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My Aim Is True

My Aim Is True is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, originally released in the United Kingdom on 22July 1977 through Stiff Records. Produced by Stiff artist and musician Nick Lowe, the album was recorded from late 1976 to early 1977 over six four-hour studio sessions at Pathway Studios in Islington, London. The backing band was the California-based country rock act Clover, who were uncredited on the original release due to contractual difficulties. At the time performing as D.P. Costello, Costello changed his name to Elvis after Elvis Presley at the suggestion of the label, and adjusted his image to match the rising punk rock movement.

Musically, My Aim Is True is influenced by a wide variety of genres, from punk, new wave and British pub rock to elements of 1950s rock and roll, R&B and rockabilly. The more downbeat lyrics are motivated by revenge and guilt, reflecting topics from relationship struggles to politically charged situations and misogynistic characters. The original monochrome cover art, showing Costello in a pigeon-toed stance, was later colourised for reissues.

The album was preceded by three singles, all of which failed to chart. By June 1977, Costello formed a new permanent backing band, the Attractions, to better match his new image and commenced live performances with them for the rest of the year. In August, My Aim Is True reached number 14 in the UK. The American version, released in November 1977 through Columbia Records, added Costello's newest single "Watching the Detectives." By then the biggest-selling import album in U.S. history, it reached number 32.

On release, My Aim Is True was met with critical acclaim, with many praising Costello's musicianship and songwriting; it appeared on several year-end lists. In later decades, commentators consider it one of Costello's finest works, one of the best debut albums in music history and has appeared on numerous best-of lists. The album was reissued in 1993 and 2001, both of which featured extensive liner notes written by Costello, and in 2007 as a deluxe edition.

Background
Elvis Costello—under his actual name Declan MacManus—began performing in clubs and pubs in Liverpool and London in 1970. Over the years he created some demo tapes, but had little success in obtaining a recording contract. He later told Melody Maker that he "didn't have enough money to do anything with a band". According to author Graeme Thomson, British DJ Charlie Gillett played songs from one tape, containing future My Aim Is True songs "Blame It On Cain" and "Mystery Dance", on his show throughout the summer of 1976. The exposure garnered interest from labels, although it was rejected by Island Records, Virgin Records and American-based CBS Records. He was eventually signed to London-based Stiff Records in August 1976 by label co-founders Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson. He was the first artist signed to Stiff, but was the label's eleventh release.

Writing and recording
Stiff financed recording sessions for an album at Pathway Studios, an eight-track studio located in Islington, with the American country rock act Clover as the backing band. The band—guitarist John McFee, bassist John Ciambotti, keyboardist Sean Hopper and drummer Mickey Shine—had moved to Britain after gaining a cult following there and signed to Phonogram Records. The band were not credited on the final album at the time due to contractual difficulties; some early marketing for the album identified them as the Shamrocks. Costello said Clover arrived in London during the punk revolution and due to appearing as "American hippies", they "just didn't fit in". The band resided at the country house Headley Grange during the period.

My Aim Is True was recorded in a series of six four-hour sessions, from late 1976 to early 1977 for about £2,000. Costello kept his day job as a data entry clerk at Elizabeth Arden during the sessions; he would call in sick, travel to Headley Grange to rehearse the songs with Clover and head back to Pathway the next day to record. Costello recalled disliking the time at Headley Grange and that he and Clover had musical disagreements, but nevertheless praised their musicianship. According to Thomson, Clover were paid little for their contributions. Most of the tracks were recorded live and in first takes with little overdubbing. While Clover provided most of the instrumentation, Stan Shaw of the Hitmen played keyboards on "Less Than Zero" while Lowe produced and sang backing vocals. Regarding his guitar work, Costello stated in his memoir that at the time, he did not own his signature Jazzmaster guitar so he used a "shrill" Telecaster on the album. He also lacked substantial knowledge on guitars themselves, saying that he played his guitar unadjusted until halfway through the sessions.

The majority of the songs on My Aim Is True were written in about two weeks. Most of them came from Costello's earlier demo tapes and live performances with his former band Flip City. Some tracks would appear on later albums, such as "Hand In Hand", which was written specifically for Lowe, who rejected it. More adventurous numbers such as "Hoover Factory", "Dr. Luther's Assistant", "Ghost Train" and "Stranger in the House" were also recorded during the sessions, but were omitted from My Aim Is True and instead appeared on EPs and singles. According to biographer Brian Hinton, these tracks would have contrasted with Costello's aspiring image of a "straight talking psychopath". In the liner notes for the 1993 reissue of My Aim Is True, Costello stated that the three main outtakes from the sessions were "Radio Sweetheart", "Stranger in the House" and "Living in Paradise", the first two being left off the final track list due to differences in sound and the last being properly recorded for Costello's follow-up album This Year's Model (1978).

Fellow Stiff artist and house producer Nick Lowe produced the album. Regarding his role as producer, Thomson states that Lowe's priority was to keep the feel of the songs and create appropriate atmospheres for each. Lowe himself later stated that the musicians did all the work and all he contributed was "switch[ing] everything on". He rough-mixed the tracks with engineer Barry "Bazza" Farmer, the final mix completed in a single five-hour session at Pathway on 27January 1977.

Name change
At the time, Costello was performing under the stage name "D.P. Costello" as a tribute to his father. With "Less Than Zero" being readied for release as a single in March 1977, Robinson and Riviera decided to adjust his image to better match the rising punk rock movement. Looking like, in Clayton-Lea's words, an "average ordinary-looking computer operator geek", he lacked "neither aggression nor energy" in his live performances, as musician Graham Parker told Mojo.

As a marketing tactic, Riviera suggested changing Costello's name from Declan to Elvis after American singer Elvis Presley. Considered irrational but accepted by Costello himself, the change sparked controversy in both Britain and America, facing opposition from both Costello's supporters and Presley's fans. Costello later stated that the change was not meant to "insult" Presley; it "meant people would pause just that little bit longer". Wardrobe-wise, Costello became more exaggerated, donning Buddy Holly-style glasses, tight jackets and "turned-up" jeans. He made his live solo debut under the new name and look on 27 May 1977.

Music and lyrics
According to biographer Tony Clayton-Lea, Costello and Lowe aimed to create "a collection of songs that were not only of their time, but which were also rooted in classic songwriting values". As such, commentators have written that the album combines various musical genres, including new wave, British pub rock, punk rock, and power pop. William Goodman of Billboard magazine called it "rough edged and bluesy" in a style reminiscent of New Orleans, and recognised the presence of punk, rockabilly, UK pub rock, jazz and honky-tonk country. Consequence of Sound Nick Freed wrote that the album combines elements of the British punk movement with 1950s and 1960s-style rock and roll. He found tracks like "Miracle Man", "No Dancing" and "Alison" utilise that style to create doo-wop and R&B melodies, thereby "taking the '50s and '60s ideas and adding the modern spin". The rockabilly sound is present on "Less Than Zero", "Mystery Dance" and "Sneaky Feelings". Clayton-Lea states that while it shared similarities with punk, it displayed musicianship and lyricism that were in control, showcasing a softer touch while underlined with a "unique savagery".

While the music presents a wide range of styles, the lyrics are mostly downbeat, discussing topics such as "deceit, sarcasm, bitterness, disdain, scorn [and] disgust". In an interview with Nick Kent of the NME, Costello stated that the songs are motivated solely by "revenge and guilt". Biographer David Gouldstone writes that the album's primary theme is "the unaccommodating nature of the world", which is explored in two distinct ways: "the personal songs as the microcosm, and the public as the macrocosm". The lyrics range from complex and surreal ("Waiting for the End of the World") to unsympathetic ("Less Than Zero") and misogynistic ("I'm Not Angry"). Dave Schulps of Trouser Press described the album as "12 songs of revenge, guilt, jealousy, humiliation and rage". Goodman found the lyrics and production matches a bedroom performance, a sentiment echoed by LeMay, who similarly stated that Lowe's production has a "latent energy" that grants the album "all the immediacy of a live show". Painter and art critic Julian Bell wrote that Costello's work "relies heavily on being between emotions, between sensations, ideas [and] informations." Regarding Costello's vocal performance on the record, Gouldstone writes that his directness contributes to listeners' constant interest: "he continually grabs us by the shirtfront and harangues us, and we are sucked into the vortex."

Side one
The opening track, "Welcome to the Working Week", expresses frustration at the ruthlessness of business. The lyrics are directed at "you", which Gouldstone analyses as the song's female character, the listener or the world itself. With a runtime of only 82 seconds, the song contains a punk-style beat and handclaps and utilises elements of doo-wop and new wave. Compared to the previous track, "Miracle Man" deals with the relationship between a man and a woman rather than society. Like the next track "No Dancing", "Miracle Man" concerns a man dominated by his female companion.

"No Dancing" contains a Phil Spector-type beat and various key changes, which was a rarity in Costello's early work. Costello stated that he was attempting to merge a "Merseybeat bridge" into "He's a Rebel" by Gene Pitney. Unlike other tracks on the album, the song's narrator is primarily observant, only directly appearing in the first verse. Commentators have analysed "dancing" on the record as a metaphor for sex, while Gouldstone goes further and writes that Costello is implying a lack of world order and harmony. Returning to the lyrical themes of the opening track is "Blame It on Cain", although Costello is more specific in this track, targeting entities such as "government burglars" and the radio. According to Gouldstone, the "it" in the chorus is not explicitly stated, only that it must be blamed on Cain. Taking the name Cain from the first murderer in the Bible, he analyses the track as fundamental frustrations that cannot be pinned on anyone and thus cannot be fixed, concluding that nothing wrong will become right. This growing tension is reflected in the music, which has an increased number of bars in each verse. Musically, the song was described by one reviewer as upbeat blues with a "Jersey Shore rock shine".

Described by Goodman as the album's "spiritual centrepiece", "Alison" is a ballad that combines jazzy guitars with soulful vocals. It was written about a checkout girl at a local supermarket. Unlike other tracks on the album, "Alison" is more upbeat in tone and contains more caring and tender lyrics rather than feelings of maliciousness and anger; these feelings are present, but are muted compared to the preceding tracks. In the track, the narrator longs for the title character, who has married an inferior man even though he knows she is making a mistake. The album takes its title from a line in the song. "Sneaky Feelings" marks a return to upbeat blues and standard pop. Much lighter in tone, the song concerns unfaithfulness. Gouldstone states that the 'sneaky feelings' are our desires for the unfeasible: "feelings which will only cause suffering and so must be suppressed."

Side two
Biographer Brian Hinton calls "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" a "harder take" on "Alison". Gouldstone describes the characters' relationship in the song as "fractured" and "punctured". The woman is, like other tracks, portrayed as a heartless prosecutor of men but also a victim of them. He also identifies it as a rare example of Costello's that is sympathetic towards women. The red shoes are an allegory for an individual's freedoms and as such, metaphorical forces (referred to as 'angels') want to take away the narrator's freedom. The song also deals with the passage of time, which several subsequent tracks revisit. The most overtly political song on the album, "Less Than Zero" is a steady rocker that concerns the 1920s British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley. Costello accuses him of various crimes, such as brutality and possibly rape and incest, after Mosley denied any wrongdoings on television in the mid-1970s. The song's chorus suggests the media suppresses knowledge of government corruption, thereby invoking censorship. Listeners in the United States assumed that "Mr. Oswald" was Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of president John F. Kennedy, so Costello wrote an alternative lyric to refer to the assassin.

"Mystery Dance" is a 1950s-style rocker that uses dancing as a metaphor for sex, but unlike "No Dancing", concerns a couple's first experience with it; as such, the narrator is confused by it. Writing for AllMusic, Tom Maginnis considered the track reminiscent of the "sock-hop rock" of Buddy Holly. "Pay It Back" affirms the implication that the media lies to the public. In the song, the narrator finds out not everything in life is guaranteed and feels betrayed. Hinton describes it as "deeply cynical". Meanwhile, misogyny is prevalent on "I'm Not Angry", where sex is portrayed as demeaning rather than joyful. The ideal is acknowledged through the spite in Costello's vocal performance, while the music has been likened to hard rock. "Waiting for the End of the World" depicts a surrealistic narrative that takes place on a train, which Gouldstone analyses as a symbol for life. Furthermore, Costello suggests God created the universe but allowed it to be manipulated through individuals that seize power.

Packaging and artwork
The album cover was designed by Barney Bubbles who, like Clover, was uncredited on the sleeve. It depicts a checkerboard pattern (surrounding the photo of Costello) on which the phrase "Elvis Is King" is written, which Hinton states was intended as a parody of Bridget Riley's Swinging Sixties op art paintings. In the centre, Costello dons his new look and stands in a stiff, pigeon-toed pose clutching a Fender guitar with his large shadow behind him. Author Mick St. Michael commented: "This fellow looked like he'd find it hard to aim a paper aeroplane." According to Costello, the final shot was one of the only usable images due to the comical nature during the photo session. He struck a similar pose in the photo on the back of the original sleeve, where he appeared in monochrome against a coloured background while his head appeared disproportionately large. Gouldstone compares his look to "a demented version" of Brains from the 1960s British science fiction series Thunderbirds, actor Woody Allen and Piggy from Lord of the Flies (1954).

Initially, the cover art was in black-and-white on the front and came in four different colours; later reissues added seven additional variants. The first pressings of the record included a flyer that read "Help Us Hype Elvis", which asked buyers to send in a 25-word description of "why they liked the 'English' Elvis". According to Hinton, the first 1,000 purchasers earned them a free copy of the LP to be sent to a friend of their choice. The idea originated from Warner Bros. Records' attempts to gain American musician Van Dyke Parks a larger audience.

Singles
Stiff issued "Less Than Zero" as a single on 11March 1977, backed by the outtake "Radio Sweetheart". Despite receiving critical praise, the single failed to reach the UK charts. "Alison" followed on 14May, backed by "Welcome to the Working Week", which also did not chart. In early July, Stiff released "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" as a single, backed by "Mystery Dance"; it lacked a picture sleeve and failed to chart. Regarding the poor commercial performances, Costello recalled: "I remember it being very demoralising, feeling that my only contact with the world was those singles, and those people who I didn't know or I'd never met had to make or break of it…that was very depressing." Nevertheless, he continued to garner attention from music journalists, including Melody Maker Allan Jones and the NME Nick Kent, who gave positive assessments to live shows in May and June. Costello also refused to give biographical details in interviews, even telling Sounds magazine's John Ingham he did not want to be photographed. Costello left his day job at Elizabeth Arden on 5 July.

Initially intended for release shortly after the first single, My Aim Is True was delayed to July while Stiff resolved a distribution dispute with Island Records. In the meantime, Costello wanted to form a permanent backing band that better fitted his aspiring image compared to the laid-back approach of Clover. The first person hired was drummer Pete Thomas, followed by bassist Bruce Thomas (no relation). Around this time, Costello's new tracks "Watching the Detectives" and "No Action", were quickly recorded at Pathway with bassist Andrew Bodnar and drummer Steve Goulding, with organ and piano overdubs by Steve Nieve. "Watching the Detectives", influenced by the Clash's debut album, was a departure from the sound of My Aim Is True, displaying reggae-style rhythms. Costello later called it his "first real record". The song was issued as a single in the UK on 14October 1977, backed by live versions of "Blame It on Cain" and "Miracle Man".

Live performances
Stiff issued My Aim Is True in the UK on 22July 1977, with the catalogue number SEEZ 3. By the time it came out Costello was performing with his new backing band, donned the Attractions. Shortly after its release, Costello and the Attractions performed an unauthorised show outside a Columbia Records convention that gathered executives from around the world. Partly due to the antics of Riviera, Costello was arrested and charged with obstruction, fined £5 and released from the police station in time for a gig later that evening. The stunt attracted the attention of executive Greg Geller, who was integral in Costello's signing to Columbia in the United States months later.

To support My Aim Is True, Costello and the Attractions conducted a short tour throughout August 1977. The gigs took place in major cities throughout Britain, alongside a residency at the Nashville Rooms in London. The setlist consisted mostly of My Aim Is True tracks plus various new songs. In the middle of the tour, Elvis Presley died of a heart attack on 16August. Presley's death had an immediate impact on Costello: British newspapers Daily Mail and Daily Observer cancelled their planned features on the artist while Stiff ran a new slogan for the label that read "The King Is Dead, Long Live the King". According to Thomson, Presley's death helped earn Costello more stature in the music press, with his name becoming "the mood of the zeitgeist". Four days after his death, My Aim Is True reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart.

On 3October 1977, Costello and the Attractions embarked on another tour with other Stiff artists, including Lowe and Wreckless Eric, dubbed the Greatest Stiffs Live Tour. It was plagued with disorder and self-inflicted sabotage, partly due to Costello's refusal to play songs from My Aim Is True, declaring "If you wanna hear the old songs, buy the fucking record;" he reversed this stance after audience backlash. Costello also fought with fellow artist Ian Dury throughout the tour. Riviera departed Stiff around this time due to disputes with Robinson. Per his management contract, Costello–and Lowe–followed Riviera and departed Stiff for Radar Records; his final release for Stiff was "Watching the Detectives", which became both the artist and label's first single to reach the UK top 20. In the meantime, Costello had amassed a large amount of new material that would appear on his second album This Year's Model. In mid-November, he began his first tour of America.

US release
My Aim Is True was released in revised form in the United States through Columbia Records on 1November 1977, adding "Watching the Detectives" as the final track on side one. By then, it was the biggest-selling import album in US history. Marketing for the American release was spearheaded by Columbia's product manager Dick Wingate, who commissioned a billboard for the LP on Los Angeles's Sunset Boulevard, which was usually reserved for more major acts. Other merchandise created included a dartboard for Columbia's staff. On 13October, Wingate sent a memo to key Columbia staff, which read: "Despite his appearance, Costello is a deadly serious artist, singer and songwriter... in the R&B revivalist/rock-and-roll school of Graham Parker, Southside Johnny, or even Springsteen. His music is not punk-rock, and should never be labeled so." Later the same month, Columbia's VP of National Album Promotion Mike Pillot sent a memo to staff calling it "One of the most unique and exciting new albums that has graced any turntable during the last few years".

According to Thomson, Costello's fame in the US skyrocketed faster than in the UK. He was earning acclaim in publications such as Time and Newsweek and was also approached to appear on NBC's Saturday Night Live. His newfound popularity led My Aim Is True to selling 100,000 copies towards the middle of the tour, and shortly before Christmas 1977, it reached number 32 on Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. After leaving Stiff, Costello retained his deal with Columbia for distribution in America. Costello was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards in 1978, but lost to the group A Taste of Honey.

Critical reception
My Aim Is True received rave reviews from British and American music journalists on release. Writing for Trouser Press, Dave Schulps hailed My Aim Is True as 1977's "most auspicious debut album", praising Costello's musicianship and songwriting, concluding he has "produced a classic in his first try". Chas de Whalley of Sounds called Costello "a songwriter of rare sensitivity and talent" but had trouble getting a grip with the songs, nevertheless concluding: "Like a flower, Elvis' debut album is opening up into something of metallic beauty." In Melody Maker, Allan Jones wrote that "hell, you can dance to it, swoon and romance with it, smooch and romance to it". He further noted the record contained "enough potential hit singles to stock a bloody juke-box", concluding "I can think of only a few albums released this year that rival its general excellence." Roy Carr of the NME came across "sexual psychoanalysis set to a dozen superb juke joint anthems... a Seventies interpretation of Sixties rhythm and roll," while the songs "spill over with emotional torture and melodrama". He commented that "Costello must have taken a lot of emotional knocks to come up with such a powerful album. To the extent that one is reticent to guess to what lengths he may have to go to enact a second instalment."

Several reviewers praised Costello as an artist. Greil Marcus of Rolling Stone wrote: "How far Costello can go... remains to be seen, but I have a feeling that once he is heard, he is going to shake up a lot of his erstwhile peers and make many musicians whom he would not consider his peers seem quite irrelevant." In Stage Life, Jeffrey Morgan wrote that at only 22 years old, Costello "gashed a line in his soul using rock 'n' roll as the blade", creating an LP that, as "flawed as it is, cannot be ignored". Sam Sutherland of High Fidelity hailed Costello as a "new wave rock classicist", creating an album that "rediscovers the raw vitality of rock" in the midst of '70s pop. He also called Lowe's production "exciting" and "deliberately crude". Meanwhile, Robin Denselow of The Guardian considered the lyrics the best from a British artist in years. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave My Aim Is True three out of four stars, also praising the lyrical content and felt Costello would achieve a commercial breakthrough.

Writing for Creem, Mitchell Cohen hailed My Aim Is True as one of the year's best albums and praised the songs for their "memorable" choruses and strong ideas. He criticised the misogynistic lyrics, which he compared to the mid-1960s material of Mick Jagger, concluding that Costello has "some way to go before his emotional maturity matches his prodigious artistic skill". In The Village Voice, veteran critic Robert Christgau wrote: "I like the nerdy way this guy comes on, I'm fascinated by his lyrics, and I approve of his rock and roll orientation." He negatively compared Costello to Jackson Browne in that "he's a little boring", which he states comes from an "overconcentration on lyrics" and can be solved by "a healthy relationship with a band". Danny Baker in ZigZag magazine, who also made comparisons to Browne in his review, simply called My Aim Is True a "good, good album". In The Village Voice annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll of the year's best albums, My Aim Is True finished at number two, behind the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks. It further placed in other year-end lists by Rolling Stone, NME (3) and Sounds (9).

Retrospective reviews
In later decades, My Aim Is True has received critical acclaim, with some naming it one of the best debut albums in rock history. Terry Staunton of Record Collector magazine summarised: "As opening salvos go, My Aim Is True has to be one of the most important, impressive and enduring debuts of all time." Senior AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Costello went on to more ambitious territory fairly quickly, but My Aim Is True is a phenomenal debut, capturing a songwriter and musician whose words were as rich and clever as his music." In Paste magazine, Mark Baker similarly wrote that although the record was not Costello's greatest work, it still remains "a landmark, highly influential first album". Goodman concurred, calling the album Costello's most essential album. Writing in 2010, Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound called My Aim Is True one of the strongest debut albums, stating, "You couldn't find a stronger way to bring your style to the world", further recognising Costello's influence on bands such as They Might Be Giants and the Hold Steady. Entertainment Weekly Armond White wrote that out of the British pub rock scene, My Aim Is True stands out as a debut "with lots to say". PopMatters' reviewers Jason Mendelsohn and Eric Klinger, while positive overall, commented on the lack of the Attractions and subdued production over Costello's subsequent albums. Nevertheless, the two called it a "solid" debut whose faults would be resolved the next year on This Year's Model.

Many have commented on the record's influence on music. Reviewing in 2001, Adam Bresnick of Rolling Stone wrote: "Balancing the rage of punk with the formalism of the century's best songcraft, the album delivers passion and intelligence in equal measure." In 2007, LeMay highlighted "Alison", "Red Shoes", "Less Than Zero" and "Watching the Detectives" as tracks that represent a "vital chapter" in the development of punk and new wave. Furthermore, he found the album as a whole remains as relevant as it did when it was first reissued. Ten years later, a reviewer for Classic Rock Review stated that My Aim Is True "introduced the world to a hybrid sound that drew near equal influence from 1950s old time rock n' roll and 1970s cutting edge new wave and punk." LeMay summarised the album as: "Wordy, witty, and geeky as fuck, My Aim Is True is without question one of the finest statements of brilliant nerddom ever to be released." Gouldstone appraises My Aim Is True as "a magnificently measured cry of rage" and remains a "remarkable achievement" for someone only 22 years old at the time. Thomson later told Record Collector:

"I think My Aim Is True sounds like a blueprint for what [Costello] does best. It's not a fully-fledged document of his genius, but albums like King of America [1986] or even The Delivery Man [2004]... both have elements of the first record in them. When I was writing my Elvis book it struck me just how much of the album is looking back to where he's come from and signposting where he was going to."

Rankings
My Aim Is True has frequently appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time. In 2000, My Aim Is True was voted number 266 in the third edition of writer Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). In 1987, Rolling Stone placed it at number 29 on its list of the best albums of the past 20 years. The same magazine ranked the album number 168 in its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list, and dropping to number 430 on the 2020 list. The same magazine ranked it the 21st best debut album in 2013. Uncut magazine also placed it at number 125 in their 2016 list of the 200 greatest albums of all time. In 2004, Pitchfork ranked My Aim Is True the 37th best album of the 1970s, while in 2012, Paste placed it at number 20 in a similar list. The staff of Paste later voted it the best new wave album of all time in 2020, arguing that it set both the "musical and fashion stage" for the genre. In 2004, Charles Shaar Murray voted it the 61st best British album in a list for The Observer.

In 2007, My Aim Is True was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The album was also included in the 2018 edition of Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Legacy
In lists ranking Costello's albums, My Aim Is True has consistently ranked as one of Costello's best. In 2021, writers for Stereogum placed it at number six, calling it "one of rock music's great opening salvos". A year later, writing for Spin magazine, Al Shipley placed it at number two, behind This Year's Model, stating that had he not made another record after My Aim Is True, he would "still be a legend". The same year, Michael Gallucci of Ultimate Classic Rock also placed it at number two, behind This Year's Model. He noted Clover's lack of force compared to the Attractions, but nevertheless wrote that fewer have arrived with debuts as "instantly significant" as My Aim Is True.

On 8 November 2007, Costello reunited with the members of Clover from the original recording sessions to perform the songs from My Aim Is True. This marked the first (and to date only) live public performances of these songs by the original ensemble that recorded them. The event took place at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, and was a benefit for the Richard de Lone Special Housing Fund, which assists those with Prader–Willi syndrome.

Reissues
My Aim Is True was first released on CD through Columbia and Demon Records in July 1986. Its first extended reissue came in October 1993 through Demon in the UK and Rykodisc in the US, which featured nine bonus tracks and extensive liner notes written by Costello himself. In 2001, it was again reissued on CD by Rhino Entertainment, featuring the original album on disc one and a bonus disc of demos, live versions and outtakes, along with a new set of more elaborate Costello-written liner notes; all nine bonus tracks from the 1993 reissue were included with an added four. LeMay considers this reissue the most essential for the album itself.

Six years later, My Aim Is True was reissued again by Universal/Hip-O on 11 September 2007 in a single-disc "Original Masters" package and a two-disc deluxe edition comprising 48 tracks, 26 previously unreleased. This package boasts the original album, outtakes and solo demos on disc one and a complete live show (with soundcheck) recorded on 7 August 1977 at the Nashville Rooms in London on disc two. The tracks from the live show were mostly from My Aim Is True, with some that appeared on This Year's Model, while the demos are previously unreleased tracks including "Blue Minute", "Call on Me", "I Don't Want to Go Home" and "I Hear a Melody". Hip-O hailed the deluxe edition as "the most definitive version of 'My Aim Is True' yet!" Despite this, the deluxe edition received mixed reviews. LeMay felt it was inferior to the previous reissues, stating that it "lacks the reverent and enthusiastically geeky perspective of the Rhino reissue". He further noted the absence of several tracks and in-depth liner notes present on the other reissues. Erlewine similarly questioned the release of the deluxe edition, as he felt it was superfluous following the Rhino reissue. He nevertheless stated that hardcore fans would appreciate the new material, albeit having to purchase an album likely already purchased before.

Track listing
All songs written by Elvis Costello.

Side one
 * 1) "Welcome to the Working Week" – 1:22
 * 2) "Miracle Man" – 3:31
 * 3) "No Dancing" – 2:39
 * 4) "Blame It on Cain" – 2:49
 * 5) "Alison" – 3:21
 * 6) "Sneaky Feelings" – 2:09

Side two
 * 1) "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" – 2:47
 * 2) "Less Than Zero" – 3:15
 * 3) "Mystery Dance" – 1:38
 * 4) "Pay It Back" – 2:33
 * 5) "I'm Not Angry" – 2:57
 * 6) "Waiting for the End of the World" – 3:22

Personnel
According to the liner notes of the 1993 reissue:
 * Elvis Costello – vocals, guitar, piano and drumsticks on "Mystery Dance"
 * John McFee – lead guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals
 * Sean Hopper – piano, organ, backing vocals
 * Johnny Ciambotti – bass, backing vocals
 * Mickey Shine – drums
 * Stan Shaw – organ on "Less Than Zero"
 * Nick Lowe – backing vocals, piano, drumsticks and bass on "Mystery Dance"
 * Andrew Bodnar – bass on "Watching the Detectives"
 * Steve Goulding – drums on "Watching the Detectives"
 * Steve Nieve – organ and piano overdubs on "Watching the Detectives"

Technical
 * Nick Lowe – producer
 * Barry "Bazza" Farmer – engineer
 * Wendy Sherman – art direction, design

title: My Aim Is True


text:
Karl Urban

Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as Xena: Warrior Princess. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, he has starred in many high-profile movies, including as Éomer in the second and third installments of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Vaako in the second and third installments of the Riddick film series, Leonard McCoy in the Star Trek reboot film series, Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), John "Reaper" Grimm in Doom (2005), Judge Dredd in Dredd (2012), Gavin Magary in Pete's Dragon (2016), and Skurge in Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok (2017). In 2013, he starred in the sci-fi series Almost Human. Since 2019, he has starred as Billy Butcher in Amazon Prime Video's superhero streaming television series The Boys.

Early life
Urban was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His father, a German immigrant, owned a leather goods store, and his mother once worked for Film Facilities in Wellington. Through his mother, the young Urban was exposed to classic New Zealand cinema and developed an interest in the film industry. Urban attended St Mark's Church School, where he showed an early love for public performance. His first acting role came at age eight, when he had a single line in one episode of the New Zealand television series Pioneer Woman. Though continuing to take part in school stage productions, he did not act professionally again until after high school.

He attended Wellington College in 1986–1990. He then enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington in the Bachelor of Arts programme but left after one year to pursue a career in acting. Over the next few years, he appeared in several local TV commercials in addition to theatre roles in the Wellington area. Eventually, he moved to Auckland where he was offered many guest roles in TV shows (one of which was playing a heroin addict in the police drama Shark in the Park). Urban then moved briefly to Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia in 1995 before returning to New Zealand the following year.

Career
Urban's first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, he has worked on many high-profile movies, including the second and third installments of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Two Towers and The Return of the King) as Éomer, The Bourne Supremacy (as Russian Federal Security Service agent Kirill), The Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek and Doom. The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Urban was one of several actors being considered for the part of British secret service agent James Bond in Casino Royale, directed by fellow New Zealander Martin Campbell.

Urban played John "Reaper" Grimm in Universal Pictures' Doom (based on the first-person shooter video game Doom), which was released on 21 October 2005. In 2007, he starred in the Viking adventure Pathfinder. A longtime fan of Westerns, he starred as Woodrow Call in Comanche Moon, a television miniseries that aired in early 2008 as a prequel to the Lonesome Dove miniseries based on Larry McMurtry's book series of the same name.

In the 2009 film Star Trek, he played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a role originated by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek TV series. A fan of the Star Trek franchise since childhood, Urban actively pursued a role in the film. His performance was widely embraced by the Star Trek fan community for its faithfulness to the spirit of Kelley's McCoy. Urban reprised the role in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness and the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond.

Urban next appeared as CIA agent William Cooper in Red, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name and co-starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren. He portrayed Black Hat, a villainous priest-turned-vampire, in the film adaptation of the Korean manhwa Priest, released in 3-D in 2011.

In 2012, Urban starred as law-enforcing comic book character Judge Dredd in the film Dredd. In an interview with Shave magazine, Urban described it as a "high-octane, action-fueled film... about the day in the life of Dredd". The film was directed by Pete Travis, with a script by Alex Garland. Though it underperformed at the box office, Dredd was well received by critics.

In 2013, Urban starred as Detective John Kennex in Almost Human, a TV series created by J. H. Wyman. The series was set 35 years into the future when cops in the L.A.P.D. are paired up with lifelike androids. Urban played a detective who has a dislike for robots but ends up being teamed up with one with emotional feelings. Urban next appeared in the ensemble thriller The Loft, a remake of the Belgian film of the same name. It was filmed in New Orleans and Belgium by the director of the 2008 original, Erik Van Looy. In January 2015, Urban replaced Michael C. Hall as the main antagonist in the 2016 remake of Pete's Dragon. In 2017, he played Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok. Also in 2017, Urban played a psychotic cop in the action thriller Acts of Vengeance opposite Antonio Banderas and Robert Forster. Urban had a cameo as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. He voiced the lead role in The Sea Beast in 2022.

Since 2019, Urban has starred as William "Billy" Butcher in the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys.

Personal life
In September 2004, Urban married his longtime partner, Natalie Wihongi, who was his makeup artist for the 2000 television film The Privateers. Together they have two sons; Hunter and Indiana. His second son was named for the eponymous hero of the Indiana Jones franchise, which he has stated is one of his favourite movie series. They lived in the affluent Herne Bay section of Auckland, New Zealand. The couple announced their separation in June 2014.

From 2014 to 2018, he was in a relationship with actress Katee Sackhoff.

Philanthropy
Urban serves as a celebrity ambassador for KidsCan, a charity that currently supports over 16,000 disadvantaged children in New Zealand by providing them with essentials such as food, clothing, and shoes.

In May 2022, UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand welcomed Urban as an official Ambassador to support in raising awareness on children's rights both in New Zealand and around the world.

On 1 June 2020, Urban, together with Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood, plus writer Philippa Boyens and director Peter Jackson, joined Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities.

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

title: Karl Urban


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USS Thomas A. Edison

USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), an Ethan Allen-class submarine nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the inventor Thomas Edison (1847–1931).

Construction and commissioning
Thomas A. Edison's keel was laid down on 15 March 1960 by the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corporation of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 15 June 1961, sponsored by Mrs. Madeleine Edison Sloane, daughter of Thomas Edison and Mina Miller and wife of John Eyre Sloane, and commissioned on 10 March 1962 with Captain Charles M. Young commanding the Blue Crew and Captain Walter Dedrick commanding the Gold Crew.

Service history
On 9 April 1962, during shakedown training off the eastern coast of the United States, Thomas A. Edison collided with the destroyer USS Wadleigh (DD-689).

Thomas A. Edison loaded sixteen Polaris A2 missiles, which had a range of a range of 1500 nm (1725 miles) and carried a single nuclear warhead on each missile, at the naval base in Charleston, South Carolina, and embarked upon her first deterrent patrol on November 7, 1962. She was part of the eight United States nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines which participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis as part of the United States nuclear order of battle from October to November 1962. During Edison's load out in Charleston at 1900 on October 22, 1962, DEFCON 3 was ordered for the Poliaris submarines on patrol. At DEFCON 3, “Polaris submarines moved to their launch points.” She concluded that patrol at the base at Holy Loch, Scotland, from which she operated for the next four years and conducted 17 deterrent patrols. In September 1966, her official home port was changed from New London, Connecticut, to Charleston, South Carolina, in preparation for her first major overhaul. She ended her 17th patrol at Charleston on 15 October 1966 and began her overhaul on 28 October 1966. She completed repairs on 9 May 1968; and, after post-overhaul sea trials and shakedown, she embarked upon her 18th deterrent patrol on 22 September 1968.

After a shortened 19th patrol, she conducted a "Follow on Target" (FOT) test launch. For this test, four missiles were selected at random, their warheads were removed, and telemetry packages were fitted in place of the warheads. Thomas A. Edison then proceeded to a location just off the Canary Islands and fired these missiles into the Caribbean. Due to the accuracy and timeliness of these successful launches, the members of that Blue Crew were awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation.

Through June 1973, Thomas A. Edison operated out of New London and Rota, Spain, from which ports she conducted another 19 deterrent patrols in the Mediterranean Sea.

In June 1973, she was transferred to the United States Pacific Fleet, arriving in San Diego, on 11 July 1973. After a short period of operations with Submarine Group 5, she moved to Vallejo, California, on 6 August 1973 to begin another overhaul, this time at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard at Vallejo, California. On 30 November 1974, she completed repairs and, following shakedown in January and February 1975, she transited the Panama Canal again in March 1975 to fire test missiles near Cape Canaveral, Florida. She concluded that mission in July and retransited the Canal on 8 August 1975. Thomas A. Edison carried out operations along the United States West Coast until December 1975, at which time she headed for her new home port, Apra, Guam.

On 6 October 1980, Thomas A. Edison completed her final deterrent patrol and was reclassified an attack submarine, given hull number SSN-610. Thomas A. Edison's missile section was deactivated. Concrete blocks were placed in the missile tubes, and the missile fire-control system and one of the ship's inertial navigation systems were removed.

Decommissioned on 1 December 1983, Thomas A. Edison was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 April 1986. She went through the Navy's Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, beginning on 1 October 1996 and on 1 December 1997 ceased to exist as the recycling was completed.

Elevator
Thomas A. Edison was the first and only submarine to have an elevator. In 1962, an elevator was added to Thomas A. Edison so that President Kennedy could access the submarine. President Kennedy had a back injury which prevented him from using vertical ladders. The addition was known as the JFK Submarine Access Elevator and allowed the President to enter the submarine through one of its deck hatches while standing. On April 13, 1962, President Kennedy and his naval aide to the president, Captain Tazewell Shepard, Jr., toured the recently commissioned submarine while it was at the naval base in Norfolk, Virginia. As of February 2022, the elevator is located at the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) Museum along the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut.

Steinway piano
During the construction of Thomas A. Edison, the commissioning captain, Charles M. "Cy" Young, purchased a Steinway piano that was placed aboard before the hull was sealed. This piano remained on board the submarine for 22 years (1961–1983) up until her decommissioning. The Steinway piano is the only example of a full-sized piano ever installed on a U.S. submarine conducting nuclear deterrent patrols.

title: USS Thomas A. Edison


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Whittier College

Whittier College is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of spring 2024, had 815 undergraduate and graduate students. It was founded in 1887. Whittier offers one graduate degree and a master's degree in education.

History
Whittier College, founded in 1887, was named for the Quaker abolitionist and poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Since that time, the institution has grown into a distinctive, national liberal arts college. The college campus has about 800 students and more than 100 faculty. It emphasizes small, interactive classes led by full-time faculty members.

Academics
Whittier College is a four-year liberal arts institution. Nearly half of the student body is Latino, and students of color constitute about 70% of the college's campus population. A majority of students hail from California. As of 2017, there are students from at least 27 states and 14 countries.

Whittier offers over 30 majors and 30 minors in 23 disciplines, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning. Students may also apply for entry into the Whittier Scholars Program, in which each student, under the guidance of a faculty member, designs their own major and course of study based on individual interests and career goals. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were
 * Business Administration and Management (62)
 * Exercise Science and Kinesiology (52)
 * Biology/Biological Sciences (40)
 * Psychology (38)
 * Social Sciences (29)
 * English Language and Literature (24)

Whittier College hosts a Faculty House Program, which is modeled after similar programs at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In this program, faculty are selected as faculty-in-residence for a multi-year term, live in houses located on-campus, and create and host in their homes educational and social programs around a specific theme, such as health and society, writers and writing, alumni connections, and Spanish culture.

Additionally, the college's graduate program in education offers both credential and Master of Arts in education degree programs. Broadoaks Children's School – a private, non-profit demonstration school on the Whittier campus – serves as a learning laboratory for Whittier faculty and undergraduate and graduate students.

Whittier Law School
Whittier Law School was located on a satellite campus in Costa Mesa, California. It started in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles in 1966 as Beverly Law School. In 1975, Beverly College joined Whittier with the law school, moving to Costa Mesa in 1997. Whittier Law School has 4,500 alumni practicing in 48 states and 14 countries. The school was accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) beginning in 1978 and was a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) beginning 1987.

On April 19, 2017, the law school announced that it would stop admitting students and begin the process of shutting down. The school ceased operations in July 2020.

Enrollment
Whittier College has traditionally enrolled 1000–1500 undergraduate students, allowing most classes to be seminars. Since 1984, Whittier College has averaged an undergraduate population of 1329 students, but the average student body size increased to over 1600 students during the 2010s. Enrollment dropped significantly during the tenure of former President Linda Oubre (2018–2023) from more than 1750 students in 2017 to 815 in spring 2024.

Student life

Whittier College has approximately 80 registered, student-run organizations. The college also has societies, which are similar to fraternities and sororities. Other campus groups include student publications, the Quaker Campus newspaper and television, the student-run radio station KPOET Radio, Video Productions Studios, and the Whittier College Sports Network.

Athletics

The Whittier Poets compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) of NCAA Division III. The school has fielded sports teams for over 100 years. Its current teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, lacrosse and water polo, women's softball and volleyball, and men's baseball and golf. In November 2022, Whittier announced that it was discontinuing its football team, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's golf.

The history of the Whittier football program began in 1907, and since the inception of the SCIAC in 1915, the Poets have won 26 conference titles. From 1957 to 1964, Whittier won eight straight SCIAC football titles under the direction of coaches George Allen (1951–1956), Don Coryell (1957–1959), and John Godfrey (1960–1979). Their most recent championships came back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. Twenty-three Poets have earned All-American honors, the most recent coming in 2007. The football program plays out of Newman Memorial Field, which seats 7,000. Whittier maintained a century-long football rivalry with Occidental Tigers. The two schools play for the shoes of 1939 All-American Myron Claxton. In November 2022, the school announced it would discontinue the football program.

The Whittier men's lacrosse program was established in 1980. In 1980, the Poets became a member of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL). From 1980 to 1999, Whittier won ten championships. In 1990, they were recognized by the NCAA but continued to compete in the WCLL. The Poets were the team to beat throughout the 1990s, and it was not until 2000 that Whittier decided to make their mark on the national scene by leaving the WCLL and focusing on being selected for the NCAA tournament. On November 15, 2022, it was announced that Whittier College would discontinue its men's lacrosse program after the conclusion of their season.

The Whittier men's and women's swimming and diving teams earned Academic All-American status—the women for the fourth straight year and the men for the first time after the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced the programs who achieved this honor for the 2015 Fall Semester. Five hundred forty-seven swimming and diving teams representing 354 colleges and universities have been named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Teams. The awards recognize teams with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2015 fall semester.

The termination of football, lacrosse, and golf in the fall of 2022 was greeted with controversy and protests.

Notable alumni
Notable alumni include former U.S. President Richard Nixon; actress Andrea Barber, known from the television comedy Full House and Fuller House; video blogger Cassey Ho; actors and brothers Geoff Stults, and George Stults; and author Jessamyn West.

Faculty

 * Mary Chawner Woody, president, North Carolina Woman's Christian Temperance Union
 * Kristine Dillon, president
 * Linda Oubré, past president of Whittier College (2018 - 2023)

Coaches

 * George Allen, head football coach for the Poets from 1951 to 1956. Former NFL head coach and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 * Jerry Burns, former head coach Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Assistant coach for Poets football team in 1952.
 * Leo B. Calland, former college football and basketball coach; highest winning percentage of any basketball coach at USC
 * Don Coryell, head football coach for the Poets from 1957 to 1959. First and only coach to win at least 100 games at both the collegiate level and in the NFL
 * Ty Knott, former assistant coach for the Poets. Former NFL assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers.
 * Duval Love, offensive line coach for the Poets in 2008. Former NFL offensive lineman.
 * Samie Parker, wide receivers coach for the Poets in 2019. Former NFL wide receiver.
 * Omarr Smith, defensive backs coach for the Poets in 2004. Former defensive back for the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League
 * Wallace Newman, head football coach for the Poets from 1929 to 1950. American Indian Tribal leader and mentor to future President of the United States Richard Nixon
 * Hugh Mendez, Former head football 1980–89 and baseball coach 1971–87 for Poets. Former head coach in Austrian Football League, German Football League and other European leagues.

title: Whittier College


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User talk:JoelWhitehouse

I found out about Wikipedia from PC Magazine and I love the idea. I hope to make some significant contributions someday.

title: User talk:JoelWhitehouse


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The Newlywed Game

The Newlywed Game is an American television game show. Newly married couples compete against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know or do not know each other. The program, originally created by Robert "Nick" Nicholson and E. Roger Muir (credited on-screen as Roger E. Muir) and produced by Chuck Barris, has appeared in many different versions since its 1966 debut. The show became famous for some of the arguments that couples had over incorrect answers in the form of mistaken predictions, and it even led to some divorces.

Many of The Newlywed Game's questions dealt with "making whoopee", the euphemism that producers used for sexual intercourse to circumvent network censorship. However, it became such a catchphrase of the show that its original host, Bob Eubanks, continued to use the phrase throughout the show's many runs, even in the 1980s and 1990s episodes and beyond, when he could easily have said "make love" or "have sex" during these periods without censorship.

Game Show Network's version of The Newlywed Game airs reruns throughout the week. Network Bounce TV has acquired the reruns from GSN.

In 2013, TV Guide ranked it No. 10 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.

Broadcast history
The Newlywed Game debuted on the ABC television network on July 11, 1966, scheduled at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. Central). On the day it debuted, CBS preempted its popular Password to cover a news conference held by then-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, which was delayed a half-hour, with the network "vamping" until he spoke. ABC opted to wait until just as the press conference began, and as a result The Newlywed Game was able to get a slight head start in the head-to-head ratings battle with the long-running Password. Over the next few months more viewers were tuning into The Newlywed Game and it became a hit, while Password's ratings began to fall and eventually led to the series' cancellation fourteen months later.

However, NBC debuted Days of Our Lives in late 1965 at 2/1, a soap opera that initially struggled to climb in the ratings. But by the early 1970s, Days of Our Lives was winning the timeslot regularly (though not always) over The Newlywed Game and CBS' Guiding Light. Eventually, ABC determined that The Newlywed Game had run its course on daytime and on December 20, 1974, the show concluded its initial run after nearly eight and a half years on the network. It was the longest-running game show in ABC daytime history until 1985, when Family Feud surpassed it, having run nine years at the time of its cancellation that year. The Money Maze, a game hosted by Cincinnati TV personality Nick Clooney, father of famed actor George Clooney, replaced it on the ABC schedule, but lasted only six months.

A syndicated version of the show began airing in 1977, with the same rules and set as the ABC original, albeit with more double entendres than the original. Mostly successful, it nonetheless was canceled in 1980, not directly because of the show itself. In fall 1979, creator Chuck Barris had debuted something of a spin-off show, 3's a Crowd, in which a man, his wife and his secretary would compete. The controversy, driven by the implications of adultery that came with such a concept, ruined Barris's reputation and not only ended 3's a Crowd, but all three of Barris's other shows that were airing at the time: The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game and The Gong Show. This was because most local stations did not want anything to do with the controversy, fearing potential boycotts and loss of advertising that might result.

A special week-long series for Valentine's Day aired on ABC in February 1984 and was the last time the show aired on a broadcast network. The set for the week of specials would later be used for Bob Eubanks' return to The New Newlywed Game in syndication a year later.

Until the GSN series' premiere on October 12, 2009, all subsequent editions of The Newlywed Game were seen in syndication. A revival that aired from 1985 until 1989 was referred to as The New Newlywed Game for the first three and a half years of its run. The last and most recent syndicated Newlywed Game aired new episodes from 1996 until 1999, continued in reruns for an additional season, and was sold to stations as part of an hour-long block with a revival of The Dating Game.

Hosts and announcers
Founding host Bob Eubanks was the master of ceremonies, or "emcee", who became most often associated with The Newlywed Game. Just 28 years old at the time the show debuted in 1966, he was the youngest emcee to host a game show. Eubanks hosted the ABC and first syndicated series, then returned to host The New Newlywed Game in September 1985. Former Dating Game host Jim Lange hosted the aforementioned week of specials in 1984, as Eubanks was hosting Dream House on NBC at the time, making Lange the only person to host both The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game.

In December 1988, Eubanks stepped down as the host of the series and he was replaced with comedian Paul Rodriguez. The title of the series became The Newlywed Game Starring Paul Rodriguez and remained so for the remainder of the 1988–89 season, after which the series was cancelled after four seasons.

Gary Kroeger hosted the first season of the revival of The Newlywed Game in 1996, which was conducted under a much different format from the previous series. After a year of struggling ratings, Eubanks returned to host and the format was reinstated to the classic Newlywed Game format. He has also hosted several special episodes of the current Newlywed Game, which has made Eubanks the only host to preside over an episode of the same series in six different decades.

The GSN edition was hosted by Carnie Wilson and narrated by Randy West from its debut on April 6, 2009 until the end of its third season on July 16, 2010, when Wilson elected not to return. As noted above, Eubanks hosted two special episodes of this version – one featured Wilson and her husband as well as her sister Wendy, her mother Marilyn, and their husbands; the second featured game show hosts Monty Hall, Peter Marshall, Wink Martindale and their wives. On August 18, 2010, it was announced that The View co-host Sherri Shepherd would take over as host for the fourth season of the show which premiered November 1, 2010. The fifth season premiered on April 18, 2011, with a new logo design, and with Shepherd serving as a narrator in addition to hosting. Shepherd continued taking on the role of host and narrator for the sixth season which premiered on October 25, 2012.

Scott Beach, who was Barris's first choice as host, was the announcer in the very early episodes of The Newlywed Game. After Beach resigned, Barris's primary staff announcer, Johnny Jacobs, took over, continuing as the announcer for the series until the first syndicated version was canceled in 1980. Tony McClay, who was a frequent Jacobs substitute, took over from time to time on the syndicated Newlywed Game. Rod Roddy was the announcer for the ABC specials. When The New Newlywed Game premiered in 1985, Bob Hilton was its announcer. He was replaced by Charlie O'Donnell, whom Barris had signed away from Barry & Enright Productions, in early 1988. O'Donnell continued to announce through the end of the Paul Rodriguez-hosted season, then left Barris to return to his position at Wheel of Fortune, which he held till his death.

Los Angeles radio DJ Ellen K provided the announcing for the first season of the 1996 revival, with John Cramer taking over upon Eubanks's return. For the first season of the 2009 revival Brad Aldous served as the announcer. Randy West took over for the next two seasons, and former host Gary Kroeger took over for West for the fourth season. As of the fifth season, host Shepherd doubled as announcer for the couple introductions and the voice-overs for the prize descriptions.

Theme songs
The theme music originally started off as a vocal song called "Summertime Guy". The song was written by Chuck Barris for singer Eddie Rambeau, who performed and released the song on a Swan label 45 rpm SP record. Minutes before the song was to be presented on American Bandstand in 1962, ABC informed Rambeau that he couldn't sing the song (because Chuck Barris was an ABC employee at the time), and he performed the B-side of the record instead.

Not wanting the song to go to waste, Barris commissioned Milton DeLugg a few years later to arrange an instrumental version of "Summertime Guy" for use as the first theme to The Newlywed Game. The theme music was performed by the Trumpets Olé in a style similar to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, and was released as the last track on the LP album "The Trumpets Olé Play Instrumentals". To better fit the show's spirit, DeLugg preceded the pop song's melody with a sample of Mendelssohn's Wedding March.

The theme was re-recorded around 1973 by Frank Jaffe and Michael Stewart. Featured as the third track on the LP album Chuck Barris Presents Themes from TV Game Shows, it was used on The Newlywed Game beginning with the syndicated version in 1977. Then, Milton DeLugg, who was by this time Barris' house musical director, created a new, updated theme based on the existing melody for The New Newlywed Game beginning with Jim Lange's 1984 series of specials, and then for the first several years of the Bob Eubanks-hosted revival.

When Paul Rodriguez took over in 1988, the theme song was changed to the 1950s doo wop classic "Book of Love" by the Monotones, making this the only theme song of the show with lyrics. The Gary Kroeger version featured an entirely new theme; when Eubanks returned, a new recording of the classic theme was used for his first season (arranged by Steve Kaplan & Jim Latham), but dropped in favor of a new theme for the third season by Barry Coffing and John Blaylock.

The GSN version uses an updated looping version of the classic theme composed by Lewis Flinn. For Shepherd's second season, the show's logo, intro, and set was changed, dropping the classic theme.

Production companies
Chuck Barris Productions produced all versions from 1966 to 1986, with the 1986–89 versions credited to Barris Productions. Columbia TriStar Television (CTT), who owns the Chuck Barris game show library, produced and distributed the 1996–1999 revivals. Embassy Row, a New York-based television production company, produces the Wilson and Shepherd-hosted version for CTT's successor Sony Pictures Television (who owns the formatting rights and, as of January 14, 2009, Embassy Row) and GSN.

Eligibility
Couples that had not yet celebrated their second anniversary were eligible to be contestants. As such, the majority of contestants were young adults. However, due to the rule of "couples being married two years or less", sometimes older couples were eligible, such as widowed senior citizens or divorced middle-aged people who had remarried.

Gameplay
For the first round, the wives were taken off the stage while the husbands were asked how they thought their wives would answer three questions. The wives were then brought back on stage and were asked for their answers for the same three questions. Once the wife gave her answer, the husband revealed the answer that he previously gave, which was written on a blue card. A match for that question was worth 5 points for the couple.

The roles were reversed in the second round, where the husbands were taken off the stage and the wives were asked four questions before the husbands were brought back on stage to give their answers. The first three questions in this round were worth 10 points each, and the final question was worth 25 points; Eubanks referred to this as the "25-point bonus question". The maximum possible score for any couple was 70 points. The couple with the highest score at the end of the second round won a prize that was "chosen just for you". (Actually, the couples had requested a certain prize and competed with other couples that had requested the same prize.) By 1987, this practice was eliminated.

The grand prize was never a car or cash, but it could include just about anything else: appliances, furniture, home entertainment systems, a trailer or motorcycles, trips (complete with luggage and camera), etc. In the 1997 remake, the grand prize was always a trip, this time referred to as "a fabulous second honeymoon" instead of "a grand prize chosen just for you."

Prior to taping the show, each couple was asked to predict the total points they would earn. In the event of a tie for first place, the tied couples reveal a card showing this predicted score. The winner went to whichever couple that had the closest guess without going over their actual total. In the event that all couples overshot their prediction; the winner would be decided by which prediction was the most accurate. In the event a couple had made an exact score prediction, they were awarded a special prize for precision.

For the first half of the 1988–89 season, the series adopted a new scoring format where each correct answer paid cash. All four couples were given $25 to start. In the first half, three questions were played at $25 per right answer. The second half featured three questions and the first two paid off at $50 for a right answer. The third question saw the couples wager any or all of their money, with right answers adding the amount of the wager and wrong answers deducting it. The couple in the lead at the end of the game still won the grand prize, but any money that the other three couples won was theirs to keep. The maximum possible amount was $500.

This scoring format was dropped, and the old one reinstated, when Paul Rodriguez took over as host in December 1988, although the number of couples competing was then reduced to three.

1996–97 version
When Gary Kroeger took over in Fall 1996 the show was overhauled with a new format. Like with the 1988–89 season of The New Newlywed Game, three couples competed in a series of rounds.

Round 1
Each spouse was shown a videotape of their mates who gave a statement mostly about their spouse. The tape was paused near the end which gave the spouse in control a chance predict how his/her mate completed the statement. Then the tape played again, and a correct answer earned 10 points. First the husbands' tapes were shown and the wives took a guess, and then it went the opposite direction.

An alternate format had the wives asked a series of questions prior to the show. The wives buzzed in when they believe their husband could match and said, "He better know this." Matches earn 5 points and not matching cost 5 points.

Round 2
Kroeger asked the couples a multiple-choice question in which one half of the couples had given answers in advance, and the other must guess what they chose. Each match again earns 10 points. First the wives predicted what their husbands said, then the process was reversed.

Round 3
In this round before the show, either the wives or the husbands gave some very weird facts about themselves. Kroeger gave the facts to the other half of the couple, who were equipped with heart-shaped signs that say "That's My Wife/Man!" If they recognized that fact, all they had to do was to raise the sign and yell out "THAT'S MY WIFE/MAN!" Correct recognitions won 10 points for their team, but wrong ones lost 10 points for the team. Only the first person to raise the sign could win or lose. Seven facts were played.

Round 4
In this final round of the game, Kroeger read a series of choices (ex: Candy or Potato Chips, Rocket Scientist or Space Cadet, Ketchup or Mustard, etc.) and the wives held cards with one of the choices on it. Then the husbands chose one of the two things that most applies to them. Each match earned points. There were seven questions, and each question was worth 10 points more than the previous question with the last question worth even more. So 310 points were possible for any couple who answer all seven questions correctly in this round.

 * Question 1 – 10 points
 * Question 2 – 20 points
 * Question 3 – 30 points
 * Question 4 – 40 points
 * Question 5 – 50 points
 * Question 6 – 60 points
 * Question 7 – 100 points

The couple with the most points would win the game and the second honeymoon trip. If there was a tie, a tie-breaker question was played until only one couple correctly answered the question; that couple would then win. If two couples answered correctly or incorrectly, this tie-breaker was repeated with a new question. This also applied to all three couples who answered right or wrong, or two of the three couples in the tie-breaker who answered correctly.

This format was mostly disliked by fans of the original show, so for the second season of this version, it reverted to its original format and theme, with original host Eubanks back at the helm.

2009–2013 version
The first season of the GSN version retained the classic format, but again only used three couples and the addition of a new endgame featuring a couple from a previous version, referred to as "Goldyweds".

In Round 1, three questions were asked of the wives, and the husbands try to match the wives' responses for 5 points apiece. The roles were reversed for Round 2, with the first two questions worth 10 points. The third and final question, worth 20 points, was called the "eHarmony.com Dimension Question" and was based on one of the "29 dimensions" used by the site to match up couples. (In some episodes which had couples who had first met on eHarmony.com, no mention of eHarmony or a specific "dimension" was mentioned for this last question.) The maximum possible score for any couple for the first season was 55 points. The couple with the highest score won a second honeymoon vacation.

The winners then played a Bonus Round against the Goldyweds, who were a couple that had appeared on a previous version of the show; usually, this was one of the versions Eubanks had hosted. In this round, the wives were taken off-stage and asked 5 questions during the commercial break. The husbands took positions in the front of the stage as their wives sit on chairs in the back. The questions were worth increasing values from 1–5 points (for a maximum possible score of 15 points for either couple). The couple with the most points won a bonus prize, usually a piece of Sony technology.

In the show's second season, several changes were made in the gameplay. The game was still played with only three couples, but the husbands were first to give responses to three questions for the wives to guess at 5 points each. (Some episodes featured "Maybelline Beauty Questions", quizzing the husbands on their wives's beauty routines; or "Ladies' Home Journal 'Can This Marriage Be Saved?' Questions", which focused on some of the tougher aspects of married life as based on the magazine's trademark column.) Then the wives responded to four questions; the first three worth 10 points each (on occasion, the third was still a "eHarmony.com Dimension Question"), and the fourth being a two-response bonus question, with each part worth 15 points (couples received 15 points for getting one of the two responses right, or 30 points for both), making for a maximum score of 75 points per couple. As before, the highest-scoring couple won a second honeymoon trip, but no Goldywed Bonus Round was played. (The "Goldywed" concept lived on, however, in the form of occasional special shows featuring couples that appeared on one of the earlier versions). In the sixth season, the fourth question returns to its original 25 point bonus question.

In the event of a tie during either the main game (in either season) or the endgame (in the first season), standard Newlywed Game "prediction" tiebreaker rules apply.

Same-sex couples
In the 2009–10 season, The Newlywed Game had the first same-sex married couples appear on the show. In episode two of the season, the first such couple was Star Trek actor George Takei and his husband, Brad Altman, playing in a special Celebrity Edition of the game, against The Biggest Loser couple Damien Gurganius and Nicole Brewer, and Christopher Knight and Adrienne Curry (My Fair Brady). Takei and Altman won the game and $10,000 for their charity, the Japanese American National Museum. The first non-celebrity same-sex couple, also winning their episode's grand prize package, would appear the following season (2010–11), which coincided with the third season's premiere episode, which aired on June 17, 2010.

The Newlywed Game: A Silver Anniversary of Love and Laughter
On April 18, 1998, a special titled The Newlywed Game: A Silver Anniversary of Love and Laughter aired on Game Show Network (GSN) hosted by Bob Eubanks and was announced by Gene Wood (though Wood was never credited) where it looks back at some of the couples who have appeared on the show during the 60's, 70's & 80's incarnations.

Cover Story: The Newlywed Game - Most Outrageous Answers
On October 28, 2018, an episode of the series Cover Story airing on Game Show Network (GSN) titled Cover Story: The Newlywed Game - Most Outrageous Answers hosted by Trish Suhr, features the most outrageous and hilarious moments from the show that spans over many seasons.

Episode status
Most episodes of the original ABC daytime version are lost, and many of those that do survive are said to have deteriorated. However, a handful have been shown on GSN, most notably the 1974 finale. The ABC nighttime version's status is also unknown for similar reasons, although a few of the evening shows have been shown on GSN's former block "Game Show Saturday Night". Most of the syndicated version exists, and has been rerun on GSN in the past.

In 2009, GSN premiered a new version of The Newlywed Game. The first three seasons were hosted by Carnie Wilson, and since November 1, 2010 have been hosted by Sherri Shepherd. With these two hosts and a combined six seasons, this version has had 430 episodes, 260 with Shepherd and 170 with Wilson.

On March 21, 2012, GSN announced that a sixth season of The Newlywed Game with Sherri Shepherd would air in the 2012–13 television season. The sixth season of The Newlywed Game premiered on GSN on October 25, 2012 at 8:00 p.m., airing four new episodes every Thursday night.

In October 2021, it was announced that classic episodes hosted by Eubanks would air on Buzzr beginning on November 15, 2021, making the series the first Sony-owned property to air on the network. As of February 2022, the network has aired episodes from the 1997-98 season.

Licensed merchandise
Hasbro produced three home editions of The Newlywed Game during its 1960s/70s run on ABC from 1967 and 1969. Prior to this, a special rarely seen red box edition was released in 1979 similar to the Hasbro editions, It even uses the same questions as well. However, the copyright is from "A Chuck Barris Production" instead of Hasbro. Pressman released a version based on the 1985 version in 1986. Currently, classic board games creator Endless Games, which specializes in board games based on several widely popular, long-running television game shows, including The Price is Right and Million Dollar Password, distributes home versions of The Newlywed Game, including three standard editions (the third titled "Classic" to differentiate itself from the current GSN version), a DVD edition, a "Quick Picks" travel-size edition, and a "Deluxe Edition" which combines the first standard edition game with the DVD edition.

In 1971, Pocket Books published a beginners' cookbook entitled The Newlywed Game Cook Book. It was compiled by Jody Cameron Malis and featured Bob Eubanks' picture on the cover.

A video slot machine based on The Newlywed Game was released by IGT in 2004. It had an animated Jim Lange (who had previously hosted the ABC special in 1984) appearing in the game instead of Bob Eubanks.

The show's original theme music has been released several times on LP and CD, most notably as part of the GSN-approved Classic TV Game Show Themes CD from Varèse Sarabande.

title: The Newlywed Game


text: Exoteric

title: Exoteric


text:
Talk:Chinese astrology

Pig or boar?
Some places on the page say "boar" and others say "Pig". I was trying to reconcile why boar did not appear on the list of twelve. I was wondering if there was a preferred English word or if there needs to be a dual entry in the tables and lists. --DeweyQ (talk) 20:35, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Also, sheep, lamb or Goat? I saw a major error where instead of any of these three, the chinese character was translated as CAT! Fixed up now. My Oxford University Press Chinese-English Dictionary (2nd ed) translates it as sheep. Lamb would be a young sheep and Goat would be a related animal from mountainous areas. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.239.125.45 (talk) 13:28, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

 * For the Pig/boar question: I've heard the sign being referred to as "Pig" more often than boar. Which is not to say that boar doesn't pop up - it is merely less common in usage than "Pig" when referring to the Chinese zodiac sign. And for the sheep/lamb/Goat: it is possible that someone somewhere may actually use it, but I have never heard "lamb" used in reference. Between Goat and sheep, I have heard "sheep" more often, but the two have been used interchangeably more often than Pig/boar. I hope this helps. Ultatri (talk) 17:11, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Chinese is confusing. I prefer Western Astrology. It doesn't lie. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nm1119 (talk • contribs) 04:26, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

The Chinese characters for these animals are collective words. One can regard them as word-roots as well. "Zhi" or "Zhu" for Pig/boar are literally more accurate if translated as "swine" (without its condemning sense). Pig can be referred as "Domestic Zhu" and boar is usually called "feral Zhu". Same goes for the sheep/lamb/Goat (Yang). Sheep is "wool Yang", lamb is "baby Yang" and Goat is "mountain Yang". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.223.23.102 (talk) 20:25, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

 * After Korea introduced the Chinese calendar to Japan in 7th century A.D., the Japanese people changed the name of the Pig constellation to the Boar. Lion's the Tiger (talk) 13:56, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Add the Tibetan calendar?
The Tibetan calendar seems like another derivative, almost the same animals and the same order. I also found a source that links them,

Greco-Roman Gods?
Why do we have a mix of Greek and Roman gods listed under the category of "Greek 12 Gods"? Ceres, Diana, and Vesta are the Roman names for Demeter, Artemis, and Hestia, respectively. Of course, I see no references for the correlations in the first place, so I'm not sure if that piece should be fixed or just removed. AlpineFox (talk) 14:35, 30 January 2020 (UTC)

more sources?
hey this article currently has 7 sources. I believe that's enough.CycoMa (talk) 19:01, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

 * It doesn't say references. It says citations. Every paragraph should have a citation. Skyerise (talk) 21:39, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

شنو معنه برج صيني
م 37.239.74.17 (talk) 07:54, 9 July 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Chinese astrology


text:
A Modest Destiny

A Modest Destiny is a pixel art webcomic created by Sean Howard. The comic started in January 2003.

Creation
A Modest Destiny was created by Sean Howard. In an interview, Howard said that his background was in programming. He said that he became interested in comics when a website he followed went down for a server upgrade and the admin posted a list of things people could do instead, one of which was a link to Sluggy Freelance. Some time later, he was seeking work and looking for a way to be creative and started drawing comics. Howard said that his use of pixel art was based on needing art for video games he was producing. Howard felt the term "sprite comic" was inappropriate for his work as his art was original rather than copied out of a video game, and said he could not agree with doing so and that "it has led to some of the worst webcomics in existence."

Publication
In a January 2004 interview, Howard said that he wanted A Modest Destiny to run for only three years, so that it would never get tired and repeat itself.

In July 2005, with the final storyline halfway through, Howard announced that he was ceasing to make webcomics.

Dispute with Penny Arcade
In late 2003, Howard wrote to the creators of Penny Arcade over the use of his art by users of the Penny Arcade forum. Howard's letter said that he had already "shut down six web comics that were using his art". Mike Krahulik posted about the letter and dispute on the Penny Arcade website, including a link to A Modest Destiny; the traffic overload from this temporarily caused a shutdown of Howard's site.

Plot
A Modest Destiny consists of four chapters, also called seasons or arcs – "Maxim Saves the World", "The Dreaded Vampire Lord Fluffy", "The War of Fate", and "Prophecies of the Demon King" – and one short story entitled "Sibling Rivalry". The comic is set in a fantasy world.

The first arc, "Maxim Saves The World", follows the adventures of the titular character, Maxim, and is narrated through a series of flashbacks. The second arc, "The Dreaded Vampire Lord Fluffy", is roughly half the length of the first and focusses on a single story rather than several smaller ones. Set in the same universe as the first chapter, it follows a vampire necromancer named Fluffy who had been tamed by society. The story also features a number of lesser-used characters from the first storyline and depicts the events leading up to a war between the humans and the undead. With the third arc, "The War Of Fate", is set five years after the end of "Lord Fluffy" in a world all but destroyed by war against the undead. An undead army, led by the mysterious Black Knight, has taken over the majority of the country, with only a small group of humans left to oppose him. These humans, led by Maxim and his friends, defend a small city called Last Hope. The final arc of A Modest Destiny was titled "Prophecies of the Demon King".

Reception
In his 2004 book, How to Draw and Sell Digital Cartoons, Leo Hartas used A Modest Destiny as an illustration of how reusing artwork can be an effective way to save time when creating a comic.

title: A Modest Destiny


text:
Alor Island

Alor (Pulau Alor) is the largest island in the Alor Archipelago and is one of the 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia. It is located at the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands that runs through southeastern Indonesia, which from the west include such islands as Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, and Flores.

To the east of the island across the Ombai Strait lie the islands of Wetar (in Maluku Province) and Atauro, the latter belonging to East Timor. To the south, across the Strait of Alor, lies the western part of Timor. To the north lies the Banda Sea. To the west lies Pantar and the other islands of the Alor archipelago, and further yet the rest of the Sunda Islands.

Alor Island, as well as the rest of its archipelago, is part of East Nusa Tenggara province.

Geography
Alor has an area of about 2,125 km2, making it the largest island of the Alor archipelago. Kalabahi is the only town on the island of Alor, with an estimated population of 55,556 in Teluk Mutiara District in mid 2023. The variety of goods obtainable in Kalabahi is surprising considering its size and location. The 2010 census recorded the population of the island as 145,299 out of 190,000 in the regency. The 2020 census produced a total of 163,377, and the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 171,297. Alor is of volcanic origin and has very rugged terrain. The region near Kalabahi is the only flat area. This may be why the Dutch chose the location as the capital and main harbor (Alor-Kecil) in 1911.

On 12 November 2004, an earthquake occurred, killing 34 people, and injuring 400. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).

Economy
The island's infrastructure is only weakly built. The inhabitants practice mainly subsistence agriculture. In the villages, vanilla, tamarind, almonds (Canarium) and other nuts are cultivated. In the forests sandalwood is cut down for trade.

The latest geological explorations have discovered valuable resources such as gypsum, kaolin, petroleum, natural gas, tin, gold, and diamonds. Alor's snorkelling and diving may promise an increase in tourism in the future. Alor hosts some of the most healthy and diverse corals in Indonesia and has areas of black volcanic sand for specialized scuba diving interests.

Religion
211,872 people lived on Alor and Pantar in 2020, of whom 163,377 were on Alor itself; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 171,297. 68.46% were Protestants, 25.65% Muslims and 3.04% Roman Catholics (in a few villages). Animistic rites and traditions are still strongly practiced.

Language
The majority of the more than fifteen indigenous languages spoken on Alor belong to the Papuan (non-Austronesian) family of Alor languages. These include Abui, Adang, Hamap, Kabola, Kafoa, Woisika, Kelon, and Kui. In addition, Alorese is a Malayo-Polynesian language which is spoken along the coast of the western and southern Bird's Head of Alor Island and in places on surrounding islands.

Many of the Papuan languages of Alor are endangered and are no longer being actively acquired by children. Some languages have fewer than 1000 speakers remaining. Significant linguistic documentation efforts have been undertaken recently by Leiden University. The language of daily communication is Alor Malay, a unique Malay variety with some similarities to Kupang Malay. Indonesian is taught in schools and used widely in media.

Transportation
Alor is served by Alor Mali Airport (ARD). The airport is small, and all incoming and outgoing flights are thus via Kupang Airport (KOE). Alor is serviced 3–4 times daily by both Wings Air and NAM Air. Flights originating in Bali, Surabaya or Jakarta with the final destination of Alor stop in Kupang to change planes. There are no direct services from Labuan Bajo, Ende, Maumere or Makassar.

title: Alor Island


text:
Implementation

Implementation is the realization of an application, execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, policy, or the administration or management of a process or objective.

Information technology
In the information technology industry, implementation refers to the post-sales process of guiding a client from purchase to use of the software or hardware that was purchased. This includes requirements analysis, scope analysis, customizations, systems integrations, user policies, user training and delivery. These steps are often overseen by a project manager using project management methodologies. Software Implementations involve several professionals that are relatively new to the knowledge based economy such as business analysts, software implementation specialists, solutions architects, and project managers.

To implement a system successfully, many inter-related tasks need to be carried out in an appropriate sequence. Utilising a well-proven implementation methodology and enlisting professional advice can help but often it is the number of tasks, poor planning and inadequate resourcing that causes problems with an implementation project, rather than any of the tasks being particularly difficult. Similarly with the cultural issues it is often the lack of adequate consultation and two-way communication that inhibits achievement of the desired results.

Social and health sciences
Implementation is defined as a specified set of activities designed to put into practice an activity or program of known dimensions. According to this definition, implementation processes are purposeful and are described in sufficient detail such that independent observers can detect the presence and strength of the "specific set of activities" related to implementation. In addition, the activity or program being implemented is described in sufficient detail so that independent observers can detect its presence and strength.

In computer science, implementation results in software, while in social and health sciences, implementation science studies how the software can be put into practice or routine use.

Role of end users
System implementation generally benefits from high levels of user involvement and management support. User participation in the design and operation of information systems has several positive results. First, if users are heavily involved in systems design, they move opportunities to mold the system according to their priorities and business requirements, and more opportunities to control the outcome. Second, they are more likely to react positively to the change process. Incorporating user knowledge and expertise leads to better solutions.

The relationship between users and information systems specialists has traditionally been a problem area for information systems implementation efforts. Users and information systems specialists tend to have different backgrounds, interests, and priorities. This is referred to as the user-designer communications gap. These differences lead to divergent organizational loyalties, approaches to problem solving, and vocabularies. Examples of these differences or concerns are below:

Designer concerns

 * How much disk storage space will the master file consume?
 * How many lines of program code will it take to perform this function?
 * How can we cut down on CPU time when we run the system?
 * What are the most efficient ways of storing this data?
 * What database management system should we use?

Critique of the Premise of Implementation
Social scientific research on implementation also takes a step away from the project oriented at implementing a plan, and turns the project into an object of study. Lucy Suchman's work has been key, in that respect, showing how the engineering model of plans and their implementation cannot account for the situated action and cognition involved in real-world practices of users relating to plans: that work shows that a plan cannot be specific enough for detailing everything that successful implementation requires. Instead, implementation draws upon implicit and tacit resources and characteristics of users and of the plan's components.

title: Implementation