History.

In 1919, Frenchman Pierre George Latécoère was granted clearance from the French & Spanish governments to establish an airline route between Toulouse and Casablanca. This also included stopovers in Málaga, Alicante and Barcelona. The airport opened on 7 April 1930, after King Alfonso XIII signed a royal order announcing that the military air force installations on the Bay of Gando would become a civilian airfield. In its existence, the airport has become the largest gateway into the Canary Islands, as well as the largest in terms of passenger and cargo operations.  In 1946, the old passenger terminal opened, which took two years to build. In 1948 a runway was built, which was completed and fully tarmacked in 1957.  In 1963, improvements to the airport were made. This included new parking spaces, enlargement of the terminal and the provision of a visual approach slope indicator system. In 1964, a transmission station was built. In 1966 a new control tower was completed, replacing the old control tower that was constructed in 1946. In 1970, work began on the current passenger terminal which opened in March 1973. During this time, a second runway was being built and this was completed in 1980.  On 18 February 1988, Binter Canarias announced that the airline's main base was to be established at Gran Canaria. The base opened on 26 March 1989. In October 1991, the terminal was enlarged with improved facilities so it could handle more passengers.  In December 2010, low-cost carrier Ryanair announced the opening of 3 new bases on the Canary Islands. In addition to Gran Canaria these include Lanzarote and Tenerife South. Ryanair presently operates 30 routes from Gran Canaria. The airport was an official alternative (emergency) landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle, before the ending of the Space Shuttle programme in July 2011.  As of 2011, there was a programme to expand the airport, extending the terminal and creating a new runway. In 2015 this major renovation of Gran Canaria airport was completed. Among the improvements was increasing the number of baggage belts, 16 to 24, check-in counters from 96 to 132 and gates, up to 40. The new terminal area is now fully active, doubling the previous area. There is also a plan for the building of a new runway for the airport.

Terminal.

The airport has one terminal which opened in March 1973. It was extended in October 1991 to increase passenger traffic. Despite being a building of historical interest, in 2013 the original passenger terminal building, opened in 1946, was demolished to make way for a further extension which opened in 2014. Although dramatically expanded over the years the airport remains a single terminal airport.  There are four check-in areas. Check-in Area 1 (desks 101 to 118) is in the newest part of the airport (which opened on 16 July 2014) and serves almost exclusively flights operated by CanaryFly, Air Europa and Binter Canarias (mainly inter-island flights between the Canary Islands or to Morocco). At times of very high demand, check-in Area 1 may provide overflow capacity for Areas 2, 3 and 4. Check-in Area 2 (desks 201 to 234) is located in the first part of the "new" airport which opened in 1973. This area was completely refurbished in 2014 and is normally used for flights handled by Iberia plus some of those handled by Ground Force (Globalia Handling). Check-in Area 3 (desks 301 to 352) is in the second part of the "new" airport which originally opened in 1991 and is used for flights handled by Ground Force. Airline Norwegian Air Shuttle have dedicated check-in desks and self-check-in podiums located at the southern end of Area 3. Check-in Area 4 (desks 401 to 406) is located downstairs between the police station and the main car rental offices (Hertz, Europcar, CICAR, TopCar, Gold Car and Avis Rent a Car System) and is used exclusively by Ryanair.  There are two security filters where passengers pass from the general public areas into the departures area. At these security filters passengers and their hand luggage is scanned to ensure no prohibited items pass. The main security filter is located between Check-in Areas 2 and 3. There is a second filter located in Check-in Area 1 which is intended to serve exclusively passengers of inter-island flights.  The terminal departures area is split into four zones (A, B, C, and D). Zone A is for flights to the other Canary Islands, Zones B and C are for European Union (including Spain), Switzerland, Iceland, and Scandinavian flights and Zone D is for other international flights. The gates in Zone A are at ground floor level at the northern end of the terminal. Other gates are on the first floor (the same level as the security filters into departures) those in Zone D featuring additional security to allow for the screening of international passengers.  There are two arrivals areas numbered "1" and "2" both located downstairs at ground level. Area 1 serves all arrivals of flights originating within Spain and is located at the northern end of the airport. Some of the car rental companies have additional counters in this area as it is a considerable walk to the main car rental area. Area 2 serves all international arrivals and is located at the southern end of the airport. As the majority of arrivals served by area 2 are for tourist flights, many bringing passengers travelling on package holidays organized by tour operators, there is a large coach park (Parking A) located immediately in front of this area. Overflow coach parking (which is required only in the Winter months) is provided at the departures level (Parking B) and is accessed from arrivals area 2 via a purpose-built a pedestrian tunnel with stairs and travelators.

Ground transportation.

The airport can be reached by several island roads from all points in the island. There are special bus service from most towns in Gran Canaria, but access by taxi is usual.  Gran Canaria's main motorway GC1 runs past the airport providing transport links to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the North and to the tourist resorts in the South.  Plans have existed for several years to construct a rail link connecting the airport to Las Palmas and Maspalomas. The Tren de Gran Canaria scheme, estimated to cost €1,500 million, has not been confirmed due to funding problems.

Military use.

There is an airbase of the Spanish Air Force to the east of the runways. Beyond several hangars opposite to the passenger terminal, the Gando Air Base ("Base Aérea de Gando") contains ten shelters situated on the southern end of the eastern runway. They harbor the "Ala 46" with F/A-18 Hornets, CASA 212 and the Eurocopter AS 532 of SAR. "Ala 46" or 46 Wing, composed of 462 and 802 fighter squadron, defends the Spanish airspace around the Canary Islands. It is one of the biggest and most important air bases of the Spanish Air Force and is unique for the wide variety of aircraft which it operates.  Military activity was most intense during the mid-1970s, at the time of the crisis of decolonisation of Western Sahara and its occupation by Morocco. Military crises in Western Africa, like the 2013 Mali intervention by France, made Gando Air Base the main air platform for operations in Western Africa area by NATO. In 2006 Spain proposed Gando Air Base as headquarters for the newly created US Africa Command (AFRICOM), but the AFRICOM HQ was ultimately based in Stuttgart (Germany).  The "Canary Islands Air Command" ("Mando Aéreo de Canarias" – "MACAN") is based in the city of Las Palmas. Canary Islands Air Command is the only territorial general Air Command Air Force in Spain; its mission is the maintenance, preparation and command of air units located in the Canary archipelago. Any Spanish military airplane that lands in the Canary Islands is immediately put at the disposal of the Canary Islands Air Command, who can retain it and use it as long as necessary for missions within the islands. This happens sometimes with heavy military transport, antisubmarine warfare and early warning airplanes; the islands do not have these on a permanent basis. Once the plane is released by the Canary Islands Air Command, it can leave the Canary Islands and reverts to the Air Force Commands of mainland Spain.  The deployment base of Gando Air Base is the Lanzarote Military Airfield (Aeródromo Militar de Lanzarote). Lanzarote Military Airfield has permanently its own Air Force troops platoons and the radar for the air defence (the EVA 22, which covers the Eastern Canary Islands and the maritime area up to the Sahara), but it has no permanently based military planes, using the ones from Gando.

Other facilities.

Canaryfly has its head office in Hangar L. Binter Canarias also has its head office on the airport grounds.

MPAIAC bombing and Tenerife disaster.

At 1:15 PM on 27 March 1977, a bomb planted by the Movement for the Independence and Autonomy of the Canaries Archipelago (MPAIAC) exploded in a florist's shop on the terminal concourse. Fifteen minutes of warning was given to the airport authorities, who started to evacuate the building; the inside of the terminal was damaged and eight people were injured, one seriously. A later telephone call claimed responsibility for the explosion and hinted that a second bomb had been planted somewhere in the terminal building; the airport was closed and searched, necessitating the diversion of several incoming flights, including a number of large aircraft on long international flights, to Los Rodeos airport (later named Tenerife North Airport) on the nearby island of Tenerife. The resulting runway congestion on the small regional airport was a factor in the subsequent disaster at Los Rodeos, when just after 5:00 p.m. two Boeing 747s originally bound for Gran Canaria collided on the Los Rodeos runway, resulting in 583 deaths, the worst aviation accident in history.

Gran Canaria Airport, sometimes also known as Gando Airport (), is a passenger and freight airport on the island of Gran Canaria. It is an important airport within the Spanish air-transport network (owned and managed by a public enterprise, AENA), as it holds the sixth position in terms of passengers, and fifth in terms of operations and cargo transported. It also ranks first of the Canary Islands in all three categories, although the island of Tenerife has higher passenger numbers overall between the two airports located on the island.

L'aéroport de Gran Canaria est un aéroport espagnol desservant l'île de Grande Canarie ainsi que la ville de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, près de laquelle il est situé, dans la communauté autonome des Îles Canaries. Avec par an, Grande Canarie est la deuxième île qui attire le plus grand nombre de passagers dans les îles Canaries, après Tenerife.


Origins.

Originating from Argyll, a region of western Scotland, the band is named after the Western capercaillie, sometimes called a wood grouse, a native Scottish bird. Their first album, "Cascade", was recorded in 1984.

Musical style.

