title: Red panda

text: The name "panda" is thought to have originated from the red panda's local Nepali name ' "claw" or ' "paw". In English, it was simply called "panda"; it became known as the "red panda" or "lesser panda" to distinguish it from the giant panda, which was formally described and named in 1869. The genus name "Ailurus" is adopted from the ancient Greek word (""), meaning "cat". The specific epithet "fulgens" is Latin for "shining, bright".


title: Red panda

text: The red panda was described and named in 1825 by Frederic Cuvier, who gave it its current scientific name "Ailurus fulgens". Cuvier's description was based on zoological specimens, including skin, paws, jawbones and teeth "from the mountains north of India", as well as an account by Alfred Duvaucel. The red panda was described earlier by Thomas Hardwicke in 1821, but his paper was only published in 1827. In 1902, Oldfield Thomas described a skull of a male red panda specimen under the name "Ailurus fulgens styani" in honour of Frederick William Styan who had collected this specimen in Sichuan.


title: Red panda

text: The modern red panda is the only recognised species in the genus "Ailurus". It is traditionally divided into two subspecies: the Himalayan red panda ("A. f. fulgens") and the Chinese red panda ("A. f. styani"). The Himalayan subspecies has a straighter profile, a lighter coloured forehead and ochre-tipped hairs on the lower back and rump. The Chinese subspecies has a more curved forehead and sloping snout, a darker coat with a less white face and more contrast between the tail rings.


title: Red panda

text: In 2020, results of a genetic analysis of red panda samples showed that the red panda populations in the Himalayas and China were separated about 250,000 years ago. The researchers suggested that the two subspecies should be treated as distinct species. Red Pandas in southeastern Tibet and northern Myanmar were found to be part of "styani", while those of southern Tibet were of "fulgens" in the strict sense. DNA sequencing of 132 red panda faecal samples collected in Northeast India and China also showed two distinct clusters indicating that the Siang River constitutes the boundary between the Himalayan and Chinese red pandas. They probably diverged due to glaciation events on the southern Tibetan Plateau in the Pleistocene.


title: Red panda

text: The placement of the red panda on the evolutionary tree has been debated. In the early 20th century, various scientists placed it in the family Procyonidae with raccoons and their allies. At the time, most prominent biologists also considered the red panda to be related to the giant panda, which would eventually be found to be a bear. A 1982 study examined the similarities and differences in the skull between the red panda and the giant panda, other bears and procyonids, and placed the species in its own family Ailuridae. The author of the study considered the red panda to be more closely related to bears. A 1995 mitochondrial DNA analysis revealed that the red panda has close affinities with procyonids. Further genetic studies in 2005, 2018 and 2021 have placed the red panda within the clade Musteloidea, which also includes Procyonidae, Mustelidae (weasels and relatives) and Mephitidae (skunks and relatives).


title: Red panda

text: The family Ailuridae appears to have evolved in Europe in either the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene, about . The earliest member "Amphictis" is known from its skull and may have been around the same size as the modern species. Its dentition consists of sharp premolars and carnassials (P4 and m1) and molars adapted for grinding (M1, M2 and m2), suggesting that it had a generalised carnivorous diet. Its placement within Ailuridae is based on the grooves on the side of its canine teeth. Other early or basal ailurids include "Alopecocyon" and "Simocyon", whose fossils have been found throughout Eurasia and North America dating from the Middle Miocene, the latter of which survived into the Early Pliocene. Both have similar teeth to "Amphictis" and thus had a similar diet. The puma-sized "Simocyon" was likely a tree-climber and shared a "false thumb"—an extended wrist bone—with the modern species, suggesting the appendage was an adaptation to arboreal locomotion and not to feed on bamboo.


title: Red panda

text: Later and more advanced ailurids are classified in the subfamily Ailurinae and are known as the "true" red pandas. These animals were smaller and more adapted for an omnivorous or herbivorous diet. The earliest known true panda is "Magerictis" from the Middle Miocene of Spain and known only from one tooth, a lower second molar. The tooth shows both ancestral and new characteristics having a relatively low and simple crown but also a lengthened crushing surface with developed tooth cusps like later species. Later ailurines include "Pristinailurus bristoli" which lived in eastern North America from the late Miocene to the Early Pliocene and species of the genus "Parailurus" which first appear in Early Pliocene Europe, spreading across Eurasia into North America. These animals are classified as a sister taxon to the lineage of the modern red panda. In contrast to the herbivorous modern species, these ancient pandas were likely omnivores, with highly cusped molars and sharp premolars.


title: Red panda

text: The earliest fossil record of the modern genus "Ailurus" date no earlier than the Pleistocene and appears to have been limited to Asia. The modern red panda's lineage became adapted for a specialised bamboo diet, having molar-like premolars and more elevated cusps. The false thumb would secondarily gain a function in feeding.


title: Red panda

text: Analysis of 53 red panda samples from Sichuan and Yunnan showed a high level of genetic diversity. The full genome of the red panda was sequenced in 2017. Researchers have compared it to the genome of the giant panda to learn the genetics of convergent evolution, as both species have false thumbs and are adapted for a specialised bamboo diet despite having the digestive system of a carnivore. Both pandas show modifications to certain limb development genes (DYNC2H1 and PCNT), which may play roles in the development of the thumbs. In switching from a carnivorous to a herbivorous diet, both species have reactivated taste receptor genes used for detecting bitterness, though the specific genes are different.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda's coat is mainly red or orange-brown with a black belly and legs. The muzzle, cheeks, brows and inner ear margins are mostly white while the bushy tail has red and buff ring patterns and a dark brown tip. The colouration appears to serve as camouflage in habitat with red moss and white lichen-covered trees. The guard hairs are longer and rougher while the dense undercoat is fluffier with shorter hairs. The guard hairs on the back have a circular cross-section and are long. It has moderately long whiskers around the mouth, lower jaw and chin. The hair on the soles of the paws allows the animal to walk in snow.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda has a relatively small head, though proportionally larger than in similarly sized raccoons, with a reduced snout and triangular ears, and nearly evenly lengthed limbs. It has a head-body length of with a tail. The Himalayan red panda is recorded to weigh , while the Chinese red panda weighs for females and for males. It has five curved digits on each foot, each with curved semi-retractile claws that aid in climbing. The pelvis and hindlimbs have flexible joints, adaptations for an arboreal quadrupedal lifestyle. While not prehensile, the tail helps the animal balance while climbing.


title: Red panda

text: The forepaws possess a "false thumb", which is an extension of a wrist bone, the radial sesamoid found in many carnivorans. This thumb allows the animal grip onto bamboo stalks and both the digits and wrist bones are highly flexible. The red panda shares this feature with the giant panda, which has a larger sesamoid that is more compressed at the sides. In addition, the red panda's sesamoid has a more sunken tip while the giant panda's curves in the middle. These features give the giant panda more developed dexterity.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda's skull is wide, and its lower jaw is robust. However, because it eats leaves and stems, which are not as tough, it has smaller chewing muscles than the giant panda. The digestive system of the red panda is only 4.2 times its body length, with a simple stomach, no noticeable divide between the ileum and colon, and no caecum.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda inhabits Nepal, the states of Sikkim, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh in India, Bhutan, southern Tibet, northern Myanmar and China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. The global potential habitat of the red panda has been estimated to comprise at most; this habitat is located in the temperate climate zone of the Himalayas with a mean annual temperature range of . Throughout this range, it has been recorded at elevations of .


title: Red panda

text: In Nepal, it lives in six protected area complexes within the Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests ecoregion. The westernmost records to date were obtained in three community forests in Kalikot District in 2019. Panchthar and Ilam Districts represent its easternmost range in the country, where its habitat in forest patches is surrounded by villages, livestock pastures and roads. The metapopulation in protected areas and wildlife corridors in the Kangchenjunga landscape of Sikkim and northern West Bengal is partly connected through old-growth forests outside protected areas. Forests in this landscape are dominated by Himalayan oaks ("Quercus lamellosa" and "Q. semecarpifolia"), Himalayan birch, Himalayan fir, Himalayan maple with bamboo, "Rhododendron" and some black juniper shrub growing in the understoreys. Records in Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh's Pangchen Valley, West Kameng and Shi Yomi districts indicate that it frequents habitats with "Yushania" and "Thamnocalamus" bamboo, medium-sized "Rhododendron", whitebeam and chinquapin trees. In China, it inhabits the Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests and Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests in the Hengduan, Qionglai, Xiaoxiang, Daxiangling and Liangshan Mountains in Sichuan. In the adjacent Yunnan province, it was recorded only in the northwestern montane part.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda prefers microhabitats within of water sources. Fallen logs and tree stumps are important habitat features, as they facilitate access to bamboo leaves. Red pandas have been recorded to use steep slopes of more than 20° and stumps exceeding a diameter of . Red pandas observed in Phrumsengla National Park used foremost easterly and southerly slopes with a mean slope of 34° and a canopy cover of 66 per cent that were overgrown with bamboo about in height. In Dafengding Nature Reserve, it prefers steep south-facing slopes in winter and inhabits forests with bamboo tall. In Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, it inhabits mixed coniferous forest with a dense canopy cover of more than 75 per cent, steep slopes and a density of at least . In some parts of China, the red panda coexists with the giant panda. In Fengtongzhai and Yele National Nature Reserves, the red panda microhabitat is characterised by steep slopes with lots of bamboo stems, shrubs, fallen logs and stumps, whereas the giant panda prefers gentler slopes with taller but lesser amounts of bamboo and less habitat features overall. Such niche separation lessens competition between the two bamboo-eating species.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda is difficult to observe in the wild, and most studies on its behaviour have taken place in captivity. The red panda appears to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, sleeping in between periods of activity at night. It typically rests or sleeps in trees or other elevated spaces, stretched out prone on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot, and curled up with its hindlimb over the face when it is cold. It is adapted for climbing and descends to the ground head-first with the hindfeet holding on to the middle of the tree trunk. It moves quickly on the ground by trotting or bounding.


