text:
Amethi

Amethi  is a city situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Gauriganj is the administrative headquarters of the Amethi district. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of the state. Amethi was 72nd district of Uttar Pradesh which came into existence on 1 July 2010 by merging three tehsils of the erstwhile Sultanpur district namely Amethi, Gauriganj and Musafirkhana and two tehsils of the erstwhile Raebareli district, namely, Salon and Tiloi. The town is part of the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency and Amethi Assembly constituency, which became reputed as a stronghold of the Indian National Congress party. The Congress leaders belonging to Nehru-Gandhi family won several elections from Amethi during 1980–2014. In 2019, Smriti Irani of Bhartiya Janta Party won this seat. Irani was defeated in 2024 by Kishori Lal Sharma of Indian National Congress.

History
In the past, Amethi used to be called Raipur-Amethi. When the train station was built here, it took the name of Amethi, but before then there had been no settlement with that exact name. There had been a mahal or pargana of Amethi since at least the time of Akbar: it is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari as belonging to the sarkar of Lucknow, with a brick fort at headquarters and was held by Rajputs called "Bahmangoti"s, who are the same as the Bandhalgoti Rajputs from whom the Rajas of Amethi originated. Later on, the pargana was transferred to Manikpur.

The capital region of the Amethi estate, Raipur, which was formerly known as Badagaon, lost much of its power, strength, and splendor after the establishment of the Kohra (estate) by Babu Himmat Sah. He was the younger son of Raja Bikram Sah of Amethi estate. His descendant, Babu Bhoop Singh, became one of the most important leaders in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and played a crucial role in the Awadh War of 1857.

The Rajas of Amethi
The Bandhalgoti Kachhwaha Rajas of Amethi originally resided at Raipur Phulwari, which along with Sarwanpur and Katra Himmat Singh, was one of the three villages that would later be amalgamated into the modern town of Raipur-Amethi. The old fort at Raipur Phulwari was destroyed by Safdar Jang c. 1743; its ruins are still visible today.

The story behind its destruction is as follows: the King of Amethi Raja Gurdatt Singh had defied Safdar Jang's authority so conspicuously that Safdar Jang personally led an army to Raipur to besiege the fort.

After a siege of 18 days, Gurdatt Singh fled into the neighbouring jungle of Ramnagar (which became the rajas' main residence), and the fort was destroyed and his estate (then known as Udiawan, until the British annexation of Awadh) put under Safdar Jang's direct control.

Raja Gurdatt Singh's son Raja Drigpal Singh was able to recover his father's estate. While Raja Gurdatt Singh had been known by various titles, all his successors beginning with Drigpal Singh were unequivocally styled Raja. Because of the prevalence of barren usar land in the pargana, there was a popular saying gar na hota Amethi úsar, Rája hota deoti dusar, meaning "if there had been no usar in Amethi, the Raja would be a second deity".

The taluqa was then divided between Drigpal Singh's two sons, with Har Chand Singh receiving the bulk of the inheritance and Jai Chand Singh founding the junior branch of Kannu Kasrawan. Har Chand Singh had originally inherited 153 villages but in 1804 was permitted to engage for the entire pargana of Amethi (except for the village of Raghipur). In 1810, this arrangement was changed by Saadat Ali Khan II, leaving Har Chand Singh with just 43 rent-free villages; he abdicated in favour of his son Dalpat Sah, who in 1813 was able to restore the taluqa to its original extent. Dalpat Sah died in 1815 and was succeeded by his son Bisheshar Singh, who then died childless in 1842.

At this point, the taluqa was inherited by Bisheshar Singh's cousin Madho Singh, whose father Arjun Singh (Dalpat's brother) had held the independent Gangoli estate as a junior branch. Under Madho Singh, these two branches became united. Madho Singh clashed with the nazim of Sultanpur, Maharaja Man Singh, in 1845; when this proved indecisive, the two parties turned to negotiations. The resulting agreement in 1846 ended up leasing the entire pargana to Madho Singh except for a few villages that would be directly retained by the nazim.

This lease included Kannu Kasrawan, still held by Jai Chand Singh's descendants, but the proprietors ignored the terms and Madho Singh ended up getting a decree of confiscation from the Nawab of Awadh himself. After protracted fighting the proprietors finally submitted in 1853.

The Udiawan taluqa was almost completely broken up upon the British annexation in 1856, but reconstituted after the 1857 uprising. Madho Singh supported the rebellion but the British were still willing to give him a sanad for the estate; they also formally acknowledged his title of Raja (he had never really sought formal recognition beforehand). Madho died in August 1891, shortly after the death of his only son, and was succeeded by a more distant relative who was adopted as his heir. At the turn of the 20th century, the Amethi estate consisted of 314 villages and 4 pattis, all in the pargana of Amethi.

Growth of the modern town
Amethi's development as a major town is because of the coming of the railway. As late as 1897, a British settlement officer wrote "Raipur is a collection of small unimportant hamlets, with positively no attempt at trade." That changed when the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway came to town with a station in 1898. The town then rapidly grew in size and commercial importance, and as early as 1903 it was already described as "a flourishing town" and the previous description was described as "already ancient history".

As of 1901 the population was 3,688 including 1,127 Muslims which was an especially large proportion for the area. It contained the tehsil headquarters, a school, a police station, a pound, and a dispensary.

Raipur is the place where the first fort of Bandhalgoti Rajas was located. His ancestors used to reside in Raipur which is now Raipur Phulwari. New fort was built in Ram Nagar about 6 km north of present Amethi which had been Center of Political activities during freedom movement. It is inhabited by Ex MP Sanjaya Sinh and Ex MLA Garima Singh. Amethi became known worldwide with Sanjay Gandhi contesting Parliamentary Election on the behest of Raja Rananjay Singh who had close relationship with Nehru family. It is also famous for the Hanuman temple called (Hanumangarhi) and a mosque both built about hundred years ago. About 7 kilometres north of Amethi there is a tomb of famous Poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi (best remembered for his epic composition Padmavat) at Magravan which is near Ram Nagar, where he died. Present fort was built by Bandhalgoti Rajas.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Amethi has a population of 13,849 people, in 2,262 households. The town's sex ratio is 965 females to every 1000 males; 7,049 of Amethi's residents are male (50.9%) and 6,800 are female (49.1%). The 0-6 age group numbered 1,731, or about 12.5% of the town's population; the sex ratio for this group was 987. Members of Scheduled Castes make up 12.87% of the town's population, while no members of Scheduled Tribes were recorded. Amethi's literacy rate was 78.3% (counting only people age 7 and up); literacy was higher among men and boys (86.01%) than among women and girls (70.27%). The scheduled castes literacy rate is 60.73% (71.95% among men and boys, and 48.25% among women and girls).

In terms of employment, 21.29% of Amethi residents were classified as main workers (i.e. people employed for at least 6 months per year) in 2011. Marginal workers (i.e. people employed for less than 6 months per year) made up 6.27%, and the remaining 72.44% were non-workers. Employment status varied significantly according to gender, with 44.76% of men being either main or marginal workers, compared to only 9.74% of women.

As per the 2001 Census of India, Amethi had a population of 12,808. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Amethi has an average literacy rate of 59%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males and 41% of females literate. 17% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transport
Amethi is connected to the major cities in Uttar Pradesh and North-Eastern India via Indian Railways and roads. Amethi railway station has direct trains connecting with major cities like Jammu, Amritsar, Ambala, Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Dehradun, Haridwar, Jaipur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Patna, Kolkata, Puri, Bhopal, Mumbai and Bangalore.

A number of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses play from Amethi.

Ayodhya International Airport (84 km) and Prayagraj Airport (104 km are the nearby airports from Amethi.

Institutions, industries and organisations

 * Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology
 * Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University
 * Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi
 * Footwear Design and Development Institute
 * Indo Gulf Fertilisers
 * Ranveer Ranjanay Post Graduate College
 * Shri Shiv Pratap Inter College
 * Mahatma Shiv Kumar Inter College

A few public sector units were established in Amethi in the 1970s, however not much has occurred in the town for the past two decades, leading to young people leaving in search of jobs. Society for Animal Health Agriculture Science and Humanity is a national non-profit organisation located in Munshiganj, Amethi. Amethi has the Avionics Division of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the organisation responsible for the manufacture of Aircraft for the Indian Airforce. One Ordnance Factory was established in 2009 by the Congress Government to manufacture small arms and weapons.

A joint venture between India and Russia through Kalashnikov Concern and the Ordnance Factory Board has established a rifle factory in Amethi, and in 2023 Indian Army started using rifles made at this facility.

Villages
Amethi CD block has the following 86 villages:

Notable people

 * Chandrama Devi Agrahari
 * Rahul Gandhi (MP)
 * Rajiv Gandhi (former Prime Minister of India)
 * Sanjay Gandhi (former MP)
 * Smriti Irani (former MP and former cabinet minister)
 * Malik Muhammad Jayasi (poet, writer)
 * Leela Mishra (Indian actress)
 * Manoj Muntashir (lyricist)
 * Rakesh Pandey (writer and author)
 * Pankaj Singh (Indian cricketer)
 * Suresh Pasi (MLA and former minister)
 * Jagdish Piyush (writer, educationist, Indian National Congress politician)
 * Gayatri Prasad Prajapati (former MLA and former cabinet minister)
 * Maharaji Prajapati (MLA)
 * Syed Sibtey Razi (former Governor of Assam, former Governor of Jharkhand, former MP)
 * Babu Himmat Sah (Ruler of Kohra (estate))
 * Kishori Lal Sharma (MP)
 * Akshay Pratap Singh (MLC and former MP)
 * Ameeta Singh (former MLA)
 * Babu Bhoop Singh (Ruler of Kohra (estate) and leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857)
 * Deepak Singh (former MLC)
 * Garima Singh (former MLA)
 * Rakesh Pratap Singh (MLA)
 * Ravindra Pratap Singh (former MP and former MLA)
 * Rudra Pratap Singh (former MP, former MLA and former MLC)
 * Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh (MLA and minister)
 * Shailendra Pratap Singh (MLC)
 * Sanjaya Sinh (former MP and former cabinet minister)

title: Amethi


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Guilty as Sin

Guilty as Sin is a 1993 American legal thriller film written by Larry Cohen, directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Martin Ransohoff. It stars Rebecca De Mornay and Don Johnson, and was produced by Hollywood Pictures.