Capercaillie's repertoire includes both traditional Gaelic songs and tunes, as well as modern English-language songs and tunes, composed by other folk writers and musicians, or by members of the band. The group often adapt traditional Gaelic songs and music using modern production techniques, and often mix musical forms, combining traditional lyrics and tunes with modern techniques and instruments such as synthesisers, drum machines, electric guitar and bass.  Capercaillie's first two albums, "Cascade" and "Crosswinds" featured few modern instruments and the tunes and songs were played in a more traditional arrangement. However beginning with later albums such as "Sidewaulk", and the soundtrack of "The Blood Is Strong", Capercaillie began to experiment with adding funk bass-lines into certain tracks, as well as synthesisers and electric guitar. This fusion style gained Capercaillie chart success in the 1990s, on albums such as "Delirium" and "Secret People" (see Chart Success, below) and reached its peak in the albums "To the Moon" and "Beautiful Wasteland", with the remix albums "Get Out" and "Capercaillie" being released during this period.  Capercaillie have drawn back slightly from the heavy fusion style featured on their albums the 1990s, and their more recent albums from "Nàdurra" (2003) up to "At the Heart of It All" (2013) feature more traditional arrangements and instruments, while still retaining a slight fusion feel.  The opening track from their 2000 album "Nàdurra", "Skye Waulking Song", is used in the Edexcel Music GCSE Specification from 2009 onwards. The song is in the world music section, and is used as a representation of traditional folk music combined with rock music.

Chart success.

Their 1992 EP, "A Prince Among Islands", was the first Scottish Gaelic-language record to have a single that reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart: "Coisich A Ruin" peaked at No. 39. Another single, "Dark Alan (Ailein duinn)" reached No. 65 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1995.  The album "Secret People" (1993) reached No. 40, and "To the Moon" (1995) peaked at No. 41 in the UK Albums Chart.

Capercaillie is a Scottish folk band that was founded in 1984 by Donald Shaw and led by Karen Matheson. Capercaillie performs traditional Gaelic and contemporary English songs. The group adapts traditional Gaelic music and traditional lyrics with modern production techniques and instruments such as electric guitar and bass guitar, though rarely synthesizers or drum machines.

Capercaillie est un groupe de musique folk écossais, de renommée internationale, fondé en 1983 par Dòmhnall Seathach (anglais : Donald Shaw), Marc Duff, Joan MacLachlan, Shaun Craig et Martin MacLeod, qui trouve son inspiration dans le répertoire traditionnel celtique.


My Love (chanson de The-Dream et Mariah Carey)

Release.

The single release was released to U.S. Top 40/Mainstream radio on January 27, 2009. It was sent to Urban and rhythmic radio on February 25, 2009. The song was released as digital download in the United States and Canada on February 24, 2009.

Song information.

The-Dream wrote the lyrics of the song with Mariah Carey in mind already before approaching the singer. Doubtful whether she, or her Island Def Jam Music Group label boss L. A. Reid would approve the duet, The-Dream started spreading news of the duet in various interviews. Reid was reportedly irritated by the producer's cunning move, but finally gave Carey permission to record it after she stated her interest in the song. 'My hunch was right, I just spoke it into existence.', commented The-Dream.

Critical reception.

Reviews of the song have been positive. "Billboard" magazine gave it a positive review saying it "may rewrite the history books" as they praised Carey's vocal performance saying "she relates wholeheartedly to the lyric, giving a gutsy, husky performance at the climax." In its review of "Love vs. Money", "Delusions of Adequacy" stated that "There are slices of spicy, bumping R&B, like the Mariah Carey-featured, 'My Love', all-encompassing, confidence, laid-back jams like Mr. Yeah." Slant Magazine said: "'My Love', a ballad featuring a surprisingly restrained Carey jumping through Nash's hoops with all the docility of a tamed lion." PopMatters stated that "'My Love' takes the slow jam feel of "Rockin' That Shit" and puts Mariah Carey over it."

Music video.

The music video was shot in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 31 and was directed by Carey's then-husband Nick Cannon. The one-block stretch of South Pecan Street was closed to traffic and promptly at 3:30pm, the video shooting commenced with a scene showing Carey on a house porch singing.  The video starts with Carey and The-Dream in the kitchen talking about unpaid bills. He then storms out and is seen in a penthouse singing. Later in the video, Carey is seen cooking, and then on a porch singing. She gets ice cream with two kids, and The-Dream sees her and picks her up. During various parts of the video, Carey is seen singing in a bed, and in a parking lot with The-Dream and other people from the area.  The music video premiered exclusively on March 9, 2009, on MTV's networks and website. Since the video's premier, it has been viewed over 140,000 times on MTV website. The music video can be seen on Yahoo! Music. It impacted BET and was on the voting list of "106 & Park" show. The music video was made available on iTunes on March 17, 2009.  It debuted at number 5 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot Videoclip Tracks chart.

Chart performance.

The first week, "My Love" debuted at number 178 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot Digital Songs chart, with 9,424 digital downloads sold. In its second week, the song climbed to number 73, accumulating almost 29,000 downloads, without promotion or music video. It sold more than 100,000 downloads in United States. The track debuted at number 62 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as the week's hot shot debut. The following week, the song climbed to number 50. It peaked at number 36. This is Carey's 47th chart entry on the R&B chart. On the U.S. "Billboard" Pop 100, the song debuted at number 90 and peaked at number 68. It debuted at number 82 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100. The song marks Carey's 39th chart entry but only her third as a featured artist. She previously rode shotgun on Jadakiss’ "U Make Me Wanna," which peaked at number 21 in 2004 and also Busta Rhymes' I Know What You Want which peaked at number 3 in 2003. It also debuted at number 38 on the U.S. Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart and peaked at number 25. "My Love" ringtone debuted at number 40 on the U.S. Hot RingMasters chart and it has reached number 21.  According to Mediabase, "My Love" has gathered 190,659,000 audience impressions and 25,546 total spins in the United States after the release. The track debuted at number 62 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and it peaked at number 36. The track debuted at number 37 on the U.S. "Billboard" Rhythmic Airplay Chart and has peaked at number 22. Carey extends her lead as the female artist with the most charted titles in the 16-year history of the Rhythmic Airplay Chart, as The-Dream's "My Love," on which she guests, opens at number 37. The song is Carey's 34th entry.

External links.

Lyrics to this song at MetroLyrics

"My Love" is the second single from The-Dream's second studio album, "Love vs. Money", featuring Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, The-Dream, and Carlos McKinney, and produced by The-Dream and McKinney.

My Love est une chanson du rappeur The-Dream et de la chanteuse américaine Mariah Carey, sortie le. Second extrait du deuxième album solo du rappeur, "Love Vs Money", elle est écrite par The-Dream, Mariah Carey et Carlos McKinney et composée par The-Dream et Carlos McKinney.


History.

Origins and construction.

Beginning in 1953, inspired by the Boston Braves' move to Milwaukee, Gerald Moore, the president of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, led the drive to lure a Major League team to Minnesota by constructing a modern stadium built to Major League specifications. After the rejection of numerous sites, a stadium committee appointed by Moore approved a plot of farmland in Bloomington. The stadium would replace Nicollet Park as the home of the American Association's Minneapolis Millers. The site was approximately equidistant from the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and it was believed this would be the best location for a prospective Major League team.  After a plan by architects Thorshov & Cerny won approval, groundbreaking was scheduled to begin on June 20, 1955. The construction was almost delayed, however, when the owners of the property on which the stadium would be built on began a protest, claiming they had not yet been paid. One of these owners created a barricade of farm equipment along his property line that ran directly through where the stadium's infield would be. The dispute was settled in time for the groundbreaking to move forward as planned. Many spectators and dignitaries attended the groundbreaking, including Minneapolis mayor Eric G. Hoyer and several members of the Minneapolis Millers.  On February 7, 1956, an accident occurred on the construction site when a portable heater used to cure concrete exploded in the stadium's basement. After $50,000 of repairs and a three-week delay in construction, Metropolitan Stadium opened in time to hold its first game, a minor league contest between the Millers and the Wichita Braves on April 24 of that year. (At the time of its opening, the stadium still lacked an official name; the park was not named until a July announcement declaring it "Metropolitan Stadium".)  In the 1950s, major league owners Calvin Griffith and Horace Stoneham called the stadium the finest facility in the minors; Stoneham added that "there were not two better" major league stadiums of the time (although not specifying which specific two he thought were the Met's equal) The Millers were then the top farm team of Stoneham's New York Giants, and there was some hope or expectation that the Giants might relocate there. Under major league rules of the time, the Giants owned the major league rights to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Negotiations were also held with Griffith's Washington Senators, as well as the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and Philadelphia Athletics. However, the Giants chose to follow the Brooklyn Dodgers to the west coast at the urging of Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, who owned the Millers' crosstown rivals, the St. Paul Saints. San Francisco had long been home to the Pacific Coast League's San Francisco Seals, the top farm team of the Boston Red Sox. As part of the deal, the Millers' parent team then became the Red Sox, who had no plans to move anywhere in the foreseeable future.  Multiple exhibition games featuring Major League teams were held at the Met at this time; a game between the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds was held at the Met in 1957, and a matchup between the Senators and the Philadelphia Phillies was held shortly after the 1958 All-Star break. The latter game brought 15,990 fans to the stadium, including Calvin Griffith, who described the stadium as "terrific."

Baseball and football.

