chunk_id
stringlengths 3
8
| chunk
stringlengths 1
1k
|
|---|---|
464_1 | Early career
When he returned to Chennai from Rishi Valley School, Vedanth formed a band called Buddha's Babies, playing in a genre they liked to call "alternative acoustic trance". Soon after, he returned to Indian classical music and started training with Ramamoorthy Rao, who remains his guru to this day.
While doing his Masters, Vedanth did a series of studies on music therapy. He worked as a music therapist with children with special needs at the Kaleidoscope Learning Centre. Meanwhile, he was composing ad jingles for companies like Reliance and Parry's.
He formed a group with Ananth Menon and another friend Balu (music director SK Balachandran), and they composed the music for Jagapati Babu-starrer Telugu film Brahmastram in 2006. |
464_2 | Music for Films
Vedanth scored the music for the film Aruvi (in collaboration with Bindhu Malini). The film was directed by first-timer Arun Prabhu, starring another first-timer Aditi Balan.
Vedanth scored the music for the film His Father's Voice, directed by Kaarthikeyan Kirubhakaran.
Albums
Mati Kahe
A few years later, during which he composed for a few more films and set up a studio in his house, Vedanth rediscovered songs from the Bhakti movement. He started singing songs of Mirabai, Guru Nanak and Kabir, adding his own twists to the tunes. This eventually led to the germination of his first album, Mati Kahe (2007), which contains songs from the saints and poets of the Bhakti movement. All the songs are accompanied only by the guitar, and some of the tunes were composed by his guru. |
464_3 | Suno Bhai
The success of his first album fuelled his drive and he started work on his second project. Wanting to concentrate on the works of Kabir, he read translations of his couplets and listened to renditions of his songs by Kumar Gandharva. He collaborated with classical singer Bindhu Malini, and together they made his second album, Suno Bhai (2013). |
464_4 | Frequent collaborations
In addition to Suno Bhai, Vedanth and Bindhu Malini, frequently perform together, including at the annual Kabir Yatra in Madhya Pradesh. Vedanth collaborated with several musicians for his second album, including flautist Navin Iyer, and kanjeera-player BS Purushotaman. He also collaborated with the Trichur brothers as part of their group Anubhuti.
There are several musicians who Vedanth performs with regularly. Among them are Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan of whom Vedanth says, "when the three of us get together, music just happens."
Another common collaborator of his is Ananth Menon of Bangalore-based musical group Galeej Gurus. Vedanth and Ananth have given several performances together including at the Fireflies Festival of Sacred Music in Bangalore. Shruthi Vishwanath, a classically trained singer who sings abhangs and nirgun poetry is another of his collaborators at the Kabir Festival of Mumbai, and the Malwa Kabir Yatra. |
464_5 | He has also played the guitar on Bombay Jayashri's album, Kannamma, and composed the score for contemporary dancer Anita Ratnam's production, Faces, Ma3Ka, Million Sitas among others.
He has collaborated with theatre director Rajeev Krishnan, giving music and playing small parts in his plays, Jujubee and How to Skin a Giraffe. |
464_6 | Performances
Vedanth has a unique style that blends Indian Classical and folk music. Vedanth has given several performances and concerts all over India and abroad. Some of his notable performances have been at the Playhouse Company South Africa, Singapore, Ladakh Music Confluence 2010, TED Conference 2011, Congo Square Jazz Festival in Kolkata 2010, Chennai Sangamam 2012, Coimbatore Vizha 2011, Fireflies Festival 2011, TEDxSVCE Chennai 2012, Kabir Yatra at Bikaner, Mumbai, Pondicherry and Malwa, NH7 Bangalore, Storm Festival Coorg.
Influences
Vedanth has a diverse set of influences ranging from Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Eagles, Beatles, Allman Brothers, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra to TR Mahalingam, Ilayaraja, AR Rahman, Ustad Amir Khan, Pt Bhimsen Joshi and Kabir and Meera. |
464_7 | Personal life
Vedanth married Neha, a Punjabi girl, in 2010. They live in Chennai where Vedanth has set up his studio.
He is passionate about music, wherever he finds it. He is known to have helped a Chennai-based street Banjo player by buying him an amplifier and promoting him on his YouTube channel.
References
External links |
464_8 | http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Search&Key=ETCH/2008/05/02/23/Ar02300.xml&CollName=ET_CHENNAI_ARCHIVE_2007&DOCID=139550&Keyword=((%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3EVedanth%3Cphrase%3E%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3EBharadwaj))&skin=pastissues2&AppName=2&ViewMode=HTML
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/from-massachusetts-to-mumbai/article3876020.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/oldtime-feel/article3729505.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/heartbreak-time/article3590206.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/fifty-and-going-strong/article3686093.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/showcase-maestro-on-a-song/article3639477.ece
1980 births
Living people
Tamil film score composers
21st-century Indian singers
Indian classical composers
Musicians from Mumbai |
465_0 | Kankaria Lake is the second largest lake in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is located in the south-eastern part of the city, in the Maninagar area. It was completed in 1451 during the reign of Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II though its origin is placed in the Chaulukya period sometimes. A lakefront is developed around it, which has many public attractions such as a zoo, toy train, kids city, tethered balloon ride, water rides, water park, food stalls, and entertainment facilities. The lakefront was revamped in 2007–2008. Kankaria Carnival is a week-long festival held here in the last week of December. Many cultural, art, and social activities are organised during the carnival. |
465_1 | Etymology
Several stories are told for its name Kankaria. One reason said is that it was named this due to large quantities of limestone (kankar in Gujarati) dug out of it during excavation. Another story narrates that the Sultan Qutb-ud-Din asked the saint Shah Alam to select the site for the tank and the garden. The saint scattered some pebbles at the site which was excavated and the lake was built. Thus it was named Kankaria. Another story says the saint Hazrat-i-Shah Alam cut his foot on a pebble while passing through excavation and exclaimed, "What a pebble!" So it was named Kankaria (pebbly). It was mentioned as Hauj-e-Qutb (the tank of Qutb) after the Sultan Qutb-ud-Din in the inscription at Kankaria. |
465_2 | History
{
"type": "FeatureCollection",
"features": [
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {
"marker-symbol": "circle",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Nagina Wadi"
},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.601120233885,
23.006054319405
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {
"marker-symbol": "water",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Kankaria Lake"
},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.601077318541,
23.007752895169
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "garden",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Butterfly Park"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.598465562041,
23.004052869462
]
}
},
{ |
465_3 | "type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "cemetery",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Dutch-Armenian cemetery"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.597306847747,
23.005731719367
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "zoo",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Zoo"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.60290730017,
23.008891850762
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "parking",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Parking"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.605417847808,
23.006679766557
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "museum",
"marker-size": "small", |
465_4 | "title": "Prakriti Museum"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.604881406005,
23.005869976664
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "museum",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Balvatika and Natural History Museum"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.604645371612,
23.005277444395
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "square",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Kids City"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point",
"coordinates": [
72.601469636138,
23.002729525993
]
}
},
{
"type": "Feature",
"properties": {"marker-symbol": "circle-stroked",
"marker-size": "small",
"title": "Aquarium"},
"geometry": {
"type": "Point", |
465_5 | "coordinates": [
72.60065424459755,
23.00272952599284
]
}
}
]
} |
465_6 | There are various versions of its origin. According to the 14th-century chronicler Merutunga, Chaulukya ruler Karna built a temple dedicated to the goddess Kochharba at Ashapalli after defeating the Bhil chief Asha. He also established the Karnavati city nearby, where he commissioned the Karneshvara/Karnamukteshwara and Jayantidevi temples. He also built the Karnasagara tank at Karnavati next to Karneshvara temple. Karnavati is identified with modern Ahmedabad and Karnasagar tank is identified with Kankaria lake but this identification is not certain.
