title: Hughes XF-11

text: Hughes did not follow the agreed testing program and communications protocol, and remained airborne almost twice as long as planned. He may have been distracted by landing gear retraction problems, requesting that another aircraft be flown alongside to observe the operation of the gear. An hour into the flight (after onboard recording cameras had run out of film), a leak caused the right-hand propeller controls to lose their effectiveness and the rear propeller subsequently reversed its pitch, disrupting that engine's thrust, which caused the aircraft to yaw hard to the right. Rather than feathering the propeller, Hughes performed improvised troubleshooting (including raising and lowering the gear again) during which he flew away from his factory runway. Constantly losing altitude, he finally attempted to reach the golf course of the Los Angeles Country Club, but about short of the course, the aircraft suddenly lost altitude and clipped three houses. The third house was destroyed by fire, and Hughes was nearly killed.


title: Hughes XF-11

text: USAAF investigators concluded that, "It appeared that loss of hydraulic fluid caused failure of the pitch change mechanism of right rear propeller. Mr. Hughes maintained full power of right engine and reduced that of left engine instead of trying to fly with right propeller windmilling without power. It was Wright Field's understanding that the crash was attributed to pilot error," yet Hughes successfully brought suit against Hamilton Standard for the malfunctioning counter-rotating blades in the right propeller. The crash was dramatized in the 2004 biographical film "The Aviator".


title: Hughes XF-11

text: The second prototype, "44-70156", was fitted with conventional single four-bladed propellers, and was flown by Hughes on 5 April 1947. Initially, the USAAF had insisted that Hughes not be allowed to fly the aircraft, but after a personal appeal to Generals Ira Eaker and Carl Spaatz, he was allowed to do so against posting of $5 million in security. The USAAF demanded that the aircraft be trucked from Culver City to Muroc Dry Lake for the flight, fearing the repercussions of another crash in a populated area.


title: Hughes XF-11

text: This test flight was uneventful, and the aircraft proved stable and controllable at high speed. It lacked low-speed stability, however, as the ailerons were ineffective at low altitudes. When the USAAF evaluated it against the Republic XF-12, testing revealed the XF-11 was harder to fly and maintain, and it was projected to be twice as expensive to build. An F-12 production order was issued, but the USAAF ultimately canceled it in favor of the RB-50 Superfortress and Northrop F-15 Reporter, both of which had similar long-range photo-reconnaissance capability and were available at a much lower cost.


title: Hughes XF-11

text: The United States Air Force (USAF) was created as a separate service in September 1947, and the XF-11 was redesignated as the XR-11 in July 1948. The surviving prototype arrived at Eglin Field, Florida, in December 1948 from Wright Field, Ohio, to undergo operational suitability testing. The airframe was transferred to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and was authorized to be scrapped on 26 July 1949, but was used as a ground maintenance trainer by the 3750th Technical Training Wing until November 1949 when it was dropped from the USAF inventory. The F-11 program cost the federal government $14,155,235, and Hughes absorbed at least a quarter of this amount in sunk costs from the D-2.


title: Hughes XF-11

text: From 1946-1947, the U.S. Senate "Special Senate Committee Investigating the National Defense Program"—popularly known as the Truman Committee—investigated the F-11 and H-4 programs, leading to the highly publicized Hughes-Roosevelt hearings in August 1947. Maine senator and committee chairman Ralph Owen Brewster sought to discredit the rival Roosevelt family and Hughes; in addition to securing the controversial XF-11 and H-4 contracts, Hughes had also backed recent legislation that favored Trans World Airlines, which Hughes then controlled, over Pan American World Airways, which Brewster backed. The committee revealed that John Meyer had spent $169,661 () entertaining Elliott Roosevelt and other USAAF officers overseeing reconnaissance aircraft procurement. On 4 August 1947, Meyer and Roosevelt testified before the committee and denied any wrongdoing or improper influence. Howard Hughes subsequently testified before the committee and is generally thought to have successfully deflected criticism of his company's alleged mismanagement of the F-11 and H-4 contracts.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The "Revue Starlight" franchise includes stage musicals, a musical animated series, musical films, and a mobile game each telling original, interconnected stories about the training, personal lives, and growth of several groups of female performing arts students, who are distinguished from their peers as "Stage Girls" by their exceptional zeal for stage acting, ambition for stardom, and competitive nature. Over multiple school years, the characters are drawn together by these shared qualities despite their greatly different personalities and talents, while also coming into conflict in their pursuit to surpass each other.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The Stage Girls invariably settle their conflicts by performance in an otherworldly underground theatre in the round, where the "brilliance" that embodies their passion for acting empowers them to stage impromptu musical theatre revues without stagehands or audiences. In these revues, the Stage Girls sing seemingly spontaneously composed musical numbers, clash in largely hand-to-hand combat, and may even act out dramas, on an ever-changing set constructed by unmanned stagecraft. Though the Stage Girls are depicted as using real weapons, the battles end harmlessly with the removal of a piece of the opponent's stage costume, and victory is declared by standing at a taped T-mark dubbed "position zero". The franchise portrays the spectacle of these revues both on stage using choreography and stage combat, and in animation.


title: Revue Starlight

text: A talking giraffe, as well as, eventually, other denizens of the underground theatre, preside over the revues, all seeking to witness the unpredictable scenes that will play out on stage each time. The Stage Girls join some of these revues by enticement and others by their own volition, but always to fight for consequential stakes in their theatrical pursuits.


title: Revue Starlight

text: In each revue, the characters perform an original "revue song" in duets and ensembles. The franchise further includes a discography of albums and singles collecting these and other original songs, composed in various show tune styles.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The franchise also chronicles the Stage Girls' backstage exploits during school theatre productions. The plots of these plays, most prominently the fictional play "Starlight", are often recounted as a story within a story.


title: Revue Starlight

text: As the same characters appear in both staged and animated media, each character is performed live by her voice actress in stage shows and concerts.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The franchise launched in 2017 with a cast made up of nine students from Seisho Music Academy's 99th graduating class, who have since appeared as the main casts of three numbered stage plays, an anime series, two animated films, and several mangas. They have also received prominent focus in a mobile game. In addition, they have recorded most of the musical discography of the franchise under the billing of "Starlight Kuku Gumi" (スタァライト九九組, lit. "Starlight 99 Group"), and have performed the franchise's music live in three numbered concerts, as well as two orchestral concerts.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Five students from Rinmeikan Girls School, an institution specializing in traditional theatre of Japan, debuted in 2018 as additional main characters in the mobile game. They have also released one single and performed alongside Starlight Kuku Gumi in their third concert.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Five students from Frontier School of Arts, an unconventional, modern school, debuted in 2018 as additional main characters in the mobile game. They have also released one single and performed alongside Starlight Kuku Gumi in their third concert.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Five students from Siegfeld Institute of Music, an elite school fostering strong competition, debuted in 2018 as additional main characters in the mobile game. They have also released two singles, performed alongside Starlight Kuku Gumi in their third concert, and starred in a Siegfeld-focused stage play with guest appearances from each other school.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Three students from Seiran General Arts Institute debuted in 2018 in the franchise's second numbered stage play, before being added to the mobile game as additional main characters. They have also released one single, starred in a Seiran-focused stage play, and played central roles in Siegfeld's stage play.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The series began as a stage play performed at the AiiA 2.5 Theater in Tokyo. The first performances, titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #1" were held from September 22 to 24, 2017, and a re-run titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #1 revival" took place from January 6 to 8, 2018. A sequel stage play, titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #2 Transition", was performed at the Galaxy Theater in Shinagawa from October 13 to 21, 2018, with a re-run titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #2 Revival" performed at the Maihama Amphitheater in Chiba from July 12 to 15, 2019. A third stage play, titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE #3 Growth", was performed at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stellar Ball in Shinagawa from July 27 to August 1, 2021. The play was originally meant to be performed in July 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and an online prequel stage play, titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE ONLINE", was held in its place. A fourth stage play will be held in February 2023 at Tokyo Tatemono Brilla Hall.


title: Revue Starlight

text: A stage play focusing on the students of Seiran General Art Institute and a spin-off of "The LIVE #2 Transition", titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE Seiran BLUE GLITTER", was performed at the Galaxy Theater in Shinagawa from December 21 to 27, 2020.


title: Revue Starlight

text: A stage play based on the "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: Re LIVE" game and focusing on the Edels and Junior High students of Siegfeld Institute of Music, titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The LIVE Edel Delight", was performed at the Galaxy Theater in Shinagawa from February 18 to 27, 2022. A spin-off stage play focusing on the Junior High students of said school, titled "Shōjo☆Kageki Revue Starlight: The STAGE Junior High Regalia", was held at the Hikosen Theater in Taito from October 14 to 24, 2022.


title: Revue Starlight

text: A manga adaptation of the musical drawn by Tsubaki Ayasugi, titled , and a 4-panel manga series by Makimaki Mawaru, , both began serialization in Bushiroad's "Monthly Bushiroad" magazine from January 6, 2018. A third manga written by Kanata Nakamura and illustrated by Sora Goto, , began serialization in ASCII Media Works' "Dengeki G's Comic" magazine from January 30, 2018.


