title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Throughout the majority of Christian history, most Christian theologians and denominations have considered homosexual behavior as immoral or sinful. Today, within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexuality. Even within a denomination, individuals and groups may hold different views, and not all members of a denomination necessarily support their church's views on homosexuality. The Catholic church and Orthodox churches officially condemn homosexual activity as sin. Various mainline protestant denominations have taken a supportive stance towards blessing homosexual clergy and same sex marriage while others have not.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The Hebrew Bible and its traditional interpretations in Judaism and Christianity have historically affirmed and endorsed a patriarchal and heteronormative approach towards human sexuality, favouring exclusively penetrative vaginal intercourse between men and women within the boundaries of marriage over all other forms of human sexual activity, including autoeroticism, masturbation, oral sex, non-penetrative and non-heterosexual sexual intercourse (all of which have been labeled as "sodomy" at various times). They have believed and taught that such behaviors are forbidden because they are considered sinful, and further compared to or derived from the behavior of the alleged residents of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the status of LGBT people in early Christianity is debated.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The history of Christianity and homosexuality has been much debated. Some maintain that the early Christian churches deplored transgender people and same-sex relationships, while others maintain that they accepted them on the level of their heterosexual counterparts. These disagreements concern, in some cases, the translations of certain terms, or the meaning and context of some biblical passages.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: This article focuses on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, covering how the extent to which the Bible mentions the subject, whether or not it is condemned, and whether the various passages apply today, have become contentious topics. Significant debate has arisen over the proper interpretation of the Levitical code; the narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah; and various Pauline passages, and whether these verses condemn same-sex sexual activities.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The Catholic Church views as sinful any sexual act not related to procreation by a couple joined in marriage. The Church states that "homosexual tendencies" are "objectively disordered", but does not consider the tendency itself to be sinful but rather a temptation toward sin.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies ... must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity" and that "every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided." The Church opposes criminal penalties against homosexuality. The Catholic Church requires those who are attracted to people of the same (or opposite) sex to practise chastity, because it teaches that sexuality should only be practised within marriage, which includes chaste sex as permanent, procreative, heterosexual, and monogamous. The Vatican distinguishes between "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" and the "expression of a transitory problem", in relation to ordination to the priesthood; saying in a 2005 document that homosexual tendencies "must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the diaconate." A 2011 report based on telephone surveys of self-identified American Catholics conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 56% believe that sexual relations between two people of the same sex are not sinful. Research indicates that the Catholic Church's teachings on sexuality are "a major source of conflict and distress" to LGBT Catholics.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: In January 2018 German bishop Franz-Josef Bode of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück, and in February 2018 German Roman Catholic cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of the German Bishops' Conference said in interviews with German journalists that blessing of same-sex unions is possible in Roman Catholic churches in Germany. In Austria blessing of same sex unions is performed in two churches located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Linz. In 2021, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified that same-sex civil unions cannot be blessed.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The Eastern Orthodox churches condemn homosexual acts. The Orthodox Church shares a long history of Church teachings and canon law with the Catholic Church and has a similar conservative stance on homosexuality. Some Orthodox Church jurisdictions, such as the Orthodox Church in America, have taken the approach of welcoming people with "homosexual feelings and emotions", while encouraging them to work towards "overcoming its harmful effects in their lives", while not allowing the sacraments to people who seek to justify homosexual activity. Other Orthodox Churches, such as those in Eastern Europe and Greece, view homosexuality less favourably. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese lists homosexuality along with fornication, adultery, and more because of the thinking that homosexuality breaks up the institution of marriage and family. A 2017 Pew Research Center poll found that the majority of Orthodox Christians in the Eastern European and former USSR states surveyed believe that homosexuality "should not be accepted by society"; 45% of Orthodox Christians in Greece and 31% in the United States answered the same way.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Certain other Christian denominations do not view monogamous same-sex relationships as sinful or immoral, and may bless such unions and consider them marriages. These include the United Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, all German Lutheran, reformed and united churches in EKD, all Swiss reformed churches, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the United Protestant Church in Belgium, the United Protestant Church of France, the Church of Denmark, the Church of Sweden, the Church of Iceland, the Church of Norway, and the Uniting Church in Australia. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland also allows prayer for same-sex couples. The Metropolitan Community Church was founded specifically to serve the Christian LGBT community. The Global Alliance of Affirming Apostolic Pentecostals (GAAAP) traces its roots back to 1980, making it the oldest LGBT-affirming Apostolic Pentecostal denomination in existence. Another such organization is the Affirming Pentecostal Church International, currently the largest affirming Pentecostal organization, with churches in the US, UK, Central and South America, Europe and Africa.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: LGBT-affirming denominations regard homosexuality as a natural occurrence. The United Church of Christ celebrates gay marriage, and some parts of the Anglican and Lutheran churches allow for the blessing of gay unions. The United Church of Canada also allows same-sex marriage, and views sexual orientation as a gift from God. Within the Anglican Communion, there are openly gay clergy; for example, Gene Robinson is an openly gay Bishop in the US Episcopal Church. Within the Lutheran communion, there are openly gay clergy, too; for example, bishop Eva Brunne is an openly lesbian Bishop in the Church of Sweden. Such religious groups and denominations interpret scripture and doctrine in a way that leads them to accept that homosexuality is morally acceptable, and a natural occurrence. For example, in 1988 the United Church of Canada, that country's largest Protestant denomination, affirmed that "a) All persons, regardless of their sexual orientation, who profess Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, are welcome to be or become full members of the Church"; and "b) All members of the Church are eligible to be considered for the Ordered Ministry." In 2000, the Church's General Assembly further affirmed that "human sexual orientations, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are a gift from God and part of the marvelous diversity of creation."


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: In addition, some Christian denominations such as the Moravian Church, believe that the Bible speaks negatively of homosexual acts but, as research on the matter continues, the Moravian Church seeks to establish a policy on homosexuality and the ordination of homosexuals. In 2014, Moravian Church in Europe allowed blessings of same-sex unions.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Liberal Quakers, those in membership of Britain Yearly Meeting and Friends General Conference in the US approve of same-sex marriage and union. Quakers were the first Christian group in the United Kingdom to advocate for equal marriage and Quakers in Britain formally recognised same-sex relationships in 1963.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The United Methodist Church elected a lesbian bishop in 2016, and on 7 May 2018, the Council of Bishops proposed the One Church Plan, which would allow individual pastors and regional church bodies to decide whether to ordain LGBT clergy and perform same-sex weddings. On 26 February 2019, a special session of the General Conference rejected the One Church Plan and voted to strengthen its official opposition to same-sex marriages and ordaining openly LGBT clergy.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Since 1998, the Anglican Church has reassured people with same sex attraction they are loved by God and are welcomed as full members of the Body of Christ. The Church leadership has a variety of views in regard to homosexual expression and ordination. Some expressions of sexuality are considered sinful including "promiscuity, prostitution, incest, pornography, paedophilia, predatory sexual behaviour, and sadomasochism (all of which may be heterosexual and homosexual)". The Church is concerned with pressures on young people to engage sexually and encourages abstinence.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: At the Thirteenth Lambeth Conference in 1998, homosexuality was the most hotly debated issue. It was finally decided, by a vote of 526–70, to pass a resolution (1.10) calling for a "listening process" but stating (in an amendment passed by a vote of 389–190) that "homosexual practice" (not necessarily orientation) is "incompatible with Scripture". Reflecting on resolution 1.10 in the lead up to Lambeth 2022, Angela Tilby recalled the intervention of Bishop Michael Bourke, who successfully proposed an amendment which said: "We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons". Tilby considered that while the amendment had appeared inconsequential at the time, it had indeed been significant: she said that the idea of "patient listening" underpinned the Church of England's process "Living in Love and Faith".


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Churches within Lutheranism hold stances on the issue ranging from labeling homosexual acts as sinful, to acceptance of homosexual relationships. For example, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, the Lutheran Church of Australia, and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod recognize homosexual behavior as intrinsically sinful and seek to minister to those who are struggling with homosexual inclinations. However, the Church of Sweden, the Church of Denmark, the Church of Norway, or Lutheran churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany conducts same-sex marriages, while the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada opens the ministry of the church to gay pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships. The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, the Lutheran denomination in Ethiopia, and second largest non-united Lutheran denomination in the world, however, has taken a stand that marriage is inherently between a man and a woman, and has formally broken fellowship with the ELCA.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some mainline Protestant denominations, such as the African Methodist churches, the Reformed Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church in America, Christian Reformed Church in North America have a conservative position on the subject.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The Seventh-day Adventist Church "recognizes that every human being is valuable in the sight of God, and seeks to minister to all men and women [including homosexuals] in the spirit of Jesus," while maintaining that homosexual sex itself is forbidden in the Bible. "Jesus affirmed the dignity of all human beings and reached out compassionately to persons and families suffering the consequences of sin. He offered caring ministry and words of solace to struggling people, while differentiating His love for sinners from His clear teaching about sinful practices."