Plot
Jennifer Haines (Rebecca De Mornay) is an up-and-coming Chicago attorney. She wins a big case, celebrates with the man in her life, Phil Garson (Stephen Lang), and returns to work to a hero's reception.

Into her life walks David Greenhill (Don Johnson), who was seated in the gallery during her previous trial. Greenhill is a debonair and arrogant ladies' man who stands accused of murdering his wealthy wife, Rita (Brigitte Wilson). He wants Haines to represent him, but she declines.

Something about him intrigues her, though, so the equally arrogant Haines has second thoughts. She tells her law firm's superiors that this promises to be a high-profile trial and she wants it because: "I am that good."

Greenhill maintains his innocence but shows signs of irrational behavior that make Haines wary of him. She assigns her longtime investigator Moe (Jack Warden) to do some digging and he begins to unearth the defendant's shady past. Greenhill in the meantime starts showing up unexpectedly in Haines's social life, stalking her and dropping hints that something is going on between them.

Phil dislikes the guy intensely and demands Haines drop him as a client. She doesn't care for Greenhill either but resents being told what to do. She refuses to quit his case until her law partners notify her that the fee Greenhill promised remains unpaid. An unsympathetic judge (Dana Ivey) tells Haines it's her own fault and refuses to let her abandon her client.

Learning from Moe that Greenhill has a history of dating older women who usually end up dead, a horrified Haines wants to turn him in, but is bound to attorney-client privilege. She instead tries to sabotage her own case by having evidence planted at Greenhill's apartment, hoping that it will lead to his conviction. He knows she must be behind it and takes his revenge by viciously assaulting Phil, who ends up hospitalized.

Greenhill's case ends in a mistrial, after the jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict. Greenhill, seemingly pleased, displays regret that he never had a chance to take the stand. He does so privately for Haines in the empty courtroom, revealing that he had been scouting her far in advance of the murder case. He confesses that he did indeed kill his wife and provides vivid details.

Greenhill further tells Haines that he knows she planted the evidence. He could use this to blackmail her, but says he has come to tire of her. Haines fears the psychopathic Greenhill will now come after her. She prepares to disclose everything, even at the cost of her career.

Greenhill anticipates this. He murders Moe, knocking him out and then setting fire to his office. He then intercepts Haines at her apartment building. He casually states that between Phil's beating and Moe's death, she is grieving enough to commit suicide. A fierce struggle ensues. Greenhill manages to throw Haines over a railing, but to his horror, she pulls him down with her. They fall several stories together. Greenhill is killed in the fall. Haines, cushioned by his body, is severely injured but survives.

As she is carried off to the hospital, she triumphantly states: "I beat him, Phil. I beat him. Tough way to win a case."

Cast

 * Rebecca De Mornay as Jennifer Haines
 * Don Johnson as David Greenhill
 * Jack Warden as Moe
 * Stephen Lang as Phil Garson
 * Luis Guzman as Detective Martinez
 * Dana Ivey as the Judge
 * Ron White as Prosecutor DiAngelo
 * Norma Dell'Agnese as Emily, Jennifer's assistant

Production
The film was filmed entirely on location in Toronto.

Reception
The film earned mostly mixed reviews from critics, earning a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Chicago Sun-Times reviewer Roger Ebert, who gave the film three out of four stars: As the true extent of Johnson's twisted scheme becomes revealed, as De Mornay becomes trapped between what she sees as justice and the mistakes she's made, the movie becomes truly engrossing on a psychological level.

It grossed nearly $23 million in the U.S. and Canada and grossed $17.8 million internationally for a worldwide total of $40.7 million.

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

title: Guilty as Sin


text:
Talk:Seattle Central Library

Untitled
Updated information on Gate's donation and added an image of the Red Floor- Tylersmiler 04:44, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

This page could use an image. I'll try to take one myself one of these days, but if another Wikipedian's got one, feel free to beat me to it. -- Scarequotes 22:09, May 18, 2004 (UTC)

Seattle Public Library article
If anyone ever wants to put together an article on the Seattle Public Library system, all the facts you'll need appear to be here: http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=about_history_history --Lukobe 04:56, 19 May 2004 (UTC)

I've started an article on the SPL, but it's only a bare outline at the moment. --Lukobe 20:50, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Reverted edit
I have reverted most (but not all) of the changes in this edit by ShadowDragon. This is my explanation:

 * Architecture critics very uniformly--as close to universally as I think I've seen in my lifetime--raved about this building. As such, a raving quote--properly attributed as such--is proper for the lead, and adds interest to the article as a whole.  For this reason, I restored the Muschamp quote from Critical Response to the lead.

 * The library 'is' striking. The delete of that word is unnecessary.  Striking means it's surprising and immediately gets your attention.  Whether you like it or not, I don't think anyone can reasonably say it's dull.  For this reason, I restored the word 'striking'.

--TreyHarris 08:29, 6 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * The comment about the New Urbanists is lacking. I did some websearches and, indeed, found comparisons of the Koolhaas library to Gehry.  But from what I can tell from reading websites, New Urbanists seem to use "Gehry" as a curse word.  Gehry and Koolhaas have very little in common, and the Library--all angles, made of extremely common-use building materials, designed via function-then-form rather than the reverse--is antithetical to a lot of what Gehry stands for.   I'd be fine with a a lengthier quote making that comparison in concrete terms, but simply saying the library is "Gehry-esque" amounts to innuendo.  For this reason, I removed the comment about New Urbanists condemning the library as Gehry-esque.

 * Note, TreyHarris discussed this at length with several people, including myself on IRC #wikipedia, and this was the consensus. Burgundavia 08:31, 6 Jun 2004 (UTC)
 * I haven't yet found a good quote about the Seattle Central Library being Gehry-esque, so I'm fine with that being taken out. In fact, the closest thing I can find to a substantive New Urbanist criticism of the building is here. I've also seen a lot of less substantive New Urbanist criticism on a mailing list to which I subscribe, not that "a blazing chandelier to swing your dreams upon" is substantive anyway. I think a lot of their dislike for this building should be addressed generically in the new urbanism article. (That article should be moved to New Urbanism, by the way.) Still, I think it's legitimate to say they criticized it as starchitecture, as long as that's presented as their opinion. That's a fairly widespread term in New Urbanist circles and it's just as valid to have an article for it as it is to have articles for coalition of the willing, family values, and anti-war. ShadowDragon 09:48, 6 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I think some discussion of Gehry should be in the article, since it seems to come up in a lot of local coverage of the Library (versus the EMP). The fact that Seattle has had two critically talked about buildings in such a short time, from two prominent architects is something the city should be proud of. Although perhaps a seperate article about architecture in Seattle is more appropriate. --drew1718 13:27, 9 Jul 2004 (UTC)

 * New Urbanists are not Stepford wives, and to say "New Urbanists use 'Gehry' as a curse word" is out of place in Wikipedia. The most recent annual Congress for the New Urbanism gave its top award to Gehry. The Guggenheim Bilbao is on the cover of The New Civic Art, edited by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. Second, thank you for the link to my blog, but I don't speak for New Urbanists. Nor does Duany or Peter Calthorpe, for that matter. Only the Congress for the New Urbanism does. Speaking for myself, I wrote about the reactions of people other than architects and architectural critics here. I wrote about about New Urbanism, Modernism and architects generalizing about New Urbanism here.--jmassengale

Local Reaction
The last part is confusing. "Cold and uninviting"? What are the sources? --drew1718 12:04, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 * I removed the statement, reproduced here:
 * Public response in Seattle has been mixed. Many users find the building striking, but also many local residents find the exterior ugly and uninviting for a library.
 * For about 20-30 mins, I tried to find an article to validate the sentiment, however, I realized after a bit that 'mixed' can imply around 50% approval but technically mean somewhere between 1% and 99% approval, and the use of the word 'many', especially how it's used above, is too vague and subjective. The whole line possibly crosses into original research as well. ShadowDragon (or anyone else), you're welcome to rewrite that sentence but I suggest that 'mixed' and 'many' only be used when there are sources that state where the percentages lie. hateless 01:28, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

Images
I am recieving an error in loading this pages images, that reads:

Error creating thumbnail: convert: unable to open image `/mnt/upload3/wikipedia/en/8/84/Seattle_Central_Library.jpg': No such file or directory. convert: missing an image filename `/mnt/upload3/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/84/Seattle_Central_Library.jpg/180px-Seattle_Central_Library.jpg'. Seattle Central Library Exterior

Anyone else notice the same? DVD+ R/W 21:09, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

The error has gone away. I have uploaded a bunch of images of this library. I'll post them in a gallery if anyone is interested... DVD+ R/W 06:29, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

Site of Library
Was the new Central library built on top of the site for the old libraries? Were the old libraries demolished, or are the located in another area of the city, now repurposed? -- Eptin 09:45, 21 January 2007 (UTC) Subscript text

reconsidered praise
about that part, it says "some" have reconsidered their praise, but there's only one person cited. Has there been a noticeable reconsideration of praise?

