text:
User talk:David Vasquez~enwiki/Archive 1

World citizens
Welcome to WP, DV! You might like to consider adding yourself to the list at Wikipedians/World citizens. Kind regards. Robin Patterson 03:37, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the invitation, Robin. I'm not so sure about the ramifications of adding my name to such a list, but good luck with finding citizens for your community! --DV 12:14, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Tables
On a lighter note, maybe, after looking at your impressive Video poker (note lower-case "p") table, but shuddering at the code (and sympathising), I must ask whether you have discovered the terribly easy table software WP uses - see a copy and comments, with a link to the original style page, on my subpage User:Robin_Patterson/tables%2Cetc. Robin Patterson 03:37, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the tips, Robin! --DV 12:14, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Simplified Chinese to Pinyin?
If anyone can refer me to a good source (either a web page, a book or dictionary, a special electronic translator, or some software I could buy?) that makes it possible to type in (or draw with a stylus) Simplified Chinese characters from a Chinese text (or a map in this case) and have it translated into Pinyin, I would be very grateful.

I am having limited success with this task, even working with a native speaker, as she can pronounce what she reads, but doesn't know Pinyin.

The translators and dictionaries we have don't do a good job with proper names (such as street names or names of landmarks). We have one translator that allows the user to enter Simplified Chinese using a stylus, but it can only show Pinyin for words in its dictionary.

Surely in this day and age there is a way to automate this type of translation?

--DV 11:41, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)

 * OK, after some more research, it appears that there is an Input Method called "Wubi" that allows the user to type in Chinese characters without knowing the Pinyin (which appears to be a requirement when entering proper names that do not appear in a translator). However, it appears that there are a number of different "Wubi" input method editors. Can anyone recommend a particular version of a Wubi Input Method Editor (for a Windows computer) that they have had good experience with? I am working with a fluent Mandarin speaker and Chinese writer.
 * One other alternative, I found some stylus pads on YesAsia and a few other sites. Would using a stylus pad be a better alternative? If so, any recommendations?

 * --DV 08:24, 30 Oct 2004 (UTC)

World Citizen userbox,
Hi, I noticed the message saying you're a World Citizen, I would like to invite you to add to your user page if you wish to proclaim it in a more effective way, and this template will also add you automatically to the Wikipedians with World Citizenship category. :) --Mistress Selina Kyle 00:05, 18 December 2005 (UTC)


text: User talk:212.219.11.82

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:212.219.11.82


text:
Code segment

In computing, a code segment, also known as a text segment or simply as text, is a portion of an object file or the corresponding section of the program's virtual address space that contains executable instructions.

Segment
The term "segment" comes from the memory segment, which is a historical approach to memory management that has been succeeded by paging. When a program is stored in an object file, the code segment is a part of this file; when the loader places a program into memory so that it may be executed, various memory regions are allocated (in particular, as pages), corresponding to both the segments in the object files and to segments only needed at run time. For example, the code segment of an object file is loaded into a corresponding code segment in memory.

The code segment in memory is typically read-only and has a fixed size, so on embedded systems it can usually be placed in read-only memory (ROM), without the need for loading. If the code segment is not read-only, then the particular architecture allows self-modifying code. Fixed-position or position-independent code may be shared in memory by several processes in segmented or paged memory systems. As a memory region, the code segment may be placed below the heap or stack in order to prevent heap and stack overflows from overwriting it.

title: Code segment


text:
Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery (with cryo from the Ancient Greek κρύο icy cold) is the use of extreme cold in surgery to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue; thus, it is the surgical application of cryoablation.

Cryosurgery has been historically used to treat a number of diseases and disorders, especially a variety of benign and malignant skin conditions.

Uses
Warts, moles, skin tags, solar keratoses, molluscum, Morton's neuroma and small skin cancers are candidates for cryosurgical treatment. Several internal disorders are also treated with cryosurgery, including liver cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, oral cancers, cervical disorders and, more commonly in the past, hemorrhoids. Soft tissue conditions such as plantar fasciitis (jogger's heel) and fibroma (benign excrescence of connective tissue) can be treated with cryosurgery.

Cryosurgery works by taking advantage of the destructive force of freezing temperatures on cells. When their temperature sinks beyond a certain level ice crystals begin forming inside the cells and, because of their lower density, eventually tear apart those cells. Further harm to malignant growth will result once the blood vessels supplying the affected tissue begin to freeze.

Cryosurgery is used to treat a variety of benign skin lesions including:
 * Acne
 * Dermatofibroma
 * Hemangioma
 * Keloid (hypertrophic scar)
 * Molluscum contagiosum
 * Myxoid cyst
 * Pyogenic granuloma
 * Seborrheic keratoses
 * Skin tags
 * Warts (including anogenital warts)

Cryosurgery may also be used to treat low risk skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma but a biopsy should be obtained first to confirm the diagnosis, determine the depth of invasion and characterize other high risk histologic features.

Liquid nitrogen
A common method of freezing lesions is by using liquid nitrogen as the cryogen. The liquid nitrogen may be applied to lesions using a variety of methods; such as dipping a cotton or synthetic material tipped applicator in liquid nitrogen and then directly applying the cryogen onto the lesion. The liquid nitrogen can also be sprayed onto the lesion using a spray canister. The spray canister may utilize a variety of nozzles for different spray patterns. A cryoprobe, which is a metal applicator that has been cooled using liquid nitrogen, can also be directly applied onto lesions.

Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is also available as a spray and is used to treat a variety of benign spots. Less frequently, doctors use carbon dioxide "snow" formed into a cylinder or mixed with acetone to form a slush that is applied directly to the treated tissue.

Argon
Recent advances in technology have allowed for the use of argon gas to drive ice formation using a principle known as the Joule-Thomson effect. This gives physicians excellent control of the ice and minimizes complications using ultra-thin 17 gauge cryoneedles.

Freeze sprays
A mixture of dimethyl ether and propane is used in some "freeze spray" preparations such as Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away. The mixture is stored in an aerosol spray type container at room temperature and drops to -41 C when dispensed. The mixture is often dispensed into a straw with a cotton-tipped swab. Similar products may use tetrafluoroethane or other substances.

Products
A number of medical supply companies have developed cryogen delivery systems for cryosurgery. Most are based on the use of liquid nitrogen, although some employ the use of proprietary mixtures of gases that combine to form the cryogen.
 * Cryosurgical systems

In cancer treatment
Cryosurgery is also used to treat internal and external tumors as well as tumors in the bone. To cure internal tumors, a hollow instrument called a cryoprobe is used, which is placed in contact with the tumor. Liquid nitrogen or argon gas is passed through the cryoprobe. Ultrasound or MRI is used to guide the cryoprobe and monitor the freezing of the cells. This helps in limiting damage to adjacent healthy tissues. A ball of ice crystals forms around the probe which results in freezing of nearby cells. When it is required to deliver gas to various parts of the tumor, more than one probe is used. After cryosurgery, the frozen tissue is either naturally absorbed by the body in the case of internal tumors, or it dissolves and forms a scab for external tumors.

Results
Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive procedure, and is often preferred to other types of surgery because of its safety, ease of use, minimal pain and scarring as well as low cost; however, as with any medical treatment, there are risks involved, primarily that of damage to nearby healthy tissue. Damage to nerve tissue is of particular concern but is rare.

Cryosurgery cannot be used on lesions that would subsequently require biopsy as the technique destroys tissue and precludes the use of histopathology.

More common complications of cryosurgery include blistering and edema which are transient. Cryosurgery may cause complications due to damage of underlying structures. Destruction of the basement membrane may cause scarring and destruction of hair follicles can cause alopecia or hair loss. Occasionally, hypopigmentation may occur in the area of skin treated with cryosurgery, however, this complication is usually transient and often resolves as melanocytes migrate and repigment the area over several months. Bleeding can also occur, which can be delayed or immediate, due to damage of underlying arteries and arterioles. Tendon rupture and cartillage necrosis can occur, particularly if cryosurgery is done over bony prominences. These complications can be avoided or minimized if freeze times of less than 30 seconds are used during cryosurgery.

Patients undergoing cryosurgery usually experience redness and minor-to-moderate localized pain, which most of the time can be alleviated sufficiently by oral administration of mild analgesics such as ibuprofen, codeine or acetaminophen (paracetamol). Blisters may form as a result of cryosurgery, but these usually scab over and peel away within a few days.

title: Cryosurgery


text:
Cleobulus

Cleobulus (Κλεόβουλος ὁ Λίνδιος, Kleoboulos ho Lindios; fl. 6th century BC) was a Greek poet and a native of Lindos. He is one of the Seven Sages of Greece.

Life
Cleobulus was the son of Evagoras and a citizen of Lindus in Rhodes. Clement of Alexandria called Cleobulus king of the Lindians, and Plutarch spoke of him as the tyrant. The letter quoted by Diogenes Laërtius, in which Cleobulus invites Solon to Lindus as a democratic place of refuge from the tyrant Peisistratus in Athens, is undoubtedly a later forgery. Cleobulus is also said to have studied philosophy in Egypt. He had a daughter, Cleobulina, who found fame as a poet, composing riddles in hexameter verse. Cleobulus is said to have lived to the age of seventy, and to have been greatly distinguished for strength and beauty of person.

