Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion was a line of action figures released by Coleco in 1985. Created by Lawrence Mass, Tim Clarke, and Maureen Trotto, the Sectaurs world blended humanoids with insects and arachnids. Marvel Comics released a limited series of Sectaurs comics, and the characters were also adapted for an animated miniseries.

Premise
"Somewhere in space, somewhere in time", a planet called Symbion is the site of a failed genetic experiment. Frightening changes take place that cannot be stopped. The result is a world where insects and arachnids grow to frightening proportions and the inhabitants have taken on their characteristics. Prince Dargon, ruler of the peaceful Shining Realm of Prosperon, and his allies are in conflict with the forces of Empress Devora, ruler of the Dark Domain of Synax, and her henchmen for possession of the Hyves, fortresses of an ancient civilization holding the key to ultimate power. Each character was "tele-bonded" with intelligent, non-anthropomorphic insect creatures called Insectoids that had a special ability, and shared each other's "pleasure and pain".

Action figures

Heroic Sectaurs of the Shining Realm
Dargon: Prince of the Shining Realm. He is bonded with a Flying Steed called Dragonflyer which has a biting action. His weapons included a broadskall sword, shield, twin venguns, and a slazor. Although Stellara is in love with Dargon, he secretly desires to marry Belana – the royal betrothed of his childhood friend Zak. An alternate figure was also released called Night Fighting Dargon, which had silver armor and antennae which glowed in the dark. Night Fighting Dargon included a Skall dagger, a Vengun, and trinoculars with lenses that glowed in the dark. The weapons were kept in ankle sheathes, rather than the standard belt holsters, enabling all of Dargon's weapons to be worn by one figure. Another insectoid companion, Parafly, was sold with Night Fighting Dargon as well, an Action Bug that attached to his back and featured flapping wings and a tail that glowed in the dark. Parafly appeared in one issue of the Sectaurs comic book, where he was depicted as more intelligent than common animalistic insectoids, and he temporarily granted Dargon the power to see in the dark. Night Fighting Dargon was the only figure actually released from the planned second wave of toys shown in catalogues.
Pinsor: A veteran warrior who rides the massive Battle Beetle, a Steed with two heavy front arms that close with a pincering action. Pinsor's weapons included a skall battle axe, sword, shield, and a Vengun. He suffered from unrequited love for Stellara, whose affections lay with Dargon.
Zak: Captain of Prosperon's Royal Guard, until his wisecracking insolence got him replaced. Zak's childhood friend is Dargon, who (secretly) doubles as his rival for Belana's affections. His companion, Bitaur, was an Action Bug with a biting action. Zak's weapons included a Slazor, a Vengun, and a Skall shield.
Mantor/Mantys: A "Keeper of the Way", a scholar of the ancient powers contained in the Hyves and the Ancients who created them. His companion beast is Raplor, an Action Bug with a grappling line that extends from its mouth and a winch action to rewind the cable. Mantor's weapons included a crossbow, vengun, and skall shield. Said to be an expert of the native Sectaurian martial art of Kai.
Stellara: A female warrior. In the comic book series, it was established Stellara's Insectoid died in battle some time ago and one story focused on her attempting to tele-bond with a new one, but was unable to complete the ritual because Dargon and the others were in danger. Nevertheless, the Insectoid she tried to tele-bond with aided her in saving them. In the comics, Stellara was a romantic interest of Pinsor, but she thought of him as a surrogate father; her true fondness was for Dargon. The two renditions of Stellara, despite sharing a name, were very visually different from each other. The unreleased Stellara figure from the planned second series of the toy line resembled her animated incarnation, and was to have included Rhine-Ox as her partner, an Action Bug with a headbutting feature. Her weapons were a Skall dagger, shield, and a Vengun.
Bodyball: A character seen only in the unreleased second wave of the toy line. Rather than being paired with an Insectoid, Bodyball was one of two figures planned to have a special action designed into the figure itself. He could be folded up, much like a pillbug, and visually seemed to be a member of a race other than his Sectaur compatriots. Pictures of the figure showed oddly shaped claw and shield weapons as his accessories.
Crossbow: The Shining Realm's Battle Bug, and part of the unreleased second line. Its projectile was a missile-like pod referred to as a "spear" in catalogue and package text.
Gyrofly: The only Creeper that was planned to be released for the Shining Realm faction in the unreleased second line. It was a scarab-like device which opened its shell and released a spinning propeller projectile named Attack-Gnat.

Evil Sectaurs of the Dark Domain
General Spidrax: Hideous leader of the Dark Domain's armies, armed with a whip coated in lethal poison. Unlike most Sectaurs, he enslaved his animal companion, Spider-Flyer, rather than form a bond with it. This was possibly because Spidrax had no forehead antennae (which all other Sectaurs possess) with which to initiate the tele-bonding process, but also to show his cruelty. Spidrax's weapons included a venom whip, Slazor, Skall shield, net, and twin Venguns. Spider-Flyer was a Flying Steed with biting mandibles. Like Dargon, the second wave of toys was to have featured a Night Fighting Spidrax, which included a staff weapon, boomerang, and attachable armor which glowed in the dark. Night Fighting Spidrax would have been paired with an Action Bug named Stranglebug, which was a spider with unusually long bendable legs that could be wrapped around a figure. Unlike Night Fighting Dargon, however, Night Fighting Spidrax went unreleased with the rest of the second series.
Skulk: Empress Devora's hideous and opportunistic stepson, who rides the spider-like Trancula, an extremely furry Steed with biting mandibles. His weapons included a Skall dagger, shield, Vengun, and dart wing.
Commander Waspax: Spidrax's rival. His Insectoid companion is Wingid, an Action Bug with flapping wings. His weapons included a Skall saber, shield, and Vengun.
Skito: A mercenary. His companion, Toxcid, is an Action Bug that squirts water from his proboscis, said to be "poison" in the context of the stories. His weapons included a Skall sword, shield, and Vengun.
Bandor: One of the unreleased second wave figures. Bandor included a flail, Skall sword, and shield. His insectoid was Swipe, which was an Action Bug with an extending proboscis weapon.
Knuckles: The other of the two figures in the second line which was to have had a built-in feature rather than an Insectoid. His feature was likely a punching action with his "Mutant Arm". Knuckle's accessories included some form of hand weapon, a shield, and two small Skalibur guns which attached to the sides of his helmet and connected to his weapons belt by power cables.
Fly Flinger: The Dark Domain's Battle Bug, from the unreleased second series. Its projectile was a glider-like second smaller insect generically named Fly.
Snag: One of two Creepers planned to be released for the Dark Domain in the unreleased second wave of toys. Snag featured a short grappling line that fired from its mouth and could be rewound into its body.
Axe-Back: One of two Creepers planned to be released for the Dark Domain in the unreleased second wave of toys. Ax-Back featured a blade-like protrusion that snapped up from its back.

The Hyve
The Hyve playset was also produced, and is one of the larger playsets released in the 1980s. Accessories included a boulder-like wrecking ball, a heavy Skalibur turret gun, a ladder, and a cage. It featured a landing pad with a trap door, a collapsible bridge, and an interior detailing a "Bio-Control Laboratory". The Hyve came with two Mutant Insectoids as guardians. Narr was a glove puppet, while Vypex was a smaller finger puppet. Narr and Vypex each had a cave from which they could "ambush" figures during play. Since each was a puppet, their rear anatomies did not exist in toy form. As a result, the penciler who worked on the comic book never drew the rear portions of their bodies. The rear edge of Narr's abdomen was always obscured by the foreground, while Vypex's serpentine body never ended.

Notable Characters from the Comics and other Books
Belana: Zak's royal betrothed, who secretly (and mutually) desires Dargon.
Devora: Goddess-Empress of the Dark Domain and stepmother of Skulk.
Galken: Rules the Shining Realm as a Regency, in the absence of his elder brother Markor. A politician, not a warrior. Uncle of Dargon.
Gnatseye: A warrior of the Shining Realm. His Insectoid-companion is Jumpyr.
Hardyn: Galken's cousin and chief adviser. He has been Supreme Tribune of the Shining Realm's Council of Judges, ever since Galken ascended to the throne.
Markor the Mighty: King of the Shining Realm, father of Dargon. After disappearing years ago while searching for the Hyve, Markor was succeeded by his younger brother Galken.
Scorpia: A villainous Keeper, and Spidrax's half-sister.
Seacor: A headstrong youth featured in the animated miniseries. He's eager to prove himself to Dargon and Company. Seacor's Insectoid-companion is Altifly.
Senrad: Devora's stealthy chief administrator.
Slikk: This veteran thief is a loudmouthed troublemaker whose ribald jokes, outrageous lies, and embarrassing pranks make him less than popular with his fellow Sectaurs. Still, he's better company than the Dark Domain has to offer.

