Production.

Background.

SummerSlam is an annual pay-per-view, produced every August by World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer," it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series, eventually dubbed the "Big Four". It has since become considered WWF's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania. 1995 was the eighth event in the SummerSlam chronology.

Storylines.

The most prominent feud heading into the event was between WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel and King of the Ring, King Mabel (accompanied by his manager and tag team partner, Sir Mo). King Mabel earned his title by winning the King of the Ring tournament. During Diesel's Lumberjack match with Sycho Sid at In Your House 2, King Mabel (who was one of the lumberjacks) intervened, tossing Diesel into the ring steps. Despite Mabel's interference, Diesel kept the title, pinning Sid after a big boot. On the August 7 episode of "Monday Night Raw", Diesel faced Sir Mo. Mabel appeared at ringside, distracting Diesel. Moments later, Shawn Michaels came ringside to support Diesel. After Diesel won the match, Mabel attacked him with a clothesline and a leg drop. Mabel then attacked Michaels. On the last "Raw" before SummerSlam, commentator Vince McMahon interviewed Diesel about his SummerSlam title defense. Halfway through the interview, Davey Boy Smith appeared and suggested he and Diesel team for a match against Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo). During the match, Smith turned on Diesel and sided with Men on a Mission, leading to a three-on-one assault of the champion. The feud between The Undertaker and Kama (a member of Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation) began at WrestleMania XI. The Undertaker's manager was Paul Bearer, and Kama's manager was Ted DiBiase. Undertaker was portrayed as the face, and Kama as the heel. At WrestleMania XI, during Undertaker's match with King Kong Bundy, Kama ran out to the ring, attacked Bearer, and stole the urn (an object which, in storylines, gives The Undertaker supernatural power) for DiBiase. Immediately afterward, Kama declared (in an interview with Jim Ross) his intention to melt down the urn. The urn was revealed to have become a gold necklace, first worn by Kama prior to his match with Scott Taylor on the April 10 episode of "Raw". On the April 23 episode of "Action Zone", The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid, another member of The Million Dollar Corporation. On the May 7 episode of "Wrestling Challenge", a black wreath was left at ringside for Kama. Kama attacked the wreath and, after defeating Buck Zumhofe, stuffed part of it into Zumhofe's mouth. Another black wreath was left at ringside for Kama on the June 12 "Raw". After defeating jobber David Haskins, Kama again attacked the wreath, only to realise it was a mannequin. Both The Undertaker and Kama participated in the 1995 King of the Ring tournament. On the pay-per-view, a black wreath was ringside for the whole of Kama's quarterfinal match with Shawn Michaels, which ended in a draw. Toward the end of The Undertaker's quarterfinal contest with Mabel, Undertaker was thrown into the referee. While the referee was down, Kama interfered by kicking Undertaker in the face. Mabel followed up with a leg drop, pinning Undertaker to win the match. The Undertaker chased Kama backstage after the bout. The two continued to wrestle together in matches at house shows, with the two facing each other in preparation for their SummerSlam bout. Wreaths continued to be left ringside during Kama's matches, and Kama continued to attack them. On the August 21, 1995 "Raw", (storyline) WWF president Gorilla Monsoon announced the match between Undertaker and Kama would be a casket match. An undercard feud involved Shawn Michaels and the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Michaels had won the title by pinning Jeff Jarrett at "In Your House 2". At that event, Michaels was also a "lumberjack" in the WWF Title match between Diesel and Sycho Sid. He performed a double axe handle off the top rope onto Sid on the outside of the ring, helping Diesel retain the title. A few months prior, Sid had powerbombed Michaels three times, after Shawn blamed Sid for costing him the WWF World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XI sidelining him for six weeks with injuries. On the July 24 "Raw", Sid vowed revenge on Michaels. That night, commentator Jerry Lawler stated his own desire for a shot at Michaels' title. A match between Sid and Michaels was scheduled for SummerSlam. However, the match was suddenly scrapped soon after. Michaels would now defend the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match against Razor Ramon, despite a lack of any onscreen buildup. On the August 7 "Raw", Michaels attempted to attack Lawler, but was restrained by officials. Michaels wrestled Lawler on the August 14 "Raw". Sid attempted to interfere in the match with a clothesline, but Michaels ducked and hit Sid with a superkick. Sid and Lawler regained the upper hand, and Sid chokeslammed Michaels. Razor Ramon ran in and assisted Michaels in clearing the ring of his attackers. Michaels and Razor then had a staredown, which led to a brawl. Razor came out on top. Despite being removed from SummerSlam, Sid was granted a future title shot, against whoever would be champion on the September 11 episode of "Raw". Bret Hart had been feuding with Jerry Lawler for two years when they met at King of the Ring. Hart won the match and, per the stipulation, Lawler was forced to kiss Hart's feet, despite Hakushi's attempt to stop it. The following night on "Raw", a vignette aired, showing Lawler visiting his dentist, Isaac Yankem, D.D.S., to have his teeth cleansed of foot smell. Yankem revealed to Lawler he used to be a professional wrestler. This began a storyline of Lawler attempting to avenge his loss to Hart. Over the following weeks, more vignettes from Yankem's office aired. They showed him treating his patients, while Lawler asked them which wrestlers they liked and disliked. On the July 24 "Raw", Hart beat Hakushi. After the bout, Hart assaulted and piledrove Hakushi's manager, Shinja. Yankem and Hart did not have any direct interaction before their SummerSlam match.  The WWF Women's Championship feud started on the April 3 episode of "Raw". Moments after winning the title from Bull Nakano, Alundra Blayze was attacked by an unknown woman (later introduced as Bertha Faye). The attack sidelined Blayze with a broken nose. Faye, managed by Harvey Whippleman, had her debut match on the April 24 "Raw", squashing La Pantera Serena. Blayze made her "Raw" return on May 29, stating she was cleared to wrestle in an interview with Vince McMahon. Faye and Whippleman responded with their own interview on the June 3 "Superstars of Wrestling". Their SummerSlam match was announced on the August 7 episode of "Raw".

Event.

The first match to air was between Hakushi and The 1-2-3 Kid. Hakushi got the early advantage after hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Both wrestlers performed multiple high spots. Late on, The Kid avoided a Diving headbutt, and followed with a series of offensive moves. The Kid attempted to perform his finisher, spinning crescent kick, but Hakushi countered it into the Nenbutsu Bomb and pinned him.  Hunter Hearst Helmsley faced Bob Holly in the second match. This was Helmsley's pay-per-view wrestling debut. Toward the end of the bout, Holly gained the upper hand with a series of dropkicks. He attempted to toss Helmsley into the corner, but Helmsley reversed it, then hit his Pedigree finisher and made the pin. A tag team match was next. The Smoking Gunns (Bart Gunn and Billy Gunn) faced The Blu Brothers (Jacob Blu and Eli Blu), with their manager Uncle Zebekiah at ringside. The Blu Brothers held the advantage for the majority of the match, making quick tags to work over Billy. Billy eventually made the hot tag to Bart, who gained the immediate advantage but was booted in the face by Jacob. Bart regained the advantage, pushing Jacob into Eli. The Gunns followed up with their Sidewinder finisher for the pin.

Aftermath.

Lex Luger made his final appearance on WWF TV in the main event (preventing Sir Mo from further interfering). He rejoined World Championship Wrestling the next week.  Diesel defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Owen Hart, Yokozuna, and Davey Boy Smith, before losing it to Bret Hart at Survivor Series.  The Undertaker's feud with the Million Dollar Corporation ended, and he began to feud with King Mabel.  Bret Hart continued to feud with Jerry Lawler and Isaac Yankem until the October 16, 1995 episode of "Monday Night Raw", where Hart defeated Yankem in a steel cage match.

SummerSlam (1995) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the eighth annual SummerSlam event on August 27, 1995, at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.


Publication history.

Origins.

Created by writer Chris Claremont, Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock first appeared in "Captain Britain" #8 (Dec. 1976), published by the Marvel Comics' British imprint Marvel UK. The original spelling of the character's name was "Elizabeth", though relettering of the UK versions for American reprints would occasionally misspell it as "Elisabeth". This led to spelling inconsistencies throughout future publications. The inconsistency was resolved by Claremont 32 years later in 2008 in the series "New Exiles", which reasserted the particular spelling of her name as "Elizabeth". In the "Captain Britain" series, Claremont introduced her as a supporting character, the sister of Brian Braddock, the eponymous Captain Britain,

X-Men.

In "New Mutants Annual" #2 (1986), Claremont integrated Braddock into the X-Men franchise. The story sees her abducted to the Mojoverse, where she is subjected to brainwashing, fitted with bionic eyes, and referred to as "the Psylocke" for the first time. After being rescued by the New Mutants, she takes up residence at their mutant-training academy, run by Magneto at the time in the absence of Professor Charles Xavier. After aiding the team unofficially, Braddock proves herself by distracting the attentions of the murderous supervillain Sabretooth. Afterward, Braddock is formally invited to join the X-Men and officially adopts the codename "Psylocke", becoming an enduring fixture of the team over the next three decades.

Fictional character biography.

Background.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock was born in England and was raised in the small town of Maldon, Essex. Betsy was Sir James Braddock's second child, born minutes before her twin brother Brian. The twins and their elder brother Jamie, who was nearly a decade older, had a very privileged life. By the time she entered college, Betsy had become a charter pilot. After she and Jamie were taken hostage by the Red Skull's agents and freed by Captain America and Captain Britain, Betsy learned the latter was her brother Brian. At this time Betsy began to develop precognitive powers. She dyed her hair purple and took up modeling. At the age of twenty-one, her psychic powers fully manifested, which grew to include telepathy. Agent Matthew recruited Betsy into S.T.R.I.K.E.'s Psi Division, and she became fellow psi Tom Lennox's lover. As she had inherited membership to the Hellfire Club from her father, Betsy was sent to infiltrate it, but was warned off by Tessa for her own protection. She also met future boyfriend Warren Worthington for the first time

X-Men.

