title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both the state and in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: The "Town of Strother" (not to be confused with a town of the same name in Monroe County) was founded by William B. Howard in October 1865. He named it for his wife, Maria D. Strother, the daughter of William D. Strother formerly of Bardstown, Kentucky. Howard came to Jackson County in 1842 from Kentucky, married Maria in 1844, and by 1850 he and Maria had and a homestead five miles (8 km) north of town. Howard was arrested for being a Confederate in October 1862, near the beginning of the Civil War, and after being paroled he took his family back to Kentucky for the duration of the war. After the war ended he returned and, knowing that the Missouri Pacific Railroad was surveying a route in the area, platted the town with in the fall of 1865 as the town of Strother.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: In November 1868, the town's name was changed to the "Town of Lee's Summit", most likely to honor early settler Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea, who had moved to Jackson County in 1849 from Bradley County, Tennessee. Lea was listed as the postmaster of nearby Big Cedar in the 1855 "United States Official Postal Guide". Dr. Lea was killed in August 1862 by Kansas Jayhawkers (or Redlegs).


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: When the surveyors for the Missouri Pacific Railroad came through, the local people and the railroad wanted to name the town in Dr. Lea's honor. He had a farm on the highest point and near the path of the tracks, and his murder had taken place near the site of the proposed depot. So they chose the name of "Lea's Summit", the "summit" portion to reflect its highest elevation on the Missouri Pacific Railroad between St. Louis and Kansas City. But they misspelled the name "Lees Summit" (with two "e's"; "Lee" instead of "Lea"; and leaving out the apostrophe) on a boxcar that was serving as a station and donated by the Missouri Pacific, then a sign next to the tracks, and finally in the printed time schedule for the railroad. Legend states that the name was spelled wrong on the side of the Missouri Pacific depot and has remained Lee's Summit ever since.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Others claim that the town was named after famed Civil War General Robert E. Lee after Southerners began moving north into Missouri after the war due to the timing of General Lee's death compared to Dr. Lea's death. This is attributed to a quote in the "Louisville Journal", January 3, 1866.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Since the name was already being circulated and published with two "e's", the town petitioned the state legislature and incorporated its name in 1868 as: "Town of Lee's Summit".


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: The spelling is unusual because apostrophes are typically not included in place names due to potential confusion regarding whether the place is owned by the namesake person. Most possessive place names lack an apostrophe, such as Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Boardmans Point, New Hampshire.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: The growth of the town can be studied through historic Sanborn maps, which document building types and uses in the city during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: In 1913, R. A. Long, the owner of a lumber company, began building his estate, named Longview Farm, on the western edge of the city and into part of Kansas City. When complete, it had a mansion, five barns and 42 buildings in the . Harrison Metheny, grandfather of jazz legend Pat Metheny, was an electrician during Longview's construction. The farm also had a church, Longview Chapel Christian Church, which was completed in 1915. It soon became internationally known as a showplace farm. Today, one of the horse barns is home to Longview Farm Elementary, and the site of Longview Community College. The church and mansion are on the National Register of Historic Places. Other parts of the farm have been turned into Longview Lake, Longview Community College, and a development called New Longview. Lee's Summit is also home to Missouri Town 1855 and Lee's Summit Historical Cemetery.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: In 2006, CNN/Money and "Money" magazine ranked Lee's Summit 44th on its list of the "100 Best Cities to Live in the United States". That ranking improved to 27th on the 2010 list.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Lee's Summit is located at (38.922607, −94.374127). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: According to a 2017 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $83,601, and the population was 95,270. The median property value was estimated at $200,300.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: As of the census of 2010, there were 91,364 people, 34,429 households, and 25,126 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 36,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 8.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: There were 34,429 households, of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 22.8% were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 11.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 70,700 people, 26,417 households, and 19,495 families living in the city. The population density was 1,188.0 people per square mile (458.7/km). There were 27,311 housing units at an average density of 458.9 per square mile (177.2/km). The racial makeup of the city was 93.17% White, 3.47% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: There were 26,417 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. Of all households, 22.0% were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: The median income for a household in the city was $60,905, and the median income for a family was $70,702. Males had a median income of $49,385 versus $32,837 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,891. About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Lee's Summit is a charter form of government, represented by a Mayor and a city council. Each of the four districts are represented by two councilmembers whose terms are staggered and expire every four years. No councilmember may serve more than two consecutive terms.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Lee's Summit is served by parts of three public school districts: Lee's Summit R-VII School District, Blue Springs R-IV School District, Raymore-Peculiar R-II School District. Lee's Summit has four religious private schools as well: Summit Christian Academy (formerly Lee's Summit Community Christian School), Our Lady of Presentation Catholic School, Lee's Summit Academy (formerly Libby Lane Academy), and St. Michael the Archangel Catholic High School. Longview Community College is located on the extreme western edge of Lee's Summit. The college is part of Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City) or MCC for short. It also is home to the Summit Technology Center which is a branch campus of the University of Central Missouri. Lee's Summit is also home to a branch of Baker University.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Lee's Summit has three public libraries, branches of the Mid-Continent Public Library, on Oldham Parkway, Colbern Road, and a new branch on Blue Parkway.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Lee's Summit experiences a four-season humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification "Dfa") with cold days and nights during the winter, and hot days and muggy nights during the summer.


title: Lee's Summit, Missouri

text: Two general medical and surgical hospitals which provide emergency services—Lee's Summit Medical Center and Saint Luke's East Hospital—are both located in Lee's Summit.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Theodoros Zagorakis ( ; born 27 October 1971) is a Greek politician and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was the captain of Greece that won UEFA Euro 2004, and was also president of PAOK. He was named the Greek Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. He was elected as a Greek MEP at the May 2014 European Parliament election. He was also the president of the HFF from March to September 2021.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis was a central midfielder who could also play on the right side of midfield. He started his career with Kavala in 1988, the club that also produced Zisis Vryzas, with whom he became close friends. He was an important part of helping the team get into the Beta Ethniki.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: In the 1992–93 season, Zagorakis left Kavala as a winter transfer to join PAOK, part of a string of star transfers made that season. He played for PAOK until December 1997, and also captained the squad in his last two seasons. He rarely missed a league derby and scored important goals, particularly in 1994–95 when he struck four, his best-ever tally.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis left for English club Leicester City the following winter and signed for Martin O'Neill's side in 1998. While in England, he took part in two consecutive League Cup finals at Wembley Stadium, losing the first against Tottenham Hotspur in 1999 and defeating Tranmere Rovers in the second, though he was an unused substitute in the latter. Zagorakis will always be fondly known by Leicester fans for his sheer determination in midfield and also his goalkeeping cameo against Crystal Palace, in a 3–3 draw, where he went in goal after Pegguy Arphexad and then Tim Flowers went off injured.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis was disappointed with Leicester manager Martin O'Neill's reluctance to use him regularly and decided to return to Greece in 2000. He moved to AEK Athens, and played alongside fellow countrymen such as Michalis Kapsis, Vasilios Lakis, Demis Nikolaidis and Vasilios Tsiartas. He formed an excellent duo in midfield with both Akis Zikos and Kostas Katsouranis, helping with his game in the defensive part and also in the organization of the offense, where he also competed at times as a captain. A goal with AEK was against Inter Milan at Giuseppe Meazza with a great shot for the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup. With AEK, Zagorakis won the Greek Cup in 2002 against rivals Olympiacos. Zagorakis, during his last season in AEK, has accepted a reduced pay-off which is reported to be £220,000.""He showed he genuinely has the club's best interests at heart and is free to take up any of the great offers from teams abroad,"" said a club statement. In the summer of 2004, having the best moment of his career at the Euro in Portugal and with AEK in a difficult administrative situation, he left the team.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: On 14 July 2004, he left AEK Athens for Bologna, signing a two-year contract worth €1.5 million per year. Zagorakis–who was voted player of the tournament in Portugal–was released by AEK Athens and joined Bologna on a Bosman free transfer. "Zagorakis is our Greek Baggio", Bologna owner Giuseppe Gazzoni Frascara told the newspaper. In 2004–05, Zagorakis was a regular feature in the squad, but the team found itself relegated to Serie B after a play-out series against Parma. In the following summer, he was released from the team as they couldn't afford his payroll under the new conditions.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: The Player of the Tournament at UEFA Euro 2004 will arrive in Thessaloniki to sign the deal with PAOK. The midfielder was released by Bologna following the Italian team's relegation from Serie A, and rejoins one of his old clubs. Zagorakis eventually signed a two-year contract with PAOK for €700,000 a year. When Zagorakis landed at Makedonia Airport in Thessaloniki, 7,000 supporters were there to welcome him back. His return however coincided with a turbulent period, with the club many financial and administrative problems. On 28 May 2007, after the fifth Greek Super League All-Star Game, Zagorakis announced his retirement from professional football.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis received his first cap for Greece on 7 September 1994, against the Faroe Islands. He scored his first goal against Denmark in 2006 World Cup qualifying, in Athens, while earning his 101st cap. Numbering 120 caps, Zagorakis was Greece's all-time leader in international games played until 12 October 2012, when Giorgos Karagounis made his 121st appearance for the national team. He earned his 100th against Kazakhstan on 17 November 2004, and was the team's longest-serving captain.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis played an important role in Greece's win in the 2004 European Championships, and was named the Player of the Tournament by UEFA and consequently he was in the Team of the Tournament. FIFA named Zagorakis as a contender for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award (he finished in 17th place alongside Spain's and Real Madrid's legend, Raúl), as well as UEFA named him for the 2004 Ballon d'Or award (he finished in fifth place), behind the likes of Ronaldinho (third place) and Thierry Henry (fourth place). He holds the record of most consecutive matches (57) (except one in 2006 because of injury) of the national team (due to either injury or not selection) since his first cap in a period of 12 years.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: After 12 full playing years as the captain for Greece, Zagorakis announced his retirement from international football on 5 October 2006. More specifically, Greece captain was considering retiring after his team's European championship qualifier against Norway in Athens on 2 October 2006, has also been called up for the match against Bosnia four days later, officials said.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: On 22 August 2007, however, he played for the last time with the national side, in a special friendly match against Spain in Toumba Stadium, Salonica. He played for about 15 minutes and was then replaced by Giannis Goumas, receiving an applause by fans singing his name.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Following his retirement as a footballer, after many widespread rumours, it was announced that he was to become PAOK's new president, on 18 June 2007.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: The club had been in dire financial straits for several years. Zagorakis undertook to sort out finances by attracting investors, increasing revenue and mobilising the club's fan base. In his unifying first statement he said: ""The strength of PAOK lies in its supporters, its fans...I would have not made this decision"" (to retire from playing and assume administration) ""if i did not love my club. The situation for PAOK is very difficult and I will not try to hide its problems; instead I will do all I can to solve the pressing financial issues.""


