Guitar Hero: Metallica is a 2009 music rhythm video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. The game was released in North America on the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 29, 2009, and on PlayStation 2 on April 14, 2009, with an Australian and European release in May 2009. It is the first game in the Guitar Hero series to focus on the career and songs of heavy metal band, Metallica, following Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.

The game is based on Guitar Hero World Tour, with support for lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The game has many of the same features from World Tour, including single-player and band Career modes, online competitive modes, and the ability to create and share songs through "GHTunes". In addition to the normal difficulty levels presented in Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Metallica provides an "Expert+" difficulty for drums that allows the use of a second bass drum pedal to match the drumming style of Metallica's Lars Ulrich. The game features 28 master recordings spanning Metallica's career and an additional 21 songs selected by members of Metallica. The band performed extensive motion capture for the game for their in-game avatars and performances. The game includes several extras including behind-the-scenes videos of the motion capture sessions, tour and concert videos of the band, and Pop-Up Video-like facts for many of the songs on the game disc.

Guitar Hero: Metallica received positive reviews, with critics stating it to be a strong tribute to the band and Neversoft's best work on the Guitar Hero series to date. The difficulty throughout the game was praised, found to be more enjoyable to players of all skill levels than the more-difficult Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Reviewers noted the lack of additional downloadable content, save for the pre-existing Death Magnetic songs, the cartoonish storyline for the Career mode, and the overall value of the game as some of the negatives to the experience.

Gameplay

Guitar Hero: Metallica, like other games in the Guitar Hero series, allows players to simulate the playing of rock music using special instrument controllers.  The game is based on the band approach presented in Guitar Hero World Tour, and features parts of lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. To successfully complete songs and score, players must use the instruments to play notes that scroll on-screen in time with the music. For lead and bass guitar players, this is done by holding down colored fret buttons on the guitar neck while striking a strum bar; for the drum players, this requires the player to strike the appropriate drum pad or kick with the bass drum pedal; for vocals, the player must attempt to match the pitch of the notes through a microphone. Players earn scoring multipliers for playing several consecutive notes or phrases correctly, and by correctly completing marked phrases, players can earn Star Power which can be released for a higher scoring multiplier. If players miss too many notes, they will eventually fail the song and will have to retry it.

Lead developer Alan Flores has stated that the difficulty of the game is much harder than previous games and is designed to challenge the hard-core player.  To meet the "ferocity" of Metallica's songs, the game features, in addition to the same five difficulty levels in World Tour, an "Expert+" mode for drummers that allows them to add a second bass drum pedal, though results of this mode are not tracked through online modes.  Additional drum pedals and a splitter, to allow two pedals to be used, were made available upon the game's release and as part of pre-ordering bonuses. While the game allows two guitar players to play lead and bass guitar, it does not give the players the option to play lead and rhythm guitar, which does not allow for notable "Hetfield/Hammett riff-trading" on certain songs.  Lead designer Alan Flores explained that the decision not to track the lead and rhythm (in addition to the single player guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) "was simply a workload issue."

Similar to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Metallica presents songs from Metallica's history roughly in chronological order, but it focuses more on the group today than the band's history.  The songs in the game are presented in a linear series of sets as with older Guitar Hero games such as Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, instead of the gig progression used in World Tour.  However, instead of being required to finish a certain number of songs in each set, the player has to earn a total number of stars (earned from their performance on the individual songs) in a given set to progress to next one. The game's story is based on a band that wants to follow in Metallica's footsteps, and the group accepting them as leading acts for them on a tour; as such, they are better able to order the songs in difficulty comparable to other Guitar Hero games, as Metallica's earlier works frustrate the player enough to "throw the controller against the wall and stop playing".  Flores described the difficulty for most of the game to be comparable to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and World Tour after the complaints of the difficulty level in Guitar Hero III, but further noted that the most difficult songs in the games will be very challenging. Real-life venues are used for the game, including The Stone nightclub in San Francisco, the Hammersmith Odeon in London, Tushino Airfield in Moscow, and The Forum in Los Angeles, and one final venue representing the pinnacle of Metallica's success.  The game was completed before Metallica's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and thus does not include reference to this event.  The game's interface remain similar to World Tour with some Metallica-based artwork added to it. Three changes have been made from World Tour; individual performance and Star Power meters are now located next to each track on screen instead of grouped together to make it easier to keep track of one's own performance, and when the band's performance is failing, the edges of the screen glow red to indicate this. Furthermore, the score and note streak counters have now been moved to the right side of the screen, with the addition of the star counter.

The music creation mode from World Tour is available, giving the player the option of using tones from Hetfields' ESP Truckster guitar and Slayers Tom Arayas ESP Bass in addition to Metallica drum sounds.  The "GHTunes" services, which allows players to share songs created in the music creation mode, is cross-compatible with both World Tour and Metallica. In the new "Drum Over" mode for this game, players can select any song, and play drums without any fixed drum track or without any failure, allowing them to create their own drum line using the song's existing drum kit sounds.

The Battle mode of the game, based on that from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, has been slightly altered to add Metallica influences; for example, a power-up named "Fade to Black" completely blackens the note tracks for the opposing player, "Trapped Under Ice", which freezes the whammy bar, and an electrical attack called "Ride the Lightning" (based on the "Amp Overload" attack from Guitar Hero III) is added.

Development
Guitar Hero: Metallica was revealed to be in production when an analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities discovered mention of the game in Activision's 2008 SEC filings, slated to be released in "fiscal 2009". The band was approached in April 2008, who quickly agreed to the game as a "no brainer".  Development for the game began in the second quarter of 2008, according to lead designer Alan Flores.  Two posts made to Metallica's website in June 2008 also referred to the "not so top secret GH thing", and that Guitar Hero players could expect "a pile of 'Tallica songs." Lars Ulrich, when asked about the game during an interview with MTV, stated that "the people at 'Guitar Hero' and Activision are rapidly becoming our best new friends in the world. You can put the rest of it together yourself."  Ulrich stated that the idea for the Metallica-themed Guitar Hero game came from the influence the original Guitar Hero games had on Ulrich and James Hetfield's children, learning about music and older bands such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

The game was officially announced at the 2008 E3 conference during Microsofts presentation, along with the announcement that Metallica's newest album, Death Magnetic, would be made as content for download for both Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero World Tour.  A trailer for the game is included as an extra feature in Guitar Hero World Tour with "Master of Puppets" playing in the background and "Ride the Lightning" as the tagline.

As with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, members of Metallica, including Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo performed six songs and band and audience chatter for motion capture for their in-game avatars; the detailed motion capture included the band's lip syncing to the lyrics and the motion of Trujillo's hair braids. Ulrich and Hetfield performed additional motion capturing sessions to help the developers.  Metallica members appear as their modern day incarnations, but unlockable skins are  available to reflect the band's history. Former band members Jason Newsted and the late Cliff Burton are not represented in the game as the band felt their inclusion would slight Trujillo. However, the game still includes trivia about both former members. The game includes DVD-style content such as photos, videos, and behind-the-scenes footage, as well as "Metallifacts", Pop-up Video-style trivia displayed on screen during the various Metallica tracks.  Some Metallica songs in the game have an accompanying video of the band performing the song, with the quality ranging from fan-made videos at small clubs to large-scale video productions. Both Motörhead vocalist/bassist Lemmy and Mercyful Fate singer King Diamond have contributed to the game in both providing motion capture for unlockable player characters and providing re-recorded tracks of their songs "Ace of Spades" and "Evil", respectively due to the original master tapes not being located for use in the game's production. King Diamond's notable face makeup and jewelry was altered with direct input from King Diamond to avoid offending the religion of any of the business partners involved with the game.

During the game's development, the team encountered problems trying to create the drum tracks.  Flores noted they normally try to map a note for every drum beat but could not easily replicate it for the double bass often used in Metallica's songs. As a result, they decided to create a splitter for the bass drum pedal and offer a second pedal with the game to allow the double bass kicks to be retained. The game's career mode, in which the players are part of an opening band for Metallica, is based on a real-life group that followed Metallica during a European tour, eventually becoming enamored by the band and performing in an opening act with them.

No plans have been announced for special bundled versions of Guitar Hero: Metallica with the instrument controllers within North America, though Activision does plan to release Metallica-branded faceplates for existing instrument controllers as well as a double-bass pedal attachment for the drum controller.  Guitar Hero: Metallica will also support the wireless microphones from Lips through a future title patch. A European-exclusive bundle includes the game, wireless guitar controller, and Metallica faceplate.

Promotion
Players that pre-ordered Guitar Hero: Metallica through GameStop stores received a second kickpedal with pre-orders. Other stores offered Guitar Hero: Metallica-branded drumsticks with pre-orders.

A demo version of the game was released on Xbox Live on March 20, 2009, with four playable songs: Metallica's "Sad but True" and "Seek & Destroy", Alice in Chains' "No Excuses" and Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy".  All four instruments are playable. There is no Expert+ for the drums in the demo. Metallica made an appearance at the 2009 SXSW Music Festival held a week before the game's release for a "not-so-secret" performance, with demonstration stations set up to allow attendees to play the game.  The game was the primary sponsor for Aric Almirola's Number 8 car in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Fast Relief 500 run during the weekend of the game's release. Two television commercials, in the same style as those for Guitar Hero World Tour that parody the scene from Risky Business where Tom Cruise dances in his underwear during Bob Seger's song "Old Time Rock and Roll", were prepared for the game and were directed by Brett Ratner.  The ads, which first aired during the 2009 NCAA basketball tournament, features NCAA coaches Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Rick Pitino along with the current members of Metallica.

Soundtrack

Guitar Hero: Metallica features 49 songs based on master recordings, 28 by Metallica, and the other 21 songs by bands that are "their personal favorites and influences from over the years", including those that appeared on their Garage Inc. album.  All of the Metallica songs in the game are from original masters, though locating some masters proved troublesome. Though Metallica were prepared to re-record songs as Aerosmith had done for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, they were able to find the masters for their debut album Kill 'Em All in the basement of their former manager Johny Zazula.  While other downloadable content from Guitar Hero III or Guitar Hero World Tour is not usable in Guitar Hero: Metallica, the game will detect and incorporate the songs from the Death Magnetic downloadable content into the game's setlist (however, the song "All Nightmare Long" is available in the game as part of its main setlist).  The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of the game do not support downloadable content, but include "Broken, Beat & Scarred", "Cyanide" and "My Apocalypse" from Death Magnetic in addition to the game's existing tracks. The 1998 medley of covers of the band Mercyful Fate's songs "Mercyful Fate" is the longest track included in the game, running at around 11 minutes.

Metallica selected songs from their catalog that "pretty evenly represent all the different phases" of the band. Lars Ulrich noted that the band stood up for the inclusion of the band Slayer against Microsoft's concerns over the explicit lyrical content of the group's songs.  Alan Flores, lead designer for the game, noted that the band had originally requested Slayer's "Angel of Death" but Microsoft refused to clear the song due to its lyrics regarding The Holocaust. Instead, at the urging of Ulrich, Neversoft successfully cleared "War Ensemble" and rushed to include it in the game at the last second. Ulrich also sought Mercyful Fate's "Evil" and "Curse of the Pharaohs" directly by King Diamond, but the latter was unable to find the masters; instead, King Diamond was able to bring the band together, though with Bjarne T. Holm replacing Kim Ruzz on drums, to record new masters for both songs. "Evil" was ultimately used over "Curse of the Pharaohs" due to gameplay-friendliness. Kirk Hammett stated that the band wanted to have songs from UFO and The Misfits, but could not get these groups due to legal reasons, and instead settled on songs from Michael Schenker Group and Samhain, bands that were started by former members of those respective bands.

Thirty-nine songs from the on-disc soundtrack of Guitar Hero: Metallica will be importable as playable tracks for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

Reception

Guitar Hero: Metallica has received favorable reviews from game critics, and has been described as the best Guitar Hero game in the series since Neversoft took over development of the franchise. Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica noted that with numerous other Guitar Hero titles, Guitar Hero: Metallica could have been "just another way to cash-in on the hype cheaply", but the overall quality of the game shows that "the design team adores Metallica". Simon Parkin of Eurogamer stated that Guitar Hero: Metallica "sets the benchmark" for future band-specific games from either Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Reviews have primarily praised the game for a "stellar" set list that "[reads] like the quintessential 'Best Of' track list for the band", and consider "the best hit to miss ratio of any music game to date". The difficulty of the songs was also warmly received, with reviews noting that Metallica's songs can "[translate] really well to a plastic guitar", and that "the songs here are a treat on any skill level". However, the game still provides a difficult challenge for experienced players, and the introduction of the Expert+ difficulty for drums and the Drum Over mode were seen as good additions. Reviews commented favorably on the new career progression, noting that one can complete the career mode without having to play "Metallica's earliest, shreddiest, most brutal stuff", and allows the player to "skip right past the early stuff and quickly get to the big tracks".

The overall presentation of the game was highly praised, noting that "a lot of care was put into making sure this was a die-hard fan's game" and praising the devotion to the motion capture work done by the band. The added features such as Metallifacts and additional behind-the-scenes videos were attributed to "ensuring that this isn't just a slapped-together take on World Tour with Metallica songs".  It is generally regarded as the most successful Guitar Hero expansion game, as opposed to other spin offs in the series which failed to match its success and popularity.

The game was criticized for the lack of downloadable content beyond the existing Death Magnetic album, and its price was also called into question, costing the same as World Tour but with fewer songs. The career mode's "cartoon storyline" describing the player's Metallica's-wannabe band was seen as being out of place in the game and was considered as the game's "biggest weakness". Chris Roper of IGN noted that the PlayStation 2 version of the game suffers from several graphical problems, including poor video compression, the inability to read or zoom in on handwritten tour and lyric sheets, and some stuttering on the display on the note highway, and considers it the weakest release across all the game's platforms. Roper also cites video compression and problems with viewing the extras in the Wii version.

As of March 2010, the game has sold 1.5 million copies worldwide, with approximately 1 million copies from North American sales.

Pushead designed the faceplate that comes with the solo guitar edition of the game.

Notes

References

External links
 Official Guitar Hero Website
 Metallica.com - Official site of Metallica

2009 video games
Activision games
Band-centric video games
Cooperative video games
Drumming video games
Guitar Hero
Guitar video games
Karaoke video games
Metallica
Music video games
Video games based on musicians
Neversoft games
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation 3 games
Wii Wi-Fi games
Xbox 360 games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Video games developed in the United States
Budcat Creations games
Cultural depictions of Filipino men

Guitar Hero: Metallica


Walter "King" Fleming (May 4, 1922 – April 1, 2014) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Life and career
A classmate of Sonny Cohn, after playing trombone in the McKinley High School band, Fleming went on to study at the Midwest College of Music. He had already led several informal bands before King Fleming and His Swing Band first performed in September 1942. When he was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1943, the band continued performing under the leadership of other bandmembers until too many of its members had been called up for it to be viable.

Discharged in 1945, Fleming started doing session work in Los Angeles and joined Johnnie Alston & His All Stars for recording dates backing Wynonie "Blues" Harris on Apollo. Johnny Alston and His Orchestra later signed for the Bihari Brothers' Modern label, and Fleming and Al "Cake" Wichard were joined by Addison Farmer. By mid-1946, Fleming had joined the Swing combo Oliver "King" Perry's Pied Pipers with Norman Bowden (trumpet); George "Happy" Johnson (trombone); Wesley Prince (bass) and Joe Harris (drums) before returning to Chicago to lead his own King Fleming's Four with Jay Peters (tenor sax), "Hog" Mason (bass), and Tommy Hill (drums) and getting a write-up in Down Beat for June 18, 1947.

In 1950 he was a member of the Dallas Bartley Quartet, with Johnny Thompson (tenor sax) and Oliver Coleman (drums), and that summer he recorded as a session pianist for the vocal group, the Dozier Boys, at their recording session for Chess Records. Later that year he joined Oliver Coleman's Palmaires; the other members were Nelson Berry (tenor saxophone) and Sylvester Hickman (bass).

In 1954 he finally recorded under his own name, on the Blue Lake label, with John Neely (tenor saxophone); Russell Williams (bass); Aubrie Jones (drums); Lorez Alexandria (vocals) and in 1955 for the Chess label. The Chess brothers invited him back the following year, again with vocalist Lorez Alexandria, to record "Stompin' at the Savoy". In 1957, his group backed Lorez Alexandria on her first two albums for the King label, and collaborated with Muhal Richard Abrams, who wrote arrangements for a King Fleming-led big band.

Between 1960 and 1965, he recorded three piano trio albums for Argo and Cadet Records, which were Phil and Leonard Chess's jazz labels.  He also appeared on two singles released locally by singer George Green.

After many years during which his trio worked steadily in the Chicago area without drawing interest from the recording industry, King Fleming resurfaced on the Southport label in 1996.

Death
Fleming died at the age of 91 at a retirement home in Manteno, Illinois on April 1, 2014.

Discography
1961: Misty Night - King Fleming Trio
1962: Stand By
1965: Weary Traveler
1996: King! The King Fleming Songbook
2000: The King and I

References

External links
Discogs

1922 births
Jazz musicians from Chicago
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
Modern Records artists
2014 deaths
20th-century American pianists
People from Manteno, Illinois
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Argo Records artists

King Fleming


Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1930), "Don't Blame Me" (1948), "Pick Yourself Up" (1936), "I'm in the Mood for Love" (1935), "You Couldn't Be Cuter" (1938) and "Big Spender" (1966).  Throughout her career, she collaborated with various influential figures in the American musical theater, including Jerome Kern, Cy Coleman, Irving Berlin, and Jimmy McHugh. Along with Ann Ronell, Dana Suesse, Bernice Petkere, and Kay Swift, she was one of the first successful Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood female songwriters.

Early life
Fields was born in Allenhurst, New Jersey, and grew up in New York City. In 1923, Fields graduated from the Benjamin School for Girls in New York City. At school, she was outstanding in the subjects of English, drama, and basketball. Her poems were published in the school's literary magazine.

Her family was deeply involved in show business. Her father, Lew Fields, was a Jewish immigrant from Poland who partnered with Joe Weber as one of the most popular comedy vaudeville duos near the end of the nineteenth century. When the duo separated in 1904, Lew Fields became one of the most influential theater producers of his time. From 1904 until 1916, he produced about 40 Broadway shows, and was  nicknamed "The King of Musical Comedy" because of his achievements. Her mother was Rose Harris. She had two older brothers, Joseph and Herbert, who also became successful on Broadway: Joseph as a writer and producer and Herbert as a writer who later became Dorothy's collaborator.

Despite her natural familial connections to the theatre via her father, he disapproved of her choice to pursue acting and did everything he could to prevent her from becoming a serious actress. This began when he refused to let her take a job with a stock company in Yonkers. Hence, Dorothy began working as a teacher and a laboratory assistant while secretly submitting work to magazines.

Career
Early in her career Fields appeared on stage with English actress and socialite Sylvia Ashley—who subsequently married Douglas Fairbanks Sr and Clark Gable—as "Silly and Dotty" in "Midnight Follies" at the London Metropole, followed by further appearances in "Tell me More" at London's Winter Gardens and "The Whole Town's Talking"

In 1926, Fields met the popular song composer J. Fred Coots, who proposed that the two begin writing songs together. Nothing actually came out of this interaction and introduction; however, Coots introduced Fields to another composer and song plugger, Jimmy McHugh.

Fields's career as a professional songwriter took off in 1928 when Jimmy McHugh, who had seen some of her early work, invited her to provide some lyrics for him for Blackbirds of 1928. The show, starring Adelaide Hall, became a Broadway hit. Fields and McHugh teamed up until 1935. Songs from this period include "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (1928), "Exactly Like You" (1930), and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1930). During the later 1920s, she and McHugh wrote specialty numbers for the various Cotton Club revues, many of which were recorded by Duke Ellington.

In the mid-1930s, Fields started to write lyrics for films and collaborated with other composers, including Jerome Kern. With Kern, she worked on the movie version of Roberta and also on their greatest success, Swing Time. The song "The Way You Look Tonight" earned the Fields/Kern team an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.

She wrote the lyrics for the songs in the 1936 movie The King Steps Out, based on the early years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, directed by Josef von Sternberg.

Fields returned to New York and worked again on Broadway shows, but now as a librettist, first with Arthur Schwartz on Stars In Your Eyes. (They reteamed in 1951 for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.) In the 1940s, she teamed up with her brother Herbert Fields, with whom she wrote the books for three Cole Porter shows, Let's Face It!, Something for the Boys, and Mexican Hayride.

In 1945, Fields approached Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II with her idea for a new musical based on the life of famous female sharpshooter Annie Oakley. They liked the idea and agreed to produce the show conjointly. Kern and Fields were signed on to write the songs in the show. Kern died before the two were able to begin working on the project, and Irving Berlin was hired to replace him.

Together, she and her brother Herbert wrote the book for Annie Get Your Gun, while Berlin provided all the music. The show, starring Ethel Merman, was a huge success, running for 1,147 performances.

In the 1950s, her biggest success was the show Redhead (1959), which won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. When she started collaborating with Cy Coleman in the 1960s, her career took a new turn. Their first work together was Sweet Charity. Her last hit was from their second collaboration in 1973, Seesaw. The show began on Broadway on March 18, 1973, and ended its run on December 8, 1973. Its signature song was "It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish".

Throughout her 48-year career, Fields cowrote more than 400 songs and worked on 15 stage musicals and 26 movies. Her lyrics were known for their strong characterization, clarity in language, and humor. She was an amateur pianist and a lifelong lover of classical music; the awareness of melodic lines that this fostered in her was of value in the task of fitting lyrics to melodies.

Fields' professional longevity was rare at the time for a songwriter; it was underpinned by her imagination and her willingness to adapt to changing trends in American musical theater.

Fields is a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame, inducted posthumously in 1988.

Personal life
Fields had highly disciplined work habits. She was known to spend about eight weeks researching, discussing, and making notes on a project before finally returning to her regular 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily work routine.

Fields died of a heart attack on March 28, 1974, at the age of 69. The New York Times reported "Dorothy Fields, the versatile songwriter whose career spanned nearly 50 years, died of a heart attack last night at her home here." She was the sister of writers Herbert and Joseph Fields. She was introduced to Eli Lahm by his close friend Herbert Sondheim, the father of Stephen Sondheim, who affectionately referred to her as Aunt Dorothy growing up. Fields married Lahm in 1939, and they had two children, David and Eliza. Lahm died in 1958.

Cultural references
Thirty-five years after her death, President Barack Obama, in his inauguration speech as 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009, echoed lyrics by Fields when he said, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America". This alludes to the song "Pick Yourself Up" from the 1936 film Swing Time, for which Jerome Kern had written the music, in which Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire sang Fields's words, "Pick yourself up; dust yourself off; start all over again".

References

External links

 Dorothy Fields at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Dorothy Fields Papers, 1911–1977, Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Dorothy Fields Scripts, 1927–1973, Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
 Dorothy Fields recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.

1904 births
1974 deaths
Jewish American songwriters
Songwriters from New Jersey
American musical theatre librettists
American musical theatre lyricists
Broadway composers and lyricists
Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters
People from Allenhurst, New Jersey
Musicians from Manhattan
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American musicians
Songwriters from New York (state)
Tony Award winners
20th-century American Jews

Dorothy Fields


Arachne is a character from Greek mythology.

She was the daughter of Idmon of Colophon, in Lydia (Greece). Her father earned his living with dyeing (coloring) cloth. She learned to be a weaver. A weaver makes cloth, or textiles, from single strands. She was good at what she did, and she claimed that her skill was greater than that of Athena. Athena was the young Greek goddess of weaving (amongst other things).

Athena appeared to the girl as an old woman, and warned her not to offend the gods. Arachne did not take the advice, she wanted a weaving contest to prove her skill.

Athena revealed herself, and let the contest begin. Athena wove her scene where she won over Poseidon, the god of the sea. Arachne wove scenes about Zeus being unfaithful, with different women: Leda, Europa, and Danae.

Athena saw Arachne's work was without error, but she did not like the subject of Arachne's weaving. Athena lost her temper, and destroyed what Arachne had created. She also hit Arachne on the head. Arachne then realized what she had done. She ran away and hanged herself. Athena however had pity with Arachne, so before Arachne was dead, she changed the rope into a cobweb, and Arachne into a spider.

Ovid tells the story in Metamorphoses. Book 6, 5-54, 129-145. The story is typical of tragedy in Ancient Greek theatre, where pride in thinking oneself better than the gods – ὕβρις (hubris) – brings punishment from the gods.

The Greek word for spider is arachne (αραχνη), from which derive the mythological woman's name, the class name Arachnida in biology, and the name for fear of spiders, arachnophobia.

Appearances in Modern Day Entertainment
Arachne has made appearances in recent years in books such as The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.

References

Other websites
Arache E-Text at Project Gutenberg

People in Greek mythology

Arachne


The Kagyu (or Kagyupa)  school is one of the four main schools or lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.

History and Branches of the Kagyu Tradition
The Kagyu teachings originated with the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and his student Naropa. The Kagyu school was founded in Tibet by Naropas follower Marpa Lowatsawa. Gampopa was the first monk of the Kagyu school. Gampopa's own followers founded many monasteries which resulted in several sub-schools or branches being established. At one time there were more than twelve different branches. Today there are four separate Kagyu sub-schools:

 The Karma Kagyu. This school was started by one of Gampopa's main students, Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa (1110–1193). The head lamas of this lineage are the successive Karmapas. Followers of this school believe they are all incarnations or Tulkus of the first Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa.
 The Drikung Kagyu. This school was started in 1179 by Kyobpa Jigten Sumgön. The Drikung Kagyu is headed by two lamas known as Drikung Chetsang and Drikung Chungtsang.
 The Drukpa Kagyu. This school was started by the saint Tsangpa Gyare (1161–1211). Today there are two main branches:
 The Northern Drukpa Kagyu or Drukpa lineage of Tibet. This school is headed by a lama known as the Gyalwang Drukchen Rinpoche who followers believe is an incarnation of Tsangpa Gyare.
 The Southern Drukpa Kagyu of Bhutan. This school was started there by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594–1651). It is the established sect of Buddhism in Bhutan and is headed by a lama called the Je Khenpo.

The teachings of each of these schools have come down through different successions of masters since the time of Gampopa. However the teachings of all these Kagyu schools is essentially the same.

Teachings
The Kagyu school generally emphasises faith in the spiritual teacher or Lama and meditation practice over study. They teach that without this faith it is impossible to achieve the benefits and realization of meditation. However some basic study is also important. One of the most important books of this tradition is The Jewel Ornament of Liberation which was written by Gampopa. This book covers all the main teachings of Mahayana Buddhism in a step-by-step manner. In particular it teaches
 how all living beings have an enlightened Buddha nature.
 the importance of relying on a spiritual teacher to realise this Buddha nature.
 how to contemplate on the golden opportunity of the brief human birth which we have.
 how to contemplate the faults or suffering of worldly cyclic existence.
 how to contemplate cause and effect of our actions.
 how to develop loving-kindness and compassion.
 about going for refuge in the Buddha, his teachings and the community of saints.
 about the importance of taking and maintaining Buddhist precepts.
 how to develop an enlightened attitude or ordinary and extraordinary compassion.
 how to practice the "six perfections" of generosity, moral ethics, patience, perseverance, concentration, and awareness.
 a description of the ten stages of realisation which are the result of these practices.
 a description of the state of complete Buddhahood or awakened enlightenment which is the final goal.

The biographies and spiritual poems or songs of Kagyu saints, in particular the Life of Milarepa and the 100,000 Songs of Milarepa, are also widely read books of this tradition.

Advanced Meditation Practice
The  special advanced meditation practices of the Kagyu tradition consist of two main teachings:
 the six yogas or six doctrines of Naropa
 the Mahamudra or Great Seal teachings

The six yogas of Naropa involve complicated visualisation combined with yoga and breathing exercises. These practices are generally only done by monks and nuns who remain in strict seclusion for at least three years. They are called the six yogas or six doctrines of Naropa as they were originally taught by Naropa and consist of six main practices.

The Mahamudra meditation teachings are meditations of concentration and awareness which allow the practitioner to realise the nature of his or her mind. A student must receive instructions on Mahamudra meditation directly by a master of this tradition.

Tibetan Buddhism

Kagyu


Elida Reyna also known as Elida (born August 17, 1972, in San Antonio, Texas) is an American Tejano music singer.

Her band Elida Reyna Y Avante, also known as Elida Y Avante (EYA), is a Latin Grammy Award winning Tejano band formed in the Rio Grande Valley in 1992. Their first two albums "Atrevete" (1994) and "Algo Entero" (1996) were qualified for gold status and produced the popular singles "Luna Llena"and "Lagrimas De Amor". They were awarded "Billboard" Magazines "Revelacion Del Año" award, and were named "Rising Group of the Year" at the TTMA Industry Awards in 1995. Their 2010 album, "Fantasia", earned them a Latin Grammy Award. Lead singer Elida Reyna was given a place in the "Tejano Roots Hall of Fame".

Biography
Elida Reyna was born in San Antonio, Texas. She first lived in Dallas, Texas, but she lived in a disinvested neighborhood, and her grandmother had been ill, so her family decided to move to Mercedes, Texas when she was 8 years old. She was then raised in Mercedes. Growing up she listened to Tejano Music legends like Roberto Pulido, La Mafia, Grupo Mazz and Laura Canales. Canales and her music had a big influence on Elida. Canales showed Elida that Tejano music wasn't just for guys. Reyna is known as "La Reina Del Valle Mágico" ("The Queen of Magic Valley") Reyna began singing at quinceañeras and weddings in 1988. In 1991, while studying at Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas, she met arranger Noel Hernandez. Hernandez later became the bass player for the band. In 1992, Reyna abandoned her studies to pursue music full-time.

Elida y Avante

She formed Elida Y Avante in 1992 in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. They released their first album Atrevete in 1994 under La Mafia's label at the time, Voltage Entertainment. This album spawned the hit "Luna Llena" They received TTMA Industry Awards for "Rising Group of the Year" and "Rising Female Vocalist of the Year" in 1995. It went gold (denoting sales of at least 50,000 units), propelled by the hit single "Luna Llena" and Hernandez's use of a stand-up bass to create a unique sound. Before they could enjoy their success, however, they were feuding with Voltage. Groups rarely leave a powerhouse like Voltage (with its major-label distribution) unless they've already lined up another company with comparable juice, so Elida y Avante shocked the industry by going out on its own. The group self-released one single and then did something nearly as shocking by signing in 1996 with unknown Tejas Records in San Antonio, which had released just one album—and a blues album at that. In 1996, Reyna won the TTMA Award for "Rising Female Star" and in 1997, she hosted the Pura Vida Awards. At the 1999 Tejano Music Awards, Elida Y Avante won "Most Promising Band of the Year". In 2000 Reyna scored big with a Ranchera song entitled, "Duele". At that years Tejano Music Awards, Reyna won "Female Vocalist of the Year",  "Female Entertainer of the Year", & "Song of the Year", with "Duele". Reyna has since traveled the world, performing in Asia and Europe.

Las 3 Divas
In 2005, Reyna and fellow Tejano singers Shelly Lares, and Stefani Montiel, formed the girl group "Las 3 Divas". Their debut album Las 3 Divas earned rave reviews, plenty of radio airtime and critical acclaim even winning "Show Band of The Year". This album spawned the hits "La Cumbia Del Oeste" and "Hey Boy". Later that year, Las 3 Divas went on a 21-day tour overseas to entertain the troops. The "Armed Forces Entertainment Tour" began on September 27, 2005, and ended on October 17, 2005.

In 2007, Reyna signed with record label Freddie Records, and released her first album with them Domingo. Reyna has been featured in numerous magazines and other Latin publications. At the 2010 – 30th Anniversary Tejano Music Awards, Reyna won two Decade Ballots for "Female Vocalist of the 2000s" & "Best Song of the 2000s" with Duele.  Reyna has also performed for President Barack Obama at the Latino Inaugural Ball, where she performed a duet "Quedemos Como Amigos" with fellow Tejano singer Michael Salgado. Reyna appeared in the Motion Picture "Harvest Of Redemption" directed by Javier Chapa. In the movie, she performed her hit "Duele". In 2010 Elida Reyna Y Avante released the album Fantasia. This album helped them win a Latin Grammy. Reyna and her band mostly performs at Tejano nightclubs, dances, and music festivals. Some of the bands popular songs include: "Luna Llena", "Te Sigo Amando", "Lagrimas De Amor", "Ya Basta", "Duele", "No Eres Para Mi", "Me Gustas", "Te Voy A Olvidar", "Muevete", "Tu Llegaste", "Cumbia Sabrosa", "Por Dios", "Por Ti", "El Tiki Tac", "Fantasia", "Prefiero Morir", and "Juntos Hasta Morir".

Personal life

Elida is married to Lalo Reyna, III. She has three children: Natalia, Justin, and Leylah.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Live albums

Awards
Tejano Music Awards

1999 – 19th Tejano Music Awards – Most Promising Band of the Year – Elida Y Avante

2000 – 20th Tejano Music Awards - Female Vocalist of the Year, Female Entertainer of the Year, Mexican Regional Song – Duele, Song of the Year – Duele.

2003 – 23rd Tejano Music Awards – Vocal Duo Shelly Lares & Elida Reyna – Amiga

2006 – 26th Tejano Music Awards - Crossover Song of the Year – Hey Boy – Las 3 Divas (Reyna, Montiel & Lares)

2007 – 27th Tejano Music Awards – Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year – Conjunto  – Mis Raizes, Crossover Song of the Year – Las 3 Divas – Slip 'N' Slide, Showband of the Year – Las 3 Divas

2008 – 28th Tejano Music Awards – Song of the Year (Elida's Medley), Female Vocalist of the Year.

2009 – 29th Tejano Music Awards - Female Vocalist of the Year.

2010 – 30th Anniversary Tejano Music Awards – Female Vocalist of the Year, DECADE BALLOT WINNERS – Female Vocalist 2000s, Best Song 2000s (Duele)

2011 – 31st Tejano Music Awards – Song of the Year (Prefiero Morir), Female Vocalist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year – Tejano – Fantasia, Vocal Duo of the Year Elida Reyna & Michael Salgado – Amor O Costumbre

2012 – 32nd Tejano Music Awards – Song of the Year – Juntos Hasta Morir – Elida Reyna and Jesse Turner, Female Vocalist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year.

Latin Grammy Awards 2010

Best Tejano Album

Elida Reyna Y Avante – FantasiaLatin Grammy Awards 2019Best Tejano AlbumColores'''

References

 http://www.ondanet.com/tejano/artists/Elida.Y.Avante/Bio.html
 http://lazymug.wix.com/elida/bio#!
 http://www.rdsmarketing.com/tejano/elida-reyna
 https://web.archive.org/web/20090927130727/http://rdsmarketing.wordpress.com/2006/03/19/elida-reyna/
 http://lubbockonline.com/stories/121205/ent_121205022.shtml
 http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2005/Las-3-Divas-On-Armed-Forces-Entertainment-Tour.aspx

Tejano musicians
1972 births
Living people
Singers from Texas
People from Mercedes, Texas
Musicians from San Antonio
21st-century American singers
Women in Latin music

Elida Reyna


In music a march is a piece of music with a strong marching rhythm.  Marches are often written especially so that soldiers can march to them.  Other marches may not be intended for marching, but they still have a strong, regular beat so that people could, if they wanted to, march to the music.  Marches are usually 2/4 time (One - two - one - two - left - right - left- right) or 4/4 (the same as two bars (measures)) although other time signatures are possible.

Marches can be slow marches or quick marches.  A slow march may be a funeral march.

John Philip Sousa was a composer whose marches became extremely popular

In classical music many composers wrote marches which are not intended to be marched to, but still give the mood of a march.  Some famous examples of funeral marches include the second movement of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, the Marche funèbre (Funeral March) in Chopin's Piano Sonata in B flat minor, and the Dead March in Handel's oratorio Saul.

Gustav Mahler often wrote marches in his symphonies.  Marches often occur in operas (e.g.Verdi's Aïda), ballets (e.g. Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet) or, indeed, any kind of music.

Music composed for marching uses instruments that soldiers play in marching bands, such as brass instruments, woodwind instruments including fife, snare drum and bass drum.  Composers writing marches in classical music may imitate the sound of military bands by using these instruments.

March music is often composed for special ceremonial occasions such as coronations.  Edward Elgar and William Walton both wrote march music for coronations.

References
The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie

Music genres

March (music)


The Peruvian Horse is a breed of light saddle horse known for its smooth ride.  It is distinguished by a natural, four-beat, lateral gait called the paso llano. This breed is protected by the Peruvian government through Decree number 25919 of Peru enacted on November 28, 1992, and has been declared a Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the National Institute of Culture (INC). Due to the isolation suffered for about 400 years and the selection made by their breeders, this breed is very particular in their body proportions and an ambling gait or "paso llano" that is characteristic. It is typical of the northern Peruvian regions of the country from which it originated. Trujillo city is considered the cradle of typical Peruvian Horses.

History

Smooth-gaited horses, generally known as Palfreys, existed in the Middle Ages, and the Jennet in particular was noted for its ambling gaits. Peruvians trace their ancestry to these ambling Jennets; as well as to the Barb, which contributed strength and stamina; and to the Andalusian which added style, conformation and action.

Horses arrived in South America during the Spanish Conquest, beginning with the arrival of Pizarro in 1531. Foundation bloodstock came from Spain, Jamaica, Panama and other areas of Central America. Importations increased after 1542, when the Spanish created the Viceroyalty of New Castilla.  This later became the Viceroyalty of Peru, an important center of Spain's New World viceroyalties in the eighteenth century.

Once in Peru, they were used primarily for transportation and breeding stock. In the north of Peru, the vast size of sugar and cotton plantations meant that overseers needed to travel long distances, often taking days to cross the plantation. In the south of Peru, the arid deserts that separated settlements required sturdy, strong horses.  In both cases, smooth-gaited horses with good endurance were required.  On the other hand, Peru did not develop a livestock-based economy, and thus did not need to breed for the speed or agility characteristic of stock horses.

Over time, Peruvian breeders kept the bloodlines clean and selectively bred primarily for gait, conformation, and temperament. They wanted strong, hardy animals that were comfortable to ride and easy to control. Over four centuries, their dedication to breeding only the best gaited bloodstock resulted in the modern Peruvian Horse.

A decline in the use of Peruvians was seen in the southern part of Peru in the early 1900s, following the building of major highways that allowed motor travel to replace the use of the horse. Many of the major breeders in the area gave their best horses away to peasants living in the nearby quebradas (valleys). It was in one of these quebradas that breeder Gustavo de la Borda found the horse that was to become the most important modern sire in the breed, Sol de Oro (Viejo).

The Peruvian Horse continued to flourish in the northern regions because it was still needed for transportation on the haciendas. This changed with the harsh Agrarian Reforms instituted by the government of Juan Velasco Alvarado in the late 1960s that had a devastating effect on the Peruvian Horse within Peru. Major breeding operations were broken up and breeding stock was lost. Because interest in the Peruvian Horse was growing in the United States and Central America at the same time, many of the finest Peruvians  were exported, leading to a period where it appeared the Peruvian Horse would fade in its homeland.

Don Pedro Venturo Zapata was a major breeder of the Peruvians in his "Hacienda Higuereta y Anexos - Negociacion Vinicola Pedro Venturo S.A." from 1925 to 1952.

The last quarter of the 20th century saw a resurgence in the Peruvian Horse's fortune in Peru. The annual National Show in Lima is a major event in Peruvian cultural life. The Peruvian has been declared a Patrimonio Cultural (Cultural Heritage) of Peru in an attempt to shore up the breed within the country. There are now laws in place that restrict the export of national champion horses.

Peruvian Horses are noted internationally for their good temperament and comfortable ride.  As of 2003, there are approximately 25,000 horses worldwide, used for pleasure riding, trail, horse shows, parades, and endurance riding.

Characteristics

Appearance
The horse is medium-sized, usually standing between  tall, with an elegant yet powerful build.  The Peruvian horse has a deep chest, heavy neck and body with substance without any trace of being hound gutted in the flank area.   A low set, quiet tail, clamped tightly between the buttocks is a vital quality.  Stallions have a  broader chest and larger neck than mares, and are known for their quality temperament. The coat color can be varied; and is seen in chestnut, black, bay, brown, buckskin, palomino, gray, roan or dun. Solid colors, grays and dark skin are considered the most desirable. The mane and forelock are lustrous, fine and abundant.  White markings are acceptable on the legs and face.

Gait

Instead of a trot, the Peruvian performs an ambling four beat gait between the walk and the trot. There are two official gaits, called the "Paso Llano" or "even step", and the "sobreandando" which is a bit closer in timing to the pace. Both gaits can be performed at a variety of speeds. The fast sobreandando is often the speed of a canter. Both acceptable gaits are lateral, having four beats and is performed in a lateral sequence — left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore. The Peruvian Horse can also canter, will trot and pace at liberty, and do a natural relaxed walk.

The Peruvian performs two variations of the four-beat gait. The first, the paso llano, is isochronous, meaning that there are four equal beats in a 1-2-3-4 rhythm.  This is the preferred gait. The second gait, the sobreandando, is often faster. Instead of four equal beats, the lateral beats are closer together in a 1–2, 3-4 rhythm, with the pause between the forefoot of one side to the rear of the other side is longer.

This characteristic gait was utilized for the purpose of covering long distances over a short period of time without tiring the horse or rider.  The gait is natural and does not require extensive training.  Purebred Peruvian foals can be seen gaiting alongside their dams within a few hours of their birth.

The gait supplies essentially none of the vertical bounce that is characteristic of the trot, and hence posting (moving up and down with each of the horse's footfalls) is unnecessary. It is also very stable, as the execution of the gait means there are always two, and sometimes three, feet on the ground. Because the rider feels no strain or jolt, gaited horses such as the Peruvian are often popular with riders who have back trouble.

Termino
A unique trait of the Peruvian gait is termino — an outward swinging leg action, originating from the shoulder, in which the front lower legs roll to the outside during the stride forward, similar to a swimmer's arms. Individual horses may have more or less termino. High lift or wide termino is not necessarily a sign of a well gaited horse; in fact it may be detrimental to a good gait.

Brío
Brío refers to a horse's vigor, energy, exuberance, courage and liveliness; it automatically implies that these qualities are willingly placed in the service of the rider.  Horses with true brio are willing workers. Their attention does not wander but is focused on the handler or rider, and thus they are quick to react and fast to learn. Horses with brio attract attention, and combined with the stamina of the breed have reserves they  can tap to travel long distances for many hours.

Breeders and judges look for Brío, often translated as "spirit," but this does not capture the complexity of the term. Brío describes a somewhat contradictory temperament, which combines arrogance, spirit, and the sense of always being on parade, with a willingness to please the rider. Brío is an intangible quality of controlled energy that creates a metamorphosis in ordinary-looking horses and is an important trait of Peruvians.

Peruvian Horse shows
In the United States, competitions are organized by the North American Peruvian Horse Association and by their clubs. in Peru, the two best-known and most important events are The National Horse Competition Caballo de Paso Peruano held in Pachacamac and at the Internacional de la Primavera during the months of September and October in Trujillo city and during the international Marinera Festival in January. Peru's National Institute of Culture has declared that the horses are part of Peru's national cultural heritage.

Name
Because of the shared word Paso, a close relationship between the Peruvian and the Paso Fino breed is incorrectly assumed. "Paso" simply means "step," in Spanish, and does not imply a common breed or origin. Although the two breeds share ancestors in the Old World, and have some similarities, they were developed independently for different purposes.  The two breeds are different and easily distinguishable. The Peruvian is somewhat larger, deeper in the body and wider. The Paso Fino is not bred for "termino" in its stride.

The Peruvian has been called the "national horse" of Peru. On the other hand, the Paso Fino was developed from horses throughout northern Latin America and the Caribbean, with major centers of development in Colombia and Puerto Rico. The Peruvian is also increasingly referred to in North America as the "Peruvian Horse" to distinguish its breed apart from other breeds.

See also
Association of Breeders and Owners of Paso Horses in La Libertad
Competition of Paso Horses in Trujillo

References

External links

Registries and related Organizations

North American Peruvian Horse Association - http://www.napha.net
National Association of Breeders and Owners of Peruvian Paso Horses (Peru-Spanish language) http://www.ancpcpp.org.pe/
Peruvian Horse Association of Canada (Canada) http://www.phac.ca/

Educational Materials
History of the Peruvian Paso Horse - https://web.archive.org/web/20130902151839/http://www.therapyhorsesandhealing.com/history.html
Riding the Peruvian Horse (Equitation Guide) - https://web.archive.org/web/20100411063431/http://www.perolchico.com/english/ridingperuvianpaso.html
Proper Peruvian Show Ring Equitation - https://web.archive.org/web/20130826100333/http://www.friendsoftheperuvianhorse.com/equitation/proper_peruvian.htm

Publications
Made in Peru (magazine) - http://www.madeinperumagazine.net

Horse breeds
Horse breeds originating in Peru

Peruvian Paso


Jockey's Ridge State Park is a North Carolina state park in Dare County, North Carolina in the United States. Located in Nags Head, North Carolina, it covers a  area, and includes the tallest active sand dune system in the eastern United States.  It is the most visited park within the NC park system. The park is a day-use only park and has no campgrounds. Jockey's Ridge contains three unique ecosystems: the Roanoke Sound, the dune system, and the maritime forest.  Often when it rains, water collects near the bottom of the dunes creating temporary ponds known as  vernal pools. Few fauna can be seen around the dunes, although some types of flora, such as tall grass, may be seen near the bottom of the dunes.

The park is open year-round, except Christmas Day, and does not charge an admission, parking, or program fee.  The park's entrance is located at Milepost 12 on S. Croatan Highway/US 158. Ranger-led programs are offered throughout the year. Also available are nature trails, a sound access, and picnic areas. Viewing the sunset over the sound, bird watching, and kite-flying are among the  favorite activities of visitors. The park also provides outside bathrooms that are typically open from the last frost of the spring to the first frost of the fall.

During the summer months, when visitation is highest, visitors are encouraged to bring water with them. There is no fresh water available within the park. The desert-like environment can be quite harsh and temperatures can reach 110 degrees; the sand can be 30 degrees hotter.

The park's visitor center features a museum about the cultural and natural history of the park, including sand dunes, plants and wildlife, weather, pirates and local maritime history. A hang-gliding school provides concessionaire hang-gliding lessons in the park. The ridge area is accessed either from the back deck of the visitor center or the parking lot via a  boardwalk. Sandboarding is also practiced on the dunes.

History
Scientists believe that the barrier islands of the Outer Banks were remnants of the last ice age, which ended approximately 12,000 years ago.  They have also concluded that Jockey's Ridge itself came into being about 7,000 years ago.  The process of how this came about is unclear; however, scientists believe that minerals such as quartz were washed from the mountains of the state to the ocean, creating sand.  This sand was pushed onto the beaches of the area by storms and hurricanes.  Through a process known as saltation the sand was eventually blown onto the area now known as Jockey's Ridge where something caused it to begin building the dune system.

At one time, the dunes of the Outer Banks extended all the way to the southern end of Virginia. Many mariners used the ridge as a landmark in navigation of the area for coastal exploration in the 16th century.

By the early 20th century, the Outer Banks had become a popular tourist area for visitors from the mainland. This in turn led to overdevelopment of the land. As development in the area proceeded, many local people desired the protection of the dune area. Action was precipitated in the summer of 1973, when bulldozing was begun on the sound side of Jockey's Ridge. Carolista Baum, a local resident, was made aware of the bulldozing by her children who were playing in the area. She confronted the operator of the machine and successfully demanded that it be shut down. Petitions soon began in an effort to "Save Our Sand Dune," and the organization "People to Preserve Jockey's Ridge" was formed.

On July 25, 1974,  Jockey's Ridge was approved for designation as a National Natural Landmark (see Nags Head Woods and Jockey Ridge NNL). With matching funds from the North Carolina General Assembly and the United States Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, approximately  were acquired in 1975 to create Jockey's Ridge State Park.

Name origin
There are numerous theories of how the ridge came to be known as Jockey's Ridge. An early reference to "Jockey's Hill" appeared in a grant to John Campbell in 1753.  A 1953 U.S. Geographical Survey Map identified the area as Jackey's Ridge, suggesting that a family named Jackey or Jacock owned the area at one time. One popular legend concerning the naming of Jockey's Ridge results from the "Bankers" practice of capturing and racing Spanish Mustangs. The herd of horses came from the ships of explorers wrecked offshore. Riders, or jockeys, used the flats at the base of the big dune as the race course. The steep sides of the ridge served as a grandstand for spectators to view the race.

Shoreline restoration project
In 2008, Jockey's Ridge partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, The Nature Conservancy, and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to build a natural oyster bulkhead along the northwestern edge of the park.  The purpose of this project was twofold:  to restore and stabilize shoreline along the sound, and to encourage new oyster growth in the waters.  Now completed, the project has used nearly 4,000 bushels of recycled oyster shells.

Wind turbine
In 2010, the park became the first state park in North Carolina to harness the wind's energy with a wind turbine. The 10 kW turbine helps offset power consumption, producing approximately 700-900 kWh/month. Funding for the project came from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

Ecosystems

Jockey's Ridge
The tall dune area of Jockey's Ridge is known as a medano—a massive, asymmetrical, shifting hill of sand lacking vegetation.  The desert-like environment of the dunes makes life difficult here with little to no vegetation or animal life in this area.  The notorious winds of the Outer Banks cause a continual shifting of sands on the dunes.  Winter's northeastern winds blow stronger than summer's southwestern winds, causing the dunes to move about one to six feet to the southwest each year.  The dune is, however, stabilized somewhat by the surrounding maritime forests.  Scientists estimate that there are 30 million tons of sand in the park.

Maritime forest
The maritime forest is the home to most plant and animal life in the park.  The forests help to stabilize the dune and in return the dune protects the forests from strong winds and harsh salt spray.

Flora
There are many species of plants that have specialized to living on the Outer Banks.  Live oaks are synonymous with the southeastern U.S. and are one of the most hardy species of tree.  Shrub thickets dominated by southern wax myrtle, eastern redcedar, live oak, and redbay (Persea borbonia) are found in protected dune pockets and near the picnic area.  To the west of the dunes is a forest that consists of live and southern red oaks, hickory, American sweetgum, and loblolly pine; dogwood, sassafras, and other small trees form a subcanopy.

Fauna
Many of the animals living in Jockey's Ridge have adapted to the environment.  Most of them are nocturnal to combat the summer heat, so visitors don't see them.  The animals do leave unmistakable clues behind: their tracks.  Some of the more interesting creatures to inhabit the park are the gray fox, six-lined racerunner, Virginia opossum, tiger beetle, eastern spadefoot toad, and antlion.

Roanoke Sound
The Roanoke is a shallow, brackish, estuarine body of water that separates Bodie Island from Roanoke Island.  It remains shallow due to the same forces that created the ridge: winds blow sand from the dune area into the sound. It is able to act as a hatchery for many types of both freshwater and saltwater fishes due to its mostly calm waters.  Croakers, shrimp, striped burrfish, pipefish, blue crabs, and seahorses have all been documented near the park.  Many types of shorebirds are also present along the sound.  Ospreys are one of the more fascinating sights during warmer months in the area.

References

External links

 Jockey's Ridge State Park - Friends of Jockey's Ridge State Park site with program information

Protected areas of Dare County, North Carolina
State parks of North Carolina
Outer Banks
Dunes of the United States
Protected areas established in 1975
Museums in Dare County, North Carolina
Natural history museums in North Carolina
National Natural Landmarks in North Carolina
Landforms of North Carolina
Landforms of Dare County, North Carolina
1975 establishments in North Carolina

Jockey's Ridge State Park


In library science and information science, authority control means the use and maintenance of the forms of names, subjects, uniform titles, etc. used as headings in a catalog. Since this creates a link between bibliographic records and the authority file, authority control provides the underlying structure of the catalog.

Other websites
 FIU Libraries

Science

Authority control


First Suite in E-flat for Military Band is a piece of music by Gustav Holst. It was written in 1909 and had its first performance in 1920. There are three movements: "Chaconne", "Intermezzo", and "March". The suite is thought a cornerstone of music for military band.

Compositions by Gustav Holst
Suites

First Suite in E-flat for Military Band


Claude Gauvreau (August 19, 1925 – July 7, 1971 in Montreal, Quebec) was a Canadian playwright, poet, sound poet and polemicist. He was a member of the radical Automatist movement and a contributor to the revolutionary Refus Global Manifesto.

Life and career
Gauvreau pursued classical studies at the Collège Sainte-Marie, and graduated with a B.A in Philosophy from Université de Montréal.

He discovered modern art through his brother Pierre, who attended l'École des beaux-arts, and met painter Paul-Émile Borduas, leader of Les Automatistes. He then became an unconditional advocate of the Automatist Movement of the Montreal Surrealists, and, in 1948 contributed to the Refus Global ("Total Refusal") Manifesto, which would become a key document of Quebec and Canadian cultural history.

Between 1944 and 1947, he wrote Les Entrailles, a collection of 26 short plays or "dramatic objects". In 1947, he staged one of these plays, Bien-être, with his muse, actress Muriel Guilbault.

Following Muriel Guilbault's suicide in 1952, Gauvreau's fragile emotional stability caused him to be institutionalized ten times over eight years in Montreal psychiatric hospital Saint-Jean-de-Dieu. He continued to write, though. While working for the radio, between 1952 and 1969, he wrote several of his best known works, beginning with Beauté baroque (1952), a novel depicting the life of Muriel, as well as several collections of poems, including Sur fil métamorphose (1956), Brochuges (1956), and Étal Mixte (1968). In 1958, two of Gauvreau's short plays were performed at École des beaux-arts: La jeune fille et la lune and Les grappes lucides.

In 1956, at a time he believed he would die, Gauvreau wrote his best-known work, La charge de l'orignal épormyable (The Charge of the Expormidable Moose).

Set in a vaguely institutional communal home, the play revolves around Mycroft Mixeudeim, a poet who is envied, plagiarized, mocked and ultimately sacrificed by his fellow housemates. When the play finally premiered in 1970 at Le Gésu in Montreal, the production closed after only a few performances as a result of poor planning and sheer lack of audience. But three years after Gauvreau's death, in 1974, the play received a successful production at Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, and went on to receive several more productions over time in Quebec, as well as a television adaptation for Radio-Canada Television in 1992.

On March 27, 1970, he participated to La Nuit de la poésie, the largest poetry festival in the history of Quebec. On July 7, 1971, Gauvreau fell to his death from the roof of his building. While some considered his death to be a suicide, the coroner ruled the death accidental.

Gauvreau's final full-length play, Les oranges sont vertes, premiered posthumously in 1972 at Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, and six years after his death, in 1977, Gauvreau's Complete Creative Works, containing over 1,500 pages of his poetry, prose and drama, was published in Montreal.

Gauvreau invented vocabulary through his own form of sound poetry, creating what he called explorean language. His life and work influenced a new generation of Canadian artists, including performance poets The Four Horsemen.

Works

In English translation

 The Vampire and the Nymphomaniac / Le vampire et la nymphomane (1949), bilingual edition, translated by Ray Ellenwood. Toronto: One Little Goat Theatre Company, 2022.  The Vampire at Canadian Play Outlet
 The Charge of the Expormidable Moose (La charge de l'orignal épormyable), translated by Ray Ellenwood. Toronto: Exile Editions, 1996.
 Entrails (Entrailles - a collection of 26 "dramatic objects" by Claude Gauvreau, 1948), translated by Ray Ellenwood. Coach House Books, 1981, , Toronto: Exile Editions, 1991.
The Lucid Clusters: Poetics of Claude Gauvreau, translated, and with an introduction by, Ray Ellenwood. Calgary: no press, 2011

In French
 Le vampire et la nymphomane / The Vampire and the Nymphomaniac (1949), publication bilingue. Toronto: One Little Goat Theatre Company, 2022.
 Les entrailles (1948), édition par Thierry Bissonnette. Bromont, Québec: Éditions de la Grenouillère, 2022.
Oeuvres créatrices complètes (Complete Creative Works), Ottawa: Parti pris, 1977.

Link to the 1991 edition
List of Gauvreau's works via French Wikipedia

References

 W. H. New, ed. Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002: 417–18.
 Ellenwood, Ray. Egregore: a history of the Montréal automatist movement. Toronto: Exile Editions, 1992.

On Google Books

External links
The Charge of the Expormidable Moose, 2013 English language world premiere by One Little Goat Theatre Company
National Film Board of Canada documentary, Claude Gauvreau - Poète (1974) with footage from Gauvreau's public appearances and interviews as well as scenes from the 1974 production of The Charge of the Expormidable Moose

 The Canadian Encyclopedia
 Encyclopædia Britannica
 The PIP (Project for Innovative Poetry) Blog
List of Quebec authors

Canadian male poets
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
1925 births
1971 deaths
Université de Montréal alumni
1971 suicides
Accidental deaths in Quebec
Accidental deaths from falls

Claude Gauvreau


The Doom engine, sometimes called ID Tech 1, is the computer code behind the video game Doom. It is also used by several other games, including Doom 2 (but not Doom 3, which has its own engine). Heavily modified versions of the Doom engine are used in Heretic, Hexen, and Strife.

The Doom engine uses a technique called binary space partitioning to represent 3D levels in a way that a computer can process quickly. It is written mostly in C. The source code has been released for free under the GNU General Public License. Many Doom fans have made their own modified versions called source ports. Source ports often add new features and fix problems in the original engine. Popular source ports include Boom, PrBoom, PrBoom+, Zdoom, and Chocolate Doom.

The Doom engine represents levels internally using structures called linedefs, sidedefs, sectors, verticies, and things (meaning monsters, items, decorations, etc.). The doom engine reads levels and other data from a file called a WAD.

The Doom engine renders levels entirely on the CPU, not the video card, as most video cards at the time (1993) did not have 3D acceleration. This required very efficient algorithms to make the game work on the slow computers of the time.

The Doom engine has been made available for more types of computers than any other first person shooter engine. It is easy for a programmer to make it work on a new type of computer because it is written in C and it uses very few system resources, allowing it to run on handheld computers and computers without a 3D accelerator.

Video game engines

Doom engine


George Bartholomew was an American inventor who is credited with the invention of concrete pavement.  In 1886, Bartholomew moved to Bellefontaine, Ohio, after having learned about cement production.  Bartholomew found a good source of limestone and clay in the area; from this, he hoped to create an artificial stone for paving.  Bartholomew founded the Buckeye Portland Cement Company and set about developing a new cement for pavement.

In 1891, the Bellefontaine city council approved the use of Bartholomew's invention for paving a test strip on Main Street outside the Logan County courthouse.  This experiment proved successful, and the council approved the pavement of Court Avenue.  A section of Court Avenue remains paved today with Bartholomew's formula, celebrated as the first concrete paved street in America.

Bartholomew was honored for his invention at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1893. His award was titled, "First Place for Engineering Technology Advancement in Paving Materials."  This award lent credibility to Bartholomew's technique, and it was quickly adopted throughout the United States and internationally.

External links
 "Oldest Concrete Street in the United States" Concrete International March 2002

19th-century American inventors
People from Bellefontaine, Ohio
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing

George Bartholomew (inventor)


Life of Apollonius of Tyana (), also known by its Latin title , is a text in eight books written in Ancient Greece by Philostratus (c. 170 – c. 245 AD). It tells the story of Apollonius of Tyana (c. 15 – c. 100 AD), a Pythagorean philosopher and teacher.

Contents
The book extensively describes the alleged travels of Apollonius to Italy, Hispania, Nubia, Syria, Mesopotamia and India. Some scholars view it as fiction, and contend that Apollonius probably never reached any of these countries, but spent his entire life in the East of the Roman Empire.

According to Philostratus, his book relies on a multiplicity of sources:

 A book on the youth of Apollonius, written by Maximus of Aegae
 Memoirs written by a disciple of Apollonius, Damis.
 The "Memorabilia of Apollonius of Tyana, magician and philosopher", written by a Moeragenes, although Philostratus considers that account rather unreliable.
 Local knowledge from towns like Ephesus, Tyana, Aegae, and Antioch.

The eastward travel of Apollonius is described in Book I. Apollonius receives from the Parthian king Vardanes (40–47) a safe-conduct to the Parthian ruler Phraotes in India:
And with that, he showed them a letter, written to that effect, and this gave them occasion to marvel afresh at the humanity and foresight of Vardanes. For he had addressed the letter in question to the satrap of the Indus, although he was not subject to his dominion; and in it he reminded him of the good service he had done him, but declared that he would not ask any recompense for the same, "for", he said, "it is not my habit to ask for a return of favors." But he said he would be very grateful, if he could give a welcome to Apollonius and send him on wherever he wished to go. And he had given gold to the guide, so that in case he found Apollonius in want thereof, he might give it him and save him from looking to the generosity of anyone else. – Book II:17

The description of Apollonius's visit to India is made in Book II, and particularly the visit to the city of Taxila, described in chapters 20 to 24. He describes constructions of the Greek type in Taxila, probably referring to Sirkap:
Taxila, they tell us, is about as big as Nineveh, and was fortified fairly well after the manner of Greek cities.
I have already described the way in which the city is walled, but they say that it was divided up into narrow streets in the same irregular manner as in Athens, and that the houses were built in such a way that if you look at them from outside they had only one story, while if you went into one of them, you at once found subterranean chambers extending as far below the level of the earth as did the chambers above. – Book II:23

He also explains that the Indo-Parthian king of Taxila, named Phraotes, speaks Greek fluently, a language in which he had been educated while in exile to the east, beyond the river Hyphasis:
Tell me, O King, how you acquired such a command of the Greek tongue, and whence you derived all your philosophical attainments in this place? – Book II:29
My father, after a Greek education, brought me to the sages at an age somewhat too early perhaps, for I was only twelve at the time, but they brought me up like their own son; for any that they admit knowing the Greek tongue they are especially fond of, because they consider that in virtue of the similarity of his disposition he already belongs to themselves. – Book II:31

Editions
 Philostratus: The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, trans. F.C. Conybeare, vol. 1 (Books I-IV) and 2 (Books V-VIII), Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 1911 (Loeb Classical Library no. 16 and no. 17),  and  (Greek text and English translation)
 Philostratus: The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, ed. Christopher P. Jones, vol. 1 (Books I-IV) and 2 (Books V-VIII), Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 2005 (Loeb Classical Library no. 16 and no. 17),  and  (Greek text and English translation)
 Filostrat: Viața lui Apollonius din Tyana, translated by Marius-Tiberiu Alexianu, Editura Polirom, Iași 1997,  (Romanian translation)

Notes

Further reading

 Cerqueiro, Daniel (2005). El Taumaturgo (Apolonio de Tiana. Buenos Aires. Ed. Pequeña Venecia. ISBN 987-9239-15-6
 Jaap-Jan Flinterman: Power, Paideia and Pythagoreanism, Amsterdam 1995,
 Maria Dzielska: Apollonius of Tyana in Legend and History, Rome 1986,
 Graham Anderson: Philostratus. Biography and Belles Lettres in the Third Century A.D., London 1986,
 Theios Sophistès. Essays on Flavius Philostratus' Vita Apollonii. Edited by Kristoffel Demoen and Danny Praet. Leiden, Brill, 2008 (Mnemosyne, Supplements, 305), xvi, 405 pp.
 Dall'Asta, Matthias. Philosoph, Magier, Scharlatan und Antichrist: zur Rezeption von Philostrats Vita Apollonii in der Renaissance. (Kalliope - Studien zur griechischen und lateinischen Poesie, 8). Heidelberg, Winter, 2008. xii, 403 S.
 Flinterman, J.-J. ""The Ancestor of My Wisdom": Pythagoras and Pythagoreanism in Life of Apollonius," in Philostratus. Ed. by E. Bowie and J. Elsner. Cambridge, 2009, 155–175.

External links
 The Life of Apollonius, translated by F. C. Conybeare, 1912, Loeb Classical Library
 fresh translations by Mahlon H. Smith of passages related to spirit possession and exorcism
 Study Guide translated by F. C. Conybeare, with 56,000 words of notes and coordinates to many sites within the text
 Excerpt from the Life of Apollonius of Tyana (original Ancient Greek text)

3rd-century books
Ancient Greek philosophical literature
Ancient Greek biographical works
Neopythagoreanism
History books about India
Historiography of India

Life of Apollonius of Tyana


Henry Whitney Bellows (June 11, 1814 – January 30, 1882) was an American clergyman, and the planner and president of the United States Sanitary Commission, the leading soldiers' aid society, during the American Civil War.
Under his leadership, the USSC became the largest and most effective organization dedicated to supporting the health and efficiency of the Union army.

Life
Bellows was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated at Harvard College in 1832, and at the Harvard Divinity School in 1837, held a brief pastorate (1837–1838) at Mobile, Alabama, and in 1839 became pastor of the First Congregational (Unitarian) church in New York City (afterwards the Unitarian Church of All Souls, in charge of which he remained until his death.

