Ali

Ali ibn Abi Talib (/ˈɑːli, ɑːˈliː/;Arabic: علي بن أبي طالب‎, translit. ʿAlī bin Abī Ṭālib, Arabic pronunciation: [ʕaliː bɪn ʔabiː t̪ˤaːlɪb]; 13 Rajab, 21 BH – 21 Ramadan, 40 AH; 15 September 601 – 29 January 661) was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic caliphate from 656 to 661.

Born to Abu Talib and Fatima bint Asad, Ali was the only person born in the sacred sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam, as many sources, especially Shia ones say. Ali was the first young male who accepted Islam. After migrating to Medina, he married Muhammad's daughter Fatimah. Ali took part in the early caravan raids from Mecca and later in almost all the battles fought by the nascent Muslim community. He was appointed caliph by Muhammad's Companions (Sahaba) in 656, after caliph Uthman ibn Affan was assassinated. Ali's reign saw civil unrest and in 661, he was attacked and assassinated by a Kharijite while praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa, dying two days later.

Jamie Dick

Jamie Dick (born February 5, 1989 in El Paso, Texas) is an American professional stock car racing driver. A veteran of the NASCAR Camping World West Series, he last competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a part-time basis, driving the No. 55 Chevrolet for VIVA Motorsports.

Career

Dick began his racing career at the age of nine, competing in kart racing events, before soon moving up to Legends car racing, and then late model competition, including competing in the SRL Southwest Tour. In 2007, at the age of 18, he moved up to the NASCAR West Series - renamed Camping World West Series the following year - scoring eight top 10 and one top 5 finishes over the next two years of competition.

In 2009, Dick made his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Iowa Speedway; he ran a limited schedule in the series over the next two years, scoring a best finish of 16th at Iowa Speedway in 2010.

In 2011, Dick moved up to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, making his first start in the series at Kentucky Speedway in the family-owned and family-sponsored No. 02 Chevrolet. He finished 30th in his inaugural event. He made two more starts in the series in 2011, with the race at Kentucky being his best finish of the year.

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys are marketing campaigns for food and other products. Although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. Consequentially, YouTube has been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans and audiences.

Lauren Shera

Lauren Shera (born c. 1988) is an American folk musician and guitarist.

Shera spent her early life in New York, surrounded by a wide range of musicians. When she was 13, her family relocated to northern California; around this time, she picked up the guitar.

In 2008, she studied at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where she honed her skills as a singer and a musician while learning ukulele and clawhammer banjo. In 2014, she released the single "Hell's Bells" through record label DigSin.

Studio work

Lauren self-released her first album, "In My Bones", on November 30, 2006, at age 18. Along with its release she began to tour nationally and expand her audience from the Northern California coffee house base that she had developed.

Shera’s most recent project, "Once I Was A Bird," produced by Andy Zenczak at Gadgetbox Studios in Santa Cruz, was released on June 7, 2011. The album received critical acclaim from outlets such as My Old Kentucky Blog, who called Shera "A major talent lying in wait."Magnet Magazine said "You might not know Shera now, but trust us, that is about to change” and American Songwriter called her a "rising indie-folk star."

Joe Pisapia

Joe Pisapia (born July 25, 1968) is a producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who was formerly a part of the band Guster and k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang. In the past he has also released albums with his band Joe, Marc's Brother, his side project Watercolor, and the solo albums Daydreams (2002) and Nightvision (2015).

Albums

Pisapia released his first solo album Daydreams in 2002. He and Liz Hodder collaborated to produce Beautiful Mistakes under the band name Watercolor. With his band Joe, Marc's Brother, he has released Around The Year With Joe, Marc's Brother, The Pennsylvania Sessions, Autumnninetyeight EP, and 'The Debut Of Joe, Marc's Brother. In 2000, he worked with Anthony Rapp to release the album Look Around. He was involved with Guster for the production of Keep It Together and was pronounced an official member shortly thereafter at a show in Portland, Maine, as is documented on the DVD Guster on Ice. The band released their album, Ganging Up on the Sun, June 20, 2006. He later teamed up with k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang, co-producing and co-writing much of Sing It Loud. He produced the Ben Folds Five album "The Sound of the Life of the Mind," released in 2012. He performs pedal steel guitar on Jennifer Knapp's 2014 album Set Me Free.