title: Oasis

text: Oases often have human histories that are measured in millennia. Archeological digs at Ein Gedi in the Dead Sea Valley have found evidence of settlement dating to 6,000 BC. Al-Ahsa on the Arabian Peninsula shows evidence of human residence dating to the Neolithic.


title: Oasis

text: Anthropologically, the oasis is “an area of sedentary life, which associates the city ["medina"] or village ["ksar"] with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”


title: Oasis

text: The location of oases has been of critical importance for trade and transportation routes in desert areas; caravans must travel via oases so that supplies of water and food can be replenished. Thus, political or military control of an oasis has in many cases meant control of trade on a particular route. For example, the oases of Awjila, Ghadames and Kufra, situated in modern-day Libya, have at various times been vital to both north–south and east–west trade in the Sahara Desert. The location of oases also informed the Darb El Arba'īn trade route from Sudan to Egypt, as well as the caravan route from the Niger River to Tangier, Morocco. The Silk Road “traced its course from water hole to water hole, relying on oasis communities such as Turpan in China and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.”


title: Oasis

text: According to the United Nations, “Oases are at the very heart of the overall development of peri-Saharan countries due to their geographical location and the fact they are preferred migration routes in times of famine or insecurity in the region.”


title: Oasis

text: Oases in Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula near the Persian Gulf, vary somewhat from the Saharan form. While still located in an arid or semi-arid zone with a date palm overstory, these oases are usually located "below plateaus" and “watered either by springs or by "aflaj", tunnel systems dug into the ground or carved into the rock to tap underground aquifers.” This rainwater harvesting system “never developed a serious salinity problem.”


title: Oasis

text: In the drylands of southwestern North America, there is a habitat form called Palm Oasis (alternately Palm Series or Oasis Scrub Woodland) that has the native California fan palm as the overstory species. These Palm Oases can be found in California, Arizona, Baja California, and Sonora.


title: Oasis

text: People who live in an oasis must manage land and water use carefully. The most important plant in an oasis is the date palm ("Phoenix dactylifera" L.), which forms the upper layer. These palm trees provide shade for smaller understory trees like apricots, dates, figs , olives, and peach trees, which form the middle layer. Market-garden vegetables, some cereals (such as sorghum, barley, millet, and wheat), and/or mixed animal fodder, are grown in the bottom layer where there is more moisture. The oasis is integrated into its desert environment through an often close association with nomadic transhumant livestock farming (very often pastoral and sedentary populations are clearly distinguished). The fertility of the oasis soil is restored by “cyclic organic inputs of animal origin.” In summary, an oasis palm grove is a highly anthropized and irrigated area that supports a traditionally intensive and polyculture-based agriculture.


title: Oasis

text: Responding to environmental constraints, the three strata create what is called the "oasis effect." The three layers and all their interaction points create a variety of combinations of “horizontal wind speed, relative air temperature and relative air humidity.” The plantings—through a virtuous cycle of wind reduction, increased shade and evapotranspiration—create a microclimate favorable to crops; “measurements taken in different oases have showed that the potential evapotranspiration of the areas was reduced by 30 to 50 percent within the oasis.”


title: Oasis

text: The keystone date palm trees are “a main income source and staple food for local populations in many countries in which they are cultivated, and have played significant roles in the economy, society, and environment of those countries.” Challenges for date palm oasis polycultures include “low rainfall, high temperatures, water resources often high in salt content, and high incidence of pests.”


title: Oasis

text: According to a United Nations report on the future of oases in the Sahara and Sahel, “Increasingly…oases are subject to various pressures, heavily influenced by the effects of climate change, decreasing groundwater levels and a gradual loss of cultural heritage due to a fading historical memory concerning traditional water management techniques. These natural pressures are compounded by demographic pressures and the introduction of modern water pumping techniques that can disrupt traditional resource management schemes, particularly in the North Saharan oases.”


title: Oasis

text: For example, five historic oases in the Western Desert of Egypt (Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra, Baharyia, and Siwa) once had “flowing spring and wells” but due to the decline of groundwater heads because of overuse for land reclamation projects those water sources are no more and the oases suffer as a result.


title: Oasis

text: Morocco has lost two-thirds of its oasis habitat over the last 100 years due to heat, drought, and water scarcity. The Ferkla Oases in Morocco once drew on water from the Ferkla, Sat and Tangarfa Rivers but they are now dry but for a few days a year.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Catholic university in terms of enrollment in North America. Following in the footsteps of its founders, DePaul places special emphasis on recruiting first-generation students and others from disadvantaged backgrounds.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's two campuses are located in Lincoln Park and the Loop. The Lincoln Park campus is home to the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Health, and Education. It also houses the School of Music, the Theater School, and the John T. Richardson Library. The Loop campus houses the College of Communication, Computing and Digital Media, and the College of Law, as well as the School of Public Service and the School for New Learning. It is also home to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which is part of the nationally ranked Driehaus College of Business, the tenth oldest business school in the nation. The Loop campus also houses the Loop Library, the Rinn Law Library, and the Barnes and Noble-based Student Center. DePaul is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".


title: DePaul University

text: The university enrolls around 14,500 undergraduates and about 7,900 graduate/law students. According to the Division of Student Affairs website, about 90% of DePaul's students commute or live off campus. The student body represents a wide array of religious, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, including over 60 foreign countries.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's intercollegiate athletic teams, known as the DePaul Blue Demons, compete in the Big East Conference. DePaul's men's basketball team has made 18 NCAA tournament appearances and appeared in two Final Fours. DePaul's softball team in 2019 had their third consecutive Big East Tournament title and 21st NCAA Tournament appearance in program history under head coach Tracie Adix-Zins.


title: DePaul University

text: Originally named St. Vincent's College, DePaul University was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission priests and brothers, known as the Vincentians. Followers of 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul, they founded the university to serve Roman Catholic children of immigrants. Student enrollment grew from 70 in 1898 to 200 in 1903 in what is now the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.


title: DePaul University

text: In that year, James Quigley, Archbishop of Chicago, announced plans to create a preparatory seminary, now Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, for the archdiocese and allow the Jesuit Saint Ignatius College, now Loyola University Chicago to move its collegiate programs to the north side, threatening St. Vincent College's survival.


title: DePaul University

text: In response, the Vincentians re-chartered in 1907 as DePaul University, expressly offering all of its courses of study to men and women of any religious background. DePaul began admitting women in 1911 and awarded degrees to its first female graduates in 1912. It was one of the first Catholic universities to admit female students in a co-educational setting.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul established the School of Music and the College of Commerce, the latter becoming one of the oldest business schools in the nation. In 1914, the college began offering courses in Chicago's Loop, the precursor of DePaul's second primary campus. In 1915, the Illinois College of Law completed its affiliation with the university and became the DePaul University College of Law. Enrollment totaled more than 1,100.


title: DePaul University

text: Although finances were rocky, the university continued to grow and build in the 1920s. In 1926, the university was first accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. When DePaul's first sports teams were formed in the early 1900s, the monogram "D" was selected for the uniforms. From this originated the sports_nickname "D-men" which evolved into "Demons". The color blue, which signifies loyalty and was chosen in 1901 by a vote of the student body, was added to the name to create the "Blue Demons".


title: DePaul University

text: By 1930 more than 5,000 students were enrolled in eight colleges and schools on two campuses. The Great Depression led to fluctuations in enrollment and tuition as well as cutbacks, including the elimination of the football team in 1939. In 1938, the Department of Elementary Education was established, reportedly the only one in the Midwest and one of six in the United States.


title: DePaul University

text: With the entry of the United States into World War I in 1918, DePaul formed a unit of the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps and converted its College Theatre into Army barracks. DePaul also mobilized for World War II, offering its facilities for war training and free courses to train people for industry work. The G.I. Bill, which paid the tuition of veterans enrolled in college, turned the financial tide for DePaul. Enrollment in 1945 skyrocketed to 8,857 students, twice as many as the previous year, and totaled more than 11,000 in 1948. Although a consulting firm recommended relocating from its deteriorating Lincoln Park neighborhood to the suburbs, trustees voted to remain and support the revitalization of the neighborhood.


title: DePaul University

text: In 1942, DePaul named Ray Meyer as head basketball coach. Meyer coached for DePaul until he retired in 1984, leading the 1945 team to the championship of the National Invitation Tournament and earning numerous honors, including election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, the fourth active coach to be so honored. The university would also go on to honor Ray Meyer by naming its fitness center after him.


title: DePaul University

text: In 1954, DePaul adopted its current armorial seal with coat of arms and motto: "Viam sapientiae monstrabo tibi" ("I will show you the way of wisdom", Proverbs, IV, 11). In 1955, the Frank J. Lewis Foundation donated the 18-story Kimball Building, rechristened the Lewis Center, at 25 East Jackson Boulevard, to the university. The building, still used today, was the hub of the Loop campus until 1993 when the DePaul Center opened at 1 East Jackson Boulevard (at State Street).


title: DePaul University

text: In 1968, the Black Student Union (BSU) was formed. In 1969, while in ongoing negotiations with DePaul administrators, members of the group occupied a campus building for two days and led several related rallies. The actions helped bring concerns of black students, and later those of Latino, Muslim and other student groups, to the fore. The university now sponsors a wide range of student organizations, including BSU, the DePaul Conservative Alliance, DePaul Irish Society, the DePaul Alliance for Latino Empowerment, United Muslims Moving Ahead, Hillel, the Asian Cultural Exchange, the African Student Organization, the Hellenic-American Student Association and the Activist Student Union.