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Conservative Quakers, those within Friends United Meeting and the Evangelical Friends International believe that sexual relations are condoned only in marriage, which they define to be between a man and a woman.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Confessional Lutheran churches teach that it is sinful to have homosexual desires, even if they do not lead to homosexual activity. The Doctrinal statement issued by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod states that making a distinction between homosexual orientation and the act of homosexuality is confusing:


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: However, confessional Lutherans also warn against selective morality which harshly condemns homosexuality while treating other sins more lightly.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The positions of the evangelical churches are varied, according to denominations. They range from liberal to fundamentalist or moderate Conservative and neutral. Some evangelical denominations have adopted neutral positions, leaving the choice to local churches to decide for same-sex marriage.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Conservative Evangelical Christians regard homosexual acts as sinful and think they should not be accepted by society. They tend to interpret biblical verses on homosexual acts to mean that the heterosexual family was created by God to be the bedrock of civilization and that same-sex relationships contradict God’s design for marriage and is not his will. Christians who oppose homosexual relationships sometimes argue that same-gender sexual activity is a sin.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: In opposing interpretations of the Bible that are supportive of homosexual relationships, conservative Christians have argued for the reliability of the Bible, and the meaning of texts related to homosexual acts, while often seeing what they call the diminishing of the authority of the Bible by many homosexual authors as being ideologically driven.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: As an alternative to a school-sponsored Day of Silence opposing bullying of LGBT students, conservative Christians organized a Golden Rule Initiative, where they passed out cards saying "As a follower of Christ, I believe that all people are created in the image of God and therefore deserve love and respect." Others created a Day of Dialogue to oppose what they believe is the silencing of Christian students who make public their opposition to homosexuality.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: On 29 August 2017, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood released a manifesto on human sexuality known as the "Nashville Statement". The statement was signed by 150 evangelical leaders, and includes 14 points of belief.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: It is in the fundamentalist conservative positions, that there are anti-gay activists on TV or radio who claim that homosexuality is the cause of many social problems, such as terrorism. Some evangelical churches in Uganda strongly oppose homosexuality and homosexuals. They have campaigned for laws criminalizing homosexuality. The generalization and use of prejudices to spread hatred of homosexual people are frequent.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some churches have a moderate Conservative position. Although they do not approve homosexual practices, they show sympathy and respect for homosexuals. Churches thus see themselves as “welcoming, but not affirming”.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The French Evangelical Alliance, a member of the European Evangelical Alliance and the World Evangelical Alliance, adopted on 12 October 2002, through its National Council, a document entitled "Foi, espérance et homosexualité" ("Faith, Hope and Homosexuality "), in which homophobia, hatred and rejection of homosexuals are condemned, but which denies homosexual practices and full church membership of unrepentant homosexuals and those who approve of these practices. In 2015, the Conseil national des évangéliques de France (French National Council of Evangelicals) reaffirmed its position on the issue by opposing marriage of same-sex couples, while not rejecting homosexuals, but wanting to offer them more than a blessing; an accompaniment and a welcome.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The French evangelical pastor Philippe Auzenet, a chaplain of the association Oser en parler, regularly intervenes on the subject in the media. It promotes dialogue and respect, as well as sensitization in order to better understand homosexuals. He also said in 2012 that Jesus would go to a gay bar, because he was going to all people with love.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: There are some international evangelical denominations that are gay-friendly, such as the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and Affirming Pentecostal Church International.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: A 2014 survey reported that 43% of white evangelical American Christians between the ages of 18 and 33 supported same-sex marriage. Some evangelical churches accept homosexuality and celebrate gay weddings. The change in beliefs in favor of gay marriage in evangelical churches has certain consequences for them. Various churches thus received an excommunication from their Christian denomination for not respecting the confession of faith. Other churches have faced significant departures of members from their congregations, seeing their financial resources diminish.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some evangelical denominations have adopted neutral positions, leaving the choice to local churches to decide for same-sex marriage.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: The Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests was founded in 1976 in the USA and has member churches of different denominations in the USA and Canada.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some Baptist denominations in the United States do not have official beliefs about marriage in a confession of faith and invoke congregationalism to leave the choice to each church to decide. This is the case of American Baptist Churches USA, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and National Baptist Convention, USA.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some Baptist denominations supports same-sex marriage. The Alliance of Baptists (USA), the Aliança de Batistas do Brasil, the Fraternidad de Iglesias Bautistas de Cuba, and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (international).


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Various international denominations of the Gay Apostolic Pentecostals movement founded in the United States allow same-sex marriage.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Restorationist churches, such as Seventh-Day Adventists, generally teach that homosexuals are 'broken' and can be 'fixed'. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that "The Bible condemns sexual activity that is not between a husband and wife, whether it is homosexual or heterosexual conduct. (1 Corinthians 6:18) . . . While the Bible disapproves of homosexual acts, it does not condone hatred of homosexuals or homophobia. Instead, Christians are directed to “respect everyone.”—1 Peter 2:17, "Good News Translation"." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in 2015 that it officially welcomes its gay and lesbian members, if they choose sexual abstinence. The Community of Christ, a branch of Mormonism, fully accepts LGBT persons, performs weddings for gay and lesbian couples, and ordains LGBT members. Within the Stone-Campbell aligned restorationist churches the views are divergent. The churches of Christ (A Capella) and the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ mostly adhere to a very conservative ideology; socially, politically, and religiously and are generally not accepting of openly LGBT members and will not perform weddings for gay and lesbian couples. The Disciples of Christ, is fully accepting of LGBT persons, often performs weddings for gay and lesbian couples, and ordains LGBT members. The United Church of Christ is an officially "open and affirming" church. Other Restorationist churches such as Millerite churches, have taken mixed positions but are increasingly accepting with some of their congregations fully accepting LGBT persons in all aspects of religious and political life.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: In the 20th century, theologians like Jürgen Moltmann, Hans Küng, John Robinson, Bishop David Jenkins, Don Cupitt, and Bishop Jack Spong challenged traditional theological positions and understandings of the Bible; following these developments some have suggested that passages have been mistranslated or that they do not refer to what we understand as "homosexuality." Clay Witt, a minister in the Metropolitan Community Church, explains how theologians and commentators like John Shelby Spong, George Edwards and Michael England interpret injunctions against certain sexual acts as being originally intended as a means of distinguishing religious worship between Abrahamic and the surrounding pagan faiths, within which homosexual acts featured as part of idolatrous religious practices: "England argues that these prohibitions should be seen as being directed against sexual practices of fertility cult worship. As with the earlier reference from Strong’s, he notes that the word 'abomination' used here is directly related to idolatry and idolatrous practices throughout the Hebrew Testament. Edwards makes a similar suggestion, observing that 'the context of the two prohibitions in Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 suggest that what is opposed is not same-sex activity outside the cult, as in the modern secular sense, but within the cult identified as Canaanite'".


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: In 1986, the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women’s Caucus (EEWC), then known as the Evangelical Women's Caucus International, passed a resolution stating: "Whereas homosexual people are children of God, and because of the biblical mandate of Jesus Christ that we are all created equal in God's sight, and in recognition of the presence of the lesbian minority in EWCI, EWCI takes a firm stand in favor of civil rights protection for homosexual persons."


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some Christians believe that Biblical passages have been mistranslated or that these passages do not refer to LGBT orientation as currently understood. Liberal Christian scholars, like conservative Christian scholars, accept earlier versions of the texts that make up the Bible in Hebrew or Greek. However, within these early texts there are many terms that modern scholars have interpreted differently from previous generations of scholars. There are concerns with copying errors, forgery, and biases among the translators of later Bibles. They consider some verses such as those they say support slavery or the inferior treatment of women as not being valid today, and against the will of God present in the context of the Bible. They cite these issues when arguing for a change in theological views on sexual relationships to what they say is an earlier view. They differentiate among various sexual practices, treating rape, prostitution, or temple sex rituals as immoral and those within committed relationships as positive regardless of sexual orientation. They view certain verses, which they believe refer only to homosexual rape, as not relevant to consensual homosexual relationships.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Yale professor John Boswell has argued that a number of Early Christians entered into homosexual relationships, and that certain Biblical figures had homosexual relationships, such as Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, Daniel and the court official Ashpenaz, and David and King Saul's son Jonathan. Boswell has also argued that adelphopoiesis, a rite bonding two men, was akin to a religiously sanctioned same-sex union. Having partaken in such a rite, a person was prohibited from entering into marriage or taking monastic vows, and the choreography of the service itself closely parallelled that of the marriage rite. His views have not found wide acceptance, and opponents have argued that this rite sanctified a Platonic brotherly bond, not a homosexual union. He also argued that condemnation of homosexuality began only in the 12th century. Boswell's critics point out that many earlier doctrinal sources condemn homosexuality as a sin even if they do not prescribe a specific punishment, and that Boswell's arguments are based on sources which reflected a general trend towards harsher penalties, rather than a change in doctrine, from the 12th century onwards.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has described homophobia as a "crime against humanity" and "every bit as unjust" as apartheid: "We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about; our very skins. It is the same with sexual orientation. It is a given. ... We treat them [gays and lesbians] as pariahs and push them outside our communities. We make them doubt that they too are children of God – and this must be nearly the ultimate blasphemy. We blame them for what they are."


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Modern gay Christian leader Justin R. Cannon promotes what he calls "Inclusive Orthodoxy" ('orthodoxy' in this sense is not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox Church). He explains on his ministry website: "Inclusive Orthodoxy is the belief that the Church can and must be inclusive of LGBT individuals without sacrificing the Gospel and the Apostolic teachings of the Christian faith." Cannon's ministry takes a unique and distinct approach from modern liberal Christians while still supporting homosexual relations. His ministry affirms the divine inspiration of the Bible, the authority of Tradition, and says "...that there is a place within the full life and ministry of the Christian Church for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians, both those who are called to lifelong celibacy and those who are partnered."


