title: Chevrolet Corvette (C5)

text: A 50th Anniversary Edition (RPO Z25) was offered during the 2003 model year to commemorate a half-century of Corvette production. Available in convertible and coupé models, the 50th Anniversary Edition came with a special shade of red paint ("Anniversary Red Metallic") and shale two-tone leather interior; Anniversary Edition convertibles were adorned with a shale-colored soft top as well. A new option for Corvette in 2003, the F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control Suspension was standard on the 1SC-equipped Anniversary Edition vehicles. Special ("Warm Nickel Metallic") painted aluminum wheels, embroidered upholstery trim, and badges completed the Anniversary Edition package. Also included were all of the convenience options offered on the upscale Corvette models such as the head-up display.


title: Chevrolet Corvette (C5)

text: A slightly modified 50th Anniversary Edition Corvette was chosen to pace the Indianapolis 500 race in May 2002; then the production vehicle became a centerpiece of the subsequent 50th Anniversary Celebration, sponsored by Chevrolet. Festivities included gatherings in Nashville, Bowling Green, and St. Louis. Thousands of Corvettes and their owners arrived from all over the country to participate in the events marking the vehicle's 50th year of production.


title: Chevrolet Corvette (C5)

text: It is a version of Corvette coupe designed by Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro of Italdesign, commemorating 50 years of the Chevrolet Corvette. It included 6.0 litre V8 engine, door window half dome, gull wing door hinged to the rear pillar.


title: Chevrolet Corvette (C5)

text: During the 2004 model year, a 24 Hours of Le Mans Commemorative Edition package (RPO's Z15 & Z16) were offered as an option for all three C5 models (fastback coupé, convertible, Z06) in celebration of the C5-R "1–2" in-class finishes at Le Mans. The package consisted of a special paint color ("Le Mans Blue Metallic"); shale two-tone leather interior (coupés and convertibles only); and wide, silver-and-red stripes optionally applied down the center of the car (Z06 only). Commemorative Edition convertibles received a shale-colored soft top, and the Z06 version (dubbed the "Z16" after its RPO for the Le Mans Commemorative Edition) received a carbon fiber hood as a further weight-reduction measure. Special commemorative badging, headrest embroidery, and brightly polished wheel (a first on the Z06) with unique centercaps completed the package.


title: Chevrolet Corvette (C5)

text: There were 2,025 Commemorative Edition (RPO Z16) Z06's built in 2004. The VIN's were sequenced numbers ranging from the first 100013, to the last 132518.


title: Chevrolet Corvette (C5)