title: DePaul University

text: In 1972, DePaul created the School for New Learning, one of the first colleges in the nation for adult students. In 1976 and 1977, the university acquired the land and buildings of the McCormick Theological Seminary, which increased its presence in Lincoln Park. In 1978, DePaul acquired the 47-year-old Goodman School of Drama from the Goodman Theatre and transformed it into The Theatre School.


title: DePaul University

text: In 2005, the university limited fliers protesting a visit of Ward Churchill, which included the term "hatemonger", declaring them "propaganda". A bomb threat prompted the university to limit attendance at the event.


title: DePaul University

text: In the Dershowitz–Finkelstein affair of 2007, Norman Finkelstein, an outspoken political science professor, was denied tenure. This followed a highly public and rancorous evaluation process in which an opponent of Finkelstein, Alan Dershowitz, took the highly unorthodox step of sending unsolicited letters and dossiers to Finkelstein's peers at DePaul urging them to deny him tenure. DePaul's president, the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, denies that the outside pressure affected the university's position, saying ""This attention was unwelcome and inappropriate and had no impact on either the process or the outcome of this case."" Finkelstein's supporters claim he was denied tenure due to his writings on the Holocaust and on the state of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Detractors such as Dershowitz challenged Finkelstein's research methods and confrontational approach. On September 5, 2007, Finkelstein resigned after he and the university reached a settlement; they released a joint statement.


title: DePaul University

text: In June 2009, the university removed the dean of the College of Law, Glen Weissenberger. The recommendation to remove Weissenberger was made by DePaul's provost, Helmut Epp, who stated in an e-mail to College of Law faculty and staff that "the working relationship between the dean and the administration had deteriorated to the point where it had become difficult to accomplish the college’s work." Two days previous, Weissenberger had reported to the American Bar Association (ABA) that DePaul's administration had failed to redistribute law school tuition income appropriately, in violation of express agreements between the College of Law and the university administration. Weissenberger's termination caused some DePaul faculty and students, as well as several independent observers in the law school community, to speculate that Weissenberger's unexpected removal was directly related to his report to the ABA. The law school faculty apprised the ABA of irregularities in the removal of Weissenberger and the appointment of an interim dean, but the ABA did not find any violations that would warrant the rescission of the school's accreditation.


title: DePaul University

text: In May 2016, Activists disrupted the speech of right-wing political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos. The event was subsequently cancelled. In 2016 DePaul university required a campus Republican group to redesign posters reading "Unborn Lives Matter" before granting permission to post them on the campus. University administrators said they objected to the poster because it was provocative toward the Black Lives Matter movement, but said that they were open to the group posting other pro-life flyers at DePaul.


title: DePaul University

text: Following renovations in the 1980s and the expansion of academic programs to promote research and social engagement, the university launched a six-year strategic plan in 1989. The plan included raising the national profile, expanding enrollment from 13,500 to 18,500, and completing an extensive building campaign at the Loop and Lincoln Park campuses. Major construction included the renovation of the DePaul Center in 1993 and the acquisition of the Blackstone Theatre, rechristened the Merle Reskin, in 1992. At Lincoln Park, projects included the John T. Richardson Library, completed in 1992, several new residence halls, and the quadrangle. It was named after the university's ninth president John T. Richardson.


title: DePaul University

text: 1994 enrollment was 16,700. Under the next six-year strategic plan, the university expanded enrollment to 23,000 students, reclaiming its status as the nation's largest Catholic university while maintaining admission standards, increasing diversity (currently, one-third of the student population is of color), and maintaining access to first-generation college students and those from low-income circumstances (about one-fourth of incoming freshmen qualify for Pell grants for low-income families). Additional new facilities included the William G. McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center (McGowan North) in 1999, the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center in 1999, the Student Center in 2001 and the Sullivan Athletic Center in 2000, and the Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Environmental Science and Chemistry Building (McGowan South) in 2009.


title: DePaul University

text: A privately owned and operated building, 1237 West, was built one block off campus as a student apartment community for over 580 DePaul University students with retail businesses on the first floor. This building is now named Ion Lincoln Park.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul entered into a merger with Barat College in 2001, from which it withdrew in 2005 after continued low enrollment and rising maintenance costs made the campus nonviable. The former Barat College had its final graduation on June 11, 2005, and was closed as of June 30, 2005. It sold the grounds of the 147-year-old college to a condominium developer Barat Woods LLC, who pledged to maintain the historic Old Main building, yet demolished the Thabor Wing with its Italianate-style Sacred Heart Chapel. The remaining students, tenured and tenure-track faculty, and some staff were absorbed into DePaul's other campuses. Barat Woods LLC went into foreclosure and the property was auctioned and the lender, Harris Bank won. The former Barat College campus was donated by an anonymous donor to Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart.


title: DePaul University

text: In 2012, a group of trustees and administrators of DePaul University was asked by the Archdiocese of Chicago and the priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Resurrection to assist Gordon Tech High School. As the academic partnership with DePaul University progressed, the school became DePaul College Prep in 2014.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul opened Wintrust Arena in October 2017 after using Allstate Arena for previous basketball games. The arena has a capacity of 10,387 seats and is the current home court for the men's and women's basketball teams. DePaul University split the cost with Chicago taxpayers, with contributions of $82.5 million respectively. The predicted attendance to the arena was 370,000 people annually for games and other events. However, from August 2017 to May 2018, fewer than 168,100 people attended Wintrust Arena for their events.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's two campuses are in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago and in the downtown Loop area. Owing largely to its compact urban form and its free public transportation passes for students, DePaul had the second lowest reported carbon footprint of any college and university submitting inventories under the College Sustainability Report Card program.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus (main campus) is the older and larger of the university's two campuses. Located on in Chicago's historic Lincoln Park neighborhood, this campus offers a traditional university environment. Approximately 2,400 students live on campus in DePaul's twelve residence halls. Resident Halls Located at the Lincoln Park Campus include Belden-Racine Hall, Ozanam Hall (formerly Clifton-Fullerton), Corcoran Hall, Munroe Hall, Seton Hall, and University Hall. DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus also offers other on-campus housing such as apartment-style living for upperclassmen.


title: DePaul University

text: The Lincoln Park Campus is home to the college of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, The Theatre School, the School of Music, the College of Education, the College of Science and Health, the Schmitt Academic Center, Wish Field, and the John T. Richardson Library. Opened in 1992, the library features a study and small-group spaces, an automated reference center, a technological help center, and a high-tech Resource Center for Career Development. The DePaul Art Museum, founded in 2011, is housed in a 15,000-square-foot building and features a collection of over 3000 objects, including works by Chicago and regional artists, North American and Latin American photography, WPA-era prints, contemporary and traditional West African objects, and Eastern European graphic arts. The museum is free to visit and open to the public.


title: DePaul University

text: In September 2013, DePaul opened its new Theatre School building, which includes the Watts Theatre, a 250-seat thrust theater, as well as the Sondra & Denis Healy Theatre, a 100-seat flexible theater on the fourth floor. The building was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli. In the fall of 2011, DePaul opened the four-story Arts & Letters Hall, which earned a Gold LEED-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The three-level Student Center, which opened in 2002, houses student services, dining facilities, the Saint Louise de Marillac Chapel, a cyber cafe, a Wintrust Bank, and offices for organizations including special-interest clubs.


title: DePaul University

text: Other recent additions include the Sullivan Athletic Center containing McGrath-Phillips Arena, and the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center. The Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Environmental Science and Chemistry Building (McGowan South) is a four-story building completed in January 2009. It is connected to the William G. McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center (McGowan North). The Lincoln Park campus also contains the remnants of the former McCormick Theological Seminary; these buildings (those remaining) are located east of the elevated tracks. This expansion was completed in the 1970s when McCormick moved its campus to the Hyde Park neighborhood. The McCormick Row Houses along the south side of Fullerton Avenue east of the elevated station, though now privately owned, were originally constructed for the Seminary. Also, until its destruction in 2006, the gothic architecture Hayes-Healy Athletic Center adjacent to the Fullerton 'L' station (similar in design to the still-present Cortelyou Commons next to Wish Field at Cacciatore Stadium) was also part of the Seminary campus. The gymnasium was demolished as part of the renovation/expansion of the Fullerton 'L' stop to accommodate higher ridership levels on the Brown Line, despite being on the National Register of Historic Places.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's Loop campus is located in downtown Chicago's Loop along Jackson Boulevard from State Street to Michigan Avenue. It is close to the futures exchanges, financial district, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The DePaul Center (DPC), an 11-story building fully renovated in 1993 to include modern classrooms, high-tech student services, and a business library, is located in the building that formerly housed the A. M. Rothschild & Company Store and the Goldblatt's Department Store. It is home to the Driehaus College of Business.


