Pink Friday 2

# Pink Friday 2

## Abstract

Pink Friday 2 is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on December 8, 2023, through Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. A sequel to Minaj's debut album Pink Friday (2010), it is her first studio album in five years following the release of Queen (2018). The album is a hip hop and pop-rap record that borrows influences from other genres as well. Collaborations on the album include J. Cole, Drake, Lil Wayne, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, 50 Cent, Monica, Keyshia Cole, and various other collaborators.

Upon its release, Pink Friday 2 debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making Minaj the first female rapper in history to have three number-one albums. It earned over 228,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, with 92,000 coming from pure album sales. Internationally, the album peaked in the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Minaj's consistency and innovation yet criticized the use of samples. Pink Friday 2 samples tracks by Billie Eilish, Cyndi Lauper, Rick James, among others.

Pink Friday 2 was supported by five singles, " Super Freaky Girl ", " Red Ruby da Sleeze ", " Last Time I Saw You ", " Everybody " featuring Lil Uzi Vert, and " FTCU ". The double platinum-certified lead single "Super Freaky Girl" marked Minaj's first solo number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100, while all the other singles peaked within the top 25. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 2024. To promote the album, Minaj has embarked on the Pink Friday 2 World Tour, which has become the highest-grossing concert tour by a female rapper in history.

## Background and development

In June 2019, Minaj mentioned on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she had begun work on a new album with no official release date at the time and stated that she had not titled it yet. In September, Minaj announced her retirement from hip hop; however, she later withdrew her statement and apologized for her false announcement. That same month, in an interview with Elle, Minaj stated that the album would be, "fierce, fun, and unapologetic" and spoke about the project's ultimate sound.

It's probably the most excited I've been about an album release in a really long time. I'm happy that we're not making my fans wait for another album like I've done in the past. This one incorporates all the things people love about Nicki, but it also just has a way bigger sound, so it goes perfectly with the collection.

A year later on June 29, 2020, Minaj tweeted, "PF2" and "MEMORIES" which went on to be revealed as the initials of the album and a song. In May 2023, she teased that the album "is the best thing that will come out of 2023 & will raise the bar to new & unreachable heights", and that its accompanying tour "will be hailed as 'genius.' That's it & that's all."

## Release

On June 5, Minaj initially announced the release date of the album would be October 20, 2023. On June 29, she officially announced that the album would be titled Pink Friday 2, and that the release date would be pushed back to November 17. In September, she debuted an unreleased track from the album entitled "Big Difference" during her performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. On October 25, Minaj announced that the album's release date was postponed to her birthday on December 8, 2023.

In November, as part of weekly surprises leading up to the album release, Minaj teased a surprise that she and her fans alike were awaiting for a long time, making her fans trend "#TellUsNicki" number one on Twitter before teasing the surprise any further. The following day it was revealed that she was the cover feature for the December 2023 issue of US Vogue, in which she spoke about recording her new album which "was written from the vantage point of a woman who has gotten so many of the things she dreamed about". With that, Minaj became the first rapper on the cover of US Vogue.

Pink Friday 2 was released on December 8, 2023, and made available for digital download and streaming as a 22-track album. The album was also available in several physical versions, which consisted of four vinyl editions (three retailer-exclusive versions each with different covers) and two CD variants (standard and signed). The physical versions only included 10 tracks, which was theorized to be because the remainder were not finished in time for pressing and release. On December 14, 2023, an extended edition titled "Gag City Deluxe" edition was released through Minaj's webstore and made available to streaming platforms a day later. On January 13, 2024, another extended version, labelled the "Gag City Pluto Edition", was also released. In August 2024, Minaj announced a deluxe version of the album, titled Gag City Reloaded, would be released in the near future; she will perform music from the deluxe during the second US leg of her tour.

## Title and artwork

The album's title was described as a callback to Minaj's Pink Friday (2010) with Minaj also confirming it as a sequel. Minaj first shared one of two official cover arts for the album in September 2023, depicting the rapper in an all-white Vetements ensemble traveling on a roofless metropolitan subway floating above pink clouds. On October 6, she shared the second album cover, which depicted her in an all-pink gown revealing her midriff and surrounded by a billowing pink satin sheet in front of a black background. In the remaining weeks leading up to the release, Minaj shared four additional album cover variations for vinyl and digital release, all of which were shot by British photographer Charlotte Rutherford.

## Composition

### Music and samples

The album opens with "Are You Gone Already" which samples Billie Eilish 's " When the Party's Over ". On the song, Minaj raps about her father's death and "love, loss, guilt, and fear". This is followed by "Barbie Dangerous" which was an interpolation of the Notorious B.I.G. 's " Notorious Thugs ". Billboard described the song as a "lyrical exercise for the rap legend as she breezes through the Hollywood Cole production". " FTCU " samples a song by Waka Flocka Flame and was called a standout on the album. This is followed with "Beep Beep" and "Fallin 4 U" which are both "powered by a catchy chorus". "Let Me Calm Down" featuring J.Cole spoke on Minaj's "grievances against her lover" and "explores the complexity of adult relationships". Cole's rap echoes Minaj's where he "relates to Minaj's struggle, he takes a jab at the critics and references one of most chaotic public relationship fall-outs".

"RNB" saw Minaj reuniting with her mentee, Lil Wayne, and singer Tate Kobang. The R&B song was an acronym for "Real Nigga Bitch". "Pink Birthday" was described as a "new birthday anthem" while " Needle " featuring Drake was called an anthem "oozing with island vibes". Minaj revealed that the song was originally intended for Drake's album For All the Dogs. This was followed by pop -inspired songs, "Cowgirl" featuring Lourdiz and " Everybody " featuring Lil Uzi Vert. The latter sampled " Move Your Feet " by Junior Senior. "Big Difference" and " Red Ruby da Sleeze " were both released prior to the album's release and saw Minaj boasting of her legacy and impact on the music industry. "Forward from Trini" saw Minaj showcasing her "Caribbean pride while connecting to her Trinidadian roots". Both the next songs, "Pink Friday Girls" and " Super Freaky Girl " sampled high-profile songs including " Girls Just Wanna Have Fun " by Cyndi Lauper and " Super Freak " by Rick James. This was followed with " Bahm Bahm ", "My Life" and "Nicki Hendrix" featuring Future with the second song sampling " Heart of Glass " by Blondie.

"Blessings" featuring Gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard was called a "palette cleanser from the dessert section" of Pink Friday 2 and saw Minaj rapping about "giving up the glory to God". " Last Time I Saw You " was compared to Minaj's 2018 song "Come See About Me" and saw Minaj either "ruminating about the tragic loss of her father or another soured relationship". The song has a " guitar -driven instrumental". The standard album ends with "Just the Memories" which was called an "ethereal album closer" and saw Minaj rapping about the dark hurdles of her childhood, her come-up and her subsequent legacy.

The "Gag City Deluxe" edition of the album features a remix of "Beep Beep" with 50 Cent and a new track titled " Love Me Enough " with Monica and Keyshia Cole. The latter song saw Minaj rapping about "self-love, building yourself back up after a bad relationship, and ultimately putting yourself first". The "Gag City Pluto" edition of the album featured "Press Play" with Future.

## Promotion

### Gag City

Prior to the album's release, Minaj's fans came together to begin an online marketing campaign and created an AI-generated city called "Gag City", which the rapper herself had previously coined and acknowledged on social media. Yahoo! Finance described the concept as "the pink metropolis inhabited by stans and brands alike," whereas Forbes described it as a "hyper-futuristic, uber-pink digital town complete with the same pink, dreamlike aesthetic featured in the album's cover art."

The campaign gained major traction and saw participation from a variety of celebrities including Tyla, Bia, and Tyga. Additionally, multiple companies and brands also participated in the trend by announcing their arrival to "Gag City", including Spotify, Netflix, Bing, Converse, Genius, Amazon, Empire State Building, Chili's, Oreo, KFC, McDonald's, among others. The campaign was dubbed a "viral win" for Minaj.