Betsy was kidnapped from the Alps by Mojo, brainwashed, given cybernetic eyes, and, as "Psylocke", became the star of his new show "Wildways". Brian and the New Mutants rescued her, after which Betsy moved to the X-Men's mansion to recover, exactly where Roma, Guardian of the Omniverse, needed her to be. When the Marauders attacked the Morlocks, the X-Mansion was used as a temporary infirmary for injured survivors of the massacre. Knowing that the X-Men were away in New York, the Marauder Sabretooth invaded the mansion. Psylocke used herself as bait to lead him away from the injured until the X-Men arrived to help her. While Sabretooth and Wolverine fought, Psylocke used her telepathy to gather information

Transformed.

Betsy reappeared amnesiac on an island near China, where the Hand, a ninja clan, found her. Matsu'o Tsurayaba, their leader, saw a chance to save his brain-dead lover, Kwannon. Spiral informed Matsu'o that Psylocke's telepathy could restore Kwannon, and Matsu'o accepted. Unknown to Matsu'o, however, Spiral actually placed the two women's minds into each other's bodies. She also merged their genetic structures, leaving both women with physical and mental traits of the other, and with each possessing half of Psylocke's telepathic power. With some physical and mental conditioning, Psylocke—inhabiting Kwannon's body—became the Hand's prime assassin, taking the name Lady Mandarin. She gained highly remarkable fighting skills and learned to focus her telepathic power into a "psychic knife". Lady Mandarin's first mission pitted her

Crimson Dawn.

When Sabretooth gutted Psylocke, Angel, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, and Gomurr the Ancient retrieved a magical liquid from the Crimson Dawn dimension that healed her and gave her the new ability to teleport through shadows, but also marked her with a red tattoo over her left eye. Her personality took on a cold edge, which created distance between her and Warren. Kuragari, Proctor of the Crimson Dawn, tried to claim Betsy as his bride, but was

Revolution and X-Treme.

Jean Grey's attempt to help Betsy deal with the Shadow King somehow swapped their powers, leaving Betsy telekinetic. With her new abilities Betsy fought Belasco, the Neo, the Goth, the Crimson Pirates, the Twisted Sisters, and the Prime Sentinels, then aided her brother freeing Otherworld from Mastermind's Warpie

Resurrection.

One year after her death, Betsy awoke where she had died, unaware of how she had survived, and was soon reunited with the X-Men, helping them against the Saurian Hauk'ka, and Mojo and Spiral. Jamie started to covertly observe his resurrected sister, allowing her to catch occasional glimpses of him. Betsy was reunited with Brian during the Scarlet Witch's "House of M" reality storm. When the timeline was set right, the memories of their encounter took on a dreamlike state, prompting Betsy and several of the X-Men to visit London to check on Brian's status.  Back in the USA, Betsy and the X-Men failed to stop Shi'ar Death Commandos from slaughtering the Grey family, targeted for death because of their relationship to Phoenix, but helped defeat them before they could kill Rachel Grey. With the First Fallen's servants, the Foursaken, about to make their move, Jamie revealed his part in Betsy's resurrection to the X-Men: sensing the approaching threat of the cosmically powerful First Fallen (a harbinger of frozen, eternal "perfection") and learning of Betsy's demise,

Exiles.

Appearing at the headquarters of the Exiles, heroes gathered from several realities to protect the Omniverse; both the Exiles' choice of Psylocke as latest recruit, and the timing of same, were apparently the result of Roma's manipulations, again moving one of her pawns to where it would soon be needed as part of a greater plan. Her first mission with the Exiles brought Betsy face to face with Earth-1720's Slaymaster, brutally reminding her of her reality's Slaymaster blinding her. After escaping, Slaymaster-1720 began murdering Betsy Braddock in each reality he visited.  Meanwhile, determined to confront her fear, Psylocke began rigorous training to prepare herself for

Return.

Somehow, Psylocke became trapped between parallel worlds and was rescued by Madelyne Pryor – now calling herself the Red Queen – who controlled her to join the Sisterhood. They also stole Betsy's original body, in which Kwannon had died, at a graveyard. A ritual of sorts with both bodies was performed, resulting in Betsy's original body being brought back to life. The Sisterhood, now including a brainwashed Psylocke, attacked the X-Men. Dazzler was forced to use her powers on Psylocke, blowing half of Betsy's face off. Dazzler's attack shocked Betsy back to consciousness, enabling her to overcome the Red Queen's control and return to her Japanese body.  After these events Psylocke's powers changed once again; she now possessed both telepathic and telekinetic abilities, but with her psionic potential divided between them, neither ability is as strong as it once was. The following days saw Betsy travel back in time alongside Beast's X-Club. Psylocke also led the X-Club in a mission to raise Asteroid M, which was at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, to serve as the X-Men's new base of operations and a haven for mutantkind,

Uncanny X-Force.

In the aftermath of "", Psylocke (along with Deadpool, Fantomex, and Archangel) was selected by Wolverine to be a member of the new X-Force; the sole condition being that no one could learn of the team's existence. Psylocke had been using her telepathy to help Warren control the "Archangel" persona in his mind, which led to the two rekindling their previous relationship. The team's first mission was to locate and kill Apocalypse, who had been reborn. Upon discovering that the reborn Apocalypse was a child, most of the team decided against killing him, but Fantomex fatally shot the boy. With X-Force, Psylocke also faced long-time rivals such as the Reavers and the Shadow King. The latter succeeded in freeing the Archangel persona in Warren. In order to prevent Archangel's ascension into Apocalypse, X-Force travelled to the Age of Apocalypse to seek a Life Seed, which could cleanse Warren. Psylocke's hesitation to kill Archangel led to her transformation into the Horseman of Death at his hands. Jean Grey of the Age of Apocalypse managed to revert this process, unlocking a previously untapped

Marvel NOW!

After the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Psylocke and Fantomex spent weeks in Paris, engaging in drinking, sex and thieving. While Psylocke and Fantomex grew apart, she and Cluster – Fantomex’ female self – grew closer and more devoted to each other, resulting in a relationship. Feeling jealous about the new couple, Fantomex set Psylocke up. Once Cluster sided with him, Psylocke decided to leave them for good.  Upon returning to New York, Psylocke took a teaching position at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Due to Psylocke’s constant assaulting of the students and aggressiveness, Wolverine was forced to fire her, and instead assigned her a mission to take down Spiral. With the help of Storm and Puck, Psylocke faced her longtime rival and Bishop, who had returned to the present day. After taking

All-New Marvel NOW!

In the wake of a terrorist attack known as the Alexandria Incident, which claimed 3,000 lives, Cable re-formed the mutant black ops team so that mutantkind not only had a continued place in the world, but also had a stake in it. While Cable recruited Fantomex, Marrow and Dr. Nemesis as his teammates, Psylocke actually sought Cable because she couldn't bear staying away from X-Force as she admitted she was addicted to killing. Their first mission had the team track and face Volga, a wealthy business man responsible for the abduction and weaponization of several mutants and depowered mutants. As

All-New, All-Different Marvel.

The intervention of Mister Fantastic in the rebirth of Earth-616 caused the Marvel Universe to be a direct continuation of the previous iteration. As part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" event, Psylocke reappeared in a world where the Terrigen released in the atmosphere by the Inhumans proved to be deadly to mutants. For this reason, Magneto invited Psylocke to be a partner in his endeavors and protect mutantkind. He also offered her the chance to work with a blank slate clone of Archangel he had came across earlier. Although not fully agreeing with Magneto's methods, Psylocke remained part of his team, alongside Monet and Sabretooth, for the sake of rehabilitating Archangel, whom she kept under telepathic control. Magneto's X-Men first mission had them face the Dark Riders, who were targeting mutant healers. Following a lead buried in the dormant Archangel's mind, Psylocke and Magneto travelled to Colorado, where they found a wingless Warren Worthington brainwashed by the son of Apocalypse, Genocide, and Clan Akkaba, who were harvesting his wings to create an army of Archangel clones. When Warren and Archangel merged, Psylocke

ResurrXion.

While the X-Men rebuilt the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach in the middle of Central Park, Psylocke decided to return to England. After spending some time in London, Psylocke found herself under an overwhelming psychic attack by the Shadow King, which caused her to lose control. Psylocke called for help and Rogue, Bishop, Archangel, Gambit, Fantomex and Old Man Logan came to her rescue. She sent the X-Men to the Astral Plane to deal with Farouk and remained behind to maintain the necessary mental link back to the physical world. Psylocke found out the Shadow King was keeping Charles Xavier's soul trapped in the Astral Plane, and under the Professor's guidance, she managed to fight Logan and Gambit, both possessed by the Shadow King, contain the psychic infection in London and protect the civilians. After Xavier killed the Shadow King, Psylocke was shocked to learn he had taken over the body of Fantomex, who chose to remain in the Astral Plane.  Suspicious of X, as now Xavier started to call himself, Psylocke travelled to the Astral Plane herself to make sure Fantomex wasn't fooled into giving up his body. Unbeknownst to the X-Men, X had

Disassembled and Age of X-Man.

Immediately after reclaiming her original body, Psylocke returned to the Xavier Institute, where Jean Grey helped her cope with such a major change. Betsy also traveled to England and reunited with Brian and Meggan and met her niece, Maggie. The following days saw the X-Men responding to unexplained natural phenomena across the globe. The X-Men soon found out Nate Grey was responsible for these disasters in a desperate attempt to enact world peace and remake the world as he saw fit with the help of his Horsemen of Salvation, which included Angel. Psylocke engaged Angel head-on and used a massive psychic strike to free

Dawn of X.

In the following six months, Professor X established the island-nation of, welcoming mutants from all over the world and creating the first mutant society. Betsy had returned to her ancestral home in England, now known as Braddock Academy, but ultimately decided to move to Krakoa as well, only to find that her elder brother, Jamie

Characterization.

Early powers.

