title: 2018 United States Senate election in Texas

text: No Democrat has won a general election for statewide office in Texas since Bob Bullock was reelected as lieutenant governor in 1994, with election forecasters declaring it a safe Republican seat at the beginning of the 2018 cycle. However, O'Rourke gradually closed the gap, and leading up to the election, the race was considered unexpectedly competitive.


text: On Election Day, Cruz defeated O'Rourke by a margin just short of 215,000 votes, or 2.6 percent; the race was the closest U.S. Senate race in Texas since 1978.


text: In 2012, after a stunning upset victory in the Republican primary, then-Solicitor General of Texas Ted Cruz defeated former member of the Texas House of Representatives Paul Sadler by a 16-point margin (56%–40%). Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988. As conservatives began turning to the Republican Party in once strongly Democratic areas, Democratic voters became concentrated in Southern Texas (which hold majority minority counties) and large metropolitan cities, such as Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, as well as the far western majority-minority city of El Paso, which O'Rourke represented in the U.S. House.


text: Since 1990, Texas has voted for Republican statewide candidates in all elections, whether it be presidential, gubernatorial, or senatorial, often by large margins. In 1998, Governor George W. Bush won re-election by 37 points over his Democratic challenger, Garry Mauro. In 2000, Governor Bush won Texas by 21 points over Vice President Al Gore. In 2004, President Bush won Texas over Senator John Kerry by 23 points, winning rural areas by landslide margins, capturing urban zones, and coming very close to winning the Latino vote (49% to Kerry's 50%). Democrat Barack Obama was defeated by margins of 12 points in 2008, against John McCain, and 16 points in 2012, against Mitt Romney, respectively. However, in 2016, Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton by only a 9-point margin, demonstrating a possible shift away from the Safe Republican status it had held for over a decade. This has led Democrats to begin targeting Texas as a potential future swing state. It should also be noted that Ted Cruz defeated Donald Trump in the Texas Republican primary for U.S. President in 2016.


text: As of June 2018, Senator Cruz held a 49%–44% approval rating among Texans in a state Donald Trump won by 9 points against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Among groups that tend to affiliate themselves more with the Democratic Party, Senator Cruz held a 29% approval rating among Hispanics, 37% among females, and 42% among college-educated voters.


text: In the third quarter of 2018, O'Rourke raised $38.1 million. This amount was the largest quarterly total raised by a U.S. Senate candidate until Jaime Harrison raised $57 million in the third quarter of 2020 in the South Carolina election. Cruz and O'Rourke combined to raise a record-setting total of $126 million during the 2018 campaign.


text: On November 6, 2018, Ted Cruz defeated Beto O'Rourke. However, O'Rourke gave Democrats their best performance in a Texas statewide election since Ann Richards was elected governor in 1990. In addition, O'Rourke flipped several counties in Texas that Donald Trump carried in 2016, including Williamson (includes Round Rock and Georgetown), historically conservative Tarrant (includes Fort Worth and suburbs within the DFW metroplex), Jefferson (includes Beaumont and Port Arthur), Nueces (includes Corpus Christi), sparsely populated Brewster (includes Big Bend National Park), and Hays (includes San Marcos). Cruz only flipped one county that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, sparsely populated Kenedy (coastal region south of Corpus Christi).


text: Cruz won 20 of 36 congressional districts; O'Rourke won the other 16, including three held by Republicans.


title: Skunk ape

text: Skunk ape, also known as the Swamp ape and Florida Bigfoot, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forests and swamps of some southeastern United States, notably in Florida.


title: Skunk ape

text: The Skunk ape is sometimes compared to, synonymous with, or called the "cousin" of Bigfoot, a prominent subject within North American popular culture. Articles have been presented in an attempt to prove the Skunk ape's existence, including anecdotal sightings, disputed photographs, audio and video recordings, and footprints. The majority of mainstream scientists have historically discounted the existence of the Skunk ape, considering it to be the result of a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax, rather than a living animal. The Skunk ape has permeated into the popular culture of the southern United States, especially in Florida.


title: Skunk ape

text: The Skunk ape is commonly described as a bipedal ape-like creature, approximately tall, and covered in mottled reddish-brown hair. The Skunk ape is often reported to be smaller in stature compared to traditional descriptions of Bigfoot from the northern U.S. and Canada. It is named for its foul odor, often described as being similar to a skunk.


title: Skunk ape

text: The Skunk ape has been recorded as appearing in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama folklore since European settlers first occupied the region. In 1818, local newspapers reported a story from what is now Apalachicola, Florida, that spoke of a "man-sized monkey" raiding food stores and stalking fishermen along the shore. Seminole and Miccosukee culture includes stories of a foul-smelling, physically powerful, and secretive creature called Esti Capcaki, a name which roughly translates to "Furry Tall Man" or "Hairy Giant". In 1929, a sighting occurred at the famous and then recently constructed Perky Bat Tower at the Florida Keys. Witnesses reported that an unknown ape-like beast was drawn to the construction site. After inspecting the bat tower shortly after it had been stocked with bats, the creature shook the tower, driving off the bats before running off into the woods.


title: Skunk ape

text: In 1942, a man in Suwanee County reported a similar creature rushing out from the brush line while he was driving down an isolated road. It was alleged to have grabbed onto his vehicle and beat on the running board and door for half a mile before departing. In the small community of Bardin, in Putnam County, Florida, beginning in the 1940s, there were a number of alleged sightings of a creature that came to be known as the Bardin Booger. In the 1960s, a rash of sightings in central Florida happened around Alachua County and Marion County. One such report from 1963 involved several members of a family encountering an ape-like creature around their rural home, including one instance of it approaching a window to peer inside at night.


title: Skunk ape

text: Reports of the Skunk ape were particularly common in the 1950s and into the 1970s. The "Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization" has archived hundreds of alleged sightings across almost every county of Florida, from 1955 to the present day.


title: Skunk ape

text: In the 1970s, two Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies named Marvin Lewis and Ernie Milner reported that an ape-like creature stalked them through a grove before they shot at it with their firearms. They reported following a trail of footprints where they recovered hair snagged on a barbed wire fence line that had been pushed down. In 1971 to 1975, a rash of sightings occurred in Broward County, Florida and surrounding areas. Multiple eyewitnesses reported nocturnal encounters with a 5 to 7 foot (1.5-2.1 meter) ape creature with dark red to black fur. These events were heavily covered in newspapers, both local and in other Florida cities such as Miami, and were some of the earliest instances popularizing the term "Skunk Ape" in the state lexicon. The Skunk Ape was reported as invading houses, stalking pedestrians, and killing several of a farmer's livestock such as a horse and bull. The local police department got involved after one Deputy reported striking the Skunk Ape with his car, with said car suffering heavily damage allegedly in retaliation. Posses were created and hunted wilderness on multiple nights, but despite several witnesses reportedly firing upon the creature, no body or evidence was found.


title: Skunk ape

text: In 1977, a failed-to-pass bill was proposed to the Florida state legislature to make it illegal to "take, possess, harm or molest anthropoids or humanoid animals".


title: Skunk ape

text: Several Everglades wildlife tour bus operators and their guests have reported alleged sightings. In July 1997, one such operator, David Shealy, reported wildlife bait stands laden with lima bean had been raided and he noticed strange tracks surrounding them. He baited several locations with more lima beans and multiple witnesses reported Skunk ape sightings soon after. Shealy and others attributed this instance to high seasonal flooding having driven numerous animals into tighter ranges around higher ground. One such sighting was by Everglades tour operators Steve Goodbread and Dow Rowland; some of their guests reported Skunk ape sightings as well. Both operators claimed that weather, high humidity, and the rural location would make a hoax unlikely.


title: Skunk ape

text: In 1997, a photograph of a dark upright figure in the swamp was taken by Ochopee Fire Control District Chief Vince Doerr that he claims depicts a Skunk ape. He reported observing the creature cross the road, and stopped his car to capture a photograph. Within two weeks, over fifty people reported alleged sightings of a hairy creature within the Big Cypress National Preserve.


title: Skunk ape

text: In the year 2000, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office received two anonymous photos depicting a large, hairy, ape-like creature. The author of the letter claimed to be an elderly woman who reported the creature had been stealing apples from her back porch near I-75, and upon surprising it with a camera she was afraid it was an escaped orangutan that might harm her family. The scrutinized photos, dubbed the "Myakka Skunk ape," remain a polarizing topic and their authenticity remains debated. One critique indicating the photographs to be a hoax is the subject does heavily resemble a bigfoot statue known from a Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum with photo-editing to change the features.


title: Skunk ape

text: Sightings continue to the present day, with forty-eight out of sixty-seven counties in Florida reporting sightings since 2010.


title: Skunk ape

text: Most anecdotal reports and alleged visual evidence are deemed to be fabrication or hoaxes. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell has written that some of the reports may represent sightings of the American black bear, possibly some suffering from mange, and it is likely that other sightings are hoaxes or general misidentification of wildlife. The United States National Park Service considers the skunk ape to be a hoax.


title: Skunk ape

text: The Skunk ape has been widely adopted across Florida as an unofficial mascot for wilderness and rural culture, including appearing in roadside businesses and attractions, television commercials, and on signs. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several Florida businesses used the Skunk ape's reported foul smell to promote social distancing.


title: Shomu Mukherjee

text: Shomu Mukherjee (also spelt Shomu Mukherji; 19 June 1943 – 10 April 2008) was an Indian director, writer, and producer.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight; the undisputed lightweight title; and the lineal lightweight and welterweight titles. In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by "The Ring" magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He currently holds the longest unified lightweight championship reign in boxing history at six title defenses. Whitaker is generally regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all-time.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: As an amateur, Whitaker won a silver medal in the lightweight division at the 1982 World Championships, followed by gold at the 1983 Pan American Games and 1984 Olympics. After his retirement in 2001, Whitaker returned to the sport as a trainer. In 2002, "The Ring" ranked him tenth in their list of "The 100 Greatest Fighters of the Last 80 Years". In 2006, Whitaker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker had an extensive amateur boxing career, having started at the age of nine. He had 214 amateur fights, winning 201, 91 of them by knockouts, though he said that he had up to 500 amateur fights. He lost to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Ángel Herrera Vera at the final of the World Championships 1982 but beat him four other times, notably in the final of the Pan American Games 1983 in Caracas. He crowned his amateur career with an Olympic gold medal in 1984, beating Luis Ortiz to obtain it.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: In just his eleventh and twelfth pro bouts, Whitaker defeated former world champion Alfredo Layne on December 20, 1986 and former WBA and lineal Super Featherweight and WBC Light Welterweight title holder Roger Mayweather on March 28, 1987. Whitaker won both bouts before hometown crowds at the Norfolk Scope, less than a mile from where he lived as a child in a Norfolk housing project. Whitaker would fight nine times in the Scope arena during his career.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: On March 12, 1988, he challenged José Luis Ramírez for the WBC Lightweight title in Levallois, France. He suffered his first pro defeat when the judges awarded a split decision to Ramirez. This was a highly controversial decision (considered one of the worst ever by many analysts), as most boxing observers felt that Whitaker easily won.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker trudged on, winning a decision over Greg Haugen for the IBF Lightweight title on February 18, 1989, becoming the first boxer to knock Haugen down by sending him to the mat in the sixth round. He then added the vacant WBC & "The Ring" belts by avenging his loss to Ramirez on August 20.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Now a champion, Whitaker proceeded to dominate boxing's middle divisions over the first half of the 1990s. In 1990, he defended his Lightweight title against future champion Freddie Pendleton and Super Featherweight Champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana. On August 11, 1990, he knocked out Juan Nazario in one round to win the WBA and vacant lineal lightweight titles, becoming the first Undisputed Lightweight Champion since Roberto Durán. His highlight of 1991 was a win over Jorge Páez and a fight against European Champion Poli Díaz that ended in another win.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: In 1992, he began his ascent in weight, winning the IBF light welterweight title from Colombian puncher Rafael Pineda on July 18.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker was gaining momentum and boxing experts and fans felt that he needed to win against the pound for pound best boxer in the world: Julio César Chávez. The two met in a welterweight superfight simply named "The Fight" on September 10, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. In the eyes of many of the spectators, Whitaker outboxed the Mexican legend. However, 2 of the 3 judges saw an even bout (115-115) with the other judge scoring in favor of Whitaker (115-113), resulting in a majority draw. Sports Illustrated's post-fight edition had "ROBBED!" across the cover and they believed that Whitaker had won no less than 9 of the 12 rounds in the fight. The now-defuncted "“Bert Sugar's Boxing Illustrated"" magazine had a heading on the cover of its post-fight edition telling readers not to buy the issue if they really believed "The Fight" was a draw.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker continued on to dominate for the next few years, defending his welterweight title against Santos Cardona 0n April 9, 1994 and in a rematch against McGirt on October 1, 1994.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: In his next fight on March 4, 1995, Whitaker added Julio César Vásquez's WBA super welterweight title to his collection. Although Whitaker suffered a flash knockdown early on in the fight, he basically faced no real trouble against Vásquez en route to the win. This was a history making fight for Whitaker, as he became only the fourth fighter in history - joining Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Durán - to have won a legitimate world title in four different weight classes. However, he chose to move back to welterweight.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker successfully defended his WBC belt against Scotland's Gary Jacobs on August 26, 1995. In January, 1997, Whitaker put his title on the line against Cuban fighter Diosbelys Hurtado. Hurtado gave Whitaker all he could handle and then some. Hurtado had Whitaker down on all the judges scorecards going into the 11th round: Hurtado scored flash knockdowns against Whitaker in rounds 1 and 6, and Whitaker had a point deducted in the 9th round for hitting Hurtado behind the head. But midway in the 11th round, Whitaker landed a left hook that hurt Hurtado and, in a rare display of aggression and power, unleashed a barrage of left-handed power shots, pummeling Hurtado into the ropes, knocking Hurtado out and almost completely out of the ring before referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the fight at the 1:52 mark, giving Whitaker the come-from-behind TKO win. The win set up a showdown with undefeated 1992 Olympic gold medalist Oscar De La Hoya.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: He met Oscar De La Hoya on April 12, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitaker, defending his WBC championship and the mythical status as the best boxer in the world, pound for pound, succeeded in making De La Hoya look bad through his crafty defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense to convince the judges. Whitaker was awarded an official knockdown in the 9th round and, according to CompuBox stats, outlanded De La Hoya in overall punches and connect percentage, using the jab as his primary weapon; but De La Hoya threw and landed almost twice as many power punches and had a slightly higher power punch connect percentage than Whitaker and showed more agression in the fight, which may have been the key factors in De La Hoya winning by a disputed unanimous decision. At the end of the fight, the judges' scores were 111-115, 110-116, 110-116. The fight was much closer than what the scorecards showed, and many observers felt that Whitaker won the fight. It was another controversial decision against Whitaker, but it wasn't seen as a blatant robbery like the Ramirez or Chavez decisions.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: For his part, De La Hoya wasn't too pleased with his own performance against Whitaker and had hinted at a possible rematch to prove that he could do better against him. But Bob Arum, De La Hoya's promoter at that time, decided against it.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker's next bout was against Russian-born fighter Andrey Pestryayev in a world title elimination fight, where the winner would earn an automatic #1 contender spot for the WBA Welterweight crown, held at the time by Ike Quartey. Whitaker originally won the fight, but the win was nullified & changed to a No Decision after he failed a post-fight drug test. Whitaker was suspended for six months, but the commission lifted the suspension after he agreed to random testing and his title bout with Quartey was to proceed as scheduled, however, the bout was cancelled after Whitaker tested positive for a second time.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: On February 20, 1999, Whitaker suffered his first convincing defeat against the much bigger, much fresher Félix Trinidad, gamely taking the Puerto Rican the distance in an attempt to win Trinidad's IBF welterweight title. The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds, both boxers used their jabs most of the time, with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Later in the fight, both boxers fell to the canvas in what were ruled as "accidental slips." In the seventh round, Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control of the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth and tenth rounds. In the last round, Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: His last fight came on April 27, 2001, against journeyman Carlos Bojorquez. Whitaker, the former lightweight, entered the ring at 155 pounds. He broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire; at the time of the stoppage Whitaker was trailing in all the judges' scorecards by 28-29. Following this fight, Whitaker officially announced his retirement. He finished his professional career with an official record of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts).


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: On December 7, 2006, Whitaker was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with contemporaries Roberto Durán and Ricardo López. They were all elected in their first year of eligibility.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: A southpaw, Whitaker was known for his outstanding defensive skills and for being a strong counterpuncher. He was not a particularly hard puncher or knockout artist, but applied a consistent offense while being extremely elusive and difficult for his opponents to hit with a solid punch.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: In December 2005 Whitaker became a boxing trainer in his home state of Virginia. While the decline of speed and agility pushed him into retirement, his knowledge of the ring and competitive boxing's components led him to seek out up-and-coming boxers to train to fight in the manner in which he did.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker was also the trainer for heavyweight Calvin Brock who, as recently as November 2006, fought for the IBF and IBO titles against Wladimir Klitschko, wherein Brock was knocked out in the 7th round.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker also trained former IBF world champion Paul Spadafora between 2009 and 2010 for 3 fights in which Spadafora won all three.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: In 2010, Whitaker was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, honoring those who have contributed to sports in southeastern Virginia.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Whitaker also became the head trainer of former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah, who defeated Kaizer Mabuza in March 2011 to win the vacant IBF light welterweight title.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Pernell Whitaker was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 2, 1964, the son of Raymond Whitaker Sr. and his wife, Novella. He had six siblings, two brothers, Raymond Whitaker, Jr, Raynell Whitaker; and four sisters; Zelda Brown, Sylvonia Whitaker, Lucinda Manley, and Monique Williams. He passed away on Sunday, July 14, 2019.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Pernell married Rovanda Anthony on December 21, 1985 in the boxing ring at the Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center. The couple later divorced. They had four children together: Dominique, the late Pernell Jr., Dantavious, and Devon. Pernell also had a daughter, Tiara, from a prior relationship.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Pernell graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1982 and later received an honorary Bachelor's degree from Norfolk State University. His humble beginnings started in Youngs Park Housing Community where he was inspired to start his boxing career. Outside of the ring, Sweet Pea served his community and the youth in everything that he did. He sponsored many events at Norfolk State University and spent countless hours training youth at boxing camps and gyms. He also remained active in Norfolk and spoke at city council meetings on behalf of the residents in support of community improvements.


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: Pernell had personal struggles and in June 2002 was convicted of cocaine possession after a judge found he violated the terms of a previous sentence by overdosing on cocaine in March. In February 2014, Pernell made national headlines after he evicted his mother, Novella Whitaker, out of the house he purchased for her shortly after he turned pro. Apparently, back taxes were owed on the house and Pernell said that neither his mother nor his siblings, who also stayed in the house, were doing anything to help keep the house afloat financially. Pernell's lawyers said that he is not making the same kind of money as a trainer that he was as a boxer, and needed to sell off the home to satisfy the tax debt owed in order to prevent the property from being seized and put into foreclosure. Outside of the Virginia courtroom where the eviction proceedings took place, he called the ruling in his favor "a beautiful moment."


title: Pernell Whitaker

text: At about 10 p.m. on July 14, 2019, Whitaker was crossing the street in Virginia Beach, at the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road, when he was struck and killed by a vehicle. He was 55. An autopsy stated that the cause of Whitaker's death was "multiple blunt force trauma."


title: Aviation American Gin

text: Aviation American Gin, also known as Aviation Gin, is a brand of gin first produced in Portland, Oregon, by founders Christian Krogstad and Ryan Magarian in 2006. It is referred to as an "American dry gin" and is produced by House Spirits Distillery. Its distribution is nationwide in the United States and in 15 other countries, including Canada, Spain, the UK, Ireland, France, Russia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. Originally it was bottled in a wine bottle with a blue label. The newer bottle, introduced in 2013, looks like a flask and is reminiscent of the Art Deco period, with a black label and a silver cap.


title: Aviation American Gin

text: House Spirits Distillery sold the brand to Davos Brands, LLC, of New York in 2016, but House Spirits continues to be the gin's distiller, with production in Portland, Oregon. Actor Ryan Reynolds acquired a stake in the brand from Davos in 2018.


title: Aviation American Gin

text: House Spirits Distillery sold the Aviation American Gin brand to New York-based distributor Davos Brands, LLC, in 2016, but as of early 2018, it continues to be distilled in Portland by House Spirits. As of late 2016, Aviation Gin accounted for around 40 percent of House Spirits' production.


title: Aviation American Gin

text: On August 17, 2020, Aviation was sold to Diageo, whose liquor lineup includes the gin Tanqueray, as well as Smirnoff vodka, and Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky. Reynolds still maintains an "ongoing ownership interest" in Aviation. Reynolds promotes the gin in various films he stars in, including Deadpool 2.


title: Aviation American Gin

text: Seven flavoring ingredients are used in its production: juniper, lavender, sweet and bitter orange peel, cardamom, coriander, Indian sarsaparilla, and anise seed, which are steeped in grain spirit for 48 hours, then re-distilled in a custom-built, 400-gallon pot still. Off the still, Aviation is about 140 U.S. proof, and deionized Cascade mountain (Tap) water brings it down to 84 proof before bottling.


title: Aviation American Gin

text: "Wine Enthusiast" magazine awarded Aviation American Gin a 97-point rating in 2012, the highest rating the magazine has given to any gin.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Henry Earl Holliman (born September 11, 1928) is an American actor, animal-rights activist, and singer known for his many character roles in films, mostly Westerns and dramas, in the 1950s and 1960s. He won a Golden Globe Award for the film "The Rainmaker" (1956) and portrayed Sergeant Bill Crowley on the television police drama "Police Woman" throughout its 1974–1978 run.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman was born on September 11, 1928, in Delhi, Louisiana. His biological father William A. Frost was a farmer. His mother Mary Smith was living in poverty with several other children and gave him up for adoption at birth, while her other children were sent to orphanages until she could take them all back, which she did. Earl was the seventh of ten children overall, and in later years, he was able to reconnect and establish relationships with them. He was adopted a week after his birth by Henry Holliman, a traveling oilfield worker, and his wife Velma, a waitress, who then gave him the name Henry Earl Holliman. He was so frail in his infancy that one doctor predicted he would not live long enough to see childhood, but when Velma's sister provided him with a generous dose of castor oil shortly after, the ingredients proved to heal him tremendously and helped save his life. Although his upbringing and family history have strong ties to Louisiana, during his teenage years he and his family lived in Kerrville, Texas, for a time as well as some parts of Arkansas (which he once stated made him out to be a "red-blooded Ark-La-Texan").


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman's early years were normal until Henry died when he was 13. Earl credited Henry and Velma with providing him with so much love and encouragement that despite their own poverty they helped him in terms of looking deep within himself to discover his self-confidence in converting his dreams into reality. In addition, when he began his career in films, Velma was so supportive of him that she once even went to a theatre in Louisiana an hour before it opened just so she could be the first attendee present. She wanted to see him in his first major film appearance and to work with the theatre manager, show columnist, and a friend of the family to go through a vast set of stills for that particular movie so she could begin the composition of an album for him reflecting the start of his professional career as an actor.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman saved money from his positions as an usher at the Strand Theatre, as a newsboy for the "Shreveport Times,", and as a magician's assistant before he left Louisiana for Hollywood. After an unsuccessful first attempt finding work in the film industry, he soon returned to Louisiana after being in California for only one week. Meanwhile, Velma had remarried, and Holliman disliked his new stepfather Guy Bellotte so much that he lied about his age and enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. Assigned to a Navy communications school in Los Angeles, Holliman spent his free time at the Hollywood Canteen, talking to stars who dropped by to support the servicemen and women. A year after his enlistment, the Navy discovered his real age and he was immediately discharged.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman returned home, worked in the oilfields in his spare time, washed dishes at various restaurants, and after some attendance at Louisiana Avenue, Fair Park, and Byrd High School in Shreveport, completed his public education at Oil City High School in Oil City, graduating with high honors in 1946; while a student there, he also played right tackle on the school football team and served as senior-class president. After rejecting a scholarship to Louisiana State University, he re-enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Interested in acting, he was cast as the lead in several Norfolk Navy Theatre productions. When he left the Navy for good, he studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He also graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. During the time he studied acting at both the Playhouse and UCLA, he supplemented his income working as a file clerk for Blue Cross (later known as Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) and with North American Aviation constructing airplanes.


title: Earl Holliman

text: While at the Pasadena Playhouse, Holliman entered the Paramount lot by claiming he had an appointment with a studio barber. Eventually he became friendly with studio executives. Holliman first got a small bit part opposite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in "Scared Stiff" (1953). Next he was cast as a marine in "The Girls of Pleasure Island" (1953), for which he needed a G.I. haircut. Finally he saw the barber and ended up with a haircut (and bangs) that changed his life.


title: Earl Holliman

text: After he gained popularity in his image following a change in hairstyle, he then followed with three more films released in 1953. His many credits include: "Broken Lance" (1954), "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1954), "The Big Combo" (1955), "I Died a Thousand Times" (1955), "Forbidden Planet" (1956), "Giant" (1956), "The Rainmaker" (1956), "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957), "Don't Go Near the Water" (1957), "Hot Spell" (1958), "The Trap" (1959), "Last Train from Gun Hill" (1959), "Visit to a Small Planet" (1960), "Armored Command" (1961), "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965), "Anzio" (1968), "The Desperate Mission" (1969), "Smoke" (1970), "The Biscuit Eater" (1972), "The Solitary Man" (1979), "Sharky's Machine" (1981) and "" (1987).


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman played a doomed helicopter crewman in the William Holden war drama "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" and a gangster's double-crossed thug in "The Big Combo". He co-starred with Jack Palance in the crime drama "I Died a Thousand Times" (1955), a remake of "High Sierra". He starred in "The Rainmaker" (1956), opposite Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster, playing a rancher's timid son, who finally must defy his brother to gain self-respect, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture; he was cast in the role instead of Elvis Presley. His role in "Rainmaker" brought him such praise that columnist Louella Parsons cited him being "as dedicated as though he were Marlon Brando and Anthony Perkins combined".


title: Earl Holliman

text: He was the soft-spoken son-in-law of a rancher Bick Benedict played by Rock Hudson in the epic Western saga "Giant". Holliman would play many roles set in the American West. He was Wyatt Earp's deputy in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", co-starring Lancaster and Douglas, and a sniveling coward guilty of murdering and raping the wife of a lawman (Kirk Douglas) in "Last Train from Gun Hill". He played a drunken deputy sheriff whose brother Richard Widmark returns to town in a modern-day Western, "The Trap" (1959), and the brother of John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Michael Anderson Jr., out to avenge their murdered father, in a traditional Western, "The Sons of Katie Elder". He portrayed a corrupt Atlanta politician in the crime drama, "Sharky's Machine", directed by its star, Burt Reynolds.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman became known to television audiences through his portrayal as Sundance in CBS's "Hotel de Paree", with costar Jeanette Nolan, from 1959 to 1960, and in the title role of Mitch Guthrie with Andrew Prine in NBC's "Wide Country", a drama about modern rodeo performers that aired for 28 episodes between 1962 and 1963. He also had the distinction of appearing in the debut episode of CBS's "The Twilight Zone", titled "Where Is Everybody?", which aired on October 2, 1959, the same night as the premiere of "Hotel de Paree".


title: Earl Holliman

text: In 1962, Claude Akins and he guest-starred as a pair of feuding brothers in "The Stubborn Stumbos" episode of Marilyn Maxwell's ABC drama series "Bus Stop". In 1965, he guest-starred on "12 O'Clock High" as Lt. Steiger, a pilot who learns to appreciate life after being assigned a dangerous mission and winning the lottery. In 1967, Holliman guest-starred on Wayne Maunder's short-lived ABC military-Western series "Custer". In 1970, Holliman starred in the TV movie "Tribes" as the antagonist Master Sergeant Frank DePayster, co-starring with Darren McGavin and Jan-Michael Vincent. In 1970 and 1971, Holliman made two appearances in the Western comedy series "Alias Smith and Jones" starring Pete Duel (né Deuel) and Ben Murphy.


title: Earl Holliman

text: From 1974 to 1978, he portrayed Sergeant Bill Crowley opposite Angie Dickinson in the "Police Woman" series. He co-starred in all 91 episodes of the hit series (which he later remarked changed his life), playing the police department superior of undercover officer Pepper Anderson. He later took part in "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast" comedy roast of co-star Dickinson on August 2, 1977.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman continued to appear in television guest roles throughout the 1970s to 1990s. He shared a starring role in the CBS movie "Country Gold" (a made for television remake of "All About Eve"), filmed on location in Nashville, Tennessee, which also featured Loni Anderson, Linda Hamilton, and Cooper Huckabee. He was also a regular celebrity panelist on "The Hollywood Squares", where he was recognized for his ability to trick the contestants with believable bluff answers. His most notable role during this period was in the hit miniseries "The Thorn Birds" with Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward. He also took part in the "Gunsmoke" reunion movie "" in 1987 as Jake Flagg, having guest-starred on the "Gunsmoke" TV series with James Arness three times between 1969 and 1973.


title: Earl Holliman

text: He was an occasional celebrity on the "$25,000" and "$100,000 Pyramid" game shows between 1983 and 1991. In 1991 and 1994, Holliman had two guest-star roles on "Murder, She Wrote", in the season-seven episode "Who Killed JB Fletcher?" and the season-10 episode, "Roadkill". From September 15, 1991, to January 4, 1992, he appeared in the lead role of Detective Matthew Durning on the CBS sitcom "P.S. I Luv U" (a role which he got due to his prominence in "Police Woman" two decades prior) and after the series ended, he was then featured as a special guest in the season-six episode of "In the Heat of the Night" entitled "Last Rights" portraying Dr. Lambert, a man who had been a prime suspect in a string of mercy killings. In 1996, he was the guest voice of the character Milton in the season-six "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" episode, "Never the Twain Shall Meet". Later in his career, Holliman had a recurring role as Fred Duffy, the father of the title character Caroline Duffy, on "Caroline in the City", appearing in three episodes, and he additionally starred in the 1997–99 television series "Night Man" as Frank Dominus, a disgraced former police officer and father of the main character.


title: Earl Holliman

text: From 1958 to 1963, Holliman found a brief but successful career as a singer, and had a record deal with such notable recording studios as Capitol Records, Prep, and HiFi. His songs included: "A Teenager Sings the Blues", "Nobody Knows How I Feel", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Sittin' and a Gabbin'", "If I Could See the World Through the Eyes of a Child", "La La La Lovable", "Wanna Kiss You To-Night", "I'm in the Mood for Love", "We Found Love", "Willingly", "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight", and "Road to Nowhere". In May 1976, he guest-starred on "The John Davidson Show" singing a vaudeville-style version of "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" with Davidson, as well as performing his own solo version of The Carpenters track, "Rainy Days and Mondays".


title: Earl Holliman

text: After "Wide Country" ended its run in April 1963, Holliman spent the next two months traveling the country in the acclaimed musical "Oklahoma!" appearing in the lead role of Curly McLain. Later that same year, he appeared in the role of Mike Mitchell in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, summer tour of "Sunday in New York" and at the Avondale Playhouse in Indianapolis, in "The Country Girl" in the role of Bernie Dodd opposite Lee Bowman and Julie Wilson. Between September 4 and September 9, 1963, he starred in a production of "The Tender Trap", opposite Anthony George, in the role of Charlie Y. Reader at the Westchester County Playhouse in Dobbs Ferry, New York. In 1968, he starred in the Los Angeles Mark Taper Forum production of Tennessee Williams' "Camino Real" in the role of Kilroy; his performance was well received by critics and Williams himself not only came to see Earl's performance about 11 times, but he also sent him a correspondence praising his work in both "Real" and "Streetcar" as being "the best" interpretations of the characters "Kilroy" and "Mitch" he had even seen. In 1973, he performed as Mitch in a revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire.


title: Earl Holliman

text: From September 15 to October 14, 1981, he starred in a stage production of "Mister Roberts" at the Fiesta Dinner Playhouse in San Antonio, Texas, of which he had ownership. He occasionally performed at his theater when he was not working in Hollywood; other productions in which he appeared there include "Arsenic and Old Lace" as Mortimer Brewster from April 1 to May 4, 1980, and "Same Time, Next Year" with Julie Sommars in 1983. The facility closed after 1987. He also appeared in stage productions of the 1973 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" as Mitch


title: Earl Holliman

text: In 1960, he lived in Paris, France and resided within a flat located on the Left Bank. Although he adopted the French culture and dialect quite rapidly, he maintained his reputation for being "as American as apple pie."


title: Earl Holliman

text: During the late 1970s, he served as the national honorary chairman for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. In 1976, he was the grand marshal of the Annual Fourth of July Parade in Huntington Beach, California.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman supported the re-election of Dwight Eisenhower in the 1956 presidential election. He is of the Baptist faith.


title: Earl Holliman

text: Holliman is known for his work as an animal rights activist, including serving for more than 25 years as president of Actors and Others for Animals. He is well known for nursing animals on his own property, at one point feeding roughly 500 pigeons in a day, as well as healing a wounded dove and blind opossum inside his home.


title: Earl Holliman

text: For many years, during the Christmas season, he was one of many in the film community to help organize various luncheons and dinners for the less fortunate at the Los Angeles Mission.


title: Earl Holliman

text: In addition to his Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for "The Rainmaker", he also earned a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series" for his performance alongside Delta Burke in the short-lived 1992 sitcom "Delta".


title: Earl Holliman

text: For his contributions to the television industry, Holliman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd.


title: Earl Holliman

text: For several years, various sources erroneously reported that Earl Holliman's original name was Anthony Earl Numkena. In fact, Numkena was a child actor, born in 1942, who appeared in the film "Pony Soldier" (1952). Holliman is not in the film even though some sources claim he is.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town, formerly known as Tanjung Penaga is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. George Town is Malaysia's sixth most populous city with 708,127 inhabitants , while Greater Penang, with a population of 2,412,616, is the second largest conurbation in the country after Greater Kuala Lumpur. The historical core of George Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Established as an entrepôt by Francis Light of the East India Company in 1786, George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia. Together with Singapore and Malacca, George Town formed part of the Straits Settlements, which became a British crown colony in 1867. It was subjugated by Japan during World War II, before being recaptured by the British at war's end. Shortly before Malaya attained independence from the British in 1957, George Town was declared a city by Queen Elizabeth II, making it the first city in the country's modern history.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Due to the intermingling of the various ethnicities and religions that arrived on its shores, George Town acquired a large eclectic assortment of colonial and Asian architectural styles. It also gained a reputation as Malaysia's gastronomic capital for its distinct and ubiquitous street food. Moreover, the city hosts unique cultural heritage, such as the Peranakans, whose legacies are still visible on Penang's architecture and cuisine.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city of George Town includes the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, a high-tech manufacturing hub regarded as the "Silicon Valley of the East". The city also serves as the financial centre of northern Malaysia and the nation's most vital medical tourism hub. Logistically, the Penang International Airport links George Town with several major regional cities, while a ferry service, the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge connect the city with the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Meanwhile, George Town's Swettenham Pier has emerged as the busiest port of call in Malaysia for cruise ships.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city's name comes from the original British settlement that was named in honour of King George III. The area before this has also been named "Tanjung Penaga" (Jawi: ) due to the abundance of a tree called "penaga laut" ("Calophyllum inophyllum") found in the present town's cape ("tanjung"). It is often erroneously spelt "Georgetown", which was never the city's official name; such misspelling may have arisen in confusion with other places having the same name.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In the 1770s, the British East India Company instructed Francis Light, a British Royal Navy captain, to form trade relations in the Malay Peninsula. Light subsequently landed in Kedah, a Siamese vassal state threatened by both Siam and Burma, as well as an internal Bugis revolt. Aware of this situation, Light formed friendly relations with the then Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II, and promised British military protection, while the Sultan reciprocally offered Penang Island, then part of Kedah.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Although Light subsequently reported on this offer to his superiors, it was only in 1786 when he was finally ordered to obtain Penang Island from Kedah. The British East India Company sought control of the island as a Royal Navy base, and as a trading post between China and India. To that end, Light negotiated with the new Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah, regarding the cession of the island to the British East India Company in exchange for British military aid. After an agreement was signed between Light and the Sultan, Light and his entourage sailed on to Penang Island, where they arrived on 17 July 1786.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The area where Light first landed, which is now the Esplanade, was originally a swamp covered in thick jungle. Once the area was cleared, a simple ceremony was held on 11 August, during which the Union Jack was raised. Penang Island was renamed the Prince of Wales Island after the heir to the British throne, while the new settlement was given the name George Town.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Light developed George Town as a free port, thus allowing merchants to trade without having to pay any form of tax or duties. The policy's intent was to entice traders from the Dutch ports in the region. The number of incoming vessels rose from 85 in 1786 to 3,569 in 1802; George Town's population had also increased to 10,000 by 1792.


title: George Town, Penang

text: A committee of assessors was established in 1800, making it the first local council to be established in British Malaya. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court was established at Fort Cornwallis in 1808.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In the early 19th century, Penang Island became a centre of spice production within Southeast Asia. Spices such as nutmeg, clove and pepper, produced from the spice farms throughout the island, were exported via the Port of Penang in George Town. The spice trade also allowed the British East India Company to cover the administrative costs of Penang.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In 1826, George Town was made the capital of the Straits Settlements, an administrative polity that was also composed of Singapore and Malacca. However, the capital was then shifted to Singapore in 1832, as the latter had usurped George Town's position as the region's preeminent harbour.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Nonetheless, George Town retained its importance as a vital British entrepôt. Due to the opening of the Suez Canal, the advent of steam ships and a tin mining boom in the Malay Peninsula, the Port of Penang became a major tin-exporting harbour. By the end of the 19th century, as mercantile firms and banks, including Standard Chartered and HSBC, flocked into George Town, the city also evolved into a leading financial centre in Malaya.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Throughout the century, George Town's population grew rapidly in tandem with the city's economic prosperity. A cosmopolitan, multi-cultural population emerged, comprising Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan, Eurasian, Thai and other ethnicities. However, the population growth also created social problems, such as inadequate sanitation and public health facilities, as well as rampant crime. The latter culminated in the Penang Riots of 1867, during which rival Chinese triads clashed in the streets of George Town.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Also in the same year, the Straits Settlements was made a British crown colony, to be governed directly by the Colonial Office in London. For George Town, direct British rule meant better law enforcement, as the police force was vastly improved and the secret societies that had previously plagued the city were gradually outlawed. More investments were also made on the city's health care and public transportation.


title: George Town, Penang

text: With improved access to education, a greater level of participation in municipal affairs by its Asian residents and substantial press freedom, George Town was perceived as being more intellectually receptive than Singapore. The city became a magnet for well known English authors, Asian intellectuals and revolutionaries, including Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Sun Yat-sen.


title: George Town, Penang

text: At the start of World War I in 1914, the Battle of Penang occurred, during which "SMS Emden", an Imperial German Navy cruiser, sank two Allied warships off the coast of George Town. 147 French and Russian sailors were killed.


title: George Town, Penang

text: World War II, on the other hand, brought unparalleled social and political upheaval to Penang. In early December 1941, Japanese warplanes indiscriminately strafed and bombed George Town, and wiped out the defending Allied air squadrons. While the British Army had earlier designated Penang Island as a fortress, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival then ordered a withdrawal from Penang. Not only did the British abandon the Batu Maung Fort south of the city, they also covertly evacuated Penang's European population, leaving the rest of the populace to their fates. Some historians have argued that the withdrawal and the silent evacuation of the European population led to the loss of the British sense of invincibility, and that the collapse of British rule in Southeast Asia came not in Singapore, but in Penang.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on 19 December 1941, marking the start of a brutal period of Japanese occupation. Penang Island was renamed "Tojo-to", after the then Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. This period was known for the Imperial Japanese Army's massacres of Penang's Chinese populace, known as "Sook Ching" to the locals. Women in George Town were also coerced to work as comfort women by the Japanese.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town's harbour facilities were also put to use as a major U-boat base by Nazi Germany. Between 1942 and 1944, the Port of Penang was utilised by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Kriegsmarine and the Regia Marina.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Between 1944 and 1945, Allied bombers based in India repeatedly bombed George Town, seeking to destroy the naval facilities and administrative centres. Several colonial buildings were destroyed or damaged, including the Government Offices, St. Xavier's Institution, Hutchings School (now Penang State Museum) and the Penang Secretariat Building. The Penang Strait was also mined to impede Japanese shipping.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Following the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, the "Penang Shimbun", a Japanese newspaper, published the proclamation of surrender issued by the Emperor of Japan. Under Operation Jurist, the British Royal Marines accepted the surrender of the Japanese garrison in Penang and retook Penang Island on 3 September 1945.


title: George Town, Penang

text: After a period of military administration, the British dissolved the Straits Settlements in 1946 and proceeded to merge the Crown Colony of Penang into the Malayan Union, which was then replaced with the Federation of Malaya in 1948. However, the absorption of the British colony of Penang into Malaya alarmed Penang's population over economic and ethnic concerns. Between 1948 and 1951, the Penang Secessionist Committee was formed to avert Penang's merger with Malaya, but ultimately petered out due to British disapproval.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The British government responded to the concerns raised by the secessionists by guaranteeing George Town's free port status, as well as reintroducing municipal elections in George Town in 1951. By 1956, George Town had become the first municipality in the Malayan Federation to have a fully elected local council.


title: George Town, Penang

text: On 1 January 1957, George Town was accorded city status by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first city within the Federation of Malaya, and by extension, Malaysia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In the following years, George Town retained its free port status, as guaranteed by the British colonial authorities before granting independence to Malaya. This was not to last, however – in 1969, the Malaysian federal government revoked George Town's free port status, sparking massive unemployment in the city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: This also marked the start of George Town's decline, which lasted up to the early 2000s. As the Malaysian federal government continued to develop Kuala Lumpur and nearby Port Klang, Penang began to suffer considerable brain drain.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In a bid to revitalise George Town, the Komtar project was launched in 1974. Hundreds of shophouses, schools and temples, as well as whole streets, were demolished in order to make way for the construction of Penang's tallest skyscraper. However, instead of arresting George Town's decline, Komtar itself became a white elephant by the 2000s.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In 1974, the George Town City Council was merged with the Penang Island Rural District Council to form the Penang Island Municipal Council, sparking a decades-long debate over George Town's city status.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city's decline continued into the early 2000s. In 2001, the Rent Control Act, which had protected the low-income residents and smaller businesses within the city centre from arbitrary rental hikes, was repealed. Consequently, residents moved out of the city's historical core, leaving its colonial-era buildings in disrepair. Meanwhile, an incoherent urban planning policy and poor traffic management led to worsening traffic congestion, while decades of brain drain also took its toll as the city lacked the expertise to regulate urban development.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In response, George Town's non-governmental organisations and the national press galvanised public support and formed strategic partnerships for the conservation of the historic buildings, and to restore the city to its former glory. As a result of the widespread resentment over George Town's decline, the then federal opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (now Pakatan Harapan), was voted into power within Penang in the 2008 State Election.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Also in 2008, George Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Subsequent efforts to clean up the city, and measures to improve traffic flow, cultural and environmental aspects by the new state government led to George Town being ranked Asia's 8th most liveable city by ECA International in 2010. The city's services sector has since been boosted by the private sector and an influx of foreign investors.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Indian Ocean tsunami which struck in 2004 hit the western and northern coasts of Penang Island, including George Town, claiming 52 lives (out of 68 in Malaysia).


title: George Town, Penang

text: Whilst George Town had been declared a city by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957, the jurisdiction of the city was expanded by the Malaysian federal government to encompass the entirety of Penang Island in 2015.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The jurisdiction of George Town covers an area of , encompassing the entirety of Penang Island and five of the surrounding islets, including Jerejak Island. George Town is only slightly more than a third the size of Singapore with a population density of ; thus the city has one of the highest population densities of all Malaysian cities.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The contiguous hotel and resort belts of Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bungah and Tanjung Tokong along the northern beaches of Penang Island form the northwestern fringes of George Town. The central hills of Penang Island, including Penang Hill, serve as a giant green lung for George Town and an important forested catchment area. While the central hills have somewhat limited the westward urban sprawl, George Town's expansion is more evident southward along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, creating the suburbs of Jelutong and Gelugor, the latter merging with the northward development of Bayan Lepas.


title: George Town, Penang

text: As with most island cities, land scarcity is a pressing issue in George Town. Land reclamation projects have been carried out to provide more low-lying land at high-demand areas, such as at Gurney Drive, Tanjung Tokong and Jelutong.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The oldest portion of the city centre has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 2008. Recognised as having a "unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia", George Town contains one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The World Heritage Site covers nearly of the city centre, roughly bounded by Transfer Road to the west and Prangin Road to the south. The zone includes the city's administrative precinct, which is home to the most historic landmarks like Fort Cornwallis, City Hall and the Penang State Museum, as well as the main Central Business District along Beach Street. The zone also covers various places of worship, such as St. George's Church, the Kapitan Keling Mosque and the Goddess of Mercy Temple, as well as the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion and the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Among the restrictions in force within the zone is a ban on the construction of any structure exceeding in height, and that any new building which is located adjacent to a historically important structure must not exceed the height of the latter.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Unlike other cities in Malaysia, George Town still retains most of its English street names. Even for roads that have been renamed in Malay, such as "Jalan Masjid Negeri", Penangites in general still prefer to use the road's former colonial name, which in this particular case is Green Lane. This is partly because the new names are often unwieldy (e.g. Pitt Street vs "Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling", Northam Road vs "Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah"), but also reflects a strong conservatism in the local population, who see Penang's colonial history as part of their local identity.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Since 2008, multi-lingual road signs have been in use throughout Penang Island. Each of the new road signs shows the street's official Malay name and either the street's English, Chinese, Tamil or Arabic name.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The expansion of George Town has created suburbs to its northwest, west and south. The northwestern suburbs are somewhat more affluent, given their seafront locations which attract tourists and expatriates. The southern suburbs, such as Jelutong, grew due to industrial activities. On the other hand, Air Itam and Paya Terubong emerged to the west of George Town as a result of agricultural plantations on the central hills of Penang Island.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Since the 1970s, massive industrialisation around Bayan Lepas, which created the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, led to the rapid urbanisation of the southeastern corner of Penang Island as well. The western half of the island, where Balik Pulau forms the main population centre, remains sparsely-populated, although urbanisation has encroached into the area in recent years.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The most popular beaches of George Town are situated along the city's northwestern suburbs, specifically Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah and Tanjung Tokong. Several hotels and resorts have been established along these locations, including Hard Rock Hotel. Aside from these, George Town is home to popular promenades such as Gurney Drive, the Esplanade and Karpal Singh Drive. In particular, Gurney Drive forms part of the city's second Central Business District, and is a shopping haven with two upmarket shopping malls – Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon. Land reclamation is currently ongoing off Gurney Drive in a state-led effort to create a seafront public park, named Gurney Wharf.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The central hills of Penang Island, situated to the west of George Town, serve as a gigantic green lung and water catchment area for the urbanised island. Rising above sea level, the peak of Penang Hill is accessible via the Penang Hill Railway from its base station off Hill Railway Road. Once a retreat used by British officials and Queen Elizabeth II, Penang Hill is one of Penang's most well-known tourist attractions.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Founded in 1884 as an offshoot of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Penang Botanic Gardens is Malaysia's oldest botanical garden. Today, it serves as a major recreational area, receiving about 5,000 visitors every weekend. This botanical garden also encompasses Penang's biggest waterfall, which forms part of George Town's water supply. Meanwhile, the nearby City Park was officially opened in 1972.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city is also home to the world's smallest national park – the Penang National Park. Covering of the northwestern tip of Penang Island, it contains mangrove swamps, rainforest interspersed with hiking trails and tranquil beaches. Other notable natural attractions nearby include the Tropical Spice Garden and the Entopia Butterfly Farm, the latter of which was Malaysia's first butterfly sanctuary.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city features a tropical rainforest climate, under the Köppen climate classification ("Af"). George Town experiences relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year, with an average high of about and an average low of . The city sees on average about of precipitation annually.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town's proximity to the island of Sumatra makes it susceptible to dust particles carried by wind from the perennial but transient forest fires, creating a yearly phenomenon known as the Southeast Asian haze.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Weather forecast in George Town is served by the Penang Meteorological Office in Bayan Lepas, which acts as the primary weather forecast facility for northern Peninsular Malaysia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Local administration of George Town and all of Penang Island is carried out by the Penang Island City Council, which comes under the purview of the Penang state government. With a history dating back to 1800, it is Malaysia's oldest local government and the successor to the nation's first city council – the George Town City Council.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Headquartered in the City Hall, the city council is responsible for urban planning, heritage preservation, public health, sanitation, waste management, traffic management, environmental protection, building control, social and economic development, and general maintenance of urban infrastructure. In 2018, George Town was recognised as one of the cleanest cities in ASEAN, following a 2017 ranking which placed George Town as Malaysia's second cleanest city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Mayor of Penang Island is appointed by the Penang state government every two years, while each of the 24 councillors is appointed for a one-year term. The current Mayor is Yew Tung Seang, who took office in 2018. Penang-based non-governmental organisations are also allocated four of the 24 councillor positions.


title: George Town, Penang

text: As the capital of the State of Penang, George Town is the seat of the Penang state government. The Office of the Chief Minister of Penang is housed within the Komtar Tower, Penang's tallest skyscraper. The unicameral Penang State Legislative Assembly convenes inside the State Assembly Building at Light Street. The Governor of Penang, the head of state, also has his official residence within the city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In the State Legislative Assembly, George Town is represented by 19 state constituencies, namely Padang Kota, Pengkalan Kota, Komtar, Kebun Bunga, Pulau Tikus, Tanjong Bunga, Air Putih, Air Itam, Paya Terubong, Seri Delima, Datok Keramat, Sungai Pinang, Batu Lancang, Batu Uban, Pantai Jerejak, Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas, Pulau Betong and Telok Bahang. The members of the State Legislative Assembly, known as State Assemblymen, are elected into office via the Penang State Election, which by convention is held simultaneously with the Malaysian General Election every five years.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city is also represented by six Members of Parliament in the Malaysian Parliament, who are elected via the Malaysian General Election. The parliamentary constituencies are Tanjong, Bukit Bendera, Jelutong, Bukit Gelugor, Bayan Baru and Balik Pulau.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Malaysian legal system had its roots in George Town. By 1807, Penang was accorded a Royal Charter which provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court and the appointment of the first Supreme Court judge, designated as the "Recorder".


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Supreme Court of Penang (now High Court of Penang) was first opened at Fort Cornwallis on 31 May 1808. Edmond Stanley assumed office as the First Recorder of the Supreme Court of Penang in 1808, thus serving as Malaya's first Superior Court Judge. The Supreme Court was then relocated a short distance away to Light Street, where the present building was built in 1903.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Today, the Malaysian judiciary has become largely centralised. The courts in George Town consist of the Magistrates, Sessions and the High Court, the latter of which sits at the top of Penang's judicial system. The High Court remains at Light Street to this day, along with the Magistrates and Sessions Court across the street. Another Sessions Court has also been established in Balik Pulau to the west.


title: George Town, Penang

text: According to the 2010 Census conducted by the Malaysian federal government, George Town had a population of 708,127. More recent estimates from Malaysia's Department of Statistics indicated that about 738,500 inhabitants lived within this cosmopolitan city . These figures placed George Town as Malaysia's second largest city by population.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In addition, Greater Penang, which also covers Seberang Perai, and parts of neighbouring Kedah and Perak, was home to 2,412,616 residents . Thus, Greater Penang is the most populous metropolitan area in Malaysia outside the Klang Valley (Greater Kuala Lumpur).


title: George Town, Penang

text: According to Malaysia's Department of Statistics, George Town is a Chinese-majority city; , over 53% of the urban population consisted of ethnic Chinese, including the Peranakans. The "Bumiputeras", which include ethnic Malays and East Malaysian indigenous races like the Dayaks and Kadazans, collectively made up almost 32% of the city's population. Ethnic Indians comprised another 9% of George Town's population. These are in addition to small, but prominent, Eurasian and Siamese minorities. In particular, most of the nearly 1,500 Eurasians remain concentrated at the Pulau Tikus suburb.The Peranakans, descendants of mixed Malay and Chinese ancestries, were once the political and business elites in George Town. They held the top positions in some of the city's most influential associations, such as the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Penang Straits Chinese British Association. As the Peranakans tended to be more loyal to the British Crown than to China, they were also known as the "King's Chinese". In spite of Malaysia's ethnic policies that have effectively forced the Peranakans to identify themselves as Chinese, Peranakan culture still thrives in George Town to this day, in the form of Straits Chinese architectural styles and dishes like "asam laksa".


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town currently has a sizeable expatriate population, especially from Singapore, Japan and various Asian countries as well as the United Kingdom, many of whom chose to retire in Penang as part of "Malaysia My Second Home" programme. In recent years, George Town has been acknowledged as one of the best cities for retirement within Southeast Asia by the likes of CNN and Forbes. , expatriates made up nearly 6% of George Town's population, reflecting the city's popularity amongst foreigners.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city was also once home to Burmese, Filipino, Sinhalese, Japanese, Sumatran, Arab, Armenian and Persian communities. A small but commercially significant community of German merchants existed in George Town as well, as did a Jewish enclave. Even though most of these other communities, including the Jews, are no longer extant, they lent their legacy to numerous street and place names such as the Dhammikarama Temple, Burmah Road, Armenian Street, Jewish Cemetery and Gottlieb Road.


title: George Town, Penang

text: As with other multi-ethnic cities in Malaysia, all four major languages are widely spoken in George Town – Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil. However, George Town, and by extension Penang, is best known for its distinct Hokkien dialect, known as Penang Hokkien.


title: George Town, Penang

text: During the British colonial era, English was the official language. This was helped by the mushrooming of missionary schools throughout George Town, all of which used English as their medium of instruction and were held in high esteem by the locals. Most Penangites still maintain reasonable command of the language; while British English is formally used, spoken English usually takes the form of Manglish.


title: George Town, Penang

text: As in the rest of Malaysia, Malay is currently the official language in George Town. The city's Malays also use a variant of the Kedah Malay dialect, with slight modifications made to the original dialect to suit the conditions of a cosmopolitan city. These modifications include the use of words of Indian origin and the alteration of the final "l" syllable into "i".


title: George Town, Penang

text: Due to their Tamil/South Indian ancestry, most Indians in George Town speak Tamil. Punjabi and Telugu are also spoken by a very smaller numbers of Indians.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Mandarin, more widely used by youths, has been the medium of instruction in Chinese schools throughout Penang.


title: George Town, Penang

text: However, Penang Hokkien serves as the "lingua franca" of George Town. Originally a variant of the Minnan dialect, over the centuries, Penang Hokkien has incorporated a large number of loanwords from Malay and English. It is spoken by many Penangites regardless of race for communication purposes. In recent years, there have been more efforts to maintain the dialect's relevance in the face of the increasing influence of Mandarin and English among the younger populace.


title: George Town, Penang

text: As the capital city of Penang, one of the most urbanised states in Malaysia, George Town is one of the top contributors of Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and tax income. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the city contributed US$12,044, or nearly 8%, of Malaysia's personal disposable income in 2015, second only to Kuala Lumpur. In 2016, George Town was ranked Malaysia's most attractive destination for commercial property investment by Knight Frank, surpassing even Kuala Lumpur. By 2017, Penang's GDP per capita, already the highest among Malaysian states, rose to RM49,873, thereby surpassing the World Bank's threshold to be considered a high-income economy. George Town's popularity amongst foreign investors has contributed to Penang gaining the largest share of Malaysia's foreign direct investments within the same year.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Originally established as an entrepôt by the British, George Town's economy is now dominated by other tertiary sub-sectors ranging from manufacturing to finance, whilst newer industries, including entrepreneurial startups, are taking root within the city as well. In addition, George Town serves as the economic pole of northern Malaysia, with relatively wide logistical connectivity. The Penang International Airport is one of the nation's busiest, whilst Swettenham Pier has cemented the city's reputation as a popular destination for cruise shipping.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Since the 1970s, manufacturing formed the backbone of Penang's economy, generating 44.8% of the state's GDP and attracting about 3,000 firms to set up operations within the state. The Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone, dubbed the "Silicon Valley of the East", is the main electronics manufacturing hub within Malaysia. Located at the southeastern corner of Penang Island, the zone is home to various high-tech multinational firms, including Dell, Intel, AMD, Motorola, Agilent, Renesas, Osram, Bosch, Sony and Seagate.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town was the centre of banking in Malaysia at a time when Kuala Lumpur was still a small outpost. The oldest bank in Malaysia, Standard Chartered, opened its main branch in George Town in 1875 to cater to the financial requirements of early European traders. This was followed by HSBC in 1885 and the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1888.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Today, George Town remains the banking hub of northern Malaysia, with branches of major international banks such as Standard Chartered, HSBC, Citibank, UOB, OCBC, Bank of China and Bank Negara Malaysia (Malaysian central bank). Most of the foreign banks still maintain their Penang headquarters at Beach Street, which serves as the city's main Central Business District.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Since the 1990s, Northam Road, along with Gurney Drive, has evolved into George Town's second Central Business District. Northam Road is now home to a cluster of financial services, with a number of accounting, auditing and insurance firms based along this coastal road. In addition to these, the Employees Provident Fund, run by the Malaysian federal government, operates an office at the road as well.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The financial sector and its related industries, such as insurance, auditing and real estate transactions, accounted for over 8% of Penang's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) .


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town has always been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia. Throughout history, the city has even welcomed some of the most influential personalities, including Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Noël Coward, Lee Kuan Yew and Queen Elizabeth II.In recent years, George Town has received numerous international accolades, further putting the city on the world stage. The city has been listed by various publications, including the Lonely Planet, Forbes and Time, as one of the top travel destinations in Asia. These are in addition to George Town's reputation as a gastronomic haven, with the CNN placing the city as one of Asia's best street food cities.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Unlike most other Malaysian cities, George Town does not rely only on air transportation for tourist arrivals. Aside from the Penang International Airport, Swettenham Pier, conveniently located within the city centre, also serves as one of the major tourist entry points into Penang. , Penang attracted almost 8.6 million tourists, with the airport posting a record 7.2 million passenger arrivals and the pier registering another 1.35 million tourist arrivals. Within the same year, Penang became the third largest contributor of Malaysia's tourism tax revenue after Kuala Lumpur and Sabah.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The state government launched its ten-year Penang Tourism Master Plan in February 2019 with the goal of ensuring sustainable development and making Penang a hub for tourism, heritage, culture and arts in the region. George Town World Heritage Incorporated – the state government's independent heritage agency responsible for managing the George Town World Heritage Site – has produced a Sustainable Tourism Strategy action plan.


title: George Town, Penang

text: With nearly of Penang's workforce employed in services-related fields, the services sector has marginally overtaken manufacturing as Penang's biggest economic sector, contributing 49.3% of Penang's total GDP in 2017. The largest share of employment was recorded in the retail, accommodation, and food and beverages (F&B) sub-sectors, clearly depicting the influence of tourist arrivals on service-related industries. Since the inscription of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an emerging trend is the acquisition of heritage shophouses within the zone by foreign investors, especially from Singapore and Hong Kong.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In addition, a startup community has been growing in the city, which include the likes of Piktochart and DeliverEat. Attracted by the city's cheaper living costs and the presence of several multinational technology firms in Penang, the city's startups are also being actively encouraged by the Penang state government and the private sector, with initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship and promote the Internet of Things (IoT).


title: George Town, Penang

text: This services sector has also been boosted by firms seeking to establish shared services outsourcing (SSO) operations within or around George Town, including AirAsia, Citigroup, Dell, Jabil and Temasek Holdings. Consequently, Penang has emerged as the second most important Global Business Services (GBS) hub within Malaysia, after Kuala Lumpur.


title: George Town, Penang

text: An integral part of Penang's services sector is medical tourism, which has made George Town the medical tourism hub of Malaysia. The city has attracted approximately half of Malaysia's medical tourist arrivals in 2013 and generated about 70% of the nation's medical tourism revenue. About 1,000 patients arrive in George Town daily, mostly from Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Japan.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The success of George Town's medical tourism industry is mainly due to the specialised medical treatments offered at more affordable costs by the city's numerous private hospitals, coupled with well-trained professionals and advanced equipment. Indirect factors that were cited include the relatively low cost of living and the ease of travel facilitated by the well-developed logistical infrastructure.


title: George Town, Penang

text: As many as 24% of Penang's workforce are employed in the retail sub-sector, the largest of all economic sub-sectors in Penang. Due to the numerous shopping malls and hypermarkets in George Town, the city is the main shopping hub of northern Malaysia. Since 2001, shopping complexes in George Town registered the biggest increases in Malaysia. Among the more well-known shopping malls within the city are Gurney Plaza, Gurney Paragon, 1st Avenue and Queensbay Mall.


title: George Town, Penang

text: While shopping malls now dominate the retail scene in George Town, many centuries-old shophouses are still operating alongside the city's flea markets and wet markets, such as Chowrasta Market. These traditional retail establishments cater more to locally made products, including spices, nutmegs and , a famous Penang delicacy.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Centuries of development have brought a mix of architectural styles to George Town, both historical and modern. The oldest portion of the city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while outside the UNESCO zone lies the modern cityscape, with skyscrapers, residential high-rises, office blocks and shopping malls built all over the city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Most of George Town's famous heritage landmarks, including Fort Cornwallis, the City Hall, the High Court, St. George's Church and the Eastern & Oriental Hotel are located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city's main Central Business District at Beach Street, also within the UNESCO zone, is home to banks built in various Art Deco-based hybrid styles. Colonial-era bungalows, such as The Residency and Suffolk House, can be found throughout the city as well.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Aside from colonial European architecture, a huge assortment of Asian architectural styles also exist throughout the city. Buildings like the Kapitan Keling Mosque, Kong Hock Keong Temple, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion and the Pinang Peranakan Mansion are notable for their architectural styles, which combine diverse cultural influences. Peranakan townhouses, exemplified by the Sun Yat-sen Museum, dominate the cityscape as well. Meanwhile, Indian architecture is more prominent within the city's Little India, which also contains the Sri Mahamariamman Temple.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In the suburbs, the Siamese and Burmese communities have left their mark too; the Buddhist temples at Pulau Tikus include Wat Chaiyamangkalaram and the Dhammikarama Temple. Another example of a hybrid Asian architecture is the Kek Lok Si Temple at Air Itam, which merges Chinese, Siamese and Burmese influences.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Since the mid 20th century, modern urbanisation has transformed much of George Town. Just south of the UNESCO World Heritage Site stands the Komtar Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Penang at nearly tall. The second Central Business District at Northam Road and Gurney Drive, which lies along the city's northern shoreline, is also home to some of Penang's tallest skyscrapers, including Setia V, Gurney Paragon and BHL Tower.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town, long known as the food capital of Malaysia, is renowned for its good and varied street food, incorporating Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan, Thai and European influences into its literal melting pot.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city has been recognised as one of Asia's top street food cities by CNN, as well the world's top culinary destination by the Lonely Planet in 2014. These were in addition to the "Time" magazine in 2004, which acclaimed Penang as having the best street food in Asia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The best places to savour street cuisine include Gurney Drive, Pulau Tikus, Chulia Street, Kimberley Street, New Lane, New World Park, Penang Road and Air Itam. The more prominent local dishes include "asam laksa", "char kway teow", "curry mee", "Hokkien mee", "nasi kandar", "oh chien" (fried oyster omelette), "rojak" and "chendol". Besides these, several shops can be found throughout the city, selling bean paste biscuits.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town is the birthplace of a unique form of Chingay procession, which began with its first parade in 1919. Penang's variant of Chingay includes the act of balancing gigantic flags on one's forehead or hands. An annual Chingay parade is held in the city every December, though Chingay performances are also a common feature of Chinese festivities and major state celebrations in Penang.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Bangsawan is a form of Malay theatre which was developed in Penang with Indian, Western, Islamic, Chinese and Indonesian influences. It went into decline in the latter decades of the 20th century and is now a dying art form. Boria is another traditional dance drama indigenous to Penang, featuring singing accompanied by violin, maracas and tabla.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Aside from these, there are two Western orchestras based in George Town – the Penang Philharmonic and the Penang Symphony Orchestra (PSO) – as well as several chamber and school-based musical ensembles. Dewan Sri Pinang and Penangpac within Straits Quay are two of the major performing venues in the city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In 2012, as part of the annual George Town Festival, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic created a series of wall murals depicting local culture, inhabitants and lifestyles. They now stand as celebrated cultural landmarks of George Town, with "Children on a Bicycle" becoming one of the most photographed spots in the city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Since then, the street art scene has blossomed. Arts exhibitions are held at the city's numerous cultural centres, such as the Hin Bus Depot. Aside from wall art, several wrought iron caricatures, each depicting a unique aspect of George Town's history and culture, have been installed throughout the city centre.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Penang State Museum and Art Gallery houses relics, photographs, maps, and other artifacts that document the history and culture of Penang. Other museums within the city focus on religious and cultural aspects, as well as famous personalities, including the Penang Islamic Museum, Sun Yat-sen Museum, P. Ramlee's House, Batik Painting Museum, and Universiti Sains Malaysia Museum and Gallery.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In recent years, private-run museums have sprung up all over the city, such as the Camera Museum and the Penang Toy Museum. A handful of newer visual museums have also been launched, such as the Made-in-Penang Interactive Museum and the Penang Time Tunnel.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town's cultural melting pot of various races and religions means that there are a great many celebrations and festivities in any given year. The major cultural and religious festivities in George Town include, but not limited to, the Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Meh, Songkran, Wesak Day, Seventh Month Festival, Nine Emperor Gods Festival, Eid ul-Fitri, Deepavali, Thaipusam, Vaisakhi and Christmas.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The city's expatriates have introduced a host of other celebrations as well. Bon Odori is celebrated yearly at the Esplanade by the Japanese, while St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest, traditionally celebrated by the Irish and the Germans respectively, have also been gaining popularity amongst the locals.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In addition, the city hosts several major festivals in any given year. The George Town Festival, first held in 2010, has evolved into one of the top arts events in Southeast Asia, while the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta attracts close to 200,000 visitors from all over the world.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town has a relatively well-developed sporting infrastructure. The City Stadium is Penang Island's main football stadium, with a capacity of about 25,000. It is the home ground of Penang FA, and was where Penang footballer Mohd Faiz Subri scored the goal that won him the 2016 FIFA Puskás Award. The SPICE Arena at Bayan Baru consists of an indoor stadium, an aquatics centre and a convention centre, while the Nicol David International Squash Centre at Gelugor is a major squash training facility. In addition, the Penang Turf Club, established in 1864, is Malaysia's oldest horse racing and equestrian centre.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Penang Bridge International Marathon is a popular annual event. The full marathon route starts from near Queensbay Mall, then on to the length of the Penang Bridge, and finally back to the starting point for the finish.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The national and international sporting events that were held in George Town include the 2001 Southeast Asian Games and the 2013 Women's World Open Squash Championship. In addition, George Town will host the Asia Pacific Masters Games in 2018, the first Malaysian city to be selected to host this regional multi-sports tournament.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town is home to some of the oldest schools in Malaysia, making it a pioneer in the country's education system. Under British rule, missionary schools were set up across George Town. They were followed by Chinese schools, some of which are also among the oldest in the nation, thus making George Town the nucleus of Chinese education in Southeast Asia. More recently, international schools have also been established to cater to the growing expatriate population.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In addition, George Town contains a number of private tertiary educational institutions, as well as one of the premier Malaysian public universities – Universiti Sains Malaysia. Aside from these, the city has a handful of language institutions, such as the British Council, Alliance Française and the Malaysian German Society.


title: George Town, Penang

text: There are a total of 117 primary schools, 49 high schools, four Islamic religious schools, two vocational colleges and a technical school throughout George Town. The breakdown of these schools is as follows.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Some of the oldest missionary schools in George Town include the Penang Free School, St. Xavier's Institution, Convent Light Street, St. George's Girls' School and Methodist Boys' School. Meanwhile, the Chung Hwa Confucian School, founded in 1904, was the first Chinese school in Southeast Asia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Aside from government-run and private schools, the city has 11 international schools. Of these, Dalat, Uplands, Tenby, Fairview, Pelita, Hua Xia and Wesley Methodist offer both primary and secondary education. The Penang Japanese School is the only international school in George Town that caters for expatriates of a specific nationality.


title: George Town, Penang

text: <nowiki> </nowiki>Universiti Sains Malaysia, situated at Gelugor, is one of the premier Malaysian public universities. Established in 1969 as Malaysia's second university, it was originally named "Universiti Pulau Pinang" (University of Penang). , it was ranked 207th in the QS World University Rankings, the fourth highest in Malaysia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Several private universities and colleges have also been set up across George Town, including Wawasan Open University, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus, Han Chiang University College of Communication, DISTED College, SEGi College, Sentral College, Lam Wah Ee Nursing College, Adventist College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Equator Academy of Arts and KDU University College.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town contains a total of 30 libraries. Among the libraries in the city are the Penang State Library at Scotland Road and the Penang Digital Library at Green Lane. The latter, which was opened by the Penang state government in 2016, is Malaysia's first digital library and houses a digitalised collection of over 3,000 publications.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The numerous public and private hospitals in George Town has helped the city to emerge as the centre of medical tourism in Malaysia. The Penang General Hospital, administered and funded by the Ministry of Health, is the main public hospital in George Town and serves as the tertiary referral hospital within northern Malaysia. It is complemented by the Balik Pulau Hospital, which is also managed by the country's Ministry of Health.


title: George Town, Penang

text: There are also 54 government-run clinics throughout George Town, supported by 11 private hospitals and 352 private clinics. The private hospitals within George Town include Penang Adventist Hospital, Island Hospital, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital and Pantai Hospital.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town became the first Malaysian city to install public automated external defibrillators (AEDs), with the launch of the first device in Komtar in 2015. Since then, AEDs have been installed at several public locations throughout the city.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town was once the centre of Malaysia's print media. The country's first newspaper – the "Prince of Wales Island Gazette" – was established in the city in 1806. One of Malaysia's top dailies currently in circulation, "The Star", was founded in George Town in the 1970s, while the country's oldest Chinese newspaper, "Kwong Wah Yit Poh", was also founded in the city in 1910.


title: George Town, Penang

text: In 2011, the then Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, officiated the launch of the Penang edition of "Time Out". This version of the international listings magazine is currently published in three versions – an annual guide, a website and a mobile app.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Penang state government also publishes its own multi-lingual newspaper, "Buletin Mutiara", which is circulated for free every fortnight. The Penang-centric newspaper focuses on the current issues affecting Penang.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Due to its well-preserved heritage cityscape, George Town served as the filming location for a number of movies, such as "Anna and the King", "Lust, Caution" and "You Mean the World to Me", the latter of which is the first movie to be filmed entirely in Penang Hokkien. Singaporean drama series, "The Little Nyonya" and "", were also shot within the UNESCO zone. In addition, the city was one of the pit-stops of "The Amazing Race 16", "The Amazing Race Asia 4" and "The Amazing Race Asia 5".


title: George Town, Penang

text: The available FM radio stations in George Town, both government (including Penang-based Mutiara FM) and commercial, are as listed below.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Development of George Town's streets and roads is an ongoing process that dates back to the early years of British rule. The city's oldest streets, including Light Street, Beach Street, Chulia Street and Pitt Street, were arranged in a grid pattern.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway runs along the eastern coastline of Penang Island between the city centre and the Penang International Airport, linking both locations with the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and the Penang Bridge. The George Town Inner Ring Road and the Penang Middle Ring Road are the two major ring roads around the city centre. The city centre is also linked with the western parts of Penang Island, such as Balik Pulau, via the pan-island Federal Route 6.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Both the -long Penang Bridge and the -long Second Penang Bridge link George Town with the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. The former bridge was completed in 1985, while the latter, opened in 2014, is currently the longest bridge in Southeast Asia.


title: George Town, Penang

text: George Town was once a pioneer of public transportation in British Malaya. The city's first tram system, then powered by steam, commenced operations in the 1880s. While the tram lines have since been disused, another colonial legacy, the trishaw, remains in use throughout the city, albeit catering primarily for tourists.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Today, buses form the backbone of public transportation within George Town. Rapid Penang, with over 30 routes on Penang Island, is the sole public bus service provider within George Town. In addition, open-topped double deckers, known as "Hop-On Hop-Off" buses, have been introduced for tourists in the city. Meanwhile, the Penang Hill Railway is a funicular railway to the peak of Penang Hill.


title: George Town, Penang

text: Efforts are also being undertaken to promote pedestrianisation and the use of bicycles as a greener transportation mode. Dedicated cycling lanes have been marked throughout the city and in 2016, George Town became the first Malaysian city to operate a public bicycle-sharing service, with the launch of LinkBike.


title: George Town, Penang

text: The Penang International Airport, south of the city centre, was opened in 1935. It serves as the main airport for northern Malaysia, with frequent links to major Asian cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Doha. It is also a hub for two Malaysian low-cost carriers – AirAsia and Firefly. The airport is Malaysia's second busiest in terms of cargo traffic and recorded the third highest passenger traffic of all Malaysian airports .