In October 1960, Calvin Griffith announced that his Washington Senators would move to Metropolitan Stadium and later became the Minnesota Twins. The Twins played their first home game on April 21, 1961 with a loss to the new Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers). The Millers and their perennial crosstown rival St. Paul Saints were then promptly folded by Major League Baseball. To ready the stadium for the Twins, a $9 million renovation increased the seating capacity from about 22,000 to over 30,000 by the completion of the Twins' inaugural season. During the Twins' first 10 seasons at the Met, they outdrew the average American League team each year.  The National Football League (NFL) was also interested in placing a team at the Met. Conversations were had with Violet Bidwill Wolfner, owner of the Chicago Cardinals, about moving her team to the stadium. The Cardinals moved two of their regular season home games against the Philadelphia Eagles (October 25) (att: 20,112) and New York Giants (November 22) (att: 26,625) to Bloomington for the 1959 NFL season. A preseason football game was held each year at the Met from 1956 to 1960.  The Met finally got a football team when the American Football League announced Minneapolis–St. Paul as one of its charter cities for the 1960 AFL season. However, the NFL persuaded the team's owners to pull out of the AFL in January 1960 and join the NFL as an expansion team in 1961. The NFL team was later named the Minnesota Vikings. As it turned out, the year's delay worked to the Vikings' benefit, as by then the Twins had moved in and the Met had been expanded to befit its status as a big-league stadium. (The Chicago Cardinals, after playing two games in Bloomington in 1959, announced in March 1960 that they were moving to St. Louis.) The park had a skeletal feel, and it was obvious that it had once been a minor league baseball stadium. For instance, when bleachers were erected to expand the stadium for the Twins, no concourse was built to connect them to the rest of the stadium. Due to this design flaw, fans in the bleachers literally had to leave the stadium to get to the grandstand. Unlike most multipurpose stadiums built during this time, there were very few bad seats for baseball. The stadium was built using cantilever construction for the overhanging decks, eliminating posts that blocked the fans' view. It was well known as a hitter's park; its short foul lines—343 to left, 330 to right—were particularly friendly to pull hitters such as Harmon Killebrew. The marker in right was actually closer to right-center, leading to speculation that right field was even closer. Since the Met was built in 1956, however, this would not have been a problem for the Twins; baseball required all parks built after 1958 to have foul lines of at least. Met Stadium distance signs included meters 1974-77.  The Met was often considered a substandard venue for football. The gridiron ran from around third base to right field, with barely enough room to fit the playing field and end zones. Wooden bleachers were brought onto the field during football season to bring fans closer to the game. For 1965, a large double-decked grandstand was installed in left field to replace the temporary wooden bleachers. The Vikings actually paid for this new grandstand in return for reduced rent; this location was prime sideline seating in the football configuration. This left the Met with the unique configuration of a double deck in left field, and bleachers behind third base. The left-field grandstand was originally planned to be capable of sliding toward or away from the gridiron (as Denver's Mile High Stadium later would be), but that part of the project was never realized.  The Met provided an overwhelming home-field advantage for the Vikings late in the season and in the playoffs due to Minnesota's famously cold temperatures. The Vikings played 10 playoff games at the Met and lost only three of them.  In 1965, both the Major League All-Star Game and the World Series were played at Metropolitan Stadium, one of the few times that coincidence has happened since the former event was inaugurated in 1933. (Game 7 of that year's World Series drew 50,596 fans to the Met, the only time a baseball crowd exceeded 50,000 and the biggest-ever attendance for baseball at the stadium.) The Vikings hosted the 1969 NFL Championship Game at the stadium.

Soccer and other events.

Metropolitan Stadium was the home of the Minnesota Kicks soccer team from 1976 until the team folded in November 1981. The Kicks, members of the North American Soccer League, were highly anticipated in Minnesota and had to delay their first game at the Met by 15 minutes to accommodate the large crowd waiting to buy tickets. To help speed things along, the Kicks' owners let two thousand fans enter the stadium for free. An NASL attendance record was set one month later, when Pelé and the New York Cosmos drew 46,164 fans to Metropolitan Stadium. Large crowds continued for the Kicks, who drew 41,505 for that year's opening playoff game. Four days later, another record was set when 49,571 fans came to see the Kicks defeat San Jose, 3-1. The team enjoyed great success in their first four seasons in Minnesota, winning a division title each year. Attendance dipped toward the end of the franchise's history, however, with an average of 16,605 per game in 1981, their final season. The size of the field for soccer games was 100 by 72 yards 1976–78 and 104 by 72 yards 1979–81.

Concerts.

The Met also hosted multiple concerts.

Wrestling.

Numerous wrestling matches were held at Metropolitan Stadium, including contests featuring Hard Boiled Haggerty, Bob Geigel, Wilbur Snyder, Kay Noble, Lord Littlebrook, Verne Gagne, Gene Kiniski, Rene Goulet, Larry Hennig, Hans Schmidt, Mad Dog Vachon and Dick the Bruiser.

Final years and demise.

The Met's fate was essentially sealed when, as part of the AFL-NFL Merger, the NFL declared that stadiums smaller than 50,000 were inadequate for its needs; at its height the Met only seated 48,700 for football, and it could not be expanded. However, the Vikings would not even consider playing at the University of Minnesota's Memorial Stadium, and demanded a brand-new stadium as a condition of staying in town. At one point, the city of Bloomington had plans to place a dome over Metropolitan Stadium, or build a new football stadium located between the Met and the Met Center, which had opened in 1967 just north of the Met. Since football-only stadiums were not seen as viable at the time, the Twins decided not to renew their lease at the Met after the 1981 season. This accelerated the push for construction of a new stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was completed in 1982. However, it is very likely that a new stadium would have been needed in any event, as the Met was not well maintained. By the park's final season, railings in the grandstand's third deck had become a major safety hazard. Additionally, players had begun to complain about the quality of the field; the infield in particular was considered the worst in the majors. Rumors abounded that the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which by then had taken over the stadium from the city of Minneapolis, had deliberately let the Met go to seed in order to aid the push for the Metrodome.  The Minnesota Kicks' last regular season game at Met Stadium was a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Tornado on August 19, 1981. The team's last game at the Met was a 1-0 shoot out play off victory against the Tulsa Roughnecks on August 26, 1981. The team's last game played was a home playoff loss 3-0 to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on September 6, 1981. The game was moved to the University of Minnesota's Memorial Stadium due to a scheduling conflict with the Twins. The Twins played their last game at the Met on September 30, 1981, losing to the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on a rainy afternoon. The night before the final game, home plate was stolen, and after the final game ended, hundreds of fans gathered on the field, searching (mostly unsuccessfully) for mementoes.  The Vikings played their last game on December 20, 1981, dropping a 10-6 decision to the Kansas City Chiefs. Fans, sensing that this was the final game of "any" sort at the stadium, were more determined to claim souvenirs. In preparation, the Vikings tripled their security force for the contest. In the game's final minutes, many of the 41,110 fans in attendance began dismantling seats and bleachers, and thousands stormed the field once the game ended. The goal posts were torn down, pieces of sod from the field were dug up, and speakers and lightbulbs on the scoreboard were removed. Hundreds of injuries were reported, mostly minor scrapes and bruises but also multiple head injuries sustained during the melee.  Met Stadium was officially abandoned when the Vikings and the Twins moved to the Metrodome in January 1982 and the Kicks folded after the 1981 soccer season. For the next 3 years, Met Stadium sat unused, decaying and highly vandalized. Demolition kickoff for Metropolitan Stadium started on January 28, 1985 and continued for the next 4 months. After the rubble was cleared, the lot sat vacant for several years, although the nearby Met Center continued to provide entertainment for hockey fans.

After the Met.

The Mall of America, which opened in 1992, stands on the site of what is now nostalgically called "the "Old" Met." A brass plaque in the shape of home plate, embedded in the floor in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe, commemorates the site's days as a sports venue by marking where home plate once sat. Near the opposite corner, mounted high on the wall, is a red stadium chair denoting the precise landing spot (including elevation) of Harmon Killebrew's home run, a blast to the upper deck in deep left-center field on June 3, 1967. This was the longest homer Killebrew ever hit, and the longest ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium. Unlike the chair at the Mall, the Met's outfield seating featured green bleacher-style benches.  For a time, there was talk of building a new park for the Twins on the old Met site that would be connected to the Mall of America. However, the terms of the agreement in which the land was sold to Triple Five Group, owners of the Mall of America, do not allow another stadium to be built on the site. Even without this to consider, the site is now directly in a flight path for Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.  The old flagpole at the stadium was purchased by the Minneapolis/Richfield American Legion Post when the stadium was razed. The pole was sold back to the Twins and restored in ; it was then placed in the plaza at Target Field.

Photo gallery: abandonment.

A series of photographs taken in the mid-1980s during Metropolitan Stadium's abandonment.

Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Minneapolis Millers minor league baseball team played at Met Stadium from 1956 to 1960. The Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings then played at the "Met" from 1961 to 1981. The North American Soccer League soccer team Minnesota Kicks also played there from 1976 to 1981.

Le Metropolitan Stadium est un ancien stade de baseball et de football américain de la ville de Bloomington, dans le Minnesota, aux États-Unis. Surnommé le « Met » ou le « Met Stadium », il a été le domicile des Millers de Minneapolis, club de baseball de ligue mineure, de 1956 à 1960, ainsi que des Twins du Minnesota et des Vikings du Minnesota de 1961 à 1981.


Église Santa Maria del Soccorso (Livourne)

History.

