Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. In 2002, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sarandon began her acting career in the drama film Joe (1970), the soap opera A World Apart (1970–1971), and the television film F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' (1974). She gained prominence for her role as Janet Weiss in the cult classic musical comedy horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Sarandon went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress for Dead Man Walking (1995). Her other Oscar-nominated roles were in Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994). Her other notable films include Pretty Baby (1978), The Hunger (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Little Women (1994), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Stepmom (1998), Enchanted (2007), Speed Racer (2008), The Lovely Bones (2009), Cloud Atlas (2012),The Meddler (2015) and Blue Beetle (2023).

Sarandon made her Broadway debut in the play An Evening with Richard Nixon (1972) and went on to receive Drama Desk Award nominations for the off-Broadway plays A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking (1979) and Extremities (1982). She returned to Broadway in the 2009 revival of Exit the King, and to off-Broadway in the 2019 play Happy Talk. On television, she is a six-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, including for her guest roles on the sitcoms Friends (2001) and Malcolm in the Middle (2002) as well as her portrayals of Janet Good in the HBO film You Don't Know Jack (2010), Doris Duke in the HBO film Bernard and Doris (2008), and Bette Davis in the FX miniseries Feud (2017).

Also known for her social and political activism, Sarandon was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999 and received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006. In 2022, she joined as an ambassador to the HALO Trust, the largest humanitarian mine clearance organization.

Early life
Sarandon was born in Jackson Heights, Queens in New York City. She is the eldest of nine children of Lenora Marie (née Criscione 1923–2020) and Phillip Leslie Tomalin, an advertising executive, television producer, and one-time nightclub singer. She has four brothers: Phillip Leslie Jr., Terry (an outdoorsman, journalist, and community leader), Timothy, and O'Brian; and four sisters: Meredith (or "Merry"), Bonnie Priscilla, Amanda, and Melissa (or "Missy"). Her father was of English, Irish, and Welsh ancestry. His English ancestors came from Hackney in London and his Welsh ancestors from Bridgend. On her mother's side, she is of Italian descent, with ancestors from the regions of Tuscany and Sicily. Her father worked for WOR-TV in New York City.

When she was four years old, the Tomalin family moved from New York City to the newly developed Stephenville community, located in the northern area of Raritan (now Edison) Township, New Jersey. The family was raised Roman Catholic and she and her sisters attended the all-girls Saint Francis Grammar School in nearby Metuchen, while her brothers attended the all-boys Saint Matthews Grammar School in Edison Township. Her mother was a member and board director of the Stephenville Women's Club and the Terra Tova Garden Club. The family was also member to the Woodside Swim Club, a private swimming club and park in the Stephenville community, where Sarandon and her sisters won many swimming competitions. Sarandon graduated from Saint Francis Grammar School in 1960.

Sarandon attended Edison High School, a public school located in Edison Township. In 1962, while still in high school, she joined a band and dance group to entertain sick children at a nearby rehabilitation hospital. As a high school junior, she performed the lead in the play Lady Precious Stream. As a senior, she played the title character in the comedy My Sister Eileen, earning mentions in the local newspapers. In 1964, Sarandon was inducted into the National Honor Society.

In May 1964, the Tomalin family moved to the newly developed Chandler Hill community, east of Stephenville in Edison. Sarandon graduated from Edison High School in 1964. She attended the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. from 1964 to 1968, earning a Bachelor of Arts in drama, and studying under the drama coach Gilbert V. Hartke. During and shortly after college, she supported herself by emptying bedpans in a hospital, cutting hair, cleaning houses and working as a switchboard operator.

Career

In 1968, Sarandon and her then-husband, Chris Sarandon, appeared on stage at the Wayside Theatre in Middletown, Virginia. The following year, the couple went to a casting call for the motion-picture Joe (1970). Although he did not get a part, she was cast in a major role of a disaffected teen who disappears into the seedy underworld. Between 1970 and 1972, she appeared in the soap operas A World Apart and Search for Tomorrow, playing Patrice Kahlman and Sarah Fairbanks, respectively. She appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and also played the female lead in The Great Waldo Pepper (also 1975), opposite Robert Redford. She was twice directed by Louis Malle, in Pretty Baby (1978) and Atlantic City (1981). The latter earned Sarandon her first Academy Award nomination.

Her most controversial film appearance was in Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983), a modern vampire story in which she had a lesbian sex scene with Catherine Deneuve. She appeared in the comedy-fantasy The Witches of Eastwick (1987) alongside Jack Nicholson, Cher, and Michelle Pfeiffer. However, Sarandon did not become a "household name" until she appeared with Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins in the film Bull Durham (1988), a commercial and critical success. Roger Ebert praised Sarandon's performance in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times: "I don't know who else they could have hired to play Annie Savoy, the Sarandon character who pledges her heart and her body to one player a season, but I doubt if the character would have worked without Sarandon's wonderful performance".

Sarandon was nominated for an Academy Award four more times in the 1990s, as Best Actress as Louise Sawyer in Thelma & Louise (1991), Michaela Odone in  Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and Reggie Love in The Client (1994), finally winning in 1995 for Dead Man Walking in which she played Sister Helen Prejean who regularly visits a convicted murderer on death row. Janet Maslin, in The New York Times, wrote of her performance in the last film: "Ms. Sarandon takes the kind of risk she took playing a stubbornly obsessed mother in Lorenzo's Oil. She's commandingly blunt, and she avoids cheapening her performance with the wrong kind of compassion. Her Sister Helen is repelled and alarmed by this man, but she's determined to help him anyway. That's what makes the film so unrelenting." Sarandon was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award in 1994. Additionally, she has received eight Golden Globe nominations, including for White Palace (1990), Stepmom (1998), Igby Goes Down (2002), and Bernard and Doris (2007).

Her other movies include Little Women (1994), Anywhere but Here (1999), Cradle Will Rock (1999), The Banger Sisters (2002), Shall We Dance (2004), Alfie (2004), Romance & Cigarettes (2005), Elizabethtown (2005), and Enchanted (2007). Sarandon has appeared in two episodes of The Simpsons, once as herself ("Bart Has Two Mommies") and as a ballet teacher, "Homer vs. Patty and Selma". She appeared on Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, Mad TV, Saturday Night Live, Chappelle's Show, 30 Rock, Rescue Me, and Mike & Molly.

Sarandon has contributed the narration to two dozen documentary films, many of which dealt with social and political issues. In addition, she has served as the presenter on many installments of the PBS documentary series, Independent Lens. In 1999 and 2000, she hosted and presented Mythos, a series of lectures by the late American mythology professor Joseph Campbell. Sarandon also participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a local New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films made for children between the ages of 3 and 18.

Sarandon joined the cast of the adaptation of The Lovely Bones, opposite Rachel Weisz, and appeared with her daughter, Eva Amurri, in Middle of Nowhere; both films were made in 2007.
In June 2010, Sarandon joined the cast of the HBO pilot The Miraculous Year, as Patty Atwood, a Broadway director/choreographer. However, the series was not picked up. In 2012, Sarandon's audiobook performance of Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding was released at Audible.com. Sarandon was the voice actor for the character of Granny Rags, an eccentric and sinister old lady, in the stealth/action video game Dishonored, released in 2012. She appeared in the films Arbitrage (2012), Tammy (2014), and  The Meddler (2015). In 2017, Sarandon portrayed Bette Davis in the first season of FX's anthology series Feud. She also appeared in A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)—the sequel to the 2016 film Bad Moms—as the mother of Carla Dunkler.

In 2018, she joined the "Social Impact Advisory Board " of the San Diego International Film Festival. In 2019, she connected with Justin Willman on Magic for Humans as a special guest on the Christmas episode. In Fall 2022, Sarandon starred in the FOX TV drama Monarch. It aired on Tuesday nights at 9:00 P.M after The Resident, which is created by Sarandon's nemesis Amy Holden Jones.

Political views and activism

Sarandon is known for her active support of progressive and left-wing political causes, ranging from donations to organizations such as EMILY's List to participating in a 1983 delegation to Nicaragua sponsored by MADRE, an organization that promotes "social, environmental, and economic justice". In 1999, she was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In that capacity, she has actively supported the organization's global advocacy, as well as the work of the Canadian UNICEF Committee. In 2006, she was one of eight women selected to carry in the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, in Turin, Italy. The same year, Sarandon received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award. Sarandon was appointed an FAO Goodwill Ambassador in 2010. She donated fruit trees to the New York City Housing Authority's Jamaica Houses in 2018 in the borough of Queens. Sarandon visited the housing complex in person to help plant the trees.