In her earliest appearances in "Uncanny X-Men", Psylocke possessed the power of telepathy. She could read and project thoughts over long distances; control minds; manipulate people's minds and possess them; subdue and tap into other's powers; affect people's memories; project mental illusions; and generate psi-bolts that could stun, injure, or kill others. She could also project her astral self, and the astral bodies of other people, into the astral or physical plane. She could scan entire towns with her mind, and leaf through the psyches of the inhabitants of a city to learn of their condition or intentions. She was powerful enough to telepathically "shout" to her teammates in Australia while she was in Washington D.C. without the aid of any type of power-enhancing machinery such as Cerebro. She could also probe individuals to check up on their status.  When using her telepathic powers, a butterfly-shaped energy aura would appear around her face. It was never truly made clear in the comic books by the writers whether this was something that could be perceived by others

New powers.

After her physical transformation into a Japanese ninja assassin, she gained highly developed fighting skills in addition to her telepathy, which at this stage was not as powerful as it had originally been before her transformation, as half of her psionic potential still resided with Revanche in her original body. After Revanche's death, Psylocke's telepathy was restored to its previous strength. The most common usage of her powers was the manifestation of a "psychic knife", which operated in the same manner as her "psycho-blast" ability, but at close range. Described as the focused totality of her psychic powers, she often used it to disrupt

Telekinetic powers.

To keep the Shadow King imprisoned in the Astral Plane, Psylocke sacrificed the use of her telepathy, but at some point gained Phoenix's telekinesis instead. At first, due to the relative newness of her telekinesis, she could not exercise fine control over her powers. She could blast an enemy through a brick wall, but could not levitate small objects, like a dime, from the floor. As time progressed, Psylocke grew more proficient at using her powers and she could use her telekinesis to reshape a pistol into smaller metal projectiles.  Instead of her psychic knife, Psylocke began to manifest a telekinetic katana composed of raw psionic energy. At its lowest intensity her katana functions

Returned powers and abilities.

The events involving the Sisterhood of Mutants triggered a return of her original telepathic abilities. Upon rejoining the X-Men, Psylocke states that while she is still primarily a telekinetic, she has gained the mental ability to telepathically "suggest what people see" (i.e. cast telepathic illusions). In an interview, writer Christopher Yost and editor Daniel Ketchum confirmed that Psylocke now possesses telekinesis, telepathy, and empathy. Additionally, she is once again able to focus her telepathic energies into a solid psychic knife and can still manifest her telekinetic katana.  As shown in the events of the "Psylocke" miniseries, she still appears to be an unusually strong and powerful telepath, with a range of abilities similar to what she possessed

Fighting skills.

Psylocke has been classified as a master martial artist, though the specific fighting arts she has mastered have never been revealed. Psylocke's fighting skills and techniques have been shown to surpass those of the average Hand ninja, or Crimson Dawn Undercloak, and have been said to rival those of a ninja master. In addition to the fighting skills she learned from The Hand, Psylocke has recently received training from fellow Exiles teammate Sabretooth and from an alternate reality's Ogun, who used science and magic combined to alter the passage of time itself, allowing them to accomplish a lifetime's work in a few short hours, thus improving Psylocke's skills once more.  As

Armor.

During the time when the X-Men were based in the Australian outback, Psylocke gained possession of a unique suit of armor. Made of an unknown metal, it was lightweight and form-fitting, yet extremely resistant to physical damage, giving Psylocke an added protection to her physical body. The armor was also resistant to projectiles and energy weapons. Wolverine had the armor custom-ordered through a weapons and technology firm named Landau, Luckman, and Lake for "a colleague". Mr. Chang, an agent of Landau, Luckman, and Lake, loaned the armor to

Relationships.

Elizabeth Braddock has been involved in a series of romantic relationships during the years. As a member of S.T.R.I.K.E.'s Psi Division, she was involved with fellow agent Tom Lennox. He was murdered while trying to defend her, during which time she was telepathically linked to him. Telepathically experiencing Lennox's death left Betsy traumatized for a time.  After returning to the X-Men in Kwannon's body, Psylocke psionically and telepathically manipulated Cyclops, her team leader, into being romantically attracted to her. After regaining her full personality from Kwannon, Psylocke offered a belated apology to Jean Grey, admitting that the flirtation was due to

Other versions.

In addition to her mainstream incarnation (known as the Earth-616 Psylocke), the character has had been depicted in the comics set in many other fictional universes and timelines of the Marvel Multiverse, including Age of Apocalypse, Days of Future Past, Earth X, House of M, Marvel Comics 2, Ultimate X-Men, and Age of X. These alternative representations usually differ considerably from the details and events of the main story, without affecting that story's narrative continuity.

Age of Apocalypse.

The "Age of Apocalypse" (Earth-295) incarnation of Psylocke was created by Akira Yoshida and Chris Bachalo. She is an Asian ninja (wearing a mask), though no explanation is given as to the circumstances of her ethnicity. She possesses the ability to generate psychic blades (an ability that the Earth-616 Psylocke only manifested after switching bodies with Kwannon) that can affect physical matter as well as living

Age of X.

In "Age of X" (Earth-11326) storyline of "", Psylocke, created by Mike Carey and Clay Mann, Psylocke is still in her original body of Elizabeth Braddock, having never switched with Kwannon. She is depicted as a member of the Force Warriors, a select group of telekinetics who rebuild the telekinetic shields that protect Fortress X on a daily basis. Prior to the mutant/human conflict she lived a privileged life among the upper class of British society, similar to her Earth-616 counterpart. Along with others

Days of Future Past.

The dystopian "Days of Future Past" (Earth-811) version of Psylocke was created by John Francis Moore and Joe Bennett. Psylocke has not only the Crimson Dawn tattoo over her left eye, but also additional tattoos on the right part of her face. Psylocke is first seen as a mysterious hooded female that sneaks up undetected behind Logan and telepathically destroys his consciousness. She is the new Red Queen and one of the Lords Cardinal of the new Hellfire Club. Psylocke is seen by Shinobi Shaw’s side as they watch the trapped Scarlet Witch. As Shinobi brags about world domination, Betsy reminds him that without her help he would not have been so lucky and he tells her that her name is never far away from his thoughts and that they will rule the world side by side. Suddenly, Psylocke cries out in pain and says that Wolverine has reawakened and that Emma Frost is responsible for bringing him back. She summons the female ninja Midnight (Amiko Kobayashi) and instructs her to kill Wolverine, in spite of their past together. Baron Zemo makes his

Exiles.

Several versions of the

Earth X.

It is unknown if the Betsy Braddock version of the "Earth-X" (Earth-9997) future timeline ever switched bodies with the Japanese assassin Kwannon or if the effect was undone somehow, but she was entirely European when she was brought to Otherworld to further hone her

House of M.

In the "House of M" reality (Earth-58163) created by the Scarlet Witch, Betsy found herself as Princess Royal named Elizabeth Glorianna Braddock, sister to the monarch of Britain. In fact, Betsy was actually the

MC2.

Although not seen on-panel, Psylocke's counterpart of the Marvel Comics 2 universe (Earth-982) was at least mentioned. Apparently, this Psylocke acted as a godmother to Wild

Millennial Visions.

Several versions of the

Ultimate Marvel.

In the World Tour story arc of "Ultimate X-Men" (Earth-1610), Agent Betsy Braddock was created by Mark Millar and Adam Kubert. She was introduced as a colonel for the British Secret Intelligence Service along with her partner Agent Dai Thomas. As in the mainstream Marvel Universe, Betsy is the twin sister of Brian Braddock, who is now a member of the European Defense Initiative (the European Union's equivalent of the Ultimates), code named Captain Britain. Her father, Professor Sir James Braddock, is still alive in the Ultimate universe, and oversees the EDI's super-soldier program. She is a telepath and, judging by her own assertion, the most powerful in England. The "psychoblast" power she possessed in her British form in the Earth-616

Uncanny X-Force.

Several versions of the

What If.

Several versions of the character appear in the "What If" comics:  Psylocke of Earth-21993 was created by Kurt Busiek and Tod Smith. Her past history mirrors that of her Earth-616 counterpart until just after she crossed through the Siege Perilous. After Charles Xavier escaped Skrull activity and returned to Earth, she is among the many teams of X-Men gathered by Xavier, who express his disapproval with the state they had left human/mutant affairs in his absence. This meeting erupts into violence due to an argument between Cable and Xavier over what direction to take. Psylocke joins the other X-Men in attempting to incapacitate Cable and the New Mutants, but the New Mutants flee. Following Cable's assassination of Xavier, Psylocke joins a group of X-Men led by Wolverine in tracking the New Mutants

In other media.

Psylocke has made many appearances in media other than comic books. These include television series, films, and numerous video game adaptations and crossover titles. Psylocke has been voiced by Grey

In merchandise.

Several statuettes of Psylocke were produced by various manufacturers, including by Bandai in 2005, Hasbro in 2008 (Marvel Super Hero Squad Wave 7), Kotobukiya in 2010 (redesigned in the Japanese bishōjo style by Shunya Yamashita) and 2011, Bowen Designs in 2010, and Sideshow Collectibles in 2010 and 2011. A diorama of Psylocke and Spiral was also created by Sideshow Collectibles in 2009.  Mini-bust statuettes of Psylocke were made by Bowen Designs in 2005, and by Diamond

Reception.

The character has achieved a significant critical praise and popularity following the 1989 redesign. According to UGO, "Basically, Marvel gave a third-rate character a makeover, hence, creating one of the most popular female mutants in "X-Men" history."  Psylocke was included in IGN's "Battle of the Comic-Book Babes" contest in 2005, winning the first two rounds against Aspen Matthews and then Natsumi and Miyuki, before losing to Emma Frost (the eventual champion of this edition). Psylocke, however, emerged victorious from the following year's "Battle of the Comic-Book Babes" in 2006, winning the consecutive rounds against Deena Pilgrim, Rachel Summers and Black Cat. In the final round, she managed to get almost two-thirds of the votes (64%) when pitted against video gaming's female icon Lara Croft. In 2006, IGN also rated Psylocke as the 22nd top "X-Men" character, comparing her to Rogue" and calling her "a born leader" whose "abilities make her one of the most potent fighters to ever wear the X", and also placed her third on their list of top 'X-Babes' for her being an "Asian gal with incredible body and a British accent". Marvel themselves declared her their own second most favorite hero of 2011, citing her "tremendous and thankless heroism". That same year, UGO ranked her ninth of their list of "superhero power upgrades that kicked complete ass" and also featured her among 25 "hot ninja girls" and called her an "eye candy that's less lollipop and more atomic warhead".  In 2011, IGN included Psylocke among the eight mutants IGN wished to see

Psylocke (Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976, she first appeared in the Marvel UK series "Captain Britain".


Business model.

The company is based in Concord, North Carolina, United States. ACN has international offices located in Montreal, Canada; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Sydney, Australia; Wrocław, Poland; Umeå, Sweden; Seoul, South Korea and Mexico.  ACN's income disclosure statement bears the warning that "not all ACN independent representatives make a profit and no one can be guaranteed success as an ACN independent representative."

History.

In 1993, Robert Stevanovski, Greg Provenzano, and twin brothers Tony and Mike Cupisz, founded the American Communications Network, Inc. ACN opened for business in January 1993 with twenty initial "independent representatives". ACN's initial business was as a marketing arm for a long-distance reseller called LCI Communications. This relationship lasted for five years until LCI was acquired by Qwest Communications. By 1998, ACN was listed in "Inc. Magazine"'s "Inc. 500" list as No. 22 in this annual list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America.  ACN operated as a gas and electricity retailer, through the subsidiaries ACN Energy and ACN Utility Services, prior to its energy assets being acquired by Commerce Energy Group in 2006. In 2008, ACN moved its headquarters from Farmington Hills, Michigan to Concord, North Carolina. In 2014, ACN expanded operations to Latin America, beginning first with Mexico. In 2016, ACN expanded operations in Japan. By 2019, ACN was operating in 26 countries and five continents.  From 2006 until he announced his presidential candidacy in 2015, ACN had a business relationship with former "The Apprentice" executive producer Donald Trump. Trump spoke at ACN events, featured their products on an episode of "The Apprentice", and took part in ACN promotional videos. Following the official beginning of his 2016 presidential candidacy, all references to Donald Trump were removed from the ACN website, and Trump distanced himself from the company in an interview with "The Wall Street Journal". "I know nothing about the company other than the people who run the company," Trump told them. "I’m not familiar with what they do or how they go about doing it, and I make that clear in my speeches."

Services.

ACN offers landline telephone service (local and long distance), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), high-speed Internet, satellite television, cellular phone through the company's own mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Flash Wireless, and home security services, primarily to consumers, and secondarily to small businesses. Beginning in 2011, ACN also began offering an ACN-branded international calling smartphone app available for iPhone, Android and Symbian, reselling WiMAX wireless Internet, and technical support service for personal and business computers, as well as getting back into the energy reselling market through partner XOOM Energy.  With variations depending upon the country of operation, provision of ACN's services follows three models:

Legal cases.

On June 13, 2002, ACN settled a case with the Bureau of Consumer Services in Pennsylvania wherein it was alleged that IBOs were "slamming", or switching consumer services without authorization. ACN disputed the allegations and the exact details of the settlement are under court seal. However, the suit alleged that approximately 135 informal complaints were filed with the Bureau of Consumer Services (BCS) between June 2000 and November 2001, consisting of 22 consumers alleging that their generation service was switched without authorization ("slamming"), 81 alleged instances of overcharging ("cramming"), and 32 complaints with allegations of various violations of the commission's regulations contained in Chapter 54, 56, and 57 of Title 52 of the Pennsylvania Code.  In August 2010, the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica Lindeen announced the issuance of a Cease and Desist Order and Notice of Proposed Agency Action against ACN, Inc. and several of its founders for allegedly operating a pyramid scheme. In September 2010, the Commissioner moved to vacate the Cease and Desist Order in full settlement of the case. In the course of the Commissioner's investigation, the Commissioner determined that the actions giving rise to the initial concerns were not part of the ACN business model, but instead were isolated instances taking place by certain ACN's independent representatives in Montana. The Commissioner and ACN agreed that ACN would implement additional training with its independent representatives to assist them in better understanding their responsibilities as ACN independent representatives and that ACN would contact its Montana video phone customers to assist them with the installation of their service.  In July 2019, a SDNY District Judge permitted state-level charges of fraud, false advertising, and unfair competition against Donald Trump and his children Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric related to their involvement with ACN. (The judge, however, dismissed racketeering (RICO) allegations against the family.) The Trumps are accused of not having disclosed that they were being paid by ACN when they recommended ACN as a good investment. As part of the discovery process, the Trumps were ordered in March 2020 to provide information from Trump Organization business records for 15 years back to 2005. The Trumps sought to take the case to private arbitration, but the SDNY District Judge denied their request on April 8, 2020. On May 18, 2020, the District Court ruled against ACN and Donald Trump's motion for a Stay in the case. Trump had sought a stay during his term as President of the United States.

ACN, Inc. is a North-American based multi-level marketing (MLM) company which provides telecommunications, energy, merchant services and other services, depending on the country, through a network of independent sellers who also can recruit other sellers. Based in Concord, North Carolina, United States, ACN began operations in the United States in 1993, it is now made up of ACN Opportunity, LLC and ACN Communications Services, Inc., the company reports that it operates in 24 countries.


History.

In the wake of the construction of I-95 in the late 1960s, many middle- and upper-income African American and West Indian American families migrated from Miami neighborhoods like Liberty City to what became Miami Gardens (also called Carol City, Norland or Norwood) as race-based covenants were outlawed with the Fair Housing Act, and mostly lower income blacks moved into the Liberty City and Little Haiti neighborhoods surrounding Liberty Square and Edison Courts.  Miami Gardens was incorporated on May 13, 2003. The city's neighborhoods of Andover, Bunche Park, Carol City, Lake Lucerne, Norland, Opa-locka North, and Scott Lake were previously unincorporated areas within Miami-Dade County.  In 2007, Mayor Shirley Gibson said that the city would no longer allow any low-income housing developments; many residents blamed the developments for spreading crime and recreational drugs throughout the city. Around that time, the city's tax revenues dropped to the third-lowest in Miami-Dade County.  In 2012, Oliver Gilbert, only the second mayor the city has had, proposed forming a community redevelopment agency (CRA). CRAs are formed to remove "slum and blight", to improve the physical environment of the city and to combat the social and economic problems typical of slum areas. CRAs are funded with property tax increases, which funds are used, in part, to stimulate private investment in the rehabilitation of the community.  Police misconduct against Earl Sampson, who was repeatedly questioned, detained, jailed, and/or arrested for trespassing at his own workplace, against the wishes of his boss, occurred from 2008 until roughly 2013.

Demographics.

The city was incorporated in 2003, but various parts of the city appear as census designated places in the 2000 census and previous censuses. They now make up the neighborhoods of Andover, Bunche Park, Carol City, Lake Lucerne, Norwood, Opa-locka North, and Scott Lake. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Miami Gardens was 112,514 on July 1, 2016, a 6.5% increase since the 2010 census.  In 2010, there were 34,284 housing units of which 6.0% were vacant. As of 2016, the age distribution was 5.6% under the age of 5, 6.7% from 5 to 9, 6.5% from 10 to 14, 15.5% from 15 to 24, 14.6% from 25 to 34, 12.7% 35 to 44, 13.1% 45 to 54, 12.6% 55 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. Families made up 72% of households, while 28% were non-families. The average household size was 3.52 members, and the city covered.  As of 2000, the Bunche Park neighborhood of Miami Gardens had the ninth highest percentage of African-American and black residents in the US, with 96.5% of the populace. It also was the most Bahamian place in the United States, as well as having the highest percentage of British West Indians in the US, at 1.8% (which tied with Brentwood, Maryland.) It was also home to the fifty-third highest percentage of Haitians in the US, at 2.8% of all residents (which also tied with Sunrise, Lake Alfred and Brentwood, New York.)  As of 2000, the Carol City section of Miami Gardens had the twenty-seventh highest percentage of Cuban residents in the US, with 18.75% of the populace. It had the nineteenth highest percentage of Jamaican residents in the US, at 5.80% (which tied with Lake Park, Florida,) and the thirty-ninth highest percentage of Dominican residents in the US, at 3% of its population. It also had the fifty-sixth most Haitians in the US, at 2.50% (tied with five other areas in the US, including Plantation and Taft, Florida) while it had the twentieth highest percentage of Nicaraguans, at 2.20% of all residents. The Carol City neighborhood of Miami Gardens is also home to the seventieth highest percentage of Colombian residents in the US, at 2.15% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Andover neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 74.96% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 17.91%, French Creole accounted for 4.61%, French made up 1.58%, West African Niger-Congo languages (Kru, Igbo and Yoruba) were at 0.52%, and Yiddish was the mother tongue for 0.39% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Bunche Park neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 95.97% of all residents, while Spanish was at 3.07%, and French Creole as a mother tongue made up 0.94% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Carol City neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 53.73% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 43.16%, and French Creole as a mother tongue made up 2.15% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Lake Lucerne neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 82.27% of all residents, while Spanish accounted for 14.16%, French Creole was at 2.55%, and French as a mother tongue made up 1.00% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Norland neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 74.87% of all residents, while French Creole accounted for 12.92%, Spanish was at 10.19%, and French as a mother tongue made up 1.02% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Opa-Locka North neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 75.24% of all residents, while Spanish was spoken by 21.04%, French Creole was at 3.27%, and Jamaican Creole as a mother tongue made up 0.44% of the population.  As of 2000, before being annexed to Miami Gardens, the Scott Lake neighborhood had English as a first language accounted for 85.76% of all residents, while 6.81% spoke Spanish, French Creole accounted for 5.83%, French was at 0.93%, and Jamaican Creole as a mother tongue made up 0.64% of the population.

Crime rates.

