when does the national women's soccer league start

The NWSL season runs from Aprilâ€“September with each team scheduled for 24 regular season games, 12 each of home and road.[5] At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the regular season title. The four clubs with the most points from the regular season standings qualify for the NWSL playoffs, which consist of two semifinal single knockout matches (top seed hosts fourth; second hosts third), with the semifinal winners advancing to the championship final hosted by the team with most regular season points.[6]

National Women's Soccer League

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league, run by the United States Soccer Federation. At the top of the United States league system, it represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The NWSL was established in 2012 as a successor to Women's Professional Soccer (2007–2012) which was the successor to Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003). The league began play in 2013 with eight teams; four of which were former members of Women's Professional Soccer.[1][2][3] With the addition of two expansion teams in Houston and Orlando since the league's founding, it now has 9 teams based throughout the United States.[4]

Since the league's inaugural 2013 season, three clubs have been crowned NWSL Champions and three clubs have claimed the NWSL Shield. The most recent shield-winners are the North Carolina Courage, who relocated to Cary, North Carolina during the 2016â€“2017 offseason from New York, where they were known as the Western New York Flash. The current champions are Portland Thorns FC, who claimed their second championship in 2017 after being the inaugural champions in 2013.

After Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) officially folded in April 2012, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced a roundtable for discussion of the future of women's professional soccer in the United States. The meeting, which included representatives from USSF, WPS teams, the W-League (ceased operation in 2015), and the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), was held in June and resulted in the planning of a new league set to launch in 2013 with 12â€“16 teams, taking from each of the three leagues. Compared to WPS, the teams would have a relatively low salary cap of $500,000,[7] though this was later lowered to $200,000.[8]

In November 2012, it was announced that there would be eight teams in a new women's professional soccer league that was yet to be named at the time of the announcement, subsidized by the USSF, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF). The three federations would pay for the salaries of their national team players (24 from the US, 16 from Canada, and 12 to 16 from Mexico) to aid the teams in creating world-class rosters while staying under the salary cap. The players would be distributed evenly (as possible) among the eight teams in an allocation process. USSF would run the league offices and set the schedule.[9]

On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Cheryl Bailey had been named Executive Director in the new league. Bailey had previously served as General Manager of the United States women's national soccer team from 2007 to 2011, which included leading the support staff for the U.S. team during the 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women's World Cups, as well as the 2008 Summer Olympics. During her tenure with the women's national team, she was in charge of all areas of administration including interfacing with clubs, team travel, payroll, and working with FIFA, CONCACAF, and other federations.[10]

The first NWSL game was held on April 13, 2013, as the Portland Thorns visited FC Kansas City, playing to a 1â€“1 draw in front of a crowd of 6,784 fans at Shawnee Mission District Stadium. Renae Cuellar scored the first goal in league history.[11][12] The 2013 season saw regular-season attendance average of 4,270, with a high of 17,619 on August 4 for Kansas City at Portland.[13][14]

The NWSL became the first U.S. professional women's soccer league to reach nine teams with the expansion of the MLS-backed Houston Dash in 2014; expansion interest, particularly from MLS teams, has continued.[15][16] The third season saw a shortened schedule and some early-season roster instability due to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, but the World Cup also provided exposure to the NWSL, which was credited with boosting attendance numbers across the league.[15]

The league also became the first professional women's league in the US to play more than three seasons when the league kicked off its fourth season in 2016.[17]

Nine NWSL teams are spread across the United States. Each club is allowed a minimum of 18 players on their roster, with a maximum of 20 players allowed at any time during the season.[18]

Originally, each team's roster includes up to three allocated American national team players, up to two allocated Mexico women's national team players, and up to two Canadian allocated national team players via the NWSL Player Allocation and subsequent trades.[19] In addition, each team has four spots available for international players.[20] The remaining roster spots must be filled by domestic players from the United States. Teams fill their rosters via a number of drafts and 4â€“6 discovery player signings.[18]

Soon after launch, the league reportedly planned to expand to ten teams for 2014.[26] Potential candidates included groups not accepted as part of the original eight; groups from the Los Angeles area (joint effort from the LA Strikers and Pali Blues)[27] and from Hartford, Connecticut[28] were confirmed failed bids, as was one from the Seattle Sounders Women. There was speculation that the Vancouver Whitecaps Women could be logical candidates especially given the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada; however, the Whitecaps cancelled their women's program (except for one U-18 academy team) in December 2012.

During the inaugural season, there were rumors of expansion interest from MLS teams Toronto FC[citation needed][29] and the New York Red Bulls,[citation needed] as well as confirmed interest from WPSL side the Houston Aces.[30] NWSL team owners hinted that expansion for 2014 was not a question of "if" but "how many".[31][32] Despite this, it was announced during the playoffs that there would be no expansion for the league's second season,[33] though the Red Bulls and Sky Blue FC confirmed that they were in discussions for cooperation.[31][34]

During the first offseason, the Houston Dynamo added their name to the list of MLS teams interested in fielding a women's side, stating that they were "exploring the opportunity" of starting an NWSL side in 2014 or '15[35] and in 2013 they announced the Houston Dash with 2014 as their inaugural season.[36] By early December, NWSL approved a new team run by the Dynamo organization for expansion in 2014,[37] despite their earlier statement that there would be no expansion for the league's second season.

During the second offseason, expansion talk grew rapidly, with three established men's teams (Real Salt Lake of MLS, the Indy Eleven of NASL, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of USL Pro) expressing interest in joining NWSL, as well as an unattached group from Atlanta. There was also rumored or suggested interest from three men's teams in California, though none of those groups made official statements. Despite this interest, it was announced in late April 2015 that there would be no expansion for the 2016 season.

However, after the well-publicized success of the US Women's National soccer team, renewed interest in NWSL expansion caused reports from the owners' meeting that "a new team in 2016 has not been ruled out", with potential expansion news to be revealed within a month.[38] Commissioner Jeff Plush said that over a dozen interested groups had contacted the league in the post-World-Cup weeks; MLS team Orlando City SC was one of the first newly interested groups made public.[39][40][41] On October 20, 2015, it was announced that Orlando would be hosting the 10th NWSL team, the Orlando Pride, due to start the 2016 season.[42] At that announcement, the Pride announced that they had hired former U.S. National Women's Team coach Tom Sermanni.

On November 16, 2017, it was announced that Real Salt Lake would expand into the NWSL beginning in the 2018 season. The Salt Lake City team, shortly thereafter unveiled as Utah Royals FC, is officially considered a new franchise that replaced FC Kansas City. That team, partnered with but not owned by Sporting Kansas City, was seen by media as an unintended victim of issues that Sporting was facing with its United Soccer League reserve team, Swope Park Rangers.[43]

As of the upcoming 2018 season, the NWSL will use nine stadiums. The highest attendance in the league's history occurred on April 23, 2016 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl when 23,403 people watched the Orlando Pride defeat the Houston Dash 3â€“1 in a regular season home match.[44] Other than this match, the top attendances in the league have occurred at Providence Park for home games of Portland Thorns FC.

In each season, teams receive a salary cap that limits their total spending on players. The salaries of allocated players from the United States, Canadian, and Mexican national teams are paid by their respective federations instead of their NWSL clubs, and do not count against their club's salary cap.[45]

Non-allocated players, including international players, also have minimum and maximum salary limits. Players allocated by the US, Canadian, or Mexican federations are also exempt from these limits.[46][47][48]

Active non-allocated players, including unpaid amateur players, announced their formation of a players' association on May 15, 2017, as the first step toward forming a union. Membership is limited to non-allocated players because allocated players are members of their own federation-affiliated labor organizations and negotiate contracts covering NWSL play with their respective national federations instead of the league or clubs.[49][50][51] The association is led by civil rights attorney and former WPS players' union organizer Meghann Burke.[52]

As of the end of the 2017, three clubs have been crowned NWSL Champions and four clubs have claimed the NWSL Shield.

