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Cannon Rock

Cannon Rock is a skerry in the North Channel off the coast of the Ards Peninsula near Cloughey, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the easternmost named point of Ireland. Cannon Rock is east of South Rock, on which there is a disused lighthouse.

Marine hazard
The rock is a hazard to shipping. Between 1861 and 1865, nine vessels ran aground on it.

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

title: Cannon Rock


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Royal Flush Gang

The Royal Flush Gang is a group of supervillains appearing in DC Comics. The group, which debuted in Justice League of America #43 (March 1966), use a playing card theme. Their code names are based on the cards needed to form a royal flush in poker: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten. Joker occasionally affiliates himself with the gang, but is not a consistent member. The group returned to battle the Justice League of America many times, and also appeared in other comics, including Wonder Woman, Formerly Known as the Justice League and Superman. The group has been described as "some of the most original villains of their time".

The gang has also appeared in many animated television adaptations, including The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians in 1985, Batman Beyond in 1999 and 2000, Justice League in 2003 and 2005, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold in 2009 and 2010.

The Royal Flush Gang also made appearances in the live-action Arrowverse TV shows airing on the CW, renamed the Reston crime family. They debuted in the first season of Arrow in 2012, and also appeared in the first and eighth season of The Flash in 2015 and 2021. The comic book versions seen in the 2013 Forever Evil storyline were redesigned to follow the pattern set by their Arrow appearance.

Publication history
The Royal Flush Gang first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under the leadership of Professor Amos Fortune and were created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.

First Gang: Clubs
The original Royal Flush Gang was Professor Amos Fortune's childhood gang. King was a man named Kerry, Queen was a woman named Queenie, Jack was an unnamed man, and Ten was a strongman named Thomas Dillon. With Fortune himself as Ace, they fought the Justice League on two occasions using Fortune's luck-altering "stellaration" technology to realize the fortune-telling significance of playing cards.

After Fortune abandoned the Gang, a new Ace became the leader and they attempted to steal four paintings containing clues to a hidden treasure, but were thwarted by Joker's manipulations. Most of them then abandoned their criminal careers, although Jack briefly joined the Secret Society of Super Villains as "Hi-Jack".

Fortune's gang wore costumes based on the suit of clubs, but when they fought the Joker, the second Ace convinced them to change them to the suit of spades.

In the pages of JLA Classified, it was revealed the original Royal Flush Gang (sans Amos Fortune) reunited to fight the "Detroit Era" Justice League and their successors in the second gang. In this battle, the original King, Queen and Ten were all killed.

Second Gang: Spades
The second Royal Flush Gang was set up by Green Lantern villain Hector Hammond in Justice League of America #203. Hammond led the group as "Wildcard". This version wore costumes based on the suit of spades. The gang split up and went on to have separate criminal careers before re-establishing themselves, without Hammond. They were twice hired by Maxwell Lord as part of his manipulation of Justice League International. Later, they were reorganized and reoutfitted by a successor to the Golden Age Green Lantern villain Gambler masquerading as the Joker.

The membership of this group consists of:

 * King (Joe Carny): The so-called "King of the Hoboes", Carny also suffered from lung disease. As Hammond's agent, he wore a costume that technologically enhanced his natural charisma to the point of mind control. Following the metagene bomb in Invasion!, King became immortal. Although King is the highest-ranking member of the gang, in poker the Ace ranks as the highest card in a royal flush.

 * Queen (Mona Taylor): Taylor was originally a Broadway star whose career was destroyed by her ongoing alcoholism. As Hammond's agent, she wielded a sceptre that cast realistic illusions. After the Gambler reoutfitted the team, she began employing a wrist shooter that fires razor sharp spades.

 * Jack (name unknown): Originally a gigolo, he became a fugitive after inadvertently killing a client while attempting to steal her jewelry. As Hammond's agent, he wielded an energy-charged sword. The Gambler replaced his left eye with a cybernetically-activated laser weapon, making him a literal "one-eyed Jack". The removal of his eye to implant the laser initially impacted his sanity.

 * Ten (Wanda Wayland): Wayland was a test pilot fired for refusing her employer's sexual advances. As Hammond's agent, she wore a costume with energy blasters in its gloves. She has enhanced reflexes, and carries explosive playing cards.

 * Ace: The first Ace ("Derek Reston") was a superstrong android in the form of an African-American man. A second Ace (Ernie Clay) was recruited by King and used a strength-enhancing exoskeleton provided by the Gambler. In more recent appearances in Starman and Infinite Crisis, however, the team was once again employing the robot Ace.

King, Queen and Ten also have blaster-pistols. The Gang fly on hovering playing cards. In the Gang's appearances in Teen Titans, Ten had organized runaways as "Ten's Little Indians", a gang of thieves dressed as the two through nine of spades and armed with bows and trick arrows.

Third Gang: All Suits
In the Post-Crisis DC Universe, there were multiple active, costumed members, some of whom derived their outfits and codenames from cards with pip values lower than ten. The Royal Flush Gang is now an organization that reaches across America, with cells in every major city. Instead of five members, each "cell" has fifty-two, split into four suits run by the "court cards". The Aces of Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades are all androids. Each member has a playing card value, and those who rise or fall in the Gang's esteem gain or lose a "pip".

Notably, Stargirl's father Sam Kurtis was a "Two of Clubs"; upon defeating him, she transitioned from the Star-Spangled Kid identity to Stargirl in JSA: All-Stars.

In Infinite Crisis #2 (2005), the Joker tortures and kills the leadership of a local Spades cell of the Royal Flush Gang from an unspecified city, after being rejected by the Society for his "instability". The King is the last one left alive and he mocks the Joker for being rejected. The Joker kills the King with an electrical blast to the face. The dead gang is left in the ruins of a casino.

A new version of the Royal Flush Gang appears in Justice League of America (vol. 2) #35. This version is working under the authority of Amos Fortune, who is addressed by other members as "Wild Card". In the following issue, Fortune gives a history of the gang. It seems to combine the first and third gangs' histories/characteristics, with Fortune indicating that he was always running the group in some capacity. Ace of Spades is a man named Ernest Clay, Jack of Spades was a replacement for one that was a former gigolo, King of Spades was Joe Carny again, Queen of Spades was Mona Taylor, Six of Spades is an unnamed woman, and Ten of Spades was Wanda Wayland again.

Another cell of the expanded version, this one stylized as a street gang, appear as members of the Society in Villains United and several of its tie-ins in other comics. Ace of Spades was an unnamed buff man in sunglasses, Jack of Spades was Deuce Canyard, King of Spades was an unnamed man in a crown and sunglasses, Queen of Spades is a woman in a ponytail and sunglasses, and Ten of Spades is an unnamed orange-haired woman in sunglasses. It is unclear what ties the third gang has or had—if any—to its predecessors and successors.

A branch of the Royal Flush Gang based in Las Vegas, Nevada appeared in Zatanna #4. Rather than using a playing card motif, each member of the Vegas branch is modeled after a member of the Rat Pack (such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin). It is unclear if there are still 52 cells throughout the country, or 52 members in total. A lower ranked member mentions that there are four Queens, but Fortune states that the group is constantly growing.

The New 52
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. The Royal Flush Gang are seen engaging the Justice League. They consist of an Ace android, King of Spades, Queen of Spades, and Jack of Spades. With help from Technician, the Justice League defeated the Royal Flush Gang.

Another incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang appears in the "Forever Evil" storyline. The group consists of Ace of Spades, King of Spades, Jack of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, and Ten of Clubs. They appear as members of the Secret Society of Super Villains at the time when the Crime Syndicate arrive from their world. While Heat Wave sacrifices himself so that the other Rogues can get away from Black Mask, Clayface, and Mr. Freeze, the remaining Rogues are confronted by the Royal Flush Gang members Ace of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, and Jack of Hearts. The Royal Flush Gang orders them to surrender if they don't want Golden Glider to die. The Royal Flush Gang members Ace of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, Jack of Clubs, Jack of Diamonds, and Eight of Hearts were seen guarding the hospital where Golden Glider is recuperating. Mirror Master uses his tricks to create mirror illusions of the Rogues to fool them so that they can get to Golden Glider. The Rogues ride off in an armored truck where Ace of Diamonds was hit by it. When Johnny Quick of the Crime Syndicate shows up, he kills Ace of Spades.

Another incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang attacks Superman when his identity of Clark Kent gets known. King is an unnamed man who is the leader of the Royal Flush Gang, Queen is an unnamed woman who is the second-in-command of the Royal Flush Gang, Jack is an unnamed Man, and Ace and Ten are an unnamed sister and brother. They were defeated by Superman and left for the police.

DC Rebirth
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". The Royal Flush Gang have their design from Batman Beyond, including traveling on a flying playing card. They are among the many villains aiming to kill Batman to stop Two-Face from revealing information. They descend on KGBeast and ask him the location of Batman and Duke Thomas. KGBeast throws a bomb onto the bottom of their playing card, presumably to take out his rivals in stopping Batman.

Dawn of DC
In the 2022-23 limited series Punchline: The Gotham Game, the Royal Flush Gang, consisting of the King and Queen of Hearts (married couple Rex and Regina Quintain), Jack, Ten and Bluff (son of the King and Queen of Diamonds), are taken over by Punchline and help her to manufacture and distribute her drug XO in Gotham.

Other versions

 * Joseph Carny / King appears in Kingdom Come as a member of Lex Luthor's Mankind Liberation Front. Despite having previously left the Royal Flush Gang, he carries a cigarette pack with playing card markings and speaks in metaphors drawn from card games. Additionally, he became Vandal Savage's immortal protégé.
 * The Royal Flush Gang appear in JLA/Avengers as servants of Krona.

