The metronome was invented by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel in Amsterdam in 1812. Johann Mälzel copied several of Winkel's construction ideas and received the patent for the portable metronome in 1816. Ludwig van Beethoven was the first well-known composer to indicate specific metronome markings in his music, in 1817, but many performances of his music still vary widely from his tempo indications, particularly in slow movements.

Musicians use metronomes when they practice in order to maintain an established tempo; by adjusting the metronome, facility is achieved at varying tempi. Even in pieces that do not require strict time (see rubato), a metronome is used to give an indication of the general tempo intended by the composer. Many pieces provide a tempo indication at the top of the manuscript.

                 Father's Day Is Coming Soon!

                           June 15, 2008.

         It's never too early to get that gift for Dad.


(Grammatical note: Since this is a day for all fathers the correct position of the apostrophe is after the letter S. However many people seem to cite it as father's day or they miss out the apostrophe altogether.)

Fathers' Day is a secular celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and parenting by males, and to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Fathers' Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving to fathers and family-oriented activities.

In Germany fathers' day, Vatertag, is always celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday forty days after Easter), which is a federal holiday. Regionally, it is also called men's day, Männertag, or gentlemen's day, Herrentag.

It is tradition to do a males-only hiking tour with one or more smaller wagons, Bollerwagen, pulled by manpower. In the wagons are wine or beer (according to region) and traditional regional food, Hausmannskost, which could be Saumagen, Liverwurst, Blutwurst (Blood Sausage), vegetables, eggs, etc.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, Fathers' Day is celebrated on Saint Joseph's Day, March 19, though in most countries Fathers' Day is a secular celebration.

Fathers' Day in Taiwan is not an official holiday but is widely observed on August 8 which is the eighth day of the eighth month of the year. In Mandarin Chinese, the pronunciation of the number 8 is bā. This pronunciation is very similar to the character for "bà", which means "Papa" or "father". Taiwanese, therefore, usually call August 8 in its nick name as "Bābā Day"

In Thailand, Father Day is set as the birthday of the king. December 5 is the birthday of current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX).

In the United States, the first modern Fathers' Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia. It was first celebrated as a church service at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after the deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah the prior December. This explosion killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Another possible inspiration for the service was Mothers' Day, which had been celebrated for the first time two months prior in Grafton, West Virginia, a town about 15 miles (24 km) away.

Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Fathers' Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent reared his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her fathers' death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Fathers' Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Fathers' Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting male-oriented gifts such as electronics, tools and greeting cards. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Fathers' Day gifts.

Many vintage and antique plastics are collectible these days, be it jewelry, telephones, cameras or antiques car parts.
But how do you know if the bangle bracelet you are bidding on is real Bakelite, French Bakelite, Lucite or just a 99c store plastic?

Unfortunately, there is no way you can test the plastic you are bidding on in someone else's auction. The only things you can do are pay close attention to the wording of the auction and ask the right questions.

This guide will concentrate on Bakelite.

Bakelite is a light-weight plastic that was invented by Dr. Leo Baekeland in 1908. It was used extensively until the 1980's when they stopped production due to the cost and complexity of production and the brittle nature. Then it became highly desired and collectible. There were beautiful, amazing pieces of jewelry made, necklaces, earrings, and of course the ubiquitous bracelets!

There are two easy, conclusive and non-intrusive methods to test Bakelite.

Both rely on the chemical reaction of the plastic in question.

The first is the Formula 409 test. If you take a soft cloth, cotton swab or paper towel and apply a small amount of Formula 409 cleaning fluid to the piece, when you wipe it away the Formula 409 will come up bright yellow on the paper or cloth. Be sure you aren't testing positive for dirt! If the spot isn't bright yellow, clean it and try again.

The second method is the hot water test. Immerse your piece in almost boiling water (be careful!) and a strong, distinctive odor will come up from the water. It's hard to describe the chemical smell, but once you smell it you will never forget. Some say it smells like formaldehyde, but I have never smelled formaldehyde, so I couldn't tell you.

You can also heat a straight pin and insert it into a hidden area on the piece, but I don't like this method, it not only leaves a mark on the piece which can devalue the piece by 75% (a piece worth one dollar would be worth 25c with a pinhole in it) and some types of plastic (like celluloid) are very flammable.

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