title: Hypersomnia

text: Most forms of cancer and their therapies can cause fatigue and disturbed sleep, affecting 25-99% of patients and often lasting for years after treatment completion. "Insomnia is common and a predictor of fatigue in cancer patients, and polysomnography demonstrates reduced sleep efficiency, prolonged initial sleep latency, and increased wake time during the night." Paraneoplastic syndromes can also cause insomnia, hypersomnia, and parasomnias.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Autoimmune diseases, especially lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, are often associated with hypersomnia. Morvan's syndrome is an example of a rarer autoimmune illness that can also lead to hypersomnia. Celiac disease is another autoimmune disease associated with poor sleep quality (which may lead to hypersomnia), "not only at diagnosis but also during treatment with a gluten-free diet." There are also some case reports of central hypersomnia in celiac disease. And RLS "has been shown to be frequent in celiac disease," presumably due to its associated iron deficiency.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Hypothyroidism and iron deficiency with or without (iron-deficiency anemia) can also cause secondary hypersomnia. Various tests for these disorders are done so they can be treated. Hypersomnia can also develop within months after viral infections such as Whipple's disease, mononucleosis, HIV, and Guillain–Barré syndrome.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome must be considered in the differential diagnosis of secondary hypersomnia. This disorder occurs in individuals who fail to get sufficient sleep for at least three months. In this case, the patient has chronic sleep deprivation, although they may not necessarily be aware of it. This situation is becoming more prevalent in western society due to the modern demands and expectations placed upon the individual.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Many medications can lead to secondary hypersomnia. Therefore, a patient's complete medication list should be carefully reviewed for sleepiness or fatigue as side effects. In these cases, careful withdrawal from the possibly offending medication(s) is needed; then, medication substitution can be undertaken.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Mood disorders, like depression, anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder, can also be associated with hypersomnia. The complaint of excessive daytime sleepiness in these conditions is often associated with poor sleep at night. "In that sense, insomnia and EDS are frequently associated, especially in cases of depression." Hypersomnia in mood disorders seems to be primarily related to "lack of interest and decreased energy inherent in the depressed condition rather than an increase in sleep or REM sleep propensity". In all cases with these mood disorders, the MSLT is normal (not too short and no SOREMPs).


title: Hypersomnia

text: In some cases, hypersomnia can be caused by a brain injury. Researchers found that the level of sleepiness is correlated with the severity of the injury. Even if patients reported an improvement, sleepiness remained present for a year in about a quarter of patients with traumatic brain injury.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Recurrent hypersomnias are defined by several episodes of hypersomnia persisting from a few days to weeks. These episodes can occur weeks or months apart from each other. There are 2 subtypes of recurrent hypersomnias: Kleine-Levin syndrome and menstrual-related hypersomnia.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Kleine-Levin syndrome is characterized by the association of episodes of hypersomnias with behavioral, cognitive and mood abnormalities. The behavioral disturbances can be composed of hyperphagia, irritability, or sexual disinhibition. The cognitive disorders consist of confusion, hallucinations or delusions. Mood symptoms are characterized by anxiety or depression.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Menstrual-related hypersomnia is characterized by episodes of excessive sleepiness associated with the menstrual cycle. Researchers found that the degree of premenstrual symptoms were correlated with daytime sleepiness. Unlike Kleine-Levin syndrome, hyperphagia and hypersexuality are not reported in people with menstrual-related hypersomnia, but hypophagia could be present. Ordinarily, these episodes appear 2 weeks before menstruation. A few studies have attested that some hormones as prolactin and progesterone could be responsible for Menstrual-Related Hypersomnia. Therefore, different contraceptive pills could improve the symptoms. The sleep architecture changes. There is a decrease of slow-wave sleep and an increase of slow-Theta-wave activity.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Polysomnography is an objective sleep assessment method. It comprises a lot of electrodes which measure physiological variables related to sleep. Polysomnography often includes electroencephalography, electromyography, electrocardiography, muscle activity and respiratory function.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Polysomnography is helpful to identify the very short sleep onset latency period, the very efficient sleep (more than 90%), the increased slow wave sleep, and sometimes an elevated amount of sleep spindles in idiopathic hypersomnia patients.


title: Hypersomnia

text: The 'multiple sleep latency test' (MSLT) is an objective tool which indicates the degree of sleepiness by measuring the sleep latency (i.e. the speed of falling asleep). It also gives information regarding the presence of abnormal REM sleep onset episodes. During that test, patients have a series of opportunities to sleep at 2-h intervals across the day in a darkened room and with no external alerting influences.


title: Hypersomnia

text: The MSLT is often administered the day after recording the polysomnography, and the mean sleep latency score is often found to be around (or less than) 8 minutes in idiopathic hypersomnia patients. Some patients might even have a sleep onset latency of 5 minutes or less. These patients are often even more aware of sleeping during naps than narcolepsy patients.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Actigraphy, which operates by analyzing the patient's limb movements, is used to record the sleep and wake cycles. In order to report them, the patient has to wear continuously a device on his or her wrist, which looks like a watch and does not contain any electrodes.


title: Hypersomnia

text: The advantage actigraphy shows over polysomnography is that it is possible to record for 24-hours a day for weeks. Furthermore, unlike the polysomnography, it is less expensive and non-invasive.


title: Hypersomnia

text: An actigraphy over several days can show longer sleep periods, which are characteristic for idiopathic hypersomnia. Actigraphy is also helpful in ruling out other sleep disorders, especially circadian disorders, leading to an excess of sleepiness during the day, too.


title: Hypersomnia

text: The 'maintenance of wakefulness test' (MWT) is a test that measures the ability to stay awake. It is used to diagnose disorders of excessive somnolence, such as hypersomnia, narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea. During that test, patients sit comfortably and are instructed to try to stay awake.


title: Hypersomnia

text: The Stanford sleepiness scale (SSS) is a self-report scale that measures the different steps of sleepiness. For each statement, patients report their level of sleepiness using a 7-point scale, going from very alert to excessively sleepy. Researchers found that the SSS was highly correlated with performances to monotonous and boring tasks, which are found to be very sensitive to sleepiness. These results suggest that the SSS is a good tool to assess sleepiness in patients.


title: Hypersomnia

text: The 'Epworth sleepiness scale' (ESS) is also a self-reported questionnaire that measures the general level of sleepiness in a day The patients have to rate specific daily situations by means of a scale going from 0 (would never doze) to 3 (high chance of dozing). The results found in the ESS correlate with the sleep latency indicated by the Multiple Sleep Latency Test.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Although there has been no cure of chronic hypersomnia, there are several treatments that may improve patients' quality of life—depending on the specific cause or causes of hypersomnia that are diagnosed.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Because the causes of hypersomnia are unknown, it is only possible to treat symptoms and not directly the cause of this disorder. Behavioral treatments, as well as sleep hygiene, have to be discussed with the patient and are recommended.


title: Hypersomnia

text: There are several pharmacological agents that have been prescribed to patients with hypersomnia, but few have been found to be efficient. Modafinil has been found to be the most effective drug against the excessive sleepiness, and has even been shown to be helpful in children with hypersomnia. The dosage is started at 100 mg per day, and then slowly increased to 400 mg per day.


title: Hypersomnia

text: In general, patients with hypersomnia or excessive sleepiness should only go to bed to sleep or for sexual activity. All other activities, such as eating or watching television, should be done elsewhere. For those patients, it is also important to go to bed only when they feel tired, than trying to fall asleep for hours. In that case, they probably should get out of bed and read or watch television until they get sleepy.


title: Hypersomnia

text: Hypersomnia affects approximately 5% to 10% of the general population, "with a higher prevalence for men due to the sleep apnea syndromes".


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Glenn Raymond Tipton (born 25 October 1947) is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for heavy metal band Judas Priest.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton was born on 25 October 1947, in Blackheath, Staffordshire, to Olive and Doug Tipton. He attended Olive Hill Primary School when he was about five years old. His brother, Gary, was a guitar player for a local band called the Atlantics. Early on, Tipton was taught to play the piano by his mother.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton learned to play guitar at age 19 with his first guitar being a Hofner acoustic guitar. He would then play on a Rickenbacker until he was able to afford a Fender Stratocaster. This guitar would become his main live guitar until it was stolen at a show. Tipton soon bought a black Stratocaster and, later, a Gibson SG afterwards with money he received to replace his old guitar. Both of these guitars can be seen when Judas Priest played on the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton lives in the village of Romsley, Worcestershire, in the West Midlands near Birmingham, England, and has a state-of-the-art recording studio built next to his home. During the 1980s he also bought a property in Spain. He is or was married and has two children—Karina and Rick—born in 1981 and 1986, respectively, both of whom were featured on his solo album "Baptizm of Fire". Tipton and former Judas Priest bandmate K.K. Downing are long-time tennis players and also both of them took up golf during an early 1980s American tour with Def Leppard.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton's first band was Shave 'Em Dry, with future Starfighters and Ozzy Osbourne drummer Barry Scrannage, which became Merlin, later becoming The Flying Hat Band. This band soon broke up due to management issues. In May 1974, Tipton joined Judas Priest, and coincidentally Scrannage had joined the band Bullion with earlier Judas Priest members Ernest Chataway and Bruno Staphenhill. This was during the recording for "Rocka Rolla", so Tipton quickly added his guitar parts to the album. On "Sad Wings of Destiny", Tipton showed off more of his guitar work on songs like "Tyrant", "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Victim of Changes". Tipton also presented his own songwriting on the songs "Prelude", "Epitaph" and "The Ripper". He frequently played keyboards on the early albums, although those were no longer featured on any songs after "Killing Machine". He is credited with introducing a more metal sound to the band with those songs, as Rocka Rolla was composed of largely blues rock and psychedelic songs left over from the band's former frontman Al Atkins. Although Tipton wrote the lyrics for the songs shortly after joining Judas Priest, producer Rodger Bain rejected putting them on the first album as being not commercial enough. From then onward, Halford and Tipton would be the band's principal songwriters with occasional contributions from Downing.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: 1980's "British Steel" was Judas Priest's commercial breakthrough. This album combined the band's trademark heavy metal sound with pop-style song structures and hooks. "United" and "Breaking the Law" were some of Judas Priest's first guitar-driven songs not to include any solo sections. Judas Priest quickly shot to rock superstar status during the 1980s with their albums "Point of Entry", "Screaming for Vengeance", "Defenders of the Faith", "Turbo" and "Ram It Down", entering the 1990s with the album "Painkiller".