Animation

 * The Royal Flush Gang appears in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians episode "The Wild Cards", with King voiced by Eugene Williams, Queen by Arlene Golonka, Jack by Jerry Houser, and Ten by Lynne Moody. This version of the group were recruited by the Joker under the alias of Ace, who aligned himself with Darkseid to create a dimensional warp from Earth to Apokolips disguised as a house of cards. After Batman deduces the Joker's identity and foils the plot, Ten defects while the Joker and the rest of the gang are captured.
 * Three incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang appear in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU):
 * The first incarnation appears in Batman Beyond, with King voiced by George Lazenby, Queen by Amanda Donohoe in the first season and Sarah Douglas in all subsequent appearances, their son Jack by Scott Cleverdon in the first season and Nicholas Guest in the third season, and their daughter Melanie Walker / Ten by Olivia d'Abo, while Ace is silent. This futuristic version of the group is a multi-generational crime family who use high-tech, playing card-themed weapons and an android serving as Ace. Additionally, they previously encountered the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, who nearly succeeded in disbanding the gang's predecessors. Throughout their appearances, the gang battle Wayne's successor Terry McGinnis, who falls in love with Melanie and eventually motivates her to leave the group. Following this, the gang struggle to maintain their power and work with their employer Paxton Powers to assassinate Wayne, only to be thwarted by McGinnis. In the aftermath, Ace is destroyed, King and Queen are arrested, the former is revealed to have been pursuing an affair with Powers' secretary due to an inferiority complex stemming from being compared unfavorably to his late predecessor and father-in-law, and Melanie bails Jack out of jail and helps him get a job at the restaurant she works at.
 * The second incarnation appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Wild Cards", with King voiced by Scott Menville, Queen by Tara Strong, Jack by Greg Cipes, Ten by Khary Payton, and Ace by Hynden Walch. This version of the group are five Project Cadmus-trained, metahuman teenagers, with King possessing pyrokinesis, Queen metallokinesis, Jack complete body elasticity, Ten super-strength comparable to Superman, and Ace powerful psionic abilities. The Joker finds them, turns them into his Royal Flush Gang, and pits them against the Justice League on live television while he secretly uses Ace to drive millions of viewers insane. After the Leaguers capture most of the gang, Batman discovers the Joker kept a collar that Ace's government handlers used to control her as insurance against her. An enraged Ace subsequently puts him in a catatonic state before disappearing.
 * The third incarnation appears in a flashback in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue", with Ace voiced again by Walch while the rest of the gang are silent. This version of the group was formed by a lonely and depressed Ace, who developed reality-warping powers. She used them to turn four random people into a new Royal Flush Gang to play with her, but they chose to abandon her and turned to crime. Their powers are puns based partially on their names: King is a massive head with small limbs resembling Egg Fu and Marvel Comics character MODOK who possesses a flying throne and eye beams; Queen was transformed from a man and given enhanced strength; Jack is a samurai transformed from a black man; and Ten is a woman with extendable whip-like hair evocative of Bo Derek's character from 10. While the Justice League battled the empowered criminals, Cadmus member Amanda Waller revealed that Ace was dying due to an aneurysm and a possible psychic backlash caused by her death could kill millions. Batman volunteered to kill her before that could happen and confronted her, but Ace knew he was not going to do so. After briefly explaining her backstory to him, she asked him to stay with her until she died. Batman accepted, allowing Ace to die peacefully without harming anyone as well as restore the gang to normal.
 * The Royal Flush Gang appear in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with Ace voiced by Diedrich Bader and Jack by Edoardo Ballerini while King and Queen are silent. This version of the gang are Old West bandits who oppose Jonah Hex and Cinnamon.
 * The Royal Flush Gang appear in the DC Super Hero Girls episode "#AwesomeAuntAntiope".

Live-action

 * Three incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang appear in series set in the Arrowverse:
 * The first incarnation appears in the Arrow episode "Legacies", with Derek Reston / King portrayed by Currie Graham, Kyle Reston / Ace by Kyle Schmid, Teddy Reston / Jack by Tom Stevens, and Derek's unnamed wife / Queen by Sarah-Jane Redmond. This version of the group is a family of bank robbers who wear hockey masks marked with their respective playing card. Additionally, Derek previously worked for Queen Industries before its CEO Robert Queen outsourced jobs to China and the Reston family lost their home as a result. Feeling guilty, Robert's son Oliver tries to persuade Derek to right his own wrongs, but is forced to stop the Restons when they attempt to rob another bank. In the ensuing confrontation, Derek is fatally shot while the rest of the family are arrested. During Derek's final moments, Oliver reveals his secret identity to him to show the former that he always had his best interests at heart. Derek admits what he did was wrong and he should not have gotten his family involved before dying in Oliver's arms.
 * Two incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang appear in The Flash. The first make a non-speaking cameo appearance in the episode "The Sound and the Fury", consisting of unnamed, masked motorcycle thieves King, Queen, and Ace, who are swiftly apprehended by the Flash. The second appear in the eighth season, consisting of metahumans Mona Taylor / Queen (portrayed by Agam Darshi), the group's leader with psychic abilities; King (portrayed by Ryan Jefferson Booth), who has super-strength; Jake Fox / Jack (portrayed by Eston Fung), who can shoot lasers from his eyes; and Wanda Wayland / Ten (portrayed by Megan Peta Hill), an expert hand-to-hand combatant.
 * Sam Kurtis appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Geoff Stults. After disappearing in the pilot episode, he resurfaces in the episode "Shining Knight", ostensibly to reconnect with his daughter Courtney Whitmore, though he secretly attempts to steal her locket and sell it off for money. However, her stepfather Pat Dugan realizes Kurtis' true intentions and confronts him, telling him to never return.

Film
The second incarnation of the Royal Flush Gang appears in Justice League: Doom, with King voiced by Jim Meskimen, Queen by an uncredited Grey DeLisle, Jack by an uncredited Robin Atkin Downes, Ten by Juliet Landau, and Ace by Bruce Timm. This version of the group have similar or altered abilities from the comics' original version. King wields a scepter capable of electrocuting targets at point blank range while Queen wields cards she can throw with incredible accuracy and speed as well as enough strength to cut through Batman's grappling lines. Additionally, Jack's laser eyes, Ace's android construction, and Ten's energy blasts have not been changed, though Ten's explosive playing cards are not seen. After Vandal Savage secretly supplies them with their technology, the Royal Flush Gang battle the Justice League, unknowingly serving as a distraction for Mirror Master to infiltrate the Batcave on Savage's behalf.

Miscellaneous

 * The Royal Flush Gang appears in issue #2 of the Justice League Unlimited tie-in comic book.
 * The Royal Flush Gang appear in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6.
 * Kyle Reston / Ace of the Arrowverse's first Royal Flush Gang appears in issue #23 of the Arrow tie-in comic book.

title: Royal Flush Gang


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Burr Point

Burr Point is considered the easternmost point of mainland Northern Ireland and the Island of Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, at longitude 5.4326ºW, although the monument is at longitude 5.4397ºW. It is a just over a mile (or 2 km) southeast of Ballyhalbert village.

The most easterly point of all Northern Ireland and Ireland is a small unnamed rock next to Cannon Rock, a rock situated 4.08 kilometres off the Ards Peninsula, at longitude 5.42ºW.

title: Burr Point


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Steve Gerber

Stephen Ross Gerber (September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, Marvel Spotlight: "Son of Satan", The Defenders, Marvel Presents: "Guardians of the Galaxy", Daredevil and Foolkiller. Gerber often included lengthy text pages in the midst of comic book stories, such as in his graphic novel, Stewart the Rat. Gerber was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2010.

Early life
Steve Gerber was born to a Jewish family in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Bernice Gerber, and one of four children, with siblings Jon, Michael, and Lisa. A letter from Steve Gerber of "7014 Roberts Court, University City 30, Mo." was published in Fantastic Four #19 (Oct. 1963). Other letters from Steve Gerber appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #26 (April 1965) and Captain America #118 (October 1969). After corresponding with fellow youthful comics fans Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails, and starting one of the first comics fanzines, Headline, at age 13 or 14, Gerber attended college at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and St. Louis University, where he finished his communications degree.

Career
Gerber began work as a copywriter for a St. Louis advertising agency. During this time he wrote short stories, some of which, such as "And the Birds Hummed Dirges," later appeared in Crazy Magazine during his stint as editor.

In early 1972, Gerber asked Thomas, by this time Marvel editor-in-chief, about writing comics; Thomas sent him a writer's test – six pages of a Daredevil car-chase scene drawn by Gene Colan – which Gerber passed. He accepted a position as an associate editor and writer at Marvel Comics. Thomas said in 2007,

"Steve and I had been in touch, off and on....I [eventually] got a letter from Steve saying, in essence, 'Help! I'm going crazy in this advertising job'....So I thought, 'Gee, he'd be a good person to get up here, so if he wants to make a change, let's give it a try'. He was brought in to be an assistant editor on staff. That didn't work out so well, because for whatever reason...he had trouble staying awake. At the time, he wasn't a staff kind of person, at least in terms of what Marvel needed, but he was a real good writer and did some interesting things..."

Gerber's comics writing career at Marvel began with three comic books cover-dated December 1972: Adventure into Fear #11, The Incredible Hulk #158, and a collaboration with writer Carole Seuling on Shanna the She-Devil. Gerber initially penned superhero stories for titles such as Daredevil (20 issues), Iron Man (three issues) and Sub-Mariner (11 issues). Gerber penned anthological horror-fantasy stories for Creatures on the Loose (adaptations of Lin Carter's Thongor), Monsters Unleashed, Chamber of Chills and Journey into Mystery and humor pieces for Crazy Magazine, becoming editor of that satirical magazine for issues #11–14.

The Man-Thing and Howard the Duck
Gerber scripted one of his signature series, Man-Thing, about a swamp-monster empath, beginning in Adventure into Fear #11 (Dec. 1972). On page 11 of that issue, he created the series' narrative tagline, used in captions: "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!" After issue #19 (Dec. 1973), Man-Thing received a solo title, which ran 22 issues (Jan. 1974 – Oct. 1975), of which issue #1 was originally intended for Adventure into Fear #20. Gerber and Mayerik introduced the original Foolkiller in issue #3 (March 1974). In the final issue, Gerber appeared as a character in the story, claiming he had not been inventing the Man-Thing's adventures but simply reporting on them and that he had decided to move on.

With penciler Val Mayerik, Gerber created Howard the Duck as a secondary character in a Man-Thing story in Adventure into Fear #19 and Man-Thing #1 (Dec. 1973 - Jan. 1974). Howard graduated to his own backup feature in Giant-Size Man-Thing #4-5, confronting such bizarre horror-parody characters as Garko the Man-Frog and Bessie the Hellcow, before acquiring his own comic-book title with Howard the Duck #1 (Jan. 1976). Gerber wrote 27 issues of the series, penciled initially by Frank Brunner and shortly afterward by Gene Colan. The series gradually developed a substantial cult following, which Marvel helped to promote by Howard's satiric entry into the 1976 U.S. presidential campaign under the auspices of the All-Night Party.