Anti-war activism
Sarandon and Robbins both took an early stance against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with Sarandon stating that she was firmly against war as a pre-emptive strike. Prior to a 2003 protest sponsored by the United for Peace and Justice coalition, she said that many Americans "do not want to risk their children or the children of Iraq". Sarandon was one of the first to appear in a series of political ads sponsored by TrueMajority, an organization established by Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream founder Ben Cohen. Along with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, Sarandon took part in a 2006 Mother's Day protest, which was sponsored by Code Pink.  In January 2007, she appeared with Robbins and Jane Fonda at an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. in support of a Congressional measure to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.

Presidential politics
During the 2000 election, Sarandon supported Ralph Nader's run for president, serving as a co-chair of the National Steering Committee of Nader 2000. During the 2004 election campaign, she withheld support for Nader's bid, being among several "Nader Raiders" who urged Nader to drop out and his voters offer their support for Democratic Party candidate John Kerry. After the 2004 election, Sarandon called for US elections to be monitored by international entities.

In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Sarandon and Tim Robbins campaigned for John Edwards in the New Hampshire communities of Hampton, Bedford, and Dover. When asked at We Vote '08 Kickoff Party "What would Jesus do this primary season", Sarandon said, "I think Jesus would be very supportive of John Edwards." She later endorsed Barack Obama.

In the 2012 U.S. presidential election Sarandon, along with film director Michael Moore, said that they were not thrilled with Obama's performance but hoped he would be re-elected. She said she and the administration haven't been allies. "I wouldn't say the White House has taken me under its wing and made me one of its best buddies," Sarandon said.

In the 2016 United States presidential election, she made public her support for Senator Bernie Sanders. On March 28, 2016, in an interview on All In with Chris Hayes, Sarandon indicated that she and other Sanders supporters might not support Hillary Clinton if Clinton is the Democratic nominee for president. She stated: "You know, some people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately. If he gets in, then things will really explode." Hayes inquired as to whether it would be dangerous to allow Trump to become president, to which she replied: "If you think that it's pragmatic to shore up the status quo right now, then you're not in touch with the status quo". On October 30, 2016, she endorsed Green Party of the United States presidential candidate Jill Stein.

In an interview with The Guardian published on November 26, 2017, Sarandon said about Hillary Clinton: "I did think she was very, very dangerous. We would still be fracking, we would be at war [if she were president]".

Civil rights
In 1995, Sarandon was one of many Hollywood actors, directors and writers interviewed for the documentary The Celluloid Closet, which explores how Hollywood films have depicted homosexuality.

Sarandon and Robbins appeared at the 2000 Shadow Convention in Los Angeles to speak about drug offenders being unduly punished. In 2004, she served on the advisory committee for 2004 Racism Watch, an activist group.

Sarandon has become an advocate to end the death penalty and mass incarceration. She has joined the team of people fighting to save the life of Richard Glossip, a man on death row in Oklahoma. In May 2015, Sarandon launched a campaign with fundraising platform Represent.com to sell T-shirts to help finance the documentary Deep Run, the story of a poor North Carolina teen undergoing a gender transition.

Since 2011
On March 12, 2011, Sarandon spoke before a crowd in Madison, Wisconsin protesting Governor Scott Walker and his Budget Repair Bill. On September 27, 2011, Sarandon spoke to reporters and interested parties at the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City. Her use of the word Nazi to describe Pope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2011, generated complaints from Roman Catholic authorities, and the Anti-Defamation League, which called on Sarandon to apologize. Sarandon brought activist Rosa Clemente to the 75th Golden Globe Awards and participated in a rally against gun violence in June 2018.

On June 28, 2018, Sarandon was arrested during the Women Disobey protests, along with 575 other people, for protesting at the Hart Senate Office Building where a sit-in was being held against Donald Trump's migrant separation policy.

On May 27, 2021, Sarandon tweeted in support of the Palestinian people, in her words, "fighting against the apartheid government of Netanyahu", and of the Israeli people "that they too, will enjoy peace". She expressed support for Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid "for having the bravery to stand in solidarity with her people". She also co-signed an open letter criticizing Israel for labeling six Palestinian human rights groups as terror organizations, and quoted Desmond Tutu on the conflict saying that "true peace can ultimately be built only on justice". Sarandon was the executive producer for Soufra, a documentary that covered the development of a food truck in the Bourj el Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon.

In February 2022, some law enforcement organizations criticized Sarandon for sharing a tweet that described a photo of police officers honoring a killed officer as fascism. She later deleted the tweet and posted a message on Twitter to apologize.

Personal life
While in college, Susan Tomalin met fellow student Chris Sarandon, a Greek-American, and the couple married on September 16, 1967. They announced a trial separation in 1975 and divorced in 1979, but she retained his surname. From 1977 until 1980, Sarandon had a live-in relationship with director Louis Malle, after which she was sporadically involved with musician David Bowie and briefly, actor Sean Penn.

In the mid-1980s, Sarandon dated Italian filmmaker Franco Amurri, with whom she had a daughter, Eva (born March 15, 1985). Sarandon and Amurri met on the set of Tempest in 1981, but didn't get together until she returned to Italy to shoot Mussolini and I three years later. In 2017, Sarandon revealed that she had had an affair with British actor Philip Sayer, who she further revealed had been gay.

Beginning in 1988, Sarandon lived with actor Tim Robbins, whom she met while they were filming Bull Durham. They have two sons: John "Jack" Henry (born May 15, 1989) and Miles (born May 4, 1992). Sarandon, like Robbins, is a lapsed Catholic, and they both share liberal political views. Sarandon and Robbins split in 2009.

Following the end of her relationship with Robbins, she soon began a new one with Jonathan Bricklin, son of Malcolm Bricklin. Sarandon and Bricklin helped establish a chain of ping-pong lounges named SPiN. Sarandon is the co-owner of this New York ping-pong club and its Toronto branch SPiN Toronto. Sarandon and Bricklin broke up in 2015.

In 2006, Sarandon and ten relatives, including her son Miles, traveled to the United Kingdom to trace her family's Welsh genealogy. Their journey was documented by the BBC Wales programme, Coming Home: Susan Sarandon. Much of the same research and content was featured in the American version of Who Do You Think You Are? She also received the "Ragusani Nel Mondo" prize in 2006; her Sicilian roots are in Ragusa, Italy.

Sarandon identified herself as bisexual, seemingly coming out during a September 2022 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She had also previously told Pride Source in 2017 that her sexuality was "open" and "up for grabs", and on a 2021 episode of the Divorced Not Dead podcast she said of her dating interests "I don't care if it's a man or a woman. I mean, I'm open to all age, all color. And those for me, those things are just details."

She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Awards and nominations

Sarandon received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Stockholm International Film Festival, was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2010, and received the Outstanding Artistic Life Award for her Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema at the 2011 Shanghai International Film Festival. In 2013, she was invited to inaugurate the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. In 2015, Sarandon received the Goldene Kamera international lifetime achievement award.

Sarandon has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the following films:
54th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, nomination, Atlantic City (1981)
64th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, nomination, Thelma & Louise (1991)
65th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, nomination, Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
67th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, nomination, The Client (1994)
68th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, win, Dead Man Walking (1995)

References

External links

 Susan Sarandon at the New Jersey Hall of Fame

1946 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from New Jersey
Actresses from New York City
Activists from New York City
Activists from New Jersey
American anti–death penalty activists
American anti–Iraq War activists
American film actresses
American people of English descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Italian descent
American people of Welsh descent
People of Sicilian descent
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Best Actress Academy Award winners
Best Actress BAFTA Award winners
Best Performance by a Foreign Actress Genie Award winners
Catholic University of America alumni
David di Donatello winners
FAO Goodwill ambassadors
Former Roman Catholics
American LGBT rights activists
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America
New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees
New York (state) Democrats
New York (state) socialists
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners
People from Edison, New Jersey
People from Jackson Heights, Queens
American socialist feminists
American stage actresses
Edison High School (New Jersey) alumni
American bisexual actors
Bisexual actresses
LGBT people from New York (state)

Susan Sarandon


Silence is a German rock - heavy metal band. It was founded in 1995 in Bavaria, Germany. Its founding members were Stefan Mueller (guitar), Holger Kronester (drums), and the brothers Bernd (guitar) and Marco Wolf (bass). They played a mix of rock and metal music. Their music always had a dark, depressive side.

The band's first successful album was Enola. It was listed as "Album of the month" in German Metal-Hammer. The album was released in 2000. Three years later they recorded the p/o/u/r letters. It got very good reviews all over Germany and Europe. In 2007 they released their 5 track EP The Badtime Stories. With this album they got a record deal with the German record label Biohazzard Records, a sublabel of Danse macabre.

In 2010 they released the follow-up full-length album to the p/o/u/r letters. It was titled Life: Failed.

The today's members of the band consists of Stefan (singer), Bernd (guitar), Sebastian (keyboard), Bastian (guitar), Oliver (bass) and Bastian (drums).