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Today, many religious people are becoming more affirming of same-sex relationships, even in denominations with official stances against homosexuality. In the United States, people in denominations who are against same-sex relationships are liberalizing quickly, though not as quickly as those in more affirming groups. This social change is creating tension within many denominations, and even schisms and mass walk-outs among Mormons and other conservative groups.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Pope Francis voiced support for same-sex civil unions during an interview in a documentary film, "Francesco", which was premiered at the Rome Film Festival on 21 October 2020.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Studies in the US show more LGBT individuals identify as Protestant than Catholic. George Barna, a conservative Christian author and researcher, conducted a survey in the United States in 2009 that found gay and lesbian people having a Christian affiliation were more numerous than had been presumed. He characterized some of his leading conclusions from the data as follows: "People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts. A substantial majority of gays cite their faith as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to Jesus Christ active in their life today." Barna also found that LGBT people were more likely to interpret faith as an individual rather than a collective experience.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Candace Chellew-Hodge, liberal Christian lesbian founder of the online magazine "Whosoever", responded to the findings: "All in all, I'm grateful for Barna even wandering into the subject of gay and lesbian religious belief. I think his study is important and can go a long way to dispelling the old "gays vs. God" dichotomy that too often gets played out in the media. However, his overall message is still harmful: Gays and lesbians are Christians – they're just not as good as straight ones." She argued that Barna had formulated his report with undue irony and skepticism, and that he had failed to take into account the reasons for the data which enkindled his "arrière pensée." The reason why far fewer homosexuals attend church, she argued, is that there are far fewer churches who will accept them. Equally, gays and lesbians do not see the Bible as unequivocally true because they are forced by its use against them to read it more closely and with less credulity, leading them to note its myriad contradictions.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Organizations for homosexual Christians exist across a wide range of beliefs and traditions. The interdenominational Q Christian Fellowship (formerly Gay Christian Network) has some members who affirm same-sex relationships and others who commit themselves to celibacy, groups it refers to as "Side A" and "Side B", respectively. According to founder Justin Lee, "We're just trying to get people together who experience attraction to the same sex, however they have handled that, and who love Jesus and say, OK, you are welcome here, and then let's pray together and figure out where God wants us to take it."


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Some organizations cater exclusively to homosexual Christians who do not want to have gay sex, or attraction; the goals of these organizations vary. Some Christian groups focus on simply refraining from gay sex, such as Courage International and North Star. Other groups additionally encourage gay members to reduce or eliminate same-sex attractions. Love Won Out and the now-defunct Exodus International are examples of such ministries. These groups are sometimes referred to as ex-gay organizations, though many no longer use the term. Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus, says the term incorrectly implies a complete change in sexual orientation, though the group Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays continues to use the term. In addition, individual Christians identifying as gay who want to subscribe to the conservative ethic are becoming more vocal themselves.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Gay Christian writer and actor Peterson Toscano argues that organizations promoting orientation change are a "ruse". An organization he co-founded, Beyond Ex-Gay, supports people who feel they have been wounded by such organizations.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Other groups support or advocate for gay Christians and their relationships. For example, in the United States, IntegrityUSA represents the interests of lesbian and gay Christians in the Episcopal Church, while United Methodists have the Reconciling Ministries Network and evangelical Christians have "Evangelicals Concerned". In 2014 the United Church of Christ filed a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage, which is America’s first faith-based challenge to same-sex marriage bans; the Alliance of Baptists joined the lawsuit later that year.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: In Europe, lesbian and gay evangelical Christians have a European forum. Working within the worldwide Anglican Communion on a range of discrimination issues, including those of LGBT clergy and people in the church, is "Inclusive Church". The longest standing group for lesbian and gay Christians in the UK, founded in 1976, is the non-denominational Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement; specifically aimed to meet the needs of lesbian and gay evangelicals, there is the "Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians"; specifically working within the Church of England is "Changing Attitude", which also takes an international focus in working for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender affirmation within the Anglican Communion.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Sociologist Richard N. Pitt argues that these organizations are only available to LGBT members of liberal denominations, as opposed to those in conservative denominations. His review of the literature on gay Christians suggests that these organizations not only represent the interests of Christians who attend their churches, but (like gay-friendly and gay-affirming churches) also give these members useful responses to homophobic and heterosexist rhetoric. His research shows that those LGBT Christians who stay at homophobic churches "kill the messenger" by attacking the minister's knowledge about homosexuality, personal morality, focus on sin instead of forgiveness, and motivations for preaching against homosexuality.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: There is a movement of people who call themselves "gay Christians", but they choose to practice celibacy.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Various Christian organizations have been involved in the ex-gay movement. Love in Action, founded in 1973, was the first in the USA. In 1976, its members founded Exodus International, a Christian organization (more specifically Protestant and Evangelical) in United States and in various countries of the world. The Catholic organization Courage International was founded in 1980.


title: Christianity and homosexuality

text: Conversion therapies for people wishing to change sexual orientation have been associated with the movement. Conversion therapy has been widely criticized and denounced by many major medical associations. Studies have found that LGB invididuals who experienced conversion therapy reported significantly higher rates of depression, suicide attempts, and substance abuse than their peers who did not.


title: Audi Q3

text: The Audi Q3 is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV made by Audi. The Q3 has a transverse-mounted front engine, and entered production in 2011.


title: Audi Q3

text: Designed by Julian Hoenig in 2006, it was a concept vehicle with Liquid Silver body colour, 20-inch wheels, fabric folding roof, electrically controlled hood, 4-cylinder 2.0 TDI engine rated at and , diesel particulate filter and Bluetec emission control system, quattro permanent four-wheel drive system with Haldex clutch, Audi S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, MacPherson strut front axle and a four-link rear axle, Audi drive select system with 3 modes (dynamic, sport, efficiency), MMI control panel with touch pad and dual-view technology, sound system with the prominent extending tweeters.


title: Audi Q3

text: The car uses the Volkswagen Group A (PQ46) platform of the Volkswagen Passat B6, the same as the Volkswagen Tiguan compact SUV. The Q3 slots above the Audi Q2 subcompact crossover SUV. Compared to the compact luxury crossover SUV Q5 and mid-size luxury crossover SUV Q7, which are positioned more for family practicality and off-road performance, the Q3 is aimed as more of a lifestyle/sports automobile. Design and development began following board approval in the second half of 2007. Julian Hoenig's design was chosen for production and frozen in 2009.


title: Audi Q3

text: The Q3 shares components, transmissions and engines with amongst other vehicles utilising the PQ35 platform, the Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3 and Škoda Yeti.


title: Audi Q3

text: The vehicles went on sale in June 2011. Early models include 2.0 TFSI quattro (170/211PS), 2.0 TDI (140PS), 2.0 TDI quattro (177PS).


title: Audi Q3

text: China models went on sale at the end of July 2012 as an import vehicle. The Changchun-made Audi Q3 entered market in April 2013, which included 35 TFSI (170PS), 35 TFSI quattro (170PS), 40 TFSI quattro (200PS), with 7-speed S Tronic transmissions.


title: Audi Q3

text: 2.0 TDI quattro with was introduced in 2012 for Germany market as part of 2012 Paris Motor Show premiere.


title: Audi Q3

text: It is a concept vehicle based on Audi Q3 with 2.5 TFSI ( I5 turbo) engine rated at and , 7-speed S tronic transmission, Energy Red body colour, add-on body parts are in matt gray quartz-based paint, flared wheel arches and running boards, five-arm 8.5Jx20 wheels in matt quartz, 255/45 off-road tires, 40 mm wider front and rear track widths and 30 mm higher body ride height over production model.


title: Audi Q3

text: The vehicle was unveiled in 2012 at the North American International Auto Show. The name Vail comes from the well-known town in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, United States of the same name. Vail, Colorado has a sponsorship coordination with Audi.


title: Audi Q3

text: It is a version of Audi Q3 with blue body colour, 2.5 TFSI ( I5 turbo) engine rated at , lowered body, brushed and polished aluminum trim frames, single-frame radiator grille, Dark blue Alcantara on contrasting element on the seat covers, black CFRP door mirror housings, while matt aluminum trim at side windows, Ordos Blue body color, blue clearcoat and black CFRP at diffuser insert, clear glass rear lights and auxiliary lights in the bumper tinted in anthracite, black Fine Nappa leather interior upholstery on roofliner, floor carpet, floor mats, leather-upholstered instrument panel and on large areas of the seat upholstery; steering wheel upholstered in black Velvet leather, door trim panels in blue Alcantara, Chinese characters numerals in tachometer, 7-speed S tronic transmission, quattro permanent all-wheel drive, 8.5 J x 20 wheels with 255/30 tires.


title: Audi Q3

text: Q3 Jinlong Yufeng (金龍馭風) is a version of Audi Q3 with 2.5 TFSI ( I5 turbo) engine rated at , 7-speed S tronic transmission, two kiteboards made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, Liuli Yellow body colour, body add-on parts in matt quartz, Vertical aluminum struts in the single-frame radiator grille, xenon plus headlights in anthracite, aluminum panels cover the upper sections of the air intakes, aluminum underbody guard, flared wheel arches, brushed stainless steel running boards, roofliner in titanium gray Alcantara, black interior surfaces, instrument panel upholstered in black Fine Nappa leather and decorated with yellow contrasting seams, fine aluminum accents at instrument cluster, leather-trimmed steering wheel with contrasting yellow seams and two large shift paddles, foot rests and pedal made of stainless steel with rubber caps, seats upholstered in woven leather (narrow strips of leather interwoven with yarn, yellow piping and contrasting seams), side panels of the seat cushions and seatbacks in yellow Velvet leather, Velvet leather in parts of the door trim panels, stainless steel mesh decorative inlays, five-arm 8.5Jx20 wheels in matt quartz, 255/45 off-road tires, 40 mm wider front and rear track widths and 30 mm higher body ride height over production model.


title: Audi Q3

text: It is a version of Audi Q3 with 2.5 TFSI ( I5 turbo) engine rated and , 7-speed S tronic transmission, Energy Red body colour, five-arm 8.5Jx20 wheels in matt quartz, 255/45 off-road tires, 40mm wider front and rear track widths and 30mm higher body ride height over production model, headlining in titanium gray Alcantara, black interior, floor mats in black with narrow strips of red Velvet leather.


title: Audi Q3

text: It is the first production turbo model in a Q-series vehicle; based on the Audi RS Q3 concept. It features a 2.5 TFSI (2.5 L; 151 cu in) I5 turbo engine rated at at 5200-6700 rpm and at 1500-5200 rpm, 7-speed S-tronic transmission with D and S modes, battery located in the luggage compartment, 4-link independent rear wheel suspensions, electro-mechanical rack and pinion steering, electro-mechanical parking brake and hill hold assist, ventilated and perforated front brake discs with wave-shaped outer contours, black eight-piston calipers with RS logos, electronic stabilization control (ESC) with sport mode, 19-inch alloy wheels in German market (optional 20-inch wheels, with exclusive 5 dual-spoke V design from Audi RS Q3 concept), body accents and roof rails in matt aluminum, special door sill plates and door trim strips, a high-gloss black honeycomb front grille, RS front bumper and quattro emblem in the front air intake, roof spoiler, rear bumper with diffuser insert, elliptical tailpipe, a rear RS Q3 logo, choice of 8 body colors (including the exclusive Sepang Blue pearl effect), instrument cluster with gray gauges and white scales and red pointers, contrasting stitching in rock gray trim at flat bottom three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and gear selector lever, Multi Media Interface and driver information system with RS logo, RS menu with boost pressure, oil temperature and a lap timer; pedals and foot support in aluminum look, inlays in piano finish black (optional aluminum race or carbon), black (optional lunar silver) headlining, sport seats with embossed RS Q3 logos upholstered in black Alcantara/leather (optional Fine Nappa leather in black or lunar silver with contrasting stitching in rock gray or the design package with diamond stitching), reversible loadliner, optional towing bracket, RS-specific driver information system (park assist plus), Audi sound system with ten loudspeakers, xenon plus headlights, LED tail lights. The car accelerates from 0 to in 5.5 seconds and onto a limited top speed of .


title: Audi Q3

text: Infotainment options include MMI Navigation plus, Bose surround sound system with 14 loudspeakers with up to 465 watts of output power, Bluetooth car phone online advanced driver-assistance systems.


title: Audi Q3

text: Optional styling packages (in matt aluminum or black) include flaps in the side air intakes, the trim on the diffuser, and the fins on the roof spoiler.


title: Audi Q3

text: In late September 2015, it was found out that the Volkswagen Group had implanted a defeat device to cheat emission tests.


title: Audi Q3

text: Euro NCAP tested the Audi Q3, 5-door Compact SUV with front airbags, side airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and load limiters as standard and scored it accordingly:


title: Audi Q3

text: On 2011-06-07, Audi announced the production of Audi Q3 began at SEAT factory in Martorell, located in Spain's Catalonia region, with annual production of approximately 100,000 Q3 units. In 1998, the production facility was chosen as the "Best Factory of the VW Group in the first quarter". Production at Martorell began on 2011-07-13 with Spanish Prince Felipe's inauguration at Martorell plant.


title: Audi Q3

text: The Audi Q3 is built in a FAW-Volkswagen plant in Changchun, China in a joint venture with its partner FAW; production began in 2013. The Changchun-made Audi Q3 first entered the market in April 2013.


title: Audi Q3

text: As part of Audi A3 launch in China, Audi Q3 Trans China Tour 2011 began in 2011-10-15, featuring roughly 160 participants driving Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (211PS) in a 16-stage route starting from Beijing to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guilin, and ending in Hong Kong. The tour ended with 20 cars arriving at the final destination in Shenzhen near Hong Kong.


title: Audi Q3

text: As part of Audi A3 launch in Taiwan, more than 11 famous independent bands were invited to present Q3 Urban Music Festival.


title: Audi Q3

text: As part of RS Q3 launch, Audi Land of quattro Alpen Tour 2013 featured the RS Q3 travelling across twelve driving stages in 6 countries (Klagenfurt – the capital of Carinthia, Austria, Monaco).


title: Audi Q3

text: In 2014 the Audi Q3 received a facelift for the 2015 model year. The grille on the 2015 version has a wider chrome surround to it, which touches the headlights at each side. The lower air vents have been enlarged slightly, and the lights themselves have re-profiled LEDs to give the car a more recognisable look in the dark. The wheel arch surrounds and door sills are body coloured on the base model (they used to be black plastic), as is the rear bumper design, which sits below subtly reshaped lower tail light clusters. Also there are new alloy wheel designs to finish off the refresh.


title: Audi Q3

text: The changes to the inside are even more difficult to spot than those on the outside. Styling-wise, the only thing of note is a new steering wheel design. There is now the option to specify blind spot and lane departure warning systems if you wish. The boot remains the same volume at 420 litres, expanding to 1,325 litres when the rear seats are folded flat.


title: Audi Q3

text: Across the range, each engine has seen an improvement in performance, efficiency or both. The 1.4-litre turbo petrol now features cylinder-on-demand technology, which saves fuel by shutting down a couple of cylinders when less power is needed.


title: Audi Q3

text: The 2.0 TFSI petrol units now produce and . The two diesel motors receive boosts of eight and four horsepower, to and respectively. The more performance-oriented RS Q3 gains a sizeable over the old model, and torque now sits at , marginally up from the old version.


title: Audi Q3

text: US models went on sale in Fall 2014 as 2015 model year vehicles. Early models included 2.0 TFSI (200 PS), 2.0 TFSI quattro (200 PS).


title: Audi Q3

text: Changes include redesign of front lights, grille, and exterior fascia; Alu-optic interior MMI controls and interior upgrades, front and rear parking sensors with rearview camera join wide array of standard equipment, full LED headlights and dynamic rear turn signals on Prestige models.


title: Audi Q3

text: The vehicles went on sale in February 2015, with delivery of RS Q3 began in the first quarter of 2015. Early models included Q3 2.0 TDI clean diesel (110 kW), Q3 2.0 TDI clean diesel ultra (110 kW), Q3 TDI clean diesel quattro (110/135 kW), Q3 1.4 TFSI COD (110 kW), Q3 1.4 TFSI COD ultra (110 kW), Q3 2.0 TFSI quattro (132/162 kW), RS Q3 2.5 TFSI (250 kW).


title: Audi Q3

text: Early German models included Q3 1.4 TFSI COD (110 kW), Q3 1.4 TFSI COD ultra (110 kW), Q3 2.0 TFSI (132 kW), Q3 2.0 TFSI quattro (132/162 kW), Q3 2.0 TDI (88/110/135 kW), Q3 2.0 TDI ultra (110 kW), Q3 2.0 TDI quattro (110/135 kW). Q3 2.0 TFSI (132 kW), Q3 2.0 TDI (135 kW) were dropped as of 2016.


title: Audi Q3

text: US and Canada models went on sale as 2016 model year vehicles. Early models included Q3 2.0 TFSI (147 kW), Q3 2.0 TFSI quattro (147 kW).


title: Audi Q3

text: Developed at Audi Research & Development in Beijing, it is a version of Q3 with an electrically powered multifunctional longboard integrated into the car's rear bumper.


title: Audi Q3

text: It is a version of RS Q3 with increased engine power to and , seven-speed S tronic transmission, matt titanium-look finish parts (frame of the air inlet duct and the quattro logo, singleframe, lateral flaps in the air inlets, trim strips at the side windows, exterior mirror housings, roof rails, upper edge of the diffuser, fins of the roof edge spoiler), Ascari blue metallic body colour, 20-inch wheels in a five twin-spoke V design in matt titanium, red brake calipers bearing the RS logo (optional black calipers), dial instruments in gray faces, white dials and red needles; seats in the color combination black and blue with optional RS performance design package, blue contrast stitching at RS sport leather steering wheel, selector lever gaiter, center armrest and the floor mats; inlays in carbon twill blue with blue thread is woven into the carbon material.


title: Audi Q3

text: The vehicle was unveiled in 2016 the Geneva Motor Show. Delivery began in the second quarter of 2016.


title: Audi Q3

text: The second-generation Audi Q3, built on the MQB A2 platform was officially unveiled on July 25, 2018. On the Nürburgring race track, a sports version was tested, which would be called SQ3, with an even more powerful version of RS Q3 planned.


title: Audi Q3

text: A Sportback version was revealed in July 2019. The Q3 Sportback is marginally lower, narrower and longer, with different bumpers, side skirts and body cladding. Aimed at the BMW X2, the lower roofline and raked rear hatch result in less headroom, and 0.14 less cubic meters (5 cubic feet) when the rear seats are folded.


title: Audi Q3

text: In Europe, a plug-in-hybrid EA211 1.4L turbo four came with the 2021 model year in January 2021 in Germany.


title: Audi Q3

text: The RS Q3 variant was revealed in September 2019; it has the same engine as the first-generation RS Q3 albeit with more power.


title: Audi Q3

text: Announced in October 2022, the Audi RS Q3 Edition 10 Years is a special edition with some visual changes, such as blacked-out trim, and only 555 units will be built.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: Malayala Manorama is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has a readership of over 20 million (with a circulation base of over 2.4 million copies). It is also the second oldest Malayalam newspaper in Kerala in circulation, after "Deepika", which is also published from Kottayam. "Manorama" also publishes an online edition.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: According to World Association of Newspapers, as of 2016, it was the fourteenth most circulated newspaper in the world. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) 2013 figures, it is the third largest circulating newspaper in India (behind "The Times of India" and "Dainik Jagran") and the largest circulating newspaper in Kerala.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: Malayala Manorama Company is a private LLC corporation, owned by the Kandathil family, incorporated by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai at Kottayam in south-western Kerala on 14 March 1888. The company started with one hundred shares of ₹100 each. The investors paid in four equal instalments. With the first instalment, the company brought a Hopkinson and Cope press, made in London. A local craftsman, Konthi Achari, was hired to make Malayalam types for the imported press.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: Varghese Mappillai had worked for a year as editor of "Kerala Mitram", a Malayalam newspaper run by Gujarati businessman Devji Bhimji, in Cochin and he took over the same position for "Manorama". The Maharajah of Travancore Moolam Thirunal approved the logo of the newspaper which was a slight modification of the Travancore Coat of Arms.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: The first issue was published on 22 March 1890 from M.D Seminary, Kottayam, while the town was hosting a popular cattle fair. It was a four-page weekly newspaper, published on Saturdays. The weekly newspaper became a bi-weekly in 1901, a tri-weekly on 2 July 1918 and a daily on 2 July 1928. After Varghese Mappillai death in 1904, his nephew K. C. Mammen Mappillai took over as editor.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: In 1938, Travancore state proscribed "Malayala Manorama" on charges of publishing news against the Diwan; Mammen Mappillai was convicted and imprisoned. "Malayala Manorama" re-commenced regular publication in 1947 after the Indian independence and the Diwan's downfall.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: On Mammen Mappillai's death, his eldest son K. M. Cheriyan took over as the Editor-in-Chief in 1954. At this time, "Malayala Manorama" was produced in a single edition in Kottayam with a circulation of 28,666 copies.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: By the late 1950s, "Manorama" steadily increased circulation and overtook "Mathrubhumi" in circulation, the dominant Malayalam daily at the time.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: The struggle between "Malayala Manorama" (based in Kottayam) and "Mathrubhumi" (based in Kozhikode) demonstrated the forces that would drive the expansion of Indian regional newspapers. The contest also illustrated the difficulties if expansion had to rely on Gutenberg-style printing as with the case of "Manorama".


title: Malayala Manorama

text: In 1962, "Mathrubhumi" launched its second edition in Kochi. The new edition sent "Mathrubumi" to a circulation of 170,000 copies by 1964, 19,000 more than its rival, "Malayala Manorama". With "Mathrubhoomi"'s circulation rising, it became a compulsion for "Manorama" to expand its reach, and consequently, introduce new technology. The competition set off a keen struggle for more readers, faster equipment and national advertising from major consumer goods companies [such as Hindustan Lever]. "Manorama "launched its printing centre at Kozhikode, Malabar in 1966 with a cast-off press from the paper's base at Kottayam and hand-composed type. But in the run-up to that event, it had installed an offset press at Kottayam and established a teleprinter line with New Delhi in 1965.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: By 1970, it was the leading daily in Kerala. The circulation of the newspaper rose from around 30,000 to 300,000 by this expansion across the Malabar.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: K. M. Mathew, who took charge as editor in 1973, began a series of renovations, just as the "Anandabazar Patrika" did in Bengal. He brought in a series of consultants in the management [1979], technical and editorial areas, and accepted their guidance. He conducted frequent training sessions for "Manorama" journalists and other employees. The company restructured their organisation in 1980. K. M. Mathew said that the decision stemmed from the realisation that the daily had either to become "fully professional" or "risk decline". Mathew sent his best journalists and managers to training schools around the world and imported the most effective techniques in international journalism and newspaper production, which brought a contemporary look and feel to "Malayala Manorama". In 1979, a new printing centre was launched at Cochin and in 1987, the Trivandrum edition was also launched. By 1998, the circulation of "Malayala Manorama" was increased to 1 million. In the mid-2000s, the daily started units in the Middle East, focusing on the large Malayali population in the region. Mathew is credited with the introduction of the concept of "editionalising" with a larger share of local news and reader-friendly packaging through professional page designing in "Manorama", which in turn impacted the entire newspaper industry in Kerala. By 2007, "Manorama " become the only non-English and non-Hindi daily newspaper in India to cross 1.5 million copies in circulation.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: K. M. Mathew was succeeded by his son Mammen Mathew in 2010. In their obituary "The Hindu" praised Mathew as,"In what could only be described as a rarity then in Indian language journalism, Mathew showed an unusual commitment to modernisation and professionalism and became a role model for the newspaper industry, which in the early 1980s was at the critical juncture of embarking on a phase of unbelievable expansion."According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations's (ABC) January–June 2013 figures, "Malayala Manorama" holds a circulation of 2.1 million readers.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: Malayala Manorama launched its official Malayalam language news website Manorama Online in 1995. After three years, in 1998, Malayala Manorama launched its English News Website Onmanorama.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: Mangalam Publications, Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama were among the media houses that were blamed for the coverage of the ISRO Spy case against Indian scientist Nambi Narayanan. In 2018, the Supreme Court of India absolved Dr Nambi Narayanan and said the arrest of Dr Nambi over the 1994 espionage case was needless, and it also granted him ₹ 50 lakh compensation.


title: Malayala Manorama

text: "Mangalam, picked up the story and began connecting the arrested woman with various businessmen and scientists. This strategy proved successful for Mangalam in terms of creating buzz around a (non-existent) story. Soon, other news houses, such as Malayala Manorama and then Mathrubhumi, also picked it up," writer and veteran journalist Paul Zacharia told TNM.


title: Thermomix

text: The Thermomix is a multi-purpose kitchen appliance made by the Vorwerk Corporate Group. The current Thermomix has a heating element, a motor for fast or slow blending and stirring, and a weighing scale. The functions can be accessed simultaneously to carry out steaming, emulsifying, blending, precise heating, mixing, milling, whipping, kneading, chopping, weighing, grinding and stirring. The 2014 Thermomix TM5 also has a touchscreen with a guided mode which allows the user to follow recipes step by step.


title: Thermomix

text: "Thermomix" is a hybrid word derived from Greek "thermo" (heating) and English "mix". In Italy and Portugal, it is sold under the trademark Bimby.


title: Thermomix

text: The Thermomix was derived from a mixer series from Vorwerk originally called "VKM5", in 1961. It had seven functions: stirring, kneading, chopping, grating, mixing, milling and juicing. The justification for the development of the heating element comes from the managing director of Vorwerk France, who around 1970 came up with the idea of designing a machine that could simultaneously blend and cook, to make thickened soups and baby food, popular in France. In 1971 the original Thermomix VM 2000 was launched on the market – first in France, later in Spain and Italy.


title: Thermomix

text: The bright orange VM 2200 followed, with the ability to keep dishes hot or cold. The TM3300, the first version named "Thermomix", was released in 1985, with a white finish and having the mixing bowl lower than the previous model.


title: Thermomix

text: The next model, the Thermomix TM21, was released in 1996, with a bigger bowl, integrated weighing scale and a more modern appearance.TM5 incorporates digital technologies, and allows "guided cooking" using proprietary memory chips to provide settings and cooking instructions, and a touch screen instead of the buttons and knobs of previous models.


title: Thermomix

text: 75% of the machines sold are made in Cloyes-sur-le-Loir, France, and the rest in Wuppertal-Laaken, Germany. Both factories have been expanded.


title: Thermomix

text: The Thermomix differs from ordinary blenders and food processors in having a thermostatically controlled heating element with a range of to in the TM5 model (and in the TM31, and previous models), a timer, and a built-in scale for weighing directly into the appliance.


title: Thermomix

text: The Thermomix is sold through direct sales by a sales force of "Thermomix consultants", who are encouraged to recruit other consultants to work under them. The Guardian said the approach "resembles multilevel marketing".


title: Thermomix

text: Vorwerk claims the appliance may be used to prepare complete meals with no need for advanced culinary knowledge.


title: Thermomix

text: The TM6 was announced in March 2019 and has a number of new features including slow cooking, fermentation and sous vide.


title: Thermomix

text: The TM5 is a digital machine. It can be purchased with an optional ‘Cook-Key’ WiFi add-on, which allows access to a subscription-based online recipe catalogue. The TM5 is equipped with guided cooking. The user interface is accessed through a touch screen, as opposed to the previous model’s buttons. According to the producer, the TM5 also has a less noisy motor, a larger mixing bowl, a new steamer, a higher maximum temperature of , and support for online recipes.


title: Thermomix

text: In the TM31, recipes can only be followed manually by operating the machine with push buttons, without the guided recipe feature of the newer model. However, it can do many of the same things as the TM5.


title: Thermomix

text: In 2010 Stiftung Warentest rated the model TM 31 with mark 3.2 (satisfactory). The price of 985 euro, the high noise level, and the lack of grating and slicing functionality was criticised. The successor model TM 5 was rated in 2015 with mark 2.9 (satisfactory). The noise level (measured at 91 decibel) was again criticised, and the testers said that this was the reason why it was rated down.


title: Thermomix

text: In 2014 Vorwerk was awarded a critical "Shonky Award" by the Australian consumer advocate Choice, for the "flawed launch of its new model".


title: Thermomix

text: In 2018, iFixit published a teardown of the Thermomix TM5. Without giving a repairability score, they praised the modular conception and criticized the poor accessibility of some connections.


title: Thermomix

text: There have been numerous accounts of a Thermomix machine "exploding" and scalding people with hot liquids. In October 2014 the model was recalled over claims that hot liquid or food may splash out of the mixing bowl. The Australian consumer organisation Choice called for an Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigation. In June 2017 the ACCC started court proceedings against the Australian Thermomix distributor, alleging that it breached Australian Consumer Law, failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements for injuries, asked consumers to sign non-disclosure agreements, and made false and misleading statements about its 2014 recall.


title: Thermomix

text: Choice told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that it was aware of 87 cases where Thermomix consumers had been burned. The ABC understood that 18 of those required several weeks of treatment in hospital burns units.


title: Thermomix

text: In April 2018 Thermomix in Australia was handed a $4.6 million fine because they had violated consumer law by failing to report dangerous defects.


title: Thermomix

text: In 2014 Thermomix TM31 (12423100 to 14323199) was recalled in Australia. The ACCC issued recall notice 2014/14361 in October 2014. The sealing ring was identified as a point of possible failure in circumstances where the machine was operated at high speed and then switched to the lid open position. Vorwerk shipped all affected owners a replacement sealing ring in November 2014.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a metaseries produced by Square Enix. A subseries stemming from the main "Final Fantasy" series, it is a collection of video games, animated features and short stories based in the world and continuity of "Final Fantasy VII" (1997). Officially announced in 2003 with the reveal of "", the series' core products are four video games and one movie release. Alongside these are tie-in products and spin-offs including books, mobile games and an original video animation. "Advent Children" and the mobile title "" are a sequel and prequel to "VII", respectively focusing on Cloud Strife, the original game's main protagonist, and covert operatives known as the Turks. "" follows Zack Fair, a minor character in "VII", while "", a sequel to "Advent Children", follows Vincent Valentine, one of the original's optional characters.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The series was conceived by Yoshinori Kitase, the original game's director, and Tetsuya Nomura, the main character designer. Nomura would become the main designer for each entry in the "Compilation". Other returning staff include writer Kazushige Nojima, art director Yusuke Naora, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The video games belong to different genres, with none of them being traditional role-playing games due to production pressures related to the genre. While the first title revealed was "Advent Children", it ran into delays during post-production, so the first "Compilation" title to be released was the mobile game "Before Crisis".


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Of the core titles, "Before Crisis" is the only one still unreleased in the west due to issues with overseas platform compatibility and staff changes. Reception of titles in the "Compilation" has been mixed, with "Advent Children" being praised for its visuals and criticized for its confusing nature. "Before Crisis" and "Crisis Core" have received praise, while "Dirge of Cerberus" garnered a mixed response. The presentation of the "Compilation" as a whole has met with a mixed response, and later staff linked it to the decline of the "Final Fantasy" series' prestige in the West. The "Compilation" inspired the creation of "Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy", a similar subseries of linked video games.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Multiple pieces of tie-in media have been created for the "Compilation", nearly all relating to "Advent Children". To promote "Advent Children Complete", a series of short stories were written by Kazushige Nojima under the umbrella title "On a Way to Smile". The stories were later collected into a single paperback volume and released on April 16, 2009. An animated adaptation of one story, "Case of Denzel", was included in all copies of "Advent Children Complete". Nojima also wrote "Final Fantasy VII Lateral Biography: Turks ~The Kids Are Alright~", a novel set a short time before "Advent Children". The novel was illustrated by Shou Tojima.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: A mobile racing game based on a mini game from "VII", "Final Fantasy VII G-Bike", was released on October 30, 2014, for iOS and Android. A western release for the title was planned. It was developed by Japan-based developer CyberConnect2 as part of a planned subseries of mobile games based on "VII"s mini games. While related to "VII" and the "Compilation" due to its nature, the developers confirmed that it was not related to nor affected the "Compilation" itself. Due to difficulties delivering continual satisfactory service, "G-Bike" was shut down in 2015 without seeing a Western release.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Alongside "Remake Intergrade" and "Ever Crisis", Square Enix announced "Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier" for a 2021 release. A battle royale mobile spin-off, it is set thirty years prior to the events of "Final Fantasy VII". Its gameplay features 3 versus 3 multiplayer arena matches, blending action elements traditional to the genre with RPG mechanics and "Final Fantasy" gameplay elements. The title was developed by Alteam. Due to the nature of the gameplay, there is not much narrative element, but the setting and lore is incorporated into the game.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The setting of "Final Fantasy VII" is a world that has been described as an industrial or post-industrial science fiction "milieu". It is referred to as "the Planet" by the series characters, and was retroactively named "Gaia" in some Square Enix promotional material and by game staff. The planet's lifeforce is called the Lifestream, a flow of spiritual energy that gives life to everything on the Planet. Its processed form is known as "Mako". During "VII" and its prequels, the Lifestream is being used by the megacorporation Shinra as an energy source. This is in turn causing the Planet to dangerously weaken, threatening the existence of everything and everyone on the planet. The main narrative of "VII" focuses on an eco-terrorist group known as AVALANCHE, chronicling their conflict with Shinra president Rufus Shinra and his subordinates, including the covert Turks, and SOLDIER, an elite fighting force created by giving humans raw Mako. Eventually, all come under threat from Sephiroth, a member of SOLDIER created through Shinra experimentation and driven mad when he learns the truth about his origins, and Jenova, an alien lifeform which seeks to destroy all life on the Planet. Among the main characters are Cloud Strife, a mercenary and self-proclaimed ex-SOLDIER, Aerith Gainsborough, a flower seller and last member of an ancient tribe known as the Cetra, Tifa Lockhart, Cloud's childhood friend, and Vincent Valentine, a former Turk who was made immortal by Shinra experimentation. During the conflict, Sephiroth summons a destructive spell called Meteor to mortally wound the Planet. When Aerith attempts to summon Holy, a defense mechanism that can stop Meteor, she is killed by Sephiroth. Eventually, the party are successful in defeating Sephiroth, and the Lifestream reinforces Holy, successfully stopping Meteor.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The "Compilation" titles act as continuations and expansions on the core narrative, with them focusing on various characters. "Advent Children" begins two years after "VII", when people across the world are succumbing to a disease called Geostigma and Cloud, suffering from guilt, is forced to confront Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, avatars of Sephiroth's will. "Before Crisis" begins six years prior to the events of "VII", and follows the confrontations between the Turks and the original incarnation of AVALANCHE. "Crisis Core" takes place in a similar time period, but follows events from the point of view of Zack, a SOLDIER who befriended Cloud and was killed by Shinra troops after turning against the company. Among the characters who interact with Zack is Genesis Rhapsodos, a member of SOLDIER who successfully rebels and eventually decides to protect the Planet. "Dirge of Cerberus" is set a year after "Advent Children", and focuses on Vincent's conflict against Deepground, a sect of SOLDIER that was trapped beneath the city of Midgar during Meteor's descent. "Last Order" takes place during the events at Nibelheim, where Jenova was originally stored and Sephiroth first found out about himself.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" was created by Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura, the respective director and character designer for "Final Fantasy VII". It was at one point defined by Square Enix as their first step towards "polymorphic content", a marketing and sales strategy to "[provide] well-known properties on several platforms, allowing exposure of the products to as wide an audience as possible." Speaking on why "VII" had been chosen for such a project, Kitase explained that the ending left far more development opportunities open for characters and setting than other games in the series. There was also a strong financial benefit to creating the "Compilation"—following the unprecedented financial upturn prompted by the release of "Final Fantasy X-2" just prior to the 2003 merger of Square and Enix into Square Enix, then-CEO Yoichi Wada decided that the company could tap into fan demands for continuations of the story of "Final Fantasy VII".


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The first title to be conceived was "Advent Children", original envisioned as a short film presentation created by Visual Works, the animation studio behind CGI cutscenes for the company's games. Early in pre-production, plans to make "Advent Children" a video game rather than a film were considered, but due to several factors including Visual Works' lack of experience with actual game production, it remained a film. One of the main conditions for the project's launch was to reunite the original staff members of "Final Fantasy VII": Nojima, art director Yusuke Naora and composer Nobuo Uematsu. After "Advent Children" began development, it was decided by the team that one title was not enough to fully explore the "VII" universe. In response, "Before Crisis", "Dirge of Cerberus" and "Crisis Core" were conceived so as to embrace more aspects of the world and characters. Nomura himself was surprised at the creation of the games, having originally assumed that the film would be the sole product of the project.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Each title had a different impetus fueling its creation and development: "Before Crisis" was thought up by Hajime Tabata, a new employee at Square Enix's mobile division, when asked by Nomura to create a video game featuring the Turks. "Dirge of Cerberus" was inspired by Vincent's choice of weapon, Kitase's love of first-person shooters, and the challenge it would provide developers. Prior to the series solidification and the release of "Advent Children" and "Before Crisis", the team had considered other gun-wielding "Final Fantasy" protagonists for such a game. "Crisis Core" originated simply as either a "Final Fantasy" spin-off or a port of "Before Crisis" for the PlayStation Portable, and after talks with Kitase and Nomura, it was decided to make it another title in the "Compilation". The creation of "Before Crisis" after "Advent Children" began a lettering formula for the series later used by the staff as common abbreviations: 'AC' stood for "Advent Children", 'BC' for "Before Crisis", 'CC' for "Crisis Core" and 'DC' for "Dirge of Cerberus". The sequence was nearly disrupted when "Crisis Core"s title was considered as "Before Crisis Core", but the ""Before"" part of the title was soon dropped, coincidentally creating the sequence.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: "Before Crisis" began development in 2002. The "Compilation" was first unveiled in 2003 with the announcement of "Advent Children". None of the titles in the series up to that point were traditional role-playing games like the original. The explanation for this was that traditional RPGs took long production periods and a large staff, which would have made the project stand out a bit too much. One of the other considerations for the team was not to make the titles lightweight as "X-2" had been, due to backlash from parts of the fanbase. Conversely, making "Final Fantasy X-2" reminded the team that they did not need to stick to completely serious traditional RPGs, enabling the original creation of the "Compilation". While "Advent Children" was the first "Compilation" title to begin production, it ran into problems during post-production, resulting in the first released title being "Before Crisis", despite it being the second title to begin development. "Before Crisis" was also originally planned for release in North America, but the mobile phones available in North America at the time were not able to handle the game. In addition, the producer Kosei Ito left Square Enix in 2008 and Tabata moved on to other projects, leaving its localization unlikely. Japanese animation studio Madhouse created a commercial to promote "Before Crisis". Due to its success and staff feelings that important scenes from "VII" represented in "Advent Children" had been needlessly disjointed, the studio was chosen to produce an animated film: this eventually became "Last Order". "Crisis Core" was originally going to be an action game, but became an action RPG, staying within the staff's design strengths while incorporating action elements.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Wada had stated in 2006, while the development and release of "Compilation" titles was still ongoing, that the "Compilation" could remain an active franchise until 2017, the twentieth anniversary of "Final Fantasy VII"s release. After finishing work on "Advent Children Complete", the team announced that they would take a break from the series, although they stated that they still have various ideas for future titles. In later interviews relating to "Final Fantasy VII", multiple staff members including Nomura stated that the "Compilation" was only ever intended to extend to three games and a movie, ending with the release of "Crisis Core". Their reasoning was that releasing any more would saturate the market.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Compared to the original "VII", which received near-universal critical acclaim and later cult status as a classic game, the entries in the "Compilation" have often garnered a mixed reception, and the "Compilation" as a whole has been critiqued by some. In July 2007, "Edge" magazine stated that the titles "could be of a high quality, but there is also a perversion of the original." RPG Site's Alex Donaldson, during a review for "Crisis Core", said that the "Compilation" was "too far detached from the lore of "Final Fantasy VII"." While critiquing "Advent Children" and "Dirge of Cerberus", and faulting "Before Crisis"s lack of the original game's characters, he felt that "Crisis Core" was the "Compilation"s "first classic ["Final Fantasy VII"] spinoff." "RPGFan"s Stephen Meyerink said that the "Compilation" titles prior to "Crisis Core" had "expanded, extended, and retconned [the story] into what some would call an unrecognizable mess." Alexa Ray Corriea, writing for "Polygon", was highly critical, saying that few of the "Compilation" titles were good, and only served to "cheapen the 1997 [PlayStation] original."


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Reviews for "Advent Children" have been mixed to positive: while critics have praised the presentation, graphics and fan appeal, all reviews agree that the story's context and delivery were confusing for people new to the series. While western critics were positive about "Last Order", the OAV received heavy fan criticism in Japan due to its retconning of key events, which prompted the team to ensure that the event was faithfully recreated in "Crisis Core". "Before Crisis", due to remaining in Japan, has received limited attention in the west, but previews have been highly positive, with many praising the gameplay and graphics as being impressive for a mobile game. Opinions for "Dirge of Cerberus" were decidedly mixed. While many praised the story and characters, especially the focus on Vincent's character and development, critics were mixed to negative about the graphics and gameplay. Japanese magazine "Famitsu" notably gave the game a delayed and highly critical review. "Crisis Core" was generally praised, with many enjoying the story's intimate presentation of the characters and action-oriented gameplay, despite some criticism for it being aimed at fans of "VII". Critics of the "Compilation" have generally cited "Crisis Core" as the best title of the series.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The "Final Fantasy VII" remake had the highest average score in Metacritic, an 88.88/100 Tom Marks of "IGN" calls the game a "complete reinvention", praising the combat system, its "story fleshed out with real emotional arcs" and its nostalgic feel, but criticized the game for having filler and sometimes convoluted new plot points and side missions. He stated that ""Final Fantasy VII Remake"'s dull filler and convoluted additions can cause it to stumble, but it still breathes exciting new life into a classic while standing as a great RPG all its own." Nahila Bonfiglio of "The Daily Dot" states that the "game’s neo-noir, "Blade Runner"-esque setting perfectly marries with its gritty but heartfelt tone." She adds that it is matched by "the exquisite level design with seamless mechanics, addicting gameplay and rousing battles, and you have a recipe for perhaps one of the best games of the year." Both "IGN" and "GameSpot" enjoyed the handling of Cloud due to his notable character arc despite starting as anti-hero.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Many of the titles have received strong sales. Through 2006, "Advent Children" met with high sales, with 1 million units sold in Japan, 1.3 million in North America, and 100,000 in Europe, making a total of 2.4 million copies sold worldwide. The original version went on to sell four million copies worldwide by 2009. "Advent Children Complete" also met with strong sales, selling 100,000 copies on its first day of release in Japan. "Advent Children Complete" was cited as a reason for the increase in sales of the PlayStation 3 console. "Before Crisis" registered 200,000 users on launch day, making it the best-selling mobile game up until that time, and was accessed 1.6 million times by June 2006. "Dirge of Cerberus" shipped 392,000 units in its first week, and went on to sell 460,000 units in North America and 270,000 units in Europe. "Crisis Core" sold 350,000 copies in Japan on its release date, while it sold 301,600 copies in its first month of release in the United States. It went on to sell 2.1 million units worldwide.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: The process of thought behind the "Compilation" would later inspire the creation of "Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy", a subseries of games linked by a common mythos, and would use lessons learned from the "Compilation" production process. On an individual level, "Before Crisis"s popularity would inspire the creation of another mobile title within the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" subseries: originally titled "Final Fantasy Agito XIII", it would later change platforms and be renamed "Final Fantasy Type-0". The battle sequences in "Advent Children" also served as inspiration for Motomu Toriyama when creating the battle system for "Final Fantasy XIII". Former staff members have blamed the "Compilation", in conjunction with other extensions of titles like "Final Fantasy X", for undermining the series' market presence and fan trust in the West.


title: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

text: Worldwide, the remake shipped and sold over 3.5 million copies within three days. This made it one of the biggest launches for a PlayStation4 game and the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive in history, surpassing the launch sales of the two previous record holders, "Marvel's Spider-Man" (3.3million) and "God of War" (3.1million).


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical "The Wiz" from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from the show later became a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit and her signature song. During the 1980s, she had five Number 1 R&B hits, including "Home", "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", "I Feel Good All Over", "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" and "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)". She won two Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song "Never Knew Love Like This Before" in 1981. Her albums "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin", "Sweet Sensation" and "Stephanie" went gold or platinum, all through 20th Century Fox Records.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Born Stephanie Dorthea Mills to Joseph and Christine Mills and raised in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Mills sang gospel music as a child at Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church. Mills began her professional career at age nine, appearing in the Broadway musical "Maggie Flynn". After winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater six weeks straight at age eleven, Mills went on to become the opening act for the Isley Brothers. In 1973, Mills was signed to Paramount Records by Michael Barbiero, and her first single "I Knew It Was Love" was released. Mills was later signed to Motown after being suggested by Suzanne de Passe. Her first two albums there failed to produce a hit, and Mills left the label in 1976.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Mills's career took a rise when she portrayed Dorothy in the seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical "The Wiz", an African-American adaptation of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".The song "Home" was first performed by Mills in the stage production and would be covered later by Diana Ross for the movie adaptation three years later. Mills’s commercial success in the music industry remained elusive until 1979, when she signed to the 20th Century Fox Records label. There, Mills found her niche in mainly disco music, recording songs such as "Put Your Body In It", "You Can Get Over", and "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'". The resulting album, "What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin'", being Mills's first gold record.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: She quickly followed the success with 1980's "Sweet Sensation", which featured Mills's hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before". The single became a #12 R&B and #6 Pop hit in 1980, as well as reaching #4 in the UK Singles Chart. 1981's "Stephanie" featured a top hit for her and Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Two Hearts".


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Her 1983 album, "Merciless", featured her hit cover of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?", as well as the #3 dance chart hit "Pilot Error", which was her first dance hit in the U.S. In 1984, Mills had her third UK hit with "The Medicine Song" (#29), which also reached #1 on the U.S. dance chart and #8 on the R&B chart. On May 24, 1984, Mills returned to theater to star in a short-lived touring revival of "The Wiz".


title: Stephanie Mills

text: In 1985, Mills's recording of "Bit by Bit (Theme from "Fletch")" was featured in the Chevy Chase film, "Fletch", and reached #52 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, #78 on The Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on the Dance Chart.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Success for Mills had peaked until 1986, when her version of the Angela Winbush-penned "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", hit #1 on the R&B singles chart. She truly returned with her next release, "If I Were Your Woman" in 1987 under MCA Records, which she was now signed. The hits from the album include the title track, originally a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1971, a three-week #1 R&B hit, "I Feel Good All Over", and "You're Puttin' a Rush on Me", to name a few of the songs released. The album reached platinum status. That same year, she appeared in the NBC TV special, "Motown: Merry Christmas" along with other musical artists and actors, performing the song, "Christmas Everyday", which was written by actor/comedian Redd Foxx.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Mills's success continued with 1989's "Home" album. The hits from that album include "The Comfort of a Man", the title track, a cover of her old standard from "The Wiz" and another song penned by Winbush titled "Something in the Way You Make Me Feel", which became another platinum record for Mills.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Mills would record one more album (1992's "Something Real") and a Christmas album before being released from her contract with MCA in 1992. In 1993, she once again starred in the role of Dorothy in "The Wiz". This revival was also short lived, closing after 28 performances. Mills released a live gospel recording in 1994 on GospoCentric Records entitled "Personal Inspirations". The set was produced by Donald Lawrence and featured a spiritualized retooling of her hit "I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love". Thereafter, Mills took a break from recording to care for her son.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: In 1997, Mills played the lead in a major production of Stephen Schwartz's "Children of Eden" in New Jersey, which Schwartz has called "the definitive production" of the show. Mills was heavily featured in the cast recording CD that resulted from this production.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: In 2008, Mills began a comeback with singles recorded with BeBe Winans and rapper DMX to name a few. She made a comeback in independently-releasing "Born For This" (released on Expansion Records in the UK) on August 3, 2004. Her first single in over a decade, "Can't Let Him Go", garnered buzz at urban contemporary radio. Mills is currently touring. A 2-disc, career-spanning greatest hits compilation entitled "Gold" was released by Hip-O/Universal Music earlier last year. Mills just finished production of a live DVD recorded at BB Kings in New York which will be sold online and at her shows.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Mills made an appearance in the 2007 gospel TV series "Sunday Best" and was recently featured in a live interview on "The Yolanda Adams Morning Show", where she mentioned that she now has her own record label (JM Records). Mills performed prior to Pope Benedict XVI celebrating Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2008. Her track, "Yesterday", is available for download on iTunes.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Towards the end of 2012, Mills released a new single "So In Love This Christmas", available for download. In 2015, Mills was cast as Aunt Em in the NBC live musical production of "The Wiz", forty years after her initial Broadway run in the show.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Mills made headlines in August 2018 with her response to singer Sam Smith, who remarked in a video posted to Instagram that they did not like Michael Jackson, but the Jackson hit "Human Nature" was a "decent song". Mills' fiery response quickly gained traction as she criticized Smith in her own Instagram responses, both accusing Smith of cultural appropriation and referring to them as a "one hit wonder".


title: Stephanie Mills

text: In November 2021, Mills participated in a Verzuz battle with singer Chaka Khan, at which both singers performed hits from their discography.


title: Stephanie Mills

text: Mills has a son, Farad Mills, who was born with Down syndrome. She had a brief relationship with fellow singer Michael Jackson.


title: Durag

text: A durag () is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kinky hair, waves or locks in the hair; to maintain natural oils in hair (similar to a bonnet); to stop hair breakage; or to keep hair, wave patterns and braids from shifting while sleeping. Durags are also worn as an identity-making fashion choice, popular in African-American culture.


title: Durag

text: Numerous alternative spellings exist for "durag", including do-rag, dew-rag, and doo-rag, all of which may be spelled with a space instead of a hyphen, or with neither a hyphen nor a space; especially as durag. The simplest etymology for "do-rag" is that it is named as such because it is a "rag" worn to protect one's hair"do". However, one writer in "The New York Times" claims that the correct spelling of the word is "durag". An alternative etymology claims that name should be spelled "dew-rag", and "dew" is a euphemism for sweat.


title: Durag

text: In the 1930s, during the Harlem Renaissance and Great Depression, the durag was used to maintain hairstyles.


title: Durag

text: During the black pride movement of the 1960s and '70s, durags became a fashion statement. In the 1990s, durags were further popularized by rappers like Jay-Z, Nelly, and 50 Cent. The popularity of rappers such as A$AP Ferg and the waves hairstyle have re-stimulated the use of durags.


title: Durag

text: The 1974 song "Uncle Remus," cowritten by Frank Zappa and George Duke, includes the lyric, "I can't wait till my Fro is full-grown / I'll just throw 'way my Doo-Rag at home."


title: Durag

text: American singer and bassist Thundercat's album "It Is What It Is" features the song entitled "Dragonball Durag""." The lyrics references the headwear as the title piece to impress women. The durag referenced has a pattern taken from popular Japanese television cartoon "Dragon Ball".


title: Durag

text: Rihanna wore a durag on the cover of the British "Vogue", which marked a milestone of durags as seen as a fashion symbol.


title: Durag

text: In 2021, contestant Symone wore an outfit with a durag, which extended to a train, on the thirteenth season of "RuPaul's Drag Race".


title: Durag

text: The rapper Baby Keem, with a feature from Travis Scott, released a single in 2021 with the name "durag activity".


title: Durag

text: Kvarforth, frontman of the Swedish depressive suicidal black metal band Shining, is known to wear a durag as part of his onstage look, in contrast to the corpse paint traditionally synonymous with black metal.


title: Durag

text: In 1995, the National Football League (NFL) considered banning players from wearing "bandanas, known as do-rags." League executive Gene Washington said durags were associated with crime and gang violence but insisted that the idea was "driven largely by black people, not white people." Safety Merton Hanks said that he wore one because it made his helmet fit better and was therefore akin to safety equipment. Ultimately, the league decided to take no action. In 2001, however, the league owners owners voted 30–1 to ban players from wearing all headwear under helmets except for "skull caps" in what the league claimed was "a matter of image." Although there were concerns that the move may have been racially biased, the league again framed the ban as being originated by black members of their competition committee, including Denny Green. Some players argued unsuccessfully that wearing durags under helmets helped them prevent hair loss.


title: Durag

text: During a preseason game in 2000, the National Basketball Association (NBA) told Indiana Pacers player Sam Perkins that he could not wear a durag because it was "a safety hazard." In October 2005, the NBA issued a dress code which, among other changes, forbade players from wearing durags not just on the court but while engaged in any manner of team or league business.


title: Durag

text: Some United States high schools have attempted to ban the wearing of durags. When John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, banned durags as part of a school dress-code policy, the Black Student Union staged a peaceful walk-out in February 2019. Protesting students contended that school administrators banned the headwear because of its affiliation with gang culture, although the principal claimed that durags were banned because "of values we have for how we present ourselves at school".


title: Ford Ka

text: The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2016 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduced in 2016.


title: Ford Ka

text: The first two generations have a three-door hatchback body style, with the first generation also having a two-door convertible version that was marketed as the StreetKa and a sporty hatch version, the SportKa.


title: Ford Ka

text: The third generation was produced as a five-door hatchback and as a four-door sedan. It was initially only available in Brazil, and later was introduced in India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, South Africa (where it was marketed as the Ford Figo), Argentina, and Poland. European sales ended in 2020, and in 2021, it was taken out of production in Brazil.


title: Ford Ka

text: The name Ka has three possible pronunciations. It can be said using a long or short "a", or with the letters pronounced separately. Ford's press office has used all three. According to "Auto Trader", Ford "top brass" have given the correct pronunciation as "Ka as in cat".


title: Ford Ka

text: The car was introduced on September 11, 1996, as a small and low-cost addition to the Ford range. Developed under the BE146 development code, it was based on the Mark 3 Ford Fiesta platform, but with a completely different exterior design. The design borrowed from Ghia's "Saetta" show car, a roadster designed by Filippo Sapino. The Ka evolved from concept vehicles to production with minor changes. The large, one-piece, moulded bumpers and wheel arches made the vehicle more durable and easier to repair. The vehicle was manufactured on the existing Fiesta production line in Almussafes, Valencia, minimising new model investment costs. The chief program engineer was Kevin O’Neill. The designer of the car was Chris Svensson of Sunderland, who had designed a similar-shaped car when at the Royal College of Art in 1992.


title: Ford Ka

text: When the Ka was first introduced to the public, it provoked mixed reactions, due to its original and striking New Edge design, overseen by Jack Telnack and executed by Claude Lobo.


title: Ford Ka

text: Besides the styling, the Ka, like its sister cars Fiesta and Puma, was lauded in the motoring press for its handling. Under Richard Parry-Jones' supervision, the suspension and steering settings allowed for hard cornering and high levels of grip, providing strong handling characteristics.


title: Ford Ka

text: At launch, the Ka was produced as a single model, with a number of production options, including air conditioning, power steering, height-adjustable driver's seat, adjustable position rear seat with head restraints, passenger airbag, central locking, and power windows. An anti-lock braking system option was added in January 1997.


title: Ford Ka

text: The car's main drawback was the 1,300 cc overhead valve four-cylinder Endura-E engine, a derivative of the Valencia unit used in all the previous generations of the Fiesta and based on the older "Kent" design, which dated back to the 1960s. Although not very modern, it provided enough torque to allow relaxed if not spirited driving. In 2002, the Endura-E was replaced by the overhead-cam Duratec engine, with claims of improved fuel efficiency and increased refinement, mostly caused by taller gearing on the cars without air conditioning.


title: Ford Ka

text: For the first three years of production, all models had black plastic bumpers to minimise parking damage to paintwork in city environments. These bumpers contained a stabiliser to prevent UV degradation, which made them unsuitable for painting because the paint would not adhere properly. Since many owners wanted body-coloured bumpers, they were introduced in 1999 using different bumper mouldings (without the stabiliser).


title: Ford Ka

text: The Ka proved highly profitable for Ford despite its low selling price, largely due to low development costs. In 2006, Ford sold 17,000 cars in the United Kingdom.


title: Ford Ka

text: In Australia, the Ka was introduced in October 1999 and was on the market until 2002. It was unsuccessful; fewer than 2,000 were sold per year. This was partly due to the lack of an automatic transmission, which is preferred by a large proportion of Australian car buyers. The Ka was also sold in New Zealand between 1999 and 2004, and was replaced by the newer Fiesta.