Extant fragments
Cleobulus apparently wrote lyric poems, as well as riddles in verse. Diogenes Laërtius also ascribes to him the inscription on the tomb of Midas, of which Homer was considered by others to have been the author:  I am a brazen maiden lying here Upon the tomb of Midas. And as long As water flows, as trees are green with leaves, As the sun shines and eke the silver moon, As long as rivers flow, and billows roar, So long will I upon this much wept tomb, Tell passers by, "Midas lies buried here."

The Suda mentions him, and farther down, his daughter Cleobulina. An epigram of his is in the Palatine Anthology (VII, 153), and in another place records two epigrams together as "One of Homer, or of Cleobulus", without specifying which is the latter's. French scholar Pierre Waltz analyzed the problem in the Anthologie Grecque Likewise an enigma is attributed to him is recorded in the Palatine Anthology (XIV).

Many sayings were attributed to Cleobulus:
 * "Ignorance and talkativeness bear the chief sway among men."
 * "Cherish not a thought."
 * "Do not be fickle, or ungrateful."
 * "Be fond of hearing rather than of talking."
 * "Be fond of learning rather than unwilling to learn."
 * "Seek virtue and eschew vice."
 * "Be superior to pleasure."
 * "Instruct one's children."
 * "Be ready for reconciliation after quarrels."
 * "Avoid injustice."
 * "Do nothing by force."
 * "Moderation is the best thing."

Legacy
There is a stone tumulus on the northern headland of Lindos bay, which is sometimes called the "Tomb of Cleobulus".

An asteroid, 4503 Cleobulus, discovered in 1989, is named for him.

title: Cleobulus


text:
User talk:Wpopp~enwiki

Image:Barlach Magdeburger Ehrenmal.jpg
Hi, and welcome to Wikipedia. About my image Barlach Magdeburger Ehrenmal on Featured picture candidates: I went back to my original version and doctored around with the gimp. The original version is in focus, and only got out of focus while removing the grain in the image. In the current version I have despecled only the background, and the sculpture itself is still sharp. Please have a look and let me know if this is this better now? (Press CTRL - Reload if necessary) Thanks. -- Chris 73 Talk 14:56, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * I am glad that you like the new image better. Thanks for changing your vote. Also, again Willkommen to Wikipedia. I am not sure how familiar you are, so here are two links: Welcome, newcomers and How to edit a page. Also, feel free to ask me anytime if you have a question (German optional, Landsmann). Happy editing -- Chris 73 Talk 07:07, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC)
 * Uploading images: Prepare an image, descriptive filename, good resultion (larger is better, can easily be resized for articles), not too large filesize, preferred in jpg, gif or png format. On the menu on the left you see "Upload file". This gets you to the upload dialog, select the file, add a comment, and check the I affirm that the copyright holder. You'll get a small confirmation request if the filename has to be changed (e.g. "Barlach Magdeburger Ehrenmal.jpg" to "Barlach_Magdeburger_Ehrenmal.jpg") or if you overwrite an older file (which is not deleted but stored in the history). You'll get a link to the image site after a sucessful upload (e.g. Image:Barlach Magdeburger Ehrenmal.jpg). Add a proper description and Image copyright tags, and you can use the image in pages (Picture tutorial). For more info see the articles in Category:Image help. Hope this helps. BTW, my feeling is that there are quite a lot of germans here at the english wikipedia. Happy editing -- Chris 73 Talk 14:41, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC)
 * The image looks good to me. The large source image is great, and the smaller image on the article also matches.(someone actualy made it a bit bigger, from 210 to 293 pixel). I usually try to to upload large resoltion images with at least 1024 pixel in the larger direction, so your upload de:Bild:Rana lessonae (Salagon) 20040531.jpg is cool. The only difference I would have done is a slightly higher compression ratio, the current image is 1 Mb, but that is personal preference. -- Chris 73 Talk 22:29, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC)
 * I use the following:
 * IrfanView for quick editing (Brightness, contrast,...) and viewing, saving my files usually with a JPG compression ratio of 85%, available for Windows
 * The GIMP for high level editing, almost the same functionality as adobe photoshop, for Windows and linux
 * Openoffice.org "Draw" for creating and editing vector graphics, for Windows and linux
 * All the programs are 100% free and available for download. (irfan view may be non-commercial only, but I am not sure). Have fun -- Chris 73 Talk 11:15, Oct 19, 2004 (UTC)

de:Bild:20030713 Loudon Wainwright III Duisburg.jpg
That is a known problem with internet browsers. You uploaded one image, and the browser put this one in the cache. After you uploaded another image (e.g. different format), the browser used the old cached image, and stretched it to the new dimensions, hence the warped appearance. To fix this, simply clear your browser cache by pressing "CTRL" & click Reload at the same time for Internet explorer, or just click reload on firefox. This clears the cache and updates the image. Glad I could help. -- Chris 73 Talk 23:28, Oct 28, 2004 (UTC)

Loudon's tune
Yeah, you're right: I went too far in my anti-fan-page fervor in removing that external link ... stoked by two years of trying to keep Wikipedia from turning into just another bunch of tedious we-love-soandso Web pages. As punishment, I will refrain from listening to any of this first three albums for a week ... - DavidWBrooks 16:44, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

About MIDI files
Hi. In reply to what you asked on my talk page, well, I suppose you were talking about Wikipedia talk:Sound. Apparently that issue was discussed somewhere else, and I'm not aware of any result from it. My only opinion on that discussion was only for supporting the use of MIDI files in certain cases.

But, I did mentioned something about MIDI files being misused on the #Wikipedia IRC channel at freenode, thought I'm not sure if that's what you're talking about. — Kieff | Talk 03:13, Nov 18, 2004 (UTC)

Blue crab on WP:FPC
Hi Wpopp,

I just wanted to let you know that I've nominated your photo Image:Blue crab on market in Piraeus - Callinectes sapidus Rathbun 20020819-317.jpg as a Featured Picture Candidate. I really like it, so lets hope everyone else does. -- Solipsist 18:47, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

bullshit
I went ahead and added it to your commons user page-- hope you don't mind!

there was no "bullshit" category on commons, so i copied and pasted Template:User blank-4 and added in "bullshit" -- get crunk  juice  21:04, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Possibly unfree Image:20030713 Loudon Wainwright III Duisburg.jpg
An image that you uploaded or altered, Image:20030713 Loudon Wainwright III Duisburg.jpg, has been listed at Possibly unfree images because its copyright status is disputed. If the image's copyright status cannot be verified, it may be deleted. Please go to its page for more information if you are interested in it not being deleted. Thank you. Liftarn 07:51, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

File source problem with File:Hans Sachs.jpg
Thank you for uploading File:Hans Sachs.jpg. I noticed that the file's description page currently doesn't specify who created the content, so the copyright status is unclear. If you did not create this file yourself, you will need to specify the owner of the copyright. If you obtained it from a website, please add a link to the website from which it was taken, together with a brief restatement of that website's terms of use of its content. However, if the copyright holder is a party unaffiliated from the website's publisher, that copyright should also be acknowledged.

If you have uploaded other files, consider verifying that you have specified sources for those files as well. You can find a list of files you have created [ in your upload log]. Unsourced and untagged images may be deleted one week after they have been tagged per Wikipedia's criteria for speedy deletion, F4. If the image is copyrighted and non-free, the image will be deleted 48 hours after 22:06, 29 August 2010 (UTC) per speedy deletion criterion F7. If you have any questions or are in need of assistance please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. Sfan00 IMG (talk) 22:06, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Notification: changes to "Mark my edits as minor by default" preference
Hello there. This is an automated message to tell you about the gradual phasing out of the preference entitled "Mark all edits minor by default", which you currently have (or very recently had) enabled.

On 13 March 2011, this preference was hidden from the user preferences screen as part of efforts to prevent its accidental misuse (consensus discussion). This had the effect of locking users in to their existing preference, which, in your case, was. To complete the process, your preference will automatically be changed to  in the next few days. This does not require any intervention on your part and you will still be able to manually mark your edits as being 'minor'. The only thing that's changed is that you will no longer have them marked as minor by default.

For established users such as yourself there is a workaround available involving custom JavaScript. If you are familiar with the contents of WP:MINOR, and believe that it is still beneficial to the encyclopedia to have all your edits marked as such by default, then this discussion will give you the details you need to continue with this functionality indefinitely. If you have any problems, feel free to drop me a note.

Thank you for your understanding and happy editing :) Editing on behalf of User:Jarry1250, LivingBot (talk) 16:56, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Thank You for the Wikipedia Picture
Hello, My name is Duane Hurst and I recently made a free (non-commercial) English web site to share information with people. I added links to your Wikipedia/Wikimedia freeware picture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20030614-204_Marseille_Château_d%27If_From_Ferry.jpg). I also gave credit to you on my web pages for your work. Thank you for sharing with the public. My website is:

http://www.freeenglishsite.com/

I add pictures such as yours to one of the following major sections of my site: 1. World section - contains information and over 10,000 images of every world country and territory. Link at: http://www.freeenglishsite.com/world/index.htm

2. USA section - contains information and images of every USA state and territory. Link at: http://www.freeenglishsite.com/world/usa/index.htm

3. English section - "Mel and Wes" lessons in conversation format. Stories are located in various USA states and world countries such as China, England, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Thailand. Each lesson has many slang terms and idioms, which I link to my Slang Dictionary. This eventually will have over 5,000 terms. Currently, it has about 3,000 slang and idioms. I regularly add new lessons and slang terms. Link at: http://www.freeenglishsite.com/english/lessons/index.htm Slang Dictionary link at: http://www.freeenglishsite.com/english/slang/Eslang_a.htm

Prior to retirement, I taught English at several private and public universities in the United States.

