title: Jaguar XJS

text: The TWR XJS Jaguars were next seen late in 1986 at the Fuji 500 in Japan in what was meant to be its Group A swansong as it ran out of FIA homologation in at the end of the year. Against old foes in the BMW 635 CSi and Volvo 240T, as well as newer Group A cars such as the Australian Holden VK Commodore SS Group A V8 and the turbocharged Nissan Skyline DR30 RS, Walkinshaw qualified the XJS on pole, proving how competitive the car could still be in Touring car racing (the cars had been entered in the 1986 Bathurst 1000 and had undergone testing and development which gave a reported an extra , though the car ultimately did not race due to a lack of funding from Jaguar Rover Australia to help with freight costs). The Fuji race saw the Walkinshaw/Percy car lead the race until retiring on lap 6 with no oil pressure after easily holding off the Holden Commodore of Peter Brock on the circuits 1.5 km (0.93 mi) main straight, while the Hahne/Denny Hulme/Walkinshaw car only lasted until half distance before retiring with a broken differential.


title: Jaguar XJS

text: Despite not being eligible for Group A racing in 1987, TWR ran their two Jaguars in the 1987 (January) Nissan Mobil 500 in Wellington, New Zealand under special invitation from the race promoters. Neither car finished with Walkinshaw/Percy suffering diff failure and the Hahne/Hulme car cutting a tyre resulting in a race ending crash after fighting their way into the lead. The cars then raced at Pukekohe, with Percy/Hahne giving the big cat a second-place finish in its final race behind the Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore VK of Australian drivers Larry Perkins and David Parsons.


title: Jaguar XJS

text: Australian privateer Garry Willmington ran an XJS in the 1985 and 1986 Australian Touring Car Championships, and also the late season endurance races. While he reportedly had obtained more power from the V12 than TWR, Willmington didn't have TWR's resources to develop either the car or engine reliability and results were not forthcoming, though on occasions where the track had a long enough straight (such as Sandown Raceway in Melbourne or the Adelaide International Raceway), the Willmington Jag was usually the fastest car in a straight line. John Goss also ran his own privately entered XJS in the 1986 James Hardie 1000 after Jaguar-Rover Australia pulled its backing of the proposed TWR return to Bathurst due to a severe downturn in the Australian car market forced him to defend his crown alone, though he did receive some technical assistance from TWR. Electrical problems in the race saw Goss finish 24th with veteran Australian driver Bob Muir.


title: Jaguar XJS

text: Today the XJS continues to be extensively campaigned in club level motorsport both in the United Kingdom and overseas. Best known of the race series is probably the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club XJS championship, currently in association with Toyo Tires. Their championship has now been running for over a decade, offering an affordable entry into club motorsport in the UK, and continuing to attract large grids of this unlikely racing car. Cars compete in various states of modification, from barely modified road cars through to full race-specification cars built in homage to the great TWR specials.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing propeller-driven short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland Canada. It has been primarily operated as a bush plane and has been used for a wide variety of utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application (crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and civil aviation duties.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland Canada decided to orient itself towards civilian operators. Based on feedback from pilots, the company decided that the envisioned aircraft should have excellent STOL performance, all-metal construction, and accommodate many features sought by the operators of bush planes. On 16 August 1947, the maiden flight of the aircraft, which had received the designation "DHC-2 Beaver", took place. In April 1948, the first production aircraft was delivered to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Beaver played a supporting role in Sir Edmund Hillary's famous 1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: In addition to its use in civilian operations, the Beaver has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft. The United States Army purchased several hundred aircraft; nine DHC-2s are still in service with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol) for search and rescue. By 1967, over 1,600 Beavers had been constructed prior to the closure of the original assembly line. Various aircraft have been remanufactured and upgraded. Additionally, various proposals have been made to return the Beaver to production.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The Beaver's versatility and performance led to it being the preferred aircraft of bush pilots servicing remote locations in the Canadian north, and it is considered by aviation historians to be a Canadian icon. In 1987, the Canadian "Engineering Centennial Board" named the DHC-2 one of the top ten Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th century. The Royal Canadian Mint honoured the aircraft on a special edition Canadian quarter in November 1999, and on a 50-cent commemorative gold coin in 2008. Large numbers continue to be operational into the 21st century, while the tooling and type certificate for the Beaver have been acquired by Viking Air who continue to produce replacement components and refurbish examples of the type.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Following the end of the Second World War, de Havilland Canada's management team, recognising that there would be a corresponding downturn in military orders in the immediate post-war climate, decided to focus the company's energies upon finding work within the civilian sector. The company had recently hired Punch Dickins as Director of Sales; Dickins carried out an extensive market research program in the form of requesting and collecting feedback from other pilots, to understand what they needed in a new aircraft. It was on the basis of this information from the prospective operators themselves, as opposed to aerodynamic research or fiscal data, that the future aircraft has its origins.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: In response, almost without exception, these pilots specified their desire for tremendous extra power and STOL performance, in a design that could be easily fitted with wheels, skis or floats. When de Havilland engineers noted this would result in poor cruise performance, one pilot replied, "You only have to be faster than a dog sled to be a winner". Other suggestions that were seemingly mundane, but important in the bush plane world, included the installation of full-sized doors on both sides of the aircraft, which meant that it could be readily loaded no matter which side of a dock it tied up on; the doors were also made wide enough to allow for a 44 Imperial gallon drum to be rolled up into the aircraft.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: On 17 September 1946, de Havilland officially put together a design team consisting of Fred Buller, Dick Hiscocks, Jim Houston and Wsiewołod Jakimiuk, led by Phil Garratt. The new aircraft was designed to be all-metal (unlike older designs, like the famous Noorduyn Norseman), using "steel from the engine to the firewall, heavy aluminium truss frames with panels and doors throughout the front seat area, lighter trusses toward the rear and all monocoque construction aft". At the time, de Havilland Canada was still a British-owned company and there were plans to fit the evolving design with the British de Havilland Gipsy engine. As a result of its comparatively limited power, the wing area was greatly increased in order to maintain STOL performance. When Pratt & Whitney Canada offered to supply war-surplus Wasp Junior radial engines at a low price, the aircraft ended up with extra power as well as the original long wing. The result was unbeatable STOL performance for an aircraft of its size.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: In line with the convention for aircraft produced by de Havilland Canada being named after animals, it was decided that the new bush plane would be named after the beaver, which was known for its hard-working nature. On 16 August 1947, the maiden flight of the DHC-2 Beaver was in Downsview, Ontario; it was flown by Second World War flying ace Russell Bannock. After completing its flight test programme, the prototype received several adjustments and improvements in order for it to serve as a flying demonstration model ready for the sales circuit. The prototype was ultimately sold to Central British Columbia Airways, as a routine day-to-day working air-taxi airplane and continued to fly as such with various air-taxi operators until 1980, after which it was retired and preserved. In April 1948, the first production aircraft was delivered to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, who had been a design partner.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Initial sales were slow, perhaps two or three a month but as the plane was demonstrated sales started to improve. A key event in the Beaver's history occurred the next year when the US Army commenced its search for a new utility aircraft to replace their fleet of Cessnas. The competition quickly boiled down to the Beaver and the Cessna 195. The Beaver won and during the Korean War, the US Army ordered 970, more than half of the overall production run for the type.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Soon, the Beaver grew to become an export success as orders for the type increased from customers around the world. Individual military services of more than 30 different nations would ultimately be included amongst its operators. In later life, as the type was gradually phased out of military service, many examples underwent conversion work so that they could continue to be operated as civilian aircraft instead. During the 1960s, de Havilland developed an improved model of the Beaver, the Mk.III Turbo Beaver, which was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine. A total of sixty aircraft were built during the late 1960s. In 1967, when production of the type finally ceased, a total of 1,657 DHC-2 Beavers had been constructed.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The Beaver was designed for flight in rugged and remote areas of the world. Its STOL capability made it ideal for areas normally only accessible by canoe or foot. Because the aircraft often flies to remote locations and in cold climates, its oil reservoir filler is located in the cockpit and oil can be filled in flight. A series of upgrades to the basic design were incorporated. One major customer introduced the use of flat steps replacing the earlier tubes, a feature now almost universal. In 1987, the Canadian "Engineering Centennial Board" named the DHC-2 as one of the top ten Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th century.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: At one point in its production, plans to license-build the Beaver in New Zealand were proposed. The remaining tooling was purchased by Viking Air of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, which manufactures replacement parts for most of the early de Havilland line. The company markets and sells the remanufactured DHC-2T Turbo Beaver, an improved variant of the aircraft which has been upgraded with a PT6A-34, which enables an increased maximum gross takeoff weight of and the carriage of up to of freight, a roughly 25 per cent increase in usable payload. By August 1995, Viking completed its 30th Turbo Beaver conversion. The firm has also developed and marketed other improvements for the type, such as an advanced wing and modified floats. Other manufacturers have also offered aftermarket upgrades and modifications for the type, such as re-engining programmes by Orenda Aerospace and Wipaire.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: On 24 February 2006, Viking purchased the type certificates from Bombardier Aerospace for all the original de Havilland designs, including the Beaver. The ownership of the certificates gives the company the exclusive right to manufacture new aircraft. Viking has stated its interest in the potential restart of production of the Beaver, and commented that, dependent upon market demand, the firm may offer two separate models of the Beaver, one intended to be close to the design of the original batch, and another incorporating various improvements such as new avionics, engines, and doors, as well as likely being stretched to provide increased internal space.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Stolairus Aviation of Kelowna, British Columbia has developed several modifications for the DHC-2 including a STOL Kit which modifies the wing with a contoured leading edge, flap-gap seals, wing fences and drooped wingtips for increased performance. Stolairus has also developed a Wing Angle Kit which changes the incidence of the wing.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Advanced Wing Technologies of Vancouver, British Columbia has developed and certified a new wing for the DHC-2. The FAA Supplemental Type Certificate also raises the aircraft's gross weight to . So far, at least two Beavers have been modified in such a manner.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: In September 2017 the Transportation Safety Board of Canada recommended stall warning devices be mandated for commercial Beaver operators.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: In March 2019, Harbour Air announced plans to convert a DHC-2 Beaver to an electric aircraft and eventually to convert its entire fleet. The first test flight of the aircraft took place in Vancouver in December 2019.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing propeller-driven STOL aircraft, principally operated as a bush plane and other utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application (crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and general civil aviation purposes; aviation publication Plane & Pilot described the type as being "arguably the best bush plane ever built". The Beaver was designed to operate in all seasons and the majority of weather conditions; a large proportion were also equipped with floats for buoyancy in water; it reportedly possesses favourable performance characteristics for a floatplane. As a result of its favourable characteristics as a hard working and productive aircraft, the Beaver has had a lengthy service life and many examples have been remanufactured or have otherwise received life extension modifications.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The Beaver is typically powered by a single Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine. In order to provide the necessary weight balance for optimal loading flexibility, the engine was mounted as far rearwards as possible, resulting in elements intruding into the cockpit space, such as the oil tank being positioned within the center console between the pilot and copilot's feet and the main fuel tank within the forward belly of the aircraft, which also improves accessibility for replenishment. Many Beavers have had wingtip tanks also installed; careful fuel management between the various fuel tanks is required throughout flights in order to maintain the aircraft's center of gravity. The remanufactured DHC-2T Turbo Beaver is equipped with a PT6A-34 turboprop engine.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The Beaver is functionally shaped in order to accommodate a useful and sizable payload, typically close to , even when equipped with floats. While the front doors are narrow, the aft doors are wider, having been designed to facilitate the loading of 55-gallon barrels, either upright or on their sides. The Beaver is considered a 'working' aircraft, which was designed for vigorous use. In addition to cargo, passengers can also be carried; when appropriately fitted out, the Beaver Mk.I can accommodate up to seven passengers while the more spacious Beaver Mk.III can hold a maximum of 11. Various alterations have been approved, including alternative seating arrangements, enlarged cargo doors, larger windows and smaller batteries have been approved for use.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: During takeoff, both the ailerons and flaps are lowered, which is a relatively uncommon design approach but results in substantially elevated STOL performance. The flaps can be deployed to an extreme range, extending out at full to a 58-degree position; the flight manual notes that the full setting is recommended only for performing emergency landings. In the skies, the Beaver is relatively easy to handle, having been described as possessing light and comfortable controls. Effective application of the rudder is necessary to counteract adverse yaw. It should be flown with a relatively nose-low pitch attitude to maintain airspeed. It is very easy to land, even in moderately rough water.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Despite the fact that production ceased in 1967, hundreds of Beavers are still flying—many of them heavily modified to adapt to changes in technology and needs. Kenmore Air of Kenmore, Washington, provides Beaver and Otter airframes with "zero-hour" fatigue-life ratings, and owns dozens of supplemental type certificates (STCs) for aircraft modifications. These modifications are so well known and desirable in the aviation community, rebuilt Beavers are often called "Kenmore Beavers" or listed as having "Kenmore mods" installed.The original Wasp Jr radial engine of the Beaver is long out of production, so repair parts are getting harder to find. Some aircraft conversion stations have addressed this problem by replacing the piston engine with a turboprop engine such as the PT6. The added power and lighter installed weight, together with greater availability of kerosene fuel instead of high-octane aviation gasoline, make this a desirable modification, but at a high cost.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The Beaver was deployed by the British Army Air Corps during the Troubles, at least until 1979, for photo-reconnaissance missions. One of them was hit seven times by machine gun fire in South County Armagh, near the border with the Republic of Ireland in November 1979, while taking photos of an IRA checkpoint. The border crossing where the action took place became known to the British Army as "Beaver Junction".