Glossary of Terminology and Locations

Blue Forest: product of the Great Cataclysm, east of Synax. Common deportation ground for convicted criminals, since all those who journey through this zone are subject to complete and absolute amnesia.
Citadel of Shadows: the first Hyve-gate shown in the comics. It lies halfway between Prosperon and Synax, but was destroyed by Mantor shortly after its discovery.
Creepers: Smaller insects said to be bred as living weapons. They were to be released as "role-play" scale toys in the unproduced second line; they fit over a user's hand, not as a puppet, but supposedly as a life-sized weapon. Each possessed an action feature similar to the Action Bug Insectoids. There were three Creepers:
Ax-Back (Dark Domain)
Gyrofly (Shining Realm)
Snagg (Dark Domain)
Dark Domain: a military dictatorship and homeland of the less human-appearing "evil" characters of the series.
Black Slayers: Dark Domain commandos, handpicked and trained by Spidrax.
Grimhold: dark fortress of Synax; residence of Empress Devora and family.
Headhunters: Dark Domain guerilla-barbarians, trained and led by Skulk.
Marauders: Dark Domain swordmaster-robbers, handpicked and trained by Skito.
Shadow Corps: Dark Domain soldier-fanatics, trained and led by Senrad.
Sting Troopers: Dark Domain elite corps. With their swordsmanship and their cunning abilities at in-fighting, any one of them is rated a match for any ten ordinary Sectaur warriors. Trained and commanded by Waspax.
Synax: Capital of the Dark Domain.
Throne-Watchers: Dark Domain imperial guard, handpicked by Devora.
Dart Wing: a spear of wing-buoyed skall guided as a weapon via telebond with its wielder. Each wing is razor-sharp and can cut like a sword.
Desert of the Lost: product of the Great Cataclysm; lies southeast of Prosperon and southwest of Synax, due south of Mount Symbion. Common deportation ground for convicted criminals, since all those who journey through this zone are subject to near-suicidal depression.
Forbidden Zone: basically, an uncharted area outside the hexagon boundaries that enclose all of known Symbion.
The Great Cataclysm: result of a failed genetic experiment, which ruined the Civilization of the Ancients on Symbion. Insects and arachnids grew to frightening proportions; Humans took on the characteristics of arachnids and insects, with the Sectaurs as the results.
Hyve: A mysterious, danger-filled fortress of the Ancients. Filled with guardian monsters and booby-traps, its wisdom is sought by good and evil Sectaurs alike. There are multiple gateways, or entrances, to the Hyve across Symbion; at least two exist within the hexagonal boundaries of the known world, and others are believed to exist in the Forbidden Zone beyond. The Hyve resembling the playset from the toy line – and guarded by Naurr and Vypex – is the second gateway visited in the comic series.
Insectoids: giant, mutated insects and arachnids that cohabit Symbion with the Sectaurs. They frequently serve as allies, pets and/or steeds of the Sectaurs. Various similar types include Steeds, Flying Steeds, Action Bugs, Battle Bugs, and Mutants.
Action Bugs: A term used in the toyline to denote the smaller partner Insectoids, which each possess a single button or crank activated feature. (Parafly has two special features, though one is simply parts that glow in the dark.)
Battle Bugs: A form of Insectoid which is low-slung and carries an artillery weapon atop itself, with a seat for a Sectaur rider. One Battle Bug was to be released for each faction in the unproduced second wave of the toyline, both with identically-shaped bodies, but with different spring-fired projectile weaponry mounted atop them. The two Battle Bugs were:
Crossbow (Shining Realm)
Fly Flinger (Dark Domain)
Flying Steeds: winged Insectoids large enough to be ridden by their Sectaur partners. In the toyline, Steeds are half-puppet figures, with a user's hand fitting into the legs of the toy and the middle finger operating some additional action feature. Additionally, they have flapping wings driven by a battery-powered motor.
Mutants: eternally-living insectoids created by the Ancients as guardians for the lost Hyve.
Steeds: Insectoids large enough to be ridden by their Sectaur partners. In the toyline, Steeds are half-puppet figures, with a user's hand fitting into the legs of the toy and the middle finger operating some additional action feature.
Lake of Blood: northeast of Prosperon and northwest of Synax. So-named because of a great air/sea battle fought there by the great-grandparents of King Markor and Empress Devora. Said battle cost nearly a million lives.
Meander: Also known as the Fog of Death, a product of the Great Cataclysm. A permanent valley of Meander was located southeast of Prosperon and southwest of Synax (beyond the Desert of the Lost) at the beginning of the comic series, protecting and hiding the second gateway to the Hyve, until it was dispersed using the power of the Hyve. A Meander was also seen early in the comic, accidentally released from the Hyve-gate known as the Citadel of Shadows. Exposure to this crimson fog results in prompt and violent corrosion of the flesh, unless protected by leaves of the Sentinel Plant.
Mount Symbion: highest elevation in known Symbion; . Located southeast of Prosperon and southwest of Synax, due north of the Desert of the Lost.
Sea of Acid: product of the Great Cataclysm, located west of Prosperon. Will promptly and violently corrode the flesh of all those foolhardy enough to swim in it.
Sectaurs: insect-evolved humanoid denizens of both the Shining Realm and the Dark Domain. They and the insectoids comprise, for the most part, the remnants of Symbionic civilization.
Shining Realm: a constitutional monarchy, and the homeland of the more human-appearing "good" characters of the series.
Bailiff: the bottom grade in the Shining Realm's Council of Judges, and the only title which gives a Junior Noble authority over a Senior one...unless, of course, that Senior is also a Magistrate. In order to become a Magistrate, a Bailiff must be appointed by the King/Queen (which rarely occurs), or must receive a Senior title (which usually occurs via marriage or inheritance).
Berserkers: Shining Realm rangers, trained and commanded by Zak.
Cavaliers: Shining Realm Royal Guard, handpicked by Markor (later Galken).
Junior Noble: A Thane (aka Warden), Baron/ess, Viceroy, or Count/ess. Bailiffs are appointed by the King/Queen from among these four grades.
Lightkeep: shining castle of Prosperon; residence of the Royal Family.
Nomads: Shining Realm swordmaster-priests, trained and commanded by Mantor.
Paladins: Shining Realm airborne commandos, handpicked and trained by Dargon.
Prosperon: Capital of the Shining Realm.
Senior Noble: A Prince/ss, Duke/Duchess, or Marque/Marchioness. Magistrates are appointed by the King/Queen from among these three grades.
Symator: legendary double-edged "broadskall" [broadsword] of Prosperon, passed down from ruler to ruler for the past 20 generations. Dargon is its most recent owner.
Tribune: the most powerful and prestigious title in the Shining Realm below King/Queen. There are only three Tribunes at any one time; they are normally appointed from among the siblings, cousins, and/or offspring (in that order) of the King/Queen...starting with the eldest. If the King/Queen has no eligible and worthy siblings, cousins, or offspring, s/he appoints the Tribune(s) from among the Magistrates. Thus it was Galken, not Dargon, who succeeded Markor as King...because Galken was both Supreme Tribune and the King's younger brother, while Dargon was merely Markor's son. Moreover, Dargon was unable to become a Tribune right away...since Galken's vacancy in the Tribunal was filled by his and Markor's cousin, Magistrate-Duke Hardyn.
Skalibur: a bio-energy beam weapon of lost Ancient technology. Skalibur weapons are often found within the Hyve-gateways.
Skall: shatterproof material grown as plant-like stalks and used almost exclusively in the manufacture of shields, armor and weapons (contact and edged). It is impervious to damage from venom.
Slazor: pneumatic projectile weapon throwing pellets capable of piercing Skall. Slazors also use "vengas" (compressed poison) ammunition; these pellets burst on impact into small, toxic clouds. The merest whiff of vengas infects its victims with bliss so glorious that it drives them insane; the victims slowly die witless.
Sting-Launcher: rubber-powered heavy weapon for firing spine-bombs or stun-spears. Commonly mounted on insectoid steeds. These weapons were carried by Battle Beetle in the animated series for the Sectaurs and used extensively, but were not present in either the comic incarnation nor the toy for Battle Beetle. Two types of ammunition were mentioned:
Spine-Bomb canister designed to explode and release hundreds of razor-sharp quills (technically, flechettes) at high velocity over a six-meter-diameter area (three meters in every direction).
Stun-Spears: used mostly to capture insectoids. One spear will paralyze a steed-size insectoid for an hour.
Swamp of Death: located south of the Sea of Acid and southwest of Prosperon.
Telebond: ability to share the mind and senses of another. This term is used exclusively in the comic to denote the deep mental bond of a Sectaur and Insectoid to each other, but in the toyline and mini-comics as also a blanket term for other lesser bondings, such as the secondary bond of Dargon and Parafly, or the mental attunement of a weapon such as a dart wing.
Vengun: spring-loaded gun for firing poison darts; range about forty meters. Its skall darts are filled with the venom of a creature called a Venipede.
Venipede: A giant insectoid, first discovered (by accident) in the Swamp of Death. Venom taken from a live Venipede is used to fill vengun ammunition.
Venom Whip: a poison-tipped weapon crafted from a Triceralon antenna. Like a vengun dart, the whip causes instant death if it breaks the skin.