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Soon he set about restructuring the club's debt and team, and recruited former teammate Zisis Vryzas as technical director. As of late 2008, PAOK has been able to pay off most of its accumulated debt, seen a steady increase in ticket sales and advertising revenue, and team performance on the field has improved considerably, under the coaching of Portuguese manager Fernando Santos.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: On 15 December 2008, Zagorakis announced a major issue of new stock by the club, valued at €22.3 million. He appealed to small investors and stated that, although it is unlikely that the entire sum could be covered in a worldwide crisis environment, he felt confident that the expected influx of capital would enable PAOK finally to put its past problems behind and focus on future growth.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: On 8 October 2009, Zagorakis surprised fans and press alike by announcing his decision to quit the presidency. In a short announcement on the club's official website, he cited that personal problems have led him to this decision. He was rapidly replaced by his close friend Zisis Vryzas.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Nevertheless, he kept close contact with his former associates, and also frequently attended the club's home games alongside Vryzas. Zagorakis finally changed his mind and on 20 January he reprised his position as president, with Vryzas stepping down to assume the post of vice-president.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: In January 2012 Zagorakis resigned as president after the sale of Vieirinha for financial reasons provoked a supporters' protest.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis was described by UEFA.com as a "combative, industrious defensive midfielder with a powerful right-foot shot".


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: Zagorakis is looking to kick-off a new career in politics by becoming a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). He was a New Democracy candidate for the European Parliament in the elections of 25 May 2014. He was elected as an MEP and became a member of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats). He was unveiled as one of the party's hopefuls by the Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras.


title: Theodoros Zagorakis

text: In January 2020, a Committee of Professional Sports (with members placed by Sports Minister Lefteris Avgenakis) proposed the relegation of PAOK FC and Xanthi FC. Zagorakis stated that he could no longer be MEP for New Democracy after this. The party's leader and PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided his deletion. Several MP's said that Zagorakis was elected in European Parliament to represent Greece, not PAOK.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: David McMillan (born 1956) is a British-Australian former drug smuggler who is best known for being the only Westerner on record as having successfully escaped Bangkok's Klong Prem prison. His exploits were detailed in several books and in the 2011 Australian telemovie "".


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: McMillan was born in Saint Marylebone, London, England, on 9 April 1956. He is the son of John McMillan CBE, who was the controller of Associated-Rediffusion Television, and his Australian wife. After his parents separated, he emigrated to Australia with his mother and sister. He attended Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne, Victoria. After working as a cinema projectionist and camera operator in Sydney, he began a short-lived career in advertising with Masius Wynne Williams in Melbourne.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: A part-time job at a city cinema introduced McMillan to the fringes of the underworld; a group of safe-crackers who had turned to narcotics when police surveillance curtailed their traditional profession. Connections with the free-marijuana hippie lobbyists brought those two worlds together and a tempting opportunity for McMillan, who was well-travelled. At the time, he was a distributor of the monthly magazine, "The Australasian Weed", a drug-reform periodical, and advocated the complete lifting of the prohibition against drugs for recreational use. McMillan then began a career as a drug smuggler, during which he developed the bag-duplication system at Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport in the late 1970s as he smuggled hashish from India. In 1979, McMillan fell out with disgraced peer Lord Tony Moynihan after the exiled lord attempted to trap McMillan in a gambling-sting operation using the large-scale bets of the Chinese-run cockfights in Manila. Moynihan had hoped to employ McMillan's technical expertise to detonate an explosive capsule in the necks of fighting cocks, and so determine the winners.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: Moynihan planned only to swindle McMillan out of the betting stake after a test game. McMillan was alerted to the scam by his Chinese film-making friends and left the Philippines after cautioning Moynihan. Moynihan would later move on to hoodwink smuggler Howard Marks in the 1980s, resulting in Marks's conviction and imprisonment in America. Imprudent spending attracted the attention of federal police when a Clénet Coachworks car was imported from California bearing papers that had greatly undervalued the vehicle. This slip-up led to a major investigation which eventually revealed houses, businesses and properties along the eastern coast of Australia bought with cash and valued in millions of dollars. These assets later became the subject of Australia's first important confiscation of drug-earned assets. At the peak of his career in the 1980s, McMillan was a multi-millionaire and maintained homes, offices and apartments all over the world.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: After three years, McMillan and business partner Michael Sullivan were arrested following Operation Aries, a Victoria Police/Federal Police taskforce operation reported to have cost over A$2 million. McMillan and Sullivan, along with their partners, Clelia Teresa Vigano and Mary Escolar Castillo respectively, had been arrested on 5 January 1982 for conspiracy to import heroin. The four had several false passports between them and stood trial with S. Chowdury and Brendan Healy on twelve counts of conspiring to import drugs between 1979 and 1981. Healy was acquitted on all charges, and nine others accused of the conspiracy accepted indemnity against prosecution in exchange for testifying against their co-conspirators. McMillan stood accused of travelling under 30 false passports and keeping station houses in London, Brussels and Bangkok. The trial heard charges of an attempt to escape Melbourne's high-security Pentridge Prison by helicopter using former SAS personnel in a scheme engineered by a vengeful Lord Moynihan.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: The prosecution opposed bail for Castillo, who had a four-month-old baby with Sullivan, because she had access to funds and it was thought she could flee to her wealthy parents in her native Colombia. The police surgeon reported that all four defendants were habitual heroin users. Clelia Vigano and Mary Castillo were two of three women who died in a fire at HM Prison Fairlea on the evening of Saturday 6 February 1982. After her death, Castillo's baby went into the custody of Sullivan's mother. The consequent six-month trial produced 116 witnesses and a hung jury that finally returned a verdict after seven days sequestration. Despite being acquitted of 11 of the 12 counts, McMillan was found guilty of the remaining count and was sentenced to 17 years, before being released in 1993 on parole. During the trial, agents from the United States’ Drug Enforcement Administration testified against the Thai national Chowdury who they believed had links to the Golden Triangle's third biggest heroin exporter, and to the kidnap and murder of an agent's wife in Chiang Mai. McMillan denied any connection with Chowdury, and was acquitted of the relevant charge, however the American involvement led to a lifelong antipathy between the DEA and McMillan.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: While on parole, McMillan flew to Thailand, travelling under the name Daniel Westlake. After a close call at Don Muang airport, he was arrested in Bangkok's Chinatown and charged with heroin trafficking. He was held in Klong Prem Central Prison. Klong Prem Central prison (Thai: คลองเปรม; rtgs: Khlong Prem) is a maximum security prison in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, Thailand. The prison has several separate sections and houses up to 20,000 inmates. Due to his financial status, McMillan lived more comfortably than the average inmate while in prison. McMillan had his own chef and servants, dined on food bought from the supermarket, and also had his own office, television and radio.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: Facing the death penalty and a transfer to Asia's most notorious prison Bang Kwang Central Prison, also known colloquially as the Bangkok Hilton, McMillan resolved to escape. In August 1996 he cut the cell bars with hacksaws, scaled seven inner walls, then mounted the outer wall using a bamboo-pole ladder during the night. Once out of the prison, McMillan changed into civilian clothes and carried an umbrella as he walked away from the prison. McMillan credits the umbrella with helping him escape, saying that "escaping prisoners don't carry umbrellas".


