Publication history.

Uncle Ben first appeared in "Strange Tales" #97 (June 1962), and was killed in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 later that year. Although his history as a supporting character was very brief, Uncle Ben is an overshadowing figure in Spider-Man's life, often appearing in flashbacks.

Notability of death.

The murder of Uncle Ben is possibly the most notable in comic book history. He is also one of the few comic book deaths that has never been reversed in terms of official continuity. He was a member of the "Big Three", referring also to Jason Todd (an associate of Batman) and Bucky (an associate of Captain America) whose notable deaths, along with Ben's, gave rise to the phrase: "No one in comics stays dead except for Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben". Later, the revivals of both Bucky and Jason in 2005 led to the amendment, "No one in comics stays dead except Uncle Ben". The violent killing of Uncle Ben, done by a common street criminal, also shares multiple similarities to the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, the parents of Batman, which sometimes is included in the saying.  There have been examples of Uncle Ben remaining alive in alternative timelines, including stories featured in Marvel's "What If" (one of which he forces Peter to unmask in front of J. Jonah Jameson), and a storyline of the 1994 "Spider-Man" animated series featured a universe where Uncle Ben had never died, and Peter Parker became a successful industrialist, having never really bothered to use his powers responsibly as everything always seemed to work out for him. This fact is used to defeat the rampaging Spider-Carnage by exposing him to the one person he will trust and listen to: the Uncle Ben of that reality.  A story-line in the official series "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" seemingly suggested that Ben may be alive. This Ben, however, was actually from a parallel universe where Aunt May died in a random accident, leaving him to raise Peter. This alternate Ben came to the planet Earth of regular "Marvel" comics (the 616 reality) as part of an evil plan devised by the Hobgoblin of 2211 to defeat the Spider-Men of different eras.  During the "Clone Conspiracy" storyline, when Peter's clone Ben Reilly (who had taken Uncle Ben's first name, along with Aunt May's last, to differentiate himself from Peter) used the Jackal's technology to revive several of Peter's old enemies and allies, he offered to bring Uncle Ben back to life while trying to win Peter to his point of view. Although tempted at the offer, Peter concluded that the reason Reilly had not brought Uncle Ben back on his own was that he knew that Uncle Ben would disapprove of Reilly's actions, as his plan would see everyone on Earth granted immortality, while dependent on him to supply the medication needed to stabilize their cloned bodies.

Fictional character biography.

Ben Parker was born in Brooklyn, New York. He trained to be a military police officer, and also spent time as a singer in a band. He had known his future wife, May Reilly since their high school days, but she, in turn, was naively interested in a boy who was involved in criminal activities. When he came to her one night and proposed to her on the spot, Ben was there to expose him as a murderer, and to comfort the heart-broken May when the boy was arrested. Their relationship evolved into love, and they enjoyed a happily married life, later caring for mermaid Linda Brown. When Ben's younger brother Richard Parker and his wife Mary were killed in a plane crash, Ben and May took in their orphaned son Peter and raised him as their own.  Ben was very protective of Peter, going as far as fighting some of the bullies that tormented young Parker. Peter became friends with Charlie Weiderman in high school, a teen even more unpopular than he was. However, Charlie often provoked the trouble with the other teens. One day, he was chased to the Parker home by a group of bullies led by Rich and Ben intervened. Ben told them that if they wanted Charlie, they would have to go through him. Rich tried to, but was surprised by Ben's army training. As soon as the bullies were gone, he told the boy that he was not welcome at the house or with Peter because of his provoking the bullies and not being able to tell the truth.  In high school, a radioactive spider bite gave Peter superhuman powers. Creating the costumed identity of Spider-Man for himself, Peter sought first to exploit his newfound powers as a masked wrestler and then as a television star. Coming from a television appearance, Spider-Man saw a burglar being chased by a security guard. The guard called for Spider-Man to stop the thief, but the nascent Spidey refused on the grounds that catching criminals was not his job. The robber got away.  When Peter later returned home, he was informed by a police officer that his beloved Uncle Ben had been killed by a burglar. Outraged, he donned his Spider-Man costume and captured the man only to realize to his horror that it was the same burglar whom he could have effortlessly captured earlier at the studio. As a result, Peter considered himself morally responsible for Ben's death and resolved to fight crime as a superhero — realizing that with great power comes great responsibility — and vowing never to let another innocent person come to harm if he could help it.  Ben Parker's death was truly avenged when the burglar returned for the money once more, threatening Aunt May. The burglar died from a heart attack upon beholding his old nemesis Spider-Man once again and learning that Spider-Man and Peter Parker were one and the same person.  In "Amazing Spider-Man Family" #7, May relates to Peter her account of meeting Ben for the first time.  Ben briefly appeared in "Amazing Spider-Man" #500; after Spider-Man played a vital role in preventing the resurrection of Dormammu, an unidentified higher power provided Doctor Strange with a small box that he felt he had to give to Spider-Man as a reward for his role in events. When Peter opened the box on the roof of his apartment building, it contained a note saying "You have five minutes. Spend them as you will", followed by Ben appearing on the roof. It was revealed that this Ben - whether a ghost or Ben having been temporally relocated from the moment before his death - remembered being out for the walk that resulted in him getting shot but nothing afterwards, although he concluded that the events leading to him being on that roof were not important. In their talk Ben said that the only thing that would disappoint him about Peter is if Peter ever settled for less because he was afraid of reaching for more. This helps Peter to see that he had a good life for all its hardships, recognizing that he has always used what he has, and Ben assures Peter that he is proud of him before he vanishes.  During the 2008–2009 "Dark Reign" storyline, Uncle Ben makes an appearance in the Underworld when Hercules attends the trial of Zeus, directing Amadeus Cho as he attempted to find his parents in the afterlife. In the "Amazing Grace" storyline, Ben appears as an apparition to Spider-Man while battling a horde of demons and gargoyles, telling him that his death is not Peter's or anyone's fault. However, one enemy notices him and attacked only to disappear. This left Spider-Man puzzled if he was imagining Ben or he was really talking to his ghost.  When Ben Reilly adopted the identity of the Jackal and set up an elaborate plan to use Warren's new cloning process to make the world immortal, he attempted to win Peter's allegiance by showing him Ben's coffin and offering to bring Ben back to life. However, although tempted by the idea, Peter realized that Ben never intended to bring 'their' uncle back to life because he would have done it already, coldly informing his clone that Uncle Ben would tell Reilly that he was wrong, as he has the power without the responsibility. At the conclusion of the crisis, Peter takes a moment beside the coffin containing Ben's corpse, acknowledging that Reilly's actions were wrong but wishing that Uncle Ben was there regardless.

Other versions.

Trouble.

A version of Ben appeared in the Mark Millar, Terry Dodson 2003 limited series, "Trouble", with his brother Richie, who were involved with teenagers, May and Mary.  None of the characters' last names were revealed. The story did not become canon because of its negative reception.

Bullet Points.

In this alternate reality, a young Ben Parker is working as a military policeman. He is assigned to security for Doctor Erskine, a scientist for the Captain America program. An assassination attempt on Erskine succeeds, killing Ben in the process. Later on, May still attempts to raise Peter on her own, but without the influence of Ben, Peter grows up to be angry, cynical and mean-spirited, going on to become the Hulk of this reality when he sneaks onto the test site that Rick Jones sneaked onto in the original version of events.

House of M.

In the "House of M" reality, Ben Parker is alive and, like the rest of the world, is aware that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. After recovering Peter's journal, with entries detailing that the world is not how it should be, Ben discovers that he is killed shortly after Peter gains his powers. He later helps Peter fake his death, photographing Spider-Man apparently hanging himself.

Marvel Noir.

In the "Marvel Noir" reality, Ben Parker is a social activist who was murdered by Norman Osborne's enforcers. He had previously been a decorated pilot and veteran of World War I, but he did not take pride in his service, believing that no just cause was fought for. His nephew Peter dons his old aviator uniform and wields his service revolver during his activities as Spider-Man.

Spider-Verse.

During the "Spider-Verse" storyline, there are different versions of Uncle Ben that are featured:

Spider-Geddon.

During the "Spider-Geddon" storyline, Earth-91918 has a version of Uncle Ben who is married to a Hispanic version of Aunt May. When he is shot by a mugger, Uncle Ben gains spider powers following a blood transfusion from his nephew. When Ben became a Spider-Man, he was a ruthless hero where he once severely beat up Kraven the Hunter.

Ultimate Marvel.

The Ultimate Marvel version of Ben Parker differs slightly from the original iteration. Younger than his original counterpart, he is also a former hippie who wears his hair in a ponytail and teaches Peter Parker to be nonviolent. Ben also reminisces about the period he lived on a commune. After Peter went out for a walk, Peter learned from a police officer that Ben was murdered.

What If?

Uncle Ben was featured in various issues of "What If".

Derailed Alt-Ben Parker.

In an alternate reality shown in "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man", an alternate reality was witnessed where May died in a random accident, prompting Peter to go into show business with Ben as his agent to make money. Peter's focus on his career prompts him to eventually leave home, simply paying Ben a percentage out of respect for their old relationship rather than any actual concern. This Ben was eventually 'derailed' into the 616 reality by the Hobgoblin of 2211 as part of her plan against the Spider-Men of various eras, leaving him shocked when he witnessed his destroyed house and the still-living May Parker. Confronting her, he ended up in a fight with Jarvis, with whom she at the time has a relationship with, but wandered away in confusion. Lacking direction, Ben wandered into an alleyway where he encountered a shadowy figure who offered him a gun, telling Ben that any action he takes would simply create another universe where he took the opposite action, so he might as well do what felt good. After this Hobgoblin was erased from history by a Retcon Bomb of her own invention, the Spider-Man of 2211 met with what he presumed to be the same Ben Parker to take him back to his own timeline. In a surprise twist, deciding he rather wanted to "stick around for a while", this Ben Parker shoots this future Spider-Man. At the same time, another Ben Parker was shown dead in the alley, meaning one Ben Parker had killed the other and taken his place.  It was revealed that the Ben Parker who had died in the alleyway was the Uncle Ben of the alternate reality, while the Ben Parker who killed Spider-Man 2211 was, in fact, the Chameleon of 2211; the Chameleon had attempted to convince Ben to resort to murder, but Spider-Man correctly guessed that there were no circumstances under which Ben would do such a thing.

