title: Cemetery

text: In order to physically manage the space within the cemetery (to avoid burials in existing graves) and to record locations in the burial register, most cemeteries have some systematic layout of graves in rows, generally grouped into larger sections as required. Often the cemetery displays this information in the form of a map, which is used both by the cemetery administration in managing their land use and also by friends and family members seeking to locate a particular grave within the cemetery.


title: Cemetery

text: One issue relates to cost. Traditionally a single payment is made at the time of burial, but the cemetery authority incurs expenses in cemetery maintenance over many decades. Many cemetery authorities find that their accumulated funds are not sufficient for the costs of long-term maintenance. This shortfall in funds for maintenance results in three main options: charge much higher prices for new burials, obtain some other kind of public subsidy, or neglect maintenance. For cemeteries without space for new burials, the options are even more limited. Public attitudes towards subsidies are highly variable. People with family buried in local cemeteries are usually quite concerned about neglect of cemetery maintenance and will usually argue in favour of public subsidy of local cemetery maintenance, whereas other people without personal connection to the cemetery often argue that public subsidies of private cemeteries is an inappropriate use of their taxes. Some jurisdictions require a certain amount of money be set aside in perpetuity and invested so that the interest earned can be used for maintenance.


title: Cemetery

text: Another issue relates to limited amount of land. In many larger towns and cities, the older cemeteries which were initially considered to be large often run out of space for new burials and there is no vacant adjacent land available to extend the cemetery or even land in the same general area to create new cemeteries. New cemeteries are generally established on the periphery of towns and cities, where large tracts of land are still available. However, people often wish to be buried in the same cemetery as other relatives, and are not interested in being buried in new cemeteries with which there is no sense of connection to their family, creating pressure to find more space in existing cemeteries.


title: Cemetery

text: A third issue is the maintenance of monuments and headstones, which are generally the responsibility of families, but often become neglected over time. Decay and damage through vandalism or cemetery maintenance practices can render monuments and headstones either unsafe or at least unsightly. On the other hand, some families do not forget the grave but constantly visit, leaving behind flowers, plants, and other decorative items that create their own maintenance problem.


title: Cemetery

text: All of these issues tend to put pressure on the re-use of grave sites within cemeteries. The re-use of graves already used for burial can cause considerable upset to family members. Although the authorities might declare that the grave is sufficiently old that there will be no human remains still present, nonetheless many people regard the re-use of graves (particularly their family's graves) as a desecration. Also re-use of a used grave involves the removal of any monuments and headstones, which may cause further distress to families (although families will typically be allowed to take away the monuments and headstones if they wish).


title: Cemetery

text: On the other hand, cemetery authorities are well aware that many old graves are forgotten and not visited and that their re-use will not cause distress to anyone. However, there may be some older graves in a cemetery for whom there are local and vocal descendants who will mount a public campaign against re-use. One pragmatic strategy is to publicly announce plans to re-use older graves and invite families to respond if they are willing or not. Re-use then only occurs where there are no objections allowing the "forgotten" graves to be re-used. Sometimes the cemetery authorities request a further payment to avoid re-use of a grave, but often this backfires politically.


title: Cemetery

text: A practical problem with regard to contacting families is that the person who initially purchased the burial plot(s) may have subsequently died and locating living family members, if any, many decades later is virtually impossible (or at least prohibitively expensive). Public notice about the proposed re-use of graves may or may not reach family members living further afield who may object to such practices. Therefore, it is possible that re-use could occur without family awareness.


title: Cemetery

text: Some cemeteries did foresee the need for re-use and included in their original terms and conditions a limited tenure on a grave site and most new cemeteries follow this practice, having seen the problems faced by older cemeteries. Common practice in Europe is to place bones in an ossuary after the proscribed burial period is over.


title: Cemetery

text: However, even when the cemetery has the legal right to re-use a grave, strong public opinion often forces the authorities to back down on that re-use. Also, even when cemeteries have a limited tenure provision in place, funding shortages can force them to contemplate re-use earlier than the original arrangements provided for.


title: Cemetery

text: Another type of grave site considered for re-use are empty plots purchased years ago but never used. In principle it would seem easier to "re-use" such grave sites as there can be no claims of desecration, but often this is made complicated by the legal rights to be buried obtained by the pre-purchase, as any limited tenure clause only takes effect after there has been a burial. Again, cemetery authorities suspect that in many cases the holders of these burial rights are probably dead and that nobody will exercise that burial right, but again some families are aware of the burial rights they possess and do intend to exercise them as and when family members die. Again the difficulty of being unable to locate the holders of these burial rights complicates the re-use of those graves.


title: Cemetery

text: As historic cemeteries begin to reach their capacity for full burials, alternative memorialization, such as collective memorials for cremated individuals, is becoming more common. Different cultures have different attitudes to destruction of cemeteries and use of the land for construction. In some countries it is considered normal to destroy the graves, while in others the graves are traditionally respected for a century or more. In many cases, after a suitable period of time has elapsed, the headstones are removed and the now former cemetery is converted to a recreational park or construction site. A more recent trend, particularly in South American cities, involves constructing high-rise buildings to house graves.


title: Cemetery

text: Cemeteries in the United States may be relocated if the land is required for other reasons. For instance, many cemeteries in the southeastern United States were relocated by the Tennessee Valley Authority from areas about to be flooded by dam construction. Cemeteries may also be moved so that the land can be reused for transportation structures, public buildings, or even private development. Cemetery relocation is not necessarily possible in other parts of the world; in Alberta, Canada, for instance, the "Cemetery Act" expressly forbids the relocation of cemeteries or the mass exhumation of marked graves for any reason whatsoever. This has caused significant problems in the provision of transportation services to the southern half of the City of Calgary, as the main southbound road connecting the south end of the city with downtown threads through a series of cemeteries founded in the 1930s. The light rail transit line running to the south end eventually had to be built directly under the road.


title: Cemetery

text: In many countries, cemeteries are places believed to hold both superstition and legend characteristics, being used, usually at night times, as an altar in supposed black magic ceremonies or similarly clandestine happenings, such as devil worshipping, grave-robbing (gold teeth and jewelry are preferred), thrilling sex encounters, or drug and alcohol abuse not related to the cemetery aura.


title: Cemetery

text: The legend of zombies, as romanticized by Wade Davis in "The Serpent and the Rainbow", is not exceptional among cemetery myths, as cemeteries are believed to be places where witches and sorcerers get skulls and bones needed for their sinister rituals.


title: Cemetery

text: In the Afro-Brazilian urban mythos (such as Umbanda), there is a character loosely related to cemeteries and its aura: the Zé Pilintra (in fact, Zé Pilintra is more related to bohemianism and night life than with cemeteries, where the reigning entity is "Exu Caveira" or "Exu Cemitério", similar to Voodoo Baron Samedi).


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The BMW E53 is the first generation BMW X5 mid-size luxury crossover SUV. The vehicle was the first SUV ever produced by BMW. It was produced between 1999 and 2006 and was replaced by the E70 X5.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The E53 X5 was developed just after the acquisition of Land Rover by BMW. As such, the vehicle shares many components and designs with both the Range Rover L322 model (specifically the hill descent system and off-road engine management system) and the BMW E39 5 Series (specifically engines and electronic systems). The entire in-car entertainment system (radio function, navigation system, television and telecommunications systems) are shared with other BMWs and L322. As a result, the earlier X5 models can be upgraded with newer BMW technologies (e.g. Bluetooth phone connectivity).


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The history of the X5 begins in 1994, when ideas began on a BMW sports utility vehicle after the acquisition of Land Rover. Eduard Walek was named project leader and chief engineer of the E53. Chris Chapman joined BMW Group's Designworks in California later and began working with Chris Bangle in Munich on two full-scale clay models of the E53 for two months. By 1996, design work was approved and the design basis for the X5 (E53) was frozen, 35 months prior to production. Design patents were filed on 10 June 1998 and 9 December 1998, being registered in the U.S. on 18 January 2000.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The takeover of Rover in 1994 was proved to be very beneficial for BMW in the development of the X5. BMW engineers were able to look at and use Range Rover technology and parts in the development of the X5 - one such example would be hill-descent control. In many respects, the design of the X5 was influenced by its British counterpart; for example, the X5 got the two-piece tailgate straight from the Range Rover. Many parts and electronics were also taken directly from the E39 5 Series parts bin to save costs.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: In contrast to the Range Rover models, the X5 was designed as a sporting road car: its off-road capabilities are significantly less than those of Land Rover. BMW reportedly worked hard to ensure it was referred to as an "SAV" (Sports Activity Vehicle) instead of an "SUV" (sport utility vehicle).


