title: Anti-Masonry

text: Many contemporary Islamic anti-Masonic arguments are closely tied to both antisemitism and anti-Zionism, though other reasons for the Muslim anti-Masonry have been formulated, such as linking Freemasonry to conspiracy theories and Islamic eschatology, in particular to the eschatological figure of the Dajjal (the Islamic Antichrist). During the early 20th century, the Syrian-Egyptian Islamic theologian Mūhammād Rashīd Ridâ (1865–1935) played the crucial role in leading the opposition to Freemasonry across the Muslim world. Through his popular pan-Islamic journal "Al-Manar", Rida spread anti-Masonic ideas which would directly influence the Muslim Brotherhood and subsequent radical Islamic and Islamist movements, such as Hamas (see Hamas Charter). Influenced by Rida, Muslim anti-Masonic propagandists argue that Freemasonry promotes the interests of the Jews around the world and that one of its aims is to rebuild the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem after destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In article 28 of its Charter, Hamas states that Freemasonry, Rotary, and other similar groups "work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions..." On July 15, 1978, the Islamic Jurisdictional College—one of the most influential entities that interpret "Sharia", or Islamic law—issued an opinion that deemed Freemasonry to be "dangerous" and "clandestine".


title: Anti-Masonry

text: Many countries with a significant Muslim population do not allow Masonic establishments within their jurisdictions. After World War II, while under the British Mandate, Iraq used to have several Masonic lodges. This all changed with the 14 July Revolution in 1958, however, with the abolition of the Hashemite monarchy and Iraq's declaration as a republic. The licenses permitting lodges to meet were rescinded, and later, laws were introduced banning any further meetings. This position was later reinforced under Saddam Hussein. In 1980, the Iraqi legal and penal code was changed, making it a felony to "promote or acclaim Zionist principles, including freemasonry, or who associate [themselves] with Zionist organizations." Also, Freemasonry was banned in Egypt in 1964 by the order of President Nasser and in 1965 the Ba'athist government of Syria banned all lodges.


title: Anti-Masonry

text: However, a few countries such as Turkey and Morocco have allowed establishment of Grand Lodges while in countries such as Malaysia and Lebanon, there are District Grand Lodges operating under a warrant from an established Grand Lodge. In addition, according to some sources, King Hussein of Jordan was a Freemason himself.


title: Anti-Masonry

text: One of the first highly vocal Christian critics of freemasonry was Charles Finney. In his book "The Character, Claims, and Practical Workings of Freemasonry", Finney not only ridiculed the masons, he also explained why he viewed leaving the society as an essential act three years after he entered seminary.


title: Anti-Masonry

text: A number of Protestant and Eastern Orthodox denominations discourage their congregants from joining Masonic lodges, but this practice differs in intensity according to the beliefs of the denomination. Some denominations simply express mild concern about Freemasonry because they do not believe that it is compatible with the teachings of Christianity while, at the other extreme, other denominations openly accuse the fraternity of worshipping Satan, by quoting the writings of Leo Taxil and Abel Clarin de la Rive.


title: Anti-Masonry

text: Since 1738, the Roman Catholic Church has prohibited its members from joining Masonic organizations, citing political as well as religious reasons. Until 1983, the penalty for Catholics who joined the fraternity was excommunication. Since that time, the punishment has been an interdict, barring the offender from receiving Holy Communion. Even though the canonical penalty was changed in 1983, the prohibition on membership has not been changed.


title: Anti-Masonry

text: There have long been conspiracy theories concerning Freemasonry in which the organization is either bent on world domination or it is already covertly in control of world politics.


title: Anti-Masonry

text: The covenant of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas claims that Freemasonry is a secret society which was founded as part of a Zionist plot to control the world (see Judeo-Masonic conspiracy theory).


title: Anti-Masonry

text: The earliest document which accused Freemasonry of being involved in a conspiracy was "Enthüllungen des Systems der Weltbürger-Politik" ("Disclosure of the System of Cosmopolitan Politics"), published in 1786. The book claimed that Freemasons and Jesuits were plotting to foment a world revolution. During the 19th Century, this theory was repeated by many Christian counter-revolutionaries, who accused Freemasons of being behind every attack on the existing social system.


title: Gayatri

text: Gayatri (Sanskrit: गायत्री, IAST:Gāyatrī) is the personified form of the Gayatri Mantra, a popular hymn from Vedic texts. She is also known as Savitri, and bears the epithet of "Vedamata" (mother of the Vedas). Gayatri is often associated with Savitr, a solar deity in the Vedas. According to the Skanda Purana, Gayatri is another name of Saraswati, and is the consort of Brahma. Shaivite texts identify Mahagayatri as the consort of Shiva, in his highest form of Sadasiva, with five heads and ten hands.


title: Gayatri

text: Gayatri was the name initially applied to a metre of the Rig Veda consisting of 24 syllables. In particular, it refers to the Gayatri Mantra and the Goddess Gāyatrī as that mantra personified. The Gayatri mantra composed in this triplet form is the most famous. Most of the scholars identify Gayatri as the feminine form of Gayatra, another name of the Vedic Solar god which is also one of the synonyms of Savitri and Savitr.


title: Gayatri

text: According to the Puranas, Gayatri was an Abhira girl who helped Brahma in a Yajna performed in Pushkara.


title: Gayatri

text: Early bronze images of Gayatri appear in the Himachal Pradesh, where she was revered as the consort of Sadasiva. Some of these forms are terrific in nature. One of the bronze images of Gayatri dated back to 10th century CE was obtained from Champa region and now preserved in Delhi museum. It appears with five faces and ten hands holding, sword, lotus, trident, disc, skull, Varada in left and goad, noose, a manuscript, the jar of ambrosia and Abhaya in right. She resides in the mount Nandi. Modern depictions illustrates swan as her mount. Old iconography of Shaivite Manonmani Gayatri was misunderstood as the same of Brahmanic Gayatri later and paintings of Gayatri appears from 18th century CE in which she is often portrayed with third eye, crescent moon and five heads with five different colors same like Sadasiva.


title: Gayatri

text: The well known form of Gayatri (Parvati) with the Saivite influence appears having five heads (Mukta, Vidruma, Hema, Neela, Dhavala) with the ten eyes looking in eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding various types of weapons attributed to Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. Another recent depiction is accompanied by a white swan holding a book to portray knowledge in one hand and a cure in the other, as the goddess of learning. She is also depicted four-armed, seated on a swan, holding weapons symbolising the Trimurti: The Vedas of Brahma, the discus of Vishnu, the trident of Shiva, and Varada mudra.


title: Gayatri

text: She also has an fearsome three-faced depiction; two faces look like that of goddess Kali and one clam one and holding weapons like the deity Mahakali. She is shown mounted on a lotus holding lotus, noose, trident, Scimitar and vard mudra in right whereas conch, discus, bow-arrow, goad and abhaya mudra in left.


title: Gayatri

text: In Mahanarayana Upanishad of Krishna Yajurveda, Gayatri is described as white-colored (Sanskrit: , '), having the gotra of sage Viswamitra (Sanskrit: , '), composed of 24 letters (Sanskrit: , '), three-footed (Sanskrit: , '), six-bellied (Sanskrit: , '), five-headed (Sanskrit: , ') and the one used in Upanayana of (Sanskrit: , "").


title: Gayatri

text: As mentioned in Taittiriya Sandhya Bhashyam, the three feet of Gayatri is supposed to represent the first 3 vedas (Ṛk, Yajus, Sāma). The six bellies are supposed to represent 4 cardinal directions, along with the two more directions, Ūrdhva (Zenith) and Adhara (Nadir). The five heads represent 5 among the Vedangas, namely, vyākaraṇa, śikṣā, kalpa, nirukta and jyotiṣa.


title: Gayatri

text: By citing from "Gayatri Tantra", the text "Mantramahārṇava" gives the significance of Gayatri's 24 letters and its representation that are given below.


title: Gayatri

text: Gayatri mantra has 24 letters. That is why it called as " gāyatrī caturviṃśatyakṣarā" (Sanskrit: गायत्री चतुर्विंशत्यक्षरा). They are 1.tat, 2.sa, 3.vi, 4.tur, 5.va, 6.re, 7.ṇi, 8.yaṃ, 9.bhar, 10,go, 11.de, 12.va, 13.sya, 14.dhī, 15.ma, 16.hi, 17.dhi, 18.yo, 19.yo, 20.naḥ, 21.pra, 22.co 23.da and 24.yāt.


title: Gayatri

text: When counting the letters, the word "vareṇyam" is treated as "vareṇiyam". But, while chanting, it ought to be chanted as "vareṇyam" only.


title: Gayatri

text: The 24 Letters of Gayatri mantra represents 24 Vedic Rishis. They are: 1.vāmadeva, 2.atri, 3.vaśiṣṭha, 4.śukra, 5.kaṇva, 6.parāśara, 7.viśvāmitra, 8.kapila, 9.śaunaka, 10.yājñavalkya, 11.bharadwāja, 12.jamadagni, 13.gautama, 14.mudgala, 15.vyāsa, 16.lomasa, 17.agastya, 18.kauśika, 19.vatsa, 20.pulastya, 21.manḍūka, 22.dūrvāsa, 23.nārada, and 24.kaśyapa.


title: Gayatri

text: The 24 Letters of Gayatri mantra represent 24 Vedic Meters (i.e. Chandas). They are: 1.gāyatri, 2.uṣnik, 3.anuṣṭubh, 4.bṛhati, 5.paṃkti, 6.triṣṭubh, 7.jagati, 8.atijagati, 9.śakvari, 10.atiśakvari, 11.dhṛti, 12.atidhṛti, 13.virāṭ, 14.prastārapaṃkti, 15.kṛti, 16.prakṛti, 17.akṛti, 18.vikṛti, 19.saṃskṛti, 20.akṣarapaṃkti, 21.bhūḥ, 22.bhuvaḥ, 23.swaḥ, 24.jyotiṣmati.