### Singles

In July 2022, Minaj previewed a song from the album originally titled "Freaky Girl" on her social media, with the clip going viral and garnering over 20 million views on Instagram in its first day. " Super Freaky Girl " was released as the lead single from the album on August 12, 2022, a month after its preview. Its music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was uploaded onto Minaj's YouTube account on September 1. The song debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.a month later which debuted atop the Hot 100 marking Minaj's third number-one song on the chart. The single proved to be Minaj's biggest solo hit, spending 11 weeks inside the top 10 of the Hot 100, 10 of which were consecutive.

" Red Ruby da Sleeze " was initially released as a promotional single on March 3, 2023, described by Minaj as her "street record" before her "next official single". It was officially sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on March 14, 2023, becoming the album's second single. Its music video, directed by Grizz and filmed in Trinidad and Tobago, was uploaded on YouTube on May 13. The song peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and at number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

" Last Time I Saw You " was released as the album's third single on September 1, 2023. The song peaked at number 23 on the Hot 100 and at number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Minaj performed the song at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

" Everybody " featuring Lil Uzi Vert was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States on January 9, 2024, serving as the album's fourth single. The song debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100, and later peaked at number 24.

" FTCU " was released as the album's fifth single on January 10, 2024, with an EP of various versions of the song also made available for streaming and digital download. The song impacted rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on January 30, 2024. It debuted at number 42 on the Hot 100, and later peaked at number 15. A remix subtitled the "Sleeze Mix" featuring Travis Scott, Chris Brown and Sexyy Red was released on April 19, 2024.

While not released as an official single, on March 3, 2024, Minaj released an extended version of the song "Let Me Calm Down" featuring J. Cole.

## Critical reception

Pink Friday 2 was met with generally favorable reviews by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on twelve reviews. AllMusic wrote that "Pink Friday 2 lacks the cohesion and self-editing that would make it a rightful follow-up to her 2010 mainstream arrival. As it stands, Pink Friday 2 is another collection of Nicki Minaj songs, most of them exhilarating and fun, but some awkwardly placed". Robin Murray of Clash called Pink Friday 2 "a record of real ambition, an example mirroring fan-pleasing tendencies with actual artistic growth" as it "match ultra-colorful pop to moments of somber introspection". NME ' s Nick Levine opined that while it is "probably too long, Minaj paces it sharply" and concluded that it "feels like a consolidation and refinement of everything Minaj can do". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated that "it may be as imperfect as Pink Friday was, but Pink Friday 2 offers more than enough supporting evidence to make sound like anything but hollow boasts".

The Evening Standard ' s David Smyth described the album as "an expansion of what she can do rather than a complete about turn. While she never transitions into the many-voiced rap monster who was such a blast in her early days, anyone hoping to hear her putting her rivals in their place will find plenty of great lines". Nadine Smith of The Independent criticized Minaj's use of samples and commented that the album "shows flashes of the inventive brilliance that made Nicki such an undeniable superstar, but like so many legacy sequels, it mostly just makes you wish you were listening to the original".

## Commercial performance

Pink Friday 2 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earning 228,000 album-equivalent units in its first week of which 92,000 came from pure album sales, and became the largest week in overall units as well as in pure sales for a female rap album in the 2020s and a female R&B/hip-hop album in 2023.

Upon the album's release, Minaj broke several records. The album became Minaj's third number-one album in the country after Pink Friday (2010) and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), and broke her tie with Foxy Brown for the female rap artist with the most number-one albums in the country. Minaj also achieved her seventh top-ten album overall. It also sold 25,000 vinyl copies, earning the largest vinyl sales week for a female rap album in history. The album dropped one place to number two in its second week, earning an additional 100,000 album-equivalent units but being beaten by Taylor Swift 's 1989 (Taylor's Version). It spent 7 weeks in the top-ten region of the Billboard 200. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for moving a million units in the US, on March 19, 2024.

The album's songs achieved 90.8 million streams in its first three days. In its first week, Pink Friday 2 received a total of 170 million streams, marking the highest streaming week of her career, for a female rap album in the 2020s, and for a female R&B/hip-hop album in 2023. Upon its release, 14 songs from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, of which two entered the top 40: " Everybody " and " Needle " featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Drake.

## Track listing

Notes

- signifies a co-producer

- signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

- "Are You Gone Already" contains samples from " When the Party's Over ", written by Finneas O'Connell and performed by Billie Eilish.

- "Barbie Dangerous" contains samples from " Notorious Thugs ", written by Christopher Wallace, Anthony Henderson, Bryon McCane, Steven Howse, Sean Combs, and Steven Jordan and performed by The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

- "FTCU" contains samples from "Fuck the Club Up", written by Juaquin Malphurs and Joshua Luellen and performed by Waka Flocka Flame.

- "Pink Birthday" contains samples from "Pornography", written by Jacques Webster, Leland Wayne, Michael Dean, and Sonny Uwaezuoke and performed by Travis Scott, which itself samples "Expectation", written by Peter Mellin and performed by Ache.

- "Everybody" contains samples from " Move Your Feet ", written by Jesper Mortensen and performed by Junior Senior.

- "Red Ruby da Sleeze" contains a sample of " Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh) ", written by Lumidee Cedeño, Teddy Mendez, Edwin Perez and Steven Marsden and performed by Lumidee.

- "Forward from Trini" contains a sample of Dave Kelly 's "Stink" and "Showtime" riddims.

- "Pink Friday Girls" contains samples from " Girls Just Want to Have Fun ", written by Robert Hazard and performed by Cyndi Lauper.

- "Super Freaky Girl" contains samples from " Super Freak ", written by James Johnson Jr. and Alonzo Miller and performed by Rick James.

- "My Life" contains samples from " Heart of Glass ", written by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein and performed by Blondie.

- "Just the Memories" contains samples from "Stop Live in a de Pass", written by Moses Davis, Lynford Marshall, Colin York, John Bristol, Jerry Butler, James Dean and John Glover and performed by Beenie Man.

## Personnel

Musicians

- Nicki Minaj – vocals

- Finneas – programming (track 1)

- Hollywood Cole – programming (track 2)

- YG! Beats – programming (track 2)

- Tate Kobang – programming (track 2)

- Waka Flocka Flame – background vocals (track 3)

- Southside – background vocals (track 3)

- ATL Jacob – programming (tracks 3, 6)

- OJ Finnessey – programming (track 4)

- Murda Beatz – programming (track 4)

- Kuji – programming (track 6)

- Hendrix Smoke – programming (tracks 6, 21)

- J. Cole – vocals (track 6)

- Lourdiz – background vocals (tracks 7, 15), vocals (10)

- Boi-1da – programming (tracks 8, 9), drum programming (8)

- Apollo Parker – programming (track 8)

- Fierce – programming (track 8)

- 116 – programming (track 8)

- Nana Fofie – background vocals (track 9)

- Yogi – programming (track 9)

- Drake – vocals (track 9)

- Rahiem Hurlock – voice (track 9)

- Dr. Luke – programming (tracks 10, 16)

- DJ Smallz 732 – programming (track 11)

- Tate Kobang – programming (track 11)

- Lil Uzi Vert – vocals (track 11)

- FnZ – programming (track 13)

- BoogzDaBeast – programming (track 13)

- Keanu Beats – programming (track 13)

- Slade Da Monsta – programming (track 13)

- Basbeats – programming (track 14)

- Melio Sounds – programming (track 14)

- Skillibeng – vocals (track 14)

- Skeng – vocals (track 14)

- J Reid – programming (track 15)

- Malibu Babie – programming (track 16)

- Aaron Joseph – programming (track 16)

- Vaughn Oliver – programming (track 16)

- B Ham – programming (track 19)

- Vincent Shaw – programming (track 19)

- Future – vocals (tracks 19, 25)

- Beau Nox – background vocals, programming (track 20)

- Bnyx – programming (track 20)

- Sad Pony – programming (track 20)

- Tasha Cobbs Leonard – vocals (track 20)

- Alex Bak – programming (track 21)

- Frankie Bash – programming (track 21)

- TooDope – programming (track 21)

- Keisha Renee – background vocals (track 22)

- Bone Collector – programming (track 22)

- Habib Defoundoux – programming (track 22)

- 50 Cent – vocals (track 23)

- Monica – vocals (track 24)

- Keyshia Cole – vocals (track 24)

Technical

- Chris Athens – mastering

- Rob Kinelski – mixing (tracks 1, 8, 20)

- Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 2–7, 10–16, 18, 19, 21, 22)