Marvel attempted a spin-off with a short-lived Howard the Duck syndicated comic strip from 1977 to 1978, initially scripted by Gerber and drawn by Colan then Mayerik and finally Alan Kupperberg. Gerber was replaced on the strip in mid-1978, by another comic book writer, Marv Wolfman, creating acrimony. Marvel's then editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter, blamed Gerber's chronic tardiness, saying the creative team was "producing strips within six days of their publication dates," which he said caused several newspapers to drop the strip. Shooter added that while the syndicate threatened to drop the strip if a new writer were not brought in, "Steve can tell you a good number of horror stories – and they're all true – about the trouble we had getting artists."

Other comics work
Gerber often collaborated with writer Mary Skrenes during this period. Among other Marvel projects, Gerber created Omega the Unknown with Skrenes and artist Jim Mooney, which explored the strange link between a cosmic superhero and a boy, and wrote the first issue of Marvel Comics Super Special featuring the rock band KISS. He created the characters of Starhawk, Aleta Ogord, and (with Skrenes) Nikki. He scripted the adventures of Daimon Hellstrom (a.k.a. the Son of Satan), Morbius the Living Vampire, and Dracula's daughter Lilith.

Gerber often revived forgotten characters. In The Defenders, he revived three pre-superhero characters, the Headmen. He reintroduced the 1969 one-time feature Guardians of the Galaxy, first as guest stars in Marvel Two-in-One and The Defenders, then as a feature in Marvel Presents.

Toward the end of his work at Marvel, he wrote Hanna-Barbera stories for Mark Evanier under the anagrammatic pseudonym Reg Everbest. Only two of these, featuring Magilla Gorilla and the Clue Club, were published in English.

Battle for Howard the Duck
In the first half of 1978, Gerber was fired from first the newspaper strip and then the comic book series for failure to meet deadlines. On August 29, 1980, after learning of Marvel's efforts to license Howard for use in film and broadcast media, Gerber filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Marvel corporate parent Cadence Industries and other parties, alleging that he was the sole owner of the character.

DC work
During the mid-1970s and early 1980s, Gerber worked for DC Comics, including an issue of Metal Men, the last three issues of Mister Miracle, The Phantom Zone limited series, and a run of "Doctor Fate" backup stories in The Flash co-written with Martin Pasko. Gerber had planned to write for DC's Time Warp science fiction anthology series, but objected to the submission guidelines for that series. Gerber wrote for independent comic companies. One of Gerber's first major works away from Marvel was the original graphic novel Stewart the Rat for Eclipse Comics, with art by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. For Eclipse Magazine, Gerber and Mayerik created the anti-censorship horror story, "Role Model/Caring, Sharing, and Helping Others".

Resolution of the court case
In 1981 he teamed with Jack Kirby at Eclipse to create Destroyer Duck, a satirical comic created to raise funds for his court case against Marvel.

The lawsuit was settled on September 24, 1982. Gerber acknowledged that his work on the character had been done as work-for-hire and that Marvel parent Cadence Industries owned "all right, title and interest" to Howard the Duck and related material. On November 5, 1982, Judge David Kenyon approved the motion and dismissed the case.

1980s and 1990s career
In the early 1980s, Gerber and Frank Miller made a joint proposal to revamp DC's three biggest characters, namely Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman;. The proposal was not accepted.

After Marvel had cancelled his contract in May 1978, he returned to Marvel in 1983 with the short-lived Void Indigo.

Gerber was slated to write a new Spectre series in 1986, but he missed the deadline for the first issue so that he could watch the last day of shooting on the Howard the Duck film and DC assigned another writer to the series in response.

Gerber scripted assorted projects for Marvel, including the controversial creator-owned book Void Indigo (1984) for Epic Comics, a serialized, eight-page Man-Thing feature in the anthology series Marvel Comics Presents (Sept. 1988–Feb. 1989), The Legion of Night and the 1991 Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils one-shot issue. For DC, his works include A. Bizarro. At Marvel, Gerber scripted a 12-issue run on The Sensational She-Hulk (which featured Howard the Duck). He also scripted three issues of Cloak and Dagger, a Hawkeye story in Avengers Spotlight, and two issues of Toxic Crusaders. During this time he did a serial in Marvel Comics Presents featuring Poison, a character he had created in "The Evolutionary War" crossover. He scripted a A Nightmare on Elm Street black and white magazine format comic book which detailed the backstory of the character of Freddy Krueger.

Television work
In collaboration with Beth Woods (later Slick), Gerber wrote the "Contagion" episode of the syndicated television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Gerber's work in television animation included story editor duties on The Transformers, G.I. Joe and Dungeons & Dragons; creating Thundarr the Barbarian; and sharing a 1998 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class – Animated Program, for the WB program The New Batman/Superman Adventures.

Ultraverse
He was one of the founders of the Malibu Comics superhero setting the Ultraverse and co-created Sludge and Exiles. For Image Comics, he co-created The Cybernary with Nick Manabat and disbanded Codename: Strykeforce, in addition to guest-writing Pitt.

2000s work
In 2002, he created a new Howard the Duck miniseries for Marvel's MAX line. For DC, he created Nevada for the Vertigo imprint in 1998 with artist Phil Winslade and Hard Time with long-time collaborator Mary Skrenes, which outlasted the short-lived imprint DC Focus, but slow sales led Hard Time: Season Two to be cancelled after only seven issues.

Later, Gerber wrote the Helmet of Fate: Zauriel one-shot and continued writing the Doctor Fate serial in the Countdown to Mystery limited series for DC Comics up to the time of his death, working on stories in the hospital. Gerber died before being able to write the concluding chapter of the serial; in his honor, four separate writers (Adam Beechen, Mark Evanier, Gail Simone, and Mark Waid) provided their own conclusions to the story.

In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Gerber's run on The Defenders first on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels", while Omega the Unknown was 10th on the same list.

Gerber's posthumous Man-Thing story "The Screenplay of the Living Dead Man", with art by Kevin Nowlan, originally planned as a 1980s graphic novel before being left uncompleted by the artist, was revived in the 2010s and appeared as a three-issue miniseries cover-titled The Infernal Man-Thing (early Sept.-Oct. 2012). The story was a sequel to Gerber's "Song-Cry of the Living Dead Man" in Man-Thing #12 (Dec. 1974).

Death
In 2007, Gerber was diagnosed with an early stage of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and was eventually hospitalized while continuing to work. He had gotten onto the waiting list for a lung transplant at UCLA Medical Center. On February 10, 2008, Gerber died in a Las Vegas hospital from complications stemming from his condition. His final comics work was writing Countdown to Mystery: Doctor Fate for DC Comics, having briefly worked with a version of the character in 1982.

At the time of his death, Gerber was separated from his wife, Margo Macleod. He had a daughter, Samantha Gerber.

In fiction
One of Gerber's working pen-names, Reg Everbest, was the inspiration behind the first Foolkiller's real name, which was revealed as Ross G. Everbest. Gerber used the anagrammatic Reg Everbest pseudonym for Marvel-published Hanna-Barbera stories after he was banned from Marvel by Jim Shooter. Roger Stern named the original, deceased Foolkiller "Ross G. Everbest" in The Amazing Spider-Man #225, in homage to Gerber, using Gerber's middle name as the character's first name, the middle initial restoring the anagram save for a silent e. The character's real name never appeared in the two Gerber stories, but is seen on a computer screen in the second Foolkiller's van, next to the face of the original user of that identity.

The Marvel Universe villain Thundersword (by Jim Shooter, Al Milgrom and Steve Leialoha) is considered a parody of Gerber and his creation Thundarr the Barbarian. Stewart Cadwall is a TV scriptwriter who acquires superpowers, becomes Thundersword and fights the current state of the media.

Awards and nominations

 * 1977: Eagle Award for Favourite Single Comicbook Story for Howard the Duck #3: "Four Feathers of Death", with artist John Buscema
 * 1977: Also nominated for same award for Howard the Duck #1: "Howard the Barbarian", with artist Frank Brunner
 * 1977: Nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Writer
 * 1977: Nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Continued Comicbook Story for The Defenders #31–40 and The Defenders Annual #1, with artist Sal Buscema
 * 1977: Eagle Award for Howard the Duck as Favourite Comicbook – Humour
 * 1977: Eagle Award for Howard the Duck as Favourite New Comic Title
 * 1977: Howard the Duck nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Character
 * 1978: Inkpot Award
 * 1978: Nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Comicbook Writer
 * 1978: Nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Single Comicbook Story for Howard the Duck #16: "The Zen and Art of Comic Book Writing"
 * 1978: Beverly Switzler nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Supporting Character
 * 1978: Howard the Duck nominated for Eagle Award Roll of Honour
 * 1979: Nominated for Eagle Award for Best Comicbook Writer (US)
 * 1979: Howard the Duck nominated for Eagle Award Favourite Character (US)
 * 1979: Doctor Bong nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Villain
 * 1979: Beverly Switzler nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Supporting Character
 * 1979: Nominated for Eagle Award for Favourite Single Story for The Avengers #178: "The Martyr Perplex", with artist Carmine Infantino
 * 1979: Nominated for Eagle Award Roll of Honour
 * 1980: Nominated for Eagle Award Roll of Honour
 * 2002: Nominated for Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative for Howard the Duck vol. 2, #1–6
 * 2010: Inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame
 * 2013: Received the Bill Finger Award

DC Comics

 * A. Bizarro #1–4 (1999)
 * Countdown to Mystery #1–7 (Doctor Fate) (2007–2008)
 * DC Comics Presents #97 (1986)
 * The Flash #310–313 (Doctor Fate backup stories, reprinted in The Immortal Doctor Fate #3) (1982)
 * Hard Time #1–12 (2004–2005)
 * Hard Time: Season Two #1–7 (with Mary Skrenes; the first issue noted that she was denied credit on the first series) (2006)
 * Heartthrobs #4 (1999)
 * Helmet of Fate: Zauriel #1 (2007)
 * Metal Men #45 (1976)
 * Mister Miracle #23–25 (1978)
 * Nevada #1–6 (1998)
 * Phantom Zone #1–4 (1982)
 * Superman: Last Son of Earth #1–2 (2000)
 * Superman: Last Stand on Krypton #1 (the sequel to Superman: Last Son of Earth) (2003)
 * Vertigo: Winter's Edge #1–2 (Nevada stories; Leonard the Duck cameo) (1998–1999)
 * Weird War Tales #80 (1979)