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: Operators of significant numbers of piston-Beavers in early 2008 include Air Saguenay and Harbour Air in Canada and Kenmore Air in the US.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: American actor Harrison Ford owns a DHC-2 Beaver; he is known for referring to it as being his favourite among his entire fleet of private aircraft.The Civil Air Patrol operated many of the DHC-2 Beaver, where it was commonly used for conducting search and rescue missions. For some decades, the United States Navy has operated a pair of DHC-2s at the United States Naval Test Pilot School, where they are used to instruct students in the evaluation of lateral-directional flying qualities and for the towing of gliders.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: In recent years, growing numbers of the type have been used within the leisure industry, being used for pleasure flight and as lifting platforms for skydiving and aerial film activities. The DHC-2 Beaver has been used by skydiving operators due to its good climb rate. When fitted with a roller door that can be opened in flight, it can quickly ferry eight skydivers to .


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: The DHC-2 is popular with air charter companies, police forces and small air taxi operators as well as private individuals and companies. Both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Finnish Border Guard operate the aircraft.


title: De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

text: As of May 2019, there have been 313 incidents involving the DHC-2 and 663 deaths. A select few are listed:


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: Robert Deroy Windham (November 25, 1942 – April 7, 2016), better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan, was an American professional wrestler and American football player. He was the father of wrestlers Barry and Kendall Windham, father-in-law of Mike Rotunda, and the maternal grandfather of Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: As a young man, Windham played football at Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso. Windham served a tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Guam. He then went on to play for the New York Jets during the 1966 pre-season and received tryouts with the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: After football, at the urging of Wahoo McDaniel, Windham trained with Joe Blanchard in Corpus Christi, Texas and later with Verne Gagne and became a professional wrestler in the American Wrestling Association. Billed as being 6' 9" and over 300 pounds, Windham was a raw-boned cowboy in the vein of Bobby Duncum or Stan Hansen.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: His training complete, he prepared to move on to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1971 and was transformed into "Blackjack Mulligan". Mulligan donned black trunks, black hat, a black fingerless glove, moustache and used the iron claw submission hold.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: When he arrived in the WWWF, he was managed by The Grand Wizard. Early stills of the two actually identify him as "Big Bob Windham". Mulligan went on to great success in the Northeast and was an early challenger to newly crowned champion Pedro Morales. His push was interrupted when he was slashed in the thigh by a fan at the Boston Garden and required hundreds of stitches to close the wound. The culprit was actually captured by Gorilla Monsoon, who threw him at the ringside police – who promptly let him go because they thought "it was part of the show".


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: Before he left to recover from his wound, Mulligan participated in a Madison Square Garden match against Bruno Sammartino, who was making his first appearance at the arena since the end of his nearly eight-year championship reign. Mulligan attacked Sammartino before the bell. Sammartino quickly recovered, slammed Mulligan twice and pinned him in 64 seconds. In wrestling terms, everybody "got over" – the building was sold out to the delight of promoter Vincent J. McMahon, Sammartino made a strong return to New York and Mulligan, who was in no condition to work an actual match, received a large pay-off to aid his recovery.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: Once he healed, Mulligan returned to the Midwest and tagged with Blackjack Lanza to form The Blackjacks. Although Mulligan was the much bigger star, the duo went on to capture numerous tag team championships in various NWA affiliated promotions as well as the WWWF World Tag Team Championship in August 1975.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: Blackjack returned to singles wrestling in the Jim Crockett Promotions where he would go on to hold the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship and the Mid-Atlantic's version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Ric Flair.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: Mulligan often battled André the Giant, feuding in many different regions in the early 1980s. When they brought their feud to the WWF (formerly the WWWF) in 1982, Windham was noted as saying Andre had no limit to his strength. Mulligan then wrestled in Florida. He often teamed with West Texas stars Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, and his son Barry Windham. Mulligan returned to the WWF as a full-time performer in 1984, hosting an interview segment titled "Blackjack's Barbecue" on "WWF All-Star Wrestling", the counterpart to Roddy Piper's "Piper's Pit".


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: In 1986, Mulligan wrestled under a mask as "Big Machine", part of a team with "The Giant Machine" (André the Giant) and "Super Machine" (Bill Eadie) collectively known as The Machines. They won several high-profile matches against the Heenan family, later recruiting members such as 'Hulk Machine' and 'Piper Machine'. After that angle ended, Mulligan wrestled for the WWF as himself, until he finally left in 1987. Later on, Jack traveled to Dallas and competed in World Class Championship Wrestling, wrestling against Bruiser Brody, Chris Adams and Kevin and Lance Von Erich. Mulligan also returned to Florida in 1987 to fight against the Funk brothers, teaming with Kevin Sullivan.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: Mulligan worked as a match booker and promoter all around the South, eventually co-owning the Amarillo, Texas-based Western States Sports promotion with Dick Murdoch after purchasing it from Dory and Terry Funk. Mulligan and his Blackjacks partner, Jack Lanza were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006, by their manager, Bobby Heenan.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: In 1990, Blackjack Mulligan and his son Kendall Windham were arrested by the US Secret Service in a joint investigation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for counterfeiting. The authorities found close to $500,000 in phony $20 bills. As a result of a plea agreement, both father and son spent 24 months in a federal prison and were released in 1992.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: In 2007, Windham published his book titled "True Lies and Alibis", which tells about his personal life and his professional wrestling career.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: In 2012, Windham, a born again Christian, was ordained a minister by Divine Hearts Ministry located in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. He was very devoted to spending the time he had remaining to spreading the word of God. He felt his ordination could help him in this endeavor.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: In July 2015, Windham was named as a defendant in a 2015 lawsuit filed by WWE after they received a letter from him indicating that he intended to sue them for concussion-based injuries sustained during his tenure with them. He was represented by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who is involved in several other lawsuits involving former WWE wrestlers. Over two years after his death, US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the lawsuit in September 2018.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: After dealing with health problems in recent years and being hospitalized with a heart attack several months earlier, Windham was hospitalized in Florida in October 2015. He died on April 7, 2016. He was buried at the Florida National Cemetery.


title: Blackjack Mulligan

text: British wrestler Laurie Coulton was billed as "Black Jack Mulligan" (and related variants) while wrestling for Joint Promotions in the 1970s and 1980s.