- Noel Cadastre – mixing, engineering (track 9)

- Noah Shebib – mixing (track 9)

- Aubrey Delaine – mixing (track 17), engineering (all tracks), immersive mix engineering (1–12, 14, 15, 20, 22)

- Kuldeep Chudasama – engineering (track 6)

- Clint Gibbs – engineering (track 16)

- Kalani Thompson – engineering (track 16)

- Tyler Sheppard – engineering (track 16)

- John Hanes – immersive mix engineering (tracks 13, 16, 21)

- Cristal Viramontes – vocal engineering (track 7)

- Daniel Sheehy – vocal engineering (track 7)

- Manny Galvez – vocal engineering (track 7)

- Eli Heisler – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 8, 20)

- Ruby Smith – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 8, 20)

- Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (tracks 2–7, 10–16, 18, 19, 21, 22)

- Jack Letchinger – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 6–10, 14, 18, 20)

- Alexx Nielsen – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 6, 8–10, 14, 15, 20)

- Nico Fabito – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 6, 8–10, 14, 15, 20)

- Cory Williams – engineering assistance (track 12)

- Grant Horton – engineering assistance (track 16)


William James Cleary

# William James Cleary

## Abstract

William James Cleary (29 December 1885 – 20 July 1973) was an Australian brewery executive who was recruited by the New South Wales government to take the position of Commissioner of the railways during the Great Depression. He was later chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

## History

Cleary was born in Redfern, New South Wales, son of Thomas Patrick Cleary (1861 – 27 April 1946) and Elsie Petrie Cleary, née Rose (c. 1860 – 9 December 1940). who married in 1880. He was educated at Blackfriars Primary School, where he won a scholarship to enter Sydney Boys' High School.

### Business and academia

He left school at age 14 and began working at his father's workplace, Tooth's Kent Brewery, in his spare time studying economics at Sydney University, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1918. He made a series of reforms at Tooth's, and was rewarded with rapid promotions, becoming assistant manager in 1920.

By December 1923 he was general manager of the brewery.

### Railways

The Government of New South Wales was for some years perturbed at the losses being increasingly incurred by the railways as motor vehicles took much of their traffic, and the idea took hold that management of the network should be a financial rather than engineering position. On 8 November 1929, Premier Bavin announced that the remainder of James Fraser 's contract, plus another seven years, had been offered to Cleary at the statutory salary of £5,000 p.a., substantially less than he received at Tooth's. The railways had been progressively losing money and Bavin considered an outsider would be more likely to make hard decisions that would ultimately benefit the State. Cleary explained his acceptance of the position as giving something back to the State, but the true reason could be that he found success boring, and he enjoyed a challenge more than simply making money. He left Tooth and Co. in November 1929 and moved into the Chief Commissioner's office on 1 December.

Cleary called a meeting to discuss his proposal to reduce the workforce by 1000 men and return to a 48-hour week. He won over the unions with the necessity for self-sacrifice; for his part, electing to halve his salary by passing £2,000 to the unions to help alleviate individual cases of exceptional suffering, and £500 to the Railways as his contribution to reining in the deficit. A year later, despite sackings and longer working hours, the Railways' deficit had more than doubled. Apologists for Cleary say he kept the railways running through the worst years of the Depression.

Bavin was ousted by Jack Lang 's Labor Party at the November 1930 elections. One of his first acts was to create the new position of Commissioner for Transport, salary £1,800 p.a., to be responsible for Railways, Tramways, Main Roads, and Vehicular Traffic, replacing the Commissioners. To that end, he requested from Cleary the services of Charles Joachim Goode, a Labor man with wide railway experience, to help formulate new legislation. Cleary refused to release him, on the grounds that Goode was the subject of an ongoing inquiry. Lang retaliated by sidelining Cleary and his Commissioners O. W. Brain and A. D. J. Forster. In 1930 Lang pushed through an amendment to the Industrial Arbitration (Eight Hours) Act, which came into effect in January 1931, giving him the power to "ration" (i.e. stand down without cause and without pay) any member of any corporate body (including Cleary and his assistants) for any period. It did not however prevent them from continuing to exercise their powers. Cleary sacked Goode in February 1931, and later that year Lang appointed Goode to the new post.

Lang was dismissed by NSW Governor Sir Philip Game on 16 May 1932, and within weeks a Royal Commission was established to consider the Goode affair. The Royal Commission, at which Cleary gave evidence, found Goode had engaged in corrupt practices. Goode resigned as Chief Transport Commissioner on 23 July 1932 and was replaced by Cleary, with a salary of £3500 p.a., on 3 August 1932, He resigned in December 1932 "for private reasons", or as Smith's Weekly had it, "for the Service' good" — Cleary had lost the trust of his subordinates, notably in his addresses to several women's groups, which could easily be taken for disloyalty. T. J. Hartigan succeeded him as Chief Commissioner of Railways on 1 January 1933.

## Broadcasting

In June 1934 Charles Lloyd Jones, foundation chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, resigned to concentrate on his business interests, and in July Cleary was announced as his successor, with a three-year contract and an annual salary of £500.

Cleary read widely, and had a cultivated taste in music. He saw the ABC's future in fostering Australian culture, where General Manager W. T. Conder, wanted the network to have broader appeal. However this hardly explains the implacable enmity between the two men, which led, according to one biographer but not reported at the time, to Cleary reporting Conder for some financial irregularity, after which, in June 1935, Conder resigned. The secretary, A. L. Holman, acted as general manager briefly. Suggestions that the positions of General Manager and Chairman of the ABC should be combined (in Cleary) were scotched by Cleary who was, however, quietly preparing Charles Moses for the position, announced 4 November 1935.

He resigned abruptly in February 1945, having succumbed to the feeling or realization that his subordinates were plotting against him.

## Family

Cleary married Melanie Newton Lewis (5 July 1880 – 20 April 1966) on 20 April 1912. She was a daughter of accountant John Newton Lewis (died 22 September 1909). Their children include

- Joan Lewis Cleary (20 May 1913 – October 1989) was a commercial artist. She married Stafford Garland Crossman on 13 May 1939.

- Ruth Petrie Cleary (born 9 May 1914) educated at Abbotsleigh

- Betty Newton Cleary (born 20 November 1917) educated at Queenwood, Mosman, married Hereward "Herrie" Brudenell-Woods of Mona Vale on 1 March 1941

- Millicent "Babs" Cleary (no DoB found) was educated at Queenwood, Mosman. She was engaged to Victor Clarke R.A.N.V.R. in 1942, but no record of marriage has been found.

- Pauline Cleary (born 1923) was educated at Abbotsleigh, Scots College, and Queenwood

In 1916 they were living at 14 Leicester Street, Marrickville, later Awaba Street, Edwards Beach, Mosman.

Cleary's brother, Roy Victor Cleary (c. 1900 – c. 15 June 1928), was advertising manager for the Ford Motor Co. of Australia.


Theodor Döhler

# Theodor Döhler

## Abstract

Baron Theodor Döhler (20 April 1814 – 21 February 1856) was a German composer and a notable piano virtuoso of the Romantic period. He studied under Julius Benedict, Carl Czerny, and Simon Sechter.

## Biography

### Life

Döhler was born in Naples, where his father (d. 1843 in Lucca) lived and worked as Kapellmeister. Döhler was a child prodigy and received his first musical education in Naples from the conductor Julius Benedict. He began performing in public concerts there at the age of 13.

In 1827, he moved to Lucca when his father received a new appointment there. From 1829 to 1834 Döhler lived in Vienna, where he studied piano under Carl Czerny. At the same time, he studied composition with Simon Sechter. He appeared on the scene in 1838, when Liszt in Vienna and Thalberg were again in Paris. In 1846, Döhler's patron, the Duke of Lucca, elevated Döhler to the rank of Baron. Now a member of the nobility, Döhler was able to marry a Russian Princess, Countess Elise Sheremeteff in that year.

Following this, Döhler gave up public performance and settled for a while in Moscow. In 1848 he moved back to Naples where he composed piano pieces and one opera, Tancreda, which was first produced in 1880, 24 years after his death, which occurred in Florence in 1856.

### Career

In 1832, he was taken under the musical patronage of the Duke of Lucca. From 1834 until 1845 he toured Europe as a concert pianist, performing in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and Russia. He was considered a very successful and fashionable piano virtuoso.