The church was built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in gratitude for the ebbing of a plague of cholera in 1835. The design was by Gaetano Gherardi and construction began in 1836. The sober stone facade has flanking pilasters, and sports a clock in the tympanum (architecture) originating from the Cathedral. The interior has a Latin cross layout with seven arches flanking the nave, and bears a resemblance to the interior of the church of Santo Spirito in Florence. The earthquake of 1846 caused some damage. The church was consecrated as a parish church in 1855-1856. The church served as the main church of Livorno while the bomb-damaged duomo was rebuilt after World War II.  The second altar on the right has a painting by Enrico Pollastrini, depicting the protomartyr "St Lawrence in a catacomb dispensing Charity with the martyr St Espedito". Count Francesco De Larderei commissioned the next altarpiece depicting "St Francis of Assisi resurrecting a child in the hands of her mother", painted by Ferdinando Falchi. The next altarpiece depicts "St Peter Apostle" by Giuseppe Baldini, commissioned by Alessandro Malenchini.  Another chapel to the right of the nave houses a "Jesus resurrects the son of the widow of Naim", an early work of Pollastrini. On the altar of the crossing is a tabernacle by Ferdinando Magagnini, with an image of the "Madonna del Soccorso". In the sacristy is a canvas by Giovanni Bartolena, depicting the foundation of the church. The chapel also housed a small image of the "Addolorata", and the "Resurrection", painted on wood, from a follower of Giotto, donated by Silvestro Silvestri. The church had an chiaroscuro altarpiece depicting a "The Rescuing Madonna sends an angelic ambassador of health to the poor afflicted with cholera" by Niccola Ulacacci.  On the right of the altar is a canvas by Giovanni Costa, depicting the "Translation of the body of St Catherine of Alexandria by Angels to Mount Sinai" and by a follower of Cigoli is a "St Francis of Assisi". The altar of St Louis Gonzaga, has canvas by Angiolo Visconti, a pupil of Mussini. The guild of Fishmongers of Livorno in 1867 erected the altar of St Raphael Archangel with a canvas by Giovanni Bartolena. Cavaliere Niccola Niccolai Gamba funded the next chapel's altar, and commissioned a "Madonna of the Consolation" also by Bartolena. The last altar, commissioned by the Gazzarrini family holds a depiction of "St Vincent of Paul" by Guardassoni.

Santa Maria del Soccorso ("Our Lady of the Rescue") is a Neoclassical style, Roman Catholic, Marian votive church in central Livorno. The tall brick church facade is located scenically at the end of Via Magenta, and has a park surrounding it. In front is a Monument to Fallen Soldiers ("Caduti") in the first World War.

L'église Santa Maria del Soccorso (en italien : "Chiesa di santa Maria del Soccorso") est un édifice religieux catholique situé piazza della Vittoria de Livourne, en Italie centrale.


Career.

Career beginnings.

Eriksson began curling before he was six years old. He followed his older brothers Anders Eriksson and Marcus Eriksson into the sport, but his skill level advanced more rapidly. He was part of a curling team at age seven, debuting in Sweden's Elite Series at the age of thirteen. He won his first Swedish Men's Curling Championship title in his junior career and has gone on to win six more championship titles since then.. As a junior, Eriksson also competed at three World Junior Curling Championships, winning both a gold medal and a silver medal. At those three World Junior Championships, Eriksson skipped two different Swedish teams, winning a total of 24 games and losing only 9.  Eriksson made his first run for a junior world championship title when he was sixteen at the 2008 World Junior Curling Championships, skipping his first team, consisting of Henric Jonsson, Markus Franzén, and Nils Karlsson, to a silver medal, losing in the final to the US team skipped by Chris Plys. In 2008, Eriksson moved to Härnosand to join other promising curlers at Härnosands gymnasium. He also joined Team Lit/Lindström, formed by brothers Kristian Lindström and Alexander Lindström along with Christoffer Sundgren and Henrik Leek. The team had immediate success on the junior tour and also scored wins in the senior division. With this team, Eriksson made his second run for the gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Curling Championships, but reached only a fourth-place finish, losing in the bronze-medal game to the US team that was again skipped by Plys. Though the team did not qualify to compete at the championships in 2010, Eriksson and his teammates finally won a gold medal at the 2011 World Junior Curling Championships, defeating Team Switzerland, skipped by Peter de Cruz, by a score of 6–5 in the final. In 2012, his teammates were no longer eligible for junior competition, so Eriksson skipped Team CK Granit-Gävle, consisting of Ludwig Grann, Erik Ölund and Magnus Rudström, at the 2012 Swedish Junior Curling Championships with the aim of qualifying for the World Junior Curling Championship. Erikssons team was undefeated until the finals, but there they came in second place to the team from Sundyberg skipped by his future teammate Rasmus Wranå.

Seniors I (2009–2014): Team Lindström/Eriksson and Team Edin.

Shortly after joining Team Lit in 2008, Eriksson played simultaneously with two teams. His official team during this period was Team Lit, alternatively known as Team Lindström and eventually Team Eriksson. Eriksson skipped the team for most of this period through 2014. From 2009 through February 2014, he also effectively became the presumptive alternate for Team Niklas Edin with Niklas Edin, Sebastian Kraupp, Fredrik Lindberg, and Viktor Kjäll, playing at the World Curling Championships, European Curling Championships, and 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games. During this period, however, Team Lit became more competitive with Team Edin and was well recognized as one of the top two men's curling teams in Sweden.  As an alternate for Team Edin during this period, Eriksson received numerous medals, including two gold medals at the European Curling Championships (2009 and 2012) and three World Curling Championship medals, including his first World Championship gold medal (2013) and two bronze medals (2011 and 2012). At the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship, however, he notably played in the second position for all games except three because Niklas Edin, the permanent skip, was suffering from a herniated disc in his back. Eriksson also played this position in the playoffs, in which Team Sweden won its second World Curling Championship bronze medal. He also made his first Olympic appearances with Team Edin, coming in fourth in the 2010 Winter Olympics and receiving a bronze medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics.  With his own team, however, Eriksson and his teammates were recognized as a very competitive team and won several international events, including the Oslo Cup (2009), Swiss Cup Basel (2012), and European Masters (2013), as well as the Winter Universiade (2013). In the 2013-14 season, Team Eriksson reached second place at the Swiss Cup Basel, Mercure Perth Masters, and Sweden's Elite Series and competed in Canada on the World Curling Tour, coming in fifth place in three events and reaching their first Grand Slam Quarterfinal at the National. Winning the Swedish Men's Curling Championships that year as well, the team was selected to represent Sweden in the 2014 World Men's Curling Championship, as Team Edin had represented Sweden in the European Curling Championships. Team Eriksson reached the final and won the silver medal in their World Curling Championship debut.

Seniors II (2014–present): Team Edin.

In May 2014, Edin and Team Eriksson came to an agreement to form a new Team Edin, with Edin skipping the team in the fourth position and Oskar Eriksson playing third along with Kristian Lindström playing second and Christoffer Sundgren in the lead position. When Lindström underwent surgery in 2016, Rasmus Wranå took over as second. From the start, however, the new Team Edin team immediately saw their increased potential and aimed to become the number one team in the world. Indeed, Team Edin was ranked first at the end of the 2016–17 curling season on both lists and finished in first place on the prize money list in the 2017-18 curling season. The team also reached the finals of the European Curling Championships every year since forming a new team, winning gold in all years but one (2014-2017 and 2019) and winning silver once (2018). The team also secured medals in the finals of the World Curling Championships every year except 2016, winning three gold (2015, 2018 and 2019) and one silver (2017).  As part of Team Edin, Eriksson and his teammates have been consistently ranked in the top ten teams in the world since they joined forces, due to their performance in Canada and around the world. The team has reached the playoffs in 20 Grand Slam of Curling Events. In the 2016-17 season, Team Edin had their most successful year on tour, winning three Slams (the Masters, the Tour Challenge, and the Players’ Championship) and reaching the finals (the Canadian Open) and semifinals (the National and Champions Cup) of all but one of the slams, securing the Pinty’s Cup, the first non-Canadian men's team to do so. The Team has also won several other World Curling Tour events, including the European Masters (2014), Swiss Cup Basel (2016, 2018), Baden Masters (2015, 2017), Curling Masters Champery (2016, 2017), and Perth Masters (2018). Team Edin has also won the Swedish Men's Curling Championships six times between 2014 and 2020, skipping only the 2017 championships to prepare for the World Championships.

Career achievements.

Currently, Eriksson is the only Swedish curler to have taken part in nine consecutive World Curling Championships in the men's division (2011-2019). Eriksson has also competed in eleven consecutive European Curling Championships, winning a record seven gold medals, a record that he shares only with Niklas Edin. With Team Edin, Eriksson has won four World Curling Championship gold medals (in 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019), placing him in an elite group of curlers to hold four World Championship titles. In 2019, Eriksson became the first curler in history to hold three key gold medals in a single calendar year: the World Curling Championship, the European Curling Championship, and the World Mixed Doubles Championship (with Anna Hasselborg). As part of Team Edin, Eriksson, Niklas Edin, and Christoffer Sundgren also became the first men's curlers to simultaneously hold the World Curling Championship and European Curling Championship titles in two separate calendar years (2015 and 2019). Eriksson and Edin had previously become the first men's curlers to simultaneously hold those same titles in three separate competition seasons (2012-2013, 2014–2015, and 2017-2018).  In 2012 Eriksson was inducted into the Swedish Curling Hall of Fame.

