title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The 2000 season was a record one, as the Sparks had a 28–4 record, the best in league history, and second only to the 1998 Houston Comets for best all-time. In the playoffs, the Sparks swept the Phoenix Mercury in the first round but lost in the Western Conference Finals again, when they were swept by the Comets. Ultimately, the Sparks were playing in the shadow of the Comets, who won the first four WNBA championships.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The 2000–01 off-season saw a move to the Staples Center and a coaching change, when the Sparks hired former Los Angeles Lakers player Michael Cooper as head coach. During the ensuing regular season, the Sparks again posted a 28–4 record. In the 2001 playoffs, the Sparks finally eliminated the Comets, sweeping them in the first round. The Sparks took all three games to eliminate the Monarchs to earn their first berth in the WNBA Finals, in which they swept the Charlotte Sting, 2–0, for their first league championship.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: In 2002, Leslie became the first woman in the league to dunk the ball during a game, and once again the Sparks dominated the regular season, posting a 25–7 record. The Sparks then flew through the playoffs, sweeping both the Seattle Storm and the Utah Starzz. In the finals, the Sparks were matched against the Liberty, who were still looking for their first championship. A late three-pointer in game 2 by Nikki Teasley gave the Sparks their second consecutive championship.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: In 2003, the Sparks posted a 24–10 record and went into the playoffs looking for a "three-peat". Both the first and the second rounds were forced to deciding third games, as they beat the Minnesota Lynx and Sacramento Monarchs. The Sparks then faced the upstart Detroit Shock in the Finals. The Shock were on a roll after having been the worst team in the WNBA in 2002. The Finals were a battle fueled by the relationship between head coaches Michael Cooper (Sparks) and Bill Laimbeer (Shock) which stemmed from their days in the NBA. The rough road to the finals and the tough play of the Shock wore down the Sparks, who lost the series two games to one and failed to three-peat.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: During the 2003-04 off-season, the Sparks signed two players, Tamika Whitmore and Teresa Weatherspoon, who had played for the New York Liberty. When the season began, the Sparks got off to a great start, but coach Cooper left at mid-season to seek a coaching job in the NBA. The loss of their coach was a factor in the team's so-so finish to the season, which ended with a record of 25–9. During the playoffs, the team lost in three games to the Sacramento Monarchs.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The Sparks never recovered through the 2005 season and finished with a 17–17 record. They barely made the playoffs as the number-four seed. In the first round, the Sparks were outplayed and swept by the eventual champion Monarchs.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: In 2006, the Sparks played much better, posting a 25–9 record. In the playoffs, they defeated the Seattle Storm in three games. However, in the Western Conference finals, the Sparks' season was ended by the Monarchs for the third year in a row.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: After the 2006 season ended, team owner Jerry Buss, who also owned the Lakers, announced he was selling the Sparks. On December 7, 2006, the "Los Angeles Times" reported the sale to an investor group led by Kathy Goodman and Carla Christofferson. Goodman is currently a high school teacher at HighTech-LA in Lake Balboa and was a former executive for Intermedia Films. Christofferson is a litigation attorney for the O’Melveny & Myers law firm and was Miss North Dakota USA in 1989. The day after the sale was announced, team star Lisa Leslie announced that she was pregnant and would not play in the WNBA in the 2007 season.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The loss of Leslie for the year proved devastating, as the Sparks posted a league-worst 10–24 record. The record was also the worst in Sparks history, as the Sparks missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: Before the start of the 2008 season, the team's prospects improved dramatically. Lisa Leslie returned to the team, and on April 9, 2008, the team used its number-one draft pick to select Candace Parker, the college player of the year, the morning after Parker had led the University of Tennessee Lady Vols to their second-straight NCAA championship.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: In 2008, the Sparks posted a 20–14 record and finished third in the Western Conference. Parker had won Rookie of the Year and WNBA MVP, becoming the first player in WNBA history to win both awards in the same season. In the playoffs, the Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 2–1 to reach the Western Conference Finals and compete against the San Antonio Silver Stars. The Sparks were on track to win game 2 of the series, but Silver Star Sophia Young made a turn-around bank-shot with a second left on the clock to force the series to a deciding game three. The Sparks lost game three, and the Silver Stars moved on to the WNBA Finals.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: Following the 2008 season, Parker announced that she was pregnant. To compensate for Parker's absence, the Sparks signed native veteran superstar Tina Thompson (who had previously played for the former rival Houston Comets) and former Finals MVP Betty Lennox in free agency. With the addition of Thompson and Lennox, the Sparks added more championship experience and veteran leadership to their roster to them help them compete for another title.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The 2009 season had started poorly for the Sparks. Parker began the season on maternity leave, and Leslie suffered a knee injury early in the season. Both Leslie and Parker returned to the court in July, however, sparking a 10–2 run which turned an 8–14 start into an 18–16 regular-season record and clinching the Sparks' tenth playoff appearance in their 13-year history. In the first round of the playoffs, the Sparks defeated the Seattle Storm for the third time in four years. In the Western Conference Finals, the Sparks' lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in three games. The end of the 2009 playoff run marked the end of Leslie's career as a player and Cooper's second tenure as Sparks' head coach. In the off-season, former Sparks player Jennifer Gillom became the team's new head coach.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: With the acquisition of former All-Star point guard Ticha Penicheiro and Parker establishing herself as the team's next franchise player, the 2010 Sparks believed they had the pieces to contend for a championship. However, Parker had season-ending shoulder surgery after the team started 3–7. Without her, the Sparks struggled, finishing 13–21, which was good enough to qualify them for fourth place in the Western Conference, but they were swept by the eventual champion Seattle Storm in the first round.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The 2011 season was eerily reminiscent of the previous year for the Sparks. The team started 4–3 but again Parker sustained an injury. Following three more losses, the Sparks fired head coach Gillom, promoting previous Sparks coach Joe Bryant. With Parker out until the end of the season, the Sparks headed into the All-Star break 6–8 and in fifth place. The Sparks finished the season three games out of the playoffs with a 15–19 record. Thompson would become a free agent and sign with the Seattle Storm.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: In the 2012 season, the Sparks significantly improved, making it back to the playoffs since 2010, finishing second in the Western Conference with a 24–10 record. That same year they drafted Rookie of the Year and future MVP Nneka Ogwumike with the number-one pick. However, the Sparks were eliminated 2–0 in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The team was owned by Williams Group Holdings (Paula Madison, majority owner) and Carla Christofferson, Nicholas J H, and Lisa Leslie (minority owners) until January 2014 when it was abruptly announced that WGH would relinquish all control. Paula Madison said that since becoming an owner in 2007, she and her family had lost $12 million, including $1.4 million in 2013. The team was temporarily absorbed by the league, and was then purchased by Sparks LA Sports, a group that included former NBA player Magic Johnson.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The 2014 and 2015 seasons would be disappointing for the Sparks as they had continued to be an underachieving playoff team, getting eliminated in the first round both years by the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx respectively.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: After making the playoffs in 2015, losing in the first round, the Sparks made subtle roster changes and improved the following year. Suddenly showing signs of championship contention, they finished with a 26–8 record and made it to the 2016 WNBA Playoffs. By this time, the Sparks had a "Big Three", consisting of Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver. They earned the number 2 seed in the league and received a double bye to the semi-finals with the WNBA's new playoff format. The Sparks faced off against the Chicago Sky in the semi-finals and defeated the Sky 3 games to 1 to advance to the Finals for the first time since 2003. They faced the number 1 seeded Minnesota Lynx in the finals. They stole game 1 on the road when veteran forward Alana Beard made a game-winning jumper at the buzzer, lifting the team to a 78–76 victory. They lost game 2 79–60, but back in Los Angeles, put themselves one win away from their first title in over a decade with a dominant 92–75 game 3 victory. Even though they expected to clinch a championship on their home floor, they lost game 4 in a disappointing finish of 85–79. Game 5 was truly historic, against all odds, and swarmed with Minnesota fans, the 2016 WNBA MVP, Nneka Ogwumike grabbed an offensive rebound and made the game-winning shot to put the Sparks ahead 77–76 with 3.1 seconds remaining. The Sparks won their first championship since 2002 and their third championship in franchise history. Candace Parker was named the Finals MVP.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: Coming into the 2017 season, the Sparks had some changes made in their roster. Toliver left the Sparks in free agency to join the Washington Mystics, Chelsea Gray became the starting point guard, the Sparks traded for Odyssey Sims, drafted Sydney Wiese and retooled most of their bench, but kept their core intact. The Sparks once again finished as the second best team in the league with a 26–8 record with a double-bye to the semi-finals. The Sparks swept the Phoenix Mercury 3-0 in the semi-finals, advancing to the Finals for the second season in a row, setting up a rematch with the Lynx. In Game 1, Gray made a game-winning jumper with 2 seconds left to give the Sparks a 1-0 series lead. In Game 3, Parker set the Finals record for most steals in a game with 5 steals as the Sparks were up 2–1 in the Finals. With another opportunity to close out the series at home, the Sparks failed to deliver as they lost Game 4 80–69, extending the series to a deciding Game 5. The Sparks would lose Game 5, failing to win back-to-back championships.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: In 2018, the Sparks continued to hold onto their core, but would underperform during the season, this time they would finish as the number 6 seed with a 19–15 record. They would start off their playoff run against the rival championship-defending Minnesota Lynx. They would defeat the Lynx 75–68, advancing to the second round. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks lost 96–64 to the Washington Mystics, ending their run of two consecutive finals appearances.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: After the 2018 season, Brian Agler resigned as the coach of the Sparks. One month later, the Sparks announced that Derek Fisher had been hired as a replacement.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: On June 7, 2022, the Sparks and Fisher parted ways as Head Coach and General Manager after the Sparks started the year off 5-7 after bringing in Liz Cambage. Fisher went 54-46 as head coach during his Sparks tenure.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: The Los Angeles Sparks currently play in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The capacity for a Sparks game is 13,141 because the upper level is closed off (capacity for a Lakers game is 18,997). The Sparks have played in the Crypto.com Arena since 2001. They previously played at The Forum but stayed there for two years after the Lakers departed for Crypto.com Arena until the venue was purchased by a local church.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: Currently, some Sparks games are broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet, a local television channel in the Southern California area, after agreeing to a multi-year broadcast deal with Time Warner Cable in March 2012 which was later acquired by Charter Communications in May 2016. Broadcasters for the Sparks games are Larry Burnett and Lisa Leslie. Previously, Sparks games were found on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket and former analysts have included Derek Fisher and Ann Meyers.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: All games (excluding blackout games, which are available on ESPN3.com) are broadcast to the WNBA LiveAccess game feeds on the league website. Furthermore, some Sparks games are broadcast nationally on ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, CBS Sports Network and ABC. The WNBA has reached an eight-year agreement with ESPN, which will pay right fees to the Sparks, as well as other teams in the league.


