Windsor Casting Plant was an Iron Foundry owned by Ford Motor Company in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The plant first opened November 9, 1934 and was located next to Ford Windsor engine ^[1] plant in downtown Windsor. It was known to area residents as the "Foundry". Internally it was referred to as WCP.

Operations ceased on May 29, 2007 as part of Ford's "Way Forward" plan.

During its time in operation, it was one of Canada’s largest recyclers. It recycled any kind of scrap metal with iron in it. Ironically, in 1998, the Foundry used the scrap metal from the demolition of neighbouring Windsor Engine #1 to cast 175'000 engine blocks. Although being considered an outdated facility, WCP was frequently awarded with many quality and environmental awards.^[2]

WCP was also the home and namesake for the Famous Windsor V8 ^[3]

Plant Facts:

Size: 500,000 square feet (46,450 m 2) on 22-acre (nine-hectare) site

Employees at time of closure: Approximately 400 Hourly; 50 Salaried

Products at time of Closure: Cast Iron Cylinder blocks – 4.2-litre V6 Crankshafts – 3.9-litre V6, 4.2-litre V6, 5.4-litre V8, 3.0-litre V6, 4.6-litre V8, 2.3-litre I4

Past Products: Master Cylinders for Brakes, Cylinder Heads, Manhole Covers

Production: 91,000 tonnes of molten metal poured/year Produces about 500,000 engine blocks/year Two million crankshafts produced each year for seven models, ranging from 22-pound to 38-pound crankshafts for everything from small inline four-cylinder engines to V-8s Largest recycler of iron and steel in Southern Ontario. All the steel used in cylinder blocks and crankshafts produced is recycled.

See also[link]

• List of Ford factories

References[link]

External links[link]

• 302w.com - Website & Forums dedicated to the Ford Windsor Engine
• Ford.com Description

Coordinates: 42°17′48.77″N -82°55′59.58″E / 42.2968806°N 81.0667833°W / 42.2968806; -81.0667833

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Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns performing in 2011 on the Come to the Well Tour.
Background information
Origin	Daytona Beach, Florida, USA
Genres	Contemporary Christian Christian rock Soft rock
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Sony BMG/Beach Street/Reunion (U.S.) Sony Music Philippines (Philippines)
Website	castingcrowns.com
Members
Mark Hall (lead vocals) Juan DeVevo (lead guitar) Hector Cervantes (rhythm guitar) Melodee DeVevo (violin, backing vocals) Megan Garrett (piano) Chris Huffman (bass guitar) Brian Scoggin (drums)
Past members
Andy Williams (drums)

Casting Crowns is a Grammy Award and Dove Award winning Contemporary Christian/Christian Rock band. Casting Crowns was started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida^[1] as part of a youth group. He now serves as a lead vocalist. Later they moved to Stockbridge, Georgia and more members joined creating the band now known as Casting Crowns. Some members of the band currently work as ministers for Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in Stockbridge, Georgia.^[2]

History[link]

Formation and self-titled debut[link]

Christian rock group Casting Crowns began as a student worship band in Daytona Beach, FL, in 1999. Led by singer, songwriter, and youth pastor Mark Hall, the group initially included guitarists Juan DeVevo and Hector Cervantes and violinist Melodee DeVevo. The group relocated to Stockbridge, GA, in 2001, adding Chris Huffman on bass, Megan Garrett on keyboards and accordion, and drummer Andy Williams. This augmented version of Casting Crowns released two independent albums on CD, both of which were well received in the Atlanta area. Both independent albums were efforts on the part of Mark Hall and the rest of the group as outreach projects for youth in the area.^[3] The group won the GMA regional songwriters competition at Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida in both the "Best Song" and the "Best Artist" categories in 2004. Although the group was not searching for a record label, one of the group's albums found its way into the hands of Mark Miller, lead singer for country group Sawyer Brown, who was struck by Casting Crowns' driving pop/rock style and Hall's vocal delivery of his hard-hitting but devout songs. Miller signed Casting Crowns to his fledgling Beach Street Records, a division of Reunion Records with distribution by the Provident Label Group, making Casting Crowns the first artist signed to Beach Street Records.^[4]

Mark Miller took the group into the studio along with co-producer Steven Curtis Chapman, himself a popular artist on the CCM musical scene. The resulting eponymous album, Casting Crowns, was released in 2003 on the Beach Street imprint. The album quickly made them one of the fastest selling debut artists in Christian music history. The album's third single, "Voice of Truth", spent a record-breaking fourteen consecutive weeks at #1 beginning in 2003. "Voice of Truth" is also by the trailer and the ending from the movie Facing the Giants. The album was certified platinum in 2005,^[5] and in 2011, the group received their first gold certification for a single for the song 'Who Am I' from their debut record.