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: Even though the X5 was an all-wheel drive vehicle, BMW chose from the start to route 62 percent of the engine's torque to the rear wheels, making it feel as close as possible to the company's rear-wheel drive sedans.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The interior design of the E53 X5 was shared with the BMW 5 Series (E39), featuring a similar dashboard layout. The BMW Business Cassette head unit was standard equipment on all E53 X5 models, and included controls for a separately-mounted CD changer unit. The BMW Business CD head unit was optional, and later became standard equipment on newer E53 X5 models. The BMW Business CD head unit also included controls for an accessory CD changer unit. A GPS navigation system radio was also available, and replaced the standard CD player with a cassette player located behind the unit's retractable LCD display screen, but included controls for an accessory CD changer unit. A "Hi-Fi" premium sound system was standard equipment on all E53 X5 models, while an upgraded system with a Digital Sound Processing (DSP) was optional, regardless of head unit option. The BMW Assist telematics system was an option on the E53 X5, and included an "SOS" button in the overhead console.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The X5, along with the BMW Z4 (E85) roadster, BMW X6, and BMW X3 were manufactured in BMW's South Carolina plant in Greer and at the BMW de México plant in Toluca, Mexico, alongside the BMW 3 series, BMW 5 series and BMW 7 series. Production of the E53 X5 began on 1 September 1999, and ceased on 22 September 2007.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: A one-off version known as the X5 LM was equipped with the P75 engine based on the S70/3 V12 engine from the 1999 Le Mans winning BMW V12 LMR. It was used by Hans-Joachim Stuck to set a lap record at the Nürburgring in 2000.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: A sport model, badged 4.6is was released in 2001. The 4.6is, equipped with the M62B46 V8 engine, made . The 4.6is was available in 4 colors (black, imola red, estoril blue, and titanium silver). It featured 20 inch wheels that were fitted over larger brakes than the stock X5. It also had additional rear fender flares along with different front and rear bumpers. In 2004, the 4.6is was replaced by a 4.8is model which was not the M62B48 4.8L V8, which Alpina developed for its Alpina B10 V8S


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: In 2000, development on mid-cycle updates began scheduled for 2003. By late 2001, a radical design update was chosen favoring the new brand design theme. In 2002, following discontent towards the 2001 E65 design, a more conservative appearance was instead chosen and frozen for 2003 production.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: In July 2003, the facelifted X5 was presented for the 2004 model year at the IAA 2003 in September, with new headlights, a few new exterior colors, a new four-wheel drive system and upgraded engines. Production started at Spartanburg on 26 September. The grilles were enlarged, as well as their actual slats being modified in a 'flame surfaced' style. In keeping with the E39 facelift of 2001, the 2004 X5's headlights got corona rings around all four headlamp projectors. The tail-lights also received a facelift similar to the BMW E39, and the exterior glass went from a "dotted" pattern to a cleaner "line" pattern. BMW invented a new four-wheel drive system dubbed xDrive shared both in the X5 and X3 in 2004. Instead of using the previous X5 system which consisted of power being split 62-38 (rear wheels-front wheels) and DSC to brake wheels without losing traction, xDrive could vary power to the front or rear axles in milliseconds, transferring up to 100% of engine power to either axle, thus allowing the vehicle to regain traction quickly.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The X5 got the new 4.4i engine which debuted in the 2002 7 Series; power output rose from . Also from April onwards, a new X5 4.8is was offered (see below), producing . Sales began in September 2003.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: Originally announced in the end of 2003 along with the rest of the X5 facelift, the X5 4.8is first started shipping in April 2004. It had a new larger 4.8 L engine (which replaced the 4.6 L engine), and was also later used in the 2005 750i/Li. It also included a slightly modified bodykit (parts of the bottom bumper became painted the body color), 20" wheels, and along with the 4.6is, were the only X5's ever to have a large chrome-tipped exhaust which hid the quad pipes.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: The 'Security' edition is an X5 variant with safety glass, heavy-duty material and ballistics-resistant steel, and debuted at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show.


title: BMW X5 (E53)

text: In June 2008, the Regional Court of Munich ruled that the Chinese SUV model, "Shuang-huan SCEO" is a copy of the BMW X5, prohibited the defendant importer of these vehicles in the "trade in Germany" offer and ordered the destruction of all "vehicles with a certain look" at which the defendant's possession or ownership (Az.: 4HK O 16807/07).


title: Blank Space

text: "Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, "1989". The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from "1989" on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partnership with Swift's label at the time, Big Machine. Swift co-wrote "Blank Space" with its producers Max Martin and Shellback. For the lyrics, she conceived the song as a satirical self-referential nod to her reputation as a flirtatious woman with a series of romantic attachments, which blemished her once-wholesome girl next door image. Musically, it is an electropop song with minimal hip hop-influenced beats.


title: Blank Space

text: "Blank Space" spent seven weeks atop the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also topped charts in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Scotland, and South Africa. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that "Blank Space" was one of the best-selling singles of 2015. Critics praised the song's production and Swift's songwriting; some picked it as "1989" highlight. The song earned three nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards, including two general categories: Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It featured on decade-end lists by such publications as "Billboard", "Rolling Stone", and "Slant Magazine".


title: Blank Space

text: Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Blank Space", which depicts Swift as a jealous woman who acts erratically upon suspecting her boyfriend's infidelity. Photography took place mostly at Oheka Castle, with a few additional scenes shot at Woolworth Estate. The video won Best Pop Video and Best Female Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. Swift included "Blank Space" on the set lists for two of her concert tours: the 1989 World Tour (2015) and Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). The song has been adapted into cover versions of different genres by several rock musicians, including I Prevail and Ryan Adams.


title: Blank Space

text: Inspired by 1980s synth-pop with synthesizers, drum pads, and overlapped vocals, Taylor Swift decided to move away from the signature country styles of her previous releases and incorporate a straightforward pop production for her fifth studio album, "1989", which was released in 2014. The recording process began in mid-2013 concurrently with the start of Swift's headlining world tour in support of her fourth studio album "Red". On "1989", Swift and Swedish producer Max Martin served as executive producers. Martin and his frequent collaborator Shellback produced seven out of 13 songs on the album's standard edition.


title: Blank Space

text: Having been known as "America's Sweetheart" thanks to her wholesome and down-to-earth girl next door image, Swift saw her reputation blemished due to her history of romantic relationships with a series of high-profile celebrities. "The New York Times" asserted in 2013 that her "dating history [had] begun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash", questioning whether Swift was in the midst of a quarter-life crisis. The "Tampa Bay Times" observed that until the release of "1989", Swift's love life had become a fixed tabloid interest and overshadowed her musicianship. Swift disliked the media portrayal of her as a "serial-dater", feeling that it undermined her professional works, and became reticent to discuss her personal life in public. The tabloid scrutiny on her image prompted her to write satirical songs about her perceived image, in addition to her traditional romantic themes.


title: Blank Space

text: Talking to "GQ" in 2015, Swift said that she envisioned "Blank Space" to be a satirical self-referential nod to the media perception of her image as "a girl who's crazy but seductive but glamorous but nuts but manipulative". She admitted that she had felt personally attacked for a long time before realizing "it was kind of hilarious". She co-wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin and Shellback.


title: Blank Space

text: "Blank Space" follows the verse–chorus song structure. The lyrics in the verses are clipped, "Magic, madness, heaven, sin," setting a mysterious and dreadful tone. At one point, Swift describes herself as a "nightmare dressed like a daydream". The refrain alludes to Swift's songwriting practice taking inspiration from her love life; the lyrics, "Got a long list of ex-lovers / They'll tell you I'm insane / But I've got a blank space, baby," are followed by a brief silence and then a clicking pen sound, "And I'll write your name." The line "Got a long list of ex-lovers" is often misheard as "All the lonely Starbucks lovers," prompting internet discussions including a response from Starbucks themselves upon the song's release.


title: Blank Space

text: Swift told "NME" in 2015 that when "Blank Space" was released, she noted, "Half the people got the joke, half the people really think that I was like really owning the fact that I'm a psychopath". Music scholar Nate Sloan analyzed that the narrator of "Blank Space" is unreliable, and therefore it is open to interpretation whether it is a true portrayal of Swift's character or not. In contemporary publications, journalists commented that the track represented "1989" lighthearted view on failed relationships, departing from the notion of idealized romance on Swift's past albums. Others noted that Swift made fun of her image and the media discourse surrounding her celebrity, which later served as the foundation for her 2017 studio album "Reputation" (2017), which explores her public experiences and the media gossip.


title: Blank Space

text: Martin and Shellback employed a sparse production for "Blank Space" as Swift wanted the song to emphasize the lyrics and vocals. Musically, "Blank Space" is an electropop song that is set over minimal hip hop-influenced beats. The song incorporates synthesizers, percussioned guitar strums, and layered backing vocals. The track builds up in the refrain, where Swift sings in her higher register. Some contemporary critics compared the song's minimal production to that of New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde's music, specifically her 2013 album "Pure Heroine". "Spin"s Andrew Unterberger commented that, as with the rest of "1989", "Blank Space" embraces 1980s pop music authenticity while incorporating a modern twist. Baesley thought that the minimal production may "sound bright and easy, but it's anything but the latter to create", calling it "weapons-grade, professional pop".


title: Blank Space

text: Republic Records in partnership with Swift's then-label Big Machine announced in late October 2014 that "Blank Space" would serve as the second single from "1989", following the lead single "Shake It Off" in August. The song impacted US rhythmic crossover radio on November 10, 2014. The following day, Republic and Big Machine promoted the song to US hot adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio. A CD single version of "Blank Space" was released in Germany on January 2, 2015, by Universal Music Group.


title: Blank Space

text: "Blank Space" debuted at number 18 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 on the chart dated November 15, 2014. The single reached number one in its third week on the chart, supported by the release of its music video. It took the number-one position from "1989" lead single "Shake It Off", making Swift the first and to date, the only woman ever in "Billboard" Hot 100 chart history to succeed herself at the top spot. "Blank Space" remained atop the "Billboard" Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, making it Swift's longest reign at number one. As of July 2019, "Blank Space" has sold 4.6 million copies in the United States. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single 8× Platinum, which denotes eight million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.


title: Blank Space

text: The single also reached number one in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Scotland. It peaked atop the Euro Digital Song Sales, a "Billboard" component chart, and the Finnish Download Chart. "Blank Space" charted within the top five of national record charts, at number two in New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, number three in Bulgaria, number four in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Israel, the UK, and number five in Lebanon. It received multi-platinum certifications in Australia (8× Platinum), Canada (4× Platinum), and the UK (2× Platinum). According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the song was the eighth best-selling song of 2015, with 9.2 million track-equivalent units.