title: Revue Starlight

text: A 12-episode anime television series produced by Bushiroad, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Pony Canyon, Overlap, Nelke Planning and Kinema Citrus aired in Japan between July 12 and September 27, 2018. The series was directed by Tomohiro Furukawa, with Tatsuto Higuchi handling series composition and writing the scripts, Hiroyuki Saita designing the characters and Yoshiaki Fujisawa and Tatsuya Kato composing the score. In addition, most episodes feature musical numbers by various composers, with lyrics by Kanata Nakamura. The series was released on three Blu-ray Disc/DVD volumes, each containing additional original video animation shorts, between October 24, 2018, and February 27, 2019. The opening theme is , while the ending theme is "Fly Me to the Star", both performed by Starlight 99-gumi, the series' voice actors. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the anime and is streaming the series on Hidive with English, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles, and is also dubbed in English. MVM Entertainment acquired the distribution rights for the UK and Ireland via Sentai Filmworks. A spin-off comedy series, titled , was announced on March 31, 2019.


title: Revue Starlight

text: On November 3, 2019, during the "Revue Starlight 3rd StarLive 'Starry Diamond'" concert, it was announced that the series would receive two new films. The first is a compilation film titled "Rondo Rondo Rondo" that was slated to premiere on May 29, 2020, but was delayed to August 7, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is a brand-new anime film, entitled after the series itself, was planned to premiere on May 21, 2021, but was delayed to June 4, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the extension of Japan's state of emergency period.


title: Revue Starlight

text: "Rondo Rondo Rondo" is an abridged theatrical presentation of previously broadcast content from the anime series, re-edited and expanded with a few new scenes. Many dialogue scenes are removed, and several of the revue scenes segue directly into each other. Dialogues between Nana and the giraffe are added, commenting on the audition and the surrounding events.


title: Revue Starlight

text: All songs from the series appear in the film, some with new musical arrangements, except "-Star Divine- finale" and "Fly Me to the Star". The former is replaced with "Star Diamond", while the new song "Hymn to Rebirth" plays over the end credits. "The Star Knows" and "Pride and Arrogance" exchange order of appearance.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Before the end credits, Nana, in the underground theatre, notices the red star props suspended overhead as a portent of death. After the end credits, the fallen Tokyo Tower is seen in the underground theatre, and the sound of an oncoming train is heard.


title: Revue Starlight

text: "Revue Starlight the Movie" ("Gekijōban Shōjo☆Kageki Revyū Sutāraito") is a sequel film continuing from the ending shared by the anime and "Rondo Rondo Rondo". The film includes 50 minutes of musical sequences featuring six new revue songs, as well as the new end credits song "私たちはもう舞台の上" ("Watashitachi wa Mō Butai no Ue").


title: Revue Starlight

text: Having performed "Starlight" together, Hikari defeats Karen in a chaotic revue. Both the "Starlight" tower and Tokyo Tower fall to cataclysmic ruin in a desert as Hikari declares their parting.


title: Revue Starlight

text: As they enter their graduating year, all but a few of the Stage Girls of Seisho's 99th class intend to apply to the top national theatrical troupe. Karen, mourning Hikari's return to London, is without future plans.


title: Revue Starlight

text: On their way to visit the troupe, the Stage Girls are waylaid in a surprise revue when their subway train and the city landscape transform into a stage. Detached and without exertion, Nana dispatches nearly everyone, posing cryptic questions about their future that only Maya seems to comprehend ("wi(l)d-screen baroque"), and leaving them playing out a graphic tableau of death.


title: Revue Starlight

text: After receiving the unfinished "Starlight" script for their graduating performance, featuring new lines calling for change and rebirth, the Stage Girls arrive at understandings of Nana's exhortations. On another train, the giraffe, appearing in the form of vegetables, drops tomatoes which each of the Stage Girls bites into.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Karen, oblivious to all this, is left alone in a solitary train car heading through a vast desert to Tokyo Tower. In extended flashbacks, Karen's childhood since meeting Hikari is shown: once shy and withdrawn, Karen became outgoing and found her love for the stage with Hikari's encouragement. Receiving from Hikari a "Starlight" poster folded as an envelope, Karen kept the envelope as a lifelong possession. Even over years of theatre training to reunite with Hikari on the stage, however, Karen repeatedly shrank from learning about Hikari's activities.


title: Revue Starlight

text: In the underground theatre, Kaoruko, as a bakuto, deals a game of chō-han at an illicit gambling den in a Shinto shrine complex. She faces off against Futaba, as a sukajan-clad delinquent, as both crash dekotora trucks through the walls (Revue of Malice, "わがままハイウェー""Wagamama Highway"). Squabbling over Kaoruko's resentment for refusing to return to Kyoto together, Futaba offers rationalizations but cannot face Kaoruko when the scene changes to a seductive cabaret club. Atop high scaffolding, they mount opposing trucks and race head-on with weapons drawn, only to fall off together. In resignation, Kaoruko acquiesces to Futaba's victory and receives Futaba's motorcycle as a gift.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Spurred by the giraffe to search for Karen, Hikari boards a London Underground train, arriving beneath the underground theatre. Hikari finds instead Mahiru opening a multi-sport event in a track and field stadium. Forced halfheartedly into a revue that instantaneously morphs into a variety of sport competitions (Revue of Competition, "MEDAL SUZDAL PANIC◎〇●"), Hikari is defeated by Mahiru, then further menaced in a frightening pursuit through the deserted backstage. Browbeaten into tearful contrition for leaving Karen, Hikari is solaced by a once-more encouraging Mahiru in a medal ceremony and is sent on her way.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Nana coldly scorns Junna's retreat from performance to study theatre in university, offering a blade as if to prompt seppuku. After futilely attempting to ensnare Nana in a labyrinth paved in famous quotations while raining down arrows and copies of the character 星 ("hoshi", lit. "star"), Junna, reduced to tears by Nana's contempt, claims Nana's blade as her own and fights back, renouncing the quotations for words of her own (Revue of Hunting, "ペン : 力 : 刀", "Pen:Chikara:Katana"). Battling obstinately through spotlit haze, Junna steps onto an unseen position zero and defeats Nana through her shocked denial. They reconcile and part without looking back.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Confronted by Hikari on a train platform high above the clouds, the giraffe drops a tomato before bursting into flame and falling to the desert far below.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Maya and Claudine perform a play on the stage of a conventional, empty theatre (Revue of Souls, "美しき人　或いは其れは", "Utsukushiki Hito Arui wa Sore wa"). The Devil in human guise (Claudine) wagers for the soul of a stage performer (Maya) by the signature of a contract. They trick each other, in turn, with artifices as the Devil seeks to take the performer's soul in return for a display of brilliance. Discarding their roles, they goad each other into a frenzied, passionate duel across a web of aerial pathways and platforms. Claudine defeats Maya, fulfilling the contract as the stage set burns down in a towering conflagration. Holding hands, they commit once more to their rivalry to come.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Arriving on Tokyo Tower, Karen finds Hikari with a half-eaten tomato. Still speaking of only Hikari, Karen is unnerved by suddenly seeing the stage and the audience anew. Denied of another stage with Hikari, Karen falls dead as an uneaten tomato explodes. Weeping, Hikari confesses to running from her own admiration of Karen.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Hikari drops her envelope and Karen's body through a chute, beckoning Karen to return. A position zero-shaped metal box with Karen's face lands on a rail car, which carries the box through a fierce sandstorm by igniting rocket engines and launching off a ramp. The rocket exhaust incinerates, in its wake, Hikari's envelope and scenes of Karen's past life. A reborn Karen emerges from the box in front of Hikari, and both are paraded in ostentatious displays of stage lighting (The Final Lines, "スーパー スタァ スペクタクル", "Super Star Spectacle").


title: Revue Starlight

text: Hikari's radiance, visible for miles, awes Karen and snaps her sword in two. Both thrust their weapons, and Hikari stabs Karen squarely in the chest. A geyser of position zero-shaped boxes erupts forth from Karen, tearing Tokyo Tower in two. The tower's upended tip plants into a vast position zero swathed across the desert. The Stage Girls, including the others watching from afar, cast away their pelisses as the revue ends. Unharmed, Karen looks forward to her next stage as Hikari gives her a tomato.


title: Revue Starlight

text: Over the end credits, Hikari encounters the Stage Girls at their new professions and studies across the world. Karen is seen at an unspecified audition, her destination unrevealed.


title: Revue Starlight

text: A smartphone game titled "Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight -Re LIVE-" developed by Ateam and Bushiroad was released for Android devices on October 22, 2018, and an iOS version was released on October 28. The game features "gacha" gameplay elements. A worldwide version of the game, localized into English, Korean, and Traditional Chinese, was released on April 22, 2019.


title: Revue Starlight

text: In the game, players collect Stage Girls performing a variety of roles from literature, history, mythology, legends, and original stories, then build parties to challenge a growing variety of single-player and multi-player activities, most featuring leaderboards. Players can select songs from across the franchise to use as revue songs during battles.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The game story, continuing after the end of the auditions in the anime series, introduces the Seisho Stage Girls to the Rinmeikan, Frontier, and Siegfeld Stage Girls in new revues in the underground theatre, as their four schools prepare to participate in the Performance Festival, a high-profile event.


title: Revue Starlight

text: At first, the Stage Girls battle collectively against forces causing "Starlight", as well as other plays treasured by each school, to be forgotten by the general public. They then discover that these battles were manifestations of the writings of a five-year-old girl, Elle, who wishes to witness the Stage Girls perform those plays. The Stage Girls decide to continue to perform Elle's stories in revues.