 * It should be reworded; I've done so. Sylvain1972 16:42, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

dead link
this link - " " is dead. here is the archived post - http://archive.is/Fbw1. But wikipedia won't let me add it, saying that it doesn't accept archived links. What to do? Can anyone find a link to the entire list? Bangabandhu (talk) 03:33, 4 October 2015 (UTC)

Over detailed
Does this article have too much detail - when links to eg might be more appropriate? Jackiespeel (talk) 17:00, 20 October 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 4 external links on Seattle Central Library. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060720090715/http://www.spl.org/lfa/capplan/libforall/centprop.html to http://www.spl.org/lfa/capplan/libforall/centprop.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20040607053746/http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central&branchID=1 to http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central&branchID=1
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060518143623/http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=about_history_history to http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=about_history_history
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20060223092228/http://www.spl.org/pdfs/2004AnnualReport.pdf to http://www.spl.org/pdfs/2004AnnualReport.pdf

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title: Talk:Seattle Central Library


text:
Legislative Assembly of Alberta

The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. Since 2012 the Legislative Assembly has had 87 members, elected first past the post from single-member electoral districts. Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Alberta, as the viceregal representative of the King of Canada. The Legislative Assembly and the Lieutenant Governor together make up the unicameral Alberta Legislature.

The maximum period between general elections of the assembly, as set by Section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is five years, which is further reinforced in Alberta's Legislative Assembly Act. Convention dictates the premier controls the date of election and usually selects a date in the fourth or fifth year after the preceding election. Amendments to Alberta's Elections Act introduced in 2021 fixed the date of election to between the last Monday in May in the fourth calendar year following the preceding election. Alberta has never had a minority government and an election as a result of a vote of no confidence has never occurred.

To be a candidate for election to the assembly, a person must be a Canadian citizen older than 18 who has lived in Alberta for at least six months before the election and has registered with Elections Alberta under the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. Senators, senators-in-waiting, members of the House of Commons, and criminal inmates are ineligible.

The 30th Alberta Legislature was dissolved on May 1, 2023. The members-elect of the 31st Alberta Legislature were elected on May 29.

History
The first session of the first Legislature of Alberta opened on March 15, 1906, in the Thistle Rink, Edmonton, north of Jasper Avenue. After the speech from the throne, the assembly held its sessions in the McKay Avenue School. In this school Alberta MLAs chose the provincial capital, Edmonton, and the future site for the Alberta Legislature Building: the bank of the North Saskatchewan River. Allan Merrick Jeffers, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design was the architect who was chosen to build the assembly building. In September 1912 Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Governor General of Canada, declared the building officially open.

Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams were the first women elected to the assembly, in the 1917 election. They were also the first women in any legislature of the British Empire.

Current members
The members-elect of the 31st Alberta Legislature were elected in the 31st Alberta general election held on May 29, 2023. Bold indicates cabinet members, and party leaders are italicized.

Standings during 31st Assembly
The 31st Alberta Legislative Assembly was constituted after the general election on May 29, 2023. The United Conservative Party, led by incumbent Premier Danielle Smith, formed the government with a reduced majority. The New Democrats, led by former Premier Rachel Notley, won the second most seats and formed the official opposition.

Seating plan

 * Party leaders are italicized. Bold indicates cabinet minister.

title: Legislative Assembly of Alberta


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The Herd

This page is an archive of the discussion surrounding the proposed deletion of the page entitled The Herd.

This page is kept as an historic record.

The result of the debate was to keep the article.

 * I put this up before doing a Google search (sorry) because it seemed like a vanity page. Google does come back with matching hits, but not many.  Delete and start from scratch, perhaps? - Lucky 6.9 22:14, 18 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. They are a well known (to Triple J listeners) Australian band, definitely worthy of an article.  A bit of a stub at the moment and needs formatting, but many articles started like that!   --Chuq 07:38, 19 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. Ditto what Chuq said. -- Popsracer 11:16, 19 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. Everyking 21:14, 19 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Someone latched on to this for a rewrite. We now have a fine stub.  Keep as revised. - Lucky 6.9 01:12, 20 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. I've certainly heard of them. Ambivalenthysteria 13:05, 22 May 2004 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue or the deletion should be placed on other relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.


text:
Owl (Marvel Comics)

The Owl (Leland Owlsley) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted usually as an enemy of the superheroes Daredevil, Spider-Man and Black Cat. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Joe Orlando, the character first appeared in Daredevil #3 (August 1964).

The character has appeared in numerous media adaptations, including the television series Daredevil, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which he was played by Bob Gunton.

Publication history
The character first appeared in Daredevil #3 (August 1964). He was a recurring foe of Daredevil during the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, he has made occasional appearances in various Marvel titles, against such superheroes as Spider-Man, and has faced Daredevil again.

Originally Bob Layton, writer of the first five issues of X-Factor, had intended to use the Owl as the Alliance of Evil's mysterious master (mentioned in X-Factor #4 (May 1986). The final page of X-Factor #5 initially featured the Owl, but as Layton was removed from the book and replaced with Louise Simonson, the final page was changed to feature a new character named Apocalypse instead, as Simonson and editor Bob Harras wanted a new villain for the book.

Fictional character biography
Leland Owlsley was once a successful financier and financial investor, nicknamed "The Owl of Wall Street" for his financial wisdom, until evidence of his tax evasion and crooked business deals were exposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Rather than fight the charges, he took up residence in a hideout across the Hudson River and pursued a new career as a crime lord. The Owl had already been pooling a percentage of his earnings into researching superpowered enhancements, and by this time these efforts had yielded a serum which gave him the ability to fly. He subsequently employed two enforcers and captured Daredevil in a chance encounter, planning to kill him at a meeting of underworld bosses in order to make himself the undisputed overlord of crime. However, Daredevil escaped and confronted the Owl in battle. Eventually determining that he could not defeat Daredevil unarmed and alone, he fled, escaping his foe in the river. When he came to shore, Owl was captured by police, convicted, and sentenced to prison by Judge Lewis.

Following an escape, the Owl established a new hideout on a volcanic isle and kidnapped Judge Lewis and Matt Murdock (Daredevil's alter ego), forcing them to participate in a sham trial with Lewis as the defendant. Murdock managed to change into Daredevil. The Owl's second confrontation with his nemesis ended in a draw, and both were forced to flee the erupting island. He was later freed from prison by Mr. Kline, who ordered him to capture Daredevil. The Owl lured Daredevil into combat and defeated him, sending him plummeting to his death. However, Daredevil was saved by the Black Widow, and the two of them worked together to capture the Owl when his gang broke into the San Francisco treasury. The Owl then moved to Chicago, and acquired the technology to drain human brains of knowledge, and battled the Cat. The Owl returned to San Francisco, and briefly captured Daredevil and the Black Widow. The Owl was later stricken with a debilitating ailment resulting in the paralysis of his legs. He returned to New York, and recruited the Man-Bull. The Owl attempted to kidnap a neurologist to cure his ailment, but was foiled by Daredevil.

The Owl was later rescued by his henchmen, and fitted with a neurological pacemaker to cure his ailment. He battled Daredevil and Spider-Man, and was incapacitated when his pacemaker short-circuited. The Owl was confined to a life-support module designed by the Maggia. He schemed to loot New York under cover of a citywide blackout, but was captured by Spider-Man, the Black Widow, and Simon Stroud. No longer confined to the module, the Owl later engaged in a gang war against Doctor Octopus in an attempt to usurp the Kingpin's position as the crime boss of New York's underworld. The Owl encountered Spider-Man and the Black Cat, and was beaten by Doctor Octopus.

The Owl was later mystically summoned to Winnipeg, Canada, by Llan the Sorcerer. There, he battled Alpha Flight and Gamma Flight with Nekra, the Asp, and the Scorpion.

The Owl was later among the criminals assembled by Doctor Doom to battle the Fantastic Four in Washington, D.C.

Over the years the Owl has become less and less human as a result of bizarre experiments he has subjected himself to in efforts to improve his natural ability to glide and repair damage to his spine that rendered him a paraplegic. The Owl once needed to use an exoskeleton to walk but has since recovered from this injury.

The Owl started to re-establish his presence in the criminal underworld in the absence of the Kingpin. When Spider-Man visits him regarding information about the kidnapping of May Parker, the Owl says that Electro and the Vulture kidnapped her. This turns out to be a ploy by the Owl, who is after the two villains (hiring the Black Cat to find them) for stealing from him. He began to enlarge his criminal empire by refining Mutant Growth Hormone from his own genetic material, though Daredevil was able to get him arrested.

He managed to manipulate behind the scenes and get the Kingpin arrested for a past murder when it looked like Fisk was going to make a deal with the FBI. The deal in question involved Matt Murdock being arrested for being Daredevil. When Foggy Nelson, representing Murdock in court, visited him in jail, he was apparently killed by the other prisoners. The Owl later taunted Murdock about this, and Murdock, who had become unhinged due to his friend's death, brutally beat the Owl. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Foggy was alive at the time and in witness protection.

Later, the Owl escaped prison and stole Deathlok from S.H.I.E.L.D., killing four agents in the process. He sets up an auction in hopes of selling him off to the highest bidder to other supervillains. However, he did not ask permission from the Hood (the self-established "Kingpin of Supervillains") and the Hood subsequently stole Deathlok from the Owl and shot the Owl.

The Owl has since then appeared in police custody. He was subsequently freed by the Kingpin, who sought to employ him as part of his plan to take revenge on The Hand. He took Dakota North captive and implied he would torture and sexually assault her in order to get information on Daredevil, who then appeared and cut every nerve in both his arms and legs using a sword the Owl had tried to attack him with.

Members of Owl's gang were shown fighting in a gang war with the Maggia at a scrapyard. Hammerhead shoots the gang while Silvermane was fed to a metal crusher.

It was later revealed that Owl received his henchmen from Taskmaster who had trained them.

Owl was next seen purchasing a product called Ebony which came from the glands of Corruptor. He planned to synthesize it into a street drug only for Daredevil to arrive and steal it.

Owl attended a circus with Kingpin, Madame Masque, Tombstone, and Hammerhead when Hawkeye stole their money.

Owl's gang later ended up in a gunfight with a gang led by the third White Dragon. Both Owl and White Dragon were brutally beaten up by the Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius's mind in Spider-Man's body). The remainder of Owl's gang fled and were recruited by Goblin King to join the Goblin Nation.

The Sinister Six (consisting of Boomerang, Overdrive, Shocker, Speed Demon, and Beetle) assaulted Owl's base. Overdrive and Speed Demon were captured by Owl and interrogated. Beetle tried to blackmail the Owl into releasing them while covertly dialing for backup. Unimpressed, the Owl got ready to execute her when reinforcements arrived in the form of Tombstone (who was revealed to be Beetle's father).

After a series of failures Boomerang teams up with the Owl and forms the Sinister Sixteen in order to retrieve the picture of Doctor Doom that the former had stolen a few days before, and that was now in the hands of the Chameleon. The line-up consisted of the dregs of the underworld that Boomerang used as cannon fodder so that he could retrieve the painting.

In a prelude to the "Hunted" storyline, Owl is among the animal-themed characters captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant for Kraven the Hunter's upcoming Great Hunt. He later watches the fight between Spider-Man and Scorpion until the Hunter-Bots arrive. He then joins Spider-Man and the other animal-themed characters in fleeing from the Hunter-Bots. Owl and the other animal-themed characters meet with Vulture where Spider-Man informs them about the loss of Gibbon and Mandrill while Toad mentions the loss of Man-Bull. When Kraven the Hunter has Arcade deactivated the forcefield, Owl is among the animal-themed characters that are freed.

Owl is among the crime lords competing with Mister Negative to obtain the Tablet of Life and Destiny in order to win the favor of Mayor Wilson Fisk.

Owl is among the crime lords that attended the wedding of Randy Robertson and Janice Lincoln where it was crashed by Shotgun who shot Tombstone. As Spider-Man goes after Shotgun, the crime lords blamed each other for calling the hit.

During the "Gang War" storyline, Owl attends a crime lord meeting. After Hammerhead states that his crime family is backed by Count Nefaria and Silvermane, Owl states that he will stand down for now. During a crime lord meeting at Arthur Avenue, Owl demanded to know who ran him out of Red Hook. Crime Master denies any knowledge of it to Owl. Elektra is visited by Owl who states that Madame Masque, Hobgoblin, Diamondback, the Heat, Lady Yulan, Mister Negative, Shang-Chi, and Ringmaster want control over New York City while also mentioning that someone has become the Heat's benefactor. Before leaving, Owl tips off Elektra to a shipment that the Heat are expecting. Owl later visits Madame Masque informing her that he hedged the heroes as she instructed. When Madame Masque states that Owl doing that is crossing the line as she summons X-23's clone Bellona to her side. Owl has a brief fight with Bellona until he sees her bring out her retractable claws. Owl is then thrown into the same cell as Count Nefaria, Hammerhead, and Silvermane. Madame Masque later mind-controlled Owl during the fight in Central Park and unleashed him on Spider-Man as he moved in to confront her. Spider-Man managed to defeat Owl.

Powers and abilities
The Owl has ingested a special serum which enabled him to naturally glide for short distances, though he has to leap from a height of at least 20 ft off of the ground to do so. He is able to perform complex midair maneuvers while he glides which would be impossible for ordinary humans. The Owl's gliding ability is assisted by a weak psionic ability to levitate his body. Under the right conditions, such as favorable air currents, the Owl can glide for at least the length of a city block. He uses specially designed capes to allow him to do this.

His bones are hollow, and he possesses a greater proportionate muscle mass than normal humans. Though the Owl only exercises moderately, his strength, endurance, resistance/resiliency to injury and fatigue, and reflexes/reactions are enhanced as a result of his mutation (he is physically stronger and tougher than any Olympic weightlifter). His vision and hearing are superhumanly acute, his head can rotate 180 degrees, and his eyes can move independently of each other in their own sockets and have greater visual range than an ordinary human. His teeth and nails are essentially fangs and talons which can tear through human flesh with relative ease. Most of his adversaries assume that he is just a normal human as he almost never engages in physical struggles; he relegates this to his underlings, like the Vulture and Electro.

Over the years the Owl has taken a number of experimental drugs and subjected himself to experimental surgical procedures to increase his ability to glide. These experiments have met with mixed results and a by-product of them is that he has been mutagenically altered in a way that has negatively affected his sanity and made him more animal-like. For instance, he enjoys eating live mice with his vintage six-hundred-dollar wine. It also paralyzed him down the waist for some time, making him unable to stand or walk without a special leg-brace exoskeleton.

The Owl wears a set of metal razor-sharp steel-tool talons attached to each forearm (closely resembling Wolverine's claws) and a specially designed cape designed to resemble an owl's outstretched wings to assist him in steering during flight, and often uses various other bird-themed weapons and pieces of equipment. This special equipment was designed for him by the Tinkerer. Although the Owl is somewhat deranged, he is an extremely skilled criminal organizer and money launderer.

Age of Apocalypse
In the alternate timeline of the 1995–1996 Age of Apocalypse storyline, the Owl is a member of the Marauders, a terrorist group composed of humans who have betrayed humanity and joined Apocalypse. This incarnation of the Owl is killed by Gwen Stacy and Clint Barton, alongside fellow Marauders members Dirigible, Red and Arcade.

Age of Ultron
During the 2013 Age of Ultron storyline, Owl and Hammerhead captured the Superior Spider-Man and hoped to trade him with Ultron. Hawkeye came to Superior Spider-Man's rescue as the Ultron Sentinels attacked.

Marvel Zombies
In the alternate universe of Marvel Zombies, Owl and Hammerhead (who are lackeys to the Kingpin) are gunned down by the Punisher despite the zombie apocalypse raging right outside.

Television

 * The Owl makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Spider-Man (1994) episode "The Insidious Six" as a crime lord and associate of Silvermane's.
 * Leland Owlsley appears in the first season of Daredevil, portrayed by Bob Gunton. This version is a crooked human accountant for the firm Silver & Brent who manages Wilson Fisk's finances and has a son named Lee Owlsley. After Fisk falls in love with Vanessa Marianna, Owlsley conspires with triad boss Madame Gao to kill her, believing Marianna is a bad influence on Fisk. However, Gao is forced to leave town due to Matt Murdock dismantling her heroin ring. Owlsley attempts to blackmail Fisk into letting him take over Gao's operation, but reveals his failed attempt on Marianna's life, causing an enraged Fisk to throw Owlsley into an elevator shaft to his death.

Video games
The Owl appears as a mini-boss in Spider-Man (1995).

title: Owl (Marvel Comics)


text:
British Columbia Highway 15

Highway 15 (BC 15), known locally as the Pacific Highway, is a 20.99 km north–south highway primarily located in the City of Surrey, British Columbia. The southern terminus is with Interstate 5 (I-5) near Blaine, Washington, as State Route 543 (SR 543). SR 543 is a 1.09 mi connector between I-5 and the Canada–US border, linking with BC 15. Over 3,000 trucks per day pass through the border crossing along SR 543 and BC 15, because the Peace Arch border crossing does not allow commercial trucks.

Route description

SR 543 is a short highway entirely within the city of Blaine, Washington, that connects I-5 with the Canada–United States border. It begins at an interchange with I-5 with access only from the south and travels north through an industrial area with three lanes—two that run northbound and one southbound. The highway passes between Blaine High School and the former municipal airport with signalized intersections at Boblett and H streets. From here, SR 543 widens to five lanes and passes under an interchange with D Street with interior ramps providing access to a residential area and non-border areas.

As it approaches Canadian customs at the 24-hour Pacific Highway Border Crossing, the highway splits into several paths. Northbound traffic from the D Street interchange is directed into a NEXUS lane for passenger vehicles, while two lanes are used for general traffic and access to duty free stores. A set of lanes curve east and are used for buses and trucks that qualify for pre-clearance under the Free and Secure Trade program. Southbound traffic entering the United States is split into a general queue and a truck route with holding lanes. Border crossing times can become significantly delayed such as in the event of certain Seattle Mariners baseball games and summer holiday travel. During the reconstruction of the Peace Arch border crossing, delays at the Pacific Highway crossing were similar to times seen right after the attacks of September 11.

On the Canadian side of the border, the highway continues north as British Columbia Highway 15, which lies within the municipality of Surrey, British Columbia. It passes the residential neighborhood of Douglas and intersects 8 Avenue, which provides access to Highway 99 to the west. Highway 15 travels north as a divided highway through rural forestland and farmland in the Kensington Prairie, where it crosses the Nicomekl River. The highway enters the Cloverdale neighborhood and curves to the west as it crosses the Southern Railway of British Columbia and intersects Highway 10, an east–west route with connections to Newton and the city of Langley. Highway 15 travels around a commercial district and returns east to its original alignment on 176th Street as it passes Cloverdale's casino and fairgrounds.

The highway leaves Cloverdale and intersects the Fraser Highway at a rural junction near a crossing of the Serpentine River. Highway 15 continues north to a junction with Golden Ears Way, which crosses the Fraser River to reach Pitt Meadows, and terminates at an interchange with Highway 1 (part of the Trans-Canada Highway). The interchange also marks the southern terminus of Highway 17, a divided highway that follows the southern bank of the Fraser River through industrial areas in Surrey and continues southwest towards Delta.

British Columbia
The Pacific Highway was opened as a gravel road on July 12, 1913, and again on August 3, 1923, as a paved road. The highway was rerouted in the mid-seventies around Cloverdale onto a bypass route which included a then new overhead. The overhead was named after a slain RCMP officer named Roger Pierlet and was opened on May 19, 1976. In 1985 and 1986 the highway was widened to four lanes from the U.S. Border to 32 Ave. From 2005 to 2008, the highway was widened to four lanes from 32 Avenue, through Cloverdale and to 92 Avenue. The project was a part of the Border Infrastructure Program, which sought to improve several highways around Metro Vancouver.

For a time between 1942 and 1962, BC 15 was designated number 99A after the King George Highway (Hwy. 99 from 1942 to 1972, Hwy. 99A from 1973 to 2006) superseded it as the primary route to the Canada–US border. In 2009, the city of Surrey renamed "King George Highway" to "King George Boulevard".

On December 21, 2013, the 1 billion South Fraser Perimeter Road opened as part of Highway 17, linking the northern terminus of BC 15 to Delta in the west.

Washington
Prior to the current Washington route numbering system, this route was designated as Primary State Highway 1 Truck Route. It ran east–west along D Street from US 99 to the Pacific Highway border crossing. A 1.3 mi expressway to serve the border crossing and connect it with I-5 was planned in the late 1960s to relocate truck traffic from city streets. Construction of the new expressway was deferred in 1967 due to a federal cap on funds for highway projects.

The relocation of SR 543 was approved by the Blaine city government in 1970 following negotiations with the state to add traffic signals. The Great Northern Railway also proposed moving its tracks inland to the new truck route corridor, but those plans were shelved. The new truck route opened on January 20, 1972, at a cost of $640,000.

The Washington State Department of Transportation began reconstruction of SR 543 in May 2006 to expand the highway to five lanes between H Street and the border crossing. The existing truck lane was closed in October 2006 and was rebuilt to separate freight traffic from other vehicles accessing the border crossing and adjacent duty free store. The truck lane reopened in December 2007 with access to a Free and Secure Trade lane for pre-approved commercial vehicles. The roadbed of SR 543 was lowered by 25 ft to accommodate an overpass carrying D Street, which opened to traffic in November 2007. A full interchange at D Street opened on February 11, 2008, marking completion of the 50.8 million project.

title: British Columbia Highway 15


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The Rocketeer (character)

The Rocketeer is a comic book superhero, created by writer/artist Dave Stevens. The character first appeared in 1982 and is an homage to the Saturday matinee serial heroes from the 1930s through the 1950s.

The Rocketeer's secret identity is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jetpack that allows him to fly. His adventures are set in pre-World War II America, and Stevens gave them a retro, nostalgic feel. Analogues of pinup diva Bettie Page and fictional pulp characters appear prominently in the series. The character first appeared in publications from Pacific Comics, and would be printed by several other independent companies until 1995. Stevens' meticulous drawing style, perfectionism and careful research gave the various Rocketeer adventures a notoriously slow publishing schedule. Following Stevens' death in 2008, his estate licensed the Rocketeer to IDW Publishing, who have since produced numerous titles starring the character.

The character was adapted into the 1991 Walt Disney Pictures film The Rocketeer by director Joe Johnston.

Creation
In 1981 Stevens was largely a jobbing artist, doing fill-in work on various comics as well as working in animation and design. In 1981 he was approached by Steve and Bill Schanes, brothers who had co-founded the independent Pacific Comics (and with whom he was acquainted from being a customer in their comic stores in San Diego) to produce short creator-owned back up features for Mike Grell's Starslayer. An avowed fan of Art Deco and pre-war Americana, Stevens swiftly designed the basic idea of The Rocketeer. A major influence was Republic Pictures film serial character Commando Cody.

Pacific Comics
The Rocketeer's first adventures appeared in 1982 as a backup feature in issues #2 (April) and #3 (June) of Starslayer. The two short stories drew huge positive responses from readers, and the Schanes brothers wanted to commission Stevens to produce a monthly Rocketeer title. However, Stevens was reluctant to give up his other freelancing work for what he felt would be a short-lived title; he also had reservations about his abilities as a writer (a perceived short-falling Stevens would decry throughout his career  ). Instead, a compromise was reached whereby the character was transferred to Pacific's new anthology showcase comic Pacific Presents, appearing in issues #1 (October 1982) and #2 (April 1983). Stevens enjoyed the work more than he had expected, and resolved to continue The Rocketeer. The Rocketeer's success led to similar titles, including Bruce Jones' Cliff Hanger and Crash Ryan. He would recall being told that titles featuring the Rocketeer sold around 80,000 copies, a solid amount for an independent publisher of the period.

However, due to the delays between the episodes holding up publication, no further installments appeared in the following two issues of Pacific Presents, and the cliffhanger the story had ended on was not resolved before Pacific Comics folded in 1984. The concluding chapter had actually been completed and was slated for inclusion in Pacific Presents #5 when the company went out of business.

Stevens also had to deal with a lawsuit brought about by Marvel Comics, who had featured a gang of super-criminals called 'The Rocketeers' in a 1975 issue of Daredevil. In a 1987 interview with Gary Groth of The Comics Journal, Stevens revealed Marvel's argument revolved entirely around trademarks, the suit claiming that the use of the name was causing confusion between the characters, something he felt was spurious. As a result Stevens refused to change the character's name and fought against the lawsuit for three years. Some years later, a fan sent Stevens a copy of Blast-Off #1, a 1965 Harvey Comics title featuring a Jack Kirby story called The 3 Rocketeers, which he felt only underlined the absurdity of Marvel's legal action. Stevens also felt Marvel's actions were influenced by his decision to turn down an offer to take the series to Epic Comics following Pacific's demise. He would credit Disney coming onboard for the film adaptation of The Rocketeer with ending Marvel's pursuit. In 2016, Brian Cronin used his 'Comic Book Legends' column for Comic Book Resources to openly ridicule Marvel's actions.

Eclipse Comics
Like many of the creator-owned titles left without a publisher by Pacific's collapse, Stevens made a deal with California-based publisher Eclipse Comics to complete the storyline. The result was the one-shot Rocketeer Special Edition in November 1984, which concluded the story arc. The comic also included 8 pages of pin-ups by different artists, a sign of Stevens' growing status within the comics industry. The contributors included Gray Morrow, Doug Wildey, Murphy Anderson, and Al Williamson and an introduction by Mark Evanier. The issue was a sales success for Eclipse, and was the 51st bestselling title from a range of stores polled by Amazing Heroes, the second-highest position on the chart for a non-Marvel/DC comic.

Following the publication of this Special Edition, Stevens worked with Eclipse to produce a trade paperback collecting the material produced so far. Stevens revised several pages for the compilation and recolored the story by hand, which was also relettered by Carrie Spiegle. Stevens created additional pages to address what he felt was poor storytelling in the serialized episodes, and was assisted in this endeavor by Jaime Hernandez (who would be credited as 'Hurricane Hernandez'). The album features an introduction from fantasist Harlan Ellison, a fan of the series who had also attempted to intercede in Stevens' dispute with Marvel Comics. The collected edition would win "Best Graphic Album" at the 1986 Kirby Awards, beating volumes of Love and Rockets and Nexus.

The collection would go on to become Eclipse's best-selling graphic novel, going through three printings. Eclipse's treatment of the series, which used high-quality over-sized pages printed using Baxter paper stock (8.45 x, compared to the standard comic book size of 6+5/8 x), led to Stevens signing a deal that would see the company print future collected editions, though none were completed before Eclipse folded in 1994. Eclipse also licensed the material for overseas publication, without Stevens' permission - and without paying him.

Comico
While Stevens was pleased with the collected edition, he did not enjoy working for Eclipse and instead searched for a new publisher to produce a sequel story, which he initially envisioned as a six-issue limited series. In August 1986 a deal was announced with Comico, which would see Elaine Lee and Michael Kaluta's Galactic Girl Guides (continued from the Epic Comics title Starstruck) as a back-up, as well as non-fiction articles on aviation pioneers. The new material was planned as two, three-issue mini-series, allowing Stevens the time required to create the material, and would run under the title The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine. Stevens chose Comico after being impressed by their production values and willingness to allow flexible deadlines. Comico administrative director Bob Schreck was however forced to clarify that, despite the title, The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine was a comic and not a magazine, noting the name had been chosen by Stevens as a homage to pulp magazines.

Despite being planned for the summer of 1987, the first issue of the title didn't appear until July 1988 due to Stevens' detailed approach and the concluding stages of the Marvel lawsuit. Due to the relative lack of money in independent comics at the time, he was also forced to frequently pause the series to produce covers for other series and other freelance assignments. In discussion with Heidi MacDonald of Amazing Heroes, Stevens defended the series' schedule, noting that while he was more than capable of producing a page a day the result "would look like anyone did it." It met with positive reviews and was nominated for 'Best Story or Single Issue' at the second annual Harvey Awards, but lost out to Batman: The Killing Joke. Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson, who were working on the screenplay for the film version, would contribute to the writing of the storyline.

Only one more issue - in July 1989, and further delayed when Stevens suffered a car accident - appeared before Comico declared bankruptcy in 1990.

Film adaptation
Stevens had been quick to realize the potential of The Rocketeer, and had first sold film rights to the character in 1983. The project would finally make it to screen in 1991 under Walt Disney Pictures. Production was beset by shifting creative teams and Disney's desire to turn the property into a marketable family franchise, and Stevens would later consider the film to be The Rocketeer "in name only". One of the most significant changes was the replacement of Betty with an actress character called Jenny, played by Jennifer Connelly; Paul De Meo recalled this was partly informed by Disney wanting to make the film more family friendly, and partly due to not wanting to pay money to Bettie Page for the use of her name.