title: Declan McKenna

text: Declan Benedict McKenna (born 24 December 1998) is an English singer-songwriter. He initially gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015. McKenna self-released the song "Brazil", a protest song criticising FIFA and the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, as his debut single in December 2014. The song reached number one on Sirius XM Radio's Alt Nation Alt 18 Countdown for 23 January 2016 and held that spot for three weeks. The song also reached number 16 on the U.S. "Billboard" Alternative Songs chart. He released his debut studio album, "What Do You Think About the Car?," in 2017. McKenna released his second studio album, "Zeros", in September 2020, after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Declan McKenna

text: Declan McKenna was born in Enfield, Greater London, on 24 December 1998 and grew up in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, where he attended St Mary's Church of England High School. His mother was a teacher while his father worked as a milkman and in local politics. He is primarily of Irish and English descent and, though he no longer considers himself to be religious, he was raised Catholic. He began taking his GCSE exams in the summer of 2015. He later studied for his A-levels in English literature, Philosophy and Ethics, and Sociology, but stopped after a few months after his music career began to consume too much of his time.


title: Declan McKenna

text: In 2015, McKenna entered the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition. The festival named him the winner of the contest (April 2015), for which he was awarded a £5,000 prize and a slot on the festival's William's Green Stage. "NME" called him "one of the most sought-after new acts" in the United Kingdom after his win, shortly after McKenna signed a management contract with Q Prime (the management company that represents British indie rock band Foals, amongst others). More than 40 record companies vied to sign him, with McKenna choosing Columbia Records.


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna wrote an extensive number of demo songs prior to releasing his first break-out single. He described the music as "Not very good!" and told an interviewer that he was trying to imitate Sufjan Stevens using basic music software. He posted roughly two albums' worth of material on his web site, but took them down after August 2015.


title: Declan McKenna

text: In August 2015, McKenna self-released his first single, "Brazil". It was originally released through his own YouTube channel on 2 December 2014. The song criticised FIFA, the governing body of association football, for awarding the FIFA World Cup to Brazil in 2014 without addressing the extensive and deep poverty affecting the people of the nation. McKenna later told "DIY" that he wrote the song because "it's politics and what I see in the news, and it's just general things I feel strongly about, things happening in my life." "Brazil" garnered McKenna widespread attention, as many sports commentators found the song to be a commentary on the emerging FIFA corruption scandal. (Ironically, McKenna's later single "Isombard" appeared on the soundtrack for the 2016 football video game "FIFA 17".) Later in the year, he was interviewed on Sky News to discuss his views on football's relationship with poverty. "Brazil" reached number one on the Alt 18 Countdown for 23 January 2016 on the Alt Nation alternative rock radio station on Sirius XM Radio, and repeated as number one a week later, on 30 January.


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna spent the remaining months of 2015 playing a wide range of British and Irish music festivals and concerts in venues throughout London. He played the Somersault Festival in North Devon, England, in July; the Boston Big Gig festival in Boston, Lincolnshire, in July; the Electric Picnic music festival in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland, in September, and the Mirrors music festival in London in October.


title: Declan McKenna

text: In November 2015, following the success of "Brazil" and his shows in London, McKenna self-released his second single, "Paracetamol". The five-and-a-half-minute song discussed how transgender teenagers are misrepresented in the media. In an interview with Sound of Boston, McKenna explained that the title of the song came from "the idea of using the lyric paracetamol was a way of comparing the belief that someone can be cured from who they are, via therapy, to an everyday painkiller." Matt Wilkinson of "NME" called "Paracetamol" McKenna's second break-out hit. Although it was not likely to receive radio airplay or top out the charts, Wilkinson argued, the song showed that McKenna was not just another "UK indie troubadour, a little bit oikish and with a nifty talent for mainstream melody", but rather a solid and accomplished songwriter who can deliver "bruised and vulnerable" vocals. Jon Lyons of the music Web site ThisNewBand.com said the song showed a maturity that clearly indicated McKenna was not "just a teen dream or a one hit wonder." "Billboard" said in early 2016 that McKenna was "making inroads in America" with "Brazil", which charted on "Billboard"'s Alternative Songs chart (for the week ending 27 February 2016) at number 32, rising to number 26 on 5 March 2016 chart.


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna stayed quiet for much of 2016, writing songs in his bedroom for his debut album, but released "Bethlehem" that year, and in late August, his fourth single, "Isombard", which treated right-wing media. He played at several music festivals in England: the NME Awards in February 2016; the Live at Leeds festival over the 2016 May Day bank holiday; The Great Escape Festival in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, in May 2016; the Standon Calling festival in late July 2016 in Standon, Hertfordshire; and the Field Day music festival in London in June 2016. He made his North American debut at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida, on 11 March 2016. He then played three sets at South by Southwest Music on 15 March 2016.


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna appeared on BBC Music's "Sound of 2017" list at the end of 2016, after releasing the two EPs "Stains" and "Liar" that year. The EPs had similar tracklists, with "Brazil" and "Paracetamol" appearing on both. McKenna would release two more singles, "The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home" and "Humongous", before releasing his debut album, titled "What Do You Think About the Car?" English musician, record producer and composer James Ford, who had produced albums by Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, and Florence and the Machine, produced the album, which was recorded at a Kensal Green recording studio. The album was released on 21 July 2017 and received generally positive reviews. It featured all six of McKenna's previously released singles, as well as five new tracks. All songs on the album were written by McKenna alone, with the exception of "Listen to Your Friends", which was co-written with Rostam Batmanglij. McKenna played at various festivals in 2017, including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury Festival and Reading and Leeds Festival.


title: Declan McKenna

text: In 2017, McKenna won the BBC Music Award for BBC Introducing Artist of the Year. He also appeared at the Pilton Party 2017 with Bastille. On 17 January 2018, McKenna released a music video for "Make Me Your Queen".


title: Declan McKenna

text: On 19 August 2019, McKenna released the song "British Bombs", which criticises UK foreign policy. He stated that it is specifically about "the hypocrisy of the British arms trade and the weapons convention in London". He wrote it as a result of wanting to write a song directly addressing war. McKenna later announced via Twitter on 18 December that his upcoming second studio album was mastered and ready for release. He also had an artwork shoot for the album on the same day. On 29 January 2020, McKenna revealed that his second album would be titled "Zeros" and be released on 15 May 2020. He also released the song "Beautiful Faces" as the album's lead single. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he postponed the album until 21 August 2020. On 5 August, he announced that the album was again delayed until 4 September.


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna writes his own songs, but is supported by a band on tour currently consisting of Isabel Torres (guitar), Nathan Cox (keyboards), William Bishop (bass) and Gabrielle Marie King (drums), although he has previously played all of his own instruments. In terms of the development of his musical style, he has said he would most like to emulate David Bowie's career.


title: Declan McKenna

text: BBC News called "Brazil" an extraordinarily mature song for a 16-year-old songwriter. Matt Wilkinson at "NME" called it "one of the best songs" of 2015, and had high praise for McKenna's second single, "Paracetamol", as well. Jon Lyons of ThisNewBand.com called "Brazil" "a catchy song no doubt", and also noted that it was "a sharp critique on sports, money and power."


title: Declan McKenna

text: Some music critics have tempered their praise of McKenna. Matt Wilkinson called McKenna's London gigs surprisingly good, if "rough around the edges". Jon Lyons has observed that as of November 2015, McKenna's songs seemed to indicate an artist still experimenting with bands and styles of music which have influenced him. He felt McKenna was still "searching for his own sound right in front of the crowd. An artist is being born note by note." Andy Welch, music critic for the "Bristol Post", said McKenna was "one to watch", displaying "lots of early, ragged promise".


title: Declan McKenna

text: Andre Paine of the "Evening Standard" was less impressed with McKenna's live show, commenting that although his performance "had plenty of energy ... [he] didn't quite live up to his reputation as the voice of a generation", going on to call McKenna's performance "messy".


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna says he feels very good about being a role model. At first, he said he also struggled to understand both the criticism and praise he received, but has been able to be more mature and more analytical about both. He is a vegan and supports Tottenham Hotspur F.C.


title: Declan McKenna

text: After adopting a somewhat glam rock visual style for his live performances (which included use of eye makeup and glitter), McKenna addressed questions about his sexuality with "Attitude" magazine by declining to label himself, saying, "I'm young. I'm here to be experimented with" and that he was "learning about a lot of things". In a second interview with "Attitude" in May 2020, McKenna said of his sexuality he "couldn't put a label on it" but that pansexual may come close, stating "I would never have really said my sexuality is restricted to any gender or anything ... I might call it pansexual, depending on who I’m talking to. I struggle to imagine it in any other way." He has a girlfriend, who is the topic of his 2021 single "My House".


