2006–07 Calgary Flames season

# 2006–07 Calgary Flames season

## Abstract

The 2006–07 Calgary Flames season began with a great deal of promise following the acquisition of top forward Alex Tanguay from the Colorado Avalanche. The other major off-season news was that Darryl Sutter promoted his assistant coach, Jim Playfair, to head coach as Sutter stayed with the team as general manager only.

A pre-season favorite to win the National Hockey League 's Northwest Division, the Flames struggled out of the gate in October before a six-game winning streak, and a franchise record ten consecutive home wins in November and December, brought the Flames back into contention in the tight Northwest Division.

A January crash proved that the Flames were unable to live up to the pre-season hype. Hoping to rejuvenate the team, GM Sutter orchestrated a trade with the Los Angeles Kings to bring Craig Conroy back to the team. However, there was a lack of passion even after the mid-season shake-up. The Flames struggled to an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference, having to stave off a furious challenge for the final playoff spot by Colorado. The Flames entered the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a first-round match-up against the Detroit Red Wings, falling in six games to the Red Wings.

The lackluster season and poor playoff performance led to widespread criticism of rookie head coach Jim Playfair. TSN analyst Bob McKenzie even suggested replacing Playfair after game two of the Flames playoff series against Detroit. Following the season, however, several players defended their coach. Despite this, Playfair was relieved of his duties prior to the 2007–08 season.

## Regular season

Two Flames were named to the roster for the 2007 All Star Game: goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and defenceman Dion Phaneuf. It was the first appearance for both. Jarome Iginla would have been named to the team as well, but his knee injury kept him out of the game.

On February 3, 2007, the Flames made history by having young Cree singer Akina Shirt perform " O Canada " in Woodlands Cree, the first time the national anthem had ever been performed in an Aboriginal language at a major league sporting event.

On February 6, the Flames retired Mike Vernon 's #30. Vernon, who was instrumental in the Flames trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1986 and their Cup victory in 1989 became the second Flame to have his number raised to the rafters, preceded only by Lanny McDonald.

The Flames entered the stretch drive by re-acquiring fan favorite, and former Flame, Craig Conroy in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings, then by completing a significant trade with the Boston Bruins, acquiring defenceman Brad Stuart along with Wayne Primeau for Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference.

On February 24, Jarome Iginla scored his 315th career goal, moving him past Joe Nieuwendyk into second on the Flames all-time goal scoring list. Theoren Fleury was the Flames all-time leading scorer at 364 goals. Miikka Kiprusoff broke Dan Bouchard 's franchise record for career shutouts as a Flame when he recorded his 21st in a 1–0 shootout victory against the Minnesota Wild on March 27.

The Flames were not shut out in any of their 82 regular-season games.

### Season standings

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime/shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PIM = Penalties in minutes; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

bold - qualified for playoffs, y - division title, z - best conference record CE - Central Division, NW - Northwest Division, PA - Pacific Division

## Playoffs

The Flames qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Calgary entered the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference and started on the road against the top ranked Detroit Red Wings. The Flames were unable to defend against the Wings' ferocious attack, with goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff facing an average of 42 shots per game during the series as Calgary fell to Detroit in six games.

Game five, in Detroit, ended with a series of nasty incidents as the Flames' frustration got the better of them. Upset with Detroit's constant bumping of Miikka Kiprusoff throughout the series, and angry with what they believed was an illegal, low-bridge hit by Brett Lebda on Daymond Lankow late in the 5–1 loss, the Flames lashed out. First Langkow delivered a quick punch to the face of Lebda following that hit, and later backup goaltender Jamie McLennan delivered a two-handed slash to Wings forward Johan Franzen after only being in goal for eighteen seconds. McLennan received a match penalty for the slash, and was suspended five games by the NHL. Head coach Jim Playfair was fined $25,000, and the Flames organization $100,000. Franzen would exact a measure of revenge for the hit in game six by scoring the winning goal in double overtime that eliminated the Flames.

The Flames were not shut out in any of their 6 playoff games.

## Schedule and results

## Player statistics

### Scoring

- Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing

- † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

- ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

## Awards and records

### Records

- 10 game home winning streak (November 7 – December 12); previous record was 9, set five times.

- 21 career shutouts as a Flame: Miikka Kiprusoff (March 27 at Minnesota).

### Milestones

- 300 assists: Jarome Iginla (December 5 vs Carolina).

- 300 goals: Jarome Iginla (December 7 at Minnesota).

- 600 points: Jarome Iginla (December 7 at Minnesota).

- 100 wins: Miikka Kiprusoff (January 9 vs Minnesota).

## Transactions

The Flames were involved in the following transactions from June 20, 2006, the day after the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 6, 2007, the day of the deciding game of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals.

## Draft picks

Calgary's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Flames picked 26th overall for the second consecutive draft.

## Farm teams

### Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights

The 2006–07 AHL season was the second for the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. The Knights finished a top the Western Conference standings, winning the West Division with a 49–25–5–1 record, earning their first playoff appearance. Omaha was upset in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs by the Iowa Stars, however, losing four games to two.

Following the season, rumours swirled around the future of the team, which ranked at or near the bottom of league attendance in its first two seasons, and lost us$4 million over two years. The rumour would quickly be confirmed as the Flames announced that the team was leaving Nebraska for the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois to become the Quad City Flames for the 2007–08 season.

### Las Vegas Wranglers

The Las Vegas Wranglers finished the 2006–07 ECHL season as the league's top club with a 46–12–1–8 record. Their 106 points narrowly edged out the 105 point total of the Alaska Aces. The Wranglers swept the Phoenix RoadRunners in their first round, but were upset by the Idaho Steelheads in the second, falling four games to two.


Arne Slot

# Arne Slot

## Abstract

Arne Slot (born 17 September 1978) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the head coach of Premier League club Liverpool.

Slot played as a midfielder for FC Zwolle, where he won the Eerste Divisie in 2002, NAC Breda and Sparta Rotterdam before retiring as a player back at PEC Zwolle, where he won another Eerste Divisie title in 2012. He started his managerial career in the academy of PEC Zwolle and as an assistant at Cambuur before taking over as co-head coach at the latter. In 2017, he became an assistant at AZ, where he was appointed head coach in 2019. Slot became head coach of Feyenoord in 2021. He led the club to the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League final in his first season and won the club the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup in subsequent seasons.

## Early life and playing career

Arne Slot was born on 17 September 1978 in Bergentheim, where he was raised. Slot started his football career at amateur side VV Bergentheim. He then moved to FC Zwolle, where he got into the first team as a 17-year-old in 1995. Slot started his professional career struggling with injuries and little playing time under the management of Jan Everse, but eventually became a goal-scoring attacking midfielder in Zwolle. In 2002, FC Zwolle won the Eerste Divisie to return to the Eredivisie after 13 years. Slot moved to NAC Breda in the same year.

Under the management of Henk ten Cate, NAC Breda finished fourth in the Eredivisie in Slot's first season, NAC Breda's best league finish since 1956. Slot played his only games in European football in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 2003 as NAC Breda lost 5–0 and 0–1 to Newcastle United. He joined Sparta Rotterdam in the summer of 2007 before returning to FC Zwolle in the Eerste Divisie in 2009, on a loan deal at first and on a permanent deal in 2010. FC Zwolle won the Eerste Divisie in 2012 to return to the Eredivisie, where Slot played one final season before retiring as a player. According to teammate Edwin de Graaf, he was "not so fast". Everse believes that with a lack of physicality, Slot got the most out of his playing career thanks to his passing and vision.

## Coaching career

### Early career

According to teammate Bram van Polen, Slot behaved like a coach at PEC Zwolle in his final years as a football player. After retiring from playing in 2013 at PEC Zwolle, Slot moved onto the club's staff, working as a youth coach for a year, before being appointed as an assistant coach of Henk de Jong at Cambuur. After De Jong left the club in 2016, Slot remained an assistant coach at Cambuur under the management of Marcel Keizer and Rob Maas. The club were relegated to the Eerste Divisie after finishing bottom of the Eredivisie in 2016. On 15 October 2016, Slot became interim coach together with Sipke Hulshoff (nl) in Leeuwarden after Maas was fired. On 5 January 2017, Cambuur announced that Slot and Hulshoff would remain head coaches for the remainder of the season after "excellent results" and a "pleasant way of working".

Slot and Hulshoff helped Cambuur climb from 14th to 3rd place in the league, missing out on promotion to the Eredivisie after losing to MVV in the play-offs. In the KNVB Cup, Cambuur reached the semi-finals for the first time in its club history, having knocked out record winners Ajax. The club missed out on the final after losing to AZ on penalties.

### AZ

In 2017, Slot left Cambuur to join AZ, working as an assistant to John van den Brom. AZ's technical director Max Huiberts called Slot "experienced, studious, innovative and ambitious". AZ finished third and fourth in the Eredivisie in 2018 and 2019 and lost the 2018 KNVB Cup final to Feyenoord. On 10 December 2018, it was announced that Slot would succeed Van den Brom as head coach for the 2019–20 season.

Slot became the first coach to win 19 points in his first eight Eredivisie games at AZ. In his first season in charge, AZ reached the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League. The same season, the Eredivisie was cancelled midway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AZ finished second behind Ajax on goal difference, although no title was awarded for the season. The following season, AZ got knocked out by Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. In the UEFA Europa League group stage, AZ beat Napoli 0–1, which Slot called "a historic win for AZ standards". On 5 December 2020, Slot was sacked as head coach of AZ for not being focused on the team, having recently negotiated a deal with Feyenoord. At the time, AZ was in seventh place in the Eredivisie. In his time at AZ, Slot earned 2.11 points per game in the Eredivisie, the highest of any coach in the club's history.

