title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: By December 2017, the MRJ test campaign was half done with 1,500 flight hours and less than 1% cancelled due to technical issues. Their rate is accelerating with tests set up before the January 2017 avionics bay redesign: special runway tests, extreme environment and high altitude tests, to be completed in 2018. An additional flight test aircraft incorporating the redesign will join the campaign in the second half of 2018, focused on wiring tests like lightning and high-intensity radio-frequency. Two additional aircraft (10007 and 10010), recently painted white and under structural assembly in December, will be completed and will join the flight test campaign towards the end of 2018. At the end of the year, the mid-2020 deadline seemed difficult to achieve.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In January 2018, the avionics bay rearrangement and rerouted wiring were almost complete to be adequate for extreme events such as bomb explosions or water ingress underfloor. Upgrades and ground tests were performed on four flight test aircraft from February to March at Moses Lake, preceding flight testing for natural icing, avionics and autopilot, performance, stability and control.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The flight-test fleet attained 2,000 hours in May 2018, and as most of the flight envelope was explored, the next trimester shifted to runway performance: takeoff, landing and minimum control speeds. The MRJ70 test aircraft (number 8 and 9) were in final assembly as of May for expected delivery by the end of 2021, one year after the MRJ90 introduction.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: An MRJ in All Nippon Airways livery was exhibited at the July Farnborough Airshow, alongside appearances by the similar Embraer 190 E2 and larger Airbus A220.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In October 2018, Bombardier sued Mitsubishi in Seattle, alleging that its ex-employees stole trade secrets to help for US certification. By then, the four MRJ90 prototypes had clocked 2,400 hours, targeting certification in late 2019 or early 2020 and first delivery in mid-2020, while the smaller MRJ70 should be introduced in 2022. After the MRJ program lost ¥47.2 billion for six months to 30 September 2018 on top of its ¥110 billion deficit, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries injected ¥220bn ($1.94 billion) in Mitsubishi Aircraft, raising its stake from 64% to 86.7% and capital from ¥100 billion to ¥270 billion. Mitsubishi wants to dismiss the Bombardier allegations and should be heard in Seattle's US District Court on 11 January 2019. By December 2018, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau delivered its type inspection authorisation, allowing to debut certification flight testing in early 2019 with the four MRJ90 in Moses Lake.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In April 2019, a federal judge dismissed Bombardier's claims against Mitsubishi, a strong case but falling short as there was no proof that Mitsubishi knew about those secrets. By then, the program had completed 2,600 flight hours and was undergoing crosswind and climate testing, while two more MRJ90s should join this summer.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: On 24 June 2019, Bombardier and Mitsubishi announced that Mitsubishi would purchase the CRJ Programme from Bombardier for US$550 million and assume US$200 million in liabilities. With the deal, Mitsubishi will acquire the maintenance, support, refurbishment, marketing, and sales activities for the CRJ Series aircraft, including the support network locations in Montréal, Québec, and Toronto, Ontario, its service centres located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, and Tucson, Arizona, and the type certificates.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In June 2019, Mitsubishi rebranded the MRJ program as the SpaceJet. The MRJ90 was renamed as the SpaceJet M90 and a 76-seat variant specially targeted to meet US scope clauses, to be known as the SpaceJet M100, was announced. This version will be longer than the abandoned MRJ70 but shorter than the M90.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The E175-E2 is heavier than the current, scope-compliant E175, with its larger GTF engines, and being longer (by one frame) and wider (by ): when its cabin is full, it can only fill of fuel within the MTOW limit, limiting its range to a short .


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: Compared to the E175-E2, the M100 cabin is a tighter fit around its 76 seats, and its wing is lighter, having less span and with smaller winglets than the MRJ90, giving it 50% more fuel than the E175-E2 at the MTOW limit for a range with 76 passengers. Without the scope clause limit, a MTOW M100 could fly with 84 passengers.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The M100 redesign pushes back its service entry to 2023, one year later than the MRJ70, while the M90 will evolve into the M200.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The longer fuselage can seat 88 in single-class, and at , the wingspan is shorter with the modified canted wingtip.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The shorter span will allow operating at Colorado's Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, a popular tourist destination, the only in-production jet with the capability after the CRJ700 production ends.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: MITAC partner Triumph Group's structural optimization should remove 15% of the combined structural weight of the wing, aft fuselage, and empennage.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The M90 in its final configuration first flew on 18 March 2020, before joining the rest of the test fleet in Moses Lake.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In May 2020, Mitsubishi halved the budget of the SpaceJet program for the year ending 31 March 2021. It confirmed its commitment to the baseline M90 version but is to reconsider the M100 in the light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry. All work on the SpaceJet outside Japan, including flight testing of the M90 at Moses Lake, was repatriated to the company's headquarters in Nagoya. In October 2020, Mitsubishi announced a further budget reduction and a "temporary pause" to most SpaceJet activities other than type certification documentation while it assesses a "possible program restart".


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: However, Mitsubishi Aircraft slashed 95% of its employees from April 2021, leaving 150 employees, while the SpaceJet program budget was cut by half by 2020, from Y370 billion for FY2018, and will be down to only Y20 billion ($194 million) from fiscal year 2021.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In October 2021, the manufacturer confirmed to the Federal Aviation Administration that it does not plan to restart development and production of the SpaceJet in the foreseeable future.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In 2008, All Nippon Airways was the first customer, with an order for 15 MRJ 90s and an option for 10 more.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: In March 2008, and again in October 2008, "Sankei Shimbun" and "Fuji Sankei Business I" reported that the government of Japan would buy ten MRJs to serve as short-haul and small-field VIP transports, supplementing the existing Japanese Air Force One Boeing 747 aircraft. The government reportedly was still considering this option as of July 2013, with MRJs possibly supplementing the then new Boeing 777 on domestic and short-haul government flights.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: At the July 2012 Farnborough Airshow, SkyWest agreed to buy 100 MRJ90s, to be delivered between 2017 and 2020. The deal is worth $4.2bn at list prices. During the 2013 Regional Airlines Association conference, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Mitsubishi announced that ANI Group Holdings, which firmed a MoU for 5 MRJ aircraft in June 2011, cancelled the deal, without giving further details.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: On 20 July 2016, one of the officials at Iran's ministry of transportation announced Iran is buying 25 ATR airplanes for Iran Aseman Airlines and for further purchases Mitsubishi has shown interest in offering 20 MRJ planes.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: On 21 May 2017, Iran cancelled its plans to buy Mitsubishi's Regional Jet (MRJ) from the Japanese company. Inability to set a delivery timeline for ordered aircraft and lack of testing were cited as their main reasons.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: The MRJ's future was uncertain after six years of delays, with 70% of the backlog shared by two US regional carriers bound by scope clauses: the MRJ90 is too heavy and the smaller MRJ70 accommodates seven fewer seats than the 76 permitted. Following five postponements, and having lost ten percent of the MRJ's order book following the acquisition of Eastern Air Lines by Swift Air (bought existing Eastern assets only), Mitsubishi Aircraft closed its books at the end of March 2018 with a negative net worth of $979 million. By December 2018, the MRJ90 had 213 firm orders plus 194 commitments. During 2019, some of these orders were subsequently cancelled or converted to the new M100 variant, which had 115 commitments from US operators as of 31 October 2019.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: On 19 June 2019, Mitsubishi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an unnamed American customer for 15 of the new 76-seat SpaceJet M100 variant, to be delivered from 2024.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: On 5 September 2019, US regional carrier Mesa Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding for up to 100 SpaceJet M100s, 50 of which are targeted as firm orders and 50 as purchase rights. Deliveries would begin in 2024.


title: Mitsubishi SpaceJet

text: On 31 October 2019, Trans State Holdings, Inc. cancelled its order for 100 MRJ90s (50 firm, 50 optional) because the aircraft does not comply with US airlines' scope clauses.


title: Alpheidae

text: Alpheidae is a family of caridean snapping shrimp, characterized by having asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sound. Other common names for animals in the group are pistol shrimp or alpheid shrimp.


title: Alpheidae

text: The family is diverse and worldwide in distribution, consisting of about 1,119 species within 38 or more genera. The two most prominent genera are "Alpheus" and "Synalpheus", with species numbering well over 250 and 100, respectively. Most snapping shrimp dig burrows and are common inhabitants of coral reefs, submerged seagrass flats, and oyster reefs. While most genera and species are found in tropical and temperate coastal and marine waters, "Betaeus" inhabits cold seas and "Potamalpheops" is found only in freshwater caves.


title: Alpheidae

text: When in colonies, the snapping shrimp can interfere with sonar and underwater communication. The shrimp are considered a major source of sound in the ocean.


title: Alpheidae

text: The "Pistol Shrimp" grows to only long. It is distinctive for its disproportionately large claw, larger than half the shrimp's body. The claw can be on either arm of the body, and, unlike most shrimp claws, does not have typical pincers at the end. Rather, it has a pistol-like feature made of two parts. A joint allows the "hammer" part to move backward into a right-angled position. When released, it snaps into the other part of the claw, emitting an enormously powerful wave of bubbles capable of stunning larger fish and breaking small glass jars.


title: Alpheidae

text: Some pistol shrimp species share burrows with goby fish in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. The burrow is built and tended by the pistol shrimp, and the goby provides protection by watching out for danger. When both are out of the burrow, the shrimp maintains contact with the goby using its antennae. The goby, having better vision, alerts the shrimp of danger using a characteristic tail movement, and then both retreat into the safety of the shared burrow. This association has been observed in species that inhabit coral reef habitats.


