title: Maila Nurmi

text: The idea for the Vampira character was born in 1953, when Nurmi attended choreographer Lester Horton's annual Bal Caribe Masquerade in a costume inspired by as-yet-unnamed Morticia Addams in "The New Yorker" cartoons of Charles Addams. Her appearance with pale white skin and tight black dress caught the attention of television producer Hunt Stromberg, Jr., who wanted to hire her to host horror films on the Los Angeles television station KABC-TV, but Stromberg had no idea how to contact her. He finally got her phone number from Rudi Gernreich, later the designer of the topless swimsuit. The name Vampira was the invention of Nurmi's husband, Dean Riesner. Nurmi's characterization was influenced by the Dragon Lady from the comic strip "Terry and the Pirates" and the evil queen from Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: On April 30, 1954, KABC-TV aired a preview, "Dig Me Later, Vampira", at 11:00 p.m. "The Vampira Show" premiered the following night, May 1, 1954. For the first four weeks, it aired at midnight, then moved to 11:00 p.m. on May 29. Ten months later, it aired at 10:30 p.m., beginning March 5, 1955. Each show opened with Vampira gliding down a dark corridor flooded with dry-ice fog. At the end of her trance-like walk, the camera zoomed in on her face as she let out a piercing scream. She then introduced (and mocked) that evening's film while reclining barefoot on a skull-encrusted Victorian couch. Her horror-related comedy antics included ghoulish puns, such as encouraging viewers to write for epitaphs instead of autographs, and talking to her pet spider Rollo.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In one publicity stunt, she ran as a candidate for Night Mayor of Hollywood with a platform of "dead issues". In another, KABC had her cruise around Hollywood in the back of a chauffeur-driven 1932 Packard touring car with the top down, where she sat, as Vampira, holding a black parasol. The show was an immediate hit, and in June 1954 she appeared as Vampira in a horror-themed comedy skit on "The Red Skelton Show" along with Béla Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr. That week, "Life" magazine ran an article on her, including a photo spread of her show-opening entrance and scream. A kinescope of her "The Red Skelton Show" appearance was discovered in 2014, and is available as part of the Shout Factory DVD box set "Red Skelton: The Early Years".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: When her KABC series was cancelled in 1955, Nurmi retained rights to the Vampira character and took the show to a competing Los Angeles television station, KHJ-TV. Several episode scripts and a single promotional kinescope of Nurmi recreating some of her macabre comedy segments are held by private collectors. Several clips from the rare kinescope are included in the documentaries "American Scary" and "Vampira: The Movie". The entire KABC kinescope, plus selections of the KABC pitchman who introduced the clips, is available in the 2012 documentary "Vampira and Me".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: "Vampira and Me" also features extensive clips from two previously unknown 16mm kinescopes of Nurmi as Vampira on national TV shows, including her starring guest spot on the April 2, 1955 episode of "The George Gobel Show", a top 10 hit. The "Vampira and Me" restoration of the Gobel kinescope was documented in a 2013 short film entitled "Restoring Vampira".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: Examination of Nurmi's diaries in 2014 by filmmaker and journalist R. H. Greene verified longtime rumors that in 1956 she was the model for Maleficent, the evil witch in the Disney conception of the classic fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." A Disney archivist subsequently confirmed these findings.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In 2007, the kinescope film of Nurmi in character was restored by Rerunmedia, whose restorations include "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Dark Shadows". The restoration utilized the groundbreaking LiveFeed Video Imaging process developed exclusively for the restoration of kinescopes. The restoration was funded by Spectropia Wunderhaus and Coffin Case.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: A reconstructed episode of "The Vampira Show" was released on DVD by the Vampira's Attic web site in October 2007. It imitated a complete episode by using existing footage combined with vintage commercials believed to have been directed by Ed Wood and the full-length 1932 feature film "The Thirteenth Guest".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: Nurmi made television history as the first horror movie hostess. In 1957, Screen Gems released a syndicated package of 52 horror movies, mostly from Universal Pictures, under the program title "Shock Theater". Independent stations in major cities all over the U.S. began showing these films, adding their own ghoulish host or hostess (including Vampira II and other lookalikes) to attract more viewers.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: Nominated for a Los Angeles area Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Female Personality in 1954, she returned to films with "Too Much, Too Soon" in 1958, followed by "The Big Operator" and "The Beat Generation". Her best known film appearance was in Ed Wood's camp classic, "Plan 9 from Outer Space", as a Vampira-like zombie (filmed in 1956, but released in 1959). In 1960 she appeared in "I Passed for White" and "Sex Kittens Go to College", followed by 1962's "The Magic Sword". The classic clip from "Plan 9 from Outer Space" featuring Vampira walking out of the woods with her hands pointing straight out was used to start the original opening sequence of WPIX Channel 11 New York's "Chiller Theatre" in the 1960s.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: By 1962, Nurmi was making a living installing linoleum flooring. "And if things are slow in linoleum, I can also do carpentry, make drapes or refinish furniture", she told the "Los Angeles Times".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In the early 1960s, she opened Vampira's Attic, an antiques boutique on Melrose Avenue. She also sold handmade jewelry and clothing. She made items for several celebrities, including Grace Slick of the music group Jefferson Airplane, and the Zappa family.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In 1981, Nurmi was asked by KHJ-TV to revive her Vampira character for television. She worked closely with the producers of the new show and was to get an executive producer credit, but eventually left the project over creative differences. According to Nurmi, it was because the station cast comedic actress Cassandra Peterson in the part without consulting her. "They eventually called me in to sign a contract and she was there", Nurmi told "Bizarre" magazine in 2005. "They had hired her without asking me."


title: Maila Nurmi

text: Nurmi worked on the project for a short time, but quit when the producers would not hire Lola Falana to play Vampira. The station sent out a casting call, and Peterson auditioned and won the role.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: Unable to continue using the name Vampira, the show was abruptly renamed "Elvira's Movie Macabre" with Peterson playing the titular host. Nurmi soon filed a lawsuit against Peterson. The court eventually ruled in favor of Peterson, holding that ""likeness" means actual representation of another person's appearance, and not simply close resemblance." Peterson claimed that Elvira was nothing like Vampira aside from the basic design of the black dress and black hair. Nurmi claimed that the entire Elvira persona, which included comedic dialogue and intentionally bad graveyard puns, infringed on her creation's "distinctive dark dress, horror movie props, and...special personality." Nurmi herself claimed that Vampira's image was in part based on the Charles Addams "The New Yorker" cartoon character Morticia Addams, though she told "Boxoffice" magazine in 1994 that she had intentionally deviated from Addams' mute and flat-chested creation, making her own TV character "campier and sexier" to avoid plagiarizing Addams' idea.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In 1986, she appeared alongside Tomata du Plenty of The Screamers in Rene Daalder's punk rock musical "", which was released on DVD in October 2008. According to a Daalder interview on the two-disc special edition of "", "There was a wild lady living out in back in a shed. Tomata befriended her and found out she had played Vampira".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In 1987, she recorded two seven-inch singles on Living Eye records with the band Satan's Cheerleaders. The singles, "I Am Damned" and "Genocide Utopia," were both released on colored vinyl, the second with a swastika on the label, and are extremely rare collector's items.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In 2001, Nurmi opened an official website and began selling autographed memorabilia and original art on eBay. Until her death, she lived in a small North Hollywood apartment.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: Unlike Elvira, Nurmi authorized very few merchandising contracts for her Vampira character, though the name and likeness have been used unofficially by various companies since the 1950s. In 1994, she authorized a Vampira model kit for Artomic Creations, and a pre-painted figurine from Bowen Designs in 2001, both sculpted by Thomas Kuntz. In 2004, she authorized merchandising of the Vampira character by Coffin Case, for the limited purpose of selling skate boards and guitar cases.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In the 1940s, Nurmi claimed she had a child with Orson Welles; since Welles was married to Rita Hayworth, the child was given up for adoption.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In the early 1950s, Nurmi was close friends with James Dean, and they spent time together at Googie's coffee shop on the corner of Crescent Heights and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. She explained their friendship by saying, "We have the same neuroses."


title: Maila Nurmi

text: As Hedda Hopper related in a 1962 memoir that included a chapter on Dean: "We discussed the thin-cheeked actress who calls herself Vampira on television (and cashed in, after Jimmy died, on the publicity she got from knowing him and claimed she could talk to him 'through the veil'). He said: 'I had studied "The Golden Bough" and the Marquis de Sade, and I was interested in finding out if this girl was obsessed by a satanic force. She knew absolutely nothing. I found her void of any true interest except her Vampira make-up. She has no absolute.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: The 2010 public radio documentary "Vampira and Me" by author/director R. H. Greene took issue with Hopper's depiction of the Nurmi/Dean relationship, pointing to an extant photo of Dean and Vampira sidekick Jack Simmons in full Boris Karloff Frankenstein make-up as evidence of Nurmi and Dean's friendship. The documentary also described a production memo in the Warner Bros. archive citing a set visit from "Vampira" while Dean was making "Rebel Without a Cause".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: The Warner Bros memo was first mentioned in the 2006 book "Live Fast, Die Young: The Making of Rebel Without a Cause" by Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel, who were given access to the "Rebel" production files. An interview Frascella and Weisel conducted with actress Shelley Winters also uncovered an instance where Dean interrupted an argument with director Nicholas Ray and Winters so he could watch "The Vampira Show" on TV.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In "Vampira and Me", Nurmi can be heard telling Greene that Dean once appeared in a live bit on "The Vampira Show" where Vampira, dressed as a librarian, rapped his knuckles with a ruler because "he was a very naughty boy."


title: Maila Nurmi

text: The English punk rock band the Damned wrote a song about their relationship, "Plan 9, Channel 7", which can be found on the 1979 album "Machine Gun Etiquette".


title: Maila Nurmi

text: On June 20, 1955, a man forced his way into Nurmi's apartment and terrorized her for almost four hours. She escaped and called the police, with help from a local shop owner.