title: DePaul University

text: The College of Law is based in the Lewis Center and O'Malley Place at the southwest corner of Wabash and Jackson. Kitty-corner across the street is the College of Computing and Digital Media. In 2008, DePaul purchased the 18-story 14 East Jackson Boulevard Building at State and Jackson, formerly the Lytton Building, across the street from the DePaul Center. The College of Communication, the School for New Learning, and the School of Public Service were the first academic tenants of 14 East Jackson Boulevard, now the Richard M. and Maggie C. Daley Building.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul partnered with Roosevelt University and Columbia College Chicago to build the University Center of Chicago, an 18-story residence hall two blocks south of DPC housing 1,700 students, which opened in 2004 at the intersection of State and Congress Streets. Robert Morris University later joined and also houses students in the University Center of Chicago.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul University has ten colleges and schools. It operates on a quarter system. The exception is the College of Law which is on a semester system.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's College of Commerce opened on January 11, 1913. It was officially renamed the Driehaus College of Business on September 19, 2012, seven months after receiving from alumnus Richard H. Driehaus a $30 million gift which was the largest in the university's history. The college is located downtown in the Chicago Loop at 1 East Jackson Boulevard and is one of the ten oldest business schools in the US. It includes the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. The full-time faculty of the college consists of approximately 130 members. In 2009, "Princeton Review" ranked the College of Commerce's entrepreneurship program #3 (out of 700 programs) in the U.S. among graduate programs and #8 among undergraduate programs. "Entrepreneur" magazine has consistently ranked DePaul's entrepreneurship program one of the best in the US. In 2007, "Fortune Small Business" magazine named DePaul's undergraduate program one of the 25 best in the nation for entrepreneurs and its graduate program one of the top 10 MBA programs with an entrepreneurial flair. DePaul's part-time MBA program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business has been ranked in the top-10 nationally 14 times by U.S. News & World Report. Renowned Professors include behavioral finance pioneer Werner DeBondt, the Richard H. Driehaus Professor of Behavioral Finance; James Shilling, the Michael J. Horne Professor of Real Estate; and Harold P. Welsch, the Coleman Professor of Entrepreneurship. In 2010, the undergraduate program at DePaul University's College of Business was named one of "BusinessWeek"'s best 'Return On Investments' for Private Schools. The undergrad program was ranked 40th overall, making it the second highest-ranked business school in Illinois (after UIUC's College of Business).


title: DePaul University

text: The DePaul College of Communication enrolls more than 1,100 students pursuing professional or traditional academic courses of study in journalism; public relations and advertising; media studies; radio, television, film, digital media; health, relational, group, and organizational communication; and culture and communication. Coursework in the college's graduate and undergraduate degree programs is supplemented by a range of comprehensive pre-employment training opportunities, including Radio DePaul, "The DePaulia", "14East Magazine," Good Day DePaul, and a top-rated internship program. In 2018, the college unveiled a new major in Sports Communication.


title: DePaul University

text: The DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM), located in the Loop, is organized into three schools: the School of Cinematic Arts, which is home to the animation and cinema programs; the School of Computing, which houses programs in computer and information sciences; and the School of Design, which houses programs in game design, interactive and social media, and digital communication and media arts. CDM has nationally ranked programs in film, animation, gaming, and graphic design. They are a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cybersecurity for academic years 2014-2021 by the United States Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency. In The Hollywood Reporter's 2021 Top 25 American Film Schools Ranking, DePaul's School of Cinematic Arts was listed as the 16th, making it 8 ranks up than the previous year. Nearly 5,000 students are currently enrolled across CDM's graduate and undergraduate programs.


title: DePaul University

text: The College of Education is engaged in partnerships with more than 150 Chicago-area schools, including the Chicago Public Schools, parochial and private institutions. DePaul's education program was among the first to become accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in 1965 and remains accredited today. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in early childhood, elementary and secondary education and physical education; bilingual/bicultural education; social and cultural foundations in education; curriculum studies; educational leadership; human services and counseling; and a program in language, literacy and specialized instruction. Many of the school's graduates go on to teach in the Chicago Public Schools, private Catholic schools in the city of Chicago, and public and private schools throughout the metropolitan area.


title: DePaul University

text: The DePaul University College of Law is located in the Loop at 25 East Jackson Boulevard. Ranked #29 in U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Schools 2018 edition. Notable faculty members include Alberto Coll, former United States Assistant Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush, and Patty Gerstenblith, appointed by Barack Obama to serve as the chair of the President's Cultural Property Advisory Committee in the U.S. Department of State. Other faculty members include Susan Bandes, expert in criminal law and emotion in law; Brian Havel, expert in international aviation law; Roberta Kwall, expert in intellectual property law; Joshua Sarnoff, expert in patent law and appointee to USPTO; and Jeffrey Shaman, expert in constitutional law.


title: DePaul University

text: The College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences is DePaul's third largest college and is located primarily in the Lincoln Park Campus, which occupies in Chicago's Lincoln Park community. Notable college faculty members include Aminah McCloud, director of the Islamic World Studies program; Joseph Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development. The philosophy department is also noted as a first-rate program in 20th century continental philosophy, particularly at the graduate level, according to the Hartmann Report The department includes major Heidegger translators, Parvis Emad, David Farrell Krell and William McNeill. The graduate School of Public Service (SPS), located in the Loop Campus, educates nonprofit and government professionals, includes an interdisciplinary faculty, and offers a number of international programs. It is the largest program of its type in the midwest. The English department offers the Oeuvre Prize to distinguished writers semi-annually to recognize significant accomplishments in Literature.


title: DePaul University

text: The College of Science and Health (CSH) was established in 2011. CSH offers many undergraduate majors and graduate programs in the following areas:


title: DePaul University

text: Courses are primarily offered on the Lincoln Park Campus. Notable professors include psychology professors Suzanne T. Bell, Joseph R. Ferrari, and Leonard A. Jason. The community and clinical-community psychology programs won the Award for Excellence in Education Programs from the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA Division 27 of the American Psychological Association); DePaul's program was the first recipient of the award, given for the first time in 2007.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's School of Music has more than two dozen members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago as faculty. The School of Music was named as one of the "Schools That Rock" in the 2005 "Rolling Stone" guidebook that evaluated collegiate music schools nationally. In 2007, "Fortune Small Business" recognized its performing arts management major as one of the 24 best cross-discipline programs for entrepreneurs. In addition to degrees in jazz and concert performance, music composition, music education and jazz studies, DePaul has programs in sound recording technology and performing arts management. According to an article released on May 22, 2017, from DePaul's student newspaper, "The DePaulia", the new music school building is to be named after former President Fr. Holtschneider, who stepped down as president in June 2017. In a statement, Bill Bennett, outgoing chair of the board of trustees, said the decision to rename the school to the Holtschneider Center for Music and Performance was to recognize Holtschneider's appreciation "for all things musical". Notable prior faculty members included Sergei Tarnowsky, Samuel Lieberson, and Richard Czerwonky.


title: DePaul University

text: The School for New Learning (SNL), created in 1972, was one of the first university-wide efforts in the United States to serve adult students through a separate college. Students partner with faculty and professional mentors to create a unique curriculum for earning an undergraduate or graduate degree and can earn college credit for knowledge gained through life experiences by demonstrating competence in various areas. SNL was named one of six "Best Practice" institutions in North America by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, an international non-profit organization which advocates for adult learning. The Houston-based American Productivity and Quality Center has touted SNL for its individualized education of adult students. Associate Professor Miriam Ben-Yoseph was named the 2006 Illinois Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The Chronic Illness Initiative in DePaul's School for New Learning was named one of the 30 "Smart Business Ideas" in higher education by University Business magazine in its December 2007 issue. All Hallows College in Dublin, Ireland, modeled their ALBA program for adult learners after the School for New Learning.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's Theatre School was founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925 and is the Midwest's oldest theater training conservatory. In 2013, it moved into a custom-designed five-story building that includes two theater spaces-—the 250-seat thrust Watts Theatre and the 100-seat black box Sondra & Denis Healy Theatre-—in addition to classrooms, acting labs, scene shop, costume shop, makeup, paint, lighting laboratories, and new media workshops. The building, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli, has many transparent walls, allowing passersby to see faculty and students at work. In 2006, the school's array of theatrical productions, playwrighting festivals, guest-lecture series and scholarship availability are featured in the book Creative Colleges, written by Elaina Loveland. In January 2003, The Education Life section of "The New York Times" listed DePaul's Theatre School among nine schools most mentioned by casting directors and theatrical agents for program quality. It was the first in the US to offer an undergraduate degree in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism. As part of a "learning by doing" philosophy, the school presents more than 40 productions each season in a variety of venues. Ten productions are offered to the public each season as part of The Theatre School Showcase, Chicago Playworks (the city's oldest continuously operating children's theater), New Directors Series, or New Playwrights Series. Theatre students are involved in all aspects of the productions.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's Continuing and Professional Education division (DePaul CPE) provides non-degree-based professional development and adult education courses to individuals and to groups of employees at companies, organizations, and governmental agencies. Courses range from three-hour seminars to 180-hour certificate programs and are offered online, on DePaul's five campuses, and at company sites. Courses and certificates in 20 different topic areas are available, including Financial Planning, Human Resources and Training, Management, Marketing, Communications, and Paralegal Studies. DePaul CPE, a separate unit within DePaul, draws on university faculty and professionals from Chicago organizations to teach its courses.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's College of Communication runs four student media organizations. "Good Day DePaul" is the student-run televisions program. "The DePaulia" is a traditional print newspaper that also posts its articles online. "14 East" is an online multi-media magazine. "Radio DePaul" is a 24-hour web-based radio station.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big East Conference. The school's athletic teams sports nickname is the Blue Demons.


title: DePaul University

text: DePaul's mascot is DIBS which stands for Demon In a Blue Suit. DIBS is present at every Blue Demons basketball game and makes frequent appearances at DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus and charity appearances around the Chicago metropolitan area.


title: DePaul University

text: The school's men's basketball program gained prominence under Ray Meyer, who led the team to the NCAA Division I basketball Final Four in the 1978–1979 season. DePaul also made it to the Final Four in 1943. The school's only national championship came in 1945 after winning the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). DePaul has been to the NCAA tournament 22 times (two Final Four appearances) and NIT tournament 16 times. The team played at the Allstate Arena from 1980 until 2017. Beginning in the 2017–2018 season, the team has played at Wintrust Arena.