### Feyenoord

#### 2021–22 season

On 15 December 2020, Feyenoord announced that the club had reached a deal with Slot for him to become the club's new coach from the start of the 2021–22 season. The deal would see Slot sign for two years, with Feyenoord having the option to extend his contract for a third year. Slot succeeded the experienced Dick Advocaat, who led the team to fifth place in the Eredivisie and qualification to the UEFA Europa Conference League Qualifiers. Slot was appointed to build a new team with a recognisable playing style. Marino Pušić (first assistant coach) and Robin van Persie (field coach) were added to his staff, while John de Wolf was retained as second assistant coach. During Slot's first season, Feyenoord reached the round of 16 in European football for the first time in twenty years, finishing ahead of Slavia Prague, Union Berlin and Maccabi Haifa in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage. In February 2022, Feyenoord used the club option to extend Slot's contract until 2024. In the knock-out stage of the Europa Conference League, the club knocked out Partizan, Slavia Prague and Marseille to reach the inaugural Europa Conference League final. Feyenoord lost the final 1–0 to Roma in Tirana and finished in third place in the Eredivisie. Slot was awarded the Rinus Michels Award for the Eredivisie Manager of the Year.

#### 2022–23 season

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Slot extended his contract at Feyenoord for a year, until 2025. Feyenoord won a UEFA Europa League group of Midtjylland, Lazio and Sturm Graz to reach the round of 16 of Europe's secondary club football tournament for a first time since 2002. In the round of 16, Feyenoord beat Shakhtar Donetsk 7–1 on 17 March 2023, Feyenoord's biggest win in European football since 1995. With the win, Slot overtook Ernst Happel and Bert van Marwijk to become the first Feyenoord manager to have won 15 matches in European football.

Slot finished his second season at Feyenoord with Feyenoord winning the league, the club's first league title since 2017 and sixteenth in the club's history. Feyenoord were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League by Roma and in the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup by Ajax. In May 2023, Slot was heavily linked with the vacant manager's job at Tottenham Hotspur. By the end of the month, Slot announced he would be remaining with Feyenoord and extended his contract with a year, to mid-2026. Slot was awarded the Rinus Michels Award for Eredivisie Manager of the Year in June 2023, becoming the fourth coach to win the award for consecutive editions, after Guus Hiddink, Frank de Boer and Erik ten Hag.

#### 2023–24 season

In the 2023–24 season, Feyenoord was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League group stage, finishing third in a group with Atlético Madrid, Lazio, and Celtic, and then was knocked out by Roma for a third consecutive season, losing on penalties in the UEFA Europa League knock-out round play-offs. By managing the second leg against Roma, Slot equalled a club record of Van Marwijk of managing 36 European games. On 21 April 2024, Feyenoord beat NEC in the final to win its 14th KNVB Cup. Many pundits have described Arne Slot as one of the best coaches in the history of Feyenoord, as he combined results with developing players and playing attacking, attractive football. His final game on 19 May was a 4–0 home win over city rivals Excelsior Rotterdam, to finish as runners-up to PSV.

### Liverpool

In April 2024, it was reported that Premier League side Liverpool had reached an agreement with Feyenoord for Slot to manager the club at the end of the season, replacing the departing Jürgen Klopp. Slot confirmed this news in May 2024. On 20 May 2024, Liverpool announced that Slot would become head coach on 1 June 2024, subject to a work permit. On 17 August 2024, he won his first Premier League match with the club after a 2–0 win away at Ipswich Town. He was the first Liverpool manager since Gérard Houllier in 1998 to win his first game in charge. He beat club rivals Manchester United 3-0 on his first visit to Old Trafford in his third game as manager on 1 September 2024, becoming only the second Liverpool manager to win in his first match at Old Trafford, after George Kay in 1936.

## Personal life

Slot and his wife Mirjam have two children.

## Managerial statistics

## Honours

### Player

Zwolle

- Eerste Divisie: 2001–02, 2011–12

### Manager

Feyenoord

- Eredivisie: 2022–23

- KNVB Cup: 2023–24

- UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2021–22

Individual

- Rinus Michels Award: 2021–22, 2022–23


Saab 9-5

# Saab 9-5

## Abstract

The Saab 9-5 is an executive car that was produced by the Swedish automobile maker Saab from 1997 to 2012.

The first generation 9-5 was introduced in 1997 for the 1998 model year, as the replacement to the Saab 9000. At the time, the car represented a significant development for the manufacturer. In the United States, the 9-5 was introduced in the spring of 1998, for the 1999 model year.

On September 15, 2009, the second generation was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show and production began in March 2010. It was the first Saab to be launched under Spyker Cars ' ownership, even though it was developed almost completely under GM's ownership. Production ceased in 2012 amid the liquidation of the manufacturer.

## Overview

Saab badged the model as the Saab 9, but consistently advertised it as the Saab 9-5, pronounced "nine five" rather than "ninety-five". This model should not be confused with the Saab 95, produced from 1959 to 1978.

The first generation 9-5 was available with sedan and station wagon body styles. Aerodynamically, the sedan's drag coefficient is 0.29, and the station wagon's is 0.31 (U.S. version 0.33). Introduced in 1999, the wagon features innovations such as floor tracks to secure cargo and a sliding load floor to make loading easier.

The 9-5 was the first production vehicle to offer ventilated seats, as well as asymmetrical turbocharging in the case of the 3.0L V6 engine.

The last 9-5 sedan of the first generation rolled off the Trollhättan production line at the beginning of July 2009, and the last wagon was assembled on February 1, 2010. Between the summer of 1997, when 9-5 production began, and 2010, 252,236 sedans, and 231,357 wagons were built. The total production 483,593 units, was narrowly beaten by its predecessor, the 9000, of which 503,000 were built.

Production equipment for the first-generation 9-5 was sold by General Motors to BAIC of China in 2009.

## First generation (YS3E, 1997–2010)

### Engines

The first-generation 9-5 is powered by Saab's B205 and B235 straight-4 engines, and from 2002 in Europe by an Opel Ecotec X22DTH 2.2 diesel engine (Saab D223L), replaced in 2006 by Fiat 's 1.9 JTD 16V diesel straight-4. A turbocharged version of the GM 54° V6 engine, designated by Saab as B308, has a unique asymmetrical low-pressure turbocharger and was available from 1999 to 2003. This engine is available only with an automatic transmission, and cars with this engine installed are distinguishable by their twin tailpipes. The V6 is only available on Arc, SE, and Griffin models. In 2004, the V6 engine was replaced by a high pressure turbo straight-4 engine producing 220 hp (164 kW). By 2006 this engine was producing 260 hp (194 kW) even in the non-Aero or non-sport models (US models).

The B2x5 engines can suffer from oil pickup issues caused by 'oil sludge' in the lubrication circuit. In 1999, Saab issued a Workshop Bulletin around this issue. The 'sludge' issue primarily affected earlier models between 1999 and 2003, and from 2004 a revised engine positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV) and the use of fully synthetic oil were introduced.

Saab created retrofit kits for the earlier 1999–2003 cars as the PCV design differs from the 2004 and later system. In 2005, Saab extended the warranty on the B2x5 engine to eight years and unlimited miles from new for original owners, provided the owner could produce proof that they had followed the manufacturer's oil change intervals. Saab recommended the use of fully synthetic or synthetic-blend oil as a preventative measure.

### Transmissions

The 9-5 is available with an Aisin AW 4-speed (50-42LE) automatic transmission Saab reference FA47; from 1997 until 2001, when a new Aisin AW unit replaced the dated four-speed automatic with a five-speed automatic. A five-speed manual transmission is fitted as standard to the base models and the Aero.

### Alternative propulsion

#### E85

In 2005, an updated version of the 2.0 L turbocharged I4 was introduced in the European market together with the 2006 9–5. The engine was sold as 2.0t BioPower, optimized to run on E85 producing 132 kW (180 hp) at 5500 rpm. There was also a 2.3T BioPower version sold from 2007. It was also introduced in Australia.

#### E100

In 2007, Saab presented a 9-5 E100 Concept, based on the turbo 2.0. Offering a claimed 300 hp (224 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque, the Concept included the use of increased boost pressure and compression ratio.

### Safety

The 9-5 introduced Saab's Active Head Restraints (SAHR), which moved up and forward to prevent whiplash when the car was struck from the rear. This feature won technology and safety awards in Australia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. The Saab 9-5 also was one of the first cars to have extensive side-crash protection.

The front seats featured torso airbags and head airbags even on the earliest models, which few contemporary vehicles did in the late 1990s. The basic structure included a robust passenger safety cage, front and rear deformation zones, reinforced door posts and pillars, as well as the "Pendulum B-Pillar", which combined high-strength low-alloy steel at chest and head height with tailored blank steel at the floorpan, designed to direct the crash forces down toward the floor. The design was proven by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to protect occupants in side crashes, even without the addition of curtain airbags or rear side airbags. From 2002, ESP (electronic stability control) was included as standard.

Another Saab feature, the " Night Panel ", permitted dousing of the instrument panel lighting, except for essential information, for less distraction when driving at night. Once activated, only essential information such as current speed is displayed except, for example, if the car requires fuel or the engine overheats.

In the United States OnStar was available, and provided as standard equipment in selected 9-5's from 2001 onward.

### Comfort

The 9-5 had various comfort features both as standard and cost options over the years.

While early models frequently had dash mounted cassette decks, CD changers were standard features on many cars and in-dash satellite navigation was also available. Factory-fitted phone kits were similarly optional.

Many models featured leather or part-leather upholstery and both front and rear heated seats were also available. A few models were shipped with the optional ventilated seats.

Cruise control was available on various models and xenon headlamps were fitted as standard on high-end variants.

### Aero

The high performance variant is known as 9-5 Aero. The earliest versions of which were sometimes referred to as the 'HOT' (High Output Turbo) Aero, was first released in 2000 with a 2.3T B235R engine. The B235R engine of the 9-5 Aero is capable of providing immense torque and, in terms of acceleration, which outperformed the contemporary Porsche 911 Turbo from 40 to 90 mph. Initially badged as a 230 PS (169 kW; 227 hp) engine, Saab later conceded that the 230 PS power figure was quite conservative, with the manual versions rated 250 PS and having more torque than stated. This flagship model had a long list of standard features, a sport tuned suspension, and body side moldings. In 2002 a 250 PS (184 kW; 247 hp) 2.3 turbo engine was made standard, which allowed for more torque after 4500 rpm. All Aero models from 2002 to 2005 have an identical engine layout and management system, with the 2002-05 models just having a slightly remapped version of that ECU from factory. The high-powered version of the 9–5 in the final form produces 260 PS (191 kW; 256 hp) and 350 N⋅m (258 lbf⋅ft) of torque (370 N⋅m (273 lbf⋅ft) with its 20-second overboost function accessible on the manual transmission equipped version.