The construction of the lake started by Sultan Muizz-ud-Din Muhammad Shah II in the 15th century. The inscription at the lake mentions that it was completed during the reign of Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II in 1451. According to this inscription, its name is placed as "Hauj-e-Qutb" (Pond of Qutb) after him. |
465_7 | Throughout the period of the Gujarat Sultanate and of Mughal rule, the Kankaria lake with its Nagina Bagh were the favourite leisure place of rulers and the people and it were among the tourist sights of Ahmedabad ever since. The European travellers of the 17th century, Pietro Della Valle (1623), Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo (1638), Jean de Thévenot (1666), all had visited the lake gave its accounts. Mandelslo who visited Gujarat during the reign of Shah Jahan wrote in 1638, |
465_8 | British artist James Forbes visited Ahmadabad in 1781 after the fall of Mughal Empire when Ahmedabad was under Maratha rule. He found the gardens at lake neglected, the summer-palace in ruins and the bridge with 48 stone arches connecting Nagina Baug island to the bank in dilapidated condition. He specially noted a species of palmyra in the Nagina Baug which is very uncommon. The tree grows in a straight stem very high and then spreading several branches with a tuft of spreading leaves at the end of each branch. It is still there. After a century, when Ahmedabad was under the British rule, the Kankaria lake was restored by the Collector of the district, Borradalle in 1872. A road was built from the Raipur gate to the lake. The high banks of the lake were organised and the trees were planted on them. Of the original arched bridge, a small portion was restored and the rest of length is made with earthen bank. In the island, the steps were restored on all four sides, the ancient well |
465_9 | was cleared out, the fountain and the pleasure house were restored. the new pierced parapet wall built. In 1879, it was proposed to connect the lake with Khari river by 11 miles long canal and supply water to Chandola lake but it never materialised. |
465_10 | In 1928, Kankaria was declared protected under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act.
The central garden and the walkway had been revamped and utilities are enhanced by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in 2007―2008. Upon completion of the renovation at the cost of , the lake was officially inaugurated on 25 December 2008 in a week long event known as Kankaria Carnival.
Architecture
The reservoir is a 34-sided regular polygon covering an area of 76 acres and having a shore length of approximately one and a quarter mile, or 2 km. It is surrounded by flights of cut stone steps and in six places, slopes, giving access to the water. These slopes were covered by square cupolas, each raised on 12 pillars. |
465_11 | An island in the centre of the lake contains a garden and is called Nagina Wadi, formerly Bagh-e-Nagina (beautiful garden in Urdu); it is connected to the bank by a bridge, originally of 48 arches. The garden is mentioned in Mirat-e-Ahmadi as "the Jewel (Nagina) in the centre of the ring of lake". The garden contains a pleasure house or summer palace called Ghattamandal. During restoration, the British constructed a parapet wall around the garden.
The lake had a water purification system which is lost now. There are well carved supply sluices on the east side. Their buttresses or jambs of sluices resemble those of the minarets of mosques in Ahmedabad. Between these buttresses, there is a screen six feet thick screen punctured by three large openings for inflow of water. These openings are six feet in diameter and the margin of it is beautifully carved.
Attractions
Kankaria Zoo |
465_12 | Kankaria Zoo, officially Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden, was established by Rueben David in 1951 spread over 21 acres. It was rated the best zoo in Asia in 1974. They have 450 mammals, 2,000 birds, 140 reptiles in a 31-acre zoo. It houses wild animals like tigers, lions, python, anaconda, snakes, elephants, albino (white) animals like the rhesus monkey, spotted deer, white blackbuck, chinkara, elephant, emu, jungle babbler, bush-quail and common palm civet. Kankaria Zoo has also bred of rare species like pythons, crocodiles, bearcats and wild asses. Reuben David was awarded the Padma Shri in 1974 for it.
Balvatika
It is a children's park named after Jawaharlal Nehru. Balvatika has a boat house, playroom, butterfly and weapon displays, mirror house, toy house and planetarium. Presently most part of the park is under renovation. |
465_13 | Amusement park
Netherlands based company installed five rides in the amusement park in 2014. It includes the Boomerang Roller Coaster, the Flipping Arm, the Torching Tower, Disk 'O' pendulum and the merry-go-round. It will also have a kids play zone for computer games. On 14 July 2019, the pendulum arm of the attraction snapped, causing the seated end of the attraction to slam into the ride's base and fall 20 feet to the ground, killing 2 and injuring 29.
Kids City
Kids City is a miniature world designed for kids. It is spread in 4240 sq.metre area having 18 activity centres including banks, fire station, science lab, radio station, police station, court room and prison, dental as well as medical hospital, theatre, BRTS, heritage gallery, town governance, IT centre, News room, ice-cream factory, etc. AMC had applied for copyrights and patents on the individual games in the premises, the unique point system, Virmo (Virtual Money) and the design of the different venues in games. |
465_14 | Toy Trains
A train named Atal Express (Named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birthday 25 December 2008) was imported from London, the train circles the lake on a 4.5 km track at a speed of 10 km/h with capacity of 150 passengers. The train has the capacity to carry 150 passengers, including 36 adults. The train is manufactured by Severn Lamb. During the first 11 months of introducing the train, it attracted nearly a million visitors. After the success of this train, another train was also started which named Swarnim Jayanti Express. All trains on the railway, and hence the railway itself, are narrow gauge.
Balloon Safari |
465_15 | Ahmedabad Eye is a tethered balloon ride set up near Kankaria Lake after renovation. The tethered balloon complex spread over 3000 square yard, is divided into four sections including a restaurant, tethered balloon, heritage exhibit and an exhibition displaying the making of the Ahmedabad Eye. SKYZ is a balloon themed restaurant located at the Ahmedabad Eye complex. It is managed by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Rainforest theme restaurant is also there.
Nagina Wadi
Nagina Wadi is an island in center of Kankaria Lake. It houses a small summer palace originally built for Mughal royals. Nagina Wadi is accessed by a straight, tree-lined walkway traversing half of the lake. In 2009, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Amrapali Group built a musical fountain with multicolored laser lights which are displayed during the night. Food stalls are also there. |
465_16 | Stone Mural Park
India's biggest Stone Mural Park named Gurjar Gaurav Gatha on the side walls of the circular lake in which sculptors are depicting, in pink sandstone, the history and rise of Gujarat is under construction. It has murals covering 3150 sq feet depicting the history of Ahmedabad right now but when completed, it will measure 6000 feet in length and will be world's largest mural (30000 sq.metre).