title: Maila Nurmi

text: In 1949, Nurmi married her first husband, Dean Riesner, a former child actor in silent films and later the screenwriter of "Dirty Harry", "Charley Varrick", "Play Misty for Me", and numerous other movies and TV episodes.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: , also known in many European editions as , is a 1983 war film co-written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, co-written by Paul Mayersberg, and produced by Jeremy Thomas. The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post (portrayed by Tom Conti) as a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II, as depicted in his books "The Seed and the Sower" (1963) and "The Night of the New Moon" (1970). It stars David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano and Jack Thompson; Sakamoto also wrote the score and the vocal theme "Forbidden Colours", which features David Sylvian.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: The film was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d'Or. Sakamoto's score won the film a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: In 1942, Captain Yonoi is the commander of a POW camp in Japanese-occupied Java. A strict adherent to the bushido code, his only sources of connection to the prisoners lie in the empathetic Lt. Col. John Lawrence, the only inmate fluent in Japanese, and the abrasive spokesman Gp. Capt. Hicksley, who repeatedly resists Yonoi's attempts to find weapons experts among the prisoners for the Japanese army's interests. Lawrence has befriended Sgt. Gengo Hara, but remains at odds with the rest of the staff. Summoned to the military trial of the recently-captured Major Jack Celliers, Yonoi is fascinated by his resilience and has him interned at the camp. After the trial, Yonoi confides with Lawrence that he is haunted with shame due to his absence during the February 26 Incident, believing he should have died alongside the rebels and implying that his focus on honor stems from this. Sensing a kindred spirit in Celliers, Yonoi's fascination grows into a romantic obsession: he treats him specially, watches him sleep, and repeatedly asks Hara about him in private.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: When the inmates are made to fast as punishment for insubordination during the forced seppuku of a guard (Okura), Celliers sneaks in food. The guards catch him and find a smuggled radio during the subsequent investigation, forcing him and Lawrence to take the blame. Yonoi's batman, realizing the hold Celliers has on him, attempts to kill Celliers in his sleep that night, but fails after he wakes up and escapes, freeing Lawrence too. Yonoi catches Celliers and challenges him to a duel in exchange for his freedom, but Celliers refuses; the batman returns and commits suicide for his failure, urging Yonoi to kill Celliers before his feelings overpower him.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: At the funeral, Lawrence learns that he and Celliers will be executed for the radio, despite the lack of evidence, to preserve his sense of order; enraged, he trashes the funeral altar and is forced back into his cell. That night, Celliers reveals to Lawrence that as a teenager, he betrayed his younger brother, long bullied for his hunchback, by refusing to spare him a humiliating and traumatizing initiation ritual at their boarding school. Confronting his past, he describes the lifelong shame he felt towards his actions, paralleling Yonoi's predicament. During their conversation, the pair are released by a drunken Hara, as a different prisoner confessed to delivering the radio. As they leave, Hara calls out in English, "Merry Christmas, Lawrence!" Although Yonoi is angry at Hara for exceeding his authority, he only mildly reprimands him.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: Hicksley, realizing that Yonoi wants to replace him with Celliers as spokesman, confronts him. The two argue over their withholding of information from one another before an enraged Yonoi orders the whole camp to form up outside the barracks, including the sick bay's ailing patients, resulting in one's death. Hicksley, who refused to bring out the patients, is to be punished for his insubordination with an on-the-spot execution. Before he can be killed, however, Celliers breaks rank and kisses Yonoi on each cheek, choosing to save Hicksley's life at the cost of his own. Caught between a desire for vindication and his feelings for Celliers, a distraught Yonoi collapses and is ultimately relieved from duty. His more rigid replacement has Celliers buried in the sand up to his neck and left to die. Before leaving, Yonoi sneaks into his pen and cuts a lock from his hair, moments before his death.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: Four years later, Lawrence visits Hara, who is now a prisoner of the Allies. Hara has learned to speak English and reveals he is to be executed the following day for war crimes. Expressing confusion over the harshness of his sentence given how commonplace his actions were among both sides of the war, he and Lawrence both conclude that while the Allies officially won, morally "we are all wrong." The two reminisce on Celliers and Yonoi, the latter of whom was reported to have been killed after the war, before bidding each other goodbye. As he is leaving, Hara calls out, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence!".


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: David Bowie was cast as Jack Celliers after director Nagisa Ōshima saw him in a production of "The Elephant Man" on Broadway. He felt that Bowie had "an inner spirit that is indestructible". While shooting the film, Bowie was amazed that Ōshima had a two- to three-acre camp built on the remote Polynesian island of Rarotonga, but most of the camp was never shot on film. He said Ōshima "only shot little bits at the corners. I kind of thought it was a waste, but when I saw the movie, it was just so potent – you could "feel" the camp there, quite definitely." Bowie noted how Ōshima would give an incredible amount of direction to his Japanese actors ("down to the minutest detail"), but when directing him or fellow Westerner Tom Conti, he would say "Please do whatever it is you people do." Bowie thought his performance in the film was "the most credible performance" he had done in a film up to that point in his career.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: The boarding school sequence was shot on location at King's College, a private high school in Auckland, New Zealand. In a shot of two students playing billiards, another boy in the room can be seen wearing a King's blazer. Other scenes were filmed in various locations around Auckland including Auckland Railway Station.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: Contrary to usual cinematic practice, Ōshima shot the film without rushes and shipped the film off the island with no safety prints. "It was all going out of the camera and down to the post office and being wrapped up in brown paper and sent off to Japan", Bowie stated. Ōshima's editor in Japan cut the movie into a rough print within four days of Ōshima returning to Japan.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: On set, David Bowie made a bond with his on-screen brother, James Malcolm, whom he later called his “New Zealand brother”. For one pivotal scene in the movie, Malcolm had to sing for Bowie. The next year, Bowie invited Malcolm to join him on stage at Western Springs in Auckland for the Serious Moonlight tour, where they released a dove together as a sign of peace.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" an 83% approval rating and an average rating of 6.40 out of 10 based on 24 reviews.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: The Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and the American director Christopher Nolan named "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" as among their favorite films.


title: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

text: It sold 2,385,100 tickets in the United States, France and Sweden. It also sold 423,778 tickets in Germany, and 54 tickets in Switzerland and Spain since 2007, for a combined tickets sold in overseas territories outside of Japan and the United Kingdom.


title: Invincible (character)

text: Invincible (Mark Grayson) is an Image Universe superhero created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker, currently drawn by Ryan Ottley. Invincible first appeared in a preview as part of "Savage Dragon" #102 (August 2002), before graduating to his own self-titled regular series in 2003, as the premier title in Image Comics' then-new superhero line. Invincible appears in "Invincible", "Bomb Queen", "Noble Causes", "The Pact", "Savage Dragon", "The Astounding Wolf-Man", and "Dynamo 5".


title: Invincible (character)

text: Born 1987, Invincible is the son of Omni-Man, an extraterrestrial superhero of the Viltrumite race. Invincible inherited his father's complete array of superpowers and he has sworn to protect the Earth. As a teenager, he had trouble adjusting to his newfound powers and coping with the reality of his origins. Invincible is voiced by Patrick Cavanaugh in the 2008 motion comic series, and by Steven Yeun in the 2021 Amazon television series.


title: Invincible (character)

text: In "Noble Causes", Invincible is among those suspected of being the father of Zephyr Noble's baby, being confused to have been thought to be. Invincible later attends a party held at the Noble family mansion, and the funeral of Captain Dynamo.


title: Invincible (character)

text: In "Invincible", Mark Grayson was born to Nolan Grayson, a Viltrumite male, and Deborah Grayson, a human female. When Mark was seven years old, his dad told him that he was an alien from a different planet, and the superhero known as Omni-Man. Mark was told that the Viltrumites are virtually a race of peaceful Supermen. Mark learned that his father had come to Earth to protect it, and that one day Mark would develop superpowers like Nolan. Every single day, he waited for his powers to develop. One day in his senior year of high school, when working at his part time job, he sent a trash bag flying through the sky. Nolan eventually had his friend Art make Mark a superhero costume, but Mark needed to choose a name first. After protecting a classmate from being bullied, he was sent to the principal's office, who commended him, but warned him that he isn't "invincible" or anything. Mark liked the name and used it for his superhero identity.


title: Invincible (character)

text: In "The Pact", set shortly after Mark's breakup with Amber, he is among those brought together by Petra / Quantum Girl to form the superhero team the Pact in order to face the multiversal conqueror Reaver, alongside Duncan Rosenblatt / Firebreather, Eddie Collins / ShadowHawk and Zephyr Noble. Over the course of their journey, Mark acquires the nickname "Vince" from Zephyr, befriending her alongside Duncan and Eddie, and forms a romantic relationship with Petra. After failing to destroy the Reaver, who successfully conquers Earth in the future and consumes the Viltrumite Empire, killing Mark, Petra sacrifices her existence to destroy the Reaver and prevent his invasion from taking place, saving Mark in the past, who (alongside Duncan) retains a memory of her name and significance every time they awake. The next day, Mark punches Doc Seismic in the face.


title: Invincible (character)

text: In "Bomb Queen", Invincible vigorously denies being in a secret relationship with the titular character after accusations by a reporter. Following Bomb Queen's bombardment of America, Invincible is seen in Baltimore clearing away wreckage and helping survivors.


title: Invincible (character)

text: In "Dynamo 5: Sins of the Father", Invincible is among those who unite to face off against the three sons of Dominex, who seek to regain their family's honour after their father had been defeated and spared from dying in combat by Captain Dynamo, Supreme and Omni-Man thirty years prior.


