Early life.

McGrady was born on May 24, 1979, in Bartow, Florida, to Melanise Williford. His father was not a part of his everyday life, so Melanise raised McGrady with the help of her mother, Roberta, in Auburndale. As a youth, McGrady played high school basketball and baseball at Auburndale High School for three years before transferring to Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina for his senior season. In his junior year at Auburndale, McGrady posted averages of 23.1 points and 12.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 4.9 blocks per game. A relatively unknown player coming out of Florida, he made a name for himself after a strong performance at the Adidas ABCD Camp, an experience that helped McGrady recognize his true talent. He later reflected, "Nobody had a clue who Tracy McGrady was. Sonny Vaccaro gave me that platform, and I played against the best players in the world at that time. I left that camp the No. 1 player in the nation, 175 to No. 1." Behind his leadership, Mt. Zion emerged as the number two-ranked team in the country, and McGrady was named a McDonald’s All-American, national Player of the Year by "USA Today", and North Carolina's Mr. Basketball by the Associated Press. He also played during the 1997 Roundball Classic, scoring 13 points. His senior year averages were 27.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.8 steals and 2 blocks per game. Initially, McGrady considered playing college basketball at the University of Kentucky, but he ultimately decided to enter the NBA draft as he was a projected lottery pick.

Professional career.

Toronto Raptors (1997–2000).

McGrady was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA draft. For most of the 1997–98 season, he received little playing time, averaging only 13 minutes per game under head coach Darrell Walker. McGrady has described his rookie year as "hell", feeling lonely in Toronto and sleeping for up to 20 hours a day. Late in the season, Walker resigned, and McGrady began playing more under new coach Butch Carter, who agreed to increase McGrady's minutes on the condition that McGrady would improve his work ethic.  Before the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, the Raptors drafted McGrady's third cousin, Vince Carter. The two became inseparable; teammate Dee Brown once said, "They say they're cousins... But Siamese twins is more like it." By the 1999–2000 season, the duo had developed a reputation for their athleticism, giving memorable performances at the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest. McGrady, now playing significant minutes, was a contender for the Sixth Man of the Year Award before being elevated to Toronto's starting backcourt in late March. Behind McGrady and Carter's play, the Raptors finished the season with a 45–37 record, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. McGrady's final averages were 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a career-high 1.9 blocks per game. In the first round of the postseason, the Raptors were swept by the New York Knicks.

Orlando Magic (2000–04).

Following Toronto's first-round exit, McGrady became a free agent, signing a six-year, $67.5 million contract with the Orlando Magic. He elected to join the Magic in part because he disliked his secondary role playing behind Vince Carter, in part so that he could return home to Florida, and in part to play with their other newly acquired free agent, Grant Hill. Hill would go on to play in only 47 games total throughout his tenure with the team, forcing McGrady into a more significant leadership and scoring role than anticipated.  During the 2000–01 season, McGrady defied the expectations of many, emerging as one of the best players in the NBA, with Milwaukee Bucks General Manager Ernie Grunfeld going so far as to call him "one of the top five talents in the league". McGrady's play earned him his first All-Star Game appearance and, behind averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, he was selected to his first All-NBA Team, being named to the All-NBA Second Team. He was also voted the league's Most Improved Player. With a 43–39 record, the Magic entered the playoffs as the East's seventh seed, drawing a matchup with the Bucks. In Game 3 of the series, McGrady notched 42 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in a performance that Bill Simmons later called McGrady's "superstar audition tape". Orlando was eventually eliminated by Milwaukee in four games.  For the 2001–02 season, McGrady averaged 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, earning his second All-NBA Team selection, this time to the All-NBA First Team. During that year's All-Star Game, he completed one of the most memorable highlights of his career, throwing the ball off the backboard to himself and completing an alley-oop in traffic. At season's end, the Magic were again ousted in the first round of the playoffs, losing in four games to the Charlotte Hornets.  In 2002–03, McGrady won his first scoring title and, behind averages of 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, finished a career-best fourth in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting. ESPN later ranked his season one of the best ever for a perimeter player. In Game 1 of the playoffs, he scored 43 points to help Orlando take an early series lead against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. The Magic would go on to take a commanding 3–1 lead, and McGrady made headlines when he prematurely assumed that Orlando were guaranteed to advance to the next round, replying in an interview, "It feels good to get in the second round." Despite holding the series lead, the Magic were eliminated in seven games.  The 2003–04 season was a tumultuous one for McGrady; Magic coach Doc Rivers was fired after a 1–10 start to the year and there were reports of friction between McGrady and Orlando General Manager John Weisbrod. Throughout the season, Orlando struggled because of a series of injuries, finishing the year with the worst record in the East despite McGrady winning his second consecutive scoring title. Late in the season, McGrady scored a career-high 62 points in a winning effort versus the Washington Wizards. His final averages were 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.

Houston Rockets (2004–10).

On June 29, 2004, McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines were traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a seven-player deal that sent Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic. In response to the trade, McGrady stated that he was happy with the situation and expressed excitement over the prospect of playing alongside Rocket All-Star center Yao Ming. Shortly after arriving in Houston, McGrady signed a three-year, $63 million contract extension with the team.  The Rockets struggled to begin the 2004–05 season, posting a losing record of 16–17 through their first 33 games. In December, McGrady had one of the most memorable performances of his career, scoring 13 points in the final 35 seconds against the San Antonio Spurs to secure a comeback victory. The sequence included four consecutive three-pointers, one of which was part of a four-point play and the last of which was a game-winner in the final two seconds. After the All-Star break, Houston rebounded from their slow start, finishing the season with 51 wins and the third-best record in the West. McGrady's final averages were 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. In Game 2 of the first round of the postseason, he had another signature performance, completing a "thunderous" dunk over 7'6" Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley and hitting a game-winner for a 113–111 victory. The series would go to a decisive Game 7, where McGrady came out cold, missing his first seven shots en route to a 40-point loss.  The 2005–06 season was a disappointing one for the Rockets, as McGrady appeared in only 47 games due to injury. At various points during the year, he missed time due to back spasms, including a moment in January where he had to be carried off the court in a stretcher due to a severe flare up. Despite his health concerns, McGrady was able to play in that year's All-Star Game in front of his home crowd in Houston, exploding for 36 points in just 27 minutes. For the season, he averaged 24.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Due in part to his frequent absences, the Rockets failed to qualify for the playoffs.  Early in the 2006–07 season, McGrady missed seven games, again because of back spasms, eventually deciding to visit a doctor and receive treatment for the injury as he felt that it was affecting his speed and explosiveness. His health issues and the ascension of Yao Ming, who was having a breakout season, resulted in McGrady temporarily becoming the team's second scoring option. His final averages were 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. To open the playoffs, the Rockets were matched up the Utah Jazz. By this time, pressure had started to mount on McGrady to lead the team deep into the postseason, to which he responded, "If we don’t get out of the first round, it’s on me!" Houston would eventually lose the series in seven games, and at his postgame press conference following the Game 7 defeat, McGrady, still visibly emotional from the loss, said "I tried, man, I tried."  In 2007–08, the Rockets went on a 22-game winning streak, the then-second longest in NBA history, despite missing Yao Ming during that stretch. During their run, McGrady expressed optimism over the team's roster, admitting, "I haven't had this kind of trust in my teammates before." Houston finished the season as the West's fifth seed, earning them a rematch with the Jazz in the first round. By the time the playoffs arrived, McGrady was nursing shoulder and knee injuries, at times requiring him to receive pain-killing injections and have fluid drained from both his shoulder and knee in order for him to be able to play. The Jazz again eliminated the Rockets, this time in six games, despite a strong 40-point and 10-rebound performance from McGrady in the decisive Game 6.  Following Houston's loss to Utah, McGrady underwent arthroscopic surgery on both his left shoulder and left knee. Early in the 2008–09 season, he missed 18 games, including a two-week stretch in January as his knee was not fully healed from his offseason surgery. On February 24, he had microfracture surgery in Chicago, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year. By then, his averages had declined to 15.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. In a surprise turn of events, the Rockets qualified for the playoffs without McGrady and advanced to the second round, pushing the eventual-champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games.  McGrady was still recovering from surgery to begin the 2009–10 campaign. On December 15, he returned to action but was limited to only seven minutes off the bench. After six games, the Rockets decided to shut him down again so that they could focus on trading him to another team.

Final years and retirement (2010–13).

On February 18, 2010, McGrady was dealt to the Knicks as part of a three-team trade involving Houston, New York, and Sacramento. Two days later, he made his team debut, scoring 26 points in an overtime loss against the Thunder. He would finish the season with averages of 9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. In 2010–11, he signed with the Detroit Pistons and averaged just 8 points per game, and in 2011–12, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging a career-low 5.3 points per game.  On October 9, 2012, McGrady signed a one-year deal with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association. Qingdao finished the season in last place, with McGrady averaging 25 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Shortly after the conclusion of the CBA campaign, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs in time for him to qualify for their playoff roster. In 2015, McGrady's jersey number 1 was retired by Qingdao. The Spurs eventually advanced to the 2013 NBA Finals, losing in seven games to the Miami Heat, which provided McGrady with the opportunity to play his first career postseason minutes outside of the first round.  On August 26, 2013, McGrady announced his retirement from the NBA on ESPN's "First Take".

International career.

McGrady was selected to the United States men's national basketball team for the FIBA Americas Championship 2003 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On August 22, McGrady led the Americans with 16 points in a 98–69 victory over Venezuela. McGrady sat out the August 26 game due to a back injury. The U.S. qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games on August 30 with an 87–71 win over Puerto Rico; in the game, McGrady and Puerto Rico's Eddie Casiano were involved in an altercation which resulted in fans throwing drinks and debris on the court. Ultimately, America advanced to the gold medal game, defeating Argentina to finish a perfect 10-0. For the tournament, McGrady averaged 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a game on 54.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent three-point shooting. Most of the 2003 team, including McGrady, did not play for the 2004 Olympic Team.