The following subjects are being included in murals: folklores and history of Ahmedabad, great rulers of Gujarat, ports, commerce and good practices (ethical business-trade traditions), education, freedom fight, cultural heritage, art and literature, expression of culture, today's Gujarat, global Gujaratis, selected stories of common Gujaratis in past centuries. It will also includes stories about ancient sage Dadhichi, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jhaverchand Meghani and Indulal Yagnik.
Dutch and Armenian tombs |
465_17 | The Dutch and Armenian tombs are on One Tree Hill embankment which shows the strong trade presence of the Dutch East India Company in the city during the 17th century. They are Saracenic in style with domes and pillars. The dates of the tombs are deciphered which range from 1641 to 1699. The Armenian tombs perhaps belonged to brokers in the Dutch factory.
Joyrides
Segways are introduced for people for easy movement around lake. A mini golf course; Aqua Kart and other water sports; Vertical Swing, Paint Ball Shooting, Black Flash and rides, Sky Fly and other joyrides were introduced.
Other |
465_18 | Other attractions include the historical Dadu Dayal temple, Natural History Museum, desert safari, aquarium, gardens like One Tree Hill garden, Butterfly Park, football ground, water sports and rides, open-air theatre, Jaldhara water park, boating and small amusement park. It is a good place for yoga, walking, and running, especially early morning. There is also a gym on campus known as Ambubhai Purani Vyayamshala.
Kankaria Carnival
Kankaria Carnival is an annual week-long cultural festival organised in last week of December since 2008. The festival include art, dance and music performances, social awareness programmes, games and activities for children.
See also
Chandola Lake
Vastrapur Lake
Thol Lake
References
External links
Renovated Kankaria Lake Night Images
Ahmedabad City Tour - Kankaria Lake
Geography of Ahmedabad
Lakes of Gujarat
Tourist attractions in Ahmedabad
Tourist attractions in Gujarat
1451 establishments in Asia |
466_0 | World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973.
The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a break from their tour schedules to partake in World TeamTennis.
WTT was the first professional sports league to grant equal status to each man and woman competing for their teams.
Many top tennis players have participated in the league over the years, including Billie Jean King, Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Evonne Goolagong, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, John Isner, Sam Querrey, Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka, and Frances Tiafoe. |
466_1 | Format
Originally played on a no-line court, each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration (men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles). Prior to each match, coaches decide the order in which the sets will be played. Each player on a team usually plays in at least one of the five sets. Scoring is no-advantage; there is no requirement to win a game by two points; at deuce, whoever scores the next point wins the game. The first team to reach five games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four-all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, extended play and a supertiebreaker are played to determine the winner of the match. |
466_2 | The original league format included a four-colored tennis court, a 44-contest season, and teams of at least two men and two women. A match consisted of the first player or team to win five games, with a nine-point tiebreaker at four-all, and no-ad scoring in women's singles and doubles, men's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles.
Courts
For much of World Team Tennis' history, its distinct court was an instant symbol for fans to recognize what they were watching. The iconic four-color (calico) court originated in the early 1970s and was unveiled for the third season in 1976. It was originally created to eliminate court lines (no-line court). Originally, the service boxes were blue and green, the baseline area brown and the doubles alleys maroon. These colors were chosen to represent the different tennis court surfaces: green for grass, blue for hard, maroon for clay and brown for dirt. |
466_3 | The league's technicolor playing surface served as a trendsetter for the rest of the tennis world. The Indian Wells Masters has purple courts.
Over time, lines were introduced to WTT's courts, purple replaced the brown and they reverted to traditional solid-colored courts. But in 2006, the league returned full-time to the signature calico/checkerboard pattern.
In 2019, the league made efforts to modernize and update its look and branding, including a switch to a deep blue playing surface and gray outer court. In partnership with DecoTurf, these colors were determined to be the best for livestreaming and television.
First league |
466_4 | Founding
WTT was founded in 1973 by Dennis Murphy, Dick Butera, Fred Barman, Jordan Kaiser, and attorney and promoter Larry King, each of whom organized and owned the various participating teams of the fledgling professional tennis league. Murphy had previously founded the World Hockey Association, and gave a number of WHA club owners preferential options on WTT franchises.
Charles "Chuck" Reichblum (now popularly known as "Dr. Knowledge"), industrialist John H. Hillman III, and lawyer William "Bill" Sutton, who became the owners of the Pittsburgh Triangles, had, in 1972, founded the similar National Tennis League (NTL), a forerunner to WTT and Reichblum's brainchild. Founding members of WTT were reported to have been invited to join the NTL prior to formation of the competing WTT in 1973. |
466_5 | Teams, 1974–1978
In 1974, Billie Jean King began the first WTT season by securing the professional women tennis players. Dr. Leonard Bloom, Arthur Ashe, and Wilt Chamberlain helped to secure the professional men tennis players. Two WTT players, Connors and Goolagong, were not allowed to participate in the 1974 French Open due to their associations with WTT. Connors' exclusion from the French Open denied him the opportunity to become the first male player since Rod Laver to win all four Major singles titles in a calendar year. |
466_6 | The league began play in May 1974, with George MacCall as Commissioner of the 16 teams, many with tennis-themed nicknames. The Eastern Division consisted of the Atlantic Section: Baltimore Banners, Boston Lobsters, New York Sets, Philadelphia Freedoms; and the Central Section: Cleveland Nets, Detroit Loves, Pittsburgh Triangles, Toronto-Buffalo Royals. The Western Division consisted of the Gulf Plains Section: Chicago Aces, Florida Flamingos, Houston E-Z Riders, Minnesota Buckskins; and the Pacific Section: Denver Racquets, Hawaii Leis, Los Angeles Strings, San Francisco Golden Gaters.