Franklin Richards' Uncle Ben.

Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four often refers to Benjamin Grimm, the Thing, as "Uncle Ben" (Grimm is the best friend of Franklin's father Reed Richards). Franklin Richards and Peter Parker also have the same middle name, Benjamin, as the Thing and Ben Parker are their namesakes. Spider-Man is aware of this, and told Franklin, "Uncle Bens are always right".

Son of Spider-Man.

In "The Amazing Spider-Man" #498-500, Spider-Man falls through time, encountering all of his enemies from the past, and sees himself in the future. The future Peter Parker tells him that he should tell Mary Jane Watson and their son that he loves them every day. "Our son is called Ben", he says, "but it would pretty much have to be, wouldn't it?" However, because of the way time-travel in the Marvel universe works, this is only a potential future and not necessarily a definite one (this future being even more unlikely after the events of "").

The Other Uncle Ben.

Like her father, Spider-Girl also has an Uncle Ben. However, unlike her dad, May never knew her uncle: Ben Reilly, Spider-Man's clone. If Spider-Girl has any children in the future, they too would have an Uncle Ben - May's baby brother. Ironically in the aftermath of "Spider-Verse", the Earth-3145's Ben Parker himself would stay on her world, and has a chance to be his grandfather, something that the other Ben Parkers were unable to achieve on account of their deaths.

Benjamin Franklin Parker, usually called Uncle Ben, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the husband of May Parker and paternal uncle of Peter Parker (Spider-Man). Uncle Ben first appeared in "Strange Tales" #97 (June 1962), and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Modeled after American founding father Benjamin Franklin, the character plays an influential role in the Spider-Man comic books, beginning with "Amazing Fantasy" #15 (August 1962).


Background.

In 1962, RCA Victor decided it was time for Cooke to record a live album, and a warm January night at the Harlem Square Club in Miami was picked to record. The Harlem Square Club was a small downtown nightspot in Miami's historically African-American neighborhood of Overtown, and was packed with the singer's most devoted fans from his days singing gospel. RCA found the results too loud, raw and raucous — not the Cooke the label was trying to break as an international pop star — and shelved the recordings for over two decades.  In 1985, executive Gregg Geller discovered the tapes and quickly issued "Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963" that year. "Sam was what we've come to call a crossover artist: He crossed over from gospel to pop, which was controversial enough in its day. But once he became a pop artist, he had a certain mainstream image to protect," Geller said in 2013. "The fact is, when he was out on the road, he was playing to a predominantly, almost exclusively black audience. And he was doing a different kind of show — a much more down-home, down-to-earth, gut-bucket kind of show than what he would do for his pop audience."  Three mixes of the album have been released. The original 1985 mix contains a louder audience response, creating a "claustrophobic, frenzied power" and also features some minor instrumental studio overdubbing which was not used in subsequent mixes. The version included on the 2000 box set, "The Man Who Invented Soul", turns the audience elements down, cleaning up Cooke's vocals as well as the music. The 2005 remaster generally splits the difference between these two releases. However, the 2005 version has a defect. Around the 0:56 mark of "Twistin' the Night Away", the song skips. It is not known why this defect is present, or why it has not been fixed as of today.

Reception.

"Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963" has generally been considered among the best live LPs ever released. In the year of its release (1985), it was ranked at number 11 on "The Village Voice" Pazz & Jop critics poll, as well as being named number 7 on "NME" albums of the year. Steve Leggett for AllMusic feels that "Not only is this one of the greatest live soul albums ever released, it also reveals a rougher, rawer, and more immediate side to Sam Cooke that his singles only hinted at, good as they were [...] the crucial key is and was always Cooke's vocals, and while he was a marvelously smooth, versatile, and urbane singer on his official pop recordings, here he explodes into one of the finest sets of raw secular gospel ever captured on tape. It is essential listening in any version."  In 2012, "Rolling Stone" ranked the album at number 439 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. "Cooke was elegance personified, but he works this Florida club until it's hotter than hell, while sounding like he never breaks a sweat [...] when the crowd sings along with him, it's magic," said "Rolling Stone". The album appears in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Track listing.

All tracks composed by Sam Cooke; except where indicated

1985 version.

Total Time 37:29  (actually tracks 13 through 21 on the CD)

2000 "The Man Who Invented Soul" version.

Total Time 38:44

2005 version.

Total Time 38:49

Personnel.

All credits adapted from "The RCA Albums Collection" (2011) liner notes.

Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 is the second live album by the American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. The album was released in June 1985 in the United States by RCA Records. Initially recorded on January 12, 1963 to be released as a live album entitled One Night Stand, the concert at Miami's Harlem Square Club was not released until 1985. RCA Victor, at the time, viewed the album as too gritty and raw and possibly damaging to his pop image, and quietly kept the recordings in their archive.


History.

The history of the municipality of Pacaraima is linked to the demarcation of the border with Venezuela by the Brazilian Army, originating around the landmark known as BV-8, gateway to Brazil from Venezuela. Also noteworthy is the deployment of a Special Border Squadron in the region.  However, colonization would intensify with the full arrival of Brazilians, mainly from the Northeast Region of Brazil, attracted by the dream of easy enrichment with the garimpo. Free cross-border mobility made it necessary to formalize the demarcation and protection of that frontier.  The pioneer Brazilians in the region are considered their pioneers, although they are accidental founders and almost unknown to the municipality. Once known as Vila Pacaraima, or simply BV-8, adopting the name of the landmark, the village was part of the then Federal Territory of Roraima, present state of Roraima.  Pacaraima was emancipated by State Law No. 96, dated October 17, 1995, and the municipality was formed by the dismemberment of Boa Vista, the state capital. Its installation took place on January 1, 1997, with the inauguration of the first mayor elected by direct vote, the agronomist engineer Hiperion de Oliveira and the nine councilors that compose the City Council, in an election held on October 3, 1996.  The municipal headquarters functions until today as a commercial warehouse, attracting several buyers of basic consumer goods from the neighboring municipality.

Urban infrastructure.

Access to the city of Pacaraima takes the highway BR-174, which is paved and with good state of conservation. The distance to Boa Vista is 220 kilometers (about 136 miles).  There is a regular bus service available to the municipality from Boa Vista. There are also services of autonomous drivers that make the route. Pacaraima is connected to the state power grid, with energy coming from Macágua, Venezuela.

Tourism.

The seat of the municipality of Pacaraima, on the border of Brazil and Venezuela, is embedded in a region of valleys surrounded by mountains. The mountainous region is one of the mildest in Roraima. The indigenous peoples themselves administer some tourism services provided to visitors. Some attractions:

Geography.

The municipality of Pacaraima, with a height of 920 m, is considered the highest municipality in the state of Roraima and throughout the Northern Region of Brazil.

Climate.

Pacaraima has a tropical monsoon climate ("Am", according to the Köppen climate classification), with average annual compensated temperature of. In most months of the year there is significant rainfall, there is only a short dry season and it is not very effective.  March, the hottest month, has an average temperature of. While July, the coldest month, presents of average temperature. The average annual rainfall is.

Pacaraima () is a municipality located in the northwest of the state of Roraima in Brazil. It is second most northern municipality in Brazil, behind Uiramutã.


Publication history.

The character first appeared in "Fantastic Four" #45 (December 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  As part of the 2012 rebranding initiative Marvel NOW!, Black Bolt re-joined the Illuminati.  In 2017 Black Bolt was given his own solo series, written by Saladin Ahmed and drawn by Christian James Ward.

Fictional character biography.

1960s.

Black Bolt's first appearance established the character as being a member of the Inhuman ruling class. The title "Thor" featured a back-up feature called "Tales of the Inhumans", which recounts the character's origin story. The son of King Agon and Queen Rynda, Black Bolt is exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist while still an embryo, and eventually demonstrates the ability to manipulate electrons. To protect the Inhuman community from his devastating voice, Black Bolt is placed inside a sound-proof chamber and is tutored in the use of his powers. Reentering Inhuman society as a young man—having vowed never to speak—the character is attacked by his younger brother Maximus, who attempts, unsuccessfully, to goad him into speaking.  Black Bolt proved popular, and decides to leave Attilan to explore the outside world. The character reappears in a story focusing on his cousin Medusa, drives off the Hulk after the monster defeats the entire Inhuman Royal Family (Medusa, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, and Crystal), and with the Fantastic Four battles his brother Maximus and his own group of rogue Inhumans.

1970s.

After being forced to intercede in the budding romance between his cousin Crystal and the Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm, Black Bolt and the Inhumans feature in the title "Amazing Adventures", and battle villains such as the Mandarin and Magneto. A story in "The Avengers", told in flashback, reveals how Black Bolt came to be ruler of the Inhumans and Maximus was driven mad. Black Bolt discovered his brother had secretly allied himself with the alien Kree—the race whose genetic experiments first created the Inhumans. In trying to stop an escaping Kree vessel, he overextended his sonic powers and caused the vessel to crash. The crash resulted in the deaths of several members of the Council of Genetics, including the brothers' parents, and Maximus was driven insane by his proximity to Black Bolt's use of his voice. Black Bolt assumes the title of King but is haunted by the consequences of his actions.  Black Bolt settles a quarrel between Johnny Storm and the mutant Quicksilver for the affections of Crystal, and frees the slave caste of Inhuman society, the Alpha Primitives. Black Bolt and the Royal Family aid the hero Spider-Man against the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror, and is forced to again battle the Hulk, teams with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers against the threat of the robot Ultron, and again allies with the Fantastic Four against the fifth-dimensional villain Xemu.  Black Bolt and the Inhumans feature in a self-titled bi-monthly series battling threats such as the villain Blastaar and the Kree, who regard the Inhumans as abominations. The character encounters the immortal villain the Sphinx—who has defeated the Fantastic Four and the Royal Family blasting him into deep space, aids Kree hero Captain Marvel in preventing a war between the Kree and Skrulls on Earth, joins with Fantastic Four member the Thing to defeat the mutated villain Graviton, and appears briefly during an announcement that Crystal is pregnant with Quicksilver's child.

1980s.