Player profile.

Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall (2.03 m) and weighing 210 pounds (95 kg), McGrady played as a shooting guard and small forward. His career averages were 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. McGrady earned seven All-NBA honors (2001–05, 2007–08), seven All-Star selections (2001–07), two NBA scoring titles (2003–04), and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017. He wore the "1" jersey as an ode to Penny Hardaway.  McGrady was known for his laid-back demeanor and scoring prowess; he once scored 41 points in a game despite being asleep right until tip-off, a performance that inspired the nickname "The Big Sleep". Many of his contemporaries, including Paul Pierce, have called him one of the most difficult players that they ever had to guard. McGrady's playing style has been compared to George Gervin's because both players made scoring appear easy with their "smooth" approach to the game. At his peak, McGrady was an explosive player capable of finishing at the rim over the defense; in a piece for ESPN, Zach Lowe reminisced, "He glided through the lane, crouched into traffic, and accelerated suddenly -- almost violently -- through a forest of slower-moving forms, and to the rim." McGrady was also a threat from outside, and would frequently pull up for deep three-pointers over unsuspecting defenders. Some analysts have remarked that McGrady's length, playmaking, and shooting abilities would have made him more effective in the modern era of basketball, and that he was ahead of his time. On the defensive side of the ball, McGrady's effort was less consistent, but he demonstrated the ability to raise his level in meaningful games, such as during the playoffs against the Mavericks, where he often drew the assignment of guarding Dirk Nowitzki.  During his time as an All-Star, McGrady was frequently criticized for not having led any team beyond the first round of the playoffs. Some analysts have defended McGrady, feeling that he was the victim of bad rosters and unfortunate circumstances. His effort level, leadership, and toughness were also questioned at times. In response to these criticisms, former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy described McGrady as a poor practice player but praised his coachability, unselfishness, and ability to perform well in big games.  McGrady is often ranked as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time; "The Book of Basketball" ranked him 77th, ESPN ranked him 63rd, and "SLAM Magazine" ranked him 97th. In 2016, "Sports Illustrated" listed McGrady as one of the 20 best basketball players since the announcement of the original 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

Off the court.

McGrady has three children with his wife, CleRenda Harris. Their first son, Laymen Lamar, was born on December 27, 2005, during a home game in Houston, which McGrady left at halftime. Tracy's younger brother, Chancellor "Chance" McGrady, played for the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball runner-up Memphis Tigers. McGrady and former teammate Vince Carter are third cousins; after McGrady left the Raptors, they had a feud, but it was resolved in a short period of time.  In 2002, McGrady signed a longterm partnership with Adidas, agreeing to an endorsement deal that lasted through his playing career and beyond. Adidas produced a signature line of shoes for McGrady that "Complex" remembered as "all the buzz in the early-mid 2000s". Upon retiring, McGrady shifted his focus to his business investments, including Dasdak, a Washington, D.C.-based technology company, and Blue-04, a bottled water company in Florida. He was also an initial investor in a Minor League Baseball team which would become the Biloxi Shuckers. Since 2016, he has worked as an NBA analyst for ESPN.  In 2007, McGrady traveled to the Darfurian refugee camps in Chad with John Prendergast and Omer Ismail of the Enough Project. McGrady recruited NBA players to support an initiative linking schools in Darfurian refugee camps to American middle schools, high schools, and universities. During one of his final seasons with the Rockets, he changed his jersey number to #3 in order to promote his humanitarian efforts in the region and a documentary on his summer visit called "3 Points". In 2008, McGrady was criticized for his comments on the All-Star Game being held in New Orleans, only three years removed from the destruction surrounding Hurricane Katrina. McGrady publicly questioned the quality of public safety and protection of NBA players.  On February 4, 2014, McGrady confirmed that he was officially pursuing his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, working with Roger Clemens to become a pitcher for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. On April 23, McGrady made the Skeeters' Opening Day roster. In his debut, he pitched innings, receiving the loss. In July, he started the Atlantic League All-Star Game, where he recorded his first strikeout. After the game, McGrady announced his retirement from baseball.

Career statistics.

NBA statistics per Basketball Reference. CBA statistics per CBA Data Center.

Awards and honors.

Per McGrady's Basketball Reference page unless noted otherwise.

Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and one-time winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017.

Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr est un ancien joueur américain de basket-ball né le à Bartow, près d'Orlando en Floride. Joueur offensif complet, capable d'évoluer aussi bien au poste d'arrière que d'ailier, il est fréquemment qualifié de "swingman".


Geography.

Yanchep is bounded to the north-west by Two Rocks and to the south by the rural localities of Eglinton, Carabooda and Pinjar. The non-metropolitan Shires of Gingin and Chittering surround Yanchep's northern and eastern boundaries. West of Yanchep is the Indian Ocean.  Its boundaries as a suburb are extremely large, covering over and taking up almost the entire northern and north-eastern portion of the City of Wanneroo. Despite this, Yanchep's urban concentration is almost entirely located in a small enclave around Yanchep Beach Road, near the coast.

History.

The lands comprising Yanchep were initially used as a sheep station, up until 1970 when Alan Bond bought approximately of land in the area. Bond Corporation presented designs for "Yanchep Sun City" - a future satellite city of over 200,000 residents. The area's first houses were built in 1972, and the marina at nearby Two Rocks was built as part of the same project two years later. However, sales of homes in the area had already slowed down by 1974. In 1977, the project was bought out by Tokyu Corporation after Bond Corporation began experiencing financial difficulties.  Spud Shed started as a farm in the area in 1965.  In the Western Australian State Government's "Directions 2031" urban expansion plan, Yanchep was once again highlighted as a future satellite city and major metropolitan centre.  The Smorgon family is developing the north coastal area Capricorn Beach as a planned development.  On 11 December 2019, a fire that started in Yanchep burnt through about 14,000ha across Two Rocks and into the Shire of Gingin over several days. Approximately 6,000 homes were saved, with only one lost. Original Yanchep Petrol Station, owned by local Yanchep residents was destroyed in the fire, bringing devastation to the town. The once-thriving small business was referred to as an "icon" of old Yanchep.

Demographics.

Yanchep had a population of 2,482 at the 2006 Australian census, a marginal increase of 450 persons since the 2001 census. The population is predicted to continue growing gradually, hitting 20,702 in 2031. 61.4% were born in Australia, just below the national average of 70.9%. Like many other northern suburbs of Perth, a significant British minority is present, comprising 17.2%.  The population share an average age of 38, in line with the national average of 37. Income levels in Yanchep are noticeably below the Australian national average, with a median household income of $828 per week compared to $1,027 per week nationally.  In 2011, 46.5% of Yanchep residents declared a denomination of Christianity as their religious affiliation, with Anglicanism being the most populous at 24.5%. However, the highest response was 30.6% who declared no religion. This compared with the 2006 results where 45.7% of Yanchep residents declared a denomination of Christianity as their religious affiliation, with Anglicanism being the most populous at 23.1% and 27.6% declared no religion.  The Australian Bureau of Statistics has identified Yanchep - Two Rocks as a significant urban area. As at June 2018 this area had an estimated urban population of 13,775, having grown rapidly at an average annual rate of 10.37% year-on-year for the preceding five years.

Amenities and facilities.

As a suburb, Yanchep has a brand new shopping centre with a large Woolworths, various specialty shops such as a newsagency, butcher, bakery, hair salon, travel agency, cafe, massage and nail salons and fast food outlets. A garden centre, vet and various other businesses are also located in the industrial area a few hundred metres from the shopping centre. Residents can also rely on Butler, Clarkson and Joondalup, 15–30 km south, for more shops and public services.  Yanchep is a popular tourist destination. With the Yanchep lagoon, Yanchep Inn in the National Park.  Yanchep National Park includes guided tours of Crystal Cave, bush walks, koala displays, and the Loch McNess lake. During the 1980s the area was home to popular tourist attractions including Atlantis Marine Park (in Two Rocks) and the Sun City Marina.  While there is no hospital at Yanchep, the area has a medical facility, and also has one large dedicated aged care facility with 160 high care beds available, reducing the need for travel for local families.

Education.

There are currently three schools in Yanchep: Yanchep Beach Primary School, Yanchep Lagoon Primary School and Yanchep Secondary College.  From 1975 to 2014, Yanchep District High School was the only school in Yanchep. It opened for Kindergarten to Year 7 students in 1975, later expanding to Year 10 in 1981. The school served Yanchep, Two Rocks, Carabooda and Woodridge.  In 2014, Yanchep Beach Primary School opened, catering for students from kindergarten to Year 6. It is an independent public school.  In 2018, Yanchep Secondary College opened for students from Year 7 to 11, expanding to Year 12 the following year, replacing Yanchep District High School as the local secondary school, and giving Year 11's and 12's living in Yanchep and Two Rocks the option of attending school nearby. Before Yanchep Secondary College opened, Year 11's and 12's had to travel to Mindarie Senior College or Butler College to access schooling. Yanchep District High School became a K-6 school and was renamed to Yanchep Lagoon Primary School.  A third primary school is planned to open in Yanchep in 2021.

Transport.

Yanchep Beach Road, one of the suburb's main distributor roads, links to Marmion Avenue and Wanneroo Road, two north-south arterial roads that link Yanchep to the rest of metropolitan Perth. Marmion Avenue was extended to Yanchep in 2008; Wanneroo Road was the only route to Yanchep from Perth prior to the extension.  Two bus routes serve Yanchep, running from Two Rocks to Butler railway station, 10 kilometres to the south in Butler. It is the nearest public transport hub to Yanchep, providing further bus and rail links to the regional city of Joondalup, as well as Perth's central business district.  There are plans to extend the Joondalup Line by to Yanchep via Alkimos and Eglinton. In the 2017 WA state budget, $441 million was allocated to build the extension, with construction. When the extension opens, a journey time of 49 minutes is envisioned from Yanchep to the CBD, with up to 13,500 people expected to use the line every day.