Following the initial 1974 season several teams moved, folded, or failed to meet the financial requirements of the league, and the league also added one expansion team, the San Diego Friars. For the 1975 season World Team Tennis consisted of 10 teams, and it remained with that number of teams throughout the rest of the existence of the first league. |
466_7 | The teams that played from 1974 to 1978 were:
Boston Lobsters (1974)
Chicago Aces (1974)
Cincinnati (never played) / Cleveland Nets (1974–1976) / Cleveland-Pittsburgh Nets (1977) / New Orleans Sun Belt Nets (1978)
Dallas (1979 expansion franchise – never played)
Denver Racquets (1974) / Phoenix Racquets (1975–1978)
Detroit Loves (1974) / Indiana Loves (1975–1978)
Golden Gate Otters (never played) / San Francisco Golden Gaters (1974–1978)
Houston E-Z Riders (1974)
Los Angeles (1979 expansion franchise – never played)
Los Angeles Strings (1974–1978)
Minnesota Buckskins (1974)
New York Sets (1974–1976) / New York Apples (1977–1978)
Pennsylvania Keystones (never played) / Soviet National Team (1977, often simply called "The Soviets") / Anaheim Oranges (1978)
Philadelphia Freedoms (1974) / Boston Lobsters (1975–1978) (Elton John, a friend of Billie Jean King, wrote the hit single "Philadelphia Freedom" as a theme song for his favorite team.) |
466_8 | Phoenix (never played) / Baltimore Banners (1974)
Pittsburgh Triangles (1974–1976)
St. Louis (never played) / Florida Flamingos (1974)
San Diego (1979 expansion franchise – never played)
San Diego Friars (1975–1978)
San Diego Swingers (never played) / Hawaii Leis (1974–1976) / Sea-Port Cascades (1977) / Seattle Cascades (1978)
Toronto-Buffalo Royals (1974) / Hartford Royals (never played) |
466_9 | WTT was the first professional sports experience for Jerry Buss (eventual owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings), and for Bob Kraft (eventual owner of the NFL's New England Patriots and MLS's New England Revolution). |
466_10 | All-star games and MVPs |
466_11 | WTT also held annual All-Star games for the seasons from 1975 to 1978. Marty Riessen (Cleveland) and Greer Stevens (Boston) won Most Valuable Players (MVP) honors for the inaugural all-star gala won by the East, 28–21, at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles. In 1976 the West All-Stars, led by Chris Evert and Betty Stöve, capped an incredible comeback when they defeated Billie Jean King and Evonne Goolagong in a super tiebreaker, 5–4, giving the West a stunning 28–27 overtime victory at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. After trailing at one stage by 24–17, the West, led by Stove and Dianne Fromholtz, won the final set plus two games in overtime to draw the West All-Stars even at 27. Tom Okker (San Francisco) and Dianne Fromholtz (Los Angeles) won MVP honors that year. In the 1977 All Star Game held at the San Diego Sports Arena, Björn Borg (Cleveland-Pittsburgh) and Betty Stove (Seattle-Portland) captured MVP awards as the East bested the West, 23–18. WTT held its final All-Star |
466_12 | event in Las Vegas in 1978. |
466_13 | Ending
The first league ended play in 1978.
Second league
1981–1991
League play resumed in 1981 as TeamTennis, with four California teams, expanding to eight teams in 1982. In 2005, the league had twelve teams.
In 1984, Billie Jean King became Commissioner and major owner of the league, following her retirement from tournament tennis competition.
In 1985 a recreational league for non-professionals was added, which was co-branded with the professional league.
1992–1999
In 1992, the name of the league was changed back to World TeamTennis.
Minnesota Penguins, 1993
Idaho Sneakers, 1994–1997
New Jersey Stars, 1987–1995 (relocated and became the Delaware Smash)
Phoenix Smash, 1992–1994
2000–present
In 2000 the current logo was adopted. In February 2001, Billie Jean King retired as Commissioner and Ilana Kloss became the new commissioner. |
466_14 | In 2005 and 2006 the league consisted of 12 teams and in 2007 the Hartford FoxForce ceased operations. Prior to the 2008 season, the Houston Wranglers ceased operations and the Washington Kastles joined the league. In the 2009 season, 10 teams competed: Boston, NY Buzz, NY Sportime, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Kansas City, Newport Beach, Sacramento, Springfield, and St. Louis. Sacramento won the year-end Championship six times.
Before the start of the 2011 season the New York Buzz and the New York Sportimes merged into one New York team, the Sportimes. During the 2011 season the Washington Kastles completed a perfect 16–0 schedule, winning their second championship in three seasons. |
466_15 | In 2012, the Washington Kastles completed their second consecutive perfect season, going 16–0 for the second season in a row to become the first professional sports franchise to go two complete seasons without a loss. Their 32-match winning streak is one shy of the major professional sports record of 33 consecutive wins set by the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. They began the next season with 2 wins making their streak 34 games, setting the new record. |
466_16 | In 2013, World TeamTennis was renamed Mylan World TeamTennis after Mylan, a generics and specialty pharmaceuticals company, signed a three-year deal as the title sponsor. The Kansas City Explorers relocated to Irving, Texas, and became the Texas Wild. On November 21, 2013, the Orange County Breakers were sold, relocated to Austin, Texas and renamed the Austin Aces. On January 16, 2014, the New York Sportimes were sold, relocated to San Diego and renamed the San Diego Aviators. On February 4, 2014, the Sacramento Capitals were relocated to Las Vegas and renamed the Las Vegas Neon. On March 5, 2014 the Las Vegas Neon franchise was terminated, leaving the league with seven teams.
On February 23, 2015, WTT announced that a new ownership group had taken control of the Texas Wild and moved the team to Citrus Heights, California, renaming it the California Dream. |
466_17 | On January 13, 2016, WTT announced that the California Dream franchise had been terminated. On February 17, 2016, the Boston Lobsters had ceased operations and had been replaced with a new franchise called the New York Empire.
In March 2017, Billie Jean King announced the sale of her majority share in WTT to venture capitalist Mark Ein, the founder and owner of the Washington Kastles, and Fred Luddy, the founder of ServiceNow and owner of the San Diego Aviators.
In January 2019, Carlos Silva became the CEO and ushered in new deals with CBS and ESPN creating the largest-ever audience for WTT on July 21, 2019, on a CBS broadcast.
In March 2019, the league announced its expansion to eight teams for the 2019 season, with the creation of the Orlando Storm and the Vegas Rollers. |
466_18 | On October 23, 2019, the league announced it would be awarding a record $5 million in prize money, including an additional $1 million for the postseason, during its 45th season and would be expanding again, adding two new franchises in 2020.
In February 2020, the league announced its expansion to nine teams for the 2020 season with the Chicago Smash.
In June 2020, WTT announced it would be the first major professional tennis league to resume operations since the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19. The league committed to play the entirety of its 45th season at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia from July 12 through August 2.
In March 2021, Carlos Silva stepped down as CEO.
The current COO is Allen Hardison. The 2021 season is November 13-28 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Current teams
Finals
References:
Historical results
Current WTT teams are shown in bold, non-championship teams are shown in italics.
By team
By city
See also |
466_19 | U.S. intercollegiate team tennis champions
References
Inline citations
General references
Greg Hoffman, The Art of World Team Tennis, San Francisco Book Company, 1977
World TeamTennis, Official Website
Brief History of World TeamTennis. From the WTT site.
WTT Logos
More WTT Logos
External links
WTT Player Rosters
1973 establishments in New York (state)
Tennis leagues in the United States
Exhibition tennis tournaments
Tennis organizations
Sports leagues established in 1973
Sports leagues in the United States
Professional sports leagues in the United States
Forms of tennis |
467_0 | Siemowit IV (Ziemowit IV), also known as Siemowit IV the Younger (pl: Siemowit IV Młodszy; ca. 1353/1356 – 21 January 1426), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast from the Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke of Rawa, and after the division of the paternal inheritance between him and his brother in 1381, ruler over Rawa, Płock, Sochaczew, Gostynin, Płońsk and Wizna, since 1386 hereditary Polish vassal, since 1388 ruler over Belz, during 1382–1401 he lost Wizna and during 1384–1399 and 1407–1411 he lost Zawkrze, during 1384–1399 he lost Płońsk, taken by the Teutonic Order.