During the 2013â€“2016 seasons, the majority of league games were available for viewing via YouTube or via individual team's websites.[53] Of the eight teams in the league during the inaugural season, the Boston Breakers were the only team that charged a fee for access to their broadcasts.[54]

On April 18, 2013, NWSL signed a one-year agreement with Fox Sports to televise six regular season games, the semi-final, and championship games on Fox Sports 2.[55]

On May 28, 2014, the NWSL signed a one-year agreement with ESPN to televise nine games of the 2014 NWSL season. The matches included three regular season and three playoff matches on ESPN2, as well as 3 regular season games live-streamed on ESPN3.[56]

On June 30, 2015, the NWSL announced a one-year agreement with Fox Sports once more to cover ten matches. Three regular season and three playoff matches were televised on FS1, and four live-streamed on Fox Sports Go.[57] The agreement was extended into 2016 under another one-year contract, covering three regular season matches and the three playoff matches, once again on FS1.[58]

On February 2, 2017, the NWSL announced a three-year agreement with A+E Networks, in which Lifetime broadcasts 22 regular-season matches as the NWSL Game of the Week at 4 p.m. Eastern on Saturday afternoons, as well as three post-season matches. This marked the first time that the NWSL had a weekly broadcast window throughout the entire season. Players also wear a sleeve patch of the network's logo on their uniforms. As part of the deal, A&E Networks also purchased a 25% equity stake in the NWSL, were granted two seats on the league's board, and formed a joint venture with the league known as NWSL Media to oversee the league's marketing and broadcast rights. This deal marked the first time Lifetime had broadcast sports since the WNBA in the late 1990s and early 2000s.[59][60][61][62][63] Lifetime also streams the game of the week in the United States via its website, and internationally in the NWSL website and iOS app. The remaining games are streamed exclusively by go90 in the United States as part of a paid multi-year sponsorship agreement, and through the NWSL website internationally.[59]

The quality of the streams through go90 faced criticism, with sportswriters, users, as well as players and team staff, criticizing the service for its inconsistent quality, and arguing that the NWSL's growth could be harmed by go90's relative lack of reach and prominence when compared to YouTube.[64][65] The Equalizer noted that the app was prone to crashing, did not have the same wide device support as YouTube,[66] and that the telecasts themselves suffered from their own technical problems (such as poor camera angles and glitches with graphics), but that the streams were good when they worked.[67] On May 19, 2017, the league announced that they would additionally stream games on the NWSL website and app in the U.S. until the technical issues with go90 were rectified.[68]

After Houston Dash player Rachel Daly collapsed on the pitch after a match in Houston, on May 27 — where the heat index was reportedly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit — she was carried off on a stretcher and hospitalized for heat illness. League operations director Amanda Duffy subsequently announced that the NWSL Game of the Week matches, many of which were slated for the hottest parts of the day in humid cities such as Houston, Orlando, and Cary, North Carolina, would be rescheduled to allow for longer hydration breaks. Some Game of the Week matches changed to other venues, and teams not scheduled for television were granted more flexibility in rescheduling kickoffs for player safety. The league also adopted new procedures for addressing heat and rescheduling matches.[69][70]

Statistics below are for all-time regular season leaders. Bold indicates active NWSL players.

Throughout the season, the league awards Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards to individual players, which are voted on by the media.[80][81] The league presents six annual awards for outstanding achievements voted on by owners, general managers, coaches, players and the media:[82]

In addition, the league names a NWSL Best XI team and NWSL Second XI team which are voted on by journalists, club officials and NWSL players.[83]

The league has operated without a full-time commissioner since Jeff Plush resigned on March 2, 2017. Amanda Duffy, hired in December 2016 as the league's managing director of operations, has served as the public face of league management since Plush's resignation, and the position of commissioner has remained vacant.[87]


where did the phrase thorn in my side come from

The phrase "thorn in the flesh" continues to be used as a metaphor for "a source of continual annoyance or trouble."[14] It is synonymous with the phrase "thorn in the side," which is also of biblical origin, based on the description in Numbers 33:55.[14] As an example usage, the Oxford English Dictionary cites E. M. Forster's 1924 novel A Passage to India, in which Nawab Bahadur says, "I can be a thorn in Mr. Turton's flesh, and if he asks me I accept the invitation."[15]

Thorn in the flesh

Thorn in the flesh is a phrase of New Testament origin used to describe a chronic infirmity, annoyance, or trouble in one's life, drawn from Paul the Apostle's use of the phrase in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians 12:7â€“9:[1]

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (KJV)

Other biblical passages where "thorn" is used as a metaphor are:[2]

Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out [any of] these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

And there shall be no more a pricking briar unto the house of Israel, nor [any] grieving thorn of all [that are] round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.

The standard English translation was popularised by the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.[3] Among earlier translations, the 1526 Tyndale Bible uses "vnquyetnes" ("unquietness") rather than "thorn," and the 1557 Geneva Bible refers to a "pricke in the fleshe."[4]

Paul mentions what the "thorn in his flesh" was in II Corinthians 12: 6-7 when he said (Verse 6) "...lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. (Verse 7) And lest I should be exalted above measure through 'the abundance of revelations,' there was given to me 'a thorn in the flesh'..." from "the abundance of revelations" and how people perceived him or "...man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me."

Paul does not specify the nature of his "thorn," and his other epistles do not directly address the topic. Throughout church history, there has been a significant amount of speculation about what Paul was referring to, although scholars such as Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, F. F. Bruce and Ralph P. Martin conclude that definite identification of the thorn is impossible with the evidence available.[5][6][7]

The "thorn" is most commonly interpreted as a reference to some form of serious physical infirmity that hindered his work.[8] This is also the earliest known Christian interpretation, mentioned in the early third century in Tertullian's On Modesty, where it is understood as a reference to ear or head pain.[9] One proposal is that Paul's ailment was a defect of sight, acute ophthalmia, possibly caused by the dazzling light at his conversion. This interpretation is partly based on Paul's reference to a weakness of the flesh in Galatians 4:13-14, for which the Galatians would have been willing to pluck out their eyes to give to him. It is also argued that this would account for Paul's large handwriting (Gal 6:11), his failure to recognise the high priest in Acts 23:5, and his tendency to use an amanuensis.[10] Other proposed ailments include epilepsy and malarial fever.

Alternatively, the thorn has been seen as a physical impediment that made Paul the object of ridicule, without necessarily making him physically weak. Peter Marshall suggests a "social debilitating disease or disfigurement" that would undermine his visionary claims.[11] Others propose a speech impediment, which might explain the Corinthian accusation that he was forceful in writing but unimpressive in person (2 Cor 10:9-11).[12]

Other interpretations include:


interferes with anandamide function as it connects to the same receptors in the brain

Anandamide's effects can occur in either the central or peripheral nervous system. These distinct effects are mediated primarily by CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system, and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the periphery.[6] The latter are mainly involved in functions of the immune system. Cannabinoid receptors were originally discovered as being sensitive to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC, commonly called THC), which is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis. The discovery of anandamide came from research into CB1 and CB2, as it was inevitable that a naturally occurring (endogenous) chemical would be found to affect these receptors.

Anandamide

Anandamide, also known as N-arachidonoylethanolamine or AEA, is a fatty acid neurotransmitter derived from the non-oxidative metabolism of eicosatetraenoic acid (arachidonic acid) an essential ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid. The name is taken from the Sanskrit & Pāli word ananda, which means "joy, bliss, delight", and amide.[1][2] It is synthesized from N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine by multiple pathways.[3] It is degraded primarily by the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) enzyme, which converts anandamide into ethanolamine and arachidonic acid. As such, inhibitors of FAAH lead to elevated anandamide levels and are being pursued for therapeutic use.[4][5]

Anandamide was first described in 1992 by W. A. Devane and Lumír Hanuš.[1]

Anandamide has been shown to impair working memory in rats.[7] Studies are under way to explore what role anandamide plays in human behavior, such as eating and sleep patterns, and pain relief.

Anandamide is also important for implantation of the early stage embryo in its blastocyst form into the uterus. Therefore, cannabinoids such as Î”9-THC might influence processes during the earliest stages of human pregnancy.[8] Peak plasma anandamide occurs at ovulation and positively correlates with peak estradiol and gonadotrophin levels, suggesting that these may be involved in the regulation of AEA (anandamide) levels.[9] Subsequently, anandamide has been proposed as a biomarker of infertility, but so far lacks any predictive values in order to be used clinically.[10]

Anandamide plays a role in the regulation of feeding behavior, and the neural generation of motivation and pleasure. In addition, anandamide injected directly into the forebrain reward-related brain structure nucleus accumbens enhances the pleasurable responses of rats to a rewarding sucrose taste, and enhances food intake as well.[6][11] Moreover, the acute beneficial effects of exercise (termed as runner's high) seem to be mediated by anandamide in mice.[12]

Anandamide is the precursor of a class of physiologically active substances, the prostamides.[13]

Anandamide inhibits human breast cancer cell proliferation.[14]

Anandamide is found in chocolate together with two substances that might mimic the effects of anandamide, N-oleoylethanolamine and N-linoleoylethanolamine.[15]

Additionally, anandamide and other endocannabinoids are found in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly).[16][17]

In humans, anandamide is biosynthesized from N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE). In turn NAPE arises by transfer of arachidonic acid from lecithin to the free amine of cephalin through an N-acyltransferase enzyme.[18][19] Anandamide synthesis from NAPE occurs via multiple pathways and includes enzymes such as phospholipase A2, phospholipase C and NAPE-PLD.[3]

The crystal structure of NAPE-PLD in complex with phosphatidylethanolamine and deoxycholate shows how the cannabinoid anandamide is generated from membrane N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs), and reveals that bile acids - which are mainly involved in the adsorption of lipids in the small intestine - modulate its biogenesis.[20]

Endogenous anandamide is present at very low levels and has a very short half-life due to the action of the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which breaks it down into free arachidonic acid and ethanolamine. Studies of piglets show that dietary levels of arachidonic acid and other essential fatty acids affect the levels of anandamide and other endocannabinoids in the brain.[21] High fat diet feeding in mice increases levels of anandamide in the liver and increases lipogenesis.[22] This suggests that anandamide may play a role in the development of obesity, at least in rodents.