title: Red panda

text: Adult pandas are generally solitary and territorial. Individuals mark their home range or territorial boundaries with urine, faeces and secretions from the anal and surrounding glands. Scent-marking is usually done on the ground, with males marking more often and for longer periods. In China's Wolong National Nature Reserve, the home range of a radio-collared female was , while that of a male was . A one-year-long monitoring study of ten red pandas in eastern Nepal showed that the four males had median home ranges of and the six females of within a forest cover of at least . The females travelled per day and the males . In the mating season from January to March, adults travelled a mean of and subadults a mean of . They all had larger home ranges in areas with low forest cover and reduced their activity in areas that were disturbed by people, livestock and dogs.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda is largely herbivorous and feeds primarily on bamboo, mainly the genera "Phyllostachys", "Sinarundinaria", "Thamnocalamus" and "Chimonobambusa". It also feeds on fruits, blossoms, acorns, eggs, birds and small mammals. Bamboo leaves may be the most abundant food item year-round and the only food they can access during winter. In Wolong National Nature Reserve, leaves of the bamboo species "Bashania fangiana" were found in nearly 94 per cent of analysed droppings, and its shoots were found in 59 per cent of the droppings found in June.


title: Red panda

text: The diet of red pandas monitored at three sites in Singalila National Park for two years consisted of 40–83 per cent "Yushania maling" and 51–91.2 per cent "Thamnocalamus spathiflorus" bamboos supplemented by bamboo shoots, "Actinidia strigosa" fruits and seasonal berries. In this national park, red panda droppings also contained remains of silky rose and bramble fruit species in the summer season, "Actinidia callosa" in the post-monsoon season, and "Merrilliopanax alpinus", the whitebeam species "Sorbus cuspidata" and tree rhododendron in both seasons. Droppings were found on 23 plant species including the stone oak species "Lithocarpus pachyphyllus", Campbell's magnolia, the chinquapin species "Castanopsis tribuloides", Himalayan birch, "Litsea sericea" and the holly species "Ilex fragilis". In Nepal's Rara National Park, "Thamnocalamus" was found in all the droppings sampled, both before and after the monsoon. Its summer diet in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve also includes some lichens and barberries. In Bhutan's Jigme Dorji National Park, red panda faeces found in the fruiting season contained seeds of Himalayan ivy.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda grabs food with one of its front paws and usually eats sitting down or standing. When foraging for bamboo, it grabs the plant by the stem and pulls it down towards its jaws. It bites the leaves with the side of the cheek teeth and then shears, chews and shallows. Smaller food like blossoms, berries and small leaves are eaten differently, being clipped by the incisors. Having the gastrointestinal tract of a carnivore, the red panda cannot properly digest bamboo, which passes through its gut in two to four hours. Hence, it must consume large amounts of the most nutritious plant matter. It eats over of fresh leaves or of fresh shoots in a day with crude proteins and fats being the most easily digested. Digestion is highest in summer and fall but lowest in winter, and is easier for shoots than leaves. The red panda's metabolic rate is comparable to other mammals of its size, despite its poor diet. The red panda digests almost a third of dry matter, which is more efficient than the giant panda digesting 17 per cent. Microbes in the gut may aid in its processing of bamboo; the microbiota community in the red panda is less diverse than in other mammals.


title: Red panda

text: At least seven different vocalisations have been recorded from the red panda, comprising growls, barks, squeals, hoots, bleats, grunts and twitters. Growling, barking, grunting and squealing are produced during fights and aggressive chasing. Hooting is made in response to being approached by another individual. Bleating is associated with scent-marking and sniffing. Males may bleat during mating, while females twitter. During both play fighting and aggressive fighting, individuals curve their backs and tails while slowly moving their heads up and down. They then turn their heads while jaw-clapping, move their heads laterally and lift a forepaw to strike. They stand on their hind legs, raise the forelimbs above the head and then pounce. Two red pandas may "stare" at each other from a distance.


title: Red panda

text: Red pandas are "long-day" breeders, reproducing after the winter solstice as daylight grows longer. Mating thus takes place from January to March, with births occurring from May to August. Reproduction is delayed by six months for captive pandas in the southern hemisphere. Oestrous lasts a day, and females can enter oestrous multiple times a season, but it is not known how long the intervals between each cycle last.


title: Red panda

text: As the reproductive season begins, males and females interact more, and will rest, move, and feed near each other. An oestrous female will spend more time marking and males will inspect her anogenital region. Receptive females make tail-flicks and position themselves in a lordosis pose, with the front lowered to the ground and the spine curved. Copulation involves the male mounting the female from behind and on top, though face-to-face matings as well as belly-to-back matings while lying on the sides also occur. The male will grab the female by the sides with his front paws instead of biting her neck. Intermission is 2–25 minutes long, and the couple grooms each other between each bout.


title: Red panda

text: Gestation lasts about 131 days. Prior to giving birth, the female selects a denning site, such as a tree, log or stump hollow or rock crevice, and builds a nest using material from nearby, such as twigs, sticks, branches, bark bits, leaves, grass and moss. Litters typically consist of one to four cubs that are born fully furred but blind. They are entirely dependent on their mother for the first three to four months until they first leave the nest. They nurse for their first five months. The bond between mother and offspring lasts until the next mating season. Cubs are fully grown at around 12 months and at around 18 months they reach sexual maturity. Two radio-collared cubs in eastern Nepal separated from their mothers at the age of 7–8 months and left their birth areas three weeks later. They reached new home ranges within 26–42 days and became residents after exploring them for 42–44 days.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda's lifespan in captivity reaches 14 years. They have been recorded falling prey to leopards in the wild. Faecal samples of red panda collected in Nepal contained parasitic protozoa, amoebozoans, roundworms, trematodes and tapeworms. Roundworms, tapeworms and coccidia were also found in red panda scat collected in Rara and Langtang National Parks. Fourteen red pandas at the Knoxville Zoo suffered from severe ringworm, so the tails of two were amputated. Chagas disease was reported as the cause of death of a red panda kept in a Kansas zoo. "Amdoparvovirus" was detected in the scat of six red pandas in the Sacramento Zoo. Eight captive red pandas in a Chinese zoo suffered from shortness of breath and fever shortly before they died of pneumonia; autopsy revealed that they had antibodies to the protozoans "Toxoplasma gondii" and "Sarcocystis" species indicating that they were intermediate hosts. A captive red panda in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding died of unknown reasons; an autopsy showed that its kidneys, liver and lungs were damaged by a bacterial infection caused by "Escherichia coli".


title: Red panda

text: The red panda is primarily threatened by the destruction and fragmentation of its habitat, the causes of which include increasing human population, deforestation, the unlawful taking of non-wood forest material and disturbances by herders and livestock. Trampling by livestock inhibits bamboo growth, and clearcutting decreases the ability of some bamboo species to regenerate. The cut lumber stock in Sichuan alone reached in 1958–1960, and around of red panda habitat were logged between the mid 1970s and late 1990s. Throughout Nepal, the red panda habitat outside protected areas is negatively affected by solid waste, livestock trails and herding stations, and people collecting firewood and medicinal plants. Threats identified in Nepal's Lamjung District include grazing by livestock during seasonal transhumance, human-made forest fires and the collection of bamboo as cattle fodder in winter. Vehicular traffic is a significant barrier to red panda movement between habitat patches.


title: Red panda

text: Poaching is also a major threat. In Nepal, 121 red panda skins were confiscated between 2008 and 2018. Traps meant for other wildlife have been recorded killing red pandas. In Myanmar, the red panda is threatened by hunting using guns and traps; since roads to the border with China were built starting in the early 2000s, red panda skins and live animals have been traded and smuggled across the border. In southwestern China, the red panda is hunted for its fur, especially for the highly valued bushy tails, from which hats are produced. The red panda population in China has been reported to have decreased by 40 per cent over the last 50 years, and the population in western Himalayan areas are considered to be smaller. Between 2005 and 2017, 35 live and seven dead red pandas were confiscated in Sichuan, and several traders were sentenced to 3–12 years of imprisonment. A month-long survey of 65 shops in nine Chinese counties in the spring of 2017 revealed only one in Yunnan offered hats made of red panda skins, and red panda tails were offered in an online forum.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda is listed in CITES Appendix I and protected in all range countries; hunting is illegal. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2008 because the global population is estimated at 10,000 individuals, with a decreasing population trend. A large extent of its habitat is part of protected areas.


title: Red panda

text: A red panda anti-poaching unit and community-based monitoring have been established in Langtang National Park. Members of Community Forest User Groups also protect and monitor red panda habitats in other parts of Nepal. Community outreach programs have been initiated in eastern Nepal using information boards, radio broadcasting and the annual International Red Panda Day in September; several schools endorsed a red panda conservation manual as part of their curricula.


title: Red panda

text: Since 2010, community-based conservation programmes have been initiated in 10 districts in Nepal that aim to help villagers reduce their dependence on natural resources through improved herding and food processing practices and alternative income possibilities. The Nepali government ratified a five-year Red Panda Conservation Action Plan in 2019. From 2016 to 2019, of high-elevation rangeland in Merak, Bhutan, was restored and fenced in cooperation with 120 herder families to protect the red panda forest habitat and improve communal land. Villagers in Arunachal Pradesh established two community conservation areas to protect the red panda habitat from disturbance and exploitation of forest resources. China has initiated several projects to protect its environment and wildlife, including Grain for Green, The Natural Forest Protection Project and the National Wildlife/Natural Reserve Construction Project. For the last project, the red panda is not listed as a key species for protection but may benefit from the protection of the giant panda and golden snub-nosed monkey, with which it overlaps in range.


title: Red panda

text: The London Zoo received two red pandas in 1869 and 1876, the first of which was caught in Darjeeling. The Calcutta Zoo received a live red panda in 1877, the Philadelphia Zoo in 1906, and Artis and Cologne Zoos in 1908. In 1908, the first captive red panda cubs were born in an Indian zoo. In 1940, the San Diego Zoo imported four red pandas from India that had been caught in Nepal; their first litter was born in 1941. Cubs that were born later were sent to other zoos; by 1969, about 250 red pandas had been exhibited in zoos. The Taronga Conservation Society started keeping red pandas in 1977.