From the 2006 model year to 2010, the 260 PS (191 kW; 256 hp) B235R was the standard engine in both the 2.3T and Aero trims. 2006 had only one badge designation, 2.3T, and appointments normally found on the Aero could be added via a "Sport Package". Since 2007, SAAB added an Aero badge to the trunk lid to distinguish from regular 2.3T models. In addition, almost all standard features on the Aero were standard on the 2.3T, the exceptions being sport-tuned chassis, two-tone leather upholstery, "Anniversary" wheels and brushed aluminum interior trim, all of which were standard on Aero and not available on the 2.3T.

### Police car

The 9-5 was used as a liveried patrol vehicle, as well as undercover, in several parts of its native Sweden, alongside the Volvo V70. Several police forces in the UK also used the 9–5 in their fleets, mostly in Aero specification. The city of Aspen, Colorado, used Saabs as patrol cars from early 1970s until 2005, when they discontinued the 9–5 in favor of the Volvo XC90. The town of Vail, Colorado likewise used Saabs from 1980 onwards, but in 2005, the black 9-5 patrol cars were replaced by Ford Explorers, due to budget reasons.

In 2006, Lothian and Borders Police in Edinburgh, Scotland, began operating three Saab 9-5 Aero 2.3T patrol cars as part of a fleet of 580 vehicles. These 9-5s were customised to police specifications by the Saab, Vauxhall and Chevrolet Special Vehicles Operation (SVO) in Papworth, Cambridgeshire. In undercover guise, these cars were outwardly identical to the Linear Sport models, but featured the 260 bhp Aero drivetrain.

In Poland, an unmarked 9-5 is used as a video-pursuit vehicle, in the Płock area.

### Gallery

## Second generation (YS3G, 2010–2012)

A next generation 9-5 built on the Global Epsilon platform was presented at the Frankfurt International Auto Show in September 2009. The vehicle had its North American debut in October 2009 at the South Florida Auto Show in Miami. On November 24, 2009, the first pre-series Saab 9-5 of the new generation rolled off the Trollhättan production line.

With the announcement of the sale of Saab to Spyker on January 26, 2010, the new generation Saab 9-5 was taken into production at the Saab plant in Trollhättan. Full production began in April 2010, with the cars appearing in dealerships on June 19. Saab introduced a wagon variant of the new 9-5, dubbed "SportCombi," at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The Saab 9-5 Sedan 2.8 V6 Turbo was named Car of the Year in Singapore by "Wheels Asia".

Production of the 9-5 ended in March 2011 with Trollhättan production stopping due to the company's failing liquidity. Total production numbers of the Gen II Saab 9-5 ended at 11,280 units.

While several prototype vehicles and a number of production SportCombis were manufactured, the official variant did not enter serial production prior to Saab's bankruptcy in December 2011, and the vehicles never reached dealerships. A 9-5 liftback and a new 9-5X were also planned, as well as an overall facelift around mid-2014.

### Trim levels

Trim/equipment levels vary from country to country.

In the US Saab 9-5 trim levels were Turbo4, Turbo4 Premium, Turbo6 XWD, and Aero. Turbo4 models come with a turbocharged four-cylinder and features that included power adjustable driver and passenger seats, leather upholstery, five-spoke alloy wheels, fog lamps, and rain-sensing wipers. The Turbo4 Premium added a panoramic sunroof, headlamp washers, Saab parking assistance, keyless entry and start, memory seats, and 18-inch alloy wheels, while the Turbo6 XWD was powered by a turbocharged six-cylinder engine and features an all-wheel-drive system. The top trim Aero featured 15-spoke “Rotor” 18-inch alloy wheels, leather-trimmed sports seats, a multi-color central information display, Bi-Xenon SmartBeam headlamps, dark titanium-effect interior trim, aluminum sports pedals, a sports-tuned suspension system with real-time damping, and Aero exterior elements.

UK equipment levels for the 2012 model year included the Vector SE and Aero and both sedan and estate. The previous base models, Linear and Vector were replaced by the Vector SE model.

In Australia the base trim (Linear) was not part of the line up, only the Vector and Aero trims were available.

### Engines

In North America, the engine choices were either a turbocharged V6 or an Ecotec I4. Other countries also had an optional turbodiesel I4 engine. Engine performance upgrades that were available from Hirsch Performance (Saab's only factory approved tuner) increased the power of the V6 engine to 330 bhp (246 kW; 335 PS) from 296 bhp (221 kW; 300 PS) and the I4 engine to 260 bhp (194 kW; 264 PS) from 220 bhp (164 kW; 223 PS).

### Safety

### Reviews

- Auto Express For: spacious cabin, distinctive styling, well equipped. Against: poor residuals, driving dynamics, cheap cabin materials.

- Auto Trader Pros: low CO and high mpg, distinctive design, plenty of room. Cons: interior quality disappointing, outclassed by rivals, holds value poorly.

- Parker's Pros: Much kit as standard, high-tech features, driver comfort, practicality. Cons: Not particularly sporty, still lacks the brand appeal of its German rivals.

- The AA Likes: styling typically Saab but updated for the modern era; comfortable seats are a Saab trademark; cabin space is first rate - especially rear legroom; sensible pricing for the mainstream variants. Gripes: simple styling could be viewed as bland by uncharitable critics; can't match Jaguar's XF for sporting character; clutter-free cabin is welcome but quality of materials chosen could have been better; auto gearbox option could be more responsive.


Clotilde Apponyi

# Clotilde Apponyi

## Abstract

Clotilde "Klotild" Apponyi (née Klotild Wilhelmine von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein; 23 December 1867 – 1 September 1942) was an Austro-Hungarian noblewoman, women's rights activist, politician and a diplomat.

## Early life and ancestry

Countess Clotilde was born as a third daughter and youngest child of the Austrian politician Prince Alexander von Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg and his wife, Countess Alexandrine Aline von Dietrichstein-Proskau-Leslie (1824-1906), second daughter and one of the heiresses of Joseph Franz, Prince of Dietrichstein. By virtue of birth, she was member of the House of Mensdorff-Pouilly and through Saxe-Coburg-Gotha blood related to the British Royal Family, German Imperial family, Russian Imperial family, as well as to almost all other European Royal families.

## Career

Apponyi was president of the Klotild association for the selling of women's work from 1908, president for the alliance of Hungarian women's associations (MNSz) from 1910, board member of the Catholic protection society for women from 1913, president for the Maria Dorotea association for women teachers from 1930, as well as for numerous other charitable associations. As president of the MNSz, she addressed the Hungarian parliament in favor of women's suffrage in 1912, and supported this reform in public in 1918. After World War I, she, as president of the MNSz, became the spokesperson of the non-socialist women's associations of Hungary in oppose to the leftist MANSz under Cécile Tormay. In 1929, she protested against the suggestion to abolish women's right to run for office, and in 1939, she did the same against the suggestion to ban married women from holding office as civil servants.

During World War I, she was an informal diplomat for the Kingdom of Hungary in Switzerland, and she served as a sub-delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva in 1928-34, and as a delegate for Hungary in 1935-37.

## Personal life

On 1 March 1897 in Vienna, she married Hungarian politician Count Albert Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi, the only son of Count György Apponyi and his wife, Countess Júliane Sztáray de Nagymihály et Sztára (1820-1871). Albert was a leading member of the powerful Apponyi family. Together, they were the parents of three children, one son and two daughters:

- Count György II Alexander Mária Antal Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi (1898–1970), a politician, member of the Parliament, journalist, married in 1923 to Princess Margarete Odescalchi and had issue.

- Countess Mária Alexandrina Angela Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi (1899–1967), who married Prince Karl of Rohan in 1933 and had issue.

- Countess Julianna Maria Georgina Antonia Apponyi de Nagy-Aponyi (1903–1994), who married Count Ferenc Pálffy of Erdöd in 1924 and had issue. They divorced in 1934 and she married Hungarian nobleman Elemér Klobusiczky de Klobusicz et Zetény in 1943, and had issue. They divorced in 1947.

## Death

Countess Clotilde Apponyi died on 1 September 1942, at the age of 74 in Budapest, Hungary. At first, she was buried in Farkasréti Cemetery in Budapest, but later, her grave and a grave of her husband were moved to Éberhárd (today Slovakia), part of the Komárom County, where Apponyi family owned a country estate with a castle.


Tony Akins (Canadian football)

# Tony Akins (Canadian football)

## Abstract

Anthony Royell Akins (born May 10, 1977) is a former Canadian football wide receiver and slotback who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1999 to 2003. He played in 61 regular season games, catching 121 receptions for 2,138 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also returned punts and kickoffs. Akins is a Grey Cup champion.

Akins played high school football at Starkville High School before playing at East Mississippi Community College. He later transferred to Eastern Louisiana University and played for the Warhawks. After going unselected in the 1999 NFL draft, Akins was signed by the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League but was cut before the beginning of the regular season. He was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats shortly after and spent his first two seasons moving between the practice squad and the active roster, playing in 9 games each season and contributing heavily on special teams. Akins transitioned to a more offensive role in 2001, but his career was interrupted in later seasons by repeated injuries.

## Early career

Akins began playing high school football at Starkville High School as a freshman. Due to his small size, Akins rarely played. As a senior, he was ruled ineligible for academic reasons but continued practicing with the football team throughout the season. Akins was also able to participate on the track and field team, running sprints. After Akins impressed his high school football coach by practicing despite his ineligibility, the coach invited East Mississippi Community College to look at Akins. A representative of East Mississippi attended a track and field meet where Akins won the 100 metres and offered him a scholarship to play college football shortly afterward.

Akins went on to play at both East Mississippi and Northeast Louisiana University. In his first game at East Mississippi, Akins returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Although Akins developed at East Mississippi and with the Northeast Louisiana Indians, he remained at least second on the depth chart, playing behind Quincy Jackson at East Mississippi and Marty Booker at Northeast Louisiana. Akins played with the Indians through 1998, when he featured as the team's kick returner and led his team with 1,269 all-purpose yards.