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Rob Halford left Judas Priest in 1992 and the band then separated. During their split, Tipton wrote material for a solo project he formed in the mid-1990s. His first solo effort was the album "Baptizm of Fire", which was released in 1997, followed by "Edge of the World" in 2006. In 1996, Judas Priest reformed with new vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens. This new version of the band recorded the albums "Jugulator" in 1997 and "Demolition" in 2001. Both of these albums experimented with new sounds that distinguished them from the records with Halford. In 2003, Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford and toured in celebration of his return in 2004. The band released "Angel of Retribution" in 2005 and "Nostradamus" in 2008. In 2010, Judas Priest announced their "Epitaph World Tour", which was to be the last major world tour, which was also their first tour without original guitarist K. K. Downing, and the first to feature his replacement, Richie Faulkner. The band later retracted this announcement, and released their seventeenth album "Redeemer of Souls" in July 2014, as well as supporting the album with a world tour.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: On 12 February 2018, Tipton announced that he would step down from touring when he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He stated that he was still a member of the band despite his diagnosis and would not rule out future on-stage appearances. Producer and guitarist Andy Sneap replaced him on tour. On 9 March 2018, the eighteenth album "Firepower" was released. At the 20 March 2018 show in Newark, New Jersey, Tipton joined the band on stage to perform "Metal Gods", "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight", then "Victim of Changes" and "No Surrender" on later dates. Prior to the band's performance, he expressed uncertainty regarding his future role in Judas Priest, "It's an unanswerable question, really. It's in the lap of the metal gods." After performing on stage with the band, he described it as "emotional", and being overwhelmed with support from the band members and from fans worldwide, "You don’t like to see a grown man cry, but we did." Tipton did not make any more appearances on the remaining dates of the band's world tour due to his illness, as explained by bassist Ian Hill.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: On 12 February 2018, Tipton revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, with which he was first diagnosed in 2008, thus ceasing his duties to perform on tour as the disease's progression left him unable to play the more challenging material. Rob Halford said that Tipton rejected the idea of having to be assisted with an additional guitarist backstage on tour for cover on some of his guitar parts or to use backing tracks. He then said that he witnessed first-hand the struggles Tipton experienced during the making of "Firepower". Halford later said that Tipton made his decision five days prior to his public announcement, adding that Tipton would be "with us in spirit – every show, every song" on tour, and being overwhelmed by positive support and responses from fans. Bassist Ian Hill explained that Tipton faced a similar situation during rehearsals for the Redeemer of Souls Tour in 2014. At the time of the announcement, he said that Tipton made the decision to step off the stage due to his health, which caused emotional heartache for the band. Tipton said that he was shocked to hear the news of his diagnosis and "made me even more determined to fight. I could still play, so I just continued recording and touring." He would later say that he was "sort of shocked", describing it as "a pretty cruel disease."


title: Glenn Tipton

text: In June 2018, Judas Priest launched the "Glenn Tipton Parkinson's Foundation" in Tipton's honour, in which they would sell specially designed t-shirts featuring Tipton playing guitar on the front and with the slogan "No Surrender" on the back with the Judas Priest cross on it. Tipton explains that the foundation would help raise money in hopes of finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. He also says that a new "pioneering treatment" from his personal specialist would also help treat other sufferers of the disease. Hill said that the band had known for some time that Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease before his announcement, again recalling the difficulties during the first days of the Redeemer of Souls Tour, but improved as time progressed. He says that Tipton's "as good as anyone can be given the situation. Glenn is out with us most of the time, anyway. And when he's feeling well enough he'll get on stage, and I can't promise anything, but he'll get up and do the encores with us."


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton's daughter, Karina Greenin, took part in an annual marathon in Barcelona to help raise funds for her father's foundation, which exceeded her £3,500 goal. Richie Faulkner recalled that Tipton was diagnosed during the Redeemer of Souls Tour, "maybe, actually, a bit before. So, after the 'Epitaph' tour, but before the 'Redeemer Of Souls' tour he got diagnosed, and they told him that he had it for quite a few years before that, but he didn't know. He kept it quiet, which is his business… He chose to go and check it out and they told him that it was the onset Parkinson's, and he told us. But he was able to do the 'Redeemer Of Souls' tour." He then said that the set had to be slightly changed in order to accommodate him. The band did not perform a few songs on the first part of the tour, but upon their appearance in Australia, they began to perform them due to Tipton's resurgence in his health and managed to successfully perform the entire tour, but stepped down during rehearsals for the Firepower World Tour due to the disease's progression which caused emotional heartbreak for the band. Tipton expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the fans for their support for him, "particularly over the past year which has been a tough one for me...thank you all so much! No surrender!!"


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Faulkner provided an update on Tipton in July 2020, saying that he was still in good spirits, but was "going a bit nuts" due to the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing and drummer Les Binks joined the band on stage for the first time in over a decade to perform alongside Tipton during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton is known for his complex, classically influenced solos, and he has a unique guitar-playing technique. Many of his solos are very difficult to transcribe, and his playing is notable for his double lead guitar trades with fellow Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing. Tipton's solos have maintained a consistent style for most of his career, but he has continuously incorporated new techniques into his playing over the years as he has developed as a guitarist. The usual arrangement on Judas Priest songs feature riffs and leads by both Tipton and Downing. Starting with Judas Priest's fourth album, "Stained Class", Tipton began to dominate the band's songwriting, especially on the more commercial tracks which almost exclusively featured his guitar leads. Following the release of their sixth album, "British Steel", most songs in the live set lists were Tipton's. On the whole, his solos feature in almost 60% of Judas Priest's total catalog.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: In contrast to Downing, Tipton's solos tend to feature a more melodic, legato blues rock sound, making use of harmonic minor scales, Aeolian mode, pentatonic scales, and techniques such as sweep-picking arpeggios, legato picking, tremolo/alternate picking, hammer-ons, and pull-offs; moreover, the solos often showcase both accuracy and aggression. However, like Downing, his playing sometimes emphasizes speed rather than precision, and Tipton has been known to occasionally use pinch harmonics and dive bombs in his solos (for example, on Invader). Tipton also has a trademark 2-strings bend/whammy dive scream for ending the solo, as evident in solos like All Guns Blazing, Heavy Metal, Demonizer, Bullet Train, and Ram It Down. In 1978, Tipton began to incorporate tapping into his playing, which Downing promptly did as well. In the mid-1980s, both guitarists started to use the complex technique of sweep-picking, which can be notably heard on the title track of their 1990 album "Painkiller". Both have continuously used these techniques ever since.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: In 1997, Tipton released his solo album, "Baptizm of Fire", featuring a host of well-known musicians including Billy Sheehan, Cozy Powell and Don Airey, among others where he showed his technical guitar playing abilities.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton quotes : "It goes without saying that I love playing and performing heavy metal, and have for most of my career. Going right back though, I've listened to a lot of early blues players, and I think the first band I saw live that really made an impression on me, was The Spencer Davis Group. I remember going to see them play at an all-nighter at Birmingham Town Hall. Steve Winwood was a great all round vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player and I remember trying to learn 'Georgia' on the piano after I had seen them play. They had great songs like 'Keep on Running' and although you could try and categorize them as blues or R&B, they really had their own sound going for them, mainly due I believe to Steve Winwood".


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Other early influences were Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. "I still can't believe where Hendrix came from. OK Seattle maybe but he just suddenly appeared, as if from nowhere, this black guy playing guitar in a way no one had imagined it could be played. He was more than a genius in my eyes, someone very, very special. I loved early Purple and the combined sound of organ and guitar gave them a very powerful sound, again unique at the time. As for Zeppelin, what can you say, 'Whole Lotta Love', 'Communication Breakdown', 'Black Dog', and the epic 'Kashmir' again a unique band with great songs. All these bands formed an impression on me going back to those early days.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: "I liked the early Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. I thought Peter Green was a great white blues player and song-writer. He not only penned such greats as 'Green Manalishi' and 'Oh Well' but more delicate compositions such as 'Need Your Love So Bad' or 'Albatross' I saw them several times and it was great to watch them perform songs like 'Stop Messin' Around' or songs featuring slide guitar such as 'Dust My Broom'.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: "As I've said before, as a guitar player my main inspiration was Rory Gallagher. I saw him play in Taste many times and he really inspired me, not just musically but also in the amount of energy and feel he put out".


title: Glenn Tipton

text: "I've always loved The Rolling Stones. They have so many classic songs such as 'Jumping Jack Flash', 'Honky Tonk Women', 'Sympathy for the Devil', 'Brown Sugar', or their earlier stuff like 'This Could Be The Last Time', 'Paint It, Black', 'It's All Over Now' the list goes on and on. The Stones have great attitude and that rebel quality that's so appealing. I recently saw them at the Isle of Wight festival and they were as good as ever after all these years".


title: Glenn Tipton

text: "As do many people, I think The Beatles were a great band. We were all lucky that fate put these guys together in our time. It totally amazes me that they came up with such an abundance of classic songs in such a relatively short amount of time. The Beatles changed everything. To start with they were the first band to write their own material. They were so prolific and the endless melodies they invented will live forever".