title: Alpheidae

text: Eusocial behavior has been discovered in the genus "Synalpheus". The species "Synalpheus regalis" lives inside sponges in colonies that can number over 300. All of them are the offspring of a single large female, the queen, and possibly a single male. The offspring are divided into workers who care for the young and predominantly male soldiers who protect the colony with their huge claws.


title: Alpheidae

text: Pistol shrimp have the ability to reverse claws. When the snapping claw is lost, the missing limb will regenerate into a smaller claw and the original smaller appendage will grow into a new snapping claw. Laboratory research has shown that severing the nerve of the snapping claw induces the conversion of the smaller limb into a second snapping claw. The reversal of claw asymmetry in snapping shrimp is thought to be unique in nature.


title: Alpheidae

text: The claw of the snapping shrimp is a dimorphic addition to the arsenal of the shrimp. The snapping shrimp species will retain the same mate after copulation, making them monogamous. Most females of the Alpheidae species are susceptible to mating. Young females become receptive to males either just before (premolt stage) or after the puberty molt, making them physiologically mature and morphologically able to carry the egg mass. Male presence during the molt is beneficial for the female, as searching for a male during her soft‐bodied receptive phase would put her at mortal risk. Mates have more success with partners having greater body mass. The larger shrimp are most successful. These animals practice mate guarding, leading to a decline in mate competition, as well as bonding of partners. The male and female will defend their shelter to protect both territory and young. Larva develop in three stages: The nauplius larvae, zoea, and post larval stages.


title: Alpheidae

text: The snapping shrimp competes with much larger animals such as the sperm whale and beluga whale for the title of loudest animal in the sea. The animal snaps a specialized claw shut to create a cavitation bubble that generates acoustic pressures of up to at a distance of 4 cm from the claw. As it ejects from the claw, the bubble reaches speeds of . The pressure is high enough to kill small fish. It corresponds to a peak pressure level of 218 decibels relative to one micropascal (dB re 1 μPa), equivalent to a zero to peak source level of 190 dB re 1 μPa m. Au and Banks measured peak to peak source levels between 185 and 190 dB re 1 μPa m, depending on the size of the claw. Similar values are reported by Ferguson and Cleary. The duration of the click is less than 1 millisecond.


title: Alpheidae

text: The snap can also produce sonoluminescence from the collapsing cavitation bubble. As it collapses, the cavitation bubble emits a short flash of light with a broad spectrum. If the light were of thermal origin it would require a temperature of the emitter of over . In comparison, the surface temperature of the sun is estimated to be around . The light is of lower intensity than the light produced by typical sonoluminescence and is not visible to the naked eye. It is most likely a by-product of the shock wave with no biological significance. However, it was the first known instance of an animal producing light by this effect. It has subsequently been discovered that another group of crustaceans, the mantis shrimp, contains species whose club-like forelimbs can strike so quickly and with such force as to induce sonoluminescent cavitation bubbles upon impact.


title: Alpheidae

text: The snapping is used for hunting (hence the alternative name "pistol shrimp"), as well as for communication. When hunting, the shrimp usually lies in an obscured spot, such as a burrow. The shrimp then extends its antennae outwards to determine if any fish are passing by. Once it feels movement, the shrimp inches out of its hiding place, pulls back its claw, and releases a "shot" which stuns the prey; the shrimp then pulls it to the burrow and feeds on it.


title: Alpheidae

text: When in colonies, the snapping shrimp can interfere with sonar and underwater communication. The shrimp are a major source of noise in the ocean and can interfere with anti-submarine warfare.


title: Alpheidae

text: More than 620 species are currently recognised in the family Alpheidae, distributed among 45 genera. The largest of these are "Alpheus", with 283 species, and "Synalpheus", with 146 species.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: Metro 2033 () is a 2002 post-apocalyptic fiction novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. It is set within the Moscow Metro, where the last survivors hide after a global nuclear holocaust. It has been followed by two sequels, "Metro 2034" and "Metro 2035", and spawned the "Metro" media franchise. The book's English edition was published as a tie-in with its video game adaptation in 2010.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: In 2013, a nuclear war forced a large amount of Moscow's surviving population to relocate to the city's Metro system in search of refuge. Eventually, communities settled within the underground train stations and developed into independent states over time. Factions emerged, ranging from the independent peacekeepers the "Rangers of the Order", to the neo-Stalinist "Red Line" faction and the neo-Nazi "Fourth Reich", to the more powerful factions such as "Polis", which contained the greatest military power and the most knowledge of the past, and the "Hansa" regime, which controlled the main ring of metro stations by its sheer economic power.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: As these groups began to evolve, the Red Line and the Fourth Reich quickly entered a state of war, as both sought to destroy the other. As the war raged, the stations who refused to join either side were either demolished by the factions, merged into the Hansa regime, raided by criminal bandits, or formed their own independent states. Other stations were outright destroyed by animals, mutated by the nuclear fallout. While most of the stations were controlled by the three main factions, some stations formed independent alliances, including the station VDNKh ("Exhibition"). Within that station, the events of "Metro 2033" unfold.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: The protagonist of the novel is a 24-year-old man named Artyom who was born before the nuclear war. He was saved from a horde of carnivorous rats that killed his mother and the inhabitants of his station as a baby by Sukhoi, a military officer. Sukhoi is now one of the authorities of VDNKh, one of the stations in the Metro, and has raised Artyom as his son. Artyom spends his time on patrol in the tunnels and working in the mushroom factories.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: Artyom meets a man named Hunter, who is looking for Sukhoi. The three meet and discuss the situation in VDNKh. VDNKh is facing increasing attacks from mysterious creatures known as "The Dark Ones", who inspire terror throughout the station. Hunter leaves, but asks to speak to Artyom. Artyom confesses that 10 years earlier, he and his friend went to the surface at the neighbouring station, Botanical Gardens. They were unable to seal the exit after their visit and the Dark Ones have been using this entrance to the metro ever since. Hunter tells Artyom that he intends to gather intel on the Dark Ones, and in the event that he doesn't return Artyom must carry a message to a man named Melnik at Polis with news of the threat. Feeling a sense of responsibility for the Dark Ones' attacks and seeking adventure, Artyom accepts.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: Artyom begins to journey towards the centre of the Metro. His first companion, Bourbon, is killed by a psychic force transmitted through the pipes and Artyom is then guided by a mystic named Khan. Khan leads him to Kitai-Gorod which is controlled by criminal gangs, but they become separated during an attack by the Fourth Reich. Artyom flees, only to be captured by the Reich who sentence him to death for killing an officer. Just before his execution, a band of revolutionary fighters intervene and rescue him. Pursued by the Reich, Artyom is left at Paveletskaya station and his route to Polis is blocked by the Hansa controlled Koltsevaya Line, who operate strict border controls. Artyom's passport was lost during his detention, and after a failed attempt to gain travel papers by betting on rat races, Artyom is taken into custody. After escaping, he finally reaches Polis. He delivers his message to Melnik, commander of the military organization named Spartan Order, and the council of Polis gather to determine their course of action.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: Although Polis do not agree to intervene, a faction known as the Brahmins (who consist of scientists and academics who collect books from the library above), contact Artyom. They offer a solution to the threat of the Dark Ones in exchange for Artyom's help in recovering a sacred book, as they believe him to be psychically sensitive. Artyom travels to the surface with Melnik and young Brahmin called Daniel. They enter the library and are attacked by the 'librarians', mutated creatures that reside there. Daniel is mortally wounded, but before dying, gives Artyom his reward anyway. It is an envelope containing directions to a functioning missile silo. Artyom and Melnik flee without the book and re-enter the metro, arriving at station Kievskaya. Melnik leaves Artyom at the station while he goes to collect reinforcements but whilst he is away, Artyom becomes involved in the search for a missing child, Oleg. Artyom and Oleg's father are abducted by a tribe of cannibals who worship 'The Great Worm' while following the trail left by the child. They are rescued by Melnik and a squad of fighters and they escape into Metro-2, a secret set of tunnels that lead to the missile site.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: The team pass through the metro station leading to the Kremlin, which contains a mutated bio-weapon that attempts to hypnotize and consume them. Several are killed, including Oleg, before they explode a tank of fuel to distract it. The majority of the group go to the surface and the missile silo, while Artyom is accompanied back through the metro so that they can provide targeting co-ordinates from a suitable location, Ostankino Tower. On the way, they stop at VDNKh, which has been almost overrun by Dark Ones. After a brief re-union with Sukhoi, Artyom reaches the tower and his team provide the missile site with the location of the Dark Ones hive. As they do, Artyom has a vision, which relates to the dreams and nightmares that he has been having. The Dark Ones had been trying to make contact, unable to communicate with the human survivors within the metro in a meaningful way, before they found Artyom. Artyom re-evaluates their behavior and realizes that what was seen as aggression were actually attempts to make contact, which were only met with violence. As Artyom realizes that the two races could co-operate, the missiles fall and the Dark Ones are killed. Realising that the Dark Ones were killed senselessly, Artyom tears his mask off and heads back home in tears.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: The book first appeared online in 2002 and later became an interactive experiment, drawing in thousands of readers from around Russia and abroad. In 2005, it was printed by Eksmo and became a nationwide and worldwide bestseller. The English edition was released on 18 March 2010 to coincide with the release of the video game adaptation of the novel.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: By 2010, over 500,000 copies of "Metro 2033" had been sold in Russia alone. Over 2 million had read the book on its official site before it even was published in print. Foreign book rights have been sold to dozens of countries. In 2007, Glukhovsky was awarded the Encouragement Award of the European Science Fiction Society at the Eurocon for "Metro 2033".