## Professional career

Akins declared for the 1999 NFL Draft, where he went unsigned. The Buffalo Bills later signed him to fill their final roster slot at wide receiver in training camp. In late August, they released Akins prior to the start of the regular season.

### Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Within a week of being cut from the Bills, Akins was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to their practice squad. After Curtis Jackson was released from the Tiger-Cats, Akins was moved to the active roster to replace him as part of the punt and kick return rotation. On September 12, Akins made his CFL debut against the Montreal Alouettes, where he averaged 21 yards on kick returns. Akins was named Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in an October game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he caught eight passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns. In early November, he was named Special Teams Player of the Week after returning three kicks for over 100 yards. The Tiger-Cats won the 87th Grey Cup with Akins contributing four catches for 43 yards.

Akins returned to the Tiger-Cats for the 2000 season. In July, he returned a punt from Lui Passaglia 65 yards for a touchdown. In mid-September, Akins started in place of the injured Darren Flutie, but he was later moved to the practice squad in October. He returned for the final game of the regular season and returned a punt for his second 65-yard touchdown of the season. The Tiger-Cats lost the East Semi-Final 22–20 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after an offensive interference penalty was assessed on Akins in the final minutes of the game. The Hamilton Spectator described the penalty as "ill-deserved". Akins finished the season sixth in the CFL with 393 punt return yards. He was also the league leader in punt return touchdowns.

On December 12, 2000, the Tiger-Cats announced that they had re-signed Akins. Due to the CFL's import ratio requirements, Hamilton Spectator reporter Steve Milton speculated that Akins would be cut before the regular season. Instead, Akins made the regular season roster and regularly started at wide receiver for the first time in his career. Due to Akins' speed, he was moved to the slotback position in August. He later lost his starting position to wide receiver Corey Grant but continued to see regular playing time. Akins was held out of two games entirely near the end of the season to allow offensive lineman Gary Brown to return from the injured list. Akins' role as a receiver increased in the 2001 season, and he finished his season with 29 catches for 461 receiving yards. Conversely, his role as a kick and punt returner decreased substantially. Akins averaged 5.1 yards per punt return and 15.5 yards per kickoff return, decreasing from 10.3 yards and 24.0 yards in the 2000 season, respectively.

Akins became a free agent before the 2002 season. The Montreal Alouettes expressed interest in signing Akins, but he decided to re-sign with the Tiger-Cats in May shortly before a deadline imposed by head coach Ron Lancaster. In a pre-season game, Akins suffered a collarbone injury when a player's face mask was driven into his chest. He returned in mid-July. In his second game of the season, Akins scored three touchdowns. He scored in each of the two following games as well. Akins' success was interrupted in late August when he re-injured his collarbone with deep bruising. After Akins returned, he caught an 84-yard touchdown while accumulating 150 receiving yards against the Alouettes. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats did not qualify for the playoffs in 2002, but Akins had his most successful season, catching 38 receptions for 732 yards and 7 touchdowns. All three values were career-highs for the wide receiver.

Akins re-signed with the Tiger-Cats before the start of the 2003 season. He was moved around in various positions throughout the season. Before the beginning of the season, Akins was designated the starting slotback, but he quickly lost the job to Trevor Shaw. He was later moved back to his original position at wide receiver. After missing games due to leg and knee injuries, Akins finished the season with 482 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

In 2004, Akins was cut from the Tiger-Cats during the preseason after facing competition from seven import receivers and five Canadians.

## Personal life

Akins is divorced and has four children.


Toni Braxton

# Toni Braxton

## Abstract

Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and numerous other accolades. In 2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 she was honored with the Legend Award at the Soul Train Music Awards.

In the late 1980s, Braxton began performing with her sisters in a music group known as The Braxtons; the group was signed to Arista Records. After attracting the attention of producers Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and being signed to LaFace Records, Braxton released her self-titled debut studio album in 1993. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 10 million copies worldwide. In addition, the singles " Another Sad Love Song " and " Breathe Again " became international successes. The album brought Braxton three Grammy Awards, including the Grammy for Best New Artist.

Braxton experienced continued success with the albums Secrets (1996), which included the U.S. #1 hit singles " You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow " and " Un-Break My Heart "; and The Heat (2000), which opened at #2 on the Billboard 200 and included the U.S. #2 hit single " He Wasn't Man Enough ". Braxton's subsequent studio albums, More Than a Woman (2002), Libra (2005) and Pulse (2010), were released amid contractual disputes and health issues. In 2014, Braxton and longtime collaborator Babyface released a duet album entitled Love, Marriage & Divorce that earned the duo a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2015. Further label changes saw the release of Sex & Cigarettes (2018) under Def Jam / Universal and Spell My Name (2020) under Island.

Braxton is also a television executive producer and personality. She competed in the seventh season of the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars. She has executive produced and starred in Braxton Family Values, a reality television series that aired on We TV from 2011 to 2020. Braxton was also an executive producer of Tamar & Vince, a spinoff reality TV series starring her younger sister, Tamar.

## Early life

Toni Michele Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland, on October 7, 1967. Her father, Michael Conrad Braxton Sr., was a Methodist clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn Jackson, a native of South Carolina, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor. Braxton's maternal grandfather was also a pastor. Braxton later said that her religious upbringing had given her an advantage musically, saying it gave her "a finer-tuned ear. The church pulpit is the stage. You got the congregation, that's your audience. And so we were comfortable performing".

Braxton is the eldest of six siblings. She has a younger brother Michael Jr. (born 1968) and four younger sisters Traci Renee (1971 - 2022), Towanda Chloe (born 1973), Trina Evette (born 1974), and Tamar Estine (born 1977). They were raised in a strict religious household, and Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir.

Braxton attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree, but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr., who reportedly heard her singing to herself while pumping gas.

On her appearance May 24, 2014, broadcast of NPR 's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, she stated that she was not singing to herself at the gas station. Pettaway, working as an attendant at the Annapolis service station where she was refueling, recognized her from local performances and introduced himself, saying he wanted to produce her. Although skeptical, Braxton decided to, in her words, "take a chance" and accepted.

## Career

### 1989–1995: The Braxtons, Toni Braxton and breakthrough

Braxton and her four sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, " Good Life ", was released in 1990. Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of " Love Shoulda Brought You Home ", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy 's film, Boomerang. Baker, who was pregnant at the time, did not record the song but suggested that Braxton record it. Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with " Give U My Heart ", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album.

In July 1993, LaFace released Braxton's self-titled debut album. Primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and entered the top ten of the albums chart in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The first single, " Another Sad Love Song ", peaked at number seven and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts respectively. The album's second single, " Breathe Again ", peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts and no 2 in the UK. More singles from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including " You Mean the World to Me ", " Seven Whole Days ", and " I Belong to You/How Many Ways ".

Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). She won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist) in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album). Toni Braxton was certified 8× platinum in USA and has sales of over 10 million worldwide.

### 1996–1999: Secrets and financial issues

In June 1996, Braxton released her second album Secrets. Motivated "to include a little bit of everything," Braxton reteamed with Babyface, but also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album, which she co-produced. A major success, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and reached the top ten on most international charts. After 92 weeks in the charts, Secrets was certified 8× platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million-seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 15 million copies, further cementing Braxton's superstar status. The album's first single, " You're Makin' Me High ", marked Braxton's first number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, while follow-up " Un-Break My Heart ", a ballad written and composed by Diane Warren, became the biggest hit of Braxton's career yet. It spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and enjoyed worldwide top five success.

As a result, Braxton topped several of Billboard ' s year-end charts, and won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Un-Break My Heart" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "You're Makin' Me High" as well as two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. Still waiting on her financial rewards, Braxton eventually launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against Arista and LaFace Records. Soon after, she filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Public reaction to these events was very harsh, having been expressed most clearly in an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Braxton has appeared in two Disney Broadway shows: She made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast beginning September 9, 1998, when she replaced Kim Huber. During her run in the show Alan Menken wrote and composed a new song for the musical, titled "A Change in Me", which he specially wrote and composed for Braxton, and was still being used in the musical as of late July 2014. She left the production on February 28, 1999, and was succeeded by Andrea McArdle. Her role in Beauty and the Beast marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway. In 1999, the lawsuit against LaFace Records was settled and Braxton was given back all her possessions, giving her time to record The Heat, her first album in four years.

### 2000–2002: The Heat, More Than a Woman, and acting debut

After her three-year-long dispute with LaFace and Arista had been settled, Braxton signed a new $20 million contract. In April 2000, her third studio album, The Heat was released. Braxton took a more hands-on approach, co-writing and co-producing a handful of the tracks which saw her adapting a more urban sound. It opened at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 199,000 copies sold in its first week, eventually going double platinum in the United States, while selling over 4 million copies worldwide. Additionally, the album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards, while uptempo lead single " He Wasn't Man Enough ", a worldwide top ten hit, won for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and was nominated for Best R&B Song.

In 2001, Braxton made her movie acting debut in director Doug McHenry 's comedy film Kingdom Come opposite an ensemble also starring LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Whoopi Goldberg A modest box-office success, it grossed $23.4 million worldwide. The same year, Braxton recorded and released the Christmas album Snowflakes which consisted R&B –led original songs co-penned with Keri Lewis and Babyface as well as several remixes and cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. It received a mixed reception by critics, many of whom compared its nature to Braxton's other work but found the stylized production and original material too contemporary to conjure images of Christmas, and failed to reach the upper half of the Billboard 200, eventually going gold in the United States.

In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Knowing that she would be unable to promote the album properly, she unsuccessfully lobbied Arista Records to get the label to postpone its release until after she was to give birth. In November 2002, More Than a Woman was released. Opening to an instant commercial disappointment, the album peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard 200, but was less successful internationally. The first single " Hit the Freeway " failed to impact, resulting in lackluster sales in general and the release of no further singles. More Than a Woman was eventually certified gold in the United States and sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide.