title: Revue Starlight

text: In late 2019, after the game cast performed the real-life "Starry Diamond" concert, including six original revue songs by mixed ensembles between the four schools, the game launched stories, events, and characters depicting the Stage Girls competing in a series of Greek mythology and constellation-themed revues using these songs. However, the "Starry Diamond" story did not continue past its first two parts.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The next phase of the story, "Arcada Arcadia", is written by Tatsuto Higuchi, the scriptwriter of the anime series, and remains ongoing. In "Arcana Arcadia", the Stage Girls return to the underground theatre, performing in a new audition to inspire a future play yet to be written by Elle, and to compete for the yet-unknown leading role. At the same time, the Stage Girls are all cast in an original ensemble cast play for the Performance Festival, performing roles based on the Major Arcana, and become driven to outperform each other despite the lack of a leading role. Each part of the story debuted an original revue song.


title: Revue Starlight

text: The game also launched time-limited cross-promotional events for franchises including Hatsune Miku, "BanG Dream!", "Love Live! Sunshine!!", "Symphogear", "Steins;Gate", Pacific League baseball, and "Sakura Wars". Crossover characters from the Sakura Wars franchise were added to the game as playable Stage Girls.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: The present 14th Dalai Lama has suggested different possibilities to identify the next (15th) Dalai Lama, but has not publicly specified the ritual qualifications and alleged mystical signs upon the method of rebirth would occur. On 5 February 1940, request to exempt Lhamo Thondup from lot-drawing Golden Urn process to become the 14th Dalai Lama was approved by the Central Government.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: The selection process remains controversial, as the atheist Chinese government has declared ownership on the selection process using the Golden Urn for the next Dalai Lama.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: Following the Buddhist belief in the principle of rebirth, the Dalai Lama is believed by Buddhists to be able to choose the body into which he is reincarnated. That person, when found, will then become the next Dalai Lama. According to Buddhist scholars it is the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa tradition and the Tibetan government to seek out and find the next Dalai Lama following the death of the incumbent. The process can take a long time. It took four years to find the 14th (current) Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. The search is generally limited to Tibet, although the current Dalai Lama has said that there is a chance that he will not be reborn, and that if he is, it would not be in a country under Chinese rule. To help them in their search, the High Lamas may have visions or dreams, and try to find signs. For example, if the previous Dalai Lama was cremated, they can watch the direction of the smoke to suggest where the rebirth will take place.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: When these signs have been interpreted and a successor found, there is a series of tests believed to ensure that they are the genuine reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama. They assess the candidate against a set of criteria, and will present the child with various objects to see if they can identify those which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. If a single candidate has been identified, the High Lamas will report their findings to eminent individuals and then to the Government. If more than one candidate is identified, the true successor is found by officials and monks drawing lots in a public ceremony. Once identified, the successful candidate and his family are taken to Lhasa (or Dharamsala) where the child will study the Buddhist scriptures in order to prepare for spiritual leadership.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: According to Tibetan Buddhism the Tulkus do not have to take rebirth in a continuous sequence of lives in this world.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: The first article of 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet states that the purpose of Golden Urn is to ensure prosperity of Gelug, and to eliminate cheating and corruption in the selection process. The Qianlong Emperor published The Discourse of Lama in 1792 to explain the history of lamas and the reincarnation system, while also explaining why he thought it would be a fair system of choosing them, as opposed to choosing reincarnated lamas based on private designation, or based on one person's decision. The edict was also claimed to reduce the influence of corrupt families acquiring influence by holding multiple religious positions.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: The Golden Urn became institutionalized in the State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 of the Central Government. Article 7 states that no group or individual may carry out activities related to searching for and identifying the reincarnated soul boy of the Living Buddha without authorization. Article 8 states that lot-drawing ceremony with Golden Urn is applicable to those rinpoches, or lamas who were reincarnated previously in history.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: Request of exemption is handled by State Administration for Religious Affairs, for those with great impact, request of exemption is handled by State Council.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: The Dalai Lama stated in 2007 that the next Dalai Lama could possibly be a woman, remarking, "If a woman reveals herself as more useful the lama could very well be reincarnated in this form". On 24 September 2011, the Dalai Lama issued a statement concerning his reincarnation giving exact signs on how the next one should be chosen, the place of rebirth and that the Chinese appointed Dalai Lama should not be trusted.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: In October 2019, the 14th Dalai Lama stated that because of the feudal origin of the Dalai Lama reincarnation system, the reincarnation system should end.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: On August 3, 2007, State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 was issued by China which states that all the reincarnations of tulkus of Tibetan Buddhism must get government approval, otherwise they are "illegal or invalid". Rule 8 says approval for request is required if lot-drawing process using Golden Urn is exempted.


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: In 2015, the Chairman Padma Choling (白玛赤林) of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Tibet said:


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: The apparent contradiction that an atheist government is involved in the afterlife and re-incarnation did not go unnoticed. As described by Jonathan Kaiman for the Los Angeles Times: "In China, it's not easy to become a "living Buddha". First come the years of meditation and discipline. Then comes the bureaucracy. (...) Although the ruling Communist Party is an officially atheist organization – officials are barred from practicing religion – it is perennially uncomfortable with forces outside of its control, and has for years demanded the power to regulate the supernatural affairs of Tibetan Buddhist figures, determining who can and cannot be reincarnated."


title: Succession of the 14th Dalai Lama

text: Some analysts opine that even if China uses Golden Urn to pick a future Dalai Lama, it will lack the legitimacy and popular support needed to be functional, as Tibetan Buddhists all over the world would not recognize it. According to Tibetan scholar Robert Barnett "This is one of the chief indicators that China has failed in Tibet. It's failed to find consistent leadership in Tibet by any Tibetan lama who is really respected by Tibetan people, and who at the same time endorses Communist Party rule." Lobsang Sangay, Sikyong (prime minister) of the Tibetan government-in-exile disparaged rules from the Qing Dynasty, said: "It's like Fidel Castro saying, 'I will select the next Pope and all the Catholics should follow'".


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson () is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. Nelson is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in New Zealand – it was established in 1841 and became a city by royal charter in 1858.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson City is bordered to the west and south-west by Tasman District Council and to the north-east, east and south-east by Marlborough District Council. The Nelson urban area has a population of , making it New Zealand's 15th most populous urban area.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson is well known for its thriving local arts and crafts scene; each year, the city hosts events popular with locals and tourists alike, such as the Nelson Arts Festival. The annual Wearable Art Awards began near Nelson and a local museum, World of WearableArt now showcases winning designs alongside a collection of classic cars.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson was named in honour of the Admiral Horatio Nelson who defeated both the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Many roads and public areas around the city are named after people and ships associated with that battle and Trafalgar Street is the main shopping axis of the city. Inhabitants of Nelson are referred to as Nelsonians.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In an article to "The Colonist" newspaper on 16 July 1867, Francis Stevens described Nelson as "The Naples of the Southern Hemisphere". Today, Nelson has the nicknames of "Sunny Nelson" due to its high sunshine hours per year or the "Top of the South" because of its geographic location.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is signed by putting the index and middle fingers together which are raised to the nose until the fingertips touch the nose, then move the hand forward so that the fingers point slightly forward away from oneself.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Settlement of Nelson began about 700 years ago by Māori. There is evidence the earliest settlements in New Zealand are around the Nelson-Marlborough regions. Some of the earliest recorded iwi in the Nelson district are Ngāti Hāwea, Ngāti Wairangi, Waitaha and Kāti Māmoe. Waitaha people developed the land around the Waimea Gardens, are believed to have been the first people to quarry argillite in around Nelson. They also developed much of the Waimea Gardens complex – more than 400 hectares on the Waimea Plains near Nelson. In the early 1600s, Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri displaced other te Tau Ihu Māori, becoming the dominant tribe in the area until the early 1800s. Raids from northern tribes in the 1820s, led by Te Rauparaha and his Ngāti Toa, soon decimated the local population and quickly displaced them.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Today there are eight mutually recognised tribes of the northernwestern region: Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Rangitāne, Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama and Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The New Zealand Company in London planned the settlement of Nelson. They intended to buy from the Māori some of land which they planned to divide into one thousand lots and sell to intending settlers. The company earmarked profits to finance the free passage of artisans and labourers, with their families, and for the construction of public works. However, by September 1841 only about one third of the lots had sold. Despite this the colony pushed ahead, and land was surveyed by Frederick Tuckett.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Three ships, the "Arrow", "Whitby", and "Will Watch", sailed from London under the command of Captain Arthur Wakefield. Arriving in New Zealand, they discovered that the new Governor of the colony, William Hobson, would not give them a free hand to secure vast areas of land from the Māori or indeed to decide where to site the colony. However, after some delay, Hobson allowed the Company to investigate the Tasman Bay area at the north end of the South Island. The Company selected the site now occupied by Nelson City because it had the best harbour in the area. But it had a major drawback: it lacked suitable arable land; Nelson City stands right on the edge of a mountain range while the nearby Waimea Plains amount to only about , less than one third of the area required by the Company plans.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Company secured land from the Māori, that was not clearly defined, for £800: it included Nelson, Waimea, Motueka, Riwaka and Whakapuaka. This allowed the settlement to begin, but the lack of definition would prove the source of much future conflict. The three colony ships sailed into Nelson Haven during the first week of November 1841. When the four first immigrant ships – "Fifeshire", "Mary-Ann", "Lord Auckland" and "Lloyds" – arrived three months later, they found the town already laid out with streets, some wooden houses, tents and rough sheds. Within 18 months the Company had sent out 18 ships with 1052 men, 872 women and 1384 children. However, fewer than ninety of the settlers had the capital to start as landowners.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The early settlement of Nelson province included a proportion of German immigrants, who arrived on the ship "Sankt Pauli" and formed the nucleus of the villages of Sarau (Upper Moutere) and Neudorf. These were mostly Lutheran Protestants with a small number of Bavarian Catholics.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: After a brief initial period of prosperity, the lack of land and of capital caught up with the settlement and it entered a prolonged period of relative depression. The labourers had to accept a cut in their wages. Organised immigration ceased (a state of affairs that continued until the 1850s). By the end of 1843, artisans and labourers began leaving Nelson; by 1846, some 25% of the immigrants had moved away.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The pressure to find more arable land became intense. To the south-east of Nelson lay the wide and fertile plains of the Wairau Valley. The New Zealand Company tried to claim that they had purchased the land. The Māori owners stated adamantly that the Wairau Valley had not formed part of the original land sale and made it clear they would resist any attempts by the settlers to occupy the area. The Nelson settlers led by Arthur Wakefield and Henry Thompson attempted to do just that. This resulted in the Wairau Affray, where 22 settlers died. The subsequent Government inquiry exonerated the Māori and found that the Nelson settlers had no legitimate claim to any land outside Tasman Bay. Public fears of a Māori attack on Nelson lead to the formation of the Nelson Battalion of Militia in 1845.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson township was managed by the Nelson Provincial Council through a Board of Works constituted by the Provincial Government under the Nelson Improvement Act 1856 until 1874. It was proclaimed a Bishop's See and city under letters patent by Queen Victoria on 27 September 1858, the second New Zealand city proclaimed in this manner after Christchurch. Nelson only had some 5,000 residents at this time. Edmund Hobhouse was the first Bishop. The Municipal Corporations Act 1876 stated that Nelson was constituted a city on 30 March 1874.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson City has a coat of arms, obtained in 1958 from the College of Arms to mark the Centenary of Nelson as a City. The blazon of the arms is:


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Motto ""Palmam qui meruit ferat"" (Let him, who has earned it, bear the palm). This motto is the same as that of Lord Nelson.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: From 1853 until 1876, when provincial governments were abolished, Nelson was the capital of Nelson Province. The province itself was much larger than present-day Nelson City and included all of the present-day Buller, Kaikoura, Marlborough, Nelson, and Tasman, as well as the Grey District north of the Grey River and the Hurunui District north of the Hurunui River. The Marlborough Province split from Nelson Province in October 1859.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson Anniversary Day is a public holiday observed in the northern half of the South Island of New Zealand, being the area's provincial anniversary day. It is observed throughout the historic Nelson Province, even though the provinces of New Zealand were abolished in 1876. The modern area of observation includes all of Nelson City and includes all of the present-day Buller, Kaikoura, Marlborough, Tasman districts as well as the Grey District north of the Grey River / Māwheranui and the Hurunui District north of the Hurunui River. The holiday usually falls on the Monday closest to 1 February, the anniversary of the arrival of the first New Zealand Company boat, the "Fifeshire" on 1 February 1842.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Anniversary celebrations in the early years featured a sailing regatta, horse racing, running races, shooting and ploughing matches. In 1892, the Nelson Jubilee Celebration featured an official week-long programme with church services, sports, concerts, a ball and a grand display of fireworks.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In 1858 the Nelson Provincial Council erected a time gun at the spot on Brittania Heights where in 1841, Captain Wakefield erected his flagpole. The gun was fired each Saturday at noon to give the correct time. The gun is now preserved as a historical relic and the Songer Tree marks the site on Signal Hill of the original flagpole.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson-Tasman area comprises two unitary authorities – Nelson City, administered by the Nelson City Council, and Tasman District, administered by the Tasman District Council, based in Richmond to the southwest. It is between Marlborough, another unitary authority, to the east, and the West Coast Regional Council to the west.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: For some while, there has been talk about amalgamating Nelson City and the Tasman District to streamline and render more financially economical the existing co-operation between the two councils, exemplified by the jointly owned Port Nelson and the creation of Nelson Tasman Tourism, a jointly owned tourism promotion organisation.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: However, an official poll conducted in April 2012 showed nearly three-quarters of those who voted in Richmond were opposed to the proposal with a narrow majority in favour.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson has beaches and a sheltered harbour. The harbour entrance is protected by a Boulder Bank, a natural, bank of rocks transported south from Mackay Bluff via longshore drift. The bank creates a perfect natural harbour which enticed the first settlers although the entrance was narrow. The wreck of the "Fifeshire" on Arrow Rock (now called Fifeshire Rock in memory of this disaster) in 1842 proved the difficulty of the passage. A cut was later made in the bank in 1906 which allowed larger vessels access to the port.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The creation of Rocks Road around the waterfront area after the Tāhunanui slump in 1892 increased the effects of the tide on Nelson city's beach, Tāhunanui, and removed sediment. This meant the popular beach and adjoining car park were being eroded (plus the sand dunes) so a project to replace these sands was put in place and has so far proved a success, with the sand rising a considerable amount and the dunes continuing to grow.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson territorial authority area is small (just 445 km) and has four main waterways, the Whangamoa, Wakapuaka, Maitai and Roding Rivers. The Roding River, the southernmost in Nelson, arises in the hills between Mount Meares and Dun Mountain. From there it flows westward before entering the Tasman District where it eventually joins the Waimea River which flows into Waimea Inlet near Rabbit Island. The Maitai River flows westward from the Dun Mountain area into the town centre of Nelson before entering the Nelson Haven then Tasman Bay via 'The Cut'. Major tributaries of the Maitai River are: York and Brook Streams plus Sharland, Packer, Groom, Glen, Neds, Sclanders, Beauchamp and Mill Creeks. The Wakapuaka River, which flows north from the Saddle Hill area to its mouth at Cable Bay in North Nelson, has two main tributaries, the Lud and Teal Rivers. Entering Tasman Bay near Kokorua in the north of Nelson, the Whangamoa River is the longest waterway in Nelson.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Smaller waterways in the south of Nelson include: Saxton Creek, Orchard Stream, Poorman Valley Stream, Arapiki Stream, Jenkins Creek and Maire Stream.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The central city of Nelson, also referred to as the central business district (CBD), is bounded by Halifax Street to the north, Rutherford Street to the west, Collingwood Street to the east, and Selwyn Place to the south. Other major streets within the CBD include Trafalgar Street, Bridge Street and Hardy Street.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson commuter belt extends to Richmond, Brightwater, Hope, Māpua and Wakefield in the Tasman District.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson is surrounded by mountains on three sides with Tasman Bay on the other and the region is the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, Kahurangi National Park, Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa in the Nelson Lakes National Park.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: It is a centre for both ecotourism and adventure tourism and has a high reputation among caving enthusiasts due to several prominent cave systems around Takaka Hill and Mounts Owen and Arthur, which hold the largest and deepest explored caverns in the southern hemisphere.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb), with mild winters and warm summers. Nelson has rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year and has fewer frosts due to the highly marine geography of New Zealand. Winter is the stormiest time, when gales and storms are more common. Nelson has one of the sunniest climates of all major New Zealand centres, earning the nickname 'Sunny Nelson' with an annual average total of over 2400 hours of sunshine. The highest recorded temperature in Nelson is , the lowest .


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson has a monument on Botanical Hill, near the centre of the city. The walk to this is called the ""Centre of New Zealand walk"". Despite the name, this monument does not mark the actual geographic centre of New Zealand.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Instead, the monument marks the "zero, zero" point to which the first geodetic surveys of New Zealand were referenced. These surveys were started in the 1870s by John Spence Browning, the Chief Surveyor for Nelson. From this 360-degree viewpoint, survey marks in neighbouring regions (including Wellington in the North Island) could be triangulated and the local surveys connected.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In 1962, Dr Ian Reilly from the now defunct Department of Scientific and Industrial Research calculated the geographic centre of New Zealand (including Stewart Island and some smaller islands in addition to the North and South Island, but excluding the Chathams) to be in a forest in Spooners Range southwest of Nelson at .


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Owing to the coarse nature of the underlying data (use of rectangular areas of 7.5 minutes of arc on each side), the centre calculated by Dr Reilly has quite large error margins. Recalculating the result with more modern and accurate data shows the geographic centre of New Zealand is approximately 60 km southwest of Nelson, in the Big Bush Conservation Area north of Saint Arnaud, New Zealand.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson Region covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson Region had a population of 50,880 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 4,443 people (9.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 7,992 people (18.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 19,821 households. There were 24,804 males and 26,076 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 43.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 9,027 people (17.7%) aged under 15 years, 8,469 (16.6%) aged 15 to 29, 23,541 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 9,843 (19.3%) aged 65 or older.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Ethnicities were 86.7% European/Pākehā, 10.7% Māori, 2.3% Pacific peoples, 7.1% Asian, and 2.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Although some people objected to giving their religion, 56.2% had no religion, 31.8% were Christian, 0.9% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 1.2% were Buddhist and 2.6% had other religions.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Of those at least 15 years old, 9,150 (21.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 7,674 (18.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $29,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 5,634 people (13.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 19,311 (46.1%) people were employed full-time, 7,119 (17.0%) were part-time, and 1,278 (3.1%) were unemployed.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson economy (and that of the neighbouring Tasman District) is based on the 'big five' industries; seafood, horticulture, forestry, farming and tourism. Port Nelson is the biggest fishing port in Australasia. There are also a range of growth industries, including art and craft, aviation, engineering technology, and information technology. The region is sixth in terms of GDP growth in the 2007–10 period.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The combined sub-national GDP of Nelson and Tasman District was estimated at $3.4 billion in 2010, 1.8% of New Zealand's national GDP.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson is home to various business agencies that serve the city and its surrounds, including Nelson Tasman Tourism (NTT), which aims to promote the region and help advertisers reach visitors from New Zealand and overseas, and the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency (EDA), which works to "coordinate, promote, facilitate, investigate, develop, implement, support and fund initiatives relating to economic development [and] employment growth ... within the Nelson region ..."