title: Los Angeles Sparks

text: Currently, the team's games are not on radio; however, the team did bounce around several stations from 1999 to 2008. The first two years had no broadcasts. Then in 1999, the team signed with KWKU, a sister station to Spanish-language KWKW, licensed to Pomona, California. According to an article in the "Los Angeles Times" published in this period, KWKU had no switchboard and no website. In addition, its 500-watt signal reached only a handful of people in the greater L.A. area and was certainly nowhere near the team's home arenas. In 2003, the team left KWKU for KLAC, which had summer time slots available after the Anaheim Angels' radio broadcasts had just left. That lasted until 2006, when KLAC switched the broadcasts to XETRA, which carried the same format KLAC had before. In 2007, the game broadcasts moved again, this time to KTLK, when XETRA switched its language of broadcasts from English to Spanish. The Sparks and Clear Channel Communications (licensee of the last three stations mentioned) chose not to renew their contract after 2008. Sparks radio broadcasts never covered a complete season; most nationally-televised games and many games from the Eastern time zone were not covered. Burnett was the announcer.


title: Joe Lara

text: William Joseph Lara (October 2, 1962 – May 29, 2021) was an American actor, martial artist, and musician, known for the role of Tarzan in the American TV series "".


title: Joe Lara

text: Lara played Tarzan in the 1989 TV movie "Tarzan in Manhattan" and in the 1996-1997 follow-up TV series "". He also appeared in numerous action films, including "Steel Frontier" and "". He stopped acting after 20 years in 2002 to pursue a career in country music. At the peak of his career, Lara appeared in two action films, "Armstrong" and "Warhead".


title: Joe Lara

text: He married Christian author and pastor Gwen Shamblin on August 18, 2018. He was also the father of one child with Natasha Pavlovich from their previous relationship. He lived in Brentwood, Tennessee.


title: Joe Lara

text: Lara was a certified pilot holding multi-engine commercial and instrument ratings along with a type rating for the Cessna Citation I.


title: Joe Lara

text: On May 29, 2021, Lara died when a Cessna Citation I business jet registered to JL & GL Productions LP crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna. His wife, her son-in-law, and four members of Lara's church also died in the crash. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Reports in the immediate aftermath of the accident indicated that Lara's aviation medical certificate had expired in 2019, but "Aviation International News" and "WSMV-TV" subsequently found that Lara held a valid medical certificate when the crash occurred. While it was initially unclear who was flying the aircraft when it crashed, as another victim was a pilot although he lacked the required type rating to fly the Citation, the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board stated, "The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane." and "The pilot held a type rating for the airplane with no restrictions. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on November 12, 2019, with the limitation that he 'must wear corrective lenses.'". This information along with a "CNN" article on June 15, 2021, stating, "The pilot, who was among the seven killed, had a commercial pilot certificate and a private pilot certificate and had logged 1,680 total flight hours, 83 of those in the plane involved in the crash" has led some reports to conclude the pilot could only have been Lara.


title: Shanti Devi

text: Shanti Devi (12 December 1926 – 27 December 1987), known as Lugdi Devi (18 January 1902 – 4 October 1925) in her alleged past life, was an Indian woman who claimed to remember her previous life, and became the subject of reincarnation research. A commission set up by the Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi supported her claim, while another report by researcher Bal Chand Nahata disputed it. Subsequently, several other researchers interviewed her, and published articles and books about her.


title: Shanti Devi

text: Shanti Devi was born in Delhi, India. As a little girl in the 1930s, she began to claim to remember details of a past life. According to these accounts, when she was about four years old, she told her parents that her real home was in Mathura where her husband lived, about 145 km from her home in Delhi.


title: Shanti Devi

text: Discouraged by her parents, she ran away from home at age six, trying to reach Mathura. Back home, she stated in school that she was married and had died ten days after having given birth to a child. Interviewed by her teacher and headmaster, she used words from the Mathura dialect and divulged the name of her merchant husband, "Kedar Nath". The headmaster located a merchant by that name in Mathura who had lost his wife, Lugdi Devi, nine years earlier, ten days after having given birth to a son. Kedar Nath traveled to Delhi, pretending to be his own brother, but Shanti Devi immediately recognized him and Lugdi Devi's son. As she knew several details of Kedar Nath's life with his wife, he was soon convinced that Shanti Devi was indeed the reincarnation of Lugdi Devi.


title: Shanti Devi

text: The case was brought to the attention of Mahatma Gandhi who set up a commission to investigate. The commission traveled with Shanti Devi to Mathura, arriving on 15 November 1935. There she recognized several family members, including the grandfather of Lugdi Devi. She found out that Kedar Nath had neglected to keep a number of promises he had made to Lugdi Devi on her deathbed. She then traveled home with her parents. The commission's report, published in 1936, concluded that Shanti Devi was indeed the reincarnation of Lugdi Devi.


title: Shanti Devi

text: Two further reports were written at the time. The report by Bal Chand Nahata was published as a Hindi booklet by the name "Punarjanma Ki Paryalochana". In this, he stated that "Whatever material that has come before us, does not warrant us to conclude that Shanti Devi has former life recollections or that this case proves reincarnation". This argument was disputed by Indra Sen, a devotee of Sri Aurobindo, in an article later. A further report, based on interviews conducted in 1936, was published in 1952.


title: Shanti Devi

text: Shanti Devi did not marry. She told her story again at the end of the 1950s, and once more in 1986 when she was interviewed by Ian Stevenson and K.S. Rawat. In this interview she also related her near death experiences when Lugdi Devi died. K.S. Rawat continued his investigations in 1987, and the last interview took place only four days before her death on 27 December 1987.


title: Shanti Devi

text: When Sture Lonnerstrand, a Swedish author and critic, heard about Shanti Devi's claims, he traveled all the way to India from Sweden to expose the case as a “fake”. However, after a detailed investigation, he concluded that Shanti Devi's reincarnation case is the only fully explained and proven case of reincarnation there has been. Lonnerstrand published a book about the case in 1994; the English translation appeared in 1998.


title: Littoral zone

text: The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas that are permanently submerged — known as the "foreshore" — and the terms are often used interchangeably. However, the geographical meaning of "littoral zone" extends well beyond the intertidal zone to include all neritic waters within the bounds of continental shelves.


title: Littoral zone

text: The word "littoral" may be used both as a noun and as an adjective. It derives from the Latin noun "litus, litoris", meaning "shore". (The doubled "t" is a late-medieval innovation, and the word is sometimes seen in the more classical-looking spelling "litoral".)


title: Littoral zone

text: The term has no single definition. What is regarded as the full extent of the littoral zone, and the way the littoral zone is divided into subregions, varies in different contexts. For lakes, the littoral zone is the nearshore habitat where photosynthetically active radiation penetrates to the lake bottom in sufficient quantities to support photosynthesis. The use of the term also varies from one part of the world to another, and between different disciplines. For example, military commanders speak of the littoral in ways that are quite different from the definition used by marine biologists.


title: Littoral zone

text: The adjacency of water gives a number of distinctive characteristics to littoral regions. The erosive power of water results in particular types of landforms, such as sand dunes, and estuaries. The natural movement of the littoral along the coast is called the littoral drift. Biologically, the ready availability of water enables a greater variety of plant and animal life, and particularly the formation of extensive wetlands. In addition, the additional local humidity due to evaporation usually creates a microclimate supporting unique types of organisms.


title: Littoral zone

text: In oceanography and marine biology, the idea of the littoral zone is extended roughly to the edge of the continental shelf. Starting from the shoreline, the littoral zone begins at the spray region just above the high tide mark. From here, it moves to the intertidal region between the high and low water marks, and then out as far as the edge of the continental shelf. These three subregions are called, in order, the supralittoral zone, the eulittoral zone, and the sublittoral zone.


title: Littoral zone

text: The "supralittoral zone" (also called the "splash", "spray" or "supratidal zone") is the area above the spring high tide line that is regularly splashed, but not submerged by ocean water. Seawater penetrates these elevated areas only during storms with high tides. Organisms that live here must cope with exposure to fresh water from rain, cold, heat, dryness and predation by land animals and seabirds. At the top of this area, patches of dark lichens can appear as crusts on rocks. Some types of periwinkles, Neritidae and detritus feeding Isopoda commonly inhabit the lower supralittoral.


title: Littoral zone

text: The "eulittoral zone" (also called the "midlittoral" or "mediolittoral zone") is the "intertidal zone", known also as the "foreshore". It extends from the spring high tide line, which is rarely inundated, to the spring low tide line, which is rarely not inundated. It is alternately exposed and submerged once or twice daily. Organisms living here must be able to withstand the varying conditions of temperature, light, and salinity. Despite this, productivity is high in this zone. The wave action and turbulence of recurring tides shape and reform cliffs, gaps and caves, offering a huge range of habitats for sedentary organisms. Protected rocky shorelines usually show a narrow, almost homogenous, eulittoral strip, often marked by the presence of barnacles. Exposed sites show a wider extension and are often divided into further zones. For more on this, see intertidal ecology.