### 2003–2007: Libra and Las Vegas residency

In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records, having been there for 14 years, and immediately signed with Blackground Records, headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time. She then starred in Aida as Aida beginning June 30, 2003, when she replaced actress Simone, until she left the cast on November 16, 2003. In April 2005, Braxton's new label, Blackground/Universal, released " Please ", the first single from her fifth album, Libra. The album was originally planned for a June release, but it was pushed back several times and was finally issued on September 27. Libra peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200, selling 114,593 copies in the first week, and peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified gold in late 2005 and has since sold 679,000 copies worldwide.

In May 2005, Braxton made an appearance on the season finale of American Idol 5, where she performed Elvis Presley 's " In the Ghetto " with soon-to-be winner Taylor Hicks. A month later, " The Time of Our Lives ", a duet with classical crossover vocal group Il Divo, was released as a single, serving as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem. Braxton performed the song, which entered the top ten in Switzerland, at the opening ceremony in Berlin on June 9, 2005. In August 2006, Braxton replaced singer Wayne Newton as the Flamingo Las Vegas 's new headlining act. The show, entitled Toni Braxton: Revealed, was to be performed six nights a week and was scheduled to run through to March 2007. Braxton later confirmed that she was extending her show through to August 2007. Due to its success, it was reported that Braxton would extend her show through to August 2008, though the show was later cancelled in order for Braxton to focus on her health after being diagnosed with microvascular angina.

On January 12, 2007, Braxton filed a $10 million lawsuit against her former manager Barry Hankerson, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing", in addition to mismanaging her relationship with Arista Records. According to Braxton's lawsuit, Hankerson placed his personal financial interests ahead of hers by using 'double-talk' to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former label, with Hankerson allegedly telling Arista that "Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista," and telling Braxton that "Arista was not interested in working with her anymore". The suit was settled with Braxton being forced to return a $375,000 advance to Hankerson, who would also receive a percentage of the sales of her next album, and Hankerson releasing Braxton from her contract with him. The settlement also temporarily limited the companies with which Braxton could sign. Hankerson claimed that the problems initially arose due to a number of disputes with Braxton and her wish to include her husband in her music.

### 2008–2012: Pulse and television

Following the abrupt cancellation of her Toni Braxton: Revealed show, Braxton experienced financial difficulties when insurance agency Lloyd's of London refused to honor her policy that she purchased for upwards of $70,000 that included financial compensations for financial losses. Lloyd's responded with a counter-suit seeking damages against her because of an unrelated heart condition that the company was not made aware of at the time the application was filed. When Braxton acknowledged that she did not disclose her full medical history at the time, she got on the hook for all damages because of the cancelled shows, being sued by multiple companies, and had to once again file for bankruptcy. In September 2008, Braxton appeared on the seventh season of American dance competition series Dancing with the Stars; her partner was Alec Mazo. They were voted off in the fifth week of the competition.

In 2009, Braxton signed to Atlantic Records and began work on her next studio album. In February 2010, she was part of the supergroup Artists for Haiti who recorded " We Are the World 25 for Haiti ", a remake of the 1985 hit " We Are the World ", to help benefit the people of Haiti following the magnitude 7.0 M earthquake. Three months later, Pulse, her seventh studio album, was released. A collection of up-tempo songs and R&B ballads with production varying from smooth to dance -based styles, it debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200, selling 54,000 copies in its first week, and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, becoming Braxton's fifth US top-ten album. A moderate chart success elsewhere, it reached the top ten in Switzerland, and the top 20 in Germany and Greece. While critical reception of Pulse was generally positive, its singles " Yesterday ", " Hands Tied " and "Make My Heart" achieved moderate chart success.

In 2011, Braxton signed with WE tv for a reality series, Braxton Family Values. Chronicling the lives of Braxton and her sisters Tamar, Traci, Towanda, and Trina, plus their mother Evelyn, the series debuted on April 12, 2011. It received favorable reviews from critics who recognized it as a "guilty pleasure" and spawned several seasons and spin-offs. In September 2011, Braxton parted ways with her long-time manager Vincent Herbert, husband of sister Tamar, and signed a new management deal with Los Angeles-based entertainment/production company The Collective. In March 2012, she released the standalone single " I Heart You ", a dance-pop, EDM and house song that peaked at number one on the US Dance Club Songs. Also that year, Braxton played Rosalie Rosebud, a singer with an over-the-top personality, in the children's musical adventure comedy film The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure alongside Jaime Pressly and Cloris Leachman, and began filming a lead role in the Lifetime Movie Network film Twist of Faith which premiered the following year.

### 2013–2014: Love, Marriage and Divorce, Broadway return, and biographical film

In 2013, Braxton and longtime creative music partner Babyface began work on their collaborative studio album Love, Marriage & Divorce which was released in February 2014 under Motown Records. It received favorable reviews from music critics, who labeled it as "high-quality R&B", and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with first-week sales of 67,000 copies. Love, Marriage & Divorce was nominated for World's Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards and won for Best R&B Album at the 57th Grammy Awards. Lead single " Hurt You " reached number one on the US Adult R&B Songs, becoming Braxton's first song to do so since her 2000 release "Just Be a Man About It". The song also hit number 16 on Billboard Hot R&B/ Hip Hop Airplay chart.

Braxton, alongside Babyface, made her return to Broadway in the musical After Midnight in March 2014. The third in rotation in the role of "Special Guest Star" following Fantasia Barrino and KD Lang, they performed from March 18 to 31, 2014 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. In May 2014, Braxton published a memoir, Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir, through Harper Collins Publishers. In it, Braxton discusses her career success and struggles and the self-healing she took charge of after her own diagnosis with the auto-immune disease lupus and her son's diagnosis with autism. In October 2015, Toni along with The Braxtons released the holiday album Braxton Family Christmas on Def Jam Recordings. Comprising cover versions of Christmas standards and carols as well as several original songs, it debuted and peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Lifetime premiered the biographical film Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, based on Braxton's memoir, in January 2016; actress Lex Scott Davis portrayed Braxton in the film. The biopic's premiere generated 3.6 million viewers. In July, Braxton announced that she would embark on a concert tour, titled The Hits Tour, that October. She was hospitalized on October 3, five days before the tour was scheduled to begin, due to complications with lupus, resulting in the cancellation of the tour's first two dates. Braxton was admitted to hospital again on October 15, leading to another tour date cancellation, which was later rescheduled. In December, she announced that the January 2017 concert dates had been canceled.

### 2017–2019: Sex & Cigarettes, touring, and other ventures

In January 2018, Braxton starred in the Lifetime film Faith Under Fire. In March, her eighth studio album Sex & Cigarettes, her first solo album in eight years, was released on Def Jam Recordings. An adult contemporary R&B album with production from Fred Ball, Babyface, Dapo Torimiro, and Tricky Stewart, it debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Sex & Cigarettes received mainly positive reviews from music critics, and was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Second single " Long as I Live " topped the US Adult R&B Songs, becoming Braxton's eighth chart topper, while breaking a tie with singers Maxwell and R. Kelly to give her sole possession of the second-most number-one's in the chart's 24-year history. It also received Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.

Also in 2018, Braxton and Uncle Bud's Hemp products created a joint marketing campaign for the latter's products, which Braxton noted as helpful in her battle against lupus. In April 2018, Braxton and her sisters Trina and Towanda appeared on their sister Traci's single "Broken Things". In November, Braxton and Towanda appeared in the holiday film Every Day is Christmas, which premiered on Lifetime. The same month, she announced her As Long as I Live Tour, a joint concert tour with SWV, which took her to South Africa and the United Kingdom. In June 2019, Braxton headlined the 2019 Pittsburgh Pride festival.

### 2020–present: New record label and Spell My Name

In April 2020, it was announced that Braxton had signed with Island Records. She released the single, " Do It ", her first song under the new deal on April 6, 2020. In May, Braxton released a remix EP for her second single "Dance". On June 26, 2020, Missy Elliott appeared on the official remix to the single "Do It".Elliott co-produced the track alongside Hannon Lane. On August 4, 2020, Braxton released the music video for "Dance", directed by Mike Ho. On August 27, 2020, Braxton released the song "Nothin'". Braxton's tenth studio Spell My Name was released on August 28, 2020. On October 23, 2020, Braxton released a video for her song "Gotta Move On".

In 2021, Braxton competed on season six of The Masked Singer as "Pufferfish". She was the third to be eliminated during the two-night premiere alongside Dwight Howard as "Octopus" and Vivica A. Fox as "Mother Nature". Despite being unmasked, Braxton kept on a glittered KN95 cloth face mask over her mouth due to her lupus condition. Braxton is an executive producer and star in the 2022 Lifetime movie The Fallen Angels Murder Club.

## Artistry

Braxton has been recognized for her distinctive contralto voice. Her voice has been called "husky, sultry, elegant and sexy." Due to the huskiness of her voice, Braxton often used male singers such as Michael McDonald, Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder as vocal style models. Chaka Khan and Anita Baker were two of the few female singers that she could stylize. Steve Huey of AllMusic cites a key to Braxton's success is the versatility of her voice, which he states as being "soulful enough for R&B audiences, but smooth enough for adult contemporary; sophisticated enough for adults, but sultry enough for younger listeners; strong enough in the face of heartbreak to appeal to women, but ravishing enough to nab the fellas." In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Braxton at No. 48 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Braxton began her career singing traditional R&B and soft rock ballads and love songs on her debut and second albums. However, hip-hop soul and dance music elements begun to get spun into her sound on The Heat, More Than a Woman, and Pulse. She also showcased her classical training while performing in Broadway plays Beauty and the Beast and Aida as well as her duet with Il Divo, "The Time of Our Lives".

