title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: "Red Patriot" features the return of Scott Mitchell from "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier" as the commander of the Ghosts and Nomad's superior. Mitchell informs Nomad that, in the wake of Wonderland's and Project CLAW's failure, Trey Stone has allied with remnants of the Raven's Rock and Bodark, whom Mitchell had previously encountered in "Future Soldier". With Raven's Rock's help, Stone intends to launch a massive attack on the United States called "Operation Kingmaker", in which he will utilize drones loaded with chemical weapons provided by Bodark to conduct a mass assassination of U.S. officials, allowing Kingmaker's designated survivor to take control of the American government. Mitchell tasks Nomad with hunting down and eliminating Stone's allies and destroying key components of Kingmaker to thwart the attack. After Nomad has dealt with Bodark, he tracks Stone to a Skell Tech factory, where Stone reveals he intends to launch the chemical weapon drones against the entire Auroa archipelago in revenge for the Ghosts thwarting his plans. With the assistance of the Outcasts and Haruhi Ito, Nomad is able to stop Stone, killing him and destroying the drones before they can activate.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: During Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of 2021, Ubisoft's website and its global YouTube channels announced January 14 DLC featuring operators from fellow Clancy game "Rainbow Six Siege". Rainbow operatives Eliza "Ash" Cohen of FBI SWAT, Lera "Finka" Melnikova of the Spetznaz and Mike "Thatcher" Baker of the Special Air Service plus Liu Tze "Lesion" Long of the Hong Kong Police Force Special Duties Unit as point of contact join the Ghosts to assist in stopping Sentinel from producing a chemical weapon – a toxic gas called Amber Ruin – and selling it.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: This marks the second "Ghost Recon" mission featuring "Rainbow Six Siege" operators following 2018's "Operation Archangel" DLC for "Wildlands", when Meghan J. "Valkyrie" Castellano and Emmanuelle "Twitch" Pichon appeared in Bolivia and assisted Nomad, Bowman and the Ghosts with saving Rainbow comrade Taina "Caveira" Pereira's younger brother João from the Santa Blanca drug cartel.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: "Operation Motherland" features the return of Karen Bowman, Nomad's CIA handler from "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands". Additionally, a new game mode, "Conquest Mode" is introduced and serves as an alternative to the game's story mode. Bowman is deployed by the CIA to Auroa after the collapse of Sentinel Corp and the Wolves has resulted in renewed interest in the island and its technologies by foreign powers. To mitigate the imminent global crisis, Bowman has been directed to ensure the stewardship of Auroa is handed over to The Outcasts, led by Haruhi Ito, in order to ensure that Auroa becomes a sovereign ally of the United States. As such, Nomad and the Ghosts are tasked with supporting the Outcasts by eliminating the last remaining pockets of enemy resistance across the island via the new conquest mode. To resist the Ghosts, the remnants of Sentinel have subsequently called upon reinforcements in the form of Bodark, a rogue elite Russian Spetsnaz unit from "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier" and are equipped with their own enemy archetypes, vehicles, and weaponry such as optical camouflage; a feature that is also unlockable for the Ghosts.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: This update included an easter egg for the "Tomb Raider" franchise's 25th anniversary, wherein "Breakpoint" players can complete a 'Relics of the Ancients' treasure hunt for "Tomb Raider" themed rewards.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Following the success of "Wildlands", the development team expanded to more than one thousand people. For the first time in the series, the setting is fictional as the team felt that they would have more creative freedom regarding the game's world design. The development team created a backstory for the Auroa archipelago dating back eighty million years to make the setting feel more realistic. The game world itself was created through procedural generation with some areas developed from the ground up. An archipelago was chosen for the game's setting as it would make it easier for the developers to add post-game content by adding additional islands and open up new regions for exploration. The development team listened to players' feedback from "Wildlands" and introduced a variety of changes players had requested, such as an increased focus on realism and improved vehicle control.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: The game's premise of the Ghosts being hunted and alone on the island caused Ubisoft to remove AI companions from the game. According to executive producer Nouredine Abboud, Jon Bernthal was hired to voice and provide motion capture for the game's antagonist because the team felt that he had the potential to be a charismatic villain and an effective nemesis for the Ghosts. The name of the game, "Breakpoint", reflects the game's narrative in which the Ghosts are on a mission which is on the brink of failure. Emil Daubon, the game's writer, added that the story would explore the themes of "pain, trauma, brotherhood, and mental exhaustion".


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: After the game's release and in response to its poor critical reception, Ubisoft announced plans to rework "Breakpoint" with the introduction of "the Ghost Experience". The Ghost Experience allows players the option to disable some game mechanics, such as the gear score, and independently alter others.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Live service support for the game ended on 5 April 2022 shortly after Ubisoft added non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to the game.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Ubisoft released a downloadable content (DLC) chapter for "Wildlands" titled "Operation Oracle" that introduced the character of Cole D. Walker and focused on Skell Technology. "Breakpoint" was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 4 October 2019. Two DLC chapters, "Deep State" and "Transcendence", were set to be released following the game's launch. While Deep State was released on 24 March 2020, Transcendence was replaced by the DLC Red Patriot, which was released on 15 September 2020. Ubisoft also announced at E3 2019 that the game would feature a "Terminator"-themed crossover as part of its DLC schedule.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game was described as "underwhelming" and "miserable", with criticism for its mechanics and mission design.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Richard Wakeling of "GameSpot" wrote that ""Breakpoint" is a messy hodgepodge of disparate ideas, pulling various aspects from other Ubisoft games and shoehorning them in, half-baked and out of place ... Its defining characteristic boils down to just how generic and stale the whole thing is."


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: "PCGamesN" reviewer Gina Lees writes ""Breakpoint" has the habit of never fully committing to the new elements it introduces". One of the examples is the exhaustion level, which, according to the reviewer, does not limit the player much, anyway. Also, from the review it seems the player has unlimited supply of bandages, which makes healing too easy and the injury system unnecessary. Similarly, "Destructoid" reviewer Peter Glagowski notes that the survival aspects of the game can be ignored, as "the penalties for not engaging with them are slim".


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Gina Lees of "PCGamesN" wrote that the main campaign is based on discovering a location, clearing it out, collecting clues and putting them together. She concluded: "After a while this loop starts to feel repetitive and rather dull". However, Gina Lees calls gunplay "gratifying" and is glad that most enemies can be killed with a headshot. She summarises: "Although co-op play dilutes the boredom that sets in during repetitive missions, the game never quite finds itself among a mishmash of survival and RPG elements".


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: "Destructoid" reviewer Peter Glagowski writes that unlike the previous "Ghost Recon" titles, which demanded the players to "play like the military operatives they inhabit" "Breakpoint" does not put emphasis on realism and makes the player look for better equipment. The developers promised to work on a patch which would "address the most pressing issues, fix bugs and include further improvements requested by the community". They later released "immersive mode", which makes loot less important. Ian Boudreau, senior news writer of "PCGamesN", writes: "I'm no longer helicoptering my way around Aurora looking for new gear to pick up, and it's a major relief to not be worried about swapping out hats or comparing rifle stats".


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: The scale of the game's microtransactions system drew criticism when a Reddit user, who had purchased for early access, posted a number of in-game screenshots which detailed items that players could buy with real-world money. Concerns were raised that this allowed players to bypass aspects of grinding as content could be bought as soon as the game began, as well as fears of it being pay-to-win.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Ubisoft responded by releasing a statement saying they "aimed at offering a fair and rewarding experience to our players however they want to experience our game" and "two key factors stood out as extremely important for the team: That "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" doesn't include any pay-to-win elements, [and] to make sure that players not choosing to engage with in-game purchases do not see their experience affected." At the same time, Ubisoft removed the "Time Savers" microtransactions affecting player levelling, stating they had not been intended to be implemented so early and would return in due course. "Kotaku" argued that while they disagreed with their inclusion, the microtransactions were able to be ignored as all content on offer could still be obtained through hours of playtime and with little difficulty. Writing upon release, "Polygon" were concerned with the ability to obtain every item in the game's store using real-world money, but noted that while doing so had some benefit, it was not possible to spend obscene amounts to gain an advantage over opponents in PvP as the game would automatically equalize each player's stats. Additionally, buyable weapons, which relied on crafting to improve further, were scaled to the player's current level.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: In December 2021, Ubisoft added to "Ghost Recon Breakpoint" support for Ubisoft Quartz, a non-fungible token (NFT) service for obtaining in-game items such as weapons, gear, and cosmetics (referred to by Ubisoft as "Digits") using cryptocurrency. The announcement video on YouTube received an overwhelmingly negative reception from the community with a 96% dislike ratio, prompting Ubisoft to unlist it. Users criticized the technology because Ubisoft terms of service state that the company has "no liability" for claims or damages and is aware that the blockchain "may be subject to specific weaknesses, which make them possibly targets for specific cybersecurity threats” and disclaim "liability in the risks implied by the use of this new technology."