Politics.

Like many other northern Perth suburbs, Yanchep's population generally supports the Liberal Party at the federal level, but the Labor Party at the state level. There was considerable support for One Nation in that party's early days, and The Greens now have significant backing.

Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. Originally a small crayfishing settlement, it was developed by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1970s for the 1977 America's Cup. The area covers the urban centre of Yanchep as well as Yanchep National Park in its entirety.

Yanchep est un quartier situé à 56 km au nord de Perth, en Australie occidentale. Il a été construit par l'entrepreneur Alan Bond. Il s'agit d'une banlieue de la Ville de Wanneroo. Yanchep est une destination touristique populaire. Il y a la plage, des hébergements et des sites pour les caravanes ainsi que le « Yanchep Inn » dans le Parc national de Yanchep.


Background.

The group, fresh off the major success of their debut "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out", took a break after non-stop touring and began formulating ideas for their next record together during the winter of 2006. After a short period of development regarding the ideas of the album, the band arrived at a cabin in the rural mountains of Mount Charleston, Nevada in March 2007 to begin the writing process for the new album. At the time, the band set a tentative release date for autumn and had not yet settled on a producer. By April, the band had four songs completed and planned to leave the cabin to head to Los Angeles to continue work on what Ross called "a modern fairy tale with a romantic twist." Shortly before departing from the area, bassist Jon Walker remarked the album would be similar to a concept album and that the entire band would be involved in writing (all previous material had been composed by guitarist Ryan Ross). "Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...)" was also written for this album; however, it was rejected for inclusion for "Pretty. Odd.", due to not fitting within the concept of the album. Urie and Smith later finished the song for the band's next studio album "Vices & Virtues".  When the group began settling back in Los Angeles in June 2007, they began tracking the album, and at that point, eight new songs had been written. After recording the new tracks and performing them live over the summer, the band returned to their native Las Vegas as well as their old rehearsal studio, where they wrote their debut record. During this time, the band picked producer Rob Mathes to work on the album, who had previously worked with them on a cover of "This Is Halloween" from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993). The band grew uninterested in the songs previously written and by August scrapped the entire new album (which Ross later revealed was "three-quarters" done) and started over. "We wanted to approach these songs in the most basic form," Ross said. "We wrote them all on one acoustic guitar and with someone singing. I think that we kind of skipped that part of songwriting on the first record, and this time we're sort of paying attention to that. [...] We've written a bunch of songs since we've been home [Las Vegas]. I think it's the most fun and the happiest we've been since we started." With simplicity the new focus and the old album shelved, the group settled in and began recording what would become "Pretty. Odd."

Recording and production.

The band continued writing for their follow-up in September 2007. In one month, the band had completed writing "six or seven songs" that contained a much more positive outlook to them, according to Ross. In October, the band entered the Studio at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas to begin recording the album. Ross became the primary spokesman for the band, remarking to MTV the band was "working backwards" for the release, stripping down its sound and going for a more classic rock approach. With "Pretty. Odd." the band was not concerned with succumbing to the pressures of living up to the success of their debut, instead writing and recording songs that made them happy.  The first song written for the album was actually a hold-over from the scrapped record, "Nine in the Afternoon". "We wanted to have a song people could just get on the first listen.... It was one of those spur-of-the-moment songs that came together in a couple of hours. It's just a fun song; it's not really meant to be taken seriously," said Ross of the song. The song inspired the band to write happier tracks, and, from there, the band buckled down, ripping through eight new songs in a little more than six weeks, then writing a couple more while ensconced at the Palms. By the end of the year, the group was well on their way to finishing production on the album. The album came together quickly and each song written made the cut, with "Mad as Rabbits" being the final recorded.  In January 2008, the band wrapped up recording at their home studio over one week, and headed to London's Abbey Road Studios to record strings and horns, which the band regarded as "truly a dream come true for us". While there, the band also mixed the album with Peter Cobbin. Mathes was involved in the instrumentation of the album, performing keyboards, acoustic piano, and the mandolin. Mathes arranged and conducted the orchestra at Abbey Road for all tracks except "Nine in the Afternoon". A wurlitzer can be found on "Mad as Rabbits", played by Rick Ronick.

Music.

Musically the album has been described as psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock, pop rock, baroque pop, and folk rock. The sound of the album was described by the band as "more organic and mellower" than "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out", as well as unintentionally and coincidentally similar to music of The Beatles, in both songwriting and scope. "We all like all of that, from "Rubber Soul" to "The White Album" and all of that, but even before, we were into that theatrical element of things. We didn't want to do a "Sgt. Pepper's" thing," explained Ross. The band never had the intention of music similar to The Beach Boys and The Beatles, according to both Ross and Walker. "It was like before we were writing these songs, we were writing things that were almost entirely orchestrated - and it kind of carried over into this stuff," continued Ross. "And I do think that half this record does sort of have that kind of 'fantastical instrumentation' thing, but we were just trying to fit the mood of each song. And in some cases, we just thought, 'We've got to have this.' " The difference in age did not take negative effect on the band, instead inspiring them to look through a more mature perspective, according to singer Brendon Urie.  Although there was no "clear vision" behind "Pretty. Odd.", the band knew that they "wanted to write songs differently in the sense that not all the songs sounded the same or were part of one set genre, you know, just doing something different. With this record, we listened to a bunch of different stuff, too, so that kind of helped broaden our musical taste." Thanks to the new collaborative relationship with producer Rob Mathes, the roles within the band became blurred. Although most songs on the record are attributed to Ryan Ross, the entire band collaborated on each track, with Urie writing two tracks himself and Walker and Smith adding additional lyrics to several tracks. "The Washington Post" reviewed the new sound of Panic positively: "Everything is new, if old, from the baroque instrumentation (the use of a fluegelhorn), songwriting (less wordy, more obtuse) and vocal phrasing (streamlined) to the Beatlesque chord progressions, melodies, hooks and stacked vocal harmonies, which also owe a minor debt to Brian Wilson." The lyrics mingle ruined romances and neo-psychedelic aphorisms.  "Nine in the Afternoon" received positive reviews and critics noted the change in direction from the band's debut and "Pretty. Odd." James Montgomery of MTV regarded the song similar to The Band's "Music from Big Pink", and called final single "Northern Downpour" reminiscent of "an "Abbey Road" outtake". "When the Day Met the Night", the record's eighth track, was heavily praised by music publications. "Spin" regarded it as the centerpiece of the record, calling it "a sunshine pop sing-along that's as blindingly bright" and a stark contrast to the "embarrassing" "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out". Gigwise called the song "the track everyone will want to see the band play live," and noting that its "brass backing and glorious string-based crescendo are that of "Pet Sounds"-era Beach Boys." National Public Radio commented that "Pretty. Odd." "experimented with psychedelic pop, vaudeville and unusual instrumentation."

Promotion.

The entire marketing campaign for "Pretty. Odd." was based solely on grassroots and viral marketing. The band's original intention with the record, according to drummer Spencer Smith, was to have a single out by Christmas 2007 and the album out by February. The band first began promotion for the album in November 2007, with a snippet of "Nine in the Afternoon" audible in the "Heroes" episode "Cautionary Tales". On December 12, 2007 the group released a cryptic MySpace bulletin containing a link to their website and a message mysteriously stating "And so it begins..." The link led to the band's official website, where a puzzle revealed what most seemed to agree read "You Don't Have to Worry." Inspired by an idea when the band got drunk while recording according to manager Bob McLynn, the viral marketing campaign was the first clues to what would reveal several more clues over the following weeks, including the album title, artwork and first single.  "Nine in the Afternoon" was revealed as the first single from "Pretty. Odd." through the puzzle aforementioned on December 14, 2007. The original message was revealed to be a disclaimer in the record's first track, "We're So Starving", which debuted in a rough mix on the band's MySpace on January 2, 2008. The demo gained 45,000 listens by the end of the day, before it was removed. The album's title, "Pretty. Odd.", was hinted at during the music video shoot for "Nine in the Afternoon" on December 22, where each band member wore a sash bearing the title. The title was revealed by a spokesperson for Atlantic Records on January 9, 2008. On the same date, the band unveiled a new logo and dropped the exclamation point from their name, effectively becoming Panic at the Disco, which soon caused outrage among the band's fanbase. In April 2008, the band released a short film to promote the album, titled "Panic at the Disco in: American Valley".

Artwork and title.

"It seems like [Panic have] put some thought into the changes... they're not just changes for changes' sake. "Pretty. Odd." works because it conjures up images of something that is both pretty "and" odd, which is interesting, And it's grammatically interesting, because without the period, the word 'pretty' would be modifying the word 'odd.' So it takes on a completely different context."  - Geraldine Woods, the author of "Webster's New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied"  The entirety of the art direction for "Pretty. Odd." was headed by Alex Kirzhner, with inspiration from Panic at the Disco. The inside liner notes, which include the lyrics to each song, were illustrated by graphic designer Connie Makita, and the majority of the rest of the illustrations were designed by Kirzhner with designer Tanapan "Bang" Puangpakdee. The album art was revealed via the band's official website on January 23, 2008. The album cover art consists of painted flowers and butterflies, which "Slant" regarded as a tribute to The Beach Boys. The deluxe edition vinyl package was nominated for Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package at the 2009 Grammy Awards, but lost to Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (2007).  The album's title, "Pretty. Odd." was conceived randomly while recording and the name stuck. "It just happened one night. We were working on a new song, and we weren't even talking about album titles, but it was just something I wrote down, and I brought it up to the guys," Ross explained. "Like, "Pretty. Odd." And then they all liked it, and that was a couple of months ago, so we just kept it since then." Smith added that the band thought it was "more fun" with the punctuation present in the title. Meanwhile, the lack of punctuation in the band's name outraged fans and brought about a strange amount of press. Geraldine Woods compared the punctuation to e.e. cummings and likened it to a form of "rebellion for creative people."

Release.