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: Within four hours of escaping the prison McMillan had boarded a plane to Singapore using a false passport, narrowly evading pursuing prison authorities. He later stated that there was "nothing better than the suction sound of an aeroplane door being sealed." Future Australian attorney-general Robert McClelland when praising Australia's embassy in Thailand remarked that McMillan: "… a prisoner... escaped from the Thai jail in quite exceptional and athletic circumstances. In terms of mere escape, it was really quite an achievement." He wasn't apprehended in Singapore, which also has the death penalty.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: McMillan travelled to Balouchistan, Pakistan, where he lived under the protection of Mir Noor Jehan Magsi of the Magsi clan. He then began exporting drugs to Scandinavia.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: McMillan was later arrested in Lahore, Pakistan, as a result of the confession of a captured courier. McMillan was flown to Karachi, Pakistan, and held in Karachi Central Jail. This jail maintained a class system for prisoners, through which McMillan kept servants and private rooms. Due to a financial dispute with the prison superintendent concerning his illegal mobile phone, McMillan was transferred at night to the Hyderabad jail, where he was kept in the dungeons until being rescued by Lord Magsi. Not wishing to add to the existing Interpol warrants, McMillan returned to Karachi to stand trial, where he was acquitted by a Customs Court judge who found there was no evidence that McMillan had sponsored the courier, and that the government of Thailand had not made representations for extradition.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: McMillan returned to London in 1999. He was arrested in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was arrested at Heathrow airport in 2002 for smuggling 500 grams of class A drugs, and served two years in prison. His Thai warrant for heroin trafficking remained outstanding, as did a warrant in Australia for breach of parole.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: McMillan was arrested again in April 2012, in an operation referred to Bromley police by the UK Border Agency concerning an ounce of heroin mailed from Pakistan. In the consequent trial, an undercover policewoman testified to delivering a package from which thirty grams of Asian heroin had been removed. McMillan had not opened the parcel, addressed to a previous resident, and denied any knowledge of the unidentified sender. After a six-day trial McMillan was sentenced at the Croydon Crown Court to six years’ imprisonment for the evasion of the prohibition on importing A-class drugs. McMillan was released in 2014.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: In November, 2014, Thailand formally began extradition proceedings against McMillan in London. He was arrested at the request of the Thai government, and held at Wandsworth prison. A long-running challenge began at the Westminster Magistrates Court headed by defence barrister Tim Owen, QC. Evidence was presented detailing human-rights abuses under the rule of the Thai generals who had staged a coup in May of that year, as well as expert evidence on Thai prison conditions. However, Judge Arbuthnot ruled against McMillan, as did the UK Home Secretary. Two weeks before McMillan was due to be sent back to Bangkok, the Thai authorities withdrew their request, stating technical reasons. McMillan was released in September 2016.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: As a 12-year-old, McMillan appeared nightly on the Nine Network's 'Peters Junior News', presenting news stories for children in a regular 5-minute TV bulletin.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: McMillan detailed his escape from Klong Prem in his 2008 autobiography "Escape". In June 2009, he appeared as a guest in a 50-minute episode of Danny Dyer's "Deadliest Men 2: Living Dangerously", which aired on Bravo TV. The episode presented McMillan as having settled peacefully with his partner Jeanette and children.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: In 2011, Australia's Nine Network produced and aired . The third in the Underbelly Files series, the film was based on McMillan's smuggling, arrest, imprisonment in Bangkok and briefly outlined his escape from Klong Prem. An accompanying book, "McVillain: the Man Who Got Away" was published by Pan Macmillan in April 2011.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: In late April 2017, McMillan published "Unforgiving Destiny - The Relentless Pursuit of a Black Marketeer", a second autobiography detailing his experiences in Afghanistan and Thailand and his 2016 trial.


title: David McMillan (smuggler)

text: David McMillan narrated his autobiographical work, Unforgiving Destiny, which has been listed as an audiobook with Audible in July, 2021.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a private company, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC; ), which also operates the line, the total cost of the project was billion in 1998. At the time it was built, this was one of the world's largest privately funded rail construction schemes. The system is based primarily on Japan's Shinkansen.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The railway opened for service on 5 January 2007, with trains running at a top speed of , currently running from Nangang to Zuoying in as little as 1 hour and 45 minutes, reaching almost 90% of Taiwan's population. Most intermediate stations on the line lie outside the cities served; however, a variety of transfer options, such as free shuttle buses, conventional rail, and metros have been constructed to facilitate transport connections.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Ridership initially fell short of forecasts, but grew from fewer than 40,000 passengers per day in the first few months of operation to over 129,000 passengers per day in June 2013. Daily passenger traffic reached 130,000 in 2014, well below the forecast of 240,000 daily passengers for 2008. The system carried its first 100 million passengers by August 2010 and over 200 million passengers had taken the system by December 2012, followed by 400 million by December 2016.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In the initial years of operation, THSRC accumulated debt due to high depreciation charges and interest, largely due to the financial structure set up for the private company. In 2009, THSRC negotiated with the government to change the method of depreciation from depending on concessions on rights to ridership. At the same time, the government also started to help refinance THSRC's loans to assist the company so it could remain operational and profitable. The government injected NT$30 billion as a financial bailout, boosting the government's stake to about 64% from about 37%. The government also extended the rail concession from 35 years to 70 years and terminated the company's build-operate-transfer business model.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Taiwan's rapid economic growth during the latter half of the twentieth century led to congestion of highways, conventional rail, and air traffic systems in the western transport corridor, which threatened to impede the region's development. The idea of a new high-speed rail line arose in the 1970s, and informal planning began in 1980. In 1987, the executive branch of Taiwan's government, the Executive Yuan, instructed the Ministry of Transportation to launch a feasibility study for a high-speed rail line in the western Taiwan corridor, which was completed in 1990. The study found that in a comparison of potential solutions to traffic problems in the corridor, a high-speed rail line would offer the highest transit volume, lowest land use, highest energy savings, and least pollution. In July 1990 the Preparation Office of High Speed Rail (POHSR) was established and a route was selected in 1991. Plans for the THSR were subsequently approved by the Executive Yuan in June 1992 and by Taiwan's legislature, the Legislative Yuan, in 1993.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In November 1994, Taiwan passed a law regarding the use of private finance in infrastructure projects, which also applied to the up-to-then state-run THSR project. Consequently, in 1995, POHSR was transformed into the Bureau of High Speed Rail (BOHSR), which started to tender THSR as a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme in October 1996.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The bidding process pitted Taiwan High Speed Rail Consortium (THSRC) against the Chunghwa High Speed Rail Consortium (CHSRC). THSRC's bid was based on the high-speed technology platform of Eurotrain, a joint venture between GEC-Alsthom, the main maker of the French TGV, and Siemens, the main maker of the German ICE, while CHSRC's bid was based on Japanese Shinkansen technology supplied by Taiwan Shinkansen Consortium (TSC), a joint venture of Japanese companies. THSRC, which submitted the lower bid and promised to build the line with zero net cost from the government, was chosen as preferred bidder in September 1997. The group was renamed and formally established as the Taiwan High Speed Rail "Corporation" (THSRC) in May 1998. THSRC and the government signed the BOT agreement on 23 July 1998.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: However, controversy arose during rolling-stock selection. In May 1999, as THSRC faced difficulties in raising capital, the government of Japan promised soft loans if THSRC switched to TSC. Although Eurotrain promised to match TSC's financial proposal, the Eschede train disaster in combination with TSC offering the newer 700 Series Shinkansen, convinced THSRC to reopen its core system bid, ultimately resulting in TSC selected as the preferred rolling-stock supplier in December 1999. Although Eurotrain eventually conceded in the bid, in February 2001 it filed for a US$800 million damage claim against THSRC at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. After a lengthy arbitration process, the court ruled in March 2004 that THSRC should pay a compensation for the US$32.4 million Eurotrain spent on development and US$35.7 million for unjust enrichment. THSRC agreed to pay US$65 million (US$89 million with interest) to Eurotrain in November 2004.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The railway opened in 2007 between Taipei and Zuoying. Four additional stations were added in 2014 and 2015.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: On 10 September 2019, the Executive Yuan announced that the railway would be expanded to Pingtung. Out of four proposed route options, it was confirmed on 27 September that the expansion would bypass central Kaohsiung, branching from Zuoying east towards western Pingtung City, near , with an estimated cost of NT$55.4 billion. Although lowest in cost, the option was met with criticism regarding its economic benefits.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: On 25 October 2019, the Railway Bureau published an assessment report to extend the line from Taipei to Yilan, cutting travel time to 13 minutes. The extension route was approved in October 2020.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Taiwan High Speed Rail started operation with 30 THSR 700T trainsets supplied by a consortium led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. In response to increasing ridership and new stations that would begin operation in 2015, THSRC signed the contract for four new 700T trainsets with the Kawasaki consortium in May 2012 in Tokyo, Japan. The first (TR 31) trainset was delivered to Taiwan on 23 December 2012; the second (TR 32) on 21 January 2013; the third (TR33) on 25 January 2014; the fourth (TR34) on 12 August 2015.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The THSR 700T trainset is based on the 700 Series Shinkansen trainset used by JR Central and JR West in Japan. This marked the first time Shinkansen technology was exported to a foreign country. Customization was focused on adapting to Taiwan's climate and geography, and the nose shape was optimized for tunnels wider than those in Japan.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The maximum service speed of the trains was raised from the 700 Series Shinkansen's . The 12 cars of a 700T train are grouped in three traction units with three power cars and one trailer each, providing 10.26 MW of power; both end cars are trailers to avoid slip on powered bogies. The train is long and has a mass of when empty. The trains have a passenger capacity of 989 seats in two classes: 66 seats in 2+2 configuration in the single Business Car and 923 seats in 2+3 configuration in the eleven Standard Cars. The per capita energy consumption of a fully loaded 700T train is 16% of that of private cars and half that of buses; carbon dioxide emissions are 11% of private cars and a quarter that of buses.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: THSRC uses overhead line inspection trains from Windhoff, Harsco railgrinders, Plasser & Theurer track tampers, and several ex-JR rolling stock to maintain its line. Among the latter include the JNR Class DD14 and JNR Class DD16 diesel-hydraulic locomotives, which were originally used for snowploughing by JR. The two ex-JR locomotives with THSRC are equipped with Shinkansen-style rotary couplers and standard-gauge bogies instead of the original 1067mm gauge bogies and knuckle couplers and are used for shunting the 700T trainsets within the depot. THSRC also uses a former 0 Series Shinkansen end car as a structure gauge test car.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: As the first high speed railway system in Taiwan, THSRC started operation in 2007 with many foreign employees, including French and German train drivers and operation controllers in the Operation Control Center (OCC). At the same time, THSRC also started to train local drivers and controllers. Since May 2008, all controllers working in the OCC have been Taiwanese, and since October 2008, all train drivers have been Taiwanese.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The OCC's main responsibility is to maintain safe train operations. THSRC has 132 controllers (July 2012), of which about one quarter are female, working 24 hours per day and 365 days per year in the OCC. Requirements for becoming a Chief Controller (主任控制員) include experience in all nine OCC positions, 300-hours of on-the-job training and acquiring qualification.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: THSRC has 144 drivers (July 2012), of which almost 10% are female. All driver candidates must spend 8 months completing 1,326 hours of professional training and pass the National Certification before they can drive the train. In addition, after becoming a certified high-speed train driver, they undergo further on-the-job training at least three times each year in order to guarantee they can drive the train safely.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Taiwan frequently faces multiple types of natural disasters, including typhoons, earthquakes, heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides. For this reason, a primary focus of THSRC's infrastructure design was how to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes and how to ensure safety for all passengers and trains in any emergency situation.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: THSRC has established a system to respond to natural disasters and unexpected intrusion onto the right-of-way, called DWS (Disaster Warning Systems). This system consists of a network of sensors installed along the rail route to detect unexpected situations such as earthquakes, strong winds, heavy rainfall, floods, landslides, and intrusions. In case of an unexpected situation, the DWS will send signals to the OCC (Operation Control Center) immediately; it will also activate contingency measures to ensure the safety of the passengers and trains, including decelerating or stopping trains in the affected area.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The DWS has functioned successfully since its initial operation in 2007. The most powerful earthquake that THSRC has experienced measured 6.4 on the Richter Scale with an epicenter 17 km from Jiaxian, Kaohsiung that shook southern Taiwan on 4 March 2010 (甲仙地震). One operating train was slightly derailed in Sinshih, Tainan, and six trains were stopped on the track. In spite of the temporary suspension of operations, there was no damage or casualties. All 2,500 affected passengers were evacuated in two hours without injury. Service resumed the next day. Such a record was well noted, and provided valuable experience in operational safety to the global railway industry.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In April 2010, it was reported that subsidence had been observed during construction on a viaduct section in Yunlin County. The subsidence continued, reaching up to over seven years. By 2010 subsidence had slowed, which was ascribed to the closure of some deep groundwater wells operating in the region. Although the situation was deemed safe with differential settlement between adjacent piers along the viaduct at only a sixth of the permissible level, the BOHSR urged the closure of more wells. On 25 July 2011, the government announced plans to close almost 1,000 wells in Changhua and Yunlin counties, reducing the amount of water pumped from deep wells by by 2021.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: According to THSR's July 2018 timetable, there are 989 train services per week of operation, with operation times between 05:50 to 24:00 every day. Most southbound trains originate from Nangang station and most northbound trains originate from Zuoying; however, a few trains operate just between Nangang and Taichung or between Taichung and Zuoying. Southbound trains are designated by odd train numbers, and northbound trains by even train numbers.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Each train consists of 1 business car (car 6) and 11 standard cars (including reserved seats and non-reserved seats). Since July 2010, non-reserved seats are available in cars 10 through 12 (some trains available in cars 9 through 12 or available in cars 8 through 12 ). Car 7 of each train is fitted with 4 wheelchair accessible chairs and a disabled-friendly restroom. Passengers can call THSR's Customer Service Hot Line at (Taiwan) 4066-3000 or visit any THSR station ticket window to reserve these seats.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: By August 2012, implementation of 4G WiMAX on-board trains is expected to provide smooth wireless broadband services, making THSR the first high-speed ground transportation system equipped with this service.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In 2012, THSRC rated highly in the CommonWealth Magazine (天下雜誌) "Golden Service Award survey" (金牌服務大賞), not only far outpacing all rivals in the "long-distance land transport" category, but also taking the top spot in the overall rankings of 300 industries.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: To improve local public transit connections to THSR stations, the TRA built two new spur lines branching off from West Coast Line.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: As of January 2018, a one-way Taipei–Zuoying trip, a THSR standard car adult ticket is NT$1490, and a business car ticket fare is NT$1950. The cost of a non-reserved seat is approximately 3% less than the regular price. Business and standard car reserved ticket reservations are available 28 days prior to the date of departure (including the departure day).