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna acknowledges that he is seen as a "political" or "protest" singer. He does not see himself as someone "leading the conversation" but rather as a person singing about things his peers are already talking about. For much of his initial work, McKenna said he tried to find inspiration for lyrics and topics in his private life. He felt his own life to be so uneventful, however, that he turned to political and social issues which he felt needed to be discussed. For his second album, however, McKenna feels that he has had so much happen that he can draw on more personal experiences for his lyrics.


title: Declan McKenna

text: McKenna performed at Labour Live, a music festival organised by the Labour Party, in June 2018. He voted for the Labour Party in the 2019 general election.


title: Declan McKenna

text: In July 2020, he signed an open letter to the UK Equalities minister Liz Truss calling for a ban on all forms of LGBT+ conversion therapy.


title: Bud Cort

text: Walter Edward Cox, known professionally as Bud Cort, is an American actor and comedian, known for his portrayals of Harold in Hal Ashby's film "Harold and Maude" (1971) and the eponymous hero in Robert Altman's film "Brewster McCloud" (1970).


title: Bud Cort

text: Cort was discovered in a revue by director Robert Altman, who subsequently cast him in two of his movies, "M*A*S*H" and "Brewster McCloud", in which he played the title role. Cort went on to his best-known role as the suicide-obsessed Harold in "Harold and Maude". Though it was not particularly successful on release, it gained international cult status and is now considered an American classic.


title: Bud Cort

text: In 1979, Cort nearly died in a car accident on the Hollywood Freeway where he collided with an abandoned car blocking a lane into which he was turning. He broke an arm and a leg and sustained a concussion and a fractured skull. His face was severely lacerated and his lower lip nearly severed. The accident resulted in plastic surgeries, substantial hospital bills, a lost court case, and the disruption of his career.


title: Bud Cort

text: He has since appeared in a number of film, stage and TV roles: "Endgame", "Sledge Hammer!", "The Chocolate War", "The Big Empty", "Theodore Rex", "Dogma", "But I'm A Cheerleader", "Pollock", "The Twilight Zone", "The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud" and "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou".


title: Bud Cort

text: Cort's voice-over roles include Edgar the computer in the movie "Electric Dreams;" Toyman, a Superman villain, over the course of various DCAU series including "", "Static Shock", and "Justice League Unlimited;" and Josiah Wormwood in an episode of the earlier DCAU production "". He can also be heard as The King in the English-language version of the feature film "The Little Prince" (2015), which premiered out of competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and won the César Award for Best Animated Film in February 2016. It was made available to U.S. audiences through Netflix in 2016.


title: Bud Cort

text: Cort made a guest appearance on the November 8, 2007 episode of "Ugly Betty" as the priest officiating at Wilhelmina Slater's ill-fated wedding. In 2010, he guest-starred on "Criminal Minds" in the episode "Mosley Lane", playing elderly pedophile Roger Roycewood who, along with his wife, kidnapped and killed young children. In 2012, he appeared as the artist "Gleeko" in the "Exit Wound the Gift Shop" episode of the second season of "Eagleheart".


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda (; ; ; ; ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuania.


title: Klaipėda

text: The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the usually ice-free Port of Klaipėda at the mouth of the river . Located in the region of Lithuania Minor, at various times, it was a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prussia and Germany until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. As a result of the 1923 Klaipėda Revolt it was annexed by Lithuania and has remained with Lithuania to this day, except between 1939 and 1945 when it was occupied by Germany following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania.


title: Klaipėda

text: The population has migrated from the city to its suburbs and hinterland. The number of inhabitants of Klaipėda city shrank from 202,929 in 1989 to 162,360 in 2011, but the urban zone of Klaipėda expanded well into the suburbs, which sprang up around the city and surrounded it from three sides. These are well integrated with the city (city bus lines, city water supply, etc.) and the majority of inhabitants of these suburbs work in Klaipėda. According to data from the Department of Statistics, there are 212,302 permanent inhabitants (as of 2020) in Klaipėda city and Klaipėda district municipalities combined. Popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Neringa to the south on the Curonian Spit and Palanga to the north.


title: Klaipėda

text: The Teutonic Knights built a castle in the *Pilsāts Land of the Curonians and named it "Memelburg"; later the name was shortened to "Memel". From 1252 to 1923 and from 1939 to 1945, the town and city were officially named "Memel". Between 1923 and 1939, both names were in official use; since 1945 the Lithuanian name of "Klaipėda" has been used.


title: Klaipėda

text: The names "Memelburg" and "Memel" are found in most written sources from the 13th century onwards, while "Klaipėda" is found in Lithuania-related sources since the 15th century. The first time the city was mentioned as "Caloypede" in the letter of Vytautas in 1413, for the second time in the negotiation documents of 1420 as "Klawppeda", and for the third time in the Treaty of Melno of 1422 as "Cleupeda". According to Samogitian folk etymology, the name "Klaipėda" refers to the boggy terrain of the town ("klaidyti"=obstruct and "pėda"=foot). Most likely the name is of Curonian origin and means "even ground": "klais/klait" (flat, open, free) and "peda" (sole of the foot, ground), as a reference to relatively flat terrain of the original settlement's surroundings.


title: Klaipėda

text: The lower reaches of the river Neman were named either *"Mēmele" or *"Mēmela" by Scalovians and local Curonian inhabitants. In the Latvian Curonian language it means "mute, silent" ("memelis, mimelis, mēms"), as a reference to peaceful flow of the Neman. This name was adopted by speakers of German and also chosen for the new city founded further away at the lagoon.


title: Klaipėda

text: The coat of arms of Klaipėda is also used as coat of arms of Klaipėda city municipality. The modern version was created by the designer Kęstutis Mickevičius. The modern coat of arms was created by restoring old seals of the Memel city (analogous with those used in the years 1446, 1605 and 1618). It was affirmed on 1 July 1992.


title: Klaipėda

text: A settlement of Baltic tribes in the territory of the present-day city is said to have existed in the region as early as the 7th century.


title: Klaipėda

text: In the 1240s the Pope offered King Håkon IV of Norway the opportunity to conquer the peninsula of Sambia. However, following the personal acceptance of Christianity by Grand Duke Mindaugas of Lithuania, the Teutonic Knights and a group of crusaders from Lübeck moved into Sambia, founding unopposed a fort in 1252 recorded as "Memele castrum" (or "Memelburg", "Memel Castle"). The fort's construction was completed in 1253 and Memel was garrisoned with troops of the Teutonic Order, administered by Deutschmeister Eberhard von Seyne. Documents for its foundation were signed by Eberhard and Bishop Heinrich von Lützelburg of Courland on 29 July 1252 and 1 August 1252.


title: Klaipėda

text: Master Conrad von Thierberg used the fortress as a base for further campaigns along the river Neman and against Samogitia. Memel was unsuccessfully besieged by Sambians in 1255, and the scattered Sambians submitted by 1259. Memel was colonized by settlers from Holstein, Lübeck and Dortmund, hence Memel also being known at the time as "Neu-Dortmund", or "New Dortmund". It became the main town of the Diocese of Curonia, with a cathedral and at least two parochial churches, but the development of the castle became the dominant priority. According to different sources, Memel received Lübeck city rights in 1254 or 1258.


title: Klaipėda

text: In the spring and summer of 1323, a Lithuanian army led by Gediminas came up the Neman and laid siege to the castle of Memel after conquering the town, and devastated Sambia, forcing the Order to sue for a truce in October. During the planning of a campaign against Samogitia, Memel's garrison of the Teutonic Order's Livonian branch was replaced with knights from the Prussian branch in 1328. Threats and attacks by Lithuanians greatly thwarted the town's development; the town and the castle were both sacked by Lithuanian tribes in 1379, while Samogitians attacked 800 workers rebuilding Memel in 1389.


title: Klaipėda

text: The Treaty of Melno in 1422 stabilized the border between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for the next 501 years. In 1454, King Casimir IV Jagiellon incorporated the region to the Kingdom of Poland upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation. After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) the city became a part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Knights, and thus located within the Polish–Lithuanian union. The rebuilt town received Kulm law city rights in 1475.


title: Klaipėda

text: Against the wishes of its governor and commander, Eric of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Memel adopted Lutheranism after the conversion of Grand Master Albert of Prussia and the creation of the Duchy of Prussia as a fief of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in 1525, soon part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was the onset of a long period of prosperity for the city and port. It served as a port for neighbouring Lithuania, benefiting from its location near the mouth of the Neman, with wheat as a profitable export. The Duchy of Prussia was inherited by a relative, John Sigismund, the Hohenzollern prince-electors of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1618. Brandenburg-Prussia began active participation in regional policy, which affected the development of Memel. From 1629 to 1635, the town was occupied by Sweden over several periods during the Polish-Swedish War of 1626–1629.


title: Klaipėda

text: After the Treaty of Königsberg in 1656 during the Northern Wars, Elector Frederick William opened Memel's harbor to Sweden, with whom the harbor's revenue was divided. Sovereignty of the margraves of Brandenburg over the region was affirmed in the Treaty of Oliva in 1660.


title: Klaipėda

text: The construction of a defence system around the entire town, initiated in 1627, noticeably changed its status and prospects. In November 1678 a small Swedish army invaded Prussian territory, but was unable to capture the fortress of Memel.


title: Klaipėda

text: By the beginning of the 18th century, Memel was one of the strongest fortresses ("Memelfestung") in Prussia, and the town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. Despite its fortifications, it was captured by Russian troops during the Seven Years' War in 1757. Consequently, from 1757 to 1762 the town, along with the rest of eastern Prussia, was dependent on the Russian Empire. After this war ended, the maintenance of the fortress was neglected, but the town's growth continued.


title: Klaipėda

text: Memel became part of the newly formed province of East Prussia within the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773. In the second half of the 18th century Memel's lax customs and Riga's high duties enticed English traders, who established the first industrial sawmills in the town. In 1784, 996 ships arrived in Memel, 500 of which were English. (In 1900 there was still an active English church in Memel, as well as a "British Hotel"). The specialisation in wood manufacturing guaranteed Memel's merchants income and stability for more than a hundred years. During this era it also normalised its trade relations with Königsberg; regional instability had degraded relations since the 16th century.


title: Klaipėda

text: Memel prospered during the second half of the 18th century by exporting timber to Great Britain for use by the Royal Navy. In 1792, 756 British ships visited the town to transport lumber from the Lithuanian forests near Memel. In 1800 its imports consisted chiefly of salt, iron and herrings; the exports, which greatly exceeded the imports, were corn, hemp, flax, and, particularly, timber. The 1815 "Encyclopædia Britannica" stated that Memel was "provided with the finest harbour in the Baltic".


title: Klaipėda

text: During the Napoleonic Wars, Memel became the temporary capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. Between 1807 and 1808, the town was the residence of King Frederick William III, his consort Louise, his court, and the government. On 9 October 1807 the king signed a document in Memel, later called the October Edict, which abolished serfdom in Prussia. It originated the reforms of Karl Freiherr vom und zum Stein and Karl August von Hardenberg. The land around Memel suffered major economic setbacks under Napoleon Bonaparte's Continental System. During Napoleon's retreat from Moscow after the failed invasion of Russia in 1812, General Yorck refused Marshal MacDonald's orders to fortify Memel at Prussia's expense.