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton is a big fan of soundtrack music, something that is evident in listening to Judas Priest's metal opera "Nostradamus". "I love people like Hans Zimmer," Tipton told Attention Deficit Delirium. "Some of the stuff that they do is incredible." (He's a big fan of the "Gladiator" soundtrack.) "One day when I'm good enough to, I wouldn't even call it a film score, but do music for film, I'd like that opportunity. It would be really exciting for me to do. Whether that will happen or not, I'm not sure. I would certainly welcome the opportunity to do something like that as long as it were something that I liked or had respect for visually."


title: Glenn Tipton

text: In the late 1980s, around the time of the Turbo album, Priest began incorporating guitar synths. Starting with the comeback album "Jugulator", Glenn switched to Rocktron preamps, the Rocktron Intellifex for effects, and Crate heads and cabs.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton used SGs and a Stratocaster with two DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers as his main instruments until the mid 80s when he started using various Hamer guitars including some signature models, which were used almost exclusively in live performances until 2009 when the Stratocaster and one of the SGs was brought out of retirement for the British Steel 30th anniversary tour. Most of his guitars are equipped with Kahler tremolos. Glenn uses standard-light (10–46) gauge strings produced by Ernie Ball and thin picks. Throughout his career, Glenn has used many tunings, most frequently standard tuning (almost all of the songs written before Rob Halford left the band were originally in E-standard). Ever since Rob Halford rejoined Judas Priest, both Glenn and KK have used E-flat tuning during live shows, while still using standard tuning extensively on studio albums.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton has used numerous guitars over the years. These include a 1960s Fender Stratocaster up until about 1978. During the period from 1978 to 1979, he used a black Gibson Les Paul Custom, and he started using a modified CBS-era Fender Stratocaster with Dimarzio Super-Distortion (humbucking) pickups. For the "Screaming for Vengeance" tour, he added a chrome pickguard. For this tour, he also played a Gibson SG Special that he spray-painted black himself. The SG also had a chrome pickguard and stock PAF humbuckers. Around 1984, he switched to a Hamer Phantom GT model, which was fitted with one EMG humbucker, a Kahler tremolo, and one volume pot. A signature model of this was developed and sold to public from 1984 to 1986. Tipton still uses this guitar model, but now with Seymour Duncan Blackouts active pickups. In 2009, Tipton took his Fender Stratocaster and Gibson SG Special out of retirement for the British Steel 30th Anniversary tour. As of late 2015, he is now officially endorsing ESP guitars, with his own signature model, the GT-600, which is part of ESP's LTD series of guitars and in terms of shape is modeled after ESP's Viper series of guitars.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Tipton has almost exclusively used Marshall Amplifiers for live performances. Tipton used 50 and 100 watt Marshall heads without a master volume until 1981, when the JCM 800 head was developed. The JCM 800 was used by Tipton and fellow Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing for many years. During the Jugulator and Demolition era, Tipton was endorsed by Crate amplifiers, using their Blue Voodoo heads in the studio, home, and when touring. He would drop this endorsement during the 2004 reunion tour for live performances switching to a large rack unit with multiple preamps and effects processors with a Marshall 9100 power amp.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: In 2008, Tipton began using ENGL amps. Of the brand, he comments, "ENGL is the first ampline that I have ever used that not only has balls, but attitude, right out of the box". When he first used Engl amps, he played through the ENGL Midi Tube Preamp E 580 and the ENGL Tube Poweramp E 850/50. For the Epitaph tour, he switched to using ENGL Invaders that are modified to use 6L6 power tubes.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Glenn uses for his home studio in England (and primary practice amp) the generation 1: Crate Blue Voodoo BV 120H all tube, all American head with the blue tolex (not the black or red tolex of later generations). This amp is seen in several of his demonstration videos and guitar collection tour videos online and caused a run on this amp by fans forcing the prices to rise rapidly in the used market for shrinking supply of the amp (due to its age and limited production run) ...this phenomenon is not unlike the fan run situation on the small marshall amps (5005) used by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Tipton used a Pete Cornish custom pedalboard with an overdrive unit, flanger, MXR distortion unit, MXR Phase 100, MXR digital delay, MXR 12-band EQ, Maestro Echoplex, line boosters between each effect to preserve the signal from input to output, and a Rangemaster-based custom treble boost connected to the bass channel of Marshall 50 and 100 watt heads with no master volume.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Around the time of the reunion with Rob Halford, Tipton only used a modified Crybaby 535Q Wah, Digitech Tone Driver, DigiTech Main Squeeze, and a Yamaha midi board controlling other effects and sounds in a rack unit.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: Since the beginning of the 2008 world tour, Glenn has gone back to mostly using a rack system, sans the current use of Engl amp heads. He currently uses a Korg rack tuner, Furman power unit, Dunlop Custom Shop Rackmounted Crybaby, Rocktron Intellifex and Yamaha SPX-90 multi-effects units, and a dbx 166A compressor and noise gate.


title: Glenn Tipton

text: See the Judas Priest discography for the complete list of Judas Priest albums, as Tipton played guitar for all Priest's album releases.


title: Nephritis

text: Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy.


title: Nephritis

text: Nephritis is often caused by infections, and toxins, but is most commonly caused by autoimmune disorders that affect the major organs like kidneys.


title: Nephritis

text: Nephritis can produce glomerular injury, by disturbing the glomerular structure with inflammatory cell proliferation. This can lead to reduced glomerular blood flow, leading to reduced urine output (oliguria) and retention of waste products (uremia). As a result, red blood cells may leak out of damaged glomeruli, causing blood to appear in the urine (hematuria).


title: Nephritis

text: Low renal blood flow activates the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), causing fluid retention and mild hypertension. As the kidneys inflame, they begin to excrete needed protein from the affected individual's body into the urine stream. This condition is called proteinuria.


title: Nephritis

text: Loss of necessary protein due to nephritis can result in several life-threatening symptoms. The most serious complication of nephritis can occur if there is significant loss of the proteins that keep blood from clotting excessively. Loss of these proteins can result in blood clots, causing sudden stroke.


title: Nephritis

text: The diagnosis depends on the cause of the nephritis, and in the case of lupus nephritis, blood tests, X-rays and an ultrasound can help ascertain if the individual has the condition.


title: Nephritis

text: Treatment (or management) of nephritis depends on what has provoked the inflammation of the kidney(s). In the case of lupus nephritis, hydroxychloroquine could be used.


title: Nephritis

text: Nephritis represents the ninth most common cause of death among all women in the US (and the fifth leading cause among non-Hispanic black women).


title: Nephritis

text: Worldwide, the highest rates of nephritis are 50-55% for African or Asian descent followed by Hispanic at 43% and Caucasian at 17%.