text: The C5-R was a racecar built by Pratt & Miller for GM Racing. It was based on the C5 road car but had a longer wheelbase, wider track, an enlarged 7.0 L V8 and different bodywork with exposed headlamps. It is raced in the American Le Mans Series in the GTS Class and has been to four 24 Hours of Le Mans races.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Republicanism in the United Kingdom is the political movement that seeks to replace the United Kingdom's monarchy with a republic. Supporters of the movement, called republicans, support alternative forms of governance to a monarchy, such as an elected head of state.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Monarchy has been the form of government used in the countries that now make up the United Kingdom almost exclusively since the Middle Ages. A republican government existed in England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, in the mid-17th century as a result of the Parliamentarian victory in the English Civil War. The Commonwealth of England, as the period was called, lasted from the execution of Charles I in 1649 until the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In Britain, republican sentiment has largely focused on the abolition of the British monarch, rather than the dissolution of the British Union or independence for its constituent countries. In Northern Ireland, the term "republican" is usually used in the sense of Irish republicanism. While also against the monarchy, Irish republicans are against the presence of the British state in any form on the island of Ireland and advocate creating a united Ireland, an all-island state comprising the whole of Ireland. Unionists who support a British republic also exist in Northern Ireland.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: There are republican members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales who advocate independence for those countries as republics. The SNP's official policy is that the British monarch would remain head of state of an independent Scotland, unless the people of Scotland decided otherwise. Plaid Cymru have a similar view for Wales, although its youth wing, Plaid Ifanc, has an official policy advocating a Welsh republic. The Scottish Socialist Party and the Scottish Greens both support an independent Scottish republic.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Since the 1670s, early modern English republicanism has been extensively studied by historians. James Harrington (1611–1677) is generally considered to be the most representative republican writer of the era.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: The countries that now make up the United Kingdom, together with the Republic of Ireland, were briefly ruled as a republic in the 17th century, first under the Commonwealth consisting of the Rump Parliament and the Council of State (1649–1653) and then under the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell and later his son Richard (1658–1659), and finally under the restored Rump Parliament (1659–1660). The Commonwealth Parliament represented itself as a republic in the classical model, with John Milton writing an early defence of republicanism in the idiom of constitutional limits on a monarch's power. Cromwell's Protectorate was less ideologically republican and was seen by Cromwell as restoring the mixed constitution of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy found in classical literature and English common law discourse.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: First the Kingdom of England was declared to be the Commonwealth of England and then Scotland and Ireland were briefly forced into union with England by the army. Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax were often ruthless in putting down the mutinies which occurred within their own army towards the end of the civil wars (prompted by Parliament's failure to pay the troops). They showed little sympathy for the Levellers, an egalitarian movement which had contributed greatly to Parliament's cause but sought representation for ordinary citizens. The Leveller point of view had been strongly represented in the Putney Debates, held between the various factions of the army in 1647, just prior to the king's temporary escape from army custody. Cromwell and the grandees were not prepared to permit such a radical democracy and used the debates to play for time while the future of the King was being determined. Catholics were persecuted zealously under Cromwell. Although he personally was in favour of religious toleration – "liberty for tender consciences" – not all his compatriots agreed. The war led to much death and chaos in Ireland where Irish Catholics and Protestants who fought for the Royalists were persecuted. There was a ban on many forms of entertainment, as public meetings could be used as a cover for conspirators; horse racing was banned, the maypoles were famously cut down, the theatres were closed, and Christmas celebrations were outlawed for being too ceremonial, Catholic, and "popish".