title: Klaipėda

text: During the January Uprising, in June 1863, Polish insurgents made an unsuccessful attempt of a naval landing near the city's harbor.


title: Klaipėda

text: After the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, Memel had the distinction of being Germany's northernmost city.


title: Klaipėda

text: The development of the town in the 19th century was influenced by the industrial revolution in Prussia and the attendant processes of urbanisation. Even though the population of Memel increased fourfold during the 19th century, and had risen to 21,470 by 1910, its pace of development lagged in comparison. The reasons for this were mostly political. Memel was the northernmost and easternmost city in Germany, and although the government was engaged in a very costly tree-planting exercise to stabilise the sand-dunes on the Curonian Spit, most of the financial infusions in the province of East Prussia were concentrated in Königsberg, the capital of the province. Some notable instances of the German infrastructure investments in the area included sandbar blasting and a new ship canal between Pillau and Königsberg, which enabled vessels of up to 6.5 m draughts to moor alongside the city, at a cost of 13 million marks.


title: Klaipėda

text: Owing to the absence of heavy industry in the 1870s and 1880s, the population of Memel stagnated, although wood manufacturing persisted as the main industry. It remained the central point of the Baltic timber-trade. A British Consul was located in the town in 1800; in 1900 a British Vice-Consul was recorded there, as well as a Lloyd's Agent.


title: Klaipėda

text: By 1900 steamer services had been established between Memel and Cranz (on the southern end of the Curonian Spit), and also between Memel and Tilsit. A main-line railway was built from Insterburg, the main East Prussian railway junction, to St. Petersburg via Eydtkuhnen, the Prussian frontier station. The Memel line also ran from Insterburg via Tilsit, where a further direct line connected with Königsberg, that crossed the Memel Valley over three bridges before its arrival in Memel.


title: Klaipėda

text: During the second half of the 19th century, Memel was a center for the publication of books printed in the Lithuanian language using a Latin-script alphabet – these publications were prohibited in the nearby Russian Empire of which Lithuania was a province. The books were then smuggled over the Lithuanian border.


title: Klaipėda

text: The German 1910 census lists the Memel Territory population as 149,766, of whom 67,345 declared Lithuanian to be their first language. The Germans greatly predominated in the town and port of Memel as well as in other nearby villages; the Lithuanian population was predominant in the area's rural districts.


title: Klaipėda

text: Under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, Klaipėda and the surrounding Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) were detached from Germany and made a protectorate of the Entente States. The French became provisional administrators of the region until a more permanent solution could be worked out. Both Lithuania and Poland campaigned for their rights in the region. However, it seemed that the region would become a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig. Not waiting for an unfavorable decision, the Lithuanians decided to stage the Klaipėda Revolt, take the region by force, and present the Entente with a "fait accompli". The revolt was carried out in January 1923 while western Europe was distracted by the occupation of the Ruhr. The Germans tacitly supported the action, while the French offered only limited resistance. The League of Nations protested the revolt, but accepted the transfer in February 1923. The formal Klaipėda Convention was signed in Paris on 8 May 1924, securing extensive autonomy for the region.


title: Klaipėda

text: The annexation of the city had enormous consequences for the Lithuanian economy and foreign relations. The region subsequently accounted for up to 30% of the Lithuania's entire production. Between 70% and 80% of foreign trade passed through Klaipėda. The region, which represented only about 5% of Lithuania's territory, contained a third of its industry. Weimar Germany, under Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann, maintained normal relations with Lithuania. However, Nazi Germany desired to reacquire the region and tensions rose. Pro-German parties won clear supermajorities in all elections to the Klaipėda Parliament, which often clashed with the Lithuanian-appointed Klaipėda Directorate. Lithuanian efforts to "re-Lithuanize" Prussian Lithuanians by promoting Lithuanian language, culture, education were often met with resistance from the locals. In 1932, a conflict between the Parliament and the Directorate had to be resolved by the Permanent Court of International Justice. In 1934–1935, the Lithuanians attempted to combat increasing Nazi influence in the region by arresting and prosecuting over 120 Nazi activists for the alleged plot to organize an anti-Lithuanian rebellion. Despite rather harsh sentences, the defendants in the so-called Neumann–Sass case were soon released under pressure from Nazi Germany. The extensive autonomy guaranteed by the Klaipėda Convention prevented Lithuania from blocking the growing pro-German attitudes in the region.


title: Klaipėda

text: As tensions in pre-war Europe continued to grow, it was expected that Germany would make a move against Lithuania to reacquire the region. German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop delivered an ultimatum to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister on 20 March 1939, demanding the surrender of Klaipėda. Lithuania, unable to secure international support for its cause, submitted to the ultimatum and, in exchange for the right to use the new harbour facilities as a Free Port, ceded the disputed region to Germany in the late evening of 22 March 1939. Adolf Hitler visited the harbour and delivered a speech to the city residents. This was Hitler's last territorial acquisition before World War II. During the war, expelled Poles from German-occupied Poland were enslaved by the Germans as forced labour in the city's vicinity.


title: Klaipėda

text: During World War II, from the end of 1944 into 1945, as Allied victory appeared imminent, the inhabitants fled as the fighting drew nearer. The nearly empty city was captured by the Soviet Red Army on 28 January 1945 with only about 50 remaining people. After the war the Klaipėda Region was incorporated into the Lithuanian SSR, as the post-1937 German occupation of various regions of Europe, including Klaipėda, was considered illegal.


title: Klaipėda

text: The Soviets transformed Klaipėda, the foremost ice-free port in the Eastern Baltic, into the largest piscatorial-marine base in the European USSR. A gigantic shipyard, dockyards, and a fishing port were constructed. Subsequently, by the end of 1959, the population of the city had doubled its pre-war population, and by 1989 there were 203,000 inhabitants. In the aftermath of World War II almost all the new residents came to Klaipėda from Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, replacing the former German-speaking population. Initially the Russian-speakers dominated local government in the city, but after the death of Joseph Stalin, more people came to the city from the rest of Lithuania than from other Soviet republics and oblasts; Lithuanians then became its major ethnic group. Among Lithuanian cities with a population greater than 100,000, however, Klaipėda has the highest percentage of people whose native language is Russian.


title: Klaipėda

text: Until the 1970s, Klaipėda was only important to the USSR for its economy, while cultural and religious activity was minimal and restricted. The developers of a Roman Catholic church (Maria, Queen of Peace, constructed 1957–1962) were arrested. The city began to develop cultural activities in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the introduction of the Sea Festival cultural tradition, where thousands of people come to celebrate from all over the country. Based on the Pedagogical University of Šiauliai and the National Conservatory of Lithuania in Klaipėda, the University of Klaipėda was established in 1991. Klaipėda is now the home of a bilingual German-Lithuanian institution, the "Hermann-Sudermann-Schule", as well as an English-language University, LCC International University.


title: Klaipėda

text: In 2014 Klaipėda was visited 64 times by cruise ships, surpassing the Latvian capital, Riga, for the first time.


title: Klaipėda

text: While today the Kursenieki, also known as Kuršininkai are a nearly extinct Baltic ethnic group living along the Curonian Spit, in 1649 Kuršininkai settlement spanned from Memel (Klaipėda) to Danzig (Gdańsk). The Kuršininkai were eventually assimilated by the Germans, except along the Curonian Spit where some still live. The Kuršininkai were considered Latvians until after World War I when Latvia gained independence from the Russian Empire, a consideration based on linguistic arguments. This was the rationale for Latvian claims over the Curonian Spit, Memel, and other territories of Prussia which would be later dropped.


title: Klaipėda

text: , the population was 154,332. It is the first year since 2017 and the second year since 1991 when Klaipėda had a positive population growth in the city. The latest data shows that there are more women in the city: females make 54.89% (84,717), males make 45.11% (69,615).


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda city municipality council is the governing body of the Klaipėda city municipality. It is responsible for municipal laws. The council is composed of 31 members (30 councillors and a mayor) directly elected for four-year terms.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda's climate is humid continental (Köppen "Dfb") with some oceanic (Köppen "Cfb") climate influences. In July and August, the warmest season, high temperatures average , and low temperatures average . The highest official temperature ever recorded was in August 2014. In January and February, the coldest season, high temperatures average with low temperatures averaging . The coldest temperature ever recorded in Klaipėda is in February 1956.


title: Klaipėda

text: The wettest month is November with a mean total precipitation . August through November is the wettest season because of the warmth of the Baltic sea in relation to the continent and the westerly winds. The driest month is February averaging of total precipitation. Spring is not particularly wet.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda is a windy city with many stormy days per year. In autumn and winter, gales are not unusual. Sea breezes are common from April to September. Snow can fall from October to April and a phenomenon resembling lake-effect snow is frequent. Severe snowstorms can paralyze the city in winter.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda has unsettled weather all year round. Some winters can be cold and snowy, similar to that in Moscow, while others can be mild, windy, and rainy, similar to the weather in Glasgow. August 2005 was very rainy, while August 2002 barely had any precipitation at all.


title: Klaipėda

text: The Port of Klaipėda is the principal ice-free port on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. It is the most important Lithuanian transportation hub, connecting sea, land and railway routes from East to West. Klaipėda is a multipurpose, universal, deep-water port. Nineteen big stevedoring companies, ship-repair and shipbuilding yards operate within the port and all marine business and cargo handling services are rendered.


title: Klaipėda

text: The annual port cargo handling capacity is up to 40 Mt. The port operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda railway station (Lithuanian: Klaipėdos geležinkelio stotis) is located at Priestočio g. 1, north of the Old Town.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda railway station consists of two buildings. The old building, made of yellow bricks and reflecting features of Classicism architecture was built in 1881. Currently, the building hosts various small businesses. The railway station is located in the new building, built of red bricks in 1983.


title: Klaipėda

text: The railway network of then Prussia reached Klaipėda in 1878. Initially merely used for lumber and fish freight on Klaipėda–Šilutė, Klaipėda–Šilutė–Pagėgiai routes, the railway grid network of Lithuania Minor received a major boost after Klaipėda uprising and annexation of the region by Lithuania in 1923.


title: Klaipėda

text: As of 2017 Lithuanian Railways were operating two routes from Klaipėda railway station. 4 daily trains on route Klaipėda – Vilnius and 2 daily trains on the Klaipėda–Radviliškis routes. Train tickets could be obtained at the station. lt or with a surcharge – on board the trains.


title: Klaipėda

text: Domestic and international commercial scheduled airline services are provided by Palanga International Airport. The airport is connected with Klaipėda by a city bus.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda is also serviced by a small, privately run aerodrome with a focus on sports aviation and charter services.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda is located next to Curonian Spit and a small part of the peninsula (Smiltynė) is within Klaipėda. People can reach the peninsula by ferry using one of the two terminals.


title: Klaipėda

text: DFDS operates ferries to Kiel (Germany) and Karlshamn (Sweden). Ferries depart from the Central Klaipėda Terminal (CKT). TT-Line ferries are going to Trelleborg (Sweden).