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Senior citizens (Taiwan citizens above 65 years of age), registered disabled persons plus one accompanying passenger (Taiwan citizens only), and children (passengers under 12 years of age) are eligible for concession (half price) tickets.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: A group discount is offered for groups of 11 or more. A group discount cannot be used in combination with other discount offers and does not include non-reserved seats. Passengers eligible for multiple discounts can only choose one discount offer.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Since 1 July 2010, a smart card system has provided frequent travelers with multi-ride (eight trips) or periodic tickets. THSR's contact-less smart cards allow the cardholder to travel between specific stations within a given time period for a certain number of rides. The card is sold in either registered (name-bearing) or non-registered form. Only adult tickets are available in this format, and cannot be used for rides between Banqiao and Taipei.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: After purchasing or adding value to a multi-ride card, the card balance is valid for 45 days counted from the day of first use. The ticket is good for 8 rides. The multi-ride card provides a discount of about 21% off the full fare of a reserved Standard Seat. Non-registered and registered multi-ride tickets can be purchased at the ticket windows of all THSRC stations. Upon first purchase of a multi-ride ticket, a card deposit fee of NT$100 is required (refundable if the card is returned). The registered multi-ride ticket is limited to personal use by the registered cardholder.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Since November 2012, an Early Bird discount of 35% has been offered for a limited number of tickets sold no later than 8 days before the departure date. If the 35% off tickets sell out before the deadline, tickets with a discount of 20% off are offered. If these tickets sell out before the deadline, tickets with a discount of 10% off are offered. If all early bird tickets are sold out, then full fare tickets are offered.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: THSRC operates additional train services during national holidays. On 29 June 2011, a proposal by THSRC to increase the maximum number of train services to 210 per day (compared to the existing 175 per day) passed an environmental impact assessment, increasing the number of possible services on "high-load days".