Oskar Eriksson (born 29 May 1991) is a Swedish curler from Karlstad. He currently plays third for the Niklas Edin rink. He is a four-time World Curling Champion, seven-time European Curling Champion, and the first curler in history to win gold medals in three major curling championships in a single calendar year – the World Men's Curling Championship, the European Curling Championship, and the World Mixed Doubles Championship. He is the only member of Team Sweden to have competed in all of the World Men's Curling Championships from 2011 to 2019. He won medals in all but one of these championships, as well as playing in multiple positions – as skip (silver, 2014), third (gold, 2015, 2018, 2019 and silver, 2017) second (bronze, 2012), and as an alternate (gold, 2013 and bronze, 2011). As a member of Team Niklas Edin, he has also won three Grand Slam Curling Events, as well as the Pinty's Cup, being part of the first non-Canadian men's team to do so.

Oskar Eriksson est un curleur suédois né le à Karlstad. Il a remporté la médaille de bronze du tournoi masculin aux Jeux olympiques d'hiver de 2014 à Sotchi, en Russie et la médaille d'argent aux Jeux olympiques de 2018 à Pyeongchang.


Attaques d'Israël à la roquette par les Palestiniens

Overview.

Attacks began in 2001. Since then (August 2014 data), almost 20,000 rockets have hit southern Israel, all but a few thousand of them since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in August 2005. Hamas justified these as counter-attacks to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The rockets have killed 28 people and injured hundreds more. The range of the rockets has increased over time. The original Qassam rocket has a range of about but more advanced rockets, including versions of the old Soviet Grad or Katyusha have hit Israeli targets from Gaza.  Some analysts see the attacks as a shift away from reliance on suicide bombing, which was previously Hamas's main method of attacking Israel, as an adoption of the rocket tactics used by Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Participating groups.

All the Palestinian armed groups carry out rocket and mortar attacks, with varying frequency. The main groups are Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Resistance Committees, Fatah, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In June 2007 Hamas took over from Fatah as the de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip, while Fatah holds the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority.  Islamic Jihad has involved other Palestinians

History.

1975.

On 3 May 1975 at 4:15am, two 107mm

2001–06.

Rockets were originally fired mainly on Sderot, an Israeli city on the border of the Gaza Strip. Sderot's population density is slightly greater than that of the Gaza Strip. Due to this, and despite the imperfect aim of these homemade projectiles, they have caused deaths and injuries, as well as significant damage to homes and property, psychological distress and emigration from the city. Ninety percent of the city's residents have had a rocket exploding in their street or an adjacent one.  On 28 March 2006, while Israelis went to general elections, the first Katyusha rocket from Gaza was fired at Israel. The rocket fell near the Itfah kibbutz on the outskirts of Ashkelon and caused no damage or casualties. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Several months later, On 5 July 2006, a rocket hit the center of Ashkelon for the first time, striking an empty high school. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the attack, which was claimed by Hamas, an "escalation of unprecedented gravity", but the event was quickly overshadowed by the 2006 Lebanon War.  On 25 May 2006 the al-Aqsa Martyrs'

2007.

On 5 January 2007 Palestinian militants fired a Katyusha rocket at Ashkelon. The Katyusha has a range of 18–20 kilometers, and the rocket was fired from the Al-Atatra region in

2008–09.

In January 2008 the border between Gaza and Egypt was breached by Hamas. It allowed them to bring in Russian and Iranian made rockets with a larger range.  In the first half of 2008, the number of attacks rose sharply, consistently totaling several hundred per month. In addition, Ashkelon was hit many times during this period by Grad rockets.  On 26 February 2008 a Grad rocket hit the hospital grounds of the Barzilai Medical Center, approximately 200 meters away from the neonatal intensive-care unit. As it is only 6 miles away from the Gaza border, it is the frequently the target of rocket attacks, with 140 rockets fired at it over the course of one weekend.  After reports of shells with white phosphorus launched against southern parts

2010.

According to the Israel Security Agency's annual report, Palestinians carried out 150 rocket launches and 215 mortar launches at Israel during the year. This represented a decrease in both types of attacks compared to 2009, in which there were 569 rocket launches and 289 mortar launches.  The report said Iran succeeded in smuggling 1,000 mortar shells and hundreds of short-range rockets into the Gaza Strip over the course of the year. The security agency also warned that the Sinai Desert was turning into Hamas's "backyard" for operations and storage of arms. 2010 saw two unique instances of Hamas firing rockets from the Sinai at the southern Israeli port city of Eilat.  On 18 March,

2011.

Over the course of 2011, 680 rockets, mortars and Grad missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. At the end of 2010, Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it and other Palestinians militant groups in the Gaza Strip would temporarily halt rocket attacks against Israel. On 7 January, it claimed responsibility for a mortar attack that injured three agricultural workers, and the group was responsible for most of the attacks on Israel in the first two weeks of the year. On 12 January, the group declared again that it would cease firing rockets. Multiple, unclaimed rocket and mortar attacks occurred on 16, 17 and 18 January.  On 2 January, it was revealed that two East Jerusalem Arabs, employees of the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, were arrested for suspected involvement in an aborted Hamas plot to fire a missile at Teddy Stadium during a soccer match. The two were charged the following day with weapons trafficking.  On 15

2012.

The "Jerusalem Post" and "Ynet news" reported that in January 2012, two mortars were fired from Gaza into the area governed by the Eshkol Regional Council which were determined by the Israeli military to have contained white phosphorus; the shells were reported to have landed in open fields, causing no injuries or damage. The newspaper said the Eshkol Regional Council filed a formal complaint with

2013.

On 21 March, during US President Barack Obama's official visit to Israel, Palestinians in Beit Hanoun fired four rockets at the Israeli city of Sderot, triggering alarms in local communities and forcing residents on their way to work or school to run to bomb shelters. One rocket hit the backyard of a home in the city, spraying shrapnel into the walls and shattering windows. A second projectile landed in an open area within the surrounding Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. The two remaining rockets were believed to have landed within the Gaza Strip. The Mujahedeen Shura Council, a Palestinian Salafi group, claimed responsibility for the attack  On 2 April, Palestinians attempted to fire two mortar shells into Israel; both landed within the Gaza Strip. Later, in the evening, a third projectile was fired into the Eshkol Regional Council. The Mujahedeen Shura Council claimed responsibility for the attacks. Israel responded to the attacks with air strikes on two targets in the Gaza Strip that night, causing no injuries.

2014.

On 5 March, the Israeli Navy intercepted a ship containing dozens of long-range rockets being smuggled from Iran to the Gaza Strip.  On 10 March, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, unveiled a monument to its rocket attacks on

2015.

In 2015, there were 23 Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, according to the IDF.  On 23 April, Israel's 67th independence day, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at

2016.

In 2016, there were

2017.

The Israeli military reported that 35 rockets and mortars were launched from the Gaza Strip in 2017, the vast majority of them in December. This wave of rocket attacks came amid Palestinian outrage over the United States government decision to

2018.

Hundreds of rockets were fired at Israel during the Gaza-Israel clashes of November 2018. at least one civilian fatality has been reported in Ashkelon, with 70 reported as wounded. The man who was killed was a Palestinian who had moved to Israel from occupied Hebron.  The Iron dome has successfully intercepted around 100 of the 370 rockets that have been fired. After the attacks, the IDF announced

Tactics.

Khaled Jaabari, Gaza commander of the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, said that the group uses Google Earth to determine targets. Rocket fire occasionally occurs in the early morning when children head to school.  A source close to Hamas described the movement's tactic of launching projectiles from between homes during the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict: "They fired rockets in between the houses and covered the alleys with sheets so they could set the rockets up in five minutes without the planes seeing them. The moment they fired, they escaped, and they are very quick." Videos released by Hamas in 2011 show Qassam rockets being fired from residential areas and mosques. According to "Yedioth Aharonoth" journalist Elior Levy, "Gaza terror cells choose to fire from urban areas knowing that the Israel Defense Forces refrain from intercepting them for fear of hurting civilians. The killing of civilians in Gaza also serves the terrorists' purposes who claim Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza".  It has been documented, that Arab terrorist groups and Hamas placed weapons and missile launchers in densely populated areas. Human Rights Watch issued a report condemning the firing of Kassam rockets as "war crimes", stating "None of these rockets can be reliably aimed... Such weapons are inherently indiscriminate when directed towards densely populated areas. The absence of Israeli military forces in the areas struck by the rockets, as well as statements from the leaders of Hamas and other armed groups, indicate that many of these attacks are deliberately intended to strike Israeli civilians and civilian structures... Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have frequently violated the laws of war by firing rockets from within populated areas..." Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian structures that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets are illegal under international law.

Denial of service attacks on emergency services.

There have been reports in the Israeli press about denial of service attacks by Palestinians on the Magen David Adom

Israeli defensive measures.

Fortifications and bomb shelters.

A guidance paper by the Israeli home front command, that is given for each household in Israel, include sections for basic treatment of chemical warfare victims. The Home Front Command performs periodic training for citizens for chemical and biological attacks. As of 2006 all public educational facilities in confrontation areas are ordered to be built bomb proof ("can sustain a direct hit from a katusha missile") and must have an option to be connected to chemical and biological purifying systems, with an exception for kindergartens and special care education systems that must have a central air purifying system. All medical or treatment facilities must have a shelter that can be gas proof (can be sealed in a form that the only source of air would be via the purifying ventilation systems) with connection to purifying systems. All long term treatments facilities must be built as a bomb shelter and must be built to sustain 4 hours of isolation.  Residential buildings and homes in Israel built after 1990 are generally equipped with Merkhav Mugan. Single- or two-story buildings built between

Red Color.