title: Invincible (character)

text: Invincible, along with Firebreather and other new Image Universe superhero characters, debuted in an issue of "The Savage Dragon", and has since appeared with several of the characters in "The Pact" mini-series. Robert Kirkman wrote a miniseries, "Savage Dragon: God War" and two "SuperPatriot" mini-series, establishing the friendship between SuperPatriot's wife Claire and Invincible's mother in the pages of "Invincible "#15 and later. Invincible also appears in the fourth issue of Jay Faerber's "Noble Causes", and was seen at the funeral of Captain Dynamo, father of the characters in Faerber's "Dynamo 5". Invincible is also present in the fourth volume of "Bomb Queen". Similarly, "Invincible" #48 features cameo appearances from several "Savage Dragon" characters, as well as both Dynamo 5, and many of Kirkman's own creations, while an earlier issue featured a funeral for the Guardians of the Globe, at which many Image characters, including Savage Dragon and Jack Staff, were in attendance.


title: Invincible (character)

text: "Invincible" #60 is a "done-in-one crossover event" with characters such as Spawn and Witchblade making appearances. During the invasion of Invincible's evil counterparts from alternate dimensions, the reader saw all Image heroes, like Spawn, Savage Dragon, Witchblade, Darkness, Firebreather, and Pitt fighting invaders alongside Invincible, the Guardians of the Globe, Brit, and Wolf-Man.


title: Invincible (character)

text: Image published Image United tie-in one-shot called "Image United: Interlude". Shipping in March 2010, Invincible is prominently featured on the teaser cover of the first issue in front of a group of silhouetted characters covered in a classified information label. The website claims: "This March the effects of IMAGE UNITED go global with a glimpse of the crossover's impact on INVINCIBLE and many other Image Comics favorites..."


title: Invincible (character)

text: Mark Grayson / Invincible is voiced by Patrick Cavanaugh in a 2008 motion comic adaptation of the series, created by Gain Enterprises using the Bomb-xx process and broadcast on MTV2 and downloadable to mobile phones, from iTunes, and Amazon.


title: Invincible (character)

text: Steven Yeun voices Mark Grayson / Invincible in the Amazon Prime Video streaming television series of the same name, adapting similar events of the comic series. Its first season premiered on March 26, 2021.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: The game was originally conceived by Capcom developers as "Resident Evil 4". Due to the staff feeling it would not fit the "Resident Evil" franchise, the project became its own title. Several gameplay elements were also inspired by a bug found in "". "Devil May Cry" received prominent coverage in the video game media due to the impact it had in the action-adventure genre, its high difficulty, and the high overall scores given to it by professional reviewers. The game has sold more than three million copies, spawned multiple sequels and a prequel, and is considered among the greatest video games of all time.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: The gameplay consists of levels called "missions", where players must fight numerous enemies, perform platforming tasks, and occasionally solve puzzles to progress through the story. The player's performance in each mission is given a letter grade, starting with D, increasing to C, B, and A, with an additional top grade of S. Grades are based on the time taken to complete the mission, the amount of "red orbs" gathered (the in-game currency obtained from defeated enemies, destroyed objects, and exploration), how "stylish" their combat was, item usage, and damage taken.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: "Stylish" combat is defined as performing an unbroken series of varied attacks while avoiding damage, with player performance tracked by an on-screen gauge. The more hits the player makes, the higher the gauge rises. The gauge starts at "Dull"; progresses through "Cool", "Bravo", and "Absolute"; and peaks at "Stylish". Repeatedly using the same moves causes the gauge to stop rising, encouraging the player to use every move in their arsenal. The gauge terms are similar to the grades given at the end of the missions. When Dante receives damage, the style rating resets back to "Dull". Players can also maintain their style grade by taunting enemies at close range.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: The player can temporarily transform Dante into a more powerful demonic creature by using the "Devil Trigger" ability. Doing so adds powers based on the current weapon and changes Dante's appearance. The transformations typically increase strength and defense, slowly restore health, and grant special attacks. The ability is governed by the Devil Trigger gauge, which depletes as the ability is used, and is refilled by attacking enemies or taunting in normal form.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: "Devil May Cry" contains puzzles and other challenges besides regular combat gameplay. The main storyline often requires the player to find key items to advance, in a manner similar to puzzles in the "Resident Evil" games, as well as optional platforming and exploration tasks to find hidden caches of "orbs". Side quests, called "Secret Missions" in the game, are located in hidden or out-of-the-way areas and are not required for completion, but provide permanent power-ups. They typically challenge the player to defeat a group of enemies in a specific manner or within a time limit, or solve a puzzle.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: "Devil May Cry" begins with Dante being attacked in his office by a mysterious woman named Trish. He impresses her by easily brushing off her assault, and explains that for years, he has hunted demons in pursuit of the ones who killed his mother and brother. Trish explains that her attack was a test, and that the demon emperor Mundus, whom Dante holds responsible for the deaths of his family, is planning to cross over into the human world after centuries of imprisonment. The scene jumps to their arrival at an immense castle on the mysterious Mallet Island, where Mundus has steadily grown his power and influence over the years in preparation for his ascension. Trish quickly abandons Dante, who is forced to continue on his own.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: Dante explores the castle, fighting off demons summoned by Mundus to attack him and overcoming all sorts of devious puzzles, traps, and tricks. He also obtains two magical weapons, a sword called Alastor and a pair of gauntlets known as Ifrit, and encounters the first of Mundus' servants, a giant spider/scorpion demon known as Phantom. Dante wins their battle, but Phantom escapes and swears revenge before Dante eventually impales and kills him. Dante goes on to defeat the other servants: a giant demon bird known as Griffon, a living bioweapon referred to as Nightmare, and a masked "dark knight" known as Nelo Angelo who impresses Dante with his confidence. In their first battle, Dante manages to defeat Nelo Angelo and is about to deliver the final blow when his opponent suddenly overpowers him. Nelo Angelo prepares to kill Dante, but hesitates and then flees upon seeing the half-amulet Dante wears, which contains a picture of his mother. After two more encounters, his true identity is revealed as Dante's identical twin brother, Vergil, brainwashed by Mundus and made one of his minions. After Vergil seemingly dies, his amulet joins with his brother's half, and "Force Edge", Dante's primary sword which he inherited from his father, changes into its true form and becomes the Sparda sword.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: When Dante tries to save Trish from Nightmare, she betrays him and reveals that she is a spy for Mundus, but when her life is endangered, Dante chooses to save her. Claiming he did so only because of her resemblance to his mother, he warns her to stay away. Yet when he finally confronts Mundus, who is about to kill Trish, Dante again chooses to save her and is injured. Mundus fires a beam to kill him, but Trish takes the attack instead. This unleashes Dante's full power, thus allowing him to take on the form of Sparda. Dante and Mundus then battle on another plane of existence.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: Despite Mundus' overwhelming power, Dante is victorious, and, believing her to be dead, leaves his amulet and sword with Trish's body before departing. Returning to the island, Dante finds that the castle is collapsing, and is cornered by the injured Mundus, having used the last of his power to cross over into the human world. Dante fights Mundus, but is unable to defeat him until Trish suddenly appears and infuses Dante's guns with her magic. Dante banishes Mundus back to the demon world, and the emperor vows to one day return and finish his conquest. When Trish tries to apologize, she begins to cry, and Dante tells her it means she has become human and not just a devil, because "devils never cry". Dante and Trish escape on an old biplane as the island falls into the sea. After the credits, it is revealed that Dante and Trish are working together as partners, and have renamed Dante's business "Devil Never Cry".


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: First hinted at in early December 1999, "Devil May Cry" started out as the earliest incarnation of "Resident Evil 4". Initially developed for the PlayStation 2, the game was directed by Hideki Kamiya after producer Shinji Mikami requested him to create a new entry in the "Resident Evil" series. Around the turn of the millennium, regular series writer Noboru Sugimura created a scenario for the title, based on Kamiya's idea to make a very cool and stylized action-adventure game. The story was based on unraveling the mystery surrounding the body of protagonist Tony, an invincible man with skills and an intellect exceeding that of normal people, his superhuman abilities explained with biotechnology. As Kamiya felt the playable character did not look brave and heroic enough in battles from a fixed angle, he decided to drop the prerendered backgrounds from previous "Resident Evil" installments and instead opted for a dynamic camera system. This new direction required the team to make a trip to Europe where they spent eleven days in the United Kingdom and Spain photographing things like Gothic statues, bricks, and stone pavements for use in textures.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: Though the developers tried to make the "coolness" theme fit into the world of "Resident Evil", Mikami felt it strayed too far from the series' survival horror roots and gradually convinced all of the staff members to make the game independent from it. Kamiya eventually rewrote the story to be set in a world full of demons, taking it from the Italian epic poem "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri; he changed the hero's name to "Dante". The title character from Buichi Terasawa's manga series "Cobra" served as the basis for Dante's personality. Kamiya based his idea of Dante on what he perceived as stylish: wearing a long coat to make the character "showy" and a non-smoker, as Kamiya saw that as "cool". The character wears red because, in Japan, it is a traditional color for a heroic figure. Kamiya has also stated he perceives Dante as "a character that you would want to go out drinking with", someone who was not a show-off but would instead "pull some ridiculous, mischievous joke" to endear people to him. He added that this aspect was intended to make the character feel familiar to audiences. The cast of characters remained largely identical to that in Sugimura's scenario, although appearances of the hero's mother and father were written out of the story. The game's new title was revealed as "Devil May Cry" in November 2000.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: The game was developed by Team Little Devils, a group of staff members within Capcom Production Studio 4. Some of the major gameplay elements were partially inspired by a bug found in "". During a test-play, Kamiya discovered that enemies could be kept in the air by slashing them repeatedly, which led to the inclusion of juggles by gunfire and sword strikes in "Devil May Cry". According to the director, "Devil May Cry" was designed from the ground up around Dante's acrobatics and combat abilities. The decision was made late in the development process to change the game to a more mission-based advancement, instead of the more open-ended structure of the "Resident Evil" games. "Devil May Cry"s difficulty was intentional, according to Kamiya, who called it his "challenge to those who played light, casual games".