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Much of Cromwell's power was due to the Rump Parliament, a Parliament purged of opposition to grandees in the New Model Army. Whereas Charles I had been in part restrained by a Parliament that would not always do as he wished (the cause of the civil war), Cromwell was able to wield much more power as only loyalists were allowed to become MPs, turning the chamber into a rubber-stamping organisation. This was ironic given his complaints about Charles I acting without heeding the "wishes" of the people. Even so, he found it almost impossible to get his Parliaments to follow all his wishes. His executive decisions were often thwarted, most famously in the ending of the rule of the regional major generals appointed by himself.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In 1657 Cromwell was offered the crown by Parliament, presenting him with a dilemma since he had played a great role in abolishing the monarchy. After two months of deliberation, he rejected the offer. Instead, he was ceremonially re-installed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland (Wales was a part of England), with greater powers than he had previously held. It is often suggested that offering Cromwell the crown was an effort to curb his power: as a king, he would be obliged to honour agreements such as Magna Carta, but under the arrangement, he had designed he had no such restraints. This allowed him to preserve and enhance his power and the army's while decreasing Parliament's control over him, probably to enable him to maintain a well-funded army that Parliament could not be depended upon to provide. The office of Lord Protector was not formally hereditary, although Cromwell was able to nominate his own successor in his son, Richard.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: A common argument against republicanism in Britain is that of the supposed failure of Cromwell when England was a republic. However, Republicans argue that this cannot be used as an argument against republicanism as it is nowhere near what a modern republic would be. In the time of Cromwell, the political system and powers of the head of state were very different to today. Most noticeably, if the UK was to be a republic today, it would most likely have a president with limited power who acts simply as a representative of the country much like the current monarch does.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Although England, Scotland and Ireland became constitutional monarchies, after the reigns of Charles II and his brother James II and VII, and with the ascension of William III and Mary II to the English, Irish and Scottish thrones as a result of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, there have been movements throughout the last few centuries whose aims were to remove the monarchy and establish a republican system. A notable period was the time in the late 18th century and early 19th century when many Radicals such as the minister Joseph Fawcett were openly republican.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: The American Revolution had a great impact on political thought in Ireland and Britain. According to Christopher Hitchens, the British–American author, philosopher, politician and activist, Thomas Paine was the "moral author of the American Revolution", who posited in the soon widely read pamphlet "Common Sense" (January 1776) that the conflict of the Thirteen Colonies with the Hanoverian monarchy in London was best resolved by setting up a separate democratic republic. To him, republicanism was more important than independence. However, the circumstances forced the American revolutionaries to give up any hope of reconciliation with Britain, and reforming its 'corrupt' monarchial government, that so often dragged the American colonies in its European wars, from within. He and other British republican writers saw in the Declaration of Independence (4 July 1776) a legitimate struggle against the Crown, that violated people's freedom and rights, and denied them representation in politics.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, debates started in the British Isles on how to respond. Soon a pro-Revolutionary republican and anti-Revolutionary monarchist camp had established themselves amongst the intelligentsia, who waged a pamphlet war until 1795. Prominent figures of the republican camp were Mary Wollstonecraft, William Godwin and Paine.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Paine would also play an important role inside the revolution in France as an elected member of the National Convention (1792–3), where he lobbied for an invasion of Britain to establish a republic after the example of the United States, France and its Sister Republics, but also opposed the execution of Louis XVI, which got him arrested. The First French Republic would indeed stage an Expedition to Ireland in December 1796 to help the Society of United Irishmen set up an Irish republic in order to destabilise the United Kingdom, but this ended in a failure. The subsequent Irish Rebellion of 1798 was suppressed by forces of the British Crown. Napoleon also planned an invasion of Britain since 1798 and more seriously since 1803, but in 1804 he relinquished republicanism by crowning himself Emperor of the French and converting all Sister Republics into client kingdoms of the French Empire, before calling off the invasion of Britain altogether in 1805.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: From the start of the French Revolution into the early 19th century, the revolutionary blue-white-red tricolour was used throughout England, Wales and Ireland in defiance of the royal establishment. During the 1816 Spa Fields riots, a green, white and red horizontal flag appeared for the first time, soon followed by a red, white and green horizontal version allegedly in use during the 1817 Pentrich rising and the 1819 Peterloo Massacre. The latter is now associated with Hungary, but then it became known as the British Republican Flag. It may have been inspired by the French revolutionary tricolour, but this is unclear. It was however often accompanied by slogans consisting of three words such as "Fraternity – Liberty – Humanity" (a clear reference to "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"), and adopted by the Chartist movement in the 1830s.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Besides these skirmishes in Great Britain itself, separatist republican revolutions against the British monarchy during the Canadian rebellions of 1837–38 and the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 failed.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Parliament passed the Treason Felony Act in 1848. This act made advocacy of republicanism punishable by transportation to Australia, which was later amended to life imprisonment. The law is still on the statute books; however in a 2003 case, the Law Lords stated that "It is plain as a pike staff to the respondents and everyone else that no one who advocates the peaceful abolition of the monarchy and its replacement by a republican form of government is at any risk of prosecution", for the reason that the Human Rights Act 1998 would require the 1848 Act to be interpreted in such a way as to render such conduct non-criminal.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: During the later years of Queen Victoria's reign, there was considerable criticism of her decision to withdraw from public life following the death of her husband, Prince Albert. This resulted in a "significant incarnation" of republicanism. During the 1870s, calls for Britain to become a republic on the American or French model were made by the politicians Charles Dilke and Charles Bradlaugh, as well as journalist George W. M. Reynolds. This republican presence continued in debates and the Labour press, especially in the event of royal weddings, jubilees and births, until well into the Interwar Period.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In 1923, at the Labour Party's annual conference, two motions were proposed, supported by Ernest Thurtle and Emrys Hughes. The first was "that the Royal Family is no longer a necessary party of the British constitution", and the second was "that the hereditary principle in the British Constitution be abolished". George Lansbury responded that, although he too was a republican, he regarded the issue of the monarchy as a "distraction" from more important issues. Lansbury added that he believed the "social revolution" would eventually remove the monarchy peacefully in the future. Both of the motions were overwhelmingly defeated. Following this event, most of the Labour Party moved away from advocating republican views. In 1936, following the abdication of Edward VIII, MP James Maxton proposed a "republican amendment" to the Abdication Bill, which would have established a Republic in Britain. Maxton argued that while the monarchy had benefited Britain in the past, it had now "outlived its usefulness". Five MPs voted to support the bill, including Alfred Salter. However the bill was defeated by 403 votes.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Willie Hamilton, a republican Scottish Labour MP who served from 1950 to 1987, was known for his outspoken anti-royal views. He discussed these at length in his 1975 book "My Queen and I".