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: Some Ubisoft developers raised their concern over the announcement. French trade union Solidaires Informatique criticized Ubisoft's plan for Quartz, stating that blockchain technology is "harmful, worthless, and without future", and that it is "a useless, costly, ecologically mortifying tech which doesn't bring anything to videogames". "Ars Technica" observed that "Ubisoft's (...) plans make no sense" because Quartz system is so deeply controlled by Ubisoft that a simple conventional internal database would achieve the same result without the overhead of a blockchain.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: After their initial release, trade volume for Digits was virtually zero in the following weeks. Players who used them complained that no one noticed the Digits during multiplayer matches. Ubisoft released the last Digit for Ghost Recon Breakpoint on March 17, 2022 and ended support for the game shortly thereafter.


title: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint

text: The PlayStation 4 version of "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" sold 54,733 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the second bestselling retail game of the week in the country. Three weeks after its release, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemont was quoted as saying the game's overall sales figures had been disappointing.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities of western Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County, and is considered to include the desert communities of the Coachella and Victor Valleys, respectively on the other sides of the San Gorgonio Pass and San Bernardino Mountains from the Santa Ana River watershed that forms the bulk of the Inland Empire; a much broader definition includes all of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The combined land area of the counties of the Inland Empire is larger than ten U.S. states—West Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island—and is slightly smaller than the combined area of the five smallest U.S. states (New Hampshire through Rhode Island).


title: Inland Empire

text: The U.S. Census Bureau–defined Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area, which comprises Riverside County and San Bernardino County, California, covers more than and has a population of approximately 4.6 million in 2020. Most of the area's population is located in southwestern San Bernardino County and northwestern Riverside County. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Inland Empire was a major center of agriculture, including citrus, dairy, and winemaking. Agriculture declined through the twentieth century, however, and since the 1970s a rapidly growing population, fed by families migrating in search of affordable housing, has led to more residential, industrial, and commercial development.


title: Inland Empire

text: The term "Inland Empire" is documented to have been used by the "Riverside Enterprise" newspaper (now "The Press-Enterprise") as early as April 1914. Developers in the area likely introduced the term to promote the region and to highlight the area's unique features. The "Inland" part of the name is derived from the region's location, generally about inland from Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Originally, this area was called the Orange Empire due to the acres of citrus groves that once extended from Pasadena to Redlands during the first half of the twentieth century. The boundaries of the Inland Empire are nebulous, but the region is generally defined as the cities of western Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County, adjacent to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. A broader definition includes Palm Springs and the surrounding desert communities, and a much widerspread definition includes all of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.


title: Inland Empire

text: What is now known as the Inland Empire was inhabited for thousands of years, prior to the late eighteenth century, by the Tongva, Serrano, and Cahuilla Native Americans. With Spanish colonization and the subsequent Mexican era the area was sparsely populated at the land grant Ranchos, considering it unsuitable for missions. The first American settlers, a group of Mormon pioneers, arrived over the Cajon Pass in 1851. Although the Mormons left a scant six years later, recalled to Salt Lake City by Brigham Young during the church's Utah War with the U.S. government, other settlers soon followed.


title: Inland Empire

text: The entire landmass of Southern California was subdivided according to the San Bernardino Meridian, which was first plotted as part of the Public Land Survey System in November 1852, by Col. Henry Washington. Base Line Road, a major thoroughfare, today runs from Highland to San Dimas, intermittently along the absolute baseline coordinates plotted by Col. Washington. San Bernardino County was first formed out of parts of Los Angeles County on April 26, 1853. While the partition once included what is today most of Riverside County, the region is not as monolithic as it may sound. Rivalries between Colton, Redlands, Riverside and San Bernardino over the location of the county seat in the 1890s caused each of them to form their own civic communities, each with their own newspapers. On August 14, 1893, the state Senate allowed Riverside County to form out of land previously in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, after rejecting a bill for Pomona to split from L.A. County and become the seat of what would have been called San Antonio County.


title: Inland Empire

text: The arrival of rail and the importation of navel and Valencia orange trees in the 1870s touched off explosive growth, with the area quickly becoming a major center for citrus production. This agricultural boom continued with the arrival of water from the Colorado River and the rapid growth of Los Angeles in the early twentieth century, with dairy farming becoming another staple industry. In 1926, Route 66 (now known as Foothill Boulevard and Interstate 215) came through the northern parts of the area, bringing a stream of tourists and migrants to the region. Still, the region endured as the key part of the Southern California "citrus belt" until the end of World War II, when a new generation of real-estate developers bulldozed acres of agricultural land to build suburbs. The precursor to the San Bernardino Freeway, the Ramona Expressway, was built in 1944, and further development of the freeway system in the area facilitated the expansion of suburbs and human migration throughout the Inland Empire and Southern California.


title: Inland Empire

text: The region experienced significant economic and population growth through most of the latter half of the twentieth century. In the early 1990s, the loss of the region's military bases and reduction of nearby defense industries due to the end of the Cold War led to a local economic downturn. The region as a whole had partially recovered from this downturn by the start of the twenty-first century through the development of warehousing, shipping, logistics and retail industries, primarily centered around Ontario. However, these industries were heavily affected by the Great Recession.


title: Inland Empire

text: Physical boundaries between Los Angeles and the Inland Empire from west to east are the San Jose Hills splitting the San Gabriel Valley from the Pomona Valley, leading to the urban populations centered in the San Bernardino Valley. From the south to north, the Santa Ana Mountains physically divide Orange County from Riverside County. The Santa Rosa Mountains, as well as the Southern California portion of the Sonoran Desert, physically divide Riverside County from San Diego County. Some definitions for the IE include the Chino Valley, Coachella Valley, Cucamonga Valley, Menifee Valley, Murrieta Valley, Perris Valley, San Jacinto Valley, Temecula Valley, and Victor Valley.


title: Inland Empire

text: Elevations range from at the top of the San Gorgonio Mountain to at the Salton Sea. The San Bernardino mountains are home to the San Bernardino National Forest and the resort communities of Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, and Running Springs. The Santa Ana River extends from Mt. San Gorgonio for nearly through San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties before it eventually spills into the Pacific Ocean at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. While temperatures are generally cool to cold in the mountains, it can get hot in the valleys. In the desert resort of Palm Springs, near Joshua Tree National Park, summer temperatures can reach well over .


title: Inland Empire

text: Unlike most metropolitan areas that have grown up around a central city, the Inland Empire has no one main focus city. Major cities in the region include Riverside, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and Corona. Suburban sprawl spreads out to form a connection with the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Further development is steadily, if not heavily, encroaching past the mountains into the outlying desert areas. The Inland Empire borders both Los Angeles and Orange counties. Freeways in Southern California are heavily used, but this comprehensive freeway system has made travel between the Inland Empire and these two counties generally direct, especially to and from Los Angeles County.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire has also been referred to as "the 909", after one of the region's most used area codes. In 2004, because of growing demand for telephone numbers, most of western Riverside County was granted a second area code, 951, which is overlayed with the 909 area code (they have the same physical boundaries and new telephone subscribers likely receive a 951 area code telephone number).


title: Inland Empire

text: The Coachella Valley region of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and Indio is located much farther east in Riverside County (the distance between the city of San Bernardino and Palm Springs is approximately 50 miles) and is part of the much larger 760 area code. This area is sometimes considered a sub-region of the Inland Empire or its own separate region. This is to help differentiate it from the urbanized area containing the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside.


title: Inland Empire

text: The RPA definition includes the Inland Empire (San Bernardino–Riverside) in the Southern California Megaregion, alongside Anaheim, Bakersfield, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Diego, the geographically separate Las Vegas Valley, as well as the Tijuana area in Mexico. Orange County and San Diego County are completely encompassed within the megaregion.


title: Inland Empire

text: There is no universally accepted definition for the boundaries of the Inland Empire region. Some sources such as the "Los Angeles Times" have referred to Riverside County and San Bernardino County as the Inland Empire, mirroring the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area.


title: Inland Empire

text: Some residents of certain areas, such as Twentynine Palms or the Coachella and Temecula valleys, may consider themselves separate from the IE. The California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC), a not-for-profit, nongovernmental entity that promotes tourism in California, divides the state into several regions for its own purposes. The CTTC defines the Inland Empire as being bounded by Los Angeles County and Orange County on the west and San Diego County on the south, stretching as far north as the Victor Valley area and as far east as Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains. The state of California's official website links to the CTTC's map with the description "Map of the Inland Empire region".


title: Inland Empire

text: Other sources, including Kevin Starr, former state librarian of California, include the eastern Los Angeles County cities of the Pomona Valley, such as Claremont, Pomona, La Verne, San Dimas, and Diamond Bar. Other sources also include cities in Los Angeles County within the boundaries.


title: Inland Empire

text: Inexpensive land prices (compared with Los Angeles and Orange counties), a large supply of vacant land, and a transport network where many highways and railroads intersect have made the Inland Empire a major shipping hub. Some of the nation's largest manufacturing companies have chosen the Inland Empire for their distribution facilities including Toyota Motor Corporation's North American Parts and Logistics Distribution (NAPLD) center in Ontario and APL Logistics in Rancho Cucamonga. In 2007, Whirlpool Corporation leased a distribution center in Perris that is larger than 31 football fields but, more recently, 5,000,000 sqft warehouses are common. These centers operate as part of the system that transports finished goods and materials from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to destinations to the north and east such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Denver. More than 80 percent of the state's imported cargo is shipped through the Los Angeles/Inland Empire Corridor. During the late 2010s and early 2020s, Amazon, the largest private employer in the region, has rapidly expanded its facilities and warehouses there, responding to explosive growth in online retailing and shipping and increasing traffic and air pollution.


title: Inland Empire

text: Like most industrial areas, the Inland Empire is vulnerable to the effects of economic recessions. For example, during the global economic downturn of 2008–2009, industrial vacancies doubled from 6.2 percent in 2007 to 12.4 percent to 2008. In San Bernardino and Redlands, vacancies reached 22 percent.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire area is one of the least educated areas of the state with the lowest average in annual wages in the country. A 2006 study of salaries in 51 metropolitan areas of the country ranked the Inland Empire second to last, with an average annual wage of $36,924. Nonetheless, inexpensive land prices and innovative institutional support networks have attracted some small businesses and technology startups into the area.


title: Inland Empire

text: While urbanization continues to cut into agricultural lands, the Inland Empire still produces substantial crops. Although of irrigated land was lost between 2002 and 2004, agriculture still brought in more than $1.6 billion in revenues to the two-county region in 2006.


title: Inland Empire

text: Being a MSA, aggregate GDP figures are reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis annually. The Inland Empire ranks 25th in the nation with a 2011 GDP of $109.8 billion, roughly a third of San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area despite their close population numbers. Per capita GDP was $25,993.34 in 2011, nearly half among the nation's top 50 Gross Metropolitan Product. Due to the housing crisis, the GDP fell from $114.8 billion in 2007, despite a heavy influx of residents.


title: Inland Empire

text: The unemployment rate in the Inland Empire has been consistently over the national average since 2007. 10.4 percent of Inland residents were unemployed as of August 2013, compared with the national rate of 7.3 percent. Due to the high unemployment and housing foreclosure rates, a higher percentage of Inland residents rely on public assistance. According to the Press-Enterprise, "twelve percent of Riverside County and 17 percent of San Bernardino County residents used food stamps in January 2012", as compared with "11 percent of those living in Los Angeles County, 8 percent of San Diego County residents and 7 percent of Orange County residents".


title: Inland Empire

text: Since the 1950s, the area has changed from a rural to a suburban environment. The region now comprises numerous cities known as bedroom communities that are suburban cities to Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Affordable home ownership is the primary motivation behind the growth in these Inland Empire cities as homes in the region are generally less expensive than comparable homes in Los Angeles and Orange counties, but the pricing gap continues to shrink each year due to migration and increasing population. The steady rise in population and the demand for housing has led to a dramatic increase in the building of single-family homes on parcels of or more, as opposed to the construction of high-density development such as multi-story apartment or condominium buildings. This low-density development has caused sprawl in the Inland Empire. Additionally, land that was used for agriculture is now being sold by owners for conversion to shopping centers, industrial warehouses, and more. Due to the lack of one central city in the Inland Empire, and the smaller geographical footprint that suburban cities tend to have, this continuous development has become seemingly unplanned suburban sprawl as local interest and zoning laws may quickly change from one city to the next city. The Inland Empire was declared the nation's worst example of sprawl according to a study by Smart Growth America in 2002.


title: Inland Empire

text: During the housing bubble collapse of the late 2000s, foreclosures rose by 3,500 percent. In 2010, the area ranked fourth in the nation in the number of foreclosures, with one filing for every 133 households. The problem of abandoned homes became so great that the city of Perris initiated a program to paint the brown lawns of abandoned homes green as a way to reduce the appearance of blight.


title: Inland Empire

text: In 2019, the "bedroom community" nature of the Inland Empire led to a plan to increase the construction of new housing in coastal cities (known as "job centers") preferentially versus building more housing in the Inland Empire areas. Meghan Sahli-Wells, mayor of Culver City, said that she supported the coastal plan because of the urgent nature of climate change. However, the plan was described as "toothless".


title: Inland Empire

text: The attractiveness of Inland Empire cities for warehousing and logistics has resulted in warehouses being built incrementally closer and closer to residential areas. With air pollution from diesel-powered transport trucks being a serious and cumulative concern for human health, an effort was made to impose a 1,000-foot buffer zone (separation distance between residential and commercial land uses) for new construction. However, this effort was not successful, due to local municipal officials giving priority to maximizing the construction of both housing and warehouse facilities, with the goal of maximizing employment as well as property-tax revenue from both the residential and the commercial/industrial sectors.


title: Inland Empire

text: Retailing in the area has increased to try to keep abreast with the growing suburban population. The region is home to several large shopping malls, including the Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos and the Crossings in Corona; Ontario Mills in Ontario; Promenade Mall in Temecula; Galleria at Tyler, Riverside Plaza, and Canyon Crossings in Riverside; The Shoppes at Chino Hills in Chino Hills; Moreno Valley Mall in Moreno Valley; Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga and the Inland Center mall in San Bernardino. In fiscal year 2006, retail sales in San Bernardino County grew by 11.9 percent to $31.2 billion, while sales in Riverside County were up 11.3 percent to $29.6 billion.


title: Inland Empire

text: The result of this ongoing development has resulted in greater homeownership for the region. Although the region saw an uptick in jobs over the past decade, it is not a heavy employment center, and many residents commute to Los Angeles and Orange counties for their work. With a lack of substantial public transportation in the Greater Los Angeles Area, this has led to traffic congestion and degradation in air quality for the Inland Empire. The solution to these problems is not simple. The presence of so many city governments within the Inland Empire, which often have different 'visions' for their own municipalities, means that two cities in the region rarely agree on a solution; just as common, they may have unequal means for implementing one even if they were to agree. Having no region-wide governmental planning organization may undermine any solution that could be proposed. Lastly, the fast pace at which development occurs versus the limited ability of government to respond to changes means that it could easily take years, if not decades, for a viable solution (such as new roads, transit systems, or pollution controls) to go into effect.


title: Inland Empire

text: Air pollution, or suspended particulate matter locally generated from the increased number of automobiles in the area, from point sources such as factories, dust carried into the air by construction activity, and the contribution of similar pollutants from the Los Angeles area has regularly caused the Inland Empire to be at, or near, the bottom of many air quality ratings. In 2004, the EPA rated the San Bernardino-Riverside area as having the worst particulate air pollution in the United States.


title: Inland Empire

text: Water pollution has also been found in the Santa Ana River and Cajon wash, and pollutants from the March Air Reserve Base and Stringfellow Acid Pits have contaminated groundwater in parts of Riverside County. In 1997, perchlorate, a chemical used to produce explosives, was discovered to be seeping into the groundwater under Rialto in a plume that continues to grow. In 2007, the Rialto city council petitioned the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Superfund status to clean up the origin site. The sites comprising March Air Reserve Base, Norton Air Force Base and the Stringfellow Acid Pits have already been classified as EPA Superfund toxic waste sites.


title: Inland Empire

text: Traffic congestion is a major issue in the Inland Empire. Many of the existing freeways were completed in the late 1970s with the exception of the segment of the Foothill Freeway, State Route 210 (SR 210) between San Dimas and San Bernardino, which was completed in July 2007. New freeways or highway "fix-ups" are either in progress or being planned, such as the construction of Mid County Parkway between Perris and San Jacinto or the addition of toll lanes on I-15 through heavily urbanized portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Other problems exist, however, including the imbalance between housing and job availability. The Inland Empire population grew as a result of affordable housing, at least relative to the rest of Southern California, but most of the higher paying jobs are located in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties. Thus, many workers must commute daily from the Inland Empire to their jobs in these counties—sometimes up to two hours each direction—and even longer if by public transportation. As the population increases, the problem is most certainly going to get worse. "Forbes" magazine ranked the area first in its 2007 list of most unhealthy commutes in the United States, beating out every other metropolitan area in the country, as Inland area drivers breathe the unhealthiest air and have the highest rate of fatal auto accidents per capita.


title: Inland Empire

text: According to a 1999 report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, the Inland Empire leads in fatal crashes caused by road rage. The theft of copper, brass and other metals from highway and road fixtures has also led to decreased public safety on IE roads and freeways. Gas siphoning has also been noted as a problem for vehicles left unattended in the region.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire does not have a particularly extensive or robust public transportation system. Due to the large physical size and sprawl of the region, the primary means of transportation in the region is the automobile. Less than five percent of the IE's 1,249,224 working-age residents use public transportation to get to work.


title: Inland Empire

text: Omnitrans is the largest bus agency in San Bernardino County, while the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) is the largest in Riverside County. Currently, some of Omnitrans' bus routes run on headways of an hour or more, and some routes stop service in the early evening or may not run on weekends. SunLine Transit Agency provides bus service in the Coachella Valley while the Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA) provides transit service in the High Desert, including to Barstow after the transit systems in the latter was merged into VVTA in 2015. Other operators in the region include Pass Transit serving the Banning Pass area, Needles Area Transit serving the city of Needles, Mountain Transit serving the communities in the San Bernardino Mountains including Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, Running Springs, and Crestline, and the MBTA serving the Morongo Basin and Yucca Valley portions of San Bernardino County.


title: Inland Empire

text: Although transit usage and infrastructure remains weak, several projects have moved forward and opened in the 2010s to improve transit accessibility in the region. Major projects include the Perris Valley portion of the Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line, the San Bernardino Transit Center, and the Omnitrans sbX Green Line, which connects the cities of Loma Linda and San Bernardino, two universities, and the Loma Linda VA Hospital to the San Bernardino Transit Center. In addition to sbX, there are other express services available to public transportation users in the region. RTA operates a BRT-lite system in the RapidLink Gold Line, which runs from UCR to the Corona Transit Center.


title: Inland Empire

text: Due to the physical size of the Inland Empire, transit connections between the nodes of the region are primarily served by freeway express services. Transit operators of the IE provide service between major destinations and transit centers around Southern California including the San Bernardino Transit Center, the Montclair Transcenter, Disneyland, Pomona, and Oceanside.