title: Nephritis

text: The average age of an individual diagnosed with kidney inflammation (in this case, lupus nephritis) is 28.4 years old.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Born in Nagasaki, Japan, Yoshida began playing football at Nanling FC in his second year at elementary school. His older brother, Honami, played an important role in starting his football career when he searched on the internet for Nagoya Grampus's U-15 team and this led Yoshida to join the U-15 side. Once Yoshida has joined, Yoshida relocated to Nagoya to be close at Nagoya Grampus and attended Toyota High School.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: After spending five years at Nagoya Grampus Youth Academy, he was promoted to the first team in the 2007 season, having signed his first professional contract. Yoshida joined the club's first team training soon after and started out in a defensive midfielder when playing for Grampus's youth team, but was converted to a centre back. After spending months on the substitute bench, Yoshida finally made his debut for the club, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Oita Trinita on 3 May 2007. Since then, he became a first team regular for the side, playing in the centre–back position. It wasn't until on 5 November 2007 when Yoshida scored his first Nagoya Grampus goal, in a 3–1 win against Thespa Kusatsu in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup. At the end of the 2007 season, he went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring once in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In the 2008 season, Yoshida began to feature in the starting line-up for most of the league matches with his Serbian teammate Miloš Bajalica. He started the season well when he helped the side go on an unbeaten with seven matches in all competitions. Yoshida continued to feature in the first team until he was called up to the Japan U23 squad in July. After Japan U23's elimination in the Summer Olympics, it wasn't until on 23 August 2008 when Yoshida returned to the starting line-up against Kashima Antlers and scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win. Following this, he lost his first team place and was placed on the substitute bench for the next five matches, leading his playing time to be reduced. Yoshida's second goal then came on 2 November 2008 against FC Gifu in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup and helped them win 1–0. By mid–October, he regained his first team place for the remaining matches of the season and helped the side finish third place in the league. For his performance, Yoshida was award Rookie of the Year at the 14th Aichi Toyota "Grand Pass Rankle Award". At the end of the 2008 season, he went on to make twenty–nine appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: At the start of the 2009 season, Yoshida switched number shirt to four. He scored Nagoya Grampus's historical first goal in the AFC Champions League in the game against Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i on 10 March 2009. Yoshida continued to regain his first team place for the side, playing in the centre–back position. A month later on 26 April 2009, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Yokohama F. Marinos. However, Yoshida suffered a calf injury that saw him sidelined for two weeks. Yoshida made his first team return on 18 July 2009 and started the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Kyoto Sanga. He scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against FC Tokyo eleven days later on 29 July 2009, but the club was eliminated in the J.League Cup following a 6–3 on aggregate. Yoshida later added two more goals throughout September, scoring against Kashiwa Reysol and Kawasaki Frontale. Since returning to the first team, Yoshida regained his first team place for the remaining matches of the season. He later added two more goals throughout October. Yoshida scored his eighth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Júbilo Iwata in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup. He later helped the club to reach the Emperor's Cup final after beating Shimizu S-Pulse 5–4 on penalty shoot–out following a 1–1 draw throughout 120 minutes. However, he started in the Emperor's Cup Final against Gamba Osaka, as Nagoya Grampus lost 4–1 in what turned out to be his last appearance for the club. At the end of the 2009 season, Yoshida went on to make forty–eight appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In December 2009, it was announced that Yoshida had transferred to Dutch club VVV-Venlo, signing a three–year contract. He had desired to play for a club in Europe since he was young. Keisuke Honda, who was his teammate at Nagoya Grampus, introduced his agent, Tetsuro Kiyooka to support his future vision. Indeed, Yoshida followed the footsteps of Keisuke Honda who also played for VVV-Venlo before he joined them. However, Yoshida's start to VVV-Venlo career suffered a setback when he fractured his foot and left him sidelined for the rest of the 2009–10 season.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: At the start of the 2010–11 season, Yoshida continued to recover from his fractured foot. It wasn't until on 30 October 2010 when he made his VVV-Venlo debut, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, and set up the club's third goal of the game, in a 5–3 loss against FC Groningen. Since making his debut, Yoshida quickly became a first team regular for the side. After spending January with Japan in the Asian Cup and winning the tournament, he made his first team return, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win against NAC Breda on 5 February 2011. Yoshida later regained his first team place for the remaining matches of the season, as VVV-Venlo qualified for the relegation play–offs. He started all the four matches in the relegation play–offs and helped the club retain their Eredivisie league status. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Yoshida went on to make twenty–four appearances in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: At the start of the 2011–12 season, Yoshida continued to retain his first team place for the side, playing in the centre–back position. He scored a bicycle kick goal for VVV-Venlo off a corner kick on 11 September 2011 against PSV Eindhoven, as the match ended in a 3–3 draw. This goal was awarded as "Goal of the Season 2011–2012" of the Eredivisie. The Yoshida scored his second goal of the season, in a 4–1 win against RKC Waalwijk on 22 October 2011. It wasn't until on 18 February 2012 when he scored his third goal of the season, in a 4–1 win against De Graafschap. Yoshida's fourth goal of the season came on 3 March 2012, in a 2–1 win against NAC Breda. He scored his fifth goal of the season against Roda JC, but was sent off in the 73rd minute for an unprofessional foul, in a 3–1 loss. After serving a two match suspension, Yoshida returned to the starting line-up, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against PSV Eindhoven on 31 March 2012. He later started all the four matches in the relegation play–offs and helped the club retain their Eredivisie league status once again. Yoshida's experience in the relegation play–offs led him to write a blog about the subject. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Yoshida went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring five times in all competitions as a central defender.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In the 2012–13 season, Yoshida made two appearances for the side, including one against ADO Den Haag on 25 August 2012, in which he set up the club's first goal of the game, as they lost 4–2 in what turned out to be his last appearance for VVV-Venlo.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: On 30 August 2012, Yoshida agreed to join newly–promoted Premier League side Southampton on a three-year contract for a fee thought to be in the region of £3 million and was joined by his teammate, Tadanari Lee. Upon joining the club, he told the "Southern Daily Echo" that the move to England would help him grow as a player.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Yoshida made his debut for the Saints on 15 September 2012, against Arsenal in a 6–1 defeat, coming on as a 28th-minute substitute for Jos Hooiveld. He then made his home debut a week later on 22 September 2012 in a 4–1 win over Aston Villa, playing the whole 90 minutes. Since joining the club, Yoshida quickly became a first team regular, playing in the centre–back position and forming a partnership with José Fonte. During a 1–1 draw against Swansea City on 10 November 2012, Yoshida made a poor control to the ball that led to Nathan Dyer scoring an equaliser. Despite, he continued to retain his first team place against Queens Park Rangers and helped them win 3–1 on 15 November 2012. Along the way, he was rotated to playing in the left–back and right–back positions. Since making his debut for Southampton, Yoshida started in every match for the side and helped improve the results on both the club and the player, himself. Having started the 2012–13 season at the bottom of the table, results have improved and he helped the side avoid relegation by finishing fourteenth place. In his first season at Southampton, he went on to make thirty–four appearances in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: However at the start of the 2013–14 season, Yoshida's first team opportunities became limited under the management of Mauricio Pochettino and he found himself on the substitute bench. Despite this, he made his first appearance of the season, in a 5–1 win against Barnsley on 27 August 2013. Yoshida then scored his first goal for Southampton in a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland in the League Cup on 6 November 2013. A month later on 4 December 2013, he made his first Premier League appearance, starting the whole game, in a 3–2 loss against Aston Villa. At the start of January, Yoshida had a first team run in following an injury to Dejan Lovren, starting the next six matches and improved with the results. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–1 defeat at West Ham United on 22 February 2014 after a Steven Davis free kick. But following Lovern's return, he was once again behind the pecking order in the centre–back competitions, as well as, his own injury concerns. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Yoshida went on to make fourteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: At the start of the 2014–15 season, Yoshida regained his first team place, playing in the centre–back position, following Lovern's departure. However, during a 1–0 win against Swansea City on 20 September 2014, he suffered ankle injury that saw him substituted in the second half, resulting in him sidelined for four weeks. Although Yoshida returned from injury, he was placed on the substitute bench until on 30 November 2014 against Manchester City, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 3–0 loss. His next goal came on 20 December 2014, in a 3–0 victory over Everton, with Steven Davis again providing the assist. Two weeks later on 8 January 2015, Southampton announced that Yoshida and the club had agreed terms to an extension of his contract until 2018. After spending January with Japan's campaign at the AFC Asian Cup, he returned to the starting line-up and played the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Swansea City on 1 February 2015. In a follow–up match against Queens Park Rangers, Yoshida played an important role in the game when he set up the only goal of the game, in a 1–0 win. Towards the end of the season, he found himself in and out of the starting line-up in the first team and demoted on the substitute bench. Despite this, Yoshida helped the club finish seventh place in the league, resulting in their qualifying for the UEFA Europa League next season. At the end of the 2014–15 season, he went on to make twenty–three appearances and scoring once in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: At the start of the 2015–16 season, Yoshida started the season well when he helped a clean sheet in both legs by beating Vitesse 5–0 on aggregate in the third round of the UEFA Europa League. However, Yoshida was unable to help Southampton reach the Group Stage of the tournament after losing 2–1 on aggregate against Midtjylland. Despite this, Yoshida helped the club keep three consecutive clean sheets between 23 August 2015 and 23 September 2015. Having started playing in the centre–back position, he played in the right–back position, due to increase competitions among the centre–backs. During a match against Manchester United on 21 September 2015, Yoshida was at fault when his back pass backfired, allowing Anthony Martial to score, as Southampton lost 3–2. Following this, Yoshida mostly appeared for the side from the substitute bench, due to strong competitions in the defence. On 28 October 2015, he scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season with a 20-yard strike against Aston Villa in the League Cup. Yoshida's second goal of the season came on 6 February 2016 in a 1–0 victory at St. Mary's over West Ham United. The club later finished sixth place in the league, resulting their qualification of the UEFA Europa League once again next season. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make twenty–seven appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: At the start of the 2016–17 season, Yoshida started the match against Watford in the opening game of the season, resulting a 1–1 draw. However, he became a backup in the club's centre–back position behind Virgil van Dijk and Fonte. Despite this, national newspaper Daily Mirror mentioned Yoshida in their article of Premier League pace-setters. It wasn't until on 6 November 2016 when he made his return to the starting line-up against Hull City and won a penalty, leading Charlie Austin to successfully convert, leading Southampton losing 2–1. Amid to the league, Yoshida started all six matches in the UEFA Europa League. He helped the side keep two clean sheets in the first two matches. After a famous 2–1 win against Inter Milan on 3 November 2016, their forms declined and were eliminated from the tournament. It wasn't until on 7 January 2017 when Yoshida scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Norwich City in the third round of the EFL Cup. Following the match, he dedicated his goal to his newly born baby daughter. Yoshida captained the side for the first time in his Southampton's career, beating Norwich City 1–0 in the third round of the FA Cup replay. Despite indifferent form on the part of both Yoshida and Southampton as a whole, Southampton became the first team in history to reach the final without conceding a single goal after beating Liverpool 2–0 on aggregate in the EFL semi–finals. Yoshida previously helped Southampton keep three clean sheets in a built up to the EFL Cup semi–finals. However, he started in the final, as Southampton lost 3–2 to Manchester United on 26 February 2017. Following Fonte's departure from the club, Yoshida regained his first team place for the rest of the season. It wasn't until on 5 April 2017 when he scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Crystal Palace. After the match, Manager Claude Puel praised Yoshida's performance, saying he was "fantastic" and mentioned that he could be "a captain" for Southampton. In a follow–up, Yoshida captained the side once again, in a 1–0 win against West Bromwich Albion. He then made his 100th appearance for Southampton and Premier League overall, becoming the first Japanese player to reach the milestone, in a 0–0 draw against Hull City on 29 April 2017. At the end of the 2016–17 season, which saw the club finish in seventh place, Yoshida went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In the 2017–18 season, Yoshida appeared in the first three league matches of the season, including winning a penalty and it was successfully converted by Austin, in a 3–2 win against West Ham United on 19 August 2017. It was announced on 24 August 2017 that Yoshida signed a further extension of his contract with Southampton until 2020. He continued to remain in competitions among the centre–backs, which saw him placed on the substitute bench. It wasn't until on 30 September 2017 when Yoshida scored his first goal of the season, scoring from a volley in the 75th minute in a 2–1 loss against Stoke City. By the end of 2017, he captained six out of the eight matches for the side. Yoshida also scored his second goal of the season, in a 4–1 loss against Leicester City on 13 December 2017. However, Yoshida suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for two weeks. It wasn't until on 27 January 2018 when he made return from injury, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win against Watford. Yoshida's return was short–lived when he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for two months. It wasn't until on 8 April 2018 when Yoshida returned to the starting line-up and played for 72 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–2 loss against Arsenal. Throughout the 2017–18 season, the club have found themselves in a relegation zone, putting their Premier League status under threat. However, in the penultimate match of the season, a 1–1 draw with Everton on 5 May 2018, he was sent–off for a second bookable offence, so was suspended for the visit to Swansea City from which Southampton needed a win to survive at their hosts' expense. The match was won by Southampton, so Swansea City were relegated. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Yoshida went on to make twenty–eight appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Ahead of the 2018–19 season, Yoshida was linked a move away from Southampton, with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal interested. But the transfer speculation came to an end after Yoshida announced his intention to stay at the club. At the start of the season, he found his first team opportunities limited under the management of Mark Hughes. It wasn't until on 27 August 2018 when Yoshida made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the second round of the EFL Cup. He soon had a first team run, starting a lot of matches by the end of 2018. Following his international commitment with Japan at the AFC Asian Cup came to an end, it wasn't until on 27 February 2019 when Yoshida returned to the starting line-up and helped the side keep a clean sheet, in a 2–0 win against Fulham. Since returning to the first team, he regained his place for the rest of the season and helped Southampton avoid relegation once again. Despite being sidelined with an illness that eventually saw him out for the rest of the 2018–19 season, Yoshida went on to make twenty appearances in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In the 2019–20 season, Yoshida made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against Liverpool on 17 August 2019. He soon had a first team run ins for the next two months. Following a 9–0 loss to Leicester City in October, Yoshida was dropped to the bench and only played two further times for the team. On 30 June 2020, he confirmed his departure from the club after 8 years.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: On 31 January 2020, Yoshida joined Serie A side Sampdoria on loan until the end of the season. Local newspaper the Southern Daily Echo described Yoshida's departure as the "end of an era".