title: Littoral zone

text: The "sublittoral zone" starts immediately below the eulittoral zone. This zone is permanently covered with seawater and is approximately equivalent to the neritic zone.


title: Littoral zone

text: In physical oceanography, the sublittoral zone refers to coastal regions with significant tidal flows and energy dissipation, including non-linear flows, internal waves, river outflows and oceanic fronts. In practice, this typically extends to the edge of the continental shelf, with depths around 200 meters.


title: Littoral zone

text: In marine biology, the sublittoral zone refers to the areas where sunlight reaches the ocean floor, that is, where the water is never so deep as to take it out of the photic zone. This results in high primary production and makes the sublittoral zone the location of the majority of sea life. As in physical oceanography, this zone typically extends to the edge of the continental shelf. The benthic zone in the sublittoral is much more stable than in the intertidal zone; temperature, water pressure, and the amount of sunlight remain fairly constant. Sublittoral corals do not have to deal with as much change as intertidal corals. Corals can live in both zones, but they are more common in the sublittoral zone.


title: Littoral zone

text: Shallower regions of the sublittoral zone, extending not far from the shore, are sometimes referred to as the subtidal zone.


title: Littoral zone

text: Many vertebrates (e.g., mammals, waterfowl, reptiles) and invertebrates (insects, etc.) use both the littoral zone as well as the terrestrial ecosystem for food and habitat. Biota that are commonly assumed to reside in the pelagic zone often rely heavily on resources from the littoral zone. Littoral areas of ponds and lakes are typically better oxygenated, structurally more complex, and afford more abundant and diverse food resources than do profundal sediments. All these factors lead to a high diversity of insects and very complex trophic interactions.


title: Littoral zone

text: The great lakes of the world represent a global heritage of surface freshwater and aquatic biodiversity. Species lists for 14 of the world’s largest lakes reveal that 15% of the global diversity (the total number of species) of freshwater fishes, 9% of non-insect freshwater invertebrate diversity, and 2% of aquatic insect diversity live in this handful of lakes. The vast majority (more than 93%) of species inhabit the shallow, nearshore littoral zone, and 72% are completely restricted to the littoral zone, even though littoral habitats are a small fraction of total lake areas.


title: Littoral zone

text: Because the littoral zone is important for many recreational and industrial purposes, it is often severely affected by many human activities that increase nutrient loading, spread invasive species, cause acidification and climate change, and produce increased fluctuations in water level. Littoral zones are both more negatively affected by human activity and less intensively studied than offshore waters. Conservation of the remarkable biodiversity and biotic integrity of large lakes will require better integration of littoral zones into our understanding of lake ecosystem functioning and focused efforts to alleviate human impacts along the shoreline.


title: Littoral zone

text: In freshwater situations, the littoral zone is the nearshore habitat where photosynthetically active radiation penetrates to the lake bottom in sufficient quantities to support photosynthesis. Sometimes other definitions are used. For example, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources defines littoral as that portion of the lake that is less than 15 feet in depth. Such fixed-depth definitions often do not accurately represent the true ecological zonation, but are sometimes used because they are simple measurements to make bathymetric maps or when there are no measurements of light penetration. The littoral zone comprises an estimated 78% of Earth's total lake area.


title: Littoral zone

text: The littoral zone may form a narrow or broad fringing wetland, with extensive areas of aquatic plants sorted by their tolerance to different water depths. Typically, four zones are recognized, from higher to lower on the shore: wooded wetland, wet meadow, marsh and aquatic vegetation. The relative areas of these four types depends not only on the profile of the shoreline, but upon past water levels. The area of wet meadow is particularly dependent upon past water levels; in general, the area of wet meadows along lakes and rivers increases with natural water level fluctuations. Many of the animals in lakes and rivers are dependent upon the wetlands of littoral zones, since the rooted plants provide habitat and food. Hence, a large and productive littoral zone is considered an important characteristic of a healthy lake or river.


title: Littoral zone

text: Littoral zones are at particular risk for two reasons. First, human settlement is often attracted to shorelines, and settlement often disrupts breeding habitats for littoral zone species. For example, many turtles are killed on roads when they leave the water to lay their eggs in upland sites. Fish can be negatively affected by docks and retaining walls which remove breeding habitat in shallow water. Some shoreline communities even deliberately try to remove wetlands since they may interfere with activities like swimming. Overall, the presence of human settlement has a demonstrated negative impact upon adjoining wetlands. An equally serious problem is the tendency to stabilize lake or river levels with dams. Dams removed the spring flood, which carries nutrients into littoral zones and reduces the natural fluctuation of water levels upon which many wetland plants and animals depend. Hence, over time, dams can reduce the area of wetland from a broad littoral zone to a narrow band of vegetation. Marshes and wet meadows are at particular risk.


title: Littoral zone

text: For the purposes of naval operations, the US Navy divides the littoral zone in the ways shown on the diagram at the top of this article. The US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Environmental Protection Agency have their own definitions, which have legal implications.


title: Littoral zone

text: The UK Ministry of Defence defines the littoral as "those land areas (and their adjacent areas and associated air space) that are susceptible to engagement and influence from the sea".


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Anne of Green Gables is a 1985 Canadian made-for-television drama film based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and is the first in a series of four films. The film stars Megan Follows in the title role of Anne Shirley and was produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was released theatrically in Iran, Israel, Europe, and Japan.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The film aired on CBC Television as a two-part mini-series on December 1 and December 2, 1985. Both parts of the film were among the highest-rated programs of any genre ever to air on a Canadian television network. On February 17, 1986, the film aired on PBS in the US on the series "WonderWorks". The film achieved high ratings in the United Kingdom when it aired on New Year’s Day 1987.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: 13-year-old orphan Anne Shirley is living in servitude with the cruel Hammond family in Nova Scotia. After Mr. Hammond dies, she is sent back to the orphanage and later learns that she has been adopted by a family in Prince Edward Island. Upon arriving in the small town of Avonlea, she is met at the train station by the elderly Matthew Cuthbert, who is surprised to find her there. Matthew and his sister Marilla had requested a boy to help them on their farm, Green Gables, but Anne was sent by mistake.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Marilla puts Anne "on trial" before deciding whether to keep her or send her back. Shortly thereafter, Anne loses her temper with Marilla's friend and town gossip Rachel Lynde, who criticizes her looks and red hair. She refuses to apologize, preferring to go back to the orphanage, but Matthew convinces her to do so. Rachel accepts the apology and suggests to Marilla that Anne attend a Sunday School picnic so she can meet other children. At the picnic, Anne becomes "bosom" friends with Diana Barry from across the pond. She also meets Gilbert Blythe, who shows an interest in her. At school, Gilbert tries to get her attention by making fun of her red hair and calling her "Carrots", and she angrily smashes a slate over his head. She vows never to forgive him and tries to salvage her wounded pride by dying her hair black, but it instead turns green. After finding out what happened, Marilla decides that Anne will stay at Green Gables.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Anne invites Diana to a tea party, where she accidentally serves currant wine instead of raspberry cordial and gets Diana drunk. Mrs. Barry thinks it was intentional and forbids the girls from seeing each other again. Meanwhile, Miss Muriel Stacey becomes the new Avonlea schoolteacher. She wants Anne to join a special class for students who plan to take the entrance exam for Queen's Academy in Charlottetown.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: While Marilla is away, Diana arrives in a panic and tells Anne and Matthew that her little sister Minnie May is sick with croup. Anne treats the girl with ipecac and saves her life. Mrs. Barry is grateful and invites Anne to a Christmas ball in Carmody overnight. Anne sees Gilbert at the dance but is not willing to befriend him. She also meets Josephine Barry, who invites her and Diana to visit her mansion in Charlottetown, where Anne takes the Queen's entrance exam.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Back in Avonlea, Anne and her friends recreate Alfred Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott", with Anne playing the role of Elaine the Lily Maid. While floating down the river, her boat springs a leak and sinks, leaving her helplessly clinging to a bridge. Gilbert comes rowing by and rescues her, then tells her they have tied for first place on the exam. He also asks her to forgive him for what he said before and insists he wants to be her friend, but Anne is still hesitant.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Anne heads to Charlottetown to continue her education at Queen's and obtain a teacher's license. She finds out that the graduate who receives the highest mark in English literature wins the Avery scholarship, $250 for four years, which she plans to use to get an arts degree at Redmond College. When the results come in, she is the winner of the scholarship. Returning to Avonlea, she finds out that Gilbert's father cannot afford to send him to college, so he will be teaching at the Avonlea school to earn his way. After Matthew dies, Marilla considers selling Green Gables since her eyesight is failing and she may go blind. However, Anne reveals that she has declined the scholarship. Instead of going to Redmond, she will study by correspondence while teaching school in Carmody. Marilla reveals that Gilbert's father was an old beau with whom she quarreled, and she wishes she had forgiven him when she had the chance. Later, Gilbert explains that he asked the trustees to let Anne have the Avonlea school and give Carmody to him, so Anne can stay at Green Gables and help Marilla. He will also be taking courses by correspondence and asks for Anne's help in studying. The two friends make up for good and Gilbert walks Anne home.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Kevin Sullivan adapted the novel into his own screenplay, collaborating with industry veteran Joe Wiesenfeld. Sullivan developed a co-production between the CBC and PBS in order to film "Anne of Green Gables". Sullivan amalgamated many of Montgomery's episodes into the film's plot. While the film diverged from Montgomery's original, he relied on strong characterizations and visuals in order to render the story for a contemporary audience. The script also borrows ideas from the 1934 film version.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Primary locations for filming the movie included Prince Edward Island; Stouffville, Ontario; Jacksons Point, Ontario; and Westfield Heritage Village near the Flamborough village of Rockton. Filming was done over a consecutive ten-week shoot. Sullivan used several locations as Green Gables farm and combined them to appear as one property.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The original film and sequels (including "Road to Avonlea" and the animated Anne films and series covering over 130 hours of production) have been seen in almost every country around the world. The films have now been translated and seen in more places than even the original novels.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: During filming of the original movies an open casting call was held throughout Canada in order to find a young actress to play Anne Shirley. Katharine Hepburn recommended that her great niece, Schuyler Grant, play the role of Anne Shirley. Director Kevin Sullivan liked Grant's performance and wanted to give her the role. However, broadcast executives were resistant to cast an American as a Canadian icon. Schuyler Grant ended up playing Anne's best friend, Diana, and Anne Shirley was ultimately played by Megan Follows.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: In her first audition, Megan Follows came highly recommended, but she was quickly dismissed by Kevin Sullivan. For her second audition, after a turbulent morning leading up to her audition, a frantic Megan made a much better impression and was given the role.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: In 1987, "" (also called "Anne of Avonlea") was released. The sequel is a conglomeration of "Anne of Avonlea", "Anne of the Island", and "Anne of Windy Poplars". The third movie, "", was aired on March 5, 2000 in Canada and on July 23, 2000 in the United States. Due to the spin-off television series "Road to Avonlea" creating a different timeline from the books, "The Continuing Story" passed over "Anne's House of Dreams" – the corresponding Anne novel – in favor of an original story not featured in Montgomery's series. In 2008, the fourth in the series, "" was completed. Both a sequel and a prequel, the film starred Barbara Hershey (replacing Megan Follows), Shirley MacLaine, and Rachel Blanchard, and introduced Hannah Endicott-Douglas as young Anne Shirley.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The first two "Anne" films generated the spin-off television series "Road to Avonlea" (1990-1996), starring Sarah Polley. The show explored the lives of residents in the town of Avonlea, drawing inspiration from Montgomery's work beyond the "Anne" books. The main characters and early episodes were inspired by "The Story Girl" and "The Golden Road", with many other episodes based on short stories from "Chronicles of Avonlea" and "Further Chronicles of Avonlea". Anne did not appear, but other characters, including Gilbert, Marilla, Rachel Lynde, and Miss Stacy, played supporting parts with the same actors reprising their roles. Jackie Burroughs, Cedric Smith, and Mag Ruffman returned as main cast members, but in different roles than the original films.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: In 1998, the reunion television special "An Avonlea Christmas" aired, set in Avonlea during World War I.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: From 2000 until 2001, Sullivan Animation produced "" consisting of 26 half-hour episodes. The series was developed for PBS and each episode contained an educational and/or moral component. In 2005, Sullivan Animation also produced the feature-length animated film Anne: Journey to Green Gables which is an imaginative, whimsical prequel to Sullivan's live action Anne of Green Gables film.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: A year after the mini-series originally aired, Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster created and starred in a parody entitled "Sam of Green Gables," in which a curmudgeonly old man named Sam is sent to Green Gables instead of Anne.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The film was also nominated for "Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series" and "Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The "Anne of Green Gables" series was released on DVD in a collector's edition set on February 5, 2008 in the US, April 29, 2008 in Canada and Japan and on September 22, 2010 in Hungary. The set is the most comprehensive edition of all three movies ever released. In addition to the series, it also includes several DVD extras such as feature length commentary from director Kevin Sullivan and Stefan Scaini, 2 New Documentaries: L.M. Montgomery's Island and Kevin Sullivan's Classic featuring new cast and crew interviews, missing scenes, lost footage and a condensed, 10-minute version of the missing "Road to Avonlea" episode "Marilla Cuthbert's Death".


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: In 2016, Sullivan Entertainment announced it would launch their own streaming service called "Gazebo TV" that would feature the "Anne of Green Gables" series among other titles produced by the company. The service launched in early 2017.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: In 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery signed a contract with the L.C. Page & Company publishing house in Boston that permitted them to publish all of her books for 5 years on the same terms: the main terms were a 10% royalty and world rights to all of the author's books; plus it also included the right to publish all of her future works. The relationship with Pageant actually spanned nearly ten years and resulted in the publication of nine novels and collections of short stories. However, when Montgomery contracted with a Canadian publisher (McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart), L.C. Page claimed that they had the exclusive rights to her new books and threatened to sue her. Montgomery instead took L.C. Page to court to recover withheld royalties.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The lawsuit resulted in a settlement in 1919 whereby L.C. Page bought out all of Montgomery's rights to all of her novels published by them. The settlement excluded any reversionary rights that might become due for the benefit of either her or her heirs if such rights were to become enacted. The settlement paid Montgomery a flat sum of $18,000; at the time an amount she would have expected to see earned from her works during her lifetime.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Sullivan purchased dramatic rights from Montgomery's heirs in 1984, believing that they owned reversionary rights that had come into place as a result of changes to the copyright act subsequent to Montgomery's death.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: After Sullivan's films were successful around the world and brought legions of tourists to Prince Edward Island, the Montgomery heirs established an Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority with the Province of Prince Edward Island to control trademarks to preserve Montgomery's works, through the mechanism of official trademarks. The heirs and the AGGLA became successful at asserting control over the booming Anne-themed tourist industry that the province enjoyed, because of the lack of clarity about the different protections afforded by copyright, trademark and official marks in Canada.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: AGGLA and the heirs tried to assert control over trademarks Sullivan had established to their various Anne movies ("Anne of Green Gables", "Anne of Avonlea", "Anne of Green Gables—the Continuing Story") and "Road to Avonlea" properties both in Canada, the US and Japan.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: A Japanese court then determined that the heirs were not entitled to the reversionary rights that they claimed they had sold to Sullivan and that the AGGLA was set up for pursuing private interests and not for serving public interests such as maintaining or managing the value, fame or reputation of the literary work, the author or even the main character of Anne. The Court determined that the AGGLA was the heirs' private profit-seeking enterprise as far as its activities were concerned.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Sullivan and the heirs came into further conflict during the 1990s. Sullivan was sued by the heirs. Their contractual agreement with Sullivan said that he would pay them a flat $425,000 (CAD) fee for the right to adapt the first book (and another $100,000 to do the second movie, "Anne of Avonlea"), plus 10% of the profits of Anne 1 and 5% of the profits of Anne 2. The contract also gave them the right to examine Sullivan Entertainment's financial records. However, when Sullivan claimed that neither of the movies had earned a net profit and (the heirs assert) refused to allow them to audit his books, they served a claim against him. Sullivan argued that the heirs and the AGGLA had enjoined the films by usurping the Sullivan trademarks and drastically reduced the profitability of the ventures.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The heirs staged a press conference in 1998 at exactly the time when Sullivan was about to close a public offering to take his company public, to force Sullivan to pay them further receipts. The offering however was pulled by the underwriters and Sullivan counter-sued for libel, insisting that the heirs should pay damages of $55 million to all parties involved.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The Montgomery heirs subsequently dropped their claim for Sullivan to pay them any royalties. However, a settlement between Sullivan, the Montgomery heirs and the AGGLA was reached in 2006 to deal with all of their outstanding disagreements.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Although Kevin Sullivan's works were initially based upon the works of Montgomery, Sullivan developed most of his successful Anne-related film properties ("Anne of Avonlea", "Anne -the Continuing Story", "Anne – A New Beginning" and "Road to Avonlea") based on original material, not directly adapted from Montgomery's books. Many questions have been raised in court as to the author's heirs' rights in her copyright. The heirs have tried to extend the copyright in Montgomery's unpublished works until 2017 but lost that opportunity in 2004 when the Canadian Parliament rejected the provision they had pursued so ardently for the unpublished works of dead authors.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: In a Japanese court decision which addressed the heirs' challenge to the validity of Sullivan's ownership of Japanese trademark's in the movie property, the Japanese High Court commented on the heirs' entitlement to reversionary copyright which formed the basis of the rights that the family claimed to have sold to Sullivan. The Court stated that the heirs' reversionary copyright was non-existent and that there was no need for Sullivan or any other entity to account to the heirs for the use of the trademark in Japan.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The Court stated: "It is not clear from a legal point of view why permission from the heirs of the author or its related entity the Anne of Green Gables Licensing (AGGLA) authority was necessary."


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The Japanese Court also extensively scrutinized whether the copyright in the book "Anne of Green Gables" had ever devolved to the heirs and called for extensive filing of evidence on this point. Sullivan filed an original 1919 agreement between Montgomery and L.C. Page & Co. which specifically excluded the heirs' reversionary claims. Montgomery sold all of her publishing and copyright to her series of novels, in perpetuity, to her original American publisher in 1919, to the exclusion of her heirs.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The Court further questioned whether the heirs' licensing authority was engaged in activities of sufficient public interest as to qualify as a controlling body of Montgomery's works. The Court stated: "...the possibility cannot be denied that the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority is the heirs' private profit-seeking enterprise as far as the activities with which the heirs of the subject case are involved are concerned. It is not proved from the evidence submitted in the subject case that the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority is involved in activities of public interest that are sufficient for the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority to be qualified as the owner of the registration of the subject mark as a controlling body of the subject literary work."


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: After recent speculation as to who owned the copyrights and trademarks concerning "Anne of Green Gables" today, there are principally two entities that control rights relating to "Anne of Green Gables". The Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority (AGGLA – which includes Lucy Maud Montgomery's heirs and the Province of Prince Edward Island) and Sullivan Entertainment (the producers of the well-known films and TV series based on Montgomery's novels).