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: According to Eurogamer, an earlier Capcom arcade video game, "Strider" (1989), was a vital influence on "Devil May Cry". According to "Retro Gamer", the over-the-top action of "Devil May Cry" draws from "Strider".


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: "Devil May Cry" received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom. By July 2006, "Devil May Cry" had sold 1.1 million copies and earned $38 million in the United States alone. "Next Generation" ranked it as the 48th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of the "Devil May Cry" series reached 2 million units in the United States by July 2006.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: The game received critical acclaim, with reviews from video game news websites typically praising its gameplay innovations, action, visuals, camera control, and gothic ambience. The game also received positive reviews from video game print publications for similar reasons. "Game Informer" summarized their review by saying the game "makes "Resident Evil" look like a slow zombie". It was nominated for "GameSpot"s annual "Best Action/Adventure Game" prize among console games, which went to "Grand Theft Auto III". "Devil May Cry" also frequents several Top Video Games of All Time lists. Gamefury, for instance, listed "Devil May Cry" at #31 in their Top 40 Console Games of All Time feature. In 2010, IGN listed it at #42 in their "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games". Dante also received noteworthy praise to the point of becoming one of the most famous characters in gaming.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: The game was also subject to criticism, however. "Next Generation" objected to the difficulty level, wondering if the challenge was added to prolong the gameplay. "The Electric Playground" pointed to the unusual control scheme and lack of configuration options. GameSpy cited the camera's behavior, the learning curve for the controls, and graphical shortcomings such as flickering and jagginess. GameSpot criticized the game's conclusion for its dramatic change in gameplay to a rail shooter-like style at the story's climax, as well as a leveling-off of the difficulty. Lastly, Gamecritics felt that the story was overly short and the characters were underdeveloped.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: "Devil May Cry" has spawned a sequel, "Devil May Cry 2" and a prequel, "Devil May Cry 3"; both of which have sold more than two million copies. A fourth game, "Devil May Cry 4", was released on February 5, 2008 in the United States for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Total sales for all versions as of February 10, 2016 is well over 3 million copies. The game has likewise resulted in the release of two novels by Shinya Goikeda, and an . On October 15, 2004, three years after the game's release, a soundtrack containing the game's music was released alongside the soundtrack to "Devil May Cry 2". Plans for a PlayStation Portable installment, tentatively titled "Devil May Cry Series", and a live action film adaptation have been announced, although it was later confirmed in 2009 that the PSP adaptation of "Devil May Cry" was officially cancelled. A reboot titled "" was released in 2013 by Ninja Theory and Capcom. Kamiya considers his 2009 video game "Bayonetta" to have evolved from "Devil May Cry" although he played the sequel "Devil May Cry 4" when developing it. In a 2017 interview with "Dengeki PlayStation", Kamiya expressed interest in making a remake of "Devil May Cry". A fifth installment, "Devil May Cry 5" was released on March 8, 2019. The game was ported to the Nintendo Switch on June 25, 2019 worldwide and on June 27, 2019 in Japan.


title: Devil May Cry (video game)

text: "Devil May Cry" has been cited as the beginning of a subgenre of arcade-style hack and slash melee focused action-adventure games called "character action" or "Extreme Combat", which focus on powerful heroes fighting hordes of foes with a focus on stylish action. The game has also been described as being the first game that "successfully captured the twitch-based, relentlessly free-flowing gameplay style of so many classic 2D action games". The series has become the standard against which other 3D action-adventure games are measured, with comparisons in reviews of games including "God of War", "Chaos Legion", and "Blood Will Tell".


title: Memorandum

text: A memorandum (: memoranda; abbr: memo; from the Latin "memorandum", "(that) which is to be remembered") is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated "memo," these messages are usually brief and are designed to be easily and quickly understood. Memos can thus communicate important information efficiently in order to make dynamic and effective changes.


title: Memorandum

text: In law, a memorandum is a record of the terms of a transaction or contract, such as a policy memo, memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement, or memorandum of association. In business, a memo is typically used by firms for internal communication, while letters are typically for external communication.


title: Memorandum

text: Other memorandum formats include briefing notes, reports, letters, and binders. They may be considered grey literature. Memorandum formatting may vary by office or institution. For example, if the intended recipient is a cabinet minister or a senior executive, the format might be rigidly defined and limited to one or two pages. If the recipient is a colleague, the formatting requirements are usually more flexible.


title: Memorandum

text: A specific type of memorandum is the policy briefing note (alternatively referred to in various jurisdictions and governing traditions as policy issues paper, policy memoranda, or cabinet submission amongst other terms), a document for transmitting policy analysis into the political decision making sphere. Typically, a briefing note may be denoted as either “for information” or “for decision”.


title: Memorandum

text: The origins of the term “briefing” lie in legal “briefs” and the derivative “military briefings”. The plural form of the Latin noun "memorandum" so derived is properly "memoranda", but if the word is deemed to have become a word of the English language, the plural "memorandums", abbreviated to "memos", may be used. (See also Agenda, Corrigenda, Addenda).


title: Memorandum

text: There are many important purposes of a memorandum. Bringing notice to problems, and helping to solve a problem through clear and concise communication are two. Memos support decision making and to “help (or sometimes influence) a decision-maker to make a better decision in a particular problem situation than he might otherwise have made without the analysis”. Other purposes that the briefing note can serve include: conveying information; informing decisions, making a request, providing a response to a question, making a suggestion, presenting an informal report, proposing a solution to a problem, or documenting a reference for future use. Memorandums can be used to make brief appeals or give suggestions. These actions in a brief paper can help significantly expedite business actions to make a positive impact in an organization.


title: Memorandum

text: As the communication mechanism of the policy analysis process, the briefing note should provide a coherent synopsis of a policy problem, identify different policy options for addressing the problem, articulate opposing perspectives and advocate a recommended option. The typical structure for a briefing note includes a description of the proposed policy; relevant background information; a discussion of key considerations (including implementation concerns, financial considerations, stakeholder impacts, and possible unanticipated consequences), a summary of arguments for and against the policy and a recommended decision. Policy documents that start with a proposal and assemble an argument for that position are more accurately referred to as a government white paper. A government green paper which raises a policy option and is meant to open a dialogue on the proposal is more similar in tone to a briefing note than is a white paper.


title: Memorandum

text: A memo's concise format is relatively standardized in order to create accessibility to any reader. They open with a heading including a "to," from," "date," and "subject". A break in the text would then be followed by an opening paragraph, which would more than likely describe the purpose of the memo. Context is then added to the document, followed by a section of specific actions. Examples could include "You asked that I look at..." or "To determine the best method of promoting the new fall line, I will...". Actions are followed by discussion, which is typically the longest part of a memo, before concluding the message.


title: Memorandum

text: There is no universal standard for a briefing note, but it is generally understood to be a concise, coherent summary of a public policy problem with a clearly articulated logic for following a recommended course of action. ”Next to a political nose, and a logical brain, the most important skill of the good treasury [person] resides in [their] fine drafting hand. The concise, coherent and penetrating note is the final expression of all other talents.” In many governance settings based on the Westminster system, policy analysts are expected to analyze the issue and write the briefing note from a neutral civil service perspective. However, the briefing note “for decision” must contain a recommendation, acknowledging that “to say anything of importance in public policy requires value judgments, which must be explained and justified”.