## Legacy

Toni Braxton became an R&B superstar after the release of her first album. LA Reid stated during an interview with VH1: "We called her the first lady of LaFace. She was our Diva. Clive had Whitney, Tommy had Mariah and we had Toni." BBC called the album "spiritedly, mature soul at its best – and just urban enough to make it the bedroom album for the hip hop generation." Over the span of her career Braxton has sold over 70 million records, including 40 million albums, worldwide. Her hit " Un-Break My Heart ", the Diane Warren -penned ballad, spent 11-weeks at number 1. Bob McCann, author of Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television (2010), considered it "simply one of the most haunting R&B records ever made." Reviewer Mark Edward Nero named it one of the best R&B break-up songs and considered it Braxton's "finest moment". He further commented, "damn, this song is so sad it can make people cry for hours at a time." Braxton is a recipient of seven Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and nine Billboard Music Awards. She has been cited as an influence by various artists, such as Beyoncé, sister Tamar Braxton, Billie Godfrey, Kelly Clarkson, Leela James, Keyshia Cole, Teyana Taylor, Kehlani, Sevyn Streeter, Ari Lennox and Anja Nissen.

Braxton's career, she made several impacts on fashion, mostly for her high splits in her dresses. In 2011, Braxton topped the list for the Grammy Award 's best dressed of the decade. "I've always gone a little risque with all my other award show outfits." In 2012, Braxton made the list for VH1 's 50 Greatest Women in Music. Braxton's 2000 performance at Super Bowl XXXIV is ranked as one of the most memorable Super Bowl performances. Braxton is featured alongside other R&B and pop divas as a primary character on the popular web parody Got 2B Real: The Diva Variety Show. With her Las Vegas residency Toni Braxton: Revealed, she became the first African American performer in Las Vegas to have her act enter the top ten Vegas shows charting. Braxton also made headlines for her Giantto Million Dollar Microphone that she performed every show with. Braxton said: "I think it's a great element to the show. You have to have a little sprinkle of Liberace and this is my little sprinkle of that." Braxton's prop was made up of white gold and encrusted with 650 karats of diamonds. The microphone reportedly cost $1 million.

Braxton has also been seen as a gay icon, with some of her songs becoming gay anthems, such as " Un-Break My Heart ", " He Wasn't Man Enough " and " Make My Heart ". The singer stated that after the release of "Un-Break My Heart", she "recognized all the support. And it was really wonderful." When asked about her gay fans, Braxton said "I love my boys because my boys help me be a better girl. My choreographer and my video director are gay, and they've been my best friends since I started in the industry. They're my favorite part of the whole industry".

## Personal life

### Relationships

Braxton met musician Keri Lewis when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour; they married on April 21, 2001. In December 2001, she gave birth to their first child, a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child; the complicated pregnancy confined her to bed rest. The couple's second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born in March 2003. As Diezel has been diagnosed with autism, Braxton has become involved with Autism Speaks, serving as their International Spokesperson. In November 2009, Braxton announced that she and her husband had separated. The couple later divorced in July 2013.

In her early 30s, Braxton had an abortion after discovering she was pregnant by then-boyfriend Keri Lewis. In her memoir Unbreak My Heart, Braxton discusses her abortion and guilt, saying that her son Diezel's autism was "God's payback". In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo Las Vegas, Braxton broke down in tears while announcing to the audience that just before the concert began she had been told that her son, Diezel, had been diagnosed with autism. Braxton has been outspoken regarding her doctor's failure to diagnose Diezel's condition earlier, contending that if he had been diagnosed earlier he could have received treatment earlier. As well as becoming a spokeswoman for Autism Speaks, she is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

On July 8, 2015, Braxton's attorney, Antavius Weems, announced that Braxton had settled her contentious child support case with her former husband, Keri Lewis. On June 2, 2016, the city and county officials of Atlanta, Georgia, named June 2 as Toni Braxton Day.

Braxton began dating rapper Birdman in May 2016, and the couple announced their engagement in February 2018. In January 2019, the couple called off the engagement. However, in April 2019, both Braxton and Birdman confirmed that they were still together. But since at least 2022, Braxton has made several television appearances, where she has declared herself single and on the dating scene, which indicates that her relationship with Birdman has ceased.

### Health problems

In August 2007, rumors surfaced that Braxton had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She stated to Access Hollywood that the breast cancer rumors were false and that her health was very good. However, in 2008, she had a benign lump removed from her breast. On April 8, 2008, near the end of her two-year run at the Flamingo Hotel, Braxton was briefly hospitalized and the remaining dates on the show, which was scheduled to end on August 23, 2008, were cancelled. Later, while appearing on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, she stated, that she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease).

On November 18, 2010, Braxton revealed to CBS News that she had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease.

Braxton's uncle died of complications from lupus. While taping her reality series Braxton Family Values, she went into hospital for surgery. Braxton was hospitalized in Los Angeles in December 2012 because of "minor health issues" related to lupus.

## Discography

Studio albums

- Toni Braxton (1993)

- Secrets (1996)

- The Heat (2000)

- Snowflakes (2001)

- More Than a Woman (2002)

- Libra (2005)

- Pulse (2010)

- Sex & Cigarettes (2018)

- Spell My Name (2020)

Collaborative albums

- Love, Marriage & Divorce (with Babyface) (2014)

## Tours and residencies

Headlining

- Secrets Tour (1996–97)

- Libra Tour (2006)

- 2013 Summer Tour (2013)

- The Hits Tour (2016)

- As Long as I Live Tour (2019)

Residencies

- Toni Braxton: Revealed (2006–08)

- Love & Laughter (with Cedric the Entertainer) (2024)

## Filmography


1995 Philippine Senate election

# 1995 Philippine Senate election

## Abstract

The 1995 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 25th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 8, 1995, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. Filipinos protected the ballot boxes with their lives and campaigned against traditional politicians who used bribery, flying voters, violence, election rigging, stealing of ballot boxes, etc. The Philippine National Police (PNP) listed five people dead and listed more than 200 hotspots before and 300 hotspots during the election.

The two largest parties, Lakas-NUCD and the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), contested the senate election under the Lakas-Laban Coalition and won nine out of the 12 seats contested. The opposition-led coalition was composed of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) which had an alliance with the People's Reform Party (PRP), though they contested the election separately.

This was also the first time that the electorate voted for twelve candidates under the plurality-at-large voting to the Senate; previously, the electorate voted for two candidates each per senatorial districts (1916–1934), via closed party-lists (the "block voting" system in use from 1941 to 1949), and eight senators via plurality-at-large voting with the country as one "at-large" district from 1951 to 1971. This was also the first midterm election for the 1987 constitution, and the first since 1971, as the date the elected candidates take office falls at the midway point of President Fidel V. Ramos ' six-year term.

## Candidates

## Retiring and term limited incumbents

This was the first Senate election where there were term-limited incumbents.

- Butz Aquino (LDP), term limited, ran for representative from Makati's 2nd district and won

- Joey Lina (LDP), term limited, ran for governor of Laguna and won

- John Henry Osmeña (NPC), term limited, ran for representative from Cebu 's 3rd district and won; ran for senator in 1998 and won

- Nina Rasul (Lakas)

- Wigberto Tañada (Liberal), term limited, ran for representative from Quezon 's 4th district and won; ran for senator in 2001 and lost

### Mid-term vacancies

- Teofisto Guingona Jr. (LDP), appointed Executive Secretary on July 6, 1993

## Controversies

### "Dagdag-Bawas" scam

As the counting of votes was ongoing on May 11, former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. alleged that some senatorial candidates currently outside the unfinished tally's top twelve spots were beginning to rig votes by bribing people involved in the electoral process. Pimentel also shared that two of his fellow Lakas-Laban senatorial candidates revealed to him that a vote-buying scam called "Oplan Dagdag-Bawas" (lit. ' Add-Subtract ') was occurring in Mindanao, where canvassers are bribed to shave off votes meant for Pimentel and transfer them to other candidates. Pimentel later admitted that he lacks evidence for his claim, while a Comelec commissioner named Regalado Maambong dismissed the allegation as false. After the election, Pimentel established the Foundation for Clean Elections, Inc. in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila to help prevent fraud in the country's elections.

By late 1995, the Senate Electoral Tribunal ordered to deduct more than 58,000 "unlawfully credited" votes for Juan Ponce Enrile in Bataan and Isabela from his tally, alongside 10,000 votes for Gringo Honasan and 7,000 votes for Ramon Mitra.

In May 1996, Maambong reversed his stance from the previous year and revealed that Comelec has found evidence of widespread cheating during the election. Resureccion Borra, then executive director of Comelec, later stated that the 1995 election was the first time "dagdag-bawas" was committed on a massive scale, and announced that they will attempt to prosecute canvassers in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Bataan, and Lanao del Sur. In July 1996, Senator Serge Osmeña revealed that he discovered a 30,000 vote discrepancy for him in Pasig City between the manual tally done by the Treasurer's Office and the certificates of canvass. By December, a regional trial court in Bataan ordered for the arrest of Cenon Uy, an assistant regional director for Comelec in Central Luzon, for having allegedly tampered with election results in the region to favor the candidacy of Enrile, though he would remain in office until late 2000 when a pending court case against him forced his resignation.

On February 10, 2000, Antonio Llorente and Ligaya Salayon, who were respectively Pasig City prosecutor and member of the Pasig board of canvassers at the time of the election, was charged by the Supreme Court for violating election laws after they admitted their "honest mistake" of taking away votes from Pimentel and transferring them to Enrile. Llorente eventually went on indefinite leave from his position as Justice Undersecretary in September due to the Supreme Court standing by its ruling.

On September 11, 2000, Arsenia Garcia, who was chair of the Alaminos, Pangasinan municipal canvassers during the election, was convicted of electoral fraud by a Regional Trial Court in Alaminos due to her discarding more than 5,000 votes that were in favor of Pimentel, and sentenced to six years in prison.

## Results

The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and the Lakas–NUCD won four each, while the Nacionalista Party, the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), People's Reform Party (PRP), and an independent won one seat each.

Three incumbent LDP senators won: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Raul Roco, and Francisco Tatad (originally elected as an NPC member). Nikki Coseteng was the sole NPC senator to successfully defend her seat.

Neophyte senators were Lakas's Franklin Drilon, Juan Flavier, Ramon Magsaysay Jr., and Serge Osmeña, LDP's Marcelo Fernan, Miriam Defensor Santiago of the PRP, and independent Gregorio Honasan.

Returning was Juan Ponce Enrile, who last served in the Senate in 1992.

Incumbents defeated were LDP's Rodolfo Biazon and NPC's Arturo Tolentino.