title: Red panda

text: In 1978, a breed registry, the "International Red Panda Studbook", was set up, followed by the Red Panda European Endangered Species Programme in 1985. Members of international zoos ratified a global master plan for the captive breeding of the red panda in 1993. By late 2015, 219 red pandas lived in 42 zoos in Japan. The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park participates in the Red Panda Species Survival Plan and kept about 25 red pandas by 2016. By the end of 2019, 182 European zoos kept 407 red pandas. Regional captive breeding programmes have also been established in North American, Australasian and South African zoos.


title: Red panda

text: The red panda's role in the culture and folklore of local people is limited. A drawing of a red panda exists on a 13th-century Chinese scroll. In Nepal's Taplejung District, red panda claws are used for treating epilepsy; its skin is used in rituals for treating sick people, making hats, scarecrows and decorating houses. In western Nepal, Magar shamans use its skin and fur in their ritual dresses and believe that it protects against evil spirits. People in central Bhutan consider red pandas to be reincarnations of Buddhist monks. Some tribal people in northeast India and the Yi people believe that it brings good luck to wear red panda tails or hats made of its fur. In China, the fur is used for local cultural ceremonies. At weddings, the bridegroom traditionally carries the hide. Hats made of red panda tails are also used by local newlyweds as a "good-luck charm".


title: Red panda

text: The red panda was recognised as the state animal of Sikkim in the early 1990s and was the mascot of the Darjeeling Tea Festival. It has been featured on stamps and coins issued by several red panda range states. Anthropomorphic red pandas feature in animated movies and TV series such as "The White Snake Enchantress", "Bamboo Bears", "Barbie as the Island Princess", DreamWork's "Kung Fu Panda" franchise, "Aggretsuko" and Disney/Pixar's "Turning Red", and in several video games and comic books. It is the namesake of the Firefox browser and has been used as the namesake of music bands and of companies. Its appearance has been used for plush toys, t-shirts, postcards and other items.


title: Maude Apatow

text: Maude Annabelle Apatow (born December 15, 1997) is an American actress, best known for portraying Lexi Howard in the HBO drama series "Euphoria" (2019–present).


title: Maude Apatow

text: She is the elder daughter of filmmaker Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann. Apatow began her career playing the daughter of her mother's characters in her father's films "Knocked Up" (2007), "Funny People" (2009), and "This Is 40" (2012).


title: Maude Apatow

text: Apatow gained further recognition for her roles in the films "Other People" (2016), "The House of Tomorrow" (2017), "Assassination Nation" (2018), and "The King of Staten Island" (2020) and the Netflix miniseries "Hollywood" (2020).


title: Maude Apatow

text: Apatow's mother is actress Leslie Mann and her father is director, producer, and screenwriter Judd Apatow. Her father's family is Jewish, and her maternal great-grandmother was of Finnish ancestry. She has a younger sister, Iris Apatow, who is also an actress. She attended the Crossroads School, a private school in Santa Monica, California. Maude also attended Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. In high school, Apatow appeared in musicals such as "Cabaret" and "Into the Woods". She studied theatre at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, but dropped out after her sophomore year.


title: Maude Apatow

text: Apatow began acting at the age of seven with a role in her father Judd Apatow's 2005 comedy film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", though her scenes ultimately did not make the film's final cut. She then appeared in the 2007 film "Knocked Up", which was also written, produced, and directed by her father. She and her younger sister Iris Apatow played Sadie and Charlotte, respectively, the daughters of their real-life mother Leslie Mann's character. She again appeared alongside her sister as the daughter of Mann's character in her father's 2009 film "Funny People", playing the role of Mable. Apatow reprised her "Knocked Up" role in the 2012 spin-off sequel "This Is 40", starring Mann and Paul Rudd's characters. For her performance in the film as Sadie, Apatow was nominated for the 2012 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Young Actress and the 2013 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress.


title: Maude Apatow

text: After joining Twitter, Apatow was noted to have a large online following, which helped her become a contributor to Zooey Deschanel's website Hello Giggles as a writer and interviewer. Her work on the site as well as her acting roles earned her a spot on the "Forbes" 30 Under 30 list in 2012. Apatow's Twitter account was named one of the "Best Twitter Feeds of 2013" by "Time" magazine. In 2015, Apatow played an audience member in the film "Pitch Perfect 2". That same year, she also recurred in the fourth season of the HBO comedy series "Girls" as Cleo. She appeared in three episodes of the series, on which her father was an executive producer.


title: Maude Apatow

text: Apatow appeared as Alexandra Mulcahey in the 2016 comedy-drama film "Other People", which was her first large role in a film not involving her father. In 2017, she played the role of Meredith Whitcomb in the film "The House of Tomorrow" and made her directorial debut with the short film "Don't Mind Alice", which she co-wrote and co-directed alongside Olivia Rosenbloom.


title: Maude Apatow

text: The following year in 2018, Apatow starred as Grace in the film "Assassination Nation". The film's director, Sam Levinson, subsequently cast Apatow as a series regular in his HBO teen drama series "Euphoria", which debuted in 2019; where she stars as Lexi Howard in the series, a role that Levinson wrote specifically for Apatow. In 2020, she co-starred in her father's comedy-drama film "The King of Staten Island", as the sister of Pete Davidson's character.


title: Maria Shriver

text: is an American journalist, author, a member of the Kennedy family, former First Lady of California, and the founder of the nonprofit organization The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. She was married to former governor of California and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, from whom she filed for divorce in 2011 which was finalized in 2021.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver began her journalism career at CBS station KYW-TV and briefly anchored the CBS Morning News before joining NBC News in 1986. After anchoring weekend editions of the Today show and the NBC Nightly News, she became a correspondent for Dateline NBC, also covering politics. After leaving NBC News in 2004 to focus on her role as First Lady of California, she returned in 2013 as a special anchor. For her reporting at NBC, Shriver received a Peabody Award in 1998 and was co-anchor for NBC's Emmy-winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics.


title: Maria Shriver

text: As executive producer of "The Alzheimer's Project", Shriver earned two Emmy Awards and an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award for developing a "television show with a conscience."


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver was born in Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, on November 6, 1955, the second child of politician Sargent Shriver and activist Eunice Kennedy. She is a niece of the late U.S. president John F. Kennedy, U.S. attorney general and U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. senator Ted Kennedy, and six other siblings. A Roman Catholic, she is of mostly Irish and German descent.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver spent her middle school years living in Paris, France, save for a brief period where Shriver's family temporarily moved to Chicago, Illinois in the summer of 1968 following Eunice Kennedy Shriver's work with the Special Olympics.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver permanently returned from France to Bethesda, Maryland, in 1970, where she attended Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart high school and graduated in 1973, later attending Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York for two years, then transferring into a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, graduating in June 1977.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver is a fourth cousin of tennis player Pam Shriver. Shriver is also a cousin of Caroline Kennedy.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In her book "Ten Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Went Out Into The Real World" (2000), Shriver says that she became passionate about broadcast journalism after being sent to the back of the campaign plane with the press corps while volunteering for her father's 1972 U.S. vice presidential race, calling these orders "the best thing that ever happened to me". After her journalism career began with KYW-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she co-anchored "The CBS Morning News" with Forrest Sawyer from August 1985 until August 1986, co-anchored NBC News's "Sunday Today" from 1987 until 1990. Shriver also served as Saturday anchor 1989 & Sunday 1990 of "NBC Nightly News". She was a contributing anchor on "Dateline NBC" from 1992 until 2004. In August 2003, Shriver took an unpaid leave of absence from NBC News when her husband became a candidate in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Following her husband's November 17, 2003, inauguration as the 38th Governor of California, she became the First Lady of California. She then returned to reporting, making two more appearances for "Dateline NBC".


title: Maria Shriver

text: On February 3, 2004, Shriver asked to be "relieved of [her] duties at NBC News," citing concerns the network had over the conflict of interest between her role as a journalist and her status as the First Lady of California and her increasing role as an advocate of her husband's administration.