title: Memorandum

text: In addition to keeping a proper memo concise and easily comprehensible, there are a few other important features. The style and tone of a memo should always be kept professional, no matter who the audience may be. This etiquette ensures that no matter who reads the message, it is presented professionally and respectfully. It is common to also see briefing notes with numbered paragraphs, in order to create an efficient and well-organized paper. Since entering the digital age, signatures are not commonly seen at the end of a memo. However, when a briefing note was handwritten in earlier years, they typically included a signature. Today it is still acceptable to sign or initial a memo if the writer wishes to.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Spanish cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices from Spain. Olive oil (of which Spain is the world's largest producer) is heavily used in Spanish cuisine. It forms the base of many vegetable sauces (known in Spanish as "sofritos"). Herbs most commonly used include parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme. The use of garlic has been noted as common in Spanish cooking. The most used meats in Spanish cuisine include chicken, pork, lamb and veal. Fish and seafood are also consumed on a regular basis. Tapas are snacks and appetizers commonly served with drinks in bars and cafes.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Authors like Strabo wrote about aboriginal people of Spain using nuts and acorns as staple food. The extension of the vines along the Mediterranean seems to be due to the colonization of the Greeks and the Phoenicians who introduced the cultivation of olive oil. Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. The growing of crops of the so-called (the "Mediterranean triad": wheat, grapevines, and olives) underpinned the staple meal products for the inhabitants of the south of the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman Era (bread, wine and oil).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The Visigoths’ limited but lasting contributions to Spanish cuisine include the spread of consumption of fermented milk and the preference for avoiding the mixing of water and wine.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Rice was possibly introduced for the first time by Byzantines in the Iberian Peninsula by the 6th century, while, following the Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century, Arabs expanded rice cultivation, bringing new irrigation techniques originally from the Indian subcontinent that also allowed for the cultivation of crops such as sugar cane, watermelon, lemon and oranges. Other ingredients introduced in the Iberian Peninsula during the Hispano-Muslim period include sorghum, spinach, eggplant, peach, apricot and saffron.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The most famous Spanish dish, paella, uses two ingredients introduced by the Moors, rice and saffron.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Moors also developed the basis for the art of pastry-making and introduced "escabeche", a food preservation technique relying on vinegar. Dishes like "ajo blanco", "", "alajú", "hallulla", "", "mojama", "arrope", are some of the many legacies of Moorish cuisine. Although Muslim religion does not allow alcoholic drinks, the consumption of wine was widespread as the Qur'anic precepts never got to overrule the preexisting traditions in this regard. There are many accounts of the "drinking chats" of Abd al-Rahman II, Abd al-Rahman III and Almanzor. "" (a formerly popular sauce preparation out of vogue since the late 17th century) was a Sephardic recipe in origin. Observing the kashrut regulations, Jews and "judaizantes" opted for blood-drained meat and without fat, outright rejecting bacon. "Potajes" were an important part of the Jewish cuisine in the Middle Ages, most notably "adafina", a local name for a "ḥamin" dish, along with other Jewish culinary legacies in Spain since.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The cookbook history in the country might be traced back to works such as the "" (1324) and Ruperto de Nola's "" (1520), both written in the Catalan language.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The arrival of Europeans to the Americas in 1492, initiated the advent of new culinary elements, such as tomatoes, potatoes, maize, bell peppers, spicy peppers, paprika, vanilla and cocoa, or chocolate. Spain is where chocolate was first mixed with sugar to remove its natural bitterness. Other ingredients traveled to the Americas, such as rice, grapes, olives and many types of cereals. Spain was the bridge for the Columbian exchange between the rest of Europe and the New World.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Influenced by Arabic "harisa", grain-based soups such as "" (along the Mediterranean coast) and, similarly, "gachas" (in Castile) were customary in Early Modern Spain.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Foreign visitors noted with disdain the Spaniards' use of olive oil and (pig's) lard for cooking rather than their preferred (cow's) butter. The latter was barely available and according to the 17th-century account of Madame d'Aulnoy, when it actually was it came "from afar, preserved in pig's tripes and full of worms". Butter was only locally produced in places such as Galicia, Asturias or Soria (or it was imported: the so-called "Flanders' butter", preserved in potassium nitrate).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: By the 18th century, many American ingredients, such as peppers and tomatoes, had been already fully incorporated to the Spanish cuisine, bringing new strong flavours; contemporary foreign visitors such as French ambassador Jean-François de Bourgoing, judged negatively this gastronomic synthesis happening in Spain by the late part of the century: "Spanish cooking, which they have inherited, is not generally pleasing to foreigners. Spaniards like strong condiments such as pepper, tomato sauce, hot peppers and saffron, which color or infect nearly all their dishes".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Many traditional Spanish dishes such as "tortilla de patata" (an omelette made with potatoes), would not be possible without the Columbian exchange. "Gazpacho", "salmorejo", and "pan con tomate" are made with tomatoes, which traveled from the New World to the Old World.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: For most of the 19th century, the aristocracy consumed a set of dishes that was largely an imitation of French cuisine. That was the available cuisine at the time, together with the degeneration of regional cuisines. A positive foreign take on the Spanish dishes opposing the largely negative views from foreign commentators was that of Richard Ford, fond of Spanish specialties such as Sherry and ham.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Modern Spanish cuisine was gestated in the late 19th to early 20th century, with gastronomes and writers such as Mariano Pardo de Figueroa (Dr. Thebussem), , , Emilia Pardo Bazán and Dionisio Pérez, some of which put an effort in developing the idea of a "national cuisine" recognisable by Spaniards as their own.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Keen on participating in the Spanish nation-building process, Dr. Thebussem, in an autochthonous example of culinary nationalism, proposed to the King's Chef that the "olla podrida" (a rustic stew typically made of meat, legumes and other vegetables) should be served at official banquets as a national dish. This can be considered as an important step to stray away from the French cooking paradigm, hegemonic in the 19th century in Europe. "Olla podrida" had been indeed previously ridiculed in foreign (most notably French) satires.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Although the new foodscape built in opposition to the French centralist culinary model accounted for the awareness of the distinctive regional singularities, subsequent food writers in the country would continue to cope with the tension between the Spanish peripheral and centralist foodscapes.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The extremely influential cooking book "1080 recetas de cocina" by Simone Ortega (first published in 1972) became a hit in Spain, remaining as of 2019 the third best-selling book ever in the history of the country after "Don Quixote" and the Bible. This was however not a book exclusively of Spanish traditional recipes, but to a large extent it included French recipes, bringing an exotic penchant to the Spanish homes.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: A continental-style breakfast ("desayuno") may be taken just after waking up, or before entering the workplace. Common products taken during breakfast include coffee, milk, chocolate drink, biscuits (most notably Marie biscuits), "magdalenas", toasts (featuring ingredients such as oil, tomato and butter, bread toasts are a staple part of the "desayuno" either consumed at home or in bars) or churros.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Due to the large time span between breakfast and lunch, it is not uncommon to halt the working schedule to take a mid-morning snack.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Lunch ("el almuerzo" or simply "la comida", literally meaning "the food"), the large midday meal in Spain, contains several courses, especially in restaurants. In some regions of Spain, the word "almuerzo" refers to the mid-morning snack, instead of lunch. Lunch usually starts between 2:00 pm or 2:30 pm finishing around 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm, and is usually followed by "sobremesa", which refers to the table talk that Spanish people undertake. Menus are organized according to these courses and include five or six choices in each course. At home, Spanish meals would contain one or two courses and a dessert. The content of this meal is usually a soup dish, salad, a meat or a fish dish and a dessert such as fruit, yoghurt or something sweet. "Tapas" may also be typically served before or during lunch.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: In recent years, the Spanish government took action to shorten the lunch break, in order to end the working day earlier. Most businesses shut down for two or three hours for lunch, then resume the working day until dinner time in the evening.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: "La cena", meaning both dinner or supper, is taken between 8:30pm and 11pm. It typically consists of one course and dessert. Due to the large time span between lunch and dinner, an afternoon snack, "la merienda", equivalent to afternoon tea, may take place at about 6pm. At merienda, people would typically drink coffee, eat something sweet, a sandwich or a piece of fruit.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Some country-wide staple dishes common throughout Spain include "croquetas" (croquettes), "paella" (a rice dish incorporating different ingredients as it moves away from the area of origin in the Valencia region), "ensaladilla rusa" (the local name for the Olivier salad), "gazpacho" (a vegetable cold soup) and "tortilla de patatas" (Spanish omelette). There is a disagreement in Spanish society when it comes to preferring onion as an ingredient in the Spanish omelette, often accompanied by exclusionary and vehement takes by either side.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Appetizers right before lunch or dinner, or during them, are common in the form of "tapas" (small portions). It is common for "tapas" to be provided as a complimentary appetizer in bars and cafes when ordering a drink. Aside from some of the aforementioned specialties, other signature "tapas" include: "mejillones en escabeche" (marinated mussels), , "" (meatballs), "callos", "torreznos" or "raxo de cerdo".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Andalusian cuisine is twofold: rural and coastal. Of all the Spanish regions, this region uses the most olive oil in its cuisine. The Andalusian dish that has achieved the most international fame is "gazpacho", from Hispanic Arabic "gazpáčo". It is a cold soup made with five vegetables, vinegar, water, salt, olive oil, and stale bread crumbs. Other cold soups include "poleá", "zoque" and "salmorejo".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Snacks made with olives are common. Meat dishes include "flamenquín", "pringá", oxtail stew, and "menudo gitano" (also called Andalusian tripe). Hot soups include "sopa de gato" (made with bread), "caldillo de perro" (fish soup with orange juice) and "migas canas". Fish dishes include "pescaíto frito", "soldaditos de Pavía", and "". A culinary custom is the typical Andalusian breakfast, which is considered to be a traditional characteristic of laborers which is extending throughout Spain.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Cured meats include Serrano ham and Iberico ham. Typical drinks in the area include anise, wine (such as Malaga, Jerez, and Pedro Ximénez), and sherry brandy.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Aragonese cuisine has a rural and mountainous origin. The central part of Aragon, the flattest, is the richest in culinary specialties. Being in a land where lambs are raised on the slopes of the Pyrenees, one of its most famous dishes is roast lamb, or "asado de ternasco". The lamb is cooked with garlic, salt, and bacon fat. Pork dishes are also very popular. Among them, ', roasted pork leg, and "almojábanas de cerdo". Among the recipes made with bread are "migas de Pastor", ', ', and '. The most notable condiment is garlic oil.