Key:

- ‡ Seats up

- + Gained by a party from another party

- √ Held by the incumbent

- * Held by the same party with a new senator

- ^ Vacancy


Toyota Oakdale Theatre

# Toyota Oakdale Theatre

## Abstract

The Oakdale Theatre (originally known as the Oakdale Musical Theatre) is a multi-purpose performance venue, located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Opened in 1954, the venue consists of an auditorium and domed theatre, known as The Dome at Oakdale.

## History

The music venue was founded by Ben Segal in 1954. At this time, the theatre was an open-air theatre in the round venue seating 1,400. It was located in an alfalfa field near the Oakdale Tavern. The theatre opened in June 1954 and was used primarily for summer stock and thus the venue only operated seasonally. During its inaugural season, the theatre hosted many famous plays including: Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific and Oklahoma!.

In 1962, Segal purchased the nearby tavern for $600,000. During this time, he also made slight modifications to the venue to make the experience better for the consumer. With the new features, the theatre also become a concert venue. The Oakdale became a regular concert venue when many acts also played the Westbury Music Fair. Act included: Tom Jones, Paul Anka, Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Doors.

In 1972, a wooden dome was erected to replace the tent and the capacity doubled to 3,200. The 70s drew in more concerts, as well as boxing and other sporting events. By the 1980s, the allure of the venue began to flicker. Despite its wooded dome, the venue continued to operate seasonally. With the theatre in the round buzz going out of style, the venue began to suffer financially. In 1989, Segal sold the venue to Robert Errato, who later created the Oakdale Development Limited Partnership.

Initially, Errato wanted to take the property and convert it into condominiums with office/retail space. After the community protested the change, (stating the theatre was considered a landmark to its residents) Errato abandoned his plans. Later, he went to the city council and proposed an $80 million plan to improve the theatre, but also used the acreage to include an office park and retail shops. Once again, the community were against his plans, stating the changes would bring unnecessary traffic and the changes would ruin the "country" setting of the town.

In 1994, Errato was eventually able to push forward with plans to renovate the theatre. The $21 million renovation included removing the central stage and giving the venue an auditorium-style seating. This meant the venue would erect a new building, while the wooded dome would be gutted and converted into a grand lobby. The new theater (and new name) debuted July 7, 1996, with a concert by Brooks & Dunn. In 1997, concerts began to take place in the former wooded dome, which gave birth to "The Dome at Oakdale". In 1998, SFX Entertainment purchased operating rights for $12 million.

### Naming changes

- Oakdale Musical Theatre (June 21, 1954 — December 16, 1989)

- Oakdale Theatre (December 17, 1989 — July 6, 1996)

- SNET Oakdale Theatre (July 7, 1996 — July 10, 2000)

- ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre (July 11, 2000 — May 2, 2002)

- careerbuilder.com Oakdale Theatre (May 3, 2002 — July 10, 2005)

- Chevrolet Theatre (July 11, 2005 — December 12, 2009)

- Toyota Oakdale Theatre (December 13, 2009 — present)

## Legal disputes

In 1998, the owners were served a cease-and-desist letter by the Town of Wallingford. In 1989, the venue was given a permit stating there could not be any double performances during the work-week. Famed illusionist David Copperfield was booked for a Wednesday and Thursday performance. The case was taken to the New Haven Superior Court and ruled in favor of Wallingford.

In 2002, owner Robert Errato sued operator Clear Channel Entertainment. Errato claimed Clear Channel served him with a termination letter and was no longer allowed on the property. Clear Channel claimed Errato violated several contract terms, including planning building inspections without consulting Clear Channel. From the case, Clear Channel purchased the venue and the property.

In December 2014, Town Planner Kacie Costello issued the venue another cease-and-desist letter, this time over noise ordinance. According to the letter, The Dome at Oakdale was listed as a lobby/reception area and not a performing arts venue. The noise from concerts in the Dome received several complaints from the neighboring homes. Many residents felt the "landmark" would close down. A Facebook campaign was created and many residents took to the streets to protest.

Despite the letter, Live Nation stated they will continue to book concerts in the auditorium and dome. In May 2015, the Town of Wallingford decided to lift the order however the theatre still had to adhere to several ordinances regarding the noise issue. Jim Koplik, president of Live Nation Connecticut requested a state grant for $1.2 million to add soundproofing to the Dome. However, the State requested Koplik issues a 10-percent fee to all tickets sold. Koplik withdrew his request from funding stating it would be unfair to add the admissions tax.


Northbrae, Berkeley, California

# Northbrae, Berkeley, California

## Abstract

Northbrae is a neighborhood in Berkeley, California built as part of the northern expansion of North Berkeley. Its technical border is Solano Avenue to the North, Spruce Street to the East, the Albany city limits to the West, and Hopkins Street, Yolo Avenue, and Eunice Street to the south. Northbrae however broadly refers to the upper half of North Berkeley starting at or around Rose Street but ending before Solano. It's bordered by the two commercial districts on Solano Avenue and Hopkins Street, as well as hilly terrain made up of volcanic rock, rhyolite, and 136 stairways carved into the landscape. The neighborhood is visibly distinct for its pink sidewalks and many stone pillars topped with concrete globes denoting street names. The central hub of Northbrae is the Fountain at the Circle, a water fountain designed by the head architect of the University of California surrounded by terra cotta roundabout and stairwell. Northbrae made it into the American Planning Association 's list of Great Places in America in 2011.

## History

After a 1906 earthquake along the western coast, about 15,000 residents from San Francisco decided to move East. Commuter rail had made it possible to now inhabit the countryside and Duncan McDuffie and Joseph Mason took full advantage of this. Under Mason-McDuffie Co., they purchased 700 acres for a subdivision that would eventually be known as Berkeley. Garden suburbs and the Beaux Arts style were prominent influences for this new area. At one point, the local Chamber of Commerce even proposed that Berkeley be named the state capital and the developers named the streets of Northbrae after various California counties but it did not succeed. Northbrae was split up into five sections: "Northbrae" west of The Alameda, "Northbrae Terrace" east of the Alameda and denoted by two pillars rather than just one at each entrance on The Alameda, Berkeley Heights as a predecessor to the Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Square which was north of Marin Avenue and focused along Arlington Avenue, and a small portion called Grand View Terrace which contains the districts most finest homes between Shattuck and Spruce streets.

Duncan McDuffie led Berkeley to become the first city in the United States to prohibit multifamily housing through zoning and Northbrae was the widest zoned single-family district. As with all of Mason-McDuffie Co. subdivisions, their homes in Northbrae included deed restrictions prohibiting sale to anyone who wasn't white.

## Natural and physical features

The Northbrae neighborhood is known for its hilly terrain. The built environment follows along the natural topography which includes trees and existing outcropping of volcanic rock. The volcanic rock in the area, rhyolite, is primarily composed of quartz and is a significant feature of the area. The streets are arranged predominantly N-S in order to emphasize the views of the San Francisco bay and the hills. Most of the homes are bungalows and are tucked into the hills, connected by stairways that have been carved into the landscape. The original subdivision is visible by its pink colored sidewalks and stone pillars, though several rock pillars have been destroyed by property owners and automobiles over the years. The rock pillars and fountain were designed by John Galen Howard, the lead architect of the University of California, Berkeley campus.

## Notable places and public amenities

The North Branch Berkeley Library, the Martin Luther King Middle School, and Solano Avenue shopping district are all integral parts of Berkeley. Northbrae is also home to several large parks. The MLK Middle School runs a program called the Edible Schoolyard that attracts many people every year. There are also many paths in the neighborhood originally built as shortcuts to streetcar lines.

## Transportation

The neighborhood was originally designed with the intention of each single family home having direct access to the train under the 1916 zoning law. Today, however, the North Berkeley BART station is a half mile away. Four AC Transit bus lines currently run through the neighborhood. There are 2 bicycle boulevards that promote alternative transportation.


2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season

# 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season

## Abstract

The 2024 season is the Pittsburgh Steelers ' 92nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their third under general manager Omar Khan and their 18th under head coach Mike Tomlin. They will attempt to improve on their 10–7 record from last year, make the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season, and end their 3-year AFC North title drought.

## Regular season

### Schedule

Notes

- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

- Networks and times from Weeks 5–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.

- The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17.

- All games are broadcast on a local station per NFL regulations.

### Game summaries

#### Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

- Date: September 8

- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT

- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)

- Game attendance: 72,291

- Referee: Brad Rogers

- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver

- Recap, Game Book

#### Week 2: at Denver Broncos

at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

- Date: September 15

- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/2:25 p.m. MDT

- Game weather: Mostly sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)

- Referee: Clete Blakeman

- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala

- Preview

#### Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

- Date: September 22

- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT

- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson

- Preview

### Standings


Voodoo Murders

# Voodoo Murders

## Abstract

Voodoo Murders (stylised in all capital letters, also stylised as VDM) were a professional wrestling stable who were best known as the main heel group in All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2005 and 2011, and 2022 to 2023. In 2013, the group was reformed in Diamond Ring and later performed primarily for Pro Wrestling ZERO1 in the stable's final years. The group, famously led by former Toryumon wrestler Taru, performed violent actions in their matches and displayed a lack of respect for their opponents.

## History

### 2005–2007

After competing in All Japan Pro Wrestling briefly in the early 2000s, Taru returned to All Japan on January 3, 2005, teaming with Johnny Stamboli to defeat David Flair and Keiji Mutoh. The duo was later joined by Chuck Palumbo, Shuji Kondo, "brother" Yasshi and briefly Giant Bernard; proclaiming themselves as Voodoo Murders with Taru as their leader. Although the phrase Voodoo Murders is thought to be Engrish by some fans, it seems to be a tribute to a pulp magazine called "The Voodoo Murders." Taru drastically changed his yakuza inspired gimmick from Toryumon into a more bizarre, sinister cult leader of Voodoo-Murders. VDM would regularly employ illegal tactics and weapons into their matches, and often opted to lose via disqualification in order to beat down their opponents.