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In 2013, Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio worked on a proposal that would see Australian call centres for companies such as Gen-i and Xero relocated to Nelson. The plan was in response to Australian companies moving call and contact centres out of Asia because their Australian customers preferred English-speaking centres. If the plan was successful, Mr Miccio expected 100 to 300 jobs paying NZ$50,000-plus in the first year to be created in Nelson.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: As a unitary authority, the Nelson City Council has the combined responsibilities and functions of both a territorial (local) and regional council. This is different from most other local authorities in New Zealand. More often a regional council is a separate organisation with several territorial authorities (city or district councils) within its borders. Other unitary authorities are the Auckland Council, Gisborne District Council, Marlborough District Council, Tasman District Council and the Chatham Islands Council.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson City Council currently holds its elections under the First Past the Post electoral system once every three years, with the most recent election held on 12 October 2019. Electors vote by indicating their choice for Mayor by placing a tick beside one of the names and the person who receives the most votes becomes Mayor. Councillors are elected the same way but voters could cast multiple votes, with the 12 candidates who each receive the most votes becoming Councillors. Voters in this system may vote for no more than 12 candidates. The elections are conducted by post over a three-week period to make it as convenient as possible for people to vote.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The other option permitted under the Local Electoral Act 2001, but not currently used in Nelson, is the Single Transferable Vote system. Multiple-member districts are used. Electors vote by ranking candidates in order of preference by placing a number beside candidates' names. The elector can mark a preference for one or up to the total number of candidates on the paper. The number of votes required for a candidate to be elected, the quota, depends on the number of positions to be filled and the number of valid votes. (Election of mayor may be held using the Instant-runoff vote method.)


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Under the Local Electoral Act 2002, the Nelson City Council can resolve to change the electoral system to be used for the next two elections, and it must review this decision every six years. A referendum was held in 2003 to decide which electoral system would be used for the 2004 and 2007 Nelson City Council elections. The outcome was that the First Past the Post system was retained. The 2008 review retains that system for the 2010 and 2013 elections.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: On 12 October 2013, Rachel Reese was elected as Nelson's first woman mayor after receiving 1,500 votes more than incumbent mayor Aldo Miccio.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: As of the 2020 general election, Nelson is held by Rachel Boyack of the Labour Party. The Maori electorate Te Tai Tonga, which covers the entire South Island and part of Wellington in the North Island, is currently held by Labour and represented by Rino Tirikatene.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: As the major regional centre, the city offers many lodgings, restaurants, and unique speciality shopping such as at the Jens Hansen Goldsmiths where "The One Ring" in "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy was designed.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The first rugby union match in New Zealand took place at the Botanic Reserve in Nelson on 14 May 1870, between the Nelson Suburbs FC and Nelson College, and an informative commemorative plaque was renovated at the western edge of the grassed area by Nelson City Council in 2006.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Whakatū Marae, in the suburb of Atawhai, is the "marae" (meeting ground) of Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Kōata, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui. It includes the Kākāti "wharenui" (meeting house).


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In October 2020, the Government committed $240,739 from the Provincial Growth Fund to restore the marae, creating an estimated 9 jobs.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The tallest building in Nelson is the tall Rutherford Hotel located on the west edge of Trafalgar Square. Unlike many towns and cities in New Zealand, Nelson has retained many Victorian buildings in its historic centre and the South Street area has been designated as having heritage value.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson has a large number and variety of public parks and reserves maintained at public expense by Nelson City Council. Major reserves include Grampians Reserve, close to the suburb of Braemar, and the botanical Reserve in the east of Nelson, close to The Wood.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Natureland Zoological Park is a small zoological facility close to Tāhunanui Beach. The facility is popular with children, where they can closely approach wallabies, monkeys, meerkats, llamas and alpacas, Kune Kune pigs, otters, and peacocks. There are also turtles, tropical fish and a walk through aviary. Although the zoo nearly closed in 2008, the Orana Wildlife Trust took over its running instead. It looked like a bright future ahead for Natureland and its staff but since the repeated earthquakes in Christchurch in 2011 and the damage to Orana Park, Orana Wildlife Trust are uncertain of the future of Natureland.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The main hospital in Nelson is the Nelson Hospital. It is the seat of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson Central Police Station, located in St John Street, is the headquarters for the Tasman Police District. The Tasman Police District has the lowest crime rate within New Zealand.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Several gangs have established themselves in Nelson. They include the now disbanded Lost Breed and the Red Devils a support club for the Hells Angels. The Rebels Motorcycle Club also have a presence in the wider Nelson-Tasman area.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson City Municipal Electricity Department (MED) established the city's public electricity supply in 1923, with electricity generated by a coal-fired power station at Wakefield Quay. The city was connected to the newly-commissioned Cobb hydroelectric power station in 1944 and to the rest of the South Island grid in 1958. The grid connection saw the Wakefield Quay power station was relegated to standby duty before being decommissioned in 1964.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Today, Nelson Electricity operates the local distribution network in the former MED area, which covers the CBD and inner suburbs, while Network Tasman operates the local distribution network in the outer suburbs (including Stoke, Tāhunanui and Atawhai) and rural areas.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson Airport is located southwest of the city, at Annesbrook. The airport operates a single terminal and 1,347-metre (4,420 ft) runway, and in 2018 was the fifth-busiest airport in New Zealand by passenger numbers. There are more than a million passenger movements using the airport terminal annually and the airport averages 90 aircraft movements every day, with a plane taking off or landing every 4.5 minutes during scheduled hours.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: It is primarily used for domestic flights, with regular flights to and from Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Kapiti Coast, Palmerston North and Wellington. Nelson Airport is home to Air Nelson, which operates and maintains New Zealand's largest domestic airline fleet and was also the headquarters of Origin Pacific Airways until their collapse in 2006. Sounds Air offers flights from Nelson to Wellington.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In 2006, the airport received restricted international airport status to facilitate small private jets.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In February 2018, the approach road to the airport was flooded when the adjoining Jenkins Creek burst its banks during a storm that brought king tides and strong winds. The airport was closed for about one hour. In 2022, the NZ SeaRise programme identified Nelson airport as one area of particular vulnerability to sea level rise, with a projected subsidence of per year. The airport's Chief Executive said that the proposed runway extension would be planned around the latest sea level rise forecast, and that the airport was "here to stay", despite the concerns over the threats posed by sea level rise.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Port Nelson is the maritime gateway for the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions and a vital hub for economic activity. The following shipping companies call at Port Nelson:


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In the mid-1994, a group of local businessmen, fronted by local politician Owen Jennings proposed building a deep-water port featuring a one-kilometre-long wharf extending from the Boulder Bank into Tasman Bay, where giant ships could berth and manoeuvre with ease. Known as Port Kakariki, the $97 million project was to become the hub to ship West Coast coal to Asia, as well as handling logs, which would be barged across Tasman Bay from Mapua.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In January 2010 the Western Blue Highway, a Nelson to New Plymouth ferry service, was proposed by Port Taranaki. However, to date neither the Interislander nor Bluebridge have shown any interest in the route.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The 'Anchor Shipping and Foundry Company' was formed 31 March 1901 from the earlier companies of Nathaniel Edwards & Co (1857–1880) and the Anchor Steam Shipping Company (1880–1901). The Anchor Company never departed from its original aim of providing services to the people of Nelson and the West Coast of the South Island and was never a large company; it only owned 37 ships during its history. At its peak around 1930 there were 16 vessels in the fleet. The company operated three nightly return trips per week ferry service between Nelson and Wellington and a daily freight service was maintained between the two ports in conjunction with the Pearl Kasper Shipping Company while another service carried general cargo on a Nelson-Onehunga route. In 1974, the Anchor Company was sold and merged into the Union Company.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: NBus provides public transport services between Nelson and Richmond, as well as on four local routes around Nelson city.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Late Late Bus is a weekend night transport service between Nelson and Richmond. NBus Cards were replaced by on 3 August 2020.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: InterCity provides daily bus services connecting Nelson with towns and cities around the South Island.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: There are no conventional bus services to Nelson Airport: the airport is served by a fleet of shuttle vans provided by several operators including Nelson Bays Shuttles & Coaches and Super Shuttles. Airport shuttle vans typically travel non-stop to or from the airport and about the city and suburbs picking up or dropping passengers at each address.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson is one of only three major urban areas in New Zealand without a rail connection – the others being Taupo and Queenstown. The Nelson Section was an isolated, gauge, government-owned railway line between Nelson and Glenhope. It operated for years between 1876 and 1955.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: In 1886, a route was proposed from Nelson to the junction of the Midland Railway Company at Buller via Richmond, Waimea West, Upper Moutere, Motueka, the Motueka Valley, Tadmor and Glenhope.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The only sign of rail activity in Nelson today is a short heritage operation run by the Nelson Railway Society from Founders Heritage Park using their own line between Wakefield Grove and Grove. The society has proposed future extensions of their line, possibly into or near the city centre. There have been several proposals to connect Nelson to the South Island rail network, but none have come to fruition.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The Nelson urban area is served by , which runs in a north to southwest direction. The highway travels through the city and nearby town of Richmond, continuing southwest across the plains of the Wairoa and Motueka Rivers. Plans to construct a motorway linking North Nelson to Brightwater in the south have so far been successful. A number of studies have been undertaken since 2007 including the 2007 North Nelson to Brightwater Study, the Southern Link Road Project and the Arterial Traffic Study. On 28 June 2013, the Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio and Nelson MP Nick Smith jointly wrote to Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee seeking for the Southern Link to be given Road of National Significance (RoNS) status.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Other significant road projects proposed over the years include a cross-city tunnel from Tāhunanui Drive to Haven Road; or from Annesbrook (or Tāhunanui) to Emano Street in Victory Square; or from Tāhunanui to Washington Valley.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The passenger and freight company Newmans Coach Lines was formed in Nelson in 1879, and merged with Transport Nelson in 1972.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson hosts two tertiary education institutions, the main one being Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. The institute has two main campuses, one in Nelson and the other in Blenheim, in the neighbouring Marlborough region. The Institute has been providing tertiary education in the Nelson-Marlborough region for the last 100 years.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: Nelson also has a University of Canterbury College of Education campus which currently has an intake two out of every three years for the primary sector