The Israeli government has installed an alarm system called "Red Color" (צבע אדום) to warn citizens of impending rocket attacks, although its effectiveness has been questioned. The system currently operates in a number of southern Israeli cities within rocket range. When the signature of a rocket launch is detected originating in Gaza, the system automatically activates

Iron Dome.

Iron Dome () is a mobile system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets with a range less than 70 km. In February 2007, the system was selected by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak as the Israeli Defense Force's defense system against short range rockets. On 7 July 2008, the first test of the system was completed successfully, and the first operational test was expected to take place at the end of 2009. The system was scheduled to be operational in 2010, but was

Effects.

Casualties, fatalities and rockets fired.

According to B'Tselem "from June 2004 to 23 July 2014, 26 Israeli civilians (four of them minors) and two foreign nationals were killed in Israel by Palestinian rocket and mortar fire. In addition, five soldiers were killed, three in Israel and two in the Gaza Strip. Another Israeli civilian and three foreign nationals were killed by rocket fire at settlements in the Gaza Strip, before they were evacuated." There were 3 more civilian casualties during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. Most of those killed were civilians, including children. The first casualties from the rocket fire were a 4-year-old boy and his grandfather, who were killed in June 2004. Other victims include two small children, aged 2 and 4, who were killed while playing in the street later that same year, and a teenage girl, Ayala-Haya (Ella) Abukasis, who was struck and killed while

Refugees.

In May 2007, a significant increase in rocket attacks from Gaza prompted the temporary evacuation of thousands of residents from Sderot. According to the United Nations, 40 percent of the city's residents left in the last two weeks of May. During the summer of 2007, 3,000 of the city's 22,000 residents (comprising mostly the city's key upper and middle class

Education.

Israeli media reported on 28 May 2007 that only 800 out of a total of 3000 pupils in Sderot had turned up to schools.  During the 2008–2009 conflict, schools and universities in southern Israel closed due to rocket threats. Hamas rockets landed on Israeli educational facilities several times (such as empty schools in Beersheba) from 2008 to 2009, with no casualties as of 15 January, except for cases of shock. Studies resumed starting 11 January, with IDF Home Front Command representatives stationed at schools. Only schools

Psychological.

In 2008, Natal, the Israel Center for Victims of Terror and War, conducted a study on the city of Sderot based on representative sampling. The study found that between 75 percent and 94 percent of Sderot children aged 4–18 exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress. 28 percent of adults and 30 percent of children had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The co-director of the study emphasized the distinction between post-traumatic stress symptoms, such as problems sleeping and concentrating, and PTSD itself, which can interfere seriously with daily life.  An American Psychiatric Association study published in 2010, headed by Professor Yair Bar-Haim of Tel Aviv University, found that incidence rate for post-traumatic symptoms among Israeli civilians was correlated with proximity to the Gaza Strip. Civilians who lived in areas where rockets frequently exploded, and where there was less warning time in advance of strikes, had a higher chance of developing post-traumatic symptoms than those living far enough from Gaza to have one minute or more in which to seek shelter after rockets were launched. The study

Political.

On 12 December 2007, after more than 20 rockets landed in the Sderot area in a single day, including a direct hit to one of the main avenues, Sderot mayor Eli Moyal announced his

Motives.

Rationales given by the Palestinian groups responsible for the attacks vary. They include the arguments that violence against Jews is a religious obligation that brings one closer to God, that the rockets are effective at drawing attention to Palestinian issues, and that they avenge perceived Israeli aggression.

Hamas.

Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Zahar has said that the goal of the attacks is to force mass migration in Israel and disrupt the daily life of its citizens. Explaining why his group had moved from suicide bombing to rocket attacks, he said: Which do you think is more effective, martyrdom operations or rockets against Sderot? Rockets against Sderot will cause mass migration, greatly disrupt daily lives and government administration and can make a much huger impact on the government. We are using the methods that convince the Israelis that their occupation is costing them too much. We are succeeding with the rockets. We have no losses and the impact on the Israeli side is so much.  According to the BBC, Hamas views the attacks as legitimate because it regards the whole of historic Palestine (roughly coterminous with Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jordan) as Islamic land, and thus sees

PFLP.

A spokesperson from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), on 17 January 2009, called the rockets a "representation of our resistance", stressing that as long as rockets were launched, "our cause is alive".The rockets are both a practical and a symbolic representation of our resistance to the occupier [Israel]. They are a constant reminder that the occupier is in fact an occupier, and that no matter how they may engage in sieges, massacres, fence us in, deny us the basic human needs of life, we will continue to resist

Other groups.

On 19 January 2009, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, published a statement listing its claimed attacks on Israel, including claimed rocket and mortar attacks on Sderot and Ashkelon. The group said the attacks were carried out "to defend our people in the Gaza Strip" and "to defend the Gaza Strip in the face of Zionist arrogance", but did not elaborate further.  The Popular Resistance Committees claimed that a 7 January 2010 mortar barrage was in "revenge" for an Israeli air strike several days earlier

Views.

Palestinians.

Public opinion polls.

Prior to the 2008–2009 Gaza War, polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) showed consistently high levels

Other.

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (of Fatah) has condemned the attacks several times, "regardless of who is responsible for them", on one occasion calling them "absurd", and on another saying that "they do not go in the direction of peace." On at least one occasion in 2009, Hamas itself criticized rocket attacks by an unknown group, apparently out of fears that new rocket fire could disrupt reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah which were then underway.  The firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel has been opposed by those living closest to the firing location due to Israeli military responses. On 23 July 2004 a family attempted to physically prevent the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades from setting up a rocket launcher outside their house. Members of the brigade shot and killed one boy and wounded 5 others.

Israel.

On 27 December 2008, upon the commencement of Operation Cast Lead, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an address to the nation: "for approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been suffering from rockets being fired at them. Life in the south under rocket barrages had become unbearable. Israel did everything in its power to fulfill the conditions of the calm in the south and enable normal life for its citizens in the communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip. The quiet that we offered was met with shelling."  In October 2012, Yosef Kuperwasser, the director of Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, said that over 800 rockets had been launched at Israel

Egypt.

The 2 August 2010 Rocket attacks on Eilat and Aqaba sparked rage in Egypt at Hamas and Iran. The Egyptian press said the firing of the rockets from Egyptian territory by Hamas or by organizations cooperating with it constituted the crossing of a red line. The Egyptian position is that Iran is employing local proxies, such

United Nations.

On 18 January 2009, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said "for the sake of the people of Gaza, I urge in the strongest possible terms Hamas to stop firing rockets." On 20 January, while visiting Sderot, the Secretary General called the rocket attacks "appalling and unacceptable". He added that the projectiles are indiscriminate weapons, and that Hamas attacks are violations of basic humanitarian law. Earlier, in November 2007, Ban had condemned a rocket attack launched

United States.

In July 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to

European Union.

On 7 June 2005, The European Union presidency, held by Luxembourg, condemned the firing of rockets by Palestinians at Gush Katif

Human rights groups.

The attacks have been condemned as war crimes, both because they usually target civilians and because the weapons' inaccuracy would disproportionately endanger civilians even if military targets were chosen. Human Rights Watch has also condemned the attackers for firing from near residential structures, thus putting Gazan civilians at unnecessary risk. According to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem,  Palestinian organizations that fire Qassam

Attacks from outside the Gaza Strip.

West Bank.

There have been several attempts by Palestinian groups to fire rockets at Israel from the West Bank, though none of these have been successful. Such an attack could easily strike one of Israel's most densely populated areas.  In December 2005, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades fired a Qassam rocket at Israel from the West Bank city of Jenin. The rocket landed within the West Bank, in proximity to the Israeli border village of Ram-On. The attack marked the first time a Qassam was fired at Israel from the West Bank and came close to hitting a Jewish community.  In July 2006, a ranking member of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank said his group had the ability to produce rockets in the northern West Bank and that major Israeli cities as well as Ben Gurion International Airport would eventually become Palestinian rocket targets. "Every day our rockets in Gaza become more accurate and do more

Egypt.

In 2010, Hamas carried out two rocket attacks on Israel from the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. On 22 April, three 122 mm Grad rockets were fired from the Sinai Peninsula at the Red Sea resort town of Eilat in the extreme south of Israel. The projectiles landed in the Red Sea and the neighboring town of

Lebanon.

Palestinian militants in Lebanon have launched fatal rocket attacks on towns in northern Israel at least since the 1970s, but these incidents lie outside the scope of this

Other.

Israeli blacksmith Yaron Bob, from the village of Yated, collects Palestinian rockets fired on his area and turns them into roses. These roses have been given by the Sderot Municipality to visiting dignitaries, including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and United States Senator John Kerry. Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, "those rockets are in fact rockets that kill, and it's a nice idea to turn them into flowers."

Since 2001, Palestinian militants have launched thousands of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip as part of the continuing Arab–Israeli conflict. The attacks, widely condemned for targeting civilians, have been described as terrorism by United Nations, European Union and Israeli officials, and are defined as war crimes by human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The international community considers indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian structures that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets illegal under international law.