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Having appeared on the substitute bench for two matches, Yoshida made his Sampdoria debut against Hellas Verona on 8 March 2020 and played the whole game, as the club won 2–1. Following his debut for Sampdoria, he quickly became a fan favourite among the club's supporters. However, this turns out to be his only appearance for Sampdoria, as the season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He remained an integral part of the club once the season resumed behind closed doors. In a match against Udinese on 12 July 2020, Yoshida set up a goal for Manolo Gabbiadini to help Sampdoria secure a 3–1 win. By the end of the 2019–20 season, Yoshida made fourteen appearances in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: After two months of negotiations over a permanent move, Yoshida returned to Sampdoria, signing a one–year contract with the club and took a pay cut upon doing so. His first game after signing for Sampdoria on a permanent basis came in the opening game of the season against Juventus, coming on as a second half substititute, in a 3–0 loss. Since joining the club, he found himself facing competitions in the centre–back positions with Omar Colley and Lorenzo Tonelli. Despite this, Yoshida continued to remain in the starting line–up, forming a centre–back partnership with either Colley or Tonelli. Halfway through the 2020–21 season, Yoshida played in the right–back position three times between 23 December 2020 and 6 January 2021, due to the absent of Bartosz Bereszyński. Following the return of Bereszyński, he returned to playing in the centre–back position for the rest of the 2020–21 season. On 19 January 2021, Yoshida signed a two–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2022. He scored his first goal for the "Blucerchiati" on 24 January 2021 against Parma. Despite suffering setbacks on two occasions throughout the 2020–21 season, Yoshida made thirty–four appearances and scoring once in all competitions.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: On 5 July 2022, he was unveiled as a new Schalke 04 player, signing a one-year contract extending until 30 June, with a renewal option in his contract.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Yoshida earned a call-up for Japan's U-23 team in April 2008 for the first time following good performance at Nagoya Grampus. A month later on 22 May 2008, he made his Japan U23 debut in the Toulon Tournament and started the whole game, in a 2–1 win against France. Yoshida went on to make two appearances in the tournament, as Japan U-23 finished fourth place after reaching the semi–finals.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: It was announced on 14 July 2008 that Yoshida was called up to the Japan U-23 team for the 2008 Summer Olympic in Beijing. After appearing twice as an unused substitute, he made his debut in the tournament, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Netherlands on 13 August 2008 and the side was eliminated from the tournament. Four years later, Yoshida was called up to the Japan U-23 team for the second time ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Ahead of the tournament, he was named as captain by Manager Takashi Sekizuka. Yoshida's first match as captain came on 26 July 2012 against Spain and helped the side keep a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win. In the next two matches, he helped the side keep two more clean sheets against Morocco U23 and Honduras U23 with a win and draw respectively, resulting in Japan U23 qualifying for the knockout stage. Yoshida scored his first goal of the tournament, scoring a header from Hiroshi Kiyotake's free kick, in a 3–0 against Egypt U23 in the quarter–finals. However, he continued to lead Japan U23 finished fourth place in the Olympics after losing to Mexico U23 and South Korea U23. After the match, Yoshida said: "I can appreciate that the team whose initial expectation was not so high has advanced to the top four for the first time in 44 years. I do not think why I could not go on it or got a medal The Olympics are a gathering of young athletes called the U-23, and it is important that as many athletes go into the national team as A and stand on the World Cup stage."


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In June 2021, Yoshida was named in the squad for his third Olympic tournament, this time on home soil, as one of three available over-age players. It was also announced that he would be the captain for the tournament. Prior to the start of the Olympics, Yoshida was featured in three out of the four friendly matches for the Samurai Blue. During which, he said about the Olympics event without spectators, saying: "I'm sorry for the non-audience. A lot of customers came to see us today, and the supporters' cheers helped us during the last 5 minutes and 10 minutes. It's a difficult situation. Now it's a difficult situation no matter which one you comment on." Yoshida soon clarified his statement, saying it was his "personal idea". He helped Japan win all three matches in the group stage to advance to the knockout stage. In the quarter–final against New Zealand, Yoshida captained the whole game throughout 120 minutes with a goalless result and successfully converted the winning kick in the penalty shootout, as the Samurai Blue won 4–2 to reach the semi–finals. However, Japan lost the next two matches in the semi–finals and bronze medal match against Spain and Mexico respectively. Despite failing to win a medal as he hoped for, Yoshida reflected about being captain for Japan in the Olympics, saying: "I had a lot of fun. I thought I could give everyone something, but young players could absorb a lot of things. I think I was able to grow as a player. Let's be proud and go home. I want to be proud and go home. This is not the end. Still, my soccer life will continue."