title: Blank Space

text: The song received critical acclaim. Upon the release of "1989", Shane Kimberline of "musicOMH" called "Blank Space" one of the album's best songs. "PopMatters" Corey Baesley lauded it as "easily a candidate for the best pop song of 2014". Sydney Gore from "The 405" deemed "Blank Space" the album's highlight, and Aimee Cliff from "Fact" labeled it one of Swift's "most enjoyable songs to date" for portraying Swift's love life in a larger-than-life manner. "Drowned in Sound" Robert Leedham wrote that Swift succeeded in experimenting with new musical styles on "1989", specifically choosing "Blank Space" as an example.


title: Blank Space

text: "The Observer" critic Kitty Empire picked "Blank Space" as a song that showcased Swift's musical and lyrical maturity, calling it "an out-and-out pop song with an intriguingly skeletal undercarriage". Writing for the "Los Angeles Times", Mikael Wood selected the track as one of the album's better songs because of Swift's songwriting craftsmanship. "The New York Times" critic Jon Caramanica deemed the song "Swift at her peak" that "serves to assert both her power and her primness". "The Independent"s Andy Gill was less enthusiastic, calling it a "corporate rebel clichéd" song.


title: Blank Space

text: Retrospective reviews of "Blank Space" have been positive. Critic Alexis Petridis of "The Guardian" in 2019 declared "Blank Space" the best single Swift had released, praising its success in transforming Swift's image from a country singer-songwriter to a pop star thanks to its "effortless" melody and witty lyrics. "Rolling Stone" reviewer Rob Sheffield wrote: "Every second of 'Blank Space' is perfect." "Paste" in 2020 described the song as "remarkably well-made, infectiously catchy, and legitimately funny", and named it the best song on "1989". Selja Rankin from "Entertainment Weekly" also dubbed "Blank Space" the best track on the album, praising the over-the-top lyrics and its catchy 1980s pop sound.


title: Blank Space

text: "Rolling Stone" ranked "Blank Space" sixth on their list of the best songs of 2014, 73rd on their list of the best songs of the 2010s decade, and 357th on their list of the greatest songs of all time. "Time" named it as the ninth best song in their year-end list. The song placed at number three on "The Village Voice"s annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2014. "Stereogum" and "Uproxx" ranked the song at numbers 49 and 72 on their lists of the best songs of the 2010s decade, respectively. "Billboard" named it one of the 100 "Songs That Defined the Decade". Katie Atkinson wrote that the single consolidated Swift's trademark autobiographical storytelling in music while "setting the standard for a new, self-aware pop star" in poking fun at her perceived image. On "Slant Magazine" list of the 100 best singles of the 2010s, "Blank Space" ranked 15th. In 2021, "Rolling Stone" placed the song at number 357 on its list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.


title: Blank Space

text: "Blank Space" won Song of the Year at the 2015 American Music Awards. At the 2016 BMI Awards, the song was one of the Award-Winning Songs that helped Swift earn the honor Songwriter of the Year. It earned a nomination for International Work of the Year at the 2015 APRA Awards in Australia. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016, "Blank Space" was nominated in three categories—Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.


title: Blank Space

text: Joseph Kahn directed the music video for "Blank Space". Swift approached Kahn with the idea for treatment, desiring the video to portray her self-deprecation as a "crazy villain" akin to the lyrics. According to Kahn, Swift envisioned "Blank Space" as "a video addressing this concept of, if she has so many boys breaking up with her maybe the problem isn't the boy, maybe the problem is her". Photography took place at two locations in Long Island: primary shooting took place at Oheka Castle, with a few additional scenes shot at Woolworth Estate. The video was shot over three days in September 2014; the last day was dedicated to film "American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience", an interactive 360° mobile app in collaboration with American Express. For the video, Swift was thorough in choosing the concepts and imagery. Kahn spoke of his working experience with Swift on "Mashable": "When you have an artist wanting to test her imaging, it's always great territory to be in".


title: Blank Space

text: Kahn took inspirations from Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange" for the video's symmetrical framing style, calling it "a really funny way to approach a pop video". The video begins as Swift's love interest (played by model Sean O'Pry) drives a Shelby AC Cobra towards Swift's mansion. Upon arrival, he and Swift quickly become a loving couple. They engage in various romantic activities together, dancing, painting a portrait for the boyfriend, walking along the estate grounds, and riding horses into the woods. Halfway through the video, Swift notices him texting someone, and the couple begins to fall apart. They begin to fight, and Swift shows erratic behaviors such as throwing vases, slashing the painted portrait, and burning her boyfriend's clothes, which drives him to end the relationship. At a high point, Swift uses a golf club to destroy her boyfriend's car, a reference to Tiger Woods' 2009 cheating scandal. As the boyfriend leaves the estate, a new man (played by Andrea Denver) approaches, offering Swift a new hope for love.


title: Blank Space

text: Swift planned to premiere to the video on "Good Morning America" on November 11, 2014, but Yahoo! accidentally leaked it a day before. Swift posted the video onto her Vevo account quickly after the leak. The interactive app "American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience", featuring the 360° video version of "Blank Space", was released concurrently. The user can choose to either follow Swift and her love interest throughout the linear storyline, or leave the storyline to explore other rooms in the mansion and find interactive easter eggs, such as Swift's childhood photos. The app was available for free on mobile app stores. Kahn talked to "Rolling Stone" that the app was created with "superfans" who wanted to "feel even closer to Swift" in mind.


title: Blank Space

text: Upon release, media outlets compared the narrative of the video to that of "Gone Girl", in the sense that both Swift and "Gone Girl" protagonist "[strip] away the romantic sheen she's given all her relationships in the past". Randall Roberts from the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that Swift delivered an "Oscar-worthy" performance. "Billboard" praised the video's cinematic quality and aesthetics, and found Swift's self-referential portrayal amusing, which served as "icing on the blood-filled cake". Columnist Jessica Valenti from "The Guardian" complimented Swift's portrayal of her perceived image and dubbed the video "a feminist daydream", where "the narrow and sexist caricatures attached to women are acted out for "our" amusement, their full ridiculousness on display".


title: Blank Space

text: "USA Today" in 2017 named the video Swift's best music video up to date, calling it a "pure 'art' form". "Spin" also dubbed it the greatest video Swift had done so far, praising the video's combination of glamorous aesthetics and hilarious depiction of Swift's reputation. "Entertainment Weekly" in 2020 picked "Blank Space" as the best video among "1989" singles, describing it as "the only music video that can be earnestly described as 'Kubrickian'." The video for "Blank Space" won Best Pop Video and Best Female Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. It earned a nomination for Best International Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. The "American Express Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience" app won Original Interactive Program at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. "Rolling Stone" placed "Blank Space" at number 67 on its list of 100 greatest music videos of all time.


title: Blank Space

text: Swift performed "Blank Space" during the ""1989" Secret Session", live streamed by Yahoo! and iHeartRadio on October 27, 2014. Swift premiered the song on television at the 2014 American Music Awards, where she recreated the narrative of the music video, acting as a psychopathic woman who acts erratically towards her boyfriend. She again performed the song on "The Voice" on November 25, at the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on December 2, and during Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2014 in London, broadcast on December 5.


title: Blank Space

text: On February 25, 2015, Swift opened the 2015 Brit Awards with a rendition of "Blank Space". At the beginning of the performance, Swift sang the song in front of a white background featuring silhouettes of backup dancers. The song was part of the set lists for two of Swift's concert tours—the 1989 World Tour (2015) and Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). On September 9, 2019, Swift performed the song at the City of Lover one-off concert in Paris, France. She performed the song again at the We Can Survive charity concert on October 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. At the 2019 American Music Awards, where Swift was honored Artist of the Decade, she performed "Blank Space" as part of a medley of her hits. She again performed the song at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball 2019 in London, and at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2019 in New York City.


title: Blank Space

text: Following the song's debut at the 2014 American Music Awards, rapper Pitbull uploaded a remix featuring his rap verse to SoundCloud on December 15, 2014.


title: Blank Space

text: Retro music group Postmodern Jukebox transformed the song into a 1940s-inspired track in their cover. Rock band Imagine Dragons performed a slowed down rendition of the song sampling Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in February 2015. Metalcore band I Prevail released a post-hardcore cover of "Blank Space" as their debut single in December 2014. The cover reached number nine on "Billboard" Hot Rock Songs and number 90 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and received a platinum certification by the RIAA, which denotes one million track-equivalent units.


title: Blank Space

text: Rock singer Ryan Adams covered "Blank Space" on his 2015 track-by-track cover album of Swift's "1989". On his rendition, Adams incorporated stripped-down, acoustic string instruments, contrasting the original's electronic production. Indie singer Father John Misty released a cover version of the song in the style of the rock band the Velvet Underground in 2015. The cover is a reinterpretation of Adams's version and is built on the melody of the song "I'm Waiting for the Man".


title: Michael Chernus

text: Michael Louis Chernus (born August 8, 1977) is an American actor. He has acted on film, television, and the stage. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cal Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series "Orange Is the New Black" (2013–2019). Chernus played Phineas Mason / Tinkerer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "", which was released on July 7, 2017.


title: Michael Chernus

text: Chernus was born in Rocky River, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School's Drama Division. An accomplished stage actor, Michael won a 2011 Obie Award and received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his performance in Lisa Kron's "In the Wake" at The Public Theater in New York City. On stage, he co-starred with David Hyde Pierce in the Manhattan Theater Club production of "Close Up Space" at New York City Center. Other New York credits include such theaters as Playwrights Horizons, the Roundabout Theatre Company, Primary Stages, New York Theatre Workshop, The Atlantic Theater Company, and many productions at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, where he played the lead role of KJ in Annie Baker's play, "The Aliens", which Charles Isherwood, of "The New York Times", named the best play of 2010.


title: Michael Chernus

text: His most recent role was Second Stage Theatre's production of "Lips Together, Teeth Apart", co-starring America Ferrera. Chernus has acted in films such as "Men in Black 3", "Captain Phillips", "The Bourne Legacy", and "Jack and Diane". His most notable role to date is Cal Chapman, protagonist Piper Chapman's brother, in the Netflix original comedy-drama series "Orange Is the New Black".