Black Bolt revisits his origins when he, members of the Royal Family, and Fantastic Four members Mister Fantastic and the Thing battle the villain Maelstrom. Maelstrom is revealed to be the son of a rival of Black Bolt's father, and—after his minions are defeated—attempts to destroy Attilan with a guided missile. Black Bolt, however, manages to defuse the missile and Maelstrom is defeated.  Black Bolt's search for a new site for the city of Attilan (eventually the Himalayas) is detailed in a back-up feature of the alternate universe title "What If". Another back-up feature in "What If?" details how Black Bolt worked with the Eternals to move the city of Attilan to the Himalayas. Black Bolt also directed the eventual move of Attilan to the moon when the pollution on Earth became too much for the Inhumans.  He is rated with other powerful Marvel characters by Spider-Man in an "out of universe" conversation with the reader. He appears in a graphic novel detailing the eventual death of former ally Mar-Vell due to cancer, He also appears in a one-shot publication featuring humorous parodies of the Marvel Universe - "Fantastic Four Roast", and aids superheroine Dazzler against the villain Absorbing Man.  An alien device abandoned on the moon causes Black Bolt, the Royal Family, and the Fantastic Four to experience nightmares until destroyed by Triton. Black Bolt is imprisoned by Maximus (who has also swapped their bodies), but he is freed by the Royal Family and the Avengers. He appears in a one-shot title detailing several of Marvel's continuity mistakes. He marries his cousin Medusa after an interrupting battle between a Kree and Skrull soldier. He appears in another "What If?" issue and a back-up tale in "Marvel Fanfare".  With the Royal Family, Black Bolt encounters Dazzler once again, appears in flashbacks in two issues of "The Avengers", attempts to subdue an erratic Quicksilver (distraught over his wife's affair), and aids the mutant team X-Factor in defeating Maximus. The Inhumans then assist the Fantastic Four against the villain Diablo, skirmish with a later version of the team during The Evolutionary War. They also appear in the first issue of "What If?"s second volume.  Black Bolt clashes with Attilan's Genetic Council when they forbid the birth of the child he conceived with Medusa. She ends up fleeing to Earth to bear her son (Ahura). Black Bolt destroys the alien symbiote that Spider-Man bonds with in another issue of "What If?", and with the Royal Family encounters the hero Daredevil.

1990s.

After another appearance in a back-up feature in the title "What If?" a story told in flashback reveals how Maximus, using a creation called the "Trikon", forced Black Bolt from Attilan. Black Bolt, however, eventually defeats the Trikon and regains the throne. After aiding the teen super group the New Warriors the Royal Family joins forces with X-Factor to stop master villain Apocalypse.  Black Bolt makes a series of brief guest appearances in several titles and his child is threatened by rogue Inhumans. He and the Royal family break away from Attilan after rescuing his son from the corrupted Genetics Council. After two more appearances in back-up features in the titles "X-Factor" and "Starblast", Black Bolt appears in several panels in two titles before starring in the one-shot publication "Inhumans: The Great Refuge" (May 1995), which details the Inhumans' ongoing battle with the Kree.  With the Royal Family, the Fantastic Four, and Doom's heir Kristoff Vernard, Black Bolt thwarts Morgan le Fay and Maximus again, battling Thor and Sub-Mariner in the process. He appears with the Fantastic Four during the Onslaught crisis. After appearing in the one-shot title "Bug" Black Bolt and the Inhumans feature in the Heroes Reborn universe, where they worship the entity Galactus and his Heralds, as gods.  The character encounters the noble savage Ka-Zar and witnesses Quicksilver reunite with Crystal before he and the Royal Family appear in a back-up feature in the "Fantastic Four" title. Black Bolt and the Inhumans then feature in a self-titled limited series which deals with the "coming of age" of a new group of Inhumans and stopping Maximus, who with both human and Inhuman allies attempts to subvert his brother's rule. After an appearance in the final issue of a "Quicksilver" limited series Black Bolt and the Inhumans team with Canadian superteam Alpha Flight.

2000s.

The character is featured—again with the Royal Family—in a third self-titled limited series that has major developments for the Inhumans. Ronan the Accuser leads the Kree in a surprise attack, capturing Attilan and forcing the Royal Family into service against Kree enemies the Shi'ar. Karnak, Gorgon, and Triton covertly join the Shi'ar Imperial Guard while Black Bolt and Medusa must attempt the assassination of the Shi'ar ruler Lilandra at a ceremony ratifying an alliance between the Shi'ar and the Spartoi. Although the attempt fails and Black Bolt manages to defeat Ronan in personal combat, the Inhuman people choose to leave with the Kree and pursue a new future. This leaves Black Bolt and the Royal Family alone to fend for themselves.  Interdimensional adventurers the Exiles also encounter an alternate universe version of Black Bolt. Black Bolt decides to attempt reintegration with Earth, and several younger Inhumans—recently exposed to the Terrigen Mists—explore Earth with mixed results, including at one stage the intervention of the Fantastic Four. The Inhumans resettle in the Blue Area of the Moon and begin to rebuild. The character also appears briefly in the mutant title "X-Statix" and a one-shot title, "Inhumans 2099", speculates on the future of the Inhumans and their role on Earth.  In the title "New Avengers", Black Bolt is revealed to be a member of a superhero council called the Illuminati. Via a retcon of Marvel continuity, the group form during the Kree-Skrull War to deal with threats to Earth. During the "Son of M" storyline, the mutant Quicksilver steals a canister of Terrigen crystals from Attilan, with Black Bolt and the rest of the Royal Family attempting to retrieve it.  Black Bolt also rejects the Superhuman Registration Act and refuses to become involved in the ensuing "Civil War." Courtesy of the hero Sentry, Black Bolt monitors the situation. In the limited series "Silent War", the US military attacks the Inhumans to prevent them from retrieving the crystals. Believing the stolen crystals should be returned to Attilan, Black Bolt issues a warning to the United States concerning further acts of aggression, and eventually launches an offensive against the nation. Gorgon and other Inhumans are captured during the attack, which prompts Black Bolt to personally head a team to rescue his subjects and retrieve the crystals. While the mission is successful, Maximus takes advantage of the situation and overthrows and temporarily incarcerates Black Bolt.  The Illuminati also collect the Infinity Gems, and—to prevent the abuse of power by the Titan Thanos and others—split the gems between themselves, vowing that they never be used in unison again. Black Bolt is given the "Reality" gem.  The character apparently suffers a setback when brutally beaten by the Hulk, on a rampage during the "World War Hulk" storyline and seeking revenge on Black Bolt for his role in the Hulk's exile from Earth. During the events of the Secret Invasion limited series it is revealed that this was not in fact Black Bolt, but rather a Skrull, who is killed in battle by members of the Illuminati. The true Black Bolt is captured by the Skrulls, who intended to use his voice as a weapon of mass destruction. The character is rescued when the heroes of Earth defeat the Skrull army and discover the location of their captured teammates.  Black Bolt, angered by the repercussions caused by the Skrull invasion, changes tactics and embarks on an aggressive campaign against all former persecutors of the Inhumans in the War of Kings limited series. At his command, the Inhumans attack the Kree and overthrow Ronan the Accuser, with Black Bolt declaring himself supreme ruler of the Kree Empire. This is followed by a preemptive strike from the Shi'ar empire, now controlled by the usurper Vulcan. Black Bolt intended to release the Terrigen Mist across the galaxy and end the war when, courtesy of the subsequent mutations, all are rendered equal, but the plan was interrupted by Vulcan, the two clashing as the bomb charged up. Although Vulcan was nearly killed by Black Bolt's voice, Black Bolt prepared to abandon his plan when Crystal pointed out that the powers produced by the explosion would only inspire more harm rather than good. However, an enraged Vulcan retained enough strength to stop Black Bolt from teleporting away with Crystal and Lockjaw, which resulted in Black Bolt and Vulcan apparently dying in the subsequent explosion of the Terrigen bomb, as Crystal only negated the Terrigen Mists within the bomb without shutting down its ability to explode.

2010s.

