your Idea Box'' digital-only "best-of" release (307 Knox Records - September 2008)

References

External links

Official site

Future Islands on MySpace

Category:Synthpop groups Category:American pop music groups

fr:Future Islands sv:Future Islands

: ''This article is about the 1971 film. For the wrestler of a similar name, see Billy Jack Haynes.''

name	Billy Jack
image size	190px
director	Tom Laughlin as T. C. Frank
producer	Tom Laughlin as Mary Rose Solti
writer	Tom Laughlin (as Frank Christina)Delores Taylor (as Theresa Christina)
starring	Tom LaughlinDelores Taylor
music	Mundell Lowe
cinematography	Fred KoenekampJohn M. Stephens
editing	Larry HeathMarion Rothman
distributor	Warner Bros.
released	USA May 1, 1971
runtime	114 min.
country
language	English
budget	$800,000
gross	$32,500,000 }}

''Billy Jack'' is a 1971 action film. It is the second, and highest grossing, in a series of motion pictures centering on a character of the same name, played by Tom Laughlin who also directed and co-wrote the script. Filming began in Prescott, Arizona, in fall 1969, but the movie was not completed until 1971. American International Pictures pulled out of the production, halting filming. Twentieth Century Fox came in and filming eventually resumed, but when that studio refused to distribute the film, Warner Bros. took over.

The film lacked distribution, so Laughlin took it to theatres himself in 1971. The film died at the box office in its initial run but took in more than $40 million in its 1973 re-release, which was supervised by Laughlin.

Plot

Billy Jack is a "Half-breed" American Cherokee Indian, a Green Beret Vietnam War veteran, and a hapkido master. The character made his début in ''The Born Losers'' (1967), a "biker film" about a motorcycle gang terrorizing a California town. Billy Jack rises to the occasion to defeat the gang by defending a college student who has evidence against them for gang rapes.

This changes with the second film, ''Billy Jack'', in which the hero must defend the hippie-themed Freedom School and its students from townspeople who do not understand or like the counterculture students. The school is organized by Jean Roberts (Delores Taylor).

In one scene, a group of Indian children from the school go into town for ice cream and are refused service and then abused and humiliated by Bernard Posner and his gang. This prompts a violent outburst by Billy. Later, Billy's girlfriend Jean is raped and one of the Indian students is murdered by Bernard (David Roya), the corrupt son of the county's most successful (and ruthless) businessman (Bert Freed). Billy confronts Bernard and sustains a gunshot wound before killing him with a hand strike to the throat. After a climactic shootout with the police, and much pleading from Jean, he surrenders to the authorities and is arrested. As he is being driven away, a large crowd of supporters raise their fists into the air as a show of defiance and support. The plot continues in the sequel, ''The Trial of Billy Jack''.

Box-office and critical reception

''Billy Jack'' holds a "Fresh" rating of 62% at Rotten Tomatoes.

In his ''Movie and Video Guide,'' film critic Leonard Maltin writes: "Seen today, its politics are highly questionable, and its 'message' of peace looks ridiculous, considering the amount of violence in the film."

Roger Ebert disagreed on what the message of the film was, saying "I'm also somewhat disturbed by the central theme of the movie. 'Billy Jack' seems to be saying the same thing as 'Born Losers,' that a gun is better than a constitution in the enforcement of justice."

Influence

Although marketed as an action film, the story focuses on the plight of Native Americans during the civil rights movement. It attained a cult following among younger audiences due to its youth-oriented, anti-authority message combined with the then-novel martial arts fight scenes which predate the Bruce Lee/kung fu movie trend that soon followed. The centerpiece of the film features Billy Jack, enraged over the mistreatment of his Indian friends, fighting a gang of racist thugs using various hapkido techniques.

Billy Jack's wardrobe (black T-shirt, blue denim jacket, blue jeans, and a black hat with a beadwork band) would become nearly as iconic as the character. The film's theme song, "One Tin Soldier" by Coven, became a Top 40 hit in 1971, and featured the chorus:

Go ahead and hate your neighbor; go ahead and cheat a friend. Do it in the name of heaven; you can justify it in the end. There won't be any trumpets blowin' come the judgment day On the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away

''Billy Jack'' in popular culture

In 1975, musician Curtis Mayfield recorded and released a song titled, "Billy Jack" on his album There's No Place Like America Today.