He was the second son of Siemowit III, Duke of Masovia and his first wife Euphemia, daughter of Nicholas II of Opava. |
467_1 | Already during his father's lifetime, Siemowit IV received his own district, Rawa Mazowiecka (ca. 1373/74), and as a result of the partition of Masovia between him and his older brother Janusz I after the death of their father on 16 June 1381, Siemowit IV finally obtain the totality of his domains: Rawa, Płock, Sochaczew, Gostynin, Płońsk and Wizna. |
467_2 | Role in the Greater Polish Civil War
Siemowit IV was opposed to his older brother Janusz I's attempts to obtain the Polish crown. One year after the acquisition of his own domains, King Louis of Poland and Hungary died (10 September 1382), and with this emerged the opportunity to enact his claim to the crown, supported by the Greater Poland and Kujawy nobility (centered around the powerful Bartosz Wezenborg). However, the late King had made arrangements among the Lesser Poland nobility who guaranteed their support to his eldest daughter and heiress Mary and her husband Sigismund of Luxembourg. Without waiting for a favorable settlement, in January 1383, Siemowit IV marched to Greater Poland at the head of his troops, marked the beginning of the Greater Poland Civil War. |
467_3 | Unexpectedly, in Buda the Dowager Queen Elizabeth of Bosnia decided to change the decision of her husband and accepted the reign of her youngest daughter Jadwiga over Poland instead of Mary and Sigismund, who remained rulers of Hungary. This decision caused that several supporters of Siemowit IV to hope that he could marry the young Queen (despite the fact that she was already betrothed to William of Habsburg) and in this way, both factions could reconcile and in addition this union with the old Piast dynasty could further legitimize the Angevin rule. |
467_4 | The first step to implement this plan was the formal candidacy of Siemowit IV to the royal crown. To this end, in a meeting of nobles and gentry at Sieradz the Archbishop Bodzanta of Gniezno, one of his leading supporters, proposed Siemowit IV's candidacy to the throne. This proposal quickly gained widespread acceptance, and only thanks to the courageous intervention of the voivode of Kraków John of Tęczyn, who advised them to abstain from any decision until the arrival of Jadwiga, the idea was abandoned. The opposition of Lesser Poland to the candidacy of Siemowit IV was probably associated with the fear of the growing role of Greater Poland under an eventual rule of the Masovian Duke. Another argument against this was the emerging idea of the union with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. |
467_5 | These events did not discourage Siemowit IV, who was determined to obtain the crown, even by force. Probably with the knowledge and consent of Archbishop Bodzanta, he attempted to abduct Jadwiga and marry her, in a desperate act to win the crown. When the Lesser Poland nobility knew of his intentions, they close the gates of Wawel to Bodzanta's men, among them was hidden Siemowit IV. They also warned Jadwiga, who remained at the court of her mother until was secured to travel. |
467_6 | Despite the defeat of his ambitious plans, Siemowit IV continued his efforts to obtain the Polish throne. For this purpose, after burning the property of his political opponents in Książ, he went back to Sieradz, where a part of the local nobility proclaimed him King of Poland. This time, however, the congress lacked of real authority, and for this reason, he delayed his expected coronation, trying to conquer the country by force. After a disastrous campaign and a failed siege to Kalisz (Siemowit IV was able to obtain only Kujawy), some of his supporters decided to sign an armistice on 29 September 1383.
The ceasefire enabled the Polish to add Hungarian troops to the country's forces under the personal command of Sigismund of Luxembourg. The combined attack of Hungarian-Polish forces caused that Siemowit IV avoided further fighting, especially after his brother Janusz opted for the recognition of Jadwiga as Queen. |
467_7 | The defeat of Siemowit IV reduced considerably the number of his supporters. Consequently, and after a final rejection in October 1384 from the powerful Lesser Poland nobility to a marriage with Jadwiga, the Masovian Duke adopted a different tactic: if it was impossible for him obtain the crown, he decided to win all the territory possible. |
467_8 | Reconciliation with opponents
Siewomit, after adding Łęczyca to his territory, decided to undertake peace negotiations with Jadwiga, which ended successfully on 12 December 1385 with the signing of a treaty, under which Siemowit IV returned all the lands taken by him in exchange for the sum of 10,000 silver marks, and most important, he relinquished all his claims to the Polish crown and paid homage to the Queen Jadwiga and her new husband and King, Jogaila, from which he received the Duchy of Belz as dowry of Princess Alexandra of Lithuania, Jogaila's sister, who married Siemowit IV as a gesture of reconciliation between both parties. |
467_9 | Siemowit IV's complete resignation of his claim to the Polish crown was his attendance to the ceremonies of baptism, marriage and coronation of Jadwiga and Jogaila in Kraków. After these ceremonies, he renewed his homage to the royal couple. He joined the royal entourage to Vilnius, where he participated in the process of Christianization of Lithuania. |
467_10 | Post civil war activity
Before the war, as an independent ruler he could effectively maneuver between the Polish, Lithuanians and the Teutonic Order; now, as a vassal was clearly seen as a representative of the Polish Kingdom. In addition, in order to finance his policies he needed money and several times he mortgaged some of his domains to the Teutonic Order, including Wizna (during 1382-1401), Płońsk (during 1384-1399) and Zawkrze (during 1384-1399 and 1407-1411). |
467_11 | In view of the growing friction between the Polish and Teutonic Order, Siemowit IV tried to obtain the greatest benefit for him and intervened as a mediator. Also, after the outbreak of the war of 1409–1410 between Poland, Lithuania and the Teutonic Order, the attitude of the Masovian Duke wasn't clear: in one side, he tried to contact King Sigismund of Hungary and by other side, he pressured his warring neighbors to maintain the peace. In view of the failure of his attempts to make a compromise, Siemowit IV finally sent his troops at the Battle of Grunwald, but his participation was only symbolic; in fact, was his son Siemovit V who fielded two banners of his own troops and fought alongside the 'Royal' Poles and Lithuanian troops. In order to maintain his friendly relations with the Teutonic Order, he provides them with refunds even during the campaign; in exchange, the Order returned Zawkrze to Siemowit IV, despite the fact that under the Peace of Thorn (1411) they aren't obliged to |
467_12 | do it. |
467_13 | Despite his official subordination to Poland, Siemowit IV tried to pursue an independent foreign policy. This was expressed in his frequent contacts with the Hungarian King Sigismund, who, wishing to drag a Polish vassal to his side gave the Masovian Duke the rich prebends from the Bishopric of Veszprém and other possessions across Hungary. |
467_14 | Siemowit IV's relations with Poland, although some temporary frictions caused by his too independent policy (he even minted his own coins) remained friendly, despite the fact that he didn't fulfill his duties as a vassal, and only sent troops to Poland occasionally when he was required to do. Another gesture of friendship with King Władysław II was noted when he used Siemowit IV's daughters into political marriages and the support given to his son Alexander in his Church career.
In domestic politics, Siemowit IV continued the economic restructuring which begun under the rule of his father. For this purpose, in addition to the existing statutes he implemented the Kulm law in several of his cities and promoted the colonization of the Masovian nobility to Belz. |
467_15 | Ill health and death
After 1420 Siemowit IV, due to his progressive blindness, gradually gave participation in the government to his adult sons. In 1425, the dispute about the election of his Chancellor Stanisław z Pawłowic as Bishop of Płock forced his sons Siemowit V and Casimir II into a humiliating surrender.