## Compositions

- Piano Concerto in A+ Op. 7

- Nocturne Op. 24

- Nocturne No. 1 in C major Op. 25

- Tarantella Op. 39

- Andante for piano left hand No. 33 Op. 42

- Romance sans paroles (Romance Without Words)

Concerto pour piano et orchestre (Howard Shelley piano/conductor, with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra) Hyperion CDA67950


The Beatles discography

# The Beatles discography

## Abstract

Worldwide, the British rock band the Beatles released 12 studio albums (17 in the US), 5 live albums, 51 compilation albums, 36 extended plays (EPs), 63 singles, 17 box sets, 22 video albums and 53 music videos. In their native United Kingdom, during their active existence as a band, they released 12 studio albums (including 1 double album), 1 compilation album, 13 EPs (including 1 double EP), and 22 singles (including 4 double A-sided singles). The early albums and singles released from 1962 to March 1968 were originally on Parlophone, and their albums and singles from August 1968 to 1970 were on their subsidiary label Apple. Their output also includes vault items, remixed mash-ups and anniversary box-sets.

The Beatles are the biggest selling band of all time, selling over 500 million records.

With the first CD releases of their albums in 1987 and 1988, the Beatles' core catalogue was harmonised worldwide to encompass their 12 original UK studio albums, the 1967 US Magical Mystery Tour album and the newly assembled Past Masters: Volumes One and Two compilation albums consisting of all the studio recordings released during 1962 to 1970 that are not present on the UK studio albums or Magical Mystery Tour (mainly non-album singles, B-sides and EP tracks). When the core catalogue was reissued in remastered editions in 2009, the two volumes of Past Masters were combined into one double album. Since then, other past releases have been reissued in digital formats and on vinyl. The catalogue is currently distributed by Universal Music Enterprises ' Calderstone Productions. This core catalogue contains all 217 tracks intended for commercial release, either as album tracks, EP tracks, or singles, that were put out by the Beatles from 1962 to 1970.

The Beatles' international discography is more complicated due to different versions of their albums sometimes being released in other countries, particularly during their early years on Capitol Records in North America. Prior to 1967, it was common practice for British releases to be reconfigured for the American market. The first seven British Beatles albums were converted into ten LPs for the American market, adding material from singles and the UK EPs; the band were unhappy with these reconfigurations. With the exception of Magical Mystery Tour, studio releases from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967 forward were uniform in both the UK and the US. The band's first eight albums were released on Parlophone. From 1968, in both the UK and the US, starting with the single " Hey Jude " and the album The Beatles (better known as "the White Album"), new releases appeared on the Beatles' own Apple record label, although Parlophone and Capitol catalogue numbers continued to be used for contractual reasons.

The Beatles' discography was originally released on the vinyl format, with full-length long plays (LPs), shorter EPs and singles. Over the years, the collection has also been released on cassette, 8-track, compact disc (CD), on a USB flash drive in MP3 and 24-bit FLAC format, and on digital media streaming services. The Beatles' UK discography was first released on CD in 1987 and 1988. Between 1962 and 1968, the Beatles released their songs in both mono and stereo versions. The band's catalogue was remastered in both mono and stereo in 2009.

## Albums

### Standardised studio albums

Since the first release of their music on CD during 1987–1988, the Beatles' studio albums have been standardised worldwide to the following albums:

- Please Please Me (original UK album)

- With the Beatles (original UK album)

- A Hard Day's Night (original UK album)

- Beatles for Sale (original UK album)

- Help! (original UK album)

- Rubber Soul (original UK album)

- Revolver (original UK album)

- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (original UK and US album)

- Magical Mystery Tour (original US album)

- The Beatles ("The White Album") (original UK and US album)

- Yellow Submarine (original UK and US album)

- Abbey Road (original UK and US album)

- Let It Be (original UK and US album)

- Past Masters (see Compilation albums; compiles all studio recordings the Beatles commercially released during 1962–1970 that do not appear on the thirteen previously listed albums)

## Flexi discs

The Beatles released seven consecutive Christmas records on flexi disc for members of their UK and US fan clubs, from 1963 to 1969, ranging in length between 3:58 and 7:48. These short collections had a mix of spoken and musical messages for their official fan clubs.

## Other appearances

The Beatles notably very rarely appear on compilation albums with other artists.

## Videography

### Other TV appearances


The Big Picture (2000 film)

# The Big Picture (2000 film)

## Abstract

The Big Picture is the first short film directed by the Michael and Peter Spierig. The film was released in 2000.

The film was included as an extra on the Blu-ray release of Daybreakers.

## Plot

A career woman named Wendy never imagined going out with a man named Jack. She never imagined spending time with him. Yet she witnesses life altering events that change her mind.

Jack arrives at night with a white flower to give to Wendy and asks for a dinner date together that night, however Wendy refuses by claiming to be too tired. After Jack laves, Wendy goes back to her living room, sets the white flower in a vase down on her living room table, pours a glass of wine, and starts flipping through channels on the television until one channel shows her in her own living room. In surprise and fear she knocks over her glass of wine spilling it on the floor and goes to try and find the source of the camera. She notices upon closer examination things do not match up correctly and starts flipping the channel and starts to see an alternate version of Jack giving the flower and her accepting the dinner date of making spaghetti and then making love. She continues to watch as the T.V. continues to show the future of what would have happened such as Jack and Wendy falls in love with each other, their engagement party, moving to a new house, two babies, later one who has grown up and snuck back into the house stubbing her knee against the living room floor waking up an older Wendy who confronts the daughter in a supportive way, a scene of Jack and Wendy as an elderly couple with Jack bringing Wendy another white flower to symbolize their love through the decades, and finally the T.V. channel turns into static. After viewing all of this, an emotional Wendy decides to put on her shoes and cross the street to where Jack lives and is hit by a car in the middle of the street.


Scinax ruberoculatus

# Scinax ruberoculatus

## Abstract

Scinax ruberoculatus, the red-eyed snouted tree frog, is a frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to forest habitats in Brazil, Suriname, and French Guiana.

The red-eyed snouted tree frog is distinguishable from other frogs Scinax by its small size: The adult male frog measures 22.6–25.9 mm in snout-vent length and the adult female frog 25.4–27.5 mm. This frog is light gray or light brown in color on the dorsum with a dark spot on its head resembling a moth or a human molar. There is a whitish stripe on each side of the body. The upper half of the iris of the eye is red in color and the bottom half is gray. The ventrum is whitish.

The tadpole is about 22.2 mm long in total length. The body is bronze in color with darker brown spots. Young frogs are gray with darker spots. The irises of their eyes are red all around with black color around the iris.

The name ruberoculatus comes from the Latin words ruber for "red" and oculatus for "having eyes."


Algert Gjonaj

# Algert Gjonaj

## Abstract

Algert Gjonaj (born 18 October 1987) is an Albanian former professional basketball player who last played in the Albanian Basketball Superliga as well as for the Albanian national team.


The Legend of Tarzan (film)

# The Legend of Tarzan (film)

## Abstract

The Legend of Tarzan is a 2016 adventure film directed by David Yates. Based on the character Tarzan created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent, and Christoph Waltz. The story follows John Clayton (Tarzan), who, after moving to London, is convinced by George Washington Williams to return to his former home in the jungles of Africa, to investigate claims of slavery. It is the final film to be produced by Jerry Weintraub before his death in 2015.

Principal photography began on June 21, 2014, at Leavesden Studios in the United Kingdom and wrapped four months later. The film premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on June 29, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 1, 2016, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $356.7 million worldwide against a budget of $180 million and received mixed reviews from critics.

## Plot

At the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, the Congo Basin is claimed by King Leopold II of Belgium. Five years later, after accruing massive debts in exploiting the resources of the Congo Free State, Leopold sends his envoy Léon Rom to secure the fabled diamonds of Opar. The expedition is massacred by warriors led by Chief Mbonga, who offers Rom diamonds in exchange for Tarzan.

The man once called "Tarzan", The Rt Hon. John Clayton, Earl of Greystoke, has left Africa for his estate in Britain with his American wife, Jane, and embraced life as a wealthy nobleman. John's parents survived a shipwreck only to die in Africa, where their child, as a baby, was adopted by the Mangani, a race of gorilla-like apes more dangerous and aggressive than gorillas.

John is offered an invitation from Leopold to visit Boma. The Prime Minister and an American envoy, George Washington Williams, explain that Leopold is defaulting on his loans, and a visit from Greystoke – whose exploits as Tarzan made him a celebrity – would secure Britain's influence in the Congo. Greystoke, however, refuses and leaves the meeting. George approaches Clayton in the street and reveals his suspicions that Leopold is sanctioning slavery, and persuades John to accompany him to the Congo as a credible witness to discover the truth.

At Greystoke Manor, John remembers a time when he was 5 years old. After playing with his ape foster mother, Kala and foster brother, Akut, he was chased by Kerchak, the Mangani’s alpha male.

John, Jane, and George journey to the Congo, circumventing Rom and his corrupt financier Mr. Frum, and are welcomed by the Kuba village of John and Jane's youth. Rom and his men arrive during the night and capture the villagers, killing Chief Muviro, taking John prisoner, and taking the Chief's son Wasimbu along with other young men to serve as porters. George rescues John, but Jane and the captive villagers are taken aboard Rom's steamship. Rom turns out to have arranged John's invitation from Leopold to deliver him to Mbonga.

Pursuing the steamship, John, George, and the village's remaining warriors seize a train carrying Belgian military officers and enslaved Congolese. An engineer informs them of Rom's plan to take over the Congo, sanctioned by Leopold: using slave labor, Rom has built forts across the region, linked by railway and river travel, for an army of 20,000 mercenaries soon to arrive. With Leopold bankrupt, Rom needs the diamonds of Opar to pay for the army.

Finding documents that will expose Leopold, John and George leave the proof with the Kuba warriors and rescued enslaved people to deliver to Boma. Short on time, they continue on through Mangani territory. Confronted by the Mangani, John is forced to fight his foster brother Akut, now the alpha male. John loses and is left injured, but he and George are permitted to travel on by Akut.

Jane and Wasimbu escape the steamship and flee into the jungle. Jane sends Wasimbu off to rally the other tribes, knowing Rom's men will follow her. Jane encounters the Mangani, and Rom's men open fire on them. John arrives, saving some Mangani, including Akut, and pursues Rom, who takes Jane to Mbonga's tribe to collect the diamonds. It is revealed that years ago, Mbonga's son killed John's foster mother, Kala. An enraged John killed him to avenge her. Mbonga attacks John, who wins the fight but spares the chief. George and the Mangani then arrive to stop the fighting, and the two foreigners convince Mbonga that Rom is their common enemy.

Rom takes Jane and the diamonds to Boma, where the mercenary army approaches shore. John and George send a stampede of wildebeest through the town, overrunning Rom's men, as the Kuba warriors arrive by train and free their families. John rescues Jane and pursues Rom, who prepares to deliver the diamonds to Frum and the mercenaries. Williams sinks the steamship, while Rom attempts to strangle John with his rosary.

Using a mating call to summon crocodiles, John breaks free and leaves Rom to be devoured. As the vessel's boiler explodes, John escapes. Frum and the fleet of mercenaries depart. George returns to London and presents the prime minister with an open letter to Leopold exposing the slavery and abuses of the Congolese people.

One year later, John and Jane have relocated to Africa, in Jane's father's old house. They celebrate the birth of their son, and John returns to his rightful place among the great apes as Tarzan.

## Cast

- Alexander Skarsgård as John Clayton III, 5th Earl of Greystoke/Tarzan. On his character Tarzan, Skarsgård said, "This is about a man who's holding back; and slowly, as you peel off the layers, he reverts back to a more animalistic state and lets that side of his personality out." To get in Tarzan shape, Skarsgård spent 4 months in a training regimen before filming started and gained 24 pounds. Part of his training was for movement work with choreographer Wayne McGregor. Rory J. Saper as 18-year-old Tarzan Christian Stevens as 5-year-old Tarzan

- Rory J. Saper as 18-year-old Tarzan

- Christian Stevens as 5-year-old Tarzan

- Christoph Waltz as Captain Léon Rom, an iron-fisted and greedy Belgian official sent by King Leopold II of Belgium to find diamonds and control the region.

- Samuel L. Jackson as George Washington Williams, an American entrepreneur and veteran of the Indian Wars who becomes an ally to Tarzan.

- Margot Robbie as Jane Clayton, Countess of Greystoke, née Porter, Tarzan's feisty and devoted wife.

- Djimon Hounsou as Chief Mbonga, the leader of the leopard men of Opar (an African tribe that controls the diamond region), who wants revenge against Tarzan for the death of his son.

- Jim Broadbent as The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, the British Prime Minister.

- Casper Crump as Major Kerckhover, Rom's violent first lieutenant

- Ben Chaplin as Captain Moulle

- Hadley Fraser as John Clayton II, 4th Earl of Greystoke (Tarzan's father)

- Genevieve O'Reilly as Alice Clayton, Countess of Greystoke (Tarzan's mother)

- Yule Masiteng as Muviro, the chieftain of the Kuba people

- Mimi Ndiweni as Eshe

- Simon Russell Beale as Mr. Frum

## Production

### Development

An updated version of Tarzan had been in the works since at least 2003, with John August writing followed by John Collee in 2006 with Guillermo del Toro slated to direct. Del Toro dropped out to work on The Hobbit and by 2008, it was reported that a different version of Tarzan, co-written by Stephen Sommers and Stuart Beatle, that was said to resemble the Pirates of the Caribbean series, was in development. By 2011, Craig Brewer, who also rewrote a version of the script, was set to direct the film, although this did not come to pass. Instead, David Yates was chosen to direct in 2012. Other directors in the running included Susanna White and Gary Ross. In April 2013, it was reported that the production was temporarily suspended due to budgetary concerns.

### Casting

For a while, producer Jerry Weintraub wanted swimmer Michael Phelps to play the title role, feeling that he was the heir apparent to Johnny Weissmuller, the actor who had famously played Tarzan, and who was also a prominent competitive swimmer. Weintraub reportedly changed his mind after watching Phelps host Saturday Night Live, for only two minutes. Other early contenders for the role included Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy, and Charlie Hunnam. On November 14, 2012, Alexander Skarsgård was cast in the title role, the choice of director Yates, while Samuel L. Jackson was being eyed to play Williams in the film. Yates found Skarsgård to be the perfect Tarzan. He liked that he was born in Sweden but had found a career in America, so "he has this wonderful quality of not quite belonging to one or the other", he said. On March 6, 2013, it was reported that Yates wanted Jessica Chastain to play Jane Porter. On September 26, 2013, Christoph Waltz was in talks to play the villain in the film; he was later cast, as Captain Rom.

The studio eyed Margot Robbie and Emma Stone to play the female lead character, Jane Porter. Emma Watson, Sarah Bolger, Georgina Haig, Lucy Hale, Lyndsy Fonseca, Eleanor Tomlinson, Gabriella Wilde, Lucy Boynton and Cressida Bonas were all considered for the part. On January 18, 2014, Robbie was cast in the film, opposite Skarsgård, beating Stone for the role. On June 4, Djimon Hounsou was set to play Chief Mbonga in the film. On June 17, Osy Ikhile was added to the cast to play a supporting role, but the character was not then named. Casper Crump was cast to play Captain Kerchover. The release of the first trailer in December 2015 revealed that Jim Broadbent was also part of the cast.

### Filming

Principal photography on the film commenced on June 30, 2014, at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England. Filming had begun on the day an announcement was made for the expansion of the studio. Filming wrapped the same year on October 3. Filming took place for a total of 70 days. According to The Wall Street Journal, shooting the film in Africa would have made the budget even higher.

Making Africa seem authentic was especially important to the filmmakers, since the film was shot in England, except for six weeks in Gabon, filming background by helicopter without the cast. A working waterfall and a 100-foot-long collapsible pier were assembled at Warner Bros.' Leavesden studios. Seven versions of the African jungle were constructed to show different scenery throughout the filming. Plants from Holland were mixed with trees sculpted by the art department. Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire stood in for the Greystoke Manor, and a cedar tree on the grounds of Highclere Castle served as the setting for an early pivotal scene between Tarzan and Jane.

## Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams. The soundtrack was released on June 24, 2016, by WaterTower Music and on CD on July 15, 2016. Tony Clarke, Thomas Farnon, and Tom Howe are credited for additional music. Hozier provided a single, "Better Love", which is played at the film's end credits.

## Release

The film was released on July 1, 2016, by Warner Bros., in traditional formats as well as 3D and IMAX 3D.

### Home media

The film was released on October 11, 2016, in traditional formats, Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Blu-ray.

## Reception

### Box office

The Legend of Tarzan grossed $126.6 million in the United States and Canada and $230.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $356.7 million. Given its $180 million production budget, it would have had to earn at least $400 million to break even and justify a sequel. Deadline Hollywood ' s financial analysts stated that Warner Bros. lost an estimated $40 million on the film, although the studio itself asserted the film broke even.

In the United States and Canada, The Legend of Tarzan opened alongside The BFG and The Purge: Election Year, and was projected to gross to $25–33 million in its opening weekend. It opened Friday, July 1, 2016, across 3,561 theaters and 6,700 screens, and grossed $14 million on its opening day, including $1.4 million in IMAX showings. This includes $2.6 million it made from Thursday night previews. In its opening weekend, buoyed by positive word of mouth, the film grossed a better-than-expected $38.5 million, of which IMAX contributed $3.9 million, and $46.6 million over its four-day Independence Day holiday frame, finishing second place at the box office behind Finding Dory, but first among new releases. However, despite its opening numbers, Deadline called the film a "dud", due to its lofty budget.

Internationally, The Legend of Tarzan received a scattered release pattern, in order to take advantage of the competitive landscape surrounding the UEFA Euro 2016. It is likely that a recoup of the film's hefty production budget will be dependent on international audiences and returns. Jeff Goldstein, Warner's executive vice president of domestic distribution, told The New York Times, "This property has always really been about the international opportunity." The film opened across 19 markets on the same weekend it debuted in North America, including major territories like Russia and South Korea. In its opening weekend, it grossed $19.3 million on about 6,700 screens, and an IMAX total of $1.2 million from 122 IMAX theaters. In Russia and the CIS, it opened with $3.1 million, debuting in first place at the box office. However, it was the lowest No. 1 opening for a film since April, while in South Korea it debuted at No. 2, with $4 million. In the latter market, it faced significant competition from local films Familyhood and The Hunt, both of which performed strongly. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it came in second place with $4.7 million, including previews, debuting behind the animated The Secret Life of Pets, and in Australia with $3.2 million, behind Finding Dory. Elsewhere, Asia had No. 1 openings in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The studio also reported No. 1 debuts in Mexico ($4.6 million), Brazil ($3.4 million), Spain ($1.8 million), Italy ($1.6 million), the majority of Eastern European markets, and Puerto Rico. Germany ($2 million), the UAE ($1.6 million), and Japan ($1.5 million) had similar opening figures.

In China – the film's second biggest market – the film was granted a rare release date in the month of July, a peculiar move since July is typically the month when Chinese regulators ban foreign films (including Hollywood films) in order to protect and promote their own local films. It opened on Tuesday, July 19, and made $7 million on its opening day. It went on to deliver a six-day opening of around $27 million and a three-day weekend opening of $12 million. Although the opening number was regarded strong, it came in second place, behind Skiptrace, which occupied a market share in excess of 56%, in comparison to The Legend of Tarzan ' s 16%.

In terms of total earnings, its biggest markets outside of the United States are China ($45.1 million), Mexico ($13.7 million) and the U.K. and Ireland ($11.9 million).

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 35% based on 261 reviews with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, " The Legend of Tarzan has more on its mind than many movies starring the classic character, but that isn't enough to make up for its generic plot or sluggish pace." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, stating "What makes it more enjoyable than a lot of recycled stories of this type is that the filmmakers have given Tarzan a thoughtful, imperfect makeover." In his review, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone stated "At least it's watchable. In summer, baby, that's high praise."

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a negative review, stating "A talky and mostly turgid attempt by British director David Yates to build on the epic vision he brought to the final four Harry Potter movies via another beloved literary hero." Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian criticized the film for its story and writing, stating "Committed performances aren't enough to save this film from uncomfortable colonial optics, uninspiring CGI and tedious plotlines." The film was also called out for trying to make the source material politically correct and for being a white saviour story.


# You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties

## Abstract

" You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties " is a song by English singer-songwriter Jona Lewie. It was written by Lewie and Keef Trouble, and was released as a single in 1980. The song entered the UK Singles Chart in May, reaching number 16 and staying for 11 weeks on the chart. The song experienced the greatest success in New Zealand, where it reached No. 3 in October for two weeks, remaining in the top 40 for 17 weeks.

Lewie added a new storyline ending to Trouble's lyrics. He wrote the melody on a multi-timbre polyphonic Polymoog in his home eight-track studio, and played on and recorded the backing track entirely himself, apart from bass guitar from Norman Watt-Roy and additional hi-hat percussion from Bob Andrews. It has been claimed that the female backing vocal is by Kirsty MacColl, but Lewie has confirmed that during the recording of the song they were done by the wives of producer Andrews and Dave Robinson, the owner of Stiff Records. MacColl did however appear as a backing vocalist during live performances.

In 2010, the track was used to advertise kitchens for IKEA. The advert, the full version of which ran to three minutes, features the group Man Like Me walking around a party in a house comprising only kitchens while singing a new version of the song. Lewie himself appeared as the host of the party. The song returned to the UK Singles Chart in 2010 reaching number 71.

## Charts


World Mission Society Church of God

# World Mission Society Church of God

## Abstract

The World Mission Society Church of God is a new religious movement established by Ahn Sahng-hong in South Korea in 1964. The church believes that Ahn Sahng-hong is the Second Coming of Jesus, and that Zahng Gil-jah is God. Its headquarters as well as its main church are located Sungnam City, Kyunggi Province, near Seoul.

## History

### Founding

Ahn Sahng-hong founded the Church of God in South Korea on 28 April 1964. During his lifetime, there were 13 branches, and the headquarters were located in Busan. After Ahn Sahng-hong died on 25 February 1985, a general assembly of all the church leaders was held in Busan on 4 March 1985. In this meeting, they recognized Kim Joo-cheol as Ahn Sahng-hong's successor and Zahng Gil-jah as Ahn Sahng-hong's spiritual bride. The headquarters were moved from Busan to Seoul on 22 March. However, in April, leaders of 2 out of 13 churches opposed the doctrine of the spiritual bride and split. They formed the minority group NCPCOG. The majority group of 11 churches, led by Kim Joo-cheol, held a meeting in Seoul on 2 June 1985. During this meeting, they affirmed two major doctrines: that Ahn Sahng-hong should be regarded as the Second Coming of Christ and Zahng Gil-jah should be regarded as God the Mother. They also changed the church's name to Witnesses of Ahn Sahng-hong Church of God. Around 1997, the Witnesses of Ahn Sahng-hong Church of God established a non-profit organization titled the World Mission Society Church of God for the purpose of registering and managing the organization's assets.

## Beliefs

### The Second Coming of Christ

The church regards Ahn Sahng-hong as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, calling him "Christ Ahn Sahng-hong." According to a trinitarian view of hypostasis, Ahn is consequently also the Holy Spirit, God the Father, and thus God. They conduct prayers in the name of Ahn Sahng-hong instead of the name of Jesus Christ. They argue that just as christians prayed in the name of Jesus after He came as the Christ, they now pray in the name of the Second Coming Christ.

### God the Mother

The church believes Zahng Gil-jah, an elderly lady from South Korea, to be God the Mother, a female image of God titled Heavenly Mother or simply Mother, and believes that together with Ahn Sahng-hong she should be seen as God (for which the church commonly uses the Hebrew plural word: Elohim).

### Passover

This church teaches that keeping the Lord's Supper on the Passover is a biblically supported Christian tradition. They celebrate the resurrection on the Sunday following Passover. The church cites Polycrates and Polycarp, known as Quartodecimans, as the basis for keeping the Lord's Supper on the Passover. The Quartodecimans were likely considered 'orthodox' among Christians in Palestine and Asia Minor during early church history. However, After the Paschal Controversy and the First Council of Nicaea, they were classified as heretical.