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In 1991, Labour MP Tony Benn introduced the Commonwealth of Britain Bill, which called for the transformation of the United Kingdom into a "democratic, federal and secular Commonwealth of Britain", with an elected president. The monarchy would be abolished and replaced by a republic with a written constitution. It was read in Parliament a number of times until his retirement at the 2001 election, but never achieved a second reading. Benn presented an account of his proposal in "Common Sense: A New Constitution for Britain".


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In January 1997, ITV broadcast a live television debate "Monarchy: The Nation Decides", in which 2.5 million viewers voted on the question "Do you want a monarch?" by telephone. Speaking for the republican view were Professor Stephen Haseler, (chairman of Republic), agony aunt Claire Rayner, Paul Flynn, Labour MP for Newport West and Andrew Neil, then the former editor of "The Sunday Times". Those in favour of the monarchy included author Frederick Forsyth, Bernie Grant, Labour MP for Tottenham, and Jeffrey Archer, former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Conservative MP Steven Norris was scheduled to appear in a discussion towards the end of the programme, but officials from Carlton Television said he had left without explanation. The debate was conducted in front of an audience of 3,000 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, with the telephone poll result being that 66% of voters wanted a monarch, and 34% did not.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: At the annual State Opening of Parliament, MPs are summoned to the House of Lords for the Queen's Speech. From the 1990s until the 2010s, republican MP Dennis Skinner regularly made a retort to Black Rod, the official who commands the House of Commons to attend the speech. Skinner had previously remained in the Commons for the speech.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: MORI polls in the opening years of the 21st century showed support for retaining the monarchy stable at around 70% of people, but in 2005, at the time of the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, support for the monarchy dipped, with one poll showing that 65% of people would support keeping the monarchy if there were a referendum on the issue, with 22% saying they favoured a republic. In 2009 an ICM poll, commissioned by the BBC, found that 76% of those asked wanted the monarchy to continue after the Queen, against 18% of people who said they would favour Britain becoming a republic and 6% who said they did not know.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In February 2011, a YouGov poll put support for ending the monarchy after the Queen's death at 13%, if Prince Charles became king. However, an ICM poll shortly before the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April 2011, suggested that 26% thought Britain would be better off without the monarchy, with only 37% "genuinely interested and excited" by the wedding. Also taken in April 2011, an Ipsos MORI poll of 1,000 British adults found that 75% of the public would like Britain to remain a monarchy, with 18% in favour of Britain becoming a republic. In May 2012, in the lead up to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, an Ipsos MORI poll of 1,006 British adults found that 80% were in favour of the monarchy, with 13% in favour of the United Kingdom becoming a republic. This was thought to be a record-high figure in recent years in favour of the monarchy.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In September 2015, Jeremy Corbyn, a Labour MP with republican views, won his party's leadership election and became both Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party. In 1991, Corbyn had seconded the Commonwealth of Britain Bill. However, Corbyn stated during his 2015 campaign for the leadership that republicanism was "not a battle that I am fighting".