As part of the promotional onslaught, an official adaptation of the film was made and published as a one-shot by Disney's comic label Hollywood Comics. This was adapted from the script by Peter David, and featured interior artwork by Russ Heath, who was hand-picked by Stevens. Stevens himself provided the cover for the title, while a 3-D comic with a storyline by Ron Kidd was also produced. T.K. Dean awarded The Rocketeer: The Official Movie Adaptation four stars out of five in a review for Amazing Heroes, praising the pace and David's dialogue.

Despite broadly positive critical response, the film under-performed financially and plans to make sequels were scrapped.

Dark Horse Comics
After Comico's financial troubles, Stevens signed with Dark Horse Comics to publish the third issue of the series. The deal was announced in June 1991 but it would not be until 1995 that the third and final issue of The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine, featuring the conclusion of "Cliff's New York Adventure", finally appeared. This was partly due to Comico having (incorrectly) listed the Rocketeer as one of their assets in bankruptcy proceedings. Another setback came in January 1994 when an earthquake struck California, bursting water pipes in Stevens' studio and destroying several completed pages.

Following the conclusion, Stevens lost interest in publishing new Rocketeer material. He grew tired of switching publishers, while finding new avenues for his approach dwindling after the collapse of the direct market after the early 1990s speculator boom period. Dark Horse also had reservations about the comic's high production values allowing the book to be profitable, though the company did produce a collected Rocketeer edition compiling all three issues of the "Cliff's New York Adventure" storyline. Stevens would later pitch a crossover Rocketeer miniseries to DC Comics featuring the Golden Age Superman meeting Cliff in 1938. However, he disliked DC's proposed revisions to the storyline, so he abandoned the idea.

IDW Publishing
In 2008, Stevens struck a deal with IDW Publishing to produce a collected edition of his Rocketeer work. On February 28, 2009, IDW announced a hardcover collecting the entire series, intended to be published in October 2009. Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures contained new coloring by Laura Martin, who had been chosen by Dave Stevens prior to his death.

Synopsis
In April 1938, Cliff Secord is a small-time pilot at Bigelow's Air Circus, based at the Chaplin Aerodrome near Los Angeles. He discovers a rocket pack hidden by two gangsters fleeing the police in his custom racing plane, the Blind Bulldog. He takes the device to his friend, the avuncular engineer Peevy, who is fascinated by the device and designs a helmet to allow Cliff to direct the rocket pack, which they plan to test. However, their efforts cause Secord to miss his slot for a barnstorming act at the aerodrome. To cover for him one of Cliff's fellow pilots, the alcoholic Malcolm, takes the plane up but soon has problems. Cliff retrieves the helmet and rocket pack and, after some difficulty, rescues Malcolm before the plane crashes. The dramatic rescue attracts press attention, and while Cliff is able to land without being identified by the crowd, he is captured by a gun-toting heavy. The press name the mysterious hero "the Rocketeer", while Peevy and Cliff's girl Betty search for him. Cliff and his captor are run off the road; he discovers the dead driver was a G-man, and their attackers are Nazi agents hoping to capture the rocket pack for the Fatherland. He is able to escape and is patched up by Betty and Peevy. Aghast at the danger, Betty makes Cliff promise to return the rocket pack to its rightful owner. However, the following day, Bigelow fires Cliff, and Betty is kidnapped by Nazi thugs. Cliff gives chase in the Bulldog, and is able to harry them into crashing; Betty is saved, but the hoods escape and identify Secord as having the rocket pack. Without a job and with Betty spending more time trying to launch her modelling career with photographer Marco of Hollywood, Cliff becomes downcast until Peevy shows talks him through the instructions for the rocket engine, which Secord hadn't bothered reading, leading to a more successful test. After returning home, he finds two colorful characters waiting for him, representatives of the inventor of the device. Cliff gives them the slip and Peevy is able to smuggle him to the aerodrome. However, when they arrive they find the new experimental Douglas Locust plane has been hijacked; Cliff attempts to clear his name by recovering the Locust, evading the rocket's inventor in the process. The latter gives chase in a Boeing P-26, saving Secord when the pack runs out of fuel. The pair then work together, with the inventor dropping Cliff onto the aircraft. He overpowers the Nazi pilots and is able to successfully crash-land the Locust. Cliff is hospitalized; on returning to consciousness he finds that Betty has gone to New York City with Marcus, who plans to launch her as a model in Europe. Determined to follow her, he recovers the rocket pack and fakes his own death before setting out in the Blind Bulldog to win Betty back.

Marco shows off Betty to his rich New York friends, but she is shaken when she hears of Cliff's apparent death. Cliff, meanwhile, lands in Long Island, meeting his old friend Goose Gander, and begins to search the city's nightclubs for Betty. He is successful but ends up in argument with her after she refuses to return to California, leading to a scuffle with Marcus. The latter has Cliff restrained and beaten until he is interrupted by a mysterious figure who identifies himself as Jonas. A bitter Cliff refuses Betty's attempts at reconciliation and sulks, unaware that she has decided against sailing to Europe with Marcus and is instead heading back to Los Angeles. Instead, through Goose he is engaged by Jonas to help break up the activities of a criminal gang in Bowery. The operation pulls him into a murder investigation being carried out by Jonas; the victims are all former circus Secord colleagues. Only two members are unaccounted for, the magician Orsino and the gigantic, monstrous strongman, Lothar. Cliff and Goose are able to save Orsino from Lothar, who is killing the troupe in revenge for the accidental death of midget Teena, with whom he had become obsessed. Lothar tries to kill Cliff and Orsini at a funfair on the Boardwalk, but, with help from Jonas, Secord is able to once again don his Rocketeer outfit and save his friend. Lothar is killed in the process, after which Cliff returns to LA, where Betty is waiting for him at the Bulldog Cafe.

Characters

 * Cliff Secord/The Rocketeer: a headstrong but broadly good-hearted aviator who discovers the rocket pack and embarks on a chaotic career as masked crimefighter the Rocketeer. Cliff was modelled on Stevens himself, partly due to the artist being unable to find a suitable subject. Stevens described the character as flawed, and noted his primary motivation was self-interest rather than altruism.
 * Betty: Cliff's girlfriend, and an aspiring celebrity working as a girlie magazine model. Stevens described the character as being in love with Cliff but also ambitious. The character was visually based on 1950s magazine model Bettie Page, of whom Stevens was an avid fan. Several frames of the character are inspired by specific pictorials of Page, including some from Irving Klaw's bondage magazines. He would also draw a fictionalised version of Page for the 1996 Dark Horse Comics one-shot Bettie Page Comics, and eventually become friends with Page, helping make her aware of the commercial value of her image. Stevens' friend William Stout felt Cliff and Betty's tempestuous romance was heavily influenced by the artist's own relationship with model Brinke Stevens.
 * Ambrose "Peevy" Peabody: a curmudgeonly aviation engineer and mechanic who helps Cliff at the aerodrome. Despite his reservations over Cliff's frequent acts of idiocy and his general bad-tempered dislike of anyone apart from Betty, he helps the hero out by creating the Rocketeer helmet and actually reading the directions for operation of the rocket pack, a step neglected by Cliff himself. Both Peevy's appearance and personality were modelled on artist Doug Wildey, an acquaintance of Stevens.
 * Marcus of Hollywood: a sleazy glamor photographer who plans to make a fortune by exploiting Betty's looks, figure and willingness to do nearly anything for stardom. His career in exploitation has earned him the enmity of Jonas, who also implies that the pornographer's real name is Markovitch. He was reputedly modelled on Ken Marcus.
 * The inventor: the unnamed, helmeted creator of the rocket pack, an ace pilot and patriotic American polymath. While irritated by the complications Secord's actions cause to his attempts to recover the invention, he is broadly sympathetic and supportive to the young aviator and quickly realises he is no traitor. Peevy incorrectly guesses his real identity to be Howard Hughes. The character was based on pulp magazine hero Doc Savage, but to avoid possible legal action the character was unnamed and only seen wearing a flying helmet.
 * Colonel May and "Fancy-Pants": the inventor's private investigators and general enforcers. May is a fast-tempered, almost simian but good-hearted thug; his unnamed colleague is a prim, proper and well-dressed gentleman. Peevy misidentifies them as Hughes' bodyguards Colonel Mayberg and Noah Dietrich, much to May's amusement. In further reference to Doc Savage, Stevens modelled them on the Man of Bronze's assistants Ham Brooks and Monk Mayfair.
 * "Goose" Gander: a New York-based pilot and childhood friend of Cliff's, Gander is an inveterate joker and a talented autogyro flier.
 * Jonas: a mysterious high society gentleman who wages a private war on crime and sleaze in New York City. Stevens modelled the character on pulp hero The Shadow, who at the time had recently been revived by DC Comics.
 * Lothar: a gigantic former circus colleague of Secord's. Lothar harboured a crush on troupe midget Teena, who was in turn in love with Cliff and drowned covering for his dalliance with an acrobat. In the decade since Lothar has murdered most of the other members of the troupe, using his inhuman strength to literally bend them in half. The character's craggy features were modelled on cult B-movie actor Rondo Hatton.
 * Millie: the proprietor of the Bulldog Cafe, a dog-shaped café and diner frequented by the Chaplin Aerodrome pilots, and occasional sympathetic ear to Cliff's self-inflicted woes.

Licensed titles
Following Stevens' death, IDW began publishing additional Rocketeer comics by a variety of creators. The first was anthology limited series The Rocketeer Adventurers in 2011, featuring story contributions from creators Mike Allred, John Arcudi, Kurt Busiek, John Cassaday, Darwyn Cooke, Tommy Lee Edwards, Lowell Francis, Dave Gibbons, Gene Ha, Scott Hampton, Mike Kaluta, Joe R. Lansdale, Brendan McCarthy, Ryan Sook, Bruce Timm, Mark Waid and Chris Weston, as well as Jonathan Ross. A second four-issue mini series appeared the following year, featuring work from Kyle Baker, John Byrne, David Lapham, Sandy Plunkett, Stan Sakai, Bill Sienkiewicz, John K. Snyder III and Chris Sprouse.