Paracetamol (or acetaminophen in the U.S.A.) is metabolically combined with arachidonic acid by FAAH to form AM404.[23] This metabolite of paracetamol is a potent agonist at the TRPV1 vanilloid receptor, a weak agonist at both CB1 and CB2 receptors, and an inhibitor of anandamide reuptake. As a result, anandamide levels in the body and brain are elevated. In this fashion, paracetamol acts as a pro-drug for a cannabimimetic metabolite. This action may be partially or fully responsible for the analgesic effects of paracetamol.[24][25]

Endocannabinoid transporters for anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol include the heat shock proteins (Hsp70s) and fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs).[26][27]

It has been suggested that AM1172 could potentially be developed into a drug that would increase the brain's anandamide levels to help treat anxiety and depression.[28] Black pepper contains an alkaloid, Guineensine, which appears to be a relatively potent Anandamide reuptake inhibitor, thus increasing its physiological effects.[citation needed] Low dose intake has an anxiolytic effect. High dose intake in mice shows evident hippocampus death[citation needed]. It is not possible to train[clarification needed] tolerable maximum high dosage for mice.[29] Expired patents from 2004 exist that describe anandamide as a vitalising additive for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including combining it with another additive, Oleoylethanolamide, recited as an invention from Nestle, to increase the "stimulus" effect.[30] The amount of anandamide in cacao is 0.5 μg per gram.[31] According to associate statistics world cacao production in 2013 had a value of around five million metric tons annually with a rising tendency, but since the patent expired anyone is allowed to synthetically produce it and add it to food.[32]


khadins and johads are built in which parts of india

A johad (Hindi: जोहड) is a community owned rainwater storage tank wetland principally used in the state of Harayana and Rajasthan of India, that collects and stores water throughout the year, to be used for the purpose of recharging the groundwater in the nearby water wells, washing, bathing and drinking by humans and cattle. Some johads also have bricked or stones masonry and cemented ghat (series of steps and/or ramp). Johads also cater to resident and seasonal migrant birds as well as wildlife from the nearby bani (forest). State fisheries departments also promote the use of these johads for raising fishes on contract basis for commercial purpose. Johads are often seen surrounded by embankment, with water well and trees around them. In many parts of the state, the annual rainfall is very low (between 450 and 600 mm) and the water can be unpleasant to drink. Rainfall during July and August is stored in johads and used throughout the year. Johad in Haryanvi language and Rajasthani language are also called sarovar, taal and talab in Hindi language, and water pond or lake in English. Johads are called as khadin in Jaisalmer district. Smaller cemented water tanks called tanki or tanka in parts of Rajasthan are also sometimes mistakenly referred to as johad. Over 4,500 working johads in Alwar district and surrounding districts Rajasthan were revived by the NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh by Rajendra Singh. Haryana formed the Haryana State Waterbody Management Board to rejuvenate and manage 14,000 ponds in the state, including the development of 60 lakes in Delhi NCR falling within the state.[1][2]

Johad

Johads can be of several types, such as dug out in areas to which rainwater can be easily channeled. Alternatively, simple mud and rubble barrier check dams may be built across the contour of a slope with a high embankment on the three sides while the fourth side is left open for the rainwater to enter. These catch and conserve rainwater, leading to improved percolation and groundwater recharge. They are very common in most villages of states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the Thar desert of Rajasthan in India.

In 2007, Haryana Irrigation Department spent INR435.26 crore (INR4.3 billion or US$7 million) to renovate and restore water bodies in the state for the conservation of water, recharging of ground water, preservation of environment and enhancement of tourism.[3] A study by the Panjab University found 60 fish species of 19 families, 11 commercial and 6 exotic species, in the water bodies of Haryana.[4] Water bodies remain under risk from encroachment, shrinking of catchment area and pollution.[5] In 2010, India's first ever diatom data basing was done in ten different water bodies at ten different stations in Haryana.[6] A 2015 study of 24 water bodies of Haryana, found 39 morphologically different types of diatoms.[7]

In 2016, the Government of Haryana announced a plan to map the district-wise map of water flow and to create a database of all water bodies within the state.[8] These water bodies have contributed to the economic development through fisheries in the landlocked state of Haryana. Haryana ranks second in India in terms of the average annual fish production per unit area in the country with 7000Â kg per hectare average annual fish production.[9] Fish production has increased from 600 tonne in 1966-67 at the time of formation of Haryana to 121000 tonnes of fish during the year 2015-16, providing a livelihood to over 30000 families in fisheries sector.[10]

On 1 November 2017, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar announced that Government of Haryana will form the Haryana State Waterbody Management Board to rejuvenate and manage 14,000 ponds in Haryana by digging the silt out every year. This includes development of 50 to 60 lakes in National Capital Region falling within the Haryana state.[1][2]

There was a severe drought in Alwar district in Rajasthan during 1985-86. In 1985, volunteers from the Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), a voluntary organization led by Rajendra Singh, came to Alwar. The Alwar District had once thrived, but logging, mining, and other industrial activities resulted in land degradation that intensified flooding and droughts. The traditional water management system using Johads was abandoned. TBS revived the tradition of building Johads, an example of traditional technology that provided water for use and recharging ground water. Now smaller ceemnted Johads are popularly known as Tankas in most parts of the arid state of Rajasthan.[11][12]

The water revolution spread by johads in the Alwar district has spread far and wide. Now there are around 5,000 johads all over Rajasthan and this has greatly helped in reducing water shortage and improving water quality.


what structures normally pass through the inguinal canal

The inguinal canals are the two passages in the anterior abdominal wall which in males convey the spermatic cords and in females the round ligament of uterus. The inguinal canals are larger and more prominent in males. There is one inguinal canal on each side of the midline.

Inguinal canal

The inguinal canals are situated just above the medial half of the inguinal ligament. In both sexes the canals transmit the ilioinguinal nerves. The canals are approximately 3.75 to 4Â cm long.[citation needed], angled anteroinferiorly and medially.

A first-order approximation is to visualize each canal as a cylinder.[1]

To help define the boundaries, these canals are often further approximated as boxes with six sides. Not including the two rings, the remaining four sides are usually called the "anterior wall", "inferior wall ("floor")", "superior wall ("roof")", and "posterior wall".[2] These consist of the following:

During development each gonad (ovary or testicle) descend from their starting point on the posterior abdominal wall (para-aortically) from the labioscrotal swellings  near the kidneys, down the abdomen, and through the inguinal canals to reach the scrotum. Each testicle then descends through the abdominal wall into the scrotum, behind the processus vaginalis (which later obliterates). Thus lymphatic spread from a testicular tumour is to the para-aortic nodes first, and not the inguinal nodes.

The structures which pass through the canals differ between males and females:

The classic description of the contents of the spermatic cords in the male are:

3 arteries: artery to vas deferens (or ductus deferens), testicular artery, cremasteric artery;

3 fascial layers: external spermatic, cremasteric, and internal spermatic fascia;

3 other structures: pampiniform plexus, vas deferens (ductus deferens), testicular lymphatics;

3 nerves: genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve (L1/2), sympathetic and visceral afferent fibres, ilioinguinal nerve (N.B. outside spermatic cord but travels next to it)

Note that the ilioinguinal nerve passes through the superficial ring to descend into the scrotum, but does not formally run through the canal.

Abdominal contents (potentially including intestine) can be abnormally displaced from the abdominal cavity. Where these contents exit through the inguinal canal, having passed through the deep inguinal ring, the condition is known as an indirect or oblique inguinal hernia. This can also cause infertility. This condition is far more common in males than in females, owing to the inguinal canal's small size in females.

A hernia that exits the abdominal cavity directly through the deep layers of the abdominal wall, thereby bypassing the inguinal canal, is known as a direct inguinal hernia.

In males with strong presentation of the cremasteric reflex, the testes can--during supine sexual activity or manual manipulation--partially or fully retract into the inguinal canal for a short period of time. In juveniles and adults with inguinal injury, retraction can be prolonged and potentially lead to overheating-related infertility.[6]

The spermatic cord in the inguinal canal.


who played emilio on days of our lives

Billy Hufsey was on television from 1983-1987, playing the role of Christopher Donlon on the syndicated drama, Fame. He went on to play Emilio Ramirez on the daytime drama, Days of Our Lives from 1987-1991. The producers of Days of Our Lives had him write and perform several songs for the show, including "I'll Be There" and "Only This Time". In 1989, Billy recorded and released his album, Contagious. He also toured the world from Italy, Israel, Canada to Las Vegas and many more.

Billy Hufsey

Billy Hufsey (born December 8, 1958 in Brook Park, Ohio) is an American actor and singer.