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American black comedy directed by George Armitage from a screenplay by Tom Jankiewicz, D. V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink and John Cusack. It stars Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin and Dan Aykroyd and follows the story of assassin Martin Q. Blank (Cusack), who returns to his titular hometown to attend a high school reunion. The film's score was composed by Joe Strummer, former member of the punk rock band the Clash; the film's soundtrack contains a number of popular and alternative punk rock, ska and new wave songs.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: "Grosse Pointe Blank" was released by Buena Vista Pictures, receiving generally positive reviews from critics and grossing $31 million.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: As professional assassin Martin Blank prepares for a job, his assistant, Marcella, informs him that he has received an invitation to his ten-year high school reunion. A rival assassin, Grocer, approaches him about joining his fledgling union, which Martin refuses, preferring to work alone. Martin’s job goes badly when he is forced to shoot the target, even though the assignment was to make it appear the target died of natural causes. His client demands that he make amends by killing a Federal witness in Detroit, Michigan, close to his hometown of Grosse Pointe, where the reunion is taking place.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: In Grosse Pointe Martin reconnects with his childhood friend Paul and high-school sweetheart, Debi Newberry, now a radio DJ, whom Martin had abandoned on prom night to enlist in the Army.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Martin is stalked by Felix LaPoubelle, another hitman, who attempts to kill Martin. He is also followed by two National Security Agency agents who were tipped off to Martin's contract by Grocer. Martin remains distracted by his desire to reconcile with Debi and procrastinates in opening the dossier on his target. Grocer reveals that LaPoubelle was hired by a wealthy dog owner whose prize retriever was killed on one of Martin's previous assignments. Martin reveals that he knows Grocer put the agents on his trail and again refuses to join the union.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Debi is conflicted about her feelings for Martin, but he manages to persuade her to attend the reunion with him. At the reunion Martin and Debi rekindle their relationship as they dance together intimately, and sneak off to have sex. Martin runs into LaPoubelle, whom he kills in self-defense. Debi stumbles upon the scene and flees the reunion in shock.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Debi confronts Martin in his hotel room. He reveals that when he joined the Army his psychological profile indicated a "moral flexibility" that prompted the Central Intelligence Agency to recruit him as an assassin, after which he decided to freelance. Martin assures Debi that he accepts only contracts on corrupt individuals. His efforts to rationalize his work anger Debi and she rejects his attempts at reconciliation.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Martin decides to retire from being a contract killer. He fires his psychiatrist, Oatman, over the phone, provides Marcella with a generous severance and finally opens the dossier detailing the contract that brought him to Grosse Pointe. He discovers the target is Debi's father, Bart, who is scheduled to testify against Martin's client.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Grocer decides to kill Bart himself to impress Martin's client and eliminate Martin as a competitor. Martin abandons the contract, saves Bart and takes him home. Grocer, his cohorts, and the NSA agents descend upon the house. During the siege Martin tells Debi that he left her on prom night to protect her from his homicidal urges; however, having fallen in love with Debi again, he has developed a newfound respect for life. Martin kills Grocer's henchmen and they both shoot the NSA agents when they burst onto the scene. Out of ammunition, Martin takes out Grocer with a TV set. Martin proposes marriage to Debi, who is too stunned by the killing spree to respond, though Debi's father quips, "You have my blessing."


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Debi and Martin leave Grosse Pointe together, with Martin visibly cheerful, and Debi confessing on her prerecorded radio show that she's decided to give love another chance.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Screenwriter Tom Jankiewicz wrote the initial script for "Grosse Pointe Blank" in 1991 after receiving an invitation to his 10th high school reunion. He picked the title while substitute teaching for an English class at Upland High School, writing the title on the classroom's whiteboard to see how it would look on a movie-theater marquee. Jankiewicz decided to use Grosse Pointe, an upscale suburb of Detroit, Michigan, rather than his working-class hometown of Sterling Heights, Michigan, due to the contrast between the two towns. There is also the wordplay ("point blank"), which is a ballistics term of reference to the distance a bullet travels before dropping from the firearm's bore axis.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Jankiewicz simultaneously worked as a substitute teacher and a cashier at a Big Lots in Upland, California, to make ends meet before his script was picked up for production.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Jankiewicz, who was raised in Sterling Heights, based several of the film's characters on his real-life friends from Bishop Foley Catholic High School in Madison Heights, Michigan. For example, Jeremy Piven's character, Paul Spericki, was originally named after Jankiewicz's best friend during high school, although the name was changed during filming. The film's script was based on an urban legend about a student who became a professional hitman. Joan Cusack's character, Marcella, was named for Jankiewicz's manager at Big Lots.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: George Armitage later said, "I did as much as anyone did in terms of writing", but did not seek credit.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: The script, when I met with John [Cusack] and the writers, was 132 pages. I said: "Look, I'm not doing anything over 100 pages." They said, "Okay," and they did a rewrite, and it came back 150 pages. So I said "Okay, you guys are fired," and I spent most of preproduction rewriting the screenplay, getting it down to 102 pages. Then we would improvise, and I noticed that some of the stuff I'd cut out was in the improvs, they were bringing back stuff that I'd cut out, but we had a good time with it.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Only the aerial footage of Lakeshore Drive was actually shot in Grosse Pointe. The city of Grosse Pointe Farms did not allow the filmmakers to use any shots of Grosse Pointe South High School for the movie due to the presence of alcohol in the reunion scenes. The majority of the film was shot in Monrovia, California. In a 1997 interview, actor John Cusack, who shares the film's screenwriting credit along with Jankiewicz, Steve Pink, and D. V. DeVincentis, said he would have liked to film on location in Grosse Pointe, but they were unable to move production to Michigan due to budget constraints.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: The scene where Martin is attacked by LaPoubelle while exploring the halls of his old high school was filmed at Reseda High School in the San Fernando Valley.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: With "Grosse Pointe Blank" I shot three movies simultaneously. We shot the script as written, we shot a mildly understated version, and we shot a completely over-the-top version, which usually was what was used. We cast that movie—and I've cast most movies—by having the actors come in and read, then throwing the script out and saying: "Okay, let's improvise." That's what I was comfortable with. I say to the actors: "You are creating the character. This is written, these are the parameters, this is the outline. Now you take this, make it your own, and bring me, bring me, bring me."... I'm very fond of "Grosse Pointe Blank" because of that, the insanity of it was trying to keep things working with three different registers to choose from.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: I'm usually rather rough on studio heads in terms of creative help, but after seeing the audience so angry at Alec Baldwin dying in "Miami Blues", I decided that on "Grosse Pointe Blank", this time, dealing with another psychopath, another sociopath, John's character—I just wanted him to survive, and we shot so many different endings. They were so generous at Disney, we had Michael Ovitz and Joe Roth running the place, they were really great with us. We shot two or three different endings, the two of them getting together, talking about things, and everything didn't work. And Joe Roth said at one of the screenings: "When the father says 'You've got my blessing' in the bathtub at the end, after the shoot-out, just cut to the two of them leaving." I thought, "Let's give it a shot," and it worked beautifully.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: The film earned an estimated $6,870,397 in its opening weekend, ranking number four at the box office. It went on to earn $28,084,357 in the United States, and a total of $31,070,412 worldwide. In the United States, it was released the same month as "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion", another 1980s-themed high school reunion film that Disney was involved with.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: "Grosse Pointe Blank" received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 81%, based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A high-concept high school reunion movie with an adroitly cast John Cusack and armed with a script of incisive wit." Metacritic gave the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" magazine wrote a positive review. Travers praises the writing as "smart, not smartass", praises director George Armitage for smashing action scenes that reveal character, furthermore he praises Aykroyd and the talented cast in smaller supporting roles. Ultimately he says the film "flies on Cusack’s seductive malevolence" calling him a marvel.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4. He praised the chemistry between the lead actors and enjoyed the dialogue, but considered it a near-miss, wishing for a wittier, more articulate, better ending.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: The score for "Grosse Pointe Blank" was composed by Joe Strummer, formerly of the Clash, and the soundtrack includes two songs by the Clash: "Rudie Can't Fail" and their cover version of Willi Williams' "Armagideon Time".


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: In addition to the Clash, the tracks featured in the film are largely a mix of popular and alternative 1980s punk rock, ska, and new wave from such bands as Violent Femmes, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Specials, the Jam, Siouxsie and the Banshees and A-ha. While most songs played throughout the film (especially at the reunion) had been recorded by the time of the students' graduation in 1986, several songs were recorded later:


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: The soundtrack album reached number 31 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, prompting the release of a second volume of songs from the film.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: The film was released on VHS and DVD in 1998 in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand.


title: Grosse Pointe Blank

text: According to Joan Cusack, the 2008 film "War, Inc." is an informal sequel. Both films are similar in style and theme, and both star John as an assassin and his sister Joan as his assistant, with Dan Aykroyd in a supporting role.


title: Anthony Cox (producer)

text: Anthony D. Cox (born 1936) is an American film producer and art promoter. He is a former husband of Yoko Ono.


title: Anthony Cox (producer)

text: Cox met Yoko Ono in 1961, after he saw some of her art work in an anthology and located her in Tokyo, Japan. The couple married on November 28, 1962, but marriage was annulled on March 1, 1963, due to Ono neglecting to officially finalize her divorce from her first husband, the Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi. They remarried on June 11, 1963, two months before their daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, was born on August 8, 1963. Cox became a full-time caregiver for Kyoko, while both he and Ono continued with their art, collaborating as conceptual artists.


title: Anthony Cox (producer)

text: Ono's growing estrangement from Cox in 1966 inspired her to create her artwork "Half-A-Room", and the pain of their subsequent breakup inspired Ono to make "Ceiling Painting/Yes Painting".


title: Anthony Cox (producer)

text: Their marriage fell apart some time after 1966, when Ono met John Lennon at an art show. Cox and Ono divorced on February 2, 1969. After some time, Tony Cox married Melinda Kendall.


title: Anthony Cox (producer)

text: After a legal battle, Cox was awarded custody of Kyoko. However, in 1971 Cox, who had joined a religious group known as the Church of the Living Word, or "The Walk", after his divorce from Ono, vanished with his wife Melinda and Kyoko in violation of the custody order. He left "The Walk" after a few years, and in 1978, Cox and Kyoko stayed with the Jesus People USA commune in Chicago. He had divorced his second wife Melinda even before leaving "The Walk". He and Kyoko contacted Yoko Ono after the death of Lennon in 1980, but they did not specify their location. Afterward, Ono agreed to no longer attempt to locate Kyoko, but still wished to make contact with her. In 1994, when she was 31, Kyoko made contact with Ono and they have been in close contact since then.


title: Anthony Cox (producer)

text: In 1985, in an autobiographical documentary film, "Vain Glory", Cox discussed his experiences with the Lennons, with the Church of the Living Word, and with life on the run.


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: John Powell (born 18 September 1963) is an English composer best known for his film scores. He has been based in Los Angeles since 1997 and has composed the scores to over 70 feature films. He is best known for composing and/or co-composing scores for animated films, such as "Antz" (1998), "The Road to El Dorado" (2000), "Chicken Run" (2000), "Robots" (2005), the "Ice Age" films (2006–2012), the "Happy Feet" films (2006–2011), "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" (2008), "Bolt" (2008), the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy (2010–2019), the "Rio" films (2011–2014), "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" (2012), and "Ferdinand" (2017).


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: His work on "Happy Feet", "Ferdinand" and "" has earned him three Grammy nominations. He was nominated for an Academy Award for "How to Train Your Dragon".


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: Powell was a member of Hans Zimmer's music studio, Remote Control Productions, and has collaborated frequently with other composers from the studio, including Harry Gregson-Williams on "Antz", "Chicken Run" and "Shrek" and Zimmer himself on "Chill Factor", "The Road to El Dorado", and the first two "Kung Fu Panda" films.


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: John Powell was born on 18 September 1963 in London. As a child, he played the violin and viola. His skill in the violin allowed him to study at the Trinity College of Music in London. There, he met Josh Ashton Thomas, who orchestrated many of Powell's scores. Powell played for "Faboulistics", an amateur rock and roll band.


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: After finishing college, he composed music for commercials, which led to a job as an assistant to the composer Patrick Doyle on several film productions, including "Much Ado About Nothing". In 1995, Powell co-founded the London-based commercial music house Independently Thinking Music, which produced scores for more than 100 British and French commercials and independent films.


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: Powell's first score was for the Season 4 of the TV series "Stay Lucky". He moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and scored his first major film, "Face/Off". It was followed by "Antz" in 1998, the first film produced by DreamWorks Animation, which he co-scored with fellow British composer Harry Gregson-Williams. Two years later, Powell collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer on the score for "The Road to El Dorado". Later that year, he collaborated with Gregson-Williams again on the score to "Chicken Run; t"hey collaborated again the following year on "Shrek". Gregson-Williams composed all the subsequent Shrek films himself. In 2001 he also scored "Evolution", "I Am Sam", "Just Visiting" and "Rat Race".


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: In 2002 Powell was hired to score "The Bourne Identity" after Carter Burwell left the project, and has gone on to score all of director Doug Liman's subsequent films. He also returned to score the series' other two films, "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum", under British director Paul Greengrass.


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: Powell collaborated with Liman again to score "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005). That year he also scored "Robots" for Blue Sky Studios, and went on to score all of the studio's subsequent films until 2017's "Ferdinand".


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: In 2006, he scored Greengrass' "United 93". He also composed music for "", following David Newman, who scored the first "Ice Age" film; as well as " a"nd "Happy Feet", for which he won a Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for an Animated Feature Film. The next year he scored "The Bourne Ultimatum". In 2008 he reunited with Hans Zimmer and returned to DreamWorks Animation to score "Kung Fu Panda", and also wrote music for "Jumper", "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!", "Hancock", and "Bolt". In 2009 he scored the third film of "Ice Age" series; "".


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: In 2010, Powell composed the to "How to Train Your Dragon," which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was his sixth DreamWorks Animation film, although the first where he composed the whole score himself. That year he has also scored Greengrass's "Green Zone" and "Knight and Day".


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: In 2013, Powell took a sabbatical year from film scoring. In April 2014, after completing his scores to sequels "Rio 2" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2", he announced he would take another break to compose concert music, including a 45-minute oratorio to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I. The piece, "A Prussian Requiem", with a libretto by Michael Petry, premiered on 6 March 2016 at The Royal Festival Hall, London with José Serebrier conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.


title: John Powell (film composer)

text: Powell composed the score for "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018), collaborating with John Williams, who wrote Han Solo's theme. In 2019, Powell scored "", the final film in the "How to Train Your Dragon" series.


title: Highlight (band)

text: Highlight (Korean: ) is a South Korean boy band formerly known as Beast (Korean: 비스트). The band consists of four members: Yoon Doo-joon, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang, and Son Dong-woon. Originally a six-piece band, Jang Hyun-seung departed from the group in April 2016, and Yong Jun-hyung departed in March 2019. In late 2016, the group moved labels from Cube Entertainment to Around Us Entertainment and subsequently changed their name to Highlight in 2017.


title: Highlight (band)

text: The group debuted in 2009 with the EP "Beast Is the B2ST". In 2011, they released their first full-length album, "Fiction and Fact", and made their Japanese debut with the single, "Shock". As Beast, the group released three Korean full-length albums, nine Korean extended plays, two Japanese full-length albums, and numerous singles. The group re-debuted as Highlight in 2017 with the EP "Can You Feel It?". They have since released three more EPs as Highlight.


title: Highlight (band)

text: Beast initially received attention for the lack of industry success previously experienced by its members, with media outlets referring to them as a "recycled group". However, the group has achieved significant commercial success and critical accolades and is one of the most awarded groups of all time at the Golden Disc Awards, the Seoul Music Awards, and the Melon Music Awards.


title: Highlight (band)

text: In August 2009, Cube Entertainment publicly introduced its new boy group B2ST (an abbreviation for "Boys To Search for Top") on the TV documentary series "MTV B2ST". The group consisted of Yoon Doo-joon, who previously competed on another series to be member of 2PM or 2AM; Jang Hyun-seung, who had competed on a series to be a member of Big Bang; Lee Gi-kwang, who previously debuted as a solo artist under the name AJ; Yang Yo-seob; Yong Jun-hyung; and Son Dong-woon.


title: Highlight (band)

text: After changing their name from B2ST to Beast, the group debuted on October 15, 2009 with the extended play "Beast Is the B2ST". They began promotions that day for the album and its lead single, "Bad Girl", by holding a live showcase and performing on KBS "Music Bank". The EP sold over 10,000 copes in its first week of release and went on to sell 40,000 copies by early 2010, an unusual feat for a Korean rookie group at the time.


title: Highlight (band)

text: In December, Beast won the Rookie of the Month award from South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The group's second single, "Mystery", garnered them an award for Rookie of the Month at the Cyworld Digital Music Awards that December. Beast also won Best New Artist at the 19th Seoul Music Awards in February 2010.


title: Highlight (band)

text: Beast released their second EP, "Shock of the New Era", on March 1, 2010. Later that month, the group achieved their first music show number-one win on Mnet’s "M Countdown" with the album's lead single "Shock". Beast released a music video for the album's second single, "Take Care of My Girlfriend (Say No)", in April. "Shock of the New Era" quickly sold 20,000 copies in South Korea, ultimately selling nearly 60,000 copies by the end of the year. In August, Beast received the Golden Disk Award from their international label, Universal Music, in recognition of the group's album sales in Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan.On September 28, Beast released their third EP, "Mastermind". One week later, the group claimed first place on KBS "Music Bank" with the album's lead single, "Breath". In October, Beast received the Asia Influential Artist Award at the 2010 Asia Song Festival. The group followed up this success with their fourth EP, "Lights Go On Again", released on November 9. The album, which includes the single "Beautiful", was the group's first to reach the number-one spot on the Gaon Album Chart. Cumulative sales of "Shock of the New Era", "Mastermind" and "Lights Go On Again" exceeded 107,000 copies by mid-December, making Beast the only South Korean rookie group to sell over 100,000 albums in 2010.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On December 9, Beast was awarded Best New Artist at the 25th Golden Disc Awards. Three days later, they held their first solo concert, "Welcome to Beast Airline", at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul to an audience of 10,000. At the concert, the group debuted three duets that they subsequently released online starting on December 21 as part of the digital EP, "My Story".


title: Highlight (band)

text: Beast released their first Japanese single, a Japanese version of "Shock", on March 16, 2011. The song sold 29,000 copies in one week and debuted at number two on the daily Oricon Singles Chart, the highest-ranking debut by a foreign artist at the time.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On May 17, Beast released their first full-length Korean album, "Fiction and Fact". The album peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and sold over 142,000 copies by the end of the year. Its singles, "On Rainy Days" and "Fiction" were also commercially successful, selling 2.8 million and 2.6 million copies, respectively, by the end of the year. The album garnered Beast wins for Artist of the Year for the 2nd Quarter at the 2011 Gaon Chart Music Awards and a Bonsang at the 2012 Golden Disc Awards. "Fiction" won Song of the Year at the 2011 KBS Music Festival, and Best Male Dance Performance at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On August 10, the group released their first Japanese album, "So Beast", which includes Japanese versions of "Shock" and "Bad Girl" as singles. The album debuted in the number-two spot on the daily Oricon Albums Chart, selling over 26,000 copies in its first day of release.


title: Highlight (band)

text: In November, Beast was awarded the grand prize of Artist of the Year at the 3rd Melon Music Awards, as well as a commendation from South Korea's Minister of Culture at the 2011 Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards for the group's contributions to pop culture and the spread of the Korean wave abroad. In early 2012, the group was awarded Best New Artist at the 26th Japan Gold Disc Awards in recognition of the commercial success of their Japanese releases.


title: Highlight (band)

text: Beast embarked on their "Beautiful Show" international tour in February 2012, in which the group performed in cities throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. Mid-tour, the group released a self-filmed music video for their 2009 single "Mystery", which subsequently charted at number one on YinYueTai, a major Chinese music video sharing website.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On July 21, Beast released their fifth extended play, "Midnight Sun", which includes the singles "I Knew It", "Midnight" and "Beautiful Night". The album was written, in large part, by group member Yong Jun-hyung. It debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and marked Beast's first appearance on the Billboard World Albums Chart, peaking at number 15. The album sold over 140,000 copies by the end of the year and garnered the group a Bonsang award at the 27th Golden Disc Awards. In November, Beast won their second consecutive award for Artist of the Year at the 4th Melon Music Awards.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On July 19, 2013, Beast released their second full-length Korean album, "Hard to Love, How to Love", which was composed by Yong Jun-hyung and his writing partner Kim Tae-joo. The album includes the ballad, "Will You Be Okay?", which was released a month prior and charted at number one on both the Gaon Digital Chart and Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100. The album won the group Bonsang awards at the 28th Golden Disc Awards, 5th Melon Music Awards and 23rd Seoul Music Awards, while the album's lead single, "Shadow", won Best Music Video at the Melon Music Awards.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On June 16, 2014, Beast released their sixth extended play, "Good Luck". The album debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, while its singles, "No More" and "Good Luck", both reached the number-one spot on the Gaon Digital Chart. "Good Luck" was also a critical success, named the best k-pop song of the year by "Billboard" and ranked number two for the year by "Dazed".


title: Highlight (band)

text: The group released their seventh EP, "Time", on October 20, 2014 to mark their fifth anniversary since debuting.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On April 19, 2016, Cube Entertainment released a statement confirming Jang Hyun-seung's departure from the group. The band continued as a five-member group and Hyun-seung proceeded under Cube as a solo artist. The reason for his departure was due to differences in music styles between him and the other members.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On June 21, Beast announced the upcoming release of their third full-length album, "Highlight". The album was released on July 3, with the pre-release track, Butterfly, released on June 26, and Ribbon as their title tracks. This marked their first comeback as a group of five.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On December 15, 2016, Beast officially announced the launch of their new label Around Us Entertainment, subsequently leaving their label of seven years, Cube Entertainment. As the "Beast" name is trademarked by Cube, Beast was unable to promote under the name legally.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On February 24, 2017, Around Us Entertainment announced that the members would continue as a group together, now under the name of "Highlight".


title: Highlight (band)

text: On March 2, 2017, it was announced that Highlight would officially debut on March 20, 2017 with their mini-album "Can You Feel It?".


title: Highlight (band)

text: On April 9, 2017, Highlight announced that they would be holding their first concert tour as Highlight and release a repackaged album "Calling You" on May 29.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On October 16, 2017, Highlight released their second EP, "Celebrate", in the celebration of their eighth anniversary.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On August 24, 2018, Doo-joon enlisted for mandatory military service. He was discharged on April 10, 2020.


title: Highlight (band)

text: It was announced that Highlight's special album, "Outro", will be released on November 20, 2018, being promoted with 4 members.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On January 24, 2019, Yo-seob began his mandatory military service as a conscripted police officer. On August 30, 2020, he was discharged from the military.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On March 13, 2019, Junhyung announced his departure from Highlight after he admitted to watching illegal videos sent to him by singer Jung Joon-young, who is under investigation for secretly filming women during sex.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On April 18, 2019, Gi-kwang began his mandatory military service as a conscripted police officer. On November 17, 2020, he was discharged from the military.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On May 9, 2019, Dong-woon began his mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman. On December 7, 2020, he was discharged from the military, marking the end of Highlight's military enlistment.


title: Highlight (band)

text: Following a two-and-a-half year hiatus, Highlight made their first comeback as a four-member group on May 3, 2021 with their third EP, "The Blowing".


title: Highlight (band)

text: On March 21, 2022, Highlight released their fourth studio album, "Daydream". After the promotions for "Daydream" ended, it was announced that Highlight would be holding a three-day concert, "INTRO", at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium from March 20–22. This would mark their first concert as a group in over 3 years, following the COVID-19 outbreak, their military enlistment, and the "OUTRO" concert in November 2018, where Doo-joon was absent. Tickets were sold out within three days.


title: Highlight (band)

text: The group hosted a fan concert titled Highlight Sports Day on October 15–16. On the second day, Highlight announced their comeback by playing a short clip during the concert end credits. The clip featured Lee singing, "Because I'm alone, I'm alone without you," paired with their comeback date. Their 4th EP, "After Sunset", was released on November 7, 2022.


title: Highlight (band)

text: Beast was the topic of a short-lived reality show, "MTV B2ST", which was hosted by MTV. The show ran on a weekly basis from August 23 – October 9, 2009, with a total of ten episodes. The program showcased their journey leading up to their debut. It was announced in March 2010 that Beast will be hosting a second season of "MTV B2ST" entitled "MTV Beast Almighty". After last year's broadcast debut, season 2 had fans and viewers' wishes as the concept of the program where the members will have to pick out one wish to grant for every episode. The show ran on a weekly basis from April 10 – May 29, 2010.


title: Highlight (band)

text: On December 3, 2010, Beast attended the Patricia Field Collection fashion show located in Seoul Cheongdamdong MCM Haus and was praised by Patricia Field herself for their “distinctive and modern look”. For this collection, MCM’s Heritage and Patricia Field worked together to show off a modern New Yorker style with a trendy shopper bag, backpack, clutch, and more items and any money earned from it will be donated to the ‘Korea Disaster Relief’ to benefit the civilians left homeless from the Yeonpyeong incident.


title: Highlight (band)

text: In April 2012, Beast collaborated with Jim Rickey to make their own sneaker brand, Beast X Jim Rickey. Beast members were directly involved in the design of these shoes and they are available in 6 different colours.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: James Michael Bay (born 4 September 1990) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2014, he released his single "Hold Back the River", which was certified platinum, before releasing his debut studio album "Chaos and the Calm" (2014). The album went to number one in the UK and number 15 in the US. In February 2015, Bay received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award. At the 2016 Brit Awards he received the award for Best British Male Solo Artist. Bay also received three nominations at the 2016 Grammy Awards, for Best New Artist, Best Rock Album, and Best Rock Song. In May 2018, he released his second studio album, "Electric Light".


title: James Bay (singer)

text: James Bay was born to Jill, a former fashion illustrator for Marie Claire, and Nick Bay, a wine merchant. He has an older brother named Alex. Bay's parents brought him up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire where he attended Hitchin Boys' School. Aged 11, Bay was inspired to play classical guitar after hearing Eric Clapton's "Layla". He used an old rusty guitar with five strings he found in a cupboard in his house. Bay is a supporter of Newcastle United F.C.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: When he moved to study in Brighton at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute seven years later at age 18 he played the city's open mic nights, on which he said, "That taught me a lot about writing and performing on my own and trying to hold my own". "I'm trying to make songs that make people feel something, and if I'm lucky, even move them".


title: James Bay (singer)

text: Bay caught the attention of Republic Records A&R after a fan uploaded a video to YouTube of him performing at an open mic in London, and within a week, he signed to the label. His first EP, "The Dark of the Morning", was released in 2013. Within a year, he was selling out his first UK headline tour.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: Bay released his debut extended play, "The Dark of the Morning", on 18 July 2013. His second EP, "Let It Go", was released on 12 May 2014. The "Let It Go" EP debuted in the top 10 iTunes album chart and the lead single, titled "Let It Go", peaked at number 10 in the UK charts. Bay has performed live on the Burberry runway and has also recorded a Burberry Acoustic session. He toured with Hozier in 2014.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: Bay recorded his entire debut studio album "Chaos and the Calm" at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, with producer Jacquire King. It debuted at number one in the UK charts and has been certified X2 platinum. His single "Hold Back the River" peaked at number 2 in the UK charts and was certified X3 platinum.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: In January 2015, Bay released his fourth EP, "Other Sides." He performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in June 2015. At the 2016 Brit Awards in London on 24 February, he received the award for Best British Male Solo Artist, and also performed "Love Yourself" with Justin Bieber at the ceremony. Bay recorded a cover of the Beatles song "Hey Bulldog" for the 2016 TV series "Beat Bugs". He recorded a cover of the Tom Petty song "King's Highway" for the 2017 Disney/Pixar film "Cars 3". It is heard in the film and is included on the official soundtrack album.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: Bay released his second studio album, "Electric Light", on 18 May 2018. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and 21 on the US Billboard 200. The album has notable pop and R&B influences, and was noted for its "hip hip style spoken-word skits" during intervals. The lead single, "Wild Love", was released on 8 February 2018, and peaked at 39 on the UK Singles Chart and 17 on the US Adults Top 40. Bay released a duet version of the album's third single, "Us", performed on "The Voice" with Alicia Keys in May 2018.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: Bay released a single, "Peer Pressure", on February 22, 2019, featuring artist Julia Michaels. On 10 May 2019, he released his third EP, "Oh My Messy Mind", the first record of his to be immediately released on streaming. On the same day, the single "Bad" was released.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: In the spring of 2020, Bay began making his third studio album in Nashville at the historic RCA Studio A alongside producer Dave Cobb, and collaborated with Brandon Flowers of the Killers during recording. He released the single "Chew On My Heart" in July 2020. Later that month, he streamed a live performance in support of the #SaveOurVenues campaign, to support efforts against the economic threat posed to grassroots venues during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: In 2017, he released his Epiphone Signature "1966" Century Outfit, an accurate recreation of his customized 1966 Epiphone Century guitar which has James Bay's "Hat Man" logo on the headstock and custom strap.