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: The city is served by all major national radio and television stations, with terrestrial television (Freeview) and FM radio. Local radio stations include The Hits (formerly Radio Nelson), More FM (formerly Fifeshire FM), The Breeze, ZM (formerly The Planet 97FM) and community station Fresh FM. The city has one local television station, Mainland Television.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: "The Nelson Examiner" was the first newspaper published in the South Island. It was established by Charles Elliott (1811–1876) in 1842, within a few weeks of New Zealand Company settlers arriving in Nelson. Other early newspapers were "The Colonist" and the "Nelson Evening Mail". Today the "Nelson Mail" publishes four days a week and is part of the Fairfax Group. The "Nelson Mail" also publishes the weekly community papers "The Nelson Leader" and "The Tasman Leader". The city's largest circulating newspaper is the locally owned "Nelson Weekly", which is published every Wednesday.


title: Nelson, New Zealand

text: "WildTomato" is a glossy monthly lifestyle magazine, focused on the Nelson and Marlborough regions – the Top of the South Island of New Zealand. The regional magazine was launched by Murray Farquhar as a 16-page local magazine in Nelson in July 2006.


title: Sean

text: Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name "Yohanan" (), Seán (anglicized as "Shaun/Shawn/Shon") and Séan (Ulster variant; anglicized "Shane/Shayne"), rendered "John" in English and Johannes/Johann/Johan in other Germanic languages. The Norman French "Jehan" (see "Jean") is another version.


title: Sean

text: The name was adopted into the Irish language most likely from "Jean", the French variant of the Hebrew name "Yohanan". As Gaelic has no letter (derived from ; English also lacked until the late 17th Century, with "John" previously been spelt "Iohn") so it is substituted by , as was the normal Gaelic practice for adapting Biblical names that contain in other languages ("Sine"/"Siobhàn" for "Joan/Jane/Anne/Anna"; "Seonaid"/"Sinéad" for "Janet"; "Seumas"/"Séamus" for "James"; "Seosamh"/"Seòsaidh" for "Joseph", etc.). In 1066, the Norman duke, William the Conqueror conquered England, where the Norman French name Jahan/Johan (, ) came to be pronounced "Jean", and spelled John. The Norman from the Welsh Marches, with the Norman King of England's mandate invaded parts of Leinster and Munster in the 1170s. The Irish nobility in these areas were replaced by Norman nobles, some of whom bore the Norman French name Johan or the anglicised name John. The Irish adapted the name to their own pronunciation and spelling, producing the name Seán (or Seathan). Sean is commonly pronounced (Irish: "Seán" ; (Ulster dialect: ) or (Irish: , with fada on , not , thus leading to the variant Shane.)


title: Sean

text: The name was once the common equivalent of John in Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland, but has been supplanted by a vulgarization of its address form: "Iain" or "Ian". When addressing someone named Seán in Irish, it becomes "a Sheáin" , and in Scotland was generally adapted into Scots and Highland English as Eathain, Eoin, Iain, and Ian ("John" has traditionally been more commonly used in the Scots-speaking Lowlands than any form of Seán). Even in Highland areas where Gaelic is still spoken, these anglicisations are now more common than Seán or Seathan, undoubtedly due in part to registrars in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland having long been instructed not to register Gaelic names in birth or baptismal registrations.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: Kottayan Katankot Venugopal (born 6 September 1931) is an Indian constitutional lawyer and a senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India. On 1 July 2017, he was appointed as the Attorney General of India and retired on 30 September, 2022. He is Patron of SAARCLAW (A regional apex body of SAARC) and earlier has been its President. He is founder of M K Nambyar SAARCLAW Centre For Advanced Legal Studies at the NALSAR Law University.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: Venugopal was born in a Nair family to M. K. Nambiar and Kalyani Nambiar in Kanhangad, a town in the South Canara district of Madras Presidency of British India (present-day Kerala, India), and grew up in Mangalore.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: Venugopal did his B.Sc in Physics from the prestigious Madras Christian College, Chennai and law from Raja Lakhamgouda Law College, Belgaum. He had also studied at the St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: Venugopal served as President of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA - International Association of Lawyers) from 1996 to 1997.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: Venugopal has appeared in many high-profile cases. Most significantly, he was appointed by the Royal Government of Bhutan to serve as the Constitutional adviser for drafting of the Constitution of Bhutan. On 30 June 2017, he was appointed as the Attorney General of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 88-year-old succeeded Mukul Rohatgi, who stepped down after the first term. Venugopal held the office of Additional Solicitor General in Morarji Desai’s Government. He has appeared in a variety of cases in the last 50 years. Venugopal was appointed as amicuscuriae to assist the Supreme Court in the high profile 2G spectrum case.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: In 2015, he was conferred Padma Vibhushan award by the Government of India. This is the second-highest civilian honour in India. In 2002, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour.


title: K. K. Venugopal

text: Venugopal is one of the main advocates for judicial reforms in India. He is against the creation of regional benches of the Supreme Court of India. Instead, he recommends that Courts of Appeal be established in the four regions of the country, who finally decide on appeals from the High Court judgments in all cases other than cases of national importance which affect the whole country, disputes between States or between States and the Centre, Presidential references and substantial questions of law relating to interpretation of the Constitution. This will relieve the burden on Supreme Court.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: USS "Essex" (LHD-2) is a Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) in service with the United States Navy. The amphibious assault ship was built at what is now Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was launched 23 February 1991 and commissioned on 17 October 1992 while moored at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island. She is the fifth ship named for Essex County, Massachusetts. "Essex" served as the command ship for Expeditionary Strike Group Seven until replaced by on 23 April 2012.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: "Essex" conducted a training program during the spring of 1993, and from 18 August until 23 November, was undergoing upgrades, during Post Shakedown Availability, in Long Beach harbor.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: "Essex"s maiden deployment was in October 1994. With the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) (Special Operations Capable (SOC)) embarked. In January 1995, she left the Persian Gulf to prepare for the complex task of covering the withdrawal of United Nations multinational force from Somalia in Operation United Shield. Under fire from advancing Somalis, every member of the force was successfully extracted. "Essex" returned to San Diego on 25 April 1995.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: After a short maintenance period, "Essex" embarked on a vigorous workup cycle, culminating in her participation in Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), a biennial, seven-nation naval exercise. On 10 October 1996, she embarked on her second Western Pacific deployment with the 11th MEU (SOC) and Amphibious Squadron Five. During the deployment, "Essex" participated in multinational exercises with Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait, as well as Exercise Tandem Thrust 1997, an American-Australian combined exercise with over 28,000 troops, 250 aircraft, and 40 ships participating.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: On her return in April 1997, "Essex" went into a short maintenance period, followed by a shortened workup cycle. She then departed for her third Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf deployment on 21 June 1998 with the 15th MEU (SOC) and Amphibious Squadron Five. "Essex" participated in Exercises Sea Soldier and Red Reef and Military SALT and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations with the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. Additionally, "Essex" supported Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the UN-mandated no-fly zone over southern Iraq.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: On 26 July 2000, after successful completion of the largest crew swap in U.S. Navy history, "Essex" replaced and inherited the distinctive role as the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in United States Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: While in her forward-deployed role, "Essex" has participated in various humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations including East Timor in October and November 2001 and Foal Eagle in Korea in 2002.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: In 2004, "Essex" carried the 31st MEU to Kuwait, along with and . "Essex" stayed in the Persian Gulf while the 31st MEU and the combat element 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines went into Iraq for the Battle of Fallujah. During that time, "Essex" went to aid in Operation Unified Assistance in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the December 2004 tsunami. She then returned to the Persian Gulf to embark the 31st MEU SOC and the combat element despite being in need of maintenance. After picking up the MEU and the Combat Element, the three ships returned to Okinawa, Japan. The ship had been at sea for a total of eight months.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: During the 2008 Myanmar Cyclone Nargis crisis and the subsequent Operation Caring Response aid mission, "Essex" and her amphibious group (made up of "Juneau", "Harpers Ferry", and the destroyer ) stood by off Burma from 13 May to 5 June, waiting for the Myanmar junta government to permit US aid to its citizens. In early June, with permission still not forthcoming, it was decided to put the group back on its scheduled operations.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: Early in 2009, "Essex" completed exercise Cobra Gold, which had been cut short the previous year. "Essex" followed this with exercise Balikatan with the Republic of the Philippines. "Essex" then got underway in support of exercise Talisman Saber 2009 and conducted various well deck and flight deck evolutions supporting this joint bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Australian military forces.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: In February, at the conclusion of exercise Cobra Gold 2010, "Essex" visited Laem Chabang in Thailand.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: During 21–23 October, the "Essex" Expeditionary Strike Group provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the Philippines after the Super Typhoon Juan (international name Megi) caused extensive destruction to municipalities along the eastern coast of the Province of Isabela. The crew was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: At the request for assistance from the Japanese government, the Navy directed "Essex" to be deployed off the northeastern coast of Honshu after the massive 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The ship was involved in relief activities in the Sea of Japan off Akita Prefecture. Helicopters from the ship helped deliver relief supplies to quake and tsunami survivors along the northeast coast of Tohoku.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: The ship departed Sasebo in September 2011 to patrol the western Pacific. Accompanying the ship were the landing ships and .