title: Maria Shriver

text: She appeared as herself in the film "Last Action Hero" (1993). She also played a minor role as herself in "Be Prepared", a 2006 episode of the television series "That's So Raven" promoting a "Preparedness Plan". On March 23, 2007, Shriver returned to television news as substitute host of panel-discussion talk show "Larry King Live" on CNN with musician Sheryl Crow and other guests.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver announced that she would not return to the news media after the excessive media coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Shriver subsequently returned to the news media.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2003, Shriver's father Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and she became an advocate and fundraiser for Alzheimer's patient care and biomedical research. Shriver was the executive producer of "The Alzheimer's Project", a four-part documentary series that premiered on HBO in May 2009 and later earned two Emmy Awards. It was described by the "Los Angeles Times" as "ambitious, disturbing, emotionally fraught and carefully optimistic". The series took a close look at cutting-edge research being done in the country's leading Alzheimer's laboratories. The documentary also examined the effects of this disease on patients and families. One of the Emmy Award-winning films, "Grandpa, Do you Know Who I Am?" is based on Shriver's best-selling children's book dealing with Alzheimer's.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2016, Shriver published the coloring book "Color Your Mind", a coloring book for people with Alzheimer's.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver has been a lifelong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. She is a member of the International Board of Special Olympics, the organization her mother founded in 1968. She is also on the advisory board of Best Buddies, a one-to-one friendship and jobs program for people with intellectual disabilities. In addition, Shriver serves as Chair of the Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle, a bike ride that raises millions of dollars for programs supporting people with intellectual disabilities. As First Lady, Shriver has been instrumental in the hiring of individuals with intellectual disabilities in the capitol and in various state offices through her WE Include program. In February 2008, Shriver launched an ice cream company called Lovin' Scoopful with her brother, Tim Shriver. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from Lovin' Scoopful benefits the Special Olympics.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2008, Shriver executive-produced "American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver". The documentary originally aired on PBS on January 21, 2008. The film chronicled the life, accomplishments and vision of her father, Sargent Shriver. Shriver also serves on the advisory board of the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, which raises public awareness of her father's legacy as a peacebuilder and offers educational and training programs grounded in the principles of public service that motivate the many programs he created, including the Peace Corps, Job Corps, Head Start, and Legal Services for the Poor.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2018, she published "I've Been Thinking...: Reflections Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life", which became an instant No. 1 "New York Times" bestseller. Shriver released a companion journal, "I've Been Thinking...The Journal: Reflections, Prayers and Inspirations for Your Meaningful Life", in January 2019.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver and her daughter, Christina Schwarzenegger, were co-executive producers of "Take Your Pills" (2018), an hour-long documentary on psychostimulant medications.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In October 2009, Shriver launched "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything," a national study and comprehensive report conducted in partnership with the Center for American Progress, USC's Annenberg Center on Communication, Leadership and Policy, and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Shriver Report revealed that American women, for the first time, make up half of the United States workforce and studied how that fact is impacting major institutions like family, business, government and faith organizations. The report was released in 2013 in partnership with "TIME" and NBC News. According to "The New York Times", the report "was modeled on a study undertaken almost 50 years ago during the administration of John F. Kennedy, Shriver's uncle, and led by Eleanor Roosevelt." The report features, among other things, writings by public figures including Suze Orman, Beyoncé, Tammy Duckworth, Billie Jean King, Heidi Hartmann, Susan J. Douglas, Stephanie Coontz, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, John Podesta, and Oprah Winfrey.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2010 "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's" was published. It is a study by Maria Shriver and the Alzheimer's Association. It features, among other things, writings by public figures including Barbra Streisand, Laura Bush, Patti Davis, Soleil Moon Frye, Rosalynn Carter, Susan Collins, Kathleen Sebelius, Barbara Mikulski, and Joe Biden.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2014, "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Pushes Back from the Brink" was published; it is about women and their children in poverty. It is by Maria Shriver, with editors Olivia Morgan, and Karen Skelton, and features, among other things, writings by public figures including Carol Gilligan, Beyoncé, Joan Chittister, Ai-Jen Poo, Eva Longoria, Stephanie Coontz, Jennifer Garner, Kathleen Sebelius, Jada Pinkett Smith, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Tory Burch, Sheryl Sandberg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Ehrenreich, LeBron James, and Hillary Clinton.


title: Maria Shriver

text: After Arnold took office, Shriver took on several key initiatives as First Lady, which included raising awareness of the contributions of women to the state, working on practical solutions to end cycles of poverty, and encouraging all Californians to engage in acts of service to their communities. Once Schwarzenegger was elected, Shriver had to cut back on her news reporting to avoid conflicts of interest.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver began leading the California Governor & First Lady's Conference on Women when Schwarzenegger took office in 2003. Under her leadership, The Women's Conference event grew into the nation's premier forum for women and, in 2010, attracted more than 30,000 attendees and 150 world opinion leaders over three full days. Each year, the event is held at the Long Beach Convention Center in October. Luminaries have spoken at the conference including Oprah Winfrey, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Sandra Day O'Connor, U.S. Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright, Barbara Walters, Warren Buffett, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Richard Branson, Bono, Billie Jean King, Gloria Steinem, and the Dalai Lama.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2004, Shriver created The Minerva Awards to honor and reward "remarkable California women" who have changed their communities, their state, their country and the world with their courage, wisdom and strength. The Minerva Awards are named after Minerva, the Roman goddess who adorns the California State Seal and "who symbolizes the dual nature of women as warriors and peacemakers". The Minerva Awards are presented annually at The Women's Conference in Long Beach during a special ceremony. Recipients of the award also receive a grant to continue their work. Past Minerva Awards recipients include former first lady Betty Ford, Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, astronaut Sally Ride and the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Shriver's mother. The achievements of The Minerva Award winners are chronicled in a permanent exhibit at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento and have become part of California's official state archive.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2004, Shriver was in attendance at both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention, attending the first to watch her uncle Ted Kennedy speak, and the latter to watch her husband speak.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2005, Shriver launched her WE Connect Program, which connects working families in need with money-saving programs and support services. WE Connect brings together community organizations and businesses, government agencies and state leaders, congregations and schools as partners in responding to the needs of the millions of individuals and families who are struggling to make ends meet. Through a partnership with "La Opinion", the nation's largest Spanish-language newspaper, WE Connect has developed three editions of a 24-page, full-color, bilingual supplement that has been circulated to over 20 million Californians in need. In December 2009, Shriver, in partnership with The Women's Conference, created the WE Connect–Million Meals Initiative. Through this initiative, The Women's Conference made a donation to The California Association of Food Banks to provide more than one million meals to California families in need. The donation was allocated to the food bank's 44 member organizations who then distributed the food to California families through its more than 5,000 community-based organizations. In March 2010, Shriver held a three-day Community Resources Fair in Fresno and Los Angeles through WE Connect. The fairs provided vital programs and free support services such as tax preparation, housing and home foreclosure assistance, job assistance, flu shots, healthy food distribution and more. Event organizers estimated that over 40,000 individuals took advantage of free services during the course of the two weekends, and hundreds of thousands pounds of food were distributed.


title: Maria Shriver

text: As First Lady, Shriver worked to promote service and volunteerism. As Honorary Chair of CaliforniaVolunteers, Shriver conceived of and launched the largest statewide volunteer matching network at CaliforniaVolunteers.org. Shriver was instrumental in inspiring Governor Schwarzenegger to establish the nation's first state cabinet-level Department of Service and Volunteering. She also pioneered and promoted a statewide disaster preparedness program called WE Prepare that encourages and educates Californians to be ready for an emergency or natural disaster. In addition, Shriver established WE Build and WE Garden, a children's playground and community garden-building initiative. “Try growing Tomatoes, I’ beans don't grow,” she exclaimed. Through CaliforniaVolunteers, Shriver has built 31 playgrounds with gardens in lower-income communities around the state in partnership with KaBOOM!.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2008, Shriver launched her WE Invest Program, which provides training, mentoring, support networks, microloans and other resources to help women launch or grow their businesses. In June 2009, she expanded WE Invest nationally through a partnership with Kiva, creating the first-ever online peer-to-peer microlending program in the U.S. Shriver is credited with coming up with the idea to bring Kiva's international micro-lending model to the United States.


title: Maria Shriver

text: Shriver is Co-Chair of The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts and she has been credited with revitalizing the state museum during her tenure. Shriver created the California Hall of Fame in 2006 at the Museum to honor legendary Californians such as Cesar Chavez, Clint Eastwood, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Ronald Reagan, John Steinbeck, Rita Moreno, Earl Warren, Julia Morgan, Leland Stanford, Dorothea Lange and others. In November 2008, Shriver launched the California Legacy Trails, a first-of-its-kind web-based multimedia learning tool designed to help students learn California history.


title: Maria Shriver

text: On February 3, 2008, Shriver endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. The endorsement was given at a UCLA rally featuring Caroline Kennedy (Shriver's cousin), Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, and Obama's wife Michelle Obama. Governor Schwarzenegger had endorsed Senator John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination a few days earlier on January 31, 2008. Later that year, as in 2004, Shriver was in attendance at the Democratic National Convention when her uncle Ted Kennedy spoke.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In May 2009, Shriver planted the first edible garden at a state capitol in what once was a flower bed. She teamed up with Alice Waters on the project. The food grown in the organic garden is distributed to local food banks. Shriver has been an advocate for edible gardens and chairs the California School Garden Network that has doubled the number of gardens in state schools from 3,000 to 6,000 since 2004.


title: Maria Shriver

text: On April 30, 2013, NBC announced that Shriver would join the network again as a special anchor working on issues surrounding the shifting roles of women in American life.


title: Maria Shriver

text: On October 18, 2013, Shriver returned to the anchor desk on "Today", filling-in for Savannah Guthrie for the first time since 1998 as co-anchor with Matt Lauer.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 1977, Tom Brokaw introduced Maria to Austrian bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a charity tennis tournament being held at her mother's home. She married Schwarzenegger on April 26, 1986, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, at St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church. They have four children; two boys and two girls, including Katherine and Patrick.


title: Maria Shriver

text: On May 9, 2011, Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced their separation after 25 years of marriage, and Shriver moved out of the couple's Brentwood mansion. In a message for her Twitter followers posted on May 13, 2011, Shriver said: "Thank you all for the kindness, support and compassion. I am humbled by the love. Thank you."


title: Maria Shriver

text: On May 17, 2011, Schwarzenegger publicly admitted to fathering a child with a longtime member of their household staff 14 years earlier and before his election as Governor of California. He confessed to Shriver only after she confronted him with the information, having earlier confirmed what she had suspected about the child in a confrontation with her former employee. Shriver described Schwarzenegger's admission as "painful and heartbreaking". She declined to speak further on the issue, saying: "As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal." Shriver filed for divorce on July 1, 2011, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized in December 2021.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In an interview with the Commonwealth Club of California in 2018, Shriver revealed that she had changed her registration from Democrat to independent, stating that there are good people and bad people in both parties.


title: Maria Shriver

text: As executive producer of "The Alzheimer's Project", Shriver earned two Emmy Awards and an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award for developing a "television show with a conscience". She has additionally won Peabody Awards for her television journalism.


title: Maria Shriver

text: In 2009, Shriver was honored with the Shinnyo-en Foundation's 2009 Pathfinders to Peace Award, which is bestowed annually to a person who exemplifies the ideals of compassion, harmony, and peace. At the presentation ceremony honoring Shriver, the foundation's chief executive said, "Maria Shriver sees the best in other people – their innate goodness – and inspires them to become their own 'Architects of Change'. In a world that glorifies ambition at any cost, Maria instead teaches character. She is a woman of quiet strength who role-models kindness and charity, and has used her celebrity to help create peace in the world."


title: Maria Shriver

text: A hybrid rose was named after Shriver in October 2004. The Maria Shriver rose contains starchy-white blooms and a powerful citrus fragrance.