### Idolatry

The church states that according to its interpretation of Exodus 20:4, items such as crosses and statues are considered a form of idolatry and are not erected on or in their churches.

## Criticism and controversy

### Controversy over 1988 doomsday prophecy

Ahn Sahng-hong, in his 1980 book The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life, predicted that the world would end in 1988, 40 years after the independence of Israel in 1948, citing Matthew 24:32–34. Korean Christian heresy researchers claimed that members of the Church gathered on a mountain in Sojeong-myeon, Yeongi County, South Chungcheong Province, to prepare for the coming of Christ Ahn Sahng-hong and the salvation of 144,000 souls, while announcing the End of the World during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

The church claimed that 1988 fulfilled Jonah 's prophecy, as detailed in Ahn Sahng-hong's final book, The Bridegroom Was a Long Time in Coming, and They All Became Drowsy and Fell Asleep (published in 1985). In the book, Ahn Sahng-hong claimed that the prophecy about the bridegroom coming late cannot be fulfilled without fixed time for his coming. He referred to 1988 as a prophetic moment where the bridegroom's coming might be delayed and compared this to Jonah's prophecy that Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days, which did not occur. In the book's preface, he emphasized that salvation depends not on knowing the time, but on believing in and following the new covenant truth.

### Evangelism and recruitment

This church primarily evangelizes the doctrine of 'God the Mother' in shopping malls, campuses, parks, door-to-door visits and on the streets. A church member mentioned that they typically engage in evangelism in open, visibly safe areas. Some ex-members and cult researchers have criticized the group's recruiting efforts as very aggressive, claiming that the church targets psychologically vulnerable people, particularly those going through a major life transition or with a void in their lives, as well as those with greater access to money, young white people who appear wealthy, college students and returning veterans. There are also claims that the church targets women and ethnic minorities.

After investigating the church's evangelism activities, Oxford Police said that nothing incriminating has been reported. They announced via social media that the World Mission Society Church of God is a legitimate church expanding to the area, and that sharing information door to door is allowed according to the Freedom of Relligion Act. Newport News Police commented, "As far as we can tell, it’s just a group that just wants citizens to attend their church." Fresno Police stated they could not find any reports of criminal behavior associated with them.

#### False rumors about human trafficking related to evangelism

Since 2018, there have been rumors spread through social media that the evangelism about 'God the Mother' of the WMSCOG is linked to human trafficking. Local police investigations have confirmed that these rumors are false. A supervisor in the Vice-Criminal Intelligence Unit of the Fresno Police stated that there is no evidence of human trafficking activity and that research using government and non-government sources didn’t show any criminal activity associated with the individuals or the church elsewhere. The rumor is estimated to have started on social media in early 2018 and spread to various regions, particularly through campus student associations. Investigations into the rumor were conducted at the University of Mississippi, the University of Louisville, Vanderbilt University, the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina, the University of Utah, Oberlin College, Texas State University, among others.

The church stated that due to false rumors, the church and its members experienced religious discrimination and harm. They reported that members had been threatened, faced murder threats, pepper spray attacks, and harassing phone calls. There was even an incident where someone almost ran over members with a vehicle. In response to the church's reports of these incidents, the police stationed patrol cars at the church. The church issued a statement requesting an end to the false rumors and unfair harassment against its members.

### Campus Evangelism

Many students, across multiple campuses, reported evangelism concerning the 'God the Mother' doctrine. There were concerns that they primarily target young women and approach men for human trafficking purposes due to false rumors circulating on social media. They approach students to ask if they believe in God the Mother, and often invite them to study groups or Bible study session. In New Zealand, their activities have been reported at the University of Otago, the University of Waikato, and the University of Auckland.

Rowan University’s spokesperson stated that they follow the same rules as other visiting groups and have done nothing wrong. Fresno City College’s spokesperson said that they are not doing anything wrong and no malicious activity has ever been reported Wichita State University police stated that while the member of the church approach people to talk about the Bible, they were not aggressive. People were making their own decisions to go with them, and there was no evidence of kidnapping or illegal activities. A Deputy of the University of South Carolina Police Department said that they're very cognizant of the First Amendment and people's freedom of religion and they don't want to curtail that haven't heard of anything criminal.

Some college campuses in the U.S. banned the church's recruiters for trespassing or proselytizing without permission. The University of Memphis and Ole Miss barred the church's evangelism activities from their campuses. A church member at the University of Memphis mentioned that there had been no issues about spreading messages for years and believed the actions were a result of false allegations on social media. Rochester University stated that, because the church is not affiliated with the Interfaith Chapel, its members are not authorized to be on campus. Students should not feel in danger from this group but are advised to exercise caution. The Otago University Students' Association in Dunedin disaffiliated from the Elohim World Academy following complaints from students about deceptive and coercive recruitment methods. The University of Otago 's Proctor had considered trespassing members of the group but ruled it out since that would have violated the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 's provisions on religious freedom and freedom of expression.

### Criticism of some former members and cult researchers

Some former members and cult researchers have criticized the group, describing it as a cult that exercises excessive control over its members, enforces separation from family and friends, exploits its members excessively, violates laws, and avoids transparency and accountability. In a civil suit filed by a former member against the church, the courts stated that although a church can be held liable for tortious conduct and contractual obligations, neither was applicable in this case.

Michele Colon, a former member who attended WMSCOG in New Jersey for two years, claimed in her 2013 civil lawsuit against the church that the group is a profit-driven cult that uses psychological control tactics to prevent members from exposing its criminal and illegal behavior. In December 2015, In an interview with People magazine, Colon, whose claims were generally contradicted by the church but generally supported in interviews with six other former WMSCOG members, described WMSCOG as a "doomsday cult" and "opportunistic." She claimed that the group recruits people undergoing life transitions or feeling a void, exploiting this vulnerability to draw them in. She said that the church manipulates members with "fear and guilt" and constant repetition, and that it "micromanaged" her life, including controlling her music choices and forbidding internet use. She claimed that church leaders do not disclose until members are fully committed that their "God the Mother" is actually a living South Korean woman in her 70s, known by multiple names and various spiritual titles, who is reportedly the spiritual wife of the deceased founder, Ahn Sahng-hong. At least one former member has sued them for urging her to have an abortion, and others have accused the church of discouraging pregnancy in anticipation of the world ending in 2012.

Colon's lawsuit seeking damages for the tortious conduct of the church was almost entirely rejected by the district and appellate state courts. The district courts dismissed her claims, citing the " religious freedom " element of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The appellate courts ruled that:

Each claim springs from Colón's contention that WMSCOG is a cult, not a church, and that she was essentially defrauded by this cult. The conflict arises from her disagreement about the manner in which the church implemented its doctrinal beliefs, managed its clergy and parishioners, and invested donations. Therefore, Colón's complaint necessarily required the court to examine the interior workings and structure of the church, a constitutionally unacceptable process. Although a church may clearly be held liable for tortious conduct and obligated on contractual undertakings, neither existed in this case.

An exclusive article reported claims from a former member in New Zealand. She alleged that members were expected to follow strict rules, such as separating from social media and non-church friends, attending masses and recruitment sessions, tithing ten percent of their income, avoiding jeans, rejecting music and masturbation, and losing weight to meet Korean beauty standards. She also claimed that members, including minors, were shamed for failing to meet the church’s standards and were ranked based on their recruitment rates. Additionally, she stated that church members were shown graphic videos of Hell and that pastors arranged marriages between congregants. The article's writer mentioned that the police initiated an investigation into the group. However, when a request was made to the New Zealand Police in 2023 for information regarding both the Elohim Academy and the church, the Police responded that no investigation had been conducted into either entity.

At least two former members in South Korea accused Zahng Gil-jah and Kim Joo-cheol of predicting that the world would end in 1988, 1999, and 2012 to defraud members and accumulate wealth. This accusation was dismissed due to a lack of evidence of criminal activity. In 2015, A former member held a press conference to present notarized confessions and declarations from members of the group Hapimo, which accused the Church. He stated that the group members were not harmed by the Church. Instead, most members expected to gain personally by portraying the Church as a harmful cult and filing collective damage lawsuits. He also claimed that members were paid for solo protests in front of the Church and that protest workers were hired who were not actual victims. Additionally, he alleged that the group pressured members to stage fake divorces to depict the Church as a family-destroying cult. He also mentioned that Kang, who seeks to overthrow the Church and become its leader, supported the group. Kang's website claims that the root of David is not Ahn Sahng-hong but the two witnesses, who, according to him, were born in 1974 and baptized in 1999. This interpretation aligns with Kang’s own biography. After the former member’s declarations, Hapimo sued him for defamation, but the court ruled that his claims about the group’s activities were not proven false.