Siemowit IV died on 21 January 1426 at Gostynin and was buried in the Ducal crypt at Płock Cathedral.
Marriage and Issue
In 1387, Siemowit IV married Alexandra (d. 20 April 1434), a Lithuanian princess, daughter of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife, Uliana of Tver. They had thirteen children: |
467_16 | Siemowit V (1389 - 17 February 1442).
Hedwig (ca. 1392 - aft. 19 February 1439), married after 3 January 1410 to Janos Garai, Ban of Uzora and Obergespan of Temes and Pozsega.
Cymburgis (ca. 1394 - 28 September 1429), married on 25 January 1412 to Ernest I, Duke of Austria.
Euphemia (1395/97 - bef. 17 September 1447), married on 20 November 1412 to Bolesław I, Duke of Cieszyn.
Amelia (1397/98 - aft. 17 May 1434), married on 16 May 1413 to William II, Margrave of Meissen.
Alexander (1400 - 2 June 1444), a diplomat and Bishop of Trento, titular Bishop of Chur, titular Cardinal of Damascus, and Patriarch of Aquileia.
Casimir II (1401/03 - 15 September 1442).
Trojden II (1403/06 - 25 July 1427).
Władysław I (1406/09 - 11/12 December 1455).
Alexandra (1407/10 - ca. 1426).
Maria (1408/15–14 February 1454), married on 24 June 1432 to Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania.
Anna (24 April 1411 - bef. 7 Feb 1435), married bef. 26 May 1427 to Michael Žygimantaitis, a Lithuanian prince. |
467_17 | Catherine (1413/16 - betw. 2 June 1479/5 July 1480), married bef. 21 August 1439 to Michael Žygimantaitis, a Lithuanian prince (widower of her sister). |
467_18 | Grandchildren of Alexandra and Siemowit IV included Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, Przemyslaus II, Duke of Cieszyn, Sophie of Pomerania, Duchess of Pomerania and Dorothy Garai, queen of Bosnia.
Prior to his marriage, Siemowit IV fathered an illegitimate son, Miklusz (also called Mikołaj; born before 1387), who was legitimated on 29 June 1417 by Emperor Sigismund. Nothing more is known about him.
References
1352 births
1426 deaths
Dukes of Masovia
People in the Battle of Grunwald |
468_0 | Occupational exposure banding, also known as hazard banding, is a process intended to quickly and accurately assign chemicals into specific categories (bands), each corresponding to a range of exposure concentrations designed to protect worker health. These bands are assigned based on a chemical’s toxicological potency and the adverse health effects associated with exposure to the chemical. The output of this process is an occupational exposure band (OEB). Occupational exposure banding has been used by the pharmaceutical sector and by some major chemical companies over the past several decades to establish exposure control limits or ranges for new or existing chemicals that do not have formal OELs. Furthermore, occupational exposure banding has become an important component of the Hierarchy of Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs). |
468_1 | The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed a process that could be used to apply occupational exposure banding to a broader spectrum of occupational settings. The NIOSH occupational exposure banding process utilizes available, but often limited, toxicological data to determine a potential range of chemical exposure levels that can be used as targets for exposure controls to reduce risk among workers. An OEB is not meant to replace an OEL, rather it serves as a starting point to inform risk management decisions. Therefore, the OEB process should not be applied to a chemical with an existing OEL.
Purpose |
468_2 | Occupational exposure limits (OELs) play a critical role in protecting workers from exposure to dangerous concentrations of hazardous material. In the absence of an OEL, determining the controls needed to protect workers from chemical exposures can be challenging. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory as of 2014 contained over 85,000 chemicals that are commercially available, but a quantitative health-based OEL has been developed for only about 1,000 of these chemicals. Furthermore, the rate at which new chemicals are being introduced into commerce significantly outpaces OEL development, creating a need for guidance on thousands of chemicals that lack reliable exposure limits. |
468_3 | The NIOSH occupational exposure banding process has been created to provide a reliable approximation of a safe exposure level for potentially hazardous and unregulated chemicals in the workplace. Occupational exposure banding uses limited chemical toxicity data to group chemicals into one of five bands.
Occupational exposure bands:
Define a set range of exposures expected to protect worker health
Identify potential health effects and target organs with 9 toxicological endpoints
Provide critical information on chemical potency
Inform decisions on control methods, hazard communication, and medical surveillance
Identify areas where health effects data is lacking
Require less time and data than developing an OEL |
468_4 | Assignment process
The NIOSH occupational exposure banding process utilizes a three-tiered approach. Each tier of the process has different requirements for data sufficiency, which allows stakeholders to use the occupational exposure banding process in many different situations. Selection of the most appropriate tier for a specific banding situation depends on the quantity and quality of the available data and the training and expertise of the user. |
468_5 | The process places chemicals into one of five bands, designated A through E. Each band is associated with a specific range of exposure concentrations. Band E represents the lowest range of exposure concentrations, while Band A represents the highest range. Assignment of a chemical to a band is based on both the potency of the chemical and the severity of the health effect. Band A and band B include chemicals with reversible health effects or produce adverse effects at only high concentration levels. Band C, band D, or band E include chemicals with serious or irreversible effects and those that cause problems at low concentration ranges. The resulting airborne concentration target ranges are shown in the graphic: |
468_6 | Tier 1, the qualitative tier, produces an occupational exposure band (OEB) assignment based on qualitative data from the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS); it involves assigning the OEB based on criteria aligned with specific GHS hazard codes and categories. These hazard codes are typically pulled from GESTIS, ECHA Annex VI, or safety data sheets. The Tier 1 process can be performed by a health and safety generalist, and takes only minutes to complete with the NIOSH OEB e-tool. The e-tool is free to use and can be accessed through the NIOSH website. |
468_7 | Tier 2, the semi-quantitative tier, produces an OEB assignment based on quantitative and qualitative data from secondary sources; it involves assigning the OEB on the basis of key findings from prescribed literature sources, including use of data from specific types of studies. Tier 2 focuses on nine toxicological endpoints. The Tier 2 process can be performed by an occupational hygienist but requires some formal training. Tier 2 banding is also incorporated into the NIOSH OEB e-tool but can take hours instead of minutes to complete for a given chemical. However, the resulting band is considered more robust than a Tier 1 band due to the in-depth retrieval of published data. NIOSH recommends users complete at least the Tier 2 process to produce reliable OEBs. |
468_8 | Tier 3, the expert judgement tier, relies on expert judgement to produce a band based on primary and secondary data that is available to the user. This level of OEB would require the advanced knowledge and experience held by a toxicologist or veteran occupational hygienist. The Tier 3 process allows the professional to incorporate their own raw data in conjunction with the availability of data drawn from published literature. |
468_9 | Reliability
Since unveiling the occupational exposure banding technique in 2017, NIOSH has sought feedback from its users and has evaluated the reliability of this tool. There has been an overwhelming response of positive feedback. Users have described Tier 1 as a helpful screening tool, Tier 2 as a basic assessment for a new chemical on the worksite, and Tier 3 as a personalized in-depth analysis. During pilot testing, NIOSH evaluated the Tier 1 and Tier 2 protocols using chemicals with OELs and compared the banding results to OELs. For >90% of these chemicals, the resultant Tier 1 and Tier 2 bands were found to be equally or more stringent than the OELs. This demonstrates the confidence health & safety professionals can have in the OEB process when making risk management decisions for chemicals without OELs. |
468_10 | Limitations
Although occupational exposure banding holds a great deal of promise for the occupational hygiene profession, there are potential limitations that should be considered. As with any analysis, the outcome of the NIOSH occupational exposure banding process – the OEB – is dependent upon the quantity and the quality of data used and the expertise of the individual using the process. In order to maximize data quality, NIOSH has compiled a list of NIOSH-recommended sources which can provide data that can be used for banding. Furthermore, for some chemicals the amount of quality data may not be sufficient to derive an OEB. It is important to note that the lack of data does not indicate that the chemical is safe. Other risk management strategies, such as control banding, can then be applied.
Control banding versus exposure banding |
468_11 | The NIOSH occupational exposure banding process guides a user through the evaluation and selection of critical health hazard information to select an OEB from among five categories of severity. For OEBs, the process uses only hazard-based data (e.g., studies on human health effects or toxicology studies) to identify an overall level of hazard potential and associated airborne concentration range for chemicals with similar hazard profiles. While the output of this process can be used by informed occupational safety and health professionals to make risk management and exposure control decisions, the process does not supply such recommendations directly. |
468_12 | In contrast, control banding is a strategy that groups workplace risks into control categories or bands based on combinations of both hazard and exposure information. Control banding combines hazard banding with exposure risk management to directly link hazards to specific control measures. Various toolkit models for control banding have been developed in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. COSHH Essentials was the first widely adopted banding scheme. Other banding schemes are also available, such as Stoffenmanager, EMKG, and International Chemical Control Toolkit of the ILO. Evaluation of these and other control banding systems have yielded varying results. Occupational exposure banding has emerged as a helpful supplementary exposure assessment tool. |
468_13 | When conducting a workplace hazard assessment, occupational hygienists may find it useful to start with occupational exposure banding to identify potential hazards and exposure ranges, before moving on to control banding. Together, these tools will aid the health & safety professional in selecting the appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
See also
References
External links
The NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding Process: Guidance for the Evaluation of Chemical Hazards Current Intelligence Bulletin
The NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding Topic Page
The NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding e-Tool
Occupational Exposure Banding – A Conversation with Lauralynn Taylor McKernan, ScD CIH
The NIOSH Control Banding Topic Page
Hands-on Activity Demonstration: Identifying Occupational Exposure Bands
Occupational Exposure Control Banding Pharmaceuticals
Control Recommendations by Esco Pharma based on OEB Classification |
468_14 | Occupational safety and health
Chemical safety
Risk management
Industrial hygiene
Hazard analysis
Occupational hazards |
469_0 | Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., is a biomedical entrepreneur.
Background and training
Westphal graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University, summa cum laude, in 1990 and finished the MD–PhD program at Harvard University in six years.
Career
He worked at McKinsey & Company for two years after getting his degrees.
From 2000 to 2005 he was a partner at Polaris Venture Partners, a venture capital firm.
VC and Serial Entrepreneur
In 2001, he worked with Robert Langer to found Mimeon based on work by Langer on glycoengineering; the company changed its name to Momenta Pharmaceuticals the next year and went public in 2004. Westphal was the founding CEO. Momenta brought to market the first generic, low-molecular-weight heparin. |
469_1 | To expand the portfolio of treatments for autoimmune disorders, Johnson & Johnson acquired Momenta Pharmaceuticals for $6.5 billion in an all-cash deal in 2020, after nipocalimab, a treatment developed by Momenta received a rare paediatric disease designation from the US Food and Drug Administration.
In 2002 he co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals as CEO, which was built to discover and develop drugs and reagents based on RNA interference based on work done by scientists Phillip Sharp, Paul Schimmel, David Bartel, and Thomas Tuschl; John Maraganore was hired as CEO in 2002. The company held its IPO in 2004, one of the few biotech companies able to do so in a down market. As of 2016 Alnylam remained the dominant company in the RNAi field. |
469_2 | In 2003 he co-founded Acceleron Pharma as CEO with scientists Jasbir Seehra, Tom Maniatis, Mark Ptashne, Wylie Vale, and scientific advisor Joan Massague, and John Knopf. The company was founded to discover and develop drugs based on the scientific discoveries of the scientific founders in the field of growth factors and transforming growth factors in the fields of metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and muscle-wasting conditions. The company went public in September 2013. |
469_3 | In 2004, he co-founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals as CEO with Harvard biologist David Sinclair, serial entrepreneur Andrew Perlman, Richard Aldrich, Richard Pops, and Paul Schimmel. The company focused on resveratrol formulations and derivatives as activators of the SIRT1 enzyme. The company's initial product was called SRT501, and was a formulation of reservatrol. Westphal and Sinclair aggressively marketed investment in the company as an anti-aging opportunity, which was controversial but effective; Westphal raised $100 million in 2006. In 2005 Westphal recruited Michelle Dipp to join the team at Sirtris; she would work with him in several subsequent ventures.
In 2006, Westphal worked with Aldrich and Roger Tung to found and get seed funding for Concert Pharmaceuticals based on Tung's ideas about using deuterium to make deuterated drugs. Westphal was not involved in the company by the time it went public in 2014. |
469_4 | Sirtris went public in 2007 and was subsequently purchased and made a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline in 2008 for $720 million. GSK paid $22.50/share, when Sirtris's stock was trading at $12/share, down 45% from its highest price of the previous year. Westphal was made CEO of the subsidiary and appointed Senior Vice President of GSK's Center of Excellence for External Drug Discovery (CEEDD) unit. Sirtris' science and claims were controversial; studies published in 2009 and early 2010 by scientists from Amgen and Pfizer cast doubt on whether SIRT1 was directly activated by resveratrol and showed that the apparent activity was actually due to a fluorescent reagent used in the experiments, and were widely discussed. |
469_5 | In 2008, Westphal worked with Dipp, Aldrich, and Alexey Margolin to found Alnara Pharmaceuticals, which was created to develop ways to formulate biopharmaceuticals so they could be taken by mouth, instead of by injection. Margolin had been CEO of Altus Therapeutics, which had been developing liprotamase, which it had licensed from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, but ran out of money. Alnara acquired the license and focused its resources on further developing liprotamase; Eli Lilly and Company acquired Alnara in July 2010 on the promise of that data acquired by Alnara. Lilly submitted a new drug application to the FDA in 2011, which the FDA rejected, finding no clear benefit over existing products and requiring an additional clinical trial. Lilly took a $122.6 million write-down on the value of the asset, and then sold it to Anthera Pharmaceuticals in 2014.
In February 2010, Westphal formed a new venture fund called Longwood Fund, together with Aldrich and Dipp. |
469_6 | In April 2010, Westphal stepped down as CEO of Sirtris and as Senior VP of GSK's CEEDD and Dipp took over those roles; Westphal took over leadership of GSK's venture unit, SR One.
In August 2010, a nonprofit called the Healthy Lifespan Institute, which had been formed the year before by Westphal and Dipp, began selling SRT501 as a dietary supplement online; when this become public GSK required Westphal and Dipp, who were still GSK employees, to resign from the nonprofit.
GSK/Sirtris terminated development of SRT501 in late 2010. In 2013 GSK shut down Sirtris and its development candidates were absorbed into GSK, where research and development continued. |
469_7 | Also in August 2010, the Longwood team co-founded VeraStem by providing seed funding and office space in its own offices, with Westphal serving as CEO and chairman of the board; Verastem aimed to isolate cancer stem cells and then discover drugs that would selectively kill them. He brought the company public in 2012 and stepped down as CEO in 2013, as the company was getting ready to start a clinical trial of its lead product, a drug intended to treat mesothelioma.
In April 2011, Westphal left SR One to focus on Longwood; news reports said that Dipp would soon leave GSK in order to focus on Longwood as well. |
469_8 | In 2011, Westphal, Dipp. and Aldrich co-founded OvaScience with Jonathan Tilly and Sinclair, based on scientific work done by Tilly concerning mammalian oogonial stem cells and work on mitochondria by Sinclair. Tilly's work was controversial, with some groups unable to replicate it. The company's claims about its services were controversial from their first announcements. The company's A financing round was $6 million and it raised a $37 million B round in early 2012; Longwood participated in both rounds. OvaScience held its public offering in 2012, and part of its pitch to investors was that its services would probably not be regulated by the FDA so it would probably be able to start generating significant revenue in the US by the end of 2013, but in 2013 the FDA ruled that it would need to file an investigational new drug application before it could start marketing the service; OvaScience's shares fell 40% in response. By September 2016 OvaScience had raised and spent around |
469_9 | $228 million. In early December its shares were trading at around $3; in mid-December 2016 the company's shares fell around 50% when it announced layoffs and the departure of its CEO and chief operating officer in the face of sales continuing to fall below expectations. |
469_10 | In 2014, he co-founded Flex Pharma with Jennifer Cermak (from Sirtris) based on work by scientific co-founders Roderick MacKinnon of Rockefeller University and Bruce Bean of Harvard Medical School. MacKinnon and Bean invented a dietary supplement for treating and preventing muscle cramps in athletes that contained ginger extract, cinnamon extract and capsicum, and tested it in clinical trials. In 2014 the company described itself as a developer of drugs for neuromuscular disorders, pursuing treatments muscle cramping across a range of conditions including multiple sclerosis, ALS, and cramping in athletes, based on MacKinnon's Nobel Prize winning work on ion channels, and raised a $40 million Series A round. The company had a $86 million initial public offering in 2015 and revealed the dietary supplement product and its intent to go to market as a dietary supplement company at that time. The similarities with Sirtris' emphasis on reservatrol were noted at the time. In 2016, Flex |
469_11 | Pharma released the consumer product "HotShot" as a dietary supplement for endurance athletes. In October 2016 the company released data from a clinical trial of its lead drug candidate for nocturnal leg cramps FLX-787, in which FLX-787 failed to meet the primary endpoints. In June 2017 Westphal stepped down as CEO. In June 2018 the company halted clinical development of the drug candidate due to tolerability issues, cut its workforce, and said it was considering its strategy. In July 2018 MacKinnon resigned from the board of directors. |
469_12 | Board positions
Westphal serves on the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School, the Board of Overseers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the board of Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and he is a member of the Boston Commercial Club. Westphal is a minority owner of the Boston Celtics. |
469_13 | Honors
2002 – Listed as one of the Top Innovators Under 35 in the annual MIT Technology Review
2006 – Ernst & Young’s New England Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Biopharmaceutical category
2007 – Mass High Tech All Star Award
2008 – Outstanding Individual of the Year Award at the annual Laguna Biotech CEO Meeting
2008 – Corporate Leader Award of Distinction from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)
2008 – Recognition in the Pharmaceutical Executive “45 Under 45,”
2008 – Recognition in the PharmaVOICE 100, a list of the 100 most inspiring people in the life-sciences industry
2009 – Stevie Award for Executive of the Year from The 2009 American Business Awards
2009 – E-3 Public Company Science & Technology Company Executive Award at the annual Emerald Investment Forum
2010 – Named one of Fortune's Fortune Visionaries
References |
469_14 | American chief executives
Living people
Harvard Medical School alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
Columbia College (New York) alumni |
470_0 | Hex is a British television programme developed by Shine TV and aired on the Sky One satellite channel. The story is set in a remote English boarding school with a mysterious past. Series one explores the supernatural relationship between a Fallen Angel named Azazeal and a student called Cassie who is also a witch. In the second series the story centres on 500-year-old anointed one Ella Dee, and Azazeal's son Malachi. Both series of the show are available on Region 2 DVD, with the first series released on Region 1 DVD in June 2007.
The show was cancelled in April 2006 after the end of the second series.
Synopsis
From its outset, Hex appears to be the story of Cassie Hughes, an attractive but withdrawn young woman who enrolls at the school but can't quite seem to fit into the social milieu. The second series shifts the focus from the departing Cassie Hughes (Christina Cole) to a new heroine, Ella Dee (Laura Pyper). |
470_1 | Series 1
Hex is set at a remote English school, Medenham Hall, which occupies the former manor house and grounds of the McBain estate. It was the site of an 18th-century witchcraft scandal in which the female members of the line, the Medenham Witches, were tried and executed. Cassie, who raised herself in a single-parent household caring for her mentally unstable mother, has latent telekinetic, pyrokinetic and clairvoyant abilities that are awakened when she touches an antique vase that had been used in Voodoo rituals by the Medenham Witches. Her roommate, Thelma (who harbors an ill-concealed crush on Cassie), discovers that Cassie is a descendant of the Medenham Witches. Cassie has startling visions and dreams that she strives to interpret, and also struggles with controlling her growing telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers, which she is only able to summon in times of stress. |
470_2 | Cassie is stalked by a "dangerous looking" stranger who calls himself Azazeal. Initially glimpsed fleetingly, he becomes increasingly bold, even entering into the student's rooms later in the series without warning or permission. Azazeal is revealed to be the leader of the biblical Nephilim, fallen angels, and he claims to be in love with Cassie. He has had previous relationships with schoolmistress Jo Watkins and Cassie's own mother, which may have contributed to her mental illness. |
470_3 | Frustrated by his inability to convince Cassie that his claims are sincere, Azazeal kills Thelma before Cassie's eyes as a sacrifice to increase his power and prove that he is truly who he says he is. This act has two unintentional consequences: his power over Cassie is initially weakened by the shock, and Thelma thereafter continues to share Cassie's room as a ghost that only Cassie, Azazeal and other ghosts can see. Thelma never forgives Azazeal for her own death, and is a strong voice against him to Cassie, who has grown to have feelings for him. Thelma is unable to touch the living, but she can touch other ghosts and presumably manipulate inanimate objects (including clothing, artifacts, books, doors, window sashes, and vending machines) and eat, which she does constantly (since ghosts cannot gain weight). Thelma works behind the scenes to spy on Azazeal and gather evidence from places where Cassie cannot enter. Cassie, while horrified by some of Azazeal's behaviour, ultimately |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.