who uprooted his family to Denmark earlier in his care

PHILADELPHIA -- Andrea Lawful-Sanders has a ritual for cheering the black heroines of the Summer Olympics.She gets into her corner of the living room, sets up her chair, demands silence before screaming at the top of her lungs, flails her body wildly and -- in keeping with her Jamaican-American heritage -- bangs pot covers together to celebrate victories.From Simone Biles gravity-defying flips to the history-making medal trifecta of the U.S. women racing in the 100-meter hurdles, many of the Olympics most memorable moments have come courtesy of African-American women. Their accomplishments in Rio have spurred excitement and pride at home in the U.S., particularly for black women who say they are seeing themselves in the Olympic Games like never before.While everybody else is talking, we are doing, said Lawful-Sanders, 50, of Philadelphia. When we excel, nobody can take that away from us -- ever. They may try to marginalize us, but how can you marginalize excellence?With competition continuing through Sunday, Americas black female athletes have won more than two dozen of the 100-plus U.S. medal haul.Black women havent just shined in this years Olympics; theyve been ubiquitous -- from gymnastics to water polo, fencing to swimming. Previous Summer Games featured black women mainly in track and field and, more recently, in gymnastics. Fans at home had to wait days to cheer on sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner or gymnast Dominique Dawes.It is very interesting to see black women going into areas where you really dont see black women competing, with all different body shapes, complexions and hairstyles being represented, said Kaye Wise Whitehead, a professor at Loyola University who studies race and gender. Black women see and feel that there is no door closed to us ... and that were not just walking through those doors, but were dominating.In Rio, the two Simones -- gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Simone Manuel -- both stood atop the podium on a night that made history, with Manuel becoming the first black woman to win an individual medal in swimming. In all, she took home four medals and Biles five. Biles was chosen to carry the American flag for the U.S. team in Sundays closing ceremony.Michelle Carter became the first American woman to win gold in the shot put. Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, who won a bronze medal in the womens team sabre event, was the first Muslim-American woman to compete for the U.S. in a hijab.On the track, Dalilah Muhammad became the first American woman to win gold in the 400-meter hurdles, and three black women -- Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin -- became the first Olympians from the same nation to finish 1-2-3 in the 100-meter hurdles.Jacqueline Wills has loved rooting on female gymnasts since she was a child watching the Olympics. During these games, as she lost count of the numerous black women winning, her cheers went beyond just Biles.At this point, its like too many to name, said the 38-year-old who lives in Brookhaven, Georgia. Its the same reason we cheer Michelle Obama when she does something fabulous: Its (a black woman) doing things well and on their own terms and being unapologetically black. Those images kind of reaffirm us.Some said the Olympics also provided a much-needed respite from racial tensions at home.It is a good distraction and a good way to celebrate our successes, even as the world may not appreciate us, said Luvvie Ajayi, a pop culture blogger and author. In a Facebook post, Ajayi quipped: Black women had a secret meeting before (hash)Rio2016 and the only thing on the agenda was: `TAKE ALL THE MEDALS. And it was done.Black women are showing that weve always been a force to reckon with, but now ... were showing that we kind of are superheroes that are real, Ajayi said in an interview. We are really unstoppable; we can dominate at anything we want to do.Black women have also felt the struggles of their athletic counterparts at the games. Many took to social media to defend veteran gymnast Gabby Douglas amid remarks that she lacked patriotism for not placing her hand on her heart during the national anthem, that her hair was not polished enough and that her attitude was unsportsmanlike.The stereotype of the angry black woman was familiar to Wills.That is one of the things that comes with being a black woman in this country, she said, adding that she tried to shrug off the criticism in a Facebook post.I said, `People are just mad at her bold lip, Wills said, referring to Douglas lipstick color.As the games come to a close this weekend, Lawful-Sanders is warming up her pot covers for a few more chances to cheer.We have made up our minds that we are going to give it the best that we have, and we are watching it manifest in the Olympics, she said. Its black girl magic. We are tired of being told that we couldnt or we shouldnt. ... Were taking no prisoners, and Im enjoying every second of it.---Errin Haines Whack covers urban affairs for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous and read more of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/errin-haines-whack Vapormax 97 Donna . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Vapormax 97 Italia .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. http://www.scarpevapormaxscontate.it/vapormax-plus-italia/vapormax-plus-blu-saldi.html . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Vapormax Chrome Blush . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Vapormax Plus Be True . PAUL, Minn.TORONTO -- Toronto FC continued to clears its decks Friday, announcing the retirement of veteran defender Danny Califf. The 33-year-old former U.S. international, who had mysteriously plummeted down the depth chart in his first season in Toronto, said it was time to put family first given his faltering position with the MLS club. "Do I really want to train every day knowing that I am not in the coachs plan to play, as well as knowing you are taking your kids and family away from their friends and other family? The answer is no," the California native said in a poignant farewell letter on the clubs website. Califfs love for his wife and three kids was always plain to see. His body is a canvas, with ink detailing his loved ones. Califf, who will remain with the team as a scout, becomes the latest in a growing TFC player exodus that is starting to resemble a zombie crowd scene from "World War Z." He is the 24th player to exit Toronto FC since the end of last season. And he is the sixth of 19 new players through the door since the end of the 2012 campaign to leave (not counting defender Tal Ben Haim who never actually set foot at the club). Toronto finished 2012 with a league-worst 5-21-8 record. At the halfway point of 2013, its record is 2-8-7. The remake is far from over. Toronto officials are making like air traffic controllers during this transfer window, trying to land a string of new players. Given the player turnover (blamed in part on a horrific salary cap situation) and lack of movement up the standings, perhaps it is not surprising that club officials have been more candid in recent days about the rotten foundation they inherited in taking over the leagues doormat. Califfs exit from the field should give Toronto some salary cap relief from his US$165,000 salary, the teams fifth highest (although down from the $275,000 he made in 2012 with Chivas USA). It had proved to be a hefty price for a player who saw just 354 minutes of MLS action. Next up for resolution is likely backup keeper Stefan Frei, a fomer starter who makes $200,000 although the team will need to find a replacement if it elects to move now rather than wait for his contract to expire. At 18, third-string goalie Quillan Roberts is seen as talented but one for the future. Califf joined Toronto with much fanfare last December via the leagues re-entry draft. "Danny Califf is a proven defender in our league, and a player with a lot of character," Toronto president and GM Kevin Payne said in a statement heralding the signing. "Our defenders are young and we expect Danny to provide important leadership as we change the culture of our team. "Were thrilled to have him on our team." Not blessed with blazing speed, Califf looked to read the game to get where he needed to be to make plays. If that failed, he went to Plan B. Then playing for Philadelphiaa, Califf took Julian de Guzman down with a well-placed elbow to the head when the then-Toronto midfielder looked to speed past Califf in TFCs 2010 home opener.dddddddddddd Califf was sent off for his crime. Califf was realistic about his role. "My job is to win the ball and give it to the guy that gets paid to make the game," he told a coaches seminar in 2011. At training camp, the tattooed defender usually had a smile on his face and had a bag of ice on his knee. Signed before manager Ryan Nelsen came on board, Califf did not seem to impress the former Premier League defender turned manager. Califf started the first four league games of the season, then never regained his spot after missing the FC Dallas game with a stomach virus. The 10-year-MLS veteran found himself off the bench and then out of the matchday squad while club officials pointed to a variety of ailments including another virus, knee and most recently a career-threatening back injury. Asked this week why the club had not caught wind of the back injury before signing Califf, Nelsen replied: "Obviously the due diligence wasnt there." Califf has been missing in action for weeks from the clubs training ground. Officials finally confirmed recently that he was with his family in California. In his retirement letter, Califf addressed the various explanations for his absence. "I am not retiring because I have a career-ending back injury or because I have knee problems or because TFC did no do their due diligence when they signed me in January." Instead he cited "priorities that reach beyond yourself." "My family has moved around the world to watch me play the sport I love," said Califf, who uprooted his family to Denmark earlier in his career. "Now, I get to watch my three kids play the same sport that has given me so much." Califfs letter explains some things, but not how he fell down the teams depth chart so fast. In just weeks, he went from being the starting centre back to No. 5 behind Darren ODea, Steven Caldwell, Doneil Henry and Gale Agbossoumonde. It was Agbossoumonde who replaced Califf against Dallas in early March when he was stricken by a stomach virus. The young defender, making his MLS debut, performed well and then kept the veteran, who had 211 MLS games under his belt, off the field. Califf had hoped to regain his starting spot the next week in Philadelphia, where he played 65 games and served as the Unions first captain. But there was no Hollywood-like comeback in front of friends and family. Califf was rooted to the bench at PPL Park. He didnt complain but his disappointment was evident. Califf, who likes to surf, strum a guitar and enjoy the outdoors with the family, has said a favourite family pastime was packing the car and hitting the road. He had hoped Toronto would be a new adventure. Sadly not. ' ' '