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In December 2009, Yoshida was called up to the senior national team for the first time. He made his full international debut for Japan on 6 January 2010 in a 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen. Yoshida later reflected on his debut, saying: "Of course Yemen war of 2010 (3-2) because it was all the way to the target, I was happy." After fracturing his fingers, Yoshida stated that he was determined to recovery from his injury and hope to get called up for the 2010 World Cup squad. However, Yoshida did not make the cut.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In December 2010, Yoshida was called up for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. Under the management of Alberto Zaccheroni, it's emerged that Yoshida is expecting to start in the centre–back position ahead of the tournament. He scored his first Japan goal, in a 1–1 draw against Jordan on 9 January 2011. Yoshida started two more matches in the group-stage, as Japan progressed through the knockout stage. However, Yoshida was sent–off for a second bookable offence, in a 3–2 win against Qatar in the quarter–finals of the AFC Asian Cup. After serving a one match suspension, Yoshida returned to the starting line-ups in the AFC Asian Cup Final against Australia and played 120 minutes, as they beat the Socceroos 1–0 to win the AFC Asian Cup, thanks to Tadanari Lee. Between 7 June 2011 and 2 September 2011, Yoshida kept three consecutive three cleans; including once against North Korea, which he scored the only goal of the game. Yoshida kept an additional three more clean sheets between 7 October 2011 and 11 November 2011.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Following the Olympics, Yoshida continued to help Japan by keeping three consecutive clean sheets between 6 September 2012 and 12 October 2012 against UAE, Iraq and France. He later helped Japan qualify for the World Cup after drawing 1–1 against Australia on 4 June 2013. Two days later, Yoshida was called up to the Samurai Blue for the 2013 Confederations Cup squad. He was featured three times in the tournament, as Japan loss all three matches and was eliminated in the Group Stage.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In May 2014, Yoshida was named in Japan's preliminary squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In the end, he made it to the final cut for the 23-man squad. Yoshida started all three matches despite facing competitions from the centre–back and subsequently, Japan was eliminated from the tournament in the group stage, without winning any matches. Despite this, he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw against Greece on 20 June 2014. Later in 2014, Yoshida scored his first Japan's goal in three years, as they beat Honduras 6–0 on 14 November 2014.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In December 2014, Yoshida was selected as a member of the Japanese team for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. He played Japan's opener match against debutant Palestine and scored the final goal in a 4–0 win. Yoshida helped Japan keep two more clean sheets to advance through to the quarter–finals. However, he conceded a goal from Ali Mabkhout before Japan equalised and the match was played throughout 120 minutes; ultimately, they were eliminated after losing in penalty–shootout. After the match, Yoshida acknowledged his fault for conceding a goal from the opposition team.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Throughout Japan's matches in the World Cup Qualifying Round, Yoshida then scored again in a 3–0 win against Cambodia on 3 September 2015. He later helped Japan keep two more clean sheets against Afghanistan and Syria. Yoshida kept four more clean sheets in the World Cup Qualifying Round between 12 November 2015 and 29 March 2016. During the run, he scored two goals against Singapore and Afghanistan. Three months later on 3 June 2016, Yoshida scored a brace, scoring in the fourth and five goal, in a 7–2 win against Bulgaria. The following March, he captained Japan for the first time in his career and helped the Samurai Blue beat United Arabs Emirates 2–0. After the match, Yoshida said: "I have played several times in my team, but it is a big thing to be the captain of the national team. I felt it." In a follow–up match against Thailand, he scored again, in a 4–0 win. Three months later, on 31 August 2017, Yoshida started the whole match against Australia and helped Japan qualify for the World Cup after beating the Socceroos 2–0.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: On 31 May 2018, Yoshida was selected in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. It was expected once again that Yoshida will be starting in the centre–back position ahead of the tournament. He played every single minute in all the group stage matches against Colombia, Senegal and Poland. His side were knocked out of the tournament after losing 3–2 to Belgium in the round of 16 match. His performance in the World Cup earned praises from the British media, such as, The Guardian and BBC Sport.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In December 2018, Yoshida was one of 23 Japanese players selected for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Ahead of the tournament, he was given the captaincy once again. Yoshida started the tournament as captain well when he helped Japan win 3–2 against Turkmenistan. In a follow–up match against Oman, Yoshida led the side to keep a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win to advance to the knockout stage. He later helped Japan keep three clean sheets that led the Samurai Blue reaching the final for the first time since 2011. In the AFC Asian Cup final against Qatar, Yoshida started and captained the side, as they lost 3–1, finishing as runner–up in the process. During the match, he was penalised for handball, leading Qatar to successfully convert the penalty to give the opposition team a 3–1 lead. After the match, Yoshida said: "I felt that the team had a good performance in the (semi-final) match against Iran, and they felt that they were going to be able to go this way and be able to go this way. I couldn't control, and I didn't win. I feel unhappy." However, Yoshida's call-up to the tournament caused squad selection problems for new Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl during his absence. In response, he acknowledged the risk he took by playing for Japan in the Asian Cup.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Following the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup, Yoshida didn't receive an international call–up until August. He was also given the captaincy. Yoshida captained the remaining matches of 2019 with clean sheets. During this run, he scored his first international goal of the year, in a 6–0 win against Mongolia on 10 October 2019. On 14 November 2019, Yoshida also played his 100th match for Japan against Kyrgyzstan. Almost a year later, in October 2020, he was called up to the Samurai Blue squad. He started four matches as captain by the end of the year and helped Japan keep three consecutive clean sheets before losing to Mexico on 17 November 2020. At the beginning of 2021, Yoshida continued to retain his captaincy and helped the Samurai Blue kept another three consecutive clean sheets against South Korea, Mongolia and Myanmar.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: Yoshida has two brothers: Mirei and Honami He later credited his older brother, Honami, for playing an important role in his football career. Before he was born, his name "Maya" was originally planned for a girl when his mother was pregnant. But the name was kept even if it was a boy who was born. Yoshida revealed on his blog on 26 September 2012 that he was married. Four years later, Yoshida revealed he was a first time father when his wife gave birth to a baby daughter. During his time at Southampton, Yoshida resided in Winchester. After spending seven years at Southampton, Yoshida revealed in an interview with SunSport that he's a permanent resident in the United Kingdom and feels 25 per cent English.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: His family runs a boarding house in Nagasaki for children who cannot go to high school. Growing up, Yoshida revealed he's a fan of Dragon Ball Z and had an entire collection until his Dad gave it to charity. Yoshida reflected on this, saying it helped him to think generously and give back to society. In November 2007, Yoshida signed for an agency with Tetsuro Kiyooka, a FIFA Players' Agent (Sports agent), in hopes of moving to Europe. It worked when he joined VVV-Venlo, three years later after signing for Tetsuro Kiyooka. Since moving to Europe, Yoshida created his personal blog, where he reflected about his experience living and playing in a different continent. On every anniversary of the Atomic bombings, Yoshida, who is from Nagasaki, spoke out about the thoughts of the event.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In May 2018, Yoshida published his first book titled "Unbeatable Mind". In addition to speaking Japanese, Yoshida is fluent in English since he first studied the language in middle school. Yoshida also studied Italian and Spanish. By August 2020, Yoshida began to speak Italian fluently.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: On 9 August 2013, it was announced that Yoshida would be on the front cover of the Japanese Edition of FIFA 14. During his Japan's career, Yoshida said he considered Atsuto Uchida as fellow competitor, yet his best friend, and is also friends with Eiji Kawashima. Yoshida has an uncle, Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi, who is a former professional baseball player. He is also a part-owner of Soccer Samurai. In August 2019, Yoshida revealed that he was pledging one percent of his salary to a pledge-based charitable movement, named Saints Foundation. Two months later, Yoshida was named ambassador for the Saints' Foundation along with teammate James Ward-Prowse.


title: Maya Yoshida

text: In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, Yoshida posted a message on his social media account, urging people to stay at home. While the season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoshida said he exercised daily for three months in order to maintain his fitness. In May 2020, Yoshida used his own money to buy 10,000 masks from Japan and deliver them to hospitals in Genoa.


title: Tony Rock

text: Anthony Rock (born June 30, 1974) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is the younger brother of comedian Chris Rock. He is best known for playing Uncle Ryan on "Everybody Hates Chris" (2008–2009), and television producer Dirk Black on the UPN/The CW series "All of Us" (2003–2007). Rock also appeared in many films including "What Goes Around Comes Around" (2012) and "Redemption of a Dog" (2012).


title: Tony Rock

text: Rock was a co-star on CBS's comedy "Living Biblically", co-starring with Jay Ferguson, Lindsey Kraft, Camryn Manheim, and Sara Gilbert.


title: Tony Rock

text: Rock was born in Brooklyn, New York. The son of Rosalie Rock and Julius Rock (d. 1988), he grew up on Decatur Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City. He has seven brothers and two sisters.


title: Tony Rock

text: In the early 2000s, Rock hosted a short-lived game show entitled "Can You Tell?" for the Oxygen network. He was also a correspondent for "BattleBots" on Comedy Central for the show's fifth season.


title: Tony Rock

text: Rock has appeared on radio and television shows including "The Howard Stern Show" and "The D'Angelo Show". He performed in New York with Mark Curry and John Henton to highlight the Apollo Theater. He co-starred as Dirk Black on the UPN/The CWsitcom "All of Us". Rock has often worked as a back-up to his brother Chris, and appeared on the latter's sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" in the recurring role of the title character's uncle Ryan. Chris's fictitious brother Drew from the show is loosely based on Tony. Rock has hosted "The Funny Spot" on TV One.


title: Tony Rock

text: Rock starred in his own sketch comedy TV series, "The Tony Rock Project", which was broadcast on MyNetworkTV from 2008 to 2009. On February 19, 2010, Comedy Central aired Tony Rock's feature on Season 14 of "Comedy Central Presents". His episode was the first original of the 2010 season.


title: Tony Rock

text: In 2012, Rock appeared in "Think Like a Man", a feature film based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man". In the same year Rock appeared in David E. Talbert's What Goes Around Comes Around and began hosting "Apollo Live" on BET.


title: Tony Rock

text: In 2022, he appeared on the Netflix baking competition "Is It Cake?" as a judge. In early April 2022, a video surfaced online of Rock performing a stand-up show while reacting to the Oscars incident where his brother Chris Rock was physically assaulted on stage by Will Smith after he had made comments on Smith's wife's bald appearance.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is Bellinzona. It is also traditionally divided into the Sopraceneri and the Sottoceneri, respectively north and south of Monte Ceneri. Red and blue are the colours of its flag.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. It is one of the three large southern Alpine cantons, along with Valais and the Grisons. However, unlike all other cantons, it lies almost entirely south of the Alps, and has no natural access to the Swiss Plateau. Through the main crest of the Gotthard and adjacent mountain ranges, it borders the canton of Valais to the northwest, the canton of Uri to the north and the canton of Grisons to the northeast; the latter canton being also the only one to share some borders with Ticino at the level of the plains. The canton shares international borders with Italy as well, including a small Italian enclave.


title: Ticino

text: Named after the Ticino, its longest river, it is the only canton where Italian is the sole official language and represents the bulk of the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland along with the southern parts of the Grisons. In , Ticino had a population of . The largest city is Lugano, and the two other notable centres are Bellinzona and Locarno. While the geography of the Sopraceneri region is marked by the High Alps and Lake Maggiore, that of the Sottoceneri is marked by the Alpine foothills and Lake Lugano. The canton, which has become one of the major tourist destinations of Switzerland, distinguishes itself from the rest of the country by its warm climate, and its meridional culture and gastronomy.


title: Ticino

text: The land now occupied by the canton was annexed from Italian cities in the 15th century by various Swiss forces in the last transalpine campaigns of the Old Swiss Confederacy. In the Helvetic Republic, established in 1798, it was divided between the two new cantons of Bellinzona and Lugano. The creation of the Swiss Confederation in 1803 saw these two cantons combine to form the modern canton of Ticino. Because of its unusual position, the canton relies on important infrastructure for connection with the rest of the country. The first major north-south railway link across the Alps, the Gotthard Railway, opened in 1882. In 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel was inaugurated, which finally provided a fully flat route through the Alps.


title: Ticino

text: The name "Ticino" was chosen for the newly established canton in 1803, after the river Ticino which flows through it from the Novena Pass to Lake Maggiore.


title: Ticino

text: Known as "Ticinus" in Roman times, the river appears on the Tabula Peutingeriana as "Ticenum". Johann Kaspar Zeuss attributed Celtic origins to the name, tracing it to the Celtic "tek", itself from an Indo-European root "tak", meaning "melting, flowing".


title: Ticino

text: The official name of the canton is "Republic and Canton of Ticino" (), and the two-letter code is TI. It is one of the four cantons of Switzerland officially referred to as "republics", along with Geneva, Neuchâtel and Jura.


title: Ticino

text: In ancient times, the area of what is today Ticino was settled by the Lepontii, a Celtic tribe. Later, probably around the rule of Augustus, it became part of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Western Empire, it was ruled by the Ostrogoths, the Lombards and the Franks. Around 1100 it was the centre of struggle between the free communes of Milan and Como: in the 14th century it was acquired by the Visconti, Dukes of Milan. In the fifteenth century the Swiss Confederates conquered the valleys south of the Alps in three separate conquests.


title: Ticino

text: Between 1403 and 1422 some of these lands were already annexed by forces from the canton of Uri, but subsequently lost. Uri conquered the Leventina Valley in 1440. In a second conquest Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden gained the town of Bellinzona and the Riviera in 1500. Some of the land and Bellinzona itself were previously annexed by Uri in 1419 but lost again in 1422. The third conquest was fought by troops from the entire Confederation (at that time constituted by 12 cantons). In 1512 Locarno, the Maggia Valley, Lugano and Mendrisio were annexed. Subsequently, the upper valley of the river Ticino, from the St. Gotthard to the town of Biasca (Leventina Valley) was part of Uri. The remaining territory ("Baliaggi Ultramontani", "Ennetbergische Vogteien", the Bailiwicks Beyond the Mountains) was administered by the Twelve Cantons. These districts were governed by bailiffs holding office for two years and purchasing it from the members of the League.


title: Ticino

text: The lands of the canton of Ticino are the last lands to be conquered by the Swiss Confederation. The Confederation gave up any further conquests after their defeat at the battle of Marignano in 1515 by Francis I of France. The Val Leventina revolted unsuccessfully against Uri in 1755. In February 1798 an attempt of annexation by the Cisalpine Republic was repelled by a volunteer militia in Lugano. Between 1798 and 1803, during the Helvetic Republic, two cantons were created (Bellinzona and Lugano) but in 1803 the two were unified to form the canton of Ticino that joined the Swiss Confederation as a full member in the same year under the Act of Mediation. During the Napoleonic Wars, many Ticinesi (as was the case for other Swiss) served in Swiss military units allied with the French. The canton minted its own currency, the Ticinese franco, between 1813 and 1850, when it began use of the Swiss franc.


title: Ticino

text: Until 1878 the three largest cities, Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, alternated as capital of the canton. In 1878, however, Bellinzona became the only and permanent capital. The 1870–1891 period saw a surge of political turbulence in Ticino, and the authorities needed the assistance of the federal government to restore order in several instances, in 1870, 1876, 1889 and 1890–1891.


title: Ticino

text: The current cantonal constitution dates from 1997. The previous constitution, heavily modified, was codified in 1830, nearly 20 years before the constitution of the Swiss Confederation.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. With a few exceptions in the extreme north and south of the canton, it lies entirely in the Ticino basin, a tributary of the Po. Along with Valais and the Grisons, it is one of the three cantons whose territory comprehends the Po basin, therefore south of the Alps. However, contrary to those cantons (and all others), all settlements of Ticino are on the south side of the Alps, therefore separated from the Swiss Plateau (and most of the country) by the great Alpine barrier. The canton also comprehends some small areas in the Rhine basin in the north, at the Gotthard Pass and around lake of Santa Maria. The extreme south of the canton is drained by the Po as well, but through the Breggia and Adda.


title: Ticino

text: The canton is traditionally (but not administratively) split into two regions. The northern region, the Sopraceneri, is formed by the valleys around Lake Maggiore and includes the highest mountains of the canton and the main Alpine watershed. The southern region, the Sottoceneri, is the region around Lake Lugano, and marks the beginning of the southern Alpine foothills. Between the two regions is Monte Ceneri, a moderately elevated mountain pass and important north-south axis. The Sopraceneri is constituted by the districts of Bellinzona, Blenio, Leventina, Locarno, Riviera and Vallemaggia, and makes up about 85% of the territory and 43% of the population. The Sottoceneri is constituted by the districts of Lugano and Mendrisio, and makes up about 15% of the territory and 57% of the population. While Lugano, the largest city, is in the densely populated Sottoceneri, the two other main cities, Bellinzona and Locarno, are in the Sopraceneri.


title: Ticino

text: The Ticino, which gives its name to the canton, is the largest river of Ticino. It flows from the northwest through the Bedretto Valley and the Leventina Valley to enter Lake Maggiore near Locarno. Its main tributaries are the Brenno in the Blenio Valley and the Moesa in the Mesolcina Valley in the Grisons. The lands of most of the canton are shaped by the river, which in its mid portion forms a wide valley, commonly known as the "Riviera". The western lands of the canton, however, are drained by the Maggia. The Verzasca Valley is between the Leventina Valley and the Maggia Valley. There is also a smaller area that drains directly into the Lake Lugano. Most of the land is considered within the Alps, but a small area is part of the plain of the Po which drains the north of Italy.


title: Ticino

text: Although it includes the lowest point of Switzerland (Lake Maggiore) as well as its lowest town (Ascona), the topography of Ticino is extremely rugged, as it is the fourth canton with the biggest elevation difference. It lies essentially within the Alps, in particular the Lepontine Alps, the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the Lugano Prealps. The longest and deepest valleys are those of the Ticino, Verzasca and Maggia. The two highest mountains are the Rheinwaldhorn and the Basòdino. Other notable mountains are Pizzo Rotondo (highest of the Gotthard Massif), Pizzo Campo Tencia (highest fully within the canton), Monte Generoso (highest south of Lake Lugano) and Monte Tamaro (most prominent of the canton). For an exhaustive list, see list of mountains of Ticino.


title: Ticino

text: The area of the canton is , of which about three-quarters are considered productive to trees or crops. Forests cover about a third of the area, but also the lakes Maggiore (or "Verbano") and Lugano (or "Ceresio") make up a considerable minority. The canton shares borders with three other cantons across the main ridge of the Alps: Valais to the northwest, to which it is connected by the Nufenen Pass, Uri to the north, to which it is connected by the Gotthard Pass and the Grisons to the northeast, to which it is connected by the Lukmanier Pass and the Mesolcina Valley; the latter valley, a few kilometres north of Bellinzona, being the only (natural) low elevation access to another canton. Ticino shares international borders with Italy as well. To the southwest is the region of Piedmont and to the southeast is the region of Lombardy. The main border crossing between Italy and Switzerland is that of Chiasso, in the extreme south of the canton.


title: Ticino

text: The climate of Ticino is mostly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps protecting it from north Europe weather. As a consequence, the plains experience warm and moist summers, and mild winters. This climate is noticeably warmer and wetter than the rest of Switzerland's. In German-speaking Switzerland, Ticino is nicknamed "Sonnenstube" (sun porch), owing to the more than 2,300 sunshine hours the canton receives every year, compared to 1,700 for Zurich. The canton can experience particularly heavy storms and rainfalls in summer. It is the region of Switzerland with the highest level of lightning discharge. Conversely, the canton can experience severe droughts in both summer and winter, making it the region most affected by forest fires in the country.


title: Ticino

text: The climate of Ticino is highly diverse as elevations range from Lake Maggiore, affected by subtropical climate, to the high Alps, affected by subarctic and tundra climate. Therefore, similarly to the rest of Switzerland, many different types of ecosystems are found in the region. In the lower areas, deciduous forests are omnipresent, while at high elevations they tend to be replaced by coniferous forests, except in the Sottoceneri (Lugano Prealps), where they are almost absent. The treeline is located at around 2,000 metres in the Sopraceneri and 1,600 metres in the Sottoceneri. The Basòdino, Ticino's second-highest mountain, is covered by the largest glacier of the canton. In winter, skiing is popular in the highest locations, notably in Airolo and Bosco/Gurin. In the lower regions, especially around Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, vineyards, olive trees and other fruits common to southern Europe are grown. Several types of cold hardy palm trees and other subtropical species may be grown here, and although none are native, their presence in the ecosystem is increasing. Numerous gardens, especially near the lakes, such as the Brissago Islands and the Scherrer Park, are renowned for their exotic plants.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino is one of the wine regions for Swiss wine. The defined region encompasses all of the canton plus the neighbouring Italian-speaking district of Moesa (Misox and Calanca valleys) in the canton of the Grisons.


title: Ticino

text: The current Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Ticino, originating from a draft approved on 18 August 1801 during the Helvetic Republic, was approved on 14 December 1997. In its preamble, it states that it was created by the Ticinese people (popolo) ""in order to guaranty peaceful life together with respect for the dignity of man, fundamental liberties and social justice (...) faithful to its historic task to interpret Italian culture within the Helvetic Confederation"".


title: Ticino

text: The Grand Council ("Gran Consiglio") is the legislative authority of the canton, exercising sovereignty over any matter not explicitly delegated by the constitution to another authority. The Gran Consiglio has 90 members called "deputati" (deputies), elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Deputies serve four-year terms, and annually nominate a President and two Vice-Presidents. The Gran Consiglio meets in Bellinzona, the cantonal capital.


title: Ticino

text: The five-member Council of State (), not to be confused with the federal Council of States, is the executive authority of the canton, and it directs cantonal affairs according to law and the constitution. It is elected in a single constituency using the proportional representation system. Currently, the five members of the Government are: Claudio Zali, Raffaele De Rosa, Manuele Bertoli, Norman Gobbi and Christian Vitta.


title: Ticino

text: Each year, the Council of State nominates its president. The current president of the Council of State is Norman Gobbi.


title: Ticino

text: Since a referendum in September 2013, Ticino is the only Swiss canton where wearing full-face veils is illegal. Supporters of the ban cited the case of a 20-year-old Pakistani woman from Bellinzona, who was killed by her husband for refusing to wear a headscarf. The Burqa ban was later approved by the Grand Council in November 2015.


title: Ticino

text: In September 2016, Ticino voters approved a Swiss People's Party-sponsored referendum that gives precedence to Swiss workers, as opposed to foreign workers, defying freedom of movement agreements between Switzerland and the EU.


title: Ticino

text: Leventina was a subject of the canton of Uri until 1798, the year the Helvetic Republic was founded, when it became part of the new canton of Bellinzona along with the Swiss condominiums of Bellinzona, Riviera and Blenio. The condominiums of Locarno, Lugano, Mendrisio and Vallemaggia became part of the new canton of Lugano in 1798. These two cantons formed into one canton, Ticino, in 1803 when it joined the (restored) Swiss Confederation as a member canton. The former condominiums and Leventina became the eight districts of the canton of Ticino, which exist to the present day and are provided for by the cantonal constitution.


title: Ticino

text: There are 108 municipalities in the canton (). These municipalities ("comuni") are grouped in 38 "circoli" (circles or sub-districts) which are in turn grouped into the eight districts ("distretti").


title: Ticino

text: The mayor ("sindaco") is the president of the municipal government ("municipio") which comprises at least three members; a council also exists. The members of the council and the "municipio" are elected every four years by the citizens resident in the "comune" – the next elections are scheduled for April 2024.


title: Ticino

text: Since the late 1990s there is an ongoing project to aggregate some municipalities, with the constitution of the canton allowing for the Grand Council of Ticino to promote and lead in deciding on mergers. This has resulted in changes to some of the circles, with many circles now consisting of just one or two municipalities. The most populous municipality – Lugano (having merged with numerous other municipalities) – is subdivided into "quartieri" (quarters) which are grouped into three (cantonal) circles. In the modern day, the circle serves only as a territorial unit with limited public functions, most notably the local judiciary.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino has a population (as of ) of . , the population included 94,366 foreigners, or about 27.2% of the total population. The largest groups of foreign population were Italians (46.2%), followed by Croats (6.5%) and the Portuguese (5.9%). The population density (in 2005) is 114.6 persons per km. As of 2000, 83.1% of the population spoke Italian, 8.3% spoke German and 1.7% spoke Serbo-Croatian.


title: Ticino

text: According to a 2012 survey, the population aged 15 years and older was mostly Catholic (70%); further Christian denominations accounted for 10% of the population (including Swiss Reformed 4%), 2% were Muslim and 1% of the population adhered to another religion (including Jews 0.1%).


title: Ticino

text: The official language, and the one used for most written communication, is Swiss Italian. Despite being very similar to standard Italian, Swiss Italian presents some differences to the Italian spoken in Italy due to the influence of French and German from which it assimilates words. Dialects of the Lombard language such as Ticinese are still spoken, especially in the valleys, but they are not used for official purposes.


title: Ticino

text: Despite the dominance of Italian speakers, fluency in Standard or Swiss German is sometimes taken to be an important prerequisite for employment, regardless of sector or sphere of work.


title: Ticino

text: In 2016, Ticino was the European region with the second highest life expectancy at 85.0 years, and highest male life expectancy at 82.7 years.


title: Ticino

text: Tertiary sector workers make up 76.5% of the Ticinese workforce, compared to the Swiss average of 67.1%. Commerce (23.1%), tourism (10.1%) and financial activities (3.9%) are all important for the local economy, while the contribution from agriculture and fishing is marginal, employing 6.5% of the workforce on a Swiss average of 15.4%. The median gross private sector monthly salary in 2012 was 5,091 francs (US$5,580), below the national average of 6,118 francs (US$6,703).


title: Ticino

text: Lugano is Switzerland's third largest financial center after Zurich and Geneva. The banking industry alone has 8,400 employees and generates 17% of the gross cantonal product. Because of Ticino's shared language and culture, its financial industry has very close ties to Italy. In 2017, Ticino had an unemployment rate of 4%, higher than the Switzerland average where it was estimated at 3.7%.


title: Ticino

text: "Frontalieri", commuter workers living in Italy (mostly in the provinces of Varese and Como) but working regularly in Ticino, form a large part (over 20%) of the workforce, far larger than in the rest of Switzerland, where the rate is below 5%. Foreigners in general hold 44.3% of all the jobs, again a much higher rate than elsewhere in the Confederation (27%). Frontalieri are usually paid less than Swiss workers for their jobs, and tend to serve as low-cost labour.


title: Ticino

text: Italy is by far Ticino's most important foreign trading partner, but there's a huge trade deficit between imports (5 billion CHF) and exports (1.9 billion). By 2013, Germany had become the canton's main export market, receiving 23.1% of the total, compared to 15.8% for Italy and 9.9% for the United States. Many Italian companies relocate to Ticino, either temporarily or permanently, seeking lower taxes and an efficient bureaucracy: just as many Ticinese entrepreneurs doing business in Italy complain of red tape and widespread protectionism. The region has been attracting multinational companies particularly from the fashion industry due to its closeness to Milan. Hugo Boss, Gucci, VF Corporation and other popular brands are located there. Because the international fashion business has become a significant employer for Swiss and Italians alike, the region has also been termed the "Fashion Valley".


title: Ticino

text: Three of the world's largest gold refineries are based in Ticino, including the Pamp refinery in Castel San Pietro, the leading manufacturer of minted gold bars.


title: Ticino

text: The opening of the Gotthard Railway in 1882 led to the establishment of a sizeable tourist industry mostly catering to German-speakers, although since the early 2000s the industry has suffered from the competition of more distant destinations. In 2011, 1,728,888 overnight stays were recorded. The mild climate throughout the year makes the canton a popular destination for hikers. The high Alps of Ticino include numerous tourist facilities such as the Monte Generoso Railway, the Ritom Funicular and the Cardada Cableway. Among other tourist attractions are the Verzasca Dam, popular with bungee jumpers, and Swissminiatur in Melide, a miniature park featuring scale models of over 120 Swiss monuments. The Brissago Islands on Lake Maggiore are the only Swiss islands south of the Alps, and house botanical gardens with 1,600 different plant species from five continents.


title: Ticino

text: The Gotthard is a strategic mountain pass of Central Switzerland and Ticino since the 13th century. Several tunnels underneath the Gotthard connect the canton to northern Switzerland: the first to open was the long Gotthard Rail Tunnel in 1882, replacing the pass road, connecting Airolo with Göschenen in the canton of Uri. A motorway tunnel, the Gotthard Road Tunnel, opened in 1980. A second rail tunnel through the pass, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, was opened on 1 June 2016. The new tunnel is the longest tunnel in the world, reducing travel time between Zürich and Lugano to 1 hour 40 minutes. It is the first flat route through the Alps and provides for the first time a low-level route to the cities of the Swiss Plateau.


title: Ticino

text: The Ceneri Base Tunnel, inaugurated in 2020, constitutes another revolution in the canton, by providing fast links to both Locarno and Bellinzona from Lugano, and making the latter city an important railway node. The base tunnel bypasses the old Monte Ceneri axis.


title: Ticino

text: Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TiLo), a joint venture between the Italian Ferrovie dello Stato and the Swiss Federal Railways launched in 2004, manages the traffic between the regional railways of Lombardy and the Ticino railway network via a S-Bahn system. The canton is also served by the Treno Gottardo from northern Switzerland, operated by the Südostbahn (SOB).


title: Ticino

text: The Regional Bus and Rail Company of Ticino provides the urban and suburban bus network of Locarno, operates the cable cars between Verdasio and Rasa, and between Intragna – Pila – Costa on behalf of the owning companies, and, together with an Italian company, the Centovalli and Vigezzina Railway which connects the Gotthard trans-Alpine rail route at Locarno with the Simplon trans-Alpine route at Domodossola, with further connections with Brig in Valais.


title: Ticino

text: The canton has a higher than average incidence of traffic accidents, recording 16 deaths or serious injuries per 100 million km in the 2004–2006 period, compared to a Swiss average of 6.


title: Ticino

text: Lugano Airport is the busiest airport in south east Switzerland, serving some 200,000 passengers a year.


title: Ticino

text: There are two major centres of education and research located in the canton of Ticino. University of Italian Switzerland (USI, Università della Svizzera Italiana) in Lugano is the only Swiss university teaching primarily in Italian. The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI, Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana), in Manno, is a professional training college focused on a practical method of teaching in the areas of applied art, economy, social work, technology and production science.


title: Ticino

text: There is also a small American and Swiss accredited private college, Franklin University Switzerland, located above Lugano, as well as The American School in Switzerland in Collina d'Oro, a K-13 international school accepting day and boarding students.


title: Ticino

text: Following Google Scholar, several scientists working in Ticino have received more than 100,000 scientific citations and have an h-index greater than 100, for example, Michele Parrinello in chemistry (Profile), Jürgen Schmidhuber in artificial intelligence (Profile), and Antonio Lanzavecchia in immunology (Profile).


title: Ticino

text: As the only predominantly Italian-speaking canton, Ticino notably distinguishes itself from the rest of the country by its meridional, or Mediterranean, culture. Cultural identity of Ticino is complex and is marked by its long history as a bailiwick of the Swiss Confederacy, until its independence of 1803. Ticinese identity was gradually forged in the 19th century, partly thanks to the efforts of major intellectual figures such as Stefano Franscini and Carlo Cattaneo.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino is particularly known for its rich architectural heritage, ranging from the anonymous rock architecture of grottos and splüi, over Romanesque and baroque to contemporary styles. The birthplace of Francesco Borromini, the canton is home to internationally recognized architects, such as Mario Botta, Aurelio Galfetti, Luigi Snozzi, and Livio Vacchini. As early as the 18th century, aristocrats from Russia and Italy employed numerous architects from Ticino. More recently, the region became a centre of the Neo-Rationalist "Tendenza" movement.


title: Ticino

text: Ticino hosts two World Heritage Sites: the Three Castles of Bellinzona and Monte San Giorgio. The city of Locarno is host to the Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland's most prestigious film festival, held during the second week of August. Estival Jazz, a free open-air jazz festival, is held in Lugano and Mendrisio in late June and July. Another jazz festival is held in Ascona. Rabadan is the major carnival festival of the canton. It has been ongoing now for more than 150 years.


title: Ticino

text: Traditional folk music of Ticino particularly distinguishes itself from that of northern Switzerland. Among traditional instruments are the accordion, the guitar and, since the 19th century, the mandolin. Duos and trios with mandolin and guitar typically accompany regional folk songs. Like most of Switzerland, Ticino has a long brass-band tradition. A regional, reduced version, is the "bandella", an ensemble consisting of brass instruments and clarinets.