title: Before Your Eyes

text: As they reach the Gatekeeper's sanctuary, the Ferryman decides against a grandiose tale like he originally intended, and instead opts for a simple summary of Benny's life by repeating Elle's response to Benny's life story: although he lived only a short and ordinary life, he nonetheless lived a good one by giving hope to his friends and family. Pleased by this display of heart and sincerity, the Gatekeeper allows Benny to pass through, as the Ferryman asks him to close his eyes one last time.


title: Before Your Eyes

text: The idea for the game was originally conceived of in 2014 in an intro to game development class at the University of Southern California, when a student assistant, Will Hellwarth, talked about his experience modifying a game to read and respond to the player's eyes using the built-in camera. Two students attending the lesson would then team up with Hellwarth to develop a project surrounding this idea. After two months of development, the team released the project "Close Your", which they would present at IndieCade. The game went on to win the Developer's Choice award at the show. The game was later exhibited at the Independent Games Festival at GDC in 2015, where it won the award for Best Student Game.


title: Before Your Eyes

text: After the success of their exhibitions of "Close Your", the team decided to start a Kickstarter to fund the project in 2016. The project was successfully funded, and was originally slated for a 2017 release date, though the team struggled with sporadic development until 2018, when they received funding from RYOT.


title: Before Your Eyes

text: The game, rebranded as "Before Your Eyes", was released on 8 April 2021 on Microsoft Windows via Steam and the Epic Games Store. A port for macOS was released on 28 September 2021 via Steam. Ports published by Netflix Games were released for Android and iOS on 26 July 2022.


title: Before Your Eyes

text: "Before Your Eyes" generally received positive reviews from critics, especially the story, though the controls were often noted as inconsistent. It received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.


title: Before Your Eyes

text: The story of the game received praise. Andrew King of "GameSpot" called it "moving", explaining that its thesis has a "beautiful defense". He described the vocal performances as "powerful" and that they "help the game reach new emotional depths". Marcus Stewart of "Game Informer" commended the game's writing as "earnest and thoughtful", and was surprised by his investment in the cast over the short course of the game. Ben Kuchera of "Polygon" was initially skeptical to the story's quality, but described the themes of the story as "both crushing and freeing". Nathan Hughes of "Washington Square News" noted its "simple but powerful" nature. Caspar von Au of Bayerischer Rundfunk commended the game for its ability to "tell a moving parable on life and death in a little more than 90 minutes". Jacco Peek of "Gamer.nl" praised the game as leaving a "deep impression" despite describing frustration from missing important moments. Scott Baird of "Screen Rant" praised it highly, calling it "phenomenal", as it "manag[es] to switch from joyful to heartbreaking in a moment".


title: Before Your Eyes

text: The gameplay received praise from critics for how it complemented the story, though some were critical of its simplicity. Andrew King of "GameSpot" described the blinking mechanic as "refreshingly natural", noting that you wouldn't want to play the game in any other way. Marcus Stewart of "Game Informer" stated that the blinking "lends to the game's dreamlike quality" and compared it to looking through a View-Master. Ben Kuchera of "Polygon" noted the experience of losing track of his eyes as "bittersweet", and commended the game's use of the player's eyes as a "clever way to add meaning to an action that amounts to a mouse click". Lawrence Le of "Gaming Trend" was left feeling unengaged by the gameplay, finding the blinking mechanic to be lacking.


title: Before Your Eyes

text: The controls of the game received mixed responses, as the functionality of the game's ability to read inputs was noted as inconsistent. Lawrence Le of "Gaming Trend" had difficulties with calibrations for the software, calling it more harmful than helpful, finding that the game was no less immersive without it. Scott Baird of "Screen Rant" was highly critical of the control scheme, calling it the largest issue with the game, remarking the need for constant calibrations, comparing it to the Wiimote in "".


title: Before Your Eyes

text: "Before Your Eyes" won the British Academy Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment 2021 and was nominated for the Games for Impact category for The Game Awards 2021.


title: Voiced palatal lateral approximant

text: The voiced palatal lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , a rotated lowercase letter (not to be confused with lowercase lambda, ), and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is codice_1.


title: Voiced palatal lateral approximant

text: Many languages that were previously thought to have a palatal lateral approximant actually have a lateral approximant that is, broadly, alveolo-palatal; that is to say, it is articulated at a place in-between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate (excluded), and it may be variously described as alveolo-palatal, lamino-postalveolar, or postalveolo-prepalatal. None of the 13 languages investigated by , many of them Romance, has a 'true' palatal. That is likely the case for several other languages listed here. Some languages, like Portuguese and Catalan, have a lateral approximant that varies between alveolar and alveolo-palatal.


title: Voiced palatal lateral approximant

text: There is no dedicated symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the alveolo-palatal lateral approximant. If precision is desired, it may be transcribed or ; they are essentially equivalent because the contact includes both the blade and body (but not the tip) of the tongue. There is also a non-IPA letter ("l", plus the curl found in the symbols for alveolo-palatal sibilant fricatives ), used especially in Sinological circles.


title: Voiced palatal lateral approximant

text: The voiced palatal lateral approximant contrasts phonemically with its voiceless counterpart in the Xumi language spoken in China.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The Prophecy of Seventy Weeks is the narrative in chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel in which Daniel prays to God to act on behalf of his people and city (Judeans and Jerusalem), and receives a detailed but cryptic prophecy of "seventy weeks" by the angel Gabriel. The prophecy has been the subject of "intense exegetical activity" since the Second Temple period. James Alan Montgomery referred to the history of this prophecy's interpretation as the "dismal swamp" of critical exegesis.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: Daniel reads in the "books" that the desolation of Jerusalem must last for seventy years according to the prophetic words of Jeremiah (verse 2), and prays for God to act on behalf of his people and city (verses 3–19). The angel Gabriel appears and tells Daniel that he has come to give wisdom and understanding, for at the beginning of Daniel's prayer a "word" went out and Gabriel has come to declare this revelation (verses 20–23):


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The consensus among critical scholars is that chapters 1–6 of the Book of Daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the Jewish diaspora in the Persian/Hellenistic periods, to which the visionary chapters 7–12 were added during the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus IV in 167–163 BCE. The authors of the tales apparently took the name Daniel from a legendary hero mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel, and the author of the visions in turn adopted him from the tales. The point of departure is Jeremiah's seventy years prophecy as opposed to a visionary episode, but more than half the chapter is devoted to a rather lengthy prayer.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: Modern critical scholars have sometimes argued that Daniel's prayer in verses 3–19 is secondary to chapter 9, as it contrasts sharply with the difficult Hebrew that is characteristic of Daniel. Still, it might be that the author(s) of the chapter incorporated (or adapted) a traditional prayer in the course of composition, in which case the prayer would not be a later addition. Proponents of the view that the prayer is secondary argue that the context requires a prayer of illumination and not a communal confession of sin, and the beginning and end of the prayer are marked by duplications in verses 3-4a and verses 20-21a that are most plausibly interpreted as redactional seams. However, these considerations have not proved decisive, and arguments in favor of the prayer's authenticity have also been advanced. In particular, the concluding passage in verses 20–27 contains several allusions to the language in the prayer, suggesting that it was included purposefully by the author(s) of the chapter, even if it was not originally composed by them.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: It has also been argued that there is a "pre-Maccabean core" to the prophetic revelation delivered by Gabriel in verses 24–27, and that certain linguistic inconsistencies between the seventy weeks prophecy and other Danielic passages suggest that the second century BCE author(s)/redactor(s) of the Book of Daniel took over and modified a preexisting oracle that was already in circulation at the time of composition. These ideas have been further developed to suggest that the different redactional layers represented in this text reflect different eschatological perspectives, with the earliest one going back to a priest named Daniel who accompanied Ezra from Babylon to Jerusalem in the fifth century BCE and the latest one to an unnamed redactor who edited this prophecy in the second century BCE so that it would function (along with other parts of the Book of Daniel) as part of "a prophetic manifesto for world domination." It is also argued that the prophecy exhibited a high degree of literary structure at an earlier stage of its development in such a way that the six infinitival clauses of verse 24 were chiastically linked to six divisions of verses 25–27 via an elaborate system of word counts, resulting in the following reconstruction of this earlier redactional stratum:


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The seventy weeks prophecy is an "ex eventu" prophecy in periodized form whose "Sitz im Leben" is the Antiochene crisis in the second century BCE, with content analogous to the Enochic "Apocalypse of Weeks" as well as the "Animal Apocalypse". In this way, the prophecy puts the Antiochene crisis in perspective by locating it within an overview of history; the specificity of the prediction is significant for the psychological effect of the revelation, which has long been recognized as a distinctive characteristic of Daniel's prophecies (cf. "Ant." 10.11.7 § 267). The prophecy is also an instance of Jewish apocalyptic literature, as it belongs to the genre of revelatory literature in which a revelation is mediated to a human recipient in Daniel by an otherworldly being in the angel Gabriel that envisages eschatological salvation. Within the macro-genre of Jewish apocalyptic literature, the prophecy further belongs to the subgenre known as the "historical apocalypse," which is characterized by the use of "ex eventu" prophecy and the presence of an interpreting angel.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The lengthy prayer in verses 3–19 is strongly Deuteronomic in its theology—Daniel's people are punished for their own sin and appeal to God for mercy. However, such theological overtones conflict with other aspects of the Book of Daniel, in which the primary sin is that of a gentile king and the course of history is arranged in advance. Consequently, scholars have variously argued that the angel ignores Daniel's prayer and that the author(s) is making the point that "the calamity is decreed and will end at the appointed time, quite apart from prayers," and/or that the prayer is not intended to influence God but is "an act of piety in itself." As Collins observes, "[t]he deliverance promised by the angel is in no sense a response to Daniel's prayer" since "[t]he word goes forth at the beginning of Daniel's supplication." In any case, the relationship between Daniel's prayer and the context in which it is placed, is a central issue in the contemporary scholarly interpretation of chapter 9.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: Nebuchadnezzar II defeated Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE and established the Neo-Babylonian empire as the dominant regional power, with significant consequences for the southern kingdom of Judah. Following a revolt in 597 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar removed Judah's king, Jehoiachin; and after a second revolt in 586 BCE, he destroyed the city of Jerusalem along with the Temple of Solomon, carrying away much of the population to Babylon. Accordingly, the subsequent period from 586 BCE to 538 BCE is known as the Babylonian exile, which came to an end when Babylon was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus the Great, who allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Judah via his famous edict of restoration. The Persian period, in turn, came to an end in the first half of the fourth century BCE following the arrival of Alexander the Great, whose vast kingdom was divided upon his death among the Diadochi. The series of conflicts that ensued following Alexander's death in the wars that erupted among the Diadochi mark the beginning of the Hellenistic period in 323/2 BCE. Two of the rival kingdoms produced out of this conflict—the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt and the Seleucid dynasty in Syria—fought for control of Palestine during the Hellenistic period.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: At the start of the second century BCE, the Seleucids had the upper hand in their struggle with the Ptolemaic kingdom for regional dominance, but the earlier conflicts had left them nearly bankrupt. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV attempted to recoup some of his kingdom's fortunes by selling the post of Jewish high priest to the highest bidder, and in 171/0 BCE the existing high priest (i.e. Onias III) was deposed and murdered. Palestine was subsequently divided between those who favored the Hellenistic culture of the Seleucids and those who remained loyal to the older Jewish traditions; however, for reasons that are still not understood, Antiochus IV banned key aspects of traditional Jewish religion in 168/7 BCE—including the twice-daily continual offering (cf. ; ; ).


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The seventy weeks prophecy is internally dated to "the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede" (), later referred to in the Book of Daniel as "Darius the Mede" (e.g. ); however, no such ruler is known to history and the widespread consensus among critical scholars is that he is a literary fiction. Nevertheless, within the biblical account, the first year of Darius the Mede corresponds to the first year after the Babylonian kingdom is overthrown, i.e., 538 BCE.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: Chapter 9 can be distinguished from the other "visionary" chapters of the Book of Daniel by the fact that the point of departure for this chapter is another biblical text in Jeremiah's seventy years prophecy and not a visionary episode. The longstanding consensus among critical scholars has been that verses 24–27 is a paradigmatic example of inner-biblical interpretation, in which the latter text reinterprets Jeremiah's seventy years of exile as seventy weeks of years. On this view, Jeremiah's prophecy that after seventy years God would punish the Babylonian kingdom (cf. ) and once again pay special attention to his people in responding to their prayers and restoring them to the land (cf. -14) could not have been fulfilled by the disappointment that accompanied the return to the land in the Persian period, hence the necessity to extend the expiration date of the prophecy to the second century BCE. And just as various elements of Daniel's visionary episodes are interpreted for him in chapters 7–8, so also Jeremiah's prophecy is interpreted for him in a manner similar to the "pesher" exegesis evidenced at Qumran in chapter 9. However, this consensus has recently been challenged on the grounds that Daniel prays to God following the defeat of the Babylonian kingdom precisely because Jeremiah's seventy years of exile have been completed and God promised through the prophet that he would respond to such prayers at this time, in which case the seventy weeks prophecy is not a reinterpretation of Jeremiah's prophecy but a separate prophecy altogether. And these considerations have been further refined along redactional lines to suggest that the latter holds relative to an earlier "pre-canonical" stage in the text, but that the seventy weeks prophecy is, in fact, a reinterpretation of Jeremiah's prophecy relative to the final form of the text.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The seventy "weeks" of years are divided into three groups: a seven-week period spanning forty-nine years, a sixty-two-week period spanning 434 years, and a final period of one week spanning seven years. The first seven weeks begin with the departure of a "word" to rebuild Jerusalem and ends with the arrival of an "anointed prince" (verse 25a); this "word" has generally been taken to refer to Jeremiah's seventy years prophecy and dated to the fourth year of Jehoiakim (or the first year of Nebuchadnezzar) in 605/4 BCE, but Collins objects that "[t]he word to rebuild Jerusalem could scarcely have gone forth before it was destroyed," and prefers the "word" that Gabriel came to give Daniel in verse 23; other candidates include the edict of Cyrus in 539/8 BCE, the decree of Artaxerxes I in 458/7 BCE, and the warrant given to Nehemiah in 445/4 BCE. Candidates for the "prince" in verse 25a include Cyrus (cf. ), Joshua the High Priest, Zerubbabel, Sheshbazzar, Ezra, Nehemiah, the angelic "prince" Michael (cf. b), and even the collective people of God in the Second Temple period.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: In the subsequent period of sixty-two weeks, or what are actually 434 years, the city is rebuilt and settled (verse 25b), at the end of which time an "anointed one shall be cut off" (verse 26a); this "anointed one" is generally considered to refer to the High Priest Onias III, whose murder outside Jerusalem in 171/0 BCE is recorded in 2 Maccabees 4:23–28. Most critical scholars see another reference to Onias III's murder in Daniel 11:22, though Ptolemy VI and the infant son of Seleucus IV have also been suggested. On the other hand, this raises the question of how 7 + 62 = 69 weeks of years (or 483 years) could have elapsed between the departure of the "word" in verse 25a, which cannot be earlier than 605/4 BCE, and the murder of Onias III in 171/170 BCE. Hence, some critical scholars follow Montgomery in thinking that there has been "a chronological miscalculation on [the] part of the writer" who has made "wrong-headed arithmetical calculations," although others follow Goldingay's explanation that the seventy weeks are not literal chronology but the more inexact science of "chronography"; Collins opts for a middle-ground position in saying that "the figure should be considered a round number rather than a miscalculation." Others who see the calculations as being at least approximately correct if the initial seven-week period of forty-nine years can overlap with the sixty-two-week period of 434 years, with the latter period spanning the time between Jeremiah's prophecy in 605/4 BCE and Onias III's murder in 171/0 BCE. Saadia Gaon thinks that the "anointed one [that] shall be cut off" refers to a time of trouble immediately following the 434 years, where the "anointed ones" (plural), meaning, many of the anointed priests of Aaron's lineage, as well the descendants of King David, will be cut off. Saadia goes on to explain such linguistic usage in the Hebrew language, where a word is written singularly, but is actually meant to be understood in the plural context. The Hebrew word for "cut off" is , which has also the connotation of "extirpation," either by dying before one's time, or by not being able to bring forth offspring into the world.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The "prince who is to come" in verse 26b is typically seen by critical scholars as a reference to Antiochus IV, though Jason and Menelaus have also been suggested. Hence, the "troops of the prince" are thought to be either the Seleucid troops that settled in Jerusalem (cf. Dan 11:31; 1 Macc 1:29–40) or the Jewish hellenizers. The reference to "troops" that will "destroy the city and the sanctuary" in verse 26b is somewhat problematic since neither Jerusalem nor the temple were actually destroyed, though the city was arguably rendered desolate and the temple defiled (cf. 1 Macc 1:46; 2 Macc 6:2), and Daniel's language of destruction "seems excessive".


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: Saadia, who takes a different approach, explains the "prince (Hebrew: "nagīd") who is to come" as being Titus, who came against the city at the conclusion of the 490 year period, when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Imperial Roman army.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The "covenant" in verse 27a most likely refers to the covenant between the Jewish hellenizers and Antiochus IV reported in 1 Maccabees 1:11, with the ban on regular worship for a period that lasted approximately three and a half years alluded to in the subsequent clause (cf. Dan 7:25; 8:14; 12:11). According to Saadia, the words: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week" (vs 27a), refers to that time shortly before the actual destruction of the Temple, a time which spanned seven years ("one week"), when God had extended to the people a chance to preserve their Temple, their laws and their polity, by acquiescing to Roman demands and leaving off their internecine strife. During this time of growing animosity against Rome, the Roman army sought to appease the Jewish nation and not to suffer their Temple to be destroyed. But three and a half years before the Temple's demise, the Romans, through trickery and spitefulness, caused the cessation of their daily whole burnt-offerings, which culminated in the destruction of the Holy House three and a half years later.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The "abomination that desolates" in verse 27b (cf. 1 Macc 1:54) is usually seen as a reference to either the pagan sacrifices that replaced the twice-daily Jewish offering,(cf. Dan 11:31; 12:11; 2 Macc 6:5), or the pagan altar on which such offerings were made. Saadia wrote that this refers to a graven image that was erected in the Holy Place, where the Temple formerly stood.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: There is a longstanding tradition within Christianity of reading Daniel 9 as a messianic prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The various christological readings that have been proposed share a number of features in common: Either the "anointed prince" in verse 25a or the "anointed one" in verse 26a (or both) are understood to be references to Christ, who is also sometimes thought to be the "most holy" that is anointed in verse 24 (so the Peshitta and the Vulgate). Some of the early church fathers also saw another reference to Christ in the "prince who is to come" (verse 26b), but this figure is more often identified with either the Antichrist or one of the Roman officials that oversaw the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (e.g. Titus or Vespasian).