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda's bus public transportation is based on geographical peculiarities. It is arranged by the north-south axis, based on three parallel principal streets, running along the coast of Curonian Lagoon and thus making the grid logical and comfortable for commuting.


title: Klaipėda

text: It is possible to buy an electronic card in shops and newspaper stands (kiosks) and top it up with an appropriate amount of money. Public transport is organized, supervised and coordinated by Klaipėda city passenger transport.


title: Klaipėda

text: Buses to Curonian Spit villages Nida and Juodkrantė depart from a bus stop in Smiltynė (next to the Old ferry terminal).


title: Klaipėda

text: Trams in Klaipėda functioned in 1904—1934 and 1950—1967. It was one only tram transport in the last years of first independent Lithuania and in Soviet Lithuania and one only electric tram ever in country. It was interurban transport serving not Klaipėda only. It was operated by Memeler Kleinbahn AG company.


title: Klaipėda

text: Tram system had two lines with 12 km of tracks and 17 tramcars. First line was from old city (lighthouse and Strandvilla restaurant) through center and northern suburbs Royal (Didžioji) Vitė and Bomelio Vitė localities to sea beaches and resort Melnragė. Second line was from old city through industrial suburb Royal Smeltė to south to Wilhelm channel and Wooden bay. Lines had connection near Stock exchange in center of city. Branch connected the center with railway station through Liepaja (now Manto) Street and Liepaja (now Lietuvninku) Square. Other branch passed near Winter port through Vite locality. In 1950—1967 tram run functioned in line to Smeltė only. Tram lines used for delivery of goods from railway and port also. Tram degradated and closed due to wear and tear and lack of funds for its renewal and development.


title: Klaipėda

text: Now city's authorities plans to revive tram and includes them in urban plan-general. Line will be interurban again and plans to connect Klaipėda with Šventoji through airport and Palanga. In 2017 feasibility study began for first tram line on Herkus Manto and Taikos streets


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda's Old Town is notable among other towns in Lithuania for its abundance of German and Scandinavian architecture. Klaipėda's Old Town is unique with its fachwerk architectural style and the planned street structure, which is uncharacteristic to any other old town in Lithuania. Its streets are geometrically configured very correctly, and the angle of intersection is always straight.


title: Klaipėda

text: One of most popular places in Klaipėda's old town is The Theatre Square. hosts a variety of concerts, the Sea Festival, the International Jazz Festival and other events. An important focus of the Theatre Square is the Taravos Anikė sculpture depicting a youthful barefoot girl. The sculpture was erected in the memory of the poet Simonas Dachas and perpetuates one of the poet's described heroes.


title: Klaipėda

text: Klaipėda's main attractions are the historic buildings in the city's centre, dating from the 13th to 18th centuries. Some of its older buildings have picturesque half-timbered construction, similar to that found in Germany, France, England, Denmark and southern Sweden. Other places of interest include:


title: Klaipėda

text: The museum with 6 different exhibitions is set in a former nineteenth-century fortification of the Spit. In the Maritime Museum, there is a huge aquarium, the exhibitions of marine fauna, mammals and seabirds. The aquarium is populated with invertebrates, and freshwater fish of Lithuania – many species, not only from the Baltic Sea, but also from various tropical seas. The museum's courtyard has a pool filled with seals, sea lions, and penguins. The marine fauna exhibition has diverse exhibits: mollusk shells, various fossils, algae and other special exhibits, surviving the prehistorical dinosaur times.


title: Klaipėda

text: Annual events include Klaipėda Music Spring, the Klaipėda Castle Jazz Festival, Museum Nights, the International Festival of Street Theatres, the International Short Film Festival, and the Klaipėda Sea Festival, among others. The Parbėg laivelis folk festival is held every two years.


title: Klaipėda

text: The city plan is linear, stretching along the shores of the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. Main parts of the city are: Old Town on the left bank of the (a rectangular network of streets was formed in the 13th-15th centuries there), Naujamiestis on the right bank of the Danė River (the central part is divided into elongated quarters), new residential areas built after 1945 (Pempininkai, Naujakiemis, Alksnynė, Gedminai, and others). The specifics of the port city are emphasized by the quays, warehouses, half-timbered and industrial buildings typical of the Klaipėda Region.


title: Klaipėda

text: Some of the fortification structures and facilities have survived (built before the 20th century): Klaipėda Castle (13th–18th centuries) and bastion (built from 1559) remains (on the left bank of Danė River; since 2002 it is part of the Klaipėda Castle Museum), bastion complex (on the right bank of Danė River; dating to the 15th–18th centuries). Old public buildings have survived in the old town (Theater Palace, built on the site of a burnt-down classicist building in 1857; following its rebuilding in 1893 it acquired the features of neoclassicism, now Klaipėda Drama Theater), half-timbered and brick warehouses (Aukštoji Street 3, 3a, 3b, now Klaipeda Art Exhibition Palace, Daržų Street 10; all from the 18–19th centuries), residential houses (Baroque, 1774, now The History Museum of Lithuania Minor, half-timbered in Sukilėlių Street 19, end of the 18th century; Aukštoji Street 5–13, 18th–19th centuries).


title: Klaipėda

text: Following the fire of 1854, the city was intensively rebuilt. In Naujamiestis district, which began to form in the second half of the 19th century, historicist style buildings were built of which the most notable are: the so-called arcade-style State Bank (1858), Courthouse (1862), the railway station (1875), the Louise Gymnasium (1891), the neo-Gothic Post Office (1890, architect H. Schoede), the barracks complex (1907, now Klaipeda University Central Palace), Teachers' Seminary (1908), City Hospital (1902), Craftsmen's Shelter (1910). Many residential houses were built during this period (neo-baroque residence in Liepų Street 7, neoclassical palace in Liepų Street 12, expanded around 1820, late 19th century, now Klaipėda Clock and Watch Museum, wooden villa in Giruliai, Šlaito Street 4, second half of the 19th century, merchant H. Gerlach Neo-Renaissance villa, 1874, now Klaipėda County I. Simonaitytė Public Library), industrial buildings (Gas Factory, 1861, architect J. Hartmann, later expanded, fachwerk Union Chemical Fertilizer Factory, 1869–80, pulp factory, 1900, later expanded, from 1994 Klaipėda Cardboard Company), bridges (bascule bridge over the canal between the castle and Danė River, 1855). The bascule bridge was important economically for the city as every passing vessel was required to pay a bridge lifting fee.


title: Klaipėda

text: In the early 20th century, the Jugendstil style buildings were built in the city (houses at Tiltų Street 13, H. Manto Street 30, villa at Smiltynės Street 11). Following the Restoration of Independence of Lithuania and Klaipėda Revolt, the Red Cross Hospital (1933, architect R. Steikūnas; now Klaipėda County Hospital), Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium (1934, architect H. Reissmann), Klaipėda Pedagogical Institute Sports Hall (1937, architect V. Landsbergis ‑ Žemkalnis; since 2005 Klaipėda Physical Culture and Recreation Center), City Savings Bank (1938), Power Plant Complex (3rd-4th decade of the 20th century, architect of some buildings H. Reissmann) were built and are characterized by rationalist features.


title: Klaipėda

text: During the World War II, 60% of the buildings were destroyed. Moreover, the buildings reminiscent of Klaipėda's Germans were destroyed, and the remains of bombed-out Catholic and evangelical Reformed churches were demolished. During the Soviet occupation, the historical part of Klaipėda was redesigned. The construction of the St. Church of the Queen Mary of Peace was started in 1957 with the funding of the believers (architect J. Baltrėnas), however in 1960 it was deprived of believers and a branch of the LSSR Philharmonic was established there in 1963 (it was returned to the believers in 1988), Palace of Culture (1963, architect A. Mikėnas, now Klaipėda Musical Theater), Marriage Palace (1980, architect R. V. Kraniauskas), Lithuanian Maritime Museum and Aquarium (1979, architects P. Lapė, L. Šliogerienė; located in Kopgalis Fortress, 1866), Hotel Klaipėda (1986, architect G. Tiškus; now Amberton Klaipėda). Following the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, the Dolphinarium of the Lithuanian Maritime Museum (1994, architect P. Lapė), large shopping centers, administrative buildings, hotels and residential buildings were built.


title: Klaipėda

text: Nowadays, Klaipėda is an industry, business, education and science, health, tourism and recreation, administrative center. Historically, Klaipėda is one of the most successful developing municipalities in western Lithuania. City generates approximately 12 percent of the country GDP and about 80 percent of western Lithuania. It is greatly influenced due to the Port of Klaipėda which is a very important transport hub. In the eastern part of the city there is Klaipėda Free Economic Zone offering 0 percent tax incentives for first 6 years. It is also the location of the first Geothermal Demonstration Plant in the Baltic States, which is supplying the city with geothermal heating and Fortum Klaipėda Combined Heat and Power Plant. In 2014, Klaipėda LNG FSRU with FSRU Independence ship was opened and guaranteed the alternative way of supplying the country with gas.