"Pretty. Odd." was released on March 21, 2008 in the United States and Canada, as well as various other dates for other countries. The album debuted at number two on the US "Billboard" 200 chart, with first-day sales of 54,000, and first-week sales of 139,000 copies in the United States. Those figures marked the band's biggest sales week to that date, beating a previous record held by "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" (which sold 45,000 during the winter of 2006). The record also debuted at "Current Alternative Albums" chart and #2 on the "Digital Albums" chart, the latter of which accounted for 26 percent of the disc's overall sales. Online sales were very important to the early success of "Pretty. Odd."; when the iTunes Store allowed customers to pre-order the album two months ahead of its release, it had already sold 8,000 copies the day before it was released. By May, the album had sold 235,280 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. By June, it had sold over 500,000 copies through online music services. The number one position on the "Billboard" 200 chart was the self-titled debut from Day26, enjoying its second week at the top of the chart.  The album also debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. However, weekly sales for the album sharply declined and the album dropped from number two to eleven within the next week, and it spent only six weeks within the top 100. "Pretty. Odd." debuted at number two on both the Canada's Albums Chart and the Mexican Albums Chart. The album peaked within the top 10 of the charts of New Zealand, Austria, and Ireland. The album debuted at number one in Australia. The album was less commercially successful in countries such as Sweden and France, where the album barely cracked the top 40. The album eventually went gold in the UK only, and went gold in the US in 2016.  Although the album has been commercially viable and certified gold, the record failed to match the sales of the band's debut, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out". "Pretty. Odd." received relatively poor sales in competition with its predecessor, which was certified platinum in a matter of months. "It's really hard to judge how the album is doing based on record sales, you know?" Ross told MTV News. "We look at that, and we don't really know what that even means. All we can go off is being on [the Honda Civic Tour] and seeing that people are getting into the new stuff, and that's the only way we can tell firsthand if things are going well or not." "It's a really weird time for music, and it's hard to tell where you stand, and all the things that used to tell you about your band have kind of gone away. So how you perceive yourself has changed," Smith added. "Luckily for us, rock bands have always been about playing live, [which is] good for us, because we're a real band who plays our own instruments, so we love being able to do it. And luckily that's always going to be there, because you can't download the concert ticket." As of June 2008, the album has sold 600,000 copies worldwide.

Reception.

"Pretty. Odd." created fan confusion and received a mostly mixed critical response, so much so that in 2011 "Rolling Stone" called the record one of the boldest moves in rock history. At Metacritic, it currently holds a score of 70 out of 100 based on 22 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Of the original reviews, "Spin" generally was the most enthusiastic: ""Pretty. Odd." lives up to its title because it dares to be optimistically beautiful at a time when sadness and ugliness might have won them easier credibility." "Billboard" also was generally positive, calling the record "15 tracks of welcomed live drum sounds, symphonies and stacked harmonies." "Time" called the record's songs smarter and said it provided a more exciting outcome for the band's future: "Where this band goes now is unclear, but the journey is a lot more interesting." British publication "NME" viewed the album in a positive light, calling it a "victory for artistic ambition over cynical careerism" and "one of the feel-good psych-pop albums of the year."  "Alternative Press" called "Pretty. Odd." ambitious, while "Blender" called several songs on the record a "brush with greatness." Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone" agreed with the latter statement, calling the songs "often beautiful," rounding out a less-than-impressed review with "Even when it's over the top, which is basically always, "Pretty. Odd." sounds cheerful." "Entertainment Weekly"s Leah Greenblatt called it "more pretty than odd," calling it a "headphones album, a dense, largely enjoyable layer cake of ideas and instrumentation that might actually alienate its teenage fans." "The A.V. Club" Aaron Burgess stated that "Pretty. Odd." deserves "far more than a casual listen," praising the baroque orchestration and multilayered harmonies. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the album "a deliriously jumbled, left field delight." Paul Schrodt of the online "Slant Magazine" dismissed the record as generic, but commended the "exuberant delivery" of the pop hooks.  "Mojo" called the LP "too clinical and calculated" considering the young age of band members. Fellow British music magazine "Q" expressed similar sentiments: "Ultimately, you're left wishing that Panic at the Disco had more to say about their own generation, instead of mimicking that of their parents'." "The Boston Globe" reviewer Matthew Shaer agreed: ""Pretty" borrows liberally from the things that made those bands superficially interesting - the practiced eccentricity, the constant innovation - without paying tribute to the cultural and political sensibilities that made them great." "The New York Times" called the record "wildly elaborate" and a "brave change," but offered less kind words to summarize: "For all its craftsmanship, "Pretty. Odd." comes across as mannered and overbearing, more studied than exuberant." "The Village Voice" called the record earnest and triumphant, but criticized the "hard to grasp" overarching narrative strand. "Uncut" held that the album "tried too hard to be obtuse," but praised the band's artistic evolution.  James Montgomery of MTV News has described "Pretty. Odd." in retrospect as overlooked, writing that, "Give this one a decade... we could have another "Pinkerton" on our hands," referencing the Weezer album that received a mixed response upon release but was heralded as a classic in later years.

Touring.

The band announced plans to headline the 2008 Honda Civic Tour in January 2008, which took up the majority of early touring for the album. Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and Phantom Planet opened for the tour, which April 10 to July 14, 2008 across North America. Throughout October and November 2008, the band toured with Dashboard Confessional and The Cab on the "Rock Band" Live Tour promoting the video game "Rock Band 2".  As expected and predicted by several music publications, Panic at the Disco adopted a very different style for the touring in support of "Pretty. Odd.", in contrast to the dark, circus-themed elements of their previous stage shows. Each show contained "woodsy set pieces, projections of flora and fauna, and mic stands wrapped in lights and flowers," and each band member dressed in a vest. While reflecting on the theatrical nature of "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" touring, Urie commented "We did it and it was a lot of fun when we did it, but this time around I think we wanted to get back to a more intimate, personal setting, and scale it down a little bit." Ryan Ross explained that "It's more about connecting with the audience and seeing what's gonna happen every night. It's not as scripted out and pre-planned. It makes it more exciting for us, and less monotonous every night." A live album, "...Live in Chicago", based on live recordings from Chicago during the Honda Civic Tour, was released December 2, 2008. An accompanying DVD contains photos from the tour, each music video from the album as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the videos and the tour, the short film "Panic at the Disco In: American Valley", and the documentary feature based on the tour, "All In A Day's".  "Pretty. Odd." touring was also defined by a larger effort to remain environmentally conscious. On the tour, the band worked with two non-profit eco organizations: Reverb, which facilitates environmentally friendly touring; and Global Inheritance, which seeks to inspire more eco-activism. In a 2008 interview, Ross revealed that the band was traveling on a biodiesel bus, re-using plastics, and recycling more backstage. The band also printed tour booklets on recycled paper, with soy ink, and organized an "eco-contest," in which profits from the tour went straight to environmental organizations.

Personnel.

Adapted from AllMusic. Panic at the Disco  Additional musicians

Pretty. Odd. is the second studio album by American pop rock band Panic! at the Disco. Recorded at the Studio at the Palms in Paradise, Nevada with additional production at Abbey Road Studios in London with producer Rob Mathes, the album was released March 21, 2008 on Decaydance and Fueled by Ramen. Inspired by baroque pop and the works of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, the psychedelic-styled rock album differs greatly from the techno-influenced pop punk of "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" (2005).

Pretty. Odd. est le deuxième album studio de Panic at the Disco, sorti sur le label Fueled by Ramen. Le premier "single" de l'album est "Nine in the Afternoon". Le second "single" sorti sous forme de "single" digital disponible sur internet en téléchargement était "Mad as Rabbits" (sur iTunes) ; bien qu'il ne soit pas vraiment un "single" radio un clip a été tourné. Le troisième "single" est "That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)". Le quatrième "single" est "Northern Downpour".


History.

Generoso Pope, Jr. launched the "Weekly World News" in 1979 to continue using the black-and-white press that sister tabloid "The National Enquirer" had been printed on when it switched to color printing. The "WWN" was published in Lantana, Florida until it moved to Boca Raton in the late 1990s. It was unique as a tabloid because it was printed entirely in black and white. Eddie Clontz was its long-time editor, a 10th-grade dropout from North Carolina and a former copy editor at small newspapers. In the 1980s, the circulation of "WWN" peaked at 1.2 million per issue.

General approach to stories.

The "WWN" traditionally claimed that it always printed the truth, but many stories appeared to have comedic intent. The introduction to "Batboy Lives!" states that one person would read the tabloid for real news, whereas another would read it for the humor. The tabloid's main rival "Sun" carried a fine print disclaimer, whereas the "WWN" never publicly contradicted the accuracy of its own stories until 2004, when it began stating that "the reader should suspend disbelief for the sake of enjoyment." In the 2000s, "Sun" moved more toward articles on health and miracle cures, leaving "WWN" alone in its niche of supernatural news stories, such as sightings of Elvis Presley and the Loch Ness monster.  On occasion, the "WWN" ran strange-but-true stories, such as "DEVOUT CHRISTIAN ATTACKED - AND HE'S THE ONE FINED!" referring to British street evangelist Harry Hammond. Other verifiable stories included those of a giant mutant hog monster attacking Georgia and the arrest of a Tallahassee, Florida man whose pants were on fire at the time. It reported on the discovery of an infant dragon preserved in formaldehyde proving the existence of dragons, although this was later proven to be a hoax. It also quoted Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth on Pope John Paul II's battles with Satan and ran a story on the copyright dispute between "O, The Oprah Magazine" and a German erotic periodical also named "O".  In February 1989, "WWN" published real, graphic photos on its front page of the post-autopsied body of executed serial killer Ted Bundy. Managing editor Eddie Clontz defended his decision to run the photos, claiming that he hoped that such images would deter other murderers. Angry and surprised officials in Florida vowed to catch the person responsible, eventually arresting a low-level employee of the Alachua County, Florida Medical Examiner's office and charging him with taking the photographs and selling them to the "WWN".  Most of the supermarket tabloids were acquired by Fleet Street publishers, and they switched to celebrity gossip, but the "Weekly World News" remained devoted to its original content. Derrik Lang was a stringer for the paper, and he said that "everything in my stories was fake—you know, depending on how you define fake." Common "WWN" stories involved alien abductions, the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, time travel, an oncoming depression or apocalypse, and newly found lost prophecies. There were also characters who became stock fixtures in "WWN" news stories, most famously Bat Boy, a half-bat half-boy superhero, and P'lod, an extraterrestrial who became involved in Earth politics and had an affair with Hillary Clinton.