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: First-person shooter video game "Metro 2033", developed by the Ukrainian studio 4A Games, was released worldwide in 2010. Glukhovsky said that he had chosen a video game adaptation over a film as it gave him more artistic freedom to work. Two sequels also developed by 4A Games, "" and "Metro Exodus", were released in 2013 and 2019.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: As of November 2010, Glukhovsky had been in talks with Hollywood-based studios and producers to sell the film rights. By 2012, MGM had picked up the screen rights to "Metro 2033", setting F. Scott Frazier "Pavito" to pen the script. Mark Johnson was producing via his Gran Via Productions. However, the production was canceled and the rights were returned to Glukhovsky after he refused to have the film be Americanized and set in Washington instead of Moscow. In December 2018, Glukhovsky explained: "In Washington DC, Nazis don't work, Communists don't work at all, and the Dark Ones don't work. Washington DC is a black city basically. That's not at all the allusion I want to have [with the Dark Ones], it's a metaphor of general xenophobia but it's not a comment on African Americans at all."


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: On 23 August 2019, Glukhovsky announced the film adaptation of the novel is coming January 2022. The film will be created by TNT-Premier, TV-3 and Central Partnership film studios. Glukhovsky explained: "In Russia, I didn’t see any producers who could make a good screen adaptation of this book. It just seemed impossible. But now I finally met a team that I can entrust "Metro" with. Our ambitions turned out to be similar: to create a world-class blockbuster and stun even those who have read the trilogy and know it by heart. So as not to disappoint them, I am ready to become a creative producer of the movie and help create it with both my advice and action."


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production of the 2022 film adaptation was delayed and moving forward with a new 2024 release date. According to Fond Kino, "Metro 2033" will be directed by Egor Baranov. Dmitry Glukhovsky will write the original script for the new movie adaptation. The film is now expected to premiere on January 1, 2024.


title: Metro 2033 (novel)

text: Glukhovsky's follow-up novel "Metro 2034" was published in 2009, followed by "Metro 2035" in 2015. In addition, many other authors have published scores of volumes in the "Universe of Metro 2033"; anthologies of short stories have been also published and some authors have created their personal underground universes based in other metropolitan areas.


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: Matt Rogers (born March 5, 1990) is an American comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, and television host. He is best known for co-hosting the pop culture podcast "Las Culturistas" with Bowen Yang since 2016.


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: Rogers attended Islip High School and was named prom king at his senior prom. After graduating, he earned a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University. While studying, Rogers became a member of the improvisational group Hammerkatz and started studying at the Upright Citizens Brigade in 2009. It was while at NYU that Rogers first met Yang.


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: While studying at UCB, Rogers performed in several shows, including "Characters Welcome" and "Amazing Welcome"; he also performed in the Maude team and served as the artistic director of the musical sketch comedy group Pop Roulette. In 2016, Rogers was recognized as a "Comic to Watch" by Comedy Central.


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: Since 2016, Rogers has co-hosted the podcast "Las Culturistas" with fellow NYU alumnus Bowen Yang. Guests on the show have included Alan Cumming, Bianca Del Rio, Katie Couric, Michelle Yeoh, Trixie Mattel, Sean Hayes and Will Ferrell.


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: In 2020, Rogers hosted two television competition series. "Gayme Show", co-hosted with Dave Mizzoni, was based on a popular comedy night in which straight men were quizzed on queer culture; the show aired for one season on the streaming platform Quibi. After initially being renewed for a second series, the show's current status remains in limbo following the closure of Quibi in October 2020. Also in 2020, Rogers became the host of "Haute Dog", which aired on HBO Max and saw dog groomers compete for a cash prize.


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: As an actor, Rogers has made guest appearances on multiple television series, including "Shrill", "Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens", and "Search Party". In 2021, it was announced that Rogers would have a starring role on the comedy series "I Love That for You", in addition to a supporting role in the film "Fire Island", a gay retelling of "Pride and Prejudice".


title: Matt Rogers (comedian)

text: As a voice actor, Rogers serves as the voice of several recurring characters on the comedy series "Our Cartoon President". Since 2021, he has voiced the character of Twink on the Netflix comedy "Q-Force", on which he also serves as a writer.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Rita Mae Brown (born November 28, 1944) is an American feminist writer, best known for her coming-of-age autobiographical novel, "Rubyfruit Jungle". Brown was active in a number of civil rights campaigns and criticized the marginalization of lesbians within feminist groups. Brown received the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the Lambda Literary Awards in 2015.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown was born in 1944 in Hanover, Pennsylvania to an unmarried teenage mother and her mother's married boyfriend. Brown's birth mother left the newborn Brown at an orphanage. Her mother's cousin Julia Brown and her husband Ralph retrieved her from the orphanage, and raised her as their own in York, Pennsylvania, and later in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Julia and Ralph Brown were active Republicans in their local party.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Starting in late 1962, Brown attended the University of Florida on a scholarship. In the spring of 1964, the administrators of the racially segregated university expelled her for participating in the civil rights movement. She subsequently enrolled at Broward Community College with the hope of transferring eventually to a more tolerant four-year institution.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown hitchhiked to New York City and lived there between 1964 and 1969, sometimes homeless, while attending New York University where she received a degree in Classics and English. In 1968, she received a certificate in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown received a Ph.D. in literature from Union Institute & University in 1976 and holds a doctorate in political science from the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown wrote for "Rat", an alternative bi-weekly that eventually became New York City's first women's liberation newspaper.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In 1982, Brown wrote a screenplay parodying the slasher genre titled "Sleepless Nights"; retitled "The Slumber Party Massacre", the producers decided to play it seriously, and it was given a limited release theatrically. Brown is featured in the feminist history film "She's Beautiful When She's Angry".


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In the spring of 1964, during her study at the University of Florida in Gainesville, she became active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Later in the 1960s, she participated in the anti-war movement, the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation movement. She was involved with the Student Homophile League at Columbia University in 1967 but left it because the men in the league were not interested in women's rights.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: She was involved in the Redstockings, but also left the group because of its lack of involvement in lesbian rights. She then went on to join the Gay Liberation Front, where she suggested the formation of an all-lesbian group, since many of the women felt excluded from the feminist movement and the male-led gay liberation movement.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown took an administrative position with the fledgling National Organization for Women, but resigned in January 1970 over comments by Betty Friedan seen by some as anti-gay and by the NOW's attempts to distance itself from lesbian organizations. Brown claimed that "lesbian" was "the one word that can cause the Executive Committee [of NOW] a collective heart attack."


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown played a leading role in the "Lavender Menace" zap of the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1, 1970, which protested Friedan's remarks and the exclusion of lesbians from the women's movement. Brown and other lesbians from the Gay Liberation Front created The Woman-Identified Woman, which was distributed at the zap. The group that wrote the manifesto then went on to become the "Radicalesbians".


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: While doing work for the American Civil Rights Movement, Brown was introduced to consciousness-raising groups, which she incorporated into the organizations she created and the ones she worked in.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In the early 1970s, she became a founding member of The Furies Collective, a separatist lesbian feminist collective in Washington, DC that held that heterosexuality was the root of all oppression. The women wanted to create a communal living situation for radical feminists. The group purchased two houses, where they lived together and used consciousness raising techniques to talk about things like homophobia, feminism, and child rearing. They believed that being a lesbian was a political act, not just a personal one. Brown was exiled from The Furies after a few months and the group dismantled in 1972, a year after its inception.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: When asked if she had ever really come out, she told "Time" in 2008, I don't believe in straight or gay. I really don't. I think we're all degrees of bisexual. There may be a few people on the extreme if it's a bell curve who really truly are gay or really truly are straight. Because nobody had ever said these things and used their real name, I suddenly became the only lesbian in America. It was hysterical. It was a misnomer, but it's okay. It was a fight worth fighting. Brown also does not consider herself a "lesbian writer" because she believes art is about connection and not about divisive labels. In a 2015 interview for "The Washington Post", Brown was asked if she thought awards in gay and lesbian literature were important; she replied: I love language, I love literature, I love history, and I'm not even remotely interested in being gay. I find that one of those completely useless and confining categories. Those are definitions from our oppressors, if you will. I would use them warily. I would certainly not define myself — ever — in the terms of my oppressor. If you accept these terms, you're now lumped in a group. Now, you may need to be lumped in a group politically in order to fight that oppression; I understand that, but I don't accept it.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Brown received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Arts Council to publish her novel "Six of One".


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In 1982, Brown was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for "I Love Liberty", and again for the ABC mini-series "The Long Hot Summer" in 1985.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: She was co-winner of the 1982 Writers Guild of America Award for "I Love Liberty", and the recipient of the New York Public Library's Literary Lion award of 1987.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In 2015, Brown was presented the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In addition, Brown was nominated for an Audie award, and won both AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly Listen-Up awards.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: Starting in 1973, Brown lived in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. In 1978, she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lived briefly with American actress, author, and screenwriter Fannie Flagg, whom she had met at a Los Angeles party hosted by Marlo Thomas. They later broke up due to, according to Brown, "generational differences", although Flagg and Brown are the same age.


title: Rita Mae Brown

text: In 1979, Brown met and fell in love with tennis champion Martina Navratilova. In 1980, they bought a horse farm in Charlottesville where they lived together until their breakup, over Navratilova's then concern that coming out would hurt her application for U.S. citizenship. Brown still lives on the estate in Charlottesville.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Artificial gravity is the creation of an inertial force that mimics the effects of a gravitational force, usually by rotation.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Artificial gravity, or rotational gravity, is thus the appearance of a centrifugal force in a rotating frame of reference (the transmission of centripetal acceleration via normal force in the non-rotating frame of reference), as opposed to the force experienced in linear acceleration, which by the equivalence principle is indistinguishable from gravity.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In a more general sense, "artificial gravity" may also refer to the effect of linear acceleration, e.g. by means of a rocket engine.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Rotational simulated gravity has been used in simulations to help astronauts train for extreme conditions.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Rotational simulated gravity has been proposed as a solution in human spaceflight to the adverse health effects caused by prolonged weightlessness.


title: Artificial gravity

text: However, there are no current practical outer space applications of artificial gravity for humans due to concerns about the size and cost of a spacecraft necessary to produce a useful centripetal force comparable to the gravitational field strength on Earth ("g").


title: Artificial gravity

text: Scientists are concerned about the effect of such a system on the inner ear of the occupants. The concern is that using centripetal force to create artificial gravity will cause disturbances in the inner ear leading to nausea and disorientation. The adverse effects may prove intolerable for the occupants.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In the context of a rotating space station, it is the radial force provided by the spacecraft's hull that acts as centripetal force. Thus, the "gravity" force felt by an object is the centrifugal force perceived in the rotating frame of reference as pointing "downwards" towards the hull.


title: Artificial gravity

text: By Newton's Third Law the value of little "g" (the perceived "downward" acceleration) is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the centripetal acceleration.


title: Artificial gravity

text: From the perspective of people rotating with the habitat, artificial gravity by rotation behaves similarly to normal gravity but with the following differences, which can be mitigated by increasing the radius of a space station.


title: Artificial gravity

text: The Gemini 11 mission attempted to produce artificial gravity by rotating the capsule around the Agena Target Vehicle to which it was attached by a 36-meter tether. They were able to generate a small amount of artificial gravity, about 0.00015 "g", by firing their side thrusters to slowly rotate the combined craft like a slow-motion pair of bolas. The resultant force was too small to be felt by either astronaut, but objects were observed moving towards the "floor" of the capsule.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Artificial gravity has been suggested as a solution to various health risks associated with spaceflight. In 1964, the Soviet space program believed that a human could not survive more than 14 days in space for fear that the heart and blood vessels would be unable to adapt to the weightless conditions. This fear was eventually discovered to be unfounded as spaceflights have now lasted up to 437 consecutive days, with missions aboard the International Space Station commonly lasting 6 months. However, the question of human safety in space did launch an investigation into the physical effects of prolonged exposure to weightlessness. In June 1991, a Spacelab Life Sciences 1 flight performed 18 experiments on two men and two women over nine days. In an environment without gravity, it was concluded that the response of white blood cells and muscle mass decreased. Additionally, within the first 24 hours spent in a weightless environment, blood volume decreased by 10%. Long weightless periods can cause brain swelling and eyesight problems. Upon return to earth, the effects of prolonged weightlessness continue to affect the human body as fluids pool back to the lower body, the heart rate rises, a drop in blood pressure occurs and there is a reduced tolerance for exercise.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Artificial gravity, for its ability to mimic the behavior of gravity on the human body, has been suggested as one of the most encompassing manners of combating the physical effects inherent in weightless environments. Other measures that have been suggested as symptomatic treatments include exercise, diet, and Pingvin suits. However, criticism of those methods lies in the fact that they do not fully eliminate health problems and require a variety of solutions to address all issues. Artificial gravity, in contrast, would remove the weightlessness inherent in space travel. By implementing artificial gravity, space travelers would never have to experience weightlessness or the associated side effects. Especially in a modern-day six-month journey to Mars, exposure to artificial gravity is suggested in either a continuous or intermittent form to prevent extreme debilitation to the astronauts during travel.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Some of the reasons that artificial gravity remains unused today in spaceflight trace back to the problems inherent in implementation. One of the realistic methods of creating artificial gravity is the centrifugal effect caused by the centripetal force of the floor of a rotating structure pushing up on the person. In that model, however, issues arise in the size of the spacecraft. As expressed by John Page and Matthew Francis, the smaller a spacecraft (the shorter the radius of rotation), the more rapid the rotation that is required. As such, to simulate gravity, it would be better to utilize a larger spacecraft that rotates slowly. The requirements on size about rotation are due to the differing forces on parts of the body at different distances from the axis of rotation. If parts of the body closer to the rotational axis experience a force that is significantly different from parts farther from the axis, then this could have adverse effects. Additionally, questions remain as to what the best way is to initially set the rotating motion in place without disturbing the stability of the whole spacecraft's orbit. At the moment, there is not a ship massive enough to meet the rotation requirements, and the costs associated with building, maintaining, and launching such a craft are extensive.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In general, with the limited health effects present in shorter spaceflights, as well as the high cost of research, the application of artificial gravity is often stunted and sporadic.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Several science fiction novels, films, and series have featured artificial gravity production. In the movie , a rotating centrifuge in the "Discovery" spacecraft provides artificial gravity.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In the novel " The Martian", the "Hermes" spacecraft achieves artificial gravity by design; it employs a ringed structure, at whose periphery forces around 40% of Earth's gravity are experienced, similar to Mars' gravity. The movie " Interstellar" features a spacecraft called the "Endurance" that can rotate on its central axis to create artificial gravity, controlled by retro thrusters on the ship. The 2021 film Stowaway features the upper stage of a launch vehicle connected by 450-meter long tethers to the ship's main hull, acting as a counterweight for inertia-based artificial gravity.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Linear acceleration is another method of generating artificial gravity, by using the thrust from a spacecraft's engines to create the illusion of being under a gravitational pull. A spacecraft under constant acceleration in a straight line would have the appearance of a gravitational pull in the direction opposite of the acceleration, as the thrust from the engines would cause the spacecraft to "push" itself up into the objects and persons inside of the vessel, thus creating the feeling of weight. This is because of Newton's third law: the weight that one would feel standing in a linearly accelerating spacecraft would not be a true gravitational pull, but simply the reaction of oneself pushing against the craft's hull as it pushes back. Similarly, objects that would otherwise be free-floating within the spacecraft if it were not accelerating would "fall" towards the engines when it started accelerating, as a consequence of Newton's first law: the floating object would remain at rest, while the spacecraft would accelerate towards it, and appear to an observer within that the object was "falling".


title: Artificial gravity

text: To emulate artificial gravity on Earth, spacecraft using linear acceleration gravity may be built similar to a skyscraper, with its engines as the bottom "floor". If the spacecraft were to accelerate at the rate of 1 "g"—Earth's gravitational pull—the individuals inside would be pressed into the hull at the same force, and thus be able to walk and behave as if they were on Earth.


title: Artificial gravity

text: This form of artificial gravity is desirable because it could functionally create the illusion of a gravity field that is uniform and unidirectional throughout a spacecraft, without the need for large, spinning rings, whose fields may not be uniform, not unidirectional with respect to the spacecraft, and require constant rotation. This would also have the advantage of relatively high speed: a spaceship accelerating at 1 "g", 9.8 m/s, for the first half of the journey, and then decelerating for the other half, could reach Mars within a few days. Similarly, a hypothetical space travel using constant acceleration of 1 "g" for one year would reach relativistic speeds and allow for a round trip to the nearest star, Proxima Centauri. As such, low-impulse but long-term linear acceleration has been proposed for various interplanetary missions. For example, even heavy (100 ton) cargo payloads to Mars could be transported to Mars in and retain approximately 55 percent of the LEO vehicle mass upon arrival into a Mars orbit, providing a low-gravity gradient to the spacecraft during the entire journey.


title: Artificial gravity

text: This form of gravity is not without challenges, however. At present, the only practical engines that could propel a vessel fast enough to reach speeds comparable to Earth's gravitational pull require chemical reaction rockets, which expel reaction mass to achieve thrust, and thus the acceleration could only last for as long as a vessel had fuel. The vessel would also need to be constantly accelerating and at a constant speed to maintain the gravitational effect, and thus would not have gravity while stationary, and could experience significant swings in "g"-forces if the vessel were to accelerate above or below 1 "g". Further, for point-to-point journeys, such as Earth-Mars transits, vessels would need to constantly accelerate for half the journey, turn off their engines, perform a 180° flip, reactivate their engines, and then begin decelerating towards the target destination, requiring everything inside the vessel to experience weightlessness and possibly be secured down for the duration of the flip.


title: Artificial gravity

text: A propulsion system with a very high specific impulse (that is, good efficiency in the use of reaction mass that must be carried along and used for propulsion on the journey) could accelerate more slowly producing useful levels of artificial gravity for long periods of time. A variety of electric propulsion systems provide examples. Two examples of this long-duration, low-thrust, high-impulse propulsion that have either been practically used on spacecraft or are planned in for near-term in-space use are Hall effect thrusters and Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rockets (VASIMR). Both provide very high specific impulse but relatively low thrust, compared to the more typical chemical reaction rockets. They are thus ideally suited for long-duration firings which would provide limited amounts of, but long-term, milli-"g" levels of artificial gravity in spacecraft.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In a number of science fiction plots, acceleration is used to produce artificial gravity for interstellar spacecraft, propelled by as yet theoretical or hypothetical means.