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: In November, a Petty Officer 1st Class was fatally injured aboard "Essex" during a weapons systems test while the ship was off the coast of Bali. A command report released in early 2012 cited "breakdown of safety procedures, protocol violations and gross negligence".


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: While "Essex" was scheduled to depart for Cobra Gold 2012, an annual exercise with Thailand, her participation was canceled due to maintenance issues.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: It was announced in January 2012 that "Essex" would be returning to her former home port of San Diego, California, after 11 years of forward deployment in Japan. Before departing for San Diego, the "Essex" crew will perform a hull swap with the crew of fellow "Wasp"-class sister-ship, "Bonhomme Richard", to continue their deployment to Sasebo, but aboard the newly arrived ship.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: On 16 May 2012, "Essex" suffered an apparent steering failure while approaching for an underway replenishment. The two ships collided, causing damage to both ships. There were no injuries, and no loss of fuel was reported. Both ships were able to continue to San Diego under their own power. On 19 June 2012 the Navy announced that the ship's commander, Captain Chuck Litchfield, had been relieved of command due to "loss of confidence in his ability to command."


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: An investigation determined that the collision was avoidable and caused by improper supervision by Litchfield over his junior bridge crew. Although "Essex"s steering had failed, the investigation determined that better leadership by Litchfield could have prevented the collision. The investigation recommended administrative action against "Essex"s executive officer, Officer Of the Deck (OOD), conning officer, and helm safety officer.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: After two years of dry-dock and pier side maintenance, "Essex" executed an on-time underway to conduct sea trials in April 2014. "Essex" also received an aviation certification in May 2014 by showing proficiency in the launching, landing and refueling of various helicopters and MV-22 Ospreys on the flight deck. "Essex" was one of the three US Navy ships, the other two being and , in which the US Navy installed metal 3D printers.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: On 30 November 2015, "Essex" and her Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), embarked with the 15th MEU entered the United States Third Fleet Area of Operations (AO), returning from a deployment that spread across the 5th, 6th and 7th AOs.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: On 7–9 October "Essex" was in San Francisco, and along with , was open to visitors as part of the "San Francisco Fleet Week" event.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: In September 2018 the "Essex" ARG with the F-35B equipped Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) aboard deployed to the United States Central Command AO. On 27 September, it was reported that the first-ever F-35B airstrike was launched from "Essex" against a fixed Taliban target.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: The coronavirus pandemic was reported to have spread to the crew of "Essex" when its first case was reported on 17 March. The sailor had been attending a course at Naval Base San Diego since 6 February 2020 when the test returned positive on 14 March. The student subsequently self-isolated at home.


title: USS Essex (LHD-2)

text: On 27-30 May, "Essex" and were open to the public as a part of Los Angeles Fleet Week 2022, in San Pedro, California.


title: This Year's Model

text: This Year's Model is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover for his debut album "My Aim Is True" (1977), Costello formed the Attractions – keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation) – as his permanent backing band. Recording sessions took place at London's Eden Studios in eleven days between late1977 and early1978. Nick Lowe returned as producer, and Roger Béchirian acted as engineer. Most of the songs were written prior to the sessions, and debuted live during the latter half of 1977.


title: This Year's Model

text: Embracing new wave, power pop and punk rock, the songs draw from bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The lyrics explore subjects such as technologies of mass control and failing relationships, but in a manner that some reviewers found misogynistic. Echoing the lyrics of some of the tracks, the cover artwork, designed by the English graphic artist Barney Bubbles, shows Costello behind a camera placed on a tripod, emphasising his role as an observer.


title: This Year's Model

text: The accompanying singles "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up" were commercially successful and the album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart. The American LP was released in May1978 through Columbia Records. Substituting "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally" for "Radio Radio", it reached number 30 on "Billboard" Top LPs & Tape chart. "This Year's Model" also received critical acclaim; reviewers highlighted strong songwriting and performances, while also admiring Costello and the band as artists. The album appeared on year-end lists in both the UK and the US.


title: This Year's Model

text: In later decades, "This Year's Model" has been acclaimed as one of Costello's best works, some critics commenting on its influence on punk and new wave. It has appeared on several lists of the greatest albums of all time and has been reissued multiple times with bonus tracks. In 2021, Costello spearheaded a new version of the album titled "Spanish Model", which featured songs from "This Year's Model" sung in Spanish by Latin artists over the Attractions' original backing tracks. It received favourable reviews and charted on several "Billboard" charts.


title: This Year's Model

text: Elvis Costello was backed on his debut album "My Aim Is True" (1977) by the California-based country rock act Clover, whose laid-back approach he felt did not fit the sound of the times. Wanting a harder and sharper sound, he decided to assemble a permanent backing band. The first musician hired was Pete Thomas, former drummer of Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers; the second hired was Bruce Thomas, a bassist whose previous involvements included several folk rock albums earlier in the decade; and last Steve Nieve, who had no prior band experience and had trained at the Royal College of Music. With Costello on guitar, he and the band, now named the Attractions, made their live debut on 14July 1977. Shortly after the release of "My Aim Is True" eight days later, the group performed an unauthorised show outside a Columbia Records convention, which led to Costello's arrest. The stunt attracted the attention of record executive Greg Geller, who months later became integral in signing Costello to Columbia in the United States.


title: This Year's Model

text: Costello and the band were on tour for the most of the rest of 1977. The dates included the Greatest Stiffs Live Tour with other Stiff Records artists and their first tour of America. During this time, Stiff co-founder Jake Riviera departed Stiff due to disputes with label co-founder Dave Robinson. Per Costello's management contract, Costello followed Riviera and left Stiff for Radar Records but retained his American deal with Columbia. His final release for Stiff was that October's "Watching the Detectives", his first single to reach the UK top 20. In the meantime, Costello had written a large amount of new material which would appear on "This Year's Model".


title: This Year's Model

text: According to author Graeme Thomson, Costello's reputation in the US grew faster than in the UK. He was acclaimed in publications such as "Time" and "Newsweek" and approached to appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, which took place the day after the tour's end. During the appearance, Costello and the Attractions played "Watching the Detectives" and began "Less Than Zero" before Costello abruptly cut the band off and counted them into the then-unreleased "Radio Radio", a critique of the commercialisation of broadcasting. The impromptu stunt angered producer Lorne Michaels and resulted in Costello's banning from "Saturday Night Live" until 1989.


title: This Year's Model

text: "This Year's Model" was recorded during a break in Costello's touring schedule. Recording took place at Eden Studios, a 24-track studio in Acton, London, beginning towards the end of December 1977 and completing in early January 1978. Costello later said the entire album was recorded in about eleven days. The band briefly paused to play a three-night residency at London's Nashville Rooms, which concluded on Christmas Eve 1977. Nick Lowe returned from "My Aim Is True" as producer and, in Thomson's words, was the "mad professor", pushing the band's energy further to attain the best performance. Like the debut, Lowe primarily wanted to capture the songs live with few overdubs. Acting as a foil to Lowe was engineer Roger Béchirian, who Costello recalled was tasked with interpreting Lowe's commands, such as "turn the drums into one big maraca" or "make it sound like a dinosaur eating cars".


title: This Year's Model

text: Costello stayed at Bruce Thomas's flat during the sessions. According to Thomson, Costello remained focused despite keeping himself apart from his wife Mary during this time, which eventually led to their separation. Most of the songs had been written and performed live with the Attractions before the recordings. One of the final tracks written was "Pump It Up", which Costello began writing outside a hotel fire escape during the Live Stiffs tour, debuting the song two days later and properly recording it in the studio a week after that. Having frequently played the tracks live, the band were able to complete them with few overdubs; some of Costello's live guide vocals ended up in the final mix. Bruce Thomas recalled: "We literally did the best tracks on the album – "Pump It Up", "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" – in one afternoon. It was like Motown. We'd just go in, play them, and that was it." Despite the fast-paced nature of the sessions, Béchirian recalled Costello coming off the tour with "radiating energy":


title: This Year's Model

text: Thomson says the sessions were "vibrant", productive and completed without difficulty. They began each day around 11 a.m. and finished around 9 p.m. According to Béchirian, "the whole thing was really good, it was really friendly, very positive. Everyone was really excited because they were the stars of the moment." Costello and the Attractions collaborated during the songwriting process. Although Costello preferred an "immaculate approach" to songwriting, wherein he would not present songs to the musicians until they were fully written, the Attractions offered suggestions that helped shape the songs. For "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea", Costello based the guitar parts on the 1964 tracks "I Can't Explain" by the Who and "All Day and All of the Night" by the Kinks, which the band used to create new figures to make "Chelsea" stand out on its own. The band recorded several outtakes, including "Radio Radio" and "Big Tears", the latter featuring a guest contribution from the Clash guitarist Mick Jones. Other tracks written or demoed included "Crawling to the U.S.A.", "Running Out of Angels", "Green Shirt" and "Big Boys".