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: At the swearing of oaths in the Commons following the 2017 general election, Republic reported that several MPs had prefixed their parliamentary oath of allegiance with broadly republican sentiments, such as a statement referring to their constituents, rather than the Queen. If an MP does not take the oath or the affirmation to the Queen, they will not be able to take part in parliamentary proceedings or paid any salary and allowances until they have done so. Such MPs included Richard Burgon, Laura Pidcock, Dennis Skinner, Chris Williamson, Paul Flynn, Jeff Smith, and Emma Dent Coad. Roger Godsiff and Alex Sobel also expressed sympathy for an oath to their constituents.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In May 2021, a YouGov poll put support for the monarchy down at 61% (with 24% against) among all over-18s, with a particularly high rise in republican views and an overall plurality for its replacement with an elected head of state in the 18–24 age group (41%–31%). The poll also suggested significant reductions in support for the monarchy in 25–49 year olds, and a slight fall in support among over 65s.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In May 2022, ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, another YouGov poll showed that only 31% of 18–24 year olds were in favour of the monarchy, compared to 66% of the population as a whole. Four months later, in the wake of the Queen's death, this figure stood firm at 67%.Protests against the Monarchy of King Charles III have expressed and included Blank pieces of paper, heckling during Royal processions involving Prince Andrew & Egging attempts.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Alongside several politicians encouraging debate on the issue of Republic on a local and national level.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: , none of the three major British political parties—the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats—have an official policy of republicanism. However, there are a number of individual politicians who favour abolition of the monarchy.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Although its membership includes both republicans and monarchists, the Scottish National Party, which supports Scottish independence, does not have an official policy of republicanism, and instead favours making a decision on the head of state of an independent Scotland only after independence is attained in itself. The Green Party of England and Wales, with one MP in Parliament since 2010, has an official policy of republicanism. The Irish republican party Sinn Féin has seven MPs, but they do not take their UK parliamentary seats as a rejection of British authority in Northern Ireland. The Scottish Greens, with eight MSPs in the 2021–2026 Scottish Parliament, support having an elected head of state in an independent Scotland.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Labour for a Republic is a republican pressure group of Labour Party members and supporters, founded by Labour politician Ken Ritchie in May 2011. It held its first meeting in 2012. Efforts to get the campaign started were then unsuccessful. It has since held fringe meetings, and other informal meetings, and appeared in the media on a few occasions. As of September 2022, its chairman is Nick Wall. The organisation held a fringe event at the Labour Party's annual conference on 25 September 2022, which attracted large crowds, and included "The Guardian"s columnist Polly Toynbee, author Paul Richards, and expert in constitutional law Dr Adam Tucker as panellists. In response to the Labour Party's decision to sing "God Save the King" at the conference, panellists and those who attended the event said they did not want to see it booed or heckled. It was reported that the singing was not disrupted, and that the minute of silence for Elizabeth II was observed without failure.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: It is rare for a high-profile British politician to identify with republicanism, even among those who campaigned for a republic earlier in their careers. Former UK prime minister Liz Truss was an advocate of republicanism prior to becoming a Conservative MP. Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer was, at an earlier time in his career, also on record as a republican, but no longer identifies as one. His predecessor as Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, although an avowed left-winger, also stressed that his personal support for republicanism would not influence his policy agenda.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Even if an MP is a republican, it is still today unlikely they will publicly show their support for the abolishment of the Monarchy, as it could affect their popularity among voters. It would be widely accepted by most privately republican MPs, that the matter is not of enough significance to potentially damage their career over. However, if polls among voters were to change, it is likely we will see more openly republican MPs in the future.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Following on from the previous section, one MP that was very outspoken about his republican views was Dennis Skinner. In fact, "The Beast of Bolsover" is probably the most well-known republican MP. Whether it be the traditional Queen speech jokes or his famous interview regarding what jobs he thinks the Royal Family should do if they were to be abolished, he certainly never held back on his strong views. Dennis Skinner was the (Labour) MP for Bolsover and despite his controversial views he retained his seat for 47 years.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Pretty much every conversation between a republican and monarchist regarding their oppositional views will involve the "tourism" factor. It is unknown just how much the royal family (as people) bring into the UK's economy in terms of tourism, because it is simply impossible to calculate. The widely accepted viewpoint from republicans is that the Royal Family's existence does not make much difference to tourism but that it is the buildings and history of the Royal Family that attracts tourists. Many monarchists argue that the Royal Family themselves as people do boost tourism as they reinforce the monarchy's "brand" through simply their existence but also the occasional events that only because of their existence are continued, such as royal weddings, jubilees etc. These events attract large both domestic and international crowds and arguably encourage international audiences to visit places like Buckingham Palace and Windsor castle. The tourism factor is mostly brought up by monarchists to claim that the United Kingdom would lose tourism and therefore be financially worse off if they had no monarchy. However, many republicans argue that monarchists overstate the impact and that if the monarchy was to be abolished, there would be little impact at all on tourism. In fact, many republicans argue the country could make even more net income from tourism as it would still have the driving factor of tourism (the buildings and history) but would not have to pay the costs of maintaining the monarchy.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Most do agree that a country's head of state and constitution should be based on principle and not on financial aspects like tourism impacts .