Billy's other television credits include Married... with Children, Webster, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, Rags to Riches, and Baby Talk. He has also had roles in several movies, which include Tomcats, Zero Tolerance, Crazy Girls Undercover, Cold Nights Into Dawn, Round Trip to Heaven, Off the Wall, and Graduation Day.

In 1985, Billy was featured nude, covered only by a towel, on a popular poster, which is still for sale today.[citation needed] The poster was also used in a scene in the British film The Fruit Machine.

On December 12, 2008 Billy performed a free Christmas concert in his home town of Cleveland, Ohio to raise money for "Feed a Family", a local charity that provides food to families in need.

On January 4, 2009, Billy starred on VH1's Confessions of a Teen Idol, a reality show in which former teen idols attempt to revitalize their entertainment careers. He said that he enjoyed his time in the house with the other six idols, as they all learned from each other.

Later in 2009, he was in the film Radio Needles and in 2011, he co-produced the Jadagrace Show.


where is canada's walk of fame located

Canada's Walk of Fame (French: Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 designated blocks' worth of sidewalks in Toronto in front of Roy Thomson Hall, The Princess of Wales Theatre, and The Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street as well as Simcoe Street.

Canada's Walk of Fame

The first group of members was inducted in 1998, and to date 168 Canadians have been inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. These Inductees include athletes; coaches; actors, directors, writers and producers of movies, television and stage; singers, songwriters and musicians; playwrights; authors; comedians; cartoonists and models.

The Walk of Fame was first conceived in 1996 when co-founder Peter Soumalias, suggested the idea of a Walk of Fame for famous Torontonians to the board of the Toronto Entertainment District Association. They rejected his idea, but he went on to establish a Walk of Fame for Canadians in partnership with Bill Ballard, Dusty Cohl and Gary Slaight. In spite of a lack of funds, research and no media plan, the first class of inductees was inducted in 1998. Canada's Walk of Fame has become a popular tourist attraction in Toronto and has been named the number one Canadian recognition event.[1]

Canada's Walk of Fame accepts nominations for potential inductees from the public year-round, culminating with their National Nomination Promotion during the month of April. In 2000, prior to the introduction of the online voting system, over 30,000 nominations were received via letters, fax and e-mail.[2] Now submissions are accepted on the official Canada's Walk of Fame website and thousands of nominations are received every year, which are then sent to selection committee for consideration.

The committee then analyzes the nominees based on the following criteria: the nominee was born in Canada or has spent their formative or creative years in Canada; they have had a minimum of 10 years experience in their field; they have had a national or international impact on Canadaâ€™s Cultural heritage.[3] Following the Selection Committee's evaluation, the nominees that meet all of the requirements are forwarded to the board of directors, who then select the inductees.[3]

The process differs greatly from that of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood version allows only celebrities of the silver screen, television, radio, live theatre and singers/musicians, while Canada's Walk allows people of more diverse occupations, as listed above. While most celebrities on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are American or have achieved their fame in the United States, Canada's Walk of Fame is exclusive to Canadians. For someone to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they must be nominated by a sponsor who must agree to field the approximately $25,000 cost of installing a star.[4] From there, the names are submitted to a nominating committee of five people, who pick 10â€“15 names to award stars to annually. The only criteria for it are: "professional achievement, longevity of five years or more, contributions to the community and the guarantee that the celebrity will attend the dedication ceremony if selected."[5]

Canadian stars are inducted in an annual group ceremony; while the Hollywood Walk of Fame rarely inducts more than two major stars at a time. Celebrities can have more than one star on the Hollywood Walk, the same celebrity can receive as many as five stars under the various categories. This does not happen with Canada's Walk of Fame, although some may have an individual star but are also included as part of a larger group, such as John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara who have their own star but also were in Second City Television.[6]

New inductees are inducted annually at an unveiling ceremony where their star, a stylized maple leaf, is revealed.[2] The first was held in 1998 and only four of the twelve living inductees attended: Karen Kain, Norman Jewison, Barbara Ann Scott and Rich Little.[7] The 2007 ceremony was held at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre, was attended by all seven inductees and was hosted by Eugene Levy.[8]

Past hosts include Trish Stratus, Tom Green, Jann Arden,[9] Kurt Browning and Catriona Le May Doan.[10] The ceremony was broadcast by CTV until 2008.[8] Beginning in 2009 the ceremony was broadcast by Global.[11] The first ceremony on the network was hosted by Anne Murray while Howie Mandel hosted for the following two years.[12][13] Paul Shaffer hosted the event in 2012.[14]

Established in 2008, the Cineplex Legends Award is posthumously awarded to "Canadian pioneers in film, music, sport, arts, and innovation." Sponsored by Cineplex Entertainment, the first recipients of the award were siblings Norma and Douglas Shearer. The award recipients are also given stars on the Walk of Fame.[15]

First awarded in 2010, the Allan Slaight Award, named after the leading figure in the Canadian radio industry, is awarded to a young Canadian for "making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy." Recipients receive an honorarium of $10,000 from the Slaight Foundation, but are not considered inductees of the Walk of Fame. So far, recipients of the Slaight award have been Nikki Yanofsky,[16] Drake,[17]Melanie Fiona,[18] Carly Rae Jepsen,[19]The Weeknd[20] and Shawn Mendes.[21]

In recent years, Canada's Walk of Fame undertaken several new initiatives and programs.

The Canada's Walk of Fame Festival was established in 2010. The festival spans 3 days, culminating with the Canada's Walk of Fame Awards Show. Since its inaugural year, the festival has included musical performances from Canadian artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Serena Ryder, Crystal Shawanda, Tom Cochrane and Melanie Fiona. In addition to the musical performances, the festival has included both screenings of Canadian films, as well as comedy programming from Canadian comedy acts.

In 2012, in partnership with RBC, Canada's Walk of Fame launched the RBC Emerging Artist Music Mentorship Prize competition. Valued at more than $100,000, the initiative aims to support the next generation of gifted Canadian musicians. Aspiring young musicians are asked to submit a 60 sec. musical audio or video performance for their chance to win the Grand Prize of $25,000 cash, recording time, performance opportunities and much more.[22] Taylor Kurta was the competitions inaugural Grand Prize Winner. The 2014 RBC Emerging Artist Music Mentorship Prize was awarded to NEFE (Sarah Felker) from Guelph, ON.

In 1998, Laurie Brown of the CBC criticized the Walk of Fame, calling it "just an attraction to lure tourists to theatres in the area." She claimed that it would only honour Canadians with international impact, saying "if it was truly for Canadians, then I think there would be more of a national bend to the whole thing. But I doubt I'm going to see a star on the Walk of Fame that is only a known-name here in Canada."[7]

In September 2010, William Shatner commented on Twitter regarding damage to his star on the Walk of Fame: "I hear my star on the Canadian Walk of Fame is a bit frazzled... but, then again, so am I. I wonder if anybody hovering around that area can tell me whatâ€™s wrong with it and what needs fixing."[23] The family of Gordie Howe also commented on the damage to Gordie's star. The Canadian Press reported that "A number of celebrities' stars are looking a bit rough around the edges."[24] The president of the Walk of Fame stated that damage was due to the freezing and thawing during Canadian winters and also sidewalk snowplows. It was announced that the city of Toronto would replace Shatner and Howe's damaged tiles,[25] and the Walk of Fame was looking into an alternative to installing the plaques on a sidewalk where they are subjected to harsh environmental conditions.[23]


the leaving group in the fischer esterification is

Acid anhydrides are more reactive than esters because the leaving group is a carboxylate anionâ€”a better leaving group than an alkoxide anion because their negative charge is more delocalised. However, such routes generally result in poor atom economy. For example, in reacting ethanol with acetic anhydride, ethyl acetate forms and acetic acid is kicked out as a leaving group, which is considerably less reactive than an acid anhydride and will be left as a byproduct (in a wasteful 1:1 ratio with the ester product) if product is collected immediately. If conditions are acidic enough, the acetic acid can be further reacted via the Fischer esterification pathway, but at a much slower pace. However, in many carefully designed syntheses, reagents can be designed such that acid anhydrides are generated in situ and carboxylic acid byproducts are reactivated, and Fischer esterification routes are not necessarily mutually exclusive with acetic anhydride routes. (Examples of this include the common undergraduate organic lab experiment involving the acetylation of salicylic acid to yield aspirin.)

Fischer–Speier esterification

Fischer esterification or Fischer–Speier esterification is a special type of esterification by refluxing a carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst. The reaction was first described by Emil Fischer and Arthur Speier in 1895.[1] Most carboxylic acids are suitable for the reaction, but the alcohol should generally be a primary or secondary alkyl. Tertiary alcohols are prone to elimination. Contrary to common misconception found in organic chemistry textbooks, phenols can also be esterified to give good to near quantitative yield of products.[2][3] Commonly used catalysts for a Fischer esterification include sulfuric acid, tosylic acid, and Lewis acids such as scandium(III) triflate. For more valuable or sensitive substrates (for example, biomaterials), dicyclohexylcarbodiimide is often used. The reaction is often carried out without a solvent (particularly when a large reagent excess of alcohol is used) or in a non-polar solvent (e.g. toluene) to facilitate the Dean-Stark method.[4] Typical reaction times vary from 1–10 hours at temperatures of 60-110 °C.