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Legumes are very important, but the most popular vegetables are borage and thistle. In terms of cured meats, ' and also ham from Huesca are used often. Among the cheeses, ' is notable. Fruit-based cuisine includes the very popular fruits of Aragon (Spanish: "frutas de Aragon", which are candied fruits) and maraschino cherries.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Asturian cuisine has a long and rich history, deeply rooted in Celtic traditions of Atlantic Europe. One of its most famous dishes is "fabada asturiana". "Fabada" is the traditional stew of the region, made with white beans, sausages (such as "chorizo" and '), and pork. A well-known recipe is "fabes con almejas" (beans with clams). Asturian beans ("fabes") can also be cooked with hare, partridge, prawns, or octopus. Also of note are ' (made with white beans, kale, potatoes and a variety of sausages and bacon) and "".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Pork-based foods, for example, ', ' and ' (chorizo-stuffed bread rolls), are popular. Common meat dishes include ' (roasted veal), "cachopo" (a crunchy, crumb-coated veal steak stuffed with ham and cheese), and "". Fish and seafood play an important role in Asturian cuisine. The Cantabrian Sea provides a rich variety of species, including tuna, hake and sardines.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Asturian cheeses are very popular in the rest of Spain. Among them, the most representative is Cabrales cheese, a pungent, blue cheese developed in the regions near the Picos de Europa. Other popular cheese types are "gamonéu" "afuega'l pitu", and ". These can be enjoyed with the local cider, a low-alcohol drink made of Asturian apples, with a distinctive sourness.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Asturian cider, ", made of a special type of apple, is traditionally poured "escanciada" from a certain height, usually over the head of the waiter/server: one hand holds the glass, slightly tilted, under the hip, while the other hand throws the cider from atop, the arm usually stretched upwards. When the cider falls into the glass from above, the drink "breaks", getting aerated and bubbly. It is consumed immediately after being served, in consecutive, tiny shots.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Notable desserts are ' (similar to "crêpes", usually filled with cream or apple jam), rice pudding (white rice cooked with milk, lemon zest and sugar), and ' (puff pastry cakes filled with almond mash and covered with sugar glaze).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Balearic cuisine has purely Mediterranean characteristics due to its location. The islands have been conquered several times throughout their history by the French and the English, which left some culinary influences. Some well known food items are the "sobrassada", ', mahón cheese, "gin de Menorca" ("pelota"), and mayonnaise. Among the dishes are "tumbet", ', and roasted suckling pig. Popular deserts include "ensaïmada", "tambor d'ametlla", and "suspiros de Manacor". Balearic food is an example of the famous Mediterranean diet due to the importance of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, vegetables and fish.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The cuisine of the Basque Country has a wide and varied range of ingredients and preparations. The culture of eating is very strong among the inhabitants of this region. Highlights include meat and fish dishes. Among fish, cod ("bacalao") is produced in various preparations: ', ', to name a few. Also popular are anchovies, bream, and bonito. Among the most famous dishes is "". Common meat dishes are beef steaks, pork loin with milk, fig leaf quail, and marinated goose.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: "Txakoli" or "chacolí" (a white wine characterised by its high acidity and a lesser-than-average alcohol content) is a staple drink from the Basque Country, produced in Álava and Biscay.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The Canary Islands have a unique cuisine due to their geographical location in the Atlantic ocean. The Canary Islands were part of the trading routes to the Americas, hence creating a melting pot of different culinary traditions. Fish (fresh or salted) and potatoes are among the most common staple foods in the islands. The consumption of cheese, fruits, and pork meat also characterizes Canarian cuisine. The closeness to Africa influences climate and creates a range of warm temperatures that in modern times have fostered the agriculture of tropical and semitropical crops: bananas, yams, mangoes, avocados, and persimmons which are heavily used in Canarian cuisine.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The aboriginal people, Guanches, based their diet on "gofio" (a type of flour made of different toasted grains), shellfish, and goat and pork products. "Gofio" is still consumed in the islands and has become part of the traditional cuisine.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: A sauce called "mojo" is very common throughout the islands. It has been adapted and developed in many ways, so that it may complement various main dishes. Fish dishes usually require a "green "mojo"" made from coriander or parsley, while roasted meats require a red variety made from chilli peppers that are commonly known as "mojo picón".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Some classic dishes in the Canary Islands include "papas arrugadas", "almogrote", "frangollo", rabbit in ""salmorejo" sauce", and stewed goat.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Some popular desserts are: "truchas" (pastries filled with sweet potato or pumpkin), roasted "gofio" (a "gofio"-based dough with nuts and honey), "príncipe Alberto" (a mousse-like preparation with almonds, coffee, and chocolate), and "quesillo" (a variety of flan made with condensed milk).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Wineries are common in the islands. However, only Malvasia wine from Lanzarote has gained international recognition.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: A popular Cantabrian dish is "cocido montañés" (highlander stew), a rich stew made with beans, cabbage, and pork.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Cantabrian pastries include "sobaos" and "quesadas pasiegas". Dairy products include Cantabrian cream cheese, smoked cheeses, "picón Bejes-Tresviso," and "".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: In Castilla-La Mancha, the culinary habits reflect the origin of foods eaten by shepherds and peasants. It is said that the best La Mancha cuisine cookbook is the novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. Wheat and grains are a dominant product and ingredient. They are used in bread, soups, "gazpacho manchego", crumbs, porridge, etc. One of the most abundant ingredients in Manchego cuisine is garlic, leading to dishes such as "", "ajo puerco", and garlic marinade.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Some traditional recipes are "gazpacho manchego", "pisto manchego", and '. Also popular is ', a kind of foie gras manchego. Manchego cheese is also renowned.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Given the fact that its lands are dry, and thus unable to sustain large amounts of cattle living on grass, an abundance of small animals, such as rabbit, and especially birds (pheasant, quail, partridge, squab), can be found. This led to game meat being incorporated into traditional dishes, such as "conejo al Ajillo" (rabbit in garlic sauce), "" (marinated partridge) or "huevos de codorniz" (quail eggs)).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: In Castile and León characteristic dishes include "morcilla", (a black pudding made with special spices), ', "sopa de ajo" (garlic soup), "Cochinillo asado" (roast piglet), "lechazo" (roast lamb), "botillo del Bierzo", "hornazo" from Salamanca, ' (a cured ham from Guijuelo, Salamanca), "," other sausages, Serrada cheese, "", and Ribera del Duero wines.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Major wines in Castilian-Leonese cuisine include the robust wine of Toro, reds from Ribera del Duero, whites from Rueda, and clarets from Cigales.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The cuisine of Catalonia is based in a rural culture; it is very extensive and has great culinary wealth. It features cuisine from three climates: coastal (seafood), mountains, and the interiors. Some famous dishes include "escudella", "pa amb tomàquet", bean omelette, "", "samfaina", thyme soup, and "caragols a la llauna". Notable sauces are romesco sauce, aioli, bouillabaisse of Catalan origin and "picada".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: La Rioja is recognized by the use of meats such as pork and cold cuts, which are produced after the traditional slaughter. Lamb is perhaps the second most popular meat product in this region (""). Veal is common in mountainous areas. Another well-known dish is "caparrones," Rioja stew. The most famous dish is Rioja style potatoes and "fritada". Lesser-known dishes are Holy lunch and "ajo huevo" (garlic eggs). "Pimientos asados" (roasted peppers) is a notable vegetable dish.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: La Rioja is famously known in Spain for its red wine, so most of these dishes are served with wine. Rioja wine has designated origin status.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The cuisine of Extremadura is austere, with dishes prepared by shepherds. It is very similar to the cuisine of Castilla. Extremaduran cuisine is abundant in pork; it is said that the region is one of the best for breeding pigs in Spain, thanks to the acorns that grow in their fields. Iberian pig herds raised in the fields of Montánchez are characterized by dark skin and thin legs. This breed of pig is found exclusively in Southwestern Iberia, both in Spain and Portugal. Iberian pork products such as sausages are common and often added to stews ('), as well as ' (pork liver pâté seasoned with paprika, garlic and other spices).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Other meat dishes are lamb stew or goat stew ("caldereta de cordero" and "caldereta de cabrito"). Highlights include game meats, such as wild boar, partridge, pheasant, or venison.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Distinctive cheeses from the region include the so-called "quesos de torta", sheep milk cheeses typically curdled with the infusion of thistle: both the torta of La Serena and the torta of El Casar enjoy a protected designation of origin. Among the desserts are "leche frita", "", and "pestiños" (fritters), as well as many sweets that have their origins in convents.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Cod preparations are known, and tench is among the most traditional freshwater fish, with fish and vegetable dishes such as "moje de peces" or "escarapuche".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Soups are often bread-based and include a variety of both hot and cold ones. Pennyroyal mint is sometimes used to season "gazpachos" or soups such as "sopa de poleo". Extremaduran "ajoblanco" ("ajoblanco extremeño") is a cold soup different from Andalusian "ajoblanco" since it contains egg yolk in the emulsion and vegetables but no almonds.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The Northeastern "comarca" of La Vera produces "", smoked paprika highly valued all over Spain and extensively used in Extremaduran cuisine.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The region is also known for its "vino de pitarra" tradition, home-made wine made in small earthenware vessels.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Galician cuisine is known in Spanish territory because of the emigration of its inhabitants. Similarly to neighbouring Asturias, Galicia shares some culinary traditions in stews and soups with the Celtic nations of Atlantic Europe. One of the most noted Galician dishes is soup. Also notable is pork with turnip tops, a popular component of the Galician carnival meal "laconadas". Another remarkable recipe is "" (a chestnut broth), which is commonly consumed during winter. Pork products are also popular.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The simplicity and authenticity of the Galician cooking methods were extolled already in the early 20th century by popular gastronome Manuel Puga e Parga (aka "Picadillo"), praising dishes such as "" or "caldeiradas" (fish stew), opposed to the perceived sophistication of the French cuisine.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The seafood dishes are very famous and rich in variety. Among these are the Galician "empanadas", octopus, scallops, crab, and barnacles.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: In the city of Santiago de Compostela, located along an ancient pilgrim trail from the Pyrenees, it was customary for travellers to first eat scallops upon arriving in the city.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The "queimadas" (a folkloric preparation of "orujo") consists of mixing of the alcoholic beverage with peels of orange or lemon, sugar or coffee beans, prepared in a nearly ritual ceremony involving the "flambé" of the beverage.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Sweets that are famous throughout the Iberian Peninsula are the "tarta de Santiago" and "" ("crêpes").