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: The seven and sixty-two-week "weeks" are most frequently understood for the purpose of Christological interpretation as consecutive, making up a period of 69 weeks (483 years) beginning with the decree given to Ezra by Artaxerxes I in 458/7 BCE (the "terminus a quo") and terminating with the baptism of Jesus. The reference to an anointed one being "cut off" in verse 26a is identified with the crucifixion of Jesus and has traditionally been thought to mark the midpoint of the seventieth week, which is also when Jeremiah's new "covenant" is "confirmed" (verse 27a) and atonement for "iniquity" (verse 24) is made. The "abomination that desolates" is typically read in the context of the New Testament references made to this expression in the Olivet Discourse and understood as belonging to a complex eschatological tableaux described therein, which may or may not remain to be fulfilled.


title: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

text: Another influential way of reading the prophecy follows Africanus in identifying the warrant given to Nehemiah in 445/4 BCE as the "terminus a quo". 483 years from 445/4 BCE would extend somewhat beyond the lifetime of Christ to 39/40 CE, hence some Christological interpretations reduce the period to 476 years by viewing them as 360-day "prophetic years" (or "Chaldee years" ), so-called on the basis that various biblical passages—such as Revelation 12:6, 14 (cf. Dan 7:25; 12:7)—appear to reckon time in this way in certain prophetic contexts. The sixty-nine weeks of "prophetic" years are then considered to terminate with the death of Christ in 32/3 CE. The seventieth week is then separated from the sixty-ninth week by a long period of time known as the church age; hence, the seventieth week does not begin until the end of the church age, at which point the church will be removed from the earth in an event called the rapture. Finally, the future Antichrist is expected to oppress the Jewish people and bring upon the world a period of tribulation lasting three and a half years, constituting the second half of the delayed seventieth week. These readings were first popularized through the expository notes written by C. I. Scofield in his Scofield Reference Bible and continue to enjoy support.


title: United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel

text: On December 6, 2017, then-U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and ordered the planning of the relocation of Israel's U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the decision and praised the announcement. On December 8, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson clarified that Trump's statement "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem" and "was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide".


text: Trump's decision was rejected by the vast majority of world leaders; the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on December 7, where 14 out of 15 members condemned it, but the motion was vetoed by the U.S. Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and Sweden were among the countries who criticized Trump's decision at the meeting. Other countries supported the move; Guatemala said that they will follow up and also relocate their embassy, while the Czech Republic, Honduras, Paraguay, and Romania said that they were also considering embassy relocation. The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that all governments of EU member states were united on the issue of Jerusalem, and also reaffirmed their commitment to a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital. By late 2022, only Guatemala, Honduras and the partially-recognized state of Kosovo maintain embassies in Jerusalem – Paraguay reversed the 2018 relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem within months and the Honduran foreign ministry have stated that they are also considering relocating theirs back to Tel Aviv.


text: Palestinian officials said that the announcement disqualifies the U.S. from peace talks, while Hamas called for a new "intifada" following Trump's declaration. Following the announcement, there were demonstrations throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as various countries around the world. By December 25, 2017, Salafi groups had fired almost 30 rockets towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, with almost half landing inside Gaza. Two caused minor damage to property near Ashkelon and Sderot, and Hamas rounded up the Salafists thought responsible for the attacks.


text: On February 23, 2018, the U.S. State Department announced that the new embassy would open in May that year. The embassy was officially opened in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Representatives from 32 countries were present at opening of the embassy, including EU members Austria, the Czech Republic, and Romania. Protests on the Gaza border were met with tear gas and sniper fire by the Israel Defence Forces, resulting in the deaths of at least 58 Palestinians, the highest single-day death toll since the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict. The IDF and the Israeli government defended the use of force as necessary due to rocks and explosives thrown by protesters. The location of the relocated embassy is at the site of the former U.S. consulate general in the Arnona neighborhood of West Jerusalem.


text: After the founding of the State of Israel in 1949, the United States recognized the new state, but considered it desirable to establish an international regime for Jerusalem, with its final status resolved through negotiations. The US opposed Israel's declaration of Jerusalem as its capital in 1949 and opposed Jordan's plan to make Jerusalem its second capital announced in 1950. The US also opposed Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 war. The official United States position has been that the future of Jerusalem should be the subject of a negotiated settlement. Subsequent administrations have maintained the position that Jerusalem's future not be the subject of unilateral actions that could prejudice negotiations, such as by moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.


text: During the 1992 presidential election, Bill Clinton promised that his administration would "support Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel" and criticized President George H. W. Bush for having "repeatedly challenged Israel’s sovereignty over a united Jerusalem." However, after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Clinton administration did not proceed with their plans in order not to disturb the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.


text: In 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which declared that "Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel." The bill also stated that the American embassy should move to Jerusalem within five years. Backing the legislation was viewed by some as reflecting American domestic politics. Clinton opposed the Jerusalem Embassy Act and signed a waiver every six months delaying the move.


text: During the 2000 election campaign, George W. Bush criticized Clinton for not moving the embassy as he had promised to do, and said he planned on initiating the process himself as soon as he was elected. However, once he took office, he backed down on his promise.


text: In 2008, Democratic candidate Barack Obama called Jerusalem the 'capital of Israel'. On June 4, 2008, Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in his first foreign policy speech after capturing the Democratic nomination the day before, that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided." However, he backtracked almost immediately, saying "Well, obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations."


text: During the 2016 US Presidential election, one of Trump's campaign promises was to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which he described as the "eternal capital of the Jewish people." On June 1, 2017, Trump signed a waiver on the Jerusalem Embassy Act, delaying the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem for another six months, as had every president before him since 1995. The White House stated that this would help them negotiate a deal between Israel and Palestine, and that the promised move would come at a later time.


text: On December 6, 2017, President Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stated that the American embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In his statement Donald Trump did not mention East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, but he did say that United States recognition did not resolve the dispute over Jerusalem's borders. President Trump explicitly stated his support for maintaining the status quo of the holy sites within the Old City. Following the announcement, Trump signed the waiver, delaying the move by at least another six months.


text: Following Trump's announcement, American embassies in Turkey, Jordan, Germany and Britain issued security alerts for Americans traveling or living in those countries. The United States also issues a general warning for Americans abroad about the possibility of violent protests. The American consulate in Jerusalem has restricted travel of government employees to Jerusalem's Old City. The US Embassy in Jordan banned employees from leaving the capital and children of embassy employees were told to stay home from school.


text: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later clarified that the President's statement "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem" and "was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide." State Department officials said on December 8 that there will not be any immediate practical changes in how the US deals with Jerusalem, including its policy of not listing a country on the passports of citizens born in Jerusalem.


text: When asked what country the Western Wall is in, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said "We're not taking any position on the overall boundaries. We are recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."


text: Out of 11 former US ambassadors to Israel, nine were critical of Trump's policy change. Ogden R. Reid who served as an ambassador to Israel from 1959 to 1961 was one of the exceptions, saying, "I think it's the right decision." Edward S. Walker Jr. who served from 1997 to 1999 also supported recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital: "It's really a question of what are the lines, the borders, to be drawn around the state of Israel and the ultimate state of Palestine." Daniel C. Kurtzer noted America's international isolation in his remarks and Richard H. Jones expressed concerns that moving the embassy would fuel further violence. A number of former ambassadors, such as Martin S. Indyk stated that they were open to recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, provided Israel would agree to slow settlement construction and recognize East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.


text: American Christian organizations were divided: the National Council of Churches (NCC) which represents 38 different denominations issued a statement saying the change in policy was likely to exacerbate regional conflict and cost lives, while the Liberty Counsel, a right wing evangelical organization supported the decision. The move had been supported by many conservative American evangelical organizations and leaders including American Christian Leaders for Israel, Jerry Falwell, and Mike Huckabee. Johnnie Moore, one of Trump's evangelical advisers, said the announcement fulfilled a campaign promise to Trump's evangelical voter base. It was also welcomed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.


text: The majority of prominent American Jewish organizations welcomed the move, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which comprises 51 national Jewish organizations, as well as by a number of its member organizations: AIPAC, the Jewish Federations of North America, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and the National Council of Young Israel. The Conservative Movement's US, Israel and global branches also welcomed US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Orthodox Union, the US' largest umbrella organization representing Orthodox Jews, thanked Trump for "beginning the process of relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem".


text: The Anti-Defamation League said recognition was "important and long overdue", while continuing to express support for a two state solution. AIPAC expressed its support for an "undivided Jerusalem" but also said that relocating the American embassy to Jerusalem would not "prejudge the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process". Morton Klein, who heads the Zionist Organization of America, said that Trump was "finally recognizing the obvious". The Simon Wiesenthal Center said Trump's announcement "will right an historic wrong". The announcement was also welcomed by the Republican Jewish Coalition.