Direct acylations of alcohols with carboxylic acids is preferred over acylations with anhydrides (poor atom economy) or acid chlorides (moisture sensitive). The main disadvantage of direct acylation is the unfavorable chemical equilibrium that must be remedied (e.g. by a large excess of one of the reagents), or by the removal of water (e.g. by using Dean-Stark distillation, anhydrous salts,[5] molecular sieves, or by using a stoichiometric quantity of acid catalyst).

Fischer esterification is an example of nucleophilic acyl substitution based on the electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon and the nucleophilicity of an alcohol. However, carboxylic acids tend to be less reactive than esters as electrophiles. Additionally, in dilute neutral solutions they tend to be deprotonated anions (and thus unreactive as electrophiles). Though very kinetically slow without any catalysts (most esters are metastable), pure esters will tend to spontaneously hydrolyse in the presence of water, so when carried out "unaided", high yields for this reaction is quite unfavourable.

Several steps can be taken to turn this unfavourable reaction into a favourable one.[4]

The reaction mechanism for this reaction has several steps:

A generic mechanism for an acid Fischer esterification is shown below.

The primary advantages of Fischer esterification compared to other esterification processes are based on its relative simplicity. Straightforward acidic conditions can be used if acid-sensitive functional groups are not an issue; sulfuric acid can be used; softer acids can be used with a tradeoff of longer reaction times. Because the reagents used are "direct," there is less environmental impact in terms of waste products and harmfulness of the reagents. Alkyl halides are potential greenhouse gases or ozone depletors and possible ecological poisons. Acid chlorides evolve hydrogen chloride gas upon contact with atmospheric moisture, are corrosive, react vigorously with water and other nucleophiles (sometimes dangerously); they are easily quenched by other nucleophiles besides the desired alcohol; their most common synthesis routes involve the evolution of toxic carbon monoxide or sulfur dioxide gases (depending on the synthesis process used).

Fischer esterification is primarily a thermodynamically-controlled process: because of its slowness, the most stable ester tends to be the major product. This can be a desirable trait if there are multiple reaction sites and side product esters to be avoided. In contrast, rapid reactions involving acid anhydrides or acid chlorides are often kinetically-controlled.

The primary disadvantages of Fischer esterification routes are its thermodynamic reversibility and relatively slow reaction ratesâ€”often on the scale of several hours to years, depending on the reaction conditions. Workarounds to this can be inconvenient if there are other functional groups sensitive to strong acid, in which case other catalytic acids may be chosen. If the product ester has a lower boiling point than either water or the reagents, the product may be distilled rather than water; this is common as esters with no protic functional groups tend to have lower boiling points than their protic parent reagents. Purification and extraction are easier if the ester product can be distilled away from the reagents and byproducts, but reaction rate can be slowed because overall reaction temperature can be limited in this scenario. A more inconvenient scenario is if the reagents have a lower boiling point than either the ester product or water, in which case the reaction mixture must be capped and refluxed and a large excess of starting material added. In this case anhydrous salts, such as Copper(II) sulfate or Potassium pyrosulfate, can also be added to sequester the water by forming hydrates, shifting the equilibrium towards ester products.[5] These hydrated salts are then decanted prior to the final workup.

The natural esterification that takes place in wines and other alcoholic beverages during the aging process is an example of acid-catalysed esterification. Over time, the acidity of the acetic acid and tannins in an aging wine will catalytically protonate other organic acids (including acetic acid itself), encouraging ethanol to react as a nucleophile. As a result, ethyl acetate—the ester of ethanol and acetic acid—is the most abundant ester in wines. Other combinations of organic alcohols (such as phenol-containing compounds) and organic acids lead to a variety of different esters in wines, contributing to their different flavours, smells and tastes. Of course, when compared to sulfuric acid conditions, the acid conditions in a wine are mild, so yield is low (often in tenths or hundredths of a percentage point by volume) and take years for ester to accumulate.

Tetrabutylammonium tribromide (TBATB) can serve as an effective but unconventional catalyst for this reaction.[6] It is believed that hydrobromic acid released by TBATB protonates the alcohol rather than the carboxylic acid, making the carboxylate the actual nucleophile. This would be a reversal of the standard esterification mechanism. An example of this method is the acylation 3-phenylpropanol using glacial acetic acid and TBATB. The reaction generates the ester in 15 minutes in a 95% yield without the need to remove water.


how does de beauvoir characterize human freedom in the ethics of ambiguity

The brief Conclusion sums up de Beauvoir's view of human freedom: "... we are absolutely free today if we choose to will our existence in its finiteness, a finiteness which is open on the infinite."[1] She ends with a call for us to realize and act on this fundamental truth of our existence.

The Ethics of Ambiguity

The Ethics of Ambiguity (French title: Pour une morale de l'ambiguïté) is Simone de Beauvoir's second major non-fiction work. It was prompted by a lecture she gave in 1945,[which?] after which she claimed that it was impossible to base an ethical system on her partner Jean-Paul Sartre's major philosophical work Being and Nothingness (French title: L'Être et le néant). The following year, over a six-month period, she took on the challenge, publishing the resulting text first as installments in Les Temps modernes and then, in November 1947, as a book.

The Ethics of Ambiguity consists of three parts and a short conclusion.[1]

"Ambiguity and Freedom," lays out the philosophical underpinnings of de Beauvoir's stance on ethics. She asserts that "man" (meaning human beings generally) is fundamentally free, a freedom that comes from his "nothingness," which is an essential aspect of his ability to be self-aware, to be conscious of himself: "... the nothingness which is at the heart of man is also the consciousness that he has of himself."[1] But man is also a thing, a "facticity," an object for others.[1] The ambiguity is that each of us is both subject and object, freedom and facticity. As free, we have the ability to take note of ourselves and choose what to do. As factic, we are constrained by physical limits, social barriers and the expectations and political power of others.

De Beauvoir rejects any notion of an absolute goodness or moral imperative that exists on its own. "...there exists no absolute value before the passion of man, outside of it, in relation to which one might distinguish the useless from the useful."[1] Values come only from our choices.[1]

Human freedom can be only in concrete projects, not in the abstract. Freedom "requires the realization of concrete ends, of particular projects."[1][1]

The types of particular content that are suitable are discussed in Part III.

Part II, "Personal Freedom and Others," examines a number of different ways that people try to deny their freedom, as freedom can be uncomfortable and disquieting. The freedom to choose entails the freedom to try to avoid one's freedom. Before we can even do that, however, we start as children, who take the values of the adults around them as ready-made things. She calls this the attitude of "seriousness," in which the child "escapes the anguish of freedom" by thinking of values as existing objectively, outside himself, rather than as an expression of his freedom.[1] Once past childhood, one can be a sub-man who avoids all questions of freedom and assumes himself not free. The next rung up the hierarchy is the serious man who "gets rid of his freedom by claiming to subordinate it to values which would be unconditioned," in effect reverting to a kind of childhood.[1] Both the sub-man and the serious man refuse to recognize that they are free, in the sense of being able to choose their own values.

Several other types recognize their freedom, but misuse it. The nihilist, having failed at life, decides not to try anything at all. "Conscious of being unable to be anything, man then decides to be nothing.... Nihilism is disappointed seriousness which has turned back upon itself."[1] The adventurer is one who engages vigorously in various life projects, but without caring for the goal. The adventurer "does not attach himself to the end at which he aims; only to his conquest. He likes action for its own sake."[1] And he tramples on others in the process: "[T]he adventurer shares the nihilistâ€™s contempt for men."[1] Finally the passionate man cares enthusiastically about his goal, but shares a similar contempt for others: "Not intending his freedom for men, the passionate man does not recognize them as freedoms either. He will not hesitate to treat them as things."[1]

And finally there is genuine freedom, which takes the excitement of the adventurer and the passion of the passionate man and includes with them a concern for other people, other freedoms, as well. "Passion is converted to genuine freedom only if one destines his existence to other existences...."[1] "To will oneself free is also to will others free."[1]

Part III, "The Positive Aspect of Ambiguity," examines the intricacies and nuances of genuinely free action in the world. It includes five sections.


who is the man that appears on the wally trophy

The Wally is the trophy awarded to winners of an NHRA national event. They have been handed out at national events starting with the 1969 NHRA race season. With an antique brass plating over a standard metal mix and a solid walnut base, the "Wally" (named after NHRA founder Wally Parks) is 18 inches tall and weighs 12 pounds. Contrary to popular belief, the Wally trophy does not feature Parks himself, but is rather modeled after Top Gas racer Jack Jones.[1] Jerry Gordon The origin of the photo is interesting. According to the June 30, 1995 edition of National Dragster, the story goes that in early 1969, Jack Jones was at his day job, and got a call from Wally Parks. Parks asked him if he would be willing to pose for pictures for a trophy at Pomona Raceway. Pomona is a 16 minute ride from Glendora where the NHRA is based. Jack agreed and a number of pictures were snapped, including the now iconic photo of him with his equipment and a tire. Later that year, the famous Wally trophy was introduced. It is perfect because it is still the same design as in 1969. It does not evolve because it does not have to.