He in fact survived the explosion. It was revealed that Black Bolt likely represents the anomaly of the Kree Inhuman genetics program that had been predicted hundreds of thousands of years ago. The genetic prophecy was that this anomaly would bring about the end of the Supreme Intelligence. To prevent this outcome, the Kree Supreme Intelligence had ordered the destruction of all the worlds where the genetic experiments took place. Only five colonies escaped, including Earth's: these were the Universal Inhumans. After his return to Attilan, Black Bolt joined the Universal Inhumans and was presented with four new brides, one from each of the other colonies.  They returned to Earth to help defeat the last four Reeds of the Interdimensional Council. They then faced the Kree Armada, who had been ordered by the resurrected Kree Supreme Intelligence to wipe out Earth and the Inhumans. After the Kree fled in defeat, the Inhumans followed in pursuit. Guided by Franklin Richards, Black Bolt confronted the Supreme Intelligence, surviving long enough to surrender and trigger protocols forcing terms of a truce. He convinced them that the prophecy has been broken, and that he was no longer a threat. They parted ways, but Black Bolt had to agree to Ronan (Crystal's husband) returning alone to the Kree domain.  During the "Infinity" storyline, Black Bolt was visited by Thanos' Black Order in order to demand a tribute, the heads of Inhuman younglings between the ages of 16 and 22 or the annihilation of Earth's inhabitants. Using the Terrigen Codex, Black Bolt discovered Thanos used the tribute demand as a cover for his true mission: to kill his secret Inhuman-descendant son whose identity and location were unknown even by his father. After the Inhumans denied the tribute to Corvus Glaive, Thanos personally visited Black Bolt in Attilan. Finding the Inhuman city empty with only Black Bolt left, Black Bolt unleashed a powerful scream which tore down Attilan itself and activated a Terrigen Bomb which spread the Mists across the Earth. Thanos survived the attack and found Black Bolt still alive in the rubble. Thanos demanded to know the location of his son. Black Bolt refused and continued attacking Thanos with his voice until an enraged Thanos knocked him out. Black Bolt was held captive for Thanos to use his power to activate the Illuminati's anti-matter bombs to destroy the Earth. When the Illuminati arrived in the Necropolis, they found Thanos' general Supergiant, with Black Bolt under her control as she uses Black Bolt to defeat them. When Supergiant activated the bombs, Maximus appeared with the trigger. He triggered the bombs, but also used Lockjaw to transport the anti-matter bomb along with Supergiant to a distant uninhabited planet where she died in the explosion. Black Bolt was liberated and left the scene along with Maximus and Lockjaw. In the ancient location of Attilan in the Himalayas, Black Bolt hid the Terrigen Codex and made Maximus understand his survival and that of his brother were to be kept a secret. Maximus also deduced that Black Bolt was always going to activate the Terrigen Bomb irrespective of Thanos' arrival which was to herald a new age of the Inhumans. After being examined by Maximus, Black Bolt discovered with his brother that the Terrigen Bomb had greatly diminished Black Bolt's powers. Black Bolt and Maximus agreed to keep this a secret.  Using exogenetically charged waters, Maximus was able to help Black Bolt recover from the power loss he suffered after the detonation of the Terrigen Bomb.  During the "Secret Wars" storyline, Black Bolt takes part in the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. He is taken out by the Children of Tomorrow.  In the aftermath of the Secret Wars storyline, Medusa sends Nur and Auran to find Black Bolt who is forced by Maximus to use his voice against them, killing Auran. Black Bolt and Medusa end up separating over his prolonged absence from Attilan. Nonetheless, they team up to battle Kang the Conqueror for their son Ahura (Black Bolt had earlier given Ahura over to Kang for safe-keeping during the incursions). Unwelcome in Attilan, Black Bolt now runs the "Quiet Room," a nightclub that functions as a neutral zone for metahumans. At one point, a resurrected Auran steals his voice, but it is restored with the help of Sterilon.  During the "Death of X" storyline, Black Bolt is framed for the death of Cyclops.  When the truce between the Inhumans and X-Men is broken during the "Inhumans vs. X-Men" storyline, Black Bolt is subsequently ambushed by Emma Frost and Dazzler in the Quiet Room. A disguised Dazzler is able to absorb the energy from his voice and counterattack him with it. He is held captive by the X-Men in Forge's workshop in the dimension of Limbo until his rescue by Medusa and the Inhumans. He helps Medusa neutralize Emma Frost. In the aftermath, there is hope of reconciliation between the Royal couple as she joins Black Bolt in the Quiet Room.  Black Bolt and a group of Inhumans later tracked down Maximus and captured him for his trial. Black Bolt later spoke to Maximus privately.  Marvel Boy later reveals that there is still hope to restore the Inhuman race on the remains of the Kree Homeworld, so the Royal family and a couple of new Inhumans journey to space to find the secret buried on Hala.  However, they were soon confronted by two surprises: Medusa's affliction with a mysterious illness, and the revelation of Black Bolt as Maximus in disguise. Maximus had used his psychic powers and an image inducer to switch places with his brother before leaving Earth. It was Black Bolt that was imprisoned in a deep space torture prison that was meant for Maximus. Upon defeating his fellow inmate Absorbing Man, Black Bolt confronted the as-yet-unidentified jailer. When his quasi-sonic no longer worked, Black Bolt was killed and revived. Black Bolt later made acquaintances with Absorbing Man, Blinky, Metal Master, and Raava. After discovering that the Jailer is an Inhuman who was incarcerated in the torture prison and has since taken over it, Black Bolt and his fellow inmates fight the Jailer. Absorbing Man sacrifices himself so that Black Bolt can kill the Jailer and enable his fellow inmates to escape.  Black Bolt returns to Earth with Blinky. They inform Titania about her husband Crusher's heroic death. At the funeral, Blinky is kidnapped by Lash. He forces Black Bolt to surrender and injects him with a poison to prepare his blood to be used as part of a new Terrigen-type bomb that will produce new Inhumans. The pain of the process sends Black Bolt's mind towards Medusa's mind. They interact on a psychic plane and update each other. He finds out about Medusa's love for Gorgon and they determine that they cannot go back to their marriage. Instead, they will move forward and Medusa promises to find them as they get separated. Black Bolt breaks free only to succumb to the poison. Blinky tries to protect him, but turns into a monster channeling the Jailer.  After an encounter with the Progenitors, Medusa and Black Bolt meet on the Astral Plane and agreed to continue as partners and not lovers. When Medusa takes the Primagen, it restores her hair and health while also causing a backlash in the attacking Progenitor to destroy the approaching Progenitors causing the Ordinator-Class Progenitors that saw the attack from the World Farm to spare Earth from their invasion.  In the pages of "Death of the Inhumans," Black Bolt calls together the four Queens of the Universal Inhuman tribes to respond to this threat. However, the meeting goes far from as planned, as an Inhuman executioner named Vox, a Super-Inhuman created by the Kree, begins his bloody rampage across the place. When Black Bolt and his Royal Family reached the meeting place, they discover the bodies of Oola Udonta, Aladi Ko Eke, Onomi Whitemane and Goddess Ovoe, with the same three words written in their blood on a banner hanging about their corpses and eventually realized that they fell in to a trap as one of the dead Inhumans was wired with an explosive. While most of Black Bolt's group made it out alive, thanks to Lockjaw, Triton was not so lucky and was killed in the explosion. Black Bolt then sent Lockjaw to New Arctilan to retrieve his brother Maximus. After Vox subdues Karnak, Black Bolt arrives where he walks through the halls of the Kree base speaking every name of the fallen Inhumans, making it a song about death. Eventually, it comes down to just Black Bolt and Vox who's holding Karnak as a shield. Black Bolt signs to Karnak to have Vox take him instead. Vox apparently accepts the change as he teleports himself behind Black Bolt. Before Karnak’s very eyes, Vox slits Black Bolt’s throat. The Kree take Black Bolt prisoner and repair the damage done to his throat without using any sedatives or anesthesia to dull the pain which prompted them to think that Black Bolt's great power is gone when he doesn't scream and therefore the prophecy about the Midnight King is no longer a threat to the Kree. However while being transported, it turns out he still has his voice, but it's faint. After killing several Kree, Black Bolt secures a firearm and finds Ronan the Accuser alive. However, he is a prisoner of Vox and has been experimented on. At Ronan’s request, Black Bolt enables him a mercy killing. The Inhuman Royal Family and Beta Ray Bill rescue Black Bolt from Vox. When Maximus was behind the mask of Vox, Black Bolt and the Inhuman Royal Family discover that Vox is not a Super-Inhuman and is just a Kree programming. While recapping the deaths that Vox has caused, Black Bolt also recalls the prophecy of the Midnight King. Meeting up with the Inhuman Royal Family and Beta Ray Bill, Black Bolt is told by Karnak of Vox being a programming that transported his "victims" to the Kree. As Black Bolt has one more scream left, Karnak tells him to make it count. Using his sign language, Black Bolt addresses the others on how he has made mistakes in the past and apologizes to them. After holding a moment of silence, Black Bolt orders Gorgon to turn around. As Gorgon and Beta Ray Bill engage the Kree soldiers, Black Bolt, Medusa, and Lockjaw arrive at the laboratory where they find Vox-controlled Inhumans like Crystal and Lockjaw. Using a laser, Black Bolt clears the Vox-controlled Crystal and Lockjaw just because they were in his way. Entering one door, Black Bolt signs "I love you. I'm sorry" before whispering for them to run. As Medusa and Karnak fight the Vox-controlled Crystal and Lockjaw, Black Bolt confronts other Vox-controlled Inhumans like Triton. Knowing the truth about the prophecy, Black Bolt brings ruin to the Kree and unleashes his scream on the Vox-controlled Inhumans. This action frees Crystal and Lockjaw from Vox's control. Gorgon and Beta Ray Bill arrive stating that the Kree have fled and see Crystal and Lockjaw still alive. Black Bolt emerges from the room as Medusa orders Lockjaw to take them away from the Kree base. When Crystal asks where they should go, Black Bolt uses his sign language to say "home." Lockjaw then teleports them away.  Black Bolt and other heroes die helping Dr. Strange fight Galactus, but all are resurrected after the battle is won.

Powers and abilities.

Black Bolt's Terrigen-mutated physique surpasses the superhuman physique of typical Inhumans: his strength, stamina, durability and reflexes are all well above typical Inhuman or human levels. His speed and agility are also highly enhanced. He also possesses superhuman senses. An organic mechanism in his brain's speech center produces an unknown particle that interacts with ambient electrons, enabling him to produce certain mentally-controlled phenomena. The most devastating of the effects is Black Bolt's "quasi-sonic scream". Because his electron-harnessing ability is linked to the speech center of his brain, any attempt to use his vocal cords triggers an uncontrollable disturbance of the particle/electron interaction field. Because of this limitation, Black Bolt must be constantly vigilant of even the softest of utterances lest he destroy anything or anyone in his path. At full strength, his voice has the capability to destroy planets, while a whisper can rock a battleship. When Black Bolt was captured and experimented on by the Skrulls, it was shown that his "Sonic Scream" is triggered by, and at least partially dependent on, his emotional state.  The fork-like antenna worn upon his forehead helps Black Bolt control his power. He can channel his powers inward to increase his strength and speed, and can focus it through the focusing tool or his arms as concussive blasts. Black Bolt is capable of channeling all available energy into one devastating punch called his Master Blow, which renders him extremely vulnerable subsequently. By concentrating his electrons into anti-electrons, he can fly at speeds up to for a period of six hours, protected by an anti-graviton field. Black Bolt can create a nearly impenetrable force field by focusing his energy around himself, and can use his electron abilities as extrasensory probes, highly sensitive to electromagnetic phenomena, and he can also jam certain electromagnetic mechanisms. Though exhausting, he can create particle/electron interaction fields solid enough to be traversed upon.  Black Bolt also is at least partially resistant against telepathy and shares a semi-telepathic bond with those of his blood (such as the Inhuman royal family and certain others), as was evident when he was able to resist the mental abilities of his telepathically powerful brother, Maximus, and on different occasions, use his own abilities to overpower and take control of Maximus' mind. One of Black Bolt's main uses for his telepathic ability is to communicate his wishes to his wife, Medusa the Queen, who then acts as his mouthpiece to the rest of his subjects. He can also use this limited telepathy to communicate his destination wishes to the royal family's teleporting dog, Lockjaw.

Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appears in "Fantastic Four" #45 (December 1965). Black Bolt is the ruler of the Inhumans, a reclusive race of genetically altered superhumans. Black Bolt's signature power is his voice, as his electron-harnessing ability is linked to the speech center of his brain. Speaking triggers a massive disturbance in the form of a highly destructive shockwave capable of leveling a city. Due to the extreme danger posed by this power, the character has undergone rigorous mental training to prevent himself from uttering a sound, even in his sleep, and he usually remains completely silent and speaks through sign language or via a spokesperson.


Character overview.

"Prisoner #98P284. Convicted July 1, 1998 - Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment, up for parole in 60 years. Convicted in 2002 of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death."  Cyril was a hoodlum like his brother Ryan (who's actually his half-brother, as was revealed by Suzanne Fitzgerald). Cyril was Ryan's lieutenant and bodyguard in the Bridge Street Gang until he was injured in a fight, suffering brain damage. In the second season of "Oz", Cyril murdered the husband of Dr. Gloria Nathan on orders from his brother, who was in love with Dr. Nathan. Arriving in prison, Cyril was originally housed with Vernon Schillinger, head of the Aryan Brotherhood. After Schillinger raped Cyril, Ryan got his brother transferred to his own cell.  In the last season of the show, Cyril was executed despite Ryan's multiple attempts to save his brother, and despite Cyril's low mental capacity. Although Cyril is normally placid, he is prone to violent attacks on people when enraged, often showing great strength, which has earned him the resentment, but also the respect, of many inmates.

Fictional history.

Season 2.

Cyril O'Reily is the mentally handicapped brother of Ryan O'Reily, an Irish American sociopath serving time in Oz. He first appears when Ryan has surgery for breast cancer. Cyril is upset because their mother had died of cancer. After recovering, Ryan falls in love with Dr. Gloria Nathan, the prison doctor who helped save his life. Ryan feels that the only thing preventing a potential relationship with her is her husband, Preston, so he asks Cyril to murder him. Cyril does as he's told, and is sentenced to life in prison. Although Cyril is mentally disabled, he knows enough not to implicate Ryan in the crime as he worships his brother. Dr. Nathan and Unit Manager Tim McManus know that Ryan is responsible and demand that he confess, but Ryan says nothing and Cyril arrives in Oz.  When Cyril arrives in Oz he is put in Unit B, where he is approached by Aryan leader Vernon Schillinger, who promises to take Cyril to see Ryan. Schillinger instead takes him to a storage closet where he is gang raped by Schillinger and the other members of the Aryan Brotherhood. When Ryan realizes what has happened, he orders Cyril to assault him and as Ryan is hit, Officer Joseph Mineo takes Cyril to Ad Seg, isolated but safely away from Schillinger. Ryan cajoles McManus to bring his brother to Em City, but McManus refuses the move unless Ryan confesses to ordering his brother to kill Preston Nathan. After his release Cyril suffers terrible flashbacks and nightmares of being raped by Schillinger.  Later, a guard Eugene Rivera is blinded and needs a blood transfusion, and Ryan is the only person among both the inmates and officers with the same blood type. Ryan refuses to donate his blood unless his brother is moved to Em City. McManus arranges the transfer. Later, upon considering what Cyril's life in prison would be like without his brother to protect him, Ryan finally confesses to orchestrating the murder of Preston. Ryan's parole date is set back 40 years, but he can still protect Cyril from the other inmates, especially Schillinger.

Season 3.

Cyril starts off this season working in the kitchen and essentially shadowing his brother. The Aryan inmates, especially Schillinger and James Robson, taunt Cyril and Ryan continuously over the rape he suffered at Schillinger's hands. Ryan wants to kill Schillinger, but does not get a chance. Cyril goes to work early one day, against Ryan's wishes, and Robson tries to rape him. Cyril fights back, seriously hurting his would-be assailant. McManus wants to put Cyril in isolation, but new head CO Sean Murphy suggests that Cyril be let off with a warning. Murphy is Black Irish like the O'Reily brothers and understands that Ryan is trying to protect him. Murphy also helps McManus start the prison boxing tournament where each competitor represents one prison group. Ryan enrolls Cyril, who used to box before his injury, in the tournament to show everyone in Oz that Cyril is physically powerful.  In the first round, Cyril goes up against Robson. Ryan spikes Robson's water with drugs to ensure victory. Cyril wins the first fight against Robson in a knockout, and the Aryans leave off their taunts and threats afterward. Ryan spikes other boxer's drinks as well, as there is a lot of gambling money to be won. Ryan sees another opportunity to get back at the Aryans when Schillinger's heroin-addicted son Andrew arrives in Oz. Ryan, along with Cyril, Chris Keller and Tobias Beecher, who all have a vendetta against Schillinger, devise a plan to turn father against son. With Cyril as his bodyguard, Ryan sells drugs to Andrew then cuts him off, telling him that the only way he can buy drugs from now on is through the non-white inmates, something that the Aryan Brotherhood prohibits. Andrew eventually turns against his father, who bribes the guards to give him enough heroin to overdose. Cyril then fights in round two of the boxing tournament against Italian inmate Chucky Pancamo. Pancamo is the favorite to win, as he has more than 60 pounds on Cyril and is one of the most physically imposing inmates in Oz. Ryan spikes Pancamo's water, leading to a victory for Cyril, to the shock of the prison population.  Cyril is now in the championship round and must face Hamid Khan. Warden Glynn postpones the fight indefinitely, due to the racial tension that is building between Oz inmates, mainly between the Black Muslim and White Aryan inmates. Ryan and Khan convince Glynn to allow the fight, but Glynn stipulates that there would be no audience. Khan is encouraged by all the black inmates to kill Cyril while Cyril is encouraged to kill Khan by all the white inmates. In the meantime, Murphy discovers that Ryan has been spiking the fighters' water and threatens to expose him if he spikes Hamid Khan's water. Desperate to find a way to beat Khan, Ryan calls in their father, Seamus, whom he and Cyril despise, as a way to anger Cyril into a violent frenzy. Ryan then tells Cyril to use that anger to beat Khan who, like Pancamo, is an easy favorite. Cyril imagines Khan is their father and beats him into a coma. Cyril feels bad about hurting Khan, but Ryan tells him that it was necessary to survive inside Oz. Khan is hooked up to life support which creates animosity among the black inmates and ratchets the racial tension up to an all-time high. A near race riot breaks out, and Oz is locked down. Khan dies after his wife wins a lawsuit to take him off of life support.

Season 4 Part I.

The lockdown ends and Cyril is having nightmares over Khan's death. Ryan suggests psychotherapy with prison psychologist "Sister Pete" Reimondo, who thinks interaction sessions with the families of Cyril's murder victims is the best way to clear his conscience. The only family willing to participate in the interaction sessions is the Nathan family. Sister Pete demands that Ryan participate as well, as he ordered Preston's murder.  In the interaction sessions, Cyril expresses his remorse and the Nathan parents express their anger. Ryan, however, turns the tables on the Nathans when he suggests that Gloria Nathan cheated on her husband during a temporary separation. As a result, the relationship between Dr. Nathan and Ryan becomes increasingly hostile. In Em City, Cyril is later attacked by inmates Leroy Tidd and Mondo Browne, who threaten to rape him. Cyril, however, beats the both of them and is then sedated with a large dose of Haldol by an angry Dr. Nathan. Ryan and Simon Adebisi, the leader of the Homeboys, then warn Tidd and Browne to stay away from Cyril. Dr. Nathan is raped in the meantime and she believes Ryan is responsible, punishing him by cutting off Cyril's treatment. With the help of Sister Pete, Ryan convinces Dr. Nathan that he wasn't responsible, and as a result she resumes Cyril's treatment.  In the midst of this, Em City is undergoing a demographic shift that worries Ryan, Chris Keller and some other white inmates. The new unit manager, Martin Querns, an African American, has empowered the Homeboys to do whatever they wish in exchange for enforcing a state of non-violence in Em City. Consequently, more and more black inmates and guards are transferred in, replacing their white and Latino counterparts. Claire Howell, one of the few white officers left, then develops a sexual relationship with Ryan which is discovered by Cyril. Concerned that Cyril will talk, Ryan brings Cyril to Sister Pete for counseling, telling her Cyril is "seeing things". Meanwhile, Ryan and Keller murder two inmates as a means of getting Querns fired and McManus reinstated. With the help of Muslim leader Kareem Said, they obtain videotaped evidence showing the prohibited behavior that the Homeboys are being allowed to commit, forcing Warden Glynn to fire Querns.

Season 4 Part II.

In this half of the season, Cyril's violent behavior begins to worry the staff. First, reporter Jack Eldridge comes to Oz to do a news story. When Cyril and Ryan were younger, Eldridge wrote a story on Irish street gangs which depicted the O'Reily's gang as brutal and heartless. The story angered their mother Tess, who died of cancer shortly afterwards. Cyril recalls the incident and beats Eldridge severely; the story is subsequently quashed.  After Asian inmate Jia Kenmin arrives in Oz, disputes erupt between him and both the Irish and Latino factions. Kenmin provokes Cyril and Ryan to the point where Cyril loses control, beating the Asian man into a coma. McManus, angry and alarmed, considers transferring Cyril to the Connolly institute for the Mentally Unstable. Sister Pete, however, pushes him to send Cyril to Protective Custody for a while so that he can calm down.  Back in Em City, Ryan and new inmate Padraig Connolly, an IRA member awaiting deportation, plan to blow up Oz. The bomb is a dud, but Ryan leaves the gas leaking in the cafeteria which eventually detonates, destroying both Emerald City and the cafeteria.  Throughout the season, as Dr. Nathan finally falls for Ryan, she becomes somewhat more forgiving towards Cyril for killing her husband.

Season 5.