In 1976 musician Paul Simon played "Billy Paul" (a parody of Billy Jack) in a sketch on the second season of the NBC comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', after the film ''Billy Jack'' aired earlier that same evening on NBC.

In 1982, a professional wrestler, Billy Jack Haynes, debuted as "Billy Jack" while wearing a hat like Billy Jack. He changed his wrestling name from "Billy Jack" to "Billy Jack Haynes" after Tom Laughlin threatened to sue him.

In the series ''Mystery Science Theater 3000,'' at least two episodes make reference to ''Billy Jack'': on the episode ''Werewolf'', after a fight breaks out between a racist dig supervisor and his Indian help, Tom Servo says, "This is where Billy Jack should come riding up."; on the episode ''Track of the Moon Beast,'' after the Native American professor finishes telling a story, Crow says, "Uh huh...do you know Billy Jack?"

In an episode of ''The Simpsons'' ("Bart of War"), Bart joins a Boy Scouts of America-like group called the "Pre-Teen Braves", and they engage in a rivalry with "the Cavalry Kids". A montage of the two groups fighting each other is set to Coven's version of ''One Tin Soldier''.

Billy Jack is also referenced in an episode of ''Gilmore Girls'' ("Red Light on the Wedding Night") while Lorelai and Rory are watching the movie in their living room. At the line "Billy Jack, I'm gonna kill you if it's the last thing I do!", Lorelai responds, "Ugh, he so jinxed himself with that one." Rory replies, "Yeah, he should've said 'Billy Jack, I'm gonna kill you or buy myself a lovely chenille sweater.'"

Upon first meeting serial killer Cary Stayner—then considered a possible material witness to a 1999 murder in Yosemite National Park—FBI Agent Jeff Rinek asked if Stayner had ever seen the movie ''Billy Jack,'' noting Stayner's close resemblance to the film's hero. Initially, Stayner denied ever seeing the movie. However, 90 minutes later, after building a rapport during the drive to the FBI headquarters in Sacramento from the nudist resort where he had been picked up, Stayner surprised Rinek by reciting several of Billy Jack's lines.

In the motion picture ''Major Payne,'' Damon Wayans as the title character references the iconic fight scene quote "Now, what I'm goin' do is take this right foot and I'm 'a put it 'cross the left side your face."

In season three of the television series ''Sabrina The Teenage Witch'', the school principal Mr. Kraft reveals that Billy Jack is his favourite film.

Billy Jack was referenced by Jim Carrey in ''Yes Man.''

Metal band Goblin Cock have a song entitled "Ode to Billy Jack" on their 2009 album ''Come With Me if You Want to Live'', which is a tribute to him.

In the movie ''Drillbit Taylor'', actor Owen Wilson references Billy Jack by saying to another cast mate "I am gonna Billy Jack your ass."

In the episode of the animated show ''Pinky and the Brain'', titled "Brainy Jack," Brain assumes the role of the titular Brainy Jack to trick a commune of hippies into helping him take over the world. Brain's wardrobe is a direct reference to Billy Jack, especially the hat with a beaded hat-band. Likewise, the song that Pinky sings in the episode is a parody of "One Tin Soldier."

British electro band Relaxed Muscle (fronted by Jarvis Cocker, from Pulp) released a song called "Billy Jack" on their one and only album ''A Heavy Nite With...'' in 2003. It was also released as a single with a music video that featured Cocker (as his alter ego, Darren Spooner) in Western garb reminiscent of Billy Jack's trademark outfit.

In the book "The Berlin Blues", a play by Drew Hayden Taylor, the character named Trailer references Billy Jack when he says on page 92, "No Cirque du Billy Jack?" when the plan for Ojibway World which was supposed to be opening up on the reserve falls through.