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Cattle breeding is very common in Galicia, therefore, a lot of red meat is consumed, typically with potatoes.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Madrid did not gain its own identity in the Court until 1561, when Philip II moved the capital to Madrid. Since then, due to immigration, many of Madrid's culinary dishes have been made from modifications to dishes from other Spanish regions. Madrid, due to the influx of visitors from the nineteenth century onwards, was one of the first cities to introduce the concept of the restaurant, hosting some of the earliest examples.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The cuisine of the region of Murcia has two sides with the influence of Manchego cuisine. The region of Murcia is famous for its varied fruit production. Among the most outstanding dishes are: "", "zarangollo", "", "aubergine a la crème," "", etc. A typical sauce of this area is "", used to accompany meat dishes.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Regional dishes include "" (beans cooked with bay leaves, hot peppers and garlic), "", "", "sopa de mondongo," and others.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Some meat products from Murcia are "" (black pudding), which is flavored with oregano, and "", made with ground beef.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Rice dishes are common and include "", "", "paella Valenciana (rice with rabbit and snails)", "", and "."


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Among confectionery products are "exploradores" and "". They are typical in Murcia gastronomy and are found in almost every pastry shop in Murcia. They are both sweet and savoury at the same time.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: This region also has wine appellation of origin, as the wine from Jumilla, Bullas wine and wine Yecla.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The gastronomy of Navarra has many similarities with Basque cuisine. Two of its flag dishes are "" (Navarra-style trout) and "", although we must not forget the "" or "relleno". There are very curious recipes such as the Carlists eggs.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Salted products are common and include "chorizo de Pamplona", stuffing and sausage. The lamb and beef have, at present, designations of origin. Among the dairy products are Roncal cheese, the curd or Idiazabal cheese. Typical alcoholic drinks include claret and "pacharán".


title: Spanish cuisine

text: The cuisine of Valencia has two components, the rural (products of the field) and the coastal (seafood). One popular Valencia creation is "paella", a rice dish cooked in a circular pan and topped with vegetables and meats (originally rabbit and chicken). Dishes such as "," "arròs negre", "fideuá", "", and rice with beans and turnips are also common in the city.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Coastal towns supply the region with fish, leading to popular dishes like "" (fish stew), typical of the Albufera.


title: Spanish cuisine

text: Among the desserts are coffee liqueur, chocolate Alicante, and "" and "horchata", both of Muslim origin. Notably, during Christmas, nougat is made in Alicante and Jijona; also well-known are "" (almonds wrapped in a thick layer of caramel).


title: Spanish cuisine

text: It is traditional to prepare and eat small honey cakes ("galletas de miel") for the feast of Corpus Christi.


title: Steve Doocy

text: Stephen James Doocy (; born October 19, 1956) is an American television host, political commentator, and author. He is an anchor of "Fox & Friends" on the Fox News Channel.


title: Steve Doocy

text: Doocy was born in Algona, Iowa, the first child and only son of James "Jim" Edward Doocy, who worked in sales and construction, and JoAnne (née Sharp) Doocy. His paternal grandfather was of Irish descent, and his maternal grandmother was of Swedish descent. He was raised in Industry, Kansas, and attended Kansas grade schools in Russell, Salina, and Industry. Doocy went to junior high in Wakefield and high school in Clay Center, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, with a Bachelor of Science in journalism. He was the first on-air disc jockey for KJHK radio, the student-operated radio station at 90.7 FM in Lawrence.


title: Steve Doocy

text: Doocy started his television career with reporter jobs at TV stations in Topeka, Des Moines, Wichita, and Kansas City. His first major market assignment was as a features reporter for WRC, in Washington, D.C. In 1990, he was named the host of NBC's nationally syndicated program "House Party with Steve Doocy", a remake of the 1960s Art Linkletter show, which was followed by the syndicated kids' series "Not Just News".


title: Steve Doocy

text: In 1994, he got his first morning show job, as the co-host of "Wake Up America" on NBC’s "America’s Talking" channel. Doocy then anchored the morning newscast on CBS-TV's flagship station, WCBS-TV, in 1996 in New York City. He was the live Times Square reporter on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC-TV for four ball drops.


title: Steve Doocy

text: Doocy joined the Fox News Channel in 1996, and began co-hosting the network's morning show "Fox & Friends" in 1998. In 2004, he helped launch Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve special, "All American New Year", whose hosts have included Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly.


title: Steve Doocy

text: "Fox & Friends" regularly interviewed Donald Trump, before and after his election as president. After his election, Trump called it "the most honest morning show." During his first year as president, Trump continued to watch and often quoted the program on Twitter. This prompted "The New York Times" to call "Fox & Friends" "the most powerful TV show in America."


title: Steve Doocy

text: In 2019, it was reported that Trump ranked many reporters' loyalty on a scale of 1 to 10. Doocy received a "12 out of 10."


title: Steve Doocy

text: On September 15, 2020, Doocy made news when he challenged President Trump's announcement of a series of weekly appearances on "Fox and Friends". Doocy responded: "You may want to do it every week, but Fox is not committed to that. We're going to take it on a case by case basis." Doocy extended an invitation for Joe Biden to appear on the program, offering him equal airtime to Trump.


title: Steve Doocy

text: Doocy has earned TV reporting and writing awards from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists (formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi), and 11 Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.


title: Steve Doocy

text: In 2020, Doocy and his wife Kathy published the "Happy in a Hurry Cookbook", which debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller List and became one of America's top cookbooks of that pandemic year. It was a sequel to their successful 2018 "Happy Cookbook: A Celebration of the Food That Makes America Smile’'.


title: Steve Doocy

text: The Doocys also authored "The Mr. and Mrs. Happy Handbook" and "Tales from the Dad Side". All four books were published by William Morrow and Company, a division of HarperCollins and all were "New York Times" bestsellers.


title: Steve Doocy

text: Doocy is married to Kathy Doocy (nee Garrity), a former model and TV sports reporter who starred in a TV commercial for the Chatty Cathy Doll. The couple have three adult children: Mary, Sally and Peter Doocy, the Fox News White House correspondent. He lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Kathy Doocy is a cancer survivor.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: The Martian is a 2011 science fiction debut novel written by Andy Weir. The book was originally self-published on Weir's blog, in a serialized format. In 2014, the book was re-released after Crown Publishing Group purchased the exclusive publishing rights. The story follows an American astronaut, Mark Watney, as he becomes stranded alone on Mars in 2035 and must improvise in order to survive.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: A film adaptation, "The Martian", directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, was released in October 2015.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: In the year 2035, the crew of NASA's Ares 3 mission have arrived at Acidalia Planitia for a planned month-long stay on Mars. After only six sols, an intense dust and wind storm threatens to topple their Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which would trap them on the planet. During the hurried evacuation, an antenna tears loose and impales astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist and engineer, also disabling his spacesuit radio. He is flung out of sight by the wind and presumed dead. As the MAV teeters dangerously, mission commander Melissa Lewis has no choice but to take off without completing the search for Watney.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: However, Watney is not dead. His injury proves relatively minor, but with no long-range radio, he cannot communicate with anyone. He must rely on his own resourcefulness to survive. He begins a log of his experiences. His philosophy is to "work the problem", solving each challenge in turn as it confronts him. With food a critical, though not immediate, problem, he begins growing potatoes in the crew's Martian habitat (the Hab), and uses an iridium catalyst to separate hydrogen gas from surplus hydrazine fuel, which he then burns to generate water for the plants.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: NASA eventually discovers that Watney is alive when satellite images of the landing site show evidence of his activities; NASA personnel begin devising ways to rescue him, but withhold the news of his survival from the rest of the Ares 3 crew, on their way back to Earth aboard the "Hermes" spacecraft, so as not to distract them.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: Watney plans to drive to Schiaparelli crater where the next mission, Ares 4, will land in four years and whose MAV is already pre-positioned. He begins modifying one of the rovers for the journey, adding solar cells and an additional battery. He makes a three-week test drive to recover the "Pathfinder" lander and "Sojourner" rover and brings them back to the Hab, enabling him to contact NASA. Mitch Henderson, the Ares 3 flight director, convinces NASA Administrator Teddy Sanders to allow him to inform the Ares 3 crew of Watney's survival; they are thrilled, except for Lewis, who is guilt-stricken at leaving him behind.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: The canvas at one of the Hab airlocks tears because of Watney's repeated use of the same airlock, which was not designed for frequent and long-term usage. This results in the decompression of the Hab and nearly kills him. He repairs the Hab, but his plants are dead, threatening him again with eventual starvation. Setting aside safety protocols to comply with time constraints, NASA hastily prepares an uncrewed probe to send Watney supplies, but the rocket disintegrates after liftoff. A deal with the China National Space Administration provides a ready booster—planned for use with the "Taiyang Shen," an uncrewed solar probe—to try again. With no time to build a probe with a soft-landing system, NASA is faced with the prospect of building a capsule whose cargo can survive crashing into the Martian surface at .


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: However, astrodynamicist Rich Purnell devises a "slingshot" trajectory around Earth for a gravity assist that could get "Hermes" back to Mars on a much-extended mission to save Watney, using the Chinese rocket booster to send a simpler resupply probe to "Hermes" as it passes Earth. Sanders vetoes the "Rich Purnell Maneuver", as it would entail risking the other crewmembers, but Henderson secretly emails the details to "Hermes." All five of Watney's crewmates approve the plan. Once they begin the maneuver (having disabled the remote overrides), NASA has no choice but to support them. The resupply ship docks with "Hermes" successfully.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: Watney resumes modifying the rover because the new rescue plan requires him to lift off from Mars in the Ares 4 MAV. While working on the rover, Watney accidentally shorts out the electronics of "Pathfinder", losing the ability to communicate with Earth (except for spelling out Morse code with rocks for a one-way communication).