Ryan's birth mother Suzanne Fitzgerald turned herself in after being on the run with a radical group for more than 30 years. Governor Devlin however reduces her charges to 2 years of community service at Oz where she can see Ryan and Cyril. While Cyril was in Protective Custody, it was determined that he and Ryan were half-siblings with different mothers but Ryan and Suzanne keep this secret from him. They enjoy seeing her on a daily basis but this is short lived when Jia Kenmin and new Asian inmate Li Chen attend some of the performing arts classes. Jia offers peace to the two of them which Cyril accepts but Ryan remains cautious about. In an attempt to set up the O'Reily brothers, Kenmin pays inmate Glen Shupe to tell Ryan that Chen plans to rape Suzanne and as a result, he and Cyril attack Jia. Cyril picks up a knife from the two Asians during the fight and stabs Li Chen to death defending Ryan. Furious, Tim McManus sends Ryan to the cage and Cyril to solitary but not before stating that Cyril will either be sent to the insane asylum or death row as he is growing tired of Cyril's behavior. As Ryan is in the common room cage, Kenmin informs him it was a set up in order to eliminate the two brothers. On trial for murder, Cyril is represented by Katherine McClain who claims that she will do everything she can for Cyril but does not seem to be the best lawyer for this case. In a meeting with other family members to raise money for a better lawyer, Ryan, their Aunt Brenda, Suzanne, and abusive father Seamus decide that Cyril is better off dying than staying the rest of his life in Oz or a mental institution. A new inmate, Father Daniel Meehan, offers to help and riles up Sister Pete and some anti-death penalty activists to protest that sentencing a man in Cyril's mental state to death is cruel and unusual. Meanwhile, Ryan exacts revenge by getting the Latinos to injure Glen Shupe and manipulating the COs to kill Jia Kenmin. Cyril's trial does not go well and he is found guilty of murder in the first degree. When being transferred to Death Row, Cyril attacks Officer Len Lopresti and is then sedated by three additional COs. After a long talk with Father Meehan, Ryan finally agrees to protest Cyril's death by any means necessary.

Season 6.

In effort to overturn Cyril's death sentence Ryan, with the help of Sister Pete and Father Daniel Meehan, gets activist attorney Arnold Zelman to appeal his case. The appeals remonstrating the state's decision to kill a mentally handicapped person gather public support. In the meantime Sister Pete gives Cyril a hand puppet named Jericho whom Cyril speaks through with all his darker hidden thoughts. While speaking as Jericho, he uses his voice as it was before he became brain damaged rather than his present voice. In light of this disturbing behavior, Jericho is taken away from Cyril, who begins sobbing uncontrollably over the loss of his hand puppet. Cyril's crying angers Officer Lopresti, the supervising officer on death row who, with the other COs, spray Cyril down with a fire hose to shut him up. In the meantime, Governor Devlin, in an attempt to make Cyril appear normal, orders electroconvulsive therapy to be done to him. This angers Ryan, Suzanne, and others concerned with Cyril's well being but they have no legal means of stopping the ECT treatment. Meanwhile, the appeals of Cyril's death sentence are not having any success and though protests continue, his execution date moves closer and closer. Originally, Ryan stated a preference for lethal injection as the means of execution for Cyril but, after speaking with Dr. Nathan, Ryan concludes that it will be easier for Cyril to undergo the electric chair and he explains this to Cyril in terms of having one last "Special" ECT session. At this time their father Seamus arrives in Oz for killing a man in a fight.  As Cyril's execution approaches, Oz's prisoners, led by prisoner Jahfree Neema, begin a protest. At the hour of Cyril's execution, Neema leads every inmate in Em City to tap on their cells. In the death room, while Cyril is being prepared to be electrocuted, his last statement to Warden Glynn is "Huh?". Right before the execution occurs, a 30-day stay is put in effect as new evidence is found in Cyril's case. Ryan then explains to Cyril that his session has been delayed. He is allowed to spend time with his brother during the days remaining before his new execution. As Cyril's final appeal fails, he is executed (he finally figures out what's going on as he is sitting in the chair once the black hood comes down, screaming for his brother- his last words being; "Mom! What's happening? Ryan? Ryan!"); as new warden Martin Querns watches, he throws up. After Cyril's death, Ryan and Seamus finally make peace.

Analysis.

Merri Lisa Johnson explains that one "of the few scenes in "Oz" to deal gently with prisoner rape comes when Cyril O'Reily, a developmentally disabled inmate who was also raped by Schillinger, talks with Gloria Nathan, the prison doctor...Cyril's diminished capacity allows him to innocently ask Nathan if she was on vacation because she was raped."

Cyril O'Reily is a fictional character, played by American actor Scott William Winters, on the HBO drama "Oz". He is also mentioned in the companion book "Oz: Behind These Walls: The Journal of Augustus Hill".


Gameplay.

Overview.

"X3: Reunion" incorporates open-ended "sandbox" gameplay. The main quest can be postponed or ignored as the player explores the expansive universe and spends the most time in control of a ship, doing tasks of their own choosing. Different ships are available for various tasks: small, fast scouting ships; freighters; powerful battleships; and massive carriers for moving a fleet. Most ships seen in the game can be bought or captured, and flown by the player. The player is free to go anywhere in the X-Universe at any time and explore, complete plot-related goals or to fulfil their own personal goals.

New features.

"X3" uses a new, specifically developed graphics engine to give highly detailed renders of ships and stations, along with photo-realistic planets and a host of new effects, including lighting, shadow and reflection. Graphically, Egosoft redesigned everything from scratch. The stations are restructured, larger and more detailed. Few contain the internal docking ports of the prior games, instead featuring external docking clamps. Ship sizes have been redesigned according to a logical scale. Egosoft ensured a pilot would actually fit in their cockpit, and that a carrier vessel was actually large enough to carry a given number of ships. As such, ships and stations are noticeably different in size from prior games.  The HUD has also been altered. Egosoft removed non-functional internal cockpit graphics, giving the player a largely unobstructed view of space. There are now markers over game objects such as ships, stations and large asteroids, and each object is selectable by a simple mouse click, or through a keyboard or controller. "X3" uses a new interface designed to be faster, more user friendly, and compatible with a console controller. The game carries over many of the same short-cut keys from previous games, but now the mouse too can be used for functions including menu navigation, target selection, flying and combat.  The economy has been redesigned to be more sophisticated, with non-player ships now in direct competition with the player. New tools have been added to help the player compete in the X-Universe, including a new way of linking factories together into complexes which can be self-sustaining to varying degrees. There are also new in-game software products that allow a player to automate operations. In addition, Egosoft presents the player with a number of new scripting tools encouraging computer literate players to write their own functions into the game. This is further supported through Egosoft's scripts and Modding forum, where players share ideas. Combat AI is improved, and enemy behavior redesigned. Many pirates now travel in gangs, often heavily armed, making them much more threatening than in earlier games. There are also smugglers, pirates who remain hidden until their cargo is scanned for contraband wares. There are now pirate missions available to the player, as well as a new pirate faction, known as the Yaki. Xenon and Kha'ak remain the primary antagonists; both races are entirely hostile and will often mount full scale sector invasions.  Status has far more relevance than in previous games. Now, many kinds of weapon, ship, and factory are not purchasable until the player has earned sufficient reputation with the vendor race. With some races, reputation can be earned through trade; with others, the player must earn respect by killing unwanted visitors in the race's space - such as pirates, Khaak, or Xenon. Some races appreciate both. By choosing to be an upstanding citizen, the player can earn the right to buy powerful new weapons, ships and technologies. By engaging in piracy, destruction, smuggling or other crime the player may lose reputation, and so may lose the privilege to buy things. The persistent wrongdoer may lose the right to land at stations, or even to enter sectors, being attacked on sight. Eventually, the player may find it impossible to buy many of the game's most powerful ships, weapons and technologies (although such things may still be possible to acquire through less orthodox means).

Universe.

By "X3", the X-Universe consists of around 160 sectors connected by two-way jumpgates. The main area of each sector typically contains several stations and up to four gates. The game is open-ended, allowing the player to go where they like, when they like, doing whatever they like; a player is limited only by their in-game status and resources. As such, a driving force of the game is to acquire credits (the universal currency) and status.  The game contains numerous races. Status affects how individuals in different races respond to the player and what kind of missions are offered. A player's status is categorised according to "Mercantile" skill, "Combat" skill and a "Notoriety" ranking for each race.  Using credits, a player can buy wares from stations. These wares may be used, or flown to another station where they can be sold, ideally for a profit. However, prices vary depending on demand; the less of a ware there is, the higher its price. As such, the X-Universe has a truly dynamic market-driven economy. A player can capitalise on emergent trends, meeting demand to make vast profits, or as easily, can waste money and time on a bad cargo choice. In "X3", many NPC ships have the same plan, and the player can easily miss their intended market if another ship arrives first. As players builds profit they can buy equipment, weapons, ships, and even their own factories.  Factory stations consume power and resources to produce products, which can then be sold into the X economy. If the product is rare, and the resources are cheap and plentiful, the factory can make profit. If not, it is possible to lose money. By filling a gap in the economy, a player can make solid and consistent profit through a factory. However, "X3"s economy is self-adjusting; NPCs are also able to build factories and can similarly profit. As such, "X3" has the most advanced, realistic, and arguably the most competitive economy of all the X games.  The player can acquire an unlimited number of ships and stations, of varying size, shape and function. Starting with little, the players can build their empire, set their own goals, and choose their own path in how they wish to shape the universe.

Trade.

There are many different wares in "X3". Some are produced, others are constantly available such as software upgrades. Example classes of ware include lasers, missiles, shields, energy, minerals, foodstuffs, technological and biological.

Stations.

Factories are stations which use resources to create one or many products. The needed resources and produced wares need to be transported by a ship. Traders in the universe must move wares between the factories to keep production going; if supply exceeds demand a factory will often stop producing goods. The player can build factories by buying them at a shipyard and loading them on board a large transport ship (TL class). The player factories can own their own ships to buy resources and sell products. There are many factory options to configure the trader ships behaviour and job. Player factories can also connect to each other to share resources and products. The factories are connected through tubes and the docking bay is moved to a central complex hub.  Trading Stations are usually found in every established sector. They each have a list of wares which they buy and sell at a fixed price. Equipment docks are trading stations which are aimed at the distribution of ship upgrades and equipment. They trade in missiles, lasers, shields, software and upgrades. All types of ships can dock at an equipment dock. Wares in both stations gradually deplete over time, ensuring a steady demand for higher-tier goods.  Shipyards sell ships and stations to the player. The player can sell and repair their ships at shipyards.  Pirate bases are located around the "X-universe". The player can buy and sell illegal goods in these stations. The player can also hire a hacker to change stations from hostile to friendly, allowing the player's ships to dock at stations they would not normally be able to trade with.  There are a handful of special stations which do not produce any goods. These are used in the plot.