title: Artificial gravity

text: This effect of linear acceleration is well understood, and is routinely used for 0 "g" cryogenic fluid management for post-launch (subsequent) in-space firings of upper stage rockets.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Roller coasters, especially launched roller coasters or those that rely on electromagnetic propulsion, can provide linear acceleration "gravity", and so can relatively high acceleration vehicles, such as sports cars. Linear acceleration can be used to provide air-time on roller coasters and other thrill rides.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In January 2022 China was reported by the South China Morning Post to have built a small ( diameter) research facility to simulate low lunar gravity with the help of magnets. The facility was reportedly partly inspired by the work of Andre Geim (who later shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on graphene) and Michael Berry, who both shared the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 for the magnetic levitation of a frog.


title: Artificial gravity

text: "Weightless Wonder" is the nickname for the NASA aircraft that flies parabolic trajectories. Briefly, it provides a nearly weightless environment to train astronauts, conduct research, and film motion pictures. The parabolic trajectory creates a vertical linear acceleration that matches that of gravity, giving zero-"g" for a short time, usually 20–30 seconds, followed by approximately 1.8g for a similar period. The nickname Vomit Comet is also used to refer to motion sickness that aircraft passengers often experience during these parabolic trajectories. Such reduced gravity aircraft are nowadays operated by several organizations worldwide.


title: Artificial gravity

text: The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) is an astronaut training facility at the Sonny Carter Training Facility at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The NBL is a large indoor pool of water, the largest in the world, in which astronauts may perform simulated EVA tasks in preparation for space missions. The NBL contains full-sized mock-ups of the Space Shuttle cargo bay, flight payloads, and the International Space Station (ISS).


title: Artificial gravity

text: The principle of neutral buoyancy is used to simulate the weightless environment of space. The suited astronauts are lowered into the pool using an overhead crane and their weight is adjusted by support divers so that they experience no buoyant force and no rotational moment about their center of mass. The suits worn in the NBL are down-rated from fully flight-rated EMU suits like those in use on the space shuttle and International Space Station.


title: Artificial gravity

text: The NBL tank is in length, wide, and deep, and contains 6.2 million gallons (23.5 million liters) of water. Divers breathe nitrox while working in the tank.


title: Artificial gravity

text: Neutral buoyancy in a pool is not weightlessness, since the balance organs in the inner ear still sense the up-down direction of gravity. Also, there is a significant amount of drag presented by water. Generally, drag effects are minimized by doing tasks slowly in the water. Another difference between neutral buoyancy simulation in a pool and actual EVA during spaceflight is that the temperature of the pool and the lighting conditions are maintained constant.


title: Artificial gravity

text: In science fiction, artificial gravity (or cancellation of gravity) or "paragravity" is sometimes present in spacecraft that are neither rotating nor accelerating. At present, there is no confirmed technique as such that can simulate gravity other than actual mass or acceleration. There have been many claims over the years of such a device. Eugene Podkletnov, a Russian engineer, has claimed since the early 1990s to have made such a device consisting of a spinning superconductor producing a powerful "gravitomagnetic field", but there has been no verification or even negative results from third parties. In 2006, a research group funded by ESA claimed to have created a similar device that demonstrated positive results for the production of gravitomagnetism, although it produced only 0.0001 "g". This result has not been replicated.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a 2013 adventure game developed by Starbreeze Studios and published by 505 Games for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna. The narrative takes place in a fantasy world filled with fictitious creatures such as orcs and trolls, where two young brothers set out on a journey to find a cure for their father's illness. The game is often mentioned an example of artistry in video games due to its heavy narrative. It has sold more than 800,000 copies as of January 2015.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" is presented from a third-person view overlooking the two brothers. The brothers are moved individually by two thumbsticks on the controller. The controller triggers cause the respective brother to interact with the game world, such as talking to a non-player character or grabbing onto a ledge or object. The older brother is the stronger of the two and can pull levers or boost his younger brother to higher spaces, while the younger one can pass between narrow bars. The player progresses by manipulating the two brothers at the same time to complete various puzzles, often requiring the player to manipulate both brothers to perform differing functions (such as one distracting a hostile non-player character while the other makes his way around). Should either brother fall from a great height or get injured, the game restarts at a recent checkpoint. All of the in-game dialogue is spoken in a fictional language based on Lebanese Arabic, thus the story is conveyed through actions, gestures and expressions.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: The story begins with a boy named Naiee standing at the tombstone of his dead mother, who drowned at sea while he was unable to save her. His older brother, Naia, calls him to help their ill father reach the village's doctor, who in turn tells them the only way to save him is by collecting the water from the Tree of Life. The brothers embark on their journey through the village, hills and mountains, while facing challenges like the local bully, a farmer's aggressive dog, and deadly wolves. They help others along the way – reuniting a troll couple, saving a man attempting suicide, and aiding an inventor.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: The brothers save a girl from being sacrificed by tribesmen. The girl assists them on their journey, and begins seducing Naia, tricking the brothers to enter a cave, much to Naiee's dismay. Once inside, she reveals herself as a monstrous spider creature and while trying to eat Naia, the brothers manage to thwart and kill her by pulling off her legs but not before she mortally wounds and stabs Naia. Nearing the end of their journey, the brothers reach the Tree of Life; Naia insists that Naiee venture on to reach the top of the tree. He collects the Water of Life, but as he returns to the bottom, he finds that Naia has already died from his injury. Unable to revive him using the water, Naiee buries and grieves for his older brother before returning to the village.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: Upon reaching the shoreline, Naiee must face his inability to swim in order to get the waters to his dying father. His mother's spirit appears to comfort and motivate him, and with Naia's spiritual guidance, Naiee is able to force himself to swim to the village. He is able to give the doctor the water, and the father recovers from his illness overnight. A short time afterwards, Naiee and his father mourn at the tombstones of both the mother and Naia.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" was developed by Starbreeze Studios and was the first game to come from the publishing partnership with 505 Games. During development, its working title was "P13". The game uses Unreal Engine 3,


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: Starbreeze sold the "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" intellectual property to 505 Games for $500,000 in January 2015. 505 Games continued developing the game for additional platforms, including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released in mid-2015, with director's commentary, the soundtrack, and a concept art gallery. Mobile versions of the game were also released; the iOS version was released on 22 October, while the Android version of the game was released on 26 May 2016.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: 505 Games developed a version for the Nintendo Switch released on 28 May 2019. This version includes a special two-player co-operative mode where each player controls one of the two brothers in the game. The game was released for Amazon Luna on 20 October 2020. Super Rare Games announced a limited physical release of the Switch version, which was made available on March 25, 2021.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" received universal acclaim on PC and generally favorable reviews on other consoles, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: "IGN" said that "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" "might be the best downloadable title since "Journey"". "GamesMaster" James Nouch said his preview of the game that "["Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons"] is a charming, emotive adventure that flows at its own rather sedate pace", but in their final review "GamesMaster" gave it a 91/100 writing: "Short but immensely satisfying, it's "Ico" meets "Limbo" in "Fable"s world. In a word: spellbinding". "Edge" gave it a 7/10 in its review. It praised the visual style, pace and story, as well as the controls, saying that the control scheme "understands what it means to communicate meaning through interaction", but it criticized Starbreeze's lack of confidence in making an art game. UK's "GamesTM magazine" gave "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" a score of 8/10 in its review in issue 137.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: "Joystiq" gave it full score in its review, 5/5. Joystiq's Ludwig Kietzmann says: "It's rare for a game to forge a connection so strong, and even rarer for you to become the connective tissue". "Official Xbox Magazine UK" praised the game and its touching story and inventive controls. They gave it a score of 9/10.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: Both IGN and "PC Gamer" stated "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" was one of the best games of 2013. IGN states this with "it's no secret that we love "Journey". It was our Game of the Year for 2012, after all. And we quite love "Fable" too [...]. So to combine the two into one cinematic, story-driven experience – one written and directed by a decorated Swedish filmmaker – meant our interest was piqued. And after we saw the game, we knew: this is going to be good. Really, really good". "PC Gamer" said "this could easily shape up to be one of the indie darlings of 2013". The game won the "Best Innovation" award while nominated for "Best Family Game" and "Best Story" at the 2014 BAFTA Video Games Awards.


title: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

text: "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" won the award for "Best Xbox Game" at the 2013 VGX Award Show (formerly Spike Video Game Awards; VGAs), in competition with "Grand Theft Auto V", "BioShock Infinite", and "Tomb Raider". It also won the Best Game Innovation Award at 2014's British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA).


title: Fecal–oral route

text: The fecal–oral route (also called the oral–fecal route or orofecal route) describes a particular route of transmission of a disease wherein pathogens in fecal particles pass from one person to the mouth of another person. Main causes of fecal–oral disease transmission include lack of adequate sanitation (leading to open defecation), and poor hygiene practices. If soil or water bodies are polluted with fecal material, humans can be infected with waterborne diseases or soil-transmitted diseases. Fecal contamination of food is another form of fecal-oral transmission. Washing hands properly after changing a baby's diaper or after performing anal hygiene can prevent foodborne illness from spreading.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: The common factors in the fecal-oral route can be summarized as five Fs: fingers, flies, fields, fluids, and food. Diseases caused by fecal-oral transmission include typhoid, cholera, polio, hepatitis and many other infections, especially ones that cause diarrhea.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: Although fecal–oral transmission is usually discussed as a route of transmission, it is actually a specification of the entry and exit portals of the pathogen, and can operate across several of the other routes of transmission. Fecal–oral transmission is primarily considered as an indirect contact route through contaminated food or water. However, it can also operate through direct contact with feces or contaminated body parts, such as through anal sex. It can also operate through droplet or airborne transmission through the toilet plume from contaminated toilets.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: The foundations for the "F-diagram" being used today were laid down in a publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1958. This publication explained transmission routes and barriers to the transmission of diseases from the focal point of human feces.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: Modifications have been made over the course of history to derive modern-looking F-diagrams. These diagrams are used in many sanitation publications. They are set up in a way that fecal–oral transmission pathways are shown to take place via water, hands, arthropods and soil. To make it easier to remember, words starting with the letter "F" are used for each of these pathways, namely fluids, fingers, flies, food, fields, fomites (objects and household surfaces).


title: Fecal–oral route

text: Rather than only concentrating on human feces, animal feces should also be included in the F-diagram.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: The sanitation and hygiene barriers when placed correctly prevent the transmission of an infection through hands, water and food. The F-diagram can be used to show how proper sanitation (in particular toilets, hygiene, handwashing) can act as an effective barrier to stop transmission of diseases via fecal–oral pathways.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: The process of transmission may be simple or involve multiple steps. Some examples of routes of fecal–oral transmission include:


title: Fecal–oral route

text: One approach to changing people's behaviors and stopping open defecation is the community-led total sanitation approach. In this process "live demonstrations" of flies moving from food to fresh human feces and back are used. This can "trigger" villagers into action.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: The list below shows the main diseases that can be passed via the fecal–oral route. They are grouped by the type of pathogen involved in disease transmission.


title: Fecal–oral route

text: Waterborne diseases are diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated fresh water. This is one particular type of fecal-oral transmission.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Power Rangers in Space is a television series and the sixth season of the "Power Rangers" franchise, based on the 21st Super Sentai series "Denji Sentai Megaranger".