Peerages
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Rank || Shining Realm || Dark Domain || Notes
|-
| 1 || King/Queen || Emperor/Empress
|-
| 2 || Tribune || Grand Marshal || Acts as deputy ruler, as with the shoguns of Japan
|-
| 3 || Magistrate || Field Marshal; Warlord
|-
| 4 || Bailiff || General; Warmaster
|-
| 5 || Prince/Princess || Brigadier
|-
| 6 || Duke/Duchess || Colonel
|-
| 7 || Marque/Marchioness || Commander
|-
| 8 || Count/Countess || Major
|-
| 9 || Viceroy || Captain
|-
| 10 || Baron/Baroness || Lieutenant
|-
| 11 || Thane; Warden || Ensign
|-
| 12 || Sheriff || Sergeant || Non-Commissioned Officer
|-
| 13 || Constable || Grenadier || Non-Commissioned Officer
|-
| 14 || Squire || Lancer/Scout
|-
| 15 || Yeoman || Musketeer/Spy
|}

Television series
In 1986, Ruby-Spears produced a five-episode miniseries:

 "Spidrax Attacks" (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
 "Slave City" (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
 "Valley of the Stones" (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
 "Trapped in the Acid Desert" (written by Ted Field)
 "Battle of the Hyve" (written by Matt Uitz and Janis Diamond)

Comic
Marvel Comics published an eight-issue series from 1985 to 1986. All of the stories were written by Bill Mantlo. Mark Texeira drew the first two issues and Steve Geiger drew issues 3-8.

Kickstarter campaign

A Kickstarter campaign started in 2018 to restart the franchise.

References

External links

Sectaurs at Big Cartoon DataBase
Fansite
Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017.
Puppet building article about the design of Sectaurs toys
Article on the Hyve playset
Stellara777's Sectaurs Page (includes reviews and synopses of the comic books)
Comicbookdb Sectaurs page (list of all 8 issues of the comic)

1985 American television series debuts
1985 American television series endings
1980s American animated television series
1980s toys
Action figures
Television series by Ruby-Spears
Fantasy comics
Marvel Comics titles
Comics based on toys
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Animated television series about insects
Products introduced in 1985
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated space adventure television series
American children's animated science fantasy television series

Sectaurs


Sediment is made of small particles deposited in water or on land. After deposition, sediments may stay in their new place a long time and be covered by newer sediments. Pressure may slowly transform sediment into sedimentary rocks.

The word sediment is also used for material transported by wind or water, and deposited on the surface. Sediments are often eroded again and deposited in a new place. The study of how sedimentary rocks are formed is called sedimentology.

In more general use, sediment is any matter which falls to the bottom of a liquid, such as beer.

References

Sedimentology

Sediment


The anthropic principle says that the universe is how it is because it must allow for the eventual creation of us, as observers. The anthropic principle was thought of in 1974, by the astronomer Brandon Carter.

Douglas Adams explains this concept quite well using a puddle as an analogy:"If you imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!"

There are two different kinds of anthropic principles : the weak anthropic principle, and the strong anthropic principle.

The original thoughts that Brandon Carter had were:
Weak anthropic principle: "We must be prepared to take into account the fact that our location in the universe is necessarily privileged to the extent of being compatible with our existence as observers."

Strong anthropic principle: "The Universe (and hence the fundamental parameters on which it depends) must be such as to admit the creations of observers within it at some stage."

References

Cosmology

Anthropic principle


An expert is an individual recognized as a reliable source of knowledge or skill in a particular field. An expert's corresponding ability or expertise is, mostly, based on his/her  credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience. Historically, an expert was referred to as a wise old man. Such individual was usually a profound intellectual distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment. In law, an expert witness may contribute specialized knowledge of a field.

Someone who is not an expert may be called a beginner or a novice if they are new to that field.

Notes

Skills
Critical thinking

Expert


A cowman is a person who works specifically with cattle.

Usage
Usage of the word "cowman" has significant geographic variation, though is sometimes used interchangeably with terms such as "stockman", "cattleman", "rancher" and "grazier."

In England, where the word cowman originates, the social status of a cowman originally was a minor landowner, a yeoman, rather than a cowherd or herdsman. In medieval Gaelic Ireland a cowman was known as a bóaire and was landed. Today, however, in the British Isles the cowman usually is an employee, synonymous with cowherd. A highly skilled, superior cowman would be equivalent to an American farm or ranch manager, responsible for daily management of the herd. An ordinary cowman would be equivalent to a cowboy in the United States, or a stockman in Australia.

A cowman with a dairy farm may also be known in the British Isles as a milkman. In both the British Isles and the United States milkman commonly means someone who delivers milk to houses.

In the United States and Canada, the term "cowman" is used, but is less common than other terms such as "rancher," "cattleman," "stockgrower" or, in some cases, "cowboy." It is generally defined as an individual who owns cattle. The more common term for a person who owns and works with dairy cattle usually is dairy farmer, while a person with beef cattle is a cattle rancher.  Being farmers and ranchers, American cattlemen are generally landowners, though on occasion the terms may include foremen or managers of particularly large operations.  The employees of a ranch who work with the livestock may be called cowboys, wranglers, sheepherders, or simply "ranch hands." However, the term "cowman" is occasionally used as a synonym for cowboy.

Etymology
In modern British English, the word cowman is a core term, not part of a dialect. Cowman is not an entry in Dictionary of American Regional English.

This word is the origin of the occupational surname Cowman.

In popular culture
In the Old West there were range wars, conflicts between ranchers and farmers over access to resources, especially water. This is reflected in much of the art, literature, and film in the Western genre. An example is the song "The Farmer and the Cowman" in the musical Oklahoma!

See also
 Cowboy
 Pastoral farming

References

Animal husbandry occupations

Cowman (profession)


The Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) is the highest level of aviator qualification or license. Those certified as Airline Transport Pilots are authorized to act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft having a maximum weight over  or having over 9 passenger seats.

Any pilot operating an aircraft for money must start by obtaining a Commercial pilot licence (CPL).

Theoretical subjects included for ATPL applicants are:
 Air law
 Aircraft General Knowledge
 Flight Planning and Monitoring
 Human Performance and Limitations
 Meteorology
 Operational Procedures
 Principles of Flight
 Communications
 Performance
 General Navigation
 Radio Navigation
 Instrumentation
 Mass and Balance

Aviation licenses and certifications

Airline Transport Pilot Licence


Alienation is the feeling of being left out, not belonging or not understanding yourself in relation to your environment. Alienation can be talked about in many ways. In psychology, researchers talk about alienation in terms of how well or unwell people fit in to their social groups. This may include how well people relate to their peers in a school or workplace, and how connected they feel to those around them.

In sociology, alienation is a more complex and difficult idea. Alienation is how people understand themselves in relation to their entire society. A good example of this is how people think of themselves when they are working and doing a job. Karl Marx wrote about this. This kind of alienation happens when people do work that they are not interested in or find boring. However, in almost all societies some people may have to do jobs that they don't like because they need to earn money. This can be seen as a type of alienation because a person's true feelings and their actions are separated and unrelated. On the other hand, a person might feel empowered and connected if they do a job that they do like. Empowerment and the feeling of being connected is the opposite of alienation.

Alienation is also a key element in the existentialism of Sartre and Camus. The connection between these ideas is the theme of Colin Wilson's The Outsider (1956). Anomie is another related idea.

References

Other page
Social isolation

Sociology
Philosophy

Alienation


British Malaya is an area around the Malay Peninsula and Singapore Strait that was colonized by the British. It was the world's largest maker of tin and rubber. There were three parts to the British Malaya; Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, and the Unfederated Malay States. It was replaced with the Federation of Malaya in 1947 and given independence in 1957. It was formed into Malaysia in 1963.

The British started trade in this area around 1800. It became more of a British colony by the later 1800s. Malaya was an important source of rubber and other plant products. The Empire of Japan invaded and conquered Malaya and Singapore in December 1941. Malaya remained under Japanese control for the rest of World War II, with Singapore as the capital.

British Malaya

British Malaya


Huguenot Memorial Bridge is located in Henrico County and the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It carries State Route 147 across the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (now the James River Line of CSX Transportation), the James River and Kanawha Canal, and the James River in the Fall Line region above the head of navigation at Richmond.

The Huguenot Memorial Bridge, which connects Southside (Richmond, Virginia) to urban Richmond, was completed in 1950. The 2900 ft (884 m) span replaced the low-level Westham Bridge which had been built as a toll bridge in 1911. The old bridge was subject to flooding and was inadequate for traffic in the growing suburban area.

The Huguenot Memorial Bridge was named in honor of the French Huguenot settlers who came to the area in the 18th century to escape religious persecution in France. It is owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and is the westernmost bridge over the James River in the metropolitan Richmond area that is open to pedestrians.

The 1950 original bridge was facing significant structural issues. After years of problems maintaining the deck and pavement, as of 2008, a replacement was included in the limited number of high priority projects underway with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Construction began in 2010 and completed in 2013.