The Wally

The NHRA was formed by Wally Parks in 1951 in an effort to promote the sport of drag racing while keeping young people from racing on local roads. The first national event was held in 1955 in Great Bend, Kansas on an abandoned air strip.[2] The first national event winner in the NHRA was 25-year-old Calvin Rice of Santa Ana, CA.[3]

In the June 30, 1995 issue of National Dragster, Jack Jones said, "Believe it or not, Wally Parks called me at my job and asked if Iâ€™d do him a favor, pose for pictures that would be used as models for the trophy." The Wally was modeled after the images taken of Jones during a photo shoot at Pomona Raceway in California in 1969.[4]

Variations of the Wally exist for other special purposes. Some of which include the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Wally, a scaled-down replica of the national event Wally. The NHRA National Dragster Challenge Wally, awarded to NHRA Summit Series E.T. Bracket racers, is the same size as the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Wally but with a pewter finish. Beginning in 1994, a full scale Wally with a square base was first awarded to NHRA Junior Drag Racing League national champions. A variety of special awards including plaques and glass etched trophies integrate the image of the Wally.

The table below outlines the drivers with the most NHRA national event victories in professional and sportsman categories. (As of Jan 22, 2017)

* Denotes retired or inactive drivers


who has been the eldest football player to score a goal in a world cup

He achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most forward-playing footballers have retired, by scoring four goals at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He helped Cameroon become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Four years later, at the age of 42, he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history by scoring against Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[1]

Roger Milla

Albert Roger Mooh Miller (born 20 May 1952), commonly known as Roger Milla, is a retired Cameroonian professional footballer who played as a forward. He was one of the first African players to be major stars on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.

He is also remembered for his trademark goal celebration of running to the corner flag and performing a dance. In the years that have followed, he has been recognised as a pioneer of the many unconventional and imaginative goal celebrations seen since then. He was named one of the 125 greatest living football players in 2004 by Brazilian football player Pelé.[1] In 2007, he was named by the Confederation of African Football as the best African player of the previous 50 years.[2]

Born in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé, he moved constantly as a child because of his father's railroad job. He signed for his first club in Douala as a 13-year-old. At 18, he won his first league championship with Léopards Douala. In 1976, by which time he had moved to Tonnerre Yaoundé, he was named African Footballer of the Year.

In 1977, he was lured to Europe by the French club Valenciennes. There he scored 6 goals in 28 league games over 2 seasons. In 1979 he joined AS Monaco scoring twice in 17 league games in one season.

The next year, he joined Bastia where he scored 35 goals in 113 league appearances for the first team. He next moved to Saint-Etienne in 1984 scoring 31 times in 59 league games. He then starred for Montpellier from 1986 to 1989, where he later went on to become a member of the club's coaching staff after retiring from French football.

After leaving France in 1987 Milla moved to Réunion in the Indian Ocean where he played for JS Saint-Pierroise. He then returned to Tonnerre in Cameroon for four seasons. He closed out his playing days with two clubs in Indonesia.

Milla was capped 63 times for the national team, scoring 37 goals.[3] Milla made his first appearance for Cameroon in 1973 versus Zaire in a World Cup qualifier.[4] He was a member of Cameroon's team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, having a goal disallowed against Peru in their first match. Cameroon went out with three draws from their three first-round games. Two years later, he was part of the squad competing at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

However, in 1990, he received a phone call from the President of Cameroon Paul Biya, who pleaded with him to come out of international retirement and rejoin the national team. He agreed, and went to Italy with the Indomitable Lions for the 1990 World Cup.

38-year-old Milla emerged as one of the tournament's major stars. He scored four goals in Italy, celebrating each one with a dance around the corner flag that has become a popular goal celebration ever since. Two of his goals came against Romania in Cameroon's second game, and two more came in extra time against Colombia in the last 16 to carry Cameroon to the quarter-finals, the furthest an African team had ever advanced at the World Cup (Senegal matched this feat in 2002, as did Ghana in 2010). In the quarter-final match against England, Milla confirmed his super-sub legend by entering in the second half with Cameroon trailing 1–0 and drawing a penalty and then setting up a goal for Ekeke to give Cameroon a 2–1 lead, before England later scored two penalties, to win 3–2 after extra time. Due to his performances in Italy, he was once again named African Footballer of the Year.

His second goal celebration against Colombia was the subject of the 2010 World Cup Coca-Cola advertisement.[5]

Milla returned to the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the age of 42, being the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup until the 2014 FIFA World Cup when Colombia's Faryd Mondragón entered in a group stage match versus Japan being 43 years and 3 days old, setting a new record.[6] Cameroon were knocked out in the group stages; however, Milla scored a goal against Russia, setting a record as the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup tournament, breaking the record he had set in 1990.[7] His final international appearance came in a friendly against South Africa in December 1994.[4]

He is now an itinerant ambassador for African causes. In 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in conjunction with FIFA's centenary celebrations.


what disease does lucious lyon have on empire

Lucious Lyon (born Dwight Walker) is a fictional character from the Fox drama series Empire, portrayed by Terrence Howard. Lucious is the main protagonist and anti-hero of the series.[1] Created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, Lucious is the founder and CEO of Empire Entertainment, a world-famous and renowned record company that he runs with his family. Realizing he will need a successor after he is diagnosed with ALS, Lucious pits his three sons—the college-educated executive Andre Lyon (Trai Byers), the talented and gay singer/songwriter Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and youngest, rapper Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray)—against one another.[2] The story parallels William Shakespeare's King Lear and James Goldman's The Lion in Winter.[3][4] He is the husband of former drug dealer and ex-con Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson).

Lucious Lyon

The company is preparing to go public on the NYSE. However, Lucious must contend with his wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) upon her release from prison as she demands her piece of the company. He also struggles with Jamal's sexuality and Hakeem's inability to step up to the plate and show maturity as an artist. At the same time, Lucious neglects Andre seemingly due to his lack of musical ability. Lucious and Cookie's love for each other further complicates his existing relationship with his head of A&R, Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey). The character of Lucious who starts out selling drugs as a teenager and develops into a well respected rapper and music mogul is loosely based on several real life figures from rappers, record producers, to politicians with a criminal past.[5][6]

Lucious Lyon was born Dwight Walker. He grew up in Philadelphia[7] and began selling drugs as an orphan[8] at the age of 9 to support himself, after his father was murdered by the Nation of Islam.[9] He also met his future wife, Cookie Holloway, who helped him sell drugs in order to finance his rapping career. Cookie is eventually arrested in a drug run and sentenced to prison. Lucious immediately divorces her and raises their 3 young sons with the help of Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba) and Cookie's cousin, Bunkie Williams (Antoine McKay). Eventually, Cookie and Lucious get remarried in the Season 4 finale.

After becoming a successful rapper and singer, Lucious uses his drug money to build his own record company, Empire. After announcing his plans to take Empire public, Lucious is informed that he has ALS and is given 3 years to live. He soon becomes engaged to a younger woman and debutante named Anika Calhoun. His position in his company is threatened when Cookie returns from prison after having served her 17-year sentence, which was reduced due to her becoming an FBI informant (unbeknownst to Lucious).[10] Cookie demands that Lucious give her half of Empire and the A&R position with the knowledge that he used drug money to finance the company.[11] He refuses her demands, but nonetheless hires her on the company board and allows her to be the manager of their son Jamal, claiming that he "never wanted" him anyway due to his homosexuality. Lucious and Cookie pit Hakeem and Jamal against one another in an effort to prove who has more musical talent and to determine which one will inherit Empire.

Meanwhile, Lucious orders Bunkie to spy on Cookie. Bunkie refuses to do so and instead attempts to blackmail him, demanding $3 million USD to pay off his gambling debts. Lucious kills Bunkie after meeting with him later near the city docks.[12] He pretends to grieve at Bunkie's funeral, and has his oldest son Andre lie to the police about his location the night of the shooting.