Please share this free site with your friends. I hope all will enjoy the pictures and find the English information useful. Sincerely, Duane Hurst in Utah, USA

Email address: duanerhurst@freeenglishsite.com --75.162.209.2 (talk) 16:43, 17 December 2012 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Wpopp. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Wpopp~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 03:52, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 20:35, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Wpopp~enwiki


text:
Superantigen

Superantigens (SAgs) are a class of antigens that result in excessive activation of the immune system. Specifically they cause non-specific activation of T-cells resulting in polyclonal T cell activation and massive cytokine release. Superantigens act by binding to the MHC proteins on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and to the TCRs on their adjacent helper T-cells, bringing the signaling molecules together, and thus leading to the activation of the T-cells, regardless of the peptide displayed on the MHC molecule. SAgs are produced by some pathogenic viruses and bacteria most likely as a defense mechanism against the immune system. Compared to a normal antigen-induced T-cell response where 0.0001-0.001% of the body's T-cells are activated, these SAgs are capable of activating up to 20% of the body's T-cells. Furthermore, Anti-CD3 and Anti-CD28 antibodies (CD28-SuperMAB) have also shown to be highly potent superantigens (and can activate up to 100% of T cells).

The large number of activated T-cells generates a massive immune response which is not specific to any particular epitope on the SAg thus undermining one of the fundamental strengths of the adaptive immune system, that is, its ability to target antigens with high specificity. More importantly, the large number of activated T-cells secrete large amounts of cytokines, the most important of which is Interferon gamma. This excess amount of IFN-gamma in turn activates the macrophages. The activated macrophages, in turn, over-produce proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha is particularly important as a part of the body's inflammatory response. In normal circumstances it is released locally in low levels and helps the immune system defeat pathogens. However, when it is systemically released in the blood and in high levels (due to mass T-cell activation resulting from the SAg binding), it can cause severe and life-threatening symptoms, including septic shock and multiple organ failure.

Structure
SAgs are produced intracellularly by bacteria and are released upon infection as extracellular mature toxins.

The sequences of these bacterial toxins are relatively conserved among the different subgroups. More important than sequence homology, the 3D structure is very similar among different SAgs resulting in similar functional effects among different groups. There are at least 5 groups of superantigens with different binding preferences.

Crystal structures of the enterotoxins reveals that they are compact, ellipsoidal proteins sharing a characteristic two-domain folding pattern comprising an NH2-terminal β barrel globular domain known as the oligosaccharide / oligonucleotide fold, a long α-helix that diagonally spans the center of the molecule, and a COOH terminal globular domain.

The domains have binding regions for the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC class II) and the T-cell receptor (TCR), respectively. By bridging these two together, the SAg causes nonspecific activation.

Binding
Superantigens bind first to the MHC class II and then coordinate to the variable alpha- or beta chain of T-cell Receptors (TCR)

MHC Class II
SAgs show preference for the HLA-DQ form of the molecule. Binding to the α-chain puts the SAg in the appropriate position to coordinate to the TCR.

Less commonly, SAgs attach to the polymorphic MHC class II β-chain in an interaction mediated by a zinc ion coordination complex between three SAg residues and a highly conserved region of the HLA-DR β chain. The use of a zinc ion in binding leads to a higher affinity interaction. Several staphylococcal SAgs are capable of cross-linking MHC molecules by binding to both the α and β chains. This mechanism stimulates cytokine expression and release in antigen presenting cells as well as inducing the production of costimulatory molecules that allow the cell to bind to and activate T cells more effectively.

T-cell receptor
T-cell binding region of the SAg interacts with the Variable region on the Beta chain (Vβ region) of the T-cell Receptor. A given SAg can activate a large proportion of the T-cell population because the human T-cell repertoire comprises only about 50 types of Vβ elements and some SAgs are capable of binding to multiple types of Vβ regions. This interaction varies slightly among the different groups of SAgs. Variability among different people in the types of T-cell regions that are prevalent explains why some people respond more strongly to certain SAgs. Group I SAgs contact the Vβ at the CDR2 and framework region of the molecule. SAgs of Group II interact with the Vβ region using mechanisms that are conformation-dependent. These interactions are for the most part independent of specific Vβ amino acid side-chains. Group IV SAgs have been shown to engage all three CDR loops of certain Vβ forms. The interaction takes place in a cleft between the small and large domains of the SAg and allows the SAg to act as a wedge between the TCR and MHC. This displaces the antigenic peptide away from the TCR and circumvents the normal mechanism for T-cell activation.

The biological strength of the SAg (its ability to stimulate) is determined by its affinity for the TCR. SAgs with the highest affinity for the TCR elicit the strongest response. SPMEZ-2 is the most potent SAg discovered to date.

T-cell signaling
The SAg cross-links the MHC and the TCR inducing a signaling pathway that results in the proliferation of the cell and production of cytokines. This occurs because a cognate antigen activates a T cell not because of its structure per se, but because its affinity allows it to bind the TCR for a lengthy enough time period, and the SAg mimics this temporal bonding. Low levels of Zap-70 have been found in T-cells activated by SAgs, indicating that the normal signaling pathway of T-cell activation is impaired.

It is hypothesized that Fyn rather than Lck is activated by a tyrosine kinase, leading to the adaptive induction of anergy.

Both the protein kinase C pathway and the protein tyrosine kinase pathways are activated, resulting in upregulating production of proinflammatory cytokines.

This alternative signaling pathway impairs the calcium/calcineurin and Ras/MAPkinase pathways slightly, but allows for a focused inflammatory response.

Direct effects
SAg stimulation of antigen presenting cells and T-cells elicits a response that is mainly inflammatory, focused on the action of Th1 T-helper cells. Some of the major products are IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, gamma interferon (IFN-γ), macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), MIP-1β, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1).

This excessive uncoordinated release of cytokines, (especially TNF-α), overloads the body and results in rashes, fever, and can lead to multi-organ failure, coma and death.

Deletion or anergy of activated T-cells follows infection. This results from production of IL-4 and IL-10 from prolonged exposure to the toxin. The IL-4 and IL-10 downregulate production of IFN-gamma, MHC Class II, and costimulatory molecules on the surface of APCs. These effects produce memory cells that are unresponsive to antigen stimulation.

One mechanism by which this is possible involves cytokine-mediated suppression of T-cells. MHC crosslinking also activates a signaling pathway that suppresses hematopoiesis and upregulates Fas-mediated apoptosis.

IFN-α is another product of prolonged SAg exposure. This cytokine is closely linked with induction of autoimmunity, and the autoimmune disease Kawasaki disease is known to be caused by SAg infection.

SAg activation in T-cells leads to production of CD40 ligand which activates isotype switching in B cells to IgG and IgM and IgE.

To summarize, the T-cells are stimulated and produce excess amounts of cytokine resulting in cytokine-mediated suppression of T-cells and deletion of the activated cells as the body returns to homeostasis. The toxic effects of the microbe and SAg also damage tissue and organ systems, a condition known as toxic shock syndrome.

If the initial inflammation is survived, the host cells become anergic or are deleted, resulting in a severely compromised immune system.

Superantigenicity-independent (indirect) effects
Apart from their mitogenic activity, SAgs are able to cause symptoms that are characteristic of infection.

One such effect is vomiting. This effect is felt in cases of food poisoning, when SAg-producing bacteria release the toxin, which is highly resistant to heat. There is a distinct region of the molecule that is active in inducing gastrointestinal toxicity. This activity is also highly potent, and quantities as small as 20-35 μg of SAg are able to induce vomiting.

SAgs are able to stimulate recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection in a way that is independent of T-cell stimulation. This effect is due to the ability of SAgs to activate monocytic cells, stimulating the release of the cytokine TNF-α, leading to increased expression of adhesion molecules that recruit leukocytes to infected regions. This causes inflammation in the lungs, intestinal tissue, and any place that the bacteria have colonized. While small amounts of inflammation are natural and helpful, excessive inflammation can lead to tissue destruction.

One of the more dangerous indirect effects of SAg infection concerns the ability of SAgs to augment the effects of endotoxins in the body. This is accomplished by reducing the threshold for endotoxicity. Schlievert demonstrated that, when administered conjunctively, the effects of SAg and endotoxin are magnified as much as 50,000 times. This could be due to the reduced immune system efficiency induced by SAg infection. Aside from the synergistic relationship between endotoxin and SAg, the “double hit” effect of the activity of the endotoxin and the SAg result in effects more deleterious that those seen in a typical bacterial infection. This also implicates SAgs in the progression of sepsis in patients with bacterial infections.