References

External links
Richmond.com article on Richmond's River Crossings
VDOT website for Huguenot Bridge Reconstruction

Transportation in Henrico County, Virginia
Bridges over the James River (Virginia)
Bridges completed in 1950
Bridges in Richmond, Virginia
Buildings and structures in Henrico County, Virginia
Monuments and memorials in Virginia
Road bridges in Virginia

Huguenot Memorial Bridge


In some versions of Greek mythology, Ophion (;  "serpent"; gen.: Ὀφίωνος), also called Ophioneus () ruled the world with Eurynome before the two of them were cast down by Cronus and Rhea.

Mythology
Pherecydes of Syros's Heptamychia is the first attested mention of Ophion.

The story was apparently popular in Orphic poetry, of which only fragments survive.

Apollonius of Rhodes in his Argonautica (1.495f) summarizes a song of Orpheus:

He sang how the earth, the heaven and the sea, once mingled together in one form, after deadly strife were separated each from the other; and how the stars and the moon and the paths of the sun ever keep their fixed place in the sky; and how the mountains rose, and how the resounding rivers with their nymphs came into being and all creeping things. And he sang how first of all Ophion and Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus, held the sway of snowy Olympus, and how through strength of arm one yielded his prerogative to Cronos and the other to Rhea, and how they fell into the waves of Oceanus; but the other two meanwhile ruled over the blessed Titan-gods, while Zeus, still a child and with the thoughts of a child, dwelt in the Dictaean cave; and the earthborn Cyclopes had not yet armed him with the bolt, with thunder and lightning; for these things give renown to Zeus.

Lycophron (1191) relates that Zeus' mother, Rhea, is skilled in wrestling, having cast the former queen Eurynome into Tartarus.

Nonnus in his Dionysiaca has Hera say (8.158f):

I will go to the uttermost bounds of Oceanus and share the hearth of primeval Tethys; thence I will pass to the house of Harmonia and abide with Ophion.

Harmonia here is probably an error in the text for Eurynome. Ophion is mentioned again by Nonnus (12.43):

Beside the oracular wall she saw the first tablet, old as the infinite past, containing all the things in one: upon it was all that Ophion lord paramount had done, all that ancient Cronus accomplished.

We also have fragments of the writings of the early philosopher Pherecydes of Syros (6th century B.C.E.), who devised a myth or legend in which powers known as Zas and Chronos ("Time") and Chthonie ("Of the Earth") existed from the beginning and in which Chronos creates the universe. Some fragments of this work mention a birth of Ophioneus and a battle of the gods between Cronus (not Chronos) on one side and Ophioneus and his children on the other in which an agreement is made that whoever pushes the other side into Ogenos will lose, and the winner will hold heaven.

Eusebius of Caesarea in his Praeparatio Evangelica (1.10) cites Philo of Byblos as declaring that Pherecydes took Ophion and the Ophionidae from the Phoenicians.

See also
 Ophites

Notes

References
 Martin Litchfield West, "Three Presocratic Cosmologies." In: The Classical Quarterly. 13(2), 1963, pp. 161–163.

Greek gods
Kings in Greek mythology
Snake gods

Ophion


Minks are small, short-legged members of the Mustelid family. The mink is an aggressive mammal that is adapted to a semi-aquatic life. Mink live in swamps, rivers, marshes, lakes and streams in North America, Europe, and the far west of Asia. Mink have a life span of about 8 to 10 years. The common name 'mink' includes animals in two different genera on two different continents.

Diet
Minks are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat small mammals (like mice, rats and muskrats), frogs, crayfish, fish, insects, eggs, and ducks.

Predators
Owls, wolves, coyotes, and bobcats prey on the mink.

Reproduction
The breeding season is April to May. It takes 45 to 52 days after mating for birth to take place. A mink litter normally has 6 to 10 cubs (kittens).

Mustelids

Mink


A halogenated ether is a subcategory of a larger group of chemicals known as ethers.  An ether is an organic chemical that contains an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two (substituted) alkyl groups.  A good example of an ether is the solvent diethyl ether.

What differentiates a halogenated ether from other types of ethers is the substitution (halogenation) of one or more hydrogen atoms with a halogen atom.  Halogen atoms include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

Use in anesthesiology

Perhaps the most common use of halogenated ethers has been in anesthesiology.  The first widely used inhalation anesthetic was diethyl ether, which is a non-substituted (non-halogenated) ether. This drug enabled surgeons to perform otherwise painful operations on patients after rendering them unconscious.

Diethyl ether has the unfortunate disadvantage of being extremely flammable, especially in the presence of enriched oxygen mixtures. This property has resulted in many instances of fires and even explosions in operating rooms during surgery. This is among the most important reasons that diethyl ether has fallen out of favor as a general anesthetic. Diethyl ether is still commonly used as a solvent and reagent in organic chemistry laboratories, though with caution.

Diethyl ether was initially replaced by non-flammable (but more toxic) halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform and trichloroethylene. Halothane is another halogenated hydrocarbon anesthetic agent which was introduced into clinical practice in 1956. Due to its ease of use and improved safety profile with respect to organ toxicity, halothane quickly replaced chloroform and trichloroethylene.

All inhalation anesthetics in current clinical use are halogenated ethers, except for halothane (which is a halogenated hydrocarbon or haloalkane), nitrous oxide, and xenon.

Halogenated ethers have the advantages of being non-flammable as well as less toxic than earlier general anesthetics.  Halogenated ethers differ from other ethers because they contain at least one halogen atom in each molecule.  Examples of halogenated ethers include the general anesthetics isoflurane, desflurane, and sevoflurane. However, not all halogenated ethers have anesthetic effects, and some compounds such as flurothyl do the opposite and have stimulant and convulsant effects.

Inhalation anesthetics are vaporized and mixed with other gases prior to their inhalation by the patient before or during surgery. These other gases always include oxygen or air, but may also include other gases such as nitrous oxide or helium. In most surgical situations, other drugs such as opiates are used for pain and skeletal muscle relaxants are used to cause temporary paralysis.  Additional drugs such as midazolam may be used to produce amnesia during surgery. Although newer intravenous anesthetics (such as propofol) have increased the options of anesthesiologists, halogenated ethers remain a mainstay of general anesthesia.

See also
Anesthesia
Ether
Halogen
Halogenation
Hydrocarbon

References

General anesthetics
Ethers
Organohalides
GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators
NMDA receptor antagonists

Halogenated ether


In materials science, polymorphism is the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure. Polymorphism can be found in any crystalline material including polymers, minerals, and metals. It is related to allotropy, which refers to chemical elements. The complete morphology of a material is described by polymorphism and other variables such as crystal habit, amorphous fraction or crystallographic defects. Polymorphism is important in fields such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, pigments, dyes, foods, and explosives.

Polimorphism that exists because of a difference in crystal packing is called packing polymorphism. Polymorphism can also result from the existence of different conformers of the same molecule in conformational polymorphism. In pseudopolymorphism the different crystal types are the result of hydration or solvation. This is more correctly referred to as solvomorphism as different solvates have different chemical formulas. An example of an organic polymorph is glycine, which is able to form monoclinic and hexagonal crystals. Silica is known to form many polymorphs, the most important of which are; α-quartz, β-quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, moganite, coesite, and stishovite. A classical example is the pair of minerals, calcite and aragonite, both forms of calcium carbonate.

An analogous phenomenon for amorphous materials is polyamorphism, when a substance can take on several different amorphous modifications.

Materials science

Polymorphism (materials science)


The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London is the Mayor of the City of London and head of the Corporation of London. The Lord Mayor of London is not the same person as the Mayor of London; The Lord Mayor is an officer only of the City of London. The Mayor of London governs the much larger area of Greater London.

The Lord Mayor is elected each year at the end of September or the beginning of October, and takes office in November. On the day after taking office, the Lord Mayor's Show is held. The Lord Mayor's role is mostly ceremonial and social, not political, although he does promote London's business credentials abroad. The Lord Mayor of London is also the chancellor of the City University of London.

The Lord Mayor for 2022-2023 is Nicholas Lyons.

Titles and honours

Of the 66 cities in the United Kingdom, the City of London is among the 30 that have Lord Mayors (or, in Scotland, Lord Provosts). The Lord Mayor is entitled to the style The Right Honourable; the same privilege extends only to the Lord Mayors of Bristol, York, Cardiff and Belfast, and to the Lord Provosts of Edinburgh and Glasgow. The style, however, is used when referring to the office and not to the person; "The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of London" would be correct, while "The Rt Hon John Smith" would be incorrect.

A woman who holds the office is also known as a Lord Mayor. A male Lord Mayor's wife is known as a Lady Mayoress. In speech, a Lord Mayor is referred to as "My Lord Mayor", and a Lady Mayoress as "My Lady Mayoress".

It was once use for Lord Mayors to be created knights when they took office and baronets when they retired. The custom was applied inconsistently from the sixteenth until the nineteenth centuries; creations became more regular from 1889 onwards. From 1964 onwards, the regular creation of hereditary dignities such as baronetcies stopped, but Lord Mayors continued to be granted knighthoods (usually of the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire) until 1993. Since 1993, Lord Mayors have not received any automatic honours upon appointment.