[edit] Lifesong and Lifesong Live (2005-2006)

Lifesong followed in 2005, debuting at #9 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The album had three singles: “Lifesong”, “Praise You in this Storm”, and “ Does Anybody Hear Her?”. "Lifesong" spent nine weeks in the top spot, with "Praise You in This Storm" remaining at #1 for seven weeks. Apart from being successful in the charts, Lifesong earned Casting Crowns their first Grammy Award for their work on the album in 2006.

In 2006, the group released Lifesong Live, which included live performances of songs from their studio album Lifesong.

[edit] The Altar and the Door and The Altar and the Door Live (2007-2008)

The band's third studio album The Altar and the Door debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart^[6] and #1 on the Hot Christian Albums chart upon its release in August 2007. Ten weeks after the album’s release date, it was certified gold by the RIAA.^[7] On September 27, 2007 the band embarked on the ‘Altar and the Door’ tour with Leeland and John Waller . The tour was highly successful, grossing $4.4 million ticket sales.^[8] Casting Crowns broke their own record in 2007 when the single "East to West" from The Altar and the Door hit sixteen consecutive weeks at #1. The song ended up enjoying the top spot for a total of nineteen weeks, now their most successful single to date. "Slow Fade" was also released as a single, and was included in the soundtrack of the Kirk Cameron film Fireproof.

In 2008, Casting Crowns scored their eighth number one hit with "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", a track from their newly-released Christmas album entitled Peace on Earth.

[edit] Until the Whole World Hears (2009-2011)

In early 2009, drummer Andy Williams left to pursue a further calling with blessings from the band. The drummer was replaced with Brian Scoggin and his red locks of hair, an irony Mark mentions on tour.

Casting Crowns was one of the only American bands to ever have been invited to North Korea. They attended the 2009 April Spring Arts Festival in Pyongyang where they performed with The Annie Moses Band. This was Casting Crowns second time invited to the Festival sponsored by Global Resource Services, the first time being in 2007.^[9][10] On August 30, 2009 Casting Crowns performed on Huckabee, Mike Huckabee's political show.

Casting Crown's fourth major studio album, Until the Whole World Hears, was released on November 17, 2009, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 and selling over 167,000 copies in its first week alone, setting a new record for the highest Christian album debut in history.^[11] It was certified gold within 4 weeks.^[12] The title track and first single from the album became the groups ninth #1 single in January 2010. Before the album was released, the band went on tour with Matt Redman for the fall Until The Whole World Hears Tour. They went on the first spring leg of the tour with Kutless, and toured with Tenth Avenue North on the second spring leg.

In April 2010, Casting Crowns won the Dove Award for Artist of the Year, their first ever win in that category. A music video for the title track of Until the Whole World Hears was posted on the band's YouTube page on August 23, 2010.

The track Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) was released as a single in 2011 and reached #1 on Billboard Christian Songs during the week of April 23, 2011.

[edit] Come to the Well (2011-present)

Casting Crowns' latest song, "Courageous", was released as a single on July 19, 2011. The music video for the song was released on June 13, 2011 and promotes the film Courageous. The song was featured on their latest album, Come to the Well, which was released on October 18, 2011.

Ministry[link]

Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall calls the band's work a ministry akin to what the world would call "preaching to the choir." In keeping with The Great Commission, Hall describes their music as a "ministry of discipleship."