title: DePaul University

text: In 2017 the DePaul Men's Track and Field team won the university's first male sports Big East championships, in the sport of Indoor and Outdoor track and field.


title: DePaul University

text: Nearly 1100 members, 26 chapters total and 11 philanthropy-based groups make up the community. There are 10 male fraternities, 16 female sororities, and 1 co-educational organization not part of traditional Greek Life, (Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity). The largest fraternity on campus, Phi Kappa Psi, has 75 members and the largest sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, has 110 members. 11 organizations are identified as being culturally-based: 6 organizations are Latino interest based, 4 organizations are Historically Black Greek Letter Organizations, and 2 are Asian interest based.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital is an American private investment firm based in Boston. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, public equity, impact investing, life sciences, and real estate. Bain Capital invests across a range of industry sectors and geographic regions. As of 2022, the firm managed approximately $160 billion of investor capital. The firm was founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company. The company is headquartered at 200 Clarendon Street in Boston with 22 offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.


title: Bain Capital

text: Since its establishment it has invested in or acquired hundreds of companies, including AMC Theatres, Artisan Entertainment, Aspen Education Group, Apex Tool Group, Brookstone, Burger King, Burlington Coat Factory, Canada Goose, DIC Entertainment, Domino's Pizza, DoubleClick, Dunkin' Donuts, D&M Holdings, Guitar Center, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), iHeartMedia, ITP Aero, KB Toys, Sealy, Sports Authority, Staples, Toys "R" Us, Virgin Australia, Warner Music Group, Fingerhut, Athenahealth, The Weather Channel, and Apple Leisure Group, which includes AMResorts and Apple Vacations. The company and its actions during its first 15 years became the subject of political and media scrutiny as a result of co-founder Mitt Romney's later political career, especially his 2012 presidential campaign.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital was founded in 1984 by Bain & Company partners Mitt Romney, T. Coleman Andrews III, and Eric Kriss, after Bill Bain had offered Romney the chance to head a new venture that would invest in companies and apply Bain's consulting techniques to improve operations. In addition to the three founding partners, the early team included Fraser Bullock, Robert F. White, Joshua Bekenstein, Adam Kirsch, and Geoffrey S. Rehnert.


title: Bain Capital

text: Romney initially had the titles of president and managing general partner or managing partner. He later became referred to as managing director or CEO as well. He was also the sole shareholder of the firm. At the beginning, the firm had fewer than ten employees.


title: Bain Capital

text: In the face of skepticism from potential investors, Romney and his partners spent a year raising the $37 million in funds needed to start the new operation. Bain partners put in $12 million of their own money and sourced the rest from wealthy individuals. Early investors included Boston real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots football team. They also included members of elite Salvadoran families such as Ricardo Poma whose capital fled the country's civil war. They and other wealthy Latin Americans invested $9 million primarily through offshore companies registered in Panama.


title: Bain Capital

text: While Bain Capital was founded by Bain executives, the firm was not an affiliate or a division of Bain & Company but rather a completely separate company. Initially, the two firms shared the same offices—in an office tower at Copley Place in Boston—and a similar approach to improving business operations. However, the two firms had put in place certain protections to avoid sharing information between the two companies and the Bain & Company executives had the ability to veto investments that posed potential conflicts of interest. Bain Capital also provided an investment opportunity for partners of Bain & Company. The firm initially gave a cut of its profits to Bain & Company, but Romney later persuaded Bill Bain to give that up.


title: Bain Capital

text: The Bain Capital team was initially reluctant to invest its capital. By 1985, things were going poorly enough that Romney considered closing the operation, returning investors' money to them, and having the partners go back to their old positions. The partners saw weak spots in so many potential deals that by 1986, very few had been done. At first, Bain Capital focused on venture capital opportunities. One of Bain's earliest and most notable venture investments was in Staples, Inc., the office supply retailer. In 1986, Bain provided $4.5 million to two supermarket executives, Leo Kahn and Thomas G. Stemberg, to open an office supply supermarket in Brighton, Massachusetts. The fast-growing retail chain went public in 1989; by 1996, the company had grown to over 1,100 stores, and as of fiscal year-end January 2012, Staples reached over $20 billion in sales, nearly $1.0B in net income, 87,000 employees, and 2,295 stores. Bain Capital eventually reaped a nearly sevenfold return on its investment, and Romney sat on the Staples board of directors for over a decade. Another very successful investment occurred in 1986 when $1 million was invested in medical equipment maker Calumet Coach, which eventually returned $34 million. A few years later, Bain Capital made an investment in the technology research outfit the Gartner Group, which ended up returning a 16-fold gain.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain invested the $37 million of capital in its first fund in twenty companies and by 1989 was generating an annualized return in excess of 50 percent. By the end of the decade, Bain's second fund, raised in 1987 had deployed $106 million into 13 investments. As the firm began organizing around funds, each such fund was run by a specific general partnership—that included all Bain Capital executives as well as others—which in turn was controlled by Bain Capital Inc., the management company that Romney had full ownership control of. As CEO, Romney had a final say in every deal made.


title: Bain Capital

text: In the 1990s, Bain Capital starteed several affiliates that supported its private equity and other assets classes. The long-short equity hedge fund, Brookside Capital, was founded in 1996 and, Sankaty Advisors, the company's fixed income affiliate, was started two years later. Building affiliates for the firm was directed by three conditions: that it leveraged its core skills; one of its Managing Directors has a leadership role; and, the new business invests in attractive asset class.


title: Bain Capital

text: Beginning in 1989, the firm, which began as a venture capital source investing in start-up companies, adjusted its strategy to focus on leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments in more mature companies. Their model was to buy existing firms with money mostly borrowed against their assets, partner with existing management to apply Bain methodology to their operations (rather than the hostile takeovers practiced in other leverage buyout scenarios), and sell them off in a few years. Existing CEOs were offered large equity stakes in the process, owing to Bain Capital's belief in the emerging agency theory that CEOs should be bound to maximizing shareholder value rather than other goals. By the end of 1990, Bain had raised $175 million of capital and financed 35 companies with combined revenues of $3.5 billion.


title: Bain Capital

text: In July 1992, Bain acquired Ampad (originally American Pad & Paper) from Mead Corporation, which had acquired the company in 1986. Mead, which had been experiencing difficulties integrating Ampad's products into its existing product lines, generated a cash gain of $56 million on the sale. Under Bain's ownership, the company enjoyed a significant growth in sales from $106.7 million in 1992 to $583.9 million in 1996, when the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Under Bain's ownership, the company also made a number of acquisitions, including writing products company SCM in July 1994, brand names from the American Trading and Production Corporation in August 1995, WR Acquisition and the Williamhouse-Regency Division of Delaware, Inc. in October 1995, Niagara Envelope Company, Inc. in 1996, and Shade/Allied, Inc. in February 1997. Ampad's revenue began to decline in 1997 and the company laid off employees and closed production facilities to maintain profitability. Employment declined from 4,105 in 1996 to 3,800 in 2000. The company ceased trading on the New York stock exchange on December 22, 2000 and filed for bankruptcy in 2001. At the time of the bankruptcy, Bain Capital held a 34.9% equity ownership interest in the company. The assets were acquired in 2003 by Crescent Investments. Bain's eight years' of involvement in Ampad is estimated to have generated over $100 million in profits ($60 million in dividends, $45–50 million from the proceeds from stock issued after the company went public, and $1.5-2 million in annual management fees).


title: Bain Capital

text: In 1994, Bain acquired Totes, a producer of umbrellas and overshoes. Three years later, Totes, under Bain's ownership, acquired Isotoner, a producer of leather gloves.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain, together with Thomas H. Lee Partners, acquired Experian, the consumer credit reporting business of TRW Inc., in 1996 for more than $1 billion. Formerly known as TRW's Information Systems and Services unit, Experian is one of the leading providers of credit reports on consumers and businesses in the US. The company was sold to Great Universal Stores for $1.7 billion just months after being acquired.


title: Bain Capital

text: Other notable Bain investments of the late 1990s included Sealy Corporation, the manufacturer of mattresses; Alliance Laundry Systems; Domino's Pizza and Artisan Entertainment.


title: Bain Capital

text: Much of the firm's profits was earned from a relatively small number of deals, with Bain Capital's overall success and failure rate being about even. One study of 68 deals that Bain Capital made up through the 1990s found that the firm lost money or broke even on 33 of them. Another study that looked at the eight-year period following 77 deals during the same time found that in 17 cases the company went bankrupt or out of business, and in 6 cases Bain Capital lost all its investment. But 10 deals were very successful and represented 70 percent of the total profits.


title: Bain Capital

text: Romney had two diversions from Bain Capital during the first half of the decade. From January 1991 to December 1992, Romney served as the CEO of Bain & Company where he led the successful turnaround of the consulting firm (he remained managing general partner of Bain Capital during this time). In November 1993, he took a leave of absence for his unsuccessful 1994 run for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts; he returned the day after the election in November 1994. During that time, Ampad workers went on strike, and asked Romney to intervene; Bain Capital lawyers asked him not to get involved, although he did meet with the workers to tell them he had no position of active authority in the matter.