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: The largest lobby group in favour of republicanism in the United Kingdom is the Republic campaign group, founded in 1983. The group has benefited from occasional negative publicity about the Royal Family, and Republic reported a large rise in membership following the wedding of then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. Republic has lobbied on changes to the parliamentary oath of allegiance, royal finances and changes to the Freedom of Information Act relating to the monarchy, none of which have produced any change. However, Republic has been invited to Parliament to talk as witnesses on certain issues related to the monarchy such as conduct of the honours system in the United Kingdom.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: In 2009, Republic made news by reporting Prince Charles's architecture charity to the Charity Commission, claiming that the Prince was effectively using the organisation as a private lobbying firm (the Commission declined to take the matter further). Republic has previously broken stories about royals using the Freedom of Information Act.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Newspapers "The Guardian", "The Observer", "The Economist" and "The Independent" have all advocated the abolition of the monarchy. In the wake of the 2009 MPs' expenses scandal, a poll of readers of "The Guardian" and "The Observer" placed support for abolition of the monarchy at 54%, although only 3% saw it as a top priority. The online magazine "Spiked" supports republicanism.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: The chart below shows opinion polls conducted about whether the United Kingdom should become a republic. The trend lines are local regressions (LOESS).


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: Various questions have been asked by opinion polling companies. The following table includes a selection of polls of the general public summarised by whether respondents support the continuation of the monarchy or its abolition (whether or not a republic is specified). Polling suggests that a large majority of Britons were in favour of the monarchy during the 1990s and 2000s, with support mostly ranging from 70% to 74%, never falling below 65%. Support appeared to strengthen in the early to mid 2010s, with most polls during this period suggesting that between 75% and 80% (and all suggesting at least 69%) of the public were in favour of the monarchy. The level of support for the institution has declined since 2019, ranging between 50% to 68% since then. Polls since the 1990s have shown the proportion favouring a republic as ranging from 13% to 29%. The figure appears to have slightly increased in recent years, but has consistently remained a significantly less popular position than maintaining the monarchy. The monarchy is somewhat less popular among Black British, British Asians, and younger Britons under 35. The aforementioned groups are more in favor of a Republic.


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: The public debate around republicanism has centred around the core republican argument that a republic is more democratic and compatible with the notion of popular sovereignty. The advocacy group Republic argues:


title: Republicanism in the United Kingdom

text: The core anti-republican defense is that there is nothing in a republic that is inherently more democratic compared to a constitutional monarchy when both forms of government are based on parliamentarianism and constitutionalism, and that traditional institutions have confirmed the citizens as sovereign beings.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: The Iceman is a 2012 American biographical crime film loosely based on hitman Richard Kuklinski. Released in 2012 at the Venice Film Festival, the film was directed by Ariel Vromen, and stars Michael Shannon as Kuklinski, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, and Ray Liotta.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: The movie was presented at Venice film festival. Also showed at the 2012 Telluride Film Festival and the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival before receiving a limited release in cinemas in the United States on May 3, 2013. It expanded into more cinemas in the USA on May 17. It was released to DVD on September 3.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: When a man insults Richard Kuklinski's fiancée during a game of pool, he follows the man to his car and murders him by slashing his throat. Kuklinski marries Deborah in 1964 and the couple have two daughters. Kuklinski presents himself to everyone as a normal working man, but he has a dark, violent side that he hides. As a boy, he and his younger brother were the subject of brutal beatings from their immigrant Polish father, shaping the boys into emotionally disturbed, sadistic young men. His brother is serving a life sentence in prison for raping and murdering a 12-year old girl.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: Kuklinski works dubbing pornographic films, but tells his wife he dubs cartoons. The mob-backed company he works for is shut down by Roy DeMeo, a powerful New York City gangster. DeMeo tests Kuklinski by having him kill a homeless man, then hires him as an enforcer and contract killer. In 1975, Kuklinski moves his family into a nice suburban home and starts telling people he works at a currency trading company. He is ordered to kill a man who betrayed DeMeo, but finds a teenage girl in the closet afterwards. Freezy, a freelance hitman also hired by DeMeo, almost kills her, but is stopped by Kuklinski. DeMeo, already involved in a dispute with the Cali Cartel, is furious when he learns what happened and decommissions Kuklinski indefinitely. Needing money, he makes a deal with Freezy to carry out his murder contracts for him in return for half the bounties.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: Kuklinski's home life is beginning to unravel. He starts becoming incapable of hiding his inner rage and shows bursts of anger towards his wife and strangers. DeMeo's boss Leo Merks hires Freezy to kill one of DeMeo's associates, which Kuklinski does by poisoning him with cyanide. DeMeo finds out about the hits Kuklinski has been doing behind his back and threatens to kill his family if they ever cross paths again. Kuklinski then goes to Leo Merks to collect the bounty money, but Leo is furious that the job was not untraceable. He refuses to pay anything, prompting Kuklinski to shoot him dead. Kuklinski's daughter is hospitalized after a hit-and-run by DeMeo. Both Kuklinski and Freezy have to go on the run to escape DeMeo, but Kuklinski kills Freezy for suggesting that they kill each other's families to prevent them from talking to the police and then claiming that he already knows where Kuklinski lives (although Kuklinski is certain that he has never mentioned his address to Freezy).


title: The Iceman (film)

text: Following an undercover sting operation, Kuklinski is arrested in 1986. Neither his wife nor his daughters had ever suspected him of being a killer. Kuklinski admits to having committed over 100 murders, both for personal reasons and for profit, in his 22-year career. After being sentenced to two life terms in prison, he never sees his wife and daughters again. As the movie ends, Kuklinski's only regret is hurting his family through the crimes he committed. In 2006, he dies in a prison hospital, from a rare inflammatory disease; the film's closing intertitles indicate that foul play was suspected in his death as he was scheduled to testify at the trial of a Gambino family underboss.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: Filming took place in Los Angeles, California, New York City and Shreveport, Louisiana. Shannon's portrayal of Kuklinski includes the authentic voice Kuklinski had, as evidenced by his interviews with HBO in their 1993 documentary "Conversations with a Killer".


title: The Iceman (film)

text: "The Iceman" screened out of competition at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in August 2012. The film screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival in September that year. It was released in the United States on May 3, 2013. The film made $4.5 million during its theatrical run.