Diseases associated with superantigen production

 * Diabetes mellitus
 * Eczema
 * Guttate psoriasis
 * Kawasaki disease
 * Nasal polyps
 * Rheumatic fever
 * Rheumatoid arthritis
 * Scarlet fever
 * Toxic shock syndrome
 * Infective endocarditis

Treatment
The primary goals of medical treatment are to hemodynamically stabilize the patient and, if present, to eliminate the microbe that is producing the SAgs. This is accomplished through the use of vasopressors, fluid resuscitation and antibiotics.

The body naturally produces antibodies to some SAgs, and this effect can be augmented by stimulating B-cell production of these antibodies.

Immunoglobulin pools are able to neutralize specific antibodies and prevent T-cell activation. Synthetic antibodies and peptides have been created to mimic SAg-binding regions on the MHC class II, blocking the interaction and preventing T cell activation.

Immunosuppressants are also employed to prevent T-cell activation and the release of cytokines. Corticosteroids are used to reduce inflammatory effects.

Evolution of superantigen production
SAg production effectively corrupts the immune response, allowing the microbe secreting the SAg to be carried and transmitted unchecked. One mechanism by which this is done is through inducing anergy of the T-cells to antigens and SAgs. Lussow and MacDonald demonstrated this by systematically exposing animals to a streptococcal antigen. They found that exposure to other antigens after SAg infection failed to elicit an immune response. In another experiment, Watson and Lee discovered that memory T-cells created by normal antigen stimulation were anergic to SAg stimulation and that memory T-cells created after a SAg infection were anergic to all antigen stimulation. The mechanism by which this occurred was undetermined. The genes that regulate SAg expression also regulate mechanisms of immune evasion such as M protein and Bacterial capsule expression, supporting the hypothesis that SAg production evolved primarily as a mechanism of immune evasion.

When the structure of individual SAg domains has been compared to other immunoglobulin-binding streptococcal proteins (such as those toxins produced by E. coli) it was found that the domains separately resemble members of these families. This homology suggests that the SAgs evolved through the recombination of two smaller β-strand motifs.

"Staphylococcal Superantigen-Like" (SSL) toxins are a group of secreted proteins structurally similar to SAgs. Instead of binding to MHC and TCR, they target diverse components of innate immunity such as complement, Fc receptors, and myeloid cells. One way SSL targets myeloid cells is by binding the siallylactosamine glycan on surface glycoproteins. In 2017, a superantigen was found to also have a glycan-binding ability.

Endogenous and viral SAgs
Minor lymphocyte stimulating (Mls; ) exotoxins were originally discovered in the thymic stromal cells of mice. These toxins are encoded by SAg genes that were incorporated into the mouse genome from the mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV). The presence of these genes in the mouse genome allows the mouse to express the antigen in the thymus as a means of negatively selecting for lymphocytes with a variable Beta region that is susceptible to stimulation by the viral SAg. The result is that these mice are immune to infection by the virus later in life.

Similar endogenous SAg-dependent selection has yet to be identified in the human genome, but endogenous SAgs have been discovered and are suspected of playing an integral role in viral infection. Infection by the Epstein–Barr virus, for example, is known to cause production of a SAg in infected cells, yet no gene for the toxin has been found on the genome of the virus. The virus manipulates the infected cell to express its own SAg genes, and this helps it to evade the host immune system. Similar results have been found with rabies, cytomegalovirus, and HIV. In 2001, it was found that EBV actually transactivates a superantigen encoded by the env gene of HERV-K18. In 2006, it was found that EBV does so by docking to CD2.

The two viral superantigens have no homology to aforementioned bacterial superantigens, nor are they homologous to each other.

title: Superantigen


text:
Evil twin

The evil twin is an antagonist found in many different fictional genres. The twin is physically nearly identical to the protagonist, but with a radically inverted morality. In films, they may have a symbolic physical difference from the protagonist—such as a goatee beard, eyepatch, scar, or distinctive clothing—which makes it easy for the audience to visually identify the two characters. Sometimes, however, the physical differences between the characters will be minimized, so as to confuse the audience. Both roles are almost always played by either the same actor or the actor's actual twin (if the actor has one).

Though there may be moral disparity between actual biological twins, the term is more often used figuratively: the two look-alikes are not actually twins, but physical duplicates produced by other phenomena (e.g. alternate universes). In other cases, the so-called "evil" twin is a dual opposite to their "good" counterpart, possessing at least some commonality with the value system of the protagonist.

Mythologic precursors
The concept of evil twins is ancient and mythical. One of the earliest may be in the Zurvanite branch of Zoroastrianism. This sect distilled the general abstract duality of Zoroastrianism into a concept of manifest twins "born" of a monist (first) principle Zurvan (Time). In this cosmological model, the twins—Ahura Mazda (Ormuzd) and Angra Mainyu (Ahriman)—were co-eternal representatives of good and evil. Ahura Mazda, representing good, was eventually expected to win the battle. The doctrinal foundation of Zurvanism lies in its interpretation of the Zoroastrian precepts of Free Will: Like Mazdaism (the other, and still extant branch of Zoroastrianism), Zurvanism emphasized that mortals always "have a choice between good and evil, and that one is always free to make the choice one way or the other." Zurvanism took this one step further and considered Angra Mainyu "evil" by choice, rather than by nature. This characterization is important to modern uses of the "evil twin", as most examples are in fact opposites of their "good twin", rather than wholly evil.

Amongst the Mandika of southern Mali, the origin of the world is also attributed to twins, albeit fraternal ones. According to this legend, Mangala, or God, twice tried to create the world with seeds. The first attempt failed because he had but one seed. On his second attempt, Mangala used four sets of twin seeds. This experiment was more satisfactory, and soon a universe was growing within a cosmic egg. Ultimately, however, one of the male twins, Pemba, grew tired of being confined. In attempting to escape, he proved himself treacherous. The rip he caused in the cosmic egg begat the Earth. It also compelled Mangala to seek a sacrifice of atonement. For this, Mangala killed Pemba's innocent fraternal twin, Faro. When Faro's remains were scattered on the newly formed Earth, fertile land was formed. Thus the Earth as we know it is the result of the treason of the evil twin and the sacrifice of the good one.

Many Native American creation myths likewise provide for the role of dualistic twins.

Literature
In literature, Beowulf has been cited as an early example of the evil twin story. Although it does not feature biological twins or even characters that seem to have similar appearances, the precise parallel language suggests that the monsters are evil reflections of the hero.

Film
A notable early use of the modern concept of evil twins in film is 1939's The Man in the Iron Mask. This adaptation of a part of the novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas made a key change to the source material by suggesting that the plot's central twins were in fact opposites of each other. Louis XIV is portrayed as the evil twin of Philippe, a boy raised by d'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers. The movie contains many of the common tropes of the evil twin plot, such as the fact that Phillippe is unaware of his twin's existence, differences in upbringing being important to the twins' adult temperaments, facial hair as a way for the audience to distinguish between the twins, one twin impersonating the other, and the eventual triumph of the good twin.

Evil twins were also staples of serial films. They were crucial plot devices in the initial 1937 Dick Tracy storyline and the 1941 Jungle Girl serial. In the 1937 serial, Gordon Tracy was introduced as Dick's twin brother. Gordon underwent an evil scientist's procedure which rendered him evil and physically transformed. For the majority of the story he and Dick were played by different actors, but it is understood that he was intended as a twin. In the case of Jungle Girl, it is not the titular character who has the twin, but her father. She is raised in the wilds of Africa, according to the narrative, because her uncle drives her father into exile there when she is a young girl. Later, after she has grown into a young woman, she stops her uncle's plan to illegally remove diamonds from the continent.

However, just as in the modern era, early film usages were not confined to action-adventure stories. Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator was a 1940 comedic evil twin story that worked on two levels. In the narrative itself, Chaplin played both a good, simple barber and his evil counterpart, a Hitler-esque dictator. But it was also born of the notion that Chaplin himself actually looked like Hitler. As a modern reviewer has noted: "The notion of these two brilliant and spectacularly successful monomaniacal over-achievers existing simultaneously like some Good Twin/Evil Twin duality, watching each other ascend to dominance as living iconic images, then "meeting" in a David-Goliath match playing on movie screens internationally ... you couldn't pitch that story line to Hollywood even as an X-Men flick."

- Mark Bourne, in his review of the 2003 DVD release of The Great Dictator

Comic books
Comic books contain some other early appearances of evil twins. One example, still available on the market today, is King Ottokar's Sceptre by Hergé which originally was published in 1938–39. Tintin is hired as Professor Alembick's secretary and flies with him to Syldavia. The real Alembick has been abducted in the beginning of the story, and unknown to Tintin replaced by an antagonist, in a plan to steal the sceptre. In the end of the story Tintin understands the impostor was the evil twin of the professor.

