Biography.

Kaisiepo was born on the island of Biak on 10 October 1921. He studied at Sekolah Guru Normal at Manokwari. Kaisiepo, and later attended a Civil Administration course at the School of Civil Service in New Guinea.

Indonesian nationalism.

In 1945, Kaisiepo met Sugoro Atmoprasodjo at the School of Civil Service. They quickly found common ground due to their shared support for Indonesian independence. Kaisiepo often held discreet meetings to discuss the annexation of Dutch New Guinea by the Republic of Indonesia.  In July 1946, Kaisiepo was the West New Guinean delegate and only Papuan native at the Malino Conference in South Sulawesi. As Speaker, he suggested the territory be called "Irian", explaining the word means "steamy" in his native Biak. In the same month, the Freedom Party of Indonesia () was founded by Kaisiepo in Biak, with Lukas Rumkoren as the party's elected leader.  In August 1947, Silas Papare led the raising of the Indonesian red and white flag to commemorate Indonesia’s Independence Day. This action resulted in the arrest of all participants by Dutch police. They were locked up for more than three months. During that time Kaisiepo and Johans Ariks took on Papare's role. Ariks later learned of plans to integrate West Irian as a territory of Indonesia, instead of fostering its autonomy.  Kaisiepo was involved in a rebellion in Biak in March 1948, protesting against Dutch rule. In 1949, he rejected an appointment as delegate leader of Dutch New Guinea in the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, since he felt the Dutch were attempting to dictate to him. Because of his resistance, he was imprisoned from 1954 to 1961.

Political career.

Upon release from prison in the year 1961, he established the Irian Party that strove to unite Netherlands New Guinea with the Republic of Indonesia. To envisage the decolonization of Netherlands New Guinea, President Sukarno made a speech that established the Trikora ("Tri Komando Rakyat", "People’s Triple Command") on 19 December 1961 in Yogyakarta. The command's goals were:  As a result of this historic address, many chose to enlist in the armed forces, as part of Operation Trikora.  Due to the Trikora Action, the Netherlands Government was forced to sign an agreement known as the New York Agreement on 15 August 1962 12:01 hours. The transfer of government administration to UNTEA occurred on 1 October 1962. The transfer of West Irian to Indonesia was conducted by the United Nations the following year on 1 May 1963. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government would be entrusted with developing the region from 1963 to 1969, and at the end of that year the Papuans would have to decide whether or not to join Indonesia or remain autonomous.  The first governor of Irian was Elieser Jon Bonay, who held the office for less than a year (1963–64). In the beginning, Bonay sided with the Indonesians. However, in 1964 he used the Act of Free Choice in Irian Jaya to call for the independence of West Irian as a separate country; this request was forwarded to the United Nations. His action caused him to resign from his post in 1964, when Frans Kaisiepo replaced him as governor. His resignation without a replacement disappointed Bonay and propelled him to join the Free Papua Movement operating in-exile in the Netherlands, becoming one of its prominent figures in the process.  Kaisiepo's term as governor of Irian strove to promote Papua as part of Indonesia. This encouraged support within the state for the Act of Free Choice's option of unification, as opposed to full independence, despite huge opposition from most Papuan natives. In 1969, Irian was admitted to Indonesia as Irian Jaya (later Papua) Province. For his efforts in the unification of Papua with Indonesia, he was elected an MP for Papua in the People's Consultative Assembly elections of 1973 and was appointed to the Supreme Advisory Council in 1977 as its representative for Papuan affairs.  Kaisiepo died on 10 April 1979. He was interred in the Cendrawasih Heroes Burial Site () in Biak.

Family.

Frans married Anthomina Arwam and had three children. The couple remained together until Arwam's death. On 12 November 1973, he married Maria Magdalena Moorwahyuni from Demak, Central Java. They had one child together.

Legacy.

Due to his meritorious service, Frans Kaisiepo was awarded the Trikora and the Act of Free Choice Medal of Merit by the Indonesian government. Frans Kaisiepo desired national unity, and worked toward that goal all of his life. He was honored posthumously as a National Hero of Indonesia on the 30th anniversary of the handover of Papua to Indonesia in 1993.  He is also the namesake of the local airport serving Biak, known as the Frans Kaisiepo International Airport.  Kaisiepo is also among the historical figures chosen to be depicted in the recent 2016 edition of Indonesian rupiah banknotes, particularly the Rp10,000 valued note.

Frans Kaisiepo (10 October 1921 – 10 April 1979) was a Papuan politician and Indonesian nationalist. He served as the fourth Governor of Papua Province. In 1993, Kaisiepo was posthumously declared a National Hero of Indonesia () for his lifelong efforts to unite West Irian with Indonesia. As the representative of Papua province, he was involved in the Malino Conference, where the formation of the United States of Indonesia was discussed.

Frans Kaisiepo ( - ) est une personnalité indonésienne. Il représentait le territoire de la Nouvelle-Guinée occidentale lors de la conférence organisée par les Hollandais en juillet 1946 dans la station de montagne de Malino dans le sud de Célèbes. Sa position avait alors été que « la Nouvelle-Guinée-Occidentale ne devait pas être séparée du “Grand Est” ("Timur Besar") » de l'archipel indonésien. Il était le cousin germain de Viktor Kaisiëpo, qui défendait les droits des peuples de Nouvelle-Guinée occidentale contre les exactions du gouvernement indonésien.


Early life.

Mićunović's childhood was spent in Skopje where his father Mile worked as a civil servant. Following the annexation of parts of Yugoslavia by the Italian puppet Albanian Kingdom and Axis Kingdom of Bulgaria, he sought refuge in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia and fought occupying Axis forces with the Yugoslav Partisans.  After World War II, Mićunović was imprisoned for three years at Goli Otok island. He was arrested in March 1949 and was released in May 1952.  After his release, he became an assistant at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy. He was part of the Marxist humanist Praxis School, and in 1975 he was expelled from the faculty, together with seven other colleagues.

Politics.

Mićunović was one of the members of the Founding Committee of the Democratic Party in December 1989 who began the process of re-establishing the Democratic Party (DS). He was elected the first President of the re-established Democratic Party at the founding party conference on February 3, 1990.  He remained the party's president until 1994 when he was squeezed out from the top spot by Zoran Đinđić. Mićunović resigned and with a group of prominent intellectuals, founded the Center for Democracy Fund, a non-governmental organization for the development of civil society and the non-governmental sector, civil education and preparation of political and social reforms.  In 1996, Dragoljub Mićunović founded a new political party, Democratic Centre, of which he was elected president.  He has been an MP in the State and Federal legislatures for more than 10 years. At the first multi-party elections in Serbia in 1990, he was elected a Member of Parliament of Serbia on behalf of the Democratic Party. As a Member of Parliament on the state level, he was elected a delegate to the Chamber of the Republics (upper chamber) of the Federal Parliament of Yugoslavia in the period 1991-1992. At the Federal elections in 1992, Mićunović was elected a Member of the Federal Parliament as a representative of the Democratic Party. As a member of the opposition coalition “Zajedno”, he was re-elected a Member of Federal Parliament in the Chamber of Citizens (lower chamber) in 1996.  At the federal elections in 2000, as one of the leaders of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, Mićunović was again elected a Member of Parliament in the Chamber of Citizens of the Federal Assembly. After the victory of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia in October 2000, he was elected President of the Chamber of Citizens of the Federal Assembly on November 3, 2000. When the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was established, in March 2003, Dragoljub Mićunović was elected President of the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro on March 3 that year. He held this position to March 3, 2004.  Dragoljub Mićunović is the winner of the first award for tolerance awarded by the Ministry for Human Rights, OSCE, and B92 TV and radio station. For his contribution to the admission of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the Council of Europe he was presented an award by the European Movement in Serbia. In 2001 he was awarded by the Slovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for "active contribution to the work of the Community for democratic change in Yugoslavia which assembled representatives of different political parties, civil society and international organizations". In 2017, Dragoljub Mićunović has signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.  Dragoljub Mićunović's Democratic Centre party merged into the Democratic Party in 2004 and he was one of the leading candidates on the Democratic Party list in the Serbian Parliamentary elections held on January 21, 2007.

Dragoljub Mićunović ( ; born 14 June 1930) is a Serbian politician and philosopher. He was one of the founders of the modern Democratic Party (DS) in 1989, and its first President (1990-1994). He left DS in 1996 to form Democratic Centre. As a member of Democratic Opposition of Serbia, he was speaker of the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro between 2000 and 2004. In 2004, he rejoined DS and has been an active member of the party and member of the Assembly of Serbia since. He was a candidate at the 2003 Serbian presidential election, winning 35.42% of the popular vote, but the election was canceled due to low turnout.

Dragoljub Mićunović, en serbe cyrillique (né le à Merdare, près de Kuršumlija, Royaume de Yougoslavie), est un homme politique serbe. Il est un des fondateurs du Parti démocratique.


Background.

Early discussions.

By the late 1720s, the territory of the Cherokee Indian nation lay almost entirely in northwestern Georgia, with small parts in Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina. It extended across most of the northern border and all of the border with Tennessee. An estimated 16,000 Cherokee people lived in this territory. Others had emigrated west to present-day Texas and Arkansas. In 1826, the Georgia legislature asked President John Quincy Adams to negotiate a removal treaty.  Adams, a supporter of Indian sovereignty, initially refused, but when Georgia threatened to nullify the current treaty, he approached the Cherokee to negotiate. A year passed without any progress toward removal. Andrew Jackson, a Democrat and supporter of Indian removal, was elected president in 1828.

Georgia laws over Cherokee Indian territory.

Shortly after the 1828 election, Georgia acted on its nullification threat. The legislature passed a series of laws abolishing the independent government of the Cherokee and extending state law over their territory. Cherokee officials were forbidden to meet for legislative purposes. White people (including missionaries and those married to Cherokee) were forbidden to live in Cherokee country without a state permit, and Cherokee were forbidden to testify in court cases involving European Americans.  Soon after his inauguration, Jackson wrote an open letter to the Southeastern Indian nations, urging them to move west. After gold was discovered in Georgia in late 1829, the ensuing Georgia Gold Rush increased white residents' determination to see the Cherokee removed. The Cherokee were forbidden to dig for gold, and Georgia authorized a survey of their lands to prepare for a lottery to distribute the land to whites. The state held the lottery in 1832.  In the following session, the state legislature stripped the Cherokee of all land other than their residences and adjoining improvements. By 1834 this exception was also removed. When state judges intervened on behalf of Cherokee residents, they were harassed and denied jurisdiction over such cases.

Cherokee reaction.

The new laws targeted the Cherokee leadership in particular. The hereditary chiefs were selected from men who belonged to the important clans of the matrilineal culture. They gained their status from their Cherokee mothers and their clans, although by this time, there were several of mixed race. Principal Chief John Ross was also of mixed race, and had tried to make use of his heritage to benefit the Cherokee in relations with whites. Since the Georgia laws made it illegal for the Cherokee to conduct national business, the National Council (the legislative body of the Cherokee Nation) cancelled the 1832 elections. It declared that current officials would retain their offices until elections could be held, and established an emergency government based in Tennessee.  The Council tried to force Jackson's hand against Georgia by suing the state in federal courts and lobbying Congress to support Cherokee sovereignty. In 1832, the United States Supreme Court struck down Georgia's laws as unconstitutional in "Worcester v. Georgia", ruling that only the Federal government had power to deal with the Native American tribes, and the states had no power to pass legislation regulating their activities. However, the state ignored the ruling and continued to enforce the laws.

Negotiations.

Jackson's initial proposal.

Shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling, Jackson met with John Ridge, clerk of the Cherokee National Council, who headed a Cherokee delegation that went to Washington, DC to meet with him. When asked whether he would use federal force against Georgia, Jackson said he would not and urged Ridge to persuade the Cherokee to accept removal. Ridge, until then a supporter of the National Council's position, left the White House in despair. John McLean, a Jackson appointee to the Supreme Court, likewise urged the Cherokee representatives in Washington to negotiate.  Jackson quickly dispatched Secretary of War Lewis Cass to present his terms, which included western land titles, self-government, relocation assistance, and several other long-term benefits—all conditioned on a total Cherokee removal. He would allow a small number of Cherokee to stay if they accepted state authority over them.  In the following months, Ridge found supporters for the removal option, including his father Major Ridge and the major's nephews Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie. In October 1832, he urged the National Council to consider Cass's proposal, but the Council was unmoved.

Divisions among the Cherokee.

While Ross's delegation continued to lobby Congress for relief, the worsening situation in Georgia drove members of the Treaty Party to Washington to press for a removal treaty. Boudinot and the Ridges had come to believe that removal was inevitable, and hoped to secure Cherokee rights by agreeing to a treaty. In December 1833, the Cherokees supporting removal formed a party, with the former principal chief William Hicks as their head and John McIntosh as his assistant. They sent a delegation led by Andrew Ross, younger brother of Principal Chief John Ross. The administration refused to deal with them, but invited them to return with leaders more involved in the Cherokee Nation's affairs. They returned with Boudinot and Major Ridge, and entered negotiations with Cass.  When Cass urged John Ross to join the negotiations, he denounced his brother's delegation. Andrew Ross and other members signed a harsh treaty in June 1834 without the Ridge family's support.  The progress of separate negotiations finally moved John Ross to discuss terms. He made offers to cede all land except the borders of Georgia, and then to cede all land, on the condition that the Cherokee could remain in the east subject to state laws. Cass refused, saying that he would discuss only removal. Andrew Ross's treaty was submitted to the Senate, where it was rejected as not having the support of all Cherokees. In the October meeting of the Cherokee General Council (comprising all members of the Nation able to attend), a federal representative presented this treaty for consideration. John Ross condemned the treaty. The Ridges and the Waties left the Council, and they and other treaty advocates began holding their own council meetings.

Division of the Cherokee Nation East.

A division developed between Ross supporters (the "National Party") advocating resistance, and the Ridge supporters (the "Treaty Party"), who advocated negotiation to secure the best terms possible for the removal, which they considered inevitable, and later protection of Cherokee rights. The Treaty Party included John Ridge, Major Ridge, Elias Boudinot, David Watie, Stand Watie, Andrew Ross, Willam Coody (Ross's nephew), William Hicks (Ross's cousin), John Walker Jr., John Fields, John Gunter, David Vann, Charles Vann, Alexander McCoy, W. A. Davis, James A. Bell, Samuel Bell, John West, Ezekiel West, Archilla Smith, and James Starr.  Eventually tensions grew to the point that several Treaty advocates, most notably John Walker Jr., were assassinated. In July 1835, hundreds of Cherokee, from both the Treaty Party and the National Party (including John Ross), converged on John Ridge’s plantation, Running Waters (near Calhoun, Georgia). There they met with John F. Schermerhorn, President Jackson's envoy for a removal treaty, Return J. Meigs, Jr., the Commissioner for Indian Affairs, and other U.S. officials.  In October 1835, the General Council rejected the proposed treaty, but appointed a committee to go to Washington to negotiate a better treaty. The committee included John Ross, and also treaty advocates John Ridge, Charles Vann, and Elias Boudinot (later replaced by Stand Watie). They were authorized to make a removal treaty, with the stipulation that the Cherokees would receive more than $5,000,000 in compensation and assistance. Schermerhorn, who was present at the meeting, advocated a meeting at New Echota, the Cherokee capital. The National Council approved a delegation to meet there. Both delegations (U.S. and Cherokee) were specifically charged with negotiating a removal treaty.

New Echota meeting and final treaty.

100 to 500 men converged on the Cherokee capital in December 1835, almost exclusively from the Upper and Lower Towns. (Heavy snow in the western North Carolina mountains made it nearly impossible for those from the Hill and Valley Towns to travel.) After a week of negotiations, Schermerhorn proposed that in exchange for all Cherokee land east of the Mississippi River, the Cherokees would receive $5,000,000 from the U.S. (to be distributed "per capita" to all members of the tribe), an additional $500,000 for educational funds, title in perpetuity to land in Indian Territory equal to that given up, and full compensation for all property left behind. (By contrast, the entire Louisiana Territory was purchased from Napoleon for just over $23,000,000.) The treaty included a clause to allow all Cherokees who so desired to remain and become citizens of the states in which they resided, on individual allotments of of land. With that clause, it was unanimously approved by the contingent at New Echota, then signed by the negotiating committee of twenty, but that clause later was struck out by President Jackson.  The committee reported the results to the full Council gathered at New Echota, which approved the treaty unanimously. In a lengthy preamble, the Ridge party laid out its claims to legitimacy, based on its willingness to negotiate in good faith the sort of removal terms for which Ross had expressed support. The treaty was signed by Major Ridge, Elias Boudinot, James Foster, Testaesky, Charles Moore, George Chambers, Tahyeske, Archilla Smith, Andrew Ross, William Lassley, Caetehee, Tegaheske, Robert Rogers, John Gunter, John A. Bell, Charles Foreman, William Rogers, George W. Adair, James Starr, and Jesse Halfbreed. After Schermerhorn returned to Washington with the signed treaty, John Ridge and Stand Watie added their names.  The treaty was concluded at New Echota, Georgia on the 29th of December, 1835 and signed on the 1st of March, 1836.

Ratification.

After news of the treaty became public, the officials of the Cherokee Nation from the National Party representing the large majority of Cherokee objected that they had not approved it and that the document was invalid. John Ross and the Cherokee National Council begged the Senate not to ratify the treaty (and thereby invalidate it) due to it not being negotiated by the legal representatives of the Cherokee Nation. But the Senate passed the measure in May 1836 by a single vote. Ross drew up a petition asking Congress to void the treaty—a petition which he personally delivered to Congress in the spring of 1838 with almost 16,000 signatures attached. This was nearly as many persons as the Cherokee Nation East had within its territory, according to the 1835 Henderson Roll, including women and children, who had no vote.

Enforcement.

Ross's petition was ignored by President Martin Van Buren, who directed General Winfield Scott to forcibly move all those Cherokee who had not yet complied with the treaty and moved west. The Cherokee people were almost entirely removed west of the Mississippi (except for the Oconaluftee Cherokee in North Carolina, the Nantahala Cherokee who joined them, and two or three hundred married to whites).  That summer (1839) a council to effect a union between the Old Settlers and the Late Immigrants convened at Double Springs in Indian Territory. It broke up sixteen days later without having reached an agreement when John Brown, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation–West, became frustrated with Ross's intransigence. The latter insisted that the Old Settlers accept him as Principal Chief over the united Nation without an election and recognize his absolute authority. Ross was easily elected in the following elections.  Ross’s partisans blamed Brown’s actions on the Treaty Party, particularly those, such as the Ridge and Watie families, who had emigrated prior to the forced removal. They had settled with the Old Settlers. A group of these men targeted members of the Ridge faction for assassination, to enforce the Cherokee law (written by Major Ridge) making it a capital crime for any Cherokee to cede national land for private profit. There is no evidence, however, that John Ross supported or knew of their plans.  The list of targets included Major Ridge, John Ridge, Elias Boudinot, Stand Watie, John A. Bell, James Starr, George Adair, and others. (Notably absent from the list were Treaty Party leaders David Vann, Charles Vann, John Gunter, Charles Foreman, William Hicks, and Andrew Ross. William Hicks died sometime before or in the year 1837. His death was before removal took place.) On 22 June 1839, teams ranging up to twenty-five in number converged on the houses of John Ridge, Major Ridge, and Elias Boudinot, and murdered them; their attempt on Stand Watie was unsuccessful. They did not attack any others, but the assassinations marked the beginning of the Cherokee Civil War; it continued until after the American Civil War. James Starr was also killed during this period. The Ross partisans forced the Old Settlers to give up their established political system and accept the majority vote and John Ross's authority. Ridge Party families fled Oklahoma and found refuge in what was then Nacogdoches County, Texas (in the area that later became known as the Mount Tabor Indian Community), near present-day Kilgore. Many of their descendants still live in the area along with the Thompson-McCoy Choctaws.

Later developments.

In 2019, Cherokee Nation principal chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. cited a provision of the treaty that states that the Cherokee "shall be entitled to a delegate in the House of Representatives of the United States whenever Congress shall make provision for the same," in announcing that he intended to appoint, for the first time, a Congressional delegate from the Cherokee Nation. Pending a decision of the Cherokee National Council, Hoskin said he would nominate Kimberly Teehee, a member of the Cherokee Nation who formerly served as a policy advisor in the administration of President Barack Obama, to the post.

The Treaty of New Echota was a treaty signed on December 29, 1835, in New Echota, Georgia by officials of the United States government and representatives of a minority Cherokee political faction, the Treaty Party.

Le traité de New Echota découle de l""' voulu par le président Andrew Jackson en 1830. Il a été signé à New Echota en Géorgie le par des représentants du gouvernement des États-Unis et plusieurs membres de la "faction Ridge" de la nation Cherokee. Le traité a été promulgué le. La faction Ridge estimait que les Cherokees perdraient tôt ou tard leurs terres à l'est et que la déportation vers l'ouest était le seul moyen de préserver leur nation. Le traité prévoyait une indemnisation de 5 millions de dollars, la couverture des frais de déménagement et l'octroi de terres dans l'actuel Oklahoma en échange des terres à l'est du fleuve Mississippi.


Geography.

Dartford lies within the area known as the London Basin. The low-lying marsh to the north of the town consists of London Clay, and the alluvium brought down by the two rivers—the Darent and the Cray—whose confluence is in this area. The higher land on which the town stands, and through which the narrow Darent valley runs, consists of chalk surmounted by the Blackheath Beds of sand and gravel.  As a human settlement, Dartford became established as a river crossing-point with the coming of the Romans; and as a focal point between two routes: that from west to east being part of the main route connecting London with the Continent; and the southerly route following the Darent valley. As a result, the town's main road pattern makes the shape of letter 'T'. The Dartford Marshes to the north, and the proximity of Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley to the west, mean that the town's growth is to the south and east. Wilmington is contiguous with the town to the south; whilst the almost continuous Thames Gateway development means that there is little to show the town boundary in an easterly direction.  Within the town boundaries there are several distinct areas: the town centre around the parish church and along the High Street; the Joyce Green area; Temple Hill estate constructed in 1927; the Brent; Fleet Downs; as well as two important areas of open space and several industrial estates. The open spaces are Central Park, alongside the river; and Dartford Heath.

Climate.

Like most of the United Kingdom, Dartford has an oceanic climate.

History.

In prehistoric times, the first people appeared in the Dartford area around 250,000 years ago: a tribe of prehistoric hunter-gatherers whose exemplar is called Swanscombe Man. Many other archaeological investigations have revealed a good picture of occupation of the district with important finds from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.  When the Romans engineered the Dover to London road (afterwards named Watling Street), it was necessary to cross the River Darent by ford, giving the settlement its name. Roman villas were built along the Darent Valley, and at Noviomagus (Crayford), close by. The Saxons may have established the first settlement where Dartford now stands. Dartford manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, after the Norman conquest. It was then owned by the king. During the medieval period Dartford was an important waypoint for pilgrims and travellers "en route" to Canterbury and the Continent, and various religious orders established themselves in the area. In the 12th century the Knights Templar had possession of the manor of Dartford; the National Trust property at Sutton-at-Hone, to the south of the town, is a remaining piece of that history. In the 14th century, a priory was established here, and two groups of friars—the Dominicans and the Franciscans—built hospitals here for the care of the sick. At this time the town became a small but important market town.  Wat Tyler, of Peasants' Revolt fame, might well have been a local hero, although three other towns in Kent all claim likewise, and there are reasons to doubt the strength of Tyler's connection to Dartford, though the existence of a town centre public house named after him could give credence to Dartford's claim. Dartford, however, cannot claim a monopoly on public houses named after Tyler.  It is probable that Dartford was a key meeting point early in the Peasants' Revolt with a detachment of Essex rebels marching south to join Kentish rebels at Dartford before accompanying them to Rochester and Canterbury in the first week of June 1381. Although lacking a leader, Kentishmen had assembled at Dartford around 5 June through a sense of county solidarity at the mistreatment of Robert Belling, a man claimed as a serf by Sir Simon Burley. Burley had abused his royal court connections to invoke the arrest of Belling and, despite a compromise being proposed by bailiffs in Gravesend, continued to demand the impossible £300 of silver for Belling's release. Having left for Rochester and Canterbury on 5 June, the rebels passed back through Dartford, swollen in number, a week later on 12 June en route for London. In the 15th century, two kings of England became part of the town's history. Henry V marched through Dartford in November 1415 with his troops after fighting the French at the Battle of Agincourt; in 1422 Henry's body was taken to Holy Trinity Church by Edmund Lacey, Bishop of Exeter, who conducted a funeral. In March 1452, Richard, Duke of York, camped at the Brent allegedly with ten thousand men, waiting for a confrontation with King Henry VI. The Duke surrendered to the king in Dartford. The place of the camp is marked today by York Road, Dartford.  The 16th century saw significant changes to the hitherto agrarian basis of the market in Dartford, as new industries began to take shape ("see below"). The priory was destroyed in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and a new manor house was subsequently constructed by King Henry VIII. In 1545, Henry held a series of meetings of his Privy Council in the town, and from 21 to 25 June 1545 Dartford was the seat of the national government. Henry's fourth wife Anne of Cleves lived at the new priory for four years before her death in 1557.  Many Protestants were executed during the reigns of Queen Mary (1553–1554) and Philip and Mary (1554–1558), including Christopher Wade, a Dartford linen-weaver who was burnt at the stake on the Brent in 1555. The Martyrs' Memorial on East Hill commemorates Wade and other Kentish Martyrs. In 1576 Dartford Grammar School was founded, part of the Tudor emphasis on education for ordinary people.

Industrial history.

The earliest industries were those connected with agriculture, such as the brewing of traditional beers and ales. Lime-burning and chalk-mining also had their place. Fulling was another: the cleansing of wool needed a great deal of water, which the river could provide. This led to other water-based industries, using hydropower to operate machinery.  Upon his return in 1578 from Frobisher Bay in the Canadian Arctic with a reputed cargo of gold-bearing ore, Sir Martin Frobisher had the refining done on Powder Mill Lane in Dartford. However, the ore proved valueless and was used for road surfacing. Sir John Spilman set up the first paper mill in England at Dartford in 1588 on a site near Powder Mill Lane, and soon some 600 employees worked there, providing an invaluable source of local employment. Iron-making on the Weald was in full operation at this time, and iron ingots were sent to Dartford, to England's first iron-slitting mill, set up by the Darent at Dartford Creek in 1595 by Godfrey Box, an immigrant from the Low Countries. In 1785, John Hall, a millwright set up a workshop in Lowfield Street and began to make engines, boilers and machinery (some of it for the local gunpowder factory run by Miles Peter Andrews and the Pigou family), marking the foundation of J & E Hall, an engineering firm specialising in heavy engineering, and later refrigerating equipment, and, for 20 years from 1906, vehicle production, plus lifts and escalators.  From those humble beginnings in the 18th century was to come the industrial base on which the growth and prosperity of Dartford were founded. In 1840 the mustard factory of Saunders & Harrison was described as being "perhaps the largest in the kingdom". Dartford Paper Mills were built in 1862, when excise duty on paper was abolished. Between 1844 and 1939 the fabric printing works of "Augustus Applegath" were in being in Bullace Lane: again a firm using the waters of the river. RAF Joyce Green, at Long Reach, near Dartford was one of the first Royal Flying Corp airfields, It was established in 1911 by Vickers Limited (the aircraft and weapons manufacturer, who used it as an airfield and testing ground. It was superseded by Biggin Hill, and closed in 1919. The demand created by World War I meant that output at the local Vickers factory multiplied, with a positive effect on the local economy. Burroughs-Wellcome chemical works (later incorporated into GlaxoSmithKline) made Dartford a centre for the pharmaceutical industry. There has been a large power station at Littlebrook on the Thames, to the north of the town, since 1939. The current station, which features one of the tallest chimneys in the UK, dates from about 1978.

Post-industrial economic plans.

The Mazda motor manufacturer has its UK head office at the large Thames-side Crossways Business Park. Thomas Walter Jennings created the iconic Vox musical brand, with original products such as the AC15 and AC30 amplifiers originating in Dartford. In early 2006, the since-closed South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) purchased the former Unwins (an off-licence chain that went into administration in 2005) depot on the edge of the town. The warehouse was demolished and a business centre, The Base, built in its place. The Base will be managed by Basepoint Centres and funded by the non-departmental public body, HCA.  By 2018, the former GlaxoSmithKline manufacturing site in Mill Pond Road had been redeveloped with residential apartments and is known as Langley Square. Further regeneration is taking place at Market Street, to be known as Brewery Square.

Economy.

Some of Dartford's key industries, including brewing, paper-making, flour milling and the manufacture of cement, suffered extreme decline in the 20th century, causing redundancies and unemployment. Swanscombe Cement Works (now redeveloped into Bluewater shopping centre) was closed by Blue Circle in 1990. This industry had been an economic boon to the area, but left behind a lot of derelict land and pollution. In 1990 Dartford contained around of spoiled land resulting from extractive industries, and cement-dust pollution from local cement works was a regular subject of complaint in the local press throughout the 20th century.  The closure of Dartford's major employers: Seagers' Engineering Works, J & E Hall International, Vickers, the reduction and subsequent closure of Burroughs Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline), and the redevelopment of nearby Bexleyheath as a shopping town in the 1970s (and the more recent development of the Bluewater Shopping Centre), have had a negative effect on the economy of Dartford, but the town is still home to major brands such as Sainsbury's, W.H. Smiths, and Boots. With the opening of the major Bluewater regional shopping centre just outside the town, the high street has seen a growth in cheaper brands such as Primark and Wilko taking over empty premises. In the 1990s, the local economy was boosted by the establishment of a number of business parks in the area, the biggest being Crossways Business Park at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.  In 2007 Dartford saw an increase in the number of chain stores located in the town as B&Q, M&S Simply Food, TK Maxx and Asda Living opened new outlet stores in the town centre. Before this Safeway had taken part in the development of Dartford's second shopping centre, The Orchards, located next to the Orchard Theatre. The Safeway's site was eventually taken over by Waitrose but this closed in March 2014 and a new Aldi store opened in June 2015. The historical and once bustling main High Street and adjacent shopping centre, The Priory, continue to decline, and went into receivership in 2013. and the large department store previously occupied by the Co-operative has now been demolished, having been bought by Dartford Borough Council. The oldest independent business still trading in Dartford, the butchers Richardson & Sons in Lowfield Street, established in 1908, closed down in 2014 to make way for the proposed Lowfield centre superstore development. The problems with obtaining planning permission for this development and associated residential units were compounded by the recession. This created persistent delay in regeneration of the Lowfield Street site, and on 8 January 2015 it was finally announced that the Tesco plans were to be abandoned.

Culture and community.

The Orchard Theatre, located in the town centre, is a fully professional theatre, providing audiences with a large range of drama, dance, music and entertainment. The Mick Jagger Centre, within the grounds of Dartford Grammar School on Shepherds Lane, was completed in 2000 and provides facilities for community arts across a wide region. library and Museum are located on Market Street.  Central Park is a formal park in the town centre, used for various community events. It comprises of land.

Sport.

Dartford F.C. play at Princes Park Stadium and compete in the National League South. There are also three other senior clubs based in Dartford: Southern Counties East Football League Division 1 club Kent Football United F.C. and Kent County Football League clubs Fleetdown United who play at Heath Lane Lower, and Halls AFC who play at the Community Stadium at Princes Park.  Dartford Harriers Athletic Club was formed in 1922 and is currently based at Central Park. Originally founded as Dartford Rugby Football Club, the rugby players began taking part in cross-country runs in an effort to keep fit. Running soon became more popular with the players, and the club eventually dropped rugby around the end of the 1927-28 season, becoming Dartford Harriers AC. The club's running colours of blue and blue "hoops" are a legacy from the club's rugby origins, when the rugby players simply removed the sleeves from their old rugby shirts to create running vests.  Dartford is also home to Dartford and White Oak Triathlon Club; formed in 1988, it is one of the oldest British Triathlon Federation clubs in the UK. The club trains at The Bridge Estate, Dartford.  Sports centres in Dartford include the Becket Sports Centre, within the grounds of Dartford Grammar School on Shepherds Lane, which is the home of several sports groups.

Health.

Between 1877 and 1903 the number of hospitals in Dartford rose to 11, together providing 10,000 hospital beds, at a time when the town's population was a little over 20,000. The majority of these have been closed, especially since the opening of Darent Valley Hospital. One of the best-known, Stone House Hospital, in Cotton Lane to the east of the town, was opened on 16 April 1866 as the "City of London Lunatic Asylum". It was, and still is, a large castellated structure built in spacious grounds. It remained under the direct administration of the City of London until 1948, when it was transferred to the National Health Service (NHS). It remains one of the largest and most visible structures in Dartford, and was until recently operated by the NHS to manage regional health care delivery, and was also home to a nursing school, "Livingstone Hospital", on East Hill. The main buildings of this facility are now closed, and have been turned into luxury flats.

Transport.

Roads.

The route of a Celtic ancient trackway which the Romans later paved and identified as Iter III on the Antonine Itinerary, later to be called Watling Street, and which the current A2 roughly follows, passed close to the town. After the Romans left Britain, it fell out of use, as the town itself developed and traffic went into the town itself, the name Watling Street transferring to the new route. The introduction of stagecoach services increased the amount of traffic through the town, so that by the 18th century it had become necessary to control the upkeep of such a heavily used road. Turnpike Trusts were set up by Act of Parliament. Dartford was served by two: that for Watling Street; and the road south to Sevenoaks, both brought into being between 1750 and 1780.  From 1925 the A2 main road took traffic away from Dartford town centre via the "Princes Road" bypass. Today the original main road through the town is the A226. The erstwhile turnpike road south to Sevenoaks is now the A225). A newer by-pass is the A206, which skirts the town to the north. Its prime purpose is to carry traffic from the riverside industrial developments on to the Dartford Crossing from both west and east. Dartford is perhaps most well known for the latter, the main mode of crossing the River Thames to the east of London, where the southbound A282 (part of the London Orbital) crosses the river via the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge toll bridge, opened in 1991. The northbound carriageway crosses via the twin bore Dartford Tunnel. The first tunnel was opened in 1963, and the second in 1980.

Rail.

Dartford railway station is located in the town centre and is connected to London via three National Rail routes. The first railway London to Dartford connection was the North Kent Line via Woolwich Arsenal in 1849, connecting at Gravesend with the line to the Medway Towns. Later two more lines were built, the Dartford Loop Line through Sidcup, which opened in 1866, and the Bexleyheath Line, which opened in 1895. All the lines were electrified on 6 June 1926.

Buses.

Dartford is served by many bus services provided by Transport for London, Arriva Kent Thameside and Go Coach Buses.  These routes connect Dartford with areas including Bexleyheath, Crayford, Erith, Gravesend, Greenhithe, Orpington, Sidcup, Swanley, Welling & Woolwich.

Places of worship.

The Parish Church, Holy Trinity, is situated on the western bank of the River Darent, from where a hermit would conduct travellers across the ford. The church was originally a 9th-century Saxon structure, but gained later Norman additions. In the 13th century a royal wedding was celebrated there; thus today the choristers are entitled to wear scarlet cassocks. Also on display within the church is a brass plaque commemorating the work of Richard Trevithick, the pioneer of steam propulsion, who, at the end of his career, lived, worked (at J & E Hall) and died in the town.  The graveyard is situated in St Edmund's Pleasance on the summit of East Hill (the place where Richard Trevithick is buried), which gave rise to a traditional and derogatory rhyme of Dartford's people: "Dirty Dartford, filthy people, bury their dead above the steeple." The church actually has no steeple; it has a tower featuring a ring of eight bells.

Notable people.

The following are from or have lived in Dartford (or other connection if specified):  Dartford Town Guide

External links.

Two maps of the area c.1800

Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London, and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in Essex, which can be reached via the Dartford Crossing.

Dartford est la principale ville du Borough de Dartford. Elle est située dans la partie nord-ouest du Kent en Angleterre, à du centre de Londres, en direction de l'est-sud-est. Le centre-ville est situé dans une vallée traversée par la rivière Darent, au croisement de l'ancienne route allant de Londres à Douvres, d'où le nom, provenant de Darent et ford (gué). Dartford devint une ville de commerce au Moyen Âge mais est aujourd'hui principalement une ville de la banlieue du grand Londres.


Types.

Anemia - a reduction of the red blood cells in the body.  Leukopenia - a deficiency of white blood cells, or leukocytes  Neutropenia - a type of leukopenia, with a specific deficiency in neutrophils  Thrombocytopenia - a deficiency of platelets  Pancytopenia - When all three types of blood cells; red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, are all deficient. This is a life-threatening disorder that is a characteristic of aplastic anemia.  There are also two general types of cytopenia: autoimmune and refractory.  Autoimmune cytopenia - caused by an autoimmune disease when your body produces antibodies to destroy the healthy blood cells.  Refractory cytopenia - caused by bone marrow not producing healthy blood cells, and can be a result of cancer.

Symptoms and signs.

The symptoms of cytopenia vary depending on what type is diagnosed.  The symptoms of anemia include:  The symptoms of leukopenia include:  The symptoms of thrombocytopenia include:

Causes.

Cytopenias are caused by anything that promotes the body into creating antibodies to fight blood cells. This includes, but is not limited to,:

Treatment.

The treatments for cytopenia vary depending on the type of cytopenia. The treatment for anemia is rest and a diet consisting of high iron foods. Medication can also be used such as:  People with thrombocytopenia can be treated by avoiding skin damage such as bruising or breaking of the skin.  Neutropenia patients are advised to avoid contact with people who are ill, monitor closely for signs of infection, and take antibiotics when appropriate.  Growth factors are also another way to treat cytopenia. Growth factors are synthetic versions of substances involved in stimulating red and white blood cell production. These medications include:  Bone marrow and stem cell transplantation are effective for all types of cytopenias. However, when a compatible donor cannot be found, immunosuppressive therapy is also common. Antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) or antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is mixed with cyclosporine to promote cell growth.

Cytopenia is a reduction in the number of mature blood cells. It is common in cancer patients being treated with radiation and/or chemotherapy.

Une cytopénie est un déficit quantitatif d'un certain type de cellule du sang. Le sang comprend le plasma et les cellules sanguines qui sont : les globules rouges (ou hématies ou érythrocytes), les globules blancs (ou leucocytes) et les plaquettes (ou thrombocytes). Pour chacune de ces lignées, on peut avoir une diminution de leur taux normal dans le sang. Ainsi, on parlera respectivement d'anémie, de leucopénie et de thrombopénie si les résultats d'une analyse sanguine sont inférieurs aux valeurs usuelles. En cas d'atteinte multiple, on parle de bicytopénie ou de pancytopénie voire d'aplasie médullaire.


Early life.

Myers was born on April 20, 1985, in Glen Cove, New York. After he decided to pursue a professional wrestling career, Myers began training under Mikey Whipwreck.

Professional wrestling career.

New York Wrestling Connection (2004–2006).

After being trained by Mikey Whipwreck, Myers made his debut in 2004, using his real name. He wrestled for the New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) promotion. He began regularly teaming with Brett Matthews and the duo of Myers and Matthews went on to defeat the NYWC Tag Team Champions Dickie Rodz and Mason Raige by disqualification, for which titles do not change hands. At the next event on June 4 they won a rematch decisively to become Tag Team Champions. Later that month they were attacked by The Dead Presidents (Lo Lincoln and Boog Washington) to set up a feud where they eventually lost their titles against them in July. On September 23 they were entered into a three-way match with the champions but Team Tremendous (Dan Barry and Ken Scampi) ended up with the belts. After continuing to win matches they re-earned a match against Team Tremendous and won the titles for the second time on January 25, 2006. They held the titles until they faced the B.S. Xpress (Tony Burma and Mike Spinelli), who defeated them for the gold on March 26.

World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE (2006–2014).

Developmental territories (2006–2007).

On February 24, 2006, Brian Myers signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. He was given the ring name Brian Majors and teamed up with his former tag team partner Bret Matthews, who was renamed Brett Majors, to form the tag team the Majors Brothers. Together they won the Deep South Wrestling DSW Tag Team Championship on two occasions. They later won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.

Major Brothers and La Familia (2007–2009).

The team was moved from the developmental territories to the main roster, changing their last names from "Majors" to "Major". The team worked on WWE's ECW brand. The team won their debut match against Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von of The New Breed on the May 1 episode of "ECW", but failed to win any matches in either singles or tag team competition following their debut on the brand. They moved from ECW to SmackDown! as the eighth pick in the 2007 Supplemental Draft. They made their SmackDown! debut on July 6, defeating jobbers Jeremy Young and Mike Fox. On the November 9 episode of "SmackDown!", they received a WWE Tag Team Championship match after winning a #1 contender's battle royal, but lost to WWE Tag Team Champions Montel Vontavious Porter and Matt Hardy in their title match. At Armageddon, the duo dressed up as Edge and interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship match also involving The Undertaker and Batista, replacing Edge during the match to help him win the title, turning heel for the first time in their WWE career. On the December 21 taping of "SmackDown!", the Major Brothers were revealed as acquaintances to Edge and his lover, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero. The Major Brothers were repackaged and renamed as Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, with Brian Major becoming Curt Hawkins and Brett Major now named Zack Ryder. Their team name also became The Edgeheads, due to their resemblance to him.  On the January 4, 2008 episode of "SmackDown!", Hawkins and Ryder competed against Batista in a 2-on-1 handicap match to a draw in a Beat The Clock Challenge when the time ran out. After assisting Edge in most of his matches for multiple months, Hawkins and Ryder captured the WWE Tag Team Championship from John Morrison and The Miz in a fatal-four-way tag team match, which also featured Jesse and Festus and Finlay and Hornswoggle at The Great American Bash in July, becoming the youngest tag team champions in WWE history up to that point. By SummerSlam in August, La Familia had begun to fracture and Hawkins and Ryder began appearing on their own.  On the September 26 airing of "SmackDown", Hawkins and Ryder lost the titles to Carlito and Primo Colón in their first televised title defense. On April 15, 2009, Ryder was drafted back to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, separating the team.

Florida Championship Wrestling (2009–2010).

Following the draft, Hawkins was on hiatus from television before voluntarily leaving the main roster and transferring to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) for more training. He made his debut losing to Dawson Alexander. In the following weeks, Hawkins won an 8-man battle royal to become the number one contender for Justin Angel's FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship, then lost the championship match. He joined a stable called "The Dude Busters" alongside Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta on November 1, 2009. In late November, Hawkins and Croft won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. While they were champions, Croft and Hawkins defended the title with Barreta via the Freebird Rule. On January 14, 2010 at an FCW television taping, The Dude Busters lost the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship to The Fortunate Sons (Brett DiBiase and Joe Hennig).

The Gatecrashers (2010–2011).

Hawkins returned to the SmackDown roster on May 4, 2010, forming a tag team with Vance Archer, defeating Chasyn Rance and JT Talent in a dark match. They made their television debut as a team on the May 13 episode of "WWE Superstars", defeating two local competitors. After the match, Hawkins stated that he and Archer had been given a 30-day contract to "make an impact". The team made its "SmackDown" debut on the May 21 episode, winning another squash match. In an attempt to make an impact, the duo attacked Montel Vontavious Porter and Christian on consecutive episodes of "SmackDown" on June 4 and 11, which they followed up on by defeating both in a tag team match on June 18.  The next week the duo was officially named "The Gatecrashers". The pair also competed in a battle royal on the June 4, 2010 episode of "SmackDown" to replace The Undertaker in the World Heavyweight Championship fatal four-way match at Fatal 4-Way. Hawkins was one of the four final participants in the match, but was eliminated by the eventual winner, Rey Mysterio. After their 30-day contract expired, they were signed to new long-term contracts in storyline. The team came to an end on the October 7 airing of "Superstars" after a match between Archer and Chris Masters. Archer accidentally struck Hawkins outside the ring after which the two argued and a distracted Archer lost the match. Afterwards, Hawkins assaulted Archer. Hawkins moved to singles competition the following week, defeating Trent Barreta. A rivalry then began between the two shortly after, with Barreta getting the win on the November 18 episode of "Superstars". In a rematch the next week, Hawkins defeated Barreta, claiming Barreta's win the week before was a fluke. The feud ended with Barreta coming out on top when Barreta beat Hawkins on the December 9 episode of "Superstars".

Teaming with Tyler Reks (2011–2012).

On April 26, Hawkins was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 Supplemental Draft. Hawkins and Ryder had a brief reunion on the May 19 episode of "Superstars", where they teamed together in a losing effort against Kozlov and Santino Marella. After Hawkins beat JTG on the May 26 episode of "Superstars", Hawkins returned on the September 8 episode of "Superstars", teaming with Tyler Reks to defeat Percy Watson and Titus O'Neil. Hawkins and Reks then began appearing on the fifth season of NXT, by attacking the Usos from behind on the September 27 episode of "NXT". Over the next two weeks on "NXT", Hawkins and Reks faced the Usos in tag team matches, with Hawkins and Reks winning the first match and the Usos winning the second match.  From October 2011, Hawkins, claiming a broken ankle, began to carry around a metal walking cane. However, when Hawkins' injury had healed sufficiently for him to wrestle, he still brought the cane with him to the ring. Hawkins and Reks then lost a non-title match to Air Boom on the December 22 episode of Superstars. Hawkins debuted on "Raw" on January 9, 2012, and was quickly defeated by a returning Brodus Clay. Hawkins and Reks feuded with Trent Barreta and Yoshi Tatsu from December 2011. Both teams regularly played pranks on each other, Tatsu being locked in a closet and Reks' hands being superglued onto an Xbox controller. The feud ended when Hawkins and Reks defeated Barreta and Tatsu on the January 18 episode of "NXT".  Hawkins and Reks then became NXT's troublemakers, tormenting NXT host Matt Striker on his lacklustre career and how they should be main-eventing NXT, even once going to the extent of assaulting him after a match. This forced Striker to appoint William Regal as NXT's prime authority figure on the February 29 episode of "NXT". Regal often employed harsh measures to keep Hawkins and Reks in line, including threatening suspensions for bad behaviour and condemning them to janitorial duty, this caused them much frustration. On the March 21, 2012 episode of "NXT Redemption", a storyline began in which Striker was knocked out with chloroform by Johnny Curtis and Maxine, and then Striker was kidnapped by unknown persons, later revealed to be Hawkins and Reks, who intended to blackmail Maxine into using her charms to get Regal to leave them alone. Unfortunately for Hawkins and Reks, Striker was rescued by Derrick Bateman and Kaitlyn. On the April 18 episode of "NXT", the freed Striker confronted Hawkins and Reks about the kidnapping, and Hawkins admitted the crime. As punishment, Regal put Hawkins and Reks in a match against each other, with Striker as referee. The loser would be fired. Even though Reks won to supposedly save his job at the expense of Hawkins', Regal decided to fire Reks as well, sending the two troublemakers away from NXT.  However, Regal could not keep the duo away from NXT for long, as they managed to convince villainous higher authority figure John Laurinaitis to rehire them as NXT's security team on the May 9 episode of "NXT". Hawkins and Reks continued to act as Laurinaitis' lackeys, confiscating anti-Laurinaitis signs at Over the Limit and attacking John Cena on the May 21 episode of "Raw". Hawkins and Reks' association with Laurinaitis ended after Laurinaitis lost his job at No Way Out. On the final episode of the fifth season of "NXT" on June 13, Hawkins and Reks defeated Percy Watson and Derrick Bateman.  Hawkins and Reks engaged in a one-sided feud with Ryback in July 2012. After both Hawkins and Reks lost singles matches to Ryback on "SmackDown", Ryback defeated both of them in a handicap match at Money in the Bank. At "Raw 1,000", Hawkins and Reks, along with four other wrestlers, attempted to ambush Kane to make a statement, but a returning Undertaker interrupted the attack and The Brothers of Destruction disposed of Hawkins and Reks. They again lost to Ryback on the August 6 episode of "Raw". After being told by SmackDown General Manager Booker T to "step it up", Hawkins and Reks debuted a stripper gimmick on the August 17 episode of "SmackDown" while squashing a jobber tag team.  A week later, Reks asked for his release as he intended to retire from wrestling to spend more time with his family; he and WWE parted ways on August 21, thus ending the team. In October, Hawkins announced that he had undergone surgery for a torn posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

NXT and departure (2013–2014).

On the January 21, 2013 "Raw", a short-haired Hawkins returned on television tapings in a show-closing brawl. He made his return match on the February 9 episode of "Saturday Morning Slam", losing to Justin Gabriel. After that, Hawkins most commonly appeared on "Superstars" and "NXT", where he lost all of his matches. On the May 8, 2014 episode of "NXT", Hawkins competed in a battle royal to determine number one contender for the NXT Championship, in which he was unsuccessful. On the May 22 episode of "NXT", Hawkins faced Adrian Neville in a losing effort. On June 12, WWE announced that Hawkins was released from his contract.

Independent circuit (2014–2016).

A day after his release from WWE, Myers wrestled at a Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW) event, teaming with Val Venis to defeat Danny Demento and Erik Andretti.  On August 29, 2014, Myers made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), losing to A.J. Styles in the first round of the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles.  In April 2015, Myers defeated Brent Banks, in Alpha-1 Wrestling, to win the A1 Alpha Male Championship and the first singles championship in his pro wrestling career. He would later lose the title, in June, to Josh Alexander.  In June 2015, Myers defeated Chris Payne, in Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS), to win the PWS Television Championship.  On July 24, 2015, Myers entered Global Force Wrestling tournament to crown the inaugural GFW Global Champion but lost in the quarterfinal round to Chris Mordetzky.  In August 2015, Myers defeated Papadon, in Five Borough Wrestling (FBW), to win the FBW Heavyweight Championship.  In September 2015, Myers lost his PWS Television Championship to Chris Payne. In December, Myers regained the title after he defeated Payne in a ladder match.  In April 2016, Myers defended his FBW Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match and lost his title to Mike Verna.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2015).

Myers made his Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debut representing GFW on the July 27, 2015 episode of "Impact Wrestling", where he teamed with Trevor Lee and lost to The Wolves. On the September 2 edition of "Impact Wrestling", Myers and Lee defeated The Wolves in a rematch to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. The next week on the September 9 edition of "Impact Wrestling", they dropped the title back to The Wolves, ending their reign for only one day. On the September 16 edition of "Impact Wrestling", Team GFW (Myers, Jeff Jarrett, Eric Young, Chris Mordetzky and Sonjay Dutt) lost to Team TNA (Drew Galloway, Lashley, Eddie Edwards, Bram and Davey Richards) in a Lethal Lockdown match. At Bound for Glory, he and Trevor Lee had a rematch for the TNA World Tag Team Championship against the Wolves, but failed to win the titles.

Return to WWE (2016–2020).

Face the Facts (2016–2017).

On July 21, 2016, Myers signed to make his return to WWE and joined the SmackDown brand. Myers returned to WWE under his Curt Hawkins ring name in vignettes, stating that it was "time to face the facts" in similar vein of the well-known Chuck Norris facts, beginning in August. This continued until it was announced that he would make his televised in-ring return at the No Mercy pay-per-view. At the event, he "stepped into the ring" and announced his debut match to take place on that week's episode of "SmackDown Live". However, the scheduled match was bumped from the show due to time constraints. The week after on "SmackDown Live", Hawkins was scheduled to face Apollo Crews. After Crews punched Hawkins, Hawkins left the ring before the match could start.  Jason Powell of "Pro Wrestling Dot Net" described Hawkins' gimmick as an "obnoxious heel" that "bounces from being funny to groan-inducing", while praising Hawkins' performance. Hawkins' actions were also widely compared to that of Eva Marie, in which Marie would fake unfortunate events to avoid in-ring competition. On the November 1 episode of "SmackDown Live", Hawkins accepted Dolph Ziggler's first open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship, losing to Ziggler in seven seconds.  On the November 8 episode of "SmackDown", Hawkins earned his first televised victory since returning by defeating Apollo Crews, which would be his last televised victory until 2019. On the pre-show, Hawkins made his pay-per-view in-ring return, where he teamed with The Ascension and The Vaudevillains against Apollo Crews, American Alpha, and The Hype Bros in a losing effort. On the March 14, 2017 episode of "SmackDown Live", in a backstage segment, Hawkins declared he would be competing in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, where the match was won by Mojo Rawley.

Losing streak storyline (2017–2019).

On April 10, Hawkins was moved to the Raw brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up. During this time, he suffered many losses to Apollo Crews, Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan. In July 2017, it was revealed that Hawkins had a losing streak of 100 matches, claimed by WWE to be the longest losing streak of the'modern era'. This was soon included into Hawkins’ gimmick. At Great Balls of Fire on July 9, Hawkins competed in his only main card pay-per-view match of 2017, in a quick loss to Heath Slater. By the end of 2017, Hawkins failed to win a match, ending the year with over 150 consecutive losses. In early 2018, Hawkins regularly wrestled on "Main Event" and continued his losing streak, with Hawkins achieving numerous near falls and being described as a "sympathetic figure at this point."  At WrestleMania 34, Hawkins competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal which was won by Matt Hardy. At the Greatest Royal Rumble, Hawkins entered at number 43, but was quickly eliminated by Braun Strowman. On the June 4 episode of "Raw", Hawkins earned his 200th consecutive loss to a local wrestler after Baron Corbin interrupted Hawkins' match and attacked his opponent, causing Hawkins to lose via disqualification. In November, Hawkins competed in the second season of WWE Mixed Match Challenge, teaming with Ember Moon after Moon's previous partner Braun Strowman was unable to compete due to an elbow injury. On November 27, Hawkins and Moon were eliminated from the competition, losing to Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox in the quarterfinals.

Reunion with Zack Ryder (2019–2020).

On the January 21, 2019 episode of "Raw", Hawkins attempted to persuade Vince McMahon into booking him in a match, but was instead inserted as the special guest referee for The Revival's (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) Raw Tag Team Championship match against Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, in which The Revival lost after Hawkins witnessed them attempting to cheat three times, allowing Roode and Gable to win. After the match, Hawkins turned face after he was attacked by The Revival, until Zack Ryder came to Hawkins' aid, foreshadowing a reunion. Hawkins competed in the Royal Rumble match entering at number 9, eliminating Titus O'Neil before being eliminated by Samoa Joe. The following night on "Raw", Hawkins and Ryder teamed up, where they were defeated by The Revival.  On April 5, WWE announced that Hawkins and Ryder would face The Revival at WrestleMania 35 for the Raw Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania, after having amassed a losing streak of 269 matches, Hawkins pinned Scott Dawson to win the Raw Tag Team Championship and ended his losing streak. The next night on "Raw", Hawkins and Ryder made their first successful title defense, defeating The Revival in a rematch. Following that, the team was largely absent from television, making only one appearance on WWE programming during the month of May, a loss to the Viking Raiders on the May 6 episode of "Raw". On the June 10 episode of "Raw", Ryder and Hawkins dropped the titles back to The Revival in a tag-team triple threat match, which also involved The Usos. On November 14 at a live event in Mannheim, Germany, Hawkins and Ryder defeated The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson), and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) in a triple threat tag-team match to become the #1 contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships for the November 18 episode of "Raw". At the Elimination Chamber, Ryder and Hawkins lost to the Viking Raiders in the pre Show. The following night on "Raw", Hawkins' partner Ryder lost to Bobby Lashley which would be their final appearances in WWE.  On April 15, 2020, Hawkins (alongside Ryder) was released from his WWE contract as part of budget cuts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other media.

Hawkins' first venture into YouTube came in the form of a short lived YouTube series called "Callin' Spots with Curt Hawkins", which lasted only two episodes. His first video has since been deleted but has kept up his second video where he thanks Edge for giving him his first opportunity in WWE which was being part of La Familia and for being a friend and mentor.  Hawkins also appeared in Zack Ryder's YouTube series, "Z! True Long Island Story". After sporadically appearing on the show he became a regular on the show. Hawkins and Reks have appeared on the show together also. One of Hawkins most memorable segments came after Zack Ryder started to use a cane on his show. Scott Stanford, another regular on the show, has come up to Hawkins and Reks saying that they are using the Broski Cane, this has annoyed the pair on every occasion stating that Hawkins used a cane first.  Hawkins and Reks created an animated YouTube series called MidCard Mafia in 2011, but the show upset WWE management, so Hawkins and Reks cancelled the series and removed the uploaded shows.  Hawkins also appeared in multiple episodes of WWE Inbox, a show where Superstars and Divas answer questions submitted by fans on Twitter. On episode five of Santino Marella's "Foreign Exchange," Marella and Yoshi Tatsu gave him their spare change after seeing him wearing his "Change for NXT" shirt. Hawkins was also a supporting actor in the film "(Romance) In the Digital Age". In 2018, Hawkins started a podcast with Zack Ryder about wrestling figures called The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast.

Video games.

Curt Hawkins made his video game debut in "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009". He later returned to the series in "WWE 2K18". He also appears in "WWE 2K19" and in "WWE 2K20" and the mobile game "WWE SuperCard".

Personal life.

While he was inactive in WWE, in 2014, Myers and Pat Buck opened a wrestling school in Hicksville, New York called Create A Pro Wrestling Academy.  Myers married his long time girlfriend, Lizzie Karcher on October 9, 2015. The couple have a daughter together, born on June 14, 2017 named McKenzie.  He is also good friends with Zack Ryder and Trent Barreta in real life as they trained together during the early years of their careers.  He also has a little brother in the wrestling business, Dalton Myers, who goes by the ring name, Dilf Boi Dalton, and he wrestles on the New York/New Jersey Independent Wrestling Scene.

Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He was best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Curt Hawkins.

Brian Myers, aussi connu sous le nom de Curt Hawkins, (né le à Glen Cove, New York, États-Unis), est un catcheur américain.


Reception.

At Metacritic, the album got a score of 60 out of 100 based on "mixed or average reviews". "XXL" gave it an "L" score equivalent to three stars out of five and stated, "Clearly, X's poetic touch remains intact. But "Year of the Dog" relies too heavily on nostalgia, ignoring how hip-hop and DMX himself have changed over the years. Lyrically, the project sounds as if the Dog has been living in isolation for years, rarely shifting from his trademark style. Sadly, if X doesn’t learn a few new tricks, things might never be the same...again." HipHopDX gave it a score of 2.5 out of 5 and said, "The album fairly consistent of what DMX has become - lost. Much like his outlandish antics and brushes with the law, X is all over the place on wax, battling incoherence and sane thinking." AllHipHop gave it a score of three-and-a-half out of five stars and said, "DMX is flawless as DMX. He has carved his own niche, perfecting his brand of unfiltered aggression. Legions of DMX loyalist will not be disappointed." About.com also gave it a score of three-and-a-half out of five stars and said, "Despite all the crises occurring in X’s personal life, he still finds a way to preserve the breadth and depth of his powerful voice; his voice alone is capable of propelling the album. While the canine theme is hard to mistake, forgiveness, redemption and, ultimately, the presence of a supreme being present themselves as a subtext in X’s canine mind. It seems like the dog has found his way home, finally."

Year of the Dog... Again is the sixth studio album by American rapper DMX. The album was released on August 1, 2006, by Ruff Ryders Entertainment, Sony Urban Music and Columbia Records. The album was supported by the singles "We in Here" and "Lord Give Me a Sign".

L'album s'est classé au Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums et au Billboard 200 et s'est vendu à 125 000 exemplaires la première semaine.


Early life.

El was born and raised in London, England, and is of Moroccan descent. She attended a performing arts college in London.

Dancing career.

El was a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines. Afterward she joined the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat franchise, where she danced for two years beginning in 2004. As part of the Miami Heat dance troupe, she received a championship ring. During this time, she appeared on-stage with John Legend as one of his backup dancers. She also danced for P. Diddy and Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards.

World Wrestling Entertainment.

"Diva Search" and early appearances (2006–2007).

El's first foray into professional wrestling occurred when her trainer suggested she try out for the $250,000 "WWE Diva Search" contest in 2006. After a casting call, she was selected as one of the finalists. During the contest, she won two individual competitions, an obstacle course and a talent competition, before winning the overall competition on 16 August.  She made her first official WWE appearance at the 2006 SummerSlam pay-per-view in a backstage segment with several other Divas. During the segment, the other women initially taunted and teased her before revealing that "it was all in fun" and part of an "initiation". The week after SummerSlam, El made her debut as a member of the SmackDown! brand in an interview with Mike "The Miz" Mizanin—although he did not allow her the chance to say much, spending most of the time talking about himself. Subsequently, she did not appear on television for almost a month, reappearing on the 22 September episode of "SmackDown!" and getting into a confrontation with Kristal and Jillian Hall.  At October's No Mercy pay-per-view event, she embarrassed The Miz by tricking him into getting a lap dance from Big Dick Johnson while he was blindfolded and expecting it to be from her as a birthday gift. On 20 October, Layla participated in a dance contest with the other SmackDown! Divas, and was chosen as the winner by the judges, Nick and Aaron Carter. Despite this, The Miz, who was acting as emcee, declared Kristal the winner. The following week, Layla made her in-ring debut in a Diva's battle royal. The match ended in controversial fashion when she was pulled from the ring apron by The Miz, allowing Kristal to win. The following week, Layla teamed with Big Vito in a loss to The Miz and Kristal in a mixed tag team match. Continuing to feud with Kristal, Layla had her singles match debut on the 1 December episode of "SmackDown!", when she lost to Kristal. In her final match for the SmackDown! brand, Layla teamed with Ashley to defeat Kristal and Jillian Hall in a tag team match on 22 December.

Extreme Exposé and managing William Regal (2007–2009).

The following month, Layla was moved to the ECW brand, debuting on 23 January 2007. She joined Brooke and Kelly Kelly to form Extreme Exposé. The trio performed a weekly dance segment on "ECW", choreographed by Layla, for the next several months. In June 2007, The Miz was moved to the brand, prompting a storyline in which all three members of Extreme Exposé were attracted to him. When Kelly shifted her attentions towards Balls Mahoney, Layla, Brooke, and Miz openly mocked her, turning Layla and Brooke into villainous characters. On 1 November, Brooke was released from her WWE contract, and Extreme Exposé dissolved as a group, leaving Kelly and Layla to enter an ongoing rivalry with more active in-ring roles. They were on opposite sides of a 10-Diva tag team match at Survivor Series, which Layla's team lost. In December, Layla formed an alliance with Victoria, which expanded to include Lena Yada in January 2008, and the trio continued to feud with Kelly. In April, Layla was part of the winning team in a six-on-six Divas match at the Backlash pay-per-view.  As part of the 2008 supplemental draft in late June, Layla was drafted to the Raw brand. On the 7 July episode of "Raw", Layla made her debut in a tag team match with Jillian Hall, losing to Mickie James and Kelly Kelly, the latter of whom had also moved to the Raw brand. She soon entered a storyline with Jamie Noble in which Noble attempted to impress her with his matches, only to be easily defeated by his opponents. On 1 September, Noble was able to defeat William Regal, which impressed Layla. The following week, however, Layla chose to align herself with Regal, after he defeated Noble in a rematch. On the following episode of "Raw", Layla reinforced her decision, telling Noble that she had finally found a worthy man in Regal. Over the next few months, Layla competed only sporadically in matches, spending most of her time managing Regal, and was present at ringside when Regal defeated Santino Marella on 10 November to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

LayCool (2009–2011).

On 15 April 2009, Layla was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the Supplemental Draft. She began a feud with Eve Torres, and lost both a dance contest and an arm wrestling match, before losing a match to her on the 29 May episode of "SmackDown". The rivalry ended after Torres defeated Layla again on "WWE Superstars" on 18 June. She then formed an alliance with Michelle McCool, later called LayCool. They began a scripted feud with Mickie James in October, mocking of her weight and vowing to make her leave SmackDown. At the Survivor Series pay-per-view, McCool's team lost to James' team. At, Layla interfered in the WWE Women's Championship match between McCool and James and helped McCool retain the title. In January 2010, at Royal Rumble, Layla came out in a fatsuit, mocking James prior to the title match between McCool and James; however, the mockery backfired, as James attacked Layla and used that as a distraction to quickly defeat McCool to win the championship. On the 12 February episode of "SmackDown", Layla and McCool defeated James in a handicap match made by Official SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, who had been accidentally humiliated by James backstage. Guerrero then began managing LayCool, accompanying them to the ring and regularly interfering in their matches. At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Layla and McCool defeated Raw's Gail Kim and Maryse in an inter-brand Divas tag team match. At WrestleMania XXVI she was on the winning team in a 10-Diva tag team match.  LayCool faced the WWE Women's Champion Beth Phoenix in a two-on-one handicap match on the 14 May episode of "SmackDown". Layla pinned Phoenix to win the Women's Championship for the first time, becoming the first British woman to hold the title. She is also the first "Diva Search" winner to have won the championship. Following her win, LayCool began calling themselves the co-Women's Champions. On 18 July, Layla had her first title defense when she defeated Kelly Kelly at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. On 30 July, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed LayCool there was only one Women's Champion, and they had a week to decide who it would be. The following week, LayCool revealed that they had cut the title belt into two, turning it into a friendship charm and circumventing Long's orders. In September, Layla and McCool challenged WWE Divas Champion Melina to a championship unification match at Night of Champions. McCool participated in the match and won, with Layla's help, to unify both title into the WWE Unified Divas Championship. Layla unofficially became the co-champion, and defended the title against Melina the following night on "Raw". After both members of LayCool had successfully defended the title against Natalya, they faced her in a two-on-one handicap match at Survivor Series, which Natalya won to become the new Divas Champion. Following Survivor Series, Natalya and Phoenix formed an alliance to continue the feud with LayCool, and at the in December, LayCool lost to them in the first Diva's tag team tables match in WWE. LayCool invoked their rematch clause in January 2011, prompting the scheduling of a two-on-one handicap match for the Royal Rumble. At the event however, the anonymous Raw General Manager altered the match to a fatal four-way, also involving Eve Torres who went to win the title.  Dissension between Layla and McCool began to show following the loss of the Divas Championship, and the two appeared in a series of vignettes in which they were attending couples therapy. On the 22 April episode of "SmackDown", McCool attacked Layla during one of their storyline therapy sessions. During the 2011 WWE Draft on 25 April, Layla lost a match to Eve and was attacked afterward by McCool, but was able to fight her off. On 29 April, the pair faced each other in a match, which ended in a double countout. As a result, the pair faced each other in a no countout, no disqualification, loser leaves WWE match at Extreme Rules on 1 May, which Layla won.  Layla announced that she had suffered a knee injury at Extreme Rules on "SmackDown" on 13 May, and was interrupted and attacked by Kharma to write her off television. Later that month, it was confirmed that Layla had legitimately torn both her Anterior cruciate and Medial collateral ligaments, and required surgery.

Divas Champion and retirement (2012–2015).

Layla made her in-ring return at a Florida Championship Wrestling event on 22 March 2012. She made her return to the main WWE roster at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on 29 April, replacing Beth Phoenix, who was not medically cleared to compete, in a match for the WWE Divas Championship. Despite interference from Brie Bella, Layla defeated Nikki Bella to win the WWE Divas Championship for the first time. Her victory made her the first "Diva Search" winner to have won both the Divas and the Women's championship. The following night on "Raw", she successfully defended the championship against both Bella Twins in a triple threat match, and retained twice against Beth Phoenix at the Over the Limit and No Way Out pay-per-views in May and June respectively. On the 20 August episode of "Raw", Kaitlyn won a battle royal to become the number one contender to Layla's Divas Championship. At Night of Champions, Kaitlyn was removed from the championship match following a storyline injury and replaced with Eve Torres. Torres defeated Layla to win the championship, ending her reign at 140 days.  Layla defeated Torres in a non-title match on "Superstars" to earn a title match. She unsuccessfully challenged for the championship on 15 October, and failed again to regain the championship in a three-way match at Hell in a Cell, which also involved Kaitlyn. On 12 November, on "Raw", Layla was defeated by Kaitlyn in a number one contenders match for the championship. On 16 December at the pay-per-view, Layla competed in a number one contender's "Santa's Little Helpers" battle royal to face Torres for the championship, but was unsuccessful. In early 2013, Layla briefly developed a feud with Tamina Snuka, losing to her in singles matches before defeating her in a tag team match. As part of the feud, Layla allied herself with Kaitlyn, and began accompanying her to ringside. On the 2 August episode of "SmackDown", Layla stopped Kaitlyn from spearing AJ Lee, costing Kaitlyn both the match and the Divas Championship, and left with AJ. Layla went on to defeat Kaitlyn in singles competition and in a tag team match with AJ as her partner. In late 2013, Layla took a hiatus from WWE due to ongoing personal issues. She returned at a non-televised event on 14 March 2014, and made her television return the following week on an episode of "Main Event", where she and Alicia Fox lost to The Funkadactyls (Naomi and Cameron). Layla participated in the Divas Invitational match for the WWE Divas Championship at WrestleMania XXX which was won by AJ.  The following week, she replaced Summer Rae as Fandango's dancer and valet, and quickly became embroiled in a feud with Emma and Santino Marella. In May, Layla entered a tournament to determine the new NXT Women's Champion, but lost to Natalya in the first round. Rae returned on 19 May, attacking Layla. Competing over Fandango's affections, Layla and Rae repeatedly attacked each other, prompting a match at Money in the Bank with Fandango as the special guest referee; Layla won the match. During a rematch in July on "SmackDown", Layla and Rae attacked Fandango, before dancing with each other. Starting at Battleground, the pair formed an alliance, distracting Fandango during his matches and causing him to lose. In their first match as a team, Layla and Rae, now calling themselves the Slayers, lost to Paige and AJ Lee on the 18 July episode of "SmackDown". The Slayers won their first match as a team on "Main Event" on 2 September, where they defeated Rosa Mendes and Natalya. The Slayers were part of Team Paige at Survivor Series in November, but both were eliminated and their team lost the match.  In January 2015, El underwent surgery for unknown reasons. Layla returned on the 14 April episode of "Main Event", where she defeated Emma in a singles match. On 29 July, WWE announced that Layla had decided to retire from professional wrestling.

Modeling career.

Since winning the Diva Search contest El has also done some modelling work. She has been featured in the magazines "King", "Smooth", and was the cover-girl for the first issue of "Liquid". She also posed for "FHM" with the other members of Extreme Exposé. Layla, along with Beth Phoenix and Candice Michelle, appeared in the February 2009 issue of "Flex Magazine".

Other media.

In April 2007, El and several other WWE Divas appeared in the music video for "Throw It On Me" by Timbaland and The Hives. During the week of 5 November 2007, she appeared on five episodes of "Family Feud" with other WWE wrestlers. On 6 February 2008 she appeared on "Project Runway" with several WWE Divas as part of the week's challenge. El also appeared on the 13 April 2008 episode of "Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp" as a trainer. She appeared as a guest judge on an episode of "Cupcake Wars" alongside Alicia Fox.  In 2012, she ranked number 95 in "Maxim"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Hot 100.  El has appeared in six WWE video games, making her in-game debut in SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. Layla also appears in, SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 as DLC, WWE '12, WWE '13 as DLC, WWE 2K14 and WWE 2K16.

Personal life.

El has previously lived in Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. El's mother died in August 2008 at the age of 48 due to breast cancer. El's mother had battled it three times in two decades. In October 2012, El appeared in a commercial from the WWE and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to promote awareness for finding a cure for breast cancer. El incorporated infinity symbols on her wrestling attire as a tribute to her mother.  On 28 July 2015, El announced her engagement to Richard Young, and the two were married on 27 November.  Since retiring from professional wrestling, El works as a real estate agent.

Layla El (born 25 June 1977) is an English dancer, model and retired professional wrestler. After attending a performing arts college, El was a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines, the Miami Heat franchise of the National Basketball Association, and also danced for Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2006, she was a contestant in the 2006 "WWE Diva Search", which she won to earn a contract with the company.

Layla El (née le à Londres) est une danseuse, mannequin et ancienne catcheuse britannique d'origine marocaine. Elle est connue pour son travail à la World Wrestling Entertainment sous le nom de Layla de 2006 à 2015.