Eclipse Comics

 * Destroyer Duck #1–5 (1982–1983) (also editor in #6–7)
 * Eclipse: The Magazine #2–3 (1981) ("Role Model: Caring, Sharing, and Helping Others" (horror story))
 * Miracleman Book One (introduction only) (1988)
 * Stewart the Rat graphic novel (1980)
 * Total Eclipse #3 (1988) (Tachyon backup; first appearance)

Image Comics

 * Codename: Strykeforce #10–14 (1995)
 * Cyberforce, Strykeforce; Opposing Forces #1–2 (1995)
 * Cybernary #1–5 (1995–1996)
 * Deathblow #1–4 (Cybernary backup stories) (1993–1994)
 * Pitt #9–10 (1995)
 * Savage Dragon / Destroyer Duck #1 (1996)

Malibu Comics

 * Exiles #1–4 (1993)
 * Sludge #1–3, 6–11 (1993–1994)
 * Sludge Red X-Mas #1 (1994)

Marvel Comics

 * Adventure into Fear #11–19 (the Man-Thing), #21–25 (Morbius) (1972–1974)
 * Avengers Spotlight #30–34, 36 (Hawkeye) (1990)
 * The Avengers #178 (the Beast) (1978)
 * Captain America #157, 221–223, 225 (1973–1978)
 * Chamber of Chills #2 (1973) "Thirst"
 * Cloak and Dagger (vol. 3) #14–16 (1990–1991)
 * Crazy Magazine #2–14 (1974–1975)
 * Creatures on the Loose #28–29 (Thongor, Lin Carter adaptation) (1974)
 * Daredevil #97–101, 103–117 (1973–1975)
 * The Defenders #20–29, 31–41, Annual #1 (1975–1976)
 * Dracula Lives #1–2, 6, 10–11 (1973–1975)
 * Foolkiller #1–10
 * A Nightmare on Elm Street (comics) #1–2 (1989)
 * Giant-Size Defenders #3–5 (1975)
 * Giant-Size Man-Thing #1–5 (1974–1975)
 * Haunt of Horror #1–3 (1974) ("In the Shadows of the City;" 2-part round-table discussion of The Exorcist)
 * Howard the Duck #1–29, Annual #1 (1976–1979)
 * Howard the Duck (vol. 2) #1–6 (2002)
 * The Incredible Hulk #158 (1972)
 * The Infernal Man-Thing #1–3 (2012)
 * Iron Man #56–58, Annual #3 (1973–1976)
 * Journey into Mystery (vol. 2) #4 (1973) ("The Price Is Flight!")
 * The Legion of Night #1–2 (1991)
 * Man-Thing #1–22 (1974–1975)
 * Marvel Comics Presents #1–12 (Man-Thing serial), #60–67 (Poison serial) (1988–1990)
 * Marvel Comics Super Special #1 (KISS) (1977)
 * Marvel Fanfare #56–59 (Shanna the She-Devil) (1991)
 * Marvel Graphic Novel #11 (Void Indigo) (1984)
 * Marvel Presents #3–7, 9 (Guardians of the Galaxy) (with Mary Skrenes) (1976–1977)
 * Marvel Preview #12, 16 (Lilith, Daughter of Dracula) (1977–1978)
 * Marvel Spotlight #14–23 (Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan) (1974–1975)
 * Marvel Treasury Edition #12 (Howard the Duck; The Defenders) (1976)
 * Marvel Two-in-One #1–9 (1974–1975) (tying in with his Man-Thing, Sub-Mariner, Daredevil/Shanna the She-Devil and Guardians of the Galaxy/Defenders storylines; plus Ghost Rider and Thor)
 * Midnight Sons Unlimited #9 (1995) (The Legion of Night)
 * Monsters Unleashed #4, 8–9 (1974) (Golem story; Man-Thing prose story, "Several Meaningless Deaths")
 * Omega the Unknown #1–6, 9–10 (with Mary Skrenes) (1976–1977)
 * The Rampaging Hulk #7–9 (1978) (backups starring the Man-Thing, Ulysses Bloodstone and Shanna the She-Devil, respectively)
 * Sensational She-Hulk #10–11, 13–23 (1990–1991)
 * Shanna the She-Devil #1, 4–5 (1972–1973)
 * Spider-Man Team-Up #5 (1996)
 * Spoof #3–4 (1973) ("The Part-Rich Family" and "What If Famous People Were Santa Claus?")
 * Spotlight #4 (Magilla Gorilla) (1979)
 * Sub-Mariner #58–69 (1973–1974)
 * Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils #1 (1991)
 * Supernatural Thrillers #5, 7 (N'Kantu, the Living Mummy) (1974)
 * Tales of the Zombie #1–8, Annual #1 [all reprints] (1973–1975); also letter response in #10
 * Toxic Crusaders #3, 5 (1992)
 * TV Stars #4 (the Clue Club) (1979)
 * Vampire Tales #1, 6 (Morbius and Lilith, respectively) (1973–1974)
 * Void Indigo #1–2 (1984–1985)
 * Web of Spider-Man Annual #4 (1988) (featuring the Man-Thing and introducing Poison)

Star*Reach

 * Quack #2 (1977) (assistance with Alan Kupperberg story)

Television credits
(Series head writer denoted in bold)
 * The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show (1979)
 * Thundarr the Barbarian (1980-1981)
 * Goldie Gold and Action Jack (1981)
 * The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour (1982)
 * Dungeons & Dragons (1983)
 * Mister T (1983)
 * G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985): season 1 head writer
 * The Transformers (1986-1987): season 3 head writer
 * Superman (1988)
 * Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989)
 * Superman: The Animated Series (1997)
 * The New Batman Adventures (1997)
 * Yu-Gi-Oh! (2000)

title: Steve Gerber


text:
Talk:Rawkus Records

Untitled
Anyone with detailed info about the life of Rawkus please contribute (albums released, artists signed, timeline, sky's the limit here folks), especially anyone who has a copy and/or has read the XXL piece on Rawkus.

Added a single discography, will add albums soon and write something about Rawkus UK. - Pz Sandbaggin'

Discography
I put the "wikify" tag on the article. We need to fomat the discography so that it's easier to read. I've got a lot to do right now, so if anyone wants to beat me to it, be my guest. --b. Touch 18:34, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Rawkus is back?
Just heard it through the grapevine. I still think it's a rumour, so I'll keep watching for confirmation about it. So far it looks like it's true. --Bash 01:23, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Check my update, there is a link to www.rawkus.com, which is their official site.--droptone 13:46, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

hie hie gud or bad p.po.permission to speak pliz...Hey im a guy 19 hip hop,soft rock,rnb star but im so stuck in a moment of looking 4 a studio and money,so...i thought as a boy 4rm nowere tryng to find his path maybe i should ask 4 as ltl as u can help....i knw i myt be sounding a ltl bit psycotic but hey i need a hand...thanx fe reading.Kay love — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.146.59.93 (talk) 09:36, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:Rawkus Records


text:
Hans Leo Hassler

Hans Leo Hassler (in German, Hans Leo Haßler) (baptised 26 October 1564 – 8 June 1612) was a German composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, elder brother of lesser known composer Jakob Hassler. He was born in Nürnberg and died in Frankfurt.

Biography
Hassler was born in Nürnberg and baptised on 26 October 1564, receiving his first instruction in music from his father, the organist Isaak Hassler. In 1584, Hassler became the first of many German composers of the time who went to Italy to continue their studies; he arrived in Venice during the peak of activity of the Venetian school, the composers who wrote in the resplendent polychoral style, which was soon to become popular outside its native city. Hassler was already familiar with some of this music, as numerous prints had circulated in Germany due to the interest of Leonhard Lechner, who was associated with Orlandus Lassus in Munich.

While in Venice, Hassler became friends with Giovanni Gabrieli, with whom he composed a wedding motet for Georg Gruber, a Nuremberg merchant living in Venice, in 1600. Together they studied with Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni's uncle. Under Andrea, Hassler received instruction in composition and organ playing.

Following Andrea Gabrieli's death, Hassler returned to Germany in the latter part of 1585, moving to Augsburg where he served as an organist to Octavian II Fugger, a nobleman there. The Augsburg years were extremely creative for him; in addition he became well known as a composer and organist at this time, though his influence was limited because he was a Protestant in an area which was still heavily Catholic.

Hassler was not only a composer, but also an active organist and a consultant to organ builders. In 1596, Hassler, along with 53 other organists, was given the opportunity to examine a new instrument with 59 stops at the Schlosskirche, Groningen. Hassler was continually recognized for his expertise in organ design, and was often called upon as the examiner of new instruments. Using his extensive organ background, Hassler stepped into the world of mechanical instrument construction and developed a clockwork organ that was later sold to Emperor Rudolf II.

In 1602, Hassler returned to Nürnberg where he became the Kapellmeister, or director of town music. While there, he was appointed Kaiserlicher Hofdiener in the court of Rudolf II. In 1604, he took a leave of absence and traveled to Ulm, where he was wed to Cordula Claus. Four years later, Hassler moved to Dresden where he served as the electoral chamber organist to the Elector Christian II of Saxony, and eventually as Kapellmeister. By this time, Hassler had already developed the tuberculosis that would claim his life in June 1612. After he died, Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz were appointed in his place.

Style
Hassler was one of the first to bring the innovations of the Venetian style across the Alps. Through his songs, “in the manner of foreign madrigal and canzonets,” and the Lustgarten, Hassler brought to Germany the villanelle, canzonette, and dance songs of Gastoldi and Orazio Vecchi. As the first great German composer to undertake an “Italian Journey,” Hassler's influence was one of the reasons for the Italian domination over German music and for the common trend of German musicians finishing their education in Italy. While musicians of the stature of Lassus had been working in Germany for years, they represented the older school, the prima pratica, the fully developed and refined Renaissance style of polyphony; in Italy new trends were emerging which were to define what was later called the Baroque era. Musicians such as Hassler, and later Schütz, carried the concertato style, the polychoral idea, and the freely emotional expression of the Venetians into the German culture, creating the first and most important Baroque development outside of Italy.