Columns and features.

Regular columns included Ed Anger (opinion), Hi Dolly (relationship advice), first Dear Babs and later Dear Dotti (outspoken advice columnists), Horse Sense (medical advice), Monkey Business (financial and business-related advice and information) and Madame Malisa (psychic). The most famous of these was Ed Anger, a character created in 1979 by staffer Rafe Klinger; Anger was a perpetually angry conservative (a typical column began "I'm pig-biting mad!"), who railed against illegal immigrants, women, speed limits and rainforests, among many other perceived ills.  Beginning on May 9, 2005, the "Weekly World News" went "All New" along with other tabloid papers such as the National Enquirer, which had become "Bigger • Bolder • Better." In the new "Weekly World News", Serena and Sonya Sabak's psychic column was replaced by the horoscopes of Madame Malisa, and Dotti Primrose's "Dear Dotti" was supplanted by an advice column called "Hi Dolly" written by a middle-aged Southern blonde woman. The new "WWN" included a weekly "Weird Picture Search" by "Mad" cartoonist Sergio Aragones. Other features included Trivia, Test Yourself, Jokes, and "Miss Adventure", "The Gayest American Hero", who has penetrated the mob, gone to Hollywood, and fought DRAG-U-LA traveling from the depths of the Earth's center to outer space.  Two pages of comic strips became a popular feature, many spun off from feature stories. For two years, in 2004 and 2005, Peter Bagge created a Bat Boy comic "using celebrities and current events and creating totally absurd and implausible stories and situations for them." In 2011, IDW Publishing released a hardcover collection of Bagge's strips. "SpyCat", created by Dick Siegel, was drawn by Ernie Colón. SpyCat spoke nine different languages ranging from Persian to "dog" and was armed with "Adamwestium" claws and deadly cat-of-nine-tails. He wrote free-form poetry when not waging war on America's enemies—at home and abroad. "Matthew Daemon", also created by Dick Siegel, was written and illustrated by Mike Collins and was a spinoff from the "SOS Matthew Daemon (Seeker of Obscure Supernaturals)" feature. Daemon's lair was located beneath Grant's Tomb. Daemon specialized in B-List Monster hunting. "Alien Baby" by Craig Boldman chronicles the adventures of Moogera the deadbeat alien dad, alien baby Ethan, and Stacy, his Earth-born mother.

Recurring subjects.

Bat Boy.

Bat Boy was first featured in a 1992 issue after being found in a cave in West Virginia (Lost World Caverns). He has since led police on a high-speed chase, fought in the war on terror, led the troops to capture Saddam Hussein, bitten Santa Claus, and traveled into outer space. In 2000, he gave his endorsement to Al Gore. It was foretold that Bat Boy would become president in 2028.  The story of Bat Boy was the basis for an acclaimed off-Broadway musical, "", in which Bat Boy meets a tragic end. In addition to articles, Bat Boy has been featured in a comic strip since 2004, though it is said that only the articles are the "true" story of Bat Boy.

A Scientist.

"A Scientist" is typically shown and quoted. He was known as "A Scientist" to distinguish him from A Baffled Scientist.

Page 5 Honey.

Each week a different model was featured on page 5 and on the back page. She was usually wearing a bikini and a description of her was printed. This feature ended after the Halloween issue of 2006.

"ALIVE!", starring (often) Elvis Presley.

One of the other many recurring subjects was the occasional "ALIVE!" cover story. Most often the story pertained to some sort of creature such as a mummy, prehistoric creature, or, occasionally, a human who had been frozen in a block of ice (e.g. Santa Claus).  Another subject often tackled by "WWN" is the reemergence of many prominent figures believed to be deceased, including Hank Williams, Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Adolf Hitler, and Michael Jackson. Survivors of the Titanic and Hindenburg were also occasionally featured. Among the most frequently printed reports were those asserting that "Elvis is alive."  The "WWN" frequently reported Elvis sightings with a series of articles claiming that Elvis Presley had faked his death and had recently emerged from years of seclusion to prepare for a comeback. Obviously altered photos purported to show a gray-haired, balding Elvis sneaking into a movie theater and coming out of a Burger King restaurant. When the U.S. Postal Service conducted a poll to determine the design of the Elvis commemorative postage stamp, the "WWN" conducted its own poll pitting the USPS's 1950s Elvis and 1970s Elvis versus its own, 1990s Elvis; the elderly Elvis won.  In 1994, the newspaper ran a front cover with the headline "Elvis Presley Dead!", stating that Elvis was now "really dead" from heart failure after slipping into a diabetic coma. In a 2004 "Washington Post" article on Clontz's death, humorist Gene Weingarten claimed that he and Dave Barry were the sources of the story. According to Weingarten, the "WWN" later reported that claims of Elvis's death had been a hoax. In an earlier telling of his story, Weingarten varied some details.

The World's Fattest....

Numerous stories regarding shockingly obese people and animals made the pages of "WWN", the most popular of which was Tonya, the world's fattest cat. After Tonya was first discovered, "WWN" encouraged readers to send in their guesses as to exactly how much they believed Tonya weighed. Weighing in at over 80 lbs., Tonya has been featured being adopted, and possibly sat on, by the world's fattest woman. Later stories involved Tonya's attempts to lose weight through the "Catkins" diet, her struggle with anorexia, and claims that she had been eaten by the world's thinnest woman. Other stories have featured the exploits of the world's fattest couple at the gym, the world's fattest baby, and even a similar weight-guessing contest featuring the world's fattest dog. One continuing story featured a morbidly obese man named Buster Simcus who had lost so much weight that it left 80 pounds of loose skin hanging off his body that he was planning to have surgically removed. By the next story, he had regained the weight, severely damaging his scars.

Upcoming economic depressions.

"WWN" covered stories that featured analysis of a coming Great Depression in the immediate future in which many prominent celebrities, politicians, and icons of business would become penniless. The cover story of the June 6, 2005, issue warned that the second Great Depression was "just weeks away." Because of this, Texas oil tycoons were planning to flee to Luxembourg, the only country to survive this economic crash. Consequences of this depression would include mass starvation, a disease epidemic, mobs of looters and a return to pagan religions and Satanism.

Religion and Biblical relics.

Another typical "Weekly World News" topic was new Bible-related findings, including relics from Noah's Ark, the Garden of Eden (claimed by the tabloid to be in Colorado), the discovery of additional commandments from God, and sandals worn by Jesus. The magazine also reported on when Jesus will return to Earth, and held an interview with Sisyphus when he finished his eternal boulder-hauling "workout." Other stories stated that natural disasters such as earthquakes and human economic activity like drilling for oil have opened up gates and portals to Hell from which demons have escaped to wreak havoc upon the earth. A story shortly after September 11, 2001 showed the face of Satan appearing in a cloud of dust caused by the collapse of the World Trade Center. Similar stories, wherein Satan's face had appeared in a thunderstorm, had appeared before.

Terrorism.

Following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, "WWN" featured articles about plans for future terrorist attacks on the United States of America. A 2004 cover story described plans by Kim Jong-il to eventually invade and conquer the United States. Other stories featured profiles on the location and nature of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, including the news that Saddam Hussein had an arsenal of giant slingshots, the missing link, and dinosaurs. In 2003, a series of articles profiled the ongoing relationship between and eventual marriage of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. Other stories have made claims that Bin Laden is actually a dwarf, that he recruited a cloned Adolf Hitler to join Al Qaeda, and that he is in fact dead and that the CIA is keeping it a secret. Since being captured by Bat Boy, Saddam has been humiliated by female prison guards, won the United States lottery, and even demanded that the government pay for his sex change operation.

Presidency.

"WWN" is often the home to political satire regarding current and past presidential administrations. The magazine reported that the founding fathers were all gay and that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were actually women. According to the paper, President Lincoln was insane, and his ghost has also been spotted in the White House giving President George W. Bush advice on the war in Iraq. Stories about President George W. Bush capitalized on the public's perception that he lacked intelligence. The paper chronicled his plans to run for pope, his love affair with Janet Reno, and his intention to nominate Yoda as secretary of defense. The June 21, 2004, issue stated that Vice President Dick Cheney was actually a robot and that his frequent trips to the hospital allowed him to rewire his circuits.

Aliens.

Aliens are another subject frequently tackled by "WWN". "Weekly World News" blamed these creatures for holes in the ozone. A Roswell crash survivor, "Altair Bob," made contact with "WWN" via telepathic e-mail. Several factions of extraterrestrials have been using the moon to dump garbage. Martians have been monitoring the Mideast crisis. Warrior aliens have been resurrecting the dead, fighting Bigfoot, and training in a mock U.S. town hidden in Antarctica. San Franciscans have opened their hearts to immigrants from Mercury.  One such alien, named P'Lod, who made several appearances in "WWN", has been known to fraternize with known women of politics. It was reported that he and Hillary Clinton once had a close relationship that ended up in a brawl between him and President Bill Clinton, who went on a jealous rage. After P'Lod left Hillary Clinton, he expressed a lot of interest in Condoleezza Rice. A June 15, 1993 cover announced Hillary Clinton's adoption of an alien baby.  In the June 7, 1994, edition, "WWN" reported that 12 U.S. senators were aliens from other planets. The piece quoted several senators or their spokespersons humorously "confirming" the story. The Associated Press ran a follow-up piece that confirmed the tongue-in-cheek participation of Senate offices in the story. "WWN" quoted Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) as saying he was "amazed it took you this long to find out." Charles Pelkey, the then-spokesman for Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY), told the AP: "We've got only one thing to say: Klaatu barada nikto."  In the August 11, 1998, edition, "WWN" reported that autograph dealer Steve Koschal offered to pay $1 million for anything signed by an extraterrestrial. Koschal said he would pay the million dollars to anyone who had a signed letter or signed photograph or anything signed by a visitor from outer space. "Hundreds of people claim to have been abducted and taken aboard UFOs and yet there's not a single verifiable signature of an extraterrestrial being anywhere on Earth," said Koschal in an exclusive interview. "Someone out there must have asked one of these creatures for an autograph," continued Koschal. "If not, someone will in the future. When they do, I want to be the first collector to acquire it."  The subject of space aliens endorsing U.S. presidential candidates in various elections was also a recurring topic. During the 2000 U.S. presidential election, then-candidate George W. Bush posed for photographers with a "Weekly World News" issue opened to the article reading, "Space Alien Backs Bush for President!".