title: Inland Empire

text: The region is also part of the five-county Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) "Metrolink" commuter rail system. Of the seven lines that Metrolink operates, four of them directly serve the Inland Empire:


title: Inland Empire

text: Although a robust transit network has been lacking in the region for decades, steps are being made toward developing one in the future. The councils of governments and transportation commissions in both IE counties have identified and are working on future expansions of transit to better serve the region. These include the sbX West Valley Connector, Arrow, the extension of the Gold Line to Montclair, and daily train service to the Coachella Valley. Additional routes have also been studied including extending the Metrolink's Perris Valley Line to San Jacinto and Temecula, a passenger rail spur along I-15 to Lake Elsinore, BRT routes throughout the respective service areas of Omnitrans and RTA, and an aerial tram from Highland to Big Bear.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire is the chosen route for connecting California High-Speed Rail service to San Diego. While a final alignment has yet to be finalized, concepts include stops at the Ontario International Airport, in Riverside, San Bernardino, Corona, and Temecula or Murrieta. These would occur as part of Phase II, however, which currently remains unfunded.


title: Inland Empire

text: Several airports are located in the Inland Empire. San Bernardino International Airport, Ontario International Airport and Palm Springs International Airport are commercial airports in their respective cities. A local joint powers agency has redeveloped the decommissioned Norton Air Force Base into San Bernardino International Airport. There are also several general aviation airports in the region.


title: Inland Empire

text: The region is making some progress in developing dedicated bicycle commuter and recreation trails. The largest of these, the Santa Ana River bicycle path, currently connects Corona to Huntington Beach, and is eventually projected to stretch for 84 miles all the way to Redlands when completed. A shorter trail exists along the former path of the Pacific Electric Railway from Claremont to Rialto. A number of communities have also built trails along the levees and maintenance roads of other waterways in the region, including the CV Link, which is under construction in the Coachella Valley area of the region. Other plans also exist to provide feeder trails to meet the main backbones such as the PE Trail and provide a network of connectivity to nonmotorized users throughout the region.


title: Inland Empire

text: The population of the Greater Los Angeles area (which includes the Inland Empire) is about 18 million people according to the 2010 United States Census, and is the second largest metropolitan region in the country. The Metropolitan Statistical Area population of the Inland Empire (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area) itself is more than 4.2 million people and is the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, it is the fastest growing area in the state. Between 1990 and 2000, Riverside and San Bernardino counties added 700,000 to their population totals, an increase of 26 percent. Between 2000 and 2010 Inland Empire's population expanded by 970,000 or 30 percent, and between 2010 and 2020 it expanded by a further 375,000 or another 9 percent to reach 4.6 million. According to census bureau's 2005–2007 estimates 61.8 percent of the population was White (40.4 percent White Non-Hispanic), 7.5 percent Black, 5.7 percent Asian and 25.0 percent of other or mixed race. 43.9 percent were Hispanic of any race. 21.9 percent of the population was foreign born.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2006, 33.1 percent of people in the Greater San Bernardino Area were overweight, and 30.8 percent were obese. "Forbes" magazine ranks the area as the fourth fattest in the country.


title: Inland Empire

text: A substantial majority of residents (76.6 percent), last comparatively surveyed in 2001, rated their respective counties as good places to live. Over 81 percent of Riverside County residents indicated that their county is a very good or fairly good place to live, while about 72 percent of residents in San Bernardino County felt the same way. Survey respondents cited "nice living area", "good climate", and "affordable housing" as the top positive factors in assessing their respective communities. Smog was by far the most important negative factor affecting respondents' ratings in both counties, while traffic was the second highest concern in Riverside County and crime the second highest concern among San Bernardino County residents.


title: Inland Empire

text: Since the 1970s and onwards, large numbers of African-American, Latino and some Asian-American residents from the Los Angeles-Orange County and San Diego metro areas moved to the Inland Empire region. Large Black communities can be found around San Bernardino (Fontana and Rialto) and Riverside (Moreno Valley and Perris), where Blacks and Latinos became majorities in and around those cities. This is also true in the Mojave Desert and Coachella Valley portions.


title: Inland Empire

text: While the region as a whole had traditionally leaned more Republican than the rest of California, newer residents are less likely to identify with the Republican party than longer-term residents (36 percent to 42 percent), and the total number of residents identifying with the Democrats (34 percent) slightly edged over the number identifying with the Republican party (33 percent).


title: Inland Empire

text: In the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama carried both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, becoming only the second Democrat to carry both counties since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In 2012, Obama repeated this feat and again carried both counties, and the two Inland Empire counties have stayed in the Democratic column in presidential elections since. Nonetheless, the area continues to be far friendlier to Republicans than Los Angeles County or the San Francisco Bay Area.


title: Inland Empire

text: Non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks have the highest participation rates for nearly every type of political activity, while Latinos and Asian Americans lag significantly behind those groups in terms of volunteerism and organizational membership. The 2006 immigration protests have significantly boosted political participation among Latinos.


title: Inland Empire

text: Many faiths and denominations are found and represented in the area. The Roman Catholic parishes in the region belong to the church's Diocese of San Bernardino.


title: Inland Empire

text: Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists have communities in the towns of Loma Linda and Redlands near San Bernardino. Mormons also have congregations in the High Desert region. Seventh-day Adventists operate Loma Linda University.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire has a Jewish community, and additionally a Jewish American community is in and around the Sun City neighborhood of Menifee. According to the United Jewish Citizens of the Desert, the Coachella Valley has an estimated 20,000 American Jews, one of California's largest Jewish communities, as a result of being a major retirement destination.


title: Inland Empire

text: There are also some fast-growing Muslim communities with around 30,000 American Muslims in 2019, mostly concentrated around the UCR campus in Riverside, Irvine and central Corona. All locations have well-established Islamic Centers gathering faith members for weekly Juma prayers as well as other Islamic holidays.


title: Inland Empire

text: While the crime index in Riverside and Ontario trends slightly over the state average, San Bernardino has a crime index consistently near or over twice that of the national average. Reflecting nationwide trends, violent crime in the region overall declined or remained consistent in 2009, despite the recession. In the city of Riverside, 10 homicides occurred in 2005, down from 24 in 2003, its highest total since 2003. All but three cases resulted in arrests. In San Bernardino, by contrast, 58 killings occurred in 2005, but only a third of cases in San Bernardino led to arrests, due to a lack of witness cooperation in that city.


title: Inland Empire

text: Latino gangs have been active in the region since the area's citrus days while a continual migration of numerous African American gangs from the inner city of South LA have flowed into the region since the Watts Riots and 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The increased diversity in the region between 1990 and 2000 is also associated with a 20 percent increase in hate crime in the same period, mostly ascribed to increased gang activity. According to data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program, taken together, Riverside and San Bernardino counties showed a total of 51,237 crimes reported to county police/sheriffs (but not to city or other agencies) in 2006; this combined total exceeded the totals for all other California counties – considered individually – except for Sacramento.


title: Inland Empire

text: The region has also been noted as a center of methamphetamine drug production. The Riverside and San Bernardino county sheriffs' departments busted 635 meth labs in 2000; law enforcement has driven most of the meth production industry to Mexico since 2007, but many of the homes discovered to have been used as meth labs before 2006 have since been sold on the market before California law required rigorous decontamination, leading to a legacy of health hazards for unsuspecting renters and home-buyers in the area.


title: Inland Empire

text: In 2016 federal crime statistics stated that San Bernardino was ranked the most dangerous city in California.


title: Inland Empire

text: There is a trend of lower educational attainment in the IE, which starts early. Only 37 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the region are enrolled in pre-school, with only one school in the region for every 343 children, as compared with 48 percent enrollment in San Diego County. Thirty-five percent of the IE's ninth graders do not graduate from high school, and only 37 percent of its college age residents enroll in a post-secondary education program of some sort. Only 24 percent of the IE's adult residents have attained a college degree or better. Twenty-five percent do not possess a high school diploma. According to past CSUSB President Al Karnig, "We have a very low college attendance rate that is scantly above half of what the average is in other states. We have only have about 20 percent college graduates in the Inland Empire while the average in other states is 38 percent." 21 inland area high schools rank in the top 100 in California for producing dropouts.


title: Inland Empire

text: Of Inland Empire residents 25 years and over in 2004, 44.4 percent of Asians had bachelor's or higher degrees, and nearly 70 percent had at least attended college. 21.3 percent of Blacks had a bachelor's degree or higher, and 65.2 percent had either a community degree or had attended college. 22.8 percent of Whites had a bachelor's degree or higher, and 60.8 percent had attended college. Of Hispanics, 6.9 percent had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 30.2 percent attended college.


title: Inland Empire

text: Among students transferring from Inland community colleges to private schools in 2004–05, the most frequent choice was the University of Phoenix.


title: Inland Empire

text: While the Inland Empire led the state in job-growth with 275,000 new jobs between 1990 and 2000, most are in comparatively low-tech fields. San Bernardino and Riverside counties are primarily host to service and manufacturing- or warehousing-oriented industries. Food and administrative services employ the most people in the Inland Empire, while for the state of California, the top industries are in administrative services and professional, scientific and hi-tech-oriented fields. 79.8% of the IE's job growth from 1990 to 2003 was in service-sector jobs. Low-wage industries are abundant in the IE, and the area's high-tech and professional industries pay less than in other regions of California. As many as one-third of working adults commute out of the region to find work, the highest proportion of any area in the country. Adding to gridlock, fewer than 5% of the IE's 1,249,224 working-age residents use public transportation to get to work each day. 14.5% carpool, while 79.7% typically drive alone to work in their cars.


title: Inland Empire

text: In 2007, the region had an unemployment rate of 6.1%, while overall jobless claims in California were at 5.4% and 4.4% nationally. In 2008, unemployment in the area increased to 9.5%, at a time when the state average was 8.2% and the national average approximately 6.5%. Unemployment reached an all-time high of 15% in 2010, second in the nation only to Detroit among metropolitan areas with populations over 1 million.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire sits adjacent to the San Bernardino Mountains. Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear are just some of the lakes located in the mountains. Lake Arrowhead becomes very popular in the summertime, while Big Bear becomes popular in the winter for skiing and snowboarding activities. Various locations in the Inland Empire provide venues for cultural performances and entertainment. The Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, which is owned and operated by the City of Rancho Cucamonga, opened in the Fall of 2006 providing theatre, concerts and family entertainment to the region. The San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino's Devore neighborhood is the nation's largest outdoor amphitheater. San Bernardino's "Route 66 Rendezvous (the largest classical carshow in the US)", an annual street fair and classic car show, draws a half-million people from around the world. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs is a popular attraction, rising to more than 8500 feet.


title: Inland Empire

text: Established bands from the IE include Alien Ant Farm, Hepcat, The Bellrays, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls, from Riverside, and Cracker from Redlands, and The Mountain Goats from Chino. House music artist DJ Lynnwood got his start at the age of ten spinning records at KUOR-FM in Redlands. girafa is another local electronic artist from Corona. Local hip-hop artists such as Miah Lanski, Suga Free, Saint Dog, 40 Glocc, Young Noble from the Outlawz, J.J. Fad, Raje, Noa James, Xydewayz8, The Faze, Lil Xan and A Lighter Shade of Brown have brought about attention to the growing Hip hop community in and around the region. The Jerkin' street dance culture originated from the Inland Empire-based hip-hop groups New Boyz and Audio Push. A number of artists associated with the Palm Desert Scene forged the genre of desert rock as well as playing a large role in the genre of stoner rock. A Danish record label, Musikministeriet, recently opened up an office in Redlands in hopes of further cultivating the IE music scene.


title: Inland Empire

text: Frank Zappa performed in Upland on Foothill Boulevard during the early 1960s where he played shows on a makeshift stage for college crowds. Zappa also purchased Pal Recording Studio on Archibald Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga where the Surfaris had recorded the surf music classic "Wipe Out". He dubbed it Studio Z and began making recordings that eventually led to the founding of Zappa's group The Mothers of Invention. Until his death in December 2012, singer Ray Collins of the Mothers of Invention lived in the area. Zappa mentions the Inland Empire in the song "Billy the Mountain".


title: Inland Empire

text: From the late 80s until the late 90s, many up-and-coming musical acts, such as Rage Against the Machine, Blink-182 and No Doubt cut their teeth playing venues in Riverside. These historic venues (Spanky's Cafe and the De Anza Theatre) have since been closed and converted to other purposes. The Barn at UCR was closed as a music venue for 10 years but beginning in October 2008 KUCR Radio 88.3 FM, ASPB The Associated Student Program Board with funding from UCR Housing began having a free concert series once a week during the school quarter. Emerging music venues in the IE include the Showcase Theatre in Corona (recently closed), Red Planet Records in Riverside, the Vault in Redlands, the Buffalo Inn and The Wire (now closed) in Upland, the Twins Club in Rancho Cucamonga, the Press Restaurant in Claremont, the Glass House in Pomona, Back To The Grind Coffee Shop in Riverside, Liam's Irish Pub in Colton, and CommonGround Soundstage in Riverside.


title: Inland Empire

text: Orchestras in the IE include the Redlands Symphony, which performs at the University of Redlands, the Riverside County Philharmonic, which performs at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, the San Bernardino Symphony, which performs at the California Theatre, and the Victor Valley Symphony, which performs at Victor Valley College. Theatrical Arts International is housed at the California Theatre as well. With the largest subscriber base in the Inland Empire, Theatrical Arts International presents the largest caliber tours available including such blockbusters as "Cats", "Hairspray", "Mamma Mia", and "Miss Saigon." There are many other large theater programs in the community. The Riverside Fox Theater, also known as the Fox Performing Arts Center, was built in 1929, and is a Spanish Colonial Revival style building in the heart of downtown Riverside, California. The theater is the centerpiece of Riverside's Arts & Culture initiative and underwent a major renovation and restoration to become a regional performing arts facility. Renovation was completed in the Fall 2009, with a grand-reopening in January 2010. At Chaffey High School in Ontario, they have a very large theater program that puts on shows in the fall and in the spring on one of the largest high school stages in the Inland Empire. The Inland Empire Harmony Carousel Chorus provides music in Barbershop Quartet productions.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire is the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a major professional sports team. However, it is part of the Greater Los Angeles area which includes teams in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The area is home to numerous minor league baseball, basketball, and ice hockey teams. The Inland Empire team with the most championships is the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino, who won their most recent championship in 2013.


title: Inland Empire

text: The Auto Club Speedway, located in Fontana, opened in 1997. It contains an oval, a road course, and a dragstrip for auto racing. The Speedway is located approximately from the former Ontario Motor Speedway site. The Riverside International Raceway, another defunct motorsport venue, was located about east of Riverside.


title: Inland Empire

text: In college sports, the Inland Empire features five four-year institutions that represent all three NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA.


title: Inland Empire

text: There is also an Inland Empire edition of the "Los Angeles Times". For the segments of the Inland Empire surrounding San Bernardino and Riverside cities, regional newspapers include:


title: Inland Empire

text: The Inland Empire is ranked 26th (June 2008) in the national radio market as a stand-alone market. When combined with the Greater Los Angeles Area, it is part of the second largest radio market.


title: Inland Empire

text: Due to the various mountain ranges including San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Idyllwild, it may be difficult to receive a single station throughout the entire Inland Empire area without interference.


title: Inland Empire

text: PBS member station KVCR-TV broadcasts directly to the Inland Empire. The station covers all of Riverside County and San Bernardino County with some Los Angeles area overlap. The station is located on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College. In addition to PBS and original, local content, First Nations Experience (FNX), KVCR's sister station, also broadcasts programming about the indigenous peoples and Native Americans to the Inland Empire.


title: Inland Empire

text: The current TLC TV series "Dr. Pimple Popper", a spin-off of the YouTube channel of dermatologist Sandra Lee, is shot mainly at Skin Physicians & Surgeons, a clinic in Upland run by Lee and her husband Jeffrey Rebish, also a dermatologist.


title: Inland Empire

text: While there are no large film production companies or studios based in the Inland Empire, on-location shoots accounted for a total economic impact of $65.2 million in the two-county region in 2006. From 1994 to 2005, filming accounted for over a billion dollars ($1,228,977,456) in total revenues spent in the area. Some famous films shot in the Inland Empire include "Executive Decision", "U Turn", "Erin Brockovich", and "The Fast and the Furious".


title: Inland Empire

text: While the 2006 David Lynch film "Inland Empire" is named after the region, no scenes were actually shot in the Inland Empire.


title: Inland Empire

text: Ann Lerner, Albuquerque's film liaison, told the "L.A. Times" about the AMC cable TV series "Breaking Bad" producers wanted to film the series in California's Inland Empire but switched to New Mexico because of New Mexico's tax incentives.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: Maniac is an American psychological dark comedy-drama streaming television miniseries that premiered on Netflix on September 21, 2018, after being announced in 2016. Patrick Somerville created the series and Cary Joji Fukunaga directed, basing it very loosely on the 2015 Norwegian television series of the same name (starring co-creator Espen PA Lervaag) while drawing inspiration from many more famous films. The 10-episode series stars Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Justin Theroux, Sonoya Mizuno, Gabriel Byrne, and Sally Field. The plot follows two strangers who connect during a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial set in a retro-future New York City.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: The series received positive reviews from critics upon release, with many praising its visuals, direction and acting, particularly the performances of Stone and Hill. The series received multiple accolades, including nominations for Stone's performance—both at the 23rd Satellite Awards and the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards—and for the series' overall writing—at the 71st Writers Guild of America Awards.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: "Maniac" follows Annie Landsberg and Owen Milgrim (see also Milgram experiments), two strangers who connect during a risky, psychologically intense, twelve-person, mind-bending pharmaceutical trial conducted by Neberdine Pharmaceutical Biotech (NPB). The company has Japanese backing and is originally overseen by two scientists: Dr. Robert Muramoto and Dr. Azumi Fujita. Later, Dr. James K. Mantleray replaces Muramoto.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: In addition to English, the original voicework features spoken Japanese and Icelandic, and (to a lesser extent) French. Netflix offers at least five different dubbings and five different subtitle options in different languages.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: "Maniac" features 10 episodes, each running between 26–47 minutes. All episodes to the miniseries were released simultaneously on September 21, 2018.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: The series was officially announced in March 2016, with Netflix ordering the production straight-to-series that same month. On March 18, 2016, it was announced that Paramount Television and Anonymous Content were producing a television series to be directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The half-hour dark comedy series was reported to be executive produced by Fukunaga, Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Michael Sugar, and Doug Wald. Ashley Zalta was also announced as a co-executive producer. At the time, the series was being shopped to various networks and was searching for a writer. Less than a week later, it was announced that Netflix was finalizing a deal for a straight-to-series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. On October 21, 2016, it was announced that Patrick Somerville would write the series. On July 29, 2018, it was announced during the annual Television Critics Association's summer press tour that the series would premiere on September 21, 2018.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Emma Stone and Jonah Hill were finalizing deals to star in the series. In August 2017, it was announced that Sonoya Mizuno had been cast as a series regular and that Justin Theroux and Julia Garner would appear in a recurring capacity. On September 13, 2017, it was reported that Jemima Kirke had been cast in a recurring role. On October 5, 2017, it was announced that Sally Field had joined the cast in a recurring role. On February 23, 2018, it was reported Billy Magnussen had been cast in the series.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: Principal photography for the series began on August 15, 2017, in New York City and was expected to conclude by the end of November 2017.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: Dan Romer composed the soundtrack to "Maniac" with collection of orchestral and electronic musical pieces. The soundtrack was released on a double LP by Waxwork Records on January 10, 2020.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: On September 13, 2018, the series held its world premiere at the Southbank Centre in London, England. On September 20, 2018, the series held its American premiere at Center 415 in New York City.