Lucious gets Anika's father, a doctor, to sign a false statement of health concerning his ALS. He hires another doctor who secretly provides him with drugs from the black market, informing him that the drugs could possibly cure his ALS.[13] The drugs only exacerbate his condition and he is rushed to the hospital. Once he recovers, he reveals his diagnosis to his family. Lucious and Cookie have a brief affair, which causes Anika to leave him and go to the company of his detested rival, Billy Berretti (Judd Nelson). Lucious discovers that Jamal has a possible daughter named Lola with his ex-wife Olivia (Raven Symone). He also hires security guards to better protect himself and his company. The head of security, Malcolm DeVeaux (Derek Luke), is a former Navy Seal, whom Cookie flirts with to make Lucious jealous.[14]

Despite tensions between Cookie and Lucious over their affair and subsequent breakup, they plan to release a collaborative family album called The Lucious Lyon Legacy Album. Cookie wants the album to feature Lucious, Jamal, and Hakeem as a supergroup, but Lucious decides to cancel it once Jamal comes out as gay to the public during a performance of his father's song, "You're So Beautiful."[15] During a company board meeting, Andre tries to gain the position of interim CEO should Lucious become ill or die. When a tie-breaker is needed to decide if Andre gets the position, Lucious votes against his son,[15] later explaining to him in private his disapproval of Andre's interracial marriage to Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday). Andre, in turn, stops taking his medication for his bipolar disorder and angrily lashes out at his father during a board meeting, accusing him of being a murderer. Lucious has Andre restrained and sedated, allowing Rhonda to decide to place her husband in psychiatric care.[16]

Lucious attempts to restart his relationship with Cookie by hiring her to the now vacant A&R position, but she turns him down and sleeps with Malcolm. He offers Hakeem's older girlfriend, Camilla (Naomi Campbell) money to pay off her numerous debts in exchange for leaving the country and Hakeem, as he views her as a bad influence on his son. During a family dinner, Olivia's jealous boyfriend Reg breaks into Lucious' house and pulls a gun on Jamal and then Cookie when she intervenes. Lucious tells him that he is Lola's father and that he deserves to die, but Malcolm shoots Reg in the head before he can fire on Lucious.[17]

Shortly after Reg's death, Lucious hosts a concert with Snoop Dogg and his son Hakeem, in which Hakeem repeatedly insults his father on stage for his role in getting Camilla to leave the country. Lucious punches his son in retaliation, but Hakeem sleeps with Anika to get revenge. Lucious discovers Cookie's relationship with Malcolm and reveals that he never actually hired her to the company board, and forces her out of her office. Lucious is told by his doctor that he was misdiagnosed with ALS and actually has MG (myasthenia gravis). While he is sleeping, Cookie hears Lucious confess to the murder of Bunkie, and she attempts to smother him with a pillow until Lucious nearly wakes. Overjoyed that he is not dying, Lucious decides to make amends with Hakeem and Andre. He finally recognizes Jamal's musical talent and realizes that he should lead Empire, making him the CEO. Lucious finally takes the company to the NYSE. In a celebration concert, Lucious is arrested for the murder of Bunkie. As he is escorted to jail, he believes Cookie informed the police of Bunkie's murder.[18]

Strong on specific inspirations for Lucious.

Creator Lee Daniels took influence from his own father in creating the character: "Lucious is a lot of my dad." Daniels also drew inspiration from several well respected men in the music industry including "Berry Gordy to Gamble and Huff to Jay Z to Puffy to Quincy Jones."[5]
Howard described himself as "megalomaniac" to which Lee Daniels responded, "The character's a megalomaniac." Howard replied in turn, "You need to be a megalomaniac to play a megalomaniac." When they started production, Howard thought to play Lucious with his "head down or be softhearted about something," but Daniels stated that "Lucious owns the world." Howard said the first few episodes are basically him doing an impersonation of Daniels. Howard also drew on inspiration from the 1972 film, The Godfather. "[Lucious] wants to be Michael Corleone, but sometimes he's stuck at being Sonny." Lucious does his best to "get rid of his emotions," Howard said. However, his emotions always sneak up on him and "keep him human."[19] Howard had some admiration for his character. "I love that Lucious is unapologetic about who he is" and that he has a "backbone of pure determination." However, Howard said what rubs him the wrong way about Lucious is his "inability to connect with the people that really mean the most to him."[20]

Danny Strong on the original concept for the series.

In an interview Howard said "for me to play a character that is Archie Bunker, or really the rest of America unmasked, Lucious says exactly how he feels when he feels it... And despite who's watching because he has five billion dollars and doesn't need anybody's approval." Howard is allowed to play someone who is "brutally, objectively and subjectively honest, in every circumstance."[22]

On February 19, 2014, it was announced that Academy Award-nominated actor Terrence Howard had been in cast in the role of Lucious Lyon, the head of Empire Entertainment, which he is about to take public. "Raised on the streets" Lucious never backs down from a fight and will do anything to defend his life's work. Howard had recently appeared in Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's 2013 film, The Butler.[23] On taking the role, Howard explained that there is no longer a "distinction" between the stage, film or television. He had done movies, but stated that "the work I find on this show is more challenging than 90 percent of the roles in film, and that's what you want as an artist." Those challenges helped Howard grow as an artist.[20]
Daniels admitted that he did have another actor besides Terrence Howard in mind for the role, and initially refused to disclose the actor's name.[19] He later admitted that the other actor was Wesley Snipes, but Taraji P. Henson, who had already been in talks with the producers to play Cookie, suggested her former co-star Howard for the role. Otherwise, Henson would have declined her role. Howard and Henson worked together on the 2005 independent film, Hustle & Flow, for which Howard received his Academy Award nomination.[21] "He had to be incredibly charming and charismatic and likable," Danny Strong said of any actor playing Lucious.[24] While Henson recommended Howard because she thought he "classed up this whole hip-hop thing," Daniels was not a huge fan of Howard when they first crossed paths, prior to The Butler in 2013. Daniels thought Howard was "too pretty" and thought the actor would "play too pretty." Daniels accredited the 1998 film Spark with changing his mind about Howard as an actor.[19] But Daniels was still hesitant; "I didn't think Terrence was interested in TV." However, Howard said he agreed to the role because he enjoyed working with Daniels on The Butler. "Anywhere you go, I'm going," Howard told Daniels.[24] After Howard first read the script, he was very skeptical of the show and its portrayal of homosexuality. He initially referred to the script as "crap" and said that he wasn't sure how "ready the world was" to be shown "two black men kissing."[25] Howard later admitted that he was "so wrong," saying that "[The homophobic environment]'s the environment I grew up in. That's the environment my friends grew up in. So this is a show aimed towards the black demographic. And do you really think that this is going to fly?" Howard even personally called Fox and told them, "'You need to take the kissing out, because this is going to stop, shut down the show."

In response to the controversy surrounding his casting and whether he should have been excluded from the project because of his alleged past, Howard said "I hope that nothing will take away from the truly special project we all worked so hard on. I hope people enjoy it because it has been such a wonderful experience working with this cast and Fox." Danny Strong admitted that he was not made aware of Howard's past until several months into the project. Strong said that while he did not condone Howard's alleged past behavior, "it is the polar opposite of what I've experienced with him, one-on-one and on set." Producer Brian Grazer put faith in Howard to "do right." Howard is a "guy that cares a lot... and he's been great with us on our sets, so I can only speak to that," Grazer continued.[19] Fox executive Dana Walden described Howard as "a great partner." Walden explained that while it was the choice of the creators to hire Howard, the actor had impressed her and her co-chair Gary Newman. Walden also admitted that she and Newman were not made aware of the allegations until December 2014. By that time, Howard had been working with the network for nearly a year and showed no signs of trouble.[26]

Howard on the character's appeal

Much like Lee Daniels' own father, Lucious is severely homophobic and extremely unapologetic about it.[28] Daniels revealed that the decision to make Lucious homophobic stemmed from his experiences doing research for Precious. "Homophobia is rampant in the African American community" Daniels stated. "I wanted to blow the lid off more on homophobia in my community," Daniels continued.[29] The openly gay Daniels recalled his father's point of view on his sexuality: "You're an African-American man, that's hard enough. You're going to throw gay on top of it? What are you doing? You have a choice. Do you really want to go through [life] like this?"[30] "What we're doing is telling a little bit of the story of Lee growing up in that way," Terrence Howard said, referring to the scene in which Lucious throws his 4-year-old son Jamal in a trash bin when the boy puts on his mother's heels. That scene was based on Daniels' actual experience with his own father.[28] Howard elaborated on his experience during the scene: "Watching Lee while we were shooting this â€” at one point, he had to look away because he was in tears, because he was facing it. His mother was also there on the set. It was cathartic for Lee." Howard continued, "Lee would not allow me to show any compassion in the scene. He reminded me how much Lucious loved little Jamal, but my need for the boy to be a strong man was greater than my need to show my love to him. That was a difficult scene."[31] Danny Strong initially did not tell Daniels about the decision to incorporate that part of his life story into the series because he feared Daniels would reject the idea.[32] Howard revealed that his own father was also terribly homophobic and it scared him too. But "that's what's taught in most [African-American and Latino] households", Howard explained. "What we're really trying to do is give people an opportunity to see what they're doing is painful," the actor continued.[28] From Lucious' point of view, as a hip hop mogul, "He is supposed to be the epitome of a'man' in the black community. He's raising three [strong] sons." Lucious feels that Jamal's homosexuality detracts from that powerful image.[22]

When asked about the reason for the character's homophobia, show runner Ilene Chaiken said, "The why isn't something we've asked because I don't think there is a why." It just is. It could be "generational" and "cultural" or it could just be his personal beliefs, "but it's not surprising that it would be his point of view," Chaiken responded. "We don’t talk about there being a specific incident in his life that made him homophobic," because usually there isn't one.[33] According to Chaiken, creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong viewed Lucious' homophobia as "[T]he most important storyline." They went on to state: "It’s central. We want to continue to play it, and play it with authenticity and roughness. We don’t want to soften it in any way."[34] By the end of Season one, Lucious is able to put his homophobia aside for the greater good of Empire. Jussie Smollett said of Lucious' evolution and eventual acceptance of Jamal's sexuality, "[W]here you meet Jamal and Lucious in the pilot is not where Jamal and Lucious end up. There's a journey, a certain level of growth, and that's the truth of humanity."[35] Smollett clarified that Lucious' evolution was not a complete reversal of his beliefs, but rather, a step in the right direction: "It's not to say that Lucious is going to be this incredible parent that supports his kid and goes and stands on the sidelines of gay marches, but it does mean that we're holding up a mirror and being like, "Lucious, if those are your points of view, as odd and jaded and bullshit as they are, if those are your points of view, the least you can do — the least you can do — is respect your child." Co-creator Danny Strong said of the character's growth, "Lucious has had the most profound arc of the season when it comes to his understanding and acceptance of his son’s sexuality, and it was sort of one of the driving ideas of the season thematically with addressing homophobia in a way that was honest."[36]

When Lucious is diagnosed with ALS in the pilot, he starts to realize that he was not a great parent because he was so focused on "making the money." Howard said, "I'm approaching it from that place of missed time and trying desperately" to make use of the time he has left. While Howard does not have personal experience with the disease, he focused in on the "fear" that comes with such a disease. "There is a fear of what's about to happen" Howard said.[22] The character's longevity immediately comes into question due to the diagnosis. However, Danny Strong refused to comment on how the disease would affect Lucious in future seasons.[37] Strong danced around answering the question about the fatality of Lucious' diagnosis and said viewers would have to wait and see how the disease would affect Lucious.[38] Though the doctor gives Lucious three years, and maybe even less time, Bustle estimated Lucious would be killed off around the end of season 3. However, the magazine noted that while the disease is incurable, Stephen Hawking who was diagnosed at the age of 21 was now 73 years old. Lucious starts showing symptoms much earlier than the doctor predicts which makes it seems like his life expectancy could be shorter. However, Bustle argued against the potential of the character's death sooner rather than later because Howard is the lead of the show.[39] Dr. Aletha Maybank said "even though shows like Empire are filled with climatic levels of drama, it has elevated the conversation around a disease that has historically been showed behind the curtain by thrusting it into the lights of primetime."[40] Ilene Chaiken discussed having Lucious come clean about his condition sooner rather than keeping the secret until the following season.[41] In the Season one finale, Lucious discovers that he doesn't have ALS; rather, he has the treatable but still debilitating myasthenia gravis.[42] Brian Moylan of The Guardian found Lucious' misdiagnosis to be a mistake on the part of the writers and creators, saying that it made the plot of the show "meaningless." He went on to say that the ALS diagnosis was a "brave" decision that the writers "snatched away." He claimed that the misdiagnosis "shows the audience that the bold choices this show makes have no real consequences. When they can find an easy way to brush off a serious disease such as ALS, what else will be swatted away when it becomes inconvenient to the writers? Is Andre’s bipolar disorder going to be cured too?"[43] However, co-creator Danny Strong revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he had always intended for Lucious to have been misdiagnosed with ALS: "Lucious being misdiagnosed was in my original pitch. Lee and I pitched the show to four different networks, and it was always in the pitch that he was going to think he had ALS, but toward the end of the first season, he’s going to find out he was misdiagnosed. I’ve heard a few stories about that; my ex-girlfriend’s father was misdiagnosed with ALS, but also my grandfather had an autoimmune disease that crippled him but then it just reversed itself." Strong stated that the misdiagnosis was believable because "ALS is...a very hard disease to diagnose."[44]

According to Ilene Chaiken, Lucious is all about "what he wants in the moment." Cookie is "the one" for Lucious. Chaiken praised the chemistry between Howard and Henson but also gave credit to Daniels and Strong for creating the "extraordinary connection" between the two characters. Michael Slezak questioned whether Lucious and Cookie getting along would work in the long term because they are "fun adversaries." Chaiken said the writers were well aware that their reunion would come, but had a plan in place once it did. Chaiken said "we know where we're going and it's complicated."[41] Howard explained that Lucious and Cookie have a mutual love for one another.[45]

Howard insisted that Lucious loves Jamal and only wants the best for him. "So when he has this one son who's shown some homosexual tendencies as a child â€“ [as a father] you're always kind of watchful, [wondering] why is Timmy over here playing with the dolls for so long?" Lucious identifies the "problem" early on and does what he deems necessary to get rid of those tendencies. "That's what father do. They take all of these kind of steps and precautions to make sure that any tendency that goes feminine, you try to nip that in the bud" Howard explained.[45] Despite his disapproval over Jamal's sexuality, Lucious is able to give Jamal advice and some sort of comfort when his career starts taking off causing Jamal's boyfriend to leave him. "Lucious... talking to Jamal about how hard it is to be with an artist is a really authentic moment." It's also one of the first times the share a bonding moment.[41] When Jamal finally stands up to Lucious, Howard said Lucious never tried to "crush" the "greatness that's in [Jamal]." Instead, "Lucious always pushed it." Howard explained and Lee Daniels agreed that had Lucious not been so harsh with his son at home, "Jamal may not have survived" where they grew up. Thanks to Lucious, "Jamal learned what the devil looked like." One doesn't grow from having "safe haven," Howard insisted.[46]

Much like his character, Howard is no stranger to controversy. Some disapproved of his hiring due to his past allegations of domestic violence and suggested that Howard be removed from the project.[19][47] That same year, NBC ended its partnership with Bill Cosby due to allegations of sexual assault.[47] Clover Hope of The Muse viewed Lucious in the pilot as a "straight-up villain" that would have to overcome very "tragic flaws" to be deemed "likable." She continued, "The writers have so far succeeded in making [Lucious] one of the most compelling characters on television, and they're on the verge of pulling off another fete [sic]: making Terrence Howard likable."[48] While the role comes off as a continuation of Howard's Hustle & Flow character, Jeff Jensen praised Howard's portrayal. "Helped by his doleful visage, tender voice, and soulful air, Howard keeps us caring about Lucious even as he reveals his monstrous shades."[49]

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times described Howard's portrayal as "silky and understated."[50] Mark Blankenstop praised the writers for humanizing Lucious in "Our Dancing Days". Blankenstop said, "while the show doesn't forget this man is a villain -- he did kill his best friend, remember -- it also allows him to be a romantic who can actually love at least one person." He also praised Howard's portrayal of Lucious' love for Cookie. "I buy that Lucious really does feel things about [Cookie] that don't involve platinum plaques" he continued.[51] "The very thing one hates about Lucious is the thing one likes most about him" Jozen Cummings from Billboard when she ranked Lucious at #3 out of 7 characters, based on likability.[52]

Lucious has received comparisons to other TV antiheroes such as Tony Soprano, Walter White, Omar Little, and Don Draper.[53][54] Scott Mendelson of Forbes said of the character, "Like the classic television anti-heroes of TV’s so-called "golden age," Mr. Lyon operates as both the show’s would-be hero and its most obvious villain. The character of Lucious Lyon arguably offers one of the first non-white variations on the now-standard television anti-hero."[55] Lucious has been criticized for being a bad CEO and an even worse father. Zack O'Malley Greenburg said that Lucious' "intolerance" and "deep prejudice" inhibit him from making good decisions for the betterment of his company.[56] Keertana Sastry of Bustle referred to Lucious as "a terrible boss" and "a terrible father," and thought that Cookie and Anika would be better suited to the CEO position.[57] Craig D. Lindsey agreed, saying that Lucious is "a terrible father, a horrible businessman, and just a despicable, downright sociopathic person."[58] Hettie Williams of The Huffington Post stated that Lucious is a "black caricature" who perpetuated the stereotype of the "black brute." She continued, "Lucious is a brute to his family in that he harshly places his young son Jamal into a trash can for his effeminate ways (Jamal tries on a dress in his youth) to teach him a lesson about how to "man-up;" refuses to attend a therapy session with his son Dre; and apparently...sleeps with his own daughter-in-law."[59] However, Arienne Thompson disagreed, and found Lucious interesting as a "love-to-hate" character who embodied the best and worst qualities of all of TV's past anti-heroes and villains.[53]

Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly proclaimed that although "Lucious was forced to be the single parent, he did it badly, wounding his three sons in myriad ways while he chased worldly significance." Despite castigating Lucious for being a bad parent, Jensen thought that the character had depth to him due to Howard's impressive portrayal, saying that "Lucious may as well have been an absent dad, though in truth, heâ€™s just like too many so-called present fathers, distracted and remote. Howard effortlessly embodies the character's hypocrisies and imbues him with a palpable emotional life without sanding off his alienating edge."[60]