Cryptids.

Cryptids and half-animal half-human hybrids are another frequent topic of "Weekly World News". Creatures such as Bigfoot, merpeople, real-life catwomen, half-alligator half-humans, frog babies, kangaroo women, and many other creatures have taken the world by storm on various covers (e.g. "Abominable Beachman strikes terror in Hawaii!" and "Bigfoot Steals Race Car!!!!") including the aforementioned 'Bat Boy'.

Merfolk.

The existence of mermen and mermaids is also frequently reported in the pages of the "Weekly World News". One detailed article recounted a mermaid being caught in a fishing net off the coast of Florida on April 17, 2004. According to the article, she was at least half human, very sociable, and extremely intelligent; and was able to talk in a sophisticated "three dimensional language" that depends heavily on noises that could possibly be connected to the "click languages" prevalent in parts of Africa and on hand movements that look like sign language.  Similar to their female counterparts, mermen are found within the pages of the "Weekly World News". On June 17, 2003, a merman was reported to have been caught in the South Pacific, this one measuring only 28 inches.

Stories taken as legitimate.

Since the "Weekly World News" began to publish online, its stories have occasionally been treated as legitimate news stories by readers unaware of the nature of the publication.

Demise and relaunch.

In 1999, David Pecker bought American Media Inc., which owned the "Weekly World News". Within the next two years, many of "WWN"'s longtime writers and editors, including Clontz, Sal Ivone, Derek Clontz, Susan Jimison, Joe Berger, Bob Lind, Dick Kulpa, and Leskie Pinson, were gone. Clontz left the paper in 2001, having been there 20 years, and died in 2004.  In a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2007, American Media said that sales of "WWN" in 2006 were only 83,000 per issue. "WWN" ceased its print publication in August 2007. It was then published as an insert within "The Sun" magazine, with new material being printed alongside articles and columns from older issues, until "Sun" itself ceased publication in 2012.  In October 2008, Bat Boy L.L.C., a company started by Neil McGinness, bought "WWN". It was relaunched as an online-only publication in 2009. In January 2011, the "Weekly World News" was made available via an online paid subscription. The online edition is emailed to subscribers biweekly. The online edition closely resembles the printed "Weekly World News" in both appearance (it uses the "Weekly World News" logo used from 1979 to 2001) and subject matter (the first issue's headline was "Werewolf Sues Airline Over Flight Delay"). In January 2013, "Weekly World News" announced that it would go behind a paywall. An initial limit was set at three free article views, though select content remained unmetered.

In popular culture.

Articles from "Weekly World News" were a primary inspiration for David Byrne's 1986 film "True Stories" as reported by "Rolling Stone" magazine: "Your big inspiration for the movie was reading headlines in tabloids. Were you mostly reading Weekly World News at the time?" David Byrne: "Yeah, they were all from Weekly World News. They weren’t really in the [National] Enquirer."  In January 1996, a satirical comedy series inspired by "Weekly World News" premiered on the USA Network, and was hosted by longtime journalist Edwin Newman. The series was canceled after one season.  "Tabloid Dreams" (1996) by Robert Olen Butler is a short-story collection that used headlines from the "Weekly World News" and other supermarket tabloids as writing prompts. Two examples: “Jealous Husband Returns in the Form of a Parrot” and “Boy Born with Tattoo of Elvis.”  In 1999, the "Weekly World News" was declared the "Official Newspaper of the Windows 2000 Team" at Microsoft, and its Senior Vice President, Brian Valentine, would read excerpts from it at what was called Windows Information Meetings, or WIMs, while attempting to entertain and encourage the developers, testers, program managers, and writers involved.  "Weekly World News" was featured in the 1997 film "Men in Black" as "The Best Damn investigative journalism in the country." A publication that told the truth because it was 'a free country.'  "Weekly World News" was also featured in the "Supernatural", season 2 episode "Tall Tales".  Disney Channel's paranormal/supernatural themed animated show "Gravity Falls" (2012–2016) features a reference to Bat Boy in the show's intro.

The Weekly World News was a tabloid which published mostly fictional "news" stories in the United States from 1979 to 2007, renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatural or paranormal themes and an approach to news that verged on the satirical. Its characteristic black-and-white covers have become pop-culture images widely used in the arts. It ceased print publication in August 2007. The company has a library of 100,000 articles and 300+ original characters.

Weekly World News était un magazine tabloïd américain humoristique hebdomadaire fondé en 1979 et disparu en 2007. Énonçant des nouvelles imaginaires volontairement absurdes, ses articles étaient accompagnés de photos retouchées.


Story.

The character Emmanuelle in the game is a wife of French business man whose job requires constant travelling, thus leaving his wife unfulfilled. Emmanuelle has taken a lover, Marc, but later suffers pangs of conscience, because she still loves her husband. Emmanuelle travels to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, to escape him, but is followed by Marc. The aim of the game is to augment Marc's erotic potential so he can seduce Emmanuelle again.  The player's 'erotic potential' is increased by following the three laws of eroticism: law of numbers (seduce as much ladies as you can), law of asymmetry (try to seduce an odd number of ladies) and a law of surprise (seduce preferably concealed/masked ladies). Furthermore, the player should find three erotique statuettes. There's not any hardcore scenes present in the game, but Marc might catch Emmanuelle disrobing while looking through a certain keyhole, although more often he will see only an old gentleman washing his feet.

Gameplay.

The DOS version supports EGA, CGA and monochrome graphics, while the Amiga and Atari ST versions uses 16 colours. "Emmanuelle" is a point-and-click adventure, but the DOS version has no mouse support. The game uses multiple-choice dialogues for conversations. The game includes sub-games such as gambling at a casino where the player has to raise money for flight tickets. The player might also end up fighting with angry husbands and smugglers due to their exploits.

Reception.

The reviewer of ST-Computer praised the game's graphics, but criticized the lack of sounds and the ease of the puzzles. The "PC Power Play" review stated that the game was boring and only titillating in the casino sequences; it also criticized the poor graphics and the lack of sound. A later issue "PC Power Play" gave "Emmanuelle" an award for being the game with the most idiotic dialogue.

Emmanuelle is an erotic graphical adventure game from Coktel Vision, originally released in 1989 for Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS. The game was developed by Muriel Tramis (better known from her games in the "Gobliiins" series, "Fascination" & "Lost in Time"), and is loosely inspired by Emmanuelle Arsan's Emanuelle series of novels.

Emmanuelle est un jeu vidéo d'aventure développé et édité par Coktel Vision en 1989 sur Amiga, Atari ST et DOS. Le jeu a été écrit et dirigé par Muriel Tramis, et se veut teinté d'érotisme.


2004-2005.

The team was founded in 2004 when Marty Roth purchased the Indy Pro Series equipment of Panther Racing and a new Dallara IndyCar chassis and competed in three Pro Series events and the Indianapolis 500 with himself doing the driving. The team ran a full Pro Series schedule with Roth finishing 8th in points in 2005 as well as the Indy 500 in conjunction with PDM Racing where Roth provided his chassis and funding and PDM provided their Chevrolet engine lease and technical expertise.

2006.

Roth sold his Pro Series equipment following the St. Petersburg race in April 2006 to focus on IndyCars and specifically his attempt to qualify for the 2006 Indianapolis 500. However, the team never managed to hit on a comfortable set-up for the race car and Roth crashed on bump day trying to find the speed necessary to bump PDM Racing rookie Thiago Medeiros from the field. The team then regrouped and participated in several tests on intermediate and large ovals and returned to the series at Michigan International Speedway in July and ran at Kentucky and Chicagoland to close out the season. Sponsored by Barabco, Roth managed to finish all three of the races he competed in though his best finish was eighteenth. Roth ended up twenty second in points just behind P. J. Chesson.

2007.

The team returned in 2007 to race on specific ovals and ran at Homestead and Kansas sponsored by Fountain Powerboats. Handling problems forced him to withdraw early from both races. Roth Racing returned to Indianapolis but wrecked the car on the 148th lap. Shortly after Indy, the team decided to participate in the IRL's new TEAM program to race full-time. Roth then decided to purchase Sam Schmidt Motorsports' IndyCar equipment and move into a larger shop in Indianapolis with the goal of expanding to a two-car operation. The team returned to the series in the 2007 finale at Chicagoland Speedway with the second car driven by P. J. Chesson and both cars finished the race, although several laps down. The team was sponsored by Dussault Apparel's Gene Simmons "Moneybag" clothing line.

2008.