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: "In Space" was a turning point for the Power Rangers franchise, as the season brought closure to six seasons of plot, and it ended the practice of having regular cast members act in consecutive seasons - which had been in existence since 1993. The theme of this series, and its successor, the "Power Rangers Lost Galaxy", bears little similarity to their Sentai counterparts. The sixth series also marked the final regular appearances of Tracy Lynn Cruz, Patricia Ja Lee, Roger Velasco, and Selwyn Ward.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Picking up where "Power Rangers Turbo" left off, Dark Specter has captured Zordon and is beginning to drain his powers. An assortment of old and new villains praise his victory, but an unexpected figure uncovers his plan: the Red Space Ranger, Andros. Dark Specter orders the Princess of Evil, Astronema, to eliminate Andros so he can't jeopardize his plans.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Meanwhile, four of the former Turbo Rangers (T.J. Johnson, Carlos Vallerte, Ashley Hammond and Cassie Chan) and Alpha 6 are traveling in a NASADA space shuttle with the intent to save Zordon. They are pulled aboard the Astro Megaship and later encounter Andros. Though initially suspicious and dismissive of the four former Turbo Rangers, Andros realizes he'll need their help to save Zordon and gives them each an Astro Morpher. Additionally, modifications allow the NASADA space shuttle and the Astro Megaship to combine into the powerful Astro Megazord. The new Space Rangers team then returns to Earth for repairs and supplies, but are followed by Astronema.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: The Space Rangers alternate between searching for Zordon and protecting Earth. From the Dark Fortress, Astronema seeks to eliminate them via Ecliptor (who raised her), Quantrons and a variety of monsters. Elgar has also been added to her team, but he remains a comedic bungler. Over time, allies (such as Phantom Ranger, Justin Stewart and Adam Park) offer the Rangers invaluable aid, with Zhane (the Silver Space Ranger) emerging from cryo-sleep and joining the team. New Zords are also introduced. Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull become assistants to wacky scientist Professor Phenomenus and join him in searching for aliens.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: While dedicated to finding Zordon, Andros has another quest: finding his sister, Karone, who was kidnapped when they were children. Over time, Andros discovers his sister was kidnapped by Darkonda, the arch rival of Ecliptor who has multiple lives. Much to Andros' surprise, it turns out that Karone is Astronema, who was raised by Ecliptor to be evil. Andros is able to convince Astronema of the truth and she defects with Ecliptor's help. Unfortunately just as quickly, she and Ecliptor are both recaptured and reprogrammed to follow Dark Specter.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: The reprogramming of Ecliptor worked excellent at first in returning him to being completely hostile to the Space Rangers, but the reprogramming also seemed to fade a tiny bit towards the end of the season. On the other hand, Astronema had become more evil than ever, as she not only wants to destroy the Space Rangers, but also Dark Specter. To that end, she unleashes the Psycho Rangers. The five robotic and borderline insane villains possess great power, which secretly comes from Dark Specter. Every time they fight, Dark Specter is drained of power and grows weaker. Individually, each Psycho Ranger is too powerful for their Space Ranger equivalents. But the Psycho Rangers are not as good with teamwork, and the six Space Rangers are able to overcome them with a great deal of effort and teamwork. Soon after, the Rangers suffer setbacks that see two Megazords destroyed, which are the Delta Megazord and The Mega Voyager.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Everything culminates in the two-part finale, "Countdown to Destruction", where Zordon is nearly completely drained and Dark Specter orders the villains under his command to attack the entire universe. Across the universe, the Alien, Gold Zeo and Phantom Rangers, the Blue Senturion, and KO-35's rebels are defeated and captured. The Space Rangers struggle to defend Earth, but are overwhelmed and forced to retreat. Even Zhane and his Zord, the Mega Winger, are no match, with the Mega Winger ending up destroyed. The treacherous Darkonda kills Dark Specter, who returns the favor before his own death, leaving Astronema in command as the Queen of Evil. While Andros boards the Dark Fortress to appeal to his sister, the remaining five Space Rangers engage in one last fight for Earth and are joined by the citizens of Angel Grove, with Bulk and Skull leading the charge.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: On the Dark Fortress, Andros finds Zordon, who requests his energy tube be shattered. Doing so will release good energy that will destroy the forces of evil and save the universe, but also kill him. Following battles with Astronema and Ecliptor, Andros has no choice but to comply. The many monsters are subsequently turned to dust by the energy wave (including Ecliptor), while Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, Divatox and Astronema are changed into normal, non-evil humans. With the universe now safe, T.J., Cassie, Carlos, Ashley and Alpha 6 intend to settle down on Earth. Though initially intending to remain on KO-35 with their people, Andros, Zhane and Karone decide to join their friends on Earth.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Early production material for the season, dated May and August 1997 when production was concurrently underway for the Fall 1997 episodes of "Power Rangers Turbo", was placed online in June 2011. The first half includes synopses of the first twenty-seven episodes of "Megaranger", with a mix of Japanese names and intended US names, and a breakdown of how much footage was "usable"; there is a list of weaponry and Zords introduced, how often they appear, and the monsters and how they are destroyed. It then goes on to set out initial plans for the "in Space" adaptation.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Both Astronema and Andros are absent, with the Phantom Ranger uncovering Dark Specter's plan instead, and Justin is identified as the Blue Ranger. Instead of losing their powers and base at the end of "Turbo", the Rangers would be given their Space powers by Dimitria (the "Turbo" mentor) so they could head into space and save Zordon. Their spacecraft would have had a limited power supply and could only be recharged by the Power Chamber on Earth, forcing them to keep returning; otherwise, they would hop from planet to planet, encountering new and returning villains, and picking up clues for Zordon's whereabouts. Divatox was still going to be the main recurring villain, with Ecliptor as her new second-in-command. Bulk and Skull formed a volunteer Citizen Force Group to try and protect Angel Grove while the Rangers were away.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: "In Space" would have seen "Carranger" villain Exhaus used as Dark Specter - he would instead be the monster Goldgoyle for the end of "Turbo". The Rangers were going to have a base in Earth orbit called the new Power Dome: it was to be realized by "a giant pyramid made of silky material... the walls of silk will change constantly with special effects lights creating the different moods". The "Space Station" (Astro Megaship) interior was going to recycle as much of the Power Chamber set as possible; footage would be shot for the villain's "Evil Platform" set ahead of time and used as recurring stock footage.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: This would be the last season to feature the character Skull (Jason Narvy) as Narvy himself chose to leave the Power Rangers universe to continue his college education.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: The monsters used in this season work for Astronema. The monsters are adapted from the monsters that are featured in "Denji Sentai Megaranger". Some of the monsters have twisted parts while others appear to be robotic. To make a monster grow, Astronema would give orders to fire the Sattelaser at the monster making it grow.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: Villains from previous series also appeared as members of the United Alliance of Evil where they were gathered by Dark Specter.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: In 2012, Shout Factory announced that it had reached an exclusive distribution deal with Saban for shows such as "Power Rangers" and "Big Bad Beetleborgs". "Power Rangers in Space" was released on DVD in August 2012, as part of a Time-Life exclusive boxed set containing seasons 1–7. The show later became available independently of the boxed set in two volumes, the first volume consisting of first 22 episodes was released on August 5, 2014 and the second volume containing the remaining 21 episodes was released on October 7, 2014.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: In 2018, the In Space Rangers appeared in "Shattered Grid", a crossover event between teams from all eras commemorating the 25th anniversary of the original television series. It was published in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" #25-30 and various tie-ins. A "Power Rangers in Space" story by Adam Cesare and Hyeonjin Kimwas was published in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2018 Annual" as part of the crossover.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: "Beyond the Grid," the follow up to "Shattered Grid", was published in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" #31-39. It saw Andros joining a new team alongside the Ranger Slayer, the Magna Defender, Cameron, Tanya and the Dark Ranger.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: A story by Trey Moore and Da Jung Lee, featuring Karone and both the In Space and Lost Galaxy Rangers, was published in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 25th Anniversary Special" #1.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: In 2019, "Saban's Power Rangers: The Psycho Path" by Paul Allor and Diego Galindo was published. An original graphic novel taking place after the events of the "Power Rangers in Space" television series, it features both the return and origin of the Psycho Rangers.