Other functions

The Lord Mayor is also
 Chief Magistrate of the City of London
 Admiral of the Port of London
 Chancellor of City University
 President of the City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association
 Trustee of St Paul's Cathedral
 Ambassador for the London Olympics Team 2012
 de facto Lord Lieutenant for the city, as he also presides over Her Majesty's Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London
 A link with the Livery Companies of London

Related pages
 Mayor of London

Notes

Other websites

 Lord Mayor official page

Lord Mayor of London


Extra time is more time added to a game if the score is tied at the end of normal time. Some sports do not allow some of all of their games to end in a tie. In score notation (notes about the score of the game), it is often written by the letters ET or a.e.t. a.e.t stands for "after extra time".

In tournament play, where only the winner continues to the next round, professional association football add 30 minutes of extra time to the game. The extra time is made up of two 15-minute periods. If a game is still tied after extra time, it is usually decided by kicks from the penalty mark, commonly called a penalty shootout.

Extra time is also used in other sports. Some of these sports are rugby union and rugby league, where extra time is usually 20 minutes long. In Australian rules football, two five-minute extra time periods are played in knockout finals matches when scores are tied at the end of the final quarter. In Gaelic football (and hurling), two halves of ten minutes are played after a draw. In major Gaelic football tournaments, extra time is only used if a replay finishes in a tie. In field hockey matches, extra time of 7½ minutes each way is played.

In North American sports, extra time is usually referred to as "overtime"; for ice hockey, it is usually "sudden death", which means that the overtime period ends with the first score made. In college football, a system of alternating possessions beginning at the opponent's 25-yard line is used which plays out similarly to extra innings in baseball in that each team receives a chance to score, and if the game is still tied, another iteration occurs.

Related pages
 Penalty shootout

Sports

Extra time


Excitation is a process to create a magnetic field from electric current. This process is used in electric machines (generators or motors) whose rotor spins in a magnetic field. This magnetic field can come from a permanent magnet or field coils. In the case of electric machine with field coils, a current must flow to the coil to generate the magnetic field, so that the field coils can act as a "magnet", like in the case of electric machine with permanent magnet. The device in which excitation happens is called the exciter.

Electricity

Excitation (magnetic)


Port Said (Arabic بورسعيد,
transliterated )
is an Egyptian city near the Suez Canal, with a population of about 500,000.

Port Said has fishing and industries, like chemicals, processed food, and cigarettes. Port Said is also an important harbour both for exports of Egyptian products like cotton and rice, but also a fuelling station for ships that pass through the Suez Canal.

Other websites
 PortSaid Free-zone Forums
 PortSaid-Online,Port Said's Largest Community - All about Port Said
 Satellite picture by Google Maps

Port Said

Port Said


Power Pack is a superhero team consisting of four young siblings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman, they first appeared in their own series in 1984, which lasted 62 issues, and have since appeared in other books. Power Pack is the first team of pre-teen superheroes in the Marvel Universe and the first team of heroes in comics to feature characters of that age operating without adult supervision. In 2005, the title was relaunched as a series aimed at younger readers—though this was eventually declared a separate continuity from that of the original series and the mainstream Marvel Universe.

The team consists of four siblings: Alex Power, Julie Power, Jack Power, and Katie Power. The dying alien called Whitey, a scientist of the Kymellian race, transfers one of his four superpowers to each of the Power children so they can save their planet from the alien conquerors known as the Snarks. The children band together as the superhero team Power Pack. Along with fighting aliens and super-villains, the team's stories were known for focusing on morality debates and social issues such as child abuse, homelessness, drug abuse, bullying, and the ethics of using excessive or lethal force in combat.

Publication history

Original series
During the early 1980s, Marvel Comics had a policy that all their editors should also be writers. Louise Simonson  was encouraged to think of a series she could write, and eventually she pitched a team of pre-teen siblings with superpowers called Power Pack. Simonson later explained:

Simonson chose June Brigman as Power Pack'''s penciler because of her talent for drawing children. The Power Pack series premiered in May 1984 (cover date August 1984) in a double-sized issue inked by Bob Wiacek. The series continued into 1991, during which time Brigman and Wiacek were replaced by Jon Bogdanove and Hilary Barta as principal artists. The Power Pack letters column, titled "Pick of the Pack", printed drawings and jokes about the characters submitted by readers, an unusual practice for a Marvel title.

In the first story of the series, the alien Kymellian known as Whitey is fatally injured by the alien villains known as Snarks. He gives the four Power children his powers before dying. His mass control power goes to Jack, his energy and disintegration power goes to Katie, his ability to fly goes to Julie, and his control over gravity goes to Alex. In issue #25, the team's powers are temporarily stolen, then returned but rearranged. Due to this "power switch", each Power Pack child now has an ability wielded by one of their siblings, leading to a change in codenames. The Power Pack children finally switched their costumes to match their new powers in issue #47. In issue #52, another rearrangement of powers and codenames occurred.

Unlike superheroes such as Spider-Man or Batman who were orphaned, free agents, or teenagers often trusted to be on their own without supervision, Power Pack was made up of pre-adolescent siblings who had a close relationship with each other, as well as their supportive parents Jim and Maggie Power. Early in the series, the children decided to keep their powers and superhero activities concealed from their parents, believing it would cause them stress and worry. This decision led to several moral compromises and feelings of guilt for the Power Pack members whenever they had to lie to friends and family or allow harm to occur because helping could mean revealing their abilities. The question of whether or not the powers should be revealed was also an ongoing source of debate among the children. Power Pack readers also argued the matter out in the series letter pages. During Jon Bogdanove's story "Revenge of the Bogeyman", which served as a tie-in for the crossover Inferno, the parents learn their children are superheroes. In an epilogue to the story, writer Julianna Jones depicted Jim and Maggie Power as so overwhelmed by the situation that they increasingly suffer psychological breakdowns and become convinced that they are not fit parents for superheroes. To help the Power family, the New Mutants team convinces Jim and Maggie Power that they were deceived and their children were never superheroes. This restored the secret identity status quo and led Power Pack to keep their heroic lives a secret again.

Despite the characters of Power Pack being children, the series often dealt with mature issues. Many of the social problems of the 1980s found their way into the book's storylines. Among the themes addressed were pollution, drug abuse, runaways, kidnapping, gun violence, bullying, orphanhood, and homelessness. Stories regularly depicted the Power children learning and debating how to use their potentially lethal powers responsibly, often on their own but sometimes with guidance from older heroes such as Spider-Man. In one early issue, Jack was wracked with remorse when he thought he had killed a man. In a later story arc, Katie seriously injures a Snark prince named Jakal, which causes her immense guilt and leads her to call herself a "monster".

As the series went on, the children were shown to slowly age and mature. In issue #1, Alex is 12 years old, Julie is 10, Jack is 8, and Katie is 5. In issue #45, Julie graduates from elementary school with honors in English, and the story says she will join Alex at school 44 (an actual middle school existing in New York City).

The same year Power Pack debuted, the team appeared alongside Spider-Man in a special comic designed to discuss children targeted by sexual abuse. The one-shot issue, written by Louise Simonson, was distributed for free and reprinted in the comics sections of many major newspapers. Marvel continued the campaign by featuring the characters in print public service announcements. Later the same year, the writers used the Snark Wars storyline (wherein the children are kidnapped by the evil Snark alien race) to address the issue of child abduction. During the same storyline, photos of missing children were printed in lieu of the comic's regular letters column. In 1989, the Power Pack teamed-up with Cloak and Dagger in a special graphic novel addressing teen homelessness and runaways. Hotline telephone numbers for Covenant House were printed on the back cover.

Along with Spider-Man and the duo of Cloak and Dagger, Power Pack frequently encountered members of the X-Men and New Mutants. In issue #16, they met Franklin Richards (son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four), and in issue #17 Franklin became a part-time member of Power Pack himself. He joined on many other adventures, occasionally staying with the Power family for days at a time when his own family were off on adventures.

Starting with issue #34, the Power Pack series regularly rotated writers. Simonson wrote issues #35, #37, and #39–40, while John Bogdanove wrote issue #36, issues #42–43, and issues #47–52. Howard Mackie wrote issue #34, Julianna Jones wrote issues #38 and #44–45, Steven Heyer wrote #41, Terry Austin wrote issues #46 and #53, Judy Bogdanove wrote #54, and Dwayne McDuffie wrote issue #55. During Jon Bogdanove's final issues, Franklin Richards returned as a regular member of the team.

Further changes involved Alex Power mutating into a Kymellian appearance without explanation, forcing him to hide from his girlfriend Allison (who soon dates someone else) as well as from public life. The series was cancelled with issue #62. The final issue, printed in the fourth quarter of 1990 (cover-dated February 1991), depicted the team and their parents journeying into space together.