Here Bellows acquired a high reputation as a pulpit orator and lyceum lecturer, and was a recognized leader in the Unitarian Church in America. For many years after 1846 he edited The Christian Inquirer, a Unitarian weekly paper, and he was also for some time an editor of The Christian Examiner. In 1849, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Honorary member. In 1857 he delivered a series of lectures in the Lowell Institute course, on The Treatment of Social Diseases.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, he planned the United States Sanitary Commission, of which he was the only president (1861 to 1878). He inspired the organization of chapters of the USSC in cities across the country, and the recruiting of thousands of volunteers to help Union soldiers. The organization raised millions of dollars for the war effort and to support soldiers and veterans.

He was the first president of the first Civil Service Reform Association organized in the United States (1877), and was an organizer of the Union League Club of New York and of the Century Association in New York City. Together with his parishioner and friend, Peter Cooper, he established Cooper Union, the design school that was free for students until the 21st century. In 1865 he proposed and organized the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian churches, and from 1865 to 1880 was chairman of its council.

He died in New York City on 30 January 1882. A bronze memorial tablet by Augustus Saint-Gaudens was unveiled in All Souls church in 1886.

Works

His published writings include:
Restatements of Christian Doctrine in Twenty-Five Sermons (1860)
Unconditioned Loyalty (1863), a strong pro-Union sermon, which was widely circulated during the Civil War
The Old World in its New Face: Impressions of Europe in 1867-1868 (2 vols, 1868-1869)
Historical Sketch of the Union League Club (1879)
Twenty-Four Sermons in All Souls Church, New York, 1865-1881 (1886)

Notes

References
 Endnotes:
 — a biographical sketch reprinted from T. B. Peck's Bellows Family Genealogy
 — a memorial address

Further reading
 Frederickson, George M. (1965) The Inner Civil War, 1993 reprint, Champaign, IL:  Illinois,  .

External links

A presentation photo album given to Bellows in August 1868 by English Unitarian ministers is in the Harvard Divinity School Library at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1814 births
1882 deaths
People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War
Harvard Divinity School alumni
Harvard College alumni
United States Sanitary Commission people

Henry Whitney Bellows


The Simmons Bedding Company is an American major manufacturer of mattresses and related bedding products, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1870, and is one of the oldest companies of its kind in the United States. Simmons' flagship brand is Beautyrest.  In addition to operating 18 manufacturing facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico, the company licenses its products internationally. According to a Simmons press release, net sales for 2005 were $855 million, and its revenue was $1.13 billion in 2007 and $1.228 billion in 2013. As of 2011, Simmons ranked in third place among U.S. mattress manufacturers, with a 15.7 percent market share.  In 2012, Simmons and its sister company Serta International were acquired by American private equity company Advent International. As of 2022, Simmons is a subsidiary of the American company Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC of Doraville, Georgia.  On January 23, 2023, Serta Simmons Bedding filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

History

Early history
In 1870, Zalmon G. Simmons opened his first factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He started out by manufacturing wooden telegraph insulators and cheese boxes. He branched into making bedsprings after receiving a patent for a woven-wire bedspring in payment of a debt. In 1876, Simmons became the first manufacturer to mass-produce woven wire mattresses. This process helped the company produce beds faster and cheaper, and by 1889, with the introduction of spiral coil springs into woven mattresses, Simmons' mattress prices dropped from $12 to 95 cents, making mattresses more widely affordable. The business was incorporated in 1884 as the Northwestern Wire Mattress Company, adopting Simmons Manufacturing Company as its name in 1889. According to company records, by 1891 it was the largest company "of its kind in the world".

National business
Zalmon Simmons, Jr., who took charge of the business after his father's death in 1910, oversaw additional growth. In 1916, Simmons began advertising nationally, initiating its first national advertising campaign with a double-spread ad in the Saturday Evening Post.

By 1919, growth was fast.  In response, Simmons acquired manufacturing plants in San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; Montreal, Quebec; Toronto, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Vancouver, British Columbia; Elizabeth, New Jersey; Seattle, Washington; and Atlanta, Georgia. The following year, Simmons started a new sales arrangement. Instead of purchasing a mattress directly off the retail floor, customers could test the product on in-store samples, order a mattress through the retailer, and receive direct delivery within the next 24 hours from one of Simmons' 64 warehouses. This arrangement reduced the need for retailers to own and store their own product inventories. In 1923, Simmons moved its corporate headquarters to New York City.

Equipment developed by Simmons in 1925 automated the process of coiling wire and inserting it into fabric sleeves, called encasements. This allowed mass production of pocketed coils, a type of coil that had been available only in very high-priced luxury mattresses. The pocketed coil is the basis for the Simmons Beautyrest mattress brand, which was introduced in 1925. Although the new manufacturing technology greatly reduced its cost, at the time of its introduction a Beautyrest mattress sold for $39.50, three to four times more than the typical price for a standard wire mattress. Simmons promoted its products aggressively with ads that included testimonials from famous people such as Eleanor Roosevelt in 1927 and Henry Ford, H.G. Wells, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi and George Bernard Shaw in 1929. Eleanor Roosevelt continued to promote the brand into the 1930s, through her radio show. Cole Porter mentioned the Simmons brand in the lyrics of his 1934 song "Anything Goes".

In 1940, Simmons introduced the Hide-A-Bed, a sofa that incorporates a fold-out spring and mattress that pull out to form a bed. This became one of the company's best known products and was manufactured until the 1980s. During World War II, Simmons' facilities were diverted to military production, making cots, parachutes, bazooka rockets and other products. By the post-war year of 1947, the company was back in the mattress business and started using advertising to associate its products with the Hollywood glamor of actresses including Dorothy Lamour and Maureen O'Hara. A research and development facility was established in Munster, Indiana, in 1957, building upon pioneering studies on human sleep behavior that Simmons had sponsored in the 1930s. In 1958, the company became the first U.S. mattress maker to produce mattresses in king and queen sizes, an innovation that was promoted as solving the "space battle in the bedroom".

Era of corporate change
In 1975, the Simmons corporate headquarters moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly thereafter, the company research and development team also relocated to Georgia, to a building in what is today Peachtree Corners. In 1995, the company's R&D division moved into a new home, the Simmons Institute for Technology and Education (SITE).

Simmons underwent the first in a series of corporate mergers and acquisitions in 1979, when the company was acquired by Gulf and Western Industries. Six years later, Gulf and Western sold Simmons to Wickes Companies. Wesray Capital bought the business in 1986, and sold it to the Simmons employee stock ownership plan in 1989. Merrill Lynch Capital Partners obtained a majority interest in Simmons in 1991, and sold to Investcorp in about 1996. Fenway Partners bought the company about two years later, then sold to Thomas H. Lee Partners in 2003.

In the 1990s, a commercial for the Simmons Beautyrest featured a bowling ball being dropped on a Beautyrest mattress and a standard open-coil mattress to illustrate the company's claim that a person's nighttime movements are less likely to disturb a sleep partner if their mattress is a Beautyrest. The bowling ball demonstration, which was popular with Simmons dealers, consumers, and industry experts, was revived in 2006.

In 2003, Fenway Partners made the Sleep Country USA chain of retail stores a part of Simmons; in 2006, Simmons sold the chain to The Sleep Train of Citrus Heights, California. The following year, the company added memory foam products to its offerings by acquiring the Comfor–Pedic line of memory foam mattresses and pillows from Comfor Products of Kent, Washington.

The company suffered financially under the successive ownership of multiple private equity firms and other private investors. The private equity owners extracted $750 million in profits out of Simmons, while the company's debt increased from $164 million in 1991 to $1.3 billion in 2009. On September 25, 2009, Simmons announced a Chapter 11 restructuring plan and signed a purchase agreement with an investor group led by Ares Management and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. The bankruptcy court approved the deal, reducing the company's total debt from about $1 billion to $450 million. The bankruptcy did not include subsidiaries in Canada and Puerto Rico, but those units were included in the deal with Ares Management and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Ares and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan were also the owners of the Serta brand name under National Bedding Company LLC.  They operated Serta and Simmons Bedding as independent entities that continued to compete with one another.

On October 2, 2012, private equity firm Advent International acquired a majority interest in AOT Bedding Super Holdings (now Serta Simmons Holdings, LLC), the parent company of Simmons and Serta. Ares Management and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan continued to own a "significant" share of company equity. At the time of the Advent acquisition, Simmons and Serta together held a 34 percent share of the U.S. mattress market. Simmons and Serta retained separate sales, marketing, research and development, and merchandising departments, and continue to remain separate.

In August 2018, Simmons Bedding's parent company Serta Simmons Holdings LLC announced a merger with online retailer Tuft & Needle to increase their online presence.

By November 2020, the parent company had established a website to promote its renaming to Serta Simmons Bedding LLC, while still retaining the separate brands it owns (Serta, Simmons, Tuft & Needle and Beautyrest, now spun off from Simmons into a separate brand) and individual websites for them.

On January 23, 2023, Serta Simmons Bedding filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

References

External links
Simmons web site

Furniture companies of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Atlanta
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Manufacturing companies established in 1870
1870 establishments in Wisconsin
Gulf and Western Industries
Mattress retailers of the United States
2006 mergers and acquisitions
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023
2012 mergers and acquisitions

Simmons Bedding Company


Ronin (浪人) is the word used to describe a kind of samurai without a master. Hundreds of years ago in Japan, it was very important for every samurai to have a master.

It also refers to somebody who has failed their university entrance exams and is studying for the next year's exams.

Samurai

Ronin