title: Power Rangers in Space

text: In 2022, "Power Rangers" #17-22 featured Andros, and later Zhane, in a story taking place before the events of the "Power Rangers in Space" television series.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: Multiple organizations of the "Dune" universe dominate the political, religious, and social arena of the setting of Frank Herbert's "Dune" series of science fiction novels, and derivative works. Set tens of thousands of years in the future, the saga chronicles a civilization which has banned computers but has also developed advanced technology and mental and physical abilities through physical training, eugenics and the use of the drug melange. Specialized groups of individuals have aligned themselves in organizations focusing on specific abilities, technology and goals. Herbert's concepts of human evolution and technology have been analyzed and deconstructed in at least one book, "The Science of Dune" (2008). His originating 1965 novel "Dune" is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. "Dune" and its five sequels by Herbert explore the complex and multilayered interactions of politics, religion, ecology and technology, among other themes.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: As Frank Herbert's "Dune" (1965) begins, the known universe is ruled by Shaddam IV, the 81st Padishah Emperor of House Corrino, whose power is secured by his control of the Sardaukar, his brutally efficient military force. Imperial power is balanced by the assembly of noble houses called the Landsraad, which enforces the Great Convention's ban on the use of atomics against human targets. Though the power of House Corrino is unrivaled by any other individual House, they are in constant competition with each other for political power and stakes in the omnipresent CHOAM company, a directorship which controls the wealth of the entire Empire. The third primary power in the universe is the Spacing Guild, which monopolizes interstellar travel and banking through its proprietary use of melange-mutated Guild Navigators who perform the necessary computations to safely navigate "folded space".


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The matriarchal Bene Gesserit possess almost superhuman physical, sensory, and deductive powers developed through years of physical and mental conditioning. While positioning themselves to serve mankind, the Bene Gesserit pursue their goal to better the human race by subtly and secretly guiding and manipulating human bloodlines and the affairs of others to serve their own purposes. "Human computers" known as Mentats have been developed and perfected to replace the capacity for logical analysis lost through the prohibition of computers. The Bene Tleilax are amoral merchants who traffic in biological and genetically engineered products such as artificial eyes, "twisted" Mentats and a type of clone called a ghola. Finally, the Ixians produce cutting-edge technology that seemingly complies with (but sometimes pushes the boundaries of) the prohibitions against computers, thinking machines and conscious robots put in place 10,000 years before as a result of the Butlerian Jihad. The doctors of the Suk School are the universe's most competent and trusted; those who have received the "Suk Imperial Conditioning" are incapable of inflicting harm. The Swordmasters of Ginaz are an elite group of master swordsmen whose fighting skills are prized and unmatched. Equally fierce in battle are the native Fremen of the desert planet Arrakis, known as Dune. Naturally honed to excellence in harsh conditions rivaling the planet on which the Imperial Sardaukar are trained, the Fremen are misunderstood and underestimated by the other powers in the universe.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: Arrakis is the only natural source of the all-important spice melange, and by leading the Fremen to seize control of the planet in "Dune", Paul Atreides is able to depose Shaddam and become ruler of the known universe. With a bloody jihad subsequently unleashed across the universe in Paul's name but out of his control, the Bene Gesserit, Tleilaxu, Spacing Guild and House Corrino plot to dethrone him in "Dune Messiah" (1969). Seeing the eventual extinction of mankind through prescient vision, in "Children of Dune" (1976) Paul's son Leto II devises a plan to save humanity but becomes a symbiote with the sandworm of Arrakis to gain the extended lifespan needed to see this plan to its end.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: Thirty-five hundred years later in "God Emperor of Dune" (1981), Leto still rules the universe as a benevolent tyrant, with the help of his all-female army, the Fish Speakers. He denies any spiritual outlets other than his own compulsory religion, and maintains a tight monopoly on melange and space travel. Through his own selective breeding program among the descendants of his twin sister Ghanima, Leto finally achieves Siona, whose actions are hidden from prescient vision. He engineers his own assassination, knowing it will result in rebellion and revolt but also in an explosion in travel and colonization. The resultant chaos and severe famine on many worlds cause trillions of humans to set off into the freedom of unknown space and spread out across the universe in a diaspora later called the Scattering.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: Fifteen hundred years later, as "Heretics of Dune" (1984) begins, the balance of power in the Empire rests among the Ixians, the Bene Gesserit and the Tleilaxu. The Spacing Guild has been forever weakened by the development of Ixian machines capable of navigation in foldspace, practically replacing Guild Navigators. Ixians are at their apex with their alliance with the Fish Speakers; but Bene Gesserit analysts see them as a failing power, because Ixian society has become a bureaucracy and no great inventions have come out of the workshops of Ix for centuries. The Bene Gesserit control the sandworms and their planet, now called Rakis, through their influence over the Rakian Priesthood that worships the sandworms as the Divided God, Leto II, and now actively participate on interstellar politics and even have their own standing armies. But the Tleilaxu have also discovered how to synthetically produce melange, and they are preparing to subjugate the rest of humanity. As a large influx of people begin to return from the Scattering, the Bene Gesserit find their match in a violent and corrupt matriarchal society known as the Honored Matres. A bitter and bloody war erupts between the orders, but in "" (1985) it ultimately becomes clear that joining the two organizations into a single New Sisterhood with shared abilities is their best chance at survival against the approaching enemy who had driven the Honored Matres into the Old Empire.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Bene Gesserit are a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert's science fiction "Dune" universe. The matriarchal group is described as a secretive and exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and abilities that can seem magical to outsiders. Under the guise of humbly "serving" the Empire, the Sisterhood is in fact a major power in the universe, using its many areas of influence to subtly guide mankind along the path of their own plan for humanity's future. The Bene Gesserit also have a secret, millennia-long selective breeding program to bolster and preserve valuable skills and bloodlines as well as to produce a theoretical superhuman male they call the Kwisatz Haderach.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Bene Tleilax (or Tleilaxu) are an extremely xenophobic and isolationist society in the "Dune" universe. Genetic manipulators who traffic in biological products such as artificial eyes, gholas, and "twisted" Mentats, the Tleilaxu are a major power in the Imperium. The race is ruled by a small council of Tleilaxu Masters, whose genetically-engineered Face Dancer servants have the ability to mimic any human. The Masters themselves possess a bland and diminutive appearance intended to compel other races to underestimate them. In "Heretics of Dune" (1984) it is revealed that they are a secret totalitarian theocracy ultimately seeking domination of the known universe. Despite their influence, the Bene Tleilax are universally distrusted and inspire disgust because their products, though desirable, push the limits of the moral proscriptions established by the ancient Butlerian Jihad.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles (CHOAM) is a universal development corporation in Frank Herbert's science fiction "Dune" universe, first mentioned in the 1965 novel "Dune". CHOAM controls all economic affairs across the cosmos, though it is still at the mercy of the Spacing Guild's monopoly on interstellar travel. In a 1980 article, Herbert equated CHOAM with OPEC, the real-world intergovernmental organization which is a major power in the petroleum industry. He writes in "Dune":


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: CHOAM's management and board of directors are controlled by the Padishah Emperor and the Landsraad, the assembly of noble Houses, with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit as silent partners. Because of its control of interplanetary commerce, CHOAM is the largest single source of wealth in the Empire; as such, influence in CHOAM is a central goal of political maneuvering. In "Dune", Herbert notes:


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: Before the climactic battle in "Dune", Paul Atreides and the Fremen watch the Padishah Emperor's encampment to see whether he will raise the Atreides flag, indicating a recognition of Paul's claims, or the banner of Paul's Harkonnen enemies. Instead, the Emperor raises the flag of CHOAM, as a reminder to all of the combatant parties that economics trump political considerations.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: In the "Great Schools of Dune" novels that take place eight decades after the end of the Butlerian Jihad, Josef Venport, the director of Venport Holdings (Venhold), the largest foldspace transportation company in the universe and the only company utilizing Navigators, forms Combined Mercantiles to mine spice on Arrakis. While ostensibly an independent company, it's an open secret that Combined Mercantiles works for Venhold. Presumably, the company eventually evolves into CHOAM.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Fish Speakers are the all-female army of the God Emperor Leto II Atreides in Frank Herbert's science fiction "Dune" universe, appearing primarily in "God Emperor of Dune" (1981). Named so because "the first priestesses spoke to fish in their dreams," the organization is founded by Leto after the events of "Children of Dune" (1976).