title: James Bay (singer)

text: Bay has been in a relationship with Lucy Smith, a music promoter, since he was 17 years old. The couple have a daughter, named Ada Violet Bay, born in October 2021. They got married in August 2022.


title: East Jerusalem

text: East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Jerusalem was envisaged as a separate, international city under the 1947 United Nations partition plan. It was, however, divided by the 1948 war that followed Israel's declaration of independence. As a result of the 1949 Armistice Agreements, the city's western half came under Israeli control, while its eastern half, containing the famed Old City, fell under Jordanian control.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War; since then, the entire city has been under Israeli control. The 1980 Jerusalem Law declared unified Jerusalem the capital of Israel, formalizing the effective annexation of East Jerusalem. Palestinians and many in the international community consider East Jerusalem to be the future capital of the State of Palestine. This includes (out of 193) member countries of the United Nations, among them Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Russia, Sweden, and the 57 members countries of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The status of Jerusalem has been described as "one of the most intractable issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict", with conflicting claims to sovereignty over the city or parts of it, and access to its holy sites.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Israeli and Palestinian definitions of East Jerusalem differ. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Jerusalem's municipal boundaries were extended totaling an area three times the size of pre-war West Jerusalem. This includes several nearby West Bank villages to the north, east and south of the Old City that are now considered neighborhoods of the city, as well as eight suburban neighborhoods that were built since then. The international community considers these neighborhoods illegal settlements, but the Israeli government disputes this. The Israeli position is based on the extended municipal boundaries, while the Palestinian position is based on the 1949 Armistice Agreements.


title: East Jerusalem

text: East Jerusalem includes the Old City, which is home to many sites of seminal religious importance for the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, including the Temple Mount / Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 2016, the population of East Jerusalem was 542,400, comprising 61% of Jerusalem's population. Of these, 327,700 (60.4%) were Arabs and 214,600 (39.6%) were Jews.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Arab residents of East Jerusalem are increasingly becoming integrated into Israeli society, in terms of education, citizenship, national service and in other aspects. According to Middle East expert David Pollock, in the hypothesis that a final agreement was reached between Israel and the Palestinians with the establishment of a two-state solution, 48% of East Jerusalem Arabs would prefer being citizens of Israel, while 42% of them would prefer the State of Palestine. 9% would prefer Jordanian citizenship.


title: East Jerusalem

text: On 27 June 1967, Israel expanded the municipal boundaries of West Jerusalem so as to include approximately of West Bank territory today referred to as "East Jerusalem", which included "Jordanian East Jerusalem" ( ) and 28 villages and areas of the Bethlehem and Beit Jala municipalities .


title: East Jerusalem

text: "East Jerusalem" is the familiar term in English. Arabs largely use the term "Arab Jerusalem" for this area in official English-language documents, emphasizing the predominance of the Arabic-speaking Palestinian population while Israelis call the area "East Jerusalem" because of its geographic location in the east of the expanded Jerusalem.


title: East Jerusalem

text: The area of East Jerusalem has been inhabited since 5,000 BCE, with settlement beginning in the Chalcolithic period. Tombs are attested by the Early Bronze Age, around 3,200 BCE. In the late second millennium BCE settlement concentrated around the City of David which was chosen because of its proximity to the Gihon Spring. Massive Canaanite constructions were undertaken, with a water channel excavated through rock drawing water to a pool inside the citadel, whose wall was a massive 23 feet thick, built from rocks some weighing up to 3 tons.


title: East Jerusalem

text: In 1934, the British Mandatory authorities divided Jerusalem into 12 wards for electoral purposes. The mapping was criticized by those who believed it was drawn to ensure a Palestinian majority on the Jerusalem city council. The actual mapping suggests otherwise, according to Michael Dumper, who states that the peculiar "hook" on the western electoral borders was a gerrymander made to include as many new Jewish neighbourhoods on that side as possible, while keeping outside of the boundaries Arab villages. To the east, the city's border ended at the Old City walls, in order to exclude the contiguous Arab neighbourhood of Silwan, Ras al-Amud and At-Tur and Abu Tor. These boundaries defined the municipality down to 1948. By 1947 Palestinian Arabs constituted a majority overall in the Jerusalem district, but Jews predominated within the British municipal boundaries, 99,000 to 65,100 Arabs. The Jewish presence in eastern Jerusalem was concentrated to the Old Quarter, with a scattering also present in Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Of the 30 holy places in Jerusalem, only 3 were located in Western Jerusalem, with the overwhelming bulk lying within the eastern sector. During the subsequent 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a large number of Jerusalem's churches, convents, mosques, synagogues, monasteries and cemeteries were hit by shell or gunfire. After the armistice the city was divided into two parts. The western portion came under Israeli rule, while the eastern portion, populated mainly by Muslim and Christian Palestinians, came under Jordanian rule, with the international community withholding recognition of the respective areas of control of both parties.


title: East Jerusalem

text: During the Battle for Jerusalem, fighting in the Jewish quarter between the Jordanian Arab Legion and the IDF, Irgun and Lehi had been particularly fierce, leaving the zone in ruins. The battle and subsequent looting by Palestinian civilians left 27 synagogues and 30 schools destroyed. The Jordanian army is said to have blown up, three days after conquering the area, what remained of the Hurva Synagogue, which had served both as a civilian refuge and Israeli military post.


title: East Jerusalem

text: For Palestinians, expulsions from the Jerusalem area date back to January 1948, when the Haganah bombed the Semiramis Hotel in Qatamon. The death of 26 civilians marked the beginning of evacuation of the area, which increased after the nearby Deir Yassin massacre in early April, followed by a 3-day assault and looting from 30 April onwards. In the first six months of the 1948 war 6,000 Jews also abandoned the city, and when war broke out, thousands fled the northern areas subject to Jordanian shelling. After the surrender to the Jordanian Arab Legion, the Red Cross, which had been invested with the authority to protect many major sites, oversaw the evacuation westwards through Zion Gate of some 1,300 Jews from the Old Quarter. The only eastern area of the city that remained in Israeli hands throughout the 19 years of Jordanian rule was Mount Scopus, where the Hebrew University is located, which formed an enclave during that period. Likewise, Palestinians living in such western Jerusalem neighbourhoods as Qatamon, Talbiya, Baq'a, 'Ayn Karim, Lifta and Malha either fled or were forced out, many of them seeking refuge in the Old City.


title: East Jerusalem

text: East Jerusalem absorbed thousands of Palestinian refugees, a substantial number of whom were middle-class people from West Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods when they came under Israeli rule, and many were settled in the previous Jewish areas of the eastern sector, whose inhabitants, likewise refugees, were relocated in the formerly majority-Arab suburbs of West Jerusalem, such as Overall, as a result of the conflict, the Jewish population of Jerusalem fell by 30–40% while Eyal Benvenisti states half of its Palestinian population of 60,000 left. According to the Jordanian census of 1952, East Jerusalem had an Arab population of 46,700.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Jerusalem was to be an international city under the 1947 UN Partition Plan. It was not included as a part of either the proposed Jewish or Arab states. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the western part of Jerusalem was captured by Israel, while East Jerusalem (including the Old City) was captured by Jordan. The war came to an end with the signing of the 1949 Armistice Agreements. On 23 January 1950, Israel declared Jerusalem its capital, with a Knesset resolution declaring that, "With the creation of a Jewish State, Jerusalem again became its capital". Jordan followed suit on 24 April and, on the basis of a referendum conducted also among Palestinian West Bankers, the Hashemite Kingdom incorporated the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The unification was recognized by the United Kingdom, which however stipulated that they did not recognize the assertion of Jordanian sovereignty over East Jerusalem, but only "de facto" control. The United States, while approving the unification, withheld making any public statement and likewise affirmed that since the issue of Jerusalem was "sub judice", it did not recognize either the Israeli annexation of West Jerusalem, nor the Jordanian annexation of the eastern area of the city.


title: East Jerusalem

text: The municipal boundaries of Jordanian East Jerusalem were expanded to cover by taking in the nearby villages of Silwan, Ras al-Amud Aqabat al-Suwana, 'Ard al-Samar and parts of Shuafat. This expansion of the boundaries was prompted in large part by the need to cope with housing the refugee flow of Palestinians from West Jerusalem. While many municipal functions were shifted to Amman, in 1953, Jordan conferred on East Jerusalem the status of "amana" (trusteeship)- in response to Israeol efforts to make West Jerusalem Israel's capital- effectively making the city Jordan's second capital. The political motive behind the transfer of the bureaucracy to Amman lay in the desire to


title: East Jerusalem

text: Generally, the Jordanian authorities maintained the Ottoman "status quo" with regard to sacred sites in East Jerusalem. When the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, always an object of bitter contention between Greek Orthodox and Latin rite Christians, was engulfed in flames and severely damaged on 29 November 1949, the Vatican proposed the Tesla plan, which foresaw a reconstruction involving the demolition of the existing church and a contiguous mosque and its replacement by a predominantly Catholic-style structure. Jordan's King Abdullah gave his assent, on one condition he knew would be impossible to fulfill and therefore would abort the project. He stipulated that to go ahead, all involved denominations would have to approve the plan, which would have given the Catholic Church a primacy of authority over the others. Repairs were delayed a decade until a consensus was achieved between the Greek, Latin-rite and Armenian clerics (excluding the Copts), with Jordan playing a pivotal role as mediator.