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: After Watney leaves for Schiaparelli, NASA discovers that a dust storm is approaching his path, but has no way to warn him. The rover's solar cells will be less and less able to recharge, endangering both the rendezvous and his immediate survival (if there is not enough power to run his life-support equipment). While crossing Arabia Terra, Watney becomes aware of the darkening sky and improvises a rough measurement of the storm's shape and direction of movement, enabling him to go around it.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: Surviving a rover rollover on his descent into Schiaparelli, Watney reaches the MAV and reestablishes contact with NASA. He receives instructions on the radical modifications necessary to reduce the MAV's weight to enable it to intercept "Hermes" during its flyby. The modifications include removing the front of the MAV, which Watney has to cover with Hab canvas. After takeoff, the canvas tears, creating extra drag and leaving the MAV too low for the rendezvous. Lewis hastily improvises a plan to intercept the MAV by firing "Hermes" attitude thrusters and then blowing a hole in the front airlock with an improvised sugar-and-liquid-oxygen bomb, using the thrust from the escaping air to reduce speed. Beck, the "Hermes" EVA specialist, uses a Manned Maneuvering Unit, MMU, on a tether to reach Watney and bring him back to "Hermes". In a final log entry, Watney expresses his joy at being rescued, reflecting on the human instinct to help those in need.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: Andy Weir, the son of a particle physicist and electrical engineer, has a background in computer science. He began writing the book in 2009, researching related material so that it would be as realistic as possible and based on existing technology. Weir had previously used the concept of humans stranded on Mars in his webcomic "Casey and Andy". Weir studied orbital mechanics, astronomy, and the history of human spaceflight. He said he knows the exact date of each day in the book. He specifically avoided physically describing the characters when not necessary for the plot.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: Having been rebuffed by literary agents when trying to get prior books published, Weir decided to put the book online in serial format one chapter at a time for free at his website. At the request of fans, he made an Amazon Kindle version available at 99 cents (the minimum allowable price he could set). The Kindle edition rose to the top of Amazon's list of best-selling science-fiction titles, selling 35,000 copies in three months, more than had been previously downloaded free. This garnered the attention of publishers: Podium Publishing, an audiobook publisher, signed for the audiobook rights in January 2013. Weir sold the print rights to Crown in March 2013 for over US$100,000.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: The book debuted on the "New York Times" Best Seller list on March 2, 2014, in the hardcover fiction category at twelfth position and remained on this list for four weeks without going above eleventh position. The trade paperback edition of the novel debuted on "The New York Times" Best Seller list on November 16, 2014, in the paperback trade fiction category at eighth position. It gradually rose to the top position for the week of June 28, 2015, before dropping down to number two for nine weeks, during which it was displaced by E. L. James' "Grey", before returning to the top position on September 6, 2015. The book remained continuously at the number one position for 12 weeks before it was displaced on November 22, 2015, by Nora Roberts' "Stars of Fortune" for two weeks. The trade paperback returned to the top position for the third and final time on December 6, 2015, for six weeks before it was finally replaced on January 24, 2016. The trade paperback's final appearance on the list occurred on April 24, 2016, 76 weeks after its debut in this category. Overall, the trade paperback edition was on the top of its "New York Times" best seller category for a total of 19 out of 76 weeks that the edition was listed.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: "The Martian" was published in print by Crown on February 11, 2014. An audiobook edition, narrated by R. C. Bray and released by Podium Publishing, preceded the print release in March 2013 on Audible.com, and was later followed with an MP3 CD in association with Brilliance Audio. The audiobook was nominated and won an Audie Award (2014) in the Science Fiction category. A Classroom Edition, published by Broadway Books in May 2016, contains educational materials and removes profanity. Audible released a new audiobook edition, narrated by Wil Wheaton on January 1, 2020, featuring several additional short tie-in stories written by Weir.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: In book 6 of "The Expanse" series of science fiction novels, "Babylon's Ashes", there is mention of a Martian ship called the "Mark Watney" as being commandeered by the Free Navy's Michio Pa fleet during the Free Navy Conflict.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: A 2017 German publication of an interview with Andy Weir and survival tips for living on Mars was published, titled "Der Mars Survival Guide", tying into the novel and movie.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: In a starred review, "Publishers Weekly" said that "Weir laces the technical details with enough keen wit to satisfy hard science fiction fan and general reader alike." "Kirkus Reviews" called "The Martian" "Sharp, funny and thrilling, with just the right amount of geekery". "The Wall Street Journal" called the book "the best pure sci-fi novel in years." "Entertainment Weekly" gave the novel a grade of "B", describing it as "an impressively geeky debut novel" but saying Weir "stumbles with his secondary characters". "USA Today" rated "The Martian" three out of four stars, calling it "terrific stuff, a crackling good read" but noting that "Mark's unflappability, perhaps the book's biggest asset, is also its greatest weakness. He's a wiseacre with a tendency to steer well clear of existential matters." "Amazing Stories" commented, "Andy Weir's "The Martian" will leave you as breathless as if you'd been dropped on the Martian surface without a suit".


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: "The Martian" has been translated to over 45 languages and some of those translations won some major awards. In 2015, the Japanese translation of the novel won the Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Story, the Hebrew translation won the Geffen Award for Best Translated Science Fiction Novel, and the Spanish translation won the Ignotus Awards for Best Foreign Novel.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: At the 2016 Hugo Awards, Weir won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer for "The Martian" while the screenplay adapted from the novel additionally won Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form at the same event.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: "Solanum watneyi", a species of bush tomato from Australia, was named after the fictional botanist. It is a member of the same genus as the potato, "Solanum".


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: In March 2013, Twentieth Century Fox optioned the film rights, and hired screenwriter Drew Goddard to adapt and direct the film. In May 2014, it was reported that Ridley Scott was in negotiations to direct an adaptation that would star Matt Damon as Mark Watney. On September 3, 2014, Jessica Chastain joined the film as Commander Lewis. The ensemble cast also includes Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film was released on October 2, 2015, and became the 10th-highest-grossing film of the year.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: On December 5, 2014, the Orion spacecraft took the cover page of "The Martian" script on the first test flight of the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1). The script was launched atop a Delta IV Heavy on the flight lasting 4 hours and 24 minutes, landing at its target in the Pacific Ocean.


title: The Martian (Weir novel)

text: In October 2015, NASA presented a new web tool to follow Watney's trek across Mars, and details of NASA's next steps, as well as a health hazards report, for a real-world human journey to Mars.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Iron(III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula FeO. It is one of the three main oxides of iron, the other two being iron(II) oxide (FeO), which is rare; and iron(II,III) oxide (FeO), which also occurs naturally as the mineral magnetite. As the mineral known as hematite, FeO is the main source of iron for the steel industry. FeO is readily attacked by acids. Iron(III) oxide is often called rust, and to some extent this label is useful, because rust shares several properties and has a similar composition; however, in chemistry, rust is considered an ill-defined material, described as Hydrous ferric oxide.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: FeO can be obtained in various polymorphs. In the main one, α, iron adopts octahedral coordination geometry. That is, each Fe center is bound to six oxygen ligands. In the γ polymorph, some of the Fe sit on tetrahedral sites, with four oxygen ligands.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: α-FeO has the rhombohedral, corundum (α-AlO) structure and is the most common form. It occurs naturally as the mineral hematite which is mined as the main ore of iron. It is antiferromagnetic below ~260 K (Morin transition temperature), and exhibits weak ferromagnetism between 260 K and the Néel temperature, 950 K. It is easy to prepare using both thermal decomposition and precipitation in the liquid phase. Its magnetic properties are dependent on many factors, e.g. pressure, particle size, and magnetic field intensity.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: γ-FeO has a cubic structure. It is metastable and converted from the alpha phase at high temperatures. It occurs naturally as the mineral maghemite. It is ferromagnetic and finds application in recording tapes, although ultrafine particles smaller than 10 nanometers are superparamagnetic. It can be prepared by thermal dehydratation of gamma iron(III) oxide-hydroxide. Another method involves the careful oxidation of iron(II,III) oxide (FeO). The ultrafine particles can be prepared by thermal decomposition of iron(III) oxalate.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Several other phases have been identified or claimed. The β-phase is cubic body-centered (space group Ia3), metastable, and at temperatures above converts to alpha phase. It can be prepared by reduction of hematite by carbon, pyrolysis of iron(III) chloride solution, or thermal decomposition of iron(III) sulfate.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: The epsilon (ε) phase is rhombic, and shows properties intermediate between alpha and gamma, and may have useful magnetic properties applicable for purposes such as high density recording media for big data storage. Preparation of the pure epsilon phase has proven very challenging. Material with a high proportion of epsilon phase can be prepared by thermal transformation of the gamma phase. The epsilon phase is also metastable, transforming to the alpha phase at between . It can also be prepared by oxidation of iron in an electric arc or by sol-gel precipitation from iron(III) nitrate. Research has revealed epsilon iron(III) oxide in ancient Chinese Jian ceramic glazes, which may provide insight into ways to produce that form in the lab.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Molten FeO is expected to have a coordination number of close to 5 oxygen atoms about each iron atom, based on measurements of slightly oxygen deficient supercooled liquid iron oxide droplets, where supercooling circumvents the need for the high oxygen pressures required above the melting point to maintain stoichiometry.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: When alkali is added to solutions of soluble Fe(III) salts, a red-brown gelatinous precipitate forms. This is "not" Fe(OH), but FeO·HO (also written as Fe(O)OH).


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Several forms of the hydrated oxide of Fe(III) exist as well. The red lepidocrocite (γ-Fe(O)OH) occurs on the outside of rusticles, and the orange goethite (α-Fe(O)OH) occurs internally in rusticles.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: When FeO·HO is heated, it loses its water of hydration. Further heating at 1670 K converts FeO to black FeO (FeFeO), which is known as the mineral magnetite.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: This process is used to weld thick metals such as rails of train tracks by using a ceramic container to funnel the molten iron in between two sections of rail. Thermite is also used in weapons and making small-scale cast-iron sculptures and tools.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Partial reduction with hydrogen at about 400 °C produces magnetite, a black magnetic material that contains both Fe(III) and Fe(II):


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Iron(III) oxide is insoluble in water but dissolves readily in strong acid, e.g. hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. It also dissolves well in solutions of chelating agents such as EDTA and oxalic acid.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Heating iron(III) oxides with other metal oxides or carbonates yields materials known as ferrates (ferrate (III)):


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: Iron(III) oxide is a product of the oxidation of iron. It can be prepared in the laboratory by electrolyzing a solution of sodium bicarbonate, an inert electrolyte, with an iron anode:


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: The overwhelming application of iron(III) oxide is as the feedstock of the steel and iron industries, e.g. the production of iron, steel, and many alloys.


title: Iron(III) oxide

text: A very fine powder of ferric oxide is known as "jeweler's rouge", "red rouge", or simply rouge. It is used to put the final polish on metallic jewelry and lenses, and historically as a cosmetic. Rouge cuts more slowly than some modern polishes, such as cerium(IV) oxide, but is still used in optics fabrication and by jewelers for the superior finish it can produce. When polishing gold, the rouge slightly stains the gold, which contributes to the appearance of the finished piece. Rouge is sold as a powder, paste, laced on polishing cloths, or solid bar (with a wax or grease binder). Other polishing compounds are also often called "rouge", even when they do not contain iron oxide. Jewelers remove the residual rouge on jewelry by use of ultrasonic cleaning. Products sold as "stropping compound" are often applied to a leather strop to assist in getting a razor edge on knives, straight razors, or any other edged tool.