Chad

Coordinates: 15°N 19°E / 15°N 19°E / 15; 19

Chad (ⁱ/tʃæd/; Arabic: تشاد‎ Tshād; French: Tchad), officially the Republic of Chad (Arabic: جمهورية تشاد‎ Jumhūrīyat Tshād; French: République du Tchad), is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. It is the fifth largest country in Africa in terms of area.

Chad has several regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second-largest in Africa. N'Djamena, the capital, is the largest city. Chad is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. Arabic and French are the official languages. Islam and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions.

Beginning in the 7th millennium BC, human populations moved into the Chadian basin in great numbers. By the end of the 1st millennium BC, a series of states and empires rose and fell in Chad's Sahelian strip, each focused on controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region. France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa. In 1960, Chad obtained independence under the leadership of François Tombalbaye. Resentment towards his policies in the Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting civil war in 1965. In 1979, the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the south's hegemony. However, the rebel commanders fought amongst themselves until Hissène Habré defeated his rivals. He was overthrown in 1990 by his general Idriss Déby. Since 2003, the Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilised the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in and around camps in eastern Chad.

Lewis

Coordinates: 58°12′N 6°36′W / 58.2°N 6.6°W / 58.2; -6.6

Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas, pronounced [ʎɔː.əs̪], also Isle of Lewis) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides (an archipelago) of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is 683 square miles (1,770 km²).

Lewis is, in general, the lower lying part of the island, with the other part, Harris, being more mountainous. The flatter, more fertile land means Lewis contains the largest settlement, Stornoway, and three-quarters of the population of the Western Isles. Beyond human habitation, the island's diverse habitats are home to an assortment of flora and fauna, such as the golden eagle, red deer and seals and are recognised in a number of conservation areas.

Lewis is of Presbyterian tradition with a rich history, having once been part of the Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. Today, life is very different from elsewhere in Scotland with Sabbath observance, the Gaelic language and peat cutting retaining more importance than elsewhere. Lewis has a rich cultural heritage as can be seen from its myths and legends as well as the local literary and musical traditions.

Chad Lewis

Chad Wayne Lewis (born October 5, 1971) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams.

Early life

Lewis grew up in Orem, Utah and played football at Orem High School. During high school, Lewis worked at Riverside Country Club. On March 30, 1986, Chad earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award in the Boy Scouts of America. Lewis, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served a two-year church mission in Taichung, Taiwan before attending college. While in Taiwan, he learned to speak Mandarin.

College career

After walking on at Brigham Young University (BYU), Lewis finished his collegiate career with 111 receptions for 1,376 yards, and ten touchdowns. As a junior, he was an All-WAC first-team choice, and a UPI All-American honorable mention.

Professional career

Lewis signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997. After playing 2½ seasons with the Eagles he was signed by the St. Louis Rams for one season. Lewis won a Super Bowl title with the Rams in the 1999 Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. Lewis was re-signed by the Eagles and caught the game-clinching touchdown pass in the 2005 NFC Championship game. However, during this reception, Lewis suffered a serious foot injury that kept him out of the Super Bowl XXXIX loss to the New England Patriots.

Football player

A football player, footballer, or soccer player is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby league, and rugby union.

It has been estimated that there are 250 million association football players in the world, and many play the other forms of football.

Career

Jean-Pierre Papin has described football as a "universal language". Footballers across the world and at almost any level may regularly attract large crowds of spectators, and players are the focal points of widespread social phenomena such as association football culture.

Footballers generally begin as amateurs and the best players progress to become professional players. Normally they start at a youth team (any local team) and from there, based on skill and talent, scouts offer contracts. Once signed, some learn to play better football and some advance to the senior or professional teams.

Ronney Jenkins

Ronney Jenkins (born May 25, 1977) is a former American football player from Los Angeles, California who played four seasons in the NFL, primarily as a kick return specialist.

High school career

Jenkins had an outstanding prep career while playing for Hueneme High School in Oxnard, California, and he garnered much national attention during his senior season. On November 9, 1995, he set the national record for most yards rushing in a single game during a 52-34 victory over Rio Mesa High School. Jenkins carried the ball 30 times for 619 yards and 7 touchdowns. The previous record of 608 yards had been set by John Bunch in Arkansas in 1974. Jenkins' total shattered the California state record of 507 yards, set by David Dotson of Valley View High School in 1991. The national record stood until 2006, when Paul McCoy of Matewan High School rushed for 658 yards in a single game.

College career

Jenkins was heavily recruited by many schools across the country, but chose to play at Brigham Young University because BYU had shown interest in him long before his record-breaking single-game performance. His freshman season with the Cougars (1996) was impressive: he rushed for 733 yards and scored a team-high 14 touchdowns (including 11 rushing TDs) despite being a backup to Brian McKenzie the entire season. He also led the Cougars in kickoff returning; for his efforts, he was named WAC Freshman of the Year. With help from Jenkins, BYU beat Kansas State University in the Cotton Bowl Classic and finished the year with a 14-1 record, becoming the first team in the history of Division I-A football to win 14 games in a season.