One year after the original series' cancellation, creators Louise Simonson and June Brigman teamed up for the one-shot issue Power Pack Holiday Special (published in fourth quarter of 1991, with a cover date of February 1992). The one-shot comic resolved the cliffhanger the series had ended on, restored the Power Pack members' original powers, and undid some of the changes to the characters done during the run by Michael Higgins and Tom Morgan. Power Pack Holiday Special also included a short comedy story involving an art style that evoked Calvin and Hobbes, and a short story that showed an older, teenage Julie dealing with romance and self-esteem issues.

The Power Pack stories were reprinted by Marvel UK beginning around 1986. It was Marvel UK's practice at the time to use a less well-known series as a secondary story in a comic devoted to more recognizable characters, and Power Pack became the back-up "strip" in a run of Marvel's licensed Star Wars weekly Return of the Jedi. During this period, it was printed partly in black and white and partly in color, as was the main Star Wars strip. Power Pack subsequently became the back-up strip for the UK ThunderCats comic, where it remained until its eventual replacement by the Galaxy Rangers series.

2000 miniseries
A four-part Power Pack mini-series published in 2000 depicted the children as now being slightly older than when they had last been in the 1991 Power Pack Holiday Special. Katie was now in the fifth grade (having skipped two grades due to her intelligence), Jack had joined Julie in middle school, and Alex was now a teenager in high school. James and Maggie, the children's parents, were now aware that their children were also the heroes of Power Pack and accepted it. The Power children now wore masks when in costume and their superhero activities were largely restricted to "practice sessions" in the forest around their new home in Bainbridge Island,  from Seattle. The series once again pitted the Pack against Queen Mauraud and the Snarks.

Return of Power Pack
Joe Quesada announced in a New Joe Fridays column at Newsarama that Power Pack would be returning to the Marvel Universe in late 2007, after the events of Civil War.NEWSARAMA.COM: NEW JOE FRIDAYS – WEEK 35, A WEEKLY Q&A WITH JOE QUESADA  However, due to the various delays within their release shipping schedules for Marvel Comics, these plans were put on hold. A new Power Pack story was commissioned for the 2007 Marvel Holiday Special, which would have been the first original material featuring the full cast in the standard Marvel Universe since the 2000 mini-series. It was briefly summarized as "Power Pack relives holidays past" in official Marvel solicits, but the story was scrapped from the publication at the last minute, when it was decided to prioritize the recently canceled title The Loners, which featured Julie Power among its cast. A Loners story written by CB Cebulski ran in place of the Power Pack story, though the official solicitation information still listed the Power Pack story and description.

Three of the Power siblingsAlex, Jack, and Katieappear within Fantastic Four #574 (2010) as guests celebrating Franklin Richards' birthday. They were all depicted as only slightly older than they had been in the 2000 mini-series, with Alex still a teenager. During the story, Alex was invited to join Reed Richards' Future Foundation. He then made frequent appearances in the Fantastic Four series.

In 2020, a 5-issue limited series written by Ryan North and illustrated by Nico Leon began publication as part of Marvel's Outlawed event.

Fictional team history
At the beginning
Alex (age 12), Julie (10), Jack (8),Comment from editors in Power Pack #9 "Pick of the Pack" letters column, regarding Alex's "my brother is almost 8" comment in issue #6: "Alex did screw up! Jack is almost nine! Alex was so flustered by meeting Spider-Man that he could hardly talk straight...and boy is Jack mad! He figures it's no wonder that Spider-Man treated them like babies! He thought Jack was a whole year younger than he is!" and Katie Power (5) were bright, normal American children living with their parents in a beachfront house in Virginia. Their father, Dr. James Power, was a brilliant physicist who discovered a process to generate energy from antimatter with the assistance of a converter, of which he made a prototype. The process was, however, known to several alien races to cause chain reactions and destroy planets, and Dr. Power's knowledge of the process was discovered by Aelfyre "Whitey" Whitemane, a member of the Kymellian race, who resemble humanoid horses. A similar accident destroyed the Kymellians' home planet.

Whitey tried to stop the experiment by warning the Powers but was mortally wounded by his enemies, the reptilian Snarks, in the process. The Snarks kidnapped Dr. Power and his wife, Margaret, hoping to obtain the secret of antimatter. Whitey rescued the Power children and told them what was happening. Before dying, he passed his powers to them to complete his mission.

The children, with the help of Whitey's "Smartship", a sentient starship called Friday, managed to stop the antimatter test by stealing and destroying the converter and rescued their parents from the Snarks. They decided to continue being superheroes and to hide their powers from their parents. Alex took the codename Gee, Julie became Lightspeed, Jack became Mass Master, and Katie became Energizer. They wore costumes made for them by Friday, which were actually Kymellian spacesuits. The costumes, which were constructed of unstable molecules and stored 'Elsewhere', could materialize and disappear on voice command.

After rescuing their parents, the entire family moves to New York City, where the team attempted to deal with normal "kid problems" such as bullies and loose teeth while battling some of the deadliest villains in the Marvel Universe. The Pack fought the villain Kurse on two occasions during Secret Wars II. They were also heavily involved in the events of the Fall of the Mutants and Inferno storylines. During the Mutant Massacre, they descended into the sewers and fought Sabretooth.

The Pack's two greatest enemies during the original series were the Snarks and Carmody/The Bogeyman. The Snarks generally attempted to kidnap the Power children and steal their powers. Carmody, James Power's former employer, spotted the Power children when they stole the antimatter converter at the beginning of the series and became obsessed with revenge. At first, he tried to work with government agencies to prove the Powers were mutants. Later, he became a supervillain himself, assuming the identity of the Bogeyman. After being thrown into Limbo by Magik of the New Mutants, he returned in a demonic form and nearly killed the entire Power family before ultimately committing suicide.

Power Pack joined forces with Cloak & Dagger, the X-Men and the New Mutants on numerous occasions.

The team took great pains to conceal their superhuman abilities from their family and "normal" friends. However, during Inferno, when confronted by the demonic Carmody, the children were forced to reveal their powers to save their parents. The discovery led Jim and Maggie to have mental breakdowns. They were restored to normal through the combined efforts of Mirage and Gosamyr, who convinced them that the superpowered children were clones created to protect them from Carmody and that the "real" Power children, who were powerless, had been taken away and guarded by the New Mutants until Carmody was defeated. This explanation placated their parents and, once they were reunited with their "normal" children, their minds healed themselves. The "clones", which had been generated by Mirage, were then removed, making the children's secret safe once again. This "cover-up" proved to be unpopular with readers, and was highly criticized in the comic's letters column.

Another occasional member of the team was Franklin Richards, the son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who went by the name Tattletale while adventuring. James and Margaret Power were introduced to Franklin after the events of the Snark Wars, and befriended Reed and Sue Richards when Franklin was returned to Avengers Mansion. Subsequently, Franklin was often invited to stay with the Power family while his parents were away on missions. Although Franklin was a member of the group, the Fantastic Four had no knowledge of Power Pack until the end of the series; instead, they thought of the Power children simply as "Franklin's friends".

End of the series
Sometime later, Alex underwent a transformation into a Kymellian, and Margaret Power began losing her mind. The Power family sought help for Margaret and Alex in various places, beginning with Reed Richards' lab, but their efforts were disrupted by the Red Ghost and his super apes.

The Power family traveled to the UK to try to find help for Margaret and Alex, but the institute was overrun by Nightmare and they encountered Excalibur. After that the Powers visited the Caribbean. The children planned to enjoy the sun and sand while their father consulted with colleagues but found themselves confronted with what seemed to be an alien attack on the beach where they were relaxing.

The family decided to abandon New York and fly with Friday to New Kymellia to seek help for Alex and his mother.

Both Alex and his parents had been replaced by "pseudoplasm" doubles by a renegade Kymellian Technocrat and his ally, the exiled Maraud (called Meraud in this storyline). The real Alex and his parents were being held captive in the Technocrat's hidden satellite orbiting New Kymellia. Eventually, the other Power siblings learned the truth and rescued their family, switching powers several times as needed, and barely escaping from the satellite before it was destroyed by Maraud.

After recovering on New Kymellia, the Power family returned to New York with Friday. Each of the children was back in possession of his or her original power, and their parents remained unaware of their children's powers and of Power Pack's existence.

Post-series
Alex, New Warriors and the Future Foundation
The Kymellians had given Alex the ability to absorb the powers of his siblings into himself and thus use them all. With these powers, he joined the New Warriors superhero group under the name Powerpax, later Powerhouse. This caused some friction with Alex's brother and sisters; even their parents noticed the heightened levels of hostility and forced the children to see a psychologist. Alex eventually gave the others' powers back; the four reverted to their original names (except Alex, who named himself Zero-G and Julie, who was now called Starstreak, the name Katie had chosen when she had Julie's powers). Speedball later tried to recruit Alex back into the New Warriors. Alex politely refused, citing the conflicts his membership would cause among his siblings, though Katie offered her services, to Speedball's chagrin.

At some point outside of any published story, their parents discovered that the children had superpowers and were active as superheroes. Why Power Pack's parents could now retain this information without suffering mental trauma and insanity – thanks to telepathic manipulation by Byrel Whitemane that had previously been established as impossible to circumvent – has not been explained.