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: The series was met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 84% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 based on 103 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Maniac" enthralls with its dazzling visuals, adventurous narrative, and striking performances from both Emma Stone and Jonah Hill." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 76 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: In a positive review, "Variety"s Daniel D'Addario commended the series saying, "The beautifully made "Maniac" plunges viewers into a fictional world that's both divergent from our own and instantly recognizable—and then reinvents itself several times over, skittering across time, space and genre to tell a story of connection that feels urgent and deeply, painfully human...As a trial of something new, "Maniac" passes every test, and ascends instantly to take its place among the very best TV of the year." In another favorable assessment, "The Washington Post"s Hank Stuever described the series as "oddly mesmerizing" and offered it qualified praise saying, ""Maniac" starts off too absorbed in its own complicated structure, but once Owen and Annie are strapped in at the lab (and experience an accidental melding of their subconscious states), the show becomes a visually compelling romp through highly detailed dreams and personal discoveries." Describing it as "exhilarating to watch and a lot to process", "Vulture"s Jen Chaney called the series "one of the fall season's best".


title: Maniac (miniseries)

text: In a more negative critique, Darren Franich of "Entertainment Weekly" awarded the series a grade of "C−" and criticized it saying, "For all its manic poses and deflationary snark, it's ultimately patronizingly sentimental. [...] "Maniac" asks big questions about reality, and then settles for the limpest possible cinematic representations of that reality."


title: Mike Tindall

text: Michael James Tindall, (born 18 October 1978) is an English former rugby union player. Tindall played outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, and won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011. He was a member of the England squad which won the 2003 World Cup.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall made his debut for England on 5 February 2000, against Ireland in the 2000 Six Nations Championship. As well as winning the 2003 World Cup, he was a member of the England team which won the 2003 Six Nations Championship. He was injured at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Tindall played in eleven Six Nations Championship competitions from 2000 to 2011. Tindall is married to Zara Phillips, the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and the eldest niece of King Charles III. They have three children.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Michael James Tindall was born 18 October 1978 at Wharfedale Hospital in Otley, West Yorkshire, the son of Philip "Phil" Tindall, a banker for Barclays, and Linda (née Shepherd), a social worker. Tindall's maternal ancestors include bootmakers, stonemasons and weavers; his paternal great-grandfather, Arthur Sutcliffe Tindall, was a blacksmith, the grandson of William Tindall, a landowner farming 105 acres at Fairburn, North Yorkshire.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall was educated at the independent public school Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, while his father captained Otley Rugby Union Football Club.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall joined Bath straight from school, as an 18-year-old in 1997. At the time, the centre pairing at Bath and England were Jeremy Guscott and Phil de Glanville, but after the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Tindall played regularly at both club and country level, making his England debut against Ireland at Twickenham in 2000 alongside Mike Catt, scoring a try in the process.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Despite criticism over the years, in particular from Will Carling and ex-Bath fly-half Stuart Barnes, he cemented the outside centre position as his own with a partnership with inside centre Will Greenwood, playing in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Tindall wore the number 12 jersey and played at outside centre; he usually lined up outside Greenwood, as the latter preferred to wear the number 13 jersey for superstitious reasons. He was dropped for the semi-final in favour of Mike Catt, whose kicking was required in the rainy weather. Tindall was reinstated in the final, which England won.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall missed the 2005 Six Nations with a foot injury. He was unable to regain his fitness for the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. Described by England's former head coach, Andy Robinson, as the 'heartbeat' of the side, Tindall found his way back to form, following a lengthy absence, in 2005.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall's contract became up for renewal in 2005, but encountered difficulties with Bath's strict salary cap policy. After falling out with Bath owner Andrew Brownsword over the offer of an early testimonial game and further concerns over his long term fitness, Tindall ended his eight-year association with Bath. He joined their West Country rivals Gloucester Rugby on a three-year deal worth £150,000.


title: Mike Tindall

text: After returning from injury in the autumn of 2005, Tindall regained his England place, this time at inside centre. At club level, he continued to play at 13, with the 12 shirt going to Henry Paul. The partnership was heavily criticised and Tindall reportedly spent much of the season showing a poor run of form despite selection. Henry Paul broke club rules and fell out of favour with Gloucester Rugby coach, Dean Ryan during an incident at Tindall's girlfriend's birthday party. Young centre, Anthony Allen, was subsequently introduced, which helped forge the start of a "powerful" centre partnership between the two towards the end of the season. His partnership with Jamie Noon was criticised, with claims that the bulky partnership lacked imagination and play-making ability.


title: Mike Tindall

text: During his recuperation from another injury in 2005, Tindall entered the British Poker Open tournament, finishing in 3rd place in his heat before being eliminated by John Gale. On 18 November 2006, Tindall made his first Guinness Premiership start of the season against third-placed Wasps. Troubled by a calf injury into the 2006/07 season, he made only two appearances as a replacement, against Worcester and Irish. Tindall came back from his injury however with a much more highly rated run of form.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall was again included in the England starting line up for the 2007 Six Nations opener against Scotland at Twickenham, under new head coach Brian Ashton, selected to play outside former rugby league footballer Andy Farrell. In April 2007, playing away against Newcastle Falcons in the Guinness Premiership, Tindall broke his leg in a tackle on Toby Flood, forcing him to miss the rest of the season, including the Guinness Premiership final. This also precluded his selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In October 2007, after recovering from injury, Tindall returned to the Gloucester starting line up, against Worcester Warriors at home, in the Guinness Premiership. Tindall had a "fairytale" comeback, scoring a try to the Shed's delight. On 7 December 2007 against Bourgoin in the Heineken Cup, Tindall limped off the field with a shin injury sustained in a similar tackle from that against Newcastle the previous season when he broke his leg. Despite this injury, Tindall recovered quickly and played the following week, continuing his form for Gloucester.


title: Mike Tindall

text: In February 2008 Tindall was named in Brian Ashton's squad for the upcoming Six Nations Championship, and thus started for England at outside centre against Wales at Twickenham on 2 February 2008. During the match, he accidentally landed on winger Mark Jones's foot and had to be stretchered off. He had attempted to win possession just as Jones was kicking the ball away, and was ruled out of the tournament with internal bleeding, a perforated liver, and a punctured lung.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall stated in a press conference that he was "happy just to be alive" after his injury, but was looking forward to returning to the field for Gloucester in what he hoped would be towards the "business end of the season" in April. In January 2008, Tindall announced a new three-year deal signed to remain at Gloucester until the end of the 2011 season. In April 2012, Gloucester announced that Tindall would be one of a group of 11 players not playing for the club next season. However, in June 2012, he agreed a one-year contract as a player and backs coach at Gloucester. In May 2013, he signed a new contract to remain player-backs coach for another year. On 15 July 2014, Tindall announced his retirement from professional rugby.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Since retiring, Tindall has gone back to grassroots rugby and is playing and coaching with amateur club Minchinhampton RFC, who compete in Gloucester 2. Tindall made his debut against Gloucester All Blues in October 2014. Minchinhampton RFC is conveniently located for Tindall next to Gatcombe Park where he lives.


title: Mike Tindall

text: On 11 November 2011, Tindall was fined £25,000 by the Rugby Football Union and was removed from its elite player squad as a result of his throwing a dwarf in Queenstown, New Zealand, during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Martin Johnson, the England manager, had initially supported Tindall, but it was stated later that, including Johnson, had been misled. After a formal inquiry, the RFU said that Tindall's actions were unacceptable and would not be tolerated. Tindall said he intended to appeal against the decision. On 28 November 2011 the appeal partly succeeded. Tindall's suspension from the England squad was set aside and the fine was reduced to £15,000. Tindall stated during the appeal process that he had not intentionally misled Johnson, as he did not remember the relevant events.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall was filmed flirting with an unknown woman at a bar in Queenstown, New Zealand, during the 2011 Rugby World Cup A bouncer uploaded security camera footage of the incident to YouTube, and was later charged with accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall was selected for the Barbarians squad on their short tour in May 2012 against England at Twickenham, Ireland at Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester and Wales at the Millennium Stadium.


title: Mike Tindall

text: In May 2013, Tindall captained the Barbarians against England at Twickenham. Tindall was named a replacement for the Barbarians against the British & Irish Lions as part of their 2013 tour to Australia.


title: Mike Tindall

text: On 21 December 2010, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Tindall to Zara Phillips, the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips. Phillips is the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and niece to King Charles III. The couple first met during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. As was required at the time by the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the Queen gave her consent to their marriage in a meeting of the Privy Council on 10 May 2011. The wedding took place on 30 July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh with 400 guests in attendance, including the royal family.


title: Mike Tindall

text: The Tindalls resided in a £1.2 million home in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, before moving onto the Gatcombe Park estate near Minchinhampton. On 17 January 2014, it was announced that Zara had given birth to a baby girl at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. The couple named their daughter Mia Grace Tindall ( ). Mia was christened on 30 November 2014 at St Nicholas's church in the village of Cherington in Gloucestershire. His wife's next two pregnancies ended in miscarriage, before their second daughter, Lena Elizabeth Tindall ( ), was born on 18 June 2018, at Stroud Maternity Hospital. Their third child, son Lucas Philip Tindall, was born on 21 March 2021 at Gatcombe Park.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall has two convictions for drunk-driving. His nose was broken at least eight times during his rugby career; in 2018, he underwent a surgery that fixed the fractures.


title: Mike Tindall

text: In 2015, Tindall appeared on reality television shows "The Jump" and "". He hosted the podcast "House of Rugby" together with James Haskell and Alex Payne, before launching another podcast with them in August 2020, titled "The Good, The Bad & The Rugby".