Though Hassler was Protestant, he wrote many masses and directed the music for Catholic masses in Augsburg. While in the service of Octavian Fugger, Hassler dedicated both his Cantiones sacrae and a book of masses for four to eight voices to him. Due to the demands of the Catholic patrons, and his own Protestant beliefs, Hassler's compositions represented a skillful blend of both religions’ music styles that allowed his compositions to function in both contexts. Thus, many of Hassler's works could be used both in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran. During his time in Augsburg, Hassler only produced two works that were specifically meant for the Lutheran church. Under the commission of the free city of Nuremberg, the Psalmen simpliciter was composed in 1608, and was dedicated to the city. Hassler also produced the Psalmen und christliche Gesänge, mit vier Stimmen auf die Melodeien fugweis komponiert in 1607 and dedicated it to Elector Christian II of Saxony. Stylistically, Hassler's early works exhibit reflections of the influence of Lassus, while his later works are marked by the impressions left on him by his studies in Italy. After returning from Italy, Hassler incorporated polychoral techniques, textural contrasts and occasional chromaticism in his compositions. His later masses were characterized by light melodies juxtaposed with the grace and fluidity of the madrigalian dance songs; thus creating a charming sacred style that was more sonorous than it was profound. His secular music—madrigals, canzonette, and songs among the vocal, and ricercars, canzonas, introits and toccatas among the instrumental—show many of the advanced techniques of the Gabrielis in Italy, but with a somewhat more restrained character, and always attentive to craftsmanship and beauty of sound. However, Hassler's greatest success in combining the German and Italian compositional styles existed in his lieder. In 1590, Hassler released his first publication, a set of twenty-four, four-part canzonette. The Lustgarten neuer teutscher Gesang, Balletti, Galliarden und Intraden, which contains thirty-nine vocal and eleven instrumental pieces, is Hassler's most renowned collection of lieder. Within this work, Hassler published dance collections for four, five, or six string or wind instruments with voice and without continuo. He also composed Mein G'müt ist mir verwirret, a five-part piece. Its melody was later combined with the text O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden of Paul Gerhardt, in which form it was used by Bach in his St Matthew Passion. Bach also employed the melody as a counterpoint to the aria Komm, du süße Todesstunde in Cantata 161 and used it once again as the final chorale in that same cantata.

Along with many of his contemporaries, Hassler sought to blend the Italian virtuoso style with the traditional style prevalent in Germany. This was accomplished in the chorale motet by employing the thorough bass continuo and including instrumental and solo ornamentation. Hassler's motets exhibit this blend of the old and the new in the way they reflect both the influence of Lassus and the two four-part chorus style of the Gabrielis.

Hassler is considered to be one of the most important German composers of all time. His use of the innovative Italian techniques, coupled with traditional, conservative German techniques allowed his compositions to be fresh without the modern affective tone. His songs presented a combined vocal and instrumental literature that did not make use of the continuo, or only provided it as an option, and his sacred music introduced the Italian polychoral structures that would later influence many composers leading into the Baroque era.

Works

 * Canzonette (Nuremberg, 1590)
 * Cantiones sacrae (Augsburg, 1591), including the motets Dixit Maria and Verbum caro factum est
 * Madrigals (Augsburg, 1596)
 * Neüe teüsche Gesäng nach Art der welschen Madrigalien und Canzonetten (Augsburg, 1596)
 * Masses (Nuremberg, 1599)
 * Lustgarten Neuer Teutscher Gesäng (Nuremberg, 1601)
 * Sacri concentus (Augsburg, 1601 and 1612)
 * Psalmen und christliche Gesäng (Nuremberg, 1607)
 * Psalmen simpliciter (Nuremberg, 1608)
 * Kirchengesäng (Nuremberg, 1608)
 * Venusgarten (Nuremberg, 1615) (instrumental music)
 * Litaney teütsch (Nuremberg, 1619)
 * Trois entrées, listen to    from: Dances of the Renaissance, Harmonia Mundi: HMA195610  by Clemencic Consort and René Clemencic.

title: Hans Leo Hassler


text:
Benbane Head

Benbane Head, or Benbane, is the northernmost point of mainland Northern Ireland. It is in County Antrim, near the Giant's Causeway, which lies between Causeway Head and Benbane Head. The nearest settlements are Bushmills and Portballintrae.

title: Benbane Head


text:
Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character is one of Batman's first recurring villains, and was also one of the first to discover his secret identity. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #36 (February 1940).

A notorious enemy of Batman, the character has appeared in various forms of non-comics media, including animation, video games, and the live-action television series Gotham, where he is portrayed by BD Wong.

Golden Age
Professor Hugo Strange first appears in Detective Comics #36 (February 1940) as a scientist and criminal mastermind who uses a stolen "concentrated lightning" machine to generate a dense fog every night so his gang can rob banks unseen, though he knows that Batman poses a threat to him. Batman, who already knows of Strange's experiments, begins investigating him after one of his henchmen commits a murder. When the robbers are apprehended, Strange vows to set a trap for Batman and deal with him personally. He has a dozen of his men ambush the vigilante, and one of them knocks him out with a blackjack. Batman wakes up in Strange's lair, where Strange hangs him from his wrists and lashes him with a whip. Batman breaks the ropes, gasses the room, and defeats Strange, who is jailed but quickly begins planning his escape.

In Batman #1 (spring 1940), he carries out his escape plan, recruits a new gang of criminals, then breaks out "five insane patients" from the local asylum and uses them as test subjects, turning them into hulking 15 ft. tall monsters by administering a powerful artificial growth hormone that acts on the pituitary gland. He outfits them with bulletproof clothing, and uses them to rampage through Gotham City and distract the police while his men commit robberies. Strange administers the serum to Batman after the giants capture him, saying it will work in 18 hours. Batman tricks two of the monsters into killing each other, and then formulates a drug that prevents any abnormal secretions from the pituitary gland, preventing the transformation. He is then able to kill all the other monsters, and sends Strange to his apparent death in a fall from a cliff, although he suspects that the mad scientist has survived.

In Detective Comics #46 (December 1940), Strange returns and starts spreading a fear-inducing powder around the city until a punch from Batman again sends him falling off a cliff to his apparent death.

Earth-One
He returned years later in the 1970s in the "Strange Apparitions" story arc in Detective Comics #469-479 (May 1977-September–October 1978). Having survived his earlier "death" (how this happened is never explained, seen or shown, although this may be another example of the differences in continuity between Golden Age and Earth-One stories), Strange left Gotham City and went to Europe for several years, where his criminal career prospered with no one to challenge him. Bored and hoping to pit his wits against Batman again, Strange, now using the alias of Dr. Todhunter, opens a private hospital, Graytowers Clinic, for Gotham's wealthiest citizens, where he holds them for ransom before mutating them into mindless monsters. When Bruce Wayne checks into the hospital to recover discreetly from radiation burns he sustained while fighting Doctor Phosphorus, Strange finds out that Wayne is Batman and uses this information to wreak havoc on his personal life. Strange then attempts to auction off the identity of Batman to Gotham City Councilman "Boss" Rupert Thorne, Penguin, and Joker. Not wanting to lose, Thorne has Strange abducted and beaten by his men to reveal Batman's identity, but Strange apparently dies without ever telling him. Strange's ghost then comes back to haunt Thorne, driving the Councilman insane. Thorne confesses his long career of corruption and is sent to Arkham Asylum.

Strange's ghost returns again to haunt Thorne in Detective Comics #513 (April 1982), #516 (July 1982), #518 (September 1982), and #520 (November 1982) and Batman #354 (December 1982), leading up to the appearance of the real Hugo Strange in the last panel of the last page of the fifth issue mentioned here. As revealed two issues later in Batman #356 (February 1983), Strange had indeed survived the beating from Thorne's men by using yoga techniques to slow his heartbeat to an undetectable level. It is also revealed that Strange also artificially created the "ghost" of himself that haunted Thorne by using strategically-placed devices that simulated the appearance of a spirit. Upon his return, Strange used the devices again to bring back the "ghost" so he could punish Thorne for double-crossing him. Subsequently, Strange attempts to weaken Bruce Wayne through the use of drugs and lifelike robots called Mandroids, with the ultimate goal of destroying Wayne completely so that Strange could take his place as Batman. The plan fails, and Strange apparently dies once more when he attempts to kill Batman by blowing up a replica of Wayne Manor with himself in it, stating that if he cannot be Batman, then no one can. Batman survives the explosion, but no trace of Strange is found.

Later, Strange returns yet again (the Hugo Strange that "died" in the explosion was revealed by the real Strange to be a Mandroid) in Batman Annual #10 (1986), in another attempt to destroy Batman and Bruce Wayne, this time attempting to financially bankrupt Wayne by using various tricks to force three Wayne Enterprises shareholders to sell their stock holdings to him so he could bankrupt the company. He also attempts to frame Batman as a criminal. However, Strange is defeated and sent to prison. Batman is able to stop Strange from further exploiting his knowledge of his secret identity by falsely claiming that he hypnotized Strange to give him a fake idea of Batman's true identity just before Commissioner Gordon shows up to arrest him; his explanation is so convincing that Strange begins to wonder if Batman is attempting a complex double-bluff by letting him think that Bruce Wayne is Batman and thus doubts whether his original conclusion was correct.

Earth-Two
The Earth-Two version of Strange has a similar early history to the Earth-One version and also survives the fall that he experienced in Detective Comics #46. In The Brave and the Bold #182 (January 1982), it is revealed that he is left paralyzed by the fall but, after years of physical therapy, he regains enough movement to write out the surgical techniques needed to repair the damage to his body - and bribes a surgeon to perform the operation. The surgeon lacks Strange's skill, and the operation leaves Strange physically deformed (the surgeon is then killed for his failure). Strange uses one of his devices to capture Starman's Cosmic Rod to use its power to attack everyone and everything that Batman holds dear. He generates a storm in Gotham to obtain the device, which creates a dimensional doorway to Earth-One, bringing that universe's Batman over to Earth-Two, which allows him and Earth-Two's Robin to join with Earth-Two's Batwoman in defeating Strange. Strange realizes that he is, in fact, angry at his own wasted life and deformed body, so he uses the Cosmic Rod to commit suicide.

Post-Crisis
In the post-Crisis continuity, Strange was reintroduced in the "Prey" storyline as an eccentric private psychiatrist enlisted to help a task force assigned to capture Batman by providing them with a psychological profile of the vigilante. While brilliant at his work, Strange is depicted as being equally unbalanced: he becomes so obsessed with the case, he starts wearing a replica Batman costume in private, convinced that he alone understands the darkness that drives Batman.