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Original estimates predicted a daily ridership of 180,000 after launch, growing to 400,000 by 2036. In view of a 50% drop in airline passengers in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, forecasts were revised downwards. The final initial ridership estimate was 140,000 passengers per day. Actual initial ridership did not match these projections. In September 2007, six months after opening, THSRC carried 1.5 million passengers monthly, translating to about 50,000 passengers daily. In the second year, passenger numbers almost doubled. In the third year, average daily ridership continued to grow to 88,000 passengers per day, jumping to over 120,000 passengers per day in 2012. (updated to September 2012) Seat occupancy was around 45% in the first three years, with a modest improvement achieved in 2009, and reached 53.91% in 2012. (updated to September 2012) Punctuality is stable above 99%.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The 10-millionth passenger was carried after 265 days of operation on 26 September 2007, while the 100-millionth passenger was carried after 1,307 days on 3 August 2010, and 200-millionth by December 2012. On 10 October 2011, the Double Ten Day holiday, THSRC transported a single-day record of 189,386 passengers. On 5 February 2011, the third day of Chinese New Year’s celebration, a new record of 190,596 passengers was achieved. The next single-day record was reached on 25 January 2012, also the third day of Chinese New Year's celebration, at 191,989 passengers. The most recent record is 212,000 passengers transported on 1 January 2013.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The high-speed trains have successfully out-competed planes: by August 2008, half of the air routes between Taipei and the country's western cities had been discontinued, including all connections between cities with THSR stations except for a single daily connection between Taipei and Kaohsiung. Total domestic air traffic was expected to be halved from 2006 to 2008, and actually fell from 8.6 to 4.9 million. In June 2012, officials announced the discontinuation of the last remaining commercial flight between Taipei and Kaohsiung. The share for conventional rail between Taipei and Kaohsiung fell from 9.71% in 2006 to 2.5% in 2008, while high-speed rail became the most common mode of transport at 50% of all trips by 2008. The opening of THSR led to a 10% reduction of traffic on the parallel expressway in 2007. Despite cheaper ticket prices, long-distance bus companies reported that passenger volumes had fallen by 20 to 30 percent by 2008.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Construction of the system took more than 2,000 professional engineers from 20 countries and over 20,000 foreign and domestic workers six years to complete. Construction work was broken into several specialized lots that were contracted separately. One group of contracts was for civil works, covering the construction of the superstructure of open line sections. Stations and depots were the subject of separate groups of construction contracts. A fourth group of contracts was for track work.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The Taiwan North-South High Speed Rail Project was awarded the first prize for the Outstanding Civil Engineering Project Award by the Asian Civil Engineering Coordination Council (ACECC) in Sydney in 2010.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In 2011, the Public Construction Commission (公共工程委員會) organized an on-line voting campaign that garnered over 330,000 votes, to select the 100 best infrastructure projects (百大建設) in Taiwan to celebrate the centennial of the Republic; Taiwan High Speed Rail topped the list.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Reflecting a design speed of , track layout was designed with a minimum curve radius of , track-centre distance of , right-of-way width of , and a maximum gradient of 2.5%, except for 3.5% at one location. All but of track is ballastless, combining slab track of Japanese manufacture on open line sections with switches from a German supplier. Track laying began in July 2003. The line was electrified with the 25 kV/60 Hz AC system. The signalling and train control system was laid out for bi-directional operation according to European specifications. Each track section has a checkpoint, and an automatic control system ensures that trains are spaced at least apart to prevent collisions.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Most of the line is elevated. About or 73% of the line runs on viaducts, mostly precast pre-stressed concrete box girder spans, the first of which was put in place in October 2001.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct is a continuous section from Baguashan (八卦山) in Changhua County to Zuoying in Kaohsiung. It was the second longest bridge in the world as of 2017. Viaducts were designed to be earthquake resistant to allow for trains to stop safely during a seismic event and for repairable damage following a maximum design earthquake. Bridges built over known fault lines were designed to survive fault movements without catastrophic damage.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: About or 18% of the line is in tunnels, including of the TRUPO section in Taipei, as well as 48 tunnels with a total length of on the other sections, the longest of which is Paghuashan Tunnel, at a finished length of . Forty-two of the tunnels included a total of of mined sections, all of which were bored with the sequential excavation and support construction method, with excavated tunnel faces of , between November 2000 and July 2003. The finished interior cross-sectional area of , set according to wider European standards, provides space for two tracks with safety walkways.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: After four months of delays, trial runs using the first THSR 700T trains began on 27 January 2005, on the Tainan–Kaohsiung section. On 30 October 2005, a day after a test run passed the planned top service speed of , the targeted maximum test speed of was achieved. The section between Banqiao (Taipei) and Zuoying (Kaohsiung) opened to the public on 5 January 2007. The HSR platforms at Taipei Station opened on 2 March 2007, bringing the entire line into operation.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: A distinctive feature of the system's station placement is that many are located at the periphery of urban areas, rather than within city centers. The decision was made with the expectation that the stations would act as centers for planned communities and thus increase the property values of the surrounding area. A study in 2010 showed that this isn't the case, but later analyses show that property prices around certain stations have indeed risen. Since the THSR's opening, cities have gradually expanded their mass transit systems to connect with these stations.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Environmental mitigation measures in the line's construction phase included the construction of animal bridges over the line, the planting and re-planting of trees along the track as noise screens, and the purchase of farmland to create a preservation area for jacana birds away from the line.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: For more than 10 years, THSRC has been devoted to the preservation of the pheasant-tailed Jacana, a type of bird that is considered endangered in Taiwan. With NT$50 million invested, the first artificial habitat recovery project was completed in collaboration with the local government, country development organizations and non-profit organizations. The pheasant-tailed Jacana population in Tainan, Taiwan, which at one point numbered less than 50, has increased to over 300. In 2007, the recovery habitat was officially renamed "Pheasant-tailed Jacana Eco-Educational Nature Park" and since then, it has opened to the public. To educate students in matters concerning environmental protection, every year THSRC arranges for elementary and junior high school students to visit Pheasant-tailed Jacana Eco-Educational Nature Park (台南官田—水雉生態教育園區), where they are able to learn about the beauty of Taiwan's natural habitats.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The other story about the balance between THSR construction and the environment is the protection plan of "300-year-old camphor tree and the temple" (保護金山面老樹及伯公廟) in Hsinchu City for more than 10 years. The tree and the temple are located on the main route of the THSR, and both of them faced removal because of railway construction. The temple established beside the old tree is the belief center of the people there. In 1998, THSRC adjusted the line and design to keep the tree and temple in their original place and cooperated with local government and people to protect the old tree and the temple until today. Afterwards, together with the local government, the Environment and the Resources Protection Committee, and cultural and historical authorities, THSRC drafted the Hsinchu Old Camphor Tree Medical Plan, which called for the repair of decayed branches as well as measures designed to maintain the long-term growth and the health of the tree.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Most of THSRC's revenue comes from ticket sales; supplemental income comes from other activities such as advertising and renting spaces for standing shops and spots in plazas. Advertising spots on trains and station platforms have also been sold.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Revenues grew along with ridership over the first three years, but ridership remained below expectations. In 2008 the second year of operation, revenues fell barely short of THSRC's expectations a year earlier of a doubling of first-year results.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The cost of running the trains and infrastructure, or cash operating costs, was initially over NT$1 billion a month, but was reduced to around NT$850–900 million in 2008. Revenues first exceeded this level, thus generating a positive operating cash flow, in the fourth month of operation (April 2007).


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: For THSRC, the over heavy accounting of the fixed cost of fixed assets like rolling stock and infrastructure (depreciation) is a significant non-cash element of total operating costs. In its first two years of operation, THSRC applied straight-line depreciation, distributing costs evenly over a period of 26.5 years. As a result, the balance of operating revenues and costs (operating income) showed a high loss in the first year of operation, which was only reduced as revenues grew in the second year. The depreciation period set for THSRC reflected the length of the B.O.T. concession rather than the much longer lifespan of the infrastructure, and it is the factor for the operating loss. After adopting an activity depreciation method which is variable in time, THSRC posted its first operating profit for 2009, the third year of operation. The company reported its first annual profit of NT$5.78 billion after five years of operation.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: For the first time in its five-year operation, the Company reported a net income of NT$5.78 billion, with earnings per share of NT$0.59. Revenues increased by 16.65% from NT$27.64 billion to NT$32.24 billion, with operating costs and expenses (excluding depreciation and amortization) rising by only 4.98%. Over the same period of time, gross profit totaled NT$12.98 billion (an increase of 30.32%), income from operations totaled NT$12.06 billion (an increase of 32.93%) and EBITDA totaled NT$22.73 billion (an increase of 22.34%). 2011 gross profit, income from operation and EBITDA were all record highs. Since commencing operations in 2007, THSRC has had a significant influence on Taiwan's economy and on the lives of its people. In 2011, the Company continued to pursue sustainable growth aligned with the interests of shareholders and society, achieving record profits even amid a challenging economic environment.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The interest cost is another major item of this company's financing. In the first few years of operation, interest rates were well above market rates. Interest expense per month stood at around NT$1.3 billion in 2008, when THSRC first achieved break-even cash flow, with revenue and cash expenses (which exclude depreciation) both around NT$2.1 billion in 2008. Interest rates fell in the first half of 2009, reducing interest expenses and contributing to a reduced net loss.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In 2010, THSRC obtained a new syndicate loan to alleviate its imminent financial burden. The company signed a NT$382 billion refinancing contract with a consortium of eight domestic banks led by the Bank of Taiwan, and used the new loan to pay off the previous syndicated loan, which had higher interest. , the long-term debts totalling NT$385 billion included NT$26 billion in corporate bonds and NT$359 billion in bank loans. In comparison with the terms and conditions of previous loans, the refinancing debts carried lower interest rates and longer tenors, up to 22 years.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: In cumulative figures, until July 2008, depreciation and interest were equal to 95% of THSRC's accumulated debt. Both THSRC and a September 2009 government report identified an unreasonable financial structure and the resulting high interest rates and high depreciation charges as the main causes of negative financial performance, while the government assessed THSRC to have performed well in its core business, as measured by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). To reduce its interest load, THSRC sought to revise its loan structure in 2008 and again in 2009. To reduce depreciation costs by increasing the amortization time, THSRC requested an extension of its 35-year concession period.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: By the summer of 2009, THSRC's cumulative losses were equivalent to two-thirds of its equity capital. In response to global financial crisis and domestic economic recession, THSRC proposed to increase income and reduce expenditures in several aspects in the hope of raising operation performances. In February 2009, THSRC announced to adjust train frequency, cut down salary payment by 10~20% among management level, and measured to expand fare promotion to stimulate ridership.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: While the media questioned whether the planned construction of three more intermediate stations and the extension to Nangang would be postponed, THSRC published press release on 28 September 2009, stating that the company will comply with "Taiwan High Speed. Rail Construction and Operation Contract", and the construction project of 3 intermediate stations, namely Miaoli, Changhua and Yunlin will be initiated in July 2012, and is scheduled to start its operation from 2015. By the time of completion, there will be a total of 12 stations along the THSRC operation route. The company was put under new management in September 2009 with the aim of turning around the company's finances with government help in arranging refinancing of the loans.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The government took majority control of the company after the election of its new board on 10 November 2009. In January 2010, when accumulated losses already exceeded NT$70 billion, THSRC signed a government-guaranteed refinancing deal in which eight government-dominated banks provided NT$382 billion at lower interest rates and longer maturity. The government also approved the company's new variable depreciation charge.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: On 12 April 2013, suspicious luggage items were found inside the North bound train No. 616 toilet when it was heading towards THSR Hsinchu Station. The train was stopped at THSR Taoyuan Station and all of the passengers were evacuated. Later, it was determined the luggage contained an unidentified liquid in cans, alarm clock and white particulate matter. The items were dismantled by the bomb squad and taken for further investigation. Two KMT legislators, Hsu Hsin-ying and Lu Shiow-yen, were on board.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: On 12 April 2013, the train master on no. 616 received complaints from passengers at about 9:10am that the women's toilet in cabin No. 11 contained two pieces of luggage which emitted a strange odor. THSRC informed the High Speed Rail Police Division, which later boarded the train when it stopped at Hsinchu station. The traffic control center decided to evacuate passengers after the train stopped at Taoyuan station at 9:45am. More than 600 people were asked to disembark and continue their journey on another train.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Two bomber suspects were arrested in a hotel in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, mainland China on 15 April and repatriated to Taiwan on 17 April 2013.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Part of the tracks near Tainan were badly damaged during the earthquake on 6 February 2016. All high-speed rail services south of Chiayi Station were suspended until 7 February 2016.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: On 10 May 2017, a non-passenger carrying train headed the opposite direction of the track from Zuoying to Tainan for 1 km due to human negligence.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the THSR, along with Taiwan Railway Administration and bus services nationwide, began to require all passengers to wear surgical masks as of 1 April. In addition, infrared sensors were set up at twelve stations to detect fevers, eating and drinking was prohibited on board the trains, trains and stations were disinfected more frequently, and the THSR cancelled all non-reserved seating tickets, which allowed for crowds of passengers to stand if no seats were available. It was reported that the switch to reserved seats only aimed to reduce crowding.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Since 2009, the company has organized an annual "Ride THSR and Join the Book Exhibition for Free" event to promote a national reading culture; school-age passengers from remote villages are given free admission to the Taipei International Book Exhibition and go there on a themed high-speed "reading train", which features a celebrity reading a book over the train's public address system.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Since 2010, along with World Vision Taiwan, THSRC has run a tuition fee assistance program for thousands of underprivileged children, to which passengers contribute.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Other events have been a capella singers at stations; gift-giving to couples taking wedding photos at major stations; station tours for the public and experience-sharing with its fellow railway transportation operators; and in collaboration with non-profit organizations, thousands of free rides to underprivileged groups and families.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: Students at primary, secondary and tertiary level learn about high-speed rail and THSRC at "THSR Camps", held in partnership with the Railway Cultural Society of Taiwan, the National Chiao Tung University Railway Research Society, and the China Youth Corps.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The first film to feature THSR prominently was the 2007 Taiwanese movie "Summer's Tail", directed by Cheng Wen-tang ().