text: The Reform Jewish movement called it "ill-timed" and said it would "exacerbate the conflict", but also declared that "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel" and that they "share the President's belief that the US embassy should, at the right time, be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem". The Jewish Democratic Council of America similarly expressed support for Jerusalem as an undivided capital of Israel, but criticized Trump for neglecting to "meaningfully support peace between Palestinians and Israelis". Left-wing Mideast policy group J Street said the timing was "premature and divisive". J Street, New Israel Fund, and progressive Zionist organization Ameinu expressed concerns that the move would undermine Middle East peace efforts and could lead to violence.


text: In December 2017, more than 130 Jewish studies scholars from across North America criticized the Trump administration's decision, calling on the U.S. government to take actions to de-escalate the tensions and "clarify Palestinians' legitimate stake in the future of Jerusalem." According to "Haaretz", many of these scholars have been critical of the Trump administration and the current Israeli government.


text: American Muslim civil advocacy groups rejected the policy change, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). On December 5, Muslim, Interfaith and human rights groups held a protest outside the White House.


text: On December 6, shortly after Trump's statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the announcement was a "historic landmark" and praised the decision as "courageous and just". During his remarks Netanyahu said there is "no peace that doesn't include Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel", adding that Jerusalem has "been the capital of Israel for nearly 70 years". He later said that he has heard condemnation about the announcement but has "not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come and the awful incitement against us".


text: The announcement was well received by Knesset members of left, right and center parties including Yesh Atid, Bayit Yehudi, Yisrael Beytenu, and Likud. Isaac Herzog called it an "act of historic justice" but also added that the next step was to "realize the vision of two states". In contrast, Bezalel Smotrich of the religious zionist Bayit Yehudi party issued the following statement: "For 30 years we have fallen into the pit of the Palestinian state as a realistic solution. The time has come to rethink things". Avi Gabbay, the leader the Zionist Union, also supported Trump's announcement, saying that recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is more important than a peace deal.


text: Israel's Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush of United Torah Judaism party said building in "parts of Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem that need housing would be better than a declaration that means nothing". Yisrael Eichler, also of UTJ, expressed similar views saying he would "rather have 1,000 homes for young couples in Jerusalem than one American embassy building." In contrast, left-wing party Meretz said recognition of Jerusalem should only come with the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, adding that Trump's declaration "de facto betrays the Zionist vision and the values on which the State of Israel was established".


text: Hanin Zoabi and Ayman Odeh, both members of the Arab Joint List party, said the US could no longer act as a peace mediator. Odeh said that "Trump is a pyromaniac and will set the entire region ablaze with his madness".


text: Palestinian officials said the announcement disqualifies the United States from peace talks. Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah said the policy change "destroys the peace process". Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech where he said the decision meant the United States was "abdicating its role as a peace mediator". Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki similarly said the United States could no longer act as a mediator in the peace process because it had become a party to the dispute. Adnan al-Husayni asked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.


text: Hamas called for a new intifada, but the response from Palestinians inside Jerusalem was relatively muted. Protests were held in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Palestinians burned portraits and effigies of Donald Trump and tore pictures of Salman bin Abdulaziz and Muhammad bin Salman in protest of the embassy move. The Israel military estimated that 3,000 people in the West Bank and 4,500 in the Gaza Strip participated in protests on December 8, 2017.


text: The Jerusalem announcement inspired activist Ahmed Abu Artema to write a Facebook proposing the outlines of the Great March of Return protests. Multiple camps of Palestinians engaged in protest along the fenceline of the Gaza Strip as part of this effort in late March 2018, demanding the right of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to their former homes in Israel, and an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, as well as rejecting recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14 coincided with a major escalation of the protests, resulting in the death of 64 protesters on that day.


text: On December 6, 2017, the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Patriarch Theophilos III, widely regarded as the most senior Christian figure in Jerusalem, and twelve other church leaders in the Holy Land sent a letter to Trump warning that his move “w[ould] yield increased hatred, conflict, violence and suffering in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, moving us farther from the goal of unity and deeper toward destructive division”. Apart from Theophilos III, the letter was signed by heads of Jerusalem's Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopioan and Coptic Orthodox patriarchates as well as the Roman Catholic Church's Apostolic Administrator for Jerusalem (the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem). It was also signed by the Franciscan Order, the Greek-Melkite-Catholic patriarchate, the Maronites, the Episcopal Church, the Armenian Catholic and Syrian Catholic churches and the Evangelical Lutherans.


text: Trump's Jerusalem decision was widely condemned by world leaders. European US allies that objected include Britain, Germany, Italy and France. Romania, on the other hand, declined to follow the EU position and also indicated it may relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.


text: Pope Francis also made a plea that all nations remain committed to "respecting the status quo" of the city. China urged caution regarding the potential escalation of tensions in the Middle East.


text: Shortly before Trump's announcement, in November 2017, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution in Jerusalem 151–6 with 9 abstentions. The resolution stated that "any actions by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem were illegal and therefore null and void. It further stressed the need for the parties to refrain from provocative actions, especially in areas of religious and cultural sensitivity, and called for respect for the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem." It was part of six resolutions on Palestine and the Middle East.


text: The United Nations Security Council vote on 7 December to condemn Trump's decision failed due to a veto by the United States, despite the support of the remaining fourteen members of the council. The emergency meeting was requested by Bolivia, Britain, Egypt, France, Italy, Senegal, Sweden and Uruguay. US envoy Nikki Haley called the United Nations "one of the world's foremost centers of hostility towards Israel". Britain, France, Sweden, Italy and Japan were among the countries who criticized Trump's decision at the emergency meeting. On 18 December, a Security Council resolution calling for the withdrawal of the recognition was vetoed by the United States, for a tally of 14–1.


text: On 21 December 2017, the General Assembly voted for Resolution ES-10/L.22 by 128–9, with 35 abstentions and 21 absences, to condemn the US declaration on the status of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and enjoin other states to refrain from setting up diplomatic offices in Jerusalem. None of the United States' NATO allies opposed the resolution, with 25 of 29 voting for it.


text: The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini emphasized that all governments of EU member states were united on the issue of Jerusalem, and reaffirmed their commitment to a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital. Mogherini said that embassies should not be moved to Jerusalem while the final status of the city was disputed. She also noted that Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem was considered a violation of international law under a 1980 United Nations Security Council resolution. On December 11, Mogherini said that European nations would not move their embassies to Jerusalem.


text: The EU countries of Austria, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic however defied the official EU stance and attended the official reception on the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. In addition, the non-EU European countries of Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine also attended the opening.


text: Trump's recognition of Jerusalem did receive some European support from anti-Islam politicians. Czech President Miloš Zeman said the European response was "cowardly". Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-Islam party Party for Freedom, said that "all freedom loving countries should move their embassy to Jerusalem" and affirmed his support for an undivided Jerusalem. Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, similarly stated his wish to relocate the Austrian embassy to Jerusalem.


text: King Salman of Saudi Arabia said that moving the American embassy to Jerusalem would be a "flagrant provocation" to Muslims. Saudi Arabia and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi both expressed similar concerns about the viability of the peace process. The Jordanian government said Trump had violated international law and the UN charter. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Israel a "terrorist state".


text: On December 10, The Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo. After the meeting, the League's Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit issued a statement saying the change in US policy was "against international law and "amounts to the legalization" of Israeli occupation. Gheit also questioned US commitment to the peace process.


text: Iran said the U.S. announcement was in violation of international resolutions and could spark a "new intifada". Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the policy change would derail the peace process. Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani called it "a death sentence for all who seek peace". Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned the decision and asked the US to "reconsider the decision". Malaysian PM Najib Razak similarly did so, stating that "we strongly oppose any recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital for all time".


text: On December 13, 2017, during an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting held in Istanbul, more than 50 Muslim majority countries rejected and condemned Trump's decision by passing the "Istanbul Declaration on Freedom for al Quds" ("Jerusalem" in Arabic) and calling for the worldwide recognition of "an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its occupied capital". Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated at the summit that the United States is no longer fit to participate in the Middle East peace process because of its bias and cannot be accepted as a "fair negotiator". While the summit did not produce any concrete sanctions against Israel or the United States, "The New York Times" called the declaration "the strongest response yet" to Trump's decision. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urges its members to join in the Arab League boycott of Israel.


text: Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria canceled a meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in protest of the American decision. The Coptic Church issued a statement that Trump's decision "did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people".


text: Jihadist movements from around the world responded with calls for armed struggle: Al-Qaeda in North Africa issued a statement exhorting all fighters to make the liberation of Palestine their central goal. Kashmiri group Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind called on Muslims worldwide to attack embassies of the US and Israel as well as harm the financial interests of both countries. The Egyptian Hasm Movement called for an uprising. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula called on Muslims to support Palestinians with money and weaponry. The Taliban in Afghanistan called the US move "anti-Muslim bigotry". Somalia-based Al-Shabaab exhorted Muslims to respond with weapons.


text: The Taliban and Shia extremist leaders likewise expressed their opposition. ISIL issued a response on December 8, which mainly focused on criticizing other jihadist groups and Arab leaders. They accused rival groups of politicizing the conflict to serve personal agendas and argued for the defeat of Israel's Arab neighbors who, according to ISIL, "surround [Israel] the same way a bracelet surrounds the wrist, protecting the Jews from the strikes of the mujahideen."