According to Commissioner Gordon, Strange was "abandoned as a child, grew up in state homes. A bright kid, but he apparently had a hell of a temper. Nobody knows how he put himself through college and medical school." Strange was raised in an orphanage on the lower East Side of Gotham City, in a neighborhood known as "Hell's Crucible". As an adult, he became a professor of psychiatry at Gotham State University, but had his tenure suspended after using his position to promote a series of increasingly bizarre genetic engineering theories. He is approached by an Indian man named Sanjay, who seeks Strange's aid in curing his sick brother. Strange agrees to help, and Sanjay works loyally by his side from that point onward. Borrowing money from gangster Sal Maroni, who is in the employ of Gotham kingpin Carmine Falcone, Strange sets up a private laboratory to test his theories. He then bribes a corrupt orderly to supply him with ideal test subjects: incurably insane inmates from Arkham Asylum who have been institutionalized for so long that they will not be missed.

Strange's experiments have literally monstrous results, with his test subjects turning into gigantic, mindless "Monster Men", possessing superhuman strength and cannibalistic instincts. Strange uses the Monster Men to commit crimes so he can put together the money needed to pay back his Mafia connections. Batman becomes involved after discovering some of the gruesome remains of the Monster's Men's cannibalistic rampages. When Strange sets his creations free at an illegal poker game, helping himself to the victims' money after the slaughter, the Gotham Mafia begins to grow suspicious. Batman tracks Strange down, but is captured by Sanjay and thrown to the Monster Men as an intended meal. Batman not only holds off the creatures, but uses them as part of an inventive escape. Strange is enthralled by Batman, believing that he has found a genetically perfect man. He creates one final Monster Man using a drop of Batman's blood, and while his creation still has many of the flaws of its "brothers", it lacks most of the grotesque disfigurements that had plagued Strange's earlier creations. Strange is subsequently forced to destroy his lab to evade capture. Soon after, he turns the Monster Men loose, including Sanjay's brother (who had also been mutated as a result of Strange's "treatments"), at Falcone's private estate in a bid to wipe out the Mob's leaders, erasing his debt and covering up their ties to his work. In the battle that follows, all of the Monster Men are killed, along with Sanjay (who abandons Strange and dies trying to avenge his brother). Strange escapes amid the chaos, and succeeds in eradicating all links between himself and his experiments. Confident that his criminal past is permanently buried, he begins to appear on TV by reinventing himself as a "psychological expert" on Batman.

It is possible that the events of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy's "Prey" storyline take place at this point. Partly due to Strange's appearances on TV claiming to understand Batman's motives, Captain James Gordon is ordered to assemble a task force to apprehend the vigilante, with Strange assisting him as a consultant to deduce Batman's secret identity. As the task force's investigation progresses, Strange grows increasingly maniacal in his obsession with Batman, going so far as expressing a desire to become Batman and dressing up in a replica Batsuit. To that end, Strange attempts to kill the Caped Crusader. However, Strange repeatedly underestimates the level of physical conditioning that is needed to be Batman. Strange also diagnoses Batman with various mental illnesses, such as explaining Batman's use of a costume as symptomatic of dissociative identity disorder, whereas Gordon more accurately explains the Batsuit's intended purpose as scaring criminals. Strange eventually concludes that Bruce Wayne is most likely Batman, brainwashes the task force's commander to impersonate Batman to turn the public against him and sends him to kidnap the Mayor's daughter while dressed as the Dark Knight. Despite Strange's attempt to psychologically "break" Batman by creating recordings and setting up mannequins of Thomas and Martha Wayne blaming Bruce for their deaths, even using Wayne Manor itself to enhance his illusions, Bruce is able to collect himself and focus in the Batcave. The following day, he confronts Strange and tricks him into doubting his own hypothesis about Batman's secret identity, claiming that his parents are alive and living in Paraguay. Strange is ultimately exposed and shot by the task force when he attempts to escape, before falling into a river and being presumed dead.

In Doug Moench's "Terror" storyline, Strange mysteriously returns. He decides to work with another of Batman's enemies, the Scarecrow, and use him as a tool to help him capture Batman, while simultaneously having fallen into a further delusional state, as he engages in a "relationship" with a female mannequin dressed in Batman's cowl, reflecting his warped dual admiration and loathing of Batman. The Scarecrow turns on Strange when the professor's therapy proves effective enough to turn the Scarecrow against his "benefactor", tricking Strange into falling into the cellar of his mansion base where the twisted psychiatrist is impaled on a weather vane that the Scarecrow had left in the cellar earlier. The Scarecrow then uses Strange's mansion as a trap for Batman, but his attempt to use Strange's plan fails when he tries to use Crime Alley as the scene of a trap while ignorant of the reasons why that alley is so significant to Batman, with his "trap" merely consisting of luring Batman into the alley and decapitating a former classmate of Crane's in front of the hero. With Catwoman's help, Batman locates the Scarecrow's hideout and catches the Scarecrow in the cellar with Strange's body before the house is destroyed in a fire, but loses sight of Strange, with it being unclear whether Strange had actually survived the fall onto the weather vane – he claimed that he lured rats to himself by using his sweat so that he could eat them – or if the Scarecrow and Batman were hallucinating from exposure to Crane's new fear gas, although Batman concludes that the subsequent explosion of the house has definitely killed Strange.

Dark Moon Rising: Batman and the Monster Men, "Prey" and "Terror" all take place during Batman's early years. In the modern timeline, Strange returns in a four-part storyline called "Transference". Initially appearing in his own Batsuit, he captures Catwoman with the aid of his henchwoman Dora – a former patient whom he has subjected to extensive mental conditioning by Strange to act as a new "Catwoman" – and attempts to interrogate her about Batman's current status, Strange dismissing the existence of Batman's new allies by proclaiming them to be "parasites", as he cannot accept that Batman would share his "power" with anyone. He is then shown posing as a psychiatrist doing standard stress evaluations at Wayne Enterprises. While Bruce Wayne is on the couch, Strange drugs him with a powerful hallucinogen to coax Wayne into admitting that he is Batman. Wayne is able to escape by using cleaning fluid to start a fire, fakes Batman's death by destroying the Batmobile with him supposedly in it, and triggers a post-hypnotic suggestion in himself, forcing him to completely repress the Batman aspect of his mind until Robin and Nightwing can defeat Strange. Faced with Nightwing and Robin each denying that Wayne is Batman and witnessing Wayne's complete lack of combat reflexes and training, Strange becomes concerned that his theory that Bruce Wayne is Batman has been disproved and realizes that he will never be able to learn the truth now that he "killed" the Dark Knight. Faced with this conflicting situation, Strange has a mental breakdown and voluntarily turns himself in at Arkham Asylum.

Strange next reappears as the head of a gang of supervillains attempting to take control of Gotham's East Side, then controlled by Catwoman. Catwoman joins Strange's gang, then allows its members to "find out" that she intends to betray them, faking her death when they attempt to eliminate her. Although she defeats and imprisons most of the gang, and even convinces Strange to leave the East Side alone, Strange still mocks her by pointing out that he had faked his own death far more often than she had.

In Batman #665, Batman tells Tim Drake that a huge man dressed like a combination of Bane and Batman had beaten him up and he suspects that the impostor had used "Hugo Strange's monster serum and daily Venom shots" to gain his size and strength.

In the story arc Gotham Underground, Strange is associating with other supervillains such as the Mad Hatter, Doctor Death and Two-Face. Strange and the others are rounded up by the Suicide Squad.

Strange takes part in the miniseries Salvation Run. He is among the supervillains imprisoned on another planet.

Strange also appears in The Batman Adventures, which is set in the DC Animated Universe. Issues #35-36 of the comic book provide him with a tragic backstory: he witnessed the murder of his son David by Mob boss Rupert Thorne and was so overcome with grief that he sought to literally erase the memory with his mind control technology. The plan backfired, however; following the experiment, he could remember nothing but his son's death. After Batman stops him from killing Thorne, Strange is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum.

The New 52
In the continuity of The New 52, the 2011 reboot of the DC Universe, Detective Comics (vol. 2) introduces the reader to Hugo Strange's son, Eli Strange, for the first time. Eli is first seen playing a game of poker with members of the Russian Mob, betting a valuable bracelet, winning big and cleaning house. Before he can walk away with his winnings, one of the mobsters forces him to play another hand, then discovers Eli's sleeve is loaded with cards. Before he can have him killed, the criminals realize that their bracelet (Eli's was a fake replica) had been stolen. Catwoman then pounces from the ceiling and takes out the entire group. She thanks Eli for being her distraction (the two having been working together the entire time) and tells him to run home to his father, which he is last seen doing.

Later, Strange tasks his son with overseeing an operation to dose Gotham with fear gas. The Scarecrow led Batman to believe that a small boy in a picture would be harmed unless he put a stop to it. Arriving at the scene, Batman realizes that the small boy was actually Eli. He manages to avert the disaster and Eli is arrested. Later, Batman reveals that "Eli Strange" is actually an alias and that the boy's real name is Elliot Montrose.

During the Forever Evil storyline, Hugo Strange is among the supervillains recruited by the Crime Syndicate to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.

DC Rebirth
In the continuity of DC Rebirth, DC Comics' 2016 relaunch of its monthly superhero books, Hugo Strange appears during the "Night of the Monster Men" crossover story line. Although apparently now ignorant of Batman's identity, he is now determined to prove his superiority by attacking Gotham with a group of "Monster Men" created from the corpses of his former patients as representations of what Strange perceives as Batman's greatest flaws - his ego, grief, and fear - which ultimately provokes Batman into a confrontation at Strange's office penthouse headquarters. Strange wears what he terms a "suicide suit" - a near-replica of the Batsuit without the cape and cowl that is rigged to detonate if its wearer is subjected to any physical attack - on the assumption that Batman will have no choice but to surrender the cowl to him as the "true" Batman since he cannot take a life. Nightwing is able to defeat the final monster - an amalgamation of the previous ones - by literally leaping inside it to inject it with a prepared antidote, while Batman outwits Strange by having his ally Clayface cover the penthouse in an airtight seal prior to the confrontation. Strange, delirious and running out of oxygen, loses consciousness while Batman is still standing, Nightwing musing that Strange failed to realize that Batman's flaws were actually his motivation in protecting Gotham.

Hugo Strange later appears as a member of the Cabal alongside Doctor Psycho, Per Degaton, the Queen Bee I, and Amazo.