"Pour plus d'informations concernant le conflit dans sa globalité, voir le conflit israélo-palestinien." Les attaques d'Israël à la roquette et au mortier par les Palestiniens à partir de la bande de Gaza ont débuté en 2001. Les attaques ont tué 13 personnes, en majorité des civils, et des centaines de blessés, mais leur effet principal est la création de traumatisme psychologique et la perturbation de la vie quotidienne au sein de la population israélienne. Une étude médicale réalisée à Sdérot, la ville israélienne proche de la bande de Gaza, ont décelé un fort taux de stress post-traumatique chez les jeunes enfants de près de 50%, ainsi que des taux élevés de dépression et de fausse couche.


Geography.

McCall is located at (44.910906, -116.103087), at an elevation of above sea level.  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, is land and is water.

Transportation.

McCall is approximately north of Boise, about a 2-hour drive, accessed via State Highway 55, the "Payette River Scenic Byway," a designated national scenic byway. It heads north from Eagle in Ada County to Horseshoe Bend in Boise County, and climbs the whitewater of the Payette River to Cascade and McCall. The route turns west at Payette Lake in McCall and ends at New Meadows in Adams County, at the junction with US-95.  The McCall Municipal Airport is on the south edge of town, at an elevation of above sea level. West of Highway 55, it is home to a U.S. Forest Service Smoke jump Base.

History.

Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the land in and around McCall. Three tribes, the Tukudika (a sub-band of the Shoshone known as the "Sheepeaters"), the Shoshone, and the Nez Perce inhabited the land primarily in the summer and migrated during the harsh winter months.  In the early 19th century, the nomadic French Canadian fur trapper, François Payette, roamed the area alongside other mountain men including Jim Bridger, Peter Skene Ogden, and Jedediah Smith.  During the 1860s, miners temporarily named the settlement "Lake City", but only alluvial gold was discovered, so the temporary establishment was abandoned as most mining activity moved fifty miles (80 km) north to the town of Warren.  The settlement of McCall was established by Thomas and Louisa McCall circa 1889–91. For a cabin and assumed rights to the of land, they traded a team of horses with Sam Dever, who held the squatter rights. Tom, his wife, four sons and a daughter lived in the cabin located on the shore of the lake, near present-day Hotel McCall. He established a school, hotel, saloon, and post office, and named himself postmaster. McCall purchased a sawmill from the Warren Dredging company and later sold it to the Hoff & Brown Lumber Company, which would become a major employer until its closure in 1977.  During this time Anneas "Jews Harp Jack" Wyatte provided the first recreational sailboat rides around the lake for tourists and advertised in Boise's "Idaho Statesman" a "30-foot sailing yacht for the use of parties who might visit the lake". "The Statesman" referred to McCall as a "pleasure resort."  Tourism continued in the early 20th century. In June 1902, the Boydstun Hotel in nearby Lardo opened as a "place to stay and camp on Payette Lake". In 1906, Charlie Nelson opened a tented camping area known as Sylvan Beach Resort along the west side of Payette Lake. In 1907, Lardo Inn opened for business. The arrival of the Oregon Short Line Railroad (a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad) in 1914 secured McCall as a viable community and tourist destination. Three years later McCall was incorporated as a village. In the 1920s, the state land board started leasing homesites along the lake. The town's annual winter carnival started in 1923–24. Reports vary between hundreds to thousands of tourists visiting the festivities.  The beauty of McCall and Payette Lake drew attention from Hollywood in 1938 when it was selected as the filming location for the Academy Award-nominated "Northwest Passage", starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Walter Brennan. The film, released in 1940, was about the French and Indian War of 1755–63 in eastern North America; the forests of Idaho standing in for the woods of New England and the Upper Midwest.  In 1943, the U.S. Forest Service opened the McCall smokejumper base, one of eight smokejumper training bases in the nation. The site includes a smokejumper training unit, paraloft, dispatch office, and the McCall air tanker base at the airport.  After World War II, a consortium of businessmen and doctors from Lewiston, to the north, decided that McCall and the lake were an ideal recreation site and thus the town was transformed from lumber to tourism. The iconic Shore Lodge opened in 1948 on July 3, along Shellworth Beach on Payette Lake. The lodge became McCall's centerpiece for the next 51 years. Shore Lodge management and shareholders intentionally created a resort-style lodge that was a cozy and intimate place for locals and tourists, contrasting with the glamor and glitz of the other famous Idaho lodge in Sun Valley. A private club for nearly a decade, it re-opened to the public in 2008. One of Shore Lodge's first summer employees was University of Idaho student John Ascuaga of Notus, who worked as a bellhop learning the business from the bottom up and was to go on to found the Nugget hotel, convention center, and casino in Sparks, Nevada, one of the largest and most successful in the Reno area.  In 1965, a peninsula outside of McCall became Ponderosa State Park, home to some of the largest old-growth trees in the western United States.

Alpine skiing.

McCall's Little Ski Hill, formerly the "Payette Lakes Ski Area," is two miles (3 km) west of town on Highway 55, just over the county line in Adams County. Opened in 1937 as a diversion for local forest workers, its were donated by Carl Brown. The Little Ski Hill was the second ski area in Idaho, after Sun Valley, which opened a year earlier. It currently operates a T-bar surface lift and has a vertical drop of, with a summit of above sea level, and its slopes face north and west. The aging Nordic ski jump on the lower north slope, overlooking the bend in Highway 55, was removed in the 1990s.  Brundage Mountain, northwest of McCall, opened in November 1961. With the addition of two new lifts in summer 2007, it currently has five chairlifts. Brundage has a summit elevation of above sea level, and a vertical drop of. The slopes on Brundage Mountain are primarily west-facing and the mountain's average snowfall exceeds. The resort operates a backcountry snowcat skiing operation which provides guided access to of untracked powder in the Payette National Forest north of the ski area. Brundage is a family-owned resort, operated by the DeBoer family, descendants of early McCall pioneers. Until April 2006, it was co-owned by J. R. Simplot.  Tamarack Resort (2004–09) is southwest of McCall, on the west side of Cascade Reservoir. Originally conceived as "Valbois" in the early 1980s, the project was revived as "WestRock" in the late 1990s and ultimately renamed "Tamarack" in 2002. Tamarack opened for lift-served skiing on December 15, 2004 with a summit elevation of on West Mountain, up Rock Creek. Its vertical drop was over ; it used five chairlifts and a poma lift. The slopes on Tamarack faced east, overlooking the Cascade Reservoir and Long Valley. The resort went into bank receivership in February 2008 and ceased operations a year later, on the evening of Wednesday, March 4, 2009. The ski area was closed for the 2009–10 season, but re-opened in December 2010 with limited operations.

Demographics.

2010 census.

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,991 people, 1,348 households, and 769 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 3,581 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 0.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 3.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population.  There were 1,348 households of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80.  The median age in the city was 40.7 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 31.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,084 people, 902 households, and 549 families residing in the town. The population density was 352.4 people per square mile (136.1/km2). There were 2,247 housing units at an average density of 379.9 per square mile (146.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.83% White, 0.05% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 1.34% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 2.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.2% were of German, 17.3% English, 10.6% Irish and 8.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 98.3% spoke English and 1.7% Spanish as their first language.  There were 902 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.86.  In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.  The median income for a household in the town was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $46,420. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $26,932 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,479. 12.2% of the population and 7.0% of families were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older.

Population history.

Lardo (now western McCall) had a population of 300 at the 1910 census, its only census entry.

Ancestry/Ethnicity.

As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in McCall, Idaho were:

Government.

The town has a council-manager form of government with a city manager nominated by the mayor and elected by the city council. The McCall City Council is made up of 4 council members and a mayor elected in an at-large election. During city council meetings, the mayor presides, and all 5 members can vote on any issue. The mayor has no veto powers.  McCall is located in Idaho's 1st congressional district. On the state level, McCall is located in district 8 of the Idaho Legislature. Despite the largest population in Valley County, McCall lost the bid for county seat in 1917 to the more centrally located town of Cascade, nearly thirty miles (50 km) south on Highway 55.

Media.

McCall is served by two four-color glossy magazines; "McCall Magazine" and "McCall Home", both of which are published semi-annually. McCall is also served by a weekly newspaper "The Star News", published on Thursdays. Two radio stations, "KDZY" (98.3 FM Country), and Star 95.5 are based in the town.

Climate.

McCall experiences a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen "Dsb") with cold, snowy winters and warm, relatively dry summers. The town has slightly less snow cover than the surrounding area, which is snow covered from around November 20 until early April, with 3-4 feet of snow by early February.

McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest. The population was 2,991 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,084 in 2000.

McCall est une ville qui se trouve à la bordure ouest du comté de Valley, dans l'Idaho, aux États-Unis. En 2010, la ville comptait contre en 2000.


Club career.

Juventus.