text: China has historically supported an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and said that this position remains unchanged in the aftermath of Trump's announcement. Following the announcement, Chinese state media aired lengthy broadcasts emphasizing Palestinian opposition to it and lack of support for the move among America's European allies. Chinese news reports also stressed the risk of "instability and uncertainty" in the Middle East. Some analysts have argued that moving the embassy could push Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians in final status negotiations. The Chinese embassy issued an alert to travelers regarding the increasingly complicated and intense safety conditions in Israel after the announcement.


text: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro defined the announcement on national television before traveling to Istanbul to preside a Non-Aligned Movement summit to discuss the position as "an illegal declaration, absolutely illegal, I would say irrational. A true provocation, a war declaration to the Arab people, to the Muslim people".


text: Following the announcement, right-wing Zionist organization World Betar called for international recognition of the Temple Mount, Nablus and Hebron.


text: On December 24, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said that his country would relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. The Guatemalan embassy was moved on May 16, two days after the American embassy was moved. President of Bolivia Evo Morales was critical of the US decision and accused Guatemala of mocking the international community and ignoring UN resolutions by moving its embassy to Jerusalem. He also claimed that "some governments sell their dignity to the empire" for not losing the crumbs of USAID.


text: Several national governments responded directly to the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. Japan and Malaysia were among those expressing concern that the relocation could escalate tensions, while Russia and Venezuela added that the move contradicted existing international agreements.


text: On December 15, 2018, Australia recognized West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, before withdrawing it again on 17 October 2022.


text: Protests were held in many places across the world during the weekend of December 16 and 17. Crowds in the United States, Pakistan, Netherlands, Germany, Lebanon, Jordan, Australia, Montenegro, Iran, Morocco, Poland, United Kingdom, Greece and Indonesia gathered to protest against the decision.


text: In Bethlehem, religious leaders turned off Christmas tree lights outside the Church of the Nativity for three days to protest Trump's announcement. Nazareth scaled back Christmas celebrations, canceling singing and dancing performances in protest.


text: There were demonstrations throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. nine Palestinians had been killed in clashes. Two protesters were shot dead when participating in a riot on the Gaza border fence on December 8. A 14-year old Palestinian boy suffered serious injuries after being hit by a rubber bullet during a protest.


text: Two Hamas members were killed in Israeli airstrikes on December 9 on Hamas facilities in response to a rocket attack from Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 15 people had been injured in a strike that hit a military facility.


text: An Israeli security guard was stabbed and critically wounded by a Palestinian near Jerusalem's central bus station on December 10. On December 11, the Israeli Defense Forces reported that two rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip. On December 12, two Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine militants were killed in an explosion initially claimed to be a drone strike, however the IDF denied this and a later Islamic Jihad statement claimed this was an accident.


text: Israeli Air Force targeted three Hamas facilities on early morning of December 14 in response to rockets fired from Gaza hours earlier on the previous day with one landing in an open field of Eshkol Regional Council, two shot down and one falling inside a school in Gaza's Beit Hanoun, damaging a classroom. According to a Palestinian security official, the Hamas sites struck by Israeli military suffered major damage and some nearby homes suffered light damage, amidst reports of light injuries.


text: On December 14, after Israel shut its border crossing with Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians and militants attended a Hamas rally in Gaza. The IDF said the Kerem Shalom crossing and Erez checkpoint would be closed indefinitely "in accordance with security assessments".


text: Four Palestinians were killed on December 15 during violent clashes according to Palestinian Health Ministry, including a disabled protestor in Gaza, and two others in the West Bank, including an attacker who stabbed an Israeli border police officer. Nearly 400 were injured in clashes according to the ministry.


text: Two Palestinians were killed and 120 injured in clashes on December 22, according to Palestinian Health Ministry. The IDF issued a statement which said that 2,000 protesters had faced off with the troops at the Gaza border fence, hurling rocks as well as burning tires at the troops.


text: Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza in December 2017 was the most intensive series of rocket attacks on Israel since Operation Protective Edge. As of January 1, 2018, Palestinian militants from Gaza had fired at least 18 rockets at Israel. Per Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, IDF has struck 40 Hamas targets in response. Per IDF's Chief-of-Staff Gadi Eizenkot, 20 rockets had been fired in December 2017.


text: Most of the rockets fired from Gaza did not land in Israeli territory, but some have landed near residential areas like Sderot and Ashkelon. Israel launched air raids on Hamas's military targets in Gaza in response and, according to "Haaretz", Hamas responded by arresting and probably torturing Salafi militants in the Gaza Strip to prevent further rocket fire.


text: Two Palestinians were killed on January 11 in clashes with Israel troops, one each in Gaza and West Bank. Israeli military said rioters had put their forces in danger in Gaza. In the other cases, it said troops fired at the main instigator after being attacked with rocks, though PA official Ghassan Daghlas however claimed it to be an unprovoked attack. This took the death toll to 16 Palestinians and one Israeli since Trump's declaration.


text: Following the announcement there were demonstrations in Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia. Demonstrations and clashes continued on December 10. Demonstrators hurling rocks and bottles clashed with Lebanese security forces using tear gas and water cannons outside the American embassy near the Lebanese capital Beirut.


text: Hundreds demonstrated outside US embassy in Amman, demanding its closure and the expulsion of the US charge d'affaires from Jordan. Thousands demonstrated outside the American embassy in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. On December 10, tens of thousands protested in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.


text: On December 11, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, said the organization would once again focus on Israel and the Palestinian cause. He urged Arab states to abandon the peace process and called for a new Palestinian uprising. The same day, thousands of Hezbollah supporters demonstrated in Beirut, chanting "Death to America! Death to Israel!" while waving Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.


text: Thousands of Hezbollah supporters in a Beirut rally demonstrated and chanted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" A few hundred Iranian conservatives rallied against the US decision in Tehran, playing music with addition of lyrics like "the US is a murderer", "Palestinian mothers are losing their children" and "Death to America".


text: An estimated 80,000 demonstrated against the decision in Jakarta on December 17, the 10th day of uninterrupted protests in Indonesia. Muslim clerics called for a boycott of American products. Anwar Abbas, a leading Muslim cleric of Indonesian Council of Ulema, read the petition calling for the boycott.


text: On December 27, the Iranian government became the first Muslim nation that passed a bill recognizing Jerusalem as capital of Palestine.


text: Hundreds of Muslims attended the Friday prayers outside the White House, in response to calls by American Muslim organizations. They wore Palestinian keffiyeh or colors of Palestinian flag, with protesters holding placards denouncing Israeli presence in East Jerusalem and West Bank.


text: Protests were held against the decision in Times Square, by hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered on the sidewalk of the Seventh Avenue. Some pro-Israeli counter-protestors also gathered nearby. Some pushing and shoving was reported as the two sides faced off at various points. One person was detained by the police.


text: A former Marine who had been interacting with Facebook posts praising ISIL, was arrested over an ISIL-inspired terror plot on San Francisco's Pier 39 for Christmas. He had cited Trump's decision as one of the reasons behind the plot.


text: Protesters gathered outside the US embassy in The Hague on December 8 and chanted anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian slogans. The protesters issued a joint press statement calling Trump's decision "against political, diplomatic and moral values". They further claimed that it was no surprise that Trump who was "known for his Islamophobia, xenophobia, racist and populist discourse and marginalization" made such a decision.


text: More than a thousand anti-Israel and anti-American protesters protested outside the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, near the US Embassy. On December 10, around 2,500 demonstrators marched through Berlin's Neukölln district and burned flags with the Star of David. Eleven people were detained and cited for criminal offenses. The burning of Israeli symbols was condemned by German leaders.


text: Thousands protested outside the US Embassy in London on the same day, with organizers claiming that there were 3,000 protesters and shouting pro-Palestine slogans. Protests were also held in cities of Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham, Dublin, Belfast and Derry.


text: During a protest in Stockholm on December 8, an Israeli flag was set on fire. During a protest march in Malmö, Sveriges Radio reported that the demonstrators had shouted "We have announced the intifada from Malmö. We want our freedom back, and we will shoot the Jews."


text: On December 9, a dozen men hurled Molotov cocktails at the Gothenburg Synagogue. No injuries were reported, and those inside the building hid in the basement. The incident followed a pro-Palestinian protest. Three people were later arrested over the attack. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and other top politicians condemned the attack. On December 11, a chapel of a Jewish cemetery in Malmö was the target of an attempted arson attack. Anti-Semitic chants including "Death to Israel" and "Slaughter the Jews" were also heard during protests in Berlin, Gothenburg and Vienna.


text: Two Danish journalists of the National Geographic channel were injured in Libreville on 16 December by an Islamist carrying a knife and crying "Allahu Akbar", according to Gabon's Defense Minister Etienne Kabinda Makaga. The attacker, who was arrested, told the police that he was carrying out a revenge attack against the United States over the recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital.


text: In February 2018, the U.S. government made it known that it would open its embassy in the building of the U.S. consulate's compound in Jerusalem's southern neighborhood of Arnona in May that year, thereby bringing president Donald Trump's plan to do so forward by about a year. The move was scheduled to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.