Other versions
An alternate universe variant of Huge Strange appears in DC Comics Bombshells. This version is a eugenicist who seeks to improve the gene pool by removing those he considers "unclean". In pursuit of this goal, he allies himself with the Penguin and Harvey Dent, using the latter for his access to Gotham City's citizens' genes and control their future generations. However, Dent later betrays Strange and the Penguin to help the Batgirls. Strange flees and later receives funding from the Soviets to research and create clones of Supergirl. Chief among them are Power Girl, who became the Soviet Union's secret weapon, and Superman, who he considered a failure. A year later, Strange captured Supergirl and Steve Trevor, intending to use her as a guinea pig to create an army to purge the world, only for Supergirl to turn Power Girl against him before the Reaper and Lois Lane find his lab and rescue his captives.

Television

 * Hugo Strange appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU):
 * Strange first appears in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne", voiced by Ray Buktenica. This version is a psychiatrist who runs a rest hospital that he uses to blackmail Gotham's elite via a mind reading machine.
 * Hugo Strange makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Doomsday Sanction" as a member of Project Cadmus. According to series writer Dwayne McDuffie, Strange was also meant to appear in the episode "Question Authority", but was replaced by Doctor Moon due to the Bat-embargo.
 * Hugo Strange appears in The Batman, initially voiced by Frank Gorshin and later by Richard Green following Gorshin's death. This version is initially Arkham Asylum's chief psychologist before he becomes an inmate after unleashing an advanced robot based on Gotham's criminals called D.A.V.E. He later aligns himself with the alien Joining, who give him universal knowledge that leaves him catatonic.
 * Hugo Strange makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!".
 * Hugo Strange appears in Young Justice, voiced by Adrian Pasdar. This version is the chief psychiatrist, later warden, of Belle Reve Penitentiary and member of the Light.
 * Hugo Strange appears in Gotham, portrayed by BD Wong. This version is the Chief of Psychiatry at Arkham Asylum and overseer of Indian Hill, a secret division of Wayne Enterprises that  experiments on metahumans, who secretly works to revive the dead with assistance from the Court of Owls,  with Fish Mooney, Theo Galavan / Azrael, Edward Nygma, and Leslie Thompkins among his most notable.  Additionally, he is a friend and colleague of Thomas Wayne who hired Patrick Malone to kill Thomas and his wife Martha. Throughout the series, Strange is arrested and placed in federal custody, only to be eventually recruited by the Court to help with their plan to spread a virus in Gotham City.  However, he gets caught in a gang war due to his work on the associated cure before working with the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) in exchange for a pardon. Following this, Strange briefly works for Oswald Cobblepot before defecting to the League of Assassins.

Film

 * Hugo Strange appears in Batman: Strange Days, voiced by Brian George.
 * Hugo Strange appears in The Lego Batman Movie as one of several villains recruited by the Joker.
 * Hugo Strange appears in Batman vs. Two-Face, voiced by Jim Ward. This version is a Gotham State Penitentiary doctor who created an "Evil Extractor", which he claims will purify villains of corruption.
 * An alternate universe variant of Hugo Strange appears in Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, voiced by William Salyers. This version is Arkham Asylum's director who is fascinated by the concepts of masks and alternate identities, which draws him to Batman and Jack the Ripper. He is later killed by his patients after Jack throws him into a pit filled with them.

Video games

 * Hugo Strange appears as a playable character in the Nintendo DS version of Lego Batman: The Videogame.
 * A character bio for Hugo Strange appears in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
 * Hugo Strange appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
 * Hugo Strange appears in Batman: Arkham City, voiced by Corey Burton. This version is the warden of the titular super prison and a secret disciple of Ra's al Ghul.
 * Hugo Strange makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us via the Arkham Asylum stage.
 * Hugo Strange appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Corey Burton.

Miscellaneous

 * Hugo Strange appears in Batman Unburied, voiced by John Rhys-Davies.
 * Huge Strange appears in Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E. This version is a psychiatrist at the Arkham Institute.

title: Hugo Strange


text:
Breaksea Point

Breaksea Point is a promontory at the eastern edge of Gileston's Limpert Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan on the south coast of Wales. Breaksea Point is claimed as the southernmost point of mainland Wales, although that is also claimed of nearby Rhoose Point and the Vale of Glamorgan Council have placed a fixed notice to that effect. Almost 20 km to the east, the Welsh island of Flat Holm is slightly further south in latitude.

title: Breaksea Point


text:
Cranfield Point

Cranfield Point (Pointe Chreamhchoille) is the southernmost point of Northern Ireland. It is located at the mouth of Carlingford Lough in the townland of Cranfield, County Down.

It was once the site of the Cranfield Point lighthouse, marking the entrance to the lough. Its poor position led to the construction of the Haulbowline Lighthouse situated in the middle of the entrance to Carlingford Lough. Cranfield Point Lighthouse subsequently fell victim to coastal erosion and collapsed into the sea during the 1860s. The lighthouse keeper's cottage remained and was later converted into a private residence that can still be seen as of 2007, identified by its characteristic tall black chimneys.

title: Cranfield Point


text:
First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC

The First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC (commonly shortened to First Draft) is an incomplete 101-page document written by John von Neumann and distributed on June 30, 1945 by Herman Goldstine, security officer on the classified ENIAC project. It contains the first published description of the logical design of a computer using the stored-program concept, which has come to be known as the von Neumann architecture; the name has become controversial due to von Neumann's failure to name other contributors.

History
Von Neumann wrote the report by hand while commuting by train to Los Alamos, New Mexico and mailed the handwritten notes back to Philadelphia. Goldstine had the report typed and duplicated. While the date on the typed report is June 30, 24 copies of the First Draft were distributed to persons closely connected with the EDVAC project five days earlier on June 25. Interest in the report caused it to be sent all over the world; Maurice Wilkes of Cambridge University cited his excitement over the report's content as the impetus for his decision to travel to the United States for the Moore School Lectures in Summer 1946.

Synopsis
Von Neumann describes a detailed design of a "very high speed automatic digital computing system." He divides it into six major subdivisions: a central arithmetic part, CA; a central control part, CC; memory, M; input, I; output, O; and (slow) external memory, R, such as punched cards, Teletype tape, or magnetic wire or steel tape.

The CA will perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and square root. Other mathematical operations, such as logarithms and trigonometric functions are to be done with table look up and interpolation, possibly biquadratic. He notes that multiplication and division could be done with logarithm tables, but to keep the tables small enough, interpolation would be needed and this in turn requires multiplication, though perhaps with less precision.

Numbers are to be represented in binary notation. He estimates 27 binary digits (he did not use the term "bit," which was coined by Claude Shannon in 1948) would be sufficient (yielding 8 decimal place accuracy) but rounds up to 30-bit numbers with a sign bit and a bit to distinguish numbers from orders, resulting in a 32-bit word he calls a minor cycle. Two's complement arithmetic is to be used, simplifying subtraction. For multiplication and division, he proposes placing the binary point after the sign bit, which means all numbers are treated as being between −1 and +1 and therefore computation problems must be scaled accordingly.

Circuit design
Vacuum tubes are to be used rather than relays due to tubes' ability operate in one microsecond vs. 10 milliseconds for relays.

Von Neumann suggests (Sec. 5.6) keeping the computer as simple as possible, avoiding any attempt at improving performance by overlapping operations. Arithmetic operations are to be performed one binary digit at a time. He estimates addition of two binary digits as taking one microsecond and that therefore a 30-bit multiplication should take about 302 microseconds or about one millisecond, much faster than any computing device available at the time.

Von Neumann's design is built up using what he call "E elements," which are based on the biological neuron as model, but are digital devices which he says can be constructed using one or two vacuum tubes. In modern terms his simplest E element is a two-input AND gate with one input inverted (the inhibit input). E elements with more inputs have an associated threshold and produce an output when the number of positive input signals meets or exceed the threshold, so long as the (only) inhibit line is not pulsed. He states that E elements with more inputs can be constructed from the simplest version, but suggests they be built directly as vacuum tube circuits as fewer tubes will be needed.

More complex function blocks are to be built from these E elements. He shows how to use these E elements to build circuits for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and square root, as well as two state memory blocks and control circuits. He does not use Boolean logic terminology.

Circuits are to be synchronous with a master system clock derived from a vacuum tube oscillator, possibly crystal controlled. His logic diagrams include an arrowhead symbol to denote a unit time delay, as time delays must be accounted for in a synchronous design. He points out that in one microsecond an electric pulse moves 300 meters so that until much higher clock speeds, e.g. 108 cycles per second (100 MHz), wire length would not be an issue.

The need for error detection and correction is mentioned but not elaborated.

Memory design
A key design concept enunciated, and later named the Von Neumann architecture, is a uniform memory containing both numbers (data) and orders (instructions).

"The device requires a considerable memory. While it appeared that various parts of this memory have to perform functions which differ somewhat in their nature and considerably in their purpose, it is nevertheless tempting to treat the entire memory as one organ, and to have its parts even as interchangeable as possible for the various functions enumerated above." (Sec. 2.5)

"The orders which are received by CC come from M, i.e. from the same place where the numerical material is stored." (Sec. 14.0)

Von Neumann estimates the amount of memory required based on several classes of mathematical problems, including ordinary and partial differential equations, sorting and probability experiments. Of these, partial differential equations in two dimensions plus time will require the most memory, with three dimensions plus time being beyond what can be done using technology that was then available. He concludes that memory will be the largest subdivision of the system and he proposes 8,192 minor cycles (words) of 32-bits as a design goal, with 2,048 minor cycles still being useful. He estimates a few hundred minor cycles will suffice for storing the program.

He proposes two kinds of fast memory, delay line and iconoscope tube. Each minor cycle is to be addressed as a unit (word addressing, Sec. 12.8). Instructions are to be executed sequentially, with a special instruction to switch to a different point in memory (i.e. a jump instruction).

Binary digits in a delay line memory pass through the line and are fed back to the beginning. Accessing data in a delay line imposes a time penalty while waiting for the desired data to come around again. After analyzing these timing issues, he proposes organizing the delay line memory into 256 delay line "organs" (DLAs) each storing 1024 bits, or 32 minor cycles, called a major cycle. A memory access first selects the DLA (8 bits) and then the minor cycle within the DLA (5 bits), for a total of 13 address bits.

For the iconoscope memory, he recognizes that each scan point on the tube face is a capacitor and that a capacitor can store one bit. Very high precision scanning will be needed and the memory will only last a short time, perhaps as little as a second, and therefore will need to be periodically recopied (refreshed).