NPC Trading Ships.

Trading ships move wares from one station to another. The NPC traders can specialise in one or more classes of ware and provide factories with their resources. Unlike previous games in the X-Series, NPC traders are not owned by a single factory or station, but are instead all freelance traders, looking for the best trade runs between stations.

Ship classifications.

A range of different ship classes are available to fill different game functions. With some exceptions, each race produces their own kind of ship for each class.

Synopsis.

Characters and setting.

The game is set in Earth year 2935 (X Universe year X 765), in a universe (seemingly) far removed from our own. The player reprises the role of Julian Gardna, also known as Julian Brennan, from the.  After his arrival at Argon Prime, Julian is contacted by his old friend Ban Danna of the Argon Secret Service. Danna informs him that the Argon military has suffered heavy losses in their war with the Kha'ak, and asks Julian to help in training some new pilots. Julian agrees and soon a series of events unfold, leading Julian to hunt down the seeds, ancient alien artifacts that may hold the key to making jump-gates, and allow a reunion with the lost planet Earth.  For X3s plot, Egosoft hired an experienced game and TV writer, Andrew S. Walsh.

Plot.

"X3: Reunion" picks up where X2 left off—the Kha'ak are assaulting all areas of the X Universe, and Julian's father, Kyle, is still in a coma after being rescued from the Kha'ak. The player is then involved in an intricate plot, revealing the reason for the Kha'ak attack, the quest to open a portal to Earth with special gem artifacts, the introduction of a mysterious alien race, Kyle's re-awakening, and the arrival of Terran (Earth) forces in the X Universe.  A mysterious alien only referred to as "Sargon" manipulates events during the story. A Goner named "Ion" tasks Julian with finding three crystals and an artifact referred to as the "seed" to help open a gate to Earth. During the storyline, Julian meets the pirate "Don Toni Marani" and his daughter, who help in later missions. Ion attempts to run off with the artifacts once he gets them, but when captured he reveals he was being manipulated by Sargon. Kyle re-awakens from his coma; however, his brain waves are still linked to the Kha'ak, leading them to conduct another assault in Paranid space. The Argon Federation declare Kyle to be an enemy to appease the Paranid.  Julian is also marked an enemy by the Argon Federation, hoping to avoid a war with the Paranid, who accuse Julian of committing crimes in their territory. The Paranid are finally revealed to have provoked the Kha'ak into attacking the races of the X-Universe, after one of their scouting missions found the Kha'ak's home world. The Paranid also have been strip mining the valuable Nividium asteroids, which further anger the Kha'ak, who make their homes from Nividium. The mined Nividium alongside synthesised versions of the artifacts were being fashioned into jump gates, by which the Paranid hoped to manipulate the economy.  A gate to Earth is opened, which Kyle passes through, causing the Kha'ak to discover it. They try to go through it and fight a combined Teladi, Boron and Argon fleet led by Ban Danna, inflicting large casualties. Julian and Ion try to stabilise the gate with the Teladi station, which sends them both through it, killing Ion. Julian survives and finds himself floating at a gate near Earth, with a massive fleet moving towards him. It is the Terran fleet, and with Kyle and Julian on board it passes through the jump hole and helps the overwhelmed defenders against the Kha'ak. The Terrans afterwards harbor distrust towards the X Universe races, even the Argon humans, prompting Kyle to return to Earth to try to correct the situation. Julian is released, pardoned of his crimes by the Argon Federation and the Paranid Empire, and the player is left to do whatever he wants in the post-plot universe.

Development.

"X3: Reunion" was developed by Egosoft and published by Deep Silver. It began as project "X2: The Return", Egosoft's planned extension for "X2: The Threat". However, as the project advanced, it soon outgrew the constraints of the "X2" Engine. In April 2005, Egosoft announced that "X2: The Return" was cancelled and that the game, using the new "X3" Engine, would become "X3: Reunion". A month later, they demonstrated the power of the ""X3 Reality Engine"" in May 2005's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), stunning industry insiders with high-definition moving renders of space stations, planets and other scenes. "X3" was released later in October.

Releases.

"X3: Reunion" was released five months after the E3 in the EU on October 28, 2005 for Windows and on November 4, 2005 in North America. The game has been later ported to Linux and Mac OS X; Mac OS X for release in August 2007; the Linux version followed on December 5 2008.  The game was also intended to be Egosoft's first multiplatform release on both Windows and Xbox. However, shortly before release it was announced that the Xbox version had been cancelled. No Xbox version is available.

Patches and updates.

The original retail release version of "X3: Reunion" was plagued by a number of bugs and issues - including a bug which prevented the player from completing the game.  Subsequently, Egosoft released a series of patches, first to resolve problems and later to add new features, expanding the game. Patches 1.2 to 1.4 were primarily aimed at eliminating bugs, improving performance and resolving compatibility issues.  On December 31, 2005, an updated manual was released for the game in a PDF file. This can be obtained from the downloads section of the official page. At 97 pages long, it is 16 pages longer than the first version. It contains information about the changes in the v1.4 patch, and corrections to errors in the earlier manual that shipped with the game.

Digital distribution re-releases.

On July 22, 2006 both X3 and its predecessor X2 became available via Valve's Steam online content delivery system, with the StarForce copy protection system removed. The in November 2015 released version on online content delivery system gog.com is fully DRM-free.

"X3 Reunion 2.0" re-release.

On November 11, 2006 Egosoft released version 2.0.01 of "X3: Reunion" including the Bala Gi Expansion. This contained many new ships, features, new sectors and further bug fixes. Bala Gi's missions are available to players who have logged 10 game hours, have at least 5 million credits on account, have a good reputation with the Boron, are not an enemy of the Split or Paranid, and own at least one station. Rewards include the Player Headquarters, the unique M7 frigate class prototype ship the Hyperion, and the ability to build the new M3+ class of Heavy Fighters. The availability of these missions is not dependent on the main plot and saved games from previous versions are able to receive the new missions and mission rewards.  The game itself was relaunched as a budget PC DVD-ROM titled "X3 Reunion 2.0". The re-release has the 2.0 patch already applied, and contains no trace of StarForce Copy Protection.

Mac OS X port.

The original version of "X3: Reunion" for Mac OS X used the "Cider" "wrapper" technology developed by Transgaming. On June 29, 2010, Virtual Programming issued a new version of the game that eschewed Cider. Virtual Programming CEO Mark Hinton was quoted as saying: "We weren't happy with X3: Reunion's performance when using Cider, and it turned out many of our customers weren't either. As a gesture of goodwill, we reengineered the game as a native port that's a free update for existing customers. Starting today, new X3: Reunion customers will receive the updated version of the game."

X-Superbox Bundle re-release.

On August 16, 2010, the "X Superbox" was announced by Deep Silver and Egosoft, which includes all of the games from the X Series.

Reception.

Pre-release.

"X3" first showed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 2005, where it received considerable praise for its visuals, described as "beautiful" (GameSpot), "all very stylish and sharp" (IGN), and "by far the most visually impressive game at the booth." (The Inquirer)

Post-release.

On release, the response was mixed. Some sources praised its vision, freedom and scope, but others complained of a buggy implementation, under-performance, and a steep learning curve.  PC Zone hailed it as "one of the few games that has the power to engage your imagination with pretty pictures, then actually live up to your imaginings when you get your hands on it". and GameZone gave it "Editor's Choice", calling it "a bona fide winner". However, GameSpy asked "How much slack can you give a game that in many ways manages to achieve [its] lofty goal, but buries it under a painfully incomplete implementation?". Reviewers complained of low frame rates, frequent crashes, and bugs that made it impossible to complete the game; "the game was simply unplayable out of the box". "[I]t's not that X3 is a bad game, or that it isn't fun - it just isn't done." Complaints were also made about its complicated interface, exacerbated by an unhelpful manual which references "features and options that aren't even in the final version".  On the review aggregator GameRankings, it has an average score of 75% based on 39 reviews. On Metacritic, the game has an average score of 71 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.

Post-patches.

While post-release reviews consistently criticised "X3"s numerous bugs and poor performance, Egosoft's released series of patches and an improved manual addressed these issues mostly. "Three patches on," Computer Gaming World's Matt Peckham wrote, "something nigh-miraculous occurred: With doubled performance and many of the mission-busting bugs fixed, X3 evolved from a Byzantine hodgepodge to an actually accessible, massively multiform space sim. The bottom line: It's back on my hard drive, this time to stay".  "X3: Reunion" was named around 2013 as one of the 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.

X3: Reunion is a single-player space trading and combat video game developed by Egosoft and published by Deep Silver. It is the third installment in the "X" series and the sequel to "" (2003), which in turn followed "" (1999). "X3: Reunion" was released originally for Windows in 2005. The game was later ported to Mac OS X and Linux.


Chemical shifts.

C chemical shifts follow the same principles as those of H, although the typical range of chemical shifts is much larger than for H (by a factor of about 20). The chemical shift reference standard for C is the carbons in tetramethylsilane (TMS), whose chemical shift is considered to be 0.0 ppm.  Typical chemical shifts in C-NMR

Implementation.

Sensitivity.

C NMR has a number of complications that are not encountered in proton NMR. C NMR is much less sensitive to carbon than H NMR is to hydrogen since the major isotope of carbon, the C isotope, has a spin quantum number of zero and so is not magnetically active and therefore not detectable by NMR. Only the much less common C isotope, present naturally at 1.1% natural abundance, is magnetically active with a spin quantum number of 1/2 (like H) and therefore detectable by NMR. Therefore, only the few C nuclei present resonate in the magnetic field, although this can be overcome by isotopic enrichment of e.g. protein samples. In addition, the gyromagnetic ratio (6.728284 10 rad T s) is only 1/4 that of H, further reducing the sensitivity. The overall "receptivity" of C is about 4 orders of magnitude lower than H.  High field magnets with internal bores capable of accepting larger sample tubes (typically 10 mm in diameter for C NMR versus 5 mm for H NMR), the use of relaxation reagents, for example Cr(acac) (Chromium(III) acetylacetonate), and appropriate pulse sequences have reduced the time needed to acquire quantitative spectra and have made quantitative carbon-13 NMR a commonly used technique in many industrial labs. Applications range from quantification of drug purity to determination of the composition of high molecular weight synthetic polymers.  In a typical run on an organic compound, a C NMR may require several hours to record the spectrum of a one-milligram sample, compared to 15–30 minutes for H NMR, and that spectrum would be of lower quality. The nuclear dipole is weaker, the difference in energy between alpha and beta states is one-quarter that of proton NMR, and the Boltzmann population difference is correspondingly less.