The team announced on November 26, 2007 that they had signed Jay Howard to drive their second car for the 2008 IndyCar Series season and that Marty Roth would compete full-time in 2008 Sponsored by Cirrus Aircraft. Roth qualified well at Homestead starting eighth but Howard crashed while qualifying. The team began to struggle with finding sponsors after a three race deal with Cirrus Aircraft ran out. Lids and 1-800-Las Vegas sponsored the 25 and 24 cars at Indy but the team was without sponsors until Men's Wearhouse came aboard at Infineon. The team engineer David Cripps left after the Kansas race and was replaced by Vision Racing's Larry Curry who left the team after Watkins Glen. On the morning of Pole Day Roth hired veteran John Andretti to drive the team's #24 car replacing Jay Howard and he quickly posted the team's highest speeds of the month. Team president Margaret Roth confirmed that Howard will return after the Indy 500. However, on May 30 it was announced that Andretti would continue in the #24 car in the Milwaukee Mile and Texas Motor Speedway races. Andretti also stayed to drive at Iowa and Richmond. Due to lack of sponsorship the team ran one car and the team only fielded Jay Howard in the 24 car at Watkins Glen. In Nashville Roth drove the 24 car and the #25 car did not make an appearance. Roth drove the #25 car in the majority of the season's remaining races. Following being informed that his league license would not be renewed in 2009, Roth placed the team up for sale in October 2008.  It was rumored that former Champ Car World Series driver Nelson Philippe, brother Richard Philippe and their family had bought the team's equipment and race shop and would continue the team as Team France. but this did not come to fruition.

2009.

Roth Racing entered two cars in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, number 25 and 52. Neither car actually appeared at the track, although Roth Racing banners had been placed above the garages.  In August 2009, the teams' race equipment was sold to the new FAZZT Race Team.

Roth Racing was a race team owned by Canadian real estate magnate and racecar driver Marty Roth. It competed in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.

Roth Racing est une écurie de sport automobile qui évoluait dans le championnat IndyCar Series. Jay Howard et Marty Roth étaient les pilotes engagés pour la saison 2008.


Geography.

The Houtman Abrolhos is made up of three island groups, the Wallabi Group, Easter Group and Pelsaert Group.  The most northerly group, the Wallabi Group, consists of an island clump about 17 kilometres (10 mi) by 10 kilometres (6 mi), and also takes in the outlying North Island, located 14 kilometres to the northwest. The main islands of the Wallabi Group are North Island, West Wallabi Island, East Wallabi Island and Beacon Island. The group is best known for the shipwreck of "Batavia" on Morning Reef near Beacon Island in 1629, and the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the marooned survivors.  The

History.

Aboriginal people visited the islands during the Holocene, as indicated by the find on Beacon Island of a flaked stone artefact made from Eocene fossiliferous chert.

Discovery and naming.

According to the surviving historical record, the first sighting of the Houtman Abrolhos by Europeans was by the Dutch VOC ships "Dordrecht" and "Amsterdam" in 1619, only three years after Dirk Hartog made the first authenticated sighting of what is now Western Australia, and only 13 years after the first authenticated voyage to Australia, that of "Duyfken" in 1606. Discovery of the islands was credited to Frederick de Houtman, Captain-General of "Dordrecht", as it was Houtman who later wrote of the discovery in a letter to the directors of the Dutch East India Company: The word "Abrolhos" is of Portuguese origin, making the Houtman Abrolhos one of only two Australian places with

Wreck of "Batavia".

In 1629, some of the islands were the scene of a spectacular shipwreck and mutiny. The Dutch ship, under the command of Francisco Pelsaert, ran aground on her maiden voyage, and Pelsaert

Wreck of "Zeewijk".

was the last of the four Dutch East Indiamen to be wrecked on the west coast of Australia. The Ship's Council having made the inexplicable decision to disregard sailing orders and actually seek out the west coast of Australia, the ship ran onto the Half Moon Reef at about 7:30 pm on 9 June 1727. It did not break up immediately, and the heavy swell made evacuation impossible until 18 June. The longboat was launched on that day, and the crew and stores were thereafter gradually transferred to nearby Gun Island. Later, the men landed ten chests of money, containing 315,836 guilders and weighing a total of three tons.

Later history.

During Admiralty surveys of the north west coast in 1840, crew from discovered a brass gun of about three pounds calibre, an iron swivel on which paint still adhered as well as numerous other artefacts signifying European occupation, on the largest island in the Pelsart Group. The commander, John Clements Wickham,

Tenure, governance and management.

The Houtman Abrolhos is Australian territory. There is no dispute about this, although it has been suggested that Australia claims the island chain under the UNCLOS by extending their continental

Geology.

Some of the islands are considered to be remnants of the mainland isolated

Oceanography.

Bathymetry.

The Houtman Abrolhos lies in the Indian Ocean about 60 kilometres (40 mi) off the coast of Western Australia, near the edge of Australia's continental shelf. At less than 50 metres (160 ft) deep, the shelf is quite shallow. It is also fairly level, the depth increasing to the west at a modest gradient of about

Currents.

The Houtman Abrolhos lies almost directly in the path of the Leeuwin Current, which draws warm, low-saline water of tropical origin southwards along the coast of Western Australia. This current flows all year round, but is strongest during southern hemisphere winter months. In general the Leeuwin Current runs along the shelf break, and thus passes close by the western edge of the Abrolhos. It meanders, however, sometimes passing well out to sea, and

Temperature and salinity.

Sea temperature at the islands varies according to a diurnal cycle, with the water at its coldest between six and eight in the morning, and at its warmest between three and four in the afternoon. In summer the daily temperature range is around 1 °C (2 °F); in winter it is about half that.  There is also an annual cycle, with sea temperature varying by a little less than 4 °C (7 °F) over the year, peaking at nearly 24 °C (75 °F) in March, and falling to around 20 °C (68 °F) in September. This variability is much less than in nearby coastal waters, which reaches a similar peak in summer but drops as low as 18 °C (64 °F) in winter. The relatively low variability in sea temperatures at the Abrolhos is largely

Sea levels.

As with the rest of southwestern Australia, tides at the Houtman Abrolhos are small and irregular. There is little tidal data available for the islands, but what there is accords very closely with the data for Geraldton. Geraldton tides follow a diurnal pattern, with maximum tidal ranges of around 1-metre (3 ft).  Mean sea levels at Geraldton show seasonal fluctuations, being higher

Climate.

, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has not published climatic data for the Houtman Abrolhos. However, an automatic weather station has been installed on North Island since 1990, and hourly measures of precipitation, air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure have been publicly available since then. Based on this and other data, researchers have put together a picture of the Abrolhos' climate.  The islands have a Mediterranean climate (semi-arid climate, or Bsh, under Köppen climate classification) with warm dry summers and cooler, wet winters. Mean temperatures range from 9.3 °C to 19.5 °C in July, and from 19.1 °C to 32.4 °C in February. These temperatures have a substantially smaller range than on the mainland: the summer temperature is typically a degree cooler, while winter temperatures are a good deal warmer. This is due to the influence of the ocean, and to the Leeuwin Current.  86% of the rain falls between April and September; on average

Biogeography.

Under the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), the islands of the Houtman Abrolhos fall within the Geraldton Hills subregion of the Geraldton Sandplains region. The main biogeographic significance of the islands is their isolation, allowing them to provide refugia for such threatened fauna as tammar wallabies ("Macropus eugenii"), Australian sea lions ("Neophoca cinerea") and rare breeding seabirds.  In marine terms, the Houtman Abrolhos is located within the Southwest Shelf Transition, an Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) biotone that takes in the continental shelf from Perth to Geraldton. This province is defined as the area of shelf where tropical

Terrestrial flora.

The vegetation of the Houtman Abrolhos islands is dominated by chenopod shrubs. The flora is generally the same as the coastal flora of the adjacent mainland, with the exception of the islands' mangrove, saltbush and salt lake vegetation.

Flora.

The vascular flora of the Houtman Abrolhos has been thoroughly surveyed, and species lists have been published for 119 islands. As of 2001, these lists totalled 239 species from 68 families. A further six species have been collected in the Houtman Abrolhos, but cannot be allocated to islands because insufficient location information was recorded. There have also been collections of mosses, liverworts and lichens, but no information has been published on these non-vascular groups.  The islands with the greatest floristic diversity are East and West Wallabi Islands, with 124 and 97 species respectively. 54 species occur in all three island groups. The most widely distributed species are "Nitraria billardierei" (nitre bush), which has been recorded on 106 islands; the exotic "Mesembryanthemum crystallinum" (iceplant), on 88 islands; "Threlkeldia diffusa" (coast bonefruit), on 72 islands; and

Terrestrial fauna.

Birds.

The Houtman Abrolhos is home to around 100 species of bird; for a complete list, see list of birds of the Houtman Abrolhos. Six species are land birds, and three are shore birds. The remainder, the vast majority, are seabirds. Most seabird species have a tropical distribution, but some occur in both tropical and warm-temperate seas, and a small number are warm-temperate only.  When numbers of individuals are taken into account, the tropical birds overwhelmingly dominate. The islands are one of the most important breeding sites for tropical seabirds in Australia and have been identified by BirdLife International

Mammals.

Only two species of land mammal are indigenous to the Houtman Abrolhos, the tammar wallaby ("Macropus eugenii") and the bush rat ("Rattus fuscipes"). Both are native only to West and East Wallabi Islands, although "R. fuscipes" has not been collected on East Wallabi Island since August 1967, and is probably extinct there. The tammar wallabi was seen on West Wallabi Island by survivors of the "Batavia" shipwreck, and recorded by Francisco Pelsart in his 1629 "Ongeluckige Voyagie". This represents the first recorded sighting of a macropod by Europeans, and probably also the first sighting of an Australian mammal. Tammar wallabies were introduced to North Island from East Wallabi Island by fishermen, probably in the 1950s, but failed to establish themselves. In 1987 they were reintroduced again, this time successfully. By the 2000s, there were over 400 wallabies on the island,

Reptiles.

23 terrestrial reptile species are known to occur on the islands of the Houtman Abrolhos. This relatively low biodiversity is apparently due to the homogeneity of habitat on the islands, which provide few distinct ecological niches. The most significant terrestrial reptile species are the spiny-tailed skink

Amphibians.

Specimens of the pobblebonk ("Limnodynastes dorsalis") and the turtle frog ("Myobatrachus gouldii") were collected from the

Marine flora.

Algae.

260 species of benthic algae have been recorded at the Houtman Abrolhos. This figure comprises 178 species of red algae (Rhodophyta), 50 species of brown algae

Seagrass.

Only ten species of seagrass have been recorded at the Houtman Abrolhos. Seven of these are temperate species at or near the northern limit of their range; the other three have a tropical distribution.

Marine fauna.

Fish.

At last count, a total of 389 species of fish have been recorded from the Houtman Abrolhos. 16 species occur in very large numbers; in decreasing order of abundance, these are: Commercially important species include "Pagrus auratus" (pink snapper), "Choerodon rubescens" (baldchin groper), "Glaucosoma hebraicum" (westralian dhufish) and "Plectropomus leopardus" (coral trout). For a complete list of fish species recorded at the

Marine mammals.

The Houtman Abrolhos maintains a breeding population of Australian sea lions ("Neophoca cinerea"), probably numbering between 75 and 100. Historical data suggests numbers were previously much higher; for example, in 1727, survivors of the "Zeewyk" shipwreck killed over 150 sea lions in the Southern Group alone. This has led to a 1727 population estimate of between 290 and 580 animals for the entire Houtman Abrolhos. Populations apparently fell dramatically between the 1840s and the 1880s, largely due to extensive commercial sealing in the area. In addition to direct killing of the animals, it is likely that much of the mangrove habitat on the islands was cleared as fuel for trypots, and this may have affected the survival of young pups. Populations are thought

Marine reptiles.

The green turtle ("Chelonia mydas") and the loggerhead turtle ("Caretta caretta") both live in

Coral.

The Houtman Abrolhos is unusual in having a luxuriant and diverse living coral reef at such a high latitude. 194 species in 50 genera have been recorded there, all but two of which are tropical. This is a surprisingly high coral diversity, considering the high latitude of the reef, and the relatively low diversity of other

Crustaceans.

The most notable species of crustacean at the Houtman Abrolhos is the western rock lobster

Molluscs.

492 species of marine mollusc have been recorded from the shallow waters of the Houtman Abrolhos. These are predominantly gastropods (346 species, 70%) and bivalves (124, 25%); the remaining 5% of species consist of cephalopods (14 species), chitons (5 species) and scaphopods (3 species). About two thirds

Echinoderms.

Houtman Abrolhos has an extremely high diversity of echinoderms, with 172 species having been recorded there. 63% of these are tropical species, 14% are temperate, and 22% are endemic

Other invertebrates.

The sponges of the Houtman Abrolhos are poorly studied, although 109 species of demosponge have been collected there. In the most recent survey, 77 species were collected, of which around half are probably new to science. Only two locations were surveyed in this study, however, so this figure is likely to represent only a small proportion of the total sponge fauna of the Houtman Abrolhos; the islands are therefore thought to harbour an extremely rich

Human uses.

Fishing and other visitors.

Fresh water has always been a significant constraint on any permanent settlement. Aside from the early castaways noted above, the Islands have only had a small seasonal population of fishermen. The present fishermen all have permanent residence elsewhere, mainly in Geraldton, but their island shacks are used as a base during the season. For example, North Island has a seasonal camp for western rock lobster fishers, with individual moorings and simple dwellings. During lobster season, which runs from 15 March to 30 June, the island hosts up to 130 people. The camp is serviced by a carrier boat, the North Islander, which visits the island every three days, bringing supplies and taking out the catch and any domestic waste.  Tourists are not allowed to camp, and the conservation designation of the Island group forbids any real expansion in human occupation.

Western rock lobster.

The islands are the centre of the

Saucer scallops.

After Shark Bay, the Houtman Abrolhos supports Western Australia's second largest saucer scallop fishery. This fishery is managed under the "Abrolhos Islands and Mid West Trawl Limited Entry Fishery Notice 1993". Only 17 licences have been issued, and no more will be made available, as the saucer scallop is considered fully exploited. Licensees are constrained to operate only during scallop season, which generally runs from 1 April to 30 June, and are also subject to restrictions on gear design, boat size

Finfish.

The Houtman Abrolhos is the site of some wetlining activity.

Aquaculture.

The Department of Fisheries have issued a number of licences to cultivate black-lip pearl oysters in the Abrolhos. The first recipient of a license was Abrolhos Pearls in 1996. By 2000, another license had been issued and four more applications had been received. A year later, there were 10 square kilometres licensed for the culture of pearl oysters in the Abrolhos, of which about 21% was actually in use, carrying over 210,000 shell. Six licences had been issued by 2002, and by 2007 that number had grown to eight.  95% of the pearl aquaculture

Mineral exploration.

Petroleum exploration wells were drilled in Abrolhos waters in the 1960s and

Recreation.

The Abrolhos provides some of the best snorkelling, diving and deep sea fishing in the world, along with

Cultural references.

The majority of cultural references to the Houtman Abrolhos relate to the islands' shipwrecks, particularly the "Batavia". The events surrounding the loss of the "Batavia" is one of the most celebrated episodes in Australian popular history; in the words of Henrietta Drake-Brockman:The story has spawned a massive body of literature, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as numerous works in other media.  Other shipwrecks, notably "Zeewijk" (also spelled "Zeewyk"), have also become the subject of books and other works. Shipwrecks aside, however, cultural references to the Houtman Abrolhos are rare. By far the best known book on the Houtman Abrolhos itself is Malcolm Uren's "Sailormen's ghosts: The Abrolhos islands in three hundred years of romance, history, and adventure". First published in 1940, this book

References.

Works cited

The Houtman Abrolhos (often informally called the Abrolhos Islands) is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. Nominally located at, it lies about eighty kilometres (50 mi) west of Geraldton, Western Australia. It is the southernmost true coral reef in the Indian Ocean, and one of the highest latitude reef systems in the world. It is one of the world's most important seabird breeding sites, and is the centre of Western Australia's largest single-species fishery, the western rock lobster fishery. It has a small seasonal population of fishermen, and a limited number of tourists are permitted for day trips, but most of the land area is off limits as conservation habitat. It is well known as the site of numerous shipwrecks, the most famous being Dutch ships, which was wrecked in 1629, and, wrecked in 1727.

L'archipel Houtman Abrolhos (souvent abrégé en Îles Abrolhos) est un ensemble de 122 îles et récifs coralliens situés dans l'océan Indien au large des côtes ouest de l'Australie. C'est le récif corallien le plus au sud de l'océan Indien et, dans le monde, l'un des plus éloignés de l'équateur. C'est l'une des principales zones de reproduction d'oiseaux de mer et la principale zone de pêche de la langouste australienne. C'est une région aussi connue pour ses naufrages dont les plus célèbres sont ceux des navires hollandais le "Batavia" en 1629, et le "" en 1727.


Background.

After the major success of the debut album, Lear teamed up again with Anthony Monn to work on her second LP. "Sweet Revenge" was recorded between December 1977 and February 1978 between various studios in Munich, and consisted of mainstream disco material, with all lyrics written by Lear herself. The album incorporates elements of cabaret music in "Comics" and rock in "The Stud". All songs from the side A of the original LP release are a lyrically linked non-stop medley, making "Sweet Revenge" a concept album. The songs tell the story of "a girl who sold her soul to the Devil and won", as Amanda explained in the liner notes. The girl surrenders to the Devil's temptation, who promises her fame and fortune, but eventually runs away and finds real love with a man, which is her "sweet revenge over the Devil's offer". In a 1997 interview, Lear considered "Sweet Revenge" the album she is the most proud of.  The album's gatefold cover was designed by Amanda Lear. The pictures, taken by Denis Taranto, reference sadomasochism and present Amanda as a dominatrix, holding a whip. Other images depict Lear channeling Marlene Dietrich, sitting on a barrel, wearing stockings and a top hat, what refers to the image of Dietrich in her iconic 1930 film "The Blue Angel". Included are also two pictures of Amanda performing in concert as well as a topless photograph from her "Playboy" shoot. The album came with a big poster of the front cover image, with lyrics printed on the back.  "Follow Me" was released as the lead single and went on to become a Top 10 hit in many European countries, including No. 3 in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The song now remains Lear's signature tune. "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)" was also met with a commercial success, reaching the Top 10 in certain territories, and "Gold" became a minor hit in Belgium. "Run Baby Run" received a single release, but did not match the chart success of other singles from the album. The 1977 hit single "Queen of Chinatown", previously available on Lear's debut album, was released as a bonus track on Italian editions of "Sweet Revenge". In Spain, a cassette version of the album was released as "Dulce Venganza (Sweet Revenge)".  "Sweet Revenge" was accompanied by a concert tour, which was bigger and more elaborate than her previous shows. A promotional tournée was also launched in the United States, however, to no success. The publicity campaign again focused around Amanda's scandalous sex symbol image. The album was met with a commercial success, placing in the Top 10 in several European charts, including No. 4 in Germany, her most successful market at that time. It was certified gold in Germany and France, for selling 250,000 and 100,000 copies respectively. It is also her best-selling album to date, with an estimated 4 million copies shifted around the world.  The rights to the Ariola-Eurodisc back catalogue are currently held by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. "Sweet Revenge" was re-released on CD in 1992, excluding much of the visual content of the original double cover and syncing all songs from the side A into one CD track. For two decades, "Sweet Revenge" remained the only original Ariola album by Amanda Lear to have been re-released on compact disc worldwide, until her debut LP, "I Am a Photograph", received a CD re-release in 2012 and 2013.

Sweet Revenge is the second studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 1978 by West German label Ariola Records. The album turned out a major commercial success, spawning European hit disco singles "Follow Me" and "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)". "Sweet Revenge" remains Lear's best-selling album. It was released in CD format in 1992.

Sweet Revenge est le deuxième album studio d'Amanda Lear, sorti en 1978. C'est un album concept, dont la première partie (les titres 1 à 5 qui s'enchaînent sur le disque) raconte l'histoire d'une femme qui vend son âme au Diable contre gloire et fortune.