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: In "Dune" (1965), Leto II's father Paul Atreides overthrows Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV when Paul's fierce Fremen army manages to defeat Shaddam's previously-unstoppable Sardaukar forces. Though the religiously loyal Fremen and the remnants of the Sardaukar are later at Leto's disposal, Leto (possessing the life experiences of his ancestors over millennia through Other Memory) has come to believe that male-dominated military organizations are essentially predatory and will turn on the civilian population in the absence of an external enemy. Ruling for 3,500 years as a human-sandworm symbiote, Leto molds his Fish Speaker army into both a military and religious force that also functions as the bureaucracy for his tyrannical empire. As Leto sees his Golden Path for humanity's survival from extinction coming to fruition, he allows himself to be assassinated at the end of "God Emperor of Dune" (1981). Control of the Fish Speakers passes to Duncan Idaho and Siona Atreides.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: By the time of "Heretics of Dune" (1984), the influence of the Fish Speakers has significantly waned in comparison to the Bene Gesserit, Bene Tleilax, and Ixians, the latter two now having great control over the Fish Speakers. By then, the Fish Speakers have also incorporated men into their ranks, and have little in common with the force maintained by Leto II in terms of philosophy or practices. Also by this time, many of the leaders of the Fish Speakers have been replaced with Tleilaxu Face Dancers, essentially making the Fish Speakers, and the realms under their domain, puppets of the Tleilaxu. In "" (1985), the unlocking of Murbella's Other Memory confirms the Bene Gesserit's suspicions that the violent Honored Matres are descendants of Fish Speakers who had fled into The Scattering following Leto's death.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Fremen are a secretive and misunderstood tribe of humans in the "Dune" universe. As the resident population of the desert planet Arrakis – who came there after thousands of years of wandering the universe – when "Dune" (1965) begins they have been long overlooked by the rest of the Imperium and are considered backward savages; in reality they are an extremely hardy people and exist in large numbers, their culture built around the commodity of water, which is extremely scarce on Arrakis.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Honored Matres are a matriarchal organization in the "Dune" universe, described as an aggressive cult obsessed with power, violence, and sexual domination. They are introduced in Frank Herbert's "Heretics of Dune" (1984) as new and bitter enemies of the Bene Gesserit.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Ixians are a technological culture in Frank Herbert's science fiction "Dune" universe. They provide both simple and sophisticated mechanical devices to the rest of the Imperium. Though Ixian technology is commonplace and considered essential, it sometimes tests the limits of the anti-technology proscriptions established in the aftermath of the Butlerian Jihad, humanity's crusade against computers, thinking machines, and conscious robots. Among the Ixians' inventions later in the series are the no-chamber, a construct that hides anything inside from prescient vision and long-range instruments, and the no-ship, a no-chamber in starship form that does not require a Guild Navigator to fold space.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: By the time of the events described in the 1965 novel "Dune", Ix is the leader in providing technology to the Imperium. Ixian devices are ever-present, but the society itself is unseen until later in the series. The sequel to "Dune", "Dune Messiah" (1969), refers to the "Ixian Confederacy". In "God Emperor of Dune" (1981), Leto II Atreides's precognition shows him that his Golden Path has prevented a future in which the Ixians released, and ultimately lost control of, self improving hunter-seekers that would eventually consume all organic life in the known universe. Leto talks about his relationship with the former Ixian ambassador Malky, who had been specially raised and trained by the Ixians to be a "tempter", the "Devil to Leto's God." The Ixians had intended for Malky to manipulate Leto into doubting his own purpose; the plan had ultimately failed. They had later created Hwi Noree, a female designed specifically to attract, seduce, and hold influence over Leto. In the novel, Leto meets Hwi and sees this intent, but cannot dismiss his attraction to her. The Ixian embassy on Arrakis is infiltrated by Tleilaxu Face Dancers, who kill and replace everyone there—except for Hwi—as part of an assassination attempt on Leto. The attempt fails, but Leto later allows himself and Hwi to be killed by Siona Atreides as part of his own plan for the universe.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Ixians had kept Hwi's development a secret through the use of their new invention, the no-room (later called a no-chamber), a construct which is able to hide the people within from prescience, as Guild Navigators can. The Ixians had also created the Navigation Device which would eventually take the place of Guild Navigators and help fuel the diaspora known as the Scattering. Combining these two technologies later results in the no-ship, a starship that can remain unseen and does not require a Navigator to fold space. By the time of the events described in "Heretics of Dune" (1984), the power of the Ixians seems at its apex with their alliance with the Fish Speakers; however, Bene Gesserit analysts see them as a failing power, because Ixian society had become a bureaucracy and no great inventions had come out of the workshops of Ix for centuries. As the Honored Matres conquer the Old Empire, the Ixians are reduced to a barely tolerated technological combine. In "" (1985), the latest Duncan Idaho ghola suggests that Leto had never "suppressed" Ix because "he was fascinated by the idea of human and machine inextricably bound to each other, each testing the limits of the other."


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: In the "Prelude to Dune" (1999–2001) prequel trilogy, Ix is a beautiful, untouched planet that remains so by having no development on the surface. The industry of Ix is subterranean, mainly consisting of labs and factories. The Ixians are the galaxy leader in technological production and have the monopoly on producing the starships known as heighliners. House Vernius rules the planet, but the Padishah Emperor Elrood IX Corrino holds a grudge against Earl Dominic Vernius for two reasons: Dominic had married Elrood's former concubine, Shando Balut, and Ix's new, larger heighliners negatively impact Imperial tax revenue on cargo. Elrood secretly grants the Tleilaxu the right to occupy Ix by force (with the help of his Sardaukar army) and remake it into a laboratory station for Project Amal. This secret project seeks to produce a synthetic version of melange which the Tleilaxu Master Ajidica calls "ajidamal", or "amal". The Emperor wants to take over the spice monopoly by making sure that he has the only access to spice, thus controlling the Spacing Guild. The Tleilaxu seize control of Ix and rename it "Xuttuh" after their founder, and House Vernius is forced to go rogue. Although Ajidica manages to create an artificial melange that seems to have the original's properties, but it is proven to have adverse effects when two Guild Navigators unknowingly testing the substance cause the destruction of their heighliners. When Duke Leto Atreides invades Xuttuh and reestablishes Rhombur Vernius as the ruler of Ix, all the records of Project Amal are destroyed.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The Landsraad is a political body in Frank Herbert's science fiction "Dune" universe. As established in Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune", it is the assembly of all noble Houses in the Imperium, and plays a very important role in the political and economic power balance of the Empire, which is shared among the Landsraad, the Padishah Emperor, and the Spacing Guild (the Bene Gesserit prefer clandestine manipulation to overt action and therefore remain a "silent" fourth power in the Empire until the fall of Leto II Atreides). The Emperor's power derives from Imperial control of the seemingly invincible military forces of the Sardaukar, and of the planet Arrakis and its priceless melange, a source of endless wealth. The Landsraad represents the unification of all the other ruling families, known as Houses, to create a check against the individual power of the Emperor, a theoretically comparable force. Both the combined Houses and the Emperor are in turn dependent on the Guild for interstellar travel. This delicate balance of power initially serves to prevent any particularly ambitious or destructive faction or individual from upsetting the stability of society.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: In "Terminology of the Imperium," the glossary of "Dune" (1965), Herbert specifies a House as a "Ruling Clan of a planet or planetary system," with major Houses holding planetary fiefs and being interplanetary entrepreneurs, and minor Houses being planet-bound. Individual Houses are in constant competition for fiefdoms, financial and political power, and Imperial favor. The High Council is the inner circle of the Landsraad during the time of the Faufreluches, "the rigid rule of class distinction enforced by the Imperium." The council is "empowered to act as supreme tribunal in House to House disputes." A grievance is brought before the High Council in a Bill of Particulars. Shortly after the assassination of his father Duke Leto Atreides and the Harkonnen/Corrino invasion of the planet Arrakis in "Dune", Paul Atreides expresses a desire to put forward a Bill of Particulars to the Landsraad High Council to express his grievance and point out the laws that had been broken by this invasion. Paul believes that his grievance would be supported because the Great Houses would never endorse the Sardaukar eliminating them one-by-one (which is, of course, one of the principal reasons why the Landsraad exists to begin with). The Judge of the Change is "an official appointed by the Landsraad High Council and the Emperor to monitor a change of fief, a kanly negotiation, or a formal battle in a War of Assassins. The Judge's arbitral authority may be challenged only before the High Council with the Emperor present." As a political body, the Landsraad predates the end of the Butlerian Jihad (itself 10,000 years before the events of the novel) by approximately 2000 years. It was at some point referred to as the Landsraad League, and held influence over more than 13,300 worlds immediately after the Jihad.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: The word "Landsraad" is a compound word meaning "council of the land" (the 's' indicates possessive case). The word exists in several Germanic languages. It was still written as "landsraad" in Danish until the spelling reform of 1948 saw it changed to "landsråd". Herbert borrowed the word from a Scandinavian language. When asked, he defined the Landsraad thus:


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: It is established in the "Legends of Dune" prequel trilogy (2002-2004) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson that the predecessor to the Landsraad is the League of Nobles. The League is the system of government employed by the remaining free humans before and during the Butlerian Jihad; it is feudal at its core but slightly more democratic than the Landsraad, as the League members vote for which Viceroy they prefer to govern them. After the Jihad and the accession of Faykan Corrino to the new Imperial throne, the Landsraad is formed by the League in order to keep the power of the Corrinos in check.


title: Organizations of the Dune universe

text: A Mentat is a type of human, presented in Frank Herbert's science fiction "Dune" universe. In an interstellar society that fears a resurgence of artificial intelligence and thus prohibits computers, Mentats are specially trained to mimic the cognitive and analytical ability of computers. In Herbert's "Dune" universe, a historical movement known as the Butlerian Jihad results in the strict prohibition of all thinking machines, including computers, robots and artificial intelligence of any kind. This is a key influence on the setting of Herbert's "Dune" series. More than simply calculators, Mentats possess exceptional cognitive abilities of memory and perception that enable them to sift large volumes of data and devise concise analyses. They can accurately assess people and situations by interpreting minor changes in body language or intonation. Early training occurs without the subject's knowledge, and at a certain age they are made aware, and given the choice to continue. Though human nature brings an ethical component to a Mentat's logic and reasoning, the Tleilaxu can create "twisted Mentats", who are sociopaths free from the usual constraints of human morality and ethical boundaries. Mentat capabilities can be greatly increased by taking sapho juice, an addictive drug extracted from roots found on Ecaz. Repeated use leaves a permanent "cranberry-colored stain" on the user's lips.