Four members of Casting Crowns currently minister at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, GA where they play during the Contemporary Worship service on Sunday mornings. They do the band part-time around their full-time work of mentoring teenagers at the church.^[2] They often tour from Thursday- Saturday so that they can be home for church on Sunday morning and Wednesday night.^[13]

Members[link]

Current[link]

• Mark Hall – lead vocals and songwriter (1999–Present)
• Hector Cervantes – lead guitar and background vocals (1999–Present)
• Juan DeVevo – guitar and background vocals (1999–Present)
• Chris Huffman – bass and background vocals ^[14] (2001–Present)
• Megan Garrett – piano, keyboards, backing vocals (2001–Present)
• Melodee DeVevo – violin, backing vocals, cello (1999–Present)
• Brian Scoggin – drums (2009–Present)

Former[link]

• Andy Williams - drums (2001–2009)

Books[link]

• Lifestories by Mark Hall
• Your Own Jesus by Mark Hall
• The Well by Mark Hall

Producers/Executive Producers[link]

• Steven Curtis Chapman - Producer for album Casting Crowns
• Mark A. Miller - Producer for albums Casting Crowns, Lifesong, The Altar and the Door, and Until The Whole World Hears
• Terry Hemmings - Executive Producer for album Lifesong, The Altar and the Door, and Until The Whole World Hears

Discography[link]

Independent albums[link]

• 2001: Casting Crowns
• 2002: What If The Whole World Prayed

Studio albums[link]

• 2003: Casting Crowns
• 2005: Lifesong
• 2007: The Altar and the Door
• 2008: Peace on Earth
• 2009: Until the Whole World Hears
• 2011: Come to the Well

Live albums[link]

• 2004: Live from Atlanta
• 2006: Lifesong Live
• 2008: The Altar and the Door Live
• 2010: Until the Whole World Hears... Live

Music videos[link]

• American Dream
• Does Anybody Hear Her
• Slow Fade
• Until the Whole World Hears
• Courageous
• Just Another Birthday
• Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Achievements[link]

• Career sales have exceeded 5 million records.
• Voted CCM Readers' Choice Awards "Favorite Band", "Favorite New Artist" and "Favorite Album" in 2005.
• "Lifesong" voted "Inspirational Single of the Year" by online music fans in the 2005 CCMSingles.Net Awards.
• "Praise You in this Storm" was the fifth most played song of 2006 according to R&R magazine^[15]
• "East To West" voted "AC Single of the Year" and "Inspirational Single of the Year" by online music fans in the 2007 CCMSingles.Net Awards.
• Casting Crowns was the most played artist on Christian Radio in 2007, according Radio & Records Weekly charts (12/10).
• Casting Crowns is the second fastest Christian band in history to have their first two albums certified platinum, the fastest being Jars of Clay.^[7]

GMA Dove Awards^[16]

Grammy Awards^[17]

References[link]

1. ^ Norris, Jane (18 May 2009). "There's No Slow Fade in the Forecast for Casting Crowns". The Daily Progress. http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/entertainment/music/article/theres_no_slow_fade_in_the_forecast_for_casting_crowns/40282/. Retrieved July 4, 2009. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "CASTING CROWNS SETS SALES RECORD AS HIGHEST DEBUTING CHRISTIAN MUSIC ARTIST IN SOUNDSCAN HISTORY; UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS FIRST-WEEK SCANS EXCEED 167,000". Jesus Freak Hideout. 25 November 2009. http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2009/11/25.CASTING%20CROWNS%20SETS%20SALES%20RECORD%20AS%20HIGHEST%20DEBUTING%20CHRISTIAN%20MUSIC%20ARTIST.asp. Retrieved 1 December 2009. 
3. ^ Owen, Linda (2005 November). "Casting Crowns’ "Who Am I"". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/novdec/14.13.html. Retrieved 2009-10-15. 
4. ^ Herman, Michael (2004). "Overnight Sensation". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2004/castingcrowns-0204.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08. 
5. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH. 
6. ^ "Casting Crowns ‘The Altar and the Door’ Debuts at No. 2". CCM Magazine. 2007 September. http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11553550/casting%20crowns/. Retrieved 16 September 2009. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "The Altar and the Door Certified Gold by RIAA in Ten Weeks". CCM Magazine. 2007 September. http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11553550/casting%20crowns/. Retrieved 16 November 2009. 
8. ^ "Casting Crowns Dominates Christian Music in 2007". CCM Magazine. 2007 December. http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11562037/casting%20crowns/. Retrieved 16 November 2009. 
9. ^ Young, Eric (2009-04-21). "Casting Crowns Heads Home After North Korea Trip". Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090421/casting-crowns-heads-home-after-north-korea-trip/index.html. Retrieved 2009-10-23. 
10. ^ French, Rose (2009-04-11). "Musicians hope to ease tensions in North Korea". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/states/tennessee/2009-04-11-2447326404_x.htm?loc=interstitialskip. Retrieved 2009-11-16. 
11. ^ http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2009/11/25.CASTING%20CROWNS%20SETS%20SALES%20RECORD%20AS%20HIGHEST%20DEBUTING%20CHRISTIAN%20MUSIC%20ARTIST.asp
12. ^ http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2009/12/21.CASTING%20CROWNS%20CERTIFIES%20RIAA%20GOLD%20IN%20FOUR%20WEEKS.asp
13. ^ http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/mark-hall-of-casting-486668.html
14. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCH-qjbwcIw
15. ^ As played on the January 7, 2007 Weekend 22
16. ^ "Dove Awards History Artist: Casting Crowns". Gospel Music Association. http://www.doveawards.com/history.php?x=artist. Retrieved 2009-11-16. 
17. ^ "Grammy Award Winners". The Recording Academy. http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx. Retrieved 2009-11-16. 