title: Bain Capital

text: In 1994, Bain invested in Steel Dynamics, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a prosperous steel company that has grown to the fifth largest in the US, employs about 6,100 people, and produces carbon steel products with 2010 revenues of $6.3 billion on steel shipments of 5.3 million tons. In 1993, Bain acquired the Armco Worldwide Grinding System steel plant in Kansas City, Missouri and merged it with its steel plant in Georgetown, South Carolina to form GST Steel. The Kansas City plant had a strike in 1997 and Bain closed the plant in 2001 laying off 750 workers when it went into bankruptcy. The South Carolina plant closed in 2003 but subsequently reopened under a different owner. At the time of its bankruptcy it reported $553.9 million in debts against $395.2 in assets. Bain reported $58.4 million in profits, the employee pension fund had a liability of $44 million.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain's investment in Dade Behring represented a significant investment in the medical diagnostics industry. In 1994, Bain, together with Goldman Sachs Capital Partners completed a carveout acquisition of Dade International, the medical diagnostics division of Baxter International in a $440 million acquisition. Dade's private equity owners merged the company with DuPont's in vitro diagnostics business in May 1996 and subsequently with the Behring Diagnostics division of Hoechst AG in 1997. Aventis, the successor of Hoechst, acquired 52% of the combined company. In 1999, the company reported $1.3 billion of revenue and completed a $1.25 billion leveraged recapitalization that resulted in a payout to shareholders. The dividend, taken together with other previous shareholder dividends resulted in an eightfold return on investment to Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs. Revenues declined from 1999 through 2002 and despite attempts to cut costs through layoffs the company entered into bankruptcy in 2002. Following its restructuring, Dade Behring emerged from Bankruptcy in 2003 and continued to operate independently until 2007 when the business was acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions. Bain and Goldman lost their remaining stock in the company as part of the bankruptcy.


title: Bain Capital

text: By the end of the decade, Bain Capital was on its way to being one of the top private equity firms in the nation, having increased its number of partners from 5 to 18, having 115 employees overall, and having $4 billion under its management. The firm's average annual return on investments was 113 percent. It had made between 100 and 150 deals where it acquired and then sold a company.


title: Bain Capital

text: Romney took a paid leave of absence from Bain Capital in February 1999 when he became the head of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The decision caused turmoil at Bain Capital, with a power struggle ensuing. Some partners left and founded the Audax Group and Golden Gate Capital. Other partners threatened to leave, and there was a prospect of eight-figure lawsuits being filed. Romney was worried that the firm might be destroyed, but the crisis ebbed.


title: Bain Capital

text: Romney was not involved in day-to-day operations of the firm after starting the Olympics position. Those were handled by a management committee, consisting of five of the fourteen remaining active partners with the firm. However, according to some interviews and press releases during 1999, Romney said he was keeping a part-time function at Bain.


title: Bain Capital

text: During his leave of absence, Romney continued to be listed in filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as "sole shareholder, sole director, Chief Executive Officer and President". The SEC filings reflected the legal reality and the ownership interest in the Bain Capital management company. In practice, former Bain partners have stated that Romney's attention was mostly occupied by his Olympics position. He did stay in regular contact with his partners, and traveled to meet with them several times, signing corporate and legal documents and paying attention to his own interests within the firm and to his departure negotiations. Bain Capital Fund VI in 1998 was the last one Romney was involved in; investors were worried that with Romney gone, the firm would have trouble raising money for Bain Capital Fund VII in 2000, but in practice the $2.5 billion was raised without much trouble. His former partners have said that Romney had no role in assessing other new investments after February 1999, nor was he involved in directing the company's investment funds. Discussions over the final terms of Romney's departure dragged on during this time, with Romney negotiating for the best deal he could get and his continuing position as CEO and sole shareholder giving him the leverage to do so.


title: Bain Capital

text: Although he had left open the possibility of returning to Bain after the Olympics, Romney made his crossover to politics in 1999. His separation from the firm was finalized in early 2002. Romney negotiated a ten-year retirement agreement with Bain Capital that allowed him to receive a passive profit share and interest as a retired partner in some Bain Capital entities, including buyout and Bain Capital investment funds, in exchange for his ownership in the management company. Because the private equity business continued to thrive, this deal would bring him millions of dollars in annual income. Romney was the first and last CEO of Bain Capital; since his departure became final, it has continued to be run by management committee.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital itself, and especially its actions and investments during its first 15 years, came under press scrutiny as the result of Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. Romney's leave of absence and the level of activity he had within the firm during the 1999-2002 period also garnered attention.


title: Bain Capital

text: In 2000, DIC Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward partnered with Bain Capital Inc in a management buyout of DIC from The Walt Disney Company. Heyward continued as chairman and CEO of the animation studio, which has more than 2,500 half-hours of programming in its library. He purchased Bain Capital's interest in 2004 and took the company public the following year.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital began the new decade by closing on its seventh fund, Bain Capital Fund VII, with over $3.1 billion of investor commitments. The firm's most notable investments in 2000 included the $700 million acquisition of Datek, the online stock brokerage firm, as well as the $305 million acquisition of KB Toys from Consolidated Stores. Datek was acquired by TD Ameritrade in 2002. KB Toys, which had been financially troubled since the 1990s as a result of increased pressure from national discount chains such as Walmart and Target, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2004. Bain had been able to recover value on its investment through a dividend recapitalization in 2003. In early 2001, Bain agreed to purchase a 30 percent stake, worth $600 million, in Huntsman Corporation, a leading chemical company owned by Jon Huntsman, Sr., but the deal was never completed.


title: Bain Capital

text: With a significant amount of committed capital in its new fund available for investment, Bain was one of a handful of private equity investors capable of completing large transactions in the adverse conditions of the early 2000s recession. In July 2002, Bain together with TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, announced the high-profile $2.3 billion leveraged buyout of Burger King from Diageo. However, in November the original transaction collapsed when Burger King failed to meet certain performance targets. In December 2002, Bain and its co-investors agreed on a reduced $1.5 billion purchase price for the investment. The Bain consortium had support from Burger King's franchisees, who controlled approximately 92% of Burger King restaurants at the time of the transaction. Under its new owners, Burger King underwent a major brand overhaul including the use of The Burger King character in advertising. In February 2006, Burger King announced plans for an initial public offering.


title: Bain Capital

text: In late 2002, Bain remained active acquiring Houghton Mifflin for $1.28 billion, together with Thomas H. Lee Partners and Blackstone Group. Houghton Mifflin and Burger King represented two of the first large club deals, completed since the collapse of the Dot-com bubble.


title: Bain Capital

text: In November 2003, Bain completed an investment in Warner Music Group through an acquisition by Edgar Bronfman Jr. In 2004 Bain acquired the Dollarama chain of dollar stores, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and operating stores in the provinces of Eastern Canada for $1.05 billion CAD. In March 2004, Bain acquired Brenntag Group from Deutsche Bahn AG (Exited in 2006; sold to BC Partners for $4B). In August 2003, Bain acquired a 50% interest in Bombardier Inc.'s recreational products division, along with the Bombardier family and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, and created Bombardier Recreational Products or BRP.


title: Bain Capital

text: In 2004 a consortium comprising KKR, Bain Capital, and real estate development company Vornado Realty Trust announced the $6.6 billion acquisition of Toys "R" Us, the toy retailer. A month earlier, Cerberus Capital Management, made a $5.5 billion offer for both the toy and baby supplies businesses. The Toys 'R' Us buyout was one of the largest in several years. Following this transaction, by the end of 2004 and in 2005, major buyouts were once again becoming common and market observers were stunned by the leverage levels and financing terms obtained by financial sponsors in their buyouts.


title: Bain Capital

text: The following year, in 2005, Bain was one of seven private equity firms involved in the buyout of SunGard in a transaction valued at $11.3 billion. Bain's partners in the acquisition were Silver Lake Partners, TPG Capital, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Providence Equity Partners, and Blackstone Group. This represented the largest leveraged buyout completed since the takeover of RJR Nabisco at the end of the 1980s leveraged buyout boom. Also, at the time of its announcement, SunGard would be the largest buyout of a technology company in history, a distinction it would cede to the buyout of Freescale Semiconductor. The SunGard transaction is also notable in the number of firms involved in the transaction, the largest club deal completed to that point. The involvement of seven firms in the consortium was criticized by investors in private equity who considered cross-holdings among firms to be generally unattractive.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain led a consortium, together with The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners to acquire Dunkin' Brands. The private equity firms paid $2.425 billion in cash for the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins in December 2005.


title: Bain Capital

text: In 2006, Bain Capital and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, together with Merrill Lynch and the Frist family (which had founded the company) completed a $31.6 billion acquisition of Hospital Corporation of America, 17 years after it was taken private for the first time in a management buyout. At the time of its announcement, the HCA buyout was the first of several to set new records for the largest buyout, eclipsing the 1989 buyout of RJR Nabisco. It was later surpassed by the buyouts of EQ Office and TXU. In August 2006, Bain was part of the consortium, together with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Silver Lake Partners, and AlpInvest Partners, that acquired a controlling 80.1% share of semiconductors unit of Philips for €6.4 billion. The new company, based in the Netherlands, was renamed NXP Semiconductors.


title: Bain Capital

text: During the buyout boom, Bain was active in the acquisition of various retail businesses. In January 2006, Bain announced the acquisition of Burlington Coat Factory, a discount retailer operating 367 department stores in 42 states, in a $2 billion buyout transaction. Six months later, in October 2006, Bain and The Blackstone Group acquired Michaels Stores, the largest arts and crafts retailer in North America in a $6.0 billion leveraged buyout. Bain and Blackstone narrowly beat out Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and TPG Capital in an auction for the company. In June 2007, Bain agreed to acquire HD Supply, the wholesale construction supply business of Home Depot for $10.3 billion. Bain, along with partners Carlyle Group and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, would later negotiate a lower price ($8.5 billion) when the initial stages of the subprime mortgage crisis caused lenders to seek to renegotiate the terms of the acquisition financing. Just days after the announcement of the HD Supply deal, on June 27, Bain announced the acquisition of Guitar Center, the leading musical equipment retailer in the U.S. Bain paid $1.9 billion, plus $200 million in assumed debt, representing a 26% premium to the stock's closing price prior to the announcement. Bain also acquired Edcon Limited, which operates Edgars Department Stores in South Africa and Zimbabwe for 25 billion rand ($3.5 billion) in February 2007.