According to City Rating, Miami Gardens crime statistics have decreased in the past 13 years. The crimes that have decreased the most are property crimes and violent crimes. The crime rate for Miami Gardens for 2018 is expected to be lower than in 2016. Miami Garden's 2016 violent crime rate was 63.64% higher than the national violent crime rate, and the property crime rate was 30.99% higher than the national property crime rate.  In 2016, Miami Gardens' violent crime rate was higher than that in Florida by 50.99%, and the property crime rate was 19.49% higher.  In 2016, there were 432 reported cases of aggravated assault, 22 reported cases of arson, 509 reported cases of burglary, 24 cases of forcible rape, 2,743 cases of larceny and theft, 419 reported cases of motor vehicle theft, 22 reported cases of murder and manslaughter, and 265 cases of robbery.  The projected 2018 crime data is as follows: 286 reported cases of aggravated assault, 26 reported cases of arson, 435 reported cases of burglary, 7 cases reported of forcible rape, 2,139 cases reported of larceny and theft, 205 cases reported of motor vehicle theft, 18 reported cases of murder and manslaughter, and 102 reported cases of robbery.

Sports facilities.

The Calder Race Course opened in 1971.  Miami Gardens is home to the Miami Dolphins, who play in Hard Rock Stadium on land that was part of the Lake Lucerne CDP. This stadium also hosts the annual Orange Bowl college football game, and is the home field for the University of Miami Hurricanes football team. The Miami Open tennis tournament is held on the grounds of the stadium. The Florida Marlins Major League Baseball team shared Hard Rock Stadium with the Dolphins for almost two decades until, in 2012, they relocated to Miami and changed their name to the Miami Marlins.

Health.

Medical.

The city of Miami Gardens has several health care clinics and facilities that offer medical care and support to its residents. Although the city has no hospital directly within its limits, Jackson North Medical Center, Concentra Urgent Care, and, Chen Medical Center provide medical services to the residents of Miami Gardens. Supplementing this, several health care clinics and facilities provide medical services that include general medicine, walk-in/urgent care, dental services, gynecology, physical therapy, chiropractor services, laboratory tests, x-rays, sonograms, osteoporosis screening, vaccinations, and health and exercise programs.

Government.

Miami Gardens is governed by a seven-member city council. Members include Mayor Oliver Gilbert (since 2012), and six council members, four elected from districts and two elected citywide. The mayor recommends – and the city council hires – the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk.  These are 17 of the many departments for which the City Manager of Miami Gardens creates a budget.

Police.

The Miami Gardens Police Department is the lead law enforcement agency for the 110,000 residents living within the city's. The department operates under a unified command structure with its headquarters located at 1020 NW 163 Drive, Miami Gardens, Florida 33169. The department became operational on Sunday, December 16, 2007 with 159 sworn officers. Since then, the department has grown to 259 members consisting of 201 sworn positions with 58 non-sworn support positions.

Police controversy.

In 2013, law enforcement abuses were alleged regarding the Miami Gardens Police Department by several news outlets. The abuses were first uncovered when it became public that a convenience store employee, Earl Sampson was arrested 27 times for trespassing, while working at and around the store at which he was employed. Video evidence was gathered by the owner of the store, Ali Saleh, showing Miami Garden police involved in clear and repeated misconduct involving his employee, and customers. According to the "Miami Herald"s Julie K. Brown: "The videos show, among other things, cops stopping citizens, questioning them, aggressively searching them and arresting them for trespassing when they have permission to be on the premises". It appeared Sampson had been arrested in this way due to police quotas, a department culture, and that Sampson was easy to arrest. Sampson always pleaded guilty so they would let him out almost immediately, with one exception where he pleaded not guilty, and he was jailed for 20 days. The guilty plea would validate the officers' improper arrest and increment their quota, so he became a continuous target.

Volume of stops.

It was reported that, between 2008 and 2013, 99,980 stops occurred in Miami Gardens, involving 56,922 people, over half of the city's population. In the City of Miami, 3,753 stops occurred during the same period, with four times the population. Some stops involved children aged 5 to 7, totaling more than 1,000 children. These numbers were compiled after news regarding Earl Sampson.

Resignation and lawsuits.

Following these reports, the Police Chief resigned. Civil rights lawsuits have been filed against the Miami Gardens Police Department by the store owner and others who were illegally detained and/or arrested. A police officer filed a lawsuit claiming that he had been fired for reporting abuses.

Education.

Public schools.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates area public schools.  Norland Middle School, in the Miami Gardens area, has a magnet program in dance, music, theatre and art, which began in 1985. The young actors Alex R. Hibbert and Jaden Piner, who starred in the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight", were trained at this school.

Private schools.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami operates area Catholic schools. Monsignor Edward Pace High School is in the Miami Gardens city limits. The archdiocese formerly operated Saint Monica School in Miami Gardens.

Public libraries.

Miami-Dade Public Library System operates the North Dade Regional Library, which opened in September 1979.

Miami Gardens is a city located in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is 16 miles north of Downtown Miami and its boundaries stretch from I-95 and NE 2nd Avenue on the east, to NW 47th and NW 57th Avenues on the west, and from the Broward County line on the north, to 151st Street on the south. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2019 estimate from the US Census Bureau, the city had a population of 110,001, and it is the largest city in Florida that has a majority African American population. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people in 2015.


Outline of development.

The German Idealist philosopher Fichte had attempted to show that the whole structure of reality follows necessarily from the fact of self-consciousness. Schelling took Fichte's position as his starting-point, and in his earliest writings posited that nature must have reality for itself. In this light Fichte's doctrines appeared incomplete. On the one hand, they identified the ultimate ground of the universe of reason too closely with finite, individual Spirit. On the other, they threatened the reality of the world of nature by seeing it too much in the manner of subjective idealism. Fichte, in this view, had not managed to unite his system with the aesthetic view of nature to which Immanuel Kant's "Critique of Judgment" had pointed.  "Naturphilosophie" is therefore one possible theory of the unity of nature. Nature as the sum of what is objective, and intelligence as the complex of all the activities making up self-consciousness, appear as equally real. The philosophy of nature and transcendental idealism would be the two complementary portions making up philosophy as a whole.

German philosophy.

"Naturphilosophie" translated into English would mean just "philosophy of nature", and its scope began to be taken in a broad way. Johann Gottfried Herder, particularly taken in opposition to Immanuel Kant, was a precursor of Schelling:  Herder's dynamic view of nature was developed by Goethe and Schelling and led to the tradition of "Naturphilosophie"[...]  Later Friedrich Schlegel theorised about a particular German strand in philosophy of nature, citing Jakob Böhme, Johannes Kepler and Georg Ernst Stahl, with Jan Baptist van Helmont as an edge case. Frederick Beiser instead traces "Naturphilosophie" as developed by Schelling, Hegel, Schlegel and Novalis to a crux in the theory of matter, and identifies the origins of the line they took with the "vis viva" theory of matter in the work of Gottfried Leibniz.  Subsequently Schelling identified himself with Baruch de Spinoza, to whose thought he saw himself as approaching. The "Darstellung meines Systems", and the expanded treatment in the lectures on a "System der gesamten Philosophie und der Naturphilosophie insbesondere" given in Würzburg in 1804, contain elements of Spinoza's philosophy.

Schelling.

In a short space of time Schelling produced three works: "Ideen zu einer Philosophie der Natur als Einleitung in das Studium dieser Wissenschaft", 1797 ("Ideas for a Philosophy of Nature as Introduction to the Study of this Science"); "Von der Weltseele", 1798 ("On the World Soul"); and "Erster Entwurf eines Systems der Naturphilosophie", 1799 (First Plan of a System of the Philosophy of Nature). As criticism of scientific procedure, these writings retain a relevance. Historically, according to Richards:  Despite the tentativeness of their titles, these monographs introduced radical interpretations of nature that would reverberate through the sciences, and particularly the biology, of the next century. They developed the fundamental doctrines of "Naturphilosophie".  In "System des transzendentalen Idealismus", 1800 ("System of Transcendental Idealism") Schelling included ideas on matter and the organic in Part III. They form just part of a more ambitious work that takes up other themes, in particular aesthetics. From this point onwards "Naturphilosophie" was less of a research concern for him, as he reformulated his philosophy. However, it remained an influential aspect of his teaching. For a short while, he edited a journal, the "Neue Zeitschrift für speculative Physik" (bound volume 1802).  Schelling's "Naturphilosophie" was a way in which he worked himself out of the tutelage of Fichte, with whom he quarrelled decisively towards the end of the 1790s. More than that, however, it brought him within the orbit of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, both intellectually and (as a direct consequence of Goethe's sympathetic attitude) by a relocation; and it broke with basic Kantian tenets. Grant writes:  Schelling's postkantian confrontation with nature itself begins with the overthrow of the Copernican revolution...  Schelling held that the divisions imposed on nature, by our ordinary perception and thought, do not have absolute validity. They should be interpreted as the outcome of the single formative energy which is the soul or inner aspect of nature. In other words he was a proponent of a variety of organicism. The dynamic series of stages in nature, the forms in which the ideal structure of nature is realized, are matter, as the equilibrium of the fundamental expansive and contractive forces; light, with its subordinate processes (magnetism, electricity, and chemical action); organism, with its component phases of reproduction, irritability and sensibility. The continual change presented to us by experience, taken together with the thought of unity in productive force of nature, leads to the conception of the duality through which nature expresses itself in its varied products.  In the introduction to the "Ideen" he argues against dogmatism, in the terms that a dogmatist cannot explain the organic; and that recourse to the idea of a cosmic creator is a feature of dogmatic systems imposed by the need to explain nature as purposive and unified. Fichte's system, called the "Wissenschaftslehre", had begun with a fundamental distinction between dogmatism (fatalistic) and criticism (free), as his formulation of idealism.  Beiser divides up the mature form of Schelling's "Naturphilosophie" into the attitudes of transcendental realism (the thesis that "nature exists independent of all consciousness, even that of the transcendental subject") and transcendental naturalism (the thesis that "everything is explicable according to the laws of nature, including the rationality of the transcendental subject"). He notes how "Naturphilosophie" was first a counterbalance to "Wissenschaftslehre", and then in Schelling's approach became the senior partner. After that, it was hardly to be avoided that Schelling would become an opponent of Fichte, having been a close follower in the early 1790s.  We are able to apprehend and represent nature to ourselves in the successive forms which its development assumes, since it is the same spirit of which we become aware in self-consciousness, though here unconsciously. The variety of its forms is not imposed on it externally, since there is no external teleology in nature. Nature is a self-forming whole, within which only natural explanations can be sought. The function of "Naturphilosophie" is to exhibit the ideal as springing from the real, not to deduce the real from the ideal.