External links[link]

• Casting Crowns official site
• Casting Crowns Artist Profile on Christian Music Review
• The Altar and the Door album review on Christian Music Review
• Casting Crowns on WorshipSong
• The Altar & The Door Tour 2009 concert review from NewReleaseTuesday.com

Mark Henry Belanger (June 8, 1944 – October 6, 1998) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played almost his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles. A defensive standout, he won eight Gold Glove Awards between 1969 and 1978, leading the American League in assists and fielding percentage three times each, and retired with the highest career fielding average by an AL shortstop (.977). He set franchise records for career games, assists and double plays as a shortstop, all of which were later broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. After his playing career, he became an official with the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Early life[link]

Belanger was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was recruited by the Orioles as an amateur in 1962, and made his debut with the club on August 7, 1965.

Career[link]

He took over as the Orioles' regular shortstop in late 1967, and held the position for over a decade. Nicknamed "The Blade" because of his height of 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and weight of only 170 lb (77 kg), Belanger was known as a poor hitter. In 1970 he was a Triple Crown loser (finishing last in the TC categories). In his eighteen seasons in the major leagues, Belanger hit only 20 home runs, and had a lifetime batting average of .228, only topping the .230 mark over a full season three times; his .228 average is the third lowest of any major league player with over 5000 career at bats, ahead of only George McBride (.218) and Ed Brinkman (.224), and the seventh lowest of any non-catcher with at least 2500 at bats since 1920. His true contribution to the team was on defense, where he earned a reputation as one of the best fielding shortstops ever. Receiving the AL Gold Glove eight times (1969, 1971, 1973–78), he was also named to the All-Star team in 1976. Belanger joined a select group of shortstop-second baseman combinations who each won Gold Gloves in the same season while playing together: in 1969 and 1971 with Davey Johnson, and again with Bobby Grich each year between 1973 and 1976 inclusive. And with Brooks Robinson winning at third base every year through 1975, the left side of the Orioles' infield was seemingly impenetrable.

Despite his famously poor hitting, Belanger had substantial success against some of the best pitchers of his era, including Bert Blyleven, Nolan Ryan and Tommy John.

He hit a rare home run in the first American League Championship Series game ever played in 1969, and after uncharacteristically hitting .333 in the 1970 ALCS, his contributions led to the Orioles' 1970 World Series victory, the team's second title in five years; he caught a line drive to end a 4-3 victory in Game 1 with the tying run on first base, and had an assist to end Game 3. Playing in six ALCS, he set league playoff records for career games, putouts, assists, total chances and double plays by a shortstop, all of which were broken between 1998 and 2002 by Omar Vizquel and Derek Jeter.

He was granted free agency in 1981, perhaps in response to his public criticism of manager Earl Weaver, and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 1982 season, after which he retired.^[1]

Later life[link]

Belanger served as the Orioles' union representative for several years. He was one of the four players who led negotiations during the 1981 strike. After his retirement as an active player he was employed by the MLBPA as a liaison to its membership.

A long-time smoker, Belanger contracted lung cancer in the late 1990s and died in New York City at the age of 54. He is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

See also[link]

• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
• List of Gold Glove middle infield duos

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference