title: Spermatozoon

text: Middle piece: It has 10–14 spirals of mitochondria surrounding the axial filament in the cytoplasm. It provides motility, and hence is called the powerhouse of the sperm. It also has a ring centriole (annulus) that form a diffusion barrier between the middle piece and the principal piece and serve as a stabilizing structure for tail rigidity.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Tail: The flagellum is the longest part (50µm), having an axial filament surrounded by cytoplasm and plasma membrane, but at the posterior end the axial filament is naked. The flagellum gives movement to the cell.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Semen has an alkaline nature and the spermatozoa do not reach full motility (hypermotility) until they reach the vagina, where the alkaline pH is neutralized by acidic vaginal fluids. This gradual process takes 20–30 minutes. During this period, fibrinogen from the seminal vesicles forms a clot, securing and protecting the sperm. Just as they become hypermotile, fibrinolysin from the prostate gland dissolves the clot, allowing the sperm to progress optimally.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The spermatozoon is characterized by a minimum of cytoplasm and the most densely packed DNA known in eukaryotes. Compared to mitotic chromosomes in somatic cells, sperm DNA is at least sixfold more highly condensed.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The specimen contributes with DNA/chromatin, a centriole, and perhaps also an oocyte-activating factor (OAF). It may also contribute with paternal messenger RNA (mRNA), also contributing to embryonic development.


title: Spermatozoon

text: DNA damages present in spermatozoa in the period after meiosis but before fertilization may be repaired in the fertilized egg, but if not repaired, can have serious deleterious effects on fertility and the developing embryo. Human spermatozoa are particularly vulnerable to free radical attack and the generation of oxidative DNA damage. (see e.g. 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine)


title: Spermatozoon

text: Exposure of males to certain lifestyle, environmental or occupational hazards may increase the risk of aneuploid spermatozoa. In particular, risk of aneuploidy is increased by tobacco smoking, and occupational exposure to benzene, insecticides, and perfluorinated compounds. Increased aneuploidy of spermatozoa often occurs in association with increased DNA damage. DNA fragmentation and increased in situ DNA susceptibility to denaturation, the features similar to these seen during apoptosis of somatic cells, characterize abnormal spermatozoa in cases of male infertility.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Glycoprotein molecules on the surface of ejaculated sperm cells are recognized by all human female immune systems, and interpreted as a signal that the cell should not be rejected. The female immune system might otherwise attack sperm in the reproductive tract. The specific glycoproteins coating sperm cells are also utilized by some cancerous and bacterial cells, some parasitic worms, and HIV-infected white blood cells, thereby avoiding an immune response from the host organism.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The blood-testis barrier, maintained by the tight junctions between the Sertoli cells of the seminiferous tubules, prevents communication between the forming spermatozoa in the testis and the blood vessels (and immune cells circulating within them) within the interstitial space. This prevents them from eliciting an immune response. The blood-testis barrier is also important in preventing toxic substances from disrupting spermatogenesis.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Some species of fruit fly produce the largest known spermatozoon found in nature. "Drosophila melanogaster" produces sperm that can be up to 1.8 mm, while its relative "Drosophila bifurca" produces the largest known spermatozoon, measuring over 58 mm in length. In Drosophila melanogaster, the entire sperm, tail included, gets incorporated into the oocyte cytoplasm, however, for Drosophila bifurca only a small portion of the tail enters the oocyte.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The wood mouse "Apodemus sylvaticus" possesses spermatozoa with falciform morphology. Another characteristics which makes these gametocytes unique is the presence of an apical hook on the sperm head. This hook is used to attach to the hooks or to the flagella of other spermatozoa. Aggregation is caused by these attachments and mobile trains result. These trains provide improved motility in the female reproductive tract and are a means by which fertilization is promoted.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The postmeiotic phase of mouse spermatogenesis is very sensitive to environmental genotoxic agents, because as male germ cells form mature spermatozoa they progressively lose the ability to repair DNA damage. Irradiation of male mice during late spermatogenesis can induce damage that persists for at least 7 days in the fertilizing spermatozoa, and disruption of maternal DNA double-strand break repair pathways increases spermatozoa-derived chromosomal aberrations. Treatment of male mice with melphalan, a bifunctional alkylating agent frequently employed in chemotherapy, induces DNA lesions during meiosis that may persist in an unrepaired state as germ cells progress through DNA repair-competent phases of spermatogenic development. Such unrepaired DNA damages in spermatozoa, after fertilization, can lead to offspring with various abnormalities.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Sea urchins such as "Arbacia punctulata" are ideal organisms to use in sperm research, they spawn large numbers of sperm into the sea, making them well-suited as model organisms for experiments.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The gametophytes of bryophytes, ferns and some gymnosperms produce motile sperm cells, contrary to pollen grains employed in most gymnosperms and all angiosperms. This renders sexual reproduction in the absence of water impossible, since water is a necessary medium for sperm and egg to meet. Algae and lower plant sperm cells are often multi-flagellated (see image) and thus morphologically different from animal spermatozoa.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Some algae and fungi produce non-motile sperm cells, called spermatia. In higher plants and some algae and fungi, fertilization involves the migration of the sperm nucleus through a fertilization tube (e.g. pollen tube in higher plants) to reach the egg cell.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testes in a process called spermatogenesis. Round cells called spermatogonia divide and differentiate eventually to become spermatozoa. During copulation the cloaca or vagina gets inseminated, and then the spermatozoa move through chemotaxis to the ovum inside a Fallopian tube.


title: Spermatozoon

text: In assisted reproductive technology, normozoospermia is referred to a total amount of >39 mill ejaculated, >32% with progressive motility and >4% normal morphology. Also, a normal ejaculation in humans must have a volume over 1.5 ml, being an excessive volume 6 ml per ejaculation (hyperspermia). An insufficient volume is called hypospermia. These problems are related to several complications in spermatozoa production, for example:


title: Spermatozoon

text: Approaching the egg cell is a rather complex, multistep process of chemotaxis guided by different chemical substances/stimuli on individual levels of phylogeny. One of the most significant, common signaling characters of the event is that a prototype of professional chemotaxis receptors, formyl peptide receptor (60,000 receptor/cell) as well as the activator ability of its ligand formyl Met-Leu-Phe have been demonstrated in the surface membrane even in the case of human sperms.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Mammalian sperm cells become even more active when they approach an egg cell in a process called sperm activation. Sperm activation has been shown to be caused by calcium ionophores "in vitro", progesterone released by nearby cumulus cells and binding to ZP3 of the zona pellucida. The cumulus cells are embedded in a gel-like substance made primarily of hyaluronic acid, and developed in the ovary with the egg and support it as it grows.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The initial change is called "hyperactivation", which causes a change in spermatozoa motility. They swim faster and their tail movements become more forceful and erratic.


title: Spermatozoon

text: A recent discovery links hyperactivation to a sudden influx of calcium ion into the tails. The whip-like tail (flagellum) of the sperm is studded with ion channels formed by proteins called CatSper. These channels are selective, allowing only calcium ions to pass. The opening of CatSper channels is responsible for the influx of calcium. The sudden rise in calcium levels causes the flagellum to form deeper bends, propelling the sperm more forcefully through the viscous environment. Sperm hyperactivity is necessary for breaking through two physical barriers that protect the egg from fertilization.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The second process in sperm activation is the acrosome reaction. This involves releasing the contents of the acrosome, which disperse, and the exposure of enzymes attached to the inner acrosomal membrane of the sperm. This occurs after the sperm first meets the egg. This lock-and-key type mechanism is species-specific and prevents the sperm and egg of different species from fusing. There is some evidence that this binding is what triggers the acrosome to release the enzymes that allow the sperm to fuse with the egg.


title: Spermatozoon

text: ZP3, one of the proteins that make up the zona pellucida, then binds to a partner molecule on the sperm. Enzymes on the inner acrosomal membrane digest the zona pellucida. After the sperm penetrates the zona pellucida, part of the sperm's cell membrane then fuses with the egg cell's membrane, and the contents of the head diffuse into the egg.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Upon penetration, the oocyte is said to have become activated. It undergoes its secondary meiotic division, and the two haploid nuclei (paternal and maternal) fuse to form a zygote. In order to prevent polyspermy and minimise the possibility of producing a triploid zygote, several changes to the egg's zona pellucida renders them impenetrable shortly after the first sperm enters the egg.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Spermatozoa can be stored in diluents such as the "Illini Variable Temperature" (IVT) diluent, which have been reported to be able to preserve high fertility of spermatozoa for over seven days. The IVT diluent is composed of several salts, sugars and antibacterial agents and gassed with CO.


title: Spermatozoon

text: Semen cryopreservation can be used for far longer storage durations. For human spermatozoa, the longest reported successful storage with this method is 21 years.


title: Spermatozoon

text: The capacitation is the final phase of spermatozoa development, when they acquire the capability to fertilize the oocyte. In vivo, it happens during ejaculation, when spermatozoa leave the vagina and come in the superior female reproductive tract. In vitro, it happens when the spermatozoa is washed and purified. Almost 30-40% of infertility is due to male factor, so several strategies have been created in order to recover the functional spermatozoa. The MMP (Million Motile Progressive cells per milliliter) measure is synonymous with capacitation, and is very useful parameter to decide, along with a spermiogram, the kind of treatment needed. it represents the ratio between the % of progressive motile sperm obtained in capacitated and the % of progressive motile sperm obtained in ejaculated. It is based on the recovery percentage. Depending on the percentage, we will decide the quality of the motile spermatozoa recovery: 15 to 25 million sperm/ml is considered optimal, between 5 and 15 million is considered enough and less than 5 million is considered sub-optimal or not sufficient. Regarding the values that we have obtained, along with the spermiogram results, different techniques will be displayed.


title: Spermatozoon

text: For example, if more than 1.0×10 progressive motile sperm per milliliter are found, it will be recommended to have sexual intercourse, and if that fails, the next step will be intrauterine insemination and later conventional in vitro fertilization.


title: Spermatozoon

text: With less than 1.0×10 progressive motile sperm per milliliter, we will perform intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In case of azoospermia (no spermatozoa in the ejaculate), we will do a testicular biopsy in order to check if there are spermatozoa in the testes or if no spermatozoa are being produced.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Mary Louis "Maria" Kanellis-Bennett (born February 25, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, actress, model and former singer, She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she was a member of Honor No More, and is known for her time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and WWE. She is also known for her 2008 "Playboy" magazine pictorial and 2010 appearances on the "Celebrity Apprentice" television series. She is currently the co-owner and founder of Women's Wrestling Army (WWA).


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis' career began as a contestant on the reality show "Outback Jack" in 2004. In the same year, she placed fifth in the Diva Search, and was later hired by WWE as a backstage interviewer. Kanellis began competing in the ring as a professional wrestler in 2005 and received the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year in 2009. She released her debut album "Sevin Sins" in 2010 and departed WWE that year. After departing WWE, she worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), often appearing with her husband Mike Bennett. In TNA, she is a former TNA Knockouts Champion. Along with Bennett, she returned to WWE from 2017 to 2020 and held the WWE 24/7 Championship once. She is also the first ever pregnant champion in WWE history.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis was born in Ottawa, Illinois. She has Greek origins. She has two younger siblings; a brother and sister named Bill and Janny, respectively. Kanellis grew up with an interest in playing sports, particularly volleyball, basketball, and softball. She graduated from Ottawa Township High School in 2000, and then went on to study at Northern Illinois University. Before her career in wrestling began, Kanellis regularly competed in beauty pageants.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Maria competed in the "Diva Search" in 2004, deciding to enter the contest after seeing an advertisement while watching "Raw". Even though she only placed fifth in the contest, she was hired by the company. She stood out in the contest by giving fellow contestant Carmella DeCesare the finger after being eliminated from the contest. Maria began making appearances in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's then-developmental territory. She contributed booking ideas, and her work at OVW earned her a spot on the Raw brand roster. Maria was brought on to "Raw" as a ditzy backstage interviewer and the host of WWE KissCam in November 2004. Her gimmick involved her asking wrong questions, irritating and amusing the roster.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: In 2005, Maria began wrestling and was defeated in her first official match on the January 10, 2005 episode of "Raw" by Christy Hemme in a Lingerie Pillow Fight. On the March 14 episode of "Raw", one of Maria's fillings legitimately fell out after she was slapped by Trish Stratus. She also competed in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Diva Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday for the WWE Women's Championship, but was the first to be eliminated. On November 14, Maria competed in a non-title Diva Battle Royal at the Eddie Guerrero tribute "Raw" show, where she was one of the last three women left but was eliminated by Melina and Trish Stratus.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the November 28 episode of "Raw", Maria interviewed then-Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff, and asked him whether or not he thought he was going to be fired. He then booked her in a match with Kurt Angle out of spite, and Maria was laid out with the Angle Slam. As a result, one week later, Maria testified in the trial against Bischoff, who was being fired because of his controversial actions as general manager.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the January 2, 2006 episode of "Raw", Maria was attacked and stripped of her clothes by Vince's Devils (Victoria, Torrie Wilson, and Candice Michelle), but she was saved by Ashley Massaro. During a commercial break that night, Vince McMahon announced a Gauntlet Bra & Panties Match for New Year's Revolution between all five girls. At the event, Maria was the first to enter the Gauntlet match and eliminated Michelle and Wilson before being eliminated by Victoria. The match was ultimately won by Massaro. On the February 6, episode of "Raw", Jonathan Coachman announced that Edge and Lita would have fought the mixed team of John Cena and Maria in the main event, and before the match Cena kissed Maria, who came into his locker room to express her nervousness for the competition (despite the kiss, any on-screen romance between the pair was born). Maria scored the victory after a spear meant for Cena hit Lita. The following month, Lita defeated Maria in a one-sided singles match.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the April 10 episode of "Raw", Maria received title match for Mickie James' WWE Women's Championship, but lost. On October 16, Maria won a Fatal Four-Way Bra and Panties match against Victoria, Candice, and Wilson to advance to the semi-finals in a Women's Championship Tournament. Maria, however, lost in the semi-finals to Lita.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the January 1, 2007 episode of "Raw", Maria attempted to interview Kevin Federline, but was instead slapped by Melina. This led to a match between the two later that night, which Melina won. At New Year's Revolution, Maria and Candice ran to the ring during the Women's Championship match between Victoria and Mickie James to stop Melina from interfering, helping James retain the title. In the following weeks she faced Melina in two tag team matches, where she won one. Maria began an on-screen romance with Santino Marella in June. On the November 5 episode of "Raw", Marella was confronted by the returning Stone Cold Steve Austin for criticizing his movie, "The Condemned". As a part of the storyline, the argument ended as Marella received a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: After former "Playboy" cover-girl Ashley Massaro's return in early 2008, Kanellis engaged in backstage segments where Massaro suggested Maria should be on the cover of "Playboy". As a part of the storyline, Maria defeated Beth Phoenix on February 18, to "earn the right" to be on the cover of the magazine. During her "Playboy" cover unveiling, Maria's cover was plastered over with images of Marella. After Marella offered an ultimatum of posing for the magazine or staying with him as a couple, she then broke up with him. Maria, along with Ashley were defeated by Phoenix and Melina at WrestleMania XXIV in a "Playboy BunnyMania" Lumberjill match. After the match, Maria passionately kissed the Master of Ceremonies, Snoop Dogg. The next night on Raw, Maria wrestled Marella, but the match ended with Maria as the winner. This ended their feud.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: As part of the 2008 WWE supplemental draft, Maria was drafted to the SmackDown brand. She made her debut on the August 1 episode of "SmackDown" by defeating Victoria. On the October 17 episode of "SmackDown!", Maria won a "Las Vegas Dice on a Pole" match to become the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship, but lost for the title against then-champion Michelle McCool. Maria participated in the Raw vs. Smackdown Divas match at Survivor Series, where she eliminated Jillian Hall before her team lost the match. On the December 5 episode of "SmackDown!", Maria pinned Divas Champion Michelle McCool, but she was defeated by Maryse in a number one contender's match for the title two weeks later.At the Armageddon on December 14, Maria was part of the winning team of a Santa's Little Helper tag team match. On the December 26 episode of "SmackDown!", she served as a special guest referee in the Divas Championship match between Maryse and McCool, where Maryse became the new champion. After the match, McCool turned heel and attacked Maria.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the January 23, 2009, episode of "SmackDown", Maria returned and attacked McCool during a match. On the February 13 episode of "SmackDown", she defeated McCool following interference from Eve Torres. Over the next several weeks, Maria competed in various tag-team matches against McCool, with Maria winning three out of four matches. She also competed at WrestleMania XXV for the "Miss WrestleMania" crown, but was eliminated by Victoria. Throughout June, Maria served as the special guest referee in Diva matches. Maria made her in-ring return on the July 3 episode of "SmackDown", teaming with Melina to defeat LayCool (Michelle McCool and Layla). Soon after, she entered into an on-screen relationship with Dolph Ziggler, despite her being a fan favorite and him being a villainous character. At Night of Champions, Maria accompanied Ziggler to his match with Rey Mysterio for Intercontinental Championship. In the following weeks, Melina implied that Ziggler was cheating on Maria, which Maria did not believe. Maria and Ziggler later broke up on the October 6 episode of "SmackDown" in a backstage segment, after she cost him his match with John Morrison. Maria then took a brief hiatus from the ring to film the "Celebrity Apprentice", but returned on the December 4 episode of "SmackDown" by helping Mickie James fend off an attack by LayCool. She made her in-ring return the following week, teaming up with James to defeat LayCool, in which would be her final match in WWE until October 2018. On December 14, Maria won the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year, which was voted for by WWE fans.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: After Mickie James defeated Michelle Mccool to become WWE Women’s Champion, Maria appeared post-match at the Royal Rumble with other Divas, to cake Laycool for revenge. This was her only appearance in 2010, as Maria was released from her WWE contract on 26 February.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Maria confirmed on her Twitter account that she would be appearing at Ring of Honor (ROH)'s Final Battle pay-per-view on December 23, 2011. She accompanied her real-life boyfriend, Mike Bennett, as a villainess, in a three-way elimination match for the ROH World Television Championship, where he won.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On January 7, 2012, tapings of "Ring of Honor Wrestling", she was dubbed the "First Lady of ROH". At the June 21 tapings of "Ring of Honor Wrestling", Kanellis accompanied Bennett and Brutal Bob Evans to the ring, where they lost to Eddie Edwards and Adam Cole. After the match, Kanellis, Bennett and Bob attacked Cole and Edwards, but were stopped by Sara Del Rey, who Edwards had brought in to neutralize Kanellis. At the Boiling Point on August 11, Maria and Bennett lost to Del Rey and Edwards in a mixed tag team match. In September 2012, Kanellis and Bennett became involved in a storyline with Mike Mondo after he kissed Kanellis during one of Bennett's matches. On Glory by Honor in October, Bennett defeated Mondo to end the feud. On December 16 at , Kanellis along with Bob accompanied Bennett to the ring where he defeated Jerry Lynn in his final ROH match before retirement.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On September 19, 2013, Maria and Bennett defeated The Brutal Burgers (Brutal Bob Evans and Cheeseburger) in an Intergender tag team match. On October 26, during Bennett's match with Kevin Steen at the Glory by Honor XII, Kanellis tried to interfere but was attacked by Lisa Marie Varon.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis and Bennett returned to ROH at the January 4, 2014, tapings of "Ring of Honor Wrestling" which aired on February 1, with Kanellis helping Bennett defeat Cedric Alexander. Throughout the summer, Maria and Bennett would get involved in Matt Hardy's feud with The Briscoes. During the feud, The Kingdom stole Jay Briscoe's title; Matt Hardy customized it as the Iconic Championship. At All Stars Extravaganza 6, Bennett and Maria customized the title as the Championship of Love. They were interrupted by Jay Briscoe's brother, Mark. Bennett and Kanellis left ROH after the December 19, 2015, "Ring of Honor Wrestling" taping, after failing to come to terms on a new contract with the promotion.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On February 25, 2012, Maria won a tournament to determine the inaugural Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) Women's Champion. The victory also marked Kanellis' first championship in professional wrestling. She held the championship until March 24, when she lost it to Winter in a three-way match also involving Rosita. In July, Kanellis regained the championship from Winter. Kanellis successfully defended her title against Angelina Love at "FWE: No Limits".


title: Maria Kanellis

text: In September 2012, Kanellis made her debut for Chikara, managing Mike Bennett and The Young Bucks to the finals of the 2012 King of Trios tournament. Alongside Gavin Loudspeaker, Kanellis hosted the 2014 National Pro Wrestling Day. On October 4, 2014, Maria lost the FWE Women's Championship against Ivelisse Vélez


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On April 6, 2015, Kanellis managed Bennett and Matt Taven to capture New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)'s IWGP Tag Team Championship at Invasion Attack 2015. The following day, NJPW announced that, due to Mike Bennet's politics backstage, the promotion had booked its first match involving female wrestlers since October 2002, which would see Kanellis team up with Bennett and Taven to take on Amber Gallows, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson at Wrestling Dontaku 2015 on May 3. Kanellis pinned Amber to win the match. On July 5 at Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, Kanellis accompanied Bennett and Taven to their first IWGP Tag Team Championship defense against Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson. The Kingdom lost the match and the championship, after Doc Gallows superkicked Kanellis, which distracted Bennett, leaving Taven alone to lose the match.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On January 5, 2016, during "Impact Wrestling"'s premiere on "Pop TV", Maria made her debut as a heel introducing her husband as "The Miracle" Mike Bennett. In February, Maria began a feud with Gail Kim after Kim refused Maria's help to make her go "mainstream". On the April 19 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Maria won a ladder match to become the new impact Knockouts Division Commissioner. During the feud between Maria and Gail Kim, where a singles match was set up for Slammiversary. On June 10, Maria then revealed on her Instagram account that she suffered a broken hand, and therefore she was not medically cleared to compete at Slammiversary and her match with Kim was called off. Kim was therefore added to the Knockouts Championship match, making it a triple threat match.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the September 1, episode of "Impact Wrestling", Maria berated and forcibly pinned her apprentice Allie to win the TNA Women's Knockout Championship for the first time in her career. On October 2 at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view, Kim defeated Maria for the title, ending her reign at 50 days and Gail Kim also defeated Maria to step down as the new TNA Knockouts Commissioner. After being convinced by Kevin Owens, the couple didn't re-sign with TNA and, on March 1, they left the promotion.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On June 18, 2017, Kanellis returned to WWE alongside her husband Mike Kanellis in his WWE debut at Money in the Bank, establishing the Kanellis couple as heels for the first time in Maria's WWE career. On the July 18 episode of "SmackDown", Maria helped Mike defeat Sami Zayn in his WWE debut match. In September, Kanellis went on a leave of absence from WWE, following her pregnancy announcement. On January 22, 2018, at the "25th Anniversary of Raw", a visibly pregnant Maria was honored as part of a segment involving women considered legends that contributed to the company's success, including The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki), Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Lilian Garcia, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Terri Runnels, and WWE Hall of Famers Jacqueline and Trish Stratus.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Nine months later, on the October 10 episode of "205 Live", Maria officially made her television return as she interrupted a match between Lince Dorado and Lio Rush, allowing her husband, who attack Dorado. Three weeks later, on October 28, in her first match back in WWE since December 2009, Kanellis took part of the first ever all women's pay–per–view, Evolution, where she competed in a battle royal for a future women's championship match but she was eliminated by the eventual winner Nia Jax. Throughout the rest of the year, Kanellis would continue her managerial role as she would accompany her husband Mike to his matches on "205 Live" where both would appear regularly. On January 16, Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin reported that Maria and Mike recently asked WWE to release them from their contracts. Maria would go on to deny that she asked for her release. Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Illustrated reported that they were not backstage at the following episode of "205 Live". On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, Kanellis returned for the first time since Evolution in the previous year and competed in her first women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 15 and lasting 08:12 minutes before she was eliminated by Alicia Fox. She would not appear on television until the January 29, 2019 "205 Live", where she accompanied Mike in a match against Kalisto, in which the latter won.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On the July 1, 2019 episode of "Raw", Mike and Maria lost a mixed tag team match against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. During the match, Maria revealed she was pregnant with her and Bennett's second child. On the July 29 episode of "Raw", after Mike had won the WWE 24/7 Championship from R-Truth, he hid from a crowd of male wrestlers in his and Maria's locker room where Maria instructed Mike to lay down so she could pin him and win the title to become the 24/7 Champion, her first title in WWE. The following week, she lost the title back to Mike when he hugged her on the examination table during Maria's OB-GYN appointment. She then became the focal point of a story on TV, where she would say that Mike was not the father of her child, resulting in her husband losing matches in a humiliating manner. However, the storyline was dropped. According to her, the storyline would end with Mike being the father.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis hasn’t appeared in WWE since 2019 and on April 15, 2020, Kanellis, her husband and many other employees were released from their WWE contracts due to budget cuts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On December 20, 2020, ROH announced the return of Maria through their social media platforms, as Maria introduced "The Experience", where fans can discuss and influence about ROH online. On October 27, 2021, she was released by ROH among other wrestlers due to the company closing down.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: At Hard To Kill, on January 8, 2022, Maria made her return to TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling, along with Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, PCO, and Vincent, where they attacked Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: On October 8, 2022, it was announced that Bennett, Kanellis, Taven and Vincent had left "Impact Wrestling".


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Maria made her All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut on the October 14, 2022 episode of "Rampage", alongside Mike Bennett and Matt Taven, interrupting FTR and Shawn Spears' victory celebration.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: In 2004, she was a contestant on the reality show, "Outback Jack". She made it to the final three before being eliminated.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: During the week of November 5, 2007, she appeared on five episodes of "Family Feud" with several other WWE superstars. She also appeared on the February 6, 2008 episode of "Project Runway" with some of the other WWE Divas. On August 17, 2008, Maria, Candice Michelle, and Eve Torres were on an episode of "Sunset Tan". Kanellis later appeared on VH1's "Top 20 Video Countdown", along with John Cena. On December 17, 2009, she was a guest host on G4's "Attack of the Show". Kanellis began a new career as a mixed martial arts announcer for HDNet on March 26, 2010, at the King of the Cage event in Reno, Nevada. Kanellis was also a contestant on the "Celebrity Apprentice", which premiered in March 2010. She was eliminated on the May 16 episode. She placed fifth out of fourteen contestants.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis was first asked to pose for "Playboy" when she was nineteen years old, but she turned down the offer in fear of embarrassing her sister. She eventually posed for the cover of the April 2008 issue, with an accompanying nude pictorial. For the pictorial, she chose her own wardrobe and made the black hooded jacket she wore in one of the photos. That same year, "FHM" named her 53rd of 100 on their "The Sexiest Women 2008" list. With WWE transitioning to PG content a few months after Kanellis's pictorial and WWE dropping its use of the term WWE Diva in 2016 in favor of referring to the female talent as WWE Superstars along with the men, Kanellis was ultimately the last active WWE Diva to pose nude for the magazine.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis is also a singer and released her debut album "Sevin Sins" on April 13, 2010, with "Fantasy" as the first single.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: In early 2011, Kanellis appeared in the Funny or Die web series, "Swallow" and in March 2011 she launched her own perfume line called Signature. In September 2011, Kanellis launched her DVD line in conjunction with Code Red DVD called Maria's B Movie Mayhem.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: Kanellis has appeared in four WWE video games. She made her in-game debut in "SmackDown vs. Raw 2009". Maria also appears in "SmackDown vs. Raw 2010", "WWE 2K19" as DLC and "WWE 2K20".


title: Maria Kanellis

text: In a December 2011 interview, Kanellis confirmed she was dating Mike Bennett, and the couple were engaged in November 2012. On October 10, 2014, Kanellis and Bennett married. On September 25, 2017, Kanellis announced she and Bennett were expecting their first child. On April 3, 2018, the couple welcomed their daughter, Fredrica "Freddie" Moon Bennett. On the July 1, 2019 episode of Raw, during a mixed tag team match with Kanellis and Bennett against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, Kanellis announced that she and Bennett are expecting their second child. Maria and Mike welcomed their son Carver Mars Bennett on February 3, 2020.


title: Maria Kanellis

text: In 2013, Kanellis was announced as one of the recipients of WWE's Talent Scholarship, which she utilized to obtain a degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management from Johnson & Wales University, graduating in May 2017.


title: Tandoor

text: A tandoor ( or ) is a large urn-shaped oven, usually made of clay, originating from the Indian Subcontinent. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and naan, as well as to roast meat. The tandoor is predominantly used in Western Asian, Central Asian, South Asian and Horn of African cuisines.


title: Tandoor

text: The roots of the tandoor can be traced back over 5000 years, to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, one of the oldest known civilizations. The standard heating element of a tandoor is an internal charcoal or wood fire, which cooks food with direct heat and smoke. Tandoors can be fully above ground, or partially buried below ground, often reaching over a meter in height/depth. Temperatures in a tandoor can reach , and they are routinely kept lit for extended periods. Therefore, traditional tandoors are usually found in restaurant kitchens. Modern tandoors are often made of metal. Variations, such as tandoors with gas or electric heating elements, are more common for at-home use.


title: Tandoor

text: The English word comes from Urdu "tandūr", which came from Persian "tanūr" () or () from Arabic "tannūr" () and ultimately came from the Akkadian word "tinūru" (𒋾𒂟), which consists of the parts "tin" "mud" and "nuro/nura" "fire" and is mentioned as early as in the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh, c.f. also Avestan "tanûra" and Middle Persian "tanûr". In Sanskrit, the tandoor was referred to as "kandu".


title: Tandoor

text: Words related and similar to "tandoor" are used in various languages, for example the Dari Persian words "tandūr" and "tanūr", Arabic "tannūr" (تنّور), Armenian "t’onir" (Թոնիր), Assyrian "tanūra" (ܬܢܘܪܐ), Azerbaijani "təndir", Georgian "tone" (თონე), Hebrew "tanúr" (תנור), Kyrgyz "tandyr" (тандыр), Kazakh "tandyr" (тандыр), Kurdish "tenûr", Tat "tənur", Tajik "tanur" (танур), Turkish "tandır", Turkmen "tamdyr", Uzbek "tandir", Luganda "ttanuulu", and Somali "tinaar".


title: Tandoor

text: The first time a tandoor is used, the temperature must be gradually increased to condition the interior of the oven. This step is crucial in ensuring the longevity of the tandoor. Conditioning can be done by starting a very small fire and slowly adding fuel to gradually increase the amount of heat inside the tandoor.


title: Tandoor

text: Hairline cracks might form during conditioning; this is normal and will not interfere with the performance of the tandoor oven. When the oven cools off, the hairline cracks will barely be noticeable. They are essential in allowing the clay body of the tandoor to breathe (thermal expansion and contraction).


title: Tandoor

text: The slower the temperature inside the tandoor is increased during its first use, the fewer hairline cracks will develop.


title: Tandoor

text: The Punjabi tandoor from South Asia is traditionally made of clay and is a bell-shaped oven, which can either be set into the earth or rest above the ground and is fired with wood or charcoal reaching temperatures of about . Tandoor cooking is a traditional aspect of Punjabi cuisine in undivided Punjab.


title: Tandoor

text: In India and Pakistan, tandoori cooking was traditionally associated with the Punjab, as Punjabis embraced the tandoor on a regional level, and became popular in the mainstream after the 1947 partition when Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus resettled in places such as Delhi. In rural Punjab, it was common to have communal tandoors.


title: Tandoor

text: In ancient times, the "tonir" was worshiped by the Armenians as a symbol of the sun in the ground. Armenians made tonirs in resemblance with the setting sun "going into the ground" (the Sun being the main deity). The underground tonir, made of clay, is one of the first tools in Armenian cuisine, as an oven and as a thermal treatment tool. Armenians are said to have originated underground tonirs.


title: Tandoor

text: Tandir bread ("təndir çörəyi", tandoori bread) is widespread bread type in Azerbaijan. Tandir bread is baked from the heat of the tandir's walls, which ensures very fast baking.


title: Tandoor

text: One of the world's biggest tandoors was built in Azerbaijan's southern city of Astara in 2015. The height of the tandoor is and the diameter is . The tandoor consists of 3 parts.


title: Tandoor

text: Baking a traditional, white bread called in Turkmen, is an ancient and honored culinary ritual in Turkmenistan. It is made in the traditional clay oven, known as in Turkmenistan.


title: Tandoor

text: Most Turkmen families living in the rural area have tamdyrs in their household. Occasionally, housewives get together and bake for several families. One of most famous kinds of baked in the Turkmen tamdyr is (bread with meat), made during traditional holidays. Turkmens bake not only bread in the tamdyr, but also several dishes, the most famous of which is "somsa" (an independent dish, similar to a pie, of any shape with a filling, usually beef).


title: Tandoor

text: Various spices can be added to the Turkmen bread: cumin, cinnamon, olives, mustard, sunflower seeds and other flavoring ingredients. To prepare tamdyr for baking, first, fire is made directly inside the tamdyr, usually using dried cotton stalks. The bread-maker then watches the color of the tamdyr's inner walls. When they turn white, the ashes are shoveled into the center of the tamdyr and the lower ash-pit is closed.


title: Tandoor

text: The bread must be thrown into the oven very carefully, but deftly, so that it does not lose its shape and neatly sticks to the wall.


title: Tandoor

text: A tandoor may be used to bake many different types of flatbread. Some of the most common are tandoori roti, tandoori naan, tandoori laccha paratha, missi roti, laffa, and tandoori kulcha.


title: Tandoor

text: "Peshawari Khar" is roasted cashews, and cottage cheese paste marinated in spiced thick cream grilled in a tandoor.


title: Tandoor

text: "Balochs and aloos" are potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, vegetables and cashew nuts, roasted in a tandoor.


title: Tandoor

text: Tandoori chicken is a roasted chicken delicacy that originated in Punjab region of South Asia. The chicken is marinated in yogurt seasoned with garam masala, garlic, ginger, cumin, cayenne pepper, and other spices depending on the recipe. In hot versions of the dish, cayenne, red chili powder, or other spices give the typical red color; in milder versions, food coloring is used. Turmeric produces a yellow-orange color. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor, but can also be prepared on a traditional grill.


title: Tandoor

text: Chicken tikka is a dish from Mughlai cuisine that originated in Punjab region. It is made by grilling small pieces of boneless chicken which have been marinated in spices and yogurt. It is traditionally cooked on skewers in a tandoor and is usually boneless. It is normally served and eaten with a green coriander chutney, or used in preparing the curry chicken "tikka masala".


title: Tandoor

text: Tangdi kabab, a popular snack in cuisine from the Indian subcontinent, is made by marinating chicken drumsticks and placing them in a tandoor. Various freshly ground spices are added to the yogurt to form a marinade for the chicken. Traditionally, the marinaded chicken is given 12 hours at the least. When prepared, the drumsticks are usually garnished with mint leaves and served with laccha (finely sliced half moons, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt) onions.


title: Tandoor

text: Samosa is a stuffed snack consisting of a fried or baked triangular, semilunar or tetrahedral pastry shell with a savory filling, which may include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground lamb or chicken. The size and shape of a samosa, as well as the consistency of the pastry used, can vary considerably. In some regions of Central Asia (i.e., Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), samosas are typically baked in a tandoor, while they are usually fried elsewhere.


"I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter" is a military science fiction short story by Isabel Fall, published on 1 January 2020 in "Clarkesworld Magazine". The story relates the experience of Barb, a woman whose gender has been reassigned to "attack helicopter" so as to make her a better pilot. It was a finalist for the 2021 Hugo Award, under the title "Helicopter Story".


title: I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter

text: The story's original title is taken from an Internet meme used to disparage transgender people. Some read the story as transphobic or as trolling, and at Fall's request, "Clarkesworld" withdrew the story after Fall—a transgender woman—was harassed because of it. This caused a discussion among writers and critics about the merits of art that some perceive as hurtful.


text: Some time in the near future, the United States is fighting a war against the "Pear Mesa Budget Committee", a local AI government that emerged from an environmental and medical catastrophe on the Gulf Coast. The story is told from the perspective of Barb (a call sign, not "Barbara"), formerly called Seo Ji Hee. The U.S. Army neuromedically reassigned Barb's gender identity to "attack helicopter" to make Barb a better helicopter pilot. As a result, warfare is now part of Barb's gender role, much as wearing skirts would be part of a woman's.


text: The story interlaces scenes from the war, in which Barb and the gunner Axis bomb a high school and escape from an enemy aircraft, with recollections of Barb's previous life as a woman, and reflections about her altered sexuality: the acts of flying, of controlled violence, are now also sexual acts between Barb and Axis. As they fly home, Barb consoles Axis, who struggles with their reassigned gender, considering that Axis' uncertainty and defiance of their assignment may reflect a "new queerness" as necessary as intentional instability is to combat aircraft.


text: The phrase "I sexually identify as an attack helicopter" is a transphobic Internet meme, typically used, according to "The Guardian", "to parody the evolving gender spectrum." The phrase originated as a copypasta on the Internet forum Reddit, which spread to other forums such as 4chan, where it was used (peaking in 2015) to mock transgender people.


text: Isabel Fall's story of the same title appeared on 1 January 2020 in the January issue (no. 160) of "Clarkesworld Magazine". The accompanying biographical note read: "Isabel Fall was born in 1988". The story provoked "vehement" responses, according to "Wired". Many readers appreciated the story, including the authors Carmen Maria Machado and Chuck Tingle. But there were also many loud detractors, many of whom were social justice activists and queer people. These readers objected to the use of an offensive meme as the title, and suspected that the story agreed with the meme's transphobia, or was an exercise in trolling.


text: The editor of "Clarkesworld", Neil Clarke, removed the story from the online magazine's website a few days later. According to Clarke's initial note, the withdrawal was made at the author's request. In a later statement, Clarke explained that he had removed the story after a "barrage of attacks" on Fall, "for her own personal safety and health". He wrote that Fall was a trans woman, but had not been out as such at the time of publication, and used an intentionally short biography and "negligible" Internet presence. According to Clarke, the story was not a hoax, and Fall was not a Neo-Nazi (as some had assumed because "88" is a Neo-Nazi code). He wrote that the story was an attempt by Fall to "take away some of the power of that very hurtful meme" by subverting it. Clarke wrote that the story had been subject to many revisions and it had been reviewed by trans sensitivity readers, but he apologized "to those who were hurt by the story or the ensuing storms".


text: Neil Clarke wrote in April 2021 that Fall had retitled the work to "Helicopter Story" in late 2020, and that whether it would be made available again was up to her. Fall said in June 2021 that "the story was withdrawn to avoid my death," rather than in acknowledgment of supposed faults, and commented: "When people approve of its withdrawal they are approving, even if unwittingly, of the use of gender dysphoria to silence writers."


text: Isabel Fall donated her payment for the story to Trans Lifeline, a non-profit organization that offers support to trans people in crisis. Clarke matched her donation.


text: As a result of the contentious debate about her story and the personal attacks made against her, Fall entered a psychiatric hospital because of suicidal ideation, and withdrew other works with similar themes in the process of publication. Being still early in the process of transition, she also decided to abandon that process, telling a journalist, "If other people want to put markings on my gender-sphere and decide what I am, fine, let them. It's not worth fighting". She said that she was particularly struck by comments that she must be a man because "no woman would ever write in the way she did", which she said increased her gender dysphoria.


text: "Rocket Stack Rank" favorably reviewed the story, noting that the author's transparent narration allowed her to effectively convey to cisgender people "a bit about what it means to be trans ... in a very different way than anything I've ever seen before." "File 770" collected a number of reactions from science fiction writers and fans, some of which read the story as transphobic, while others appreciated it and deplored its removal. Emily St. James, reporting on Fall's story, commented that the paranoid mode in which the story was received by some was in part the result of then-recent right-wing trolling of the SF fandom by groups such as the Sad Puppies. Referencing work by Lee Mandelo, she noted that Twitter, because of its structural lack of context and nuance, amplifies paranoid readings of fiction (focusing on problems) instead of reparative readings (focusing on positive impact), which can create negative feedback loops, as in this case.


text: One of the story's critics, Arinn Dembo, the acting president of SF Canada, wrote that "this reads like it was written by a straight white dude who doesn't really get gender theory or transition & has no right to invoke transphobic dog whistles for profit". After the story's removal, Dembo stood by her critique, saying that "a lot of people might have been spared a lot of mental anguish" if a statement about Fall's identity and intentions had been provided. The writer N. K. Jemisin commented that she was "glad the story was taken down" and that "artists should strive to do no (more of this) harm." Jemisin later wrote that she had not read the story, and apologized.


text: Other writers regretted the story's removal and the attacks on its writer: Robby Soave, a senior editor at "Reason", called the story's removal an example of "cancel culture". Emily St. James of "Vox" wrote: "Art should embrace our weakness, our shame, and our doubt, too. To insist otherwise is its own kind of prejudice." Similarly, Conor Friedersdorf at "The Atlantic" wrote: "The controversy over 'Attack Helicopter' is another case study suggesting that rejecting 'art's [sic] for art's sake' in favor of 'art for justice's sake' doesn't necessarily yield more justice. It may help no one, harm many, and impede the ability of artists to circulate work that makes us think, feel, grapple, empathize, and learn." And at "The Outline", Gretchen Felker-Martin criticized fans for believing that art should communicate moral lessons and that "minorities in fiction must be represented in a uniformly positive light", noting that censorship of controversial stories "constitute[s] a rejection of life's intrinsic complexity". Attacking stories such as Fall's just because some readers reacted with hurt to it, she wrote, blocked a necessary outlet for marginalized artists and represented "a retreat into the black and white moral absolutism of adolescence, or theocracy". Doris V. Sutherland commented that while it is normal for fiction to receive negative responses, the removal of the story from "Clarkesworld" created new problems by suggesting censorship is an acceptable solution.


text: The story was a finalist for the 2021 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, under the title "Helicopter Story". To qualify for another award, it was republished in a limited-edition e-book version. The Hugo nomination resulted in another round of social media criticism aimed at Clarke, this time for allegedly not doing enough to protect Fall.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn by Radisson, among others.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: In June 2022, Radisson Hotels agreed to be purchased by Choice Hotels for $675 million. The deal closed on August 11, 2022.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: In 1907, Edna Dickerson came to Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Chicago to collect a substantial inheritance. Local business leaders persuaded her to build a hotel in the city, with Dickerson investing $1.5 million in the construction of the first Radisson hotel. It was planned as a high-end luxury hotel, designed in the French Renaissance architecture style, and constructed with "the best in every line" of paints, enamels, woodwork, and wood finishes, and named after the 17th-century French explorer, ranger and furrier Pierre-Esprit Radisson. The building was sixteen storeys, making it the second-tallest building in Minneapolis at the time. As the opening neared, reports boasted of hand-carved walnut furnishings in guest rooms and Spanish leather chairs in the main lobby and banquet hall. The hotel opened on Wednesday, December 15, 1909, with many of the staff having been hired from large hotels on the Eastern seaboard, and being new to the city of Minneapolis. The opening was followed shortly thereafter by a charity ball for the city being held at the hotel. In an early hotel incident the following month, six waiters from New York were fired, allegedly "because the Eastern waiters could not get accustomed to the Western ways", with three of them being thrown out "into the street before they would leave".


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Dickerson and her husband, attorney Simon Kruse, lived on the hotel's thirteenth floor and managed the hotel, also opening a Radisson Inn on Christmas Lake, in the Minneapolis suburb of Excelsior. They remained for twenty-five years, until 1934, when the Radisson fell into the hands of a mortgage company. In the mid- and late-1940s, pianist Liberace "gained national exposure through his performance contracts with the Statler and Radisson" hotels. Another owner initiated a renovation of the hotel in the late 1940s. The Radisson was purchased in 1962 by the Carlson Company, and it began adding new locations, both through the purchase of existing hotels such as the Denver Hyatt House in 1968, and constructing new buildings in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Duluth, Minnesota. The chain had 14 locations by 1976, and 32 by 1984. The original Radisson in Minneapolis was demolished in 1982, with a new hotel being constructed in that city and beginning operations in 1987. Carlson expanded the chain into one of the top hotel corporations by 2013. On top of Radisson, Carlson also owned several other brands, such as Park Inn, Park Plaza (acquired in 2000), and Country Inns & Suites (founded by Carlson in 1986).


title: Radisson Hotels

text: In the 1990s, American-Russian businessman Paul Tatum was murdered after a series of disagreements over the Radisson Hotel in Moscow.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: The majority of Radisson-branded hotels are located in the United States. The company's headquarters, as well as the headquarters of the owner, Radisson Hospitality, Inc., are located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, the city where the first Radisson Hotel was built. The original Radisson Hotel, opened in 1909, was at 41 South Seventh Street in Minneapolis.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Radisson Blu is an international chain of upscale hotels. Its hotels are mainly located in major cities, key airport gateways and leisure destinations. Radisson Blu has roots dating back to the opening of the SAS Royal Hotel in Denmark in 1960 and was the world's first designer hotel. After several name changes, spin offs, and rebranding, the Radisson Blu brand name was established in 2009.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels is a line of luxury hotels in London and Manchester, owned by Edwardian Hotels and often operating in historic buildings: Some of its hotels include the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Heathrow and the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Radisson RED is a chain of full-service hotels operating in the United States and internationally. Radisson RED is an upscale hotel with emphasis on modern design and technology. As of 2019, the brand has twenty-three hotels either in operation or under development.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Radisson Collection was formerly known as Quorvus Collection from 2014 to 2018. Quorvus Collection was introduced in 2014 as a luxury brand. The first hotel of former Rezidor Hotel Group in Copenhagen, was converted to use Radisson Collection brand.


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Country Inn & Suites by Radisson (formerly Country Inns & Suites) is a hotel chain which accommodates business and leisure travelers. Locations are mainly independently owned and operated, and franchised under licensing agreements with Radisson Hotels. The chain was established as Country Inn & Suites by former Carlson Hotels' owner, Carlson Companies in 1986 as a "middle-class" brand. Carlson Companies also owned the namesake, Country Kitchen restaurant chain at that time. In January 2018, two years after Carlson sold Carlson–Rezidor hotel group to HNA Group, the chain was rebranded into "Country Inn & Suites by Radisson".


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Park Inn by Radisson is a midscale hotel group. It is described as an "affordable hotel for business and leisure travelers." According to "U.S. News & World Report", it offers "comfortable, contemporary accommodations and on-site restaurants."


title: Radisson Hotels

text: Radisson Rewards is a loyalty program launched by Radisson Hotels in 1999. It allows guests to earn and redeem points for free nights at Radisson properties.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Per Mertesacker (; born 29 September 1984) is a German football coach and former professional player who played as a centre back. He is the current manager of the Arsenal Academy.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker began his senior career after being promoted from the youth ranks at Bundesliga club Hannover 96, making his senior league debut in November 2003. He was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" (""die Abwehrlatte"") by German tabloids, and gained a reputation for his exceptional disciplinary record, going 31 league games without being booked. After various standout performances at Hannover, as well as starring for the Germany national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup at age 21, he transferred after 74 league matches for Hannover to fellow Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen, for a fee of €5 million later that summer. His tenure at the club was characterized for his ability to read play and stifle the build-up play to opposition attacks, establishing himself as a defender with a quiet-but-effective game, and a core-component of the Bremen team that won the 2009 DFB-Pokal, and finished as runner-up in the 2009 UEFA Cup.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: After being singled out for praise for his performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and with his contract at Bremen dwindling, he transferred to Premier League club Arsenal a year later, for a fee of £8 million. At Arsenal, Mertesacker quickly established himself as the first-choice centre back for the club, becoming a mainstay despite sharing several defensive partners over his first two seasons. He eventually built up a solid relationship with fellow defender Laurent Koscielny, and the duo would star as Arsenal ended their nine-year trophy drought by winning the 2014 FA Cup. He would later captain and score for the side in their retention of the trophy a year later, before becoming the club's outright captain in 2016. He would again star in his third victory of the trophy in 2017. However, injuries derailed the latter stages of his career at Arsenal, and was used sparingly during his final two seasons, being forced to retire in 2018.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: At national level, Mertesacker played for Germany at the under-20 and under-21 levels, prior to debuting for the senior side in 2004 against Iran. Upon his debut, Mertesacker established himself as Germany's first-choice centre back for ten years, participating in UEFA European Championship in 2008 and 2012, as well as the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, winning the latter. He would retire from international competition following this win.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker has developed other ventures, including the "Per Mertesacker Stiftung", a charitable foundation that helps support amateur sportsmen, and the poor. He would transition into coaching following his retirement, taking charge of the Arsenal Academy.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: The second of three sons, Mertesacker was raised in Pattensen, a small town on the outskirts of the city of Hanover. He began playing football alongside his brothers at the local amateur club TSV Pattensen before joining Hannover 96, where their father was a part-time coach. As a youth player Mertesacker was neither a highly regarded prospect or had any ambitions of being a professional footballer and chose to study for his abitur with the goal of entering tertiary education.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker joined the youth system of Hannover 96 where he played under his father Stefan, one of the youth coaches, until age 15. While juggling his football commitments and training, he completed his 'Abitur' at Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Schule, a comprehensive school located in nearby Hemmingen noted for its sports program, and subsequently carried out his 'Zivildienst' at a centre for handicapped people in Hanover. He was promoted to the first team for the 2003–04 season and made his league debut in November 2003, starting against Cologne in the unfamiliar role of right-back. At the time of his debut he was the youngest German-born player in the Bundesliga. However he had a forgettable match and was promptly substituted at half-time by veteran Steve Cherundolo and sent back to the reserve/amateur team. Mertesacker was not seen as an exceptional player at that time and had thought about changing sports. He returned to the first team during the latter half of the season and contributed to Hannover 96's successful battle against relegation. The following season began more auspiciously as he scored his first goal as professional, a last-minute equaliser against Borussia Dortmund in August 2004. Having established himself as first-choice centre back, his strong performances and clean disciplinary record did not go unnoticed by new national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who called him up and eventually handed him his senior international debut in October 2004.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: The slender Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" ("die Abwehrlatte") by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good disciplinary record. His first 31 Bundesliga matches ended without a single yellow card, earning him the nickname "Mr. Clean". He has only been booked twice during his entire career at Hannover. On 13 May 2006, he played his last game for Hannover 96 and fittingly scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: During his time at Hannover 96, he became good friends with the late Robert Enke, and along with Michael Ballack, presented the laurel during Enke's memorial service. He later started a temporary account through his foundation ("Per Mertesacker Stiftung") to collect donations for Enke's widow.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In October 2018, Mertesacker returned to Hanover for his charity-cum-testimonial match, which featured his former teammates from Hannover 96 facing off against a "World XI" team composed of his former teammates from Arsenal, Werder Bremen and the German national team. Instead of holding his testimonial match in London, where he was based when he retired, he chose Hanover as it was where his career began.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In August 2006, Mertesacker moved to Werder Bremen in a €5 million transfer deal after a highly impressive performance in the 2006 World Cup, in which Germany finished third. At the time of his transfer, he and Brazilian midfielder Diego, who joined from Porto, were jointly Bremen's most expensive signings in the club's history. Despite missing the first month and a half through an injury sustained at the World Cup, he quickly made the centre-back position his own upon his return to the starting eleven. In November, he scored his debut Champions League goal in a 1–0 win over Chelsea to end the Premier League winners' unbeaten streak in the season's competition. Upon his first return to the AWD-Arena for the first game of the second half of the season, he refused to celebrate after scoring against his boyhood club.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: The 2007–08 season was a mixed bag for Mertesacker. He started in nearly all of Bremen's league and European fixtures and received his first red card in his professional career in a 6–3 loss against VfB Stuttgart. Bremen finished runners-up in the league despite winning only two games fewer than champions Bayern Munich, but they managed to seal a place in next season's Champions League. At the end of the season, he signed a two-year extension to his original contract.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: After returning from the Euro 2008, Mertesacker again missed the beginning of the new season with a knee injury and through illness. In September, he returned to the starting line-up. He scored the opening goal in the DFB-Pokal semi-final away at northern rivals Hamburger SV to break the deadlock after a goalless first half, but the home side equalised, forcing the match into extra time and Bremen eventually triumphed 4–2 on penalties. He was ever present for the rest of the season until injury forced him off in the UEFA Cup semifinal second leg against Bundesliga rivals Hamburg. It was later revealed that he had torn ligaments in his right ankle and required surgery. He was ruled out for the rest of the season, as well as the UEFA Cup final loss against Shakhtar Donetsk and DFB-Pokal final, which they won. He scored four goals in all competitions, including a crucial equalizer against VfL Wolfsburg.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker began the 2009–10 season well with a 5–0 win over FC Union Berlin in the 2009–10 DFB-Pokal, the first game of the season. In October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 win against 1899 Hoffenheim and a last-minute equalizer in the clash against table-toppers Bayer Leverkusen in February. He played 33 Bundesliga matches in total, scoring five goals in the process.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In the 2010–11 season, Mertesacker made 30 Bundesliga appearances, scoring two goals. He averaged 46.3 passes per game, the third-highest in the Bremen squad, and the second highest pass success rate, with 82%, demonstrating another facet of his game.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Over the course of his final two seasons at Bremen, Mertesacker received just one yellow card in 63 league matches. He averaged less than one foul per game, cementing his reputation as an astute reader of the game, defying critics' predictions that his height would render him clumsy and having a tendency to frequently concede fouls.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: On 31 August 2011, Arsenal confirmed they had signed Mertesacker on a four-year contract. He was presented the number 4 shirt previously worn by former team captain Cesc Fàbregas. In his first month at the club, Mertesacker started in every one of his available league and European matches since his summer move, battling on through the month with various defensive partners as injury problems mounted. "I want to do a good job, especially in the defence," he said. "That is my role. If the coach praises me then that is a great thing but I have to go on and keep on working." In November, he enjoyed a positive month at the heart of the Arsenal defence as he developed his partnership with fellow defender Laurent Koscielny. The Germany international helped the "Gunners" to victories against Sunderland, Stoke City and Chelsea – and was outstanding as Arsenal kept a clean sheet in the away victory in Marseille. He remained an integral part of Arsène Wenger's first team, playing in every one of Arsenal's available Premier League fixtures over the next month. He was virtually ever-present over January, missing only the FA Cup victory over Leeds United through illness.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In February, Mertesacker suffered an ankle injury in the win over Sunderland away at the Stadium of Light and faced a long-term spell on the sidelines. Prior to his injury, he featured in the draw at Bolton Wanderers and the 7–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Emirates Stadium. "Unfortunately he has had surgery and we have lost him for a while," said Arsène Wenger. "How long, I don’t know. He had reconstruction of his ligaments. So it will be long term." He had not featured for Arsenal for the remainder of the season, missing the club hitting their highest points tally since 2006.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In his second season, Mertesacker played in Arsenal's first two matches, helping the team keep clean sheets against Sunderland and Stoke. "I think we have a better situation than last year," he said. "The team is full of characters, good players and every position [has competition]." He featured four times in September, forging a fine partnership with Thomas Vermaelen (who replaced Koscielny due to injury) in the process. The German centre back was named man of the match after an excellent performance in a 1–1 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In October, Mertesacker continued to perform well, making four appearances and helping the club to victories over Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers. Laurent Koscielny praised the German's performances, saying, "I am happy for Per because he's a nice guy, very important in the dressing room. He's a joker so he’s good for the team. I'm happy because he’s played well this season and it's good for the team." Mertesacker was an ever-present throughout November. He scored his first goal for the club in the 5–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur and was voted man of the match for his performance in the 0–0 draw with Aston Villa. "It was amazing from the very start," he told Arsenal after the Tottenham game. "It was very good to score because we were one man up and they were dropping off. I kept standing in the box and tried to be lucky. The ball from Theo [Walcott] was very good and it was a good day to score."


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker made five appearances in December, missing only the trip to Olympiacos in the Champions League and the home win over Newcastle United. On being drawn against Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16, he said, "We will face a good team in Germany. They are top of their league and went through to the knockout stage in a phenomenal way. They only conceded seven goals in the first half of the season. [But] they have a little break now and can rest a bit. Maybe it's a good opportunity for us to face them in February because we will be in our rhythm. We will hopefully go through the Christmas period in a strong way. We can do that." Mertesacker captained Arsenal for the first time in the FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion in January, and appeared in every game save for the draw at Southampton on New Year's Day. "We are always looking to win something and we can achieve something with this group," he told Arsenal. "We have a lively group so our thoughts are now on the next match. That's the most important thing for us, not what's going to happen in May. We have a few targets in our team that are possible this year. We won't talk about it, we'll just see what happens in the next few important weeks on the pitch." Mertesacker started four games in February, missing only the FA Cup loss to Blackburn at the Emirates. "It's always special to face a German team," the defender said ahead of the Champions League tie against Bayern. "[Me and Lukas Podolski] are looking forward to it because Bayern are a great team and are so consistent this year. It's a special game for German players to play against a team from their home country."


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker was a mainstay in March, playing every single minute of Arsenal's four games. The centre back was on target in the defeat at Tottenham and was a key component in the defence that kept clean sheets against both Bayern Munich and Swansea City. "It rained cats and dogs, especially in the second half," he said after the win in south Wales, in Swansea. "It was very slippery but it was a vital win." In April, Mertesacker was shown a red card at West Bromwich Albion in the first game of the month. The defender returned to the team after suspension and was named man of the match against Fulham after scoring the only goal away at Craven Cottage. "I think they've been terrific – not only defending very well but also creating goals for us at the other end like they did last week against Fulham," said goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny on the partnership between Mertesacker and Koscielny. "They're getting the credit they deserve because they work very hard and they're very honest lads. I'm very happy for them and it's much easier to play behind them when they are in that kind of form."


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker impressed at the back alongside Koscielny in May. The German defender was given the captain's armband in Arsenal's last game of the season when Mikel Arteta went off injured. "I think it is good for us to play against teams who are under pressure," he said after the win against Queens Park Rangers [who were on the brink of relegation]. "It helps us keep our focus on a high level."


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker was named as the temporary captain of the side after injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta at the beginning of the 2013–14 season. He scored his first goal of the season against Stoke following a free-kick from compatriot Mesut Özil. After his man of the match performance away to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League helped Arsenal to a 1–0 win, Mertesacker's influence was cited as a significant factor in Arsenal's excellent start to the 2013–14 season, which saw the team leading the Premier League at the end of November. As Mertesacker's great run continued, he was voted as a part of the Premier League Team of the Year, along with teammate Aaron Ramsey. On 13 January 2014, Mertesacker made his 100th official appearance for the "Gunners" in a 1–2 away win over Aston Villa. On 4 March 2014, Mertesacker signed a new contract with Arsenal.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: On 12 April 2014, Mertesacker scored an 82nd-minute equalising goal for Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final against Wigan Athletic. The match finished 1–1 after extra time, with Arsenal winning 4–2 in a penalty shootout. He had earlier conceded the penalty that had put Wigan 1–0 up. On 17 May 2014, Mertesacker started in the 2014 FA Cup Final as Arsenal beat Hull City 3–2 at Wembley Stadium.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: After initially featuring sparingly due to injuries in the 2014–15, he returned to captain Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup Final at Wembley in a 4–0 victory over Aston Villa. He scoring the third goal, a header, during the second half.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: After healing from injury, Mertesacker remained a mainstay in the Arsenal backline, playing alongside Laurent Koscielny. With Arsenal making a charge towards the title, Arsène Wenger singled out Mertesacker for praise, calling him an "important leader in the dressing room and a respected one". On 24 January 2016, in a match against London rivals Chelsea, Mertesacker was sent off after 18 minutes for a late tackle on Diego Costa, who later scored the only goal of the game at Emirates.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: However, he would sustain an injury against Lens in the 2016–17 pre-season, undergoing knee surgery in his native Germany later that month. Following a clash between Arsenal and Viking, Arsène Wenger confirmed that Mertesacker would be absent until December. Despite the injury he was named club captain following the retirement of Mikel Arteta. He was a second-half substitute on the last day against Everton. On 27 May 2017, Mertesacker made his only start of the season, in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, which Arsenal won 2–1. He made a number of important tackles during the match and his performance was praised by opposition manager Antonio Conte, who stated that Mertesacker was a "perfect example for any young professional football player," adding that "what he did today was just a consequence of an unbelievable attitude every day."


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Arsenal would later confirm the 2017–18 season would be Mertesacker's last, before becoming the head of the club's academy the following year. On 7 January 2018, Per Mertesacker captained the Arsenal team in an FA Cup game away against Nottingham Forest and scored a goal to make the score 1–1, with the game eventually finishing 4–2 to Forest, before featuring in his last ever game for the club in a win against Burnley on 6 May 2018.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In September 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann, then-manager of Germany, called Mertesacker up for 9 October 2004 game against Iran. He made his debut less than two weeks after his 20th birthday when he came on as a second-half substitute for Christian Wörns.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: With his quiet but effective game, he established himself as Germany's first-choice centre back, pairing up with Robert Huth, Christoph Metzelder, Heiko Westermann and later Arne Friedrich. At the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted on home soil, he played the full 90 minutes in all five games and scored his first international goal in a group stage match against Australia as Germany finished in third place.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: At the 2006 World Cup on home soil, Mertesacker paired with Metzelder in central defence. After Germany won the quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Argentina, Mertesacker suffered minor injuries to his thigh and a kick to the groin when he was attacked after the final whistle by Argentine unused substitute Leandro Cufré; Cufré was later fined and suspended four matches. After Germany's loss to Italy in the semi-finals, Mertesacker had surgery on one of his legs and left testicle (not related to the attack above, but an injury he had been dealing with during previous matches) and missed the third place play-off. Nevertheless, his impressive showing did earn him a transfer to Bundesliga team Werder Bremen after the tournament.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker was first-choice when fit during 2008 European Championship qualification and was ever present in the final tournament itself. Due to injury problems at the beginning of the 2009–10 season, he missed several 2010 World Cup qualifiers but later retained his place as first choice. Mertesacker regularly wears the number 17 jersey.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker was called up for the 2012 European Championship but spent the whole tournament on the bench as an unused substitute due to the emergence of youngsters Mats Hummels and Holger Badstuber. He broke his seven-year goal drought for the national team when he scored his second international goal for Germany on 17 October 2012, in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Sweden. On 13 September 2013, he scored his third goal for Germany against the Faroe Islands. On 19 November 2013, Mertesacker captained the side and also scored the winning goal as Germany beat England 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in a friendly match to mark the 150th anniversary of The Football Association.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: During the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, Mertesacker contributed two goals and also re-established himself as first-choice centre back following a long-term injury to Badstuber in the middle of the 2011–12 season, often partnering either Hummels or Jérôme Boateng. He was called up for the final World Cup squad and played in all but one of the matches during Germany's successful run to the final, as well as reaching his 100th cap during the group stage match against Ghana. On 15 August 2014, Mertesacker announced his retirement from international football.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: During the 2014 World Cup Mertesacker became an internet sensation after a video of his live post-match interview was uploaded on YouTube and went viral, amassing over 28 million views as of June 2015. After the narrow extra-time win over Algeria in the 2014 World Cup round of 16 Mertesacker, who was visibly exhausted and reportedly already in a foul mood, was taken aside to conduct an impromptu interview with ZDF reporter Boris Büchler and subsequently questioned about the German defensive line's "cumbersome and vulnerable" performance against their opponents. He defended his teammates before brusquely retorting, "What do want from me? [...] I'll lie down in the ice bath for three days and then we'll analyze the game in peace.", leading the interview to be dubbed the "Ice Bath Interview" ("Eistonnen-Interview") by the German press and amused fans. Despite the uncharacteristic outburst, Mertesacker, being a popular figure with fans, was widely praised by viewers and applauded by his teammates for candidness; Büchler himself was also praised for not being afraid to ask "tough questions" and he later clarified that he and Mertesacker were actually on friendly terms. Several days later Mertesacker uploaded a picture of himself in an ice bath on his Twitter account as a tongue-in-cheek response. German magazine "11 Freunde" created and uploaded a mash-up video of Mertesacker's interview with Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby on its website while German comedian Oliver Pocher and 1. FC Köln players parodied the interview. Journalist Raphael Honigstein and national team manager Oliver Bierhoff both retrospectively noted that the infamous interview was a turning point for the squad psychologically.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker was announced as the new Arsenal Academy manager prior to the 2017–18 season, officially assuming the position in July 2018. He launched a coaching programme as part of the club's partnership with Save the Children in the Zaatari refugee camp to provide football pitches and training for coaches specifically in the area of detecting PTSD symptoms. After Unai Emery's sacking in late November 2019, Mertesacker took the role as interim assistant manager to support interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg for the meantime.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: At , Mertesacker is commanding in the air but he is also sound in defending on the ground. He often uses his strength to shrug opponents off the ball and his standing tackling ability to win balls. Despite being criticised by pundits for his lack of pace, he compensates with his excellent positional play and astute reading of the game. As a result, he is able to make clean interceptions and clearances, hence his reputation as a defender who rarely concedes reckless fouls or gets booked.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker possesses solid technique, is a good defensive organizer, and a neat distributor of the ball. He averaged 46.3 passes per game in 2010–11 season, the third highest in the Werder Bremen squad, and the second-highest pass success rate, at 82%. In the 2012–13 season with Arsenal, he averaged 50.1 passes per game with a 91.5% success rate, fourth-highest in the league. Often, Mertesacker is paired with a more mobile and quicker defender who can track-back in a counterattack situation, such as Mats Hummels and Arne Friedrich for Germany or Laurent Koscielny at Arsenal.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker met his future wife German international handballer Ulrike Stange in 2008 while both were recovering from injury at a rehab clinic in Donaustauf and began a relationship not long after. They married in June 2013 and have two sons (born April 2011 and May 2014). Mertesacker is a Protestant Christian.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In an interview with German newspaper "Der Spiegel" published in March 2018, Mertesacker admitted to suffering from anxiety attacks throughout his career due to the "inhumane pressure" to perform, but had continued on due to his love for the sport and the desire to win silverware, and expressed his relief that he would no longer have to experience it anymore as he was retiring. The well-publicised interview drew criticism from some current and former players but he was generally praised by many others, including professional sports psychologists and his former teammates, for his candidness and courage in broaching a sensitive topic and addressing the perception that footballers were "perfect". It reignited debate within Germany about the psychological welfare and well-being of professional footballers and elite athletes.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: In November 2006, Mertesacker established the "Per Mertesacker Foundation", initially to support the family of his former Hannover and Germany late teammate Robert Enke, who had just lost his young daughter several months prior. After Enke's suicide it began focusing on providing support for those suffering from depression and has since expanded to include disadvantaged and marginalized children, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds, in his native Hanover. Since 2007, the foundation has organised yearly charity football matches which have featured Mertesacker's national and club teammates Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski and Tomáš Rosický, as well as comedian Oliver Pocher, Fury in the Slaughterhouse member Rainer Schumann and German ice hockey legend Uwe Krupp. T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the words "Big Fucking German" – the Arsenal fans' chant for him and a play on the Roald Dahl novel "The BFG" – are among items sold to raise money for the foundation.


title: Per Mertesacker

text: Mertesacker co-owns the Hanover-based real estate agency CP Immobilien GmbH with his Werder Bremen and national teammate Clemens Fritz. The duo started the business venture in 2012 while planning for their retirement.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The BMW E24 is the first generation of BMW 6 Series range of grand tourer cars, which was produced from January 1976 to 1989 and replaced the BMW E9 coupé.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The E24 was produced solely in a 2-door coupé body style. All models used petrol straight-six engines, with the majority (aside from the M635CSi/M6 model) using a version of the BMW M30 engine family. The E24 was initially based on the E12 5 Series platform, until it switched to the newly released E28 5 Series platform in 1982.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The M635CSi is the first of the BMW M6 model line and is powered by the M88/3 straight-six engine. In North America, the vehicle is badged as "M6" and uses the less powerful BMW S38 engine.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The E24's successor, the E63 6 Series, was released in 2004 after a 16-year hiatus. Although the E31 8 Series was released as production of the E24 was ending, the 8 Series is considered a separate model line and therefore not a successor to the E24.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The E24 was designed by Paul Bracq. Unlike its E9 predecessor, the body of the E24 has a B pillar. The initial proposal for the E24 was based on a BMW E9 3.0 CS with an increased height, in order to make it easier for customers to enter and exit the vehicle. However, Bob Lutz rejected the proposal, eventually leading to the shape of the E24 in its production form.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Production started in January 1976 with the 630CS and 633CSi in February 1976. A total of 86,216 cars were built prior to production ending in April 1989.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Originally the bodies were manufactured by Karmann, but production was later taken in-house to the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. Early series one E24s in original condition are now quite rare, particularly Karmann assembled cars (look for the Karmann build plate in the left door frame) produced before August 1977.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Initially, the E24 was available with a 4-speed manual transmission (Getrag 262), a 5-speed manual transmission (Getrag 265), or a 3-speed automatic transmission (ZF 3HP22).


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Front suspension consists of MacPherson struts and the rear suspension is independent semi-trailing arms. In 1982, the front suspension was upgraded to include twin-pivot lower control arms and the geometry of the rear suspension was revised.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The M635CSi model, introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1983, is the first in the line of M6 models. In 1987, the equivalent model for the North American (U.S. and Canada) market was introduced and badged simply 'M6'.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The M635CSi is powered by a version of the BMW M88/3 straight-six engine. The North American M6 vehicle is powered by the detuned version of the BMW S38 straight-six engine, which has a lower compression ratio and uses a catalytic converter.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Over its production run from 1983 through 1989, 5,855 /M6 cars were built, 1,767 of which were for the North American market, and 524 right hand drive cars for the United Kingdom.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The new 6 Series coupe, using the model code E24, was introduced to the press in March 1976, suggesting production commenced in 1975.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Initially there where two models available, 630 CS and 633 CSI. Karmann constructed the 6 series coupe, as well as the earlier BMW coupes. There were a total of 2072 units of the 630 CS and 2862 units of the 633 CSi produced in the first year, amongst a total of 4,933 cars produced for the year.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Production of E24 continued in 1977 at Karmann as a complete assembly until August, when only the steel body shell was made by Karmann and then shipped to BMW's plant in Dingolfing for assembly.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Karmann bodied cars are now rare and highly collectable, particularly in original condition with early factory colours such as orange (028 phönix), green (079 Mitgrün), and yellow (070 Golf) - the later very rare.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In July 1978, the more powerful 635CSi variant was introduced. The 635CSi featured a close-ratio 5-speed gearbox and a single piece black rear spoiler. The M90 engine was a single overhead cam version of the M1's M88 engine, its bigger bore and shorter stroke resulted in and increased torque. The aerodynamic changes reduced uplift at high speeds by almost 15 percent over the other E24 models.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In 1979 the carburetted 630CS was replaced with the 628CSi; this car had a fuel-injected 2.8L engine taken from the E12 528i. An anti-lock braking system became available as an option.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In 1980, the fuel-injection systems changed from Bosch L-jetronic to Bosch Motronic. The 635CSi central locking system could now be operated from the passenger door and trunk.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In 1982 (model year 1983 in the US), the E24 platform changed from the E12 5 Series to the E28 5 Series, resulting changes to exterior styling, engines, chassis, suspension, electronics and the interior. The struts in the new front suspension were double-linked ones, making the car less likely to dip under hard braking. The new rear axle was nearly identical to the trailing arm layout of the E28 528i, with a new pitman arm to control camber changes. Meanwhile, the ventilated rear discs had proven a needless complication and were replaced with solid ones. The rust protection was improved considerably along with the facelift.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The 635CSi engine was updated to the M30B34, which used a smaller bore and longer stroke than the previous M90 engine. The 635CSi became available with a wide-ratio 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: E24s produced after June 1987 were fitted with ellipsoid headlamps, as per the recently introduced E32 7 Series. The front and rear bumpers and spoilers were redesigned to use a single design worldwide (prior to this, models sold in North America used a different design from the rest of the world).


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The 635CSi engine was updated to the higher compression M30B35, which resulted in a power increase of for engines with catalytic converters.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The extended bumpers required by U.S. crash legislation resulted in U.S. models having an increase in length of approximately to . Although other markets offered multiple E24 models, in North America only one model was available at any given time (aside from the M6).


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The 6 series was released in the US as the 630CSi in March 1977, with the 633CSi replacing it during the 1978 model year. The US market version received larger bumpers and side marker lights, as required by federal legislation. The 630CSi is powered by a fuel-injected version of the 630CS engine. This 3.0 litre engine produces and .


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: The 633CSi arrived in USA in September 1977 (for the 1978 model year), replacing the original 630. In United States/Japan specification, the 633CSi was powered by a version of the M30B32 engine. Output later dropped to .


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In September 1980 (1981 model year), the manual transmission for US cars was upgraded from a 4-speed to a 5-speed. A 3-speed automatic transmission was optional.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In September 1982, North American and Japanese market models received a major facelift, as per the models sold in the rest of the world.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In November 1984, for the 1985 model year, the 633CSi was replaced by the 635CSi for the North American Market. This model uses the M30B34 engine, which produces and at 4,000 rpm. An L6 "luxury edition" version of the 635CSi was available in North America for the 1987 model year. The L6 featured leather headliner and trim and an automatic gearbox.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In 1988, the engine was upgraded to the M30B35. This engine has a capacity of 3.4 Litres (despite the model code and the "3.5" inscribed on the intake manifold) and produces and torque. This upgraded engine resulted in catalytic converter equipped United States models offering similar performance to European models. Self-leveling rear suspension was added to the 635CSi and M6 features list.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: In 1987, North America and Japan received their equivalent of the M635CSi, called simply the M6. The main difference between the M6 and its European counterpart, is that the S38 engine is used instead of the M88. Compared with the M88, the S38 has a catalytic converter, the compression ratio reduced to 9.8:1, a double row timing chain, a shorter camshaft duration and a simplified exhaust manifold. The power output for the North American E24 M6 is , which is less than the European M635CSi.


title: BMW 6 Series (E24)

text: Standard equipment on the United States market M6 cars included many features which were optional on the European cars, including heated power seats, self-leveling rear suspension, beverage chiller (cooled by an air-conditioning system) between the rear seats, air-conditioning vents for rear seat occupants, sunshade for rear occupants and an 8 speaker premium sound system.


title: Lia Maivia

text: Ofelia "Lia" Maivia (born Ofelia Fuataga; August 6, 1927 – October 19, 2008) was a Samoan professional wrestling promoter. Maivia was the wife of Samoan professional wrestler Peter Maivia and the grandmother of actor and wrestler, Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock.


title: Lia Maivia

text: Maivia took over the Polynesian Pro Wrestling (PPW), a territory of the National Wrestling Alliance in Hawaii, following the death of her husband, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, in 1982. She became one of wrestling's first female promoters. In the mid-1980s, her promotion ran a show called "Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling" on the Financial News Network. Her biggest card, A Hot Summer Night, occurred on 3 August 1985 and had a crowd of 20,000. Her show the following year, A Hot Summer Night II, did not do as well, and the promotion began to decline. Maivia, her booker Lars Anderson, and Ati So'O faced extortion charges from a competing Hawaiian promotion, but were acquitted in November 1989. PPW closed in 1988.


title: Lia Maivia

text: In 2018, Maivia's grandson, Dwayne Johnson gave an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, in which Johnson recounts that his grandfather 'High Chief' Peter Maivia, at the beginning of his career, never told his wife of the choreography of wrestling, leading Maivia to believe it was "real fighting". When Johnson's grandfather was in a match in San Francisco, and was getting beaten by his opponent, Lia Maivia came into the ring, and started beating her husband's opponent with her wooden clog shoe leading Peter Maivia to shout in Samoan to stop beating his opponent up and that the opponent was Maivia's friend.


title: Lia Maivia

text: Lia Maivia had one daughter, Mataniufeagaimaleata Fitisemanu (Ata Fitisemanu), with her first husband Sione Papali'i Fitisemanu. After she married Peter Maivia he adopted her daughter and changed her name to Ata Fitisemanu Maivia. Ata and her ex-husband Rocky Johnson are the parents of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.


title: Lia Maivia

text: Maivia died of a heart attack at her home in Davie, Florida, on 19 October 2008. There were conflicting reports of her age, as most outlets reported that she was 81 years old, while "The Miami Herald" reported that she was 77. The Anoa'i family established the "Lia Maivia Scholarship" in her honor.


title: Lia Maivia

text: Bill Apter, a writer and journalist who specializes in wrestling, wrote of Maivia following her death: "When my daughter Hailey, who is now 23, met Lia at a wrestling event in upper New York state, Lia went to a gift shop at a nearby hotel and bought Hailey a stuffed rabbit as a gift. She had never met her before this day, and this shows what a heart she had!" Greg Oliver, another professional wrestling journalist, wrote that Maivia "was considered a strong-willed businesswoman, demanding and challenging of her employees."


title: Lia Maivia

text: Her life is featured in most episodes of "Young Rock", an autobiographical series based on the life of Dwayne Johnson. In the series, she's portrayed by Ana Tuisila.