Rick Alan Ross, cult researcher and deprogrammer describes the WMSCOG as "a very intense group... similar to the Unification Church Sun Myung Moon —the Moonies ", comparing WMSCOG indoctrination methods to those of the Unification Church. He claims that the WMSCOG has driven members into bankruptcies due to excessive donations, and claims that some have lost their jobs to excessive demands by the group and associated sleep deprivation. Ross says that members often are sent to group housing and shared apartments, becoming isolated and alienated from family and friends, even spouses and adult children. Ross notes the group, which recruits members on university campuses, at malls and other shopping sites, has no meaningful accountability for leadership—a "dictatorship in Korea"—nor for the millions in revenue it receives.

Steven Hassan, an author and mental health counselor who specializes in cults, described the experiences of Yale students exposed to the group as matching those of what he calls "authoritarian" or "destructive" cults.

### South Korea religious associations

The World Mission Society Church of God is one of many controversial and globalized grassroots Christian new religious movements that emerged in South Korea and has experienced rapid growth over the past 20 years since the 2000s.

The Korean Christian community, including the National Council of Churches in Korea and the Christian Council of Korea, has "harshly criticized" the deification of Ahn Sahng-hong and Zahng Gil-jah. They have officially condemned the church as a blasphemous and heretical cult, opposed by various denominations.

#### Forced conversions

A heresy expert of the Christian Council of Korea was found guilty by the courts of attempting to forcibly convert members of the World Mission Society Church of God, thereby violating their human rights and religious freedom. Pastor Jin, vice chairman of the Christian Council of Korea's Countermeasure Committee against Heresy and an editor at 'Modern Religion', confined members of the church in attics or prayer rooms and conducted forced conversion sessions. Members who did not convert were forcibly admitted to psychiatric hospitals. The victims filed lawsuits against Pastor Jin and others involved in the confinement. In 2008, the court sentenced Pastor Jin to a suspended prison term for night-time group coercion and aiding confinement, acknowledging the serious violation of personal freedom and religious freedom under the guise of conversion persuasion. The accomplices and psychiatrists involved were also found guilty. Shin Hye-sook, director of the Women's Cultural Center, criticized the actions, stating that using violence against people of different religions indicates a lack of basic religious qualities. Religious groups also criticized the intolerance and judgment of different denominations as reminiscent of the medieval religious dark ages.

#### Opposition to construction

In the past, the World Mission Society Church of God rented parts of collective buildings, but after 2007, church construction increased. As the number of buildings of the Church increased, Korean Christian organizations held protests and filed complaints to interfere with the church's construction. They stated, "The reason we must oppose the construction of this church on its own land with its own money is that this church is a cult." Most local governments approved the church's construction, and approximately 150 church buildings were constructed over the 10 years following 2007. However, a few local governments, including Yeosu City and Ulsan City, rejected the construction approvals, citing complaints and traffic congestion. The World Mission Society Church of God filed administrative lawsuits. The Korean courts ruled that "the collective petitions from religious organizations and nearby residents are merely personal and subjective evaluations of this church and cannot be seen as objective evidence that this religion causes harm. It is difficult to view this church as an anti-social religious group or to see its activities as anti-social. The church meets the legal parking requirements and there are no legal violations. " Consequently, the courts declared the local governments' refusals to approve the church's construction to be illegal.

#### Wonju city government

In 2016, the Wonju city government denied the construction approval for the Church of God in Wonju City, citing complaints and concerns regarding traffic congestion. However, there was controversy over the unfairness of the Wonju city government's refusal. The building applied for had about twice the number of legally required parking spaces, but the Wonju city government demanded parking spaces for 1,000 cars, assuming 1,000 church members. This calculation included children as drivers. Major South Korean media outlets reported suspicions of religious bias by the mayor of Wonju City regarding the rejection. Church members protested against the Wonju city government's administrative action by phone. There were more than 30,000 complaint calls made between May 30 and June 1, 2016. These complaints disrupted the city hall's complaint processing work. The church filed an administrative appeal against the Wonju city government's action, but the Administrative Appeals Commission dismissed it. The World Mission Society Church of God considered filing an administrative lawsuit against the Wonju city government.

Subsequently, in administrative lawsuits between the World Mission Society Church of God and other local governments, such as Yeosu City Hall and Ulsan City Hall, which had rejected construction approvals, the courts ruled that the local governments' refusals to approve the church's construction were illegal Although there was no administrative lawsuit against the Wonju city government, it changed its stance and in 2019 approved the use of the building for church purposes. They approved the previously rejected church construction, and the church held a dedication ceremony for the newly constructed church in 2023. When the World Mission Society Church of God applied to build an additional church in Taejang-dong, Wonju City, there were complaints filed again. However, the Wonju city government approved the construction application, stating there were no legal issues.

### Vietnam religious associations

In 2018, the Vietnamese Committee for Religious Affairs warned against the World Mission Society Church of God, describing it as cult-like. The government accused the group of deceptive recruitment, manipulative indoctrination, doomsday predictions, urging cash donations, and encouraging members to abandon their families. Authorities seized the Church’s assets in Hanoi, Saigon, and other provinces, interrogated hundreds of members, and accused Church leaders of brainwashing and micromanaging members' lives.

Asia News reported that many consider these allegations to be false, used by Vietnamese security forces to discredit certain groups. Fr. Le Ngoc Thanh, a Redemptorist priest in Saigon, said he was afraid that the propaganda campaign against the World Mission Society Church of God was designed to create tensions between religious and non-religious people. Vietnam's independent media outlet, IJAVN reported that "the Ministry of Home Affairs recently requested local authorities to disband and revoke licenses for religious groups associated with the 'Church of God' and 'Heavenly Mother' focus, preventing these organizations from regrouping and forming new centers of activity. This is difficult to understand because, even without any discovered violations of the law, licenses are still being revoked".

### Controversy over stained glass windows

The church often purchases buildings from other churches. If the acquired building has stained glass windows, they sometimes preserve or remove them. When the WMSCOG in Washington, D.C., acquired a church building in Capitol Hill, they renovated it while preserving most of its historic elements. However, they attempted to replace the stained glass windows with clear glass. This raised concerns among residents, who contacted the Historic Preservation Office (HPO). The church filed an application with the HPO to replace the stained glass windows, citing their religious belief that prohibits worship in the presence of images, as well as concerns about lead safety and energy efficiency. The D.C. government ruled that the church had created a conflict between preservation laws and its religious freedom by failing to conduct due diligence before purchasing the building. They ordered the restoration of the stained glass windows. After the restoration, the church applied for a permit to install storm window over the stained glass and the HPO found that regulations did not prohibit the installation of storm windows and that a permit was not required. The church then installed storm windows.

### Change in Ahn Sahng-hong's book

The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life (1980) has 38 chapters in total. The WMSCOG removed three chapters from "The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life", namely Chapter 1: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Prophecy of 40 Years, Chapter 11: Let Us Reveal the Truth from the History Books About the Church, and Chapter 36: Elijah Will Be Sent.

The "New Covenant Passover Church of God" (NCPCOG) which is the group that has split with the WMSCOG, claimed that the WMSCOG had changed the first edition dates of "The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life", "The Last Plagues and the Seal of God" and "Visitors from the Angelic World" to 1967 once upon a time. The NCPCOG also refuted the claim by the WMSCOG that Ahn Sahng-hong had the book "The Law of Moses and the Law of Christ", and said that Ahn Sahng-hong has never published this book, but it seems to have been compiled with reference to Ahn Sahng-hong's book "The New Testament and the Old Testament".

### Size in 2013

A media outlet owned by the Church of God reports to have more than 7,500 churches, and 3.3 million registered members in the world's 175 countries. However, an external account mentions that the number of church members is estimated to have only been around 100,000 in 2013, contrary to Kim Joo-cheol's claims.

## Awards

UK ZION, a World Mission Society Church of God chapter, was awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2016.