VDM quickly began feuding with the former top heel stable of All Japan RO&D which lasted for over a year. On June 19, Kondo and Yasshi won the vacant All Asia Tag Team Champions by defeating Tomoaki Honma and Katsuhiko Nakajima. Their title reign would be brief however, as they lost the titles to Nakajima and Kensuke Sasaki on July 26. Kondo bounced back quickly, winning the World Junior Heavyweight Championship from RO&D leader Taka Michinoku on October 22. On January 8, 2006, Taru unsuccessfully challenged Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. Following the match, Kohei Suwama aligned himself with VDM, changing his name to Suwama. Later in the year, RO'Z defected from RO&D to VDM. On September 17, VDM finally destroyed RO&D when Taru, Suwama, RO'Z and Yasshi defeated Buchanan, D'Lo Brown, Taiyō Kea and Michinoku after Buchanan and D'Lo Brown turned on RO&D and joined VDM.

At New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom I, Taru, Suwama, RO'Z and former VDM member Giant Bernard defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Naofumi Yamamoto, Riki Choshu and Takashi Iizuka. On February 17, 2007, Kondo lost his World Junior Heavyweight Championship to Katsuhiko Nakajima. On June 24, after months of Taru attempting to recruit him, Satoshi Kojima finally joined the Voodoo Murders; following the main event match pitting Kondo against Nakajima, the group attacked Nakajima and Sasaki, but were aided when Kojima jumped off the turnbuckle and attacked Sasaki. The group continued to beat down Sasaki and everyone that attempted to help him, including Keiji Mutoh. On August 26, Suwama teamed up with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling star Scott Steiner in a losing effort to The Great Muta and Tajiri. At the same event, Taru and Kojima won the World Tag Team Championships from Taiyo Kea and Toshiaki Kawada. By the end of the year Zodiac had joined VDM, whilst Suwama was experiencing problems with the rest of the group.

### 2008

On January 3, 2008, Taru and Kojima lost the World Tag Team Championships to Keiji Mutoh and Joe Doering. At the same show, Suwama finally broke away from Voodoo Murders and returned the All Japan Seikigun. On March 1, Taru lost to Suwama whilst Kojima unsuccessfully challenged Kensuke Sasaki for the Triple Crown Championship. In the immediate aftermath, the group entered a slump as Kojima took time off due to injuries. The group also add Al Daivari and World Junior Heavyweight Champion Silver King. On April 29, Silver King lost his title to Ryuji Hijikata, and both new members leaving by the summer.

Things continued to get worse as Kojima returned from injury and decided to form his own stable with KAI and Hiroshi Yamato Later, Shuji Kondo also decided to leave the group and return to the All Japan Seikigun. Despite these setbacks, Taru would rebuild and in the fall, recruited top gaijin Joe Doering and veteran wrestler Nobukazu Hirai. Doering would team up with Zodiac as the Voodoo Towers, whilst Hirai was renamed to Hate.

### 2009

In February 2009, "brother" Yasshi left All Japan whilst Lance Hoyt, Michael Faith and former New Japan wrestler Minoru joined VDM. On March 1, Ryuji Hijikata turned on his partner Kaz Hayashi, joining VDM and returning to his masked persona Toshizo. In the spring, Minoru and Toshizo won the 2009 Junior Tag League and would go on and win the tournament, both also received shots at the Jr. Title against Kaz Hayashi but both failed to win the title. Throughout the year, there was dissension in the group as Zodiac was having issues with Taru. In September, Zodiac defected to Satoshi Kojima's F4 stable.

After Zodiac's departure, the group would have a slump for the rest of the year as they lost to F4 in a Captain's Fall Elimination Match on September 23, 2009, Taru and Doering then failed to win the All Asia Tag Team Championship on October 24, Hate failed to win the Jr. Heavyweight Title on October 25, and Taru and Doering placed last at the World's Strongest Tag Determination League due to Doering suffering from the flu.

### 2010

VDM's issues continued in 2010, with Doering leaving for the WWE. Despite the loss, VDM would go on to have one of its most successful years. They quickly replaced Doering with René Duprée and, on February 7, forced F4 to disband after defeating them in a Captain's Fall Elimination match. Continuing the success, VDM would recruit Big Daddy Voodoo and, on April 29, Taru teamed up with him to win the All Asia Tag Team Championships from Akebono and Ryota Hama. In the coming months, VDM also recruited Lance Cade, Mazada and Kenso. On August 13, tragedy struck when Lance Cade died at the age of 29 of apparent heart failure in San Antonio, Texas. Toshizo left All Japan in the same month. On August 29 Taru and Big Daddy Voodoo lost the All-Asia Tag Team Championship to Manabu Soya and Seiya Sanada. On October 10, 2010, Hate lost a match to Shuji Kondo and as a result he must retire. Later in the show, Charlie Haas debuted for All Japan and joined the Voodoo Murders. In his debut match, Haas teamed with Taru and Big Daddy Voodoo to defeat Minoru Suzuki, Akebono, & Taiyo Kea. Afterwards, Masayuki Kono joined the Voodoo Murders after Kenso helped him defeat Ryota Hama, changing his name to simply Kono On December 7 Kenso and Kono defeated Hama and Suwama in the finals to win the 2010 World's Strongest Tag Determination League.

### 2011

On January 2, 2011, Minoru defeated Kaz Hayashi to win the World Junior Heavyweight Championship, ending Hayashi's 23-month reign. At the same show, Hate returned to the group now known as Super Hate. The following day, Kenso and Kono challenged Akebono and Taiyo Kea for the World Tag Team Championship but lost. Following the January 3rd Korakuen Hall show, Taru fired Kenso from the group. On May 29, 2011, Nobukazu Hirai (Super Hate) suffered a stroke after a backstage fight with Taru. In the aftermath of the event, All Japan suspended not only Taru, but also Kono, Minoru and Mazada for not attempting to stop the assault, disbanded Voodoo Murders and vacated the titles the stable held.

### 2013–2024

After a nineteen-month break from professional wrestling, Taru returned to the ring on February 11, 2013, at a Diamond Ring event. His return match, where he and Kazunari Murakami faced Kento Miyahara and Taishi Takizawa, ended in a no contest, following run-ins from "brother" Yasshi and Kengo Nishimura. Afterwards, Taru, Murakami, Yasshi and Nishimura, reforming the Voodoo Murders, were defeated in an eight-man tag team match by Miyahara, Takizawa, Satoshi Kajiwara and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya. After the match, Miyahara and Takizawa turned on their partners and joined the new Voodoo Murders, with "brother" Yasshi positioned as the leader. Miyahara and the rest of Voodoo Murders announced an amicable split on November 14, 2013. Three days later, Yasshi, Nishimura and Taru made their debuts for Pro Wrestling Zero1, announcing that the Voodoo Murders were taking over the promotion. On February 11, 2014, Zero1 Vice President KAMIKAZE turned on the promotion and aligned his Daemon-gun stable, which also included Daemon Ueda and Takuya Sugawara, with the Voodoo Murders. On February 19 "brother" Yasshi formally announced that he is withdrawing from Voodoo Murders that he is more concentrated on wrestling Dragon Gate.

Voodoo Murders were officially disbanded on March 30, 2024. as a result of the departure of the Saito Brothers, Toshizo and Kono.

## Members

### Timeline

## Championships and accomplishments

- Active Advance Pro Wrestling 2AW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – Chris Vice and Yoshikazu Yokoyama

- 2AW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – Chris Vice and Yoshikazu Yokoyama

- All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Suwama All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Taru and Big Daddy Voodoo (1), Shuji Kondo and "brother" Yasshi (1), and Minoru and Toshizo (1) Gaora TV Championship (1 time) – Toshizo World Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times) – Shuji Kondo (1), Silver King (1), Minoru (1) World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Taru and Satoshi Kojima (1), Joe Doering and Kono (1) AJPW Junior Tag League (2009) – Minoru and Toshizo January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2009) – Zodiac January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (2006, 2007, 2009) – "brother" Yasshi World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2010) – Kenso and Kono

- Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Suwama

- All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Taru and Big Daddy Voodoo (1), Shuji Kondo and "brother" Yasshi (1), and Minoru and Toshizo (1)

- Gaora TV Championship (1 time) – Toshizo

- World Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times) – Shuji Kondo (1), Silver King (1), Minoru (1)

- World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Taru and Satoshi Kojima (1), Joe Doering and Kono (1)

- AJPW Junior Tag League (2009) – Minoru and Toshizo

- January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (2009) – Zodiac

- January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal (2006, 2007, 2009) – "brother" Yasshi

- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2010) – Kenso and Kono

- Chō Hanabi Puroresu Bakuha-ō Championship (3 times, current) – Taru (2, current) and Masato Tanaka (1) Bakuha-ō Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – Taru & Masato Tanaka

- Bakuha-ō Championship (3 times, current) – Taru (2, current) and Masato Tanaka (1)

- Bakuha-ō Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – Taru & Masato Tanaka

- Gleat G-Infinity Championship (1 time, current) – Jun Saito and Rei Saito

- G-Infinity Championship (1 time, current) – Jun Saito and Rei Saito

- Pro Wrestling Zero1 NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (3 times) – Taru and Hartley Jackson (1), Masato Tanaka and Yuji Hino (1), & Taru and Chris Vice (1) NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Takuya Sugawara and "brother" Yasshi NWA United National Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Shogun Okamoto Zero1 World Heavyweight Championship (4 times) – Masato Tanaka (2) and Chris Vice (2) Tenkaichi Junior (2016) – Takuya Sugawara Fire Festival (2017) – Masato Tanaka

- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (3 times) – Taru and Hartley Jackson (1), Masato Tanaka and Yuji Hino (1), & Taru and Chris Vice (1)

- NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Takuya Sugawara and "brother" Yasshi

- NWA United National Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Shogun Okamoto

- Zero1 World Heavyweight Championship (4 times) – Masato Tanaka (2) and Chris Vice (2)

- Tenkaichi Junior (2016) – Takuya Sugawara

- Fire Festival (2017) – Masato Tanaka

- Tenryu Project UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Kengo Nishimura

- UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) – Kengo Nishimura

- Tokyo Sports

- Tag Team of the Year (2006) Taru, Suwama, Shuji Kondo and "brother" Yasshi