Influence and critics of "Naturphilosophie".

Criticism of "Naturphilosophie" has been widespread, over two centuries. Schelling's theories, however influential in terms of the general culture of the time, have not survived in scientific terms. Like other strands of speculation in the life sciences, in particular, such as vitalism, they retreated in the face of experiment, and then were written out of the history of science as Whig history. But critics were initially not scientists (a term not used until later); rather they came largely from within philosophy and Romantic science, a community including many physicians. Typically, the retrospective views of scientists of the 19th century on "Romantic science" in general erased distinctions:  Scientific criticism in the nineteenth century took hardly any notice of the distinctions between Romantic, speculative and transcendental, scientific and aesthetic directions.  One outspoken critic was the chemist Justus von Liebig, who compared "Naturphilosophie" with the Black Death. Another critic, the physiologist Emil du Bois-Reymond, frequently dismissed "Naturphilosophie" as "bogus".

Role in aesthetics.

Isaiah Berlin summed up the reasons why "Naturphilosophie" had a wide-ranging impact on views of art and artists:  if everything in nature is living, and if we ourselves are simply its most self-conscious representatives, the function of the artist is to delve within himself, and above all to delve within the dark and unconscious forces which move within him, and to bring these to consciousness by the most agonising and violent internal struggle.

Philosophical criticism.

Fichte was very critical of the opposition set up in Schelling's "Naturphilosophie" to his own conception of "Wissenschaftslehre". In that debate, Hegel then intervened, largely supporting his student friend Schelling, with the work usually called his "Differenzschrift", the "Differenz des Fichteschen und Schellingschen Systems der Philosophie" (The Difference Between Fichte's and Schelling's System of Philosophy); a key publication in his own philosophical development, his first book, it was published in September 1801.  Schelling's Absolute was left with no other function than that of removing all the differences which give form to thought. The criticisms of Fichte, and more particularly of Hegel (in the Preface to the "Phenomenology of Spirit"), pointed to a defect in the conception of the Absolute as mere featureless identity. It was ridiculed by Hegel as "the night in which all cows are black."

Other views in Romantic science.

Ignaz Paul Vitalis Troxler, a follower of Schelling, later broke with him. He came to the view that the Absolute in nature and mind is beyond the intellect and reason.

Naturphilosophie (German for "nature-philosophy") is a term used in English-language philosophy to identify a current in the philosophical tradition of German idealism, as applied to the study of nature in the earlier 19th century. German speakers use the clearer term "Romantische Naturphilosophie", the philosophy of nature developed at the time of the founding of German Romanticism. It is particularly associated with the philosophical work of Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel—though it has some clear precursors also. More particularly it is identified with some of the initial works of Schelling during the period 1797–9, in reaction to the views of Fichte, and subsequent developments from Schelling's position. Always controversial, some of Schelling's ideas in this direction are still considered of philosophical interest, even if the subsequent development of experimental natural science had a destructive impact on the credibility of the theories of his followers in "Naturphilosophie".


Gentrification and resistance.

During recent years, Oltrarno has undergone massive changes due to the arrival of richer social classes - often short term residents - but especially due to the tourist and entertainment industry, which also seeks customers from other areas of Florence. In November 2011, the urban restoration office of the Municipality of Florence set up a project, not yet put into practice, to turn the former Gasometer - just a few hundred feet from the Oltrarno - into a major private health and beauty spa and restaurant centre, a magnet for the whole city and for tourists.  A few months later, the shopkeepers association Confesercenti launched an initiative called Progetto Oltrarno, in order to open up Oltrarno to mass tourism, like other parts of the town. In autumn 2012, the district, which has almost no parks, lost the Nidiaci garden and playroom. Formerly the study of the sculptor Emilio Santarelli, in 1923, the Nidiaci was turned into an area for the children of San Frediano and later became the "symbol of social Catholicism in Florence", attended by the pupils and friends of Giorgio La Pira, Fioretta Mazzei and father Danilo Cubattoli ("don Cuba").  The building and a large part of the garden were sold off at an auction to a real estate company which raised a wooden wall to close the inhabitants out, causing demonstrations in the neighbourhood.  What is left of the Nidiaci garden is currently kept open on a volunteer basis by an association of parents and residents.  In May 2012, the company Firenze Parcheggi submitted a feasibility project for building an underground parking lot in the historic Piazza del Carmine, which would replace the 247 places currently available to residents with 201 places (65 to be sold to residents, the rest open to all on a quick turnover basis). The promoters claimed the project was aimed at freeing the surface of the square from cars, but residents saw it as an attempt to drive them out, accompanied as it was by the simultaneous selling off and closure of local health units in Oltrarno, and as a threat to the architectural and hydrogeological stability of monuments of primary importance.  This led to the birth of the "NoScav" ("No Digging") movement, with its typical banners, hung by residents from their windows, depicting a stylized Carmine church and recalling the "NoTav" struggle against a high speed train system elsewhere.  The movement in the Oltrarno gathered around the already existing Comitato Oltrarnofuturo, which united protest against the underground parking lot, the Nidiaci issue, the closure of local health units, the issue of three buildings put up in Via della Chiesa by a construction company which blocked out the view of the back of the Carmine church, the reduction of hours in the schools and the traffic of heavy tourist buses along the narrow Via de' Serragli and Via Romana.  Due to strong resistance by the district, the underground parking lot plan was temporarily suspended by the Municipality, though mayor Matteo Renzi declared himself in favour of the project giving rise to accusations of conflict of interest, since the managing director of Firenze Parcheggi, Marco Carrai, was one of Renzi's main sponsors in the centre-left primary elections in 2012.

The Oltrarno is a quarter of Florence, Italy. The name means "beyond the Arno" (compare to the Roman quarter of Trastevere); it is located south of the River Arno. It contains part of the historic centre of Florence and many notable sites such as the church Santo Spirito di Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Belvedere, and Piazzale Michelangelo.


Geology.

The Igwisi hills are formed by three tuff cones formed in the middle of the Tanzania craton. They are above the landscape with a karst morphology and craters covered with grass, on a low ridge that may be the product of early eruptive stages. The northeastern hill has two craters, one with a breach from which a long lava flow originates, probably formed when a lava lake in the crater escaped through a breach. The central volcano has a lava coulee and a tephra cone in its crater. Craters have diameters of. The total volume of these cones is less than. Weak pyroclastic activity probably accompanied the eruptive activity. Presumably, low intensity explosive activity built the cones, starting from the northeast cone and ending with the southwest cone. Afterwards, lava flows were generated.  The Igwisi Hills are the only places in the world where possible kimberlite lava flows have been found, in form of calcite-olivine lavas. Kimberlite tuffs are also found, a rare species which is very susceptible to erosion. True kimberlites are usually very old eruptive rocks, consequently any subsurface volcanic structure has long since been eroded away. These kimberlites were erupted in a fairly nonexplosive fashion. Not all researchers agree that these lavas are kimberlites, however, with the low alkali content being cited as a difference although the Benfontein "kimberlites" share this property with the Igwisi hills ones. If the Igwisi Hills aren't true kimberlites, the next youngest would be the 32.3 ± 2.2 Ma Kundelungu plateau pipes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  These kimberlites are also the youngest kimberlites in the world by over thirty million years, cosmogenic helium-3 dates of olivine indicates they were erupted in the late Pleistocene-Holocene, some indicated ages being 11,200 ± 7,800 ± and 12,400 ± 4,800. A poorly constrained U-Pb date is 0 ± 29 million years. The cones display a young morphology. The basement terrain belongs to the 2,500 ± 100 million year old Dodoman sequence. The hills are remote from all other Tanzania volcanoes. Prior kimberlite activity in the Tanzania craton is recorded 1,150, 189 and 53 million years ago.  The tuffs are highly calcitic, vesicular and contain numerous microxenoliths. The petrologically similar lavas show evidence of a differentiation by flow and gravity and have trachytic textures. Lavas have a carbonatitic composition. Olivines with diopside cores are found at the Igwisi Hills. Garnet and orthopyroxene is associated with the diopside. Olivines are surrounded by chromite. Olivines characterize the texture of the Igwisi rocks, where they form spherical inclusions. The olivines are primarily forsteritic in composition. Inclusions in the kimberlite include skeletal apatite, stellate aragonite and calcite. High concentrations of are found in the rock, which may have resulted in the depolymerization of the melt, increasing its fluidity and resulting in effusive activity. Peridotite xenoliths originate from of depth. Spinels in the groundmass suggest that crustal contamination was extensive. The geochemistry suggests an origin at high pressures (depths of ) and equilibrium temperatures of. Rainfall has subsequently modified the pyroclastics and formed secondary calcite, while the less permeable lava flows were less modified.  The hills have a unique vegetation, with aquatic plants found in the middle of the craters and distinct vegetation on inner crater slopes from the extra-crateric territory. The hills have a rare occurrence of "Asclepias pseudoamabilis".

The Igwisi Hills are a volcanic field in Tanzania. Three tuff cones are found there, one of which is associated with a lava flow. They are one of the few locations of possibly kimberlitic lava flows on Earth.


History.