Following the events of the 2000 mini-series, Julie left the family home in unrevealed circumstances to try to become an actress in Los Angeles. Despite Julie's departure from Power Pack, the team defeats Big Wheel. Katie is later seen in costume having beaten several A.I.M. agents unconscious, when Flatman and Doorman offered her membership in the Great Lakes Avengers but she declined, and Power Pack fight Grizzly in New Jersey, a sighting which is used as his alibi against charges that he robbed Madison Square Garden.

During Marvel's Civil War event, Alex's codename Powerhouse was briefly mentioned by Hindsight Lad, an ex-teammate responsible for outing the secret identities of many New Warriors. Alex is one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative #1.

He later joined Reed Richards' Future Foundation project, which allowed gifted children living within the Baxter Building to map out the outlook for their generation.

Julie, Excelsior/Loners, Avengers Academy and Future Foundation
Sometime after the events of the 2000 mini-series, Julie Power concluded that adventuring had deprived her of a normal childhood. She dropped out of high school, left her family, and moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. She joined Excelsior, a support group for "former" teenage superheroes, where she is once again known as Lightspeed. Excelsior's first mission was to return the members of the Runaways to the foster care from which the children had absconded and ended with Excelsior battling Ultron. Though they are not seen on-panel, it is then established that Excelsior spend several months attempting to recapture the child cast of the Runaways, but are constantly thwarted by being ineffectual, getting roped into cleaning up after the Runaways' crimefighting exploits, and on occasion simply by being outsmarted by the Runaways.

The Loners are all registered under the Superhuman Registration Act, but consider themselves retired from super-heroics when they are not battling superpowered menaces or operating in public as superheroes attempting to capture runaway superpowered children. However, Julie later tells the rest of the group that she is not registered. While she is less intelligent and articulate than previously established, Julie reveals in Loners #4 that this is merely an affectation she adopts for the benefit of others – she pretends to be a "dumb blonde" to fit in with Los Angelenos. It had previously been established that Julie is a redhead, her "blonde" hair the result of using light hues in the production of the comic's art to reflect the brighter climate of the west coast.

The Loners' support group has moved to New York City, where Julie is presumably seen, though not named, at recent meetings. As with the cast's sudden relocation to Los Angeles from New York between the cancellation of their series and the beginning of Runaways volume 2, the move is not explained.

Julie was seen among the other young superheroes to arrive on the new campus for the Avengers Academy, where she is attending classes as a teacher assistant, under Quicksilver's tutelage.

Sometime after Julie ended the relationship with Karolina Dean, she was dealing with her depression and dropping out of college; when Alex & Dragon Man appeared in her apartment and recruited her on a rescue mission to help save the Foundation. Afterward, she joined the team as both teacher and Co-leader of the FF.

Members
The Power siblings have changed powers on several occasions and are the core of the Pack.

Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
During the Age of Apocalypse, the Power children had been captured and used by Beast in his gruesome experiments which ended with fusing the four siblings together. They were later dissected, and kept sealed in containing tubes at his secret laboratory in the Yucatán.

All-ages miniseries
A new Power Pack miniseries debuted in 2005. Written by Marc Sumerak and penciled by Gurihiru Studios, it mostly ignored previous Power Pack continuity and was aimed toward young children. Marvel later noted that these stories take place on Earth-5631 as opposed to the established mainstream Marvel continuity of Earth-616. Although the initial four-issue series was not released under the Marvel Age imprint because of editorial decisions, it was later reprinted in digest format under the Marvel Age banner. Each of these first four issues focussed on one of the Power children and their respective troubles in balancing the secret of their powers with the demands of their daily lives.

A second Power Pack miniseries by the same creative team, X-Men & Power Pack, debuted in October 2005. The series guest-starred various members and villains from the X-Men comics, including Cyclops, Wolverine, Sabretooth, Beast, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Mister Sinister and his Marauders. The Circus of Crime also makes an appearance.

A third Power Pack miniseries, titled Avengers & Power Pack: Assemble! debuted in April 2006. This series teamed the Pack with various members of the Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Spider-Woman. Issues #3 & #4 were a two-part adventure in which the Pack and the Avengers battled Kang the Conqueror, although the latter's plot of conquest which culminates in these two volumes spans the whole miniseries.

A fourth Power Pack miniseries, titled Spider-Man & Power Pack, debuted in November 2006. The series featured Spider-Man and some of his rogue's gallery, such as the Vulture, Sandman, and Venom. The miniseries included two sub-plots: in one, Spider-Man was reduced in age and temporarily joined the Power siblings; the second involved the group teaming up with Spidey to capture Venom symbiote costumes that had been taking control of various women – including Mary-Jane Watson – during part one, and then Katie in part two.

A fifth Power Pack miniseries, Hulk & Power Pack, debuted in March 2007, following the events of the Spider-Man and Power Pack miniseries. The series involved the Hulk and his enemies the Absorbing Man, Abomination, and Zzzax. The miniseries was drawn by David Williams (except for issue #3, which was drawn by Andy Kuhn).

A sixth Power Pack miniseries, Fantastic Four & Power Pack, debuted in July 2007, co-starring the Fantastic Four, who made a previous appearance in issue #3 of the first Power Pack miniseries. Gurihiru Studios returned for the artwork; however, Fred Van Lente replaced Mark Sumerak as writer. The series pitted the Pack against the Fantastic Four's enemies and also featured Franklin Richards, who, as Tattletale, was a member of Power Pack in the regular Marvel Universe.

A seventh Power Pack miniseries, Iron Man & Power Pack, debuted in November 2007, co-starring Iron Man, who had previously appeared in the Avengers & Power Pack: Assemble! miniseries. The series was written by Marc Sumerak and the artwork was by Marcelo Diachara. Opponents include the Puppet Master, the Ghost, Blizzard, Speed Demon and Ultimo. James Rhodes and Pepper Potts also have guest appearances.

An eighth Power Pack miniseries, titled Power Pack: Day One debuted in March 2008. The series, which featured the same creative team as Fantastic Four & Power Pack (Fred Van Lente and Gurihiru), focused on the origins of the team and the incorporation of their new member, Franklin Richards. This series is credited as being "based on" the origin tale from the 1984 series by Louise Simonson and June Brigman, though it is lighter in tone, has a shorter page-count, and changes some plot elements. The series also included scientific back-up information about the physical aspects of the siblings' powers, with artwork by Colleen Coover.

A ninth series, Skrulls vs Power Pack, made its debut in July 2008. The storyline involved Power Pack encountering the alien Skrulls. This miniseries also introduced the Kymellian Kofi Whitemane to this continuity. The creative team was Fred Van Lente as writer and Cory Hamscher as artist. Gurihiru provided the covers and the colors.

A tenth miniseries, Wolverine and Power Pack, made its debut in November 2008. Wolverine had previously appeared in the X-Men and Power Pack miniseries. The series reunited the original creative team of Marc Sumerak and Gurihiru. Logan and the four children confronted Sauron, faced the Danger Room, and defended the Xavier school against Sentinels, giant robots programmed for anti-mutant genocide. Since the Power siblings are not actually mutants, their intervention was decisive in the outcome of the latter battle. Logan and Power Pack have adventures together in 19th-century New York City and 20th-century Tokyo.

An eleventh Power Pack miniseries began in April 2010, with Thor appearing and co-headlining, called Thor And The Warriors Four. The creative team is writer Alex Zalben and artwork once again by Gurihiru. Thor and the Power children confront an evil plot of Loki's while trying to save the Powers' grandmother. High points include Alex wielding Mjolnir, Beta Ray Bill and the other Asgardians turning into children, a guest appearance by Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers, and Dr. Donald Blake making applesauce. The series also contains a back-up adventure of Hercules telling the story of his Twelve Labors while babysitting the Pack.

Mini Marvels
In a Mini Marvels short, Spider-Man is hired to babysit the infant Power children.

House of M
Alex and Julie appear in House of M: Avengers #3 as members of a superpowered gang called the Wolfpack, the House of M's version of the New Warriors.

Marvel 2099
In the alternate Marvel 2099 timeline, Julie, Jack, and Kate appear as adults, apparently having aged at a greatly reduced rate as a result of their powers. Alchemax CEO J. Jonah Jameson hires them to take down Captain America 2099 and Spider-Man 2099. Eventually, it is revealed that they are actually Skrulls who have been brainwashed into believing they are Power Pack.

Marvel Zombies
The zombified Power children appear in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #3. They come into conflict with Nextwave, who have not been infected at that point but are ruthlessly dispatched off-panel moments later. An explosion violently kills all of them but Alex, who appears in Marvel Zombies Halloween with other zombies attacking Kitty Pryde and her son Peter.

MC2
Katie, going by Kate, appears in issues 2–5 of A-Next. During a conversation with American Dream, she indicates that something tragic happened to one of her brothers, but the details of the situation remain unclear.