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall appeared in the 2022 edition of "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!", finishing 4th on 26 November 2022.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall has appeared as the host for a number of charity sporting events, including a golf classic sponsored by the Legion Foundation every year to raise money for the on Course Foundation and Rugby for Heroes. In 2012, Tindall became the charity ambassador for The Midlands Air Ambulance.


title: Mike Tindall

text: In late 2013, Tindall became a brand ambassador for online trading company UFXMarkets. Since 2013, Tindall has been hosting a charity golf day annually called ISPS HANDA Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic with people from fields including rugby, golf and entertainment. It aims to raise funds for charities helping people with disabilities and curing Parkinson's disease, such as the Matt Hampson Foundation and the Cure Parkinson's Trust, and also those involving military personnel making the transition to civilian life such as Rugby for Heroes. Tindall is also the principal patron of both the Matt Hampson Foundation and Rugby for Heroes.


title: Mike Tindall

text: Tindall has been increasing his involvement with Right To Play since his introduction to their work in 2015. In October 2015, he visited one of their programmes in Accra, Ghana, which he said had a profound effect on him. In December 2016, Tindall was announced as an Athlete Ambassador for the charity Right To Play UK, which uses play to educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities.


title: Amybeth McNulty

text: Amybeth McNulty (born 7 November 2001) is an Irish actress. She is known for her starring role as Anne Shirley in the CBC/Netflix drama series "Anne with an E" (2017–2019), based on the 1908 novel "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery.


title: Amybeth McNulty

text: Amybeth McNulty was born on 7 November 2001 in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland, the only daughter of an Irish father and a Canadian mother. She also has Scottish heritage. She was homeschooled. She was a member of An Grianán's "Youth Theatre", where she trained in acting and ballet.


title: Amybeth McNulty

text: McNulty's stage experience began with ballet and amateur performances at An Grianán's "Youth Theatre", which was facilitated by Nora Kavanagh, as well as musicals by the writer and composer Paul Boyd. In 2014, McNulty co-starred in the RTÉ One series "Clean Break" as inquisitive child Jenny Rane. In 2015, McNulty appeared in "Agatha Raisin" as the younger version of the titular character and guest-starred in CBBC's "The Sparticle Mystery." McNulty made her film debut in sci-fi thriller "Morgan", portraying the 10-year old iteration of the titular character. The film received mixed reviews.


title: Amybeth McNulty

text: From 2017 to 2019, she starred as Anne Shirley in the CBC and Netflix drama series "Anne with an E", an adaptation of the 1908 novel series "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery. McNulty was cast from a selection of 1800 girls for her ability to deliver dialogue which is "incredibly thick and dynamic and beautiful"; her audition consisted of talking to trees, chatting with flowers and building thrones out of twigs." McNulty received critical acclaim for her portrayal; Gwen Inhat of "The A.V. Club" lauded her "absolute possession" of Anne as well as her ability to make "fanciful language sing", while Neil Genzlinger from "The New York Times" wrote McNulty's performance was "wonderfully ebullient and eminently likable". Her portrayal earned her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Actress and the ACTRA Award for Best Performance – Female.


title: Amybeth McNulty

text: McNulty portrayed the lead role in "Maternal", the feature directorial debut of actress Megan Follows, which was filmed in early 2020. She also starred in "Black Medicine" (2020), in which she portrays an alcoholic and drug-addicted Irish teenager. In December 2020, McNulty was cast in director Michael McGowan's film adaptation of "All My Puny Sorrows", a novel by Canadian author Miriam Toews. In June 2021, McNulty was cast in season four of the Netflix drama "Stranger Things", portraying Vickie, a "cool, fast-talking band nerd".


title: Amybeth McNulty

text: At 19, McNulty moved out from her family home in rural Donegal to London. In June 2020, she came out as bisexual. McNulty is a vegetarian.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Nathan Benjamin Aké (born 18 February 1995) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester City and the Netherlands national team. Although he predominantly plays as a centre-back, he has also been deployed as a left-back.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké agreed to join the Chelsea youth system from Feyenoord in 2010 at age 15. He had played at Feyenoord since age 12 after joining the club from ADO Den Haag.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké made his Premier League debut on 26 December 2012 against Norwich City as a 17-year-old, replacing Juan Mata in added time at the end of a 1–0 win at Carrow Road. He made his first start for the club in the FA Cup on 27 February 2013 in a 2–0 win against Championship team Middlesbrough. He was chosen to start in a defensive midfield position for Chelsea in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash with Rubin Kazan in Russia on 11 April, a match that finished in a 3–2 loss but resulted in a 5–4 aggregate victory. Aké was an unused substitute for Chelsea in the Europa League final against Benfica at the Amsterdam Arena on 16 May, which Chelsea won 2–1. He was voted Chelsea's Young Player of the Year on 16 May, and made his first Premier League start three days later in the 2–1 win against Everton at Stamford Bridge on the last matchday of the season.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 8 August 2013, Aké signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, lasting until 2018. Following his permanent promotion to the first team, on 21 October 2014, Aké made his UEFA Champions League debut from the substitutes' bench, coming into the match for Cesc Fàbregas in the 60th minute during a 6–0 home win over Maribor, and provided an assist for Eden Hazard's second goal.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 25 March 2015, Aké was loaned to Championship club Reading for one month, making his first of five appearances against Cardiff City in a 1–1 draw ten days later. Although he only made one league appearance for Chelsea the entire season, as a substitute in a 3–0 loss at West Bromwich Albion on 18 May, manager José Mourinho said Aké would receive a winner's medal for his contribution to the team that season.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 14 August 2015, Aké completed a season-long loan move to newly promoted Premier League club Watford, after having signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea. Eleven days later, he made his debut for the Hornets in a League Cup second round match against Preston North End, which ended in a 1–0 defeat for his team. Aké played his first Premier League match coming off the substitutes' bench against Newcastle United 19 September 2015, helping Watford hold on for a 2–1 win. He scored his first senior goal on 20 December, opening a 3–0 win over Liverpool at Vicarage Road in the fourth minute, after goalkeeper Ádám Bogdán dropped a corner kick.


title: Nathan Aké

text: During his time with the Hertfordshire side, manager Quique Sánchez Flores primarily deployed Aké as a left-back. His performance and work ethic earned him Watford's Young Player of the Season award.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 29 June 2016, Aké joined AFC Bournemouth on loan for the 2016–17 season. On 21 August, he made his Bournemouth debut in a 1–0 away defeat against West Ham United, replacing Jordon Ibe following teammate Harry Arter's dismissal after a challenge on Cheikhou Kouyaté. Following the defeat to West Ham, Aké made his full debut against Morecambe in the second round of the EFL Cup on 24 August. On 19 November, in his first Premier League start, Aké scored his first goal for Bournemouth in a 1–0 away victory over Stoke City.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 4 December 2016, Bournemouth played Liverpool and overturned a 3–1 deficit with 15 minutes to go to win the match 4–3; Aké scoring the winning goal in the 93rd minute, his third Premier League goal and the second against Liverpool.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké was recalled by Chelsea on 8 January 2017, making his first appearance for the club since the recall on 28 January in a 4–0 FA Cup fourth round victory over fellow West London club Brentford. He was also selected to start in Chelsea's 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the same competition on 18 February.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 22 April 2017, Aké started alongside David Luiz and César Azpilicueta in central defence in Chelsea's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 30 June 2017, Aké signed a contract with Premier League club Bournemouth on a permanent basis for a club record of £20 million transfer fee, with the player officially re-joining the club the following day, when the 2017 transfer window opened. On 21 July, it was reported his former club Chelsea had inserted a buy-back clause for Aké in his transfer contract.