Tautira is where Catholic missionaries first landed which eventually led to the takeover of Tahiti by the French people, and which also ended Protestants hold on Tahiti: In 1773 the Spaniards established a catholic mission, of two friars, in the bay of Tautira, which was abandoned at eleven months. Earlier, in 1772, Domingo de Bonechea, the Basque captain landed at Aguilla near the Aiurua River, about from Tautira. He had left two missionaries to try convert the indigenous people to Christianity, in 1772. However, when he returned from Peru in 1775 he found that the two missionaries he had left behind on Tahiti failed to convert the natives, and eventually they preferred to return to Peru. However, de Bonechea died on Tahiti during this campaign and he is buried in the Catholic Church in Tautira, which is now named after him. James Cook had landed at Tautira Bay (or "Cooks Anchorage") during his voyage. The chiefs of Tautira were reportedly once replaced by the chiefs of Teahupo'o after conflict.  In 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" and children's books, stayed here for two months to recuperate from his illness. Stevenson had moved to the village from Papeete and lived in a hut called the "bird-cage house" where the beautiful Princess Moe, an old lady of royalty, tended him back to good health, bringing him dishes of raw fish in coconut milk, lime juice, sea water and chilli. The local chief, "Ori O Ori", befriended him and kept him in his house, and they had even exchanged names as “Rui” and “Terii-Tera”. It was during his stay here that Stevenson wrote to his friends calling Tautira as “The Garden of the World”. In 1915, Tautira was described as being "the second town of the island".

Geography.

It is located at a distance of from Papeete, the capital city of Tahiti. The coastal stretch of the mountainous road extends from Taravoa to Tautira via Pueu. This stretch of the coast also receives the highest rainfall. An stretch of highway links Tautira with Taravao. The Tautira River runs nearby, and there is a beach at the mouth of the Vaitepiha River nearby as well.  Tautira is the largest valley of the Taiarapu Peninsula, resembling Papenoo in that its innermost areas consist of the principal crater-basin. The valley runs outward in a direction a little to the west of north, and is traversed by a large river. The boundaries of the Tautira Valley are high and well marked. Aionifaa Valley lies between Tautira and Aiurua.  Tautira Point is a tongue of low wooded land about 600 yards wide, extending northward from the general line of the coast and from the foot of the mountains. It is formed by the deposits from the Vaitepiha River, one of the largest streams in Tahiti. The barrier reef fronts the coast from Aiurua Pass to Tautira Point at and less from the shore. It encloses channels and basins of deep water. From Vaionifa Pass, barrier reef trends northwestward in a straight line, rounding Tautira Point at only and breaking off abruptly just westward of the point, where there is a gap with very deep water wide before the reef begins again. Between Vaionifa and Tautira, there is a smaller gap about wide in which there is only of water. Between this pass and Tautira, there is a channel from wide and long which ends in a cul-de-sac at the northern end, with the exception of a small boat passage to the village. From 19 to 37 fathoms there is mud almost everywhere. At the northern end the soundings decrease gradually to 16 and 8 fathoms. From Tautira Point, the coast trends westward to a short distance beyond Pueu village. The general direction is straight, but two low and wooded points, Pihaa and Faraari, project about 500 yards to seaward; the first at from Tautira, the second about farther on. The mountains behind, from which numerous cascades descend, are steep and cliff-like.  When Stevenson had visited Tautira in 1888 cruising through the South Seas, he had described the setting of the village as "...in a cloudy moonlight, on the forest lawn which is the street of Tautira. The Pacific roared outside upon the reef. Here and there one of the scattered palm-built lodges shone out under the shadow of the wood, the lamplight bursting through the crannies of the wall.” The present scene, however, in Tautira is one of “neat bungalows of wood or cinder block with metal roofs" in the backdrop of the hills of the Vaitepiha River Valley. About one km of trekking along hilly terrain leads to the Vaitepiha River where three maraes (communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies) were restored in 1960s. However, they are again seen in ruins.

Climate.

According to the data recorded at the NOAA Station Id: FP91000987470110, the climatic conditions at Tautira are reported as: Annual average monthly precipitation is with a maximum of in December and a minimum of in August, with average annual incidence of rainfall being. The average high temperature over the year is and minimum over the year is. The effect of global warming due to climate change has been predicted an increase of and.

Flora and fauna.

The Fe'i, similar to a red banana, is found here and has to be cooked, as the red skin cover in its raw state an inedible pulp.  Coconut palm with ironwood, milo, mango tree and ulu trees fringe the coastline. Mango tree, ferns and groves of hala trees are seen in the interior valley.  "Partula otaheitana rubescens", an IUCN Red List endangered animalia species, is located in Tautira.

Demographics.

The demographic evolution of Tautira :  Demographic evolution

Culture.

In the 19th century, Tautira boasted a Chinese store and a church. The Catholic Church, Protestants, and Mormon missions were in juxtaposition in the village. When Pōmare II returned to kingship in Tahiti, he became a Christian, and destroyed the temple and idol of 'Oro, the national god of Tahiti, at Tautira.

Transportation.

Air.

The Faaa International Airport close to Papeete is the main use of transportation in Tautira. Air Tahiti serves inter-island flights to other islands within French Polynesia. Air France takes passengers to Los Angeles, California. Other destinations are Honolulu, Hawaii; Tokyo, Japan; and Paris, France. The residents of Tautira would drive to Teahupoo and drive northbound toward Faaa. One helipad is nearby and some helicopters drop off passengers.

Road.

Only a few streets of Tautira are paved while the rest are dirt.

Sea.

The Papeete Wharf in Papeete has 3 main ships. They are the Aremiti 5, the Aremiti 7, and the Moorea ferry. The Aremiti 5 is the largest of the ships. It has red stripes with a red background. The Aremiti 7 has the same color but is smaller and faster than the Aremiti 5. The Moorea Ferry is white on the top and blue at the bottom. It is the slowest of the 3 ships. Tautira has a smaller port with a few private docks.

Tautira is a Polynesian beach village, valley, and point on the south-east coast of the island of Tahiti in the Pacific. It is part of the commune Taiarapu-Est. With a population of 2338 (in 2007), it is located 49 kilometres southeast of the Tahitian capital of Papeete on the coast of Tautira Bay, at the end of what is the largest valley of the Taiarapu Peninsula. Domingo de Bonechea visited the area in 1772 and attempted to spread Christianity here; James Cook landed at Tautira Bay during his voyage. Robert Louis Stevenson referred to the village as “The Garden of the World”, staying here to recover from illness in 1886. The village contains a Catholic church.


Plot.

The first of the two characters to be introduced is "You". He is described as a local tourist – "not "that" sort of tourist" but a backpacking one "wearing strong sensible sports shoes and a backpack with shoulder straps". He seeks out the elusive Lingshan, a sacred mountain.  "You" has long lived in the city, but yearns for a rural existence from the past He shuns the idea of settling for "a peaceful and stable existence" where one wants to "find a not-too-demanding sort of a job, stay in a mediocre position, become a husband and a father, set up a comfortable home, put money in the bank and add to it every month so there'll be something for old age and a little left over for the next generation".  "You" meets up with another wanderer, a troubled and emotional "She". And so "You"'s journey also becomes a journey into an erotic relationship. "You" also travels inwards as he explores his powers as a storyteller. Later in "You"'s story, "She" departs "as if in a story, as if in a dream".  Meanwhile, "I" is a writer and academic who travels to Sichuan after having been misdiagnosed of a terminal lung cancer. He wants to take a break and start looking for an "authentic life"—meaning the opposite of that of the state's concept of real life.  The characters' sense of humanity is revealed during their quest. "I" realizes that he still craves the warmth of human society, despite its anxieties.

Structure.

"Soul Mountain" is essentially a two-part novel featuring two main characters—known only as "You" and "I". The "You" character occupies the odd-numbered chapters 1–31 and the even-numbered chapters from 32–80, while the "I" character's includes even-numbered chapters 2–30 and odd-numbered chapters 33–81.

Writing process.

Autobiographical influences.

In the early 1980s, Gao Xingjian faced a great deal of criticism in the wake of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It was during this time, in 1983, that the author was diagnosed with lung cancer during a regular health screening. With the memory of his father's death by the same cause just two years earlier still fresh in his memory, Xingjian resigned himself to death, which brought about a "transcendent tranquillity". However, soon after this diagnosis, an x-ray revealed that his lung cancer was non-existent. At this time Xingjian heard rumors of plans to have him sent to the hellish prison farms of Qinghai province, and thus quickly made the decision to flee Beijing. This decision led him to begin the journey that forms much of the autobiographical portion of the novel. The journey commences in the forests of Sichuan province and continues along the Yangtze River to the coast. The protagonist ostensively searches for Lingshan (Soul Mountain), but in fact the novel describes "one man's quest for inner peace and freedom" The journey, both in the author's life and in the narrative, include visits to the districts of Qiang, Miao and Yi, located on the fringes of Han Chinese civilization; excursions into several nature reserves; and stops at Buddhist and Daoist institutions.

Political and cultural influences.

An important and critical aspect of, and influence on the novel was the political and cultural environment in which it was written. The novel was begun in 1982, shortly after the ending of the Cultural Revolution in 1976. Additionally, traditional Chinese culture promotes the Confucian ideology of dissolution of the self and promotion of subservience and conformity. The combination of traditional conformity and the "self-sacrificing" ideology of the Chinese Communist Revolution effectively silenced artists and writers who depended on their creativity of self-expression. Thus, under these circumstances, Gao Xingjian left his native country to finish "Soul Mountain" in 1989 in Paris, and Mabel Lee describes the novel as "a literary response to the devastation of the self".

Publication.

"Soul Mountain" was first published by the Taipei-based press agency Lianjing Chubanshe (聯經出版社, Linking Publishing Company) in 1990. It was then published first in Swedish 1992 by Göran Malmqvist, member of the Swedish Academy and close friend of the author; in 1995 it was translated and published into French by Liliane and Noël Dutrait by the title of "". In 2000, it was published with an English translation by Mabel Lee, by Flamingo/HarperCollins in Australia.

Reception.

In a review published in 2000, after Gao's Nobel win, "The New York Times" said "His 81 chapters are an often bewildering and considerably uneven congeries of forms: vignettes, travel writing, ethnographic jottings, daydreams, nightmares, recollections, conversations, lists of dynasties and archeological artifacts, erotic encounters, legends, current history, folklore, political, social and ecological commentary, philosophical epigrams, vivid poetical evocation and much else."  "The Times" continues: "A novel in theory, 'Soul Mountain' is more nearly a collection of the musings, memories and poetic, sometimes mystical fantasies of a gifted, angry writer."  "Publisher's Weekly" called it Gao's "largest and perhaps most personal work".  The "Yale Review of Books" wrote: "Blazing a new trail for the Chinese novel, Gao Xinjian's "Soul Mountain" combines autobiography, the supernatural, and social commentary".  The entry on the novel in Enotes notes: "While many critics have found Gao's inventive storytelling techniques to be the novel's most remarkable feature, others have found the novel to be overly self-indulgent and alienating to the reader".

Soul Mountain is a novel by Gao Xingjian. The novel is loosely based on the author's own journey into rural China, which was inspired by a false diagnosis of lung cancer. The novel is a part autobiographical, part fictional account of a man's journey to find the fabled mountain Lingshan. It is a combination of story fragments, travel accounts, unnamed characters (referred to by the pronouns "I", "you", "she", etc.), and folk poetry/legends. An English version translated by Mabel Lee was published in the United States on December 5, 2000.


Background.

With the well known RENFE Class 333 locomotives having served for over 30 years the Spanish rail operator faced decisions as to their future. Different options for action were available - rebuild/repair/upgrade the locomotives or replace them with new models; at the time the company was undergoing a major modernisation project - with about 6 billion Euros being invested in rolling stock as part of a 120 billion Euro transport plan.  In the event, acting pragmatically, RENFE chose to do both. The 333 series were extensively rebuilt forming the 333.3 and 333.4 subclasses, and 28 new locomotives were ordered - these were the new build Class 334. A few components were used from old Class 333s, so technically the Class could be considered a rebuild, but the amount of material reused was small so a new class was created.

Technical details and manufacture.

RENFE worked with Alstom, who then owned the locomotive manufacturing plant in Valencia, to come up with a design for the new locomotives; Alstom Valencia already had produced diesel powered passenger locomotives for the UK and Israel as well as modernising the RENFE class 333.  The design was similar to the modernised 333s but with a General Motors EMD 710 engine instead of the EMD 645 used in the Class 333.4. Additionally 2-axle trucks were used instead of the 3-axle type that were re-used from the original 333 class in the rebuilt 333.4 and 333.3 models.  Curiously the twenty eight Class 334 locomotives inherit the main generator, alternator and heating equipment from RENFE Class 319.3 locomotives - which in turn have inherited the generators and alternators from scrapped Class 333 locomotives. In summary, the engine, electronics and power transmission system are from General Motors, the other components are typical of an Alstom locomotive.  Despite a change of ownership in 2004, with the factory being bought by Vossloh, the production was not affected.

Operation.

The Class 334 locomotives were originally intended for operations between Madrid, Murcia and Cartagena.  Six units are used to provide an Altaria service between Madrid and Murcia, the regional capital of the region of Murcia. They are also used on the daily Talgo service from Lorca (Murcia) to Montpellier (France) as far as Barcelona.  Four further units provide a Talgo service between Madrid and Almería. Their use also means that it is not necessary to change engines at the Linares-Baeza station at Baeza.  Additionally since 5 units of the RENFE Class 354 are out of action (two destroyed in a head end collision in Linarejos, three others had accidents in Hellín, Tobarra and Chinchilla and another caught fire) the Class 334 have been used to replace them (being the 354 and the 334 the only diesel locomotives capable of 200 km/h in Spain). However the lower power-to-weight ratio compared to the Class 354 units leads to the typical conclusion of lower technical performance for locomotive hauled trains.  Three locomotives are used to replace the Class 354s destroyed at Linarejos (one used as a reserve) and will operate between A Coruña and Madrid. The replacement service began in March 2007 and ends when the construction of a true high speed line is completed.

Servicing.

In 2006 a joint venture between RENFE and Vossloh, "Erion", was created, dedicated to servicing and manufacture of rail equipment. RENFE owns 51%, Vossoh 49%. The primary business of the company will be to service the Class 334 locomotives as well as the RENFE Class 333s and Class 335 (Euro 4000). This action has met with criticism from unions as it is part of the process of privatising the Spanish Railways.

The RENFE 334 is a high speed, 4 axle diesel-electric locomotive built to haul passenger trains on RENFE's Talgo service on non electrified lines.


Description.

Fibropapillomatosis is a benign tumour disease of marine turtles, predominantly in the green sea turtle, "Chelonia mydas", but it has also been reported in the loggerhead sea turtle "Caretta caretta", olive ridley "Lepidochelys olivacea", Kemp's ridley "Lepidochelys kempii", and leatherbacks "Dermochelys coriacea". This neoplastic disease causes proliferation of papillary cells (hyperplasia) and gives rise to excess fibrous connective tissue in both epidermal and dermal skin layers – or more specifically, proliferation of dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes. This causes tumorigenesis in sizes less than 1 cm up to more than 30 cm in diameter. FP is most often found externally around the armpits, genitals, neck, eyes, and tails of turtles, but also occur in and around the mouth, and rarely in internal organs or on the carapace. This, in turn, impedes vision, feeding, and movement. Around 25–30% of turtles with external tumours also have internal tumours, primarily in heart, lungs and kidneys.  FP incidence is highest among immature and juvenile green turtles, while it is rare in adults. The suggestions for this pattern include the tumours can regress and be cured, which has been documented in some individuals, even when tumours were severe. However, the responses that cause these tumour regressions is unknown. Secondly, the juvenile individuals with FP might die before reaching adulthood.

Prognosis.

The tumours appear to be benign and can be present for many years, but if large, can mechanically hamper sight, swallowing, and swimming, which may ultimately be fatal. While external tumours hamper movement and sight, internal tumours interfere with system functioning, another potentially fatal factor. As the tumours progress, individuals with large numbers of tumours may become anaemic, have a lack of proteins and iron, and in more advanced stages even suffer from acidosis caused by imbalanced calcium/phosphorus ratios and severe emaciation.

Other species.

Fibropapillomas are present in other animal groups, but are caused by different viruses, for example the bovine papillomavirus.

History.

The first documented case of the disease was in 1938 in Key West, Florida. Long-term studies found no signs of the disease on Florida's Atlantic coast in the 1970s, but during the 1980s FP was recorded in incidences varying from 28–67%. Today, incidences as high as 92% have been reported in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Generally, FP is most prominent in warmer climates. Recent research has found that FP is caused by stress and tumours have been observed in turtles that are part of turtle tourism tours. It is thought that the presence of tourists causes the turtles stress

Cause.

The FP is an infectious disease with horizontal transmission. An alphaherpesvirus initially called fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus (FPTHV), and now called "Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5", is believed to be the causative agent of the disease. The reason for this belief is because nearly all tissue samples tested from turtles with lesions carry genetic material of this herpesvirus, varying between 95 and 100% depending on different studies and locations. The DNA loads of the herpesvirus in tumour tissue are 2.5–4.5 logarithms higher than in uninfected tissue. The FPTHV herpesvirus has been found in turtles free from FP and this suggest that the FP progression is multifactorial and might even involve some sort of tumour-promoting phase. The global prevalence of the disease also suggests a multifactorial cause, rather than single factors or agents. Possible factors include some parasites, bacteria, environmental pollutants, UV-light, changing water temperatures and biotoxins. Even physiological factors such as stress and immunologic status appear to be associated with FP.  The leech genus "Ozobranchus" is thought to be the mechanical vector of the herpesvirus, transmitting the virus from one turtle to another. These leeches are common turtle ectoparasites that exclusively feed on turtle blood, and some leeches have been found carrying more than 10 million copies of the herpesvirus DNA. The green sea turtle is an herbivore and feeds primarily on seagrass and macroalgae. Two toxins which are suspected to be associated with FP are found epiphytically on these plants. First, the toxic compound lyngbyatoxin from the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscule, and second the toxin okadaic acid – a documented tumour-promoting toxin - from the dinoflagellate "Prorocentrum". Again, causality has not been concluded, but an association seems to exist between the distribution of especially the dinoflagellates and the occurrence of FP, and as they are found on weeds, they can be ingested by foraging green sea turtles. Turtles with FP are found to have a compromised immune system. They have higher phagocytic leucocyte counts (especially heterophils) compared to healthy individuals, which seems to be an effect of FP, as it is mostly evident in individuals with severe tumours. This further supports the hypothesis of the herpesvirus as a causative agent. Immunosuppression is strongly correlated with FP, but does seem to be a consequence of the development and growth of FP rather than a prerequisite, which is similar to other virus-induced tumour diseases in other species, such as Marek's disease in poultry.

Treatment.

Surgical removal of tumors caused by FP is the most common treatment method. Photodynamic therapy and electrochemotherapy are also used, as is CO laser surgery.

Epidemiology.

FP affects green sea turtle populations all over the world, making it a panzootic. It is especially found in warmer climates, such as the Caribbean, Hawaii, Japan, and Australia, where up to 70% of individuals in a population have FP.  Epidemiological links are seen between FP rates, nitrogen footprints, and invasive macroalgae. The strongest association with FP is with habitat type, especially increased anthropogenic activity causing high-nitrogen footprints in a surrounding environment where green sea turtles are found. Sea turtles do live in very complex ecosystems, with both near-shore habitats and several years in the open ocean, which makes study of ecosystem associations difficult. Even so, observations support the hypothesis that near-shore habitats have a strong correlation with the disease, as newly recruited individuals from the pelagic life phase have never been found with tumours, and when migrating to more shallow ocean zones, such as the neritic zone, individuals still remain free from FP, but when entering lagoon systems, turtles may become infected. The high prevalence of FP is also associated with habitats’ poor quality, while FP is absent in some habitats of good quality.  Turtles are known to be robust to physical damage, but are surprisingly very susceptible to biological and chemical contaminants caused by anthropogenic activity. As the turtles forage on invasive macroalgae in nutrient-rich waters, they can ingest environmental nitrogen in the form of arginine, which is known to regulate immune activity, promote herpesviruses, and contribute to tumorigenesis.

Turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease of sea turtles. The condition is characterized by benign but ultimately debilitating epithelial tumours on the surface of biological tissues. FP exists all over the world, but it is most prominent in warmer climates, affecting up to 50–70% of some populations.