text: The U.S. delegation attending the embassy dedication ceremony on 14 May 2018 included the Trump administration's officials Steven Mnuchin, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner as well as Robert Jeffress and John Hagee.


text: Congressmen from both parties praised the move; Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the move was "long overdue". Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz traveled to Jerusalem to attend the U.S. Embassy opening. The relocation happened during an escalation of the Gaza border protests and caused international condemnation.


text: Between 1844 and 2019, the United States also maintained a separate consulate general that was later accredited to Palestinian residents in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip. In mid-October 2018, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Consulate General would be merged into the new US Embassy in Jerusalem. On March 4, 2019, the Consulate General was formally merged into the Embassy; ending the US practice of assigning separate diplomatic missions to Israel and the Palestinians. The Consulate-General's former Agron Street site will be revamped as the Embassy's Palestinian Affairs Unit, which will assume many of its former responsibilities but will now report to the US Embassy. Hitherto, the former Consulate-General had reported directly to the United States Department of State.


title: Love is in the Bin

text: Love is in the Bin is a 2018 art intervention by Banksy at Sotheby's London, with an unexpected self-destruction of his 2006 painting of "Girl with Balloon" immediately after it was sold at auction for a record £1,042,000. According to Sotheby's, it is "the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction." The painting has been on permanent loan to the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart since March 2019. In October 2021, it sold at auction for £18,582,000, a record for the artist.


title: Love is in the Bin

text: The painting is an adaptation of Banksy's 2002 mural "Girl with Balloon", rare as a unique work rather than a print. It was given by Banksy to a friend shortly after the "Barely Legal" exhibition in 2006. Banksy has said he prepared the self-destruct mechanism at this time in case the work was ever put up for auction.


title: Love is in the Bin

text: Sotheby's London sold the painting at auction on 5 October 2018, at an artist-record price of £1,042,000 (then equivalent to US$1,366,672 or €1,184,360). Within seconds of the gavel drop, the canvas began sliding out of the bottom of the frame and shredding itself to the audible sound of a siren and the surprise exclamations of attendees. The shredder stopped when the canvas was about half-way through; Banksy has said this stop was unplanned and that he intended to shred it completely. The work was housed in a deep frame and was plugged in to facilitate built-in electrical lights, which also powered a shredding device hidden in the bottom edge. Sotheby's said they had no foreknowledge of the mechanism. Immediately after the sale, technicians from Banksy's representatives, Pest Control, deactivated the shredder, but the mechanics remained in the frame.


title: Love is in the Bin

text: After the shredding, there was a negotiation with the buyer to confirm the sale, and on 11 October it was agreed that the sale would go through at the full original price. The work was renamed by Pest Control, from "Girl with Balloon", to "Love is in the Bin". Market watchers speculated that the self-destruction would increase the artwork's value. Sotheby's released a statement that called it "the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction".


title: Love is in the Bin

text: It was reported that the artist uploaded a video of the event onto Instagram, showing the construction of the shredding mechanism and frame, but deleted the post. Banksy has released another video indicating that the painting was intended to be shredded completely, showing the painting being shredded with the words: "In rehearsals it worked every time".


title: Love is in the Bin

text: It was sold by auction at Sotheby's on 14 October 2021 for £18,582,000, a record for the artist, against a £4-6 million guide price.


title: Love is in the Bin

text: Shortly after the auction Josh Gilbert, an artist specializing in metal sculpture and a magician, noted what he thought were a number of inconsistencies with the work shredding itself and the purported video of its construction released by Banksy. In particular, the video showed cutting blades placed sideways which would be unable to cut the canvas. Additionally the blades were "nowhere near where the painting sits". He instead conjectured that the original painting is simply rolled toward a hidden compartment in the back, while a pre-shredded copy is rolled out the bottom of the frame.


title: William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington

text: William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (10 December 1917 – 9 September 1944) was a British politician and British Army officer. He was the elder son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, and therefore the heir to the dukedom. He was killed in action in the Second World War during fighting in the Low Countries in September 1944 whilst leading a company of the Coldstream Guards.


text: Lord Hartington was born on 10 December 1917 in London, England. He was the elder son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, and his wife, Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge.


text: He was a member of the Conservative Party, and was selected as the official candidate of the Wartime Coalition for the West Derbyshire by-election on 18 February 1944, in the constituency local to Chatsworth. He was faced by Charles Frederick White, Jr., who resigned from the Labour Party to run as an Independent candidate, evading the Wartime Coalition's ban on partisan campaigning. West Derbyshire had been held by Conservatives since 1923 (Hartington's father and then his uncle by marriage). In a contentious campaign, White solidly defeated Hartington with 57.7% of the vote to 41.5%.


text: He received a commission as an officer into the British Army's Coldstream Guards regiment during the Second World War. In August 1944, during the liberation of Europe in the West from Nazi Germany, Hartington's unit, the 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards, as a part of the Guards Armoured Division, was engaged in heavy fighting in France. In early September 1944, it crossed the River Somme and pushed Eastward towards Brussels, where it was one of the first to liberate the city. Of the townsfolk and villagers who turned out and cheered the Allies and, in some cases, decorated their tanks, Hartington wrote to his wife of feeling "so unworthy of it all living as I have in reasonable safety and comfort during these years... I have a permanent lump in my throat and long for you to be here as it is an experience which few can have and which I would love to share with you."


text: On 9 September 1944, Hartington was shot dead at the age of 26 by a sniper whilst leading a company trying to capture the town of Heppen in Belgium from troops of the German Waffen-SS.


text: He married American socialite Kathleen Kennedy on 6 May 1944 at the Register Office in Chelsea Town Hall on King's Road in London. She was the daughter of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph Kennedy Sr, and the sister of John, Robert, and Ted Kennedy. The Duke of Devonshire and the bride's eldest brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, then a lieutenant in the United States Navy, signed the marriage register, and the Duke of Rutland served as best man. Her mother, Rose, disapproved of the union because the Kennedy family were Roman Catholic and the Dukes of Devonshire were Anglican, and neither would be married in the other's faith.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Patrick Dennis Bowlen (February 18, 1944 – June 13, 2019) was a Canadian–American lawyer, executive and the majority owner of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL), winning three Super Bowls. He was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the class of 2019. Bowlen owned other professional sports franchises in the Denver Colorado Area. Bowlen served as the Broncos CEO from 1984 until July 2014, when he stepped down as Broncos' CEO due to the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Bowlen was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin to American mother Arvella (née Woods) and Canadian father Paul Dennis Bowlen, who became a millionaire in the Canadian oil business, founding Regent Drilling as a wildcatter. The oil company is now owned by his brother John. Bowlen was Catholic and spent his childhood in Alberta. He then attended Campion High School, a Catholic Jesuit boarding school in his native Wisconsin. Bowlen later earned degrees in business (1965) and law (1968) from the University of Oklahoma. During his time at Oklahoma he played for the Oklahoma Sooners freshman football team as a wide receiver, as well as for the Edmonton Huskies junior football team, where he was part of three Canadian Junior Football League Championship teams from 1962 to 1964.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: The younger Bowlen became wealthier by becoming a successful lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta. Bowlen also worked as an executive for his father's company and as a real estate developer and had major investments in the mining industry. During his business career in Edmonton his construction company, Batoni-Bowlen Enterprises, built the Northlands Coliseum, which would become home to the WHA/NHL's Edmonton Oilers for 42 years.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Bowlen was an initiated member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. Bowlen was initiated by the University of Oklahoma, Beta Omicron chapter in 1963. Bowlen received bar admission in 1969 and was a member of the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Bowlen bought a majority interest in the Denver Broncos of the National Football League in March of 1984 from Vancouver industrialist Edgar Kaiser Jr. The purchase price was said to be $70 million, making the Broncos the highest-priced franchise in the league at the time.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: From 1999 to 2008, Bowlen and the Broncos were involved in several legal battles against former owner Edgar Kaiser Jr. In 1998, Bowlen agreed to sell retired football legend John Elway a share in the team. When Bowlen let the existence of the offer slip out to Kaiser while both were at the 1999 Bohemian Grove, Kaiser sued, claiming a breach of contract. Kaiser asserted that he had the right of first refusal if any deal was made involving franchise ownership. In 2004, a jury ruled in favor of Kaiser and a federal judge decreed that Kaiser was entitled to purchase back 10% of the Broncos using the identical purchase terms offered to Elway. Bowlen appealed the original verdict that ruled in favor of Kaiser and won in 2008, as the appellate court ruled that the structure of the Bowlen-Elway deal did not violate the original right of first refusal agreement.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: On December 30, 2008, Broncos head coach and Vice President of Football Operations Mike Shanahan was fired by Bowlen after a 14-year tenure as the head coach. Bowlen stated he wanted his team to go in a different direction. Bowlen searched for a new head coach over a two-week period and eventually chose Josh McDaniels, who at the time was the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Subsequently, after a losing streak in the 2010 season, McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Broncos. On February 12, 2009, Bowlen appointed Brian Xanders as the team's sole general manager and fired Jim and Jeff Goodman.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Within two weeks of the end of the 2010-11 regular season, Bowlen and the Broncos had hired former Carolina Panthers' coach John Fox to be their new head coach. Although Bowlen had discussions with Fox before the hiring, new front-office executive John Elway was mostly responsible for the hiring. By late 2009, rumors had begun to emerge that Bowlen had stepped out of the spotlight because of short-term memory loss. He told The Denver Post columnist Woody Paige that his memory wasn't what it used to be and that he couldn't recall details of the Broncos back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the late 1990s. Starting in 2010, Bowlen no longer played a major role in the Broncos' decision making, and Executive VP John Elway and President Joe Ellis assumed control. On July 23, 2014, due to complications with Alzheimer's disease, he officially relinquished control of the team to Joe Ellis.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: On November 1, 2015, Bowlen was inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame, earning him a bronze plaque that stands on the south side of Empower Field at Mile High.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: After Bowlen acquired the team in 1984, the Broncos briefly held the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the National Football League (334 wins, 212 losses, and 1 tie, for a .612 winning percentage), passing the San Francisco 49ers after the 2015 season. At the time of Bowlen's death, the New England Patriots had surpassed that figure.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Besides being owner and CEO of the Broncos, Bowlen was also part-owner of the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush. He shared ownership with Denver-based sports mogul Stan Kroenke and legendary Broncos quarterback John Elway. The Crush entered the AFL as an expansion franchise in 2003. After going through a 2–14 season in 2003, the team became a perennial playoff contender and one of the league's top franchises. The Crush won the Arena Football League Championship in 2005.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: In 2006, Major League Lacrosse decided to expand adding the Denver Outlaws to its league of teams. The Denver Outlaws have been the most winning franchise that Bowlen has ever owned, boasting a regular-season win percentage of 69.0% since their creation. The Outlaws have been to the playoffs every year of their existence except one (2015) and advanced to the championship game eight times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018), winning the championship in 2014, 2016, and 2018.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: Bowlen was a member of the University of Denver Board of Trustees and contributed to the funding of the Pat Bowlen Athletic Training Center located on the school's campus. He also contributed significantly to the local Denver Boys & Girls Club chapters.


title: Pat Bowlen

text: On June 13, 2019, Bowlen died of a pulmonary embolism. Under terms set prior to Bowlen's death, Joe Ellis led a three-person trust representing his estate. Bowlen's intent was for his seven children to inherit the franchise, though he did not specify which of them would have first right.


title: Of counsel

text: Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special counsel", and "senior counsel" for the same concept. According to American Bar Association Formal Opinion 90-357, the term "of counsel" is used to describe a "close, personal, continuous, and regular relationship" between the firm and counsel lawyer. In large law firms, the title generally denotes a lawyer with the experience of a partner, but who does not carry the same workload or business development responsibility.


title: Of counsel

text: Formal Opinion 90-357 of the American Bar Association provides four acceptable definitions of the term:


title: Of counsel

text: Some firms also use the term to refer to attorneys hired on a temporary basis to assist with a particular case. However, because "of counsel" describes "a close, regular, personal relationship", temporary lawyers used by law firms to engage in document reviews for a specific project or for limited duration are not "of counsel".


title: Of counsel

text: The average annual base salary for "of counsel" or "special counsel" in the United States between 2003 and 2009 was US$216,019 (with salary varying depending on size/reputation of the firm, its location, and the attorney’s experience). At highly prestigious law firms, an "of counsel" or "special counsel" may make as much as US$375,000 per year.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: The Ford Explorer Sport Trac (also shortened to Ford Sport Trac) is a pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for the North American market. The first mid-sized pickup truck produced by Ford, the Sport Trac was marketed from the 2001 to the 2010 model years (skipping the 2006 model year). Sized between the Ranger (whose crew cab variants were sold outside of North America) and the F-150, the Sport Trac largely competed against crew-cab variants of the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, Dodge Dakota, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: Produced over two generations, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac shared its chassis and much of its body from the Ford Explorer SUV (with the pickup truck bed designed specifically for the model line). All production was sourced from the Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky (taking the place of the Ford Ranger).


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: As Ford developed the fifth-generation Ford Explorer SUV for the 2011 model year, the Sport Trac was phased out of the model line, with production ending in October 2010. Closely matching the Sport Trac in size, the fourth-generation Ford Ranger serves the same market function in its SuperCrew four-door crew cab configuration.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: Introduced in February 2000 as an early 2001 model, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac was brought to market. While marketed as a variant of the Ford Explorer SUV model line, the Sport Trac was functionally a crew-cab mid-size pickup truck. Slotted in between the Ford Ranger SuperCab (crew-cab Ford Rangers were never marketed in North America) and the F-150 SuperCrew, the Sport Trac became the first mid-size pickup truck produced by Ford. In terms of layout, the Sport Trac was followed by the Chevrolet Avalanche and Honda Ridgeline, both crew cab pickup truck derived from SUVs.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: The Ford Explorer Sport Trac shares the Ford UN105 platform with the second-generation Ford Explorer. To accommodate for the addition of a pickup bed, the wheelbase of the Explorer Sport Trac was lengthened from 111.6 inches to 125.9 inches (matching the Ford Ranger SuperCab). As with the Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Sport, rear-wheel drive was standard, with ControlTrac four-wheel drive as an optional powertrain configuration. A 210 hp SOHC 4.0L V6 was the sole engine offering. A five-speed manual transmission was standard, with a five-speed automatic transmission available as an option.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: During the 2001 model year, the 4.0L V6 underwent revisions, shifting from an alloy intake manifold to a composite design; the oil filler cap switched locations from the driver side to the passenger side of the engine. For 2002, the chassis was given four-wheel disc brakes (replacing rear drum brakes) with the rear discs being the largest offered on a solid rear axle Explorer (11.83" vs 11.2"). The fuel tank was also enlarged from 20 gallons to 22 gallons.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: Built on a lengthened Ford Explorer chassis, the Sport Trac was constructed using parts from three Ford vehicles, with the addition of model-specific pickup truck bed. Sharing the front fascia and fenders with the two-door Explorer Sport, the four-door cab was constructed from the four-door Ford Explorer (with modified rear doors). Designed specifically for the Sport Trac, the 50-inch long pickup bed was constructed entirely of plastic composite material; the tailgate was shared with the Ford F-150 SuperCrew. To add additional load space for the shortened pickup bed, Ford offered a metal load extender to be used with the tailgate. Another option included a removable hard plastic tonneau cover for the pickup bed.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: Sharing its interior with the two-door and four-door Explorer (which shared much of its dashboard with the Ranger), the Sport Trac retained the fold-down rear seats of the four-door Explorer to expand storage space. A full rubber floor was standard (as in base-trim pickup trucks), with berber-style carpet floor mats. The Sport Trac was configured with a power-retractable "Breezeway" rear window (a feature last used by Ford on the 1965 Mercury line) in place of a sliding rear window.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: During 2002, several changes were made to the exterior badging, with "Explorer" removed from the doors and "Sport Trac" (on the tailgate) changed to chrome, from red/white plastic. In another revision, the B-pillars were changed from black to body-colored. For 2004, the gray bumpers and side skirts were darkened in color; a new option offered body-color bumpers and side skirts.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: In line with the second-generation Ford Explorer four-door, beginning in 2002, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac was offered in a XLS trim level (steel wheels, cloth seats) and an XLT trim level (alloy wheels), and 2003, an XLT Premium trim level (leather seats)


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: In 2006, Ford released the second-generation Ford Explorer Sport Trac. After skipping the 2006 model year, the new design was released as for the 2007 model year. Adopting many updates of the 2006 redesign of the Ford Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer, the Sport Trac received a redesigned frame and the introduction of several safety features, including stability control and active rollover protection (named AdvanceTrac and Roll Stability Control by Ford, respectively).


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: The second-generation Ford Explorer Sport Trac shares the Ford U251 chassis with the fourth-generation Ford Explorer. As part of the redesign, the wheelbase was stretched to 130.5 inches (4.6 inches longer than the previous generation). In a break from its predecessor, the 2007 Sport Trac adopted the four-wheel independent suspension of the Ford Explorer; with the exception of the Honda Ridgeline and Hummer H1, the Sport Trac became the first pickup truck with such a suspension layout.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: As a standard engine, the second-generation Sport Trac retained the 4.0L V6 of its predecessor. For the first time the Sport Trac offered a V8 engine option, the 292 hp 4.6L 24-valve Modular V8 used in the F-150 pickups. The five-speed manual transmission was discontinued, with the 5R55W five-speed automatic becoming standard equipment with the 4.0L V6 and the 4.6 3V V8; in 2009 the 6R80 6 speed automatic replaced the 5 speed behind the V8.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: Again derived from a lengthened Ford Explorer, the second-generation Sport Trac was fitted with a plastic composite pickup truck bed. As the two-door Ford Explorer Sport was discontinued in 2003, the second-generation Sport Trac adopted the front fascia of the four-door Explorer. In a minor styling shift, while the large front fender flares were withdrawn, the rear ones continued, styled similar to the F-150 FlareSide pickup bed.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: Largely sharing its rear doors with the Ford Explorer (with a lack of a rear wheel cutout in the lower corners, due to the longer wheelbase), the Sport Trac retained a Hofmeister kink in the rear quarter windows. As with its predecessor, the Sport Trac retained the power-retractable "breezeway" rear window.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: For 2008, the Adrenalin appearance package (see below) was added, along with the addition of SYNC as an infotainment media system.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: In contrast to the Explorer SUV, the second-generation Sport Trac was offered with only two trim levels, both common to the Explorer. On the Sport Trac, the XLT (mid-range on the Explorer) served as the standard trim level, with the Limited serving as the upgraded trim level. Along with the standardization of many optional features of the XLT, the monochromatic Limited replaces the black lower body trim of the XLT with a body-color trim.


title: Ford Explorer Sport Trac

text: During the development of the second-generation Sport Trac, Ford SVT developed the "Sport Trac Adrenalin." Powered by a supercharged version of the 4.6L V8 (producing 390 hp), the Adrenalin was intended as a 2007 successor for the F-150 Lightning pickup truck. As part of The Way Forward, the Sport Trac Adrenalin project was cancelled. For 2008, the Adrenalin became part of the Sport Trac model line as an option package. While the SVT-supercharged V8 was not included, many design elements of the model were included, including its blacked-out headlights, black grille, model-specific bumpers, model-specific front fenders (distinguished by side vents), monochromatic interior trim, integrated running boards, and 20-inch alloy wheels.


title: Savan Kotecha

text: Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian (Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film "", for which he wrote and produced several songs and performed one song.


title: Savan Kotecha

text: Kotecha has been the recipient of nine BMI Awards, 23 ASCAP Awards and two "Billboard" Music Awards, among others.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Lisa Jane Smith is an American author of young adult fiction best known for her best-selling series "The Vampire Diaries", which has been turned into a successful television show. Her books, particularly "The Vampire Diaries" and "Night World", have been in the "New York Times" Best Seller list and have been nominated for five awards.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Smith was born in Orange County, California. Her reported date of birth varies, with sources noting as early as 1958 or 1959 or as late as 1965. As a child, she grew up in Villa Park, California and attended Villa Park High School. It was here that her high school English teacher, Zoe Gibbs, gave Smith the confidence to write.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Smith studied experimental psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She later attended San Francisco State University to obtain teaching credentials.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Smith began her career as an elementary school teacher, but left in 1989 after three years to pursue writing.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Smith has said that she realized she wanted to be a writer sometime between kindergarten and first grade, "when a teacher praised a horrible poem I'd written", and she began writing in earnest in elementary school.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Her first book, "The Night of the Solstice", written during high school and college, was published by MacMillan in 1987, followed by "Heart of Valor" in 1990. They sold poorly, as they were labeled for 9 to 11-year-olds and not for young adults, as Smith wanted.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: "The Vampire Diaries" series was commissioned by Elise Donner, editor of Alloy Entertainment in 1990: Smith immediately wrote the scene when Elena, Bonnie and Meredith are decorating the gym and the heroine meets Damon (scene later included in the first novel), while, as for the other characters, she adapted those of "The Garden of Earthly Delights", an adult book she was writing. She chose the setting of "The Vampire Diaries" in Virginia because she has family there and was inspired by the small towns and lifestyles.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Three trilogies followed: "The Secret Circle" (1992), "The Forbidden Game" (1994) and "Dark Visions" (1995). The first installment of "Night World" series was published in 1996, followed by eight more over the next two years.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: In 1998, Smith began a decade-long hiatus from writing, returning in 2008 with a new website and a series of new short stories. "The Vampire Diaries" series was reissued in 2007, followed by reprintings of "The Secret Circle" trilogy and "Night World" series in 2008–2009. "The Night of the Solstice" and "Heart of Valor" were also reissued in 2008. Three new "Vampire Diaries" installments were published in 2009 and 2010. The series was later adapted into a TV series ("The Vampire Diaries") in 2009, as well as "The Secret Circle", which became a TV series of the same name in 2011.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: The final volume of "The Vampire Diaries" written entirely by Smith ("The Return: Midnight") was released in March 2011. Smith submitted a draft of the next installment ("The Hunters: Phantom"), but after a dispute regarding a pivotal plot twist, her involvement was terminated by the publisher and the episode was revised by a ghostwriter. Subsequent "Vampire Diaries" installments have also been ghostwritten. She was also replaced on "The Secret Circle" series, by ghostwriter Aubrey Clark.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: Smith previously resided in Concord, California in 1991 and still resides in Northern California with her dog. In 1998, Smith took a decade-long hiatus from writing to take care of her sister's children when her brother-in-law was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. During this time, her mother died from lung cancer. In late 2015, Smith was diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis.


title: L. J. Smith (author)

text: "Note: These books were published as fanfiction on Kindle Worlds after Smith's publisher hired other authors to continue the series after "The Return: Midnight". They pick up after the ending of said book. And while they do represent the original author's intended continuation, they are not considered official canon to the main "Vampire Diaries" series due to their status."


title: Dysgenics

text: Dysgenics (also known as cacogenics) is the decrease in prevalence of traits deemed to be either socially desirable or well adapted to their environment due to selective pressure disfavoring the reproduction of those traits.


title: Dysgenics

text: The adjective "dysgenic" is the antonym of "eugenic". In 1915 the term was used by David Starr Jordan to describe the supposed deleterious effects of modern warfare on group-level genetic fitness because of its tendency to kill physically healthy men while preserving the disabled at home. Similar concerns had been raised by early eugenicists and social Darwinists during the 19th century, and continued to play a role in scientific and public policy debates throughout the 20th century. More recent concerns about supposed dysgenic effects in human populations have been advanced by the controversial psychologist Richard Lynn, notably in his 1996 book "", which argued that a reduction in selection pressures and decreased infant mortality since the Industrial Revolution have resulted in an increased propagation of deleterious traits and genetic disorders. In popular culture, concerns about dysgenics have also formed the basis for speculative fiction, notably the 2006 film "Idiocracy".


title: Dysgenics

text: Despite these concerns, genetic studies have shown no evidence for dysgenic effects in human populations.


title: Dysgenics

text: Cyril M. Kornbluth's 1951 short story "The Marching Morons" is an example of dysgenic fiction, describing a man who accidentally ends up in the distant future and discovers that dysgenics has resulted in mass stupidity. Mike Judge's 2006 film "Idiocracy" has the same premise, with the main character the subject of a military hibernation experiment that goes awry, taking him 500 years into the future. While in "The Marching Morons", civilization is kept afloat by a small group of dedicated geniuses, in "Idiocracy", voluntary childlessness among high-IQ couples leaves only automated systems to fill that role.


title: Function generator

text: In electrical engineering, a function generator is usually a piece of electronic test equipment or software used to generate different types of electrical waveforms over a wide range of frequencies. Some of the most common waveforms produced by the function generator are the sine wave, square wave, triangular wave and sawtooth shapes. These waveforms can be either repetitive or single-shot (which requires an internal or external trigger source). Another feature included on many function generators is the ability to add a DC offset. Integrated circuits used to generate waveforms may also be described as function generator ICs.


title: Function generator

text: Although function generators cover both audio and radio frequencies, they are usually not suitable for applications that need low distortion or stable frequency signals. When those traits are required, other signal generators would be more appropriate.


title: Function generator

text: Some function generators can be phase-locked to an external signal source (which may be a frequency reference) or another function generator.


title: Function generator

text: Function generators are used in the development, test and repair of electronic equipment. For example, they may be used as a signal source to test amplifiers or to introduce an error signal into a control loop. Function generators are primarily used for working with analog circuits, related pulse generators are primarily used for working with digital circuits.


title: Function generator

text: Simple function generators usually generate triangular waveform whose frequency can be controlled smoothly as well as in steps. This triangular wave is used as the basis for all of its other outputs. The triangular wave is generated by repeatedly charging and discharging a capacitor from a constant current source. This produces a linearly ascending and descending voltage ramp. As the output voltage reaches upper or lower limits, the charging or discharging is reversed using a comparator, producing the linear triangle wave. By varying the current and the size of the capacitor, different frequencies may be obtained. Sawtooth waves can be produced by charging the capacitor slowly with low current, but using a diode over the current source to discharge quickly - the polarity of the diode changes the polarity of the resulting sawtooth, i.e. slow rise and fast fall, or fast rise and slow fall.


title: Function generator

text: A 50% duty cycle square wave is easily obtained by noting whether the capacitor is being charged or discharged, which is reflected in the current switching comparator output. Other duty cycles (theoretically from 0% to 100%) can be obtained by using a comparator and the sawtooth or triangle signal. Most function generators also contain a non-linear diode shaping circuit that can convert the triangle wave into a reasonably accurate sine wave by rounding off the corners of the triangle wave in a process similar to clipping in audio systems.


title: Function generator

text: A walking ring counter, also called a Johnson counter, and a (linear) resistor-only shaping circuit is an alternative way to produce an approximation of a sine wave.


title: Function generator

text: Two such walking ring counters are perhaps the simplest way to generate the continuous-phase frequency-shift keying


title: Function generator

text: A typical function generator can provide frequencies up to 20 MHz. RF generators for higher frequencies are not function generators in the strict sense since they typically produce pure or modulated sine signals only.


title: Function generator

text: Function generators, like most signal generators, may also contain an attenuator, various means of modulating the output waveform, and often the ability to automatically and repetitively "sweep" the frequency of the output waveform (by means of a voltage-controlled oscillator) between two operator-determined limits. This capability makes it very easy to evaluate the frequency response of a given electronic circuit.