title: Bain Capital

text: Other investments during the buyout boom included: Bavaria Yachtbau, acquired for €1.3 billion in July 2007 as well as Sensata Technologies, acquired from Texas Instruments in 2006 for approximately $3 billion. It is noted that Bain Capital seldom engages in reinvesting in its own companies that ran into difficulties. This was the case with Dade Behring, which was sold after emerging from a bankruptcy.


title: Bain Capital

text: In the wake of the closure of the credit markets in 2007 and 2008, Bain Capital Private Equity managed to close only a small number of sizable transactions. Since 2008, the Bain Capital subsidiary has completed a number of transaction types, including minority ownership, majority ownership, and completely-funded acquisitions.


title: Bain Capital

text: In July 2008, Bain Capital Private Equity, together with NBC Universal and Blackstone Group agreed to purchase The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications. The company also partnered with Thomas H. Lee Partners to acquire Clear Channel Communications in July 2008. That same year, Bain Capital Private Equity acquired D&M Holdings for $442 million.


title: Bain Capital

text: In June 2009, Bain Capital Private Equity announced a deal to invest up to $432 million in Chinese electronics manufacturer GOME Electrical Appliances for a stake of up to 23%. In 2010, the company acquired Styron, a division of The Dow Chemical Company, for $1.6 billion, and also acquired Gymboree for $1.8 billion. In 2011, the company, together with Hellman & Friedman, acquired Securitas Direct AB. Hellman & Friedman purchased Bain Capital's remaining stake in Securitas Direct in October 2015.


title: Bain Capital

text: In 2012, Bain Capital Private Equity acquired Physio-Control for $478 million, and also acquired a 30% stake in Genpact Ltd., India's largest business process and call center outsourcing firm, for $1 billion. Later that year, the company acquired hand and power tool company Apex Tool Group for roughly $1.6 billion. In May 2013, Bain Capital Private Equity partnered with investment firms Golden Gate Capital, GIC Private Limited, and Insight Venture Partners to purchase BMC Software for roughly $6.9 billion. In December 2013, the company acquired a majority stake in the clothing chain Canada Goose Inc.


title: Bain Capital

text: In April 2014, Bain Capital Private Equity purchased a controlling stake in Viewpoint Construction Software, a construction-specific software company, for $230 million. In November 2014, the company and Virgin Group announced the creation of a new cruise line, which is currently known as Virgin Voyages. Later that year, Bain agreed to purchase four divisions of CRH for roughly $650 million.


title: Bain Capital

text: In March 2015, Bain Capital Private Equity agreed to buy Blue Coat Systems for roughly $2.4 billion. In 2016, the firm named Jonathan Lavine and John Connaughton as co-managing partners, and also named Steven Pagliuca and Joshua Bekenstein as co-chairman. In March 2017, Bain Capital Private Equity agreed to acquire industrial cleaning company Diversey for $3.2 billion. Later that year, Bain partnered with Cinven to take German company Stada Arzneimittel private.


title: Bain Capital

text: In February 2018, Bain Capital Private Equity agreed to acquire Dutch stroller brand Bugaboo International. In March 2018, Bain Capital Private Equity purchased a 20% stake in Tower Ltd from Australian financial conglomerate Suncorp. In January 2019, Bain Capital Private Equity purchased a majority stake in technology consultancy Brillio.


title: Bain Capital

text: In June 2020, Bain Capital Private Equity purchased Virgin Australia. In October 2020, it was reported that the company was negotiating a takeover of UK-based insurance company Liverpool Victoria (LV=). The potential deal could have a value of over £530 million, an amount set to provide a windfall payout to LV='s customers.


title: Bain Capital

text: In November 2021, the company invested $200 million into Mixpanel. Bain Capital invested in health insurance brokerage firm Enhance Health. On November 5, 2021, it was reported that Bain Capital planned to list Brillio on the NASDAQ, with an IPO that included a debt of $3 billion or more. Bain Capital also invested $200 million into When I Work, a scheduling platform created by Drive Capital.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital's businesses include private equity, venture capital, public equity, and credit. The firm also has specialized businesses focused on impact investing, life sciences and real estate.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital Private Equity has invested across several industries, geographies, and business life cycles. Bain Capital Private Equity also operates in Europe, Australia, and Asia. Historically, Bain Capital has primarily relied on private equity funds, pools of committed capital from pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, fund of funds, high-net-worth individuals, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors. Bain Capital's own investment professionals are the largest single investor in each of its funds.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital Ventures is the venture capital arm of Bain Capital, focused on seed through late-stage growth equity, investing in business services, consumer, healthcare, internet & mobile, and software companies. Bain Capital Ventures has funded the launch and growth of several companies, including Docusign, Jet.com, Lime, LinkedIn, Rent the Runway, SendGrid, and SurveyMonkey.


title: Bain Capital

text: Originally founded as Brookside Capital, Bain Capital Public Equity is the public equity affiliate of Bain Capital. Established in October 1996, Bain Capital Public Equity's primary objective is to invest in securities of publicly traded companies that offer opportunities to realize substantial long-term capital appreciation. Bain Capital Public Equity employs a long/short equity strategy to reduce market risk in the portfolio.


title: Bain Capital

text: Originally founded as Sankaty Advisors, Bain Capital Credit is the fixed income affiliate of Bain Capital, a manager of high yield debt securities. With approximately $49 billion of assets under management, Bain Capital Credit invests in a wide variety of securities, including leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, distressed securities, mezzanine debt, convertible bonds, structured products, and equity investments. In 2017, Bain Capital Credit closed its first credit fund in Asia, focusing on distressed debt in the region. Bain Capital Credit has also pursued distressed debt strategies in Europe. In November 2018, Bain Capital Credit took Specialty Finance, a business development company, public through an IPO.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital Double Impact focuses on impact investing with companies that provide financial returns as well as social and environmental impact. In 2015, Bain Capital hired Deval Patrick, former Massachusetts Governor, to lead the new business division. Bain Capital Double Impact closed its initial fund of $390 million in July 2017. In March 2019, it was reported that Bain Capital Double Impact had acquired a majority stake in IT outsourcing firm Rural Sourcing. In June 2019, the company sold Impact Fitness to Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital Life Sciences invests in companies that focus on medical innovation and serve patients with unmet medical needs. It raised its first fund of $720 million in May 2017. In September 2019, SpringWorks, a biopharmaceutical company Bain Capital Life Sciences owns a 17% stake in, launched an IPO. Also in 2019, the company closed two life sciences portfolios, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in the Research Triangle in North Carolina.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital Real Estate was founded in 2018 when Harvard Management Company shifted the management of its real estate investment portfolio to Bain Capital. The Bain Capital Real Estate team is managed by members of Harvard Management Company's former real estate team. Bain Capital Real Estate closed an initial fund of $1.5 billion in July 2019.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital Tech Opportunities was created in 2019 to make investments in technology companies, particularly in enterprise software and cybersecurity.


title: Bain Capital

text: Bain Capital's approach of applying consulting expertise to the companies it invested in became widely copied within the private equity industry. University of Chicago Booth School of Business economist Steven Kaplan said in 2011 that the firm "came up with a model that was very successful and very innovative and that now everybody uses."


title: Bain Capital

text: In his 2009 book "The Buyout of America: How Private Equity Is Destroying Jobs and Killing the American Economy", Josh Kosman described Bain Capital as "notorious for its failure to plough profits back into its businesses," being the first large private-equity firm to derive a large fraction of its revenues from corporate dividends and other distributions. The revenue potential of this strategy, which may "starve" a company of capital, was increased by a 1970s court ruling that allowed companies to consider the entire fair market value of the company, instead of only their "hard assets", in determining how much money was available to pay dividends. In at least some instances, companies acquired by Bain borrowed money in order to increase their dividend payments, ultimately leading to the collapse of what had been financially stable businesses.


title: Groot

text: Groot () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in "Tales to Astonish" #13 (Nov. 1960). An extraterrestrial, sentient tree-like creature, the original Groot first appeared as an invader that intended to capture humans for experimentation. The character can only say the repeated line ""I am Groot"", but has different meaning. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star-Lord, Thor, and Rocket Raccoon are able to understand him.


title: Groot

text: The character was reintroduced as a heroic, noble being in 2006, and appeared in the crossover comic book storyline "". Groot went on to star in its spin-off series, "Guardians of the Galaxy", joining the team of the same name.


title: Groot

text: Groot has been featured in a variety of associated Marvel merchandise, including animated television series, toys and trading cards. Vin Diesel voices Groot (with Krystian Godlewski playing the character via performance capture) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) and cameoed as Groot's son (also named Groot) (with James Gunn playing the character via performance capture for dancing), colloquially known as "Baby Groot". Diesel reprised the role in the MCU films "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), "" (2018), "" (2019), "" (2022) and "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special". He portrayed Baby Groot in the short form series "I Am Groot", and the upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (2023). Fred Tatasciore voices Groot on the Disney California Adventure ride and Diesel voiced Groot as a cameo in the film "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (2018).