References

External links

''Billy Jack'', Laughlin's official Billy Jack web site

The Man Who Made Billy Jack Go Berserk: A Conversation with David Roya Interview with Billy Jack co-star David "Bernard Posner" Roya

DVD review of the Billy Jack series and production history

A vision of American multiplicity Village Voice review August 19, 1971

Category:1971 films Category:Native American film Category:Prescott, Arizona Category:Films shot in Arizona Category:Films shot in New Mexico Category:Films shot in California Category:Counterculture of the 1960s Category:Hippie films Jack, Billy Category:Hapkido films Category:Vigilante films

nl:Billy Jack ja:明日の壁をぶち破れ

name	Christopher Tin田志仁
birth date	1976
birth place	California
occupation	Composer
yearsactive	2001–present
influences	Ennio Morricone, Joel McNeely
website	http://christophertin.com/
grammyawards	}}

Christopher Tin () is an American composer whose work is primarily classical, with a world music influence. He won two Grammy Awards for his classical crossover album, ''Calling All Dawns''. He is also a composer for films, video games and commercials. Tin is best known for his composition ''Baba Yetu'', featured in the 2005 computer game ''Civilization IV''.

Life and career

Career

Christopher Tin, a Chinese American, was born and raised in California. He worked on his undergraduate education at Oxford and Stanford University. At Stanford, he was active in the taiko group, Stanford Taiko, and conducted the a cappella group, Stanford Talisman, several musicals, and choral concerts at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. While there, he roomed with video game designer Soren Johnson. He graduated in 1998, receiving a BA with Honors in Music Composition and English Literature. He continued to study at Stanford and received an MA in Humanities in 1999. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, becoming the first to be awarded one for film scoring, to study composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music in London, and he graduated with a MMus with Distinction. He was also the winner of the Horovitz composition prize, and graduated with the highest grades in his class. He was also commissioned by the US Embassy in London to compose music for a string quartet. In 2003, he became a Sundance Institute Film Music Lab Fellow.

Tin returned to Los Angeles and continued his career by producing TV show music and working as an intern with Hans Zimmer, composer for ''The Lion King'' and ''Gladiator'', and Joel McNeely, with whom he worked on ''Mulan II''. John Ottman contacted him to work on ''X-Men 2'', for which he composed several original themes. He also composed "Daydream" for Apple Inc.'s music software, ''GarageBand'', and the music for an international advertisement of Puma AG. He also worked on TV show music, notably for ''Nova'', The History Channel, and Discovery Channel.

"Baba Yetu"

By far his biggest break came in 2005, when Soren Johnson, his roommate at Stanford and now working as a game designer at Firaxis Games, asked him to compose the theme song for ''Civilization IV''. Tin responded with "Baba Yetu," a choral piece performed by Stanford Talisman. Its lyrics are a Swahili version of the Lord's Prayer. It garnered a huge critical response, with over 20 reviewers singling out the theme on IGN, GameSpy, and Game Shark, and is a persistent favorite of blog posts. Contemporary Tommy Tallarico called it "incredible". and the piece is a staple of the concert tour Video Games Live, which Tallarico organizes. It won Tin two awards at the GANG (Game Audio Network Guild) Awards in 2007.

On December 5, 2010, it was reported that "Baba Yetu" was nominated for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in the category for 'Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists', making it the first video game theme nominated for a Grammy Award. On February 13, 2011, it was announced as the winner of its category, making it also the first piece of music composed for a video game to win a Grammy Award.

"Baba Yetu" has also been performed at various venues and events around the world, such as the opening ceremonies of the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung Taiwan, The Dubai Fountain (the world’s largest water feature), concert programs at The Kennedy Center and Disney Concert Hall, and many more. Additionally, "Baba Yetu" is one of the most widely performed pieces of contemporary choral music, with hundreds of amateur choirs singing it internationally. In January 2011, ''Calling All Dawns'' was nominated for The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Contemporary Classical Album category. Additionally, "Baba Yetu" won in the Song Used in Film/TV/Multimedia and World Beat Song category.

''Calling All Dawns''

Tin released his classical crossover album ''Calling All Dawns'' in 2009. The album won two Grammy Awards in the 53rd Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the song, "Baba Yetu". The win marks the first time in history that a Grammy has been awarded to a composition written for a video game.

The album is a song-cycle in three uninterrupted movements: Day, Night, and Dawn (corresponding to life, death, and rebirth). The twelve songs are sung in twelve languages, ranging from Swahili to Polish, from French to Persian to Maori. The lyrics are taken from diverse sources, including the Torah, the Bhagavad Gita, ancient Persian and Japanese poetry, and lyrics by contemporary writers. Vocal traditions include African choral music, opera, medieval chant, Irish keening, and more.

The album features performances from over 200 musicians on six continents, including Frederica von Stade, Anonymous 4, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Dulce Pontes, Sussan Deyhim and many more.

Works

Tin's works include both concert pieces and incidental music for films, TV shows, video games, commercials, and other multimedia applications. His works, scores and clients include:

''Calling All Dawns'' (debut 2009 album) recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Soweto Gospel Choir, Lia / りあ, Aoi Tada / 多田葵, Kaori Omura / 大村香織, Jia Ruhan, Dulce Pontes, Anonymous 4, Frederica von Stade, Sussan Deyhim, Stanford Talisman, On Ensemble.

X2: X-Men United

Lilo and Stitch 2

Dante's Inferno

Civilization IV

Pixar's Cars Online

Pirates of the Caribbean Online

Pocket God

Apple

Puma

Microsoft

Nokia

Verizon

Morgan Stanley

Guess

The Gap

PBS

Discovery Channel

History Channel

New York Times Television

Collaborative projects

In 2009, Christopher Tin and multi-instrumentalist and producer Shoji Kameda, aka "Kametron" formed an LA based production duo, Stereo Alchemy. Their debut album, God of Love, was released 14 February 2012.

Awards

53rd Grammy Awards: Winner - Best Classical Crossover Album (2011)

53rd Grammy Awards: Winner - Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) (2011)

International Songwriting Competition: 1st Place - World Music Category (2010)

John Lennon Songwriting Contest: Finalist - World Music Category (2010)

Horovitz Composition Prize at Royal College of Music

GANG Awards: Best Original Vocal Song - Choral ("Baba Yetu"), Rookie of the Year (2007)

USA Songwriting Competition: World Music Category ("Baba Yetu") - Honorable Mention (2010)

GANG Awards: Best Adapted Soundtrack ('Pirates of the Caribbean') - Nominee (2007)

Independent Music Award: Best Song for Film/TV/Multimedia ("Baba Yetu") - Winner (2010)

Independent Music Award: Best World Beat Song ("Baba Yetu") - Winner (2010)

Independent Music Award: Best Contemporary Classical Album ('Calling All Dawns') - Nominee (2010)

Gamespy: Best Music (Civilization IV) - Honorable Mention (2005)

Regional Emmy Award: Best Historical Feature ('Fishbowl') (2007)

Archaeological Channel Film and Video Festival: Best Music ('Life in Limbo') - Honorable Mention (2009)

Sundance Composer's Fellowship (2003)

References

External links

Official site

Stereo Alchemy official site

Christopher Tin at MySpace

Christopher Tin at Youtube

Category:21st-century classical composers Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Music Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford Category:American film score composers Category:American musicians of Chinese descent Category:Fulbright Scholars Category:Living people Category:Stanford University alumni Category:Video game composers Category:1976 births Category:Grammy Award winners

de:Christopher Tin fr:Christopher Tin id:Christopher Tin pl:Christopher Tin pt:Christopher Tin fi:Christopher Tin

Thomas "Tom" Johnston CH (2 November 1881 – 5 September 1965) was a prominent Scottish socialist and politician of the early 20th century, a member of the Labour Party, a Member of Parliament (MP) and government minister – usually with Cabinet responsibility for Scottish affairs.

Red Clydesider

Johnston, the son of a middle-class grocer, was born in Kirkintilloch in 1881 and educated at Lenzie Academy. At the University of Glasgow, he helped launch the left-wing journal, ''Forward'', in 1906, and in the same city later became associated with the 'Red Clydesiders', a socialist grouping that included James Maxton and Manny Shinwell. In 1909 he published a book, ''Our Scots Noble Families'', which aimed to discredit the landed aristocracy.

First elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Stirling and Clackmannan West in November 1922 general election, Johnston lost his seat at the October 1924 general election. He quickly returned to Parliament, winning the Dundee by-election in December.

He was re-elected for Stirling and Clackmannan Western at the 1929 general election, when he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Scotland by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. This troubled administration was relatively short-lived; only a handful of Labour ministers supported MacDonald’s proposal of a coalition government, with Johnston and other Red Clydesiders among the strong opponents. This opposition may have backfired (albeit temporarily), as Johnston lost his seat at the 1931 general election, and failed to be returned at a by-election in Dunbartonshire in 1932, but he returned (representing Stirling and Clackmannan West) to the House of Commons at the 1935 general election and remained an MP until retiring in the 1945 general election.

War-time roles

In April 1939, during the build-up to the Second World War, John Anderson, the Home Secretary, appointed Johnston as Commissioner for Civil Defence in Scotland. In this role, Johnston over-saw preparations for aerial bombardment and possible invasion, and the organisation of shelter and relief work. Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed Johnston as Secretary of State for Scotland on 12 February 1941, and Johnston retained the post until May 1945. As Devine (1999) concludes, "Johnson was a giant figure in Scottish politics and is revered to this day as the greatest Scottish Secretary of the century....In essence, Johnson was promised the powers of a benign dictator.".

Johnston launched numerous initiatives to promote Scotland. Opposed to the excessive concentration of industry in the English Midlands, he attracted 700 businesses and 90,000 new jobs through his new Scottish Council of Industry. He set up 32 committees to deal with any number of social and economic problems, ranging from juvenile delinquency to sheep farming. He regulated rents, and set up a prototype national health service, using new hospitals set up in the expectation of large numbers of casualties from German bombing. His most successful venture was setting up a system of hydro electricity using water power in the Highlands.

A long-standing supporter of the Home Rule movement, he was able to persuade Churchill of the need to counter the nationalist threat north of the border and created a Scottish Council of State and a Council of Industry as institutions to devolve some power away from Whitehall.

Post-war activity

He withdrew from politics in 1945 to run the Hydro Board. Johnston subsequently served as chairman of various Scottish organisations, including the Scottish National Forestry Commission (1945–48) and the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (1946–59). He represented Scottish interests in the council appointed to devise the 1951 Festival of Britain. He was also Chancellor of Aberdeen University from 1951 until his death in 1965.

Power to the Glens

Undoubtedly his greatest legacy was the creation of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. Until the 1940s, many rural areas of Scotland outwith the Central Belt had little or no electricity supply. There were coal-fired steam-turbine and some diesel-driven power stations serving urban locations, and excess capacity from a few large industrial hydroelectricity stations (e.g. those serving the aluminium smelters at Foyers and Kinlochleven) was made available locally, but there was no widespread distribution of electricity through a comprehensively integrated electric power transmission system such as the present National Grid.

Possibly inspired by the earlier example of the American Tennessee Valley Authority initiative of the New Deal administration of President Franklin D Roosevelt, but undoubtedly determined to address the very strong popular sentiment of the immediate post-war period for a more equitable distribution of the resources and benefits of a modern economy, Johnston strove hard and successfully to win over all interested parties, including generally reluctant landowners, to the goal of harnessing the (then) scarcely developed but naturally well-suited geography and climate of the Scottish Highlands to the generation of electricity by water power. In the three decades following the Second World War, the Hydro Board's teams of planners, engineers, architects and labourers succeeded in creating an epic succession of electricity generation and distribution schemes that were world-renowned not only for successfully achieving their technical aims in very demanding terrain but for often doing so in an aesthetically inspiring manner. The economic and social benefits thus brought to all the people of Scotland, and especially those in rural areas, were immense and longlasting.

Notes

Bibliography

Douds, Gerard. "Tom Johnston in India," ''Journal of the Scottish Labour History Society,'' 1984, Issue 19, pp 6–21,

Miller, Jim ''The Dam Builders: Power from the Glens'' (ISBN 1841582255; Birlinn 2003)

Torrance, David ''The Scottish Secretaries'' (Birlinn 2006)

Walker, Graham. "Johnston, Thomas (1881–1965)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,'' Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 19 Dec 2010

Walker, Graham. ''Thomas Johnston'' (1988), scholarly biography

Primary sources

Johnston, Tom. ''Memories'' (1952)

External links

Category:1881 births Category:1965 deaths Category:Scottish Labour Party MPs Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for Dundee constituencies Category:British Secretaries of State Category:Lords Privy Seal Category:Scottish socialists Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow Category:Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Category:Secretaries of State for Scotland Category:UK MPs 1922–1923 Category:UK MPs 1923–1924 Category:UK MPs 1924–1929 Category:UK MPs 1929–1931 Category:UK MPs 1935–1945 Category:People from Kirkintilloch Category:People associated with the campaign for Scottish devolution Category:Red Clydeside Category:People educated at Lenzie Academy

pl:Thomas Johnston