Orders (instructions)
In Sec 14.1 von Neumann proposes the format for orders, which he calls a code. Order types include the basic arithmetic operations, moving minor cycles between CA and M (word load and store in modern terms), an order (s) that selects one of two numbers based on the sign of the previous operation, input and output and transferring CC to a memory location elsewhere (a jump). He determines the number of bits needed for the different order types, suggests immediate orders where the following word is the operand and discusses the desirability of leaving spare bits in the order format to allow for more addressable memory in the future, as well as other unspecified purposes. The possibility of storing more than one order in a minor cycle is discussed, with little enthusiasm for that approach. A table of orders is provided, but no discussion of input and output instructions was included in the First Draft.

Controversy
The issuance and distribution of the report was the source of bitter acrimony between factions of the EDVAC design team for two reasons. First, the report was later ruled a public disclosure that occurred more than a year before the EDVAC patent application was filed, thereby rendering the eventual patent unenforceable; second, some on the EDVAC design team contended that the stored-program concept had evolved out of meetings at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering predating von Neumann's activity as a consultant there, and that much of the work represented in the First Draft was no more than a translation of the discussed concepts into the language of formal logic in which von Neumann was fluent. Hence, failure of von Neumann and Goldstine to list others as authors on the First Draft led credit to be attributed to von Neumann alone. (See Matthew effect and Stigler's law.)

title: First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC


text:
HMG-CoA reductase

HMG-CoA reductase (3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, official symbol HMGCR) is the rate-controlling enzyme (NADH-dependent, ; NADPH-dependent, ) of the mevalonate pathway, the metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol and other isoprenoids. HMGCR catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid, a necessary step in the biosynthesis of cholesterol. Normally in mammalian cells this enzyme is competitively suppressed so that its effect is controlled. This enzyme is the target of the widely available cholesterol-lowering drugs known collectively as the statins, which help treat dyslipidemia.

HMG-CoA reductase is anchored in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum, and was long regarded as having seven transmembrane domains, with the active site located in a long carboxyl terminal domain in the cytosol. More recent evidence shows it to contain eight transmembrane domains.

In humans, the gene for HMG-CoA reductase (NADPH) is located on the long arm of the fifth chromosome (5q13.3-14). Related enzymes having the same function are also present in other animals, plants and bacteria.

Structure
The main isoform (isoform 1) of HMG-CoA reductase in humans is 888 amino acids long. It is a polytopic transmembrane protein (meaning it possesses many alpha helical transmembrane segments). It contains two main domains:
 * a conserved N-terminal sterol-sensing domain (SSD, amino acid interval: 88–218). The related SSD of SCAP has been shown to bind cholesterol.
 * a C-terminal catalytic domain (amino acid interval: 489-871), namely the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase domain. This domain is required for the proper enzymatic activity of the protein.

Isoform 2 is 835 amino acids long. This variant is shorter because it lacks an exon in the middle region (amino acids 522–574). This does not affect any of the aforementioned domains.

Function
HMGCR catalyses the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid, a necessary step in the biosynthesis of cholesterol:

Normally in mammalian cells this enzyme is competitively suppressed by cholesterol derived from the internalization and degradation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) via the LDL receptor as well as oxidized species of cholesterol. Competitive inhibitors of the reductase induce the expression of LDL receptors in the liver, which in turn increases the catabolism of plasma LDL and lowers the plasma concentration of cholesterol, which is considered, by those who accept the standard lipid hypothesis, an important determinant of atherosclerosis. This enzyme is thus the target of the widely available cholesterol-lowering drugs known collectively as the statins (see Drugs section for more).

In Drosophila melanogaster, Hmgcr is the homolog of Human HMGCR, and plays crucial roles in regulating energy metabolism and food intake but also sleep homeostasis through the central mechanisms according to these studies Al-Sabri, M. H. (2024). Unveiling the Mechanisms for Statin-Associated Sleep Problems and Myopathy : Statin Medication, Sleep Problems and Myopathy Mechanisms (PhD dissertation, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis). Retrieved from https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-525998 , https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/6/970 and https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/15/1/79

Drugs
Drugs that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, known collectively as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (or "statins"), are used to lower serum cholesterol as a means of reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease.

These drugs include rosuvastatin (CRESTOR), lovastatin (Mevacor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), pravastatin (Pravachol), fluvastatin (Lescol), pitavastatin (Livalo), and simvastatin (Zocor). Red yeast rice extract, one of the fungal sources from which the statins were discovered, contains several naturally occurring cholesterol-lowering molecules known as monacolins. The most active of these is monacolin K, or lovastatin (previously sold under the trade name Mevacor, and now available as generic lovastatin).

Vytorin is drug that combines the use simvastatin and ezetimibe, which slows the formation of cholesterol by every cell in the body, along with ezetimibe reducing absorption of cholesterol, typically by about 53%, from the intestines.

Statins, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are competent in lowering cholesterol levels and reducing cardiac-related diseases. However, there have been controversies surrounding the potential of statins increasing the risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus (NOD). Experiments have demonstrated that glucose and cholesterol homeostasis are regulated by statins. The HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), converts HMG-CoA into mevalonic acid. Thus, when HMGCR activities are reduced, the cell associated cholesterols are also reduced. This results in the activation of SREBP-2-mediated signaling pathways. SREBP-2 activation for cholesterol homeostasis is crucial for the upregulation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR). The removal of LDL particles from blood circulation is enhanced when the number of LDLR on hepatocytes increases. Due to the removal of atherogenic lipoprotein particles, such as LDLs and intermediate density lipoproteins, HMGCR inhibitors have been proven to be efficient in reducing cardiovascular diseases from the blood circulation, which is represented by the reduction of LDL-cholesterol levels. In many studies, lipophilic statins are shown as more diabetogenic, possibly due to the fact that they can easily diffuse into cells and inhibit the production of isoprenoids which become more potent. Additionally, statins have been shown to change glucose levels as well.

Hormones
HMG-CoA reductase is active when blood glucose is high. The basic functions of insulin and glucagon are to maintain glucose homeostasis. Thus, in controlling blood sugar levels, they indirectly affect the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, but a decrease in activity of the enzyme is caused by AMP-activated protein kinase, which responds to an increase in AMP concentration, and also to leptin.

Clinical significance
Since the reaction catalysed by HMG-CoA reductase is the rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis, this enzyme represents the sole major drug target for contemporary cholesterol-lowering drugs in humans. The medical significance of HMG-CoA reductase has continued to expand beyond its direct role in cholesterol synthesis following the discovery that statins can offer cardiovascular health benefits independent of cholesterol reduction. Statins have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, most likely as a result of their ability to limit production of key downstream isoprenoids that are required for portions of the inflammatory response. It can be noted that blocking of isoprenoid synthesis by statins has shown promise in treating a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, an inflammatory autoimmune disease.

Inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase by statins is lessened in patients with type 2 diabetes, which results in lessened inhibition of coronary atheromatous plaque, development.

HMG-CoA reductase is an important developmental enzyme. Inhibition of its activity and the concomitant lack of isoprenoids that yields can lead to germ cell migration defects as well as intracerebral hemorrhage.

Homozygous mutation of HMGCR can lead to a form of limb girdle myopathy that may share features with mild statin-induced myopathy. The clinical syndrome was partially reversed in a model system by supplementation with the downstream metabolite mevalonolactone.

The presence of anti HMG-CoA reductase antibodies is seen in people with statin-associated autoimmune myopathy, which is a very rare form of muscle damage caused by the immune system in people who take statin medications. The exact mechanism is unclear. A combination of consistent findings on physical examination, the presence of anti HMG-CoA reductase antibodies in a person with myopathy, evidence of muscle breakdown, and muscle biopsy diagnose SAAM.

Regulation
Regulation of HMG-CoA reductase is achieved at several levels: transcription, translation, degradation and phosphorylation.

Transcription
Transcription of the reductase gene is enhanced by the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP). This protein binds to the sterol regulatory element (SRE), located on the 5' end of the reductase gene after controlled proteolytic processing. When SREBP is inactive, it is bound to the ER or nuclear membrane with another protein called SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP). SCAP senses low cholesterol concentration and transports SREBP to the Golgi membrane where a consecutive proteolysis by S1P and S2P cleaves SREBP into an active nuclear form, nSREBP. nSREBPs migrate to the nucleus and activate transcription of SRE-containing genes. The nSREBP transcription factor is short-lived. When cholesterol levels rise, Insigs retains the SCAP-SREBP complex in the ER membrane by preventing its incorporation into COPII vesicles.

Translation
Translation of mRNA is inhibited by a mevalonate derivative, which has been reported to be the isoprenoid farnesol, although this role has been disputed.

Degradation
Rising levels of sterols increase the susceptibility of the reductase enzyme to ER-associated degradation (ERAD) and proteolysis. Helices 2-6 (total of 8) of the HMG-CoA reductase transmembrane domain are thought to sense increased cholesterol levels (direct sterol binding to the SSD of HMG-CoA reductase has not been demonstrated). Lysine residues 89 and 248 can become ubiquinated by ER-resident E3 ligases. The identity of the multiple E3 ligases involved in HMG-CoA degradation is controversial, with suggested candidates being AMFR, Trc8, and RNF145 The involvement of AMFR and Trc8 has been contested.

Phosphorylation
Short-term regulation of HMG-CoA reductase is achieved by inhibition by phosphorylation (of Serine 872, in humans ). Decades ago it was believed that a cascade of enzymes controls the activity of HMG-CoA reductase: an HMG-CoA reductase kinase was thought to inactivate the enzyme, and the kinase in turn was held to be activated via phosphorylation by HMG-CoA reductase kinase kinase. An excellent review on regulation of the mevalonate pathway by Nobel Laureates Joseph Goldstein and Michael Brown adds specifics: HMG-CoA reductase is phosphorylated and inactivated by an AMP-activated protein kinase, which also phosphorylates and inactivates acetyl-CoA carboxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme of fatty acid biosynthesis. Thus, both pathways utilizing acetyl-CoA for lipid synthesis are inactivated when energy charge is low in the cell, and concentrations of AMP rise. There has been a great deal of research on the identity of upstream kinases that phosphorylate and activate the AMP-activated protein kinase.

Fairly recently, LKB1 has been identified as a likely AMP kinase kinase, which appears to involve calcium/calmodulin signaling. This pathway likely transduces signals from leptin, adiponectin, and other signaling molecules.

title: HMG-CoA reductase