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: The Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority controls certain exclusive trademarks relating to "Anne of Green Gables" commercial merchandise and service related to Montgomery's literary works and any copyright in the Montgomery books which have not reverted to the public domain.


title: Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)

text: Sullivan Entertainment Inc, under agreement with the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority, retains all of the dramatic copyright and motion picture copyright in over 125 hours of their original movies, mini-series and television series based on both the Anne and Avonlea series of novels and certain trade-marks relating to Sullivan sourced "Anne of Green Gables" merchandise and services. Sullivan's use of the "Anne of Green Gables" trademarks extends from motion picture products and books, DVDs, CDs etc. to all commercial merchandise related to Sullivan's films and television series based on their visual images, costume and production designs, settings, themes and original characters. Sullivan Entertainment also solely controls the commercial trademarks to "Anne of Avonlea", "Anne of the Island", and "Road to Avonlea".


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as gonococcus (singular), or gonococci (plural), is a species of Gram-negative diplococci bacteria isolated by Albert Neisser in 1879. It causes the sexually transmitted genitourinary infection gonorrhea as well as other forms of gonococcal disease including disseminated gonococcemia, septic arthritis, and gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: It is oxidase positive and aerobic, and it survives phagocytosis and grows inside neutrophils. Culturing it requires carbon dioxide supplementation and enriched agar (chocolate agar) with various antibiotics (Thayer–Martin). It exhibits antigenic variation through genetic recombination of its pili and surface proteins that interact with the immune system.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Sexual transmission is through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Sexual transmission may be prevented through the use of barrier protection. Perinatal transmission may occur during childbirth, and may be prevented by antibiotic treatment of the mother before birth and the application of antibiotic eye gel on the eyes of the newborn. After an episode of gonococcal infection, infected persons do not develop immunity to future infections. Reinfection is possible due to "N. gonorrhoeae's" ability to evade the immune system by varying its surface proteins.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: "N. gonorrhoeae" can cause infection of the genitals, throat, and eyes. Asymptomatic infection is common in males and females. Untreated infection may spread to the rest of the body (disseminated gonorrhea infection), especially the joints (septic arthritis). Untreated infection in women may cause pelvic inflammatory disease and possible infertility due to the resulting scarring. Diagnosis is through culture, Gram stain, or nucleic acid tests, such as polymerase chain reaction, of a urine sample, urethral swab, or cervical swab. Chlamydia co-testing and testing for other STIs is recommended due to high rates of co-infection.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: "Neisseria" species are fastidious, Gram-negative cocci that require nutrient supplementation to grow in laboratory cultures. "Neisseria" spp. are facultatively intracellular and typically appear in pairs (diplococci), resembling the shape of coffee beans. "Neisseria" is non-spore-forming, capable of moving using twitching motility, and an obligate aerobe (requires oxygen to grow). Of the 11 species of "Neisseria" that colonize humans, only two are pathogens. "N. gonorrhoeae" is the causative agent of gonorrhea and "N. meningitidis" is one cause of bacterial meningitis.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: "N. gonorrhoeae" is usually isolated on Thayer–Martin agar (or VPN) agar in an atmosphere enriched with 3-7% carbon dioxide. Thayer–Martin agar is a chocolate agar plate (heated blood agar) containing nutrients and antimicrobials (vancomycin, colistin, nystatin, and trimethoprim). This agar preparation facilitates the growth of "Neisseria" species while inhibiting the growth of contaminating bacteria and fungi. Martin Lewis and New York City agar are other types of selective chocolate agar commonly used for "Neisseria" growth. "N. gonorrhoeae" is oxidase positive (possessing cytochrome c oxidase) and catalase positive (able to convert hydrogen peroxide to oxygen). When incubated with the carbohydrates lactose, maltose, sucrose, and glucose, "N. gonorrhoeae" will oxidize only the glucose.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: On its surface, "N. gonorrhoeae" bears hair-like pili, surface proteins with various functions, and sugars called lipooligosaccharides. The pili mediate adherence, movement, and DNA exchange. The Opa proteins interact with the immune system, as do the porins. Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is an endotoxin that provokes an immune response. All are antigenic and all exhibit antigenic variation (see below). The pili exhibit the most variation. The pili, Opa proteins, porins, and even the LOS have mechanisms to inhibit the immune response, making asymptomatic infection possible.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Dynamic polymeric protein filaments called type IV pili allow "N. gonorrhoeae" to adhere to and move along surfaces. To enter the host the bacteria uses the pili to adhere to and penetrate mucosal surfaces. The pili are a necessary virulence factor for "N. gonorrhoeae"; without them, the bacterium is unable to cause infection. To move, individual bacteria use their pili like a grappling hook: first, they are extended from the cell surface and attach to a substrate. Subsequent pilus retraction drags the cell forward. The resulting movement is referred to as twitching motility. "N. gonorrhoeae" is able to pull 100,000 times its own weight, and the pili used to do so are amongst the strongest biological motors known to date, exerting one nanonewton. The PilF and PilT ATPase proteins are responsible for powering the extension and retraction of the type IV pilus, respectively. The adhesive functions of the gonococcal pilus play a role in microcolony aggregation and biofilm formation.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Surface proteins called Opa proteins can be used to bind to receptors on immune cells and prevent an immune response. At least 12 Opa proteins are known and the many permutations of surface proteins make recognizing "N. gonorrhoeae" and mounting a defense by immune cells more difficult.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is a low-weight version of lipopolysaccharide present on the surfaces of most other Gram-negative bacteria. It is a sugar (saccharide) side chain attached to lipid A (thus "lipo-") in the outer membrane coating the cell wall of the bacteria. The root "oligo" refers to the fact that it is a few sugars shorter than the typical lipopolysaccharide. As an endotoxin, LOS provokes inflammation. The shedding of LOS by the bacteria is responsible for local injury in, for example, pelvic inflammatory disease. Although its main function is as an endotoxin, LOS may disguise itself with host sialic acid and block initiation of the complement cascade.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: "N. gonorrhoeae" evades the immune system through a process called antigenic variation. This process allows "N. gonorrhoeae" to recombine its genes and alter the antigenic determinants (sites where antibodies bind), such as the Type IV pili, that adorn its surface. Simply stated, the chemical composition of molecules is changed due to changes at the genetic level. "N. gonorrhoeae" is able to vary the composition of its pili, and LOS; of these, the pili exhibit the most antigenic variation due to chromosomal rearrangement. The "PilS" gene is an example of this ability to rearrange as its combination with the "PilE" gene is estimated to produce over 100 variants of "the" PilE protein. These changes allow for adjustment to the differences in the local environment at the site of infection, evasion of recognition by targeted antibodies, and contribute to the lack of an effective vaccine.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: In addition to the ability to rearrange the genes it already has, it is also naturally competent to acquire new DNA (via plasmids), via its type IV pilus, specifically proteins Pil Q and Pil T. These processes allow "N. gonorrhoeae" to acquire/spread new genes, disguise itself with different surface proteins, and prevent the development of immunological memory – an ability which has led to antibiotic resistance and has also impeded vaccine development.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Phase variation is similar to antigenic variation, but instead of changes at the genetic level altering the composition of molecules, these genetic changes result in the turning on or off of a gene. Phase variation most often arises from a frameshift in the expressed gene. The Opacity, or Opa, proteins of "N. gonorrhoeae" rely strictly on phase variation. Every time the bacteria replicate, they may switch multiple Opa proteins on or off through slipped-strand mispairing. That is, the bacteria introduce frameshift mutations that bring genes in or out of frame. The result is that different Opa genes are translated every time. Pili are varied by antigenic variation, but also phase variation. Frameshifts occur in both the "pilE" and "pilC" genes, effectively turning off the expression of pili in situations when they are not needed, such as after colonization when "N. gonorrhoeae" survives within cells as opposed to on their surfaces.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: After gonococci invade and transcytose the host epithelial cells, they land in the submucosa, where neutrophils promptly consume them. The pili and Opa proteins on the surface may interfere with phagocytosis, but most gonococci end up in neutrophils. The exudates from infected individuals contain many neutrophils with ingested gonococci. Neutrophils release an oxidative burst of reactive oxygen species in their phagosomes to kill the gonococci. However, a significant fraction of the gonococci can resist killing through the action of their catalase which breaks down reactive oxygen species and is able to reproduce within the neutrophil phagosomes.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Stohl and Seifert showed that the bacterial RecA protein, which mediates repair of DNA damage, plays an important role in gonococcal survival. Michod et al. have suggested that "N. gonorrhoeae" may replace DNA damaged in neutrophil phagosomes with DNA from neighboring gonococci. The process in which recipient gonococci integrate DNA from neighboring gonococci into their genome is called transformation.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: The genomes of several strains of "N". "gonorrhoeae "have been sequenced. Most of them are about 2.1 Mb in size and encode 2,100 to 2,600 proteins (although most seem to be in the lower range). For instance, strain NCCP11945 consists of one circular chromosome (2,232,025 bp) encoding 2,662 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) and one plasmid (4,153 bp) encoding 12 predicted ORFs. The estimated coding density over the entire genome is 87%, and the average G+C content is 52.4%, values that are similar to those of strain FA1090. The NCCP11945 genome encodes 54 tRNAs and four copies of 16S-23S-5S rRNA operons.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: In 2011, researchers at Northwestern University found evidence of a human DNA fragment in a "N. gonorrhoeae" genome, the first example of horizontal gene transfer from humans to a bacterial pathogen.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Symptoms of infection with "N. gonorrhoeae" differ depending on the site of infection and many infections are asymptomatic independent of sex. In symptomatic men, the primary symptom of genitourinary infection is urethritis – burning with urination (dysuria), increased urge to urinate, and a pus-like (purulent) discharge from the penis. The discharge may be foul smelling. If untreated, scarring of the urethra may result in difficulty urinating. Infection may spread from the urethra in the penis to nearby structures, including the testicles (epididymitis/orchitis), or to the prostate (prostatitis). Men who have had a gonorrhea infection have a significantly increased risk of having prostate cancer. In symptomatic women, the primary symptoms of genitourinary infection are increased vaginal discharge, burning with urination (dysuria), increased urge to urinate, pain with intercourse, or menstrual abnormalities. Pelvic inflammatory disease results if "N. gonorrhoeae" ascends into the pelvic peritoneum (via the cervix, endometrium, and fallopian tubes). The resulting inflammation and scarring of the fallopian tubes can lead to infertility and increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. Pelvic inflammatory disease develops in 10 to 20% of the females infected with "N. gonorrhoeae". It is important to note that depending on the route of transmission, "N. gonorrhoeae" may cause infection of the throat (pharyngitis) or infection of the anus/rectum (proctitis).


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: In perinatal infection, the primary manifestation is infection of the eye (neonatal conjunctivitis or ophthalmia neonatorum) when the newborn is exposed to "N. gonorrhoeae" in the birth canal. The eye infection can lead to corneal scarring or perforation, ultimately resulting in blindness. If the newborn is exposed during birth, conjunctivitis occurs within 2–5 days after birth and is severe. Gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum, once common in newborns, is prevented by the application of erythromycin (antibiotic) gel to the eyes of babies at birth as a public health measure. Silver nitrate is no longer used in the United States.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Disseminated gonococcal infections can occur when "N. gonorrhoeae" enters the bloodstream, often spreading to the joints and causing a rash (dermatitis-arthritis syndrome). Dermatitis-arthritis syndrome results in joint pain (arthritis), tendon inflammation (tenosynovitis), and painless non-pruritic (non-itchy) dermatitis. Disseminated infection and pelvic inflammatory disease in women tend to begin after menses due to reflux during menses, facilitating spread. In rare cases, disseminated infection may cause infection of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) or infection of the heart valves (endocarditis).


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: "N. gonorrhoeae" is transmitted through vaginal, oral, or anal sex; nonsexual transmission is unlikely in adult infection. It can also be transmitted to the newborn during passage through the birth canal if the mother has untreated genitourinary infection. Given the high rate of asymptomatic infection, all pregnant women should be tested for gonorrhea infection. However, communal baths, towels or fabric, rectal thermometers and caregivers hands have been implicated as means of transmission in the pediatric setting. Kissing has also been implicated as a theoretical means of transmission in the gay male population, based on a newer study.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Traditionally, the bacterium was thought to move attached to spermatozoa, but this hypothesis did not explain female to male transmission of the disease. A recent study suggests that rather than "surf" on wiggling sperm, "N. gonorrhoeae" bacteria use pili to anchor onto proteins in the sperm and move through coital liquid.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: For "N. gonorrhoeae", the first step after successful transmission is adherence to the epithelial cells found at the mucosal site that is infected. The bacterium relies on type IV pili that attach and retract, pulling "N. gonorrhoeae" toward the epithelial membrane where its surface proteins, such as opacity proteins, can interact directly. After adherence, "N. gonorrhoeae" replicates itself and forms microcolonies. While colonizing, "N. gonorrhoeae" has the potential to transcytose across the epithelial barrier and work its way in to the bloodstream. During growth and colonization, "N. gonorrhoeae" stimulates the release of cytokines and chemokines from host immune cells that are pro-inflammatory. These pro-inflammatory molecules result in the recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils. These phagocytic cells typically take in foreign pathogens and destroy them, but "N. gonorrhoeae" has evolved many mechanisms that allow it to survive within these immune cells and thwart the attempts at elimination.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Transmission is reduced by using latex barriers (e.g. condoms or dental dams) during sex and by limiting sexual partners. Condoms and dental dams should be used during oral and anal sex, as well. Spermicides, vaginal foams, and douches are not effective for prevention of transmission.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: The current treatment recommended by the CDC is an injected single dose of ceftriaxone (a third-generation cephalosporin). Sexual partners (defined by the CDC as sexual contact within the past 60 days) should also be notified, tested, and treated. It is important that if symptoms persist after receiving treatment of "N. gonorrhoeae" infection, a reevaluation should be pursued.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Antibiotic resistance in gonorrhea has been noted beginning in the 1940s. Gonorrhea was treated with penicillin, but doses had to be progressively increased to remain effective. By the 1970s, penicillin- and tetracycline-resistant gonorrhea emerged in the Pacific Basin. These resistant strains then spread to Hawaii, California, the rest of the United States, Australia and Europe. Fluoroquinolones were the next line of defense, but soon resistance to this antibiotic emerged, as well. Since 2007, standard treatment has been third-generation cephalosporins, such as ceftriaxone, which are considered to be our "last line of defense".


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: Recently, a high-level ceftriaxone-resistant strain of gonorrhea called H041 was discovered in Japan. Lab tests found it to be resistant to high concentrations of ceftriaxone, as well as most of the other antibiotics tested. Within "N. gonorrhoeae", genes exist that confer resistance to every single antibiotic used to cure gonorrhea, but thus far they do not coexist within a single gonococcus. However, because of "N. gonorrhoeae"s high affinity for horizontal gene transfer, antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is seen as an emerging public health threat.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: As a Gram negative bacteria, "N. gonorrhoeae" requires defense mechanisms to protect itself against the complement system (or complement cascade), whose components are found with human serum. There are three different pathways that activate this system however, they all result in the activation of complement protein 3 (C3). A cleaved portion of this protein, C3b, is deposited on pathogenic surfaces and results in opsonization as well as the downstream activation of the membrane attack complex. "N. gonorrhoeae" has several mechanisms to avoid this action. As a whole, these mechanisms are referred to as serum resistance.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: "Neisseria gonorrhoeae" is named for Albert Neisser, who isolated it as the causative agent of the disease gonorrhea in 1878. Galen (130 AD) coined the term "gonorrhea" from the Greek "gonos" which means "seed" and "rhoe" which means "flow". Thus, gonorrhea means "flow of seed", a description referring to the white penile discharge, assumed to be semen, seen in male infection.


title: Neisseria gonorrhoeae

text: In 1878, Albert Neisser isolated and visualized "N. gonorrhoeae" diplococci in samples of pus from 35 men and women with the classic symptoms of genitourinary infection with gonorrhea – two of whom also had infections of the eyes. In 1882, Leistikow and Loeffler were able to grow the organism in culture. Then in 1883, Max Bockhart proved conclusively that the bacterium isolated by Albert Neisser was the causative agent of the disease known as gonorrhea by inoculating the penis of a healthy man with the bacteria. The man developed the classic symptoms of gonorrhea days after, satisfying the last of Koch's postulates. Until this point, researchers debated whether syphilis and gonorrhea were manifestations of the same disease or two distinct entities. One such 18th-century researcher, John Hunter, tried to settle the debate in 1767 by inoculating a man with pus taken from a patient with gonorrhea. He erroneously concluded that both syphilis and gonorrhea were indeed the same disease when the man developed the copper-colored rash that is classic for syphilis. Although many sources repeat that Hunter inoculated himself, others have argued that it was in fact another man. After Hunter's experiment other scientists sought to disprove his conclusions by inoculating other male physicians, medical students, and incarcerated men with gonorrheal pus, who all developed the burning and discharge of gonorrhea. One researcher, Ricord, took the initiative to perform 667 inoculations of gonorrheal pus on patients of a mental hospital, with zero cases of syphilis. Notably, the advent of penicillin in the 1940s made effective treatments for gonorrhea available.


title: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

text: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś (pron. ; born 12 May 1983) is a Mexican-born Polish actress and singer, who has appeared in films including "Trade", "Ondine" and "Pan Tadeusz".


title: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

text: Bachleda-Curuś was born in Tampico, Mexico. She is the daughter of Lidia and Tadeusz Bachleda-Curuś, a geologist who was working in Mexico at that time. Her uncle, Adam Bachleda-Curuś, is the former mayor of Zakopane, Poland.


title: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

text: While growing up in Poland, Bachleda studied at the Elzbieta Armatys' Theater, Music and Dance Studio. She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City.


title: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

text: At age 15, Bachleda landed a lead role in the 1999 film "Pan Tadeusz", directed by Academy Award-winning Polish director Andrzej Wajda. Four years later, she won a role in Polish soap opera "Na dobre i na złe". Bachleda then began crossing over into mainstream films outside Poland, appearing in the German film "Sommersturm," a coming of age story, in 2004. Bachleda-Curuś returned to Mexico to film the 2007 thriller "Trade", starring Kevin Kline, an unflinching look at the world of human trafficking. Bachleda then returned to Europe to play a Jewish girl in the historical drama "Der geköpfte Hahn", which took place during World War II in Transylvania, Romania. Her next film was 2009's "Ondine", a film about an Irish fisherman who thinks he catches a selkie, a mythological seal/human.


title: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

text: In 2012 Bachleda-Curuś starred as Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Poland in "September Eleven 1683", and appeared in a lead role in "The Girl Is in Trouble".


title: Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

text: On 7 October 2009 in Los Angeles, Bachleda-Curuś gave birth to Henry Tadeusz Farrell, her son with Irish actor Colin Farrell. Henry was baptized on 29 December 2009 in the Roman Catholic Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kraków. It was reported on 15 October 2010 that Farrell and Bachleda-Curuś had separated.


title: Xena

text: Xena is a fictional character from Robert Tapert's "" franchise. Co-created by Tapert and John Schulian, she first appeared in the 1995–1999 television series "", before going on to appear in "Xena: Warrior Princess" TV show and of the same name. The Warrior Princess has also appeared in the spin-off animated film "", as well as numerous non-canon expanded universe material, such as and . Xena was played by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless.


title: Xena

text: Xena is the protagonist of the story, and the series depicts her on a quest to redeem herself from her dark past by using her formidable fighting skills to help people. Xena was raised as the daughter of Cyrene and Atrius in Amphipolis, though the episode "The Furies" raised the possibility that Ares might be Xena's biological father, but it is never pursued further. She had two brothers, the younger of whom is dead; she visits his grave to speak with him in "Sins of the Past". In "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," during her two first episodes, Xena was a villain, but in the third episode she appears in, she joins Hercules to defeat Darphus, who had taken her army. Aware that the character of Xena had been very successful with the public in the three "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" episodes, the producers of the series decided to create a spin-off series based on her adventures. Later in "Xena: Warrior Princess" she is joined by Gabrielle, a small town bard. Together they go up against ruthless warlords and gods in the ancient mythological world.


title: Xena

text: The character , introduced in the first episode, becomes Xena's greatest ally, best friend, and soulmate. Gabrielle came from a small village in Greece called Potidaea. She craved to escape from the boring and dull village. She latched onto Xena in episode 1 as a way of leaving the village, to travel on adventures. Her initial naïveté for the first 3 seasons and her talkative nature helped to balance Xena's pessimistic mentality. While Xena's character to an extent alters subtly through the series, Gabrielle's character goes through substantial development and change especially in seasons 3 and 4. Through their friendship/relationship Xena recognizes the value of the "greater good" and the sacrifices that must be made to accomplish it (a central theme in the series in later seasons).


title: Xena

text: Xena was developed in 1995 by John Schulian as a secondary character for "", although Lawless had already appeared as the character Lyla on the episode "As Darkness Falls", on 20 February 1995. Xena was originally conceived to die at the end of the third episode, "Unchained Heart", but when the studio decided they wanted to do a spin-off from "Hercules", the producer Robert Tapert said that Xena was the best choice, since she was largely well received by television critics and fans and had a full story to be explored. The studio wanted to do something about "Jason and the Argonauts", but Tapert said that show would have too much of the same feel as Hercules.


title: Xena

text: The original choice to play Xena was the British actress Vanessa Angel, but she fell ill and was unable to make it to the set. Ultimately the role was given to Lawless as she was already a resident of New Zealand. Lawless had several mishaps playing the character due to the stunts (some of which she performed herself), such as getting cut by swords, being struck in the head, and horse-related incidents. In 1996, while rehearsing a sketch for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," she broke her hip when she was thrown clear from her horse. As a result, several episodes of season two had to be edited to accommodate her recovery, and some of them were changed so Lawless could have a very slight appearance, and the crew created some brand new episodes.


title: Xena

text: Bruce Campbell, Rose McIver, Hudson Leick, and Ted Raimi also portrayed Xena in various episodes of the series as a result of "body-swap" plotlines.


title: Xena

text: Xena originally appears as a villain in the "Hercules" episode ""; about ten years into her career of pillaging and marauding, Xena meets Hercules. Initially, she sets out to kill him. In "", her army turns against her, believing that she has become weak after she stops her lieutenant, Darphus, from killing a child in a sacked village. Xena runs a gauntlet, and survives, becoming the only person ever to survive the gauntlet. She then fights Hercules, in the hope that she will regain her army if she can bring back his head. Xena seems to be getting the upper hand until Hercules' cousin intervenes, making no real difference himself but inadvertently giving Hercules his sword, which allows him to fight Xena on equal ground and defeat her. However, Hercules refuses to kill Xena, telling her, ""Killing isn't the only way of proving you're a warrior"". Touched and inspired by Hercules' integrity, and by the fact that he too suffered the loss of blood kin as she did and yet chooses to fight in honor of them, she decides to join him and defeat her old army.


title: Xena

text: In "Unchained Heart", Hercules tells Xena that there is goodness in her heart, and the two of them share a brief romantic relationship, before Xena decides to leave and start making amends for her past.


title: Xena

text: Several years prior to the series pilot, "Sins of the Past", Xena commits numerous horrible deeds from terrorism to piracy and murder, and at one point becomes known as the "Destroyer of Nations". Her journey down the path of evil arguably begins when her beloved brother is killed during an attack by the warlord Cortese. Xena vows revenge and she becomes estranged from her mother as a result.


title: Xena

text: Sometime later, she acts as the captain of a pirate ship, doing everything from raiding other ships to ransoming hostages. It is during one ransom attempt that she encounters the young, handsome and brash Roman nobleman named Julius Caesar. Caesar is an experienced warrior and military commander with grand ambitions. He and Xena have a passionate love affair and plan to join forces. Caesar, however, betrays Xena. Caesar has Xena beaten and then crucified (with her legs broken) on a beach to die of exposure—that is, until she is saved by an Egyptian slave girl named M'Lila. M'Lila had originally stowed away on Xena's ship and subsequently befriends her and teaches Xena her first pressure points. After saving Xena, M'Lila takes her to a healer who treats her injuries. While the healer is treating Xena, Roman soldiers burst in and try to kill Xena, but M'Lila shields Xena, takes a fatal shot from a crossbow and dies in Xena's arms.


title: Xena

text: This event drives Xena to the side of evil completely and despite her injuries she manages to kill the soldiers but warns the last one before he dies, "Tell Hades to prepare himself; a new Xena is born tonight."


title: Xena

text: Afterward, Xena becomes the leader of an army and aligns herself with Borias whom she effectively seduces away from his family and the two join forces. The two become lovers and after a time, Xena becomes pregnant with her son . It is during her pregnancy that a significant event happens. Xena travels with her Army to China where she hopes to build an alliance with the powerful Lao clan to facilitate her activities there.


title: Xena

text: Subsequent events that involve Borias betraying Xena lead to Xena running for her life and being hunted. While on the run, Xena meets Lao Ma, a woman who has great special abilities. She scares away the hounds chasing Xena with just a look and can move like a martial artist which awes Xena. Lao Ma cares for Xena as she never had been before by treating her as a friend who is only interested in helping her become a better person. Under her friend's guidance, she learns to put aside a great deal of her hatred and pain. Additionally, Lao Ma heals Xena's crippled legs and it is implied that she teaches Xena fighting moves she has not yet developed . Lao Ma gives Xena the metaphorical title "Warrior Princess", intending that she be a major catalyst for change in the land. In the end, Lao Ma's efforts come to nothing, at least in the short term. In the long run, however, Lao Ma's teachings are instrumental in shaping the good person she was to become.


title: Xena

text: Borias and Xena reconcile and renew their alliance, only to break it a final time and to split their forces between them, with Xena proving the stronger of the two. Borias is killed in the ensuing battle, and Xena gives the newborn Solan to the Centaurs to raise so that he will be kept safe and protected.


title: Xena

text: Xena continues her life as a warlord for many years until she has a life-changing encounter with Hercules wherein she turns her back on the path of evil. She turns against her troops to protect a baby whose family would not pay the ransom she demanded. Her troops were going to kill Xena for becoming weak in their eyes. After these events, Xena travels with Hercules for a short time and the two share a brief romantic relationship. While their romance does not last long, the two form a special friendship. Each comes to respect the other's abilities and judgement. In a series 1 episode, each acknowledged the positive impact the other had on the world. In that installment, Xena said, "The world needs Hercules". To that, Hercules responded, "The world needs Xena, too". As the years progress, Xena and Hercules come to each other's aid at different times as well as acting as a source of comfort to the other. However, after first meeting Hercules, Xena finds the way to redemption to be more painful than she anticipated.


title: Xena

text: Haunted by her past transgressions, she is about to give up on her life as a warrior completely. In the episode "Sins of the Past". she strips off her armor and weapons and buries them in the dirt. She sees a group of village girls being attacked by a band of warriors. In the group is Gabrielle. Xena saves the young women and Gabrielle is left in awe of the Warrior Princess' abilities.


title: Xena

text: Gabrielle follows Xena in a quest to persuade Xena to let her be her traveling companion. During the episode, Xena returns to her home town, Amphipolis, where she eventually reconciles with her mother, Cyrene. She also visits the grave of her brother Lyceus to "speak" with him. When Xena privately confides with Lyceus that it is difficult to be alone, Gabrielle—who is silently standing in the doorway of the crypt—tells her, "You're not alone." Soon, Xena agrees to allow Gabrielle to travel with her. Over time, Gabrielle becomes Xena's dearest friend and soulmate.


title: Xena

text: Gabrielle and Xena become best friends, soulmates and indeed constant companions over the many adventures that follow. Each of the women learns from the other; Gabrielle becomes a warrior on behalf of good (not evil), while Xena develops a softer and more loving personality to balance her warrior's heart. Xena's subsequent life is marred by many tragedies. Her son Solan, who never came to know her as his mother, is killed by Hope, Gabrielle's demonic child, (with the help of Callisto); and Xena nearly loses Gabrielle more than once.


title: Xena

text: The instances where Xena and Gabrielle almost part ways tend to result from the outside manipulations of others. The most serious of these is, of course, the death of Xena's son at the hands of Gabrielle's demonic child, Hope. After this, Gabrielle, consumed with grief, journeys to stay with the Amazons. Xena, in turn, locates her and tries to take Gabrielle's life by throwing her over a cliff while she is in a weakened state. Xena fails in doing this, and subsequently, both women reconcile with the help of the spirit of Xena's son Solan. Specifically, Solan creates the land of Illusia wherein, through music, both women express their grief and anger, not so much with each other, but with the traumas they have each endured. It is here that Xena confesses that she did indeed kill Ming Tien because he turned evil and killed his mother Lao Ma. Xena admits to Solan that she is his mother and sings to him, asking forgiveness. After this, they travel together again.


title: Xena

text: Soon after the start of her journeys with Gabrielle, Xena runs into , who has evidently known her since her warlord days and he tries to seduce her into joining him as his Warrior Queen, efforts that she repeatedly thwarts. She also encounters a formidable warrior woman named Callisto, whose family was killed by Xena's army years ago.


title: Xena

text: Marcus, a warrior, close friend and lover from her warlord days, whom she persuades to follow her in choosing good, is killed while doing his first good deed. Later, he is allowed to briefly return to the world of the living to help thwart a vicious killer who has escaped from the underworld. He and Xena spend a night together before Marcus has to return to the other side. Several years after her first meeting with Lao Ma, a messenger is sent by Lao Ma to ask Xena to travel to China to aid in stopping a great evil from taking hold. She sets out without delay to help her dear friend but insists that she must deal with this alone and that Gabrielle stay behind.