Another example is found in September 1948's Kid Eternity #11. The final story in the work revolves around "Handsome Harry", the evil twin of Kid Eternity's mentor, Mr. Keeper. Handsome Harry is the archetypal evil twin in that he is both evil and a biological twin. The concept was brought to the more iconic superhero, Superman, about a decade later. 1958's Bizarro was at first Superboy's evil twin. This twin was easily distinguishable both in deformed physical appearance and manner of speech. Bizarro, more anti-Superman than evil, nevertheless "represented Superman's Jungian shadow, his dark side". In DC Comics, evil doppelgangers of various superheroes reside on Earth-Three, such as Superman and Batman's evil counterparts, Ultraman and Owlman, respectively.

Although the Kid Eternity story has had the term retroactively applied to it, none of these examples originally used words "evil twin" explicitly. 1968's Wonder Woman #175 is thus important for being an early case of the term appearing on a comic cover.

Television
While evil twins are inextricably linked to the soap opera (one particularly long-running "evil twin" soap opera storyline was on All My Children, where David Canary played evil twin Adam Chandler and good twin Stuart Chandler for nearly 30 years), they have appeared in most televised genres. Some of the earliest usages were in fact in westerns. Two episodes entitled Deadly Image appeared within a year of each other on two different westerns. Maverick's version appeared in March 1961, followed swiftly by The Rifleman's take in February 1962. Beyond the coincidence of name, both offered similar plots: the hero becomes confused with a look-alike criminal, and the guilt of the hero must be cleared by demonstrating that the evil twin is a separate individual. Pretty Little Liars could be used as an example, where one of the main protagonists Spencer Hastings was discovered to have an evil identical twin sister named Alex Drake, who had been stalking Spencer and her friends under the identity of "A.D." for years. In the Disney Cartoon series Aladdin it is implied that the evil wizard Mozenrath is Aladdin Evil twin.

Tropes
The evil twin has now been used with great enough frequency to become viewed with cynicism as a hackneyed concept. As the character of Kate Austen remarked in a deleted scene from Lost: "It's not a soap opera until somebody's evil twin shows up." However, within the concept of the evil twin there are characteristics which are themselves tropes.

The goatee
The biggest of these distinguishing traits is the goatee. Famously used by the "Mirror Universe" version of Star Trek character Spock, in the episode "Mirror, Mirror", it was an easy way for audiences to tell "good" Spock from "evil" Spock (the character, while more ruthlessly logical than his counterpart, is far from evil). The presence of a goatee on a familiar character is now seen as an immediate clue that the character is an evil twin. Even writers not discussing evil twins in their literary sense have occasionally made reference to the goatee through quick metaphor: "You can't go to the evil twin school of plotting very often if you're hack writing your way through Hollywood, but once you do it's thankfully easy. You slap a goatee on somebody (evil Spock, Evil David Hasselhoff) and voila: evil twin goodness. The rest of the story, I am told, writes itself. So if you're a Hollywood writer and you can only go to the well once or twice in the life of the show, how come Microsoft can be evil and Apple be angelic ALL of the time? And even worse, why is Microsoft defying convention and refusing to use a Mac logo with a goatee?"

- Chris Seibold

The Evil Overlord List refers to it with Item 35: "I will not grow a goatee. In the old days they made you look diabolic. Now they just make you look like a disaffected member of Generation X."

Type of doppelgänger
In modern use, evil twin and one sense of the word doppelgänger have come to be virtually interchangeable. While "evil twin" does not connote the sense of "supernatural harbinger of death", it can be used to mean "a physical copy of one's self who has an altered morality". "If you watch enough daytime soap operas, then you already know the horrifying truth: Everyone on earth has an evil twin (or doppelgänger, if you will) roaming around and acting like a jerk. These doppelgängers are the ones who sleep with your best friend's boyfriend, steal prescription medication out of your bathroom cabinet, and spread vicious (and only partially true) rumors about your sexual proclivities. You have a doppelgänger, your dog has a doppelgänger, and your mom has a doppelgänger. Everybody has a doppelgänger—except for me. As it turns out, I'm someone else's doppelgänger."

As metaphor
The term evil twin has also passed into general usage in a variety of different contexts. In computer technology, it describes a faked wireless access point designed to appear like a genuine one, for the purpose of phishing information from unsuspecting users. The term is further used in contemporary journalism and non-fiction as a convenient label. In astronomy, Venus is often called Earth's "evil twin", in reference to the similarity, yet opposition, of the two bodies. It is also a commonly asked question twins get and there are various view points on this.

title: Evil twin


text:
Talk:Evil twin

Uses for Hercules
The appearances section needs expanding most; there are lots and lots of uses (Superman, Star Trek, Hercules, Xena) but I don't have adequate references for any of them. I'd also like to know if we can find any definite place of origin for the evil twin, at least the modern stereotype. --82.92.184.196 12:25, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC) (I'm User:JRM who can't log in right now, sorry.)

Bizarro Bart
Hugo Simpson is not the evil twin; Bart is. Hugo could be said to be the "'Bizarro' Bart", but to call Hugo the evil twin would be a misnomer since Bart is in fact the evil one.

The Strange Omission of BlackWarGreymon
One of the appearances that needs to be added is BlackWarGreymon in the anime/manga section...

Trials and Tribulations of Dahlia Hawthorne
Another that ought to be here is Dahlia Hawthorne from the game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wbuehling (talk • contribs) 05:07, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Scourge, Nemesis and Cybertron
Also, Scourge is only Optimus Prime's evil twin in one Transformers show, Robots in Disguise. In Armada, there is a different evil twin, Nemesis Prime. After his short lifespan's through with, the next evil twin surfaces in Cybertron. He is a clone of Leobreaker named Nemesis Breaker, and is made by Megatron.

Antagonist having a "good" twin
Should their be any mention on this page of examples of decidedly evil characters in fiction having characters who greatly resemble themselves physically, but are not nessicarily portrayed as evil, or even antagonistic? (such as Kagewaki Hitomi from Inuyasha.) 66.24.229.233 22:27, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

 * I don't see neither any mention of William Wilson, where the doppelgänger was the moral conscience of the character. However I have found it in "Doppelgänger". --80.88.167.6 (talk) 08:58, 23 February 2008 (UTC)(Anonimous)

 * A good example of that might be Zeniba from Spirited Away who, despite her menacing initial appearance against Haku, is actually Yubaba's good twin. Sincerely, SamBlob (talk) 03:39, 11 October 2010 (UTC)

Mislabeling Twins as Evil
The article mentions Tom Riker of Star Trekas an evil Twin of Will Riker, but Tom Riker isn't really *evil* so much. I mean, he's a bit darker and more conflicted than Will, but he's still trying to be the good guy (even when he joins the Maquis). Traegorn 15:53, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
 * Additionally, some normal Twins (like Ursula and Pheobe of Mad About You and Friends respectively - who were actually just two different, independent characters played by the same actress who were later made twins by the two shows writers) are mislabeled as "Evil Twins" when, frankly, neither twin is "Evil" Traegorn 16:03, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
 * Ursula did some evil things- didn't she know who their real mother was and she "never bothered" to tell Pheobe? I wouldn't call Tom Riker evil, but Ursula was the evil twin- even if she didn't twirl her moustache and plan global domination. --TheTruthiness 00:56, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Examples
This whole section seems quite excessive, in addition to being uncited. I think that the whole list should be pruned back to just a handfull. Any objections?Chunky Rice 22:24, 23 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Prune away. This list is chock full of OR and uncited opinion. Doczilla 00:18, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, I took out the entire section. I wanted to leave a couple, but when it came down to it, not a single one of them actually said that the character was referred to as an evil twin in the fictional work or cited to a source that did. I even tried to find a citation for a couple, but couldn't find any good ones. I think that the best thing to do is to delete the entire list (which I did) and to add examples back in as sources are found.Chunky Rice 21:39, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

"Twin Peaks" (1990-1991) television show featured the "show within a show" entitled "Invitation to Love," a soap opera watched by characters that often mirrored events on the TV show itself. ITL featured identical twins Jade and Emerald Lancaster, (played by Erika Anderson,) one good (Jade) and the other evil (Emerald). The twins were thought by some critics to mirror the cousins Laura Palmer (evil) and Maddie Ferguson (good) although the two actual characters were not twins but closely-resembled cousins. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.224.107.100 (talk • contribs)

I would argue that, as 'evil twin' is simply description of a type of fictional character, you do not need an explicit reference to 'evil twin' in an example. It should be enough that the character referenced meets the definition. You wouldn't require an author to explicitly declare their main character to be 'the protagonist' to use such a character as an example (see Foil (literature)). I believe that lists of examples are helpful to an article as examples can do a better job of illustrating a concept than explanation. Often I go to an article seeking just such a list.Ryojin314159 03:36, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

 * I disagree (obviously). Unless the criteria is purely factual, OR/POV issues are inevitable without citation to a reliable source.  Those examples in the Foil article are also OR/POV and should probably be removed unless cited.Chunky Rice 02:06, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Apparently the only notable evil twin in the entirety of fiction is from some dumb webcomic

As much as I'm a fan of Order of the Stick, it is sort of ridiculous for it to be the sole example, espectially as the creator was directly parodying other Evil Twin cliches. I added the reference to South Park, because that episode specifically refers to them as "evil twins". BadIdea 11:08, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Real life examples?
Are there any documented real life instances of twins having a different enough sense of morality, or different enough morals, to the point of fitting the good twin/evil twin archetype? --87.19.32.136 18:57, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

 * Well, I have a problem with the statement in the article: "Though examples of truly evil, biological twins exist..." because anyone with a drop of common sense knows that real people can never be "truly good", much less "truly evil". That hogwash only exists in Hollywood movies (good guy vs. bad guy). Show me a truly evil person, just one. One single person who never showed a single shred of goodness towards anyone. Even the basest serial killer once picked up some other little boy's dropped pencil for him. Or gave directions to a lost couple for getting back to their hotel safely. It's stupid, it's uncited, it's logical to assume it will never be cited, and I'm removing it. Succubus MacAstaroth (talk) 21:27, 14 July 2008 (UTC)
 * There is this rather brilliant news story: MultipleTom (talk) 21:22, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

 * Fun and fascinating, but two bones to pick: 1) Nothing in this story points to the guy being evil. Committing a crime does not automatically make you evil, even if it involved beating someone up badly. 2) Both twins committed a crime in pulling the old switcheroo, so they are both law-breakers. I imagine the ploy was to get the accused twin out of jail so he could run away, and then the twin who took his place could go up to the guards and be like, "Look at me closely - I'm not the guy! Don't believe me? Check my fingerprints!" Half-baked idea, since aiding escape carries a similar sentence to aggravated assault as far as I know... if not more... LOL, I guess IQ does run in families... Succubus MacAstaroth (talk) 20:40, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Origin
This article would greatly benefit from any verifiable source speaking to the first appearance of the evil twin. Why, indeed, is it called "twin" when the earliest version I can thik of—Serena on Bewitched—wasn't a twin at all, but a cousin? If we're going to have an "Origin" section, we need to try to actually find the origin of the term. The mentions of Cain and Abel and doppelgangers are helpful, but they're a bit far off from the modern usage.  Czech Out  ☎ |  ✍  07:19, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

Why are Cain and Abel even mentioned? They were not twins. Unless the article is about sibling rivalry their inclusion doesn't make sense here. HansLechner 18:35, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Evil Twins in Fiction
I'd like to propose a separate page for the fictional evil twins to enable people to post as many as they want. Any thoughts? - IamMcLovin 09:51, 26 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Separation doesn't release editors from the burden to establish notability.  The list shouldn't be continued on another page, but rather combed for its most salient examples, which should then be included in the body of the article's text.   Czech Out   ☎ |  ✍  18:59, 26 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Support. Separation does not release editors from having to establish notability, but it does clean up an otherwise bloated page.  I say that the content of the Evil Twins in Fiction section should be entirely relocated to the Dopplegangers in Fiction page, and then editors can go over the list and remove the crap.  Brash (talk) 17:58, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Does the clone army in Pokemon: The First Movie count as evil twins? PRhyu 11:11, 29 October 2007 (UTC)
 * No. Brash (talk) 17:58, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Merge with doppelgänger?
Well, I've been working pretty intently at this article for two days now and I'm starting to wonder whether this whole article couldn't be chopped in half and merged with doppelgänger. Is it wrong to think of an evil twin as merely a specific type of doppelgänger? Of particular interest to me is the fact that the doppelgänger article has a linked List of fictional doppelgängers. What's the difference between a fictional doppelgänger and an evil twin?

Alternately, do you think it would be appropriate to give a brief version of this article at doppelgänger and keep this as the main article for evil twin? Czech Out  ☎ |  ✍  03:46, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Well I think you've done a great job on the Evil Twin article, it has really improved! :-) I think doppelgänger and evil twin are very similar, although there are some aspects that aren't similar like real life examples there really hasn't been any proof that evil twins are possible, and it's more of a fictional thing. I think your proposal in the second paragraph is a good idea, giving a brief version in the doppelgänger article instead. For the List of fictional doppelgängers, most are evil twins but their is a couple examples in the list where the doppelgänger in question is not evil. Once again, great work on the article! - IamMcLovin 04:23, 27 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks very much :) I think what's troubling me about the article is that there seems to be no real "origin" point for the term "evil twin", almost as if it's simply an anglicization of the German loanword.  And then there are articles like this, which begin by speaking about the primary, supernatural meaning for doppelgangers, and then suddenly switch to the vernacular meaning and end on a pithy note about Spock's goatee.
 * The other thing that worries me is what to do about the non-evil twin. For instance, what do you call the Mirror, Mirror version of Miles O'Brien—or for that matter the entirety of the Mirror, Mirror-verse.  Strictly speaking, the Mirror, Mirror verse isn't comprised of "evil" people, but anti-people.  Bizzaro-like versions of the characters whose moralities might tend towards one side or the other, but who are not, if you'll excuse the mixed trope, "goatee twirlers".  Even the definitional Mirror-Spock shows a complexity of characterization that makes it hard to label him "evil".  He's still like "normal Spock" in that he uses logic creatively to broker new realities.  There's not that much difference between Mirror-Spock's liberalization policies and normal-Spock's Romulan-Vulcan or Klingon-Federation negotations.  They're both massive paradigm shifts, done for "good of the many, not the one" reasons.  Czech Out   ☎ |  ✍  05:08, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

 * Oppose. Not all doppelgangers are evil twins. But there should be a link to the evil twin page on the doppelganger page, and vice versa. PRhyu 11:15, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Biblical example
Why is the biblical example Cain and Able who were not twins, rather than Jacob and Esau who were? May I add them? Basejumper2 01:25, 26 October 2007 (UTC) 01:24, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Tuvok
His mirror universe self may not have had a goatee, but Tulok, the character in the Doctor's holo-novel (who was an evil counterpart of sorts to Tuvok) did have a goatee. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.33.9.99 (talk) 21:24, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann
I do not see any citation of this important German author. He influenced Poe, Gogol and Siegmund Freud. In his "Die Elixire des Teufels" (1815) he set an evil twin; in "Prinzessin Brambilla" (1820) we see a rare example of demented twin.

By the way, the theme of the "double" is parodiated by Gogol in "The Nose".Anonimous, --80.88.167.6 (talk) 09:08, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

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Redundant list
It really is redundant to have a huge list of evil twins in this article when there's an article List of fictional doppelgängers. - Jason A. Quest (talk) 21:21, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

Removed Friends reference
I removed the following text, since it is irrelevant to the Origins section, i.e., it has nothing to do with the origins of the term "evil twin": "In several episodes of the TV sitcom Friends, Phoebe's evil twin sister Ursula is mentioned, and is also a source of conflict in some episodes. Phoebe makes many references to how Ursula ruined parts of her childhood and caused her grief over the years. In one episode, Phoebe is stalked by a man who thought she was Ursula. She eventually dates the stalker for a short period of time. Also in one episode of Even Stevens, Louis gets tormented, by his evil twin."

— Loadmaster (talk) 20:11, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Good cut. Dr.Who (talk) 01:31, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

eVIL tWIN{?}

 * Was Mozenrath supposed to be a Evil twin brother of Aladdin {Disney Cartoon Series? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.83.72.154 (talk) 12:18, 21 May 2011 (UTC) Possible-he doesn't appear in the followup movie Aladdin and the King of Thieves; although a later episode "Two to Tangle" # 83 shows him losing a battle to take over Aladdin body-an out of place in the chronology of the series a earlier episode "The Secret of Dagger Rock" Mozenrath was trapped forever in the Crystal of Ix. Likewise Jassmine's rival Sadira who appears in both the series and the last movie-was she supposed to be lost half evil/half hero twin sister of Aladdin?

Better examples
The entire Comic books section is completely unneeded. Tons of more examples could be brought, bot none of the few listed here was a first or especially notable. This is another unneeded "in popular culture" section.

On the other hand, Jekyll & Hyde should definitely be mentioned as a literary example that remained in cultural memory. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 15.203.169.108 (talk) 21:10, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Evil twin


text:
Vaginal photoplethysmograph

Vaginal photoplethysmography (VPG, VPP) is a technique using light to measure the amount of blood in the walls of the vagina. The device that is used is called a vaginal photometer.

Use
The device is used to try to obtain an objective measure of a woman's sexual arousal. There is an overall poor correlation (r = 0.26) between women's self-reported levels of desire and their VPG readings.

Instrument
The instrument used in the procedure is called vaginal photometer. The device has a clear shell, inside of which is a light source and a photocell, which senses reflected light. The use of the device is done with the assumption that the more light that is scattered back, and that the photocell senses, the more blood is in the walls of the vagina.

The output of the VPG can be filtered into two types of signals, which have different properties. The direct current signal is a measure of vaginal blood volume (VBV) and reflects the total blood volume in the vaginal tissues. The alternating current signal is a measure of vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA) and reflects the pressure change within the blood vessels of the vaginal wall associated with each heartbeat. While changes in VBV occur in response to sexual and anxiety-inducing stimuli, changes in VPA only occur in response to sexual stimuli.

VPA is defined as the peak-to-trough amplitude of the vaginal pulse wave. It is calculated by subtracting the means of all troughs from the means of all peaks experienced during stimulus presentation. VPA lacks an absolute scale of measurement; each unit of change (mV) does not correspond directly with a physiological change. Since VPA does not have a standard unit of measurement, it is difficult for researchers to make between-participant comparisons.

History
VPG was first introduced in the 1960s by Palti and Bercovici, who affixed a light source and photosensitive cell onto a gynecological speculum and recorded vaginal pulse waves. Sintchak and Geer improved on the device in the 1970s by using a vaginal probe which became the common instrument to measure vaginal blood flow.

title: Vaginal photoplethysmograph


text:
Talk:San Rafael, California

Education in San Rafael
The material on San Rafael High School is a merge-and-redirect from a substub article. Information was as provided by User:Sdw25 therein.

I think city and town articles are the place where knowledgeable editors are most likely to see and review information about schools. People may well have these article on their watchlist, whereas they may not be monitoring NewPages or RecentChanges for specific school names. This is also the place where uneven and incomplete coverage will be most noticeable. When the material on any single school becomes inconveniently voluminous for the city page, it can be made into an individual article and linked. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith (talk)]] 12:27, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Why does "Terra Linda High School" redirect here? Shouldn't the school have its own page. In addition, this is particularly unsatisfactory as there are several links on this page to Terra Linda High School, which redirect back to the same page. User:geinsei

Err.... No it hasn't
"San Rafael High School has been cited as the origin of the time and codeword 4:20 in marijuana culture."

The time 4:20 existed long before the school did.

I'm the one who added the paragraph about cannabis consumption. Numerous websites in addition to Snopes cite San Rafael High School as the origin of the term "420" in relation to cannabis culture. Obviously the time of 4:20 P.M. existed long before the 1970's, but San Rafael High School is where the trend of smoking pot at said time and finding humor in various sightings of the number "420" originated. In my opinion, this is probably one of if not the most signifigant and important things about San Rafael. Spazik007 23:48, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * "Most significant and important" thing about San Rafael? I think not. Just my two puffs' worth. David Spalding Talk / Contribs 23:25, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Bad NPOV on schools section!
The statement about SR's losing streak should be deleted! --Aussie Evil 20:16, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

What is the difference between a high school and an academy?
According to Marin Academy's website, it is a high school. Why does the article separate academies and high schools just because of their names? Mmeyers 23:24, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't ask me, but I can tell you this much: I live in San Rafael, and I know for a fact that Marin Academy IS a high school. Zhane Masaki

I know, I attend Marin Academy! It's certainly a High School. Can we list it as one? Mmeyers 00:52, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Was some of this written by the tourism board?
Read some of the descriptions of the different neighborhoods. I scanned the section on the downtown neighborhood and found it not exactly neutral/encyclopedic. Could someone tone down some of this, make it a little less of an advertisement? 134.79.81.157 16:50, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
 * You're very close: it was written by the City of San Rafael as part of their sustainable development planning. I've removed the copyvio sections (a huge swathe of the article). JDoorj a m     Talk 05:44, 27 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Actually, it was only published by the City of San Rafael; the content was written by the citizens of San Rafael from the respective neighborhoods. If you want to edit the content to more appropriately reflect the nature of the respective neighborhoods, then feel free to contribute... otherwise, BUTT OUT OF THIS ENTRY!!!     Skeptinator 19:04, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

 * That was just way too much detail for an article on a city the size of San Rafael. Even mentioning all of its neighborhoods is skirting the line, imo, and I am from Marin.  All that detail was clearly promotional.  Rlitwin 19:41, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Please be civil, Skeptinator. I'd recommend you not try to assert ownership over the content and direction of this article.  I've sat on councils responsible for creating that sort of content, and I do policy development for a living.  I completely understand the level of citizen involvement that goes into documents like that one, and hope you'll understand I mean nothing cynical when I point out the origins of the document.  (Perhaps it's more accurate to say it was produced by the City of San Rafael.)  The document is definitely valuable in serving its specific purpose, but as I've pointed out, that purpose is not to serve as an encyclopedia article about San Rafael and its neighborhoods.  I think it's a good external link, but simply copying and pasting it into this document is in line neither with what is good for the article, nor with Wikipedia's general pursuit of original content (which is different, of course, from original research... but I digress) .  I also agree with User:Rlitwin about the size of the article.  So let's reference the plan, talk about planning efforts underway in San Rafael, mine it for all it's worth, but let's avoid inserting giant chunks of it into this article.  JDoorj a m     Talk 19:54, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

 * If the goal of Wikipedia is "not to serve as an encyclopedia..."(- DoorJam, 30-Jul,2006), please enlighten me as to its purpose?

 * The authors of the article have already formed a consensus to merge San Rafael City Schools with The City of San Rafael entry.  If you disagree with this decision, please state your reasons and create a new entry for the schools of San Rafael, CA.  Following that logic, it makes sense to also create a separate article(s) for the neighborhoods of San Rafael.  You can simply copy and paste the individually customized neighborhood sections, because I have further I edited them from their original form, completely re-writing some (19-Jul-2006 at 1904).  This is a natural process that will occur.  If you believe there is POV or confirmed copyright infringement in any particular section, change it!  That is the nature of Wikipedia and enhances its value to the everyone in the world - not just theresidents of the neighborhoods from the City of San Rafael in the State of California in the United States of America!

 * Except for world-renown neighborhoods like Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and the Five Boroughs of New York City, I suspect most Wikipedia users will expect to find information about a municipality's neighborhoods within the municipality's entry. To include a 30-200 word entry for each of the 30 neighborhood regions that comprise the city seems highly relevant for a suburban city... especially when compared with increasingly broad, yet biased, standards for a citizen to be deemed "notable" in this wikipedia entry.

 * As you assert to be the Wikipedia guru, please take the lead. Do we include the neighborhood information here, or is it better to recreate 30 new entries under a section entitled the "Neighborhoods of the City of San Rafael from the County of Marin in the Great State of California in the United States of America".   Skeptinator 03:54, 02 August 2006 (UTC)

 * Information about all the neighborhoods in San Rafael is just too much detail. It shouldn't be included in the article OR in separate articles.  There isn't nearly enough notability.  You won't find articles on the neighborhoods of similar sized municipalities.  It's not important enough. Rlitwin 02:58, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

 * The primary components of this article (ie, the neighborhoods of San Rafael and their characteristics) are not considered to be noteworthy enough to even receive mention in the article, yet Wikipedia has alloted separate entries for such topics/persons of potentially contentious notability as:

 * * Peter Siggins
 * * Square root day
 * * Trashspotting
 * * Les Anderson

 * While all of these entries seem quirky and interesting, I suspect that few, if any, of these entries would qualify for Encyclopædia Britannica.  Wikipedia is not EB and that is one of its benefits.  As long as articles have standards of  verifiability and notability consistently enforced across the entire project (instead of seemingly  authoritarian control by users like DoorJam who assert seemingly arbitrary standards), then the potential utility and integrity of Wikipedia's information will be enhanced. "Imagine a world in which every person has free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing."  As to the alleged Copyright violations... read  Wikipedia's copyright article on use of material in the public domain: "makes material reusable under current policy... [if it] is inherently in the public domain due to age or source." Skeptinator 06:23, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

 * I wasn't talking about Wikipedia. The purpose of the planning document you are plagiarizing is not to serve as an encyclopedia entry, which is why it doesn't read like one.  Stop putting huge passages of it into the article.  Don't paraphrase them and put them in the article, either.  JDoorj a m     Talk 03:28, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

 * "inherently in the public domain due to age or source" makes the material "reusable". The neighborhood section was written by several citizens and historians from San Rafael, CA, and subsequently ammended with significant additions &/or deletions by me.  If you have facts to dispute these claims of authenticity, please cite them.  If, as Wikipedia policy suggests,  San Rafael editors elect to err on the side of a lengthier and richer (unabridged) drafts while article is in its formative state of development, then history suggests that eventually more users with diverse expertise and interests will exert influence to improve the content and quality of this Wikipedia entry.  No single editor is allowed to be the Führer of the  Content Nazis! Skeptinator 00:23, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

List of neighborhoods
I put the list of neighborhoods into three columns; less dead space. It can be dropped to two columns if people have trouble at lower resolutions, but IMO three columns looks good.Talk

 * Arranging the neighborhood listings into columns did look more organized, but Rlitwin feels that the neighborhoods of San Rafael, CA do not meet the notability test to merit a separate Wikipedia entry.  Thes information on these neighborhoods meet the  verifiability test, the  notability test and the  public domain test.  More people live in many of these neighborhoods than comprise the entire populations of multiple counties in some states of the US.  If an editor disagrees with the Wikipedia policy of the  Three-revert rule, he/she should take it up with the  Mediation Cabal, because it is unacceptable to  vandalize an article or discount the contributions of a single editor becuase one disagrees with them. Skeptinator 01:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
 * None of us has come close to violating the three-revert rule. You do not have consensus to copy and paste that text into the article.  You are ignoring Wikipedia's consensus guidelines and your edits are becoming disruptive.  Please review What Wikipedia is not: "Wikipedia articles are not mere collections of public domain or other source material such as entire books or source code, original historical documents, letters, laws, proclamations, and other source material that are only useful when presented with their original, un-modified wording."  Stop inserting raw text about the neighborhoods.  Even beyond that, you do not have consensus to paraphrase each paragraph and include such content.  Instead of calling us "Content Nazis," try rationally discussing the issue here. JDoorj a m     Talk 14:51, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

The way forward on neighborhoods
Clearly, the productive way forward on dealing with the neighborhoods issue is not in copying and pasting the disputed text into article space. However, I must respectfully disagree with User:Rlitwin: I believe that at least some of those neighborhoods have enough content to be written about in a separate article or articles. I believe the way forward here is to choose one neighborhood and develop a full article — i.e., more than a stub — about it outside of article space. There is currently an article about The Canal but it's pretty weak. I suggest that, in user space, we develop a well-sourced, content-rich article about the Terra Linda neighborhood and post it as an article. Terra Linda has multiple public and private schools, a large residential area, a shopping mall, and other points of interest, and is as likely as any other neighborhood to be able to stand on its own. Once that article is ready for prime time, we can move it into article space. If it works as an article, we can move on to another neighborhood and do the same thing. Skeptinator, if you're willing to collaborate to develop one, then I will pitch in. But you must be civil, on this and any other page you work on. JDoorj a m    Talk 15:24, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Santa Venetia
In the Santa Venetia article it says that Santa Venetia ends at San Rafael, and is therefore not part of San Rafael. So why is it listed here? Mr. Granger 02:21, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

Sleeping Dogs
I s'spose discretion is the better part of valor but ...