title: Nathan Aké

text: On 5 August 2020, Aké signed for Manchester City, on a five-year deal, for a reported fee of £41 million.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké started and debuted in City's first game of the season on 21 September, winning 3–1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers away from home in the Premier League. On 27 September 2020, he scored his first goal for City in a 2–5 home defeat against Leicester City. On 3 November 2020, Aké made his Champions League debut for City in a 3–0 home win over Olympiacos in the group stage.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké scored his first Champions League goal on 15 September 2021 in a 6–3 win against RB Leipzig. He revealed afterwards that his father, who had been terminally ill, had died shortly after the goal.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké has represented the Netherlands at every youth level since his under-15 debut in 2009, making 54 appearances in total. He has captained both the U17 and the U19 teams. Aké was selected into both squads that won the UEFA European Under-17 Championships in 2011 and 2012 in Serbia and in Slovenia, respectively.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké made his senior international debut in 2017 in a friendly against Morocco, who were beaten 1–2 by the Netherlands.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké has been praised for his versatility, good passing range, reading the game quite well, being able to play at both full-back, centre-back and in defensive midfield, which has been attributed to a good work ethic, professionalism and gifted technique. His calmness on the ball and appearance have led to comparisons to former Dutch legend and Chelsea player Ruud Gullit.


title: Nathan Aké

text: Aké was born in The Hague, South Holland. His father, Moise Ake, is from the Ivory Coast, while his mother Ineke Telder, is Dutch. Aké is a teetotaller.


title: Carnival

text: Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typically involves public celebrations, including events such as parades, public street parties and other entertainments, combining some elements of a circus. Elaborate costumes and masks allow people to set aside their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity. Participants often indulge in excessive consumption of alcohol, meat, and other foods that will be forgone during upcoming Lent. Traditionally, butter, milk, and other animal products were not consumed "excessively", rather, their stock was fully consumed as to reduce waste. This festival is known for being a time of great indulgence before Lent (which is a time stressing the opposite), with drinking, overeating, and various other activities of indulgence being performed. For example, Pancakes, donuts, and other desserts are prepared and eaten for a final time. During Lent, animal products are eaten less, and individuals have the ability to make a Lenten sacrifice, thus giving up a certain object or activity of desire.


title: Carnival

text: Other common features of Carnival include mock battles such as food fights; expressions of social satire; mockery of authorities; costumes of the grotesque body that display exaggerated features such as large noses, bellies, mouths, phalli, or elements of animal bodies; abusive language and degrading acts; depictions of disease and gleeful death; and a general reversal of everyday rules and norms. The Italian tradition of wearing masks dates back to the Venice Carnival in the 15th century, and has been an inspiration in Greek theater and Commedia dell'arte for centuries.


title: Carnival

text: The term "Carnival" is traditionally used in areas with a large Catholic presence, as well as in Greece. In historically Evangelical Lutheran countries, the celebration is known as Fastelavn, and in areas with a high concentration of Anglicans (Church of England/US Episcopal Church), Methodists, and other Protestants, pre-Lenten celebrations, along with penitential observances, occur on Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. In Slavic Eastern Orthodox nations, Maslenitsa is celebrated during the last week before Great Lent. In German-speaking Europe and the Netherlands, the Carnival season traditionally opens on 11/11 (often at 11:11 a.m.). This dates back to celebrations before the Advent season or with harvest celebrations of St. Martin's Day.


title: Carnival

text: The Latin-derived name of the holiday is sometimes also spelled Carnaval, typically in areas where Dutch, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are spoken, or Carnevale in Italian-speaking contexts. Alternative names are used for regional and local celebrations.


title: Carnival

text: The word is said to come from the Late Latin expression , which means "remove meat"; a folk etymology derives it from , "farewell to meat". In either case, this signifies the approaching fast. The word may also be translated as flesh, producing "a farewell to the flesh", a phrase embraced by certain carnival celebrants to embolden the festival's carefree spirit. The etymology of the word "Carnival" thus points to a Christian origin of the celebratory period.


title: Carnival

text: Other scholars argue that the origin of the word is a common meat-based country feast (in Latin ) or the festival of the ("ship of Isis"), where the image of Isis was carried to the seashore to bless the start of sailing season. The festival consisted of a parade of masks following an adorned wooden boat, called in Latin , possibly the source of both the name and the parade floats.


title: Carnival

text: The word "Carnival" is of Christian origin, and in the Middle Ages, it referred to a period following Epiphany season that reached its climax before midnight on Shrove Tuesday. British historian John Bossy, in writing on the origin of the practices during Carnival, states that "These were, despite some appearances, Christian in character, and they were medieval in origin: although it has been widely supposed that they continued some kind of pre-Christian cult, there is in fact no evidence that they existed much before 1200." Because Lent was a period of fasting, "Carnival therefore represented a last period of feasting and celebration before the spiritual rigors of Lent." Meat was plentiful during this part of the Christian calendar and it was consumed during Carnival as people abstained from meat consumption during the following liturgical season, Lent. In the last few days of Carnival, known as Shrovetide, people confessed (shrived) their sins in preparation for Lent as well. In 1605, a Shrovetide play spoke of Christians who painted their faces to celebrate the season:


title: Carnival

text: From an anthropological point of view, carnival is a reversal ritual, in which social roles are reversed and norms about desired behavior are suspended.


title: Carnival

text: Winter was thought of as the reign of the winter spirits; these needed to be driven out in order for the summer to return. Carnival can thus be regarded as a rite of passage from darkness to light, from winter to summer: a fertility celebration, the first spring festival of the new year.


title: Carnival

text: Traditionally, a Carnival feast was the last opportunity for common people to eat well, as there was typically a food shortage at the end of the winter as stores ran out. Until spring produce was available, people were limited to the minimum necessary meals during this period. On what nowadays is called "vastenavond" (the days before fasting), all the remaining winter stores of lard, butter, and meat which were left would be eaten, for these would otherwise soon start to rot and decay. The selected livestock had already been slaughtered in November and the meat would no longer be preservable. All the food that had survived the winter had to be eaten to assure that everyone was fed enough to survive until the coming spring would provide new food sources.


title: Carnival

text: Several Germanic tribes celebrated the returning of the daylight. The winter would be driven out, to make sure that fertility could return in spring. A central figure of this ritual was possibly the fertility goddess Nerthus. Also, there are some indications that the effigy of Nerthus or Freyr was placed on a ship with wheels and accompanied by a procession of people in animal disguise and men in women's clothes. Aboard the ship a marriage would be consummated as a fertility ritual.


title: Carnival

text: Tacitus wrote in his "Germania": "Germania 9.6: Ceterum nec cohibere parietibus deos neque in ullam humani oris speciem adsimulare ex magnitudine caelestium arbitrator" – "The Germans, however, do not consider it consistent with the grandeur of celestial beings to confine the gods within walls, or to liken them to the form of any human countenance." – "Afterwards the car, the vestments, and, if you like to believe it, the divinity herself, are purified in a secret lake."


title: Carnival

text: Traditionally, the feast also was a time to indulge in sexual desires, which were supposed to be suppressed during the following period fasting. Before Lent began, all rich food and drink were consumed in what became a giant celebration that involved the whole community, and is thought to be the origin of Carnival.


title: Carnival

text: In many Christian sermons and texts, the example of a vessel is used to explain Christian doctrine: "the nave of the church of baptism", "the ship of Mary", etc. The writings show that processions with ship-like carts were held and lavish feasts were celebrated on the eve of Lent or the greeting of spring in the early Middle Ages.


title: Carnival

text: The Lenten period of the liturgical calendar, the six weeks directly before Easter, was historically marked by fasting, study, and other pious or penitential practices. During Lent, no parties or celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods, such as meat, dairy, fat, and sugar. The first three classes were often totally unavailable during this period because of late winter shortages.


title: Carnival

text: While Christian festivals such as Corpus Christi were Church-sanctioned celebrations, Carnival was also a manifestation of European folk culture. In the Christian tradition, fasting is to commemorate the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the desert, according to the New Testament, and also to reflect on Christian values. It was a time for catechumens (those converting to Christianity) to prepare for baptism at Easter.


title: Carnival

text: Carnival in the Middle Ages took not just a few days, but almost the entire period between Christmas and the beginning of Lent. In those two months, Christian populations used their several holidays as an outlet for their daily frustrations.


title: Carnival

text: Many synods and councils attempted to set things "right". Caesarius of Arles (470–542) protested around 500 CE in his sermons against the pagan practices. Centuries later, his statements were adapted as the building blocks of the "Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum" ("small index of superstitious and pagan practices"), which was drafted by the Synod of Leptines in 742. It condemned the "Spurcalibus en februario".


title: Carnival

text: Pope Gregory the Great (590–604) decided that fasting would start on Ash Wednesday. The whole Carnival event was set before the fasting, to set a clear division between celebrations and penitence. He also dispatched missionaries to sanctify any excesses in popular Carnival customs. It was also the custom during Carnival that the ruling class would be playfully mocked using masks and disguises.


title: Carnival

text: In the year 743, the synod in Leptines (located near Binche in Belgium) spoke out furiously against the excesses in the month of February. Also from the same period dates the phrase: "Whoever in February by a variety of less honorable acts tries to drive out winter is not a Christian, but a pagan." Confession books from around 800 contain more information about how people would dress as an animal or old woman during the festivities in January and February, even though this was a sin with no small penance. Also in Spain in the seventh century, San Isidoro de Sevilla complained in his writings about people coming out into the streets disguised, in many cases, as the opposite gender.


title: Carnival

text: In the Middle Ages, "Carnival and Lent were both necessary, inevitable episodes in the eternal cycle of the Church year."


title: Carnival

text: While forming an integral part of the Christian calendar, particularly in Catholic regions, many Carnival traditions resemble those antedating Christianity.