title: Gayatri

text: The 24 Letters of Gayatri mantra represent 24 Vedic Devatas. They are: 1.agni, 2.prajāpati, 3.soma, 4.īśāna, 5.savitā, 6. āditya, 7.bṛhaspati, 8. maitrāvaruṇa 9.bhaga, 10.āryamaan, 11.gaṇeśa, 12.tvaṣṭā, 13.pūṣā, 14. indrāgni, 15.vāyu, 16.vāmadeva, 17.maitrāvaruṇi 18. viśvedevā, 19. mātṛkā, 20.viṣṇu, 21.vasu, 22. rudra, 23.kubera and 24.aśvins


title: Gayatri

text: The Padmapurana (in Sṛṣṭi Kānḍa) mentions 24 Adhi-Devatas (presiding deities) for each of the 24 letters of Gayatri mantra. They are 1.agni, 2.vāyu, 3.sūrya, 4.ākāśa, 5.yama, 6.varuṇa, 7.bṛhaspati, 8.parjanya, 9.indra, 10.gandharva, 11.pūṣā, 12. mitra, 13.tvaṣṭā, 14.vasu, 15.marut, 16.soma, 17.āṅgiras, 18.viśvedevā, 19.aśvins, 20.prajāpati, 21.akṣara (tattva), 22.rudra, 23.brahma and 24.viṣṇu.


title: Gayatri

text: The "Yoga yājñavalkya" mentions 24 Devatas for each of the 24 letters of Gayatri mantra. They are 1.agni, 2.vāyu, 3.sūrya, 4.īśāna, 5.āditya, 6.āṅgiras, 7.pitri, 8.bharga, 9.āryamān, 10.gandharva, 11.pūṣā, 12. maitrāvaruṇa, 13.tvaṣṭā, 14.vasu, 15.vāmadeva, 16.maitrāvaruṇi, 17.jñeya, 18.viśvedevā, 19.viṣṇu, 20.prajāpati, 21.sarvadevā, 22.kubera, 23.aśvins and 24.brahma.


title: Gayatri

text: The 24 Letters of Gayatri mantra represent 24 Śaktis. They are: 1.vāmadevī, 2.priyā, 3.satyā, 4.viśwabhadrā, 5.vilāsinī, 6.prabhāvatī, 7.jayā, 8.śantā, 9.kāntā, 10.durgā, 11.saraswatī, 12.vidrumā, 13.viśālesā, 14.vyāpinī, 15.vimalā, 16.tamopahārini, 17.sūkṣmā, 18.viśwayoni 19.jayā, 20.vaśā, 21.padmālayā, 22.parāśobhā, 23.bhadrā, and 24. tripadā.


title: Gayatri

text: However, in classical definition of 24 tattvas, the last four are the "antahkaranas" (i.e. sense organs), namely, manas (mind), buddhi (intellect), citta (state of mind) and ahaṅkāra (ego).


title: Gayatri

text: The Gayatri mantra represents some mahāmudras (great hand gestures). They are 1. sumukha, 2. sampuṭa, 3. vitata, 4. visṛta, 5. dvimukha, 6. trimukha, 7. catuḥ, 8. pañcamukha, 9. ṣaṇmukha, 10. adhomukha, 11. vyāpakāñjali, 12. śakaṭa, 13. yamapāśa, 14. grathita, 15. sanmukhonmukha, 16. vilamba, 17. muṣtika, 18. matsya, 19. kūrmah 20. varāhaka, 21. simhākrānta, 22. mahākrānta, 23. mudgara, 24. pallava, 25. triśūla, 26. yoni, 27. surabhi, 28. akṣamāla, 29. linga, 30. ambuja.


title: Gayatri

text: In some Puranas, Gayatri is said to be the other names of Sarasvati, the wife of Brahma. According to the Matsya Purana, Brahma's left half emerged as a female, who is celebrated under the names of Sarasvati, Savitri, and Gayatri. In Kurma Purana, Gautama rishi was blessed by Goddess Gayatri and able to eliminate the obstacles he faced in his life. The Skanda Purana writes that Gayatri is married to Brahma, making her a form of Saraswati.


title: Gayatri

text: A few Puranic scriptures say that Gayatri is distinct from Sarawati and is married to Brahma. According to the Padma Purana, Gayatri is an Abhira girl who helps Brahma in the performance of yajna in Pushkara.


title: Gayatri

text: According to some texts, Brahma's first wife is Savitri, and Gayatri is the second. The story goes that Savitri became angry knowing the wedding of Gayatri with Brahma, and cursed all the gods and goddesses engaged in the event.


title: Gayatri

text: However, the Padma Purana narrates the same story with some modifications. After Savitri was appeased by Brahma, Vishnu, and Lakshmi, She accepts Gayatri, an Abhira as her sister happily.


title: Gayatri

text: Gayatri further developed into a fierce goddess who could even slay a demon. According to Varaha Purana and Mahabharata, Goddess Gayatri slew the demon Vetrasura, the son of Vritra and river Vetravati, on a Navami day.


title: Gayatri

text: Shaivism sees Gayatri as the consort of eternal blissful absolute Parashiva who manifests in the form of Sadasiva. Sadashiva's consort Manonmani is none other than the mantra form of Gayatri, who possess the power of her husband Bharga, within her. The popular form of Gayatri with five heads and ten arms was initially found in Saivite iconographies of Manonmani in North India beginning from 10th century CE. Saivite view on Gayatri seems a later development from the combination of vedic practice of Gayatri reverence and its Saivite inclusion as a manifestation of Shakti. This could be the root for the terrific aspect of Gayatri explained in the later puranas as the killer of demon Vetra identifying her with Adi Parashakti.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: Packed to the Rafters was an Australian family-oriented comedy drama television program which premiered on the Seven Network on Tuesday 26 August 2008 at 8:30 pm. The show continued on Tuesdays in this timeslot for its entire run. The drama series features a mix of lighthearted comedy woven through the plot. It revolves around the Rafter family facing work pressures and life issues, while also tackling serious social issues. The Logie award winning series was the highest rating to screen on the Seven Network in 2008, and the show was consistently among the top 5 shows of the year throughout its run in Australia.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: "TV Week" announced 2013 that the sixth series of "Packed to the Rafters" would be the last, with Hugh Sheridan stating, "It's emotional letting go of "Rafters" – for all of us. It was such an amazing chapter in Aussie TV. I'm really proud we all came back together to send it off." The two-hour finale of "Rafters" aired on 2 July 2013, and saw the return of Hugh Sheridan, Jessica Marais, Ryan Corr, Jessica McNamee and James Stewart. Rebecca Gibney said, "The cast, writers and producers have always said that we wanted to keep "Rafters" as one of the most-watched shows on TV. If we ever felt like we were losing too many cast members, we needed to end it on a high. We can say season six winds up an aspect of the Rafter family and there is a sense of finality to it."


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The first season premiered on 26 August 2008. The season finale aired 24 March 2009. Season one's storylines included:


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The second season premiered on 30 June 2009. The season finale aired 24 November 2009. Season two's storylines included:


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The third season premiered on 29 June 2010. The season finale aired 16 November 2010. Season three's storylines included:


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The fourth season premiered on 8 February 2011. The season finale aired 20 March 2012. Season four's storylines included:


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The fifth season premiered on 17 April 2012. The season finale aired 16 April 2013. Season five's storylines included:


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The sixth and final season premiered on 23 April 2013. The series finale aired 2 July 2013. Season six's storylines included:


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: Recurring and minor guest stars have included Melanie Vallejo, Lieschen Pogue, Denise Roberts, Phoebe Tonkin, Andy Whitfield, Iain PF McDonald and Bernard Curry. Kate Ceberano and David Campbell have appeared as themselves.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The producer is Jo Porter, who alongside series creator Bevan Lee and writer Anthony Ellis are part of the same team responsible for the critically acclaimed series "Always Greener", which also set ratings records.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The exterior shots of the Rafter house are filmed on location in Concord, while most house interiors were shot in studios at the Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh. Most of the other exterior shots are filmed at locations in Southern Sydney including establishing shots at Oatley and Lugarno shopping centres as well as the Captain Cook Bridge. The dinner venue in episode 1 was filmed at the St George Motor Boat Club at Sans Souci but the indoor scenes in the Chinese Restaurant were a set. The cricket match in episode 2 was filmed at Morrisons Park, Putney. The shopping centre, beach and park scenes in episode 5 were shot in Carss Park. Julie's “Night Club” scenes were shot near Concord, at the Epping Hotel.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The entire series of "Packed to the Rafters" has been released on DVD on Region 4 in Australia from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment between 2009 and 2013. A complete series box set was released in 2013. Season two was the only season to receive a Blu-ray release, in addition to its DVD release.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: "Packed to the Rafters: The Soundtrack" was released on 29 November 2008. It has peaked at No. 7 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart. It has since gone triple certified Platinum, selling in excess of 170,000 copies. The songs "I'm Yours" and "Rock & Roll" have been heavily used in promotional advertising for the series.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: "Packed to the Rafters: The Soundtrack Volume 2" was released on 18 September 2009. It has peaked at No. 30 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: "Packed to the Rafters" has received positive critical response from reviewers. In reviewing the pilot, David Knox of TV Tonight underlined that whilst the series's tone was "predominantly light", "Rafters" "also features some darker, more successful moments". "The Age's" Jim Schembri called "Rafters" a "superbly sculpted series about suburban class warfare", noting that in his opinion, the series was "one of the most enjoyable, finely honed locally produced TV dramas we've seen in ages", applauding the dialogue that "crackles with wit and energy". Season 2 received an equal amount of outflowing positivity, with Michael Lallo discovering that ""Rafters" "lighthearted" tone acts as a cloak, allowing it to address controversial topics without making viewers feel they're being lectured. The result is a feel-good series that's meaty and satisfying".


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: Of the series's characters, Michael Idato of "The Sydney Morning Herald" found an "elegance to the performances", going on to further applaud the "gentle, engaging, emotional dynamics" of the characters interactions with each other that also managed to both "enhance its charm and believability at the same time".


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: The average ratings for Season 1 in 2008 were 1,939,000 making it the No. 1 show of 2008 on Australian television. The second season of "Packed to the Rafters" averaged 1,881,000, ranking it as No. 2 for the 2009 year. The program has also been picked up by Irish broadcaster RTÉ and New Zealand's TV1 which aired the first season of Packed to the Rafters in early 2009. The series has also been sold to networks in South Africa, Belgium, The Netherlands, several Scandinavian countries, Italy and India.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: "Packed to the Rafters" has been a solid performer in the ratings since its premiere. Most episodes have been the number one programme during prime time for the night since the series premiere and the show has remained in the top ten programs of the week. In 2008, the series was the highest rating regularly broadcast show with an average of 1,939,143 viewers per episode for the first fourteen episodes of season one which screened in 2008. The lower weekly rankings for seasons 5 and 6 are as a result of multiple episodes of single reality shows appearing as separate programs on the weekly list.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: In September 2019, it was reported the cast members were in discussion to revive the series for a 2020 season under the working title "Back to the Rafters", however the series would not air on Seven Network, instead would be placed on Amazon Prime Video, which was confirmed in December 2019, and the return of Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Jessica Marais, Hugh Sheridan, Angus McLaren, Michael Caton and George Houvardas. Filming commenced in Sydney in 2020.


title: Packed to the Rafters

text: In February 2020, Jessica Marais dropped out of the series for personal reasons. In March 2020, it was announced Georgina Haig would take over the role of Rachel Rafter.


title: Nevermore

text: Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had not disbanded, and there was a possibility for them to continue in the next two years with another album. However, Dane died in December 2017, ending hopes of a reunion.


title: Nevermore

text: Nevermore started in the beginning of the 1990s, when the band Sanctuary was pressured by its recording label to change its musical style, switching from heavy metal to grunge, which was obtaining mainstream success at the time due to bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam (both, incidentally, also from Seattle). Two members of the band – vocalist Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard — did not agree with the change, and thus proceeded to create a project of their own: Nevermore.


title: Nevermore

text: By the end of 1994, the band assumed a stable lineup, which saw the additions of drummer Van Williams and former Sanctuary touring guitarist Jeff Loomis. In 1995 Nevermore released its debut album through Century Media Records. This album received much attention and specialized review, as its release was followed by a European tour with Blind Guardian and a North American tour with Death.


title: Nevermore

text: Second guitarist Pat O'Brien joined the band prior to the release of the EP "In Memory" and also took part in the recording of the subsequent album "The Politics of Ecstasy", both from 1996. O'Brien left Nevermore to play in Cannibal Corpse and Curran Murphy from Shatter Messiah was enlisted as a touring guitarist for the band until Tim Calvert (who played for the band Forbidden) was able to join the band.


title: Nevermore

text: Three years without releases followed, but in 1999, the album "Dreaming Neon Black" was released. The album's lyrics, based partly on the events Warrell Dane underwent after the disappearance of his longtime girlfriend, narrate the story of a man's slow decline into madness, subsequent to the death of the only woman he ever loved. The tracks of this album are varied in style, ranging from slow and melodic to aggressive and progressive.


title: Nevermore

text: A long tour followed with Nevermore sharing stages with bands such as Mercyful Fate, Arch Enemy, Iced Earth, and Opeth. After the end of the tour, in 2000, guitarist Tim Calvert announced his departure from the band, subsequent to his marriage. Instead of finding a replacement, the band decided to continue as a quartet, hiring session guitarists for live appearances, such as Curran Murphy (who went on to play in Annihilator) and Chris Broderick of Jag Panzer and Megadeth. Nevermore proceeded to record "Dead Heart in a Dead World," which was followed by tours with several bands, most notably with In Flames and Shadows Fall in late 2000 and Savatage in 2001.


title: Nevermore

text: The band's fifth album, "Enemies of Reality", remained in production for over a year, and was released in 2003. This album faced much criticism for its production and was re-released in 2005, after being remixed by Andy Sneap. On tour, the band was joined by second lead guitarist Steve Smyth, formerly of Vicious Rumors and Testament; Smyth was eventually added to the line-up on a permanent basis.


title: Nevermore

text: A sixth album, "This Godless Endeavor", was released in July 2005. Nevermore then toured on Dave Mustaine's Gigantour during the summer of 2005. In 2006, they toured with Disturbed and also as direct support to In Flames on the second leg of its North American tour.


title: Nevermore

text: 2006 held a bit of bad luck for Nevermore, as bassist Jim Sheppard underwent a procedure for Crohn's disease, which he has suffered from for over 15 years, and guitarist Steve Smyth was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, and had to get a kidney transplant. Warrel Dane had previously developed type 2 diabetes, and the band was forced to cancel their show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 13, 2006, due to an unspecified illness afflicting Dane.


title: Nevermore

text: On September 12, 2006, Nevermore was supposed to record its first full-length DVD live at the Zeche club in Bochum, Germany. This event was to be captured by 7 cameras and the live recording was to be produced by Andy Sneap. However, according to Nevermore's official website, on the day of the show, Warrel Dane fell ill with an infection, eventually resulting in the necessity of seeing a doctor at a hospital in Dortmund, Germany. Doctors insisted that he be kept at the hospital and the show was canceled that evening. Apologetic to their fans, Nevermore agreed with the local venue to perform the show on October 11, 2006. The double DVD set would also include a Nevermore documentary, all of the band's promo videos and past recordings from their 11-year career. The DVD was released on October 20, 2008, and is entitled "The Year of the Voyager".


title: Nevermore

text: On August 30, 2007, it was announced that Steve Smyth would no longer be a member of the band, citing personal and business reasons for the departure. He stated that he would also be touring with Danish metal band Hatesphere as they supported Behemoth and later Dimmu Borgir, and would also be working on the release of The Esseness Project, an all-instrumental progressive rock album. Dane and Loomis entered the studio, each to record a solo album. Dane recorded "Praises to the War Machine" and Loomis recorded "Zero Order Phase", both released in 2008. Later that year, the band released their first-ever live concert CD/DVD titled "The Year of the Voyager", the only release to feature veteran touring guitarist Chris Broderick, who departed to join Megadeth.


title: Nevermore

text: In an interview with Komodo Rock published in July, Jeff Loomis said that "I actually have six or seven songs already for the new Nevermore record. I'm about half way there, and we're going to be going into the studio probably some time in the early fall." Nevermore were one of the first bands to be confirmed for Wacken Open Air 2009, where they performed alongside many bands including Motörhead, DragonForce, and HammerFall. Nevermore entered the studio in August with producer and Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers to record their long-awaited 7th album "The Obsidian Conspiracy." The recording was completed in October 2009 and was released June 8, 2010, in America, and May 31, 2010, in the EU On June 1, 2010, Nevermore announced a North American Tour in Fall with openers Warbringer, Hatesphere, and Blackguard.


title: Nevermore

text: On April 11, 2011, Nevermore canceled their scheduled North American tour with Symphony X. Later on April 21, 2011, longtime and founding members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams announced their departure from Nevermore, citing personal and musical differences. In addition, on May 3, 2011, it was announced that Nevermore had canceled their entire Australian tour. However, in July 2011, Warrel Dane announced that Nevermore had not broken up, and his main focus was on Sanctuary. Dane also mentioned that it would be difficult to continue Nevermore without Jeff Loomis. Both Loomis and Dane talked about the possibility of a reunion, the latter citing that the band split amicably. Dane went on to say in a later interview, that while he wanted to do another Nevermore record, he would not do it without Loomis.


title: Nevermore

text: On December 13, 2017, Dane died of a heart attack in São Paulo, Brazil, at the age of 56, putting an end to any possibilities of a Nevermore reunion. Former guitarist Tim Calvert died on April 30, 2018, of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 52.


title: Nevermore

text: Nevermore's main sound is difficult to categorize, containing various styles such as progressive metal, power metal, modern hard rock, classic heavy metal, and thrash metal. They also have used death metal traits such as low-tuned and fast-paced riffing. The press have used several other genres to describe Nevermore's sound including groove metal and progressive metal. In an interview on The Hard Report, singer Warrel Dane casually remarked "...power metal, or whatever Metal this is." However, in an interview at Metalmania in 2006, Dane did not explicitly disagree with the many genres the band has been put in over the years, but he stated "I don't think we're power metal."


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Lake County is situated in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Waukegan, the tenth-largest city in Illinois. The county is primarily suburban, with some urban areas and some rural areas. Due to its location, immediately north of Cook County, Lake County is one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its northern boundary is the Wisconsin state line.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: According to the 2010 census, Lake County is the second wealthiest county in the state by per capita income, after DuPage County. Additionally, Lake County ranks as the 27th wealthiest county in the nation. The county includes the affluent North Shore communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Highland Park, and much of the county's wealth is concentrated in this area, as well as in communities bordering Cook County to the south and McHenry County to the west. The north and northwest areas of the county, though historically rural and exurban, have experienced rapid suburbanization in the past three decades, while the lakefront communities of Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion are post-industrial areas and majority non-white.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Naval Station Great Lakes is located in the city of North Chicago. It is the United States Navy's Headquarters Command for training, and the Navy's only recruit training center.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The county, which was primarily unsettled prairie and was still home to its native Potawatomi Indians, was created by the Illinois State Legislature in 1839. At that time, Libertyville, then known as Independence Grove, was the first county seat. In 1841, however, the county's residents voted to move the county government to Little Fort, now Waukegan, where the commissioners had purchased a section of land from the state. Lake County's first courthouse was built on part of that land in 1844 and the remainder was sold to pay for the $4,000 construction cost.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The county's first courthouse was used solely for court sessions and the jail, but in 1853, commissioners constructed a building to accommodate county administration offices and house records. When fire damaged the courthouse on October 19, 1875, the county records were saved because they were in the adjacent building.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: After the fire, proposals were made to move the county seat to Highland Park, Libertyville or another site in central Lake County. The county commissioners, however, decided to rebuild in Waukegan. The east half of the building was reconstructed at a cost of $45,000. In 1895, the first jail building was added to the government complex and a west addition was added to the courthouse in 1922. By 1938, county commissioners saw a need for additional space and approved the addition of a 5th Floor. This courthouse, however, was demolished in 1967 to make room for a new high-rise administration building, which was completed with the addition of the jail in 1969 and courts in 1970.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Shortly thereafter, the Lake County Board commissioned the construction of a multi-faceted justice facility and ground was broken in 1986 for the Robert H. Babcox Justice Center, named in memory of Sheriff Babcox, who served as Lake County Sheriff from 1982 to 1988. The justice center, which houses the county jail, work release program, sheriff's administration offices and three courtrooms, was finished in 1989 at a cost of $29.6 million.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Additional county government facilities have been built or expanded throughout Lake County, including the Coroner's Office, Health Department/Community Health Center facilities, Division of Transportation, Public Works and Winchester House. Lake County government services extend throughout the county's .


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The historic Half Day Inn, a tavern/restaurant, was constructed in 1843. This structure, once located at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Rte. 45/Old Half Day Road, was one of the oldest structures in Lake County until it was demolished in 2007 to make way for retail space, condominiums, and a retention pond.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (67.6%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by total area and the only one that has more water area than land area. Most of the water is in Lake Michigan.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Lake County's forest preserves and natural areas are administered by the Lake County Forest Preserves district. These facilities include traditional nature preserves, such as the Ryerson Conservation Area, as well as golf courses and historic homes, such as the Adlai Stevenson historic home. A long north–south string of the preserves in Lake County, including Half Day Woods, Old School Forest Preserve, Independence Grove, and Van Patten Woods, form the Des Plaines River Greenway, which contains the Des Plaines River Trail, a popular place for walking, running, and biking. Lake County is also home to Illinois Beach State Park, featuring over six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, as well as dune areas, wetlands, prairie, and black oak savanna. Several local environmental groups operate in Lake County, such as Conserve Lake County and Citizens for Conservation, working to improve habitat. Volunteer opportunities also exist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Lake County's County Road system currently covers 300 miles of road. The county also employs two different numbering systems, a County Route system and a County Highway system. While both systems' can be seen on official road maps only the County Route designations have been indicated with highway markers on traffic signals or dedicated poles.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The County Route system in use today by Lake County was purportedly intended to be the dominant system for all of Illinois' counties and was proposed by the National Association of Counties (NACo), however their system was not chosen and instead each county was given the freedom to number their own county routes as well as choose whether or not to produce and display highway markers. Currently, only Lake County, Boone County, McHenry County, and Cook County use NACo's proposed numbering system, and of the four only Lake and McHenry Counties chose to fully display the County Route designations on highway markers. Cook County began to roll out the production of highway markers near the beginning of 2009 however the seemingly arbitrary numbering system as well as the cost to produce the markers resulted in a lot of confusion and backlash, and ultimately only some of the markers were produced and mounted.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: For Lake County, all North—South-bound County Routes begin with an "A", while East—West-bound County Routes on the western half of the county begin with a "V", and those located eastern half begin with a "W".


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: "Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race."


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: As of the 2010 Census, there were 703,462 people, 241,712 households, and 179,428 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 260,310 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 75.1% white, 7.0% black or African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 8.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 19.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.5% were German, 12.9% were Irish, 9.4% were Polish, 6.9% were Italian, 6.5% were English, and 4.0% were American.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Of the 241,712 households, 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.31. The median age was 36.7 years.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The median income for a household in the county was $78,948 and the median income for a family was $91,693. Males had a median income of $62,042 versus $44,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,120. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: According to 2019 US Census Bureau American Community Survey one-year estimates (which is conducted annually for cities over 65,000 via sampling), the population of Lake County, Illinois was 74.2% White (60.3% Non-Hispanic White and 13.9% Hispanic White), 6.8% Black or African American, 8.0% Asian, 0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.4% Some Other Race, and 3.3% from two or more races. The White population continues to remain the largest racial category as Hispanics in Lake County primarily identify as White (62.1%) with others identifying as Some Other Race (31.7%), Multiracial (3.7%), Black (1.1%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (1.2%), Asian (0.2%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%). By ethnicity, 22.4% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 77.6% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a separate category, Hispanics are the largest minority group in Lake County, Illinois. Majority of Hispanic/ Latino residents in Lake County, Illinois are of Mexican descent. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, and South Americans also reside in Lake County, Illinois.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: As a historic Yankee settlement, Lake County was initially a stronghold of the Free Soil Party. In the 1848 presidential election, it was Free Soil nominee and former President Martin van Buren’s strongest county, giving him over 58 percent of the vote.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Consequently, Lake County would turn rock-solid Republican for most of the next century and a half. After narrowly supporting Democrat Franklin Pierce in 1852, it voted Republican at all but one presidential election from 1856 to 1960. This tradition was only broken in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Lake County voted for Progressive Party nominee and former President Theodore Roosevelt over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: In 1964 the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater, whose hostility to the Yankee establishment and strongly conservative platform were sufficient to leave many traditional Republicans to stay home or even to vote for Lyndon Johnson, who narrowly became the first Democrat to win an absolute majority in the county since James K. Polk in 1844, and the first to win it at all since Pierce in 1852. Between 1968 and 1988, however, Lake County became powerfully Republican once more, with no Democrat cracking forty percent of the vote.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: However, as in the other collar counties, the Republican edge narrowed considerably in the 1990s, and Bill Clinton actually won it with a 166-vote plurality in 1996–the only time that Clinton won any of the collar counties besides Will County during his two campaigns for president. After narrowly voting for George W. Bush twice, in 2008 it swung over dramatically to support Democrat and then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who carried it by almost 20 points. Obama won it but by a slimmer margin in 2012. Hillary Clinton won it handily in 2016, tallying her second-best margin in the state. At 36%, Donald Trump's performance in the county was the worst of any Republican presidential nominee since 1912. In 2020, Joe Biden won 61% of the vote, the highest percentage of the vote for any candidate since 1988 and the highest ever attained by a Democrat.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Lake County has the highest payout for wrongful conviction in the United States. Juan Rivera was awarded $20 million, the largest wrongful conviction settlement in United States history, including $2 million from John E. Reid & Associates, who were known for the Reid technique of questioning suspects. This technique has been widely criticized for its history of eliciting confessions that were later determined to be false. Rivera was questioned twice at Reid headquarters by an employee of the company during his interrogation, which lasted for several days. Another payout was made to Jerry Hobbs. Kathleen Zellner settled Jerry Hobbs' civil rights case for $7.75 million. Hobbs was incarcerated for 66 months. This was the largest pre-trial detainee settlement in the United States.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: Lake County is covered in the Chicago media market and the county relies on Chicago television stations, radio stations, and newspapers for the source of its news and information.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The Lake County News-Sun, owned by Tribune Publishing, is the county's main print newspaper. It is printed and published in Gurnee.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: "Lake and McHenry County Scanner", launched in 2012 by Sam Borcia, is the county's biggest digital newspaper which covers Lake County as well as nearby McHenry County, Illinois. The publication's work has been quoted in top news outlets such as Fox News and Yahoo! News.


title: Lake County, Illinois

text: The following is a list of school districts with any territory in Lake County, no matter how slight, even if the school districts' administrative headquarters and/or schools are outside of the county:


title: China's final warning

text: "China's final warning" () is a Russian proverb that originated as a Soviet political joke in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, referring to a warning that carries no real consequences.


title: China's final warning

text: Relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States during the 1950s and 1960s were strained due to the Taiwan Strait issues. American military fighter jets regularly patrolled the Taiwan Strait, which led to formal protests being regularly lodged by the Chinese Communist Party in the form of a "final warning", for their fighter maneuvers in the strait. However, no real consequences were given for ignoring the "final warnings".


title: China's final warning

text: The People's Republic of China released its first "final warning" to the United States for their reconnaissance flights on 7 September 1958, during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. At the time, the United States considered the Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China and conducted reconnaissance flights in waters controlled by the People's Republic of China. China would then record such incidents, and issue a "final warning" through diplomatic channels for each incident that occurred. More than 900 Chinese "final warnings" had been issued by the end of 1964. During the Taiwan Straits Conflicts from 14 March 1950 to 13 January 1967, at least 1 United States Air Force aircraft and 37 Republic of China Air Force aircraft were shot down by People's Liberation Army Air Force, People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force, and PLA anti-aircraft units.


title: China's final warning

text: Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the proverb has retained its use as a common metaphorical catchphrase within the post-Soviet countries, especially in Estonia.


title: China's final warning

text: It saw usage in English-language social media during the leadup to Nancy Pelosi's 2022 visit to Taiwan to refer to China's threats which are superficially strong, but actually weak.


title: Kaye Ballard

text: Ballard was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four children born to Italian immigrant parents, Lena (née Nacarato) and Vincenzo (later Vincent James) Balotta. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Calabria, a region of southern Italy.


title: Kaye Ballard

text: Ballard established herself as a musical comedian in the 1940s, joining the Spike Jones touring revue of entertainers. Capable of playing broad physical comedy as well as stand-up dialogue routines, she became familiar in television and stage productions. Ballard made her television debut on "Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt", a short-lived program hosted by Henry Morgan which first aired January 26, 1951. In 1954, she was the first person to record the song "Fly Me to the Moon".


title: Kaye Ballard

text: In 1957, she and Alice Ghostley played the two wicked stepsisters in the live telecast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella", starring Julie Andrews in the title role. During the 1961–1963 television seasons, Ballard was a regular on "The Perry Como Show", as part of the Kraft Music Hall Players, along with Don Adams, Paul Lynde and Sandy Stewart. In 1962, she released the LP "Peanuts", on which she played Lucy van Pelt from the comic strip namesake of the album (with Arthur Siegel playing Charlie Brown), and dramatizing a series of vignettes drawn from the strip's archive. In 1964, she had a guest role on "The Patty Duke Show", playing a teacher for would-be models. From 1967 to 1969, she co-starred as Kaye Buell, a woman whose son marries her next door neighbor's daughter, in the sitcom "The Mothers-in-Law", with Eve Arden playing her neighbour. From 1970 to 1972, she appeared as a regular on "The Doris Day Show", playing restaurant owner Angie Pallucci. She made appearances on the game show "Match Game". In 1977, she was a guest star on "The Muppet Show". She also appeared on the television series "Alice", in which she played a kleptomaniac and phony medium as well as "Daddy Dearest", where she guest-starred opposite Richard Lewis and Don Rickles.


title: Kaye Ballard

text: Ballard starred on Broadway as Helen in "The Golden Apple" (1954) introducing the song "Lazy Afternoon". She portrayed Ruth in Joseph Papp's "The Pirates of Penzance", Rosalie in "Carnival!" and the title role in "Molly", an unsuccessful musical adaptation of the popular radio serial "The Goldbergs". She created the role of the Countess and closed out-of-town in Marc Blitzstein's "Reuben, Reuben", and played Ruth Sherwood in "Wonderful Town" at New York City Center in 1963.


title: Kaye Ballard

text: In Long Beach, California, she played Mama Morton in "Chicago" and fought with a vacuum cleaner as Pauline in "No, No, Nanette". In 1998, she played Hattie Walker in the Paper Mill Playhouse's acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies". In 2005, she appeared in a road-company production of "Nunsense", written by Dan Goggin. The following year, she completed her autobiography "How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years".


title: Kaye Ballard

text: She appeared in "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" as Madam A-Go-Go, a mysterious fortune teller who appears in the episode "Fortune Teller". She also performed with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California.


title: Kaye Ballard

text: In December 2010, she, Donna McKechnie and Liliane Montevecchi starred in a production of "From Broadway with Love", staged at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ballard was in the 2012 cabaret show "Doin' It for Love", which premiered in Austin, Texas at the Paramount Theatre. Starring Ballard and Montevecchi, the cast included Broadway dancer Lee Roy Reams. (The Austin performance benefited the Texas Humane Legislation Network.) The show then went on to play in Los Angeles on March 8 and 10, 2012. Ballard announced her official retirement in 2015 at the age of 89.


title: Kaye Ballard

text: Ballard died at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, on January 21, 2019, at the age of 93. The cause was kidney cancer, according to a friend.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Puerto Peñasco () is a small city located in Puerto Peñasco Municipality in the northwest of the Mexican state of Sonora, from the border with the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,689 inhabitants. It is located on the northern shores of the Sea of Cortez on the small strip of land that joins the Baja California Peninsula with the rest of Mexico. The area is part of the Altar Desert, one of the driest and hottest areas of the larger Sonoran Desert.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Since the late 1990s, there has been a push to develop the area for tourism. It is now one of the most important tourist destinations in northern Mexico. Puerto Peñasco is often called "Rocky Point" in English, and has been nicknamed "Arizona’s Beach" as it is the closest beach to cities such as Phoenix and Tucson. The warm sea surface temperatures of the northern end of the gulf causes Puerto Peñasco to have a much warmer climate than coastal cities on the Pacific both in the Mexican and American Californias. Nights also remain hot and muggy during summer due to the warm-water influence.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: The Mar de Cortés International Airport serves Puerto Penasco, but currently has no regularly-scheduled flights in or out. The new highway shortens the drive from California by . Tourism and fishing are the most important economic activities for the city. Development to date includes over one hundred restaurants, forty-two hotels and motels, and fourteen RV facilities. The new "Home Port del Mar de Cortés" (Sea of Cortez) cruise ship terminal began construction in 2014 between Sandy Beach and Cholla Bay (La Choya), northwest of the central city. The construction has been suspended for financial reasons.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: The city is known by two names, Puerto Peñasco (rocky cliff port) in Spanish and Rocky Point in English. In 1826, retired Robert William Hale Hardy of the British Royal Navy was sailing in this area searching for pearls and precious metals. He named the area Rocky Point and it was identified as Rocky Point on marine maps until President Lázaro Cárdenas changed it to Puerto Punta Peñasco. To simplify pronunciation, the English name lost the word “Port” and the Spanish name dropped “Punta”.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Prior to the 1920s, the area was just one of the safe harbors for wandering fisherman who worked the upper Gulf of California. During fishing seasons, fishermen from Guaymas, Bahía Kino, Puerto Libertad, and Puerto Lobos began to come here to camp out. The main attraction for these fishermen was a fish called totoaba, which was fished not for its meat, but for its use in medicine. At this time the area was known as Punta de Piedra o Punta Peñasco. The name comes from a large quantity of solidified lava that hit the Gulf. Even as early as the 19th century, fishermen from Arizona came here. Since there was no source of drinking water, it was not settled permanently.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: In the 1930s, under President Lázaro Cárdenas, a railroad was built to connect Baja California to the rest of Mexico, passing by Puerto Peñasco. The town began to grow again, adding a police delegation in 1932, as a dependency of the nearby municipality of Sonoyta, even though the town was part of the municipality of Caborca. The railroad line created new population centers and the initial layout of the city and port of Puerto Peñasco was begun in the 1940s. During this same time shrimp fishing was having an impact on the local economy.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: In 1952, Puerto Peñasco separated from the municipality of Caborca and comprised the localities of Sonoyta, Bahía La Choya, 21 de Marzo and Cuauhtémoc. Sonoyta was the second largest population center at the time. In 1989, the municipality of Plutarco Elías Calles was split from Puerto Peñasco.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Until the 1990s, there had been little tourism here except for campers and fishermen. The municipality's pristine beaches with clear waters stretched for a hundred miles north or south with almost no development. The push to make Puerto Peñasco or Rocky Point a major tourism center was initiated in 1993, with the government joining with private investors to build condominiums and other facilities. The goal has been to take advantage of the area's proximity to the United States.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Much of the inspiration for the effort came from the success of Cancún, which was a nearly virgin beach before a government/private venture developed it. Another reason to look to tourism was the declining catches of fishermen here, due to overfishing and pollution. The federal government contributed two billion pesos in infrastructure, especially roadways and an airport and the area was declared a free zone, meaning foreigners could visit the area without a visa (although a passport is still needed). There was some economic instability in 1994 and 1995, but it did not derail development here for long, coming back by 1999. Between 2002 and 2007 economic growth was at twelve percent. The local real estate market started to go bust in 2007 due to the economic slowdown in the United States.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: The oldest part of the town was founded between the edge of the sea and Ballena Hill. The base of the area is volcanic rock, much of it solidified lava flows from when ancient eruptions met the ocean. To promote tourism here, the city was declared to be part of the border “free zone” although it is about from the U.S. This means that foreigners can drive from the U.S. to Puerto Peñasco without obtaining visas. This makes the area attractive to visitors from Arizona, California, and Nevada. In a relatively short time, Puerto Peñasco has become a major tourist center. It contains numerous hotels as well as RV and primitive camping sites. Puerto Peñasco is described as "by far the most American city in Mexico" and "Arizona’s beach", with Tucson, Phoenix, and Yuma closer than the Mexican cities of Mexicali and Hermosillo. Most visitors come for the beaches and to fish. The annual fishing festival begins on Navy Day on June 1. These celebrations feature mariachis, folklorico dance, and a festival queen. Another fishing tournament is sponsored by the La Choya Bay Club. Beaches here include Sandy Beach, Las Conchas, El Mirador, La Choya, Playa Encanto, Estero de Morúa, Playa La Joya, Playa Miramar, and Playa San Jorge. Sandy Beach is noted for its sand which is a light brown color. One attraction of the beaches is the tidal pools. Tides here can raise and lower the sea on the relatively flat land up to . Low tide reveals a large number of tidal pools in the craters of the rocky coast. In these pools there used to be large numbers of crabs, starfish, and other marine life. There is also an estuary by the name of Morúa east of the community of Las Conchas. Here live thousands of birds, including migratory species.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: A large number of beachfront condominiums have been built in this area including Las Conchas, Sandy Beach Resorts, Costa Diamante, Las Palomas Beach and Golf Resort, Sonoran Sea, Bella Sirena, and Las Palmas. The first condos, Las Conchas and Bahías Choya, were built in the far southeast and far northwest respectively. Interest in property here has been unexpectedly strong, prompting further developments such as Sandy Beach. This development has plans for a golf course, malls, marinas and more condos.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: The airport is a joint government and private enterprise project which was inaugurated in 2008 and has a daily capacity of 2,000 passengers.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Puerto Peñasco is a popular destination for spring break, especially for high school and college students from Arizona and California for both its proximity and its 18-year-old legal drinking age.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: The Universidad de Sonora has its Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (Scientific and Technological Research Center) as well as its Centro de Estudios del Desierto (Center for Desert Studies) here which are open to visitors. These institutions started as a joint project with the Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Arizona in 1963 to develop methods of desalinization of sea water. In 1973 and 1974, the Unidad Experimental Peñasco was founded to research the raising of blue shrimp or Penaeus stylirostris. This project has been the leader in the development of shrimp farming techniques in Mexico. The CET-MAR Aquarium is a marine research center open to the public with displays of marine life such as turtles, octopus, and numerous fish species.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Many residents are from the United States or Canada. Most restaurants offer menus in English, and most businesses accept U.S. dollars. Puerto Peñasco is popular with retirees, especially those from the United States and Canada who have trailers and RVs. However, there are retirees here from all over the world. The town also has newspapers in English.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: The city of Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) is found in the northwest of the Mexican state of Sonora, a state that is located directly to the south of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is located on the eastern coast of the Gulf of California approximately 60 miles south of the Arizonan border, only about a four-hour drive from Phoenix or Tucson. The city's maximum elevation is 100 meters (328 feet) above sea level and its minimum is 0 meters (0 feet) above sea level. It is found in the Sonoran Desert, a desert which stretches from the U.S. states of Arizona and California down to the northern tip of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Because of this, its climate reaches extreme temperatures during the summer and relatively high temperatures in the winter. The city itself is relatively flat, with the exception of Ballena hill that is found near its port. Further, remnants of ancient volcanoes can be found on the beaches of Puerto Peñasco and several dormant volcano peaks can be seen throughout the entire state.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Puerto Peñasco has a desert climate (Köppen climate classification "BWh") with an average of 10 days of rain per year. The average yearly high temperature is , but temperatures of are very common in the summer months. The average yearly low temperature is , and frosts are rare. Though very rare, it is possible for a tropical storm or hurricane to reach the northern Gulf of California and cause significant damage. Hurricane Kathleen in 1976, Hurricane Nora in 1997, and Hurricane Rosa in 2018 were the last hurricanes to hit Puerto Peñasco. Due to the influence of the Gulf waters, summers are moderated compared to inland areas in both Sonora and Arizona to its north in terms of air temperature, although the apparent temperature remains very hot due to high humidity.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: As of 2020, the city of Puerto Peñasco has a total of 62,689 inhabitants, making it the eighth largest locality in the state. The population of the town has doubled since the year 2000, due to the developments in tourism.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: According to data provided by the 2010 census, approximately 2.65% of the population over the age of 15 are illiterate. And about 15.02% of the same age do not have a basic primary education. About 3.48% of children between the ages of 6 and 14 do not attend any type of institution of education. Furthermore, about 36.73% of inhabitants over the age of 15 did not finish their primary education, and about 31.74% of the population is not inscribed in any government health service. However, since 2010 Puerto Peñasco has been among the healthiest cities in the state.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Puerto Peñasco is full of educational institutions ranging from elementary schools to universities. The city also houses several private schools and trade schools. Since 2015, the following have been registered in the municipality.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: ·     A school that specializes in special education of public character and administration for the Federal Government.


title: Puerto Peñasco

text: Puerto Peñasco also has two General Hospitals, a Center of Urban Health, a Hospital of Social Insurance, a Family Medical Unit of the IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute), as well as many clinics and private consults all around the city.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Ustad Ghulam Ali (; 5 December 1940) is a Pakistani ghazal singer of the Patiala Gharana. He has also been a prominent playback singer in Bollywood. Ghulam Ali was a disciple of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (elder Ghulam Ali Khan). Ali was also trained by Bade Ghulam Ali's younger brothers – Barkat Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Ghulam Ali is considered to be one of the best ghazal singers of his era. His style and variations in singing Ghazals has been noted as unique, as he blends Hindustani classical music with ghazals, unlike any other ghazal singer. Highly popular in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, as well as among South Asian diaspora in the US, the UK and the Middle Eastern countries.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Many of his hit ghazals have been used in Bollywood movies. His famous ghazals are "Chupke Chupke Raat Din", "Kal Chaudhvin Ki Raat Thi", "Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa", Chamakte Chand Ko, "Kiya Hai Pyar Jisé", "May Nazar Sé Pee Raha Hoon", "Mastana Peeyé", "Yé dil yé pagal dil", "Apni Dhun Mein Rehta Hoon" a ghazal by Nasir Kazmi, "Ham Ko Kiske Gham Ne Maara". His recent album "Hasratein" was nominated in the Best Ghazal Album category at Star GIMA Awards 2014. He was married to Afsana Ali and has a daughter Manjari Ghulam Ali.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: In 2015, due to protest by Shiv Sena at Mumbai, his concert was cancelled. After this, he received invitations from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. After this cancellation, he performed at Lucknow, India., New Delhi and in Trivandrum, and Kozhikode, Kerala, India.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: In a news item reported in 2015, Ghulam Ali has said that he won't perform in India until situation is right for music.He, however, assured that he will visit India when ‘the atmosphere is right.’ He said that he does not want to be used for political mileage.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: His name 'Ghulam Ali' was given by his father, a great fan of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who, in the past, used to live in Lahore. Ghulam Ali had always been listening to Khan since childhood.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Ghulam Ali encountered Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, for the first time, when he was in his early teens. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan had toured Kabul, Afghanistan and, on the way back to India, Ghulam Ali's father requested the Ustad to take his son as a disciple. But Khan insisted that since he was hardly in town, regular training wouldn't be possible. But after repeated requests from Ghulam Ali's father, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan asked the young Ghulam Ali to sing something. It wasn't easy to have the courage to sing before him. He mustered the courage to sing the Thumri "Saiyyan Bolo Tanik Mose Rahiyo Na Jaye..". After he finished, Ustad hugged him and made him his disciple.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Ghulam Ali started singing for Radio Pakistan, Lahore in 1960. Along with singing ghazals, Ghulam Ali composes music for his ghazals. His compositions are raga-based and sometimes include a scientific mixture of ragas. He is known for blending gharana-gaayaki into ghazal and this gives his singing the capability to touch people's hearts. He sings Punjabi songs too. Many of his Punjabi songs have been popular and have been part of Punjab's own cultural diaspora. Though from Pakistan, Ghulam Ali remains as popular in India as in Pakistan. Asha Bhosle has done joint music albums with him.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: He was introduced to Hindi cinema with a Hindi film song "Chupke Chupke Raat Din" written by the poet Hasrat Mohani in B. R. Chopra's film, "Nikaah" (1982). Other popular ghazals include Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa and "Awaargi". He tends to select the ghazals of famous poets.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: On being questioned about Pakistani pop groups, Ghulam Ali replied, "Frankly, I am really bewildered at their style of singing. How can you sing a song by running and jumping around the stage? The stage is meant for performing not for acrobatics."


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Ghulam Ali has also sung some Nepali ghazals like "Kina kina timro tasveer", "Gajalu tee thula thula aankha", "Lolaaeka tee thula" and "Ke chha ra diun" in Nepali language with Narayan Gopal, a well known Nepali singer, and composer "Deepak Jangam". Those songs were written by King Mahendra of Nepal. These songs were compiled in an album entitled "Narayan Gopal, Ghulam Ali Ra Ma", and are popular among Nepali music lovers to this day.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: One of his memorable concerts was at the Taj Mahal. On being asked about the future of ghazal singers, he said he enjoyed popular ghazal singer Adithya Srinivasan's ghazals, who performed the opening act at his concert in 2012 at Bangalore.


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Recently, in February 2013, the maestro became the first person to receive the Bade Ghulam Ali Khan award. Commenting on this, he said," I am indebted to the Indian government for giving me this award. For me, it is the greatest award I have received because it is named after my guru."


title: Ghulam Ali (singer)

text: Furthermore, Ghulam Ali was the singer of choice for His late Majesty the king of Nepal Mahendra Birbikram Shah Dev. Ghulam Ali sang a number of popular songs written by King Mahendra.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: The JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF) is an image file format standard published as ITU-T Recommendation T.871 and ISO/IEC 10918-5. It defines supplementary specifications for the container format that contains the image data encoded with the JPEG algorithm. The base specifications for a JPEG container format are defined in Annex B of the JPEG standard, known as JPEG Interchange Format (JIF). JFIF builds over JIF to solve some of JIF's limitations, including unnecessary complexity, component sample registration, resolution, aspect ratio, and color space. Because JFIF is not the original JPG standard, one might expect another mime-type. However, it is still registered as "image/jpeg" (indicating its primary data format rather than the amended information).


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: JFIF defines a number of details that are left unspecified by the JPEG Part 1 standard (ISO/IEC 10918-1, ITU-T Recommendation T.81.)


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: JPEG allows multiple components (such as Y, Cb, and Cr) to have different resolutions, but it does not define how those differing sample arrays (which render bitmaps) should be aligned. The information which produces pixels, is rendered with the expectation of indicating rectangles by their centeroid, rather than being pixel data directly, or being 'first corner and flood', etc. which is uncommon.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: The JPEG standard does not include any method of coding the resolution or aspect ratio of an image. JFIF provides resolution or aspect ratio information using an application segment extension to JPEG. It uses Application Segment #0, with a segment header consisting of the null-terminated string spelling "JFIF" in ASCII followed by a byte equal to 0, and specifies that this must be the first segment in the file, hence making it simple to recognize a JFIF file. Exif images recorded by digital cameras generally do not include this segment, but typically comply in all other respects with the JFIF standard.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: The JPEG standard used for the compression coding in JFIF files does not define which color encoding is to be used for images. JFIF defines the color model to be used: either Y for greyscale, or YCbCr derived from RGB color primaries as defined in CCIR 601 (now known as Rec. ITU-R BT.601), except with a different "full range" scaling of the Y, Cb and Cr components. Unlike the "studio range" defined in CCIR 601, in which black is represented by Y=16 and white by Y=235 and values outside of this range are available for signal processing "headroom" and "footroom", JFIF uses all 256 levels of the 8-bit representation, so that Y=0 for black and Y=255 for peak white. The RGB color primaries defined in JFIF via CCIR 601 also differ somewhat from what has become common practice in newer applications (e.g., they differ slightly from the color primaries defined in sRGB). Moreover, CCIR 601 (before 2007) did not provide a precise definition of the RGB color primaries; it relied instead on the underlying practices of the television industry.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: Color interpretation of a JFIF image may be improved by embedding an ICC profile, colorspace metadata, or an sRGB tag, and using an application that interprets this information.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: A JFIF file consists of a sequence of markers or marker segments (for details refer to JPEG, Syntax and structure). The markers are defined in part 1 of the JPEG Standard. Each marker consists of two bytes: an codice_1 byte followed by a byte which is not equal to codice_2 or codice_1 and specifies the type of the marker. Some markers stand alone, but most indicate the start of a marker segment that contains data bytes according to the following pattern:


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: The bytes "s1" and "s2" are taken together to represent a big-endian 16-bit integer specifying the length of the following "data bytes" plus the 2 bytes used to represent the length. In other words, "s1" and "s2" specify the number of the following "data bytes" as formula_1.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: According to part 1 of the JPEG standard, applications can use APP marker segments and define an application specific meaning of the data. In the JFIF standard, the following APP marker segments are defined:


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: The JFIF standard requires that the JFIF APP0 marker segment immediately follows the SOI marker. If a JFIF extension APP0 marker segment is used, it must immediately follow the JFIF APP0 marker segment. So a JFIF file will have the following structure:


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: In the mandatory JFIF APP0 marker segment the parameters of the image are specified. Optionally an uncompressed thumbnail can be embedded.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: Immediately following the JFIF APP0 marker segment may be a JFIF extension APP0 marker segment. This segment may only be present for JFIF versions 1.02 and above. It allows to embed a thumbnail image in 3 different formats.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: The newer Exchangeable image file format (Exif) is comparable to JFIF, but the two standards are mutually incompatible. This is because both standards specify that their particular application segment (APP0 for JFIF, APP1 for Exif) must immediately follow the SOI marker. In practice, many programs and digital cameras produce files with both application segments included. This will not affect the image decoding for most decoders, but poorly designed JFIF or Exif parsers may not recognise the file properly.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: JFIF is compatible with Adobe Photoshop's JPEG "Information Resource Block" extensions, and IPTC Information Interchange Model metadata, since JFIF does not preclude other application segments, and the Photoshop extensions are not required to be the first in the file. However, Photoshop generally saves CMYK buffers as four-component "Adobe JPEGs" that are not conformant with JFIF. Since these files are not in a YCbCr color space, they are typically not decodable by Web browsers and other Internet software.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: Development of the JFIF document was led by Eric Hamilton of C-Cube Microsystems, and agreement on the first version was established in late 1991 at a meeting held at C-Cube involving about 40 representatives of various computer, telecommunications, and imaging companies. Shortly afterwards, a minor revision was published — JFIF 1.01. For nearly 20 years, the latest version available was v1.02, published September 1, 1992.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: In 1996, RFC 2046 specified that the image format used for transmitting JPEG images across the internet should be JFIF. The MIME type of "image/jpeg" must be encoded as JFIF. In practice, however, virtually all Internet software can decode any baseline "JIF" image that uses Y or YCbCr components, whether it is JFIF compliant or not.


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: As time went by, C-Cube was restructured (and eventually devolved into Harmonic, LSI Logic, Magnum Semiconductor, Avago Technologies, Broadcom, and GigOptix, GigPeak, etc), and lost interest in the document, and the specification had no official publisher until it was picked up by Ecma International and the ITU-T/ISO/IEC Joint Photographic Experts Group around 2009 to avoid it being lost to history and provide a way to formally cite it in standard publications and improve its editorial quality. It was published by ECMA in 2009 as Technical Report number 98 to avoid loss of the historical record,


title: JPEG File Interchange Format

text: and by ISO/IEC in 2013 as ISO/IEC 10918-5, The newer publications included editorial improvements but no substantial technical changes.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), and Karen Clark Sheard (born 1960). The Clark Sisters are the daughters of gospel musician and choral director Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. They are credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream and are considered pioneers of contemporary gospel.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Their biggest hits include "Is My Living in Vain", "Praise the Lord (Hallelujah)", "I Can Do All Things Through Christ That Strengthens Me", "A Praying Spirit", "Nothing to Lose, All to Gain", "Endow Me", "Jesus Is a Love Song", "Ha-Ya (Eternal Life)", "Pure Gold", "Expect Your Miracle", and their biggest, mainstream crossover hit, "You Brought the Sunshine".


title: The Clark Sisters

text: As a group, the Clark Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and are the highest-selling female gospel group in history. In 2020, it was announced that the Clark Sisters would be honored with the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th Annual Stellar Awards. In 2022, the group was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Clark Sisters were born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, to gospel choir director and musician Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. Dr. Clark was married twice: her first marriage in 1945 to Leo H. Cullum, Sr. produced two children, Leo, Jr. and Jacqueline (Jacky). After her divorce, she met and later married Pastor Elbert Clark in 1952. This marriage produced four daughters: Denise, Elbernita (Twinkie), Dorinda, and Karen. They each began singing at an early age in the choir at their father's Church of God in Christ, and by the late 1960s they were all performing together in church services, usually singing songs written and arranged by their mother. Shortly after the Clarks' divorce in 1973, Dr. Clark formally created "the Clark Sisters" and the sisters recorded their first album, "Jesus Has a Lot to Give", on their uncle (their mother's younger brother) Bill Moss' local label Billesse Records. The first television appearance of the Clark Sisters was on "TV Gospel Time".


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The following year, "Dr. Mattie Moss Clark Presents the Clark Sisters" was released and people around Detroit began to take notice of the group. The Clark Sisters signed to Sound of Gospel Records in 1974. Under this association, the group released albums such as "Unworthy", "Count It All Joy", and "He Gave Me Nothing to Lose", which hit the top 20 of the "Billboard" Spiritual LPs chart. By this point, Dr. Clark had turned over control of the group to Twinkie, who continued to write, arrange, conduct, and produce all of the Clark Sisters' recordings. Their popularity soared with the release of the live recording "Is My Living in Vain", in 1980. Their debut live recording was first ranked on the 1981 "Billboard" Spiritual Albums year-end chart at number 21, before topping the year-end Spiritual Albums chart of 1982. Opening with the bluesy title track, each sister vocally declares that their dedication to Christ is not a useless effort. The innovative "Ha-Ya (Eternal Life)" was funky enough to find its way into a Tonex-produced track over two decades later. Karen Clark's lead on "Speak Lord" expresses deep faith while the call to worship is raised on "Now Is the Time". Another hit from this release, "Expect Your Miracle", is still a staple in African American churches across the country.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Their next release, "You Brought the Sunshine" (1981), became successful due to its title track. Reminiscent of Stevie Wonder's "Master Blaster (Jammin')", the song became a hit in churches and on dance floors across the country, including New York's Studio 54. "You Brought the Sunshine (Into My Life)" was picked up from its original independent gospel record label Sound of Gospel and distributed by both Westbound Records and Elektra Records. In 1983, the song peaked at number 16 on "Billboard" Black Singles, number 27 on Dance Club Songs and in 2020 – the "" (2007) recording – hit number 11 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart. The album was also a commercial success, peaking at number nine on the US Top Gospel Albums chart and also appeared on both the 1983 and 1984 year-end charts at number two and 25 respectively. Furthermore, "Billboard" ranked The Clark Sisters as the number-four Top Gospel Albums Artist of 1982 and number-one Top Gospel Albums Artist of 1983.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The sisters delivered another album in 1982, "Sincerely", which included "Name It, Claim It" and the politically charged "World". Though its success was overshadowed by "You Brought the Sunshine", the sisters received their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group for the album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards. Shortly after winning the Grammy nomination, the Clark Sisters won the NAACP Image Award for best gospel group for 1983. After receiving a second Grammy nomination in the Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group category for the song, "He'll Turn Your Scars into Stars" – later included on the album "Heart & Soul" (1986) – the sisters were invited to perform live on the following 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985, alongside their mother, where they performed "Hallelujah" as part of a medley with the year's fellow gospel nominees.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: In 1986, after a four-year gap between releases, the sisters Jacky, Twinkie, Dorinda, and Karen (sister Denise left the group earlier that year) continued to release music, signing with Rejoice Records, a division of Word. This new deal yielded the Grammy-nominated "Heart & Soul", featuring the mainstream single "Time Out". This project made a top-five debut on Billboard's Gospel Charts and garnered the group a Dove Award. It featured the original versions of "Jesus Is a Love Song", "There Is a Balm in Gilead", and "Pray for the USA", all of which have been re-recorded several times. Although not pictured, Denise had contributed to the album before her departure but was later removed from the album. The music took on a more contemporary sound with programmed drums and synthesizers. Also included on this album were "Smile, God Loves You", "I Am Blessed", and the funky "He'll Turn Your Scars into Stars".


title: The Clark Sisters

text: In 1988, The Clark Sisters released their "Billboard" chart-topping and critically acclaimed album "Conqueror". It featured a bolder, more intense sound, with synthesizers, drum machines, and more funk-oriented beats. "Conqueror" quickly became a fan favorite with hits like "The Darkest Hour Is Just Before the Day", "Take Me Higher", "For the Love of the People", "Computers Rule the World", and the original studio version of "Jesus Forevermore".


title: The Clark Sisters

text: In 1989, The Clark Sisters released their live album, "Bringing It Back Home", recorded in their home town of Detroit. It was the last recording from The Clark Sisters on Word Records' Rejoice imprint and the last group album with Twinkie just before the launch of her solo career. The album included both previous hits and new material. It also featured guest appearances from Rance Allen and backing choir vocals from the Michigan State Choir under the direction of their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: In 1994, The Clark Sisters (Jacky, Dorinda, and Karen) released their last studio album of the decade, "Miracle", which was the first album recorded without the songwriting and vocals of sister Twinkie. Produced by BeBe Winans and Michael J. Powell, this disc featured a commercialized version of the Clark Sisters classic "Expect Your Miracle" (now titled "Miracle") and a remake of "Jesus Is the Best Thing". Dorinda made her songwriting debut on a Clark Sisters recording with "Work to Do". The album, although it fared well in sales, did not match the success of previous albums due to the Clark Sisters not being able to tour and promote the project due to the illness of their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, who died in September 1994 from diabetes complications.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Following their last Word Records release, Twinkie resumed her calling as a minister and her solo career. She had previously released two solo albums under the Sound of Gospel Record label: 1979's "Praise Belongs to God" and 1981's "Ye Shall Receive Power". In 1992 she recorded her independent solo album "Comin' Home". She re-appeared in 1996 with a pair of albums to her credit: the solo studio release "The Masterpiece" for Ben Tankard's Tribute Records label and the live project "Twinkie Clark-Terrell Presents the Florida A&M University Gospel Choir". She later released the following albums: "Twinkie Clark & Friends: Live in Charlotte" in 2002, "Home Once Again: Live in Detroit" in 2004, "With Humility" in 2011, "Live & Unplugged" in 2015, and with her nephew Larry Clark (her sister Denise's oldest son) "The Generations" in 2020.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Karen delivered her solo debut "Finally Karen" in 1997. The album, featuring The Clark Sisters, Faith Evans, and daughter Kierra Sheard, was nominated for a Grammy Award, in addition to winning a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award. She has since released five more solo albums: "2nd Chance", "The Heavens Are Telling", "It's Not Over", "All in One", and "Destined to Win".


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Dorinda released her self-titled debut solo album, "Dorinda Clark-Cole" in 2002, earning her two Stellar Awards, and a Soul Train Lady of Soul award. She has since released four more solo albums: "Live in Houston" and "Take It Back", each of which have earned her the award for Female Vocalist of the Year at the Stellar Awards; "I Survived" in 2011, and in 2015, she released her fifth solo album, "Living It", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Jacky released her first solo project, "Expectancy", in 2005, which features The Clark Sisters on the track "Blessing Me". In 2014, she released an urban-inspired single, "My Season", followed by singles "Cover Me" and "Shout". In February 2020, she released a single "Feel Good", featuring Mary J. Blige and rapper Tia P.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Clark Sisters have all contributed in various capacities to each other's albums, whether they sang or wrote lyrics.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: On July 8, 2006, The Clark Sisters (Jacky, Twinkie, Dorinda, and Karen) recorded a live album in Houston, Texas, entitled "Live...One Last Time". The recording was directed and produced by Donald Lawrence and was released as a CD on April 10, 2007 on EMI Gospel, followed by a CD/DVD Special Edition release on June 19, 2007. In support of the reunion album, the Clark Sisters embarked on a 25-city concert tour beginning October 4, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. Though they had been thrice nominated previously for the Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy with 1982's "Sincerely", 1986's "Heart & Soul", and 1988's "Conqueror" without a win, the group was nominated for two Grammys in 2008. "Live...One Last Time" won the award for Best Traditional Gospel Album. Its album track "Blessed & Highly Favored" won the award for Best Gospel Performance, and as songwriter of "Blessed & Highly Favored," sister Karen Clark Sheard won the individual award for Best Gospel Song. Additionally, at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony featuring a gospel segment with Aretha Franklin, BeBe Winans, Israel & New Breed, and , the Clark Sisters performed a snippet of their signature hit "You Brought the Sunshine" when the ceremony was broadcast on February 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Following the group's resurgence in popularity, Rhino Entertainment released a greatest-hits collection including material from three albums recorded for Word Records from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, including the Grammy-nominated "Heart & Soul". The album, "Encore: The Best of the Clark Sisters", was released on February 12, 2008. In December of that year, TV One's popular hour-long music documentary series "Unsung" featured the Clark Sisters in its second episode. The episode, which highlighted the group's role in breaking down barriers in gospel music, featured interviews with each sister except sister Denise Clark Bradford, who since leaving the group, had relocated to California and had begun a ministry.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: In 2009, the Clark Sisters released their second Christmas album, entitled "The Clark Sisters' Family Christmas", which featured special appearances by Karen's daughter Kierra Sheard, and their cousins Bill Moss, Jr. and James Moss (known as J. Moss). The album was produced by Karen's son, J. Drew Sheard, II.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: On November 11, 2018, it was reported that The Clark Sisters would have a television biopic, "". The film aired on Lifetime on April 11, 2020, and netted a viewership of 2.7 million, giving the network its highest rated original movie in four years. The film was executive produced by Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Mary J. Blige, and starred Aunjanue Ellis as Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, Angela Birchett as Jacky Clark Chisholm, Raven Goodwin as Denise Clark Bradford, Christina Bell as Twinkie Clark, Sheléa Frazier as Dorinda Clark Cole, and Kierra Sheard as her mother, Karen Clark Sheard. The movie was directed by Christine Swanson, the story was by Camille Tucker, with a teleplay by Sylvia L. Jones and Camille Tucker.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Clark Sisters were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: On October 18, 2019, the Clark Sisters debuted their new single "Victory" on Erica Campbell's radio show "Get Up Erica". The single was later released on November 15, 2019, through Karew/Motown Gospel/Capitol CMG On March 13, 2020, the Clark Sisters released their seventeenth album, "The Return". Their first release in over a decade, it featured production from J. Drew Sheard, II, Warryn Campell, Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri, Mano Hines, and Kurt Carr, with a special feature by Snoop Dogg on the track, "His Love".


title: The Clark Sisters

text: Since early in the group's development, Twinkie has been the chief songwriter, vocal arranger, and producer for the group. The Clark Sisters as a whole are renowned for their group style, dubbed as "the Clark Sound". They incorporate high and fast melismas, acrobatic trills and riffs, and deep, soulful growls or "squalls". While they have been praised for their precise harmonies, The Clark Sisters are also known for their individual, distinctive vocal styles, and while there is no single lead vocalist in the group, each sister has led a handful of songs over the years.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Clark Sisters have cited Aretha Franklin, who also grew up in Detroit, as a major musical influence. When Franklin died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, the Clark Sisters sang one of their signature songs, "Is My Living in Vain", at her service.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Clark Sisters are credited as vocal inspirations to Faith Evans, Kelly Price, Mary Mary, Queen Latifah, Kelly Rowland, Mary J. Blige, Yebba and Mariah Carey. Their musical influence has been celebrated through covers and interpolations from both religious and secular artists alike.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The BET Awards are awarded annually by the Black Entertainment Television network. The Clark Sisters have received 2 nominations.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Dove Awards are awarded annually by the Gospel Music Association. The Clark Sisters have won 2 awards from 8 nominations.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Clark Sisters have won 2 awards from 7 nominations.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The NAACP Image Awards are awarded annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Clark Sisters have won 2 awards from 4 nominations.


title: The Clark Sisters

text: The Stellar Awards are awarded annually by SAGMA. The Clark Sisters have received 8 awards and 1 honorary award.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: A vignette (, ) is a French loanword expressing a short and descriptive piece of writing that captures a brief period in time. Vignettes are more focused on vivid imagery and meaning rather than plot. Vignettes can be stand-alone, but they are more commonly part of a larger narrative, such as vignettes found in novels or collections of short stories.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Examples of vignettes include Ernest Hemingway’s "In Our Time", Margaret Atwood’s "The Female Body", Sandra Cisneros’ "The House on Mango Street", and Alice Walker’s "The Flowers."


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Vignettes have been particularly influential in the development of the contemporary notions of a scene as shown in postmodern theater, film and television, where less emphasis is placed on adhering to the conventions of traditional structure and story development.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: The word "vignette" means "little vine" in French, and was derived from Old French "vigne", meaning “vineyard”. In English, the word was first documented in 1751, and was given the definition “decorative design". This definition refers to decorative artwork of vine-leaves and tendrils used to embellish title pages and the commencement of chapters. In 1853, the word was used to describe a popular 19th century photographic style, where portraits had blurred edges. The definition of a vignette referring to a “literary sketch” was first recorded in 1880. The idea of the "literary sketch" was derived from the sketch in visual arts - a rough or unfinished drawing or painting, showing the main elements of an artwork. This reflects the characteristics of a vignette; brief and spontaneous, with a sense of immediacy.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: In the 19th century, vignettes were found in newspapers and acted as brief and vivid descriptions of the news article’s subject, from the perspective of the writer. According to Norman Sims (2007), these vignette sketches “provided writers with something we often miss today: the opportunity to write about ordinary life.” These 19th century vignettes frequently offered few facts which could be verified, and tended to blend journalism with fiction. These vignette sketches provided writers with a sense of imaginative freedom, and reflected the larger Victorian movement of integrating real life and art. By blending fact and fiction, journalists could use their writing to explore their uncertainties and speculations about the subject.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: During the 19th century, vignettes were written by anonymous authors, and attributed to the newspaper or journal they featured in. They were reused for new audiences and were therefore being constantly revised and re-contextualised.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Later in the 19th century, vignettes in newspapers declined in use and popularity. This was due to journalism becoming more realistic and fact based. The decline of vignettes also reflected a broader shift in society towards scientific theories and realism. Journalism and literature separated into different, distinct branches of writing, until literary journalism emerged in the late 19th century.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Aside from journalism, vignettes in the form of the “literary sketch” became popularised in the Victorian era by authors such as William Makepeace Thackeray and Charles Dickens, and their works would often appear in newspapers and magazines. Works such as Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens, and Thackeray’s "Vanity Fair: Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society," drew heavily from the original definition of a sketch in the visual arts by creating a sense of spontaneity, freedom and authenticity. These sketches sometimes included visual illustrations by George Cruikshank, and were viewed as rough drafts rather than complete works of literature - a necessary step towards creating a finished work, but not inferior to a finished work. The fragmentary and immediate style of these vignettes reflected the 19th century’s sense of economic and social instability, and the rapid pace of urban life.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Dickens’ sketches often described brief and immediate scenes of everyday life. The sketches represented a smaller part of a larger story and conveyed themes relevant to the Victorian Era such as social class, work and money. The use of common themes across different vignettes provides each story with an additional dimension of depth.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Due to the rise of post-modern and experimental literature after World War 2, attributes of vignettes resurfaced in popularity. Post-modern literature rejects the conventional “novel” structure and notions of a chronological plot and character development. Techniques in postmodern literature such as minimalistic, “slice of life” stories and fragmentation became popular, which are also key characteristics of vignettes. Vignettes also emerged in other forms of media such as postmodern theatre, which does not adhere to a fixed structure, style or genre.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: Vignettes are written in a brief, concise style. They are rich in imagery to create a vivid, detailed description of a moment in time and a character’s immediate experiences.


title: Vignette (literature)

text: While short stories and flash fiction are complete works that follow a narrative structure of beginning, middle and end, vignettes do not follow this traditional narrative structure. A vignette contains less action and plot structure than flash fiction, and instead focuses on vividly capturing a single scene or a brief slice-of life moment in a character's experience. Vignettes are short and tend to be under 1,000 words in length. A vignette contains less action and drama than flash fiction, and places more emphasis on vividly capturing a single moment.