Millennial Visions
In the "Power Pack: Starting Over" story within Marvel's 2001 Millennial Visions one-shot comic, the team is depicted as a group of adults ranging from 25 (Katie) to 32 (Alex). In this alternate universe, the siblings split up after their parents were killed by anti-mutant activists and led disparate lives until Julie reunites them to face a new Snark attack.

New Mutants
In an issue of The New Mutants, Katie appears in a dystopian future ruled by Sunspot. She has all of her siblings' powers, explaining that this is because they were killed some time ago. She fights for the rights of downtrodden humans and helps the time-lost members of the New Mutants find their way home.

Renew Your Vows
The siblings appear in the miniseries Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows as schoolmates of Peter Parker's daughter Annie. They are forced to go into hiding when it is discovered that they have superhuman abilities and are taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D.

X-Force
A young girl called Francine Power appears in an alternate future in X-Force Annual #1, operating under the name Powerpax. She has all of the powers of the various members of Power Pack and wears a costume similar to the one later worn by Alex Power in the pages of New Warriors.

Collected editions
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Title
! Material collected
! Format
! Publication date
! ISBN
|-
| Power Pack Origin Album| Power Pack (1984) #1–4
| TPB
| May 1988
|
|-
| Power Pack Classic volume 1| Power Pack (1984) #1–10
| TPB
| July 2009
|
|-
| Power Pack Classic volume 2| Power Pack (1984) #11–17; Uncanny X-Men #195; Power Pack & Cloak and Dagger: Shelter from the Storm| TPB
| May 2010
|
|-
| Power Pack Classic volume 3| Power Pack (1984) #18–26; Thor #363
| TPB
| March 2011
|
|-
| Power Pack Classic Omnibus| Power Pack (1984) #1–36; Uncanny X-Men #195, 205; Thor #363; X-Factor Annual 2; Power Pack & Cloak and Dagger: Shelter from the Storm; material from Strange Tales (1987) #13–14
| Oversized hardcover
| March 2020
|
|-
| Power Pack Classic Omnibus volume 2| Power Pack (1984) #37–62; Excalibur (1988) #29; Power Pack Holiday Special (1992) #1; Power Pack (2000) #1-4; Fantastic Four (1998) #574; FF (2011) #15; Power Pack (2017) #63; Power Pack: Grow Up (2019) #1; material from Marvel Super Heroes (1990) #6; Marvel Fanfare (1982) #55
| Oversized hardcover
| June 2021
|
|-
| Secret Wars II Omnibus| Power Pack (1984) #18; Secret Wars II #1–9; Uncanny X-Men #198, #202–203; The New Mutants #30, #36–37; Captain America #308; Iron Man #197; Fantastic Four #282, #285, #288, #316–319; Web of Spider-Man #6; Amazing Spider-Man #268, #273–274; Daredevil #223; Incredible Hulk #312; Avengers #260–261 and #265–266; Dazzler #40; Alpha Flight #28; Thing #30; Doctor Strange #74; Cloak and Dagger #4; Thor #363; Power Man and Iron Fist #121; Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #111; Defenders #152; Quasar #8
| Oversized hardcover
| May 2009
|
|-
| Essential X-Men volume 6| Power Pack (1984) #27; X-Men #199–213, Annual #9; The New Mutants #46, Special Edition #1; X-Factor #9–11; Thor #373–374
| TPB
| September 2005
|
|-
| Essential X-Factor volume 1| Power Pack (1984) #27; Avengers #262; Fantastic Four #286; X-Factor #1–16, Annual #1; Thor #373–374
| TPB
| November 2005
|
|-
| X-Men: Mutant Massacre
| Power Pack (1984) #27; Uncanny X-Men #210–214; The New Mutants #46; X-Factor #9–11; Thor #373–374; Daredevil #238
| TPB
| January 2010
|
|-
| X-Men: Fall of the Mutants Omnibus
| Power Pack (1984) #35; Uncanny X-Men #220–227; The New Mutants (1983) #55–61; X-Factor (1986) #19–26; Captain America (1968) #339; Daredevil(1964) #252; Fantastic Four (1961) #312; Incredible Hulk (1968) #340
| Oversized hardcover
| October 2011
|
|-
| X-Men: Inferno Crossovers Omnibus
|Power Pack (1984) #40, 42–44; Avengers #298–300; Fantastic Four #322–324; Amazing Spider-Man #311–313; Spectacular Spider-Man #146–148; Web of Spider-Man #47–48; Daredevil #262–263, 265; Excalibur #6–7; Cloak & Dagger #4
| Oversized hardcover
| September 2010
|
|-
| Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus
| Power Pack (1984) #53; Uncanny X-Men #256–258; Fantastic Four #334–336; Wolverine #19–20; Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #11–13; Incredible Hulk #363; Punisher #28–29; Punisher War Journal #12–13; Marc Spector: Moon Knight #8–10; Daredevil #275–276; Alpha Flight #79–80; The New Mutants #84–86; X-Factor #49–50; Damage Control #1–4; and Web of Spider-Man #64–65
| Oversized hardcover
| August 2011
|
|-
| Power Pack: Pack Attack!
| Power Pack (2005) #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2005
|
|-
| X-Men/Power Pack
| X-Men/Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2006
|
|-
| Avengers/Power Pack: Assemble!
| Avengers/Power Pack: Assemble! #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2006
|
|-
| Spider-Man/Power Pack: Big-City Superheroes
| Spider-Man/Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2007
|
|-
| Hulk/Power Pack: Pack Smash
| Hulk/Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2007
|
|-
| Fantastic Four and Power Pack: Favorite Son
| Fantastic Four and Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2008
|
|-
| Iron Man/Power Pack: Armored and Dangerous
| Iron Man/Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2008
|
|-
| Power Pack: Day One
| Power Pack: Day One #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2008
|
|-
| Wolverine/Power Pack: The Wild Pack
| Wolverine/Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2009
|
|-
| Skrulls Vs. Power Pack
| Skrulls Vs. Power Pack #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2009
|
|-
| Thor and the Warriors Four
| Thor and the Warriors Four #1–4
| Digest TPB
| 2010
|
|-
| Power Pack: Powers That Be
| Power Pack (2020) #1–5
| TPB
| June 2021
|
|}

Power Pack Classic volume 4 () was scheduled to be released in March 2013 but was cancelled. It would have contained Power Pack (1984) #27–36 and material from Strange Tales (1987) #13–14.

In other media

TV pilot

Plot

As the Power siblings get ready for a new school year, they must deal with typical kid issues while also balancing their lives as superpowered children when they learn of Dr. Mobius, a phantom that haunts an abandoned house.

Cast

 Nathaniel Moreau as Alex Power
 Margot Finley as Julie Power
 Bradley Machry as Jack Power
 Jacelyn Holmes as Katie Power
 Jonathan Whittaker as Dr. James Power
 Cheryl Wilson as Margaret Power
 Daniel DeSanto as Eddie
 Christian Masten as Harlan
 Rachel Wilson as Tina
 Charlene DiPardo as Rhonda
 Greg Swanson as Dr. Mobius

Production

Following the cancellation of the original comic, Paragon Entertainment Corporation and New World Television developed Power Pack into a live-action show for NBC's Saturday Morning Kids block. While a pilot episode was made, the series was passed on and later picked up by Fox, which chose to broadcast it as a Saturday morning special, on September 28, 1991, rather than ordering an entire series. The 27-minute pilot has subsequently been aired a few times on Fox Kids during the off-season. Minor alterations to the concept were made for the pilot, ranging from the children's parents being aware of their superhuman abilities, Julie's acceleration power being altered to her being able to move at superhuman speed, without the ability to fly, and the "cloud" aspect of Jack's density power being eliminated; he was only able to shrink in size. The children did not wear costumes.

Other television appearances
 All four members of Power Pack (Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie) have cameo appearances alongside Franklin Richards in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "Support Your Local Sky-Father!".
 The name Power Pack is mentioned in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "Blade and the Howling Commandos". Spider-Man brought up the name as one of the "big guns" in the superhero community.

Film
In 2000, Marvel Entertainment entered into a joint venture agreement with Artisan Entertainment to turn at least 15 Marvel superhero franchises into live-action films, television series, direct-to-video films, and internet projects. These 15 franchises included an adaptation of Power Pack. In September 2017, Marvel Studios revealed plans to introduce Power Pack into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with their own film in development. Jonathan Schwartz, an executive producer on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, will oversee the project, with the plot being described as "a Spy Kids–like story".

References

External links
 Marvel Directory (Power Pack)
 Info regarding a future feature film
 Power Pack's 'Site within Writer Marc Sumerak 'Page

1984 comics debuts
Comics about children
Child characters in comics
Comics by Louise Simonson
Marvel Comics titles
Marvel Comics superhero teams
Marvel Comics child superheroes

Power Pack


A diastema is a large gap between teeth. It is a normal feature in many types of land vertebrates, especially mammals. A good example are carnivores like the cat, which has a gap between its canine teeth and its slicing molar teeth. Horses, too, have a diastema between their incisors (which pull the grass) and their molars (which grind it).

Related pages

Dental formula

Teeth

Diastema