title: David Foster

text: David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career in the music industry has spanned more than five decades, mainly beginning as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark, in the early 1970s.


title: David Foster

text: Foster was born in Victoria, British Columbia, the son of Maurice "Maury" Foster, an office worker, and Eleanor May Foster (née Vantreight), a homemaker. In 1963, at the age of 13, he enrolled in the University of Washington music program. In 1965, he auditioned to lead the band in an Edmonton nightclub owned by jazz musician Tommy Banks. Banks mentored Foster in jazz, producing records, and the music business. After a year there, he decided to move to Toronto to play with Ronnie Hawkins. In 1966, he joined a backup band for Chuck Berry. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles with his band Skylark.


title: David Foster

text: Foster was a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark, discovered by Eirik Wangberg. The band's song "Wildflower" was a top ten hit in 1973. When the group disbanded, Foster remained in Los Angeles and, together with Jay Graydon, he formed the band Airplay. In 1975, Foster played on George Harrison's album "Extra Texture". He followed that up a year later by playing the Fender Rhodes and clavinet on Harrison's album "Thirty Three & 1/3". In 1976, Foster joined Guthrie Thomas on Thomas' second Capitol Records album, "Lies and Alibis", with Ringo Starr and a host of other performers. Foster was a major contributor to the 1979 Earth, Wind and Fire album "I Am", as a studio player and arranger, and was a co-writer on six of the album's tracks, the most noteworthy being "After the Love Has Gone", for which Foster and his co-writers, Graydon and Bill Champlin, won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.


title: David Foster

text: Foster worked as a producer on albums for The Tubes: 1981's "The Completion Backward Principle" and 1983's "Outside Inside". Foster co-wrote such songs as "Talk to Ya Later", with Tubes singer Fee Waybill and Steve Lukather from Toto; the Top 40 hit "Don't Want to Wait Anymore;" and the number 10 US hit "She's a Beauty". The 1980 Boz Scaggs album "Middle Man" saw Foster co-write and play keyboard on some of Scaggs's most successful songs, including "Breakdown Dead Ahead", "Jojo", and "Simone", followed by "Look What You've Done to Me" from the film "Urban Cowboy".


title: David Foster

text: Foster was a major contributor to the career of jazz rock band Chicago in the early and middle 1980s, having worked as the band's producer on "Chicago 16" (1982), "Chicago 17" (1984 - their biggest selling, multi-platinum album), and "Chicago 18" (1986). As was typical of his producing projects from this time period, Foster was a co-writer on songs such as the US Chart No. 1 hit "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", "Love Me Tomorrow" (US No. 22), "Stay the Night" (US No. 16), and "You're the Inspiration" (US No. 3). They were co-written with the band's bassist Peter Cetera. In 1986, Foster also helped Cetera co-write (along with Cetera's wife Diane Nini) his US No. 1 solo hit "Glory of Love".


title: David Foster

text: Foster co-wrote Kenny Loggins's songs "Heart to Heart" (US No. 15), from the 1982 album "High Adventure", and "Forever" (US No. 40), from the 1985 album "Vox Humana".


title: David Foster

text: Foster worked with country singer Kenny Rogers on the hit albums "What About Me?" (1984) and "The Heart of the Matter" (1985), the latter of which featured "The Best of Me", a song co-written with Richard Marx that was covered by Cliff Richard in 1989, resulting in a number-two UK hit.


title: David Foster

text: In 1985, "Rolling Stone" magazine named Foster the "master of . . . bombastic pop kitsch". That year, Foster composed the score for the film "St. Elmo's Fire", including the instrumental "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire", which hit No. 15 on the US pop charts. Another song from the film, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", recorded by John Parr, hit No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on September 7, 1985.


title: David Foster

text: In 1985, Foster also co-wrote and produced "Tears Are Not Enough," which reached top 15 status. The album was recorded by a group of Canadian artists such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, and others, in similar fashion to the UK's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and the US's "We Are the World."


title: David Foster

text: Foster continued turning out occasional film scores, including the Michael J. Fox comedy "The Secret of My Success" (1987), which featured a song co-written by Foster titled "The Price of Love", a version of which was performed by Roger Daltrey on his album "Can't Wait to See the Movie", which Foster also produced. Foster wrote the score for the Jodie Foster-Mark Harmon film "Stealing Home" (1988). Both films spawned soundtrack albums with prominent Foster-penned contributions.


title: David Foster

text: Foster composed "Winter Games", the instrumental theme song for the 1988 Winter Olympics and performed "Winter Games" and its vocal version "Can't You Feel It?" in Calgary, Alberta. "Winter Games" is also the soundtrack for fountain shows at the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas.


title: David Foster

text: Foster collaborated with then-wife Linda Thompson on the song "I Have Nothing", sung by Whitney Houston in the 1992 film "The Bodyguard". The couple also appeared in the film's Oscars scene as the conductor and an Academy member.


title: David Foster

text: In 1995, Foster signed a deal with Warner Brothers that enabled him to set up his own boutique label, 143 Records, as a joint venture with Warner. Foster gave responsibility for running the label to then-manager Brian Avnet. One of the label's first signings was a then-little known Irish folk-rock band, The Corrs, for whom he produced their debut album. By 1997, Foster had come to the realisation that, in the American market at least, "logo labels" like 143 were in a "bad spot" and, as a result, Foster sold the label back to Warner and became a senior vice president at the corporation. Foster, along with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, composed "The Power of the Dream", the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Foster also produced the Diane Warren songs "Un-Break My Heart" sung by Toni Braxton, "Because You Loved Me" sung by Celine Dion, and "Have You Ever?" sung by Brandy.


title: David Foster

text: Foster produced major-label debut albums for Josh Groban (2001), Michael Bublé (2003), Renee Olstead (2004), and Charice (2010), which were released under his 143 Records.


title: David Foster

text: In 2001, Foster collaborated with Lara Fabian and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to record English-language, French-language, and bilingual versions of the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", for a promotion of the Canadian government. Foster, with his then-wife Linda Thompson, composed "Light the Fire Within", sung by LeAnn Rimes for the 2002 Winter Olympics. In 2003, Foster won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for "The Concert for World Children's Day". His song, "I Will Be There With You" (sung with Katharine McPhee), has been used by Japan Airlines to promote the introduction of new aircraft for its US flights.


title: David Foster

text: The 2001 film "The Score", starring Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, features a Diana Krall recording, "I'll Make it Up as I Go". The song, which accompanies the film's ending credits, was composed by Foster together with his daughter Amy Foster-Gilles, and was used in the film.


title: David Foster

text: In 2005, Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies, and Beyoncé wrote "Stand Up For Love" as the anthem to the World Children's Day, an annual worldwide event to raise awareness and funds for children's causes. Over the years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations.


title: David Foster

text: In 2008, Foster held a one-night concert called Hitman: David Foster & Friends at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas featuring Foster presiding center stage at the keyboard, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Peter Cetera, Katharine McPhee, Celine Dion, Blake Shelton, Brian McKnight, and Charice.


title: David Foster

text: In 2009, it was revealed by songwriter Diane Warren that she had worked with Foster to produce tracks for Whitney Houston's upcoming album and the singer's comeback single would be the Foster-produced "I Didn't Know My Own Strength".


title: David Foster

text: In 2013, Foster produced Mary J. Blige's first Christmas album "A Mary Christmas" released October 15 of that year. The album includes 12 classics such as swing-styled "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". It also features artists Marc Anthony, Jessie J, The Clark Sisters, Barbra Streisand, and Chris Botti. Foster produced Andrea Bocelli's album, "Passione", released in January 2013. The album is a collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, and a virtual duet with Edith Piaf.


title: David Foster

text: As of 2018, Foster was writing a musical about Betty Boop with Susan Birkenhead, along with a musical with Jewel, based on Amy Bloom's novel "Lucky Us".


title: David Foster

text: In 1992, Foster went to Indonesia to record the TV show "David Foster's Twilight Orchestra" on the national television station RCTI. In early 2001, Foster appeared in "Popstars", a WB reality series aimed at coming up with the next girl group. The result was Eden's Crush (featuring Nicole Scherzinger). Foster and Linda Thompson wrote and produced several songs on their album.


title: David Foster

text: In 2005, his and Linda Thompson's home life was featured in a Fox-staged reality television show, "The Princes of Malibu", in which he attempted to teach his spoiled stepsons, Brandon and Brody Jenner – the children of Thompson and Olympian Caitlyn Jenner – to straighten their lives up and earn their own way.


title: David Foster

text: In late April 2006, he appeared as a guest mentor on "American Idol" and as a guest judge on "Nashville Star". In 2006, he was a judge on the FOX TV show "Celebrity Duets" and appeared on "Star Tomorrow", for which auditions were held in Los Angeles and New York for undiscovered talent.


title: David Foster

text: In July 2006, Foster made a brief appearance on "The View" as Star Jones's vocal coach. In August 2006, he was the musical director for JCPenney Jam's "The Concert For American Kids". Also in 2006, Foster was featured in "Under the Desert Sky", Andrea Bocceli's live album and DVD of a pop concert held in Las Vegas. In 2007, Foster was featured in Bocelli's "Vivere Live in Tuscany", a live album and DVD of a pop concert performed at Bocelli's Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Tuscany in July. In November 2007, Foster appeared in "The Oprah Winfrey Show"s annual "Favorite Things" episode, performing with Josh Groban.


title: David Foster

text: In September 2008, singer Charice joined Foster on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" with Celine Dion via satellite; and on October 31, he and Andrea Bocelli appeared on "Oprah" again together, where he stated that Bocelli was his "favourite singer on the planet".


title: David Foster

text: In December 2008, Foster was featured in a PBS special titled "Hit Man: David Foster & Friends", a concert featuring live performances by Foster and numerous other performers.


title: David Foster

text: Later in 2011, he was featured in Andrea Bocelli's live album, "" (also known as "Live in Central Park") and in Bocelli's four PBS specials. Bocelli also performed during Foster's "Hit Man" special.


title: David Foster

text: In late 2012, Foster appeared in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills". His wife, Yolanda Foster, was added to the cast of season three of the reality TV show.


title: David Foster

text: In 2015, Foster joined the panel of judges for "Asia's Got Talent". In 2017 and 2019, he returned as judge with Anggun, Mel C, and Vanness Wu for the second season and third season with Anggun and Jay Park, and also judged the Chinese-language "World's Got Talent".


title: David Foster

text: In 2019, PBS Hosted "An Intimate Evening with David Foster", which was also offered to viewers as a DVD, and available on CD and download. The show included his wife Katharine McPhee, tenor Fernando Varela, Pia Toscano, Loren Allred, and Shelea.


title: David Foster

text: In 2019, Foster was the subject of an acclaimed biographical documentary on his life, "" produced and directed by Barry Avrich. The film had its international premier at The Toronto Film Festival in 2019. The film is currently on Netflix and Crave.


title: David Foster

text: In 2021, Foster and McPhee competed in season six of "The Masked Singer" as "Banana Split" where Foster did the banana half that did the instrument playing and conducting and McPhee did the ice cream half that did all the singing. They were eliminated in the Group B Finale, where they competed against Jewel.


title: David Foster

text: Foster has produced multiple best-selling Christmas albums beginning with "Once Upon a Christmas", by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton in 1984. He also produced Celine Dion's "These Are Special Times" (1998), Josh Groban's "Noël" (2007), Andrea Bocelli's "My Christmas" (2009), Michael Bublé's "Christmas" (2011), Rod Stewart's "Merry Christmas, Baby" (2012), Mary J. Blige's "A Mary Christmas" (2013), and Jordan Smith's "'Tis the Season" (2016). Thus, he has produced the best-selling Christmas albums of 1984, 1998, 2007–09, and 2011–12. Four of these albums rank among the top fifteen best-selling Christmas albums ever. Foster is also credited with composing "Grown-Up Christmas List" (1990).


title: David Foster

text: Foster and his 5th wife Katherine McPhee recorded a Christmas EP called "Christmas Songs", composed of seven songs. The first single "Jingle Bell Rock" was released digitally on October 28, 2022. The EP was released on November 25 2022.


title: David Foster

text: Foster created the David Foster Foundation, which supports children in need of medical transplants. Foster is also an ardent supporter of Israel, raising money for their military at fundraisers as recently as 2018.


title: David Foster

text: In the Juno Awards 2019, David Foster was honoured for his philanthropic work due to his own foundation supplying money to charities and Canadian families in need of life saving transplants.


title: David Foster

text: Foster has been married five times and has five daughters, one son, and seven grandchildren. His first child, Allison Jones Foster (b. 1970), was born when Foster was 20. He placed her for adoption and reconnected with her when she was 30. His first marriage was to singer and writer B.J. Cook. Cook and Foster had one daughter together, Amy Skylark (b. 1973), a songwriter and author.


title: David Foster

text: He married his second wife, Rebecca Dyer, on October 27, 1982, and they divorced in 1986. They had three daughters: Sara (b. 1981), Erin (b. 1982), and Jordan. Foster is the father-in-law of former professional tennis player Tommy Haas, who is married to Sara.


title: David Foster

text: He married his third wife, actress Linda Thompson, in 1991 and divorced in 2005. The two became a songwriting team, collaborating on several songs, including "I Have Nothing", performed by Whitney Houston in "The Bodyguard" (1992), and "Grown-Up Christmas List". Foster was stepfather to Brody and Brandon Jenner (Linda's sons with Caitlyn Jenner), who both grew up living in his Malibu home. Both Jenner boys starred in a short-lived TV reality show called "The Princes of Malibu" in 2005 which also featured Foster and Thompson and was filmed in Foster's and Thompson's home.


title: David Foster

text: In 1992, Foster was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway when his car struck actor and dancer Ben Vereen, who had just suffered a stroke while driving near his Malibu home and was stumbling on the highway. Vereen was critically injured, but recovered after going through physical rehabilitation. Vereen said afterward that he would have died if Foster had not collided with him, and then called for emergency services.


title: David Foster

text: Foster married his fourth wife, Dutch model Yolanda Hadid, in Beverly Hills, California on November 11, 2011. David had three stepchildren from Yolanda Foster's previous marriage to Mohamed Hadid: Gigi (b. 1995), Bella (b. 1996), and Anwar (b. 1999). On December 1, 2015, Foster announced that after four years of marriage and nine years together, he and Yolanda had made the decision to divorce. The divorce was finalized on October 16, 2017.


title: David Foster

text: In June 2018, Foster became engaged to Katharine McPhee. On June 28, 2019, the couple wed at the Armenian Church of St Yeghiche, South Kensington in London. McPhee gave birth to a son, Rennie David, in February 2021.


title: David Foster

text: Foster's sister, producer Jaymes Foster, has a son with Clay Aiken. He is a cousin of racecar driver Billy Foster.


title: David Foster

text: In 1985, "Rolling Stone" magazine named Foster the "master of ... bombastic pop kitsch". Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards, including three Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year and has been nominated a total of 47 times. He has been nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won the 1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song "The Prayer" (sung by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion) from the film "Quest for Camelot". He has been named BMI's "Songwriter of the Year".


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( ', , from ), is an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, around the end of the 15th century CE. It is the most recently founded major organized faith and stands at fifth-largest worldwide, with about 25–30 million adherents (known as Sikhs) .


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the faith's first guru, and the nine Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The tenth guru, Gobind Singh (1666–1708), named the Sikh scripture "Guru Granth Sahib" as his successor, bringing to a close the line of human gurus and establishing the scripture as the 11th and last eternally living guru, a religious spiritual/life guide for Sikhs. Guru Nanak taught that living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" is above metaphysical truth, and that the ideal man "establishes union with God, knows His Will, and carries out that Will". Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru (1606–1644), established the concept of mutual co-existence of the "miri" ('political'/'temporal') and "piri" ('spiritual') realms.


title: Sikhism

text: The Sikh scripture opens with the "Mul Mantar" or alternatively spelled "Mool Mantar" (), fundamental prayer about "ik onkar" (). The core beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the "Guru Granth Sahib", include faith and meditation in the name of the one creator; divine unity and equality of all humankind; engaging in "seva" ('selfless service'); striving for justice for the benefit and prosperity of all; and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life. Following this standard, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on Absolute Truth. Sikhism emphasizes "simran" (, meditation and remembrance of the teachings of Gurus), which can be expressed musically through "kirtan", or internally through "naam japna" ('meditation on His name') as a means to feel God's presence. It teaches followers to transform the "Five Thieves" (i.e. lust, rage, greed, attachment, and ego).


title: Sikhism

text: The religion developed and evolved in times of religious persecution, gaining converts from both Hinduism and Islam. Mughal rulers of India tortured and executed two of the Sikh gurus—Guru Arjan (1563–1605) and Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)—after they refused to convert to Islam.


title: Sikhism

text: The persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the "Khalsa" by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the freedom of conscience and religion, with members expressing the qualities of a "Sant-Sipāhī" ('saint-soldier').


title: Sikhism

text: The majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in the alphabet of "Gurmukhī", a script standardised by Guru Angad out of Laṇḍā scripts historically used in present-day Pakistan and North India. Adherents of Sikhism are known as "Sikhs", meaning 'students' or 'disciples' of the Guru. The English word "Sikhism" derives from the Punjabi verb "Sikhi", which connotes the "temporal path of learning" and is rooted in the word ('to learn').


title: Sikhism

text: The basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. Sikh ethics emphasize the congruence between spiritual development and everyday moral conduct. Its founder Guru Nanak summarized this perspective as: "Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living." Sikhism lays emphasis on "Ėk nūr te sab jag upjiā", 'From the one light, the entire universe welled up.'


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhism is a monotheistic religion with pantheistic elements, advocating the belief in One Universal God signified by the term Ik Onkar. In Sikhism, the overall concept of God is "Waheguru" ('wondrous Teacher') considered to be "nirankar" ('shapeless'), "akal" ('timeless'), "karta purakh" ('the creator'), and "agam agochar" ('incomprehensible and invisible').


title: Sikhism

text: In a literal sense, God has no gender in Sikhism, though metaphorically, God is presented as masculine and God's power as feminine. For example, God is repeatedly referred to by the name "akaal purkh" ('beyond time and space') and "nirankar" ('without form') by the tenth guru Guru Gobind Singh Ji, but he also refers to God as his father, and God's creative power as his mother. Similarly, another example is that the scripture and eternal guru, the Guru Granth Sahib says that all humans are soul-brides who long to unite with their husband Lord. In addition, the gurus also wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib that there are many worlds on which the transcendental God has created life.


title: Sikhism

text: The Sikh scripture begins with God as "ik onkar" (), the 'formless one', understood in the Sikh tradition as monotheistic unity of God. "Ik onkar" (sometimes capitalized) is more loosely rendered 'the one supreme reality', 'the one creator', 'the all-pervading spirit', and other ways of expressing a diffused but unified and singular sense of God and creation.


title: Sikhism

text: The traditional "Mul Mantar" goes from "ik onkar" until "Nanak hosee bhee sach" Guru Nanak (the first guru of Sikhs) is living forever. The existence of guru is eternal. Sach means right, true, real. It means Guru Nanak is real from ages and will remain true. The opening line of the "Guru Granth Sahib" and each subsequent "raga", mentions "ik onkar":


title: Sikhism

text: "Māyā", defined as a temporary illusion or "unreality", is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: where worldly attractions give only illusory temporary satisfaction and pain that distracts from the process of the devotion of God. However, Nanak emphasised māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego, anger, greed, attachment, and lust, known as the "pānj chor" ('five thieves'), are believed to be particularly distracting and hurtful. Sikhs believe the world is currently in a state of "kali yuga" ('age of darkness') because the world is led astray by the love of and attachment to "māyā". The fate of people vulnerable to the five thieves, is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.


title: Sikhism

text: According to Guru Nanak, the supreme purpose of human life is to reconnect with "Akal" ('The Timeless One'). However, egotism is the biggest barrier in making this connection. Using the Guru's teaching remembrance of "nām" (the divine Name of the Lord) leads to the end of egotism. Guru Nanak designated the word "Guru" ('teacher') to mean the voice of "the spirit": the source of knowledge and the guide to salvation. As "ik onkar" is universally immanent, "Guru" is indistinguishable from "Akal" and are one and the same. One connects with "Guru" only with accumulation of selfless search of truth. Ultimately the seeker realises that it is the consciousness within the body which is the seeker/follower of the Word that is the true "Guru". The human body is just a means to achieve the reunion with Truth. Once truth starts to shine in a person's heart, the essence of current and past holy books of all religions is understood by the person.


title: Sikhism

text: Guru Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on a spiritual union with the "Akal", which results in salvation or "jivanmukti" ('enlightenment/liberation within one's lifetime'), a concept also found in Hinduism. Guru Gobind Singh makes it clear that human birth is obtained with great fortune, therefore one needs to be able to make the most of this life.