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: "", a 2007 train simulator video game developed jointly by Taiwanese company Actainment and Japanese company Ongakukan on the basis of the latter's Train Simulator series, featured real video and was the first Taiwanese game for Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3 system.


title: Taiwan High Speed Rail

text: The "National Geographic" website chose travel by Taiwan's high speed train as the "Best winter trip” in 2013.


title: Paige Sandhu

text: Paige Sandhu (born 1996/1997) is a British actress. Sandhu began her acting career with appearances in "Doctors" and "Endeavour", before she was cast as Meena Jutla in the ITV soap opera "Emmerdale". Shortly into her tenure on the soap, it was confirmed that Meena would become a serial killer; for her portrayal of the role, Sandhu has received critical acclaim and won the award for Best Villain at the 2021 "Inside Soap" Awards and Best Leading Performer at the 2022 British Soap Awards.


title: Paige Sandhu

text: Sandhu was born in the 1990s. After attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sandhu suffered from social anxiety, fear of judgement and fears about her future career. She moved back in with her parents and "became quite reclusive". She felt unsafe around people she did not know which led her to not leave the house much, as well as developing insomnia and various food intolerances.


title: Paige Sandhu

text: Sandhu made her debut television appearances in the BBC soap opera "Doctors" and the ITV drama series "Endeavour".


title: Paige Sandhu

text: In September 2020, it was announced that Sandhu had been cast in the ITV soap opera "Emmerdale" as Meena Jutla, the sister of established character Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker). In June 2021, it was confirmed that Meena would become a serial killer on the soap. Sandhu has received critical acclaim for her performances as Meena, and in 2021, she won the award for Best Villain at the "Inside Soap" Awards, and was nominated for Best Newcomer. In 2022, she was nominated for an award in the Soap Actor category at the TRIC Awards. Sandhu has confirmed that after the conclusion of Meena's serial killer arc, she will be leaving the soap. Her final scenes aired on 18 April 2022 when she was sentenced to life imprisonment; that same day, Sandhu began filming for her next acting project.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: "I Will Follow Him" is a popular song that was first recorded in 1961 by Franck Pourcel, as an instrumental titled "Chariot". The song achieved its widest success when it was recorded by American singer Little Peggy March with English lyrics in 1963. The music was written by Franck Pourcel (using the pseudonym J.W. Stole) and Paul Mauriat (using the pseudonym Del Roma). It was adapted by Arthur Altman. The completely new English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: The song was first recorded by Franck Pourcel as an instrumental, and was released in 1961 on the European LP "Amour, Danse, Et Violons. No.17" and on an EP on the La Voix de son Maître label. Pourcel co-wrote the song with his friend and fellow French bandleader Paul Mauriat. Mauriat later recorded an instrumental version, which he released on his album "Paul Mauriat Plays the Hits of 1976".


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 1963, Percy Faith released an instrumental version, re-titled "I Will Follow You", as the lead song on side 1 of his album titled "Themes for Young Lovers". The album spent 28 weeks on "Billboard"s chart of Top LPs, reaching No. 32, and earned Percy Faith a gold record.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 1962, Petula Clark released a French-language version of the song, titled "Chariot" (lyrics by Jacques Plante), which reached No. 1 in Wallonia, No. 2 in France, and No. 8 in Flanders, and earned Clark a gold record. Her English version (the first recording to be titled "I Will Follow Him") reached No. 4 in Denmark, where it was released by Vogue, but failed to chart in the UK and the US, where it was released by Pye and Laurie respectively. Clark also recorded Italian and German versions of the song, with her Italian version, "Sul mio carro", reaching No. 4 in Italy, and her German version, "Cheerio", reaching No. 6 in West Germany.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: On January 22, 1963, Little Peggy March's version of "I Will Follow Him", backed with "Wind Up Doll", conducted by Sammy Lowe, in studio RCA Victor Studio A, New York City on January 7, 1963, after running take 9, was released by RCA Victor. March's version spent 14 weeks on the "Billboard" Hot 100, reaching No. 1 on April 27, 1963 and spending three weeks in this position, making 15-year-old March the youngest female artist to have a U.S. chart-topping single. Her version also reached No. 1 in Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, South Africa, Uruguay, Canada's CHUM Hit Parade, New Zealand's "Lever Hit Parade", and "Billboard"s Hot R&B Singles chart.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: The song also reached No. 1 on the "Cash Box" Top 100, in a tandem ranking of Little Peggy March, Franck Pourcel, Petula Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Betty Curtis, Jackie Kannon, Joe Sentieri, and Georgia Gibbs' versions, with March's version marked as a bestseller. It was one of the nominees for the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 2011, Peggy March re-recorded "I Will Follow Him" with Dutch singer José Hoebee (who covered this song and reached the number-one spot in the Netherlands and Belgium in 1982). The release of this new version song, however, was delayed one year later and finally came out on the German edition of March's album "Always And Forever".


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In Italy three versions of the song were in the charts in 1963 (translated/adapted by Vito Pallavicini and Bruno Pallesi): One recorded by Betty Curtis (highest position: No. 3), another version by Petula Clark ("Sul mio carro"; No. 4) and the Franck Pourcel version (No. 5). The song reached No. 1 in Italy's "Musica e dischi", in a tandem ranking of these three versions. Curtis's version was also a top 10 hit in Uruguay.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 1963, Italian singer Ennio Sangiusto released a version of the song titled "Chariot (La Tierra)", which reached No. 1 in Spain. Also in 1963, Italian singer Joe Sentieri released a version of the song titled "La Tierra", which reached No. 3 in Argentina.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 1963, Argentine singer Alberto Cortez released a version of the song titled "La Tierra (Chariot)", which reached No. 2 in Spain. Also in 1963, Argentine singer Violeta Rivas released a version titled "La Tierra", which reached No. 1 in Uruguay.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: Dee Dee Sharp released a version of the song on her 1963 album "Do the Bird". Sharp's version reached No. 1 in Hong Kong.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: Ricky Nelson recorded a cover for his 1963 album "For Your Sweet Love", changing the title and lyrics to "I Will Follow You".