Born in Biella, Piedmont region, Beltrame began his youth career with Novara Calcio. He was signed by Juventus F.C. in 2011 in a co-ownership deal, for €750,000, where in the "Primavera" (under-19) squad, with whom he graduated the youth academy in June 2013 after helping the club to several youth-team accolades, including the 2013 Coppa Italia Primavera and the 2012 Torneo di Viareggio. During the 2012–13 Serie A season, Beltrame also began to earn a handful of first-team call-ups by head coach, Antonio Conte. Juventus also signed Beltrame outright for an additional fee of €750,000 (half of the registration rights of Alberto Libertazzi plus €300,000).  He made his debut for Juventus on 26 January 2013 against Genoa, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Claudio Marchisio, as the club was searching for a win during a 1–1 draw. Beltrame nearly scored just minutes after his introduction if not for a vital save by Sebastien Frey.

Bari (loan).

On 2 September 2013, Beltrame was signed by Bari on a one-year loan deal from Juventus. In January 2014, however, half of the registration rights of his contract was swapped with 50% registration rights of Vincenzo Fiorillo of Sampdoria. Under the joint ownership agreement between Juventus and Sampdoria, the player's contractual playing rights would be acquired by Sampdoria and the player would remain on loan with Bari for the remainder of the 2013–14 Serie B season. The co-ownership agreement between Juventus and Sampdora was officially renewed on 18 June 2014.

Modena (loan).

On 1 July 2014, Beltrame officially joined Sampdoria upon the conclusion of the loan deal, although he it was soon agreed that he would be joining Serie B side, Modena on another season-long loan deal. However, in winter transfer window of 2015, Beltrame returned to Juventus for €1 million in a 41⁄2-year contract, with Jakub Hromada and Atila Varga moved to Sampdoria for €600,000 and €400,000 respectively.

Pro Vercelli (loan).

In summer 2015 he was signed by Pro Vercelli in a temporary deal. On 1 February 2016 he was signed by Pordenone.

CSKA Sofia.

On 27 January 2020, Beltrame signed a permanent deal with Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia, earning a reported €1.5 million per year. He made his official debut on February 15th 2020 in the Eternal Derby against Levski Sofia, starting from the first minute and being substituted 10-minutes before the end. In his second match against Botev Plovdiv on 22 February he scored his first goal for CSKA Sofia securing a 1-0 victory and deservingly being named Man of the Match. He scored his second goal for the club against FC Tsarsko Selo Sofia in a 2-1 defeat.

International career.

Beltrame has represented Italy at the U-18, U-19, and U-20 international levels. He has 7 goals in 19 youth international matches, and has been a key component in Italy's U-19 UEFA Euro qualifiers.

Honours.

Juventus

Stefano "Teto" Beltrame (born 8 February 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia.

Stefano Beltrame (né le à Biella dans le Piémont) est un joueur de football italien, qui évolue au poste d'attaquant.


History.

Beginnings.

The Gaither Vocal Band is named after gospel legend and leader Bill Gaither. It was the successor-group of the Bill Gaither Trio. By the 1980s, Bill Gaither, along with wife Gloria Gaither, were both very successful songwriters. For example, their song, "He Touched Me" was covered by Elvis Presley, after which he even named his album "He Touched Me". Presley won a Grammy for the album. Bill Gaither felt that his trio had reached its peak in the mid-1980s, but his desire to make another gospel hit kept the trio going.  The original Vocal Band (called the "New" Gaither Vocal Band) was formed spontaneously, backstage of a Gaither Trio concert. It consisted of Bill Gaither and Gary McSpadden of the trio, along with two of the trio's backup singers, Steve Green and Lee Young. The quartet sang "Your First Day in Heaven" on stage that night. Their debut album, the self-titled "The New Gaither Vocal Band", debuted in 1981.  According to the liner notes of the CD compilation "The Best of the GVB", the term "vocal band" was used instead of "quartet" because it did not limit Gaither in terms of sound or number of group members. According to Steve Green on the Gaither Vocal Band Reunion video, he came up with the name and convinced Gaither to use it because he, at the time, did not want to be associated with "quartet music".  Lee Young left the group in 1982, and Jon Mohr was hired as the new bass singer. They then recorded the album "Passin' The Faith Along". Later, tenor Steve Green left and Larnelle Harris was hired. This group cut the "New Point Of View" album before Mohr left.

Widespread popularity.

Michael English was hired as the new lead singer, so McSpadden was moved down to baritone, and Gaither dropped to the lowest part. At this point the group dropped the "new" part of their name. Although the previous album ("New Point of View") had been more contemporary than its predecessors, the album with this version of the group ("One X 1") took it even further. After this album, Larnelle left and was replaced by Lemuel Miller. The group did not record an album with Lemuel before he too left. He was replaced by Imperials alumnus, Jim Murray. This line up cut one album ("Wings") before Gary McSpadden left to start his solo career. Mark Lowry was convinced to replace him. Along with a great voice, Lowry added comedy to the mix. Their Gospel roots project "Homecoming" in 1991 caused most Southern Gospel fans to welcome the Vocal Band with open arms. Jim Murray left and was replaced by Terry Franklin. The album "Southern Classics" was released in 1993 with the hit "I Bowed On My Knees". (This song was co-writers by Jeremy Ward)  Later Michael English left. He was replaced by Buddy Mullins. Mullins was only a temporary fill-in, but he was included on the album "Testify". Terry Franklin soon left and was replaced by yet another Imperials alumnus, Jonathan Pierce (formerly known as Jonathan Hildreth, his first and last name—then changed to his first and middle name). Strengthened by the popularity of the "Homecoming" video series, the Vocal Band added Guy Penrod at lead. After Pierce's departure, Gaither hired David Phelps at tenor. After Lowry's departure, Imperials alumnus Russ Taff sang baritone for a couple of years. Marshall Hall was his replacement. Wes Hampton succeeded Phelps in 2005.  The group has had three number one songs on the "Singing News" chart. "Yes, I Know" held the top position from July to October 1997, as did "I Will Go On" in November 2006. "Greatly Blessed" was their third number one single. The group has routinely performed classic Southern Gospel songs including many written by Bill and Gloria Gaither like "He Touched Me", "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary", and "Sinner Saved By Grace."

Reunion.

In July 2008, the vocal band recorded a reunion DVD at the Gaither Studios — "The Gaither Vocal Band Reunion, Volumes 1 and 2". Except for Jonathan Pierce, Terry Franklin, and Lemuel Miller, the rest of the former and present members appear and perform. The two CDs debuted in the top two positions on "Billboard"s Contemporary Christian Album chart, marking not only the Gaither Vocal Band's first No. 1 on the Christian Album chart, but also their first No. 1 debut on that chart as well. The DVDs of the same title debuted in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the Music Video charts as well.

The quintet.

In January 2009, Marshall Hall and Guy Penrod left. Gaither brought back some former members: Michael English as lead vocal, Mark Lowry as baritone and David Phelps as tenor. The first album by this five-member version was "Reunited", released in September 2009. It was also the first album of the vocal band ever to feature only songs written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. A live album called "Better Day" was released in January 2010. In August 2010, they released the long-awaited album called "Greatly Blessed", followed by "I Am A Promise", a children's album, released in August 2011. Their most recent album was "Pure & Simple", released in September 2012.  In October 2013, it was announced that Mark Lowry and Michael English would be leaving the group to devote more time to their solo careers. English's departure was immediate whereas Lowry stayed on until they could find another baritone to replace him. Their last album as members, "Hymns", was released in March 2014 and was nominated for a Grammy Award the following December. After their departure, several guests filled-in until two new members could be found. In January 2014, it was announced that Adam Crabb (of The Crabb Family) would join the group as the fourth member and lead singer. Todd Suttles joined the group as the baritone singer one month later.  Following their formation, the new quintet would go on to release a limited edition album, "The New Edition", which could only be purchased at concert performances. In October 2014, the group released their first album together, entitled "Sometimes it Takes a Mountain". Five months later, that album was followed by a two-DVD live performance release and the release of their second album (a live performance album), "Happy Rhythm". Upon release, the DVDs debuted at the top of "Billboard"s Music Video chart ("Sometimes it Takes a Mountain" at #1 and "Happy Rhythm" at #2). In August 2016, the group's album "Better Together" was released.  In March 2017, it was announced that David Phelps would be leaving the group on April 1, and Reggie Smith would join the group as tenor.  In October 2017, this line-up released their first studio album, entitled "We Have This Moment".  In April 2018, it was announced that there will be another Gaither Vocal Band Reunion in October. It will be a two-day live concert. Except for Terry Franklin, Jonathan Pierce, Lemuelle Miller (they were absent in the 2009 Reunion) and Steve Green, the rest of past and present members will perform.  In July 2019, this line-up released their second studio album, entitled "Good Things Take Time."

Members (past and present).

Timeline.

Singers are listed in the following order: 1) first tenor; 2) second tenor; 3) baritone; 4) bass.

The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, and Bill Gaither. Although the group started out recording contemporary Christian music in the 1980s, it became known for southern gospel after the popularity of the Gaither Homecoming videos.

Gaither Vocal Band est un groupe de southern gospel américain, dont le nom a pour origine son fondateur et leader Bill Gaither. En février 2014, le quintette se compose de David Phelps, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, et Bill Gaither. La composition du groupe a souvent évolué au fil des années, certains membres ayant fait le choix de privilégier leur carrière solo, et d'autres venant remplacer ces derniers. Aux côtés de Bill Gaither, les chanteurs qui sont restés le plus longtemps dans le groupe incluent Guy Penrod (1995–2008), Mark Lowry (1988–2001, 2009–2013), Michael English (1985–1994, 2009–2013) et David Phelps (1997-2005, depuis 2009).