title: Xena

text: In spite of her best efforts, she is too late to save her mentor and friend Lao Ma from being tortured to death by her own son, the emperor Ming T'ien and is crushed with the loss. Finally, she and Gabrielle are crucified by the Romans on the Ides of March by Caesar, previously an ally and former lover of Xena's with whom she had planned to take over known civilization until he betrayed her. Caesar, himself, is betrayed and killed by Brutus. They are later revived by a mystic named Eli, a Jesus like figure, along with the spiritual aid of Callisto, who by that time had become an angel after being killed by Xena. This event would have long-lasting effects for all involved.


title: Xena

text: The event mentioned above leads to the birth of Xena's daughter, . Callisto takes a prominent role in the events leading up to now. After Xena lets her die years ago she is sent to Tartarus but later she returns and becomes a god and an even greater enemy of Xena. Finally Xena attempts to save Callisto from her suffering by sacrificing herself. Callisto becomes an angel and Xena a devil or demon. Before Eve is born Callisto the angel, implants her soul in Xena's unborn baby with Xena's tacit acceptance, as a way to redeem herself from her past and her and her involvement in creating Callisto. Unfortunately, mother and daughter would have little time together, as the gods were bent on destroying the child to save themselves, as she is prophesied to bring about the Twilight of the Olympian gods and the birth of "Christianity". In order to save her child, as well as herself and Gabrielle, they fake their deaths, but their plan goes awry when Ares buries them in an ice cave, where they sleep for 25 years.


title: Xena

text: During that time, Eve is adopted by the Roman nobleman Octavius who provides for her every need and makes certain that she receives the best of everything. She grows up to become Livia, the Champion of Rome, and a ruthless persecutor of Eli's followers. In a sense she has become a reincarnation of Callisto and even name drops her. Eve's ruthless behavior may be due to the influence of Callisto's soul, but this is unclear, particularly since Callisto was purged of all the evil within her when she became an angel. After her return, Xena is able to turn Livia to repentance, and Livia takes back the name Eve and becomes the Messenger of Eli. like Xena did with Callisto before she tries to save Eve. After Eve's cleansing by baptism, Xena is granted the power to kill gods as long as her daughter lives. In a final confrontation, the Twilight comes to pass when Xena kills most of the gods to save her daughter, with the help of God and Archangel Michael, and is herself saved by Ares when he gives up his immortality to heal the badly injured and dying Eve and Gabrielle, with Xena later helping him regain his godhood.


title: Xena

text: Xena's quest for redemption ends when she sacrifices herself to kill the Japanese demon Yodoshi, which is holding the souls of the dead. Xena fights a Japanese army by herself and they kill her. Xena, now a spirit, fights and kills Yodoshi. Xena decides to stay dead so the souls of the 40,000 she (accidentally) killed years ago can be released into a state of peace. The series ends with Gabrielle on a ship, holding Xena's ashes, and speaking with Xena's spirit.


title: Xena

text: According to the darshan, Naiyima, this is only one of many lives Xena will live throughout the ages. One such life is that of Arminestra, an Indian holy mother who leads a movement that preaches peace, and yet another is a woman named Melinda who, during World War II, uncovers the tomb of Ares and is possessed by the spirit of Xena to stop the God of War. In many of those lives, she will walk a path together with her soulmate, Gabrielle, furthering the cause of good against evil.


title: Xena

text: Xena has many skills that she acquired during her extensive travels to many parts of the ancient world over a period of many years. In particular, she has shown remarkable skill and prowess in hand-to-hand combat, displaying numerous acrobatic tricks and the ability to disable or otherwise kill multiple opponents at one time. She is also skilled in the use of pressure points – being able to cripple or even kill someone if she triggers the appropriate pressure point. Xena has an extensive knowledge of first aid and herbal remedies that rivals that of any professional healer.


title: Xena

text: Xena's signature weapon is the chakram, a razor-edged throwing weapon which she often uses for ranged combat. Xena can skillfully deflect the chakram off the surfaces it strikes, allowing her to hit multiple targets in one throw. She is usually able to deflect the chakram back towards her, allowing her to catch it. Besides being a formidable weapon, the chakram has other uses such as distracting enemies or quickly cutting distant targets such as ropes. After breaking in half, Xena reforged her chakram as a design-variation with diameter "handles", called the "Yin-Yang" chakram. These were utilized as daggers, could split in two mid-flight to strike multiple targets at diverging trajectories, and allowed for "boomerang" flight capabilities. Along with her sword and chakram, she has also shown great proficiency with other weapons such as batons, daggers, and whips. Throughout the series, Xena often utilized a signature war cry, "Alalaes". Her cry was an alternate pronunciation for "Alale" (or "Alala"), who in Greek mythology was the female personification of the war cry.


title: Xena

text: Xena is a formidable tactician, inspirational leader, and strategic thinker. She has the ability to analyze her enemy's tactics and effectively formulate a response. In responding to her enemies's attacks, she shows a great deal of creativity and ingenuity; at times, she has worked with little or no resources and limited time. Xena is well versed in military tactics such as forming a defensive perimeter, building defensive fortifications, organizing and leading troops, and cutting an enemy's supply lines. She also repeatedly demonstrates a talent for disguises, infiltration, and cryptography.


title: Xena

text: Although the majority of her skills are martial and mental, Xena does have some supernatural abilities. On three occasions, she used telekinesis and energy projection thanks to Lao Ma's teachings. Xena also once possessed the power to kill gods through her daughter, Eve. Outside of these specific powers, Xena knows the rudiments of most other forms of magic, enough that she can effectively battle or outwit magic-wielding opponents.


title: Xena

text: Xena has appeared in all of the series spin-offs, usually as the lead character. The animated movie "" marks the first appearance of Xena outside of the television series. She also appears in the comics series "," originally released by Topp and Dark Horse Comics, and in 2007, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the rights to the book upon its discovery that the show still had many fans. This resulted in Dynamite Entertainment's spin-off comic book series "Xena: Contest of the Pantheons" and "Dark Xena." This last takes place after the television series ended.


title: Xena

text: Xena is a playable character in the videogames "," and a selectable character in "." In 1999, Lucy Lawless also appeared in the animated television show "The Simpsons" dressed as her Xena character, during the Treehouse of Horror X. In the video game "League of Legends" the character Sivir has a skin titled, "Warrior Princess" that resembles Xena.


title: Xena

text: A statue of Xena made an appearance in the movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, confirmed by Sam Raimi as the director of the movie himself. However, the statue did not indicate any bigger relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and only served as a fun easter egg with no narrative subtext.


title: Xena

text: "Xena" has enjoyed a particular cult status in the lesbian community. Some of the lesbian fanbase see Xena and Gabrielle as a couple and have embraced them as role models and lesbian icons. A group called The Marching Xenas participated in many gay and lesbian pride parades.


title: Xena

text: A subject of much interest and debate among viewers is the question of whether Xena and Gabrielle are lovers. The issue is left deliberately ambiguous by the writers during most of the show. Jokes, innuendo, and other subtle evidence of a romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle are referred to as "lesbian subtext" or simply "subtext" by fans. The issue of the true nature of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship caused intense shipping debates in the fandom, which turned especially impassioned due to spillover from real-life debates about same-sex sexuality and gay rights.


title: Xena

text: In a 2003 interview with "Lesbian News" magazine, Lawless stated that after the series finale, she had come to believe that Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was "Gay. Definitely... There was always a 'Well, she might be or she might not be,' but when there was that drip of water passing between their lips in the very final scene, that cemented it for me. Now it wasn't just that Xena was bisexual and kinda liked her gal pal and they kind of fooled around sometimes, it was 'Nope, they're married, man.'"


title: Xena

text: The "Xena" fandom also popularized the term Altfic (from "alternative fiction") to refer to same-sex romantic fan fiction. Many fans felt the term slash fiction carried the connotation of being only about male/male couples and was not a good description for romantic fan fiction about Xena and Gabrielle.


title: Xena

text: "Xena: Warrior Princess" has been referred to as a pop cultural phenomenon, sex symbol, and feminist and lesbian/bisexual icon. The television series, which employed pop culture references as a frequent humorous device, has itself become a frequent pop culture reference in video games, comics and television shows, and has been frequently parodied and spoofed.


title: Xena

text: "Xena" has been credited by many, including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon, with blazing the trail for a new generation of female action heroes such as Buffy, Max of "Dark Angel", Sydney Bristow of "Alias", and Beatrix Kiddo a.k.a. the Bride in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill". The director Quentin Tarantino is also a fan of Xena. After serving as Lucy Lawless' stunt double on "Xena", stunt woman Zoë E. Bell was recruited to be Uma Thurman's stunt double in Tarantino's "Kill Bill". By helping to pave the way for female action heroes in television and film, "Xena" also strengthened the stunt "woman" profession.


title: Xena

text: David Eick, one of the co-developers of the Xena series, was also the executive producer of "Battlestar Galactica", which also features strong female characters, and Lucy Lawless in a recurring role.


title: Xena

text: In 2005, the team that discovered the dwarf planet nicknamed it "Xena" in honor of the TV character. On 1 October 2005, the team announced that had a moon, which they had nicknamed "Gabrielle". The objects were officially named Eris and Dysnomia by the International Astronomical Union on 13 September 2006. Although the official names have legitimate roots in Greek mythology, "Dysnomia" is also a synonym to the word "anomia", which means "lawlessness" in Greek, perpetuating the link with Lucy Lawless.


title: Xena

text: In 2006, Lucy Lawless donated her personal Xena costume to the Museum of American History. In an interview the same year with "Smithsonian" magazine, she was asked the question "Was the Warrior Princess outfit comfortable?" and she responded: