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Bill Emmott

William John Emmott (born 6 August 1956) is an English journalist, author, and consultant best known as the editor-in-chief of The Economist newspaper from 1993 to 2006. Emmott has written fourteen books and worked on two documentary feature films. He co-founded the Wake Up Foundation, an educational charity dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers facing Western societies. He is now chairman of the Trinity College Long Room Hub for Arts & Humanities in Dublin, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and of the Japan Society of the UK in London.

Life and work
Emmott was born in the 6 August 1956 to Richard Anthony and Audrey Mary Emmott. His father was an accountant. Emmott was educated at Latymer Upper School in London and Magdalen College, Oxford. He graduated from Oxford with first-class honours in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Emmott first married Charlotte Crowther in 1982. After they divorced he married Carol Barbara Mawer in 1992. After graduation and after an uncompleted D-Phil on French politics at Nuffield College, Oxford, he worked for The Economist newspaper in Brussels, Tokyo, and London, and became the fifteenth editor of the publication in March 1993. Emmott resigned thirteen years later on 20 February 2006. During his tenure, The Economist editorialised in favour of the Iraq War, of legalising gay marriage, of abolishing the British monarchy, and of opposing Silvio Berlusconi as prime minister of Italy. In 2009, Emmott received the Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in business journalism.

Emmott served as chairman of the London Library from 2009 to 2015. He worked as a group economic adviser for Fleming Family & Partners from 2011 to 2015. He is currently an Ushioda Fellow at the University of Tokyo's Tokyo College and is a member of UTokyo's Global Advisory Board. He has been a visiting professor at Shujitsu University in Okayama, Japan, a visiting fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford, and a visiting fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. From 2006 to 2019 Emmott was also an adviser to Swiss Re and served as the chairman of the content board at Ofcom from January to July 2016 when the organisation's executive decided that the Brexit referendum result made it too uncomfortable to have a working journalist in that role.

Emmott wrote the best-selling book The Sun Also Sets: The Limits to Japan's Economic Power (1989), as well as 20:21 Vision: Twentieth-Century Lessons for the Twenty-First Century (2003), Japanophobia: The Myth of the Invincible Japanese (1993), and Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape our Next Decade (2008).

His book about Italy, Forza, Italia: Come Ripartire dopo Berlusconi (Come on Italy: How to Restart after Berlusconi) was translated to Italian and published in 2010. Initially there was no English language version of this book. Emmott then updated, revised, and expanded the content for an English language version called Good Italy, Bad Italy, which was published in 2012.

In April 2016, the government of Japan awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

Emmott writes columns on current affairs for La Stampa in Italy, for Nikkei Business and the Mainichi Shimbun in Japan, and for Project Syndicate worldwide. His latest English language book, The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World's Most Successful Political Idea, was published in April 2017. His new book, Japan's Far More Female Future was published in Japanese by Nikkei in July 2019 and in English by Oxford University Press in 2020.

He currently lives with his wife Carol in Oxford and Dublin with their 3 dogs.

Girlfriend in a Coma
Emmott co-wrote and narrated a documentary film entitled Girlfriend in a Coma, which depicts Italy in a 20-year-long crisis. It was made in 2012 by Springshot Productions under the direction and co-authorship of Annalisa Piras. It was broadcast on BBC Four, Sky Italia and La7 TV channels early in 2013, and subsequently on other channels worldwide, as well as more than 46 independently organised public screenings in Italy and abroad. During the six months following its release, the film was watched by more than one and a half million viewers.

The Great European Disaster Movie
Emmott and Piras again worked together on The Great European Disaster Movie which was aired in Britain, France, Germany and many other European countries in early 2015. The movie has been seen by 2,500,000 people in twelve countries and been translated into ten languages. In October 2015, Emmott and Piras made the film freely available for public screenings and debates about the future of the European Union. In May 2016, it was awarded the German CIVIS Media Prize in the category TV-Information.

Wake Up Foundation
Emmott and Piras set up the Wake Up Foundation to use film, text, and data for public education about the decline of Western countries. The first projects of the foundation were the Wake Up Europe! initiative, The Great European Disaster Movie, and a statistical indicator of the long-term health of western societies called 2050 Index. In May 2019, the foundation held its inaugural Wake Up Europe Film Festival for social impact documentaries in Turin.

title: Bill Emmott


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Pinus pumila

Pinus pumila, commonly known as the Siberian dwarf pine, dwarf Siberian pine, dwarf stone pine, Japanese stone pine, or creeping pine, is a tree in the family Pinaceae native to northeastern Asia and the Japanese isles. It shares the common name creeping pine with several other plants.

Description
The Siberian dwarf pine is a coniferous evergreen shrub ranging from 1-3 m in height, exceptionally up to 5 m, but may have individual branches that extend farther along the ground in length. In the mountains of northern Japan, it sometimes hybridizes with the related Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora); these hybrids (Pinus × hakkodensis) are larger than P. pumila, reaching 8 - 10 m tall on occasion.

The leaves are needle-like, formed in bundles of five and are 4–6 centimeters long. The cones are 2.5–4.5cm long, with large nut-like seeds (pine nuts).

Distribution
The range covers the Far East, Eastern Siberia, north-east of Mongolia, north-east of China, northern Japan and Korea. Siberian dwarf pine can be found along mountain chains, above the tree line, where it forms dense, uninterrupted thickets; it also grows on the headlands above the Okhotsk and Bering Seas, Tatarsk and Pacific coast (the Kurils).

P. pumila grows very slowly. It can live up to 300 and, in some instances, 1,000 years. In the colder conditions of Siberia, there are specimens which are 250 years old and older.

Ecology
The seeds are harvested and dispersed by the spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes).

Cultivation
This plant is grown as an ornamental shrub in parks and gardens. The cultivar P. pumila 'Glauca' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

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

title: Pinus pumila


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Calamus

Calamus may refer to:

Botany and zoology

 * Calamus (fish), a genus of fish in the family Sparidae
 * Calamus (palm), a genus of rattan palms
 * Calamus, the hollow shaft of a feather, also known as the quill
 * Acorus calamus, the sweet flag, a tall wetland plant, commonly referred to as calamus in herbal medicine

Place names

 * Calamus, Iowa, United States
 * Calamus, Wisconsin, United States
 * Calamus Creek (disambiguation)
 * Calamus Swamp, Ohio, United States

Other uses

 * Calamus (DTP), a desktop publishing application
 * Calamus (poems), a series of poems by American writer Walt Whitman
 * Calamus Ensemble, a classical music ensemble featuring Roberto Carnevale
 * Ensemble Cálamus, a classical music ensemble featuring Eduardo Paniagua
 * USS Calamus (AOG-5) a Mettawee-class gasoline tanker acquired by the U.S. Navy
 * Calamus or Kalamos, a figure in Greek mythology
 * Calamus, a character from the 2014 puzzle/adventure game OneShot

title: Calamus


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Etihad (disambiguation)

Etihad, from the Arabic for "union" (اتحاد ʾIttiḥād), primarily refers to Etihad Airways, the second largest flag carrier airline of the United Arab Emirates.

Etihad may also refer to:

Entities associated with the United Arab Emirates

 * Etihad Rail, a railway company of the United Arab Emirates
 * Etihad Towers, a building complex in Abu Dhabi
 * Darwin Airline, a Swiss airline that operated under the brand name Etihad Regional

Related to sports sponsorships

 * City of Manchester Stadium, known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons
 * Etihad Campus, an area of Sportcity, Manchester including the stadium

 * Docklands Stadium, a stadium in Melbourne, formerly known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons

title: Etihad (disambiguation)


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Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways (شَرِكَة ٱلْاِتِّحَاد لِلطَّيْرَان) is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, alongside Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates.

The airline operates more than 1,000 flights per week to over 120 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America, with a fleet of 85 Airbus and Boeing aircraft Its main base is at Zayed International Airport.

In addition to its main activity of passenger transportation, Etihad also operates Etihad Holidays and Etihad Cargo. The airline established its airline alliance, Etihad Airways Partners, in October 2015. It ceased operations in 2018 after several of its members fell into financial difficulties. Etihad held minority investments in the participating airlines, and previously had a stake in Virgin Australia until its insolvency in April 2020 with no return on investment.

Background
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi was a joint-owner of Gulf Air along with Bahrain, Qatar, and the Sultanate of Oman. Zayed International Airport was one of Gulf Air's bases and hubs from the 1970s until 2005, when the UAE withdrew from the airline. Gulf Air would remain as a two-state carrier until Oman's exit in 2007 in order to focus on Oman Air and today, Gulf Air is solely owned by Bahrain.

Name
Etihad means "union" or "unity" in Arabic, and represents the unity of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah).

Foundation
In July 2003, future UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who wanted an airline for Abu Dhabi, issued a royal (Amiri) decree that established Etihad Airways as a national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan founded the airline and utilized AED500 million of start-up capital. Services were launched with a ceremonial flight to Al Ain on 5 November 2003. On 12 November 2003, Etihad commenced commercial operations by launching services to Beirut, Lebanon.

In June 2004, the airline placed a US$8 billion aircraft order for 6 Boeing 777-200 and 24 Airbus aircraft, including 10 Airbus A380s. Its first A380 was delivered in December 2014.

In June 2008 at the Farnborough Airshow, the airline announced an order for 35 Boeing 787s and 10 777s, options for 25 787s and 10 777s, and purchase rights on 10 787s and 5 777s.

Etihad reported its first full-year net profit in 2011, of US$14 million, in line with the strategic plan announced by CEO James Hogan in 2006.

Equity Alliance
In December 2011, Etihad announced it had taken a 29.21% stake in Air Berlin, Europe's sixth-largest airline, and Hogan was appointed Vice Chairman. It followed this up with minority stakes in other airlines—Air Seychelles (40%), Aer Lingus (2.987%), Virgin Australia (10%). On 1 August 2013, the president of the company, Hogan, signed a deal with Aleksandar Vučić, First Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, in Belgrade, giving Etihad a 49% stake in the Serbian national carrier Jat Airways. The Serbian Government retained 51% of the shares, with the company being rebranded as Air Serbia.

In September 2012, the Indian government announced that foreign airlines could take up to 49% stake in Indian carriers. On 24 April 2013, Jet Airways announced that it was ready to sell a 24% stake in the airline to Etihad for US$379 million. The deal was completed on 12 November 2013.

At the 2013 Dubai Airshow, Etihad announced that it was acquiring a 33.3% stake in the Swiss carrier Darwin Airline. Darwin was rebranded as Etihad Regional in March 2014. Etihad sold its stake in Darwin in 2017.

On 1 August 2014, Etihad agreed to take a 49% stake in the Italian flag carrier Alitalia for an estimated €560 million. The deal was closed on 8 August 2014. On 1 January 2015, Alitalia-CAI formally passed its operations to Alitalia-SAI, a new entity owned 49% by Etihad and 51% by the Alitalia-CAI shareholders.

In May 2016, the management structure was reshuffled, as Hogan became CEO of the airline's parent company, Etihad Aviation Group. Peter Baumgartner, formerly the airline's Chief Commercial Officer, became chief executive officer of the airline, reporting to Hogan. In December 2016 Handelsblatt Global reported that Hogan was going to be dismissed after a "failed spree of acquisitions in Europe."

On 24 January 2017, the Etihad Aviation Group Board of Directors announced that Hogan (along with Group CFO James Rigney) would be stepping down "in the second half of 2017". Peter Baumgartner, (former CEO of the airline), became the acting CEO of the airline as it faced mounting losses from its investments in Air Berlin and Alitalia. On 2 May 2017 Alitalia filed for bankruptcy. Hogan and Rigney left Etihad later that month. On 27 July Etihad reported a loss of US$1.873 billion for 2016. On 15 August Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy after Etihad withdrew its financial support.

As an interim measure, the board of directors appointed Ray Gammell as CEO (previously Chief People and Performance Officer) while searching for a permanent replacement. On 9 January 2018, Etihad Airways appointed Mark Powers as Group CFO, replacing interim Group CFO Ricky Thirion.

On 2 July 2017, the United States Department of Homeland Security unbanned Etihad Airways and exempted Etihad Airways from the 2017 electronics ban after the airline enhanced its passenger screening processes.

In June 2018 Etihad reported a net loss of US$1.52 billion for 2017.

In February 2019, Etihad announced large order cancellations for both Airbus and Boeing aircraft. The airline terminated contracts for all 42 Airbus A350-900s, 2 A350-1000s and 19 of 24 ordered Boeing 777X.

On 1 May 2021 it was announced Etihad Airways sold its 40% stake in Air Seychelles back to the Government of Seychelles.

On 13 May 2023 the Serbian Government announced they had finished acquiring 100% equity in Air Serbia, after several years of buying back stakes from Etihad.

Impact of COVID-19
In May 2020, shortly after Air France retired its entire Airbus A380 fleet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were rumors that Etihad Airways was considering canceling all its remaining Airbus A350 orders and retiring its entire Airbus A380 fleet due to more financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Etihad's CEO Tony Douglas said that Etihad's A380 fleet was very likely not to fly again in passenger service, and therefore likely to be withdrawn after only 7 years in service. This move would make Etihad the third Airbus A380 operator to retire its Airbus A380 fleet, following Air France-KLM and Hi Fly Malta. However, by 26 May 2020, Etihad confirmed that the airline will not cancel its remaining Airbus A350 orders and plans to proceed with them. The airline also confirmed that it had no plans to ditch its Airbus A380 fleet into early retirement, unlike Air France, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, as of October 2020, some sources stated that the Etihad Airbus A380 still had a potential possibility of early retirement due to the aircraft market changes and demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as Douglas referred to the Airbus A380 as a heavily inefficient handicapped behemoth by two engines too many. Douglas also said that smaller long-range twin-jet aircraft such as the Boeing 777X, 787, and Airbus A350 can do the job far more efficiently and sustainably than that of the A380.

In February 2021, Etihad Airways vaccinated all its operating pilots and cabin crew against COVID-19, the first airline to vaccinate all its operating pilots and cabin crew.

Since most of Etihad's flights were grounded between March and June 2020, the airline's passenger traffic dropped by 76% to 4.2 million in 2020.

Throughout 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Etihad Airways laid off over 1,000 cabin crew and pilots.

Etihad had reported significant losses even before the pandemic; since 2016, it lost over $5.62 billion and in 2019 losses amounted to $870 million. The airline's full-year losses amounted to $1.7 billion in 2020, and $476 million in 2021.

Return to profitability

In July 2022, Etihad announced a record-breaking first-half profitability of $296 million. This was achieved due to the increased passenger travel demand. Etihad carried 3 million more passengers in the first half of 2022, compared to the first half of 2021.

In October 2022 Etihad Airways was transferred ownership over to Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ. Etihad, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Holidays and more were all brought into common ownership.

Although the airline had grounded its fleet of 10 A380-800 aircraft with no initial plans to redeploy the aircraft, it was decided that they would return to service. In 2023 Etihad redeployed 4 of their 10 jumbo jets onto their London Heathrow service, with later decisions that an additional A380 would return to the fleet. The airline later announced the redeployment of their A380 to their New York JFK route in April 2024 as well as to Paris Charles de Gaulle from November 2024.

Head office
Etihad has its head office in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Abu Dhabi International Airport. Etihad spent 183.6 million UAE dirhams (US$50 million) in 2007 to have its new head office and training center built. The new head office was completed in 2007.

Structure
Etihad is governed by a board of directors chaired by Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, and operates in terms of its founding legislation and the Article of Association of the company. The board consists of seven independent non-executive members and has two sub-committees, being an executive committee and an Audit Committee, each with its charter and chairman. Other members of the board include Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Mohamed Hareb Sultan Al Yousef, Hamad Abdulla Al Shamsi, Khalifa Sultan Al Suwaidi, and Ahmed Ali Matar Al Romaithi.

The airline was led previously by James Hogan (formerly CEO of Gulf Air) who was appointed as president and chief executive officer on 10 September 2006 until January 2018. He was succeeded by Tony Douglas, who held the post until October 2022. The current CEO of Etihad Group is Antonoaldo Neves.

Etihad Airways equity alliance
Etihad's equity alliance was composed of airlines in which Etihad had minority shareholdings. These consisted of stakes in Air Berlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, and Virgin Australia. As of year-end 2023, Etihad has exited all of these holdings.

With Virgin Australia's bankruptcy and subsequent restructuring, the company's shareholding in the airline ended in its entirety. In late December 2020, the government of Serbia recapitalized Air Serbia, increasing its stake to 82%, thus decreasing Etihad's stake to 18%.

The airline was also a part of the now-disbanded Etihad Airways Partners alliance between 2015 and 2018.

Business trends
Key trends for Etihad Airways are shown below (as at years ending 31 December):

Profits*: Earlier profit/loss figures do not appear to have ever been published; the company announced, however, that it became profitable as from 2011.

Company slogans

 * From Abu Dhabi to the World – De facto slogan of the airline.
 * The World Is Our Home, You Are Our Guest – 2013
 * Flying Reimagined – 2015. The global campaign was headed with a launch of a commercial filmed on location in Abu Dhabi featuring Nicole Kidman as Etihad ambassador and the Airbus A380 The Residence cabin.
 * Choose Well – 2018

Event and organisations

 * On 18 December 2007 Etihad announced that it would become the title sponsor for the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to be held on Yas Island, the F1 logo and the words "Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix" appeared on the aircraft for one month before the race.
 * In October 2008, it was announced that Etihad would take over sponsorship of the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Australia (previously known as the Telstra Dome). The name change to Etihad Stadium took effect on 1 March 2009.
 * On 19 March 2008, it was announced that Etihad Airways would become a main sponsor for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship from 2008 to 2010, which was later extended until 2012. On 12 April 2012, the Gaelic Athletic Association signed a new five-year sponsorship deal with Etihad.
 * On 25 March 2014, Etihad announced a partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States to become the Official Airline Partner of MLS, in a multi-year deal.
 * Etihad Airways were the main sponsor for the 2015 Etihad Airways GAA World Games held in Abu Dhabi and the 2016 Etihad Airways GAA World Games held in Dublin. The sponsorship has since ceased.
 * In 2017 it was announced that Etihad Airways would collaborate with IMG Models, on a show called Model Diaries, showcasing models in high fashion as they travel to fashion shows around the world. and in November 2018 its first episode featured high fashion model Xiao Wen Ju as she travelled to Dubai.

Former sponsorships

 * Etihad was a sponsor of UAE sports clubs, including the Abu Dhabi Rugby Union Football Club, the Abu Dhabi International Sailing School and the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), as well as the Al-Jazira Club.
 * It also had sponsored the two Arena Football League teams, the Baltimore Brigade & Washington Valor, before the league went bankrupt & dissolved in 2019.

Cargo
Etihad Cargo, formerly Etihad Crystal Cargo, is the dedicated freight operations branch of Etihad. The carrier refreshed its brand image in June 2012 dropping the "Crystal" part, with full Etihad Cargo titles now applied billboard-style in line with the airline's current corporate design.

Etihad Cargo operates six Boeing 777Fs. It has previously operated a Boeing 747-400F and Boeing 747-8F, both leased from Atlas Air but operated in full Etihad Cargo colours. In January 2018, Etihad announced it would retire and either sell or lease out its five relatively new Airbus A330-200F freighters due to a change in strategy and reduction of freight capacity. In August 2018, it was announced that all five A330 freighters had been sold to DHL Aviation.

Etihad Cargo delivered 368,000 tonnes of cargo in 2012, a tonnage growth of 19 percent on the back of a capacity increase of 14 percent in available tonnage kilometres. Etihad's new facility at Zayed International Airport is equipped to handle more than 500,000 tonnes annually.

In September 2018, Etihad Cargo announced a revised and heavily downsized network of cargo destinations to reflect the reduced fleet and a focus on core freight operations.

Destinations
As of June 2023, Etihad serves 81 passenger and cargo destinations across Africa, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia from its hub at Zayed International Airport. Until terminating the São Paulo service in late March 2017, Etihad Airways was one of the few carriers to have passenger services to all six inhabited continents.

As 2021 began, the airline suspended its flights to South Africa as a part of its ongoing review of network performance. Etihad opened a twice-weekly route to Tel Aviv, Israel, in April 2021. Later in June 2023, the airline announced expansions of some routes such as expanding the frequency of flights to Rome from Abu Dhabi from seven to eleven times per week.

Codeshare agreements
Etihad Airways has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

 * AccesRail (railway)
 * Aegean Airlines
 * Aer Lingus
 * Aeroflot
 * Air Arabia Abu Dhabi
 * Air Canada
 * Air Europa
 * Air France
 * Air Malta
 * Air New Zealand
 * All Nippon Airways
 * Asiana Airlines
 * Avianca
 * Bangkok Airways
 * Brussels Airlines
 * China Eastern Airlines
 * EgyptAir
 * El Al
 * Garuda Indonesia
 * Gulf Air
 * ITA Airways
 * JetBlue
 * KLM
 * Korean Air
 * Kuwait Airways
 * Lufthansa
 * Middle East Airlines
 * Oman Air
 * Pakistan International Airlines
 * Precision Air
 * Royal Air Maroc
 * Royal Jordanian
 * Saudia
 * Scandinavian Airlines
 * SNCF (railway)
 * SriLankan Airlines
 * Swiss International Air Lines
 * TAP Air Portugal
 * Turkish Airlines
 * Virgin Australia

Fleet
Etihad Airways operates a fleet of both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft from four aircraft families Airbus A320 family, Airbus A350-1000, Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner totalling 89 aircraft. Initially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Etihad grounded their fleet of 10 Airbus A380-800 aircraft and initially had no plans to return them to service post-pandemic. However, it was decided that the airline would redeploy 4 aircraft in 2023 on their London–Heathrow route. The airline later redeployed the A380 on their New York–JFK route in April 2024 and announced that from November 2024 Paris–Charles de Gaulle would also receive the A380 with Etihad reactivating a 5th A380.

Current livery
The current livery – named Facets of Abu Dhabi – was unveiled in September 2014 on the first of the airline's new A380s. It features a golden and silver triangular tessellation on the vertical stabilizer and rear fuselage. A golden Etihad logo and a UAE emblem over the windows, with the UAE flag painted on the front door. The background was painted in light beige and the wingtip also has a UAE emblem. The golden colour was inspired by the colour of the Arabian desert.

Former livery (2003–2017)
The former livery features a UAE flag and the national falcon emblem on the vertical stabilizer and a golden Etihad logo on the windows. Red and golden stripes were painted on the fuselage. This livery is still present on a few Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A320s.

New cabins (from December 2014)
With the introduction of the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787, new cabins were introduced, their names being: The Residence (A380 only), the First Apartments (A380 only), First Suite (787-9 only), Business Studio and Economy Smart seat. The rest of the fleet will gradually be retrofitted with these cabins except for the Residence and First Apartment cabins, which are exclusive to the Airbus A380. The Residence was the only three-room cabin on any airline when it was introduced in December 2014. The Residence accommodates one or two people, in a space of 125 sqft. It features a private living room, bedroom, and bathroom. It features a 60.6 in-wide two-seater reclining sofa and 32 in TV monitor in the lounge; an en-suite bathroom with shower, an 82 in-long, 47.5 in-wide double bed in the bedroom which also includes a 27 in TV monitor, and formerly included a personal butler. First Class suites are offered on Airbus A380s and are named "The Apartment". There are nine in total, configured 1-1 across a single aisle, and take up a total area of 39 sqft each. It features a 30.3 in-wide reclining chair; a full-length ottoman which can be transformed into a bed; a 24 in TV monitor which can swing to align itself to the ottoman so that it can be viewed from the bed; a vanity cabinet; and a bar with assorted chilled drinks. In 2015, this class was named the world's best first class due to its innovation. Some Boeing 787-9s offer eight First Suites. The service includes a 26 in-wide reclining lounge chair (which converts into an 80.5 in fully flat bed); dining table; and a 24 in TV monitor. All covers are designed by Poltrona Frau. There is a personal wardrobe, along with total privacy with high sliding doors. The "Business Studio" is on both models, with 70 seats on the Airbus A380s, 28 on the Boeing 787-9s, and 32 on the Boeing 787-10s. The studio seats include a 22 in-wide reclining chair, which converts into a fully flat bed, and an 18 in TV monitor. All have leather covers tailored by Poltrona Frau. It is featured in a 1-2-1 seating style so all seats have direct aisle access. Economy Smart seats feature a 17 in-wide seat on the Boeing 787s and 19 in-wide seat on the Airbus A380s, with a 31 to 33 in pitch and 6 in recline. There is also an 11 in touch screen fitted with Etihad's entertainment system. It uses a 3-4-3 seating style on the Airbus A380s, and 3-3-3 seating style on the Boeing 787s.
 * The Residence (Airbus A380 only)
 * The Apartment (Airbus A380 only)
 * First Suite (Boeing 787–9 only)
 * Business Studio
 * Economy Smart Seat

In-flight entertainment
Etihad uses both the Panasonic eX2, eX3, and the Thales TopSeries i5000 in-flight entertainment system with AVOD on its new long-range aircraft and on some of its new A320-200 aircraft.

On 28 April 2019 Etihad announced that it would remove seat-back screens in the economy section of 23 of its narrow-body Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, used for flights of up to 5 hours.

Etihad signed a 10-year agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation in 2011 for the provision of in-flight entertainment including broadband internet and live TV.

Atlas is the official in-flight magazine of the airline.

Loyalty program
Etihad Guest is the airline's frequent flyer program, launched on 30 August 2006. It offers a discount web shop for members and multiple benefits and perks such as extra baggage and priority check-in for frequent fliers. Points may also be redeemed for tickets or class upgrades. As part of an agreement between Etihad and the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Community Development, senior Emirati citizens get instant access to Etihad's loyalty programme and are entitled to perks of more air miles, discounted tickets, priority check-in, and extra baggage.

As part of a partnership with American Airlines, American Airline loyalty program AAdvantage may be redeemed for tickets on Etihad. Similar partnership exists for the Scandinavian Airlines loyalty program Eurobonus, where members can earn and spend bonus points on selected flights.

Etihad guest loyalty members are rewarded with Etihad miles when they book accommodations through booking.com as a result of a deal signed between booking.com and Etihad airways in 2019.

Accidents and incidents
, Etihad Airways has not suffered any fatal accidents during passenger operations.
 * 15 November 2007 – A new A340-600, registration A6-EHG, due for delivery to Etihad Airways was damaged beyond repair during ground testing at Airbus' facilities at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport in France. During a pre-delivery engine test, multiple safety systems had been disabled by engineers, leading to the non-chocked aircraft accelerating to 31 knots (57 km/h) and colliding with a concrete blast deflection wall. Severe damage was inflicted on the aircraft and nine people on board were injured, four of them seriously. The right wing, tail, and left engines made contact with the ground or wall, leaving the forward section of the aircraft elevated several meters and the cockpit broke off.

title: Etihad Airways


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Ninja Scroll

Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖) is a 1993 Japanese animated jidaigeki-chanbara film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film was a co-production between JVC, Toho and Movic, with Madhouse serving as the animation studio. Ninja Scroll was theatrically released in Japan on June 5, 1993, and received an English-dubbed release through Manga Entertainment in 1995.

The film takes place in feudal Japan and follows Kibagami Jubei, a mercenary swordsman who battles the Eight Devils of Kimon, a team of ninjas with supernatural powers who are intent on overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate. During his quest, he is aided by Dakuan, an elderly but crafty government spy, and Kagero, a Kōga kunoichi whose body is infused with poisonous toxins.

Praised for its animation and action scenes, Ninja Scroll is regarded by many as one of the most influential anime films ever made. Alongside Akira and Ghost in the Shell, it was responsible for increasing the popularity of adult-oriented anime outside of Japan. The film has been cited by The Wachowskis as an influence on the Matrix franchise, and resulted in Kawajiri later contributing to two segments of the anthology film The Animatrix.

A televised sequel, Ninja Scroll: The Series, was aired in Japan in 2003.

Plot
In Edo period-Japan, the Yamashiro clan (山城藩) mines gold in secret, and sends a shipment to the Toyotomi Shogun of the Dark (闇公方) as payment for his protection. The Shogun of the Dark intends to use the gold to buy advanced Spanish weaponry and overthrow the current government, the Tokugawa Shogunate. The ship runs aground onto Mochizuki territory (望月藩) in a storm, and the Eight Devils of Kimon (鬼門八人衆), a ninja team with supernatural powers in the employ of the Yamashiro, kill the people of the nearby Shimoda Village (下田村) to keep the gold shipment a secret.

While investigating the deaths, a Mochizuki Kōga ninja team is massacred by the Devils. The sole survivor, the kunoichi Kagero (陽炎), is captured by a Devil, Tessai (鉄斎), who attempts to rape her. She is rescued by Kibagami Jubei (牙神 獣兵衛), a mercenary ex-Yamashiro ninja, who fights and eventually kills Tessai. Dakuan (濁庵), a Tokugawa spy, blackmails Jubei into helping him kill the remaining Devils. To ensure his compliance, Dakuan stabs Jubei with a poisoned shuriken, and promises to give him an antidote once the mission is complete. Jubei learns from Dakuan that the leader of the Devils is Himuro Gemma (氷室 弦馬), the former Yamashiro ninja leader, who had ordered his team's members to kill each other to cover up the location of the goldmine five years earlier. Jubei, who had been forced to kill his comrades to survive, decapitated Gemma in revenge; Gemma survived due to his immortality. Jubei is attacked by another Devil, Benisato (紅里), but he is saved by Kagero; before she can be questioned, Benisato is killed from afar by Yurimaru (百合丸), Gemma's right-hand man, for failing her mission. Kagero agrees to work alongside Jubei and Dakuan, who informs Jubei that her body is infused with such deadly toxins that anyone who kisses or sleeps with her dies, which was why Jubei could kill Tessai.

The trio arrive in Shimoda, where they discover that the villagers died due to their water supply being poisoned, making it appear that they were killed by a plague. Jubei and Kagero fend off attacks from three of the Devils – Mushizo (蟲蔵), Zakuro (石榴), and Utsutsu Mujuro (現 夢十郎); Jubei succeeds in killing Mushizo and Utsutsu. After finding the beached ship, Kagero deduces that the gold has been taken to Kashima Harbor, where it will be transported to the Shogun of the Dark in another ship.

Jubei, Kagero, and Dakuan arrive at Kashima, which has been evacuated due to the townspeople's fear of the plague. While Jubei battles another Devil, Shijima (シジマ), Kagero sends a message to Sakaki Hyobu (榊 兵部), the Mochizuki chamberlain, to bring his army to the harbour. She also learns from Dakuan that Jubei's poisoning will only be cured if he copulates with her – the poisons in her body will counteract his. Kagero is captured by Shijima, and Jubei kills him, rescuing her once more. Kagero asks Jubei to sleep with her to cure himself. He decides against it, and upon the arrival of the Shogun of the Dark's envoy in a ship, he leaves to prevent the gold reaching its destination.

Kagero arrives to meet Sakaki, but he stabs her, revealing himself to be Gemma in disguise as he had murdered the real one days before. Enraged, Jubei fights through waves of ninjas, but is nearly killed by Yurimaru. A gunpowder-rigged rat, left as a trap by Zakuro for Yurimaru for rejecting her advances, kills him, allowing Jubei to escape. He finds Kagero; mortally wounded, she admits her love for him and they kiss, curing Jubei's poisoning. Before dying, Kagero gives Jubei her headband.

Jubei and Dakuan board the departing ship. On board, Gemma reveals his true intentions – to use the gold to raise a ninja army to terrorize Japan rather than serve as an ally to the Toyotomi – to a masked samurai who serves as the Shogun of the Dark's envoy, and proceeds to kill him. During an altercation with Zakuro, Jubei and Dakuan set the ship ablaze. As Jubei and Gemma engage in a brutal fight, the gold becomes molten and engulfs Gemma, who sinks to the bottom of the sea. Afterwards, Dakuan thanks Jubei, and expresses admiration for his and Kagero's humanity. Jubei resumes his vagabond lifestyle, with Kagero's headband tied around his sword's hilt.

Development
Ninja Scroll's story and style was influenced by the works of novelist Futaro Yamada and Western spy fiction, with Jubei's character being loosely based on the historical figure Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi. Kawajiri considered it difficult to adapt Yamada's works into animation, and opted for a simple depiction. He stated that he found simplifying the storyline to be the most challenging aspect. The choice to contain lots of expository dialogue was considered necessary, due to younger audiences not being familiar with the culture of historical dramas.

The film was originally meant to consist of two films, being 45 minutes each. The storyboard was written this way, which is why there are climax scenes in the first and second half of the film.

Release
The film was licensed by Manga Entertainment in Australia and North America until 2012 while its UK subsidiary kept the license and released the movie in a Blu-ray steelbook format in October 2012. The film has since been re-licensed in North America to Sentai Filmworks who re-released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in December 2012.

In 1995, the BBFC cut the UK version by approximately 52 seconds, removing the sexual assault scene and images of throwing stars. These cuts were waived for the 2004 10th Anniversary release. Ninja Scroll was released in Australia by Manga UK in 1995 uncut with the MA15+ classification. In 1997 after it was screened on SBS, former Attorney-General Philip Ruddock controversially appealed the film's original classification and successfully had the classification upgraded to R18+ with no cuts. In January 1998 it broadcast twice on midnights on the new Teletoon station in Canada along with episodes of the Macross Plus OVA series.

GKIDS later announced that it would distribute the film within North America, with a theatrical release scheduled for April 2018.

In 2000 when Manga and Madman Entertainment released Ninja Scroll on DVD, Madman mistakenly used the UK cut of the film instead of using the uncut Australian version. This was rectified in 2004 when Manga Entertainment released the 10th Anniversary Special Edition of Ninja Scroll into western countries, and both Australia and the UK received Ninja Scroll uncut and remastered from a PAL VHS source. In Canada the film was given an 18A rating, while it was released Unrated in the United States. The film was released on Blu-ray in Japan on May 23, 2012.

Soundtrack
The film's score was composed by Kaoru Wada. In the United States, the soundtrack was originally released on CD in 2003 by ADV Music under licence from Toho with the title Jubei Ninpucho Ninja Scroll (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Following ADV's closure, Milan Records re-released the album in 2015 on CD and digital music formats. In 2016, Milan also released the album on LP with a slightly different track listing and cover art by Godzilla artist Yuji Kaida; this release was limited to 500 copies.

Reception
Ninja Scroll won the Citizen's Award at the 1993 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 89%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.

During the 1990s, Ninja Scroll was among the most popular anime movies outside Japan, along with such movies as Akira and Ghost in the Shell. The North American video release of Ninja Scroll had sold more than 70,000 copies by May 1996, becoming Manga Entertainment's best-selling title at the time. In February 2004, Cinefantastique listed the anime as one of the "10 Essential Animations".

Theron Martin from Anime News Network stated that the "action scenes sizzle with energy and powerful maneuvers unencumbered by tiresome dramatics" and further stated that the plot "mostly exists just to set up conflicts between the protagonists and the Devils of Kimon and allow various characters to show off their colorful ninja techniques". He concluded that "Ninja Scroll's story is too thin for it to ever legitimately be considered one of the all-time great anime movies" but considers it to be a classic. He stated that the dubbed English version, which he stated has "slightly more attitude and some distinctive vocal styling mixed in with an occasional awkward emphasis", is "very faithful" script-wise to the original Japanese version and that it still "holds its own" in 2012.

In 2012, Robbie Collin of The Telegraph ranked it three of five stars, explaining that "Its baroque sadism and sexism hasn't aged well, but it still packs a visceral kick."

Anime series
A Japanese animated television series named Ninja Scroll: The Series aired in Japan in 2003 and ran for 13 episodes. The series is a stand-alone sequel to the film; however, many references suggest that it is indeed a continuation. In the series, Jubei gets caught in the middle of a battle between the Kimon clan and the Hiruko clan. He meets up with the Light Maiden Shigure, a young lady whose village was destroyed by the Kimon clan and whom Jubei was charged with delivering a Dragon Stone to. The duo are joined by Tsubute (a young thief) and Dakuan (Tokugawa shogunate spy), and together they try to find out why both the Kimon and the Hiruko clan are after her and why the Dragon Stone she carries is so important to them. The show was directed by Tatsuo Sato (Martian Successor Nadesico), with character design done by Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun).

Sequel
In August 2008, Madhouse announced that an official sequel was in the works with Kawajiri returning to write and direct. In July 2012, the studio released a teaser trailer for a "three-episode short animation" titled Ninja Scroll Burst, intended to attract investors to the project. In February 2014, Madhouse CEO Hiroyuki Okada confirmed that Kawajiri had a finished script, tentatively titled Ninja Scroll Kocho (獣兵衛忍風帖 胡蝶), and that production would move ahead as soon as financing had been secured. He also divulged that the studio was experiencing difficulty finding investors due to the fact that the original film was "not a big hit in Japan". As of 2019, the project remains in limbo.

In North America, the Ninja Resurrection original video animation was marketed as a sequel to Ninja Scroll, but was actually based on an unrelated story and created by a different animation studio. The only similarity is a lead character with the given name "Jubei".

Comics
In September 2006, WildStorm launched a 12-issue Ninja Scroll comic-book series written by J. Torres, which follows the further adventures of Jubei.

Live-action adaptation
In October 2008, it was reported that Warner Bros. had acquired the rights to develop a live-action adaptation of Ninja Scroll, with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions, Madhouse, and Japanese producer Jungo Maruta also involved in the project. Screenwriter Alex Tse, who co-wrote the 2009 film Watchmen, was hired to write the screenplay. In April 2009, it was reported that DiCaprio would act as producer, and was considering casting the Japanese boy band SMAP in the lead roles. In October 2015, Dracula Untold director Gary Shore revealed he had once been attached to direct the film, releasing a proof of concept trailer he had produced with motion capture by 87Eleven and animation by The Third Floor. As of 2018, the production remains in development hell.

title: Ninja Scroll


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Lists of schools in New Zealand

New Zealand has over 2,500 primary and secondary schools.

State schools and state integrated schools are primarily funded by the central government. Private schools receive a lower level of state funding (about 25% of their costs). See Secondary education in New Zealand for more details.

Population decline in rural and some urban areas has led to school closures in recent decades. This was a much debated topic in 2003–2004.

North Island

 * List of schools in the Auckland Region
 * List of schools in the Bay of Plenty Region
 * List of schools in the Gisborne Region
 * List of schools in the Hawke's Bay Region
 * List of schools in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region
 * List of schools in the Northland Region
 * List of schools in the Taranaki Region
 * List of schools in the Waikato Region
 * List of schools in the Wellington Region

South Island

 * List of schools in the Canterbury Region
 * List of schools in Christchurch
 * List of schools in the Marlborough Region
 * List of schools in Nelson, New Zealand
 * List of schools in the Otago Region
 * List of schools in the Southland Region
 * List of schools in the Tasman Region
 * List of schools in the West Coast Region

Chatham Islands

 * List of schools in the Chatham Islands

Schools by type

 * List of Catholic schools in New Zealand

Former schools

 * Closed schools in the Northland Region

title: Lists of schools in New Zealand


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Driscoll Bridge

The Governor Alfred E. Driscoll Bridge, (colloquially referred to as the Driscoll Bridge) is a bridge on the Garden State Parkway in the U.S. state of New Jersey, spanning the Raritan River near its mouth in Raritan Bay. The bridge connects the Middlesex County communities of Woodbridge Township on the north with Sayreville on the south. With a total of 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes, it is one of the world's widest and busiest motor vehicle bridges. Only 30 feet east of the Driscoll Bridge is the Edison Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 9. The bridge offers views of some of the taller buildings in the Lower Manhattan skyline, the New Brunswick skyline, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and the Outerbridge Crossing.

History
The northbound lanes of the bridge were opened to the public without fanfare on July 30, 1954.

In 1955, a new pier was built to allow for potential expansion.

The span was originally built with two lanes in each direction, however this quickly proved to be inadequate, and in an attempt to reduce congestion, the bridge was restriped with six 10' foot lanes in 1957.

In 1970, an expansion project began. The bridge was closed for reconstruction, to allow for the installation of a third column built on the 1955 piers in addition to a fully divided roadway deck. Work was completed in 1972, at which point the bridge was converted to serving ten lanes of traffic total.

The bridge was formally renamed in 1974 for former Governor Alfred E. Driscoll, who advocated for and oversaw the construction of the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.

In 1984, the timber medians were replaced with concrete barriers, allowing for the addition of one lane in each direction.

By the 2000s, the bridge were inadequate, as its narrowness and lack of emergency lanes created bottlenecks in each direction. Because of this, the bridge was later restriped to have twelve ten foot lanes, six in each direction.

Construction on a new southbound bridge started on September 25, 2002, and the new bridge opened to traffic on May 3, 2006. The existing span was then closed for rehabilitation, and it reopened on May 20, 2009, with eight lanes and two shoulders. The new configuration has seven southbound lanes on the newly constructed span on Parkway South, and the existing span was reduced from twelve lanes to eight lanes, with the other tow converted into shoulders. The northbound span is also divided, with four lanes on each side. There are a total of five lanes of Parkway North traffic and three right lanes at Exit 127 meaning that the west side contains four lanes for through traffic on the Parkway, and the east side contains three right lanes for Exit 127 and one lane for through traffic on the Parkway. For a time, the bridge's 15 travel lanes and 6 shoulder lanes made it "the widest motor-vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes", according to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

A project to repaint the original bridge began in 2012.

The speed limit on the Garden State Parkway was 45 mph approaching and traversing the Driscoll Bridge. However, in February 2020, the speed limit was raised to 55 mph.

Tolls
All southbound traffic crossing the Driscoll Bridge pays a toll at either the Raritan Toll Plaza or at exit 125 on the Garden State Parkway, which is just north of the toll plaza. As of January 1, 2023, the toll for passenger cars at the Raritan Toll Plaza is $2.10 with cash and $2.02 with E-ZPass. Southbound exit 125 is for E-ZPass users only and also has a toll of $2.02.

Murder on the bridge
On February 17, 2010, Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his daughter by throwing her off the bridge. The body of an infant matching the girl's description was found on the south bank of the Raritan River on April 24 and was later identified as the missing girl through DNA testing.

title: Driscoll Bridge


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Patrick Geddes

Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and sociology. His works contain one of the earliest examples of the 'think globally, act locally' concept in social science.

Following the philosophies of Auguste Comte and Frederic LePlay, he introduced the concept of "region" to architecture and planning and coined the term "conurbation". Later, he elaborated "neotechnics" as the way of remaking a world apart from over-commercialization and money dominance.

An energetic Francophile, Geddes was the founder in 1924 of the Collège des Écossais (Scots College), an international teaching establishment in Montpellier, France, and in the 1920s he bought the Château d'Assas to set up a centre for urban studies.

Biography
The son of Janet Stevenson and soldier Alexander Geddes, Patrick Geddes was born in Ballater and the Old Parish Register for baptisms in the parish of Glenmuick Tullich and Glengairn recorded his first name as 'Peter'. He was educated in Aberdeenshire, and at Perth Academy.

He studied at the Royal College of Mines in London under Thomas Henry Huxley between 1874 and 1877, never finishing any degree and he then spent the year 1877-1878 as a demonstrator in the Department of Physiology in University College London where he met Charles Darwin in Burdon-Sanderson's laboratory. While in London, he became acquainted with Comtean Positivism, as promoted by Richard Congreve, and he converted to the Religion of Humanity. He was elected as a member of the London Positivist Society. Later he raised his children to worship 'Humanity' following the Positivist system of belief. He lectured in Zoology at Edinburgh University from 1880 to 1888.

From 1888 to 1918, Geddes worked as a Professor of Botany at the University of Dundee.

He married Anna Morton (1857–1917), who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, in 1886 when he was 32 years old. They had three children: Norah, Alasdair and Arthur. During a visit to India in 1917, Anna fell ill with typhoid fever and died, not knowing that their son Alasdair had been killed in action in France. Their daughter was the landscape designer Norah Geddes, who was active in Geddes's Open Spaces projects; she married the architect and planner Frank Charles Mears.

In 1890, he assisted John Wilson in laying out a teaching garden at Morgan Academy in Dundee.

Between 1894 and 1914, he served as an active member of the ruling Council of the Cockburn Association, a campaigning conservation organisation founded in Edinburgh in 1875.

In 1895, Geddes published an edition of The Evergreen magazine, with articles on nature, biology and poetics. Artists Robert Burns and John Duncan provided illustrations for the magazine.

Geddes wrote with J. Arthur Thomson an early book on The Evolution of Sex (1889). He held the Chair of Botany at University College Dundee from 1888 to 1919, and the Chair of Sociology at the University of Bombay from 1919 to 1924. He inspired Victor Branford to form the Sociological Society in 1903 to promote his sociological views.

While he thought of himself primarily as a sociologist, it was his commitment to close social observation and ability to turn these into practical solutions for city design and improvement that earned him a "revered place amongst the founding fathers of the British town planning movement". He was a major influence on the American urban theorist Lewis Mumford.

He was knighted in 1932, shortly before his death at the Scots College in Montpellier, France on 17 April 1932.

Town planning career
Patrick Geddes was influenced by social theorists such as Auguste Comte (1798–1857), Herbert Spencer (1820–1903), and French theorist Frederic Le Play (1806–1882) and expanded upon earlier theoretical developments that led to the concept of regional planning.

He was a proponent of the Comte-LePlay view of the interconnectedness of city region as a potentially autonomous unit. He adopted Spencer's theory that the concept of biological evolution could be applied to explain the evolution of society, and drew on Le Play's analysis of the key units of society as constituting "Lieu, Travail, Famille" ("Place, Work, Family"), but changing the last from "family" to "folk". In this theory, the family is viewed as the central "biological unit of human society" from which all else develops. According to Geddes, it is from "stable, healthy homes" providing the necessary conditions for mental and moral development that come beautiful and healthy children who are able "to fully participate in life".

Geddes drew on Le Play's circular theory of geographical locations presenting environmental limitations and opportunities that in turn determine the nature of work. His central argument was that physical geography, market economics and anthropology were related, yielding a "single chord of social life [of] all three combined". Thus the interdisciplinary subject of sociology was developed into the science of "man’s interaction with a natural environment: the basic technique was the regional survey, and the improvement of town planning the chief practical application of sociology".

Geddes' writing demonstrates the influence of these ideas on his theories of the city. He saw the city as a series of common interlocking patterns, "an inseparably interwoven structure", akin to a flower. He criticised the tendency of modern scientific thinking to specialisation. In his "Report to the H.H. the Maharaja of Kapurthala" in 1917 he wrote: "'Each of the various specialists remains too closely concentrated upon his single specialism, too little awake to those of the others. Each sees clearly and seizes firmly upon one petal of the six-lobed flower of life and tears it apart from the whole.'"

These ideas can also be traced back to Geddes' abiding interest in Eastern philosophy which he believed more readily conceived of "life as a whole": "as a result, civic beauty in India has existed at all levels, from humble homes and simple shrines to palaces magnificent and temples sublime."

Geddes distinguished two forms of human social life: ‘paleotechnic’ and ‘neotechnic.’ He viewed the former as self-destructive but the latter as self-supporting. In the context of cities, paleotechnic cities are those characterized by competition while neotechnic is characterized by interaction. Additionally, this is followed by the paleotechnic city’s desire for expansion as compared to the neotechnic city’s ability to form communities and conurbations. Geddes attributed the destruction of cities via World War I not to the invasion of imperialist powers but the prevalence of paleotechnic forms of life in European society.

Against a backdrop of extraordinary development of new technologies, industrialisation and urbanism, Geddes witnessed the substantial social consequences of crime, illness and poverty that developed as a result of modernisation. From Geddes' perspective, the purpose of his theory and understanding of relationships among the units of society was to find an equilibrium among people and the environment to improve such conditions.

"Conservative surgery" versus the gridiron plan
Geddes championed a mode of planning that sought to consider "primary human needs" in every intervention, engaging in "constructive and conservative surgery" rather than the "heroic, all of a piece schemes" popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He continued to use and advocate for this approach throughout his career.

Very early on in his career Geddes demonstrated the practicality of his ideas and approach. In 1886 Geddes and his wife, Anna Geddes, purchased a row of slum tenements in James Court, Edinburgh, making it into a single dwelling. In and around this area Geddes commenced upon a project of "conservative surgery": "weeding out the worst of the houses that surrounded them…widening the narrow closes into courtyards" and thus improving sunlight and airflow. The best of the houses were kept and restored. Geddes believed that this approach was both more economical and more humane.

In this way Geddes consciously worked against the tradition of the "gridiron plan", resurgent in colonial town design in the 19th century: "'The heritage of the gridiron plans goes back at least to the Roman camps. The basis for the grid as an enduring and appealing urban form rests on five main characteristics: order and regulatory, orientation in space and to elements, simplicity and ease of navigation, speed of layout, and adaptability to circumstance'." However, he wished this policy of "sweeping clearances" to be recognised for what he believed it was: "one of the most disastrous and pernicious blunders in the chequered history of sanitation".

Geddes criticised this tradition as much for its "dreary conventionality" as for its failure to address in the long term the very problems it purport to solve. According to Geddes' analysis, this approach was not only "unsparing to the old homes and to the neighbourhood life of the area" but also, in "leaving fewer housing sites and these mostly narrower than before" expelling a large population that would "again as usual, be driven to create worse congestion in other quarters".

The "observational technique"
Drawing on the scientific method, Geddes encouraged close observation as the way to discover and work with the relationships among place, work and folk. In 1892, to allow the general public an opportunity to observe these relationships, Geddes opened a "sociological laboratory" called the Outlook Tower that documented and visualized the regional landscape. In keeping with scientific process and using new technologies, Geddes developed an Index Museum to categorise his physical observations and maintained Encyclopedia Graphicato, which used a camera obscura to provide an opportunity for the general public to observe their own landscape to witness the relationships among units of society. Geddes would host tours throughout the tower and boast its maps, photographs, and projection via ‘camera obscura’ in order to present the sociological dimensions of cities, urban problems, and town planning. During his tours he would use the camera obscura on the top floor to demonstrate the outlook of an artist then take visitors to the balcony to show the outlook of technical professionals like geologists, geographers, etc. He used specific instruments and tools to better convey the outlook different people had of the region. The Outlook Tower is a physical assertion of Geddes belief in the importance of all areas of knowledge; all arts, all sciences, all, religions, all cultures, etc. The Outlook Tower embodies the integration of local, the regional, and the global aspects of knowledge. Geddes used it as a tool for cultural and regional analysis and provided space for many thinkers to explore the idea of 'regions' which he later introduced to the field of planning. The Outlook Tower was built in Edinburgh's Old Town and continues to be used as a museum.

The "civic survey"
Geddes advocated the civic survey as indispensable to urban planning: his motto was "diagnosis before treatment". Such a survey should include, at a minimum, the geology, the geography, the climate, the economic life, and the social institutions of the city and region. His early work surveying the city of Edinburgh became a model for later surveys.

He was particularly critical of that form of planning which relied overmuch on design and effect, neglecting to consider "the surrounding quarter and constructed without reference to local needs or potentialities". Geddes encouraged instead exploration and consideration of the "whole set of existing conditions", studying the "place as it stands, seeking out how it has grown to be what it is, and recognising alike its advantages, its difficulties and its defects": "'This school strives to adapt itself to meet the wants and needs, the ideas and ideals of the place and persons concerned. It seeks to undo as little as possible, while planning to increase the well-being of the people at all levels, from the humblest to the highest.'"

In this sense he can be viewed as prefiguring the work of seminal urban thinkers such as Jane Jacobs, and region-specific planning movements such as New Urbanism, encouraging the planner to consider the situation, inherent virtue and potential in a given site, rather than "an abstract ideal that could be imposed by authority or force from the outside".

The regional plan
In 1909, Geddes assisted in the early planning of the southern aspect of the Zoological Gardens in Edinburgh. This work was formative in his development of a regional planning model called the "Valley Section".This model illustrated the complex interactions among biogeography, geomorphology and human systems and attempted to demonstrate how "natural occupations" such as hunting, mining, or fishing are supported by physical geographies that in turn determine patterns of human settlement. The point of this model was to make clear the complex and interrelated relationships between humans and their environment, and to encourage regional planning models that would be responsive to these conditions.

Civic pageant
Geddes developed a means for engaging with the populace of a city through a civic pageant. One such was the Masque of Learning, a pageant he organised in the Poole's Synod Hall, Edinburgh in 1912. He also organised a pageant in Indore, India when he arrived in 1917.

Work in India
Geddes' work in improving the slums of Edinburgh led to an invitation from Lord Pentland (then Governor of Madras) to travel to India to advise on emerging urban planning issues, in particular, how to mediate "between the need for public improvement and respect for existing social standards". For this, Geddes prepared an exhibition on "City and Town Planning". The materials for the first exhibit were sent to India on a ship that was sunk near Madras by the German ship Emden, however new materials were collected and an exhibit prepared for the Senate hall of Madras University by 1915.

Once arriving in India, Geddes toured multiple Indian cities and was overwhelmed by Indian architecture and planning. Geddes was impressed by the historical piety valued in Indian planning displayed by the seamless merger of traditional temples within the urban fabric of Indian cities. Geddes believed that this was indicative of a city's genius loci which is often established by a visually dominant building in a city like a medieval cathedral or an antique temple in the urban fabric. Geddes was outspoken in his town-planning reports about the “insensitivity of British colonial administration towards the historic Indian architecture and urban environment” and denounced their methods of planning which included drastic and destructive changes to the urban fabric.

According to some reports, this was near the time of the meeting of the Indian National Congress and Pentland hoped the exhibit would demonstrate the benefits of British rule. Geddes lectured and worked with Indian surveyors and travelled to Bombay and Bengal where Pentland's political allies Lord Willingdon and Lord Carmichael were Governors. He held a position in Sociology and Civics at Bombay University from 1919 to 1925.

Between 1915 and 1919 Geddes wrote a series of "exhaustive town planning reports" on at least eighteen Indian cities, a selection of which has been collected together in Jacqueline Tyrwhitt’s Patrick Geddes in India (1947).

Through these reports, Geddes was concerned to create a "working system in India", righting the wrongs of the past by making interventions in and plans for the urban fabric that were both considerate of local context and tradition and awake to the need for development. According to Lewis Mumford, writing in introduction to Tyrwhitt’s collected reports: "'Few observers have shown more sympathy…with the religious and social practices of the Hindus than Geddes did; yet no one could have written more scathingly of Mahatma Gandhi's attempt to conserve the past by reverting to the spinning wheel, at a moment when the fundamental poverty of the masses in India called for the most resourceful application of the machine both to agricultural and industrial life.'"

His principles for town planning in Bombay demonstrate his views on the relationship between social processes and spatial form, and the intimate and causal connections between the social development of the individual and the cultural and physical environment. They included: ("What town planning means under the Bombay Town Planning Act of 1915")
 * Preservation of human life and energy, rather than superficial beautification.
 * Conformity to an orderly development plan carried out in stages.
 * Purchasing land suitable for building.
 * Promoting trade and commerce.
 * Preserving historic buildings and buildings of religious significance.
 * Developing a city worthy of civic pride, not an imitation of European cities.
 * Promoting the happiness, health and comfort of all residents, rather than focusing on roads and parks available only to the rich.
 * Control over future growth with adequate provision for future requirements.

Geddes' exhortation to pay attention to the social and particular when attempting city renewal or resettlement remains relevant, particularly in light of the plans for slum resettlement and redevelopment ongoing in many Indian cities (see, e.g. Dharavi redevelopment program): "'Town Planning is not mere place-planning, nor even work planning. If it is to be successful it must be folk planning. This means that its task is not to coerce people into new places against their associations, wishes, and interest, as we find bad schemes trying to do. Instead its task is to find the right places for each sort of people; place where they will really flourish. To give people in fact the same care that we give when transplanting flowers, instead of harsh evictions and arbitrary instructions to 'move on', delivered in the manner of an officious policeman.'"

Work in Palestine
Geddes worked with his son-in-law, the architect Frank Mears, on a number of projects in Palestine. In 1919, he designed a plan for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at the request of the psychoanalyst, Dr. David Eder, who headed the World Zionist Organization's London Branch. He also submitted a report on Jerusalem Actual and Possible to the Military Governor of Jerusalem in November 1919. In 1925 he submitted a report on town planning in Jaffa and Tel Aviv to the Municipality of Tel Aviv, then led by Meir Dizengoff. The municipality adopted his proposals and Tel Aviv is the only city whose core is entirely laid out according to a plan by Geddes.

Recognition and legacy
Geddes' ideas had worldwide circulation: his most famous admirer was the American urban theorist Lewis Mumford who claimed that "Geddes was a global thinker in practice, a whole generation or more before the Western democracies fought a global war".

Geddes also influenced several British urban planners (notably Raymond Unwin and Frank Mears), the Indian social scientist Radhakamal Mukerjee and the Catalan architect Cebrià de Montoliu (1873–1923) as well as many other 20th-century thinkers.

Geddes was keenly interested in the science of ecology, an advocate of nature conservation and strongly opposed to environmental pollution. Because of this, some historians have claimed he was a forerunner of modern Green politics.

In August 1982, during the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh College of Art mounted an exhibition entitled On the Side of Life: Patrick Geddes 1854 - 1932, designed by John L. Paterson.

In 2000, a Patrick Geddes Heritage Trail was created on Edinburgh's Royal Mile by the Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust.

Researchers at the Geddes Institute for Urban Research at the University of Dundee continue to develop Geddesian approaches to questions of city and regional planning and questions of social and psychical well-being in the built environment. In late 2015 the University staged an exhibition of Geddes' work in the Lamb Gallery, drawn from the Archives of the Universities of Dundee, Strathclyde, and Edinburgh, to mark the centenary of the publication of Cities in Evolution.

In 2008, the Scottish Historic Building Trust (SHBT) was approached to imagine a future for Riddle's Court in Edinburgh's Lawnmarket, which Geddes had restored for use as a university hall of residence in 1890. Between 2015 and 2017, the Trust undertook a major conservation and regeneration project at the building to create a venue for conferences, meetings and weddings. Riddle's Court now houses the Patrick Geddes Centre for Learning, an educational arm of SHBT.

Buildings

 * The David Wolffsohn University and National Library, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Design by Patrick Geddes, Frank Mears and Benjamin Chaikin, inaugurated on 15 April 1930.

Published works

 * The Evolution of Sex (1889) with J.A. Thomson, W. Scott, London.
 * The Evergreen: A Northern Seasonal (1895/96), Patrick Geddes and Colleagues, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh.
 * City Development, A Report to the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust (1904), Rutgers University Press.
 * The Masque of Learning (1912)
 * Cities in Evolution (1915) Williams & Norgate, London.
 * The life and work of Sir Jagadis C. Bose (1920) Longman, London.
 * Biology (1925) with J.A. Thomson, Williams & Norgate, London.
 * Life: Outlines of General Biology (1931) with J.A. Thomson, Harper & Brothers, London.

title: Patrick Geddes


text:
Searoad Ferries

Searoad Ferries (formerly known as Peninsula Searoad Transport) is an Australian company that operates a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry service between the heads of Port Phillip, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The route operates between terminals at Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula and Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. It is serviced by two ships, currently the MV Queenscliff and the MV Sorrento. Dolphins are often seen following the ferries during their crossing.

The ferry service runs every hour during the day, and makes a crossing in approximately 40 minutes (plus an additional 40 minute check in time for vehicles and 20 minutes for passengers). The alternative drive from Queenscliff to Sorrento via road is approximately three hours during non-peak traffic conditions.

History
Three sea pilots, Paul Ringe, Keith Finnemore and Maurie Cobal founded Peninsula Searoad Transport Pty Ltd (PST) in 1983. They believed that a vehicular ferry should run between Queenscliff and Sorrento. There were mixed opinions about this from the public. Some people thought that the novelty would wear off and then business would fail. However, the various tourism boards in Victoria were excited about the prospect of having a vehicular ferry, linking the two peninsulas and would also create tourism jobs.

Peninsula Princess

After various planning, on 19 June 1987 the Peninsula Princess was launched in Carrington, New South Wales. She underwent sea trials before moving to Port Phillip Bay. Her crew boarded her in Geelong, Victoria to get a feel for the vessel. She had to wait there for the Queenscliff berth to be completed.

The first sailing was intended to be on 7 September 1987, but the berths specially designed for this vessel at Queenscliff and Sorrento were not yet complete.

On 13 September 1987, she entered service. On the first arrival at Sorrento, the skipper encountered a problem with the ahead/astern controls. She hit the concrete wharf and whilst tyres around the wharf buffered the impact there was still considerable damage done to the transom. Commercial operations started on the weekend commencing 19 September 1987.

A few weeks later, during low tide at Queenscliff the crew encountered problems because of the depth of the water and the strong winds. As one of the deckhands attempted to take control by winching the boat in to its berth, the rope slipped and jumped and he was thrown to the deck. By the time he attempted to regain his footing the Peninsula Princess had been taken hold of by the wind. She was thrown against the edge of the creek and broke a propeller and had a bent shaft. The ferry had to be dry docked for repairs. The business had financial issues and could not afford for this to happen again.

After the new ferry was introduced, the Peninsula Princess was frequently docked at the former Queenscliff ferry berth. In 2004 the ferry was sighted docked in the Tamar River in Launceston, Tasmania.

MV Queenscliff
By the early 1990s, traffic using the ferry had increased, and an increase in capacity was required to cope. A new and much larger ferry, the MV Queenscliff was purchased, and work commenced on the ferry berths to enable them to handle the new ferry. At Sorrento the existing berth was altered, while at Queenscliff a new berth was built to the south.

These works were not without controversy, and Peninsula Searoad Transport was required to attend the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to resolve the issues. The new ferry cost $5 million, and was put into service on 22 December 1993.

On 12 October 2005, the Australian Defence Force staged an anti-terrorism exercise on the MV Queenscliff. Two Black Hawk helicopters were used to fast rope members of the Tactical Assault Group onto the roof of the ferry, and members of the Boat Assault Force boarded the ferry from inflatable dinghies.

MV Sorrento
Traffic using the ferry service continued to grow though the 1990s, carrying about 110,000 cars/trucks/coaches/motorcycles and 600,000 passengers each year. As a result, in 2000 it was decided to purchase a second ferry, enabling a doubling in the service frequency.

The MV Sorrento was built in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia at a cost of $12 million, and was similar in size and appearance to the existing ferry. Minor differences between the two include an elevator from the car deck to the top deck, a new lounge at the front called the 'Portsea Lounge', and the number of exterior windows at the top would be in groups of three, not in fours.

The increased frequency resulted in the closure of the Queenscliff - Portsea - Sorrento passenger ferry service in the early 2000s.

title: Searoad Ferries


text:
Lakshmi Mittal

Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (born 15 June 1950 in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India) is an Indian steel magnate, based in the United Kingdom. He is the executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world's second largest steelmaking company, as well as chairman of stainless steel manufacturer Aperam. Mittal owns 38% of ArcelorMittal and holds a 3% stake in EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers.

In 2005, Forbes ranked Mittal as the third-richest person in the world, making him the first Indian citizen to be ranked in the top ten in the publication's annual list of the world's richest people. He was ranked the sixth-richest person in the world by Forbes in 2011, but dropped to 82nd place in March 2015. He is also the "57th-most powerful person" of the 72 individuals named in Forbes' "Most Powerful People" list for 2015. His daughter Vanisha Mittal's wedding (in 2005) was the second-most expensive in recorded history.

Mittal has been a member of the board of directors of Goldman Sachs since 2008. He sits on the World Steel Association's executive committee, and is a member of the Global CEO Council of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Foreign Investment Council in Kazakhstan, the World Economic Forum's International Business Council, and the European Round Table of Industrialists. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Cleveland Clinic.

In 2005, The Sunday Times named him "Business Person of 2006", the Financial Times named him "Person of the Year", and Time magazine named him "International Newsmaker of the Year 2006". In 2007, Time magazine included him in their "Time 100" list.

Early life and career
Mittal was born in a Marwari Hindu family. He studied at Shri Daulatram Nopany Vidyalaya, Calcutta from 1957 to 1964. He graduated from St. Xavier's College, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, with a B.Com degree in the first class.

Lakshmi's father, Mohanlal Mittal, ran a steel business, Nippon Denro Ispat. In 1976, due to the curb of steel production by the Indian government, the 26-year-old Mittal opened his first steel factory PT Ispat Indo in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia.

In 1989 Mittal purchased the state-owned steel works in Trinidad and Tobago, which were operating at an enormous loss. He turned them into profitable ventures in a year.

Until the 1990s, the family's main assets in India were a cold-rolling mill for sheet steels in Nagpur and an alloy steels plant near Pune. Today, the family business, including a large integrated steel plant near Mumbai, is run by his younger brothers Pramod Mittal and Vinod Mittal, but Lakshmi has no connection with it.

In 1995 Mittal purchased the Irish Steel plant based in Cork, Ireland, from the government for a nominal fee of IR£1. Only six years later in 2001 it was closed, leaving over 400 people redundant. Subsequent environmental issues at the site have been a cause for criticism. The Irish government sought a High Court judgement that Mittal's company should contribute to the cost of the clean-up of Cork Harbour, but failed. The clean up was expected to cost €70 million.

Prior to December 2001, Mittal had acquired assets which he renamed Ispat Mexicana and his Kazakhstani operation Ispat Karmet. That month he renamed Sidex Galati to Ispat Sidex, which he had acquired in November 2001.

In October 2003, the LNM Group succeeded in concluding the $155 million transaction to pry loose the Romanian government from the control of steel assets Siderurgica Hunedoara and Petrotub Roman, the day after it took over the PHS Steel Group which include Huta Sendzimira, Huta Katowice, Huta Florian and Huta Cedler from the Polish government.

Petrotub Roman was renamed Ispat Tepro in the sequel.

Mittal successfully employed Marek Dochnal's consultancy to influence Polish officials in the 2003 privatisation of PHS steel group, which was then Poland's largest. Dochnal was later arrested for bribing Polish officials on behalf of Russian agents in a separate affair. In March 2007, the Polish government said it wanted to renegotiate the 2004 sale to ArcelorMittal.

Employees of Mittal have accused him of allowing "slave labour" conditions after multiple fatalities in his mines. For example, during December 2004, 23 miners died in explosions in his mines in Kazakhstan caused by faulty gas detectors.

In 2006–07, Mittal succeeded in a hostile takeover bid for Arcelor, which he renamed Arcelor Mittal. In so doing he obtained control of amongst others the Usinor steel assets of France, the Arbed steel assets of Luxembourg, and the Aceralia steel assets of Spain.

The Mittal Affair: "Cash for Influence"
In 2002, Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price obtained a letter written by Tony Blair to the Romanian Government in support of Mittal's LNM Group steel company, which was in the process of bidding to buy Romania's state-owned industry. This revelation caused controversy, because Mittal had given £125,000 to the British Labour Party the previous year. Although Blair defended his letter as simply "celebrating the success" of a British company, he was criticised because LNM was registered in the Dutch Antilles and employed less than 1% of its workforce in the UK. LNM was a "major global competitor of Britain's own struggling steel industry".

Blair's letter hinted that the privatisation of the firm and sale to Mittal might help smooth the way for Romania's entry into the European Union. It also had a passage, removed just prior to Blair's signing of it, describing Mittal as "a friend".

In October 2003, the LNM Group succeeded in concluding the transaction to pry loose the Romanian government from the control of steel assets.

Sports
After witnessing India win only one medal, bronze, in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and one medal, silver, at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Mittal decided to set up the Mittal Champions Trust with $9 million to support ten Indian athletes with world-beating potential. In 2008, Mittal awarded Abhinav Bindra with Rs. 1.5 Crore (Rs. 15 million), for getting India its first individual Olympic gold medal in shooting. ArcelorMittal also provided steel for the construction of the ArcelorMittal Orbit for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

For Comic Relief he matched the money raised (~£1 million) on the celebrity special BBC programme, The Apprentice.

Mittal had emerged as a leading contender to buy and sell Barclays Premiership clubs Wigan and Everton. However, on 20 December 2007, it was announced that the Mittal family had purchased a 20 per cent shareholding in Queens Park Rangers football club joining Flavio Briatore and Mittal's friend Bernie Ecclestone. As part of the investment Mittal's son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, took a place on the board of directors. The combined investment in the struggling club sparked suggestions that Mittal might be looking to join the growing ranks of wealthy individuals investing heavily in English football and emulating similar benefactors such as Roman Abramovich. On 19 February 2010, Briatore resigned as QPR chairman, and sold further shares in the club to Ecclestone, making Ecclestone the single largest shareholder.

Education
In 2003, the Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, Usha Mittal Foundation and the Government of Rajasthan partnered together to establish a university, the LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT) in Jaipur as an autonomous non-profit organisation.

In 2009, the Foundation along with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan founded the Usha Lakshmi Mittal Institute of Management in New Delhi.

SNDT Women's University renamed the Institute of Technology for Women (ITW) as Usha Mittal Institute of Technology after a large donation from the Lakshmi Niwas Mittal Foundation.

He completed his primary and secondary school from Nopany High formerly known as Shri Daulatram Nopany Vidyalaya.

Medical
In 2008, the Mittals made a donation of £15 million to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, the largest private contribution the hospital had ever received. The donation was used to help fund their new facility, the Mittal Children's Medical Centre.

COVID-19 pandemic
He made a donation of ₹100 crores to PM cares fund during the COVID-19 pandemic in India in 2020.

Personal life
Mittal is married to Usha Dalmia. They have a son Aditya Mittal and a daughter Vanisha Mittal.

Lakshmi Mittal has two brothers, Pramod Mittal and Vinod Mittal, and a sister, Seema Lohia, who married Indonesian businessman, Sri Prakash Lohia. His residence at 18–19 Kensington Palace Gardens—which was purchased from Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2004 for £67 million (US$128 million)—made it the world's most expensive house at the time. The house is decorated with marble taken from the same quarry that supplied the Taj Mahal. The extravagant show of wealth has been referred to as the "Taj Mittal". It has 12 bedrooms, an indoor pool, Turkish baths and parking for 20 cars. He is a lacto-vegetarian.

Mittal bought No. 9A Palace Greens, Kensington Gardens, formerly the Philippines Embassy, for £70 million in 2008 for his daughter Vanisha Mittal who is married to Amit Bhatia, a businessman and philanthropist. Mittal threw a lavish "vegetarian reception" for Vanisha in the Palace of Versailles, France.

In 2005, he also bought a colonial bungalow for $30 million at No. 22, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road, New Delhi, one of the most exclusive streets in India, occupied by embassies and billionaires, and rebuilt it as a house.

Personal wealth
According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2016, Mittal and his family had an estimated personal net worth of GB£7.12 billion, a decrease of $2.08 billion on the previous year. Meanwhile, in 2016 Forbes magazine's annual billionaires list assessed estimated Mittal's wealth in 2016 at as the 135th-wealthiest billionaire with a net worth of US$8.4 billion. Mittal's net worth peaked in 2008, assessed by The Sunday Times at £27.70 billion, and by Forbes at US$45.0 billion, and rated as the fourth-wealthiest individual in the world. As of 2022, he was ranked as the 15th richest man in India by Forbes with a net-worth of US$17.8 billion. According to Forbes, Lakshmi Mittal’s net worth is currently estimated at US$16.4 billion as of 2024. He holds the position of the 113th richest individual globally and ranks as the 13th wealthiest person in India.

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Awards and honours

 * Tim Bouquet and Byron Ousey – Cold Steel (Little, Brown, 2008)
 * Navalpreet Rangi – Documentary Film (The Man with a Mission, 2010)

title: Lakshmi Mittal