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhs accept reincarnation and karma concepts found in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, but do not necessarily infer a metaphysical soteriology akin to those found in those other religions. However, in Sikhism, both karma and liberation "is modified by the concept of God's grace" ("nadar, mehar, kirpa, karam", etc.). Guru Nanak states that "the body takes birth because of karma, but salvation is attained through grace." To get closer to God, Sikhs: avoid the evils of "maya"; keep the everlasting truth in mind; practice "shabad kirtan" (musical recitation of hymns); meditate on "naam"; and serve humanity. Sikhs believe that being in the company of the "satsang" (association with "sat", 'true', people) or "sadh sangat" is one of the key ways to achieve liberation from the cycles of reincarnation.


title: Sikhism

text: Miri-Piri is a doctrine that has been practiced in Sikh religion since the seventeenth century. The doctrine of the "Mir" (social and political aspects of life) and the "Pir" (guides to spiritual aspect of life) was revealed by the first Guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, but propounded by the sixth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Hargobind, on June 12, 1606. After the martyrdom of his father, Guru Hargobind was elevated to the Guruship and fulfilled the prophecy that was given by the primal figure of Sikh, Baba Buddha, that the guru will possess spiritual and temporal power. Guru Hargobind introduced the two swords of Miri and Piri symbolizing both worldly (social and political) and spiritual authority. The two kirpan of Miri and Piri are tied together with a khanda in center, so the combination of both is considered supreme, Where action informed or arising out of the spiritual heart completes one's purpose and meaning in the world of action: spirituality.


title: Sikhism

text: Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and the founder of Sikhism, was a Bhakti saint. He taught that the most important form of worship is "Bhakti" (devotion to Waheguru). Guru Arjan, in the "Sukhmani Sahib", recommended the true religion is one of loving devotion to God. The "Guru Granth Sahib" includes suggestions on how a Sikh should perform constant Bhakti. Some scholars call Sikhism a Bhakti sect of Indian traditions, adding that it emphasises ""nirguni Bhakti"," i.e. loving devotion to a divine without qualities or physical form. While Western scholarship generally places Sikhism as arising primarily within a Hindu Bhakti movement milieu while recognizing some Sufi Islamic influences, some Indian Sikh scholars disagree and state that Sikhism transcended the environment it emerged from. The basis of the latter analysis is that Bhakti traditions did not clearly disassociate from Vedic texts and their cosmologies and metaphysical worldview, while the Sikh tradition clearly did disassociate from the Vedic tradition.


title: Sikhism

text: Some Sikh sects outside the Punjab region of India, such as those found in Maharashtra and Bihar, practice "aarti" (the ceremonial use of lamps) during Bhakti observances in a Sikh gurdwara. But, most Sikh gurdwaras forbid "aarti" during their Bhakti practices.


title: Sikhism

text: While emphasizing Bhakti, the Sikh gurus also taught that the spiritual life and secular householder life are intertwined, and not separate. This logically follows from the panentheistic nature of Sikh philosophy. In Sikh worldview, the everyday world is part of the Infinite Reality, increased spiritual awareness leads to increased and vibrant participation in the everyday world. Guru Nanak described living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" as being higher than the metaphysical truth.


title: Sikhism

text: The 6th Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind, after Guru Arjan's martyrdom, faced with oppression by the Islamic Mughal Empire, affirmed the philosophy that the political/temporal ("Miri") and spiritual ("Piri") realms are mutually coexistent. According to the 9th Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur, the ideal Sikh should have both "Shakti" (power that resides in the temporal), and "Bhakti" (spiritual meditative qualities). This was developed into the concept of the "saint soldier" by the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh.


title: Sikhism

text: The concept of humanity as elaborated by Guru Nanak refines and negates the "monotheistic concept of self/God", and "monotheism becomes almost redundant in the movement and crossings of love." The human's goal, taught the Sikh gurus, is to end all dualities of "self and other, I and not-I", attain the "attendant balance of separation-fusion, self-other, action-inaction, attachment-detachment, in the course of daily life".


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhs refer to the hymns of the gurus as "Gurbani" ('Guru's word'). Shabad Kirtan is the singing of Gurbani. The entire verses of Guru Granth Sahib are written in a form of poetry and rhyme to be recited in thirty-one Ragas of the Classical Indian Music as specified. However, the exponents of these are rarely to be found amongst the Sikhs who are conversant with all the Ragas in the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak started the Shabad Kirtan tradition and taught that listening to kirtan is a powerful way to achieve tranquility while meditating, and singing of the glories of the Supreme Timeless One (God) with devotion is the most effective way to come in communion with the Supreme Timeless One. The three morning prayers for Sikhs consist of Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, and Tav-Prasad Savaiye. Baptised Sikhs (Amritdharis) rise early and meditate, then recite all the Five Banis of Nitnem, before breakfast. Five Banis consists of Jap Ji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Tav-Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai Sahib, Anand Sahib and recitation of the banis paath is followed by Ardās in which Sarbat da Bhala principle is taught by Gurus which literally means blessings for everyone, blessings to humankind in good faith without discrimination.


title: Sikhism

text: A key practice by Sikhs is remembrance of the "Naam" (divine name) Waheguru. This contemplation is done through "Nām Japna" (repetition of the divine name) or "Naam Simran" (remembrance of the divine Name through recitation). The verbal repetition of the name of God or a sacred syllable has been an ancient established practice in religious traditions in India, however, Sikhism developed "Naam-simran" as an important Bhakti practice. Guru Nanak's ideal is the total exposure of one's being to the divine Name and a total conforming to Dharma or the "Divine Order". Nanak described the result of the disciplined application of "nām simraṇ" as a "growing towards and into God" through a gradual process of five stages. The last of these is "Sach Khaṇḍ" ("The Realm of Truth") the final union of the spirit with God.


title: Sikhism

text: The Sikh gurus taught that by constantly remembering the divine name ("naam simran") and through selfless service ("sēvā") the devotee overcomes egotism ("Haumai"). This, it states, is the primary root of five evil impulses and the cycle of birth and death.


title: Sikhism

text: Service in Sikhism takes three forms: "Tan" (physical service, i.e. labor), "Man" (mental service, such as dedicating your heart for service of others), and "Dhan" (material service, including financial support). Sikhism stresses "kirat karō": that is "honest work". Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing, or "vaṇḍ chakkō", giving to the needy for the benefit of the community.


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhism regards God as the true king, the king of all kings, the one who dispenses justice through the law of "karma", a retributive model and divine grace.


title: Sikhism

text: The term for justice in the Sikh tradition is Niāyā It is related to the term "dharam" which in Sikhism connotes 'moral order' and righteousness (derived from but become distinct from the etymologically related Hindu concept of dharma). According to the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, states Pashaura Singh (a professor of Sikh studies), "one must first try all the peaceful means of negotiation in the pursuit of justice" and if these fail then it is legitimate to "draw the sword in defense of righteousness". Sikhism considers "an attack on dharam is an attack on justice, on righteousness, and on the moral order generally" and the dharam "must be defended at all costs". The divine name is its antidote for pain and vices. Forgiveness is taught as a virtue in Sikhism, yet it also teaches its faithful to shun those with evil intentions and to pick up the sword to fight injustice and religious persecution.


title: Sikhism

text: Sikhism does not differentiate religious obligations by sex. God in Sikhism has no sex, and the Sikh scripture does not discriminate against women, nor bar them from any roles. Women in Sikhism have been in positions of leadership, including leading in wars and issuing orders or hukamnamas.


title: Sikhism

text: The term Guru comes from the Sanskrit "gurū", meaning teacher, enlightener, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten Gurus from 1469 to 1708. Each Guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Guru Nanak was the first Guru and appointed a disciple as successor. Guru Gobind Singh was the final Guru in human form. Before his death, Guru Gobind Singh decreed in 1708, that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual Guru of the Sikhs.


title: Sikhism

text: Guru Nanak stated that his Guru is God who is the same from the beginning of time to the end of time. Nanak said to be a God's slave and servant, but maintained that he was only a guide and teacher. Nanak stated that the human Guru is mortal, who is to be respected and loved but not worshipped. When Guru, or SatGuru (The true Guru) is used in "Gurbani" it is often referring to the highest expression of truthfulness.


title: Sikhism

text: Guru Angad succeeded Guru Nanak. Later, an important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Guru Amar Das. Guru Nanak's teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Guru Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. Amar Das also established the "manji" (comparable to a diocese) system of clerical supervision.


title: Sikhism

text: Guru Amar Das's successor and son-in-law Guru Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar, which is home of the Harimandir Sahib and regarded widely as the holiest city for all Sikhs. Guru Arjan was arrested by Mughal authorities who were suspicious and hostile to the religious community he was developing. His persecution and death inspired his successors to promote a military and political organization of Sikh communities to defend themselves against the attacks of Mughal forces.


title: Sikhism

text: The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, was responsible for the creation of the concept of Akal Takht ("throne of the timeless one"), which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhism and sits opposite the Harmandir Sahib. The Akal Takht is located in the city of Amritsar. The leader is appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Pabandhak Committee (SPGC). The "Sarbat Ḵẖālsā" (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as Vaisakhi or Hola Mohalla and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A "gurmatā" (literally, 'guru's intention') is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A "gurmatā" may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs. The term "hukamnāmā" (literally, 'edict' or 'royal order') is often used interchangeably with the term "gurmatā". However, a "hukamnāmā" formally refers to a hymn from the "Gurū Granth Sāhib" which is given order to Sikhs.


title: Sikhism

text: The word "guru" in Sikhism also refers to "Akal Purkh" (God), and God and "guru" can sometimes be synonymous in "Gurbani" (Sikh writings).


title: Sikhism

text: There is one primary scripture for the Sikhs: the "Gurū Granth Sāhib". It is sometimes synonymously referred to as the "Ādi Granth". Chronologically, however, the "Ādi Granth" – literally, 'First Volume' – refers to the version of the scripture created by Guru Arjan in 1604. The "Gurū Granth Sāhib" is the final expanded version of the scripture compiled by Guru Gobind Singh. While the "Guru Granth Sahib" is an unquestioned scripture in Sikhism, another important religious text, the "Dasam Granth", does not enjoy universal consensus, but is considered a secondary scripture by many Sikhs.


title: Sikhism

text: The "Ādi Granth" was compiled primarily by Bhai Gurdas under the supervision of Guru Arjan between the years 1603 and 1604. It is written in the Gurmukhī script, which is a descendant of the Laṇḍā script used in the Punjab at that time. The Gurmukhī script was standardised by Guru Angad, the second guru of the Sikhs, for use in the Sikh scriptures and is thought to have been influenced by the Śāradā and Devanāgarī scripts. An authoritative scripture was created to protect the integrity of hymns and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and thirteen Hindu and two Muslim bhagats of the Bhakti movement sant tradition in medieval India. The thirteen Hindu "bhagats" whose teachings were entered into the text included Ramananda, Namdev, Pipa, Ravidas, Beni, Bhikhan, Dhanna, Jaidev, Parmanand, Sadhana, Sain, Sur, Trilochan, while the two Muslim "bhagats" were Kabir and Sufi saint Farid. However, the bhagats in context often spoke of transcending their religious labels, Kabir often attributed to being a Muslim states in the "Adi Granth", "I am not Hindu nor Muslim." The Gurus following on this message taught that different methods of devotion are for the same infinite God.


title: Sikhism

text: The Guru Granth started as a volume of Guru Nanak's poetic compositions. Prior to his death, he passed on his volume to Guru Angad (Guru 1539–1551). The final version of the Gurū Granth Sāhib was compiled by Guru Gobind Singh in 1678. It consists of the original Ādi Granth with the addition of Guru Tegh Bahadur's hymns. The predominant bulk of Guru Granth Sahib is compositions by seven Sikh Gurus – Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh. It also contains the traditions and teachings of thirteen Hindu Bhakti movement "sants" (saints) such as Ramananda, Namdev among others, and two Muslim saints namely Kabir and the Sufi Sheikh Farid.


title: Sikhism

text: The text comprises 6,000 "śabads" (line compositions), which are poetically rendered and set to rhythmic ancient north Indian classical music. The bulk of the scripture is classified into sixty "rāgas", with each Granth rāga subdivided according to length and author. The hymns in the scripture are arranged primarily by the "rāgas" in which they are read.


title: Sikhism

text: The main language used in the scripture is known as "Sant Bhāṣā", a language related to both Punjabi and Hindi and used extensively across medieval northern India by proponents of popular devotional religion (bhakti). The text is printed in Gurumukhi script, believed to have been developed by Guru Angad. The language shares the Indo-European roots found in numerous regional languages of India.


title: Sikhism

text: The vision in the Guru Granth Sahib, states Torkel Brekke, is a society based on divine justice without oppression of any kind.


title: Sikhism

text: The Granth begins with the "Mūl Mantra", an iconic verse which received Guru Nanak directly from Akal Purakh (God).


title: Sikhism

text: The Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji, named the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus and making the scripture the literal embodiment of the eternal, impersonal Guru, where Gods/Gurus word serves as the spiritual guide for Sikhs.


title: Sikhism

text: The Guru Granth Sahib is installed in Sikh "Gurdwara" (temple); many Sikhs bow or prostrate before it on entering the temple. The Guru Granth Sahib is installed every morning and put to bed at night in many "Gurdwaras". The Granth is revered as eternal "gurbānī" and the spiritual authority.


title: Sikhism

text: The copies of the Guru Granth Sahib are not regarded as material objects, but as living subjects which are alive. According to Myrvold, the Sikh scripture is treated with respect like a living person, in a manner similar to the Gospel in early Christian worship. Old copies of the Sikh scripture are not thrown away, rather funerary services are performed.


title: Sikhism

text: In India the Guru Granth Sahib is even officially recognised by the Supreme Court of India as a judicial person which can receive donations and own land. Yet, some Sikhs also warn that, without true comprehension of the text, veneration for the text can lead to bibliolatry, with the concrete form of the teachings becoming the object of worship instead of the teachings themselves.


title: Sikhism

text: The Sikh scriptures use Hindu terminology, with references to the Vedas, and the names of gods and goddesses in Hindu bhakti movement traditions, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rama, Krishna, but not to worship. It also refers to the spiritual concepts in Hinduism ("Ishvara, Bhagavan, Brahman") and the concept of God in Islam ("Allah") to assert that these are just "alternate names for the Almighty One".


title: Sikhism

text: While the Guru Granth Sahib acknowledges the Vedas, Puranas and Qur'an, it does not imply a syncretic bridge between Hinduism and Islam, but emphasises focusing on nitnem banis like Japu (repeating mantra of the divine Name of God – Waheguru), instead of Muslim practices such as circumcision or praying by prostrating on the ground to God, or Hindu rituals such as wearing thread.


title: Sikhism

text: The Dasam Granth is a scripture of Sikhs which contains texts attributed to the Guru Gobind Singh. The "Dasam Granth" is important to a great number of Sikhs, however it does not have the same authority as the "Guru Granth Sahib". Some compositions of the "Dasam Granth" like Jaap Sahib, (Amrit Savaiye), and Benti Chaupai are part of the daily prayers (Nitnem) for Sikhs. The first verse of the ardās prayer is from Chandi di Var. The "Dasam Granth" is largely versions of Hindu mythology from the Puranas, secular stories from a variety of sources called "Charitro Pakhyan" – tales to protect careless men from perils of lust.


title: Sikhism

text: Five versions of "Dasam Granth" exist, and the authenticity of the "Dasam Granth" has in modern times become one of the most debated topics within Sikhism. The text played a significant role in Sikh history, but in modern times parts of the text have seen antipathy and discussion among Sikhs.


title: Sikhism

text: The Janamsākhīs (literally "birth stories"), are writings which profess to be biographies of Guru Nanak. Although not scripture in the strictest sense, they provide a hagiographic look at Guru Nanak's life and the early start of Sikhism. There are several – often contradictory and sometimes unreliable – Janamsākhīs and they are not held in the same regard as other sources of scriptural knowledge.


title: Sikhism

text: Observant Sikhs adhere to long-standing practices and traditions to strengthen and express their faith. The daily recitation of the divine name of God VaheGuru and from a memory of specific passages from the Gurū Granth Sāhib, like the "Japu" (or "Japjī", literally "chant") hymns is recommended immediately after rising and bathing. Baptized Sikhs recite the five-morning prayers, the evening and night prayer. Family customs include both reading passages from the scripture and attending the gurdwara (also "gurduārā", meaning "the doorway to God"; sometimes transliterated as "Gurudwara"). There are many gurdwaras prominently constructed and maintained across India, as well as in almost every nation where Sikhs reside. Gurdwaras are open to all, regardless of religion, background, caste, or race.


title: Sikhism

text: Worship in a gurdwara consists chiefly of the singing of passages from the scripture. Sikhs will commonly enter the gurdwara, touch the ground before the holy scripture with their foreheads. The recitation of the eighteenth century "ardās" is also customary for attending Sikhs. The ardās recalls past sufferings and glories of the community, invoking divine grace for all humanity.


title: Sikhism

text: The gurdwara is also the location for the historic Sikh practice of "Langar" or the community meal. All gurdwaras are open to anyone of any faith for a free meal, always vegetarian. People eat together, and the kitchen is maintained and serviced by Sikh community volunteers.


title: Sikhism

text: Guru Amar Das chose festivals for celebration by Sikhs like Vaisakhi, wherein he asked Sikhs to assemble and share the festivities as a community.


title: Sikhism

text: Vaisakhi is one of the most important festivals of Sikhs, while other significant festivals commemorate the birth, lives of the Gurus and Sikh martyrs. Historically, these festivals have been based on the moon calendar Bikrami calendar. In 2003, the SGPC, the Sikh organisation in charge of upkeep of the historical gurdwaras of Punjab, adopted Nanakshahi calendar. The new calendar is highly controversial among Sikhs and is not universally accepted. Sikh festivals include the following:


title: Sikhism

text: Khalsa Sikhs have also supported and helped develop major pilgrimage traditions to sacred sites such as Harmandir Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patna Sahib, Hazur Nanded Sahib, Hemkund Sahib and others. Sikh pilgrims and Sikhs of other sects customarily consider these as holy and a part of their "Tirath". The Hola Mohalla around the festival of Holi, for example, is a ceremonial and customary gathering every year in Anandpur Sahib attracting over 100,000 Sikhs. Major Sikh temples feature a "sarovar" where some Sikhs take a customary dip. Some take home the sacred water of the tank particularly for sick friends and relatives, believing that the waters of such sacred sites have restorative powers and the ability to purify one's "karma". The various Gurus of Sikhism have had different approaches to pilgrimage.


title: Sikhism

text: Upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sahib is opened at a random point and the child is named using the first letter on the top left hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the last name Singh, and all girls are given the last name Kaur (this was once a title which was conferred on an individual upon joining the Khalsa).