In 2013, IDW published two further mini-series - The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom by Waid and Chris Samnee, and The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror by Roger Langridge and J Bone. 2014 saw Waid and Paul Smith create a cross over with The Spirit, The Rocketeer & the Spirit: Pulp Friction, while IDW also published prose anthology The Rocketeer: Jet-Pack Adventures, which included short stories by authors such as Yvonne Navarro, Don Webb, Gregory Frost, Nancy Holder, Nancy A. Collins and others.

IDW planned to reboot the series with a new female lead in the 2018 series The Rocketeer Reborn, but the title was cancelled before any of the material saw print. In January 2023 it was reported that IDW Publishing would be publishing a one-shot anthology based on an unfinished story by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, who had written the screenplay for the 1991 film.

Film

 * The Rocketeer appears in a self-titled film, portrayed by Billy Campbell.
 * In 2012, Disney was reportedly considering a remake of the 1991 film.
 * In 2021, It was announced that Jessica and David Oyelowo planned to produce a revival titled The Return of the Rocketeer. The film would be written by Ed Ricourt, and focus on a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the Rocketeer mantle.

Television

 * A television series was released on November 8, 2019 on Disney Junior in the United States, and on November 10 on Disney Junior in Canada. The series focuses on a young girl named Kit Secord (voiced by Kitana Turnbull) who receives the family jetpack for her birthday and uses it to protect the town of Hughesville from various villains.
 * The Rocketeer was considered to appear in the What If...? episode "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?", but was ultimately dropped.

Video games

 * A licensed Rocketeer game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in May 1991, to tie in with the film. It is a side-scrolling action game published and developed by Bandai, and followed the plot of the film.
 * The Rocketeer appears as a playable character in the mobile game Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.

Reception and legacy
As early as 1985, Amazing Heroes described the series as critically acclaimed. In the same magazine N.A. Collins praised the character's design, calling the costume "evocative of Doc Savage, Captain Future and Buck Rogers just with one glance". IGN listed the Rocketeer as the 76th Greatest Comic Book Character, stating that the Rocketeer taps into that popular desire to fly. IGN also stated the Rocketeer saga remains a compelling one.

In 1994 Stevens met Bettie Page and showed her The Rocketeer; he recalled she found it "funny and cute". The series has been widely credited as a factor in the revival of interest in Page. Comic artist Adam Hughes credited The Rocketeer as igniting his interest in comics. The character has also been identified as an example of steampunk, dieselpunk, and retrofuturism.

title: The Rocketeer (character)


text:
Network switching subsystem

Network switching subsystem (NSS) (or GSM core network) is the component of a GSM system that carries out call out and mobility management functions for mobile phones roaming on the network of base stations. It is owned and deployed by mobile phone operators and allows mobile devices to communicate with each other and telephones in the wider public switched telephone network (PSTN). The architecture contains specific features and functions which are needed because the phones are not fixed in one location.

The NSS originally consisted of the circuit-switched core network, used for traditional GSM services such as voice calls, SMS, and circuit switched data calls. It was extended with an overlay architecture to provide packet-switched data services known as the GPRS core network. This allows mobile phones to have access to services such as WAP, MMS and the Internet.

Description
The mobile switching center (MSC) is the primary service delivery node for GSM/CDMA, responsible for routing voice calls and SMS as well as other services (such as conference calls, FAX, and circuit-switched data).

The MSC sets up and releases the end-to-end connection, handles mobility and hand-over requirements during the call and takes care of charging and real-time prepaid account monitoring.

In the GSM mobile phone system, in contrast with earlier analogue services, fax and data information is sent digitally encoded directly to the MSC. Only at the MSC is this re-coded into an "analogue" signal (although actually this will almost certainly mean sound is encoded digitally as a pulse-code modulation (PCM) signal in a 64-kbit/s timeslot, known as a DS0 in America).

There are various different names for MSCs in different contexts which reflects their complex role in the network, all of these terms though could refer to the same MSC, but doing different things at different times.

The gateway MSC (G-MSC) is the MSC that determines which "visited MSC" (V-MSC) the subscriber who is being called is currently located at. It also interfaces with the PSTN. All mobile to mobile calls and PSTN to mobile calls are routed through a G-MSC. The term is only valid in the context of one call, since any MSC may provide both the gateway function and the visited MSC function. However, some manufacturers design dedicated high capacity MSCs which do not have any base station subsystems (BSS) connected to them. These MSCs will then be the gateway MSC for many of the calls they handle.

The visited MSC (V-MSC) is the MSC where a customer is currently located. The visitor location register (VLR) associated with this MSC will have the subscriber's data in it.

The anchor MSC is the MSC from which a handover has been initiated. The target MSC is the MSC toward which a handover should take place. A mobile switching center server is a part of the redesigned MSC concept starting from 3GPP Release 4.

Mobile switching center server (MSC-Server, MSCS or MSS)
The mobile switching center server is a soft-switch variant (therefore it may be referred to as mobile soft switch, MSS) of the mobile switching center, which provides circuit-switched calling mobility management, and GSM services to the mobile phones roaming within the area that it serves. The functionality enables split control between (signaling ) and user plane (bearer in network element called as media gateway/MG), which guarantees better placement of network elements within the network.

MSS and media gateway (MGW) makes it possible to cross-connect circuit-switched calls switched by using IP, ATM AAL2 as well as TDM. More information is available in 3GPP TS 23.205.

The term Circuit switching (CS) used here originates from traditional telecommunications systems. However, modern MSS and MGW devices mostly use generic Internet technologies and form next-generation telecommunication networks. MSS software may run on generic computers or virtual machines in cloud environment.

Other GSM core network elements connected to the MSC
The MSC connects to the following elements:
 * The home location register (HLR) for obtaining data about the SIM and mobile services ISDN number (MSISDN; i.e., the telephone number).
 * The base station subsystems (BSS) which handles the radio communication with 2G and 2.5G mobile phones.
 * The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) which handles the radio communication with 3G mobile phones.
 * The visitor location register (VLR) provides subscriber information when the subscriber is outside its home network.
 * Other MSCs for procedures such as hand over.

Procedures implemented
Tasks of the MSC include:
 * Delivering calls to subscribers as they arrive based on information from the VLR.
 * Connecting outgoing calls to other mobile subscribers or the PSTN.
 * Delivering SMSs from subscribers to the short message service center (SMSC) and vice versa.
 * Arranging handovers from BSC to BSC.
 * Carrying out handovers from this MSC to another.
 * Supporting supplementary services such as conference calls or call hold.
 * Generating billing information.

Home location register (HLR)
The home location register (HLR) is a central database that contains details of each mobile phone subscriber that is authorized to use the GSM core network. There can be several logical, and physical, HLRs per public land mobile network (PLMN), though one international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)/MSISDN pair can be associated with only one logical HLR (which can span several physical nodes) at a time.

The HLRs store details of every SIM card issued by the mobile phone operator. Each SIM has a unique identifier called an IMSI which is the primary key to each HLR record.

Another important item of data associated with the SIM are the MSISDNs, which are the telephone numbers used by mobile phones to make and receive calls. The primary MSISDN is the number used for making and receiving voice calls and SMS, but it is possible for a SIM to have other secondary MSISDNs associated with it for fax and data calls. Each MSISDN is also a unique key to the HLR record. The HLR data is stored for as long as a subscriber remains with the mobile phone operator.

Examples of other data stored in the HLR against an IMSI record is:
 * GSM services that the subscriber has requested or been given.
 * General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) settings to allow the subscriber to access packet services.
 * Current location of subscriber (VLR and serving GPRS support node/SGSN).
 * Call divert settings applicable for each associated MSISDN.

The HLR is a system which directly receives and processes MAP transactions and messages from elements in the GSM network, for example, the location update messages received as mobile phones roam around.

Other GSM core network elements connected to the HLR
The HLR connects to the following elements:
 * The G-MSC for handling incoming calls
 * The VLR for handling requests from mobile phones to attach to the network
 * The SMSC for handling incoming SMSs
 * The voice mail system for delivering notifications to the mobile phone that a message is waiting
 * The AuC for authentication and ciphering and exchange of data (triplets)

Procedures implemented
The main function of the HLR is to manage the fact that SIMs and phones move around a lot. The following procedures are implemented to deal with this:
 * Manage the mobility of subscribers by means of updating their position in administrative areas called 'location areas', which are identified with a LAC. The action of a user of moving from one LA to another is followed by the HLR with a Location area update procedure.
 * Send the subscriber data to a VLR or SGSN when a subscriber first roams there.
 * Broker between the G-MSC or SMSC and the subscriber's current VLR in order to allow incoming calls or text messages to be delivered.
 * Remove subscriber data from the previous VLR when a subscriber has roamed away from it.
 * Responsible for all SRI related queries (i.e. for invoke SRI, HLR should give sack SRI or SRI reply).

Description
The authentication center (AuC) is a function to authenticate each SIM card that attempts to connect to the gsm core network (typically when the phone is powered on). Once the authentication is successful, the HLR is allowed to manage the SIM and services described above. An encryption key is also generated that is subsequently used to encrypt all wireless communications (voice, SMS, etc.) between the mobile phone and the GSM core network.

If the authentication fails, then no services are possible from that particular combination of SIM card and mobile phone operator attempted. There is an additional form of identification check performed on the serial number of the mobile phone described in the EIR section below, but this is not relevant to the AuC processing.

Proper implementation of security in and around the AuC is a key part of an operator's strategy to avoid SIM cloning.