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 1982, Dutch singer José Hoebee (former member of the girl band Luv') released a hit cover of the song, which reached No. 1 in Flanders, No. 1 on the Dutch Top 40, and No. 2 on the Dutch Nationale Hitparade. A 2005 remix reached No. 90 on the Dutch Single Top 100 in early 2006. In 2011, she re-recorded "I Will Follow Him" with Peggy March. This duet appeared on the German edition of March's album "Always and Forever".


title: I Will Follow Him

text: The Norwegian comedian Lars Mjøen wrote comedic Norwegian lyrics, «Torsken kommer!» (translates to «The cod is coming»). The song was published by the comedy troupe KLM as Brødrene Dal as the B-side of "Gaus, Roms Og Brumund" (PolyGram 2052 206) and on the LP record "Spektralplate" (Polydor 2382 135) in 1982. A music video remake was released by Norges Bank in 2017 to mark the introduction of the new 200 krone banknote that features a cod on the obverse side.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: The song is featured at the end of the 1992 film "Sister Act", where it was performed by the nuns' chorus for the Pope with Whoopi Goldberg's character as the lead singer. The song peaked at number 53 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.


title: I Will Follow Him

text: In 2000, Cynthia Patag, Nanette Inventor, Malou de Guzman, Beverly Salviejo and Pinky Marquez performed the interactive version of the song at the end of the musical episode of "Wansapanataym", "Bata-Okey".


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: The Roses of Heliogabalus is an 1888 painting by the Anglo-Dutch artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema depicting the young Roman emperor Elagabalus (203–222 AD) hosting a banquet.


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: The painting measures . It shows a group of Roman diners at a banquet, being swamped by drifts of pink rose petals falling from a false ceiling above. The youthful Roman emperor Elagabalus, wearing a golden silk robe and tiara, watches the spectacle from a platform behind them, with other garlanded guests. A woman plays the double pipes beside a marble pillar in the background, wearing the leopard skin of a maenad, with a bronze statue of Dionysus, based on the Ludovisi Dionysus, in front of a view of distant hills.


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: The painting depicts a (probably invented) episode in the life of the Roman emperor Elagabalus, also known as Heliogabalus (204–222), taken from the "Augustan History". Although the Latin refers to "violets and other flowers", Alma-Tadema depicts Elagabalus smothering his unsuspecting guests with rose petals released from a false ceiling. The original reference is this:


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: In his notes to the "Augustan History", Magie notes that "Nero did this also (Suetonius, Nero, xxxi), and a similar ceiling in the house of Trimalchio is described in Petronius, Sat., lx." (Satyricon).


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: The painting was commissioned by Sir John Aird, 1st Baronet for £4,000 in 1888. As roses were out of season in the United Kingdom, Alma-Tadema is reputed to have had rose petals sent from the south of France each week during the four months in which it was painted.


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1888. Aird died in 1911, and the painting was inherited by his son Sir John Richard Aird, 2nd Baronet. After Alma-Tadema died in 1912, the painting was exhibited at a memorial exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1913, the last time it was seen at a public exhibition in the UK until 2014.


title: The Roses of Heliogabalus

text: Alma-Tadema's reputation declined markedly in the decades after his death. Following the death of the 2nd Baronet in 1934, the painting was sold by his son, the 3rd Baronet, in 1935 for 483 guineas. It failed to sell at Christie's in 1960, and was "bought in" by the auction house for 100 guineas. Next it was acquired by Allen Funt: he was the producer of "Candid Camera", and a collector of Alma-Tadema's at a time when the artist remained very unfashionable. After Funt experienced financial troubles, he sold the painting along with the rest of his collection at Sotheby's in London in November 1973, achieving a price of £28,000. The painting was sold again by American collector Frederick Koch at Christie's in London in June 1993 for £1,500,000. It is currently owned by the Spanish-Mexican billionaire businessman and art collector Juan Antonio Pérez Simón.


title: H. Jones

text: Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones, (14 May 1940 – 28 May 1982), known as H. Jones, was a British Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC). He was awarded the VC after being killed in action during the Battle of Goose Green for his actions as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, during the Falklands War.


title: H. Jones

text: Jones was born in Putney, the eldest of three sons of Herbert Jones (1888–1957), an American artist, and his Welsh wife, Olwen Pritchard (1902–1990), a nurse. He attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Seaford, Sussex, Eton College and DLD College London. He joined the British Army on leaving school and, on graduation from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 23 July 1960, was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment as a second lieutenant.


title: H. Jones

text: He was promoted to lieutenant on 23 January 1962, captain on 23 July 1966, and major on 31 December 1972, At this time he was brigade major at HQ 3rd Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland. As such he was responsible for the efforts to find Captain Robert Nairac who had been abducted by the Provisional IRA. Nairac and Jones had become friends and would sometimes go to the Jones household for supper. After a four-day search, the Garda Síochána confirmed that Nairac had been shot and killed in the Republic of Ireland after being smuggled over the border. On 13 December 1977 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services in Northern Ireland that year. On 30 June 1979 he was promoted lieutenant colonel, and on 1 December 1979 he was transferred to the Parachute Regiment. In the 1981 New Year Honours he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).


title: H. Jones

text: Jones was on holiday in France when he heard the news of the invasion of the Falklands. He had just returned from training in Kenya, and his battalion, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), was earmarked for deployment for Belize.


title: H. Jones

text: Jones' battalion was attached, alongside 3 PARA, to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the first major infantry formation to be sent south. During the Battle of Goose Green, an attack against entrenched Argentinian positions, with his unit pinned down by heavy fire from MAG machine guns and FAL automatic rifles, he led a charge against the nearest position. He was killed while doing so but the Argentinian unit surrendered shortly afterwards. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.


title: H. Jones

text: Command of 2 PARA passed to Major Chris Keeble. Jones' body was buried in a battlefield grave at Ajax Bay on 30 May. After the war it was exhumed and re-buried at the Blue Beach War Cemetery in San Carlos on 25 October 1982.


title: H. Jones

text: Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, a former TA Para officer and military theorist, wrote in 1995 that, despite his undoubted courage, Jones did more to hinder than to help 2 Para, losing sight of the overall battle picture and failing to allow his sub-unit commanders to exercise mission command, before his fatal attempt to lead "A" Company forward from the position where they had become bogged down.


title: H. Jones

text: Margaret Thatcher said "his life was lost, but his death was the turning point in the battle." The battle demonstrated the UK's increasingly unquestionable military superiority, quelling concerns about possible defeat, and led to the release of 112 civilians who had been imprisoned in the local community hall for the best part of a month.


title: H. Jones

text: Jones' grave at Blue Beach War Cemetery is marked with a headstone engraved with the Parachute Regiment's insignia and that of the Victoria Cross. The headstone includes the quotation: "He is not the beginning but the continuing of the same unto the end." A street in Stanley was named H Jones Road in his memory in addition to Jones Avenue in Mount Pleasant air base. A memorial stone to all those killed at the scene of the battle, near Darwin, also bears his name. His name is also on the South Atlantic Task Force Memorial in St Paul's Cathedral, London, on the wall with the names of the fallen in the Falklands Memorial Chapel at Pangbourne College, and the Parachute Regiment Memorial at their headquarters in Aldershot; he also has a memorial in the cloisters of Eton College and a plaque on a footpath at Kingswear, Devon. The memorial board from St Peter's School, carved with the name of Jones, can be seen in Seaford Museum. In addition the 'Colonel H' Public house in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, is named in his honour. There is a wooden plaque memorial in Kingswear parish church and a copy of the citation is on view near the memorial.


title: H. Jones

text: Jones's widow, Sara, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for charity work (she is involved with a number of charities related to the armed forces), and since 2003 has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire. Both of their sons, Rupert and David, served as infantry officers in the Devon and Dorsets (now merged into The Rifles). Rupert commanded the 1st Mechanised Brigade from 2012 to 2014, and was promoted to major general in 2016, making him, at 47, the youngest general officer in the British Army at the time.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: Jack's Mannequin was an American rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: The band was signed to Maverick Records and released "Everything in Transit" in August 2005, peaking at 37 on the "Billboard" 200. "The Glass Passenger" was released in 2008 on Sire Records, sold 49,000 copies in its first week, and peaked at number eight on the "Billboard" 200. "People and Things" was released October 4, 2011. Shortly afterward, it was announced that McMahon would discontinue releasing music under the name Jack's Mannequin, choosing to release music under his own name henceforth.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On November 30, 2015, McMahon announced that he would reunite Jack's Mannequin for a tenth-anniversary tour of "Everything In Transit".


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: Andrew McMahon began his musical career as the lead vocalist and pianist for the Orange County piano rock band Something Corporate. The primary impulse behind McMahon's solo project, Jack's Mannequin, was a song he recorded in December 2003 titled "Locked Doors". He felt the song had too different a style from previous Something Corporate material to be one of their songs. He realized that if he ever decided to release it, it would be on a solo album rather than a Something Corporate record. Exhausted from months of touring in late summer 2004, the band decided to take a temporary break. During his time off, McMahon laid down piano and vocal tracks for a song on Hidden in Plain View's "Life in Dreaming" and two songs on Tommy Lee's "".


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: While Something Corporate's other songwriter and lead guitarist Josh Partington created a side project of his own called Firescape, McMahon started writing his own songs. He did not expect the songs to be released. McMahon took a more therapeutic approach in writing these songs, resulting in a more personal and intimate testament of his songwriting. McMahon stated in an interview that they dealt with "coming home, and having home be way different than I had remembered it [...], abandoning a lot of people, and things, that I had normally been so attached to [...], exploring and being okay with myself, and not having to make excuses for who I am, and accepting who I am." Although he just planned on recording these songs, they began to take shape collectively. He paid for the production out of his own pocket, which ultimately led to a record deal with Maverick Records.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: He formed the band under the name Jack's Mannequin, which came to be after McMahon had considered the name "The Mannequins". However, after growing "bored of 'the' band names," he decided to sandwich it together with the title of a song he had completed for the record, "Dear Jack". Originally, there was said to be "not much significance behind the name," but upon McMahon's diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, "the band name became ironic--considering the Jack I wrote the song for & ultimately named the project after, suffered from childhood leukemia."