Bay Islands -- what, the two or three islands off the end of Seaview that have one (1) house on them ?

California Park -- you mean Scheutzen Park, the pass in the hills to the south of the city that hasn't had any people living there since 1914 when the name was changed and the Germans were run off ?

Canal and Canal Waterfront -- the shabby run-down tenements with a back door on the canal are different from the rest of the shabby run-down tenements in the area ?

China Camp -- a park area with zero houses or people, this is a neighborhood ? Oh wait, the McPhails had a place there in .... 1965 ?

Civic Center -- is different from Glenwood and Santa Venetia and even Smith Ranch exactly how ? Oh, it's closer to the freeway ? On the same road, with the same style houses and same style people ?

Francisco Boulevard ? The row of car dealerships is a neighborhood ? Homeless people have taken to sleeping in the cars or something ?

Lucas Valley / Marinwood / Terra Linda, well, I guess they are varying distances from Puerto Suello tunnel. Does that make them individual neighborhoods ? North San Rafael Commercial Center, yeah, a shopping mall at the edge of Terra Linda is certainly a "neighborhood".

Montecito -- ooh, another shopping center ! A run-down one this time !

Sun Valley and West End, I lived there for forty years and never could tell where the dividing line was .... but maybe we should make the cemetery at the end another neighborhood :-)

I could go on but ... this "neighborhoods" thing is kinda spurious 210.22.142.82 (talk) 08:51, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

Notable Residents
I removed three names from the notable residents as they were not notable and likely simply people who wanted to add their name to the list as a joke. "Professional Baller" Matthew Finzen is an athlete at San Rafael high school, Patrick Nissim did not come up with any significant hits on Google apart from a film listed as an example on the website of a film camp (and was not listed on music sites like allmusic.com as a producer) and I was unable to find any record of "Pro-Boxer" Ramiro Elizondo in bouts or boxing ranking sites. Feel free to re-add any of them if verifiable information can be provided proving notability. Cuffeparade 08:00, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Demographics
Looks like someone vandalized the demographics - switching Latino/white. I'm not confident enough to fix it myself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.202.93.63 (talk) 04:22, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

 * Fixed. -- Longhair\talk 04:23, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

Entertainment Industry
The statement regarding the reasons for Lucas Art's relocation seems to lack authority and to be unnecessarily hostile: "However, because of poor city leadership and ineffective zoning laws in the Canal neighborhood, most of the companies, including Lucas Arts, have left San Rafael[citation needed]:" I would suggest a rewrite to indicate that Lucas Arts has moved to the Presidio in San Francisco, where new quarters were constructed to accommodate their growing needs. Ddodd (talk) 20:20, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I support the proposed rewrite. --Stepheng3 (talk) 04:02, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

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San Rafael City Schools
The article is currently up for deletion. If you would like to participate in the debate, click this link. QuicoleJR (talk) 20:37, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:San Rafael, California


text:
Brother Stair

Ralph Gordon Stair (May 3, 1933 – April 3, 2021), also known as Brother R. G. Stair, or simply as Brother Stair, was an American minister and evangelist. He broadcast his preaching on digital and shortwave radio. In the 1990s, at the peak of his radio ministry, Stair was heard on 120 stations.

Stair founded Overcomer Ministry in 1978, declaring himself a prophet. He lived in a community with his followers at a compound in Walterboro, South Carolina. Over the years, Stair was involved in a number of controversies, including convictions for sexual abuse, allegations that he caused infant deaths, and allegations that his ministry is a cult.

Early life
Stair was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was ordained as a Methodist minister, but he later left organized religion, stating "I just call myself a Christian." He moved to the Southern United States in the 1950s, saying that God told him to move there because it would be "the safest place for Christians in the end time."

Overcomer Ministry
Stair led the Overcomer Ministry, officially incorporated as the Faith Cathedral Fellowship, a conservative Pentecostal Christian organization which runs a widely heard radio-based ministry. Stair purchased a motel in Walterboro, South Carolina in 1978, and encouraged followers to move to the community, sell all their possessions, take a vow of poverty, and donate all that they owned to Overcomer Ministry.

The community of about 70 strives for self-sufficiency and simplicity, growing their own food and making their own clothes. Community members live in mobile homes and handmade houses, eating communal meals and gathering for Saturday worship in the Tabernacle. They dress conservatively. Women wear long skirts and men wear long pants and shirts with collars. Typically, work is divided along traditional gender lines, with men performing farm/manual labor and women doing domestic chores. Members primarily rely on bicycles for transportation within the community.

Stair objected to medical intervention, and taught avoidance of doctors. Commune members typically followed Stair's teaching, and in the 1980s and 1990s, local authorities conducted investigations after three infants died at the community either during or shortly after birth.

Evangelism was the primary focus of Stair's ministry. He broadcast from a solar-powered radio studio which is based in the community, often for hours at a time. As of 2014, Stair leased airtime globally on five free-to-air satellites (Galaxy 19, Hot Bird 8, Optus D2, Thaicom 5, and Eutelsat 25B) and on seven international shortwave radio stations (WHRI, WWRB, WTWW, WWCR, WBCQ, WRMI, and Media Broadcast GmbH) to convey his message to listeners in the United States as well as listeners in locations as far-flung as South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Israel, Russia, and India.

In addition to international satellite and shortwave, Stair broadcast worldwide via internet streaming from his ministry's web site. He also leased time on terrestrial AM and FM radio stations throughout the United States, some of which are large-coverage stations. In the 1990s, Brother Stair was heard on 120 such stations, though by 2007 and continuing through 2014, that total had been reduced to approximately 25.

In 2016, however, the broadcast was dramatically increased due to a large contribution which allowed Brother Stair to purchase hundreds of hours per day of broadcasting time to create one of the most extensive shortwave broadcasts in history. Broadcast expenditures of about $1.5 million are funded by donations from listeners. In 1993 and 1994, Stair and his ministry were partners in a failed ship-based radio project due to authorities raiding and confiscating both the ship and its equipment before it could set sail to international waters.

Stair's teachings place a strong emphasis on millennial predictions of world-changing events which will result from divine judgment. In the year 1999, he said that there would be such changes at the dawn of the third millennium. "If the Lord God Almighty does not make a major move before the year 2000," he said, "I'll tell God to go to Hell." Stair also has received publicity over the years for several of his prophecies, including a nuclear confrontation prophesied for 1988, and that Ronald Reagan would not complete his term as president.

Criminal cases
In 2002, Stair, then aged 69, was arrested in Walterboro on two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree. Two women associated with Brother Stair, ages 17 and 20, alleged that he coerced them by "enforcing his religious/personal beliefs" on them. In 2004, Stair pleaded guilty to the charge of assault and battery and was sentenced to time served, a total of 77 days in custody.

During his incarceration, recorded programs continued to be broadcast. Stair's conviction caused division in the community. However, about 70 residents remained loyal to him and there are two small branch communities which are part of his ministry.

On December 18, 2017, Stair was arrested on eight counts, which include three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and single counts of assault with the intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, second-degree assault, first-degree burglary, and third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Stair came to the attention of authorities because of YouTube videos showing him touching a 12-year-old girl's breast during service and then saying, “I’m gonna touch them things till nobody else can touch them.”

Another video showed a 16-year-old girl accusing him of sexually assaulting her over a five-month period. Four women described assaults including groping and rape. Stair reportedly told the women that the acts were “God’s will”. He was released on a $750,000 bond a month later on condition he not leave the property and was electronically monitored.

On January 1, 2018, the Overcomer Ministry ceased broadcasting its show on radio stations as a result of what it called 'legal difficulties'. Currently, the Overcomer Ministry continues to stream its show on its website, and it also continues to broadcast its show on satellite radio stations. As of November 2020, the station can also be heard on the 7.49 MHz shortwave station WBCQ.

Death
Stair died of heart failure at the age of 87 on April 3, 2021, at his home in Canadys, South Carolina.

title: Brother Stair