title: Klaipėda

text: Most of the city's GDP is generated in the service sector. Inhabitants of Klaipėda have a higher income than the average of Lithuania. In the city there are such companies as Švyturys brewery, DFDS Lisco, Klaipėdos jūrų krovinių kompanija, Baltija Shipbuilding Yard, Vakaru Shipbuilding Yard, security company Argus, the largest cardboard and paper packaging processor in the Baltic States Grigeo Klaipėda, Balticum TV.


title: Klaipėda

text: According to the Lithuanian Department of Statistics, GDP in the second quarter of 2017, comparing with the first quarter of 2017, has increased by 7.7 percent, while comparing with the second quarter of 2016 it has increased by 4.0 percent. The rise is also planned in the further years.


title: Klaipėda

text: Since the 14th century Klaipėda became one of the most important education centers of the Lithuania minor. Klaipėda has 2 universities, 5 colleges. As well as schools of general education: elementary schools, middle schools, gymnasiums, pro gymnasiums.


title: Built to Spill

text: Built to Spill is an American indie rock band that formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1992. Centered around lead vocalist and guitarist Doug Martsch, the only permanent member, Built to Spill has released nine full-length albums since its inception.


title: Built to Spill

text: Martsch originally envisioned the band to feature a changing set of backing musicians for each album, but eventually settled with a stable lineup for over a decade before returning to his original plan in 2012. Having received consistent critical acclaim throughout their career, three of the band's albums — "There's Nothing Wrong with Love, Perfect from Now On" and "Keep It Like a Secret —" placed in the top 50 of "Pitchfork"'s Top 100 Albums of the 1990s list. "Keep It Like a Secret" was the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 in the United States, while their 2009 release "There Is No Enemy" became Built to Spill's highest-charting album of their career.


title: Built to Spill

text: Former Treepeople guitarist/vocalist Doug Martsch formed Built to Spill in 1992 with Brett Netson and Ralf Youtz as the band's original members. In an interview with "Spin", Martsch stated that he intended to change the band's lineup for every album, himself being the only permanent member. The band's name came from an invented phrase in an exquisite corpse-like game Martsch played with his wife. After the band's first album, "Ultimate Alternative Wavers", was released in 1993, Netson and Youtz were replaced by Brett Nelson and Andy Capps for 1994's "There's Nothing Wrong with Love". A compilation album called "The Normal Years" followed, which included recordings by both lineups. "Built to Spill Caustic Resin", an EP that features Martsch with the members of Caustic Resin, was released in 1995. Between recording albums in 1995, the band gained exposure by playing on the Lollapalooza tour. Also in 1995, the band collaborated on the song "Still Flat" for the AIDS benefit album "Red Hot + Bothered", produced by the Red Hot Organization.


title: Built to Spill

text: Martsch signed Built to Spill to Warner Bros. Records in 1995 for a three-album deal. Unlike many artists signed to major labels, the deal the band brokered with Warner Bros. allowed it to retain a large degree of creative control over future albums. Built to Spill produced its first major-label release in 1997 with "Perfect from Now On". By this time, the band consisted of Martsch, Nelson, Netson, and Scott Plouf. "Perfect from Now On" was met with critical success and caused Built to Spill to become one of the United States' most recognizable indie rock bands. Before releasing another album, Martsch made Nelson and Plouf permanent members of the band. In 1999, the band released "Keep It Like a Secret" to continued critical success and for the first time, significant commercial success; it debuted at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and a year after its release had sold 60,000 copies. The band's first live album, "Live" was released in 2000. By 2001, the band's three albums for Warner Bros. had sold a combined 200,000 copies in the US. The band's fifth studio album, "Ancient Melodies of the Future", was released in 2001.


title: Built to Spill

text: In 2002, Martsch released "Now You Know", a solo album with both blues and folk elements. He performed numerous solo concerts in support of the album. Built to Spill was on hiatus for most of this period.


title: Built to Spill

text: In 2003, Warner Bros. Records optioned the band for another album. From 2003 to 2005, Built to Spill toured extensively, performing over 150 dates that included new songs from as early as 2004. Its sixth studio album, "You in Reverse", was recorded in Portland in 2004 but was not released until April 11, 2006. The band's official lineup for the album was Martsch, Nelson, Plouf, and Jim Roth, who was formerly only a touring guitarist. Brett Netson provided guitar work on several songs and later rejoined the band as a full-time member.


title: Built to Spill

text: After the release of "You in Reverse", Built to Spill continued touring almost non-stop. In March 2006, Martsch suffered a detached retina, which required surgery. This forced the band to miss an appearance at the South by Southwest music festival and postpone several dates of the tour. Even worse news came when former drummer Andy Capps was found dead in his home on May 18, 2006.


title: Built to Spill

text: The band resumed touring on June 3, 2006, with a show that included four new songs. This show and many on the tour included the dedication of the song "Car" to Capps, who had played on the track when it was recorded.


title: Built to Spill

text: Warner Bros. Records stated that Built to Spill had been recording its follow-up to "You in Reverse" on and off during the 2006 tour, but nothing appeared until the July 10, 2007, release of a 12" single, "They Got Away"/"Re-Arrange". "They Got Away" is a heavily reggae-influenced original song, while "Re-Arrange" is a cover of a song by the reggae band the Gladiators.The US tour was scheduled through October 2007, followed by an Australian tour. Martsch stated in a September 2007 interview that he didn't want to tour in the United States again until the band records; however, the band then announced a one-month US national tour for spring of 2008.


title: Built to Spill

text: In a March 2008 interview with Playback:stl, Martsch spoke of new material from the Halo Benders, a collaboration between Martsch, Calvin Johnson, Steve Fisk, former Treepeople member Wayne "Rhino" Flower, and original Built to Spill drummer Ralf Youtz, but "we started that about a year ago, we have not even got anything off the ground." Later in the interview, Martsch gave his perspective on the future of Built to Spill past the current material; "I do think that Built to Spill could be something better than ever just because our lineup is better than ever ... I think there is potential for the five of us to collaborate on something that is just way better than anything that I have ever come up with by myself or that we have done in the past." Martsch also interjected that "This coming record we're not doing that—it's mostly going to be songs that I have been working on." The band extended its 2008 tour in the United States and Europe, performing the album "Perfect from Now On" in its entirety.


title: Built to Spill

text: In 2009, the band announced its next album, "There Is No Enemy". The tracklist and album art were revealed on August 17, 2009, the first single, "Hindsight", was released on September 8, and the album was released on October 6, 2009. The band toured from August through November 2009 and for much of 2010, including performances at the Pitchfork Music Festival and the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, curated by "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.


title: Built to Spill

text: In July 2010, Martsch appeared on the first release from Brett Nelson's the Electric Anthology Project, in which Nelson creates covers from an artist in a synth-pop style, featuring the vocalist from the original version. This self-titled EP, which featured one song from each Built to Spill record (using anagrams of their original titles) and newly recorded vocals by Doug Martsch, received a moderately favorable review in Pitchfork, even though "it was obviously released as a goof," and the "good moments almost make you wish Martsch had taken this concept more seriously." In September 2010, the band released a video for its single "Hindsight" from "There Is No Enemy", directed by Bob Odenkirk.


title: Built to Spill

text: On October 25, 2012, Built to Spill played a secret, invitation-only show at the Bunk Bar in Portland, Oregon, with a new rhythm section consisting of Jason Albertini (Helvetia, Duster) on bass and Stephen Gere (Uzala, Brett Netson Band, Atomic Mama) on drums. On January 7, 2013, Martsch, Netson and guitarist Jim Roth announced that Albertini and Gere would be permanent replacements for Plouf and Nelson, who were departing the band amicably. Built to Spill continued touring periodically as a five-piece but didn't release another album for several years. Martsch would later state that a 2012 album was abandoned due to the departure of Nelson and Plouf and his dissatisfaction with the songs.


title: Built to Spill

text: "Untethered Moon" was released on April 18, 2015. The album was recorded as a trio with Martsch, Albertini, and Gere and was co-produced by Martsch and frequent Built to Spill guest keyboardist and Quasi frontman Sam Coomes. The band toured summer/fall 2015 in support of the new album.


title: Built to Spill

text: Brett Netson and Jim Roth left the band in the latter half of 2015 and a trio lineup of Martsch, Albertini and Gere debuted on a spring 2016 West Coast run.


title: Built to Spill

text: In October 2018, Martsch announced on Facebook that the band will return to his initial idea of having a shifting rotation of members for each release. Brazilian musicians João Casaes and Lê Almeida served as the rhythm section for a set of South American shows. In 2019, the band added Melanie Radford on bass and Teresa Esguerra on drums. On June 12, 2020, they released the cover album "Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston".


title: Built to Spill

text: The band signed to Sub Pop in October 2021. On September 9, 2022, the band released their first album of new material since 2015, "When the Wind Forgets Your Name". The album was recorded with Casaes and Almeida on rhythm prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons () is a 2013 fantasy comedy film co-written and produced by Stephen Chow and co-directed by Chow and Derek Kwok. The movie was first announced in July 2011 and was released on February 10, 2013 in China. The film is a loose comedic re-interpretation of the 16th-century novel "Journey to the West", a Chinese literary classic often believed to be written by Wu Cheng'en.


title: Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

text: A sequel, "", written and produced by Chow and directed by Tsui Hark, was released on January 28, 2017.


text: A riverside village is terrorized by a mysterious aquatic creature. A Taoist priest kills a giant manta ray and insists that it is the demon. Sanzang, a self-proclaimed demon hunter, appears to warn the villagers that the animal is not the true demon. The villagers ignore him and string him up due to the priest's provocation. The real demon reemerges and kills many of the villagers. Sanzang frees himself and along with the survivors, manages to beach the creature which turns into a man. Sanzang then opens a book of nursery rhymes and begins singing to the demon. Annoyed, the demon attacks Sanzang. Another demon hunter, Duan, captures and turns the demon into a puppet. Sanzang tells Duan that his master taught him a more humane approach; to use nursery rhymes to coax goodness out of demons, a tactic Duan scoffs at. Disillusioned, Sanzang meets his master and bemoans his lack of capabilities compared to more aggressive demon-hunters. His master reaffirms his humanist philosophy and sends Sanzang off again to find "enlightenment".


text: A couple enters an empty restaurant but the chef reveals himself to be a pig demon and kills them. Sanzang comes to the same restaurant, this time apparently filled with people. Sanzang sees through the illusion and recognizes them as reanimated corpses of the victims, as well as the demon's nine-toothed rake. Duan bursts into the restaurant, destroys all the zombies, and attacks the pig demon. She captures the demon in her magic bag to turn it into a puppet, but it bursts out of the bag and transforms into a huge boar, collapsing the building. Sanzang and Duan retreat. Duan then develops a strong limerence towards Sanzang after being impressed by his selfless ideals. She expresses her feelings, but Sanzang flees, not wishing to deal with romantic love in his quest for nirvana.


text: Sanzang's master advises him to tame the Monkey King demon Sun Wukong (trapped by Buddha) to subdue the pig demon. That night, he is captured by a gang that had also subdued Duan. It is later revealed to be a plot orchestrated by Duan to trick Sanzang into having sex with her. After Sanzang rejects her again, she has him imprisoned. The pig demon reappears and injures Duan, but is chased off by a trio of rivaling demon-hunters. Duan views Sanzang's concern for her injuries as a romantic attraction. After Sanzang refuses her advances again, she destroys his book of nursery rhymes and he leaves.


text: After days of traveling, Sanzang discovers a cave under a lotus garden, where Monkey King was trapped in for 500 years. Monkey King tells Sanzang to use a dancer to bait the demon. Duan appears and volunteers to dance. When the pig demon appears Monkey King easily subdues it, allowing Duan to turn it into a puppet. Duan then gives both the fish and pig puppets to Sanzang and offers her golden ringed weapon as an engagement band, but he rejects her again. She leaves after returning his nursery rhyme book, which she had pieced back together, although at random as she is illiterate.


text: Monkey King tricks Sanzang into removing the seal on his prison and bursts out of the cave. Sanzang begins to pray to Buddha, and an enraged Monkey King rips the hair from his head. The three demon hunters appear to catch Monkey King but he effortlessly kills them. Duan returns and defends Sanzang, but the Monkey King mortally injures her. Sanzang admits he loves her, and Monkey King proceeds to vaporize her body. Looking at the nursery book again, Sanzang realizes Duan accidentally reassembled the words of his book into those of the Buddha Sutra. Sanzang summons Buddha, who defeats Monkey King with the palm of his hand. Sanzang then places Duan's golden ring on Monkey King, and it turns into his restrictive headband.


text: Sanzang tells his master that his suffering due to Duan's loss has helped him to enlightenment. Sanzang is then instructed to travel on a journey to the west (India) for the Buddhist sutras of Leiyin Temple, and it is shown that the Water Demon, Pig Demon, and Monkey King have been tamed and turned into humans named, respectively, Sha Wujing, Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong. As they hike across the desert, Sanzang looks across the sand and sees an image of Duan.


text: Please keep in mind that because of dialects and translations, you may encounter various ways of spelling the demons names that are described below.


text: The Demon Sha Wujing is the first demon that we are introduced to in the film. Sha Wujing takes the form of a giant fish that begins by eating the villagers as they celebrate the killing of a giant manta ray, who they all believe, against Sanzang's pleading, is the demon. Also known as the 'Water Demon' in the literature, Sha Wujing's role in the film is to introduce us to Duan and Sanzang and their styles of demon hunting.


text: The Demon Zhu Bajie is the second formidable demon that is encountered in the film. In the film, his human form is that of a mute and playful inn keeper with a waxy visage. His demon form is that of a ferocious pig. Although he tries to trick Duan and Sanzang into becoming victims, Sanzang is able to see through Zhu Bajie's illusions and works with Duan in an attempt to defeat him.


text: The final and most formidable demon that is encountered in the film is that of Sun Wukong, The Monkey King. Locked by Buddha in solitude in a hidden cave, The Monkey King first appear as a disheveled and awkward older man with monkey-like characteristics to his movements. Through many attempts at tricking Sanzang to release him, he finally succeeds, and we see The Monkey King restore himself to his greatest power and become the Demon Hunters' greatest threat.


text: The Monkey King as a character in the film adaptation of the classic Chinese literature, has further spawned many different sub-stories, including comics, graphic novels, , and theater performances, amongst other works of entertainment.


text: The initial novel was interpreted as a religious text. Early examination of the novel displayed a cross-culture of religions, from the main Buddhist references to the addition of Confucianism and Taoism. The differences throughout the film with regards to the various Eastern religions have religious scholars having different outlooks on to the specifics of the religion displayed in the film. The mix of Taoist ideas of internal alchemy and the references to Buddhism create the greatest discord amongst the religious scholars.


text: The film set several records at the Chinese box-office. The film was released on February 10, 2013 in China and opened to 78 million Yuan ($12.5 million) on its first day, thus overtaking the 70 million yuan ($11.2 million) opening-day record set by "" on June 28, 2012 as the biggest opening-day gross for a Chinese film. On February 14, 2013, the film grossed 122 million yuan ($19.6 million) and thus overtook the record of 112 million yuan by "" as the biggest single-day gross by a film in China's box-office history. The film set an opening record in China with $92.46 million.


text: To date, the film has grossed US$205 million in China, US$3.6 million in Hong Kong, US$3.2 million in Malaysia, and US$1.8 million in Singapore.


text: "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" grossed a total of US$215 million worldwide, making it highest grossing Chinese-language film ever. It was surpassed by "Monster Hunt", in 2015, as the highest Chinese film ever produced.


text: The film was well received by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 94% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 7.22/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "As sweet, silly, action-packed and ridiculous as director Steven Chow's best work, "Journey to the West" serves up dazzling action sequences while playing its disparate elements against each other with thrilling abandon." According to Metacritic, the film has received an weighted average score of 68 based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


text: Edmund Lee of "Screen International" describes the film as "a thoroughly entertaining action comedy." Andrew Chan gave the film 9/10 and writes, "Stephen Chow latest revisit to "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is a highly entertaining affair. From the get go, the audience is treated with Chow famed exaggerated style of comedy." However, the film provides its audience with something beyond entertainment. As American author Grady Hendrix says, "Now a director, Chow ups the stakes and makes what might be his most emotionally compelling movie yet".


text: Derek Kwok reported in March 2013 that there were ongoing discussions about a script for a sequel with Stephen Chow, who may appear in it himself. The film has a reported budget of around US$64 million. Filming started on 6 August 2015, starring Kris Wu as Tang Sanzang, Lin Gengxin as Sun Wukong, Mengke Bateer as Sha Wujing, Yao Chen as Taoist, and Bao Bei'er as an unannounced character, Shu Qi and Cheng Sihan reprise their roles as Duan and Master Nameless respectively.


title: Crazy Rich Asians

text: Crazy Rich Asians is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on his own childhood in Singapore. The novel became a bestseller and was followed by two sequels, "China Rich Girlfriend" in 2015 and "Rich People Problems" in 2017. A film adaptation of the novel was released on August 15, 2018.


title: Crazy Rich Asians

text: The book is told from the perspective of five main characters: Rachel Chu, Nicholas (Nick) Young, Eleanor Young, Astrid Leong, and Edison Cheng. The story revolves around the grand wedding of Singapore's most eligible bachelor, Colin Khoo, and a fashion icon, Araminta Lee, which everyone calls the wedding of the year.


title: Crazy Rich Asians

text: Rachel is a New York University (NYU) professor of economics, who is originally from Cupertino, California. She was raised by her single mother and leads a typical middle-class life. When her boyfriend Nick, an NYU professor of history, takes her to meet his family in Singapore, she is completely unaware of what is in store for her. Although he grew up in London, Nick is a Singapore native. Unknown to anyone in New York, he not only belongs to one of the top ten wealthiest families in Asia but is possibly sole heir to his family's great fortune. Despite this wealth, he was raised to be humble and to keep a low profile. Because of his upbringing, he is confident his family will approve of his simple girlfriend, but things turn out very differently than he expects.


title: Crazy Rich Asians

text: Eleanor Young is Nick's controlling mother who is obsessed with prestige and pride. Since Nick was born, she has allowed her mother-in-law, the Young family matriarch, to practically raise her only child, so that, when the time comes, she will leave the family fortune to him. As a result, Eleanor is not very involved in Nick's upbringing and is even separated from his father, who chooses to live and work in Australia to manage their family's businesses there. She is also very adamant that Nick marry someone from the close-knit, rich circle of her friends and plans to sabotage Nick and Rachel's relationship. She hires a private detective to gather information on Rachel's family, which she later attempts to use to drive Rachel out of Nick's life, but ultimately results in her son freezing her out of his life. Rachel is shocked when she learns who her father, Zhou Fang Min, is and leaves to stay with her friend Goh Peik Lin and her family.


title: Crazy Rich Asians

text: Astrid Teo (née Leong) is Nick's famous cousin whose beauty is well known all across Asia. Although she maintains a positive image to her family and society, her marriage is suffering. Michael, her long-suffering husband, is a self-made young man who is looked down on because he does not come from money. Astrid discovers that he might be having an affair with someone in Hong Kong. When she confronts him, Michael admits to having an affair and leaves. With the help of her ex-fiancé Charlie Wu, Astrid confronts him again in Hong Kong where he reveals that he has, in fact, not been having an affair and has only made it seem like he had so that she would want to divorce him, being no longer able to deal with the outsider status since he married into Astrid's family. In a last-ditch effort to help save their marriage and make Astrid happy, Charlie secretly buys shares in Michael's startup company at a highly inflated price.