Coupling modes.

Another potential complication results from the presence of large one bond J-coupling constants between carbon and hydrogen (typically from 100 to 250 Hz). In order to suppress these couplings, which would otherwise complicate the spectra and further reduce sensitivity, carbon NMR spectra are usually proton decoupled to remove the signal splitting. Couplings between carbons can be ignored due to the low natural abundance of C. Hence in contrast to typical proton NMR spectra which show multiplets for each proton position, carbon NMR spectra show a single peak for each chemically non-equivalent carbon atom. In further contrast to H NMR, the intensities of the signals are not normally proportional to the number of equivalent C atoms and are instead strongly dependent on the number of surrounding spins (typically H). Spectra can be made more quantitative if necessary by allowing sufficient time for the nuclei to relax between repeat scans.  The most common modes of recording C spectra are proton-noise decoupling (also known as noise, proton, or broadband decoupling), off-resonance decoupling, and gated decoupling. These modes are meant to address the large J values for C - H (110–320 Hz), C - C - H (5–60 Hz), and C - C - C - H (5–25 Hz) which otherwise make completely proton coupled C spectra difficult to interpret.  With proton-noise decoupling, in which most spectra are run, a noise decoupler strongly irradiates the sample with a broad (approximately 1000 Hz) range of radio frequencies covering the range (such as 100 MHz for a 23,486 gauss field) at which protons change their nuclear spin. The rapid changes in proton spin create an effective heteronuclear decoupling, increasing carbon signal strength on account of the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) and simplifying the spectrum so that each nonequivalent carbon produces a singlet peak. The relative intensities are unreliable because some carbons have a larger spin-lattice relaxation time and others have weaker NOE enhancement.  In gated decoupling, the noise decoupler is gated on early in the free induction delay but gated off for the pulse delay. This largely prevents NOE enhancement, allowing the strength of individual C peaks to be meaningfully compared by integration, at a cost of half to two-thirds of the overall sensitivity.  With off-resonance decoupling, the noise decoupler irradiates the sample at 1000–2000 Hz upfield or 2000–3000 Hz downfield of the proton resonance frequency. This retains couplings between protons immediately adjacent to C atoms but most often removes the others, allowing narrow multiplets to be visualized with one extra peak per bound proton (unless bound methylene protons are nonequivalent, in which case a pair of doublets may be observed).

Distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer spectra.

Distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) is an NMR method used for determining the presence of primary, secondary and tertiary carbon atoms. The DEPT experiment differentiates between CH, CH and CH groups by variation of the selection angle parameter (the tip angle of the final H pulse): 135° angle gives all CH and CH in a phase opposite to CH; 90° angle gives only CH groups, the others being suppressed; 45° angle gives all carbons with attached protons (regardless of number) in phase.  Signals from quaternary carbons and other carbons with no attached protons are always absent (due to the lack of attached protons).  The polarization transfer from H to C has the secondary advantage of increasing the sensitivity over the normal C spectrum (which has a modest enhancement from the nuclear overhauser effect (NOE) due to the H decoupling).

Attached proton test spectra.

Another useful way of determining how many protons a carbon in a molecule is bonded to is to use an attached proton test (APT), which distinguishes between carbon atoms with even or odd number of attached hydrogens. A proper spin-echo sequence is able to distinguish between S, IS and IS, IS spin systems: the first will appear as positive peaks in the spectrum, while the latter as negative peaks (pointing downwards), while retaining relative simplicity in the spectrum since it is still broadband proton decoupled.  Even though this technique does not distinguish fully between CH groups, it is so easy and reliable that it is frequently employed as a first attempt to assign peaks in the spectrum and elucidate the structure. Additionally, signals from quaternary carbons and other carbons with no attached protons are still detectable, so in many cases an additional conventional C spectrum is not required, which is an advantage over DEPT. It is, however, sometimes possible that a CH and CH signal have coincidentally equivalent chemical shifts resulting in annulment in the APT spectrum due to the opposite phases. For this reason the conventional C{H} spectrum or HSQC are occasionally also acquired.

Carbon-13 (C13) nuclear magnetic resonance (most commonly known as carbon-13 NMR or C NMR or sometimes simply referred to as carbon NMR) is the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to carbon. It is analogous to proton NMR ( NMR) and allows the identification of carbon atoms in an organic molecule just as proton NMR identifies hydrogen atoms. As such C NMR is an important tool in chemical structure elucidation in organic chemistry. C NMR detects only the isotope of carbon, whose natural abundance is only 1.1%, because the main carbon isotope,, is not detectable by NMR since its nucleus has zero spin.


Career.

Netherlands.

Vonk began his career at RKC Waalwijk where he made 25 appearances in 3 seasons. He became first-choice goal keeper for FC Wageningen, but was forced to leave after just one season, when the club went bankrupt and ceased to exist. Vonk returned to Noord-Brabant where he played for FC Den Bosch, before joining his first club RKC, this time as their first keeper. His breakthrough came with his transfer to sc Heerenveen, a club on the rise. They reached a domestic cup final in 96/97 and finished second in the league in 99/00, resulting in Champions League football the next season. After 8 years, Vonk was approaching the autumn of his career. He left sc Heerenveen to become third-choice goalkeeper for Ajax behind Maarten Stekelenburg and Bogdan Lobonț. In a surprising turn of events, Vonk managed to play 26 games in 2 seasons.

First stint at South Africa.

After 18 years of professional playing Vonk left the Netherlands to return to his country of birth, and played 2 seasons for Ajax' satellite club, Ajax Cape Town. He was terminated from his contract after a conflict with the coach of Ajax Cape Town, which made him a free agent.

Return to Netherlands.

Ajax signed him due to injury problems with their current goalkeepers Maarten Stekelenburg and Dennis Gentenaar, leaving the Amsterdam club with only 1 professional goalkeeper left: Kenneth Vermeer. In the winter transfer window of '08/'09, with the regular Ajax keepers back in shape, he once again moved to an old club, sc Heerenveen to become second-choice goalkeeper behind Brian Vandenbussche. He soon took over Vandenbussche's spot and played several league games, and another cup final, which sc Heerenveen won.

Second spell at Ajax Cape Town.

Continuing his tour amongst clubs he'd already played for, Vonk once again moved, this time back to his homeland South Africa, to play for Ajax Cape Town, citing family reasons, as well as sensing an opportunity to make the Bafana Bafana World Cup 2010 squad.

International.

Vonk played once for the Netherlands national under-20 football team in a 3-1 win against Denmark. He played the second half coming on as a substitute for John Karelse.  Vonk made his debut for the South African national team in May 1998 and was first choice goalkeeper for the 1998 FIFA World Cup as well as an unused substitute for Andre Arendse at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Vonk announced his retirement for Bafana Bafana in 2005 after South Africa failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, after earning a total of 43 caps.

Johannes Adrianus "Hans" Vonk (; born 30 January 1970) is a retired South African professional football goalkeeper of Dutch parentage who last played for Ajax Cape Town FC.


History.

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with territory partitioned from Buffalo County. It was not organized at that date, and was not attached to another county for judicial or administrative purposes. It was named for Joseph Rolette Jr., a fur trader and political figure from Pembina. The county government was effected on October 14, 1884, with Dunseith as the county seat. In 1885 the county seat was assigned to Saint John, and in 1889 it was assigned to Rolla.  The county boundaries were adjusted in 1883 and in 1887. It has retained its present boundary configuration since 1887.  The International Peace Garden is located in the northwest corner of the county along the Canada–United States border with Manitoba.

Geography.

Rolette County lies on the northern border of North Dakota with Canada. Gimby Creek and Wakopa Creek flow into the county from Canada. The terrain consists of dry rolling hills in the south, and more verdant low hills in the north and northwest, dotted with lakes and ponds.  Part of the Turtle Mountain plateau lies in the northwestern part of the county. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is its northwest corner, at 2,195' (669m) ASL.  The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is in the NE part of Rolette County.  Rolette County has an area of, of which is land and (3.9%) is water.

Demographics.

2000 census.

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 13,674 people, 4,556 households, and 3,366 families in the county. The population density was 15.1/sqmi (5.85/km2). There were 5,027 housing units at an average density of 5.57/sqmi (2.15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 25.12% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 73.01% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.3% were of Norwegian and 7.4% German ancestry. 94.6% spoke English, 1.3% Ojibwa, 1.0% French Cree and 1.0% Cree as their first language.  There were 4,556 households out of which 43.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were married couples living together, 22.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.45.  The county population contained 36.50% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 18.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.  The median income for a household in the county was $26,232, and the median income for a family was $29,744. Males had a median income of $24,288 versus $20,383 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,873. About 28.00% of families and 31.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.20% of those under age 18 and 19.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census.

As of the 2010 census, there were 13,937 people, 4,783 households, and 3,413 families in the county. The population density was 15.4/sqmi (5.96/km2). There were 5,372 housing units at an average density of 5.95/sqmi (2.30/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% American Indian, 20.3% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 48.5% were French Canadian, 7.0% were German, 6.8% were Norwegian, and 0.3% were American.  Of the 4,783 households, 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.39. The median age was 30.5 years.  The median income for a household in the county was $28,265 and the median income for a family was $35,523. Males had a median income of $35,595 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,632. About 25.9% of families and 31.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics.

Probably due to its Native American majority population, Rolette County voters are historically Democratic, more consistently so than other such counties in North Dakota. Since 1928 the only Republican to carry the county was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. It was the only county in the state to support George McGovern in 1972 and is additionally the only North Dakota county to have supported Jimmy Carter in 1980. In each of the five presidential elections from 1996 to 2012, the Democratic candidate received over 60% of the vote, with Barack Obama winning 75.1% in 2008 and 74.0% in 2012. In 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received 57.3% of the county's votes, one of the two North Dakota counties that she carried.

Rolette County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 13,937. Its county seat is Rolla.