The AuC does not engage directly in the authentication process, but instead generates data known as triplets for the MSC to use during the procedure. The security of the process depends upon a shared secret between the AuC and the SIM called the Ki. The Ki is securely burned into the SIM during manufacture and is also securely replicated onto the AuC. This Ki is never transmitted between the AuC and SIM, but is combined with the IMSI to produce a challenge/response for identification purposes and an encryption key called Kc for use in over the air communications.

Other GSM core network elements connected to the AuC
The AuC connects to the following elements:
 * The MSC which requests a new batch of triplet data for an IMSI after the previous data have been used. This ensures that same keys and challenge responses are not used twice for a particular mobile.

Procedures implemented
The AuC stores the following data for each IMSI:
 * the Ki
 * Algorithm id. (the standard algorithms are called A3 or A8, but an operator may choose a proprietary one).

When the MSC asks the AuC for a new set of triplets for a particular IMSI, the AuC first generates a random number known as RAND. This RAND is then combined with the Ki to produce two numbers as follows: The numbers (RAND, SRES, Kc) form the triplet sent back to the MSC. When a particular IMSI requests access to the GSM core network, the MSC sends the RAND part of the triplet to the SIM. The SIM then feeds this number and the Ki (which is burned onto the SIM) into the A3 algorithm as appropriate and an SRES is calculated and sent back to the MSC. If this SRES matches with the SRES in the triplet (which it should if it is a valid SIM), then the mobile is allowed to attach and proceed with GSM services.
 * The Ki and RAND are fed into the A3 algorithm and the signed response (SRES) is calculated.
 * The Ki and RAND are fed into the A8 algorithm and a session key called Kc is calculated.

After successful authentication, the MSC sends the encryption key Kc to the base station controller (BSC) so that all communications can be encrypted and decrypted. Of course, the mobile phone can generate the Kc itself by feeding the same RAND supplied during authentication and the Ki into the A8 algorithm.

The AuC is usually collocated with the HLR, although this is not necessary. Whilst the procedure is secure for most everyday use, it is by no means hack proof. Therefore, a new set of security methods was designed for 3G phones.

In practice, A3 and A8 algorithms are generally implemented together (known as A3/A8, see COMP128). An A3/A8 algorithm is implemented in Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and in GSM network Authentication Centers. It is used to authenticate the customer and generate a key for encrypting voice and data traffic, as defined in 3GPP TS 43.020 (03.20 before Rel-4). Development of A3 and A8 algorithms is considered a matter for individual GSM network operators, although example implementations are available. To encrypt Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cellular communications A5 algorithm is used.

Description
The Visitor Location Register (VLR) is a database of the MSs (Mobile stations) that have roamed into the jurisdiction of the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) which it serves. Each main base transceiver station in the network is served by exactly one VLR (one BTS may be served by many MSCs in case of MSC in pool), hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.

The data stored in the VLR has either been received from the Home Location Register (HLR), or collected from the MS. In practice, for performance reasons, most vendors integrate the VLR directly to the V-MSC and, where this is not done, the VLR is very tightly linked with the MSC via a proprietary interface. Whenever an MSC detects a new MS in its network, in addition to creating a new record in the VLR, it also updates the HLR of the mobile subscriber, apprising it of the new location of that MS. If VLR data is corrupted it can lead to serious issues with text messaging and call services.

Data stored include:
 * IMSI (the subscriber's identity number).
 * Authentication data.
 * MSISDN (the subscriber's phone number).
 * GSM services that the subscriber is allowed to access.
 * access point (GPRS) subscribed.
 * The HLR address of the subscriber.
 * SCP Address(For Prepaid Subscriber).

Procedures implemented
The primary functions of the VLR are:
 * To inform the HLR that a subscriber has arrived in the particular area covered by the VLR.
 * To track where the subscriber is within the VLR area (location area) when no call is ongoing.
 * To allow or disallow which services the subscriber may use.
 * To allocate roaming numbers during the processing of incoming calls.
 * To purge the subscriber record if a subscriber becomes inactive whilst in the area of a VLR. The VLR deletes the subscriber's data after a fixed time period of inactivity and informs the HLR (e.g., when the phone has been switched off and left off or when the subscriber has moved to an area with no coverage for a long time).
 * To delete the subscriber record when a subscriber explicitly moves to another, as instructed by the HLR.

Equipment identity register (EIR)
EIR is a system that handles real-time requests to check the IMEI (checkIMEI) of mobile devices that come from the switching equipment (MSC, SGSN, MME). The answer contains the result of the check:

 * whitelisted – the device is allowed to register on the network.
 * blacklisted – the device is prohibited from registering on the network.
 * greylisted – the device is allowed to register on the network temporarily.
 * An error ‘unknown equipment’ may also be returned.

The switching equipment must use the EIR response to determine whether or not to allow the device to register or re-register on the network. Since the response of switching equipment to ‘greylisted’ and ‘unknown equipment’ responses is not clearly described in the standard, they are most often not used.

Most often, EIR uses the IMEI blacklist feature, which contains the IMEI of the devices that need to be banned from the network. As a rule, these are stolen or lost devices. Mobile operators rarely use EIR capabilities to block devices on their own. Usually blocking begins when there is a law in the country, which obliges all cellular operators of the country to do so. Therefore, in the delivery of the basic components of the network switching subsystem (core network) is often already present EIR with basic functionality, which includes a ‘whitelisted’ response to all CheckIMEI and the ability to fill IMEI blacklist, which will be given a ‘blacklisted’ response.

When the legislative framework for blocking registration of devices in cellular networks appears in the country, the telecommunications regulator usually has a Central EIR (CEIR) system, which is integrated with the EIR of all operators and transmits to them the actual lists of identifiers that must be used when processing CheckIMEI requests. In doing so, there may be many new requirements for EIR systems that are not present in the legacy EIR:

 * Synchronizing lists with CEIR. CEIR systems are not described by a standard, so the protocols and exchange mode may differ from country to country.
 * Supporting additional lists – IMEI white list, IMEI grey list, list of allocated TACs, etc.
 * Support in lists not only IMEI but also bindings – IMEI-IMSI, IMEI-MSISDN, IMEI-IMSI-MSISDN.
 * Supporting the customized logic of lists applying.
 * Automatic adding the item to a list in separate scenarios.
 * Sending SMS notifications to subscribers in separate scenarios.
 * Integration with the billing system to receive IMSI-MSISDN bundles.
 * Accumulating the subscribers’ profiles (history of device changing).
 * Long-term storage of processing of all CheckIMEI requests.

Other functions may be required in individual cases. For example, Kazakhstan has introduced mandatory registration of devices and their binding to subscribers. But when a subscriber appears in the network with a new device, the network operation is not blocked completely, and the subscriber is allowed to register the device. To do this, there are blocked all services, except the following: calls to a specific service number, sending SMS to a specific service number, and all Internet traffic is redirected to a specific landing page. This is achieved by the fact that EIR can send commands to several MNO systems (HLR, PCRF, SMSC, etc.).

The most common suppliers of individual EIR systems (not as part of a complex solution) are the companies BroadForward, Mahindra Comviva, Mavenir, Nokia, Eastwind.

Other support functions
Connected more or less directly to the GSM core network are many other functions.

Billing center (BC)
The billing center is responsible for processing the toll tickets generated by the VLRs and HLRs and generating a bill for each subscriber. It is also responsible for generating billing data of roaming subscriber.

Multimedia messaging service center (MMSC)
The multimedia messaging service center supports the sending of multimedia messages (e.g., images, audio, video and their combinations) to (or from) MMS-bluetooth.

Voicemail system (VMS)
The voicemail system records and stores voicemail.

Lawful interception functions
According to U.S. law, which has also been copied into many other countries, especially in Europe, all telecommunications equipment must provide facilities for monitoring the calls of selected users. There must be some level of support for this built into any of the different elements. The concept of lawful interception is also known, following the relevant U.S. law, as CALEA. Generally, lawful Interception implementation is similar to the implementation of conference call. While A and B are talking with each other, C can join the call and listen silently.

title: Network switching subsystem


text:
Pickford's House Museum

Pickford's House Museum of Georgian Life and Costume is in Derby, England. It is named after architect Joseph Pickford, who built it as his family home in 1770. It was opened as a museum in 1988. The building is Grade I listed.

History
Pickford's House, at No 41 Friar Gate Derby, is an elegant Georgian town house built by the prominent architect Joseph Pickford in 1770 for his own family.

When Pickford died he left the house to Reverend Joseph Pickford who had the house extended and divided into two properties.. He left the house to his cousin William Pickford in his will in 1844. William promptly mortgaged the house and by 1850 it was sold to William Evans (1788–1856) of Allestree Hall. His son Sir Thomas William Evans 1st Bt, who was also a politician, sold it in 1879 to Frederick Ward who sold it to William Curgenven, the first of a number of surgeons to own it. In 1977 it was upgraded from Grade II to Grade I. It was purchased in 1982 by Derby City Council. The council did not pay enough attention to its Grade I status and they removed chimneys, floors and walls without applying for permission.

Pickford's House has been run by Derby Museums Trust since October 2012.

The Museum
The museum that was established in 1988 shows the accommodation of a late Georgian professional person. The ground floor is furnished as it might have been in Pickford's time together with displays of eighteenth and nineteenth century costume.

"Pickford's House" was intended to showcase his work, with the intention of securing new contacts. It was also his residence. Unlike many houses open to the public this was not owned by a member of the aristocracy but by a professional. The relative luxury of the Pickford family bedroom and dressing room which are decorated as they would have been in 1815 can be compared with the servants' bedrooms above. The house also has kitchens, scullery and laundry that are kept as they might have been in 1830. At the rear of the property Pickford had his builder's yard, access being by a driveway to the right of the property. The cellar of the property is decorated as a 1940s bomb shelter. The museum is also home to a collection of model toy theatres that were gathered by Frank Bradley.

title: Pickford's House Museum