title: Groot

text: Since his film premiere and animated series debut, Groot has become a pop culture icon, with his repeated line "I am Groot" becoming an Internet meme.


title: Groot

text: Groot first appeared in "Tales to Astonish" #13 (Nov. 1960), and was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby. He appeared again in "The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 Annual" #5 (Oct. 1976), alongside five other monsters from Marvel's anthology horror comics of the late 1950s and early 1960s. In "The Sensational Spider-Man" #−1 (July 1997), Groot was featured in a nightmare of the young Peter Parker.


title: Groot

text: Groot reappeared in 2006 in the six-issue limited series "Nick Fury's Howling Commandos", and appeared in the "" and "Annihilation: Conquest – Star-Lord" limited series. Groot went on to join the Guardians of the Galaxy in the series of the same name, and remained a fixture of the title until its cancellation with issue #25 in 2010. Groot appeared in its follow-up, the limited series "The Thanos Imperative", and, alongside fellow Guardian Rocket Raccoon, Groot starred in backup features in "Annihilators" #1–4 (March–June 2011) and "Annihilators: Earthfall" #1–4 (Sept.–Dec. 2011).


title: Groot

text: Groot appeared in issues #6–8 of "Avengers Assemble" as a member of the Guardians. Groot is one of the stars of "Guardians of the Galaxy" vol. 3, a part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch.


title: Groot

text: In March 2015, it was announced that Groot would be getting his very first solo series by writer Jeff Loveness and artist Brian Kesinger.


title: Groot

text: The Groot that debuted in "Tales to Astonish" and the one that was introduced in "Annihilation: Conquest" were retroactively established as being separate members of the same species in the sixth and final issue of the "Groot" ongoing series that launched in June 2015. With Infinity Wars in August 2018, however, Groot specifically references the fact that during his first visit to the planet Earth, he had promised to "march across the surface of the planet and doom all who dared to oppose Groot." This seemingly reverted the character's origins to having both eras of Groot referencing the same persona, therefore invalidating the retroactive change from issue six of the "Groot" series.


title: Groot

text: Groot is a "Flora colossus" from Planet X, the capital of the branch worlds. The "Flora colossi" are tree-like beings whose language is almost impossible to understand due to the stiffness of their larynxes, causing their speech to sound like they are repeating the phrase "I am Groot". Other beings try to be friendly but become angry with the "Flora colossi" for their apparent inability to speak, though Groot was shown to have been actually speaking not just understandably but eloquently in his language throughout "Annihilation: Conquest". The "Flora colossi" are ruled over by the "Arbor Masters" and teach the children of the species with "Photonic Knowledge", which is the collected knowledge of the Arbor Masters of the generations and is absorbed through photosynthesis; this is a highly advanced education method, making the "Flora colossi" geniuses.


title: Groot

text: The "Flora colossus" sapling that would come to be known as "Groot" came from an "Ennobled Sap-line" and was gifted with a tremendous grasp of quasi-dimensional super-positional engineering. Groot did not get along with fellow saplings but instead preferred the company of the "Maintenance Mammals", against which the other saplings discriminated. Groot was exiled by the "Arbor Masters" in "Guardians of the Galaxy" #14 after killing another sapling to defend a maintenance mammal it was brutalizing.


title: Groot

text: An alternate origin was presented in the "Groot" ongoing series. In the story, it is revealed that the other "Flora colossi" had been abducting organisms from other planets, including a young human girl named Hannah. After seeing Hannah, Groot realized that what his people were doing was wrong, and managed to save the child and send her back to Earth. However, for his disobedience, Groot was exiled from Planet X and forced to wander the universe until he met Rocket Raccoon many decades later, where this version of Groot later became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.


title: Groot

text: Groot is an extraterrestrial tree monster who initially came to Earth seeking humans to capture and study. Groot was seemingly destroyed by termites used by Leslie Evans.


title: Groot

text: Xemnu made a duplicate of Groot by making a human and tree hybrid that was used to fight the Hulk, but it was destroyed in the battle.


title: Groot

text: Groot was later revealed to have survived, but was a captive of the Collector and held in his zoo in Canada until Groot and the other captive creatures were freed by the Mole Man. Groot and the other creatures rampaged in New York City until they were stopped by a band of superheroes, and were then dumped through a portal to the Negative Zone.


title: Groot

text: Groot was later tracked down and captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Paranormal Containment Unit, nicknamed the Howling Commandos, when his tree scent was detected by Sasquatch and Abominable Snowman. While Groot was being held captive, Gorilla-Man talked to Groot about joining the Howling Commandos. When Merlin and his forces attacked the base, the Howling Commandos let Groot and their other captives free, who proceeded to stampede on Merlin's army; Groot was the only one to turn back, offering to join the Howling Commandos. Groot aided the Howling Commandos as they assaulted Merlin's forces.


title: Groot

text: A different Groot played a part in "", at which time it was shown Groot may be the last remaining member of the "Flora colossi", and was under arrest by the Kree for an unknown reason. Groot earned freedom by joining Star-Lord's strike force, where Groot and Rocket Raccoon formed a bond, Rocket being one of the few beings with the ability to understand Groot's language. Star-Lord's team fought their way through the Phalanx, but after the death of Deathcry the team decided to escape through a drainage pipe that Groot could not fit into.


title: Groot

text: As a consequence of the battle, Groot dies, buying the team some time to escape. A new Groot was created as a sprig offshoot and went on to accompany the team on their continued mission against the Phalanx, but was one of the team members captured by the Phalanx. Groot and the others were freed by Mantis, and escaped back to the lines of the Kree's resistance. In time, Groot's body regenerated from the twig, growing back to full size. Groot and the others intended to carry on as part of Star-Lord's team.


title: Groot

text: Groot and the team returned to Hala to prepare another assault against the Phalanx, but their agent Blastaar was captured by the Phalanx and taken to their Babel Spire as he tried to carry Groot's pollen spores. Groot and Rocket Raccoon continued their mission by sneaking into the sub-basement of the Babel Spire. When Star-Lord was captured by Ultron, the original plan of laying explosives in the Spire failed, so Rocket Raccoon and Groot needed to come up with a new plan. Groot decided to sprout inside the Spire, growing to colossal size and filling a large portion of the building.


title: Groot

text: Mantis was able to remix Groot's sap in a way as to make it extremely flammable, and again Groot died for the team, this time by purposefully igniting so the resulting fire would destroy the Babel Spire. A cutting of Groot was kept by Rocket Raccoon, though, and Groot was again able to regrow. Groot then joined the new Guardians of the Galaxy (or, as Groot would have it, "Groot and Branches"), and began regrowing under the care of Mantis.


title: Groot

text: When the Guardians reformed, Groot joined with Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer and Gamora, whom Groot counted as friends.


title: Groot

text: During the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline, Groot is with the Guardians of the Galaxy when they take part in the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. Groot and Rocket Raccoon are killed by the Children of Tomorrow. However, when Peter Quill — one of the few survivors of the incursions from Earth-616 — finds himself confronted by Black Swan in the castle of Emperor Doom, he reveals that he has been carrying a small twig of Groot in his pocket ever since the incursion, slamming it into the roots of the World Tree and causing Groot to transform the giant tree into his body, decimating Doom's castle as the surviving heroes mount their final assault.


title: Groot

text: During the "Civil War II" storyline, Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy are summoned by Captain Marvel to help her in her fight against Iron Man's side when it came to the fate of the Inhuman Ulysses Cain. The resulting battle damaged the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship stranding them on Earth.


title: Groot

text: During the "Monsters Unleashed" storyline, the Guardians of the Galaxy defend Groot from a snake-headed Leviathon.


title: Groot

text: During the "Secret Empire" storyline, Groot and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy assist Captain Marvel, the Alpha Flight Space Program, members of the Ultimates, Hyperion, and Quasar in intercepting a fleet of Chitauri that are approaching Earth until a Hydra-aligned Steve Rogers activated the Planetary Defense Shield trapping those fighting the Chitauri outside of Earth's atmosphere. Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot try to enlist representatives of the Skrulls, Kree, Brood, Shi'ar and Spartax empires that are on the Galactic Council in helping against the Chitauri hordes and to break down the Planetary Defense Shield and get rid of Hydra. Realizing they are now facing a galaxy without human interference, the Galactic Council refuses aid and attempt to kill the three Guardians as they flee. After the Planetary Defense Shield is shut down, Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy join the final battle against Hydra.


title: Groot

text: Rocket Raccoon and Groot are on their way to the Stohlad Ring when they are ambushed by Gardener where he shattered Groot because the Guardians of the Galaxy "corrupted" him and diverted him from his true purpose. Rocket Raccoon escaped with a splinter where Groot grew a new body from it.


title: Groot

text: During the "Infinity Countdown" storyline, Groot was with the Guardians of the Galaxy when they notice that the planet Telferina is under attack by the "Flora colossi" that Gardener grew from Groot's splinters. Groot got close to Gardener and used his healing powers to purge the poison that Loki put in him from his body. Gardener repaid Groot by using his abilities to restore Groot back to his previous size. In addition, Groot can now speak in full sentences and refers to himself in the third person.


title: Groot

text: Groot can absorb wood as food, and has the ability to regenerate. Groot can control trees and plants, using them to attack others, and appears to be resistant to fire. Groot is able to sprout dramatically increasing mass which then severely inhibits movement.


title: Groot

text: Black Bolt's brother Maximus the Mad asserted that whenever Groot is saying the trademark "I am Groot!" he has actually been saying a number of things, and his varying inflections of the sentence are the equivalent of words and sentences. People who have interacted with Groot are gradually able to decipher the meaning of the inflections and can carry on full conversations with Groot as time goes on. The mature form of Groot's species is robust and heavyweight, which causes the organs of acoustic generation to become stiff and inflexible. It is this nature of Groot's larynx that causes people, who are oblivious to the subtle nuances of "Flora colossi" speech, to misinterpret Groot as merely repeating his name. It could not be determined whether Maximus's claim was true or merely another manifestation of his madness, though Groot did genuinely seem to be assisting Maximus with highly advanced engineering. Later, in "All-New X-Men" #23, Jean Grey telepathically links with Groot, showing that Groot's thought processes are indeed complex, and the declaration of "I am Groot!" usually represents attempts at highly intelligent communication.


title: Groot

text: In "", which takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor explains that "Flora colossi" is offered as an elective in Asgardian schools. Filmmaker James Gunn has interpreted this as a joke on the part of the character of Thor.


title: Groot

text: Groot and his son Groot II appear in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), both voiced by Vin Diesel, who also provided voice work for a number of languages the movie was released in and some motion capture elements for the characters.


title: Groot

text: In 2014, Twilio employee Ricky Robinett set up a phone number at which Groot can be texted, (866) 740–4531, which results in the character's familiar response "I am Groot".


title: Jorja Smith

text: Jorja Alice Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" to YouTube, which led to her discovery by record producer Guy Moot. After her first two singles received broader recognition, she signed with Sony/ATV in 2016, releasing two EPs throughout 2016 and 2017.


title: Jorja Smith

text: Her debut studio album, "Lost & Found", was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The same year, Smith won the Brit Critics' Choice Award. In 2019, she was named Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards and was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her third EP "Be Right Back", which was released in May 2021, received favourable reviews.


title: Jorja Smith

text: Jorja Smith was born on 11 June 1997 in Walsall, West Midlands, to a Jamaican father and an English mother. Her father Peter, a benefits officer, is a former musician who sang in a neo-soul group called 2nd Naicha before Smith was born, and her mother, Jolene, is a jewellery designer. Smith has a younger brother, Luca, and is the cousin of Rangers player Kemar Roofe.


title: Jorja Smith

text: She began taking piano lessons at the age of 8 at the encouragement of her father. Smith earned a music scholarship at Aldridge School, where she learned the oboe and studied classical singing, before taking music for her A-level exams. She was scouted by a manager at the age of 15 after uploading videos of herself singing cover songs on YouTube. Shortly after, she began travelling to London for writing sessions with Maverick Sabre and Ed Thomas, while still in school. After graduation, she moved to London at the age of 18 where she supported herself by working as a barista, and continued to write songs.


title: Jorja Smith

text: In Late 2015, Maverick Sabre co-signed Smith publicly. In January 2016, Smith released her debut single "Blue Lights", which samples Dizzee Rascal's song "Sirens", on SoundCloud; the song garnered 400,000 plays on the website within a month. Her second single "Where Did I Go?", released in May, was singled out by Drake as his favourite track of the moment in "Entertainment Weekly" in July. Following the worldwide recognition and exposure Smith gained from Drake, Smith caught the attention of Guy Moot. Moot, an executive and worldwide creative at Sony/ATV with mainstream industry connections, signed Smith to a publishing deal in late 2016. In November 2016, she released her four-track debut extended play, "Project 11". The same month, Smith was selected as one of the fifteen rising acts on BBC Music's Sound of 2017 longlist, and finished fourth on the list.


title: Jorja Smith

text: Smith performed as a special guest on Drake's Boy Meets World Tour in February and March 2017, and featured on two tracks on his mixtape "More Life" (2017). She released the song "Beautiful Little Fools" on International Women's Day; the title is a reference to the novel "The Great Gatsby". In May, she featured on Kali Uchis' song "Tyrant", the lead single off Uchis' debut studio album "Isolation" (2018). She released her third single, "Teenage Fantasy", in June. Two months later, Smith and grime artist Preditah released a single together called "On My Mind". In September 2017, she began dating singer and producer Joel Compass.


title: Jorja Smith

text: She performed as the opening act on Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour in October and November 2017. In December, it was announced that Smith would be the recipient of the Brit Critics' Choice Award, to be presented at the Brits nominations launch on 13 January 2018. She is the first independent artist to have been nominated for the award, let alone win.


title: Jorja Smith

text: In January 2018, she released the single "Let Me Down" featuring rapper Stormzy. Smith co-wrote and performed the song "I Am" on Kendrick Lamar's soundtrack album for the film "Black Panther", released in February. Later that month, she performed at the BRIT Awards with Rag'n'Bone Man. In April, she made her US television debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" with a performance of "Blue Lights". Her debut studio album, "Lost & Found", written over a five-year period, was announced in April and released in June 2018 to critical acclaim. In the month of the album's release, Smith began touring in support of the album, with dates scheduled across Europe and festival appearances in Japan. The Lost & Found Tour's North American leg began on 19 November in Seattle and conclude on 19 December in Toronto and will be supported by Ravyn Lenae.


title: Jorja Smith

text: In 2019, Smith announced a co-headlining North American tour with Kali Uchis starting on 28 April in Washington, D.C. and concluding in Toronto on 30 May. In August 2019, Smith released the single "Be Honest" featuring Burna Boy.


title: Jorja Smith

text: In early 2020, Smith began hosting a 12-part BBC Radio 3 show called 'Tearjerker', which focuses on the healing power of music. She released two singles that year: "By Any Means" and "Come Over" featuring Popcaan.


title: Jorja Smith

text: On 14 May 2021, she released her third extended play "Be Right Back", which received generally positive reviews.


title: Jorja Smith

text: Smith grew up listening to reggae, punk, hip-hop, and R&B, and wrote her first song at the age of 11. She describes being "obsessed" with Amy Winehouse's 2003 debut album "Frank" as a teenager and was inspired by the singer's raw approach to songwriting. Smith said her songs are about social issues: "When things are going on in the world, I think it's important to touch on them, because as a musician, you can make people listen. As soon as people press play, you've got their attention."


title: Jorja Smith

text: She cites Lauryn Hill, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Sade, Nina Simone, Alicia Keys, Mos Def and the Streets as influences. Style wise, Smith cites Rihanna as the sole fashion icon she is inspired by.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: Constance Francesca Gabor Hilton (March 10, 1947 – January 5, 2015) was an actress and comedian who was the only child of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton and his second wife, actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: Hilton was born in 1947 in New York City, after her parents were granted a divorce in September 1946. Her father, Conrad Hilton, was the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain. Her mother, Zsa Zsa Gabor, was a Hungarian actress and socialite. Gabor's 1991 autobiography "One Lifetime Is Not Enough" alleged that her pregnancy was a result of rape by then-husband Conrad Hilton.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: She was the only child of Zsa Zsa Gabor and therefore the only descendant of the Gabor sisters as well as the only daughter of Conrad Hilton. Her three half-brothers were Conrad Hilton Jr., Barron Hilton, and Eric Hilton. She attended movie premieres with her mother and competed in equestrian competitions as a child.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: In 1947, while Hilton was an infant, a burglar entered their home and tied up Zsa Zsa Gabor and their housekeeper, and threatened to kill Francesca. The burglar stole jewelry worth over $750,000.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: She worked in reservations at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California during summers as a teenager. At the time of her death, she was engaged to Michael Natsis. According to her publicist, Edward Lozzi, she had been writing an autobiography.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: When Conrad Hilton died in 1979, he left most of his wealth to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Francesca Hilton contested the will, which left her only $100,000, but lost the suit. In 2005, her stepfather, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, filed lawsuits against her accusing her of fraud in obtaining a loan using her mother's house as collateral, and manipulation over her mother's will; the court threw out the case for lack of evidence after Gabor did not appear or sign a statement. Hilton denied the allegations. In 2012 she successfully sued for an independent conservatorship to be set up for the care of her mother, who had become incapacitated, but the judge appointed Von Anhalt as temporary conservator.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: Hilton lived in Los Angeles for most of her life. A month before her death in 2015, she was impoverished and living in weekly rental apartments and in her car.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: She appeared in "A Safe Place" in 1971 and "The Gravy Train" in 1974. She worked as a photographer in the 1980s. She also worked for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: By 2008, she started performing at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood. Her show centered on her family. She joked that her great-nieces, Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton, were "pole dancers and porn stars".


title: Francesca Hilton

text: Hilton died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 5, 2015, after suffering a major stroke. She was just over two months short of her 68th birthday. Her mother was then 97 and suffering from dementia; her stepfather sought unsuccessfully to take possession of Hilton's body. After it remained in the morgue for several days, an autopsy was performed and her half-brother Barron Hilton took possession of her body.


title: Francesca Hilton

text: Hilton's funeral was held at St Ambrose Catholic Church, West Hollywood. She was cremated and her ashes interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, close to her aunt, Eva Gabor.


title: Xuanzang

text: Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of his journey to India in 629–645 CE, his efforts to bring over 657 Indian texts to China, and his translations of some of these texts.


title: Xuanzang

text: Xuanzang was born on 6 April 602 in Chenliu, what is now Kaifeng municipality in Henan province. As a boy, he took to reading religious books, and studying the ideas therein with his father. Like his elder brother, he became a student of Buddhist studies at Jingtu monastery. Xuanzang was ordained as a "śrāmaṇera" (novice monk) at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained as a "bhikṣu" (full monk) at the age of twenty. He later travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, where Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist texts that had reached China. He was also concerned about the competing Buddhist theories in variant Chinese translations. He sought original untranslated Sanskrit texts from India to help resolve some of these issues.