Discography
 1996 Empty Souls (Demo)
 2000 Enola
 2003 The p/o/u/r letters
 2007 The Badtime Stories
 2010 Life: Failed

Other websites
 Official website
 Myspace-Site

German rock bands
German heavy metal bands

Silence (band)


The Silcox Hut is a small rustic mid-mountain lodge located at  elevation on Mount Hood, Oregon, United States. It is approximately  vertical above Timberline Lodge and roughly one mile distance directly up the mountain.

Silcox Hut was built by the WPA and finished in 1939.  It was named after Ferdinand Silcox, the fifth Chief of the Forest Service, 1933–1939.

The hut was the upper terminal of the original Magic Mile chairlift and housed the lift's upper bullwheel in what is now the guest sleeping quarters.  It was also intended as a warming hut and starting point for climbers.  After the chairlift was relocated in 1962, it was abandoned and became derelict due to vandalism and fierce mountain weather.

In 1966, the Portland State University Outdoor Program leased the Hut. The students of the Program made a few improvements to the hut including repairs to the fireplace hearth and new window shutters. Program Alumni consider this lease the first action taken to save Silcox Hut.  There was discussion between the US Forest Service and Timberline Lodge to burn down the hut because of its condition. Even though the Program enjoyed access to the mountain provided by Silcox Hut, they could not counter the seemingly constant vandalism and had to relinquish the lease.

Silcox Hut was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
In the same year, the Friends of Silcox Hut was created as a non-profit organization.
The initial restoration proposal was made by climbing enthusiasts and guides, and it was their intention to operate the facility.

Over the course of the late 1980s and early 1990s, The Friends of Silcox Hut renovated and reopened Silcox to the public in 1993.  Although they intended it partially as an overnight hostel and restaurant for climbers, it is now rented out to groups of up to 24 for overnight lodging and hearty meals by RLK, the operators of Timberline Lodge.  It is available for group day use such as weddings and anniversaries.

The Friends of Silcox received several awards for its restoration, including the People's Choice Award and the Craftsmanship Award from the Portland AIA Awards Program in 1993.

The Friends of Silcox Hut carries on as a non-profit maintenance and special projects group to protect the integrity of the restoration. Its board is entirely made up of architects and craftsmen and others deeply involved in the original restoration. Lifetime and annual memberships are available with all proceeds supporting restoration efforts.

Recent special projects included a snow tunnel for the south entrance engineered to withstand 25 feet of compacted snow.

Climate

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Clackamas County, Oregon
National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County, Oregon
Works Progress Administration in Oregon
Mount Hood
Mount Hood National Forest
1939 establishments in Oregon
Buildings and structures completed in 1939

Silcox Hut


Paracathartes is a genus of extinct bird from the Wasachtian horizon of lower Eocene Wyoming. One species, Paracathartes howardae has been described. It is a paleognathous bird, turkey-like in stature and size, that probably resembled a tinamou quite closely.

Paracathartes was described by Harrison as the earliest known cathartid vulture. Rich criticized this assignment. Houde (1988) included it as a member of the order Lithornithiformes and family Lithornithidae. The holotype specimen is in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum. It has catalog number ROM 22658. It is the distal end of a left tibiotarsus. It was collected by G. E. Lindblad and G. Sternberg on 4 August 1949. It was found at the northernmost branch of Elk Creek, near Basin, Wyoming. The horizon is Greybullian, middle Wasatchian (early Eocene), Willwood Formation, Bighorn Basin.

Further specimens of Paracathartes were collected, including almost the whole skeleton (USNM 361402-361446, 391984, 404747-404806) from at least five individuals preserved together. These bones were associated with three whole eggs (USNM 336564) and an avian neurocranium (USNM 361415) which may belong to Paracathartes or to a possible phorusrhacid.

Footnotes

References

Fossil taxa described in 1979
Lithornithidae
Eocene genus extinctions
Paleogene birds of North America
Paleontology in Wyoming

Paracathartes


Karl Ritter von Schönhals (15 November 1788, Braunfels, Solms-Braunfels - 16 February 1857, Graz) was an Austrian general.

Life
Schönhals entered the army in 1807, joining an Austrian Jäger regiment, and was badly wounded at the battle of Aspern and battle of Dresden. In 1821 he joined the Naples expedition, in 1830 he acted as general-adjutant to General Frimont in Milan and in as 1832 general-adjutant to Radetzky. In 1838 he was promoted to major general and in 1848 to Feldmarschallleutnant.

In the dangerous times of 1848 he did a great service to the Austrian army. In 1849 the Provisional Central Government of the German Confederation in Frankfurt am Main was dissolved and replaced by plenipotentiaries for Austria and Prussia, with Schönhals and Karl Friedrich Kübeck Freiherr von Kübau representing the Austrian Empire until the commission was dissolved and parliament restored.

Starting in 1851, he resigned due to his war wounds, at the rank of Feldzeugmeister, and devoted himself to writing biographies and military history. He lived in Graz, where he was looked after by his sister Henriette Schönhals. His tomb is located in the Protestant cemetery of St Peter in Graz.

Honours

 Knight's Cross of the Order of Leopold - 1838
 Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa - 19 August 1848, along with promotion to the rank of knight, his name thereafter being Karl Ritter von Schönhals.
 Order of the Iron Crown - 1849
 Wirklicher Geheimer Rat - 1849
 Number 16 of the personalities of the Italian campaign 1848–1849 on the Gedenkstätte Heldenberg

Works

1) Published under his own name:
 Aphorismen aus der Kriegskunst, 2 Teile, 1820 und 1821;
 Einige Betrachtungen über die Verwendung der stehenden Heere, 1820.
 Biographie des K.K.Generals der Kavallerie und Hofkriegspräsidenten Grafen von Frimont, 1833.
2) Published anonymously :
 Erinnerungen eines österreichischen Veteranen aus dem italienischen Kriege in den Jahren 1848 und 1849, Stuttgart 1852, 2 Bde.; 7. Aufl. 1853;
 Biographie des Feldzeugmeisters J. Freiherr von Haynau, 3. Aufl., Graz 1853;
 Der Krieg 1805 in Deutschland, Wien 1874.

Bibliography
 Schönhals, Karl Ritter von in Constant von Wurzbach, Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich,   31st Volume, page 157, Wien, k. k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei 1876
 http://www.biographien.ac.at/oebl_11/81.pdf
 http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/ADB:Sch%C3%B6nhals,_Karl_Freiherr_von
 L. Weißbart: C. Eine Rückschau auf sein Leben und Wirken zur 150. Wiederkehr seines Geburtstages. In: Heimat im Bild. Beilage zum Gießener Anzeiger. Jahrgang 1938, Nr. 45, S. 177-180 u. Nr. 46, S. 183–184.

1788 births
1857 deaths
People from Braunfels
People from Solms-Braunfels
Austrian generals
19th-century Austrian historians
Austrian Empire military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Austrian biographers
Male biographers
Austrian military historians
Austrian people of German descent

Karl von Schönhals


Joachim Wuermeling (born 19 July 1960 in Münster) a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria. Between 2005 and 2008, he served as State Secretary for the European Union in the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology.

Education
 1985: First state law examination
 1987: Doctor of Law
 1989: Second state law examination
 1990: Master of comparative, European and international law at the European University Institute in Florence

Early career
 since 1996: Lecturer of the University of Potsdam
 since 2000: Lawyer
 1989-1993: European affairs officer, Bavaria Office, Bonn
 1993-1999: Section head, European affairs division, Bavarian State Chancellery, Munich
 1993-1995: Staff Member of the Commissioner Schmidhuber's private office, Brussels

Political career
 since 1996: Member of the Upper Franconia CSU District Executive
 since 1997: Member of the CSU European affairs committee
 since 1998: Member of the CSU Party Committee
 since 1999: Member of the CSU Policy and Drafting Commissions
 since 2000: District Chairman of the Upper Franconia CSU Lawyers

Member of the European Parliament, 1999–2005
From 1999 to 2005, Wuermeling was a Member of the European Parliament for Bavaria with the Christian Social Union in Bavaria,
part of the European People's Party and served on the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.

During his time in the Parliament, Wuermeling was a substitute for the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, a member of the Delegation to the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee and a substitute for the Delegation for relations with the Gulf States, including Yemen. Most notably, he was the Parliament's rapporteur on the Consumer Credit Directive.

Other roles included:
 1999-2005: Member of the European Parliament
 1999-2001: Vice-Chairman of the Delegation to Estonia
 2002-2003: Substitute Member of the European Parliament Delegation to the European Convention
 2002-2004: EPP Deputy coordinator, Committee on Constitutional Affairs

State Secretary, 2005–2008
Following the 2005 German elections, Wuermeling was appointed State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology. under minister Michael Glos in the first cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel. In this capacity, he was primarily in charge of energy issues. He also served as the government's coordinator for EU policies and held a key role during Germany's presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2007.