title: This Year's Model

text: The album was mixed at Eden by Béchirian with Lowe and Costello in attendance; Costello did not contribute due to his relative inexperience in the studio. The mixing console had been custom-built by Béchirian in the early 1970s after the studio had changed locations. According to author Mick St. Michael, Lowe intentionally made the record louder than its predecessor. Béchirian recalled in an interview with "Mix" magazine that Lowe's primary goal was to "make sure the bass sat in well with the kick" and to bring Costello's voice to the forefront. With the record completed, Costello and the Attractions toured America in January 1978.


title: This Year's Model

text: In the 2002 liner notes, Costello mentioned the Rolling Stones' "Aftermath" (1966) as a major influence on "This Year's Model". Musically, the album embraces several styles, including new wave, power pop, punk rock, and pop rock; St. Michael also recognised references to Merseybeat and glam. According to biographer Tony Clayton-Lea, rather reusing the rockabilly and country sounds of "My Aim Is True", "This Year's Model" opts for straightforward pop music "as influenced by punk rock". AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine, on the other hand, defines the album as pure punk, with music that is "nervous, amphetamine-fueled, [and] nearly paranoid".


title: This Year's Model

text: In a contemporary interview with "Creem" magazine, Costello said the record contained less humour than its predecessor: "It's more vicious overall but far less personal, though." Referencing technologies of mass control, from corporate logos to night rallies, Hinton writes that the lyrics are "strongly visual, as befits the voyeurism which fuels many of the songs". References to objects such as cameras, films and telephones are present throughout many tracks, in both positive and negative lights, which author David Gouldstone argues creates a disillusioned world where greed and revenge are dominant. Like the cover artwork itself, the mechanical imagery emphasises observation rather than participation. Themes of uncertainty between reality and artifice previously emerged on "Watching the Detectives", and appear throughout "This Year's Model" on tracks such as "Pump It Up", "This Year's Girl" and "Living In Paradise". Author James E. Perone interprets songs like "Lipstick Vogue", "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "This Year's Girl" as relating to Costello's former job working at cosmetics and perfume company Elizabeth Arden.


title: This Year's Model

text: Some reviewers identified themes of misogyny. In 1978, the writer Jon Pareles found the album "so wrong-headed, so full of hatred, [and] so convinced of its moral superiority" in "Crawdaddy" magazine. Drawing comparisons to "Aftermath" similar lyrical content, "Sounds" magazine's Jon Savage said that "at least on occasion Elvis has the grace to make clear that it's a two-way process and at fault. Just wanna be your victim...". Costello himself later wrote in the 2002 reissue's liner notes that he never understood the misogynistic accusations, believing they "clearly contained more sense of disappointment than disgust". Costello's failure to get the girl is the focal point of most of the relationships described in the album. "Rolling Stone" writer Kit Rachlis agreed, stating that all romances on the album are over or are about to commence, including a situation where he is unsure of whether to answer the phone or not ("No Action") or coming to terms after rejecting all compromises ("Lipstick Vogue").


title: This Year's Model

text: "No Action" begins with Costello's solo voice. The lyrics detail the regret of a failed relationship. Gouldstone said that the song is the first example of Costello using "thematic punning", meaning the incorporation of references that indirectly relate to the song's main subject; "No Action", in this case, uses a telephone as comparisons to the narrator's companion. According to Costello, "This Year's Girl" was written as an "answer song" to the Rolling Stones' "Stupid Girl" (1965). Other influences included the mid-1960s works of the Beatles. In his 2015 memoir, Costello wrote that the song discusses how men see women and what they desire from them. The song's subject has achieved fame through fashion but it is only temporary, as by the next year, another girl will take her place. Once she realises it as time runs out, she feels cheated but by then it is too late. "The Beat" is primarily led by Nieve's keyboard and the rhythm section of Bruce and Pete Thomas. The song explores the uncertainties and pains of adolescence and early manhood, and Hinton regards it as the closest thing on the album to romantic love. It quotes Cliff Richard's "Summer Holiday" (1963) as a way to express enjoyment before the narrator is sought after by vigilantes.


title: This Year's Model

text: "Pump It Up" was based on the stylings of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (1965) and Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business" (1956). An energetic attack on a female chic society's member, the song takes place in a nightclub, where its self-important members aspire to fit into high society, seeking purpose. The vocals are fuelled by obsessive sexual desire, while the rhythmic guitar riff is likened by Gouldstone to heavy metal. Writing for AllMusic, Mark Deming's stated that the song "perfectly captures the giddy but terrifying feeling of a wild, adrenaline-fueled all-night party that's dangling on the verge of collapse." A softer track changing from soft soul to Burt Bacharach, "Little Triggers" is about a failing relationship caused by the woman's indifference. The 'little triggers' refer to the small things that occur in the beginning of a relationship that make it meaningful, such as kissing, body-brushing and lip expressions. "RAM" magazine's Anthony O'Grady called it "a hypnotic, frustrated, hurt love song that's almost the mirror image of 'Alison' [from "My Aim Is True"]." "You Belong to Me" is heavily in debt to the Rolling Stones, using the same riff as "The Last Time" (1965). Lyrically, it is a plea for sexual freedom and is full of resentment and anger. Musically, AllMusic's Stewart Mason likens it to 1960s garage rock.


title: This Year's Model

text: The track "Hand in Hand" opens with guitar feedback evoking the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. Although the music provides a Merseybeat shuffle, the dark and revenge-driven lyrics follow two lovers walking hand in hand straight to Hell. Like "No Action" and "My Aim Is True" "I'm Not Angry", the narrator tries to deal with chaotic emotions by denying they ever occurred. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" is a ska-infected rocker that was originally directly influenced by the works of the Who, before Bruce and Pete Thomas contributed new rhythms that made the track stand out on its own. Lyrically, the song attacks fashionable society; the girl is described as 'last year's model', as she has suffered a fall from grace. According to Rachlis, "Chelsea represents Costello's nightmare world of success, where deceit is masked by propriety and last year's model is thrown out with yesterday's wash." "Lip Service" represents a culmination of Beatles influences into a track that contains sexual innuendos, both in its lyrics and title. It is primarily led by Bruce Thomas's bassline, which Hinton compares to the sound of the Hollies. The partially vague lyrics express a narrator's sexual frustrations on a would-be lover and observations on insincerity around him.


title: This Year's Model

text: "Living in Paradise" was written in 1975 when Costello was a member of the pub rock band Flip City. O'Grady calls it as "shuffling power-pop reggae detailing how dreams of soft-living actualise in soul-decaying corruption". Morgan Troper of "PopMatters" maintained that it abandons the punk workings of the rest of the album for a ska-type rhythm. According to Gouldstone the track has themes already present in the album's other songs, including misogynistic ideals. "Lipstick Vogue" is described by AllMusic's Tom Maginnis as a showcase for the band's energy and skill. It opens with a drum fill by Pete Thomas before Bruce Thomas and Nieve drive on bass and keyboards, respectively. Reflecting themes of alienation, the song is about the perils of imperfect love. "Night Rally" provides commentary on the then-prevalent UK National Front. It presents, in Hinton's words, a "nightmare of state control and worse" that argues how totalitarianism infiltrates and affects society. Costello compares conglomerate corporations to these types of governments, in how they attempt to control the people. It cuts off abruptly, ending the album on, in St. Michael's words, "an explicit and disturbingly pessimistic note".


title: This Year's Model

text: The original UK cover artwork for "This Year's Model" was deliberately off-centre, making the title appear as "His Year's Model" and the artist "Lvis Costello". The design by Barney Bubbles left a printers' colour bar intact along the right side. The American and Swedish sleeves were lined up correctly and not off-centre. Riviera's F-Beat Records released a May 1980 issue with an aligned sleeve, which has been retained for all subsequent releases.


title: This Year's Model

text: Photographed by Chris Gabrin, the front cover depicts Costello in his signature black framed glasses, wearing a dark suit with a polka dot shirt, glaring from behind a camera on a tripod. In Thomson's words, he is "expressionless" and "both observed and observing". According to Hinton, it was a "careful reconstruction" of David Hemmings from Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow Up" (1966). The British cover had Costello standing back with his hands open; on the American cover, he crouched forward with both hands gripping the camera like a gun; a third shot was also used for the Swedish release. The back cover depicts Costello and the Attractions in a small, dimly lit hotel room reacting to a television with mock horror. Three of them are wearing black ties while Nieve dons a V-neck pullover. The inner sleeve depicts a robotic hand gripping a miniature TV on which Costello is playing, standing on one leg, and the other side depicts four colour-coded and dismembered mannequin bodies wearing string vests in a laundromat. Hinton states that the label's gimmick at the time was off-centre sleeves and avant-garde inner fold images.


title: This Year's Model

text: The Attractions were acknowledged on the LP labels but did not receive sleeve credits on the original release. The LP labels contain text between the holding spirals reading "Special pressing No. 003. Ring 434-3232. Ask for Moira for your prize". Packaged with the first 50,000 copies of the LP was a free 7" single containing "Stranger in the House", an outtake from "My Aim Is True" left off the album due to its country-influenced sound, with a live cover of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" as the B-side. The first American pressings contain Costello's rather than Columbia's logo.


title: This Year's Model

text: The band's North American tour before the album's release lasted from January to . The setlist consisted of tracks from both "My Aim Is True" and "This Year's Model", as well as B-sides and covers. The tour was positively received, but contributed to the growing exhaustion of Costello and the Attractions.