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: Their first album, titled "Everything in Transit", was released in August 2005 and received a positive response from fans and critics alike. A summer tour was scheduled to support the record release, but was canceled after McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and received a stem cell transplant from his sister Kate.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: Music by Jack's Mannequin from "Everything in Transit" was featured in Season Three, Episode Fifteen of the TV series "One Tree Hill". Hilarie Burton's character on the show, Peyton Sawyer, appeared in the music video for 'The Mixed Tape,' from Everything In Transit.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: In May 2013, nearly eight years after its 2005 release, the track Dark Blue went gold. In August 2021, 16 years after its 2005 release, Everything In Transit went gold.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: The band began recording their second album in the summer of 2007. In August 2007, McMahon posted the lyrics to the song "Cellular Phone" on his blog, which the band played live at several shows in 2007 and 2008. Also, in February 2008, videos of live performances of two songs off the record ("Caves" and "Suicide Blonde") were uploaded onto YouTube for public viewing. McMahon then appeared on the cover of the January 2008 issue of "Alternative Press".


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: The album was entitled "The Glass Passenger", and is a transcendent step-up, a catchy and listenable journey through McMahon's stories of love, life, and loss that moves from full-on upbeat rock ("Spinning") to melancholy introspection ("Annie Use Your Telescope") and all that lies between. It was originally set for release on April 22, 2008 but the date was then tentatively set to June 3, and eventually delayed to be released on September 30, 2008.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: "The Ghost Overground" EP was released to iTunes on August 5, 2008. The EP contains two tracks from the second album, "The Resolution" and "Bloodshot", and two live tracks from "Everything in Transit". Another EP, "In Valleys", was released on iTunes on September 9, containing one song from the album, "Swim," and three b-sides, "Cell Phone", "Sleazy Wednesday", and "At Full Speed".


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On August 28, 2008, in an interview with MTV, Andrew revealed that the author Stephenie Meyer had written the treatment for the music video for "The Resolution" and was set to direct it the following week. McMahon said of the filming, "It was a very cool shoot. Music videos are a tricky thing. They require a lot of trust in the team creating the visuals and that can be a little scary. That said, there was a great vibe on the set, and shooting by the water really made it an especially peaceful day, despite all the hard work that goes into it."


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On September 3, 2008, it was announced that Jack's Mannequin would be the headliner on a fall tour that featured the album. The tour was called "Hammers and Strings: An Evening with Jack's Mannequin and The Glass Passenger." The band toured many cities and played much of the album at these shows. This much-awaited tour saw many of the shows sell out in a few days. It was the first tour after "The Glass Passenger"'s release.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On October 4, 2009, McMahon began a solo tour across the country to raise awareness of leukemia and to support the release of the "Dear Jack" documentary due out on November 3, 2009. On November 3, 2009, the EP associated with the "Dear Jack" documentary, also of the same name, was released, including the songs "Dear Jack", "Diane, the Skyscraper", "There, There Katie", and "Swim (Music Box)".


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On September 28, 2010, it was announced bassist Jonathan “Dr. J” Sullivan left the band to pursue his other band, Kid Is Qual. McMahon stated, "Our dear friend, Dr. J, will be moving on to pursue new horizons with his band Kid is Qual. He will be sorely missed by us and the fans who have grown to love him, but we wish him great success on this new journey." Mikey "The Kid" Wagner was later announced as the band's new bassist.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: In an "Alternative Press" article, Andrew revealed that he planned to return to the studio in Spring 2010 to record his third full studio album with Jack's Mannequin. According to a LiveDaily interview with Relient K's lead vocalist, Matt Thiessen, Thiessen contributed around four songs or so to this Jack's Mannequin album. 3 of these songs, "Amy, I", "People, Running", and "Platform Fire", were included on the album.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: McMahon debuted a new song titled "Restless Dream" during an acoustic tour in Australia in February 2011. This song, along with "Hey Hey Hey (We're All Gonna Die)", and "Platform Fire", which was debuted in late 2010, are on the new album.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On March 21, 2011, McMahon sent an email to his fans announcing a summer tour with Guster and revealing the title of Jack's Mannequin's third studio album: "In a perfect world we will be finished with Jack's third album, 'People and Things', by the end of this month."


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On July 19, 2011, it was announced that "People and Things" would be released on October 4, 2011. The first single, "My Racing Thoughts", was released on August 2, 2011.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: According to AbsolutePunk.net, McMahon had this to say about the new album, "I consider 'People and Things' a relationship record. My goal with many of the songs was to strip away the flowery language and sentiment attached to newer love and replace it with starker, less blinded language about more binding love. In the time following the last Jack's album the people in my world were moving in together, getting married, trying to find quote unquote 'real jobs' and reconciling new lives that looked a lot less like youth than some of us cared for. Marriage is a bit of a beast to tackle in a pop record but when I wrote 'My Racing Thoughts,' it became clear how powerful and loaded a subject this kind of love is and somewhere in that moment I began to lock into the broad concept for the writing sessions to come." In another (unrelated) interview, McMahon established "this album should be different than the previous few. The first ("Everything In Transit") was about breaking up, the second ("The Glass Passenger") was about getting sick and recovering from it. I hated that album at first, until we wrote this one ("People and Things") and I then realized how proud I am of all of my work. This album will be much more 'cheery' than the last one(s)."


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On February 2, 2012, McMahon foreshadowed the end to the band, saying, “I foresee an end to the usage of the name. I don’t know that it’s doing for me what it used to, in the sense that Jack’s sort of really represented a freedom from something. And a really free approach to creating things that now is certainly wrapped up in a whole lot of turmoil and tumult in a very difficult time in my life. And to acknowledge that, I certainly think at some point I’m going to have to find a way to shake that loose. And I think to some extent that might mean retiring the name.”


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On August 25, 2012, the Jack's Mannequin website redirected to andrewmcmahon.com, with McMahon decidedly putting out new music under his own name.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: It was announced in September 2012 that Jack's Mannequin would perform their final show together at the 3rd Annual Dear Jack Benefit on November 11 in Los Angeles. The show sold out faster than any other show of McMahon's career, and because of this, an additional performance was added for November 12. Special guests for the shows included Jonathan "Dr. J" Sullivan, Jacques Brautbar, Matt Thiessen, and Stacy Clark. Both of the two performances were recorded with the intention of releasing the concerts on DVD. In May 2013, a pre-order for "Live From The El Rey Theatre" was announced through McMahon's webstore, with profits benefiting the Dear Jack Foundation.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On November 30, 2015, McMahon announced that Jack's Mannequin would reunite for a short "Everything in Transit" tour called "Ten Years in Transit" to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the release of their debut album. "I am pleased to announce, the Jack's Mannequin band and I will be getting together for a handful of exclusive engagements to celebrate the album Everything in Transit. I will be the first to admit, I prefer keeping my focus in the present, but I cannot deny Transit's place in my life and the lives of my fans. Even as I announce these shows I know there will be disappointment over the fact this will not be a full tour. To those of you in markets we are not playing, please know we picked the routing that allowed us to play the most shows in the short time that was available." The lineup consisted of McMahon, Bobby "Raw" Anderson, Jay McMillan, and Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, with Zac Clark as a guest on keys.


title: Jack's Mannequin

text: On June 16, 2020, McMahon announced that "Everything in Transit" would be played in full in on July 10 and 11 at a drive-in show in Anaheim. "In a time where shows are scarce [due to the COVID-19 pandemic], this is an opportunity for us to gather safely and celebrate live music under the stars. It also felt like the perfect time to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of “Everything In Transit”, which my band and I will be playing front-to-back, in addition to other favorite songs from The Wilderness and Something Corporate," McMahon stated in the show announcement. A third show date on July 12 was added, and the July 11 show was available to livestream. Additional drive-in shows celebrating the 15th anniversary of Everything in Transit were later announced, in Oceanport, Schaumburg, Cedar Park, Glendale, and San Jose; however, the Glendale and San Jose shows were later cancelled due to increasing COVID-19 cases in those cities. The Jack's Mannequin moniker was not advertised for these shows. Instead, they were billed as, "Andrew McMahon's Drive-In Through A Dream: Celebrating 15 Years of Everything in Transit". The line up for the shows consisted of McMahon, Anderson, McMillan, Wagner, along with Morgan Paros in her debut with Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness. Zac Clark opened for the band at their Cedar Park show.


title: Deera Square

text: Deera Square () is a public space in Deera, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is also known as Al-Safaa Square (), Justice Square, and derisively as Chop Chop Square by Western visitors. It is a former site of public executions, where those sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia were publicly beheaded.


title: Deera Square

text: At unannounced times, Saudi security forces and other officials cleared the area to make way for the execution to take place. After the beheading of the condemned, the head is stitched to the body, which is wrapped up and taken away for the final rites. It is a crime to record, with photos or videos, the executions, despite the number of attendees witnessing such public events.


title: Head of State (2003 film)

text: Head of State is a 2003 American political comedy film directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and co-starring Bernie Mac. It marked the directorial debut of Rock, who had previously worked as a writer, producer, and actor.