In early 2008, Glos put Wuermeling in temporary retirement from government employment and replaced him with Jochen Homann.

Life after politics
Between 2005 and 2011, Wuermeling served as member of the Executive Board of the German Insurance Association (GDV), where he was in charge of European and international affairs. In this capacity, he was also a member of the European Economic and Social Committee.

From 2011 to 2016, Wuermeling served as chairman of the Association of Sparda Banks, a group of twelve regional cooperative banks in Germany.

In July 2016, following a proposal of Bavaria, the Bundesrat nominated Wuermeling as member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank.

Other activities
 House of Finance, Goethe University Frankfurt, Member of the Board of Trustees
 Leibniz Institute for Financial Research (SAFE), Member of the Policy Council
 Research Institute for Application-Oriented Knowledge Processing (FAW), Member of the Board of Trustees
 Institute for European Politics (IEP), Member of the Board of Trustees
 Rotary International, Member

References

External links

 Web-site of German Federal Ministry of Economic and Technology (German, with link to English version in the navigation bar)

1960 births
Living people
MEPs for Germany 2004–2009
Christian Social Union in Bavaria MEPs
MEPs for Germany 1999–2004

Joachim Wuermeling


The Great St Bernard Pass is a pass between Switzerland and Italy. Hi is 2469 metres high. On the pass is the Great St Bernard lake.

It's a international border Pass, situated on the drainage divide between northern Europe and southern Europe.

Throughout history the road of the Great St Bernard Pass has been an important trade route. In ancient history the pass was called by the Romans Mons Jovis in latin language. The road between Lausanne in western Switzerland and Aosta in Aosta valley region (Italy), and also the Great St Bernard Tunnel cross the pass. The hiking path on the pass ist part of the old pilgrimage route from northern Europe to Rome.

Valais
Aosta Valley
Mountain passes of the Alps

Great St Bernard Pass


Julia Grant (born 21 September 1954 – 2 January 2019) was the first transgender person to have her transition chronicled on a mainstream UK television documentary in A Change of Sex.

In George and Julia (1979), the first of five-hour-long film documentaries directed by David Pearson for the BBC, her story attracted an audience of nearly nine million viewers. The series was transmitted on BBC2 as A Change of Sex, and described by Pearson as "intimate, frank and observational". Additional episodes were broadcast until 1999, charting new stages in her life.

Early life
Born in Fleetwood, Lancashire, she was the eldest child of Phillip Roberts, a trawlerman, and his wife, Jessica. Jessica was an alcoholic, who attempted suicide several times, whilst Phillip was a violent drunkard who reportedly tried to rape Julia when she was a child. As one of eight children, Julia often cared for her younger brothers and sisters. She also spent periods in a children's home in Preston, and as a teenager, prostituted herself to men. This was said to be "a misguided cry" for the affection that she did not get from her parents, and she used the money for sweets.

Television fame and gender reassignment
In 1974, after a failed marriage, she moved to London, and in 1978, when the BBC began filming, she was a catering manager who performed as a drag queen. However, it became apparent that drag did not feel right to her, and the BBC filmed her last drag performance. Julia had realized that she was not a male homosexual, and "wanted to live as a woman".

As a precondition for receiving treatment at the Charing Cross Hospital unit – at the time, the main clinic in the UK dealing with transgender patients – Julia began living, working and dressing as a woman. She asked the BBC series director Pearson for name suggestions, and from this list, chose Julia Grant.

The NHS psychiatrist who ran the clinic was persuaded to let the BBC film all of his consultations with Julia, although with the stipulation that he would not be named on air, or be seen on screen. According to Pearson, "his voice suggested a plummy sense of entitled authority, tinged with arrogance, often expressing stereotypical attitudes towards women, even by 70s standards." The psychiatrist was later revealed to be John Randell.

The week before the first programme in the series was shown, Sunday tabloids published hostile stories about Julia and the films. Despite this, she was determined to become the "woman I want to be". It was this, says Pearson, coupled with "gritty humour while overcoming her setbacks" – such as the way she was treated by Randell – which "convinced many TV viewers that her cause was legitimate", and the BBC received a large number of letters in support of Julia and the films.

Grant was living with Amir, a refugee who had fled from persecution in Iraq, who accepted her as a woman. As they wished to progress their relationship, Julia did not want to delay the operations. In a series of "combative encounters", Randell was dismissive of Julia's goals, as he did not believe her to be ladylike enough, and thought her too "pushy".

Grant ignored Randell's advice, and found a way to get breast implants at a private clinic. Randell was "furious" and Grant realised that he would not support her ambition for full genital surgery.

A private surgeon, Michael Royle, and his colleague, was sympathetic to Grant's problem, and agreed to operate. When Grant woke up after the operation, she was "in great pain but ecstatic". It seemed to have been a success, but Grant needed time to recover, and filming was put on hold for several years. She later told the programme makers that, several weeks after the surgery, she had collapsed bleeding and been taken to hospital unconscious, where she was treated for a suspected miscarriage by doctors who were not aware of her medical history.

Grant's surgery was damaged, and she was unable to have sex; she was embarrassed to get help or to confide in Amir about the reason they could not have sex, and their relationship worsened. The couple split up, and he left the UK. Grant thought that she would not be able to receive any further treatment, in a period described by Pearson as "perhaps the lowest point of her life".

Subsequent life
Grant wrote two memoirs about her experiences, George & Julia (1980) and Just Julia (1994). In the late 1990s, the final BBC film caught up with Grant living in Manchester and running the busy Hollywood Show Bar. She wanted to marry her new partner, Alan Sunderland, and her former surgeon Royle said that he could resolve her surgical problem. However, Grant, together with Sunderland, decided that she would not proceed with more surgery, and could instead "be happy as they were". The couple had a church blessing, and Grant thought of herself as married. She owned a number of cafes and bars in Manchester's Canal Street Gay Village, fought against redevelopment plans for the area, and was active in establishing local LGBTQ events.

Grant and her partner moved to France's Creuse region, where she built up a ceramics business, and locals called her "La Madame Anglaise". However, one morning, Sunderland ate breakfast and departed from Grant's life for good. Grant went to live in Spain, where she ran a hotel in Benidorm and began Benidorm Gay Pride.

Grant told people wanting gender reassignment that changing sex "would not solve all their problems", and some members of the trans community found her views controversial. This largely related to her disagreement with young children transitioning using surgery, hormones, or what is known today as the "social gender role transition", in which they present as their actual gender full time. Grant spent time in America counselling young people who were thinking about the process.

Illness
After being diagnosed with bowel cancer, Grant returned to the UK in 2015, and committed herself to helping other trans people. She encouraged improved trans care services, and took part in discussions at the NHS's Nye Bevan Academy, a facility which trains health service leaders.

Death
Grant survived bowel cancer, but suffered from multiple health problems, and died on 2 January 2019, aged 64, following a short illness. At the time of her death, she was survived by sisters Shirley, Jeanne, Lesley, Julie and Beverley, along with two brothers, Gary and Danny. Grant was also survived by an aunt named Mary and her two own children, born in the early 1970s during her own marriage.

See also

References

1954 births
2019 deaths
20th-century English LGBT people
21st-century English LGBT people
20th-century English memoirists
20th-century English women writers
People from Blackpool
English LGBT rights activists
English transgender writers
People from Fleetwood
Transgender women writers
Transgender memoirists
Transgender rights activists
English drag queens
English expatriates in France
English expatriates in Spain

Julia Grant (transgender activist)


Aidan Davis (born 23 March 1997) is an English street dancer, rapper, and television host. In 2009, he reached the final of the third series of the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent. He finished fifth place overall and later that year he toured the United Kingdom, making live performances with the series' other finalists.

Davis has made numerous performances since Britain's Got Talent, including the 'Diversitoys' tour with Diversity, and as a presenter on the Friday Download show on CBBC. In 2012 Aidan made his first music video, "Let's Dance", which featured Jon Dos.

History

Britain's Got Talent: 2009
In May 2009, Davis auditioned for the third series of the ITV television talent show Britain's Got Talent. In his audition he performed to Flo Rida's "Low". He received positive comments from all three judges, with Simon Cowell saying "I think you're better than any dancer on this show, you are super, super, super talented". He received three yesses from Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan and was put through to the next round. Despite never having had a dance lesson, at the time Davis was compared to the series 2 winner George Sampson and was later chosen as one of the 40 semi-finalists.

He performed for a second time in the semi-final on 29 May 2009, dancing to "Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake. Again he received a standing ovation from the audience and positive comments from the judges. Amanda Holden said that Davis "blew her away" and he "went through the roof." Cowell told him, "whatever 'it' is, you've got it." He also praised Davis' confidence and charisma. Morgan compared him to a young Justin Timberlake, declaring him "a delight to watch". He was automatically put through to the final after receiving the highest public vote.

In the final,(30 May 2009)he again performed to Flo Rida's "Low", which was his audition piece. He received a standing ovation. Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan loved the performance. Simon Cowell, however, told him his performance was not as good as his performance the previous night in the semi-final. He told him: "To be honest with you it wasn't as good. You had 24 hours and limited time to put it together. But you still have a huge future ahead of you" Davis later said that he felt "gutted" by this, but Cowell urged "Don't listen to me – no one else does. There's the public vote".

He did not rank in the top three acts in the competition, finishing overall in fifth place, receiving 6.5% of the total 4 million votes cast. After the show, Simon Cowell spoke of his regret at making Davis cry during the final.

Post Britain's Got Talent
Davis performed in the Britain's Got Talent – The Live Tour 2009 in June and July 2009 at venues all over the UK along with the other finalists from the show. It was reported that Davis was going to team up with series 3 winners Diversity; although they did perform together on the tour, Davis never officially became a member of Diversity.

Davis performed at a Michael Jackson dance tribute show on 30 August 2009. He was lined up with other dance stars from Britain's Got Talent, including George Sampson, Diversity and Signature at the Opera House Theatre in Blackpool Winter Gardens. Acts that also appeared were MD Productions, from the first series of Britain's Got Talent, Flava, Sugar Free and Marcquelle Ward who plays BB from television show Britannia High.

On 24 September 2009, Davis performed at the launch night of Birmingham's Style in the City event. He showed off some of his "popping" moves at the event, hosted by Mr Hudson. The following month, Davis filmed an advert for Cheetos Sweetos in Turkey.

Davis joined Peter Andre, Alesha Dixon, Alan Carr, Lenny Henry and the Sugababes for the 2009 Rock with Laughter event which took place on 18 & 19 December 2009 at the LG Arena. Lenny Henry, host of the event, spoke highly of Davis:

2010
Davis toured with Talent winners Diversity in Spring 2010. The tour was named "Bringing a Toy Story to Life" Plus Many Special Guest's, which specialises in 'bringing toys to life'. The tour also features Talent semi – finalists Sugar Free, rap artist Aggro Santos, Contortionist Delia Du Sol, and Beatboxer Petebox. He performed at the Christmas lights switch on in St Helens, Merseyside on 14 November. Davis performed at the Northfield Shopping Centre on 5 December, and on 8 December, he performed at the Pavilions Shopping Centre which was featured on Central Tonight. On 1 August 2010, Davis performed at Nantwich live festival alongside many other acts. He also toured with Diversity again in November/ December 2010 in the second run of their Diversitoys tour, this time titled Diversitoys; bringing a toy story to life at Christmas

2011–2013
Davis presents on the CBBC program called 'Friday Download' where in a section, he teaches the audience some of his signature dance moves 'Dance Download'. Other presenters are singer Dionne Bromfield and actors Ceallach Spellman, Richard Wisker and Shannon Flynn.

In 2011, Davis began posting weekly video updates on his Facebook page every Sunday to keep his fans informed. He answers questions and talks about topics his fans want to know about during these videos, and he also gives shoutouts to fans who ask.

In November 2012 Davis released his first music video for his new song, "Lets Dance" featuring Jon Dos. In the song Davis raps. He said in a recent update video "There's more like that to come." His message to his fans (Aidanator's) "love you like breathing – I can't stop"

2015
In 2015, Davis appeared as a panelist in two episodes of the CBBC panel show The Dog Ate My Homework.

Personal life
Davis attended St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Kings Norton, Birmingham. He lived in Selly Oak, Birmingham with his parents. He released a self written and produced EP called 'the party' to iTunes on 23 March 2015.

References

Britain's Got Talent contestants
English male dancers
1997 births
Living people
Rappers from Birmingham, West Midlands

Aidan Davis


Karl Wilhelm Dindorf (; 2 January 1802 – 1 August 1883) was a German classical scholar. He was born and died at Leipzig.

From his earliest years he showed a strong taste for classical studies, and after completing F. Invernizi's edition of Aristophanes at an early age, and editing several grammarians and rhetoricians, he was in 1828 appointed extraordinary professor of literary history in his native city. Disappointed at not obtaining the ordinary professorship when it became vacant in 1833, he resigned his post in the same year, and devoted himself entirely to study and literary work.

His attention had at first been chiefly given to Athenaeus, whom he edited in 1827, and to the Greek dramatists, all of whom he edited separately and combined in his Poetae scenici Graeci (1830 and later editions). He also wrote a work on the metres of the Greek dramatic poets, and compiled special lexicons to Aeschylus and Sophocles. He produced an edition of Sophoclean Scholia which he intended as a supplement to Elmsley's edition of Sophoclean scholia vetera. He edited Procopius for Niebuhr's Corpus of the Byzantine writers, and between 1846 and 1851 brought out at Oxford an important edition of Demosthenes; he also edited Lucian and Josephus for the Didot classics, while his work on Homeric scholarship is represented by his four-volume edition of the Homeric scholia.

His last important editorial labour was his work on Eusebius of Caesarea (1867–1871). Much of his attention was occupied by the re-publication of Stephanus's Thesaurus (Paris, 1831–1865), chiefly executed by him and his brother Ludwig, a work of prodigious labour and utility. His reputation suffered somewhat through the imposture practised upon him by the Greek Constantine Simonides, who succeeded in deceiving him by a fabricated fragment of the Greek historian Uranius. The book was printed, and a few copies had been circulated, when the forgery was discovered, just in time to prevent its being given to the world under the auspices of the University of Oxford. Shortly after the death of his brother, he lost all his property and his library by rash speculations.

Ludwig Dindorf
His brother Ludwig August Dindorf (; Leipzig, 3 January 1805 – 6 September 1871, Leipzig) never held any academic position, and led so secluded a life that many doubted his existence, and declared that he was a mere pseudonym. The important share which he took in the edition of the Thesaurus is nevertheless authenticated by his own signature to his contributions. He also published valuable editions of Polybius, Dio Cassius, and other Greek historians.

References

1802 births
1883 deaths
German classical scholars
Hellenists
Writers from Leipzig

Karl Wilhelm Dindorf


A prosector is a person with the special task of preparing a dissection for demonstration, usually in medical schools or hospitals. Many important anatomists began their careers as prosectors working for lecturers and demonstrators in anatomy and pathology.

The act of prosecting differs from that of dissecting. A prosection is a professionally prepared dissection prepared by a prosector – a person who is well versed in anatomy and who therefore prepares a specimen so that others may study and learn anatomy from it. A dissection is prepared by a student who is dissecting the specimen for the purpose of learning more about the anatomical structures pertaining to that specimen. The term dissection may also be used to describe the act of cutting. Therefore, a prosector dissects to prepare a prosection.

Prosecting is intricate work where numerous tools are used to produce a desired specimen. Scalpels and scissors allow for sharp dissection where tissue is cut, e.g. the biceps brachii muscle can be removed from the specimen by cutting the origin and insertion with a scalpel.  Probes and the prosector's own fingers are examples of tools used for blunt dissection where tissue may be separated from surrounding structures without cutting, i.e. the bellies of biceps brachii and coracobrachialis muscle were made clearer by loosening the fascia between the two muscles with a blunt probe.

Occupational risks

Generally, the risks to prosectors are low. Cadavers used for teaching purposes are embalmed before they are encountered by a prosector and students. Embalming fluid usually contains formaldehyde, phenol, Dettol, and glycerine which disinfect and kill pathogens within the cadaver. With exposure to embalming fluid, tissues and bodily fluids, such as blood, become fixed. Prosectors and students working with embalmed cadavers must always wear protective gloves, but that is more for protection against the harsh chemicals used in embalming, such as formaldehyde and Dettol, which can cause moderate to severe skin irritation.

Further to the protection that embalming provides against disease, educational institutions take great care in screening the cadavers accepted into their body donation programs. Cadavers are not accepted if they have a medical history of infectious disease such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Prosectors for autopsies of diseased cadavers may run a high risk of suffering from health problems when caution is not used, because cadavers are not fixed when being dissected for autopsy. At least two diseases are named after prosectors:

 Prosector's paronychia: a primary inoculation of tuberculosis of the skin and nails.
 Prosector's wart, a skin lesion, also caused by contamination with tuberculous material

Contracting infections caused by contaminated cadavers is a constant danger among prosectors, particularly if a skin puncture accident results from the sharp surgical instruments used in this kind of work (about 70% of pathology workers report having at least one percutaneous incident). In those cases, thin surgical gloves do not provide protection. There are many cases of pathologists dying of acute sepsis (blood poisoning) because of that. A famous historical case is that of Ernst von Fleischl-Marxow, an Austrian physician, pathologist and physiologist, who infected his finger during an autopsy and, due to the pain, became dependent on morphine and then cocaine, the latter at the instigation of his friend, Sigmund Freud.

Presently, AIDS presents a problem. Although it is difficult to contract it by a single puncture incident (the overall personal risk has been estimated to be 0.11%), at least one case has been reported among pathologists.

The continuous respiratory exposure to formaldehyde, used to preserve cadavers, is also an occupational risk of prosectors, as well as medical students, anatomists and pathologists.  Inhaled formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and mucous membranes, resulting in watery eyes, headache, a burning sensation in the throat, and difficulty breathing. Formaldehyde is listed as a potential human carcinogen.

Famous prosectors

 Jean Zuléma Amussat
 Paul Clemens von Baumgarten
 Frank Evers Beddard
 Christian Albert Theodor Billroth
 William Bowman
 Paul Broca
 Korbinian Brodmann
 Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke
 Alexis Carrel
 Niels Ryberg Finsen
 Alessandra Giliani
 Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle
 Josef Hyrtl
 Eduard Kaufmann
 Albert von Kölliker
 Eber Landau
 Karl Langer
 Paul Langerhans
 Giovanni Battista Morgagni
 Jan Evangelista Purkyně
 Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher
 Joseph Toynbee
 Rudolf Virchow

References

Anatomical preservation
Anatomists

Prosector


The Center for Education Reform is an education reform organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1993, CER advocates for school choice.

Legislation
The Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 10; 113th Congress) was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on April 1, 2014 and passed in the House on May 7, 2014. The Center for Education Reform was critical of the bill, cautioning that "it is nothing more than a natural progression of the federal government becoming too involved in charter school policy." The organization argued that "the federal government is taking too much of a direct role in defining 'quality' and 'high performance' charter schools," taking away power from the states to make their own decisions about what charter schools qualify for grants. They argued that this takes away the autonomy and innovation that define charter schools, discounts parental choices about schools, and, due to the formulaic nature of these evaluations, discourages charter management organizations from taking over failing schools (since the failing school will hurt their scores).

References

External links
 Organizational Profile – National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)

Educational organizations based in the United States

Center for Education Reform


Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded in 2006 by music producer Dr. Dre and record company executive Jimmy Iovine. Since 2014, it has been an Apple subsidiary.

The subsidiary's product line is primarily focused on headphones and speakers. The company's original product line was manufactured in partnership with the AV equipment company Monster Cable Products. Following the end of its contract with the company, Beats took further development of its products in-house. In 2014, the company expanded into the online music market with the launch of a subscription-based streaming service, Beats Music.

In 2011, NPD Group reported that Beats' market share was 64% in the U.S. for headphones priced higher than $100, and the brand was valued at $1billion in September 2013.

For a period, the company was majority-owned by Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC. The company reduced its stake to 25% in 2012, and sold its remaining stake back to the company in 2013. Concurrently, Carlyle Group replaced HTC as a minority shareholder, alongside Dr. Dre and Iovine in late 2013. On August 1, 2014, Apple acquired Beats for $3 billion in a cash and stock deal, the largest acquisition in Apple's history.

History

Formation

Beats was established in 2006 by music producer Dr. Dre and record company executive Jimmy Iovine. Iovine perceived two key problems in the music industry: the impact of piracy on music sales and the substandard audio quality provided by Apple's plastic earbuds. Iovine recalled that Dre said to him: "Man, it's one thing that people steal my music. It's another thing to destroy the feeling of what I've worked on." Iovine sought the opinions of musicians with "great taste", such as M.I.A., Pharrell Williams, will.i.am, and Gwen Stefani during the early developmental stage. Beats initially partnered with inventor Noel Lee and his company Monster Cable, an audio and video component manufacturer based in Brisbane, California, to manufacture and develop the first Beats-branded products, and debuted its first product, Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones, on July 25, 2008.

To promote its products, Beats primarily relied on celebrity endorsements by pop and hip-hop music performers, including product placement within music videos, and partnering with musicians and other celebrities to develop co-branded products. Beats' use of endorsements by musicians helped the company aggressively target the young adult demographics.

HTC purchase and non-renewal of Monster contract
In August 2010, mobile phone manufacturer HTC acquired a 50.1% majority share in Beats for $309 million. The purchase was intended to allow HTC to compete with other cellphone makers by associating themselves with the Beats brand, as the purchase also granted HTC exclusive rights to manufacture smartphones with Beats-branded audio systems. Despite its majority acquisition, HTC allowed Beats to operate as an autonomous company. Luke Wood, President of Beats in May 2014, joined the company in January 2010, when the company was a "licensing business". Wood had previously worked under Iovine at Interscope Records.

On January 19, 2012, BusinessWeek reported that Beats and Monster would not renew their production contract and their partnership ceased at the end of 2012. Dre and Iovine subsequently decided to oversee the entire operation of the company, from manufacturing to R&D, and aimed to double its workforce to around 300 employees. Monster would ultimately begin marketing its own competing line of premium headphones aimed towards an older demographic. At the time, neither Dre, Iovine or Wood were experienced in the operation of a company at such a grand level, but Wood explained in 2014:I didn't have manufacturing experience, but I had experience of building something from scratch… Every time we put out an album, it was basically like building a new business--a unique cast of characters, unique challenges and opportunities, and trying to figure out a unique path to market.

In October 2012, Beats unveiled its first two self-developed products, "Beats Executive" headphones and "Beats Pill" wireless speakers—Iovine believed that the company would now have to "control [its] own destiny" in order to continue its growth. Iovine also commented on how other headphone makers had attempted to emulate Beats' celebrity endorsement business model (including Monster themselves, who unveiled Earth, Wind and Fire and Miles Davis-themed headphones at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show), stating that "some of our competitors are cheap engineers who have never been to a recording studio. You can't just stick someone's name on a headphone that doesn't know anything about sound." Following the decision to transform Beats into an autonomous entity, the company's revenues reached the $1 billion mark, according to Iovine.

HTC sale and Beats Music

In July 2012, HTC sold back half of its stake in Beats for $150 million, remaining the largest shareholder with 25.1 percent. The sale was intended to provide "flexibility for global expansion while maintaining HTC's major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile". In August 2013, reports surfaced that Beats' founders planned to buy back HTC's remaining minority stake in the company, and pursue a new, unspecified partner for a future investment.

On September 27, 2013, HTC confirmed that it would sell its remaining stake in Beats back to the company for $265 million. Concurrently, Beats announced that the Carlyle Group would make a $500 million minority investment in the company. The overall deal valued Beats Electronics at $1 billion and helped HTC turn a net profit of $10.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, following HTC's first quarterly loss in company history.

The appointment of a new chief operating officer (COO), a role previously filled by Wood, was announced in early November 2013. Matthew Costello, formerly of IKEA and HTC, was formally appointed to the role in May 2014.

On January 21, 2014, the company launched Beats Music, a subscription-based online music streaming service. Prior to the launch of the service, Beats stated that it intends to provide a different type of streaming experience to what was available on the market at the time. Additionally, the service would only be available to consumers in the U.S. at inception.

Subsidiary of Apple Inc. (2014–present)
On May 8, 2014, the Financial Times reported that Apple was in negotiations with Beats to purchase the company for $3.2 billion—the largest purchase in Apple's history and well ahead of its $429 million purchase of NeXT in 1996. The impending deal was prematurely and indirectly revealed in a photo and YouTube video posted to Facebook by Tyrese Gibson on May 8, 2014; the video documented a celebration in which Gibson and Dr. Dre made boasting remarks about the acquisition, with Dre declaring himself the "first billionaire in hip hop", while Gibson declared that the "Forbes list" had changed. Both the photo and video were removed from Facebook the following morning, but both remain on Gibson's YouTube channel. Indeed, analysts estimated that the rumored deal would make Dr. Dre the first billionaire in the hip-hop music industry in terms of net worth, assuming that he held at least 15% ownership in the company prior to the deal. Dr. Dre was listed with a net worth of $550 million on Forbes' The World's Billionaires 2014 list. It was also estimated that the Carlyle Group would receive a profit of $1 billion from the sale of its minority stake in the company.

On May 28, 2014, Apple officially announced its intention to acquire Beats Electronics for $3 billion—with $400 million to be paid in Apple stock and the remainder in cash. Some reports suggested that the reduction in value may have been a result of lower-than-expected subscriber numbers for the Beats Music service. Iovine felt that Beats had always "belonged" with Apple, as the company modeled itself after Apple's "unmatched ability to marry culture and technology". In regard to the deal, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that "Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple. That's why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world." Beyond stocking Beats products at its retail outlets, Apple did not provide any further indications over how Beats would be integrated into its product line at the time, and whether Beats Music, which competed with Apple's own iTunes Radio service, would continue to operate after the acquisition.

The acquisition closed on August 1, 2014. Dr. Dre and Iovine were hired as executive employees, and worked at Apple for years afterward.  To eliminate redundancy, Apple planned to lay off 200 workers from Beats' workforce of around 700. Beats Music was discontinued effective with the launch of Apple Music on June 30, 2015.

Apple hired British designer Samuel Ross for the newly created role of "Principal Design Consultant for Beats" in 2023.

Bose lawsuit
In July 2014, Bose Corporation sued Beats Electronics, alleging that its "Studio" line incorporated noise cancellation technology that infringed five patents held by the company. Bose has also sought an injunction which would ban the infringing products from being imported or sold in the United States. The lawsuit was settled out of court. Apple pulled all Bose products from its retail outlets, although it is unclear whether it was in response to the lawsuit, an ambush marketing conflict involving Beats and the NFL (which had recently named Bose as one of its official sponsors, and thus fined a player for displaying the Beats logo during an official activity), or as a result of Apple's acquisition of Beats. However, two months later, Bose products returned to the shelves of Apple Stores. The companies settled in October 2014: details were not disclosed.

Monster lawsuit
In January 2015, Monster Inc. sued Beats for fraud, alleging that the company had used illicit tactics to force Monster out of the venture whilst retaining rights to the technologies and products that it had co-developed, and engaged in collusion to harm Monster's own audio products business. Monster argued that the acquisition of Beats by HTC and its founders' subsequent buyback was a "sham" to take control of Monster's stake in the company—which could have been valued at over $100 million in the Apple purchase, that the company had "concealed" the role of Monster and its CEO Noel Lee in the design and engineering of its products, and that "had the partnership expired on its own terms, there would have been no transfer of Monster's years of work [onto the company]". Monster also alleged that Beats had partaken in anti-competitive practices with retailers to force those offering Beats products to not offer Monster's competing products.

In June 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that in retaliation for the lawsuit, Apple Inc. revoked Monster's membership in the MFi Program on May 5, 2015, meaning that Monster can no longer manufacture licensed accessories for iPhone, iPod and iPad products, and must cease the sale of existing licensed products that contain the certification or technology licensed through the program by September 2015.

The case was dismissed in August 2016, with a Supreme Court ruling that Beats "had the right to terminate the agreement as of January 7th, 2013 or when there was a transaction resulting in a change of control of Beats", and that Monster "did not obtain the right to approve the change of control. Nor did the agreement require that any change of control had to be objectively reasonable".

Products

Beats' original product line were Beats by Dre headphones. In promotional materials, Dre outlined the line's advantages by alleging that listeners were not able to hear "all" of the music with most headphones, and that Beats would allow people to "hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do". In comparison to most headphones, Beats products were characterized by an emphasis towards producing larger amounts of bass, and are particularly optimized towards hip-hop and pop music. In October 2012, Beats unveiled its first two self-developed products, the Beats Executive noise-cancelling headphones (to compete with similar offerings by Bose and Sennheiser) and the Beats Pill portable speaker. In October 2015, Beats launched a new collection of speakers including the upgraded Beats Pill+ Speaker.

Headphones

Beats Solo Pro
The Beats Solo Pro is an on-the-ear style headphone. Along with the Powerbeats Pro true-wireless earphones, they are part of a new generation of Beats products made from the ground up with Apple. They are the first on-ear headphones made by Beats to feature active noise canceling. They were sold alongside the Solo 3 until November 1, 2021.

Beats Solo 3 Wireless
This is an on-ear style headphone. It can last for 40 hours on a single charge or indefinitely when plugged in via the headphone jack.

Beats Studio 3 Wireless
Released in October 2017, these are high-end headphones produced until 2023, when they were replaced with the Beats Studio Pro. They connect by Bluetooth and have 40 hours of battery life, with 22 hours of battery life with adaptive noise cancelling on. They feature Apple's W1 chip for quick connection to Apple devices running iOS 10, macOS Sierra, or watchOS 4 or later. They also feature pure adaptive noise cancelling technology, which uses microphones both inside and outside the ear cups to measure sound levels based on the environment. If there is any headgear or eyewear on the user's head, it calibrates the noise cancelling and volume level accordingly. The headphones come in a wide range of colors and editions, including black, blue and special collections such as the "NBA Collection".

Earbuds
On September 7, 2016, Powerbeats³ were released. On February 10, 2017, BeatsX neckband-style headphones were released. Powerbeats Pro were released on May 10, 2019, in the United States and 2 weeks later for UK and Europe. The latest iteration of Powerbeats was released on March 18, 2020, sharing design concepts similar to that of the Powerbeats Pro from the year prior. On October 14, 2020, Beats Flex neckband-style headphones were released as the evolution of BeatsX. On June 14, 2021, Beats Studio Buds were released, and priced at US$149.99. On November 5, 2021, the Beats Fit Pro were released, featuring a novel "wingtip" earbud design to enhanced stability during fitness workouts. On May 18, 2023, Beats Studio Buds Plus were released as a sequel to the original Beats Studio Buds, Priced at $169.99

Speakers
In 2012, Beats introduced their first speaker product, the Pill.  In 2013, the Pill was replaced by the Pill 2 and a larger model, Pill XL, was introduced.

The Pill XL was recalled and discontinued in mid-2015 due to battery safety concerns.

The Pill 2 had a number of accessories available, including a bike mount and a speaker stand - the "Dude" - shaped like a small wide-mouthed person.

The Pill 2 was replaced by the Pill+, which was introduced in late 2015 and was discontinued in early 2021.

Beats Audio
The company has also licensed the Beats brand, under the name Beats Audio (stylized in lowercase as beats audio), and technology to other manufacturers. In 2009, HP began to offer personal computers equipped with Beats Audio systems, beginning with its HP Envy line. The system features a software equalizer with a preset that HP marketed as being optimized for higher quality sound output. Beats Electronics ceased its partnership with HP following its purchase by Apple Inc.; HP subsequently entered into a similar agreement with Bang & Olufsen.

Following its acquisition of a stake in the company, most new HTC smartphones began to be released with Beats Audio software, beginning with the HTC Sensation XE/XL with Beats Audio in September 2011. The software was to be included in most new HTC devices, such as the One series. The Sensation XE and Rezound were also bundled with Beats by Dre earbuds, but HTC abandoned the practice on future devices. An HTC product executive claimed that despite the prominence of the Beats brand, "an accessory like the headphone doesn't factor in when someone is buying a smartphone".

Car audio
In 2011, Beats reached a deal with Chrysler LLC to feature Beats-branded audio systems in its vehicles. First under the partnership was its 2012 Chrysler 300S luxury vehicle, which included a 10-speaker Beats by Dr. Dre sound system. Beats audio systems have also been available in models from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles's other brands, including Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep.

Other automobile brands that have Beats audio systems available in their vehicles include Fiat, Volkswagen and SEAT.

Beats Music

On July 2, 2012, Beats announced it had acquired the online music service MOG, in a purchase reported to have been between $10 million and $16 million. Beats stated that the acquisition was part of the company's goal to develop a "truly end-to-end music experience". The acquisition did not include the company's blog and advertising network, the MOG Music Network, which was sold in a separate transaction to the broadcasting company Townsquare Media in August 2012.

While MOG indicated that it would continue to operate independently with no immediate change in service, Beats subsequently announced a new subscription-based online music service, known as Beats Music, which launched in January 2014. In comparison to its competitors, such as Spotify and Google Play Music, the service emphasizes recommendations by music professionals alongside algorithmic recommendations. MOG was shut down on May 31, 2014, and existing users were directed to Beats Music. Beats Music was in turn replaced by Apple Music in June 2015; the service also incorporated a Beats-branded online radio station, called "Beats 1", but the name was later changed to "Apple Music 1".

Dolby Atmos Support
In May 2021, Apple announced spatial audio with Dolby Atmos support. Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and all Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.

Critical reception
Some critics claim that Beats products emphasize appearance over quality and function, arguing that more durable and better-sounding products are available for the same price or lower. Tests done on an HTC smartphone with Beats Audio indicated that the audio technology is a combination of audio equalization that boosts the low (bass) and high ends of the audio range, audio compression, and audio amplification. In 2015, Beats president Luke Wood disagreed with accusations that Beats' products were "bass heavy", citing that their products were not for reference but rather for playback.

In April 2014, German consumer test organisation Stiftung Warentest tested 20 headphone models, including the product Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD. In the end, it came in third to last. The comparatively high price, the merely satisfactory sound quality and the poor performance in the drop test were criticised.

References

External links

2006 establishments in California
2006 in technology
2010s fashion
American companies established in 2006
Apple Inc. acquisitions
Apple Inc. subsidiaries
Companies based in Culver City, California
Dr. Dre
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States
Electronics companies established in 2006
Entertainment companies based in California
Headphones
Headphones manufacturers
Manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Products introduced in 2008
Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles
2010 mergers and acquisitions
2014 mergers and acquisitions

Beats Electronics


Second Foundation is the third novel published of the Foundation Series by American writer Isaac Asimov, and the fifth in the in-universe chronology.  It was first published in 1953 by Gnome Press.

Second Foundation consists of two previously published novellas originally published in Astounding Magazine (with different titles) between 1948 and 1950, making this the third volume in Asimov's Foundation series. Decades later, Asimov wrote two further sequel novels and two prequels. Later writers have added authorized tales to the series. The Foundation series is often regarded as one of Isaac Asimov's best works, along with his Robot series.

The term also describes the organization by that name which is the focus of the book. The organization's existence (and nothing more) had been revealed in Foundation; it is searched for in Foundation and Empire, and it makes brief appearances in this novel. It would not be described in detail until Foundation's Edge.

Plot summary

Part I: Search By the Mule
Part I is about the Mule's search for the elusive Second Foundation, with the intent of destroying it. The executive council of the Second Foundation is aware of The Mule's intent and, in the words of the First Speaker, allows him to find it—"in a sense". The Mule sends two of his people on a search for the Second Foundation: Han Pritcher, who had once been a captain and a member of the underground opposition prior to being Converted to the Mule's service, and Bail Channis, an "Unconverted" man (one who hasn't been emotionally manipulated by the Mule to join him) who has quickly risen through the ranks and impressed the Mule.

Channis reveals his suspicions about the Second Foundation being located on the planet Tazenda, and takes the ship there. They first land on Rossem, a barren planet controlled by Tazenda, and meet with its governor, who appears ordinary. Once they return to the ship, Pritcher confronts Channis and believes him to have been too successful with the search. The Mule, who had placed a hyper-relay on their ship in order to trace them through hyper-space, appears, and reveals that Channis is a Second Foundationer. Pritcher's emotional bonds to the Mule are broken in the ensuing exchange between Channis and the Mule, and he is made to fall into deep sleep. With only the two of them left, the Mule reveals that he has brought his ships to Tazenda and has already destroyed the planet, and yet senses that Channis's dismay is only pretense. He forces Channis to reveal that Rossem is actually the Second Foundation, and that Tazenda is only a figurehead.

The First Speaker for the Second Foundation appears and reveals to the Mule that his rule is over; neither Tazenda nor Rossem is the Second Foundation, and Channis's knowledge had been falsely implanted to mislead the Mule. Second Foundation agents are headed to Kalgan and the Foundation worlds to undo the Conversions of the Mule, and his fleet is too far away to prevent it. When the Mule experiences a moment of despair, the First Speaker is able to seize control of and change his mind; he will return to Kalgan and live out the rest of his short life as a peaceful despot.

Part II: Search By the Foundation
Part II takes place 60 years after the first part, 55 years after the Mule's death by natural causes. With the Mule gone his former empire falls apart and the Foundation resumes its independence. Because of their enslavement at the hands of the Mule and their wariness of the Second Foundation (who possess similar abilities to the Mule) the Foundation began studying the mental sciences.

A secret cabal is formed within the Foundation to root out the Second Foundation after evidence of the latter's manipulation is found through mental analysis of the former society's key figures. They send one of their own, Homir Munn, to Kalgan to search for clues to the Second Foundation's location. Munn is followed to Kalgan by Arcadia, Dr Darell's daughter.

Since the death of the Mule, the Second Foundation has worked to restore the Seldon Plan into its proper course. In the organization's secret location, the First Speaker discusses the state of the galaxy with a student. The Student is concerned that the Foundation's now tangible knowledge of the Second Foundation's existence would have negative effects upon the former which would then further destabilize the Seldon Plan. The First Speaker reassures the Student that a plan has been put in place by their organization in order to address his very concerns.

In Kalgan, a man named Stettin has assumed the Mule's former title as First Citizen. He believes that the Mule's actions have made the Seldon Plan irrelevant and declares war upon the Foundation, intending to usurp their role in the formation of the Second Empire. He's unconcerned with the possible intervention of the Second Foundation.

Arcadia escapes from Kalgan to Trantor with the help of a Trantorian trader named Preem Palver. With his help, she passes information to her father regarding the location of the Second Foundation.

Kalgan eventually loses the war against the Foundation as the specter of the Seldon Plan adversely affects the performance of the Kalganians every bit as much as it bolsters the morale of the Foundationers.

The Foundation cabal reconvenes to discuss what they've learned about the Second Foundation. Munn believes that the Second Foundation never existed while Pelleas Anthor believes they're in Kalgan. Dr Darell states that the Second Foundation is in Terminus itself based on information supplied by Arcadia. He also reveals he has created a device capable of emitting mind static, which is harmful to individuals with mental abilities similar to that of the Mule and the Second Foundation. Activating the device in the presence of the cabal reveals Anthor to be a Second Foundationer, and further interrogation leads to the discovery of the rest of his comrades who are subsequently detained indefinitely.

Unsatisfied with the ease by which the Second Foundation has been defeated and suspecting Arcadia's information to be planted through mental tampering, Dr Darell runs tests on his daughter to determine if she has been compromised. Both are relieved when the tests' results are negative. Dr Darell basks in the realization that with the Second Foundation gone, the Foundation are the sole inheritors of the Seldon Plan and the Second Empire.

It is then revealed that the Second Foundation are not only intact but also the mastermind behind the recent major events. The Foundation's conflict with Kalgan and their subsequent victory was meant to restore the former's self-esteem after the Mule enslaved them. Anthor and his comrades were in fact martyrs meant to mislead the Foundation into believing they had eliminated the Second Foundation, thereby shrouding the Second Foundation in secrecy once more and restoring the Seldon Plan to its proper course. Arcadia was unknowingly working for the Second Foundation, having been mentally adjusted shortly after her birth in order to prevent detection. The Second Foundation is actually located at the planet Trantor, the seat of the previous Galactic Empire.

The story closes with the revelation that the First Speaker of the Second Foundation is Preem Palver, who is satisfied that the galaxy is now forever secure.

Original publication
Part I: Search by the Mule was originally published in the January 1948 issue of Astounding Science Fiction under the title "Now You See It...".

Part II: Search by the Foundation was originally published in the November and December 1949 and January 1950 issues of Astounding Science Fiction under the title "...And Now You Don't".

The Second Foundation would again be revisited in Foundation's Edge.

Reception
On its initial publication, Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin described Second Foundation as "a thoroughly satisfying and adult play of the scientific imagination".

P. Schuyler Miller reported Second Foundation to be "good, sound, middle-of-the-road science fiction with a carefully hidden surprise".

The organization
The Second Foundation was founded by Hari Seldon as a budding colony of psychologists and mentalics, people with telepathic abilities, located "at Star's End", an intentionally obscure term used by Seldon. In Forward the Foundation, the original Second Foundation is revealed to also include Hari's own granddaughter, Wanda Seldon, and his bodyguard Stettin Palver.

The establishment, location and development of this Foundation was a secret, "drowned in silence" to increase its effectiveness and security.

Whilst the First Foundation was strong in the physical sciences, the Second Foundation was strong in the mental sciences, including the continued development of psychohistory. Their function is to ensure that the Seldon plan comes to pass, both by refining the plan's contingencies to allow for even the most unlikely events, and to guard against unexpected developments, such as the Mule. Their eventual goal is to become the ruling class of the Second Empire in an effort to introduce mental sciences to humanity (whose benefits are, according to one Second Foundationer, less apparent, but longer lasting than physical sciences), while the First Foundation they manipulate forms the necessary political union.

The Second Foundation are governed by a council of the strongest mentalics, called the Speakers. However, the name "Speaker" is a misnomer, because, being telepaths, the use of actual speech is quite unnecessary.  The leader of the group is the First Speaker. The only formal power of the First Speaker was to speak first at meetings of the Speaker's Table, but in practice it conferred significantly more power.

The structure of the Foundation is akin to both an intelligence network and a university. A complex of buildings on Trantor, the remnants of those saved from The Great Sack and those not demolished to provide metal for export, house a staff of technicians and analysts. Into these buildings flow reports from agents located in many parts of the Galaxy; these reports form the basis of any action that may be taken in furthering the aim of the Seldon Plan.

The Second Foundation spreads a net over the galaxy to detect and recruit staff and agents. These are then specially trained over many years. Some become statistical technicians, but the best of the trainees are invited to commence an apprenticeship for Speakerhood.

References

Sources

External links

 "Now You See It..." and "...And Now You Don't" parts one, two and three on the Internet Archive

1953 American novels
Foundation universe books
Science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov
American science fiction novels
Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Books with cover art by Don Ivan Punchatz
1953 science fiction novels

sv:Stiftelseserien#Den segrande stiftelsen

Second Foundation