title: East Jerusalem

text: In the early 1960s, Jordan gave the go-ahead for the construction of the Intercontinental Hotel on the Mount of Olives on waqf terrain expropriated in 1952 from the family of Abd al-Razzaq al-'Alami. Three roads, one an access route built through the Jewish Har HaZeitim Cemetery damaged many gravestones, though opinions differ as to the scale of the damage. For Yitzhak Reiter, the majority of graves were unaffected. According to Michael Fischbach, 40,000 of the 50,000 tombstones suffered some form of desecration. The Israeli government protested the desecration, stating that some gravestones had been used for roadwork and a military latrine. This East Jerusalem controversy inverted the terms of an earlier dispute when Jordan complained in 1950 of Israeli damage to the Mamilla cemetery in West Jerusalem.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Tourism in Palestine had long been an undeveloped and marginal sector of the local economy, and, with the division of Jerusalem after 1948, political issues impeded its commercial development as a tourist destination. Eastern Jerusalem suffered an outflow of population, partially accounted for by merchants and administrators moving to Amman. On the other hand, it maintained its religious importance, as well as its role as a regional center. Reaffirming a 1953 statement, Jordan in 1960 declared Jerusalem its second capital. The US (and other powers) protested this plan, and stated it could not "recognize or associate itself in any way with actions which confer upon Jerusalem the attributes of a seat of government..."


title: East Jerusalem

text: During the 1960s, Jerusalem saw economic improvement and its tourism industry developed significantly, and its holy sites attracted growing numbers of pilgrims, but as Jordan did not recognize Israeli passports, neither Jewish nor Muslim Israelis were allowed access to their traditional sites of worship in East Jerusalem, though Israeli Christians, with a special "laissez-passer". were permitted to visit Bethlehem over Christmas and the New Year.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Following the 1967 Six-Day War, the eastern part of Jerusalem came under Israeli rule, along with the entire West Bank. Shortly after the Israeli takeover, East Jerusalem was absorbed into West Jerusalem, together with several neighboring West Bank villages. In November 1967, United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 was passed, calling for Israel to withdraw "from territories occupied in the recent conflict" in exchange for peace treaties. In 1980, the Knesset passed the Jerusalem Law, which declared that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel", which is commonly called an act of annexation, though no such formal measure was even taken. This declaration was determined to be "null and void" by United Nations Security Council Resolution 478.


title: East Jerusalem

text: David Ben-Gurion presented his party's assertion that "Jewish Jerusalem is an organic, inseparable part of the State of Israel" in December 1949, and Jordan annexed East Jerusalem the following year. These decisions were confirmed respectively in the Israeli Knesset in January 1950 and the Jordanian Parliament in April 1950. When occupied by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War, East Jerusalem, with expanded borders, came under direct Israeli rule, an effective de facto annexation. In a unanimous General Assembly resolution, the United Nations declared the measures changing the status of the city to be invalid.


title: East Jerusalem

text: In the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Palestinian Declaration of Independence of 1988, Jerusalem is stated to be the capital of the State of Palestine. In 2000, the Palestinian Authority passed a law proclaiming Jerusalem as its capital, and in October 2002, this law was approved by chairman Yasser Arafat. Since that time Israel has shut down all offices and NGO organisations connected to the PLO in East Jerusalem, saying that the Oslo Accords do not permit the Palestinian National Authority to operate in Jerusalem. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recognised East Jerusalem as capital of the State of Palestine on 13 December 2017.


title: East Jerusalem

text: On 28 June 1967 Israel extended Israeli "law, jurisdiction and administration" to the area of East Jerusalem, without naming it, by incorporating it into its municipality of West Jerusalem. Internally, this move was explained as one of annexation, integrating that part of the city into Israel. Towards the international community, which was critical, it was justified as a purely technical measure, to provide equal administrative services to all its residents, and not annexation, and the same applied to Israel's assertion of a claim of sovereignty on the passage of the 30 July 1980 Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel. The United Nations Security Council censured Israel for the move and declared the law "null and void" in United Nations Security Council Resolution 478, and the international community continues to regard East Jerusalem as held under Israeli occupation. Israel then disbanded the elected Arab municipal council placing it under the administration of West Jerusalem's mayor Teddy Kollek.


title: East Jerusalem

text: A problem arose when it was noted that East Jerusalem also had a mayor, Ruhi al-Khatib, and an elected 11 other members on the Jordanian city council. Uzi Narkiss realized the Arab council had not been dismissed. He therefore ordered the deputy military governor, Ya'akov Salman, to depose the council. Salman was at a loss as to how this measure could be executed, but Narkiss insisted he find some grounds for doing so. Eventually, Salman summoned Khatib and 4 other members to the Gloria Hotel restaurant, and read out a short statement in Hebrew.


title: East Jerusalem

text: In the name of the Israeli Defense Forces, I respectfully inform Mr Ruhi al-Khatib and members of the Jerusalem City Council that the Council is hereby dissolved.


title: East Jerusalem

text: al-Khatib demanded the order in writing, and an Arabic translation was written out on a napkin. According to Uzi Benzamin, the Israeli journalist who wrote up the encounter, "the whole episode lacked any shred of legality". Soon after al-Khatib, who had worked for an orderly transition, was deported to Jordan for organizing protests.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Services like electricity supply were transferred from Palestinian to Israeli companies, and a ministerial decision established a policy that the ratio of Jews to Palestinians, as a matter of policy, would be 76 to 24, though the 2000 Masterplan adjusted this to a 70-30 ratio, which in turn had to be subject to a 60-40% proportion given Palestinian demographic growth, which now constitutes 37% of the city's population. When offered a path to Israeli citizenship, the overwhelming majority opted for resident status instead, and adopted a boycott strategy against Israeli institutions. 90% of the land of East Jerusalem included thereafter in its municipality was added after 1967 by expropriating in most cases village or private land owned by people, not from East Jerusalem itself, but who were living in 28 Palestinian villages. According to its former deputy mayor Meron Benvenisti, the plan was designed in such a way as to incorporate a maximum of land with a minimum of Arabs.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Thereafter a property tax ("arnona") regime was introduced which allowed Jewish settlers a 5-year exemption and then reduced taxes, while leaving Jerusalemite West Bankers, whose zones are classified to be in the high property tax bracket, paying for 26% of municipal services, while themselves receiving only 5% of the benefit (2000). By 1986 60% of Arab East Jerusalem lacked a garbage collection infrastructure, schools could not expand classrooms and were forced into a unique double-shift system. Jewish neighbourhoods were allowed to build up to eight storeys high while Palestinians in East Jerusalem were restricted to two. The area's infrastructure still remains in a state of neglect. According to B'Tselem, as of 2017, the 370,000 overcrowded West Bankers in this zone are bereft of any control over their lives, given extreme restrictions on the movement of residents without any advance notice. Their residency can be revoked; building permits are rarely given and a separation wall fences them off from the rest of the city. Every day 140,000 Palestinians have to negotiate checkpoints to work, get a medical check-up or visit friends. Poverty has steadily increased among them, with 77% of "non-Jewish" households in Jerusalem under the Israeli poverty line, as opposed to 24.4% of Jewish families (2010).


title: East Jerusalem

text: An International Crisis Group report of 2012 described the effects of Israeli policies: cut off from trade with the West Bank by the Separation Barrier, denied political organization – which Israel's counter-terrorism agency includes as "political subversion" – by the closure of the PLO's Orient House, it is an "orphan city" hemmed in by flourishing Jewish neighbourhoods. With local construction blocked, the Palestinian neighbourhoods have become slums, where even the Israeli police will not venture except for security reasons, so that criminal businesses have thrived.


title: East Jerusalem

text: The extension of Israeli jurisdiction into East Jerusalem and its surroundings on into the municipality of Jerusalem involved the inclusion of several neighboring villages, expanding the municipality area of Jordanian East Jerusalem by integrating into it a further of West Bank territory, while excluding many of East Jerusalem's suburbs, such as Abu Dis, Al-Eizariya, Beit Hanina and Al-Ram, and dividing several Arab villages. Israel refrained however from endowing citizenship – a mark of annexation — on the Palestinians incorporated within the new municipal borders.


title: East Jerusalem

text: The old Moroccan Quarter in front of the Western Wall was bulldozed three days after its capture, leading to the forced resettlement of its 135 families. It was replaced with a large open air plaza. The Jewish Quarter, destroyed in 1948, was depopulated, rebuilt and resettled by Jews.


title: East Jerusalem

text: Under Israeli rule, members of all religions are largely granted access to their holy sites, with the Muslim Waqf maintaining control of the Temple Mount and the Muslim holy sites there.


title: East Jerusalem

text: With the stated purpose of preventing infiltration during the Second Intifada, Israel decided to surround Jerusalem's eastern perimeter with a security barrier. The structure has separated East Jerusalem neighborhoods from the West Bank suburbs, all of which are under the jurisdiction of Israel and the IDF. The planned route of the separation barrier has raised much criticism, with the Israeli Supreme Court ruling that certain sections of the barrier (including East Jerusalem sections) must be re-routed.


title: East Jerusalem

text: In the Oslo Accords, the PLO conceded that the question of East Jerusalem be excluded from the interim agreement, and be left to final status negotiations. Under the pretext that they are part of the PA, Israel closed many Palestinian NGOs since 2001.


title: East Jerusalem

text: At the 25 January 2006 Palestinian Legislative Elections, 6,300 East Jerusalem Arabs were registered and permitted to vote locally. All other residents had to travel to West Bank polling stations. Hamas won four seats and Fatah two, even though Hamas was barred by Israel from campaigning in the city. Fewer than 6,000 residents were permitted to vote locally in the prior 1996 elections.