title: The Iceman (film)

text: "The Iceman" has an approval rating of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6.20/10 based on 128 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "While it deserved stronger direction and a more fully realized script, Michael Shannon's riveting performance in the title role is more than enough to make "The Iceman" recommended viewing." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 60 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: The Iceman (film)

text: Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" wrote that while the film is not "a great crime movie...it is an indelible film that clinches Mr. Shannon's status as a major screen actor." Tomas Hachard of "Slant Magazine" gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars. Meanwhile, Ben Kenigsberg of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a C+ rating. David Rooney of "The Hollywood Reporter" noted that "the film's chief asset is without question its performances." Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as ""Zodiac" meets "Goodfellas"". "Metro" also gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Michael Phillips of "Chicago Tribune" gave it 3 out of 4 stars, commenting that the film is "sleek, purposeful and extremely well acted". Oliver Lyttelton gave the film a C rating. Chris Nashawaty of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B− rating. Betsy Sharkey of "Los Angeles Times" criticized the film: "The great failing of "The Iceman" is not in giving us a monster, but in not making us care", she wrote. Jason Gorber of "Twitch Film" wrote: "Like a stiff mixed drink that doesn't live up to the quality of its ingredients, "The Iceman" proves to be an unpalatable, underwhelming crime drama."


title: Lukas Graham

text: Lukas Graham is a Danish pop band consisting of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lukas Forchhammer, bassist Magnus Larsson, and drummer Mark Falgren. The band released their first album, "Lukas Graham", with labels Copenhagen Records and in 2012. The album peaked at number one on the Danish charts. Their second album was released in 2015 and earned international attention with singles like "Mama Said" and "7 Years", the latter of which topped the singles charts in many major music markets. The self-titled international debut album was officially released in the United States by Warner Bros. Records on 1 April 2016.


title: Lukas Graham

text: The band formed in Denmark in 2011 and initially uploaded homemade videos of the songs "Drunk in the Morning" and "Criminal Mind". The songs were also shared on Facebook and accrued several hundred thousand views. The band signed a record deal in late 2011 with the Danish record label Copenhagen Records which is owned by Universal Music Denmark. In a later interview, Lukas Graham has revealed that the band already had a contract with Copenhagen Records and the self-made videos were the label's idea to create an underground buzz.


title: Lukas Graham

text: Their first release, available only in Europe and selected other nations, became certified five-times platinum in Denmark. Their first release also featured four charting songs such as "Drunk in the Morning", "Better Than Yourself (Criminal Mind Pt 2)" and "Ordinary Things". Over the course of 2012, Lukas Graham played 107 concerts throughout Europe, selling 40,000 tickets in Denmark alone. They sold 80,000 albums and 150,000 singles while also earning 5 million YouTube views and 27 million streams. Their tour took them across Europe to countries like England, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France, and Spain.


title: Lukas Graham

text: In 2013, the band continued to tour throughout Europe. In the summer of 2013, the band was added to the bill of the Grøn Koncert (Green Concert) tour which is held in support of muscular dystrophy research. In October 2013, Lukas Graham won the European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) for their international tours in Europe.


title: Lukas Graham

text: In the fall of 2013, the band signed to Warner Bros. Records. The record company signed them with the intent of bringing their music to the United States. Starting in early 2014, the band spent extended periods of time in Los Angeles writing and recording what would become their official U.S. debut. The band is still represented by Copenhagen Records in the Nordics, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France and is managed by "Then We Take The World". In March 2014, Forchhammer himself contributed vocals to Hedegaard's Danish number-one single "Happy Home". Later in 2014, the band released their first single, "Mama Said", off their upcoming album.


title: Lukas Graham

text: The band released their next record (often referred to as the "Blue Album") on Copenhagen Records and "Then We Take The World" solely in Denmark and several other mostly European nations in 2015. It peaked at number one in Denmark and made it onto several other Euro charts. It featured the singles "Mama Said", "Strip No More" and "7 Years", the last of which peaked at number one on the charts for Denmark, Italy, Austria, Belgium, and Sweden. The band made their United States television debut performing "7 Years" on a 10 December 2015 episode of "Conan" and the song peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 list. In March 2016, Lukas Graham performed "7 Years" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". The band has also performed the song on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Good Morning America.


title: Lukas Graham

text: By the end of March 2016, "7 Years" had achieved around 225 million total listens on Spotify worldwide with 17.2 million listeners per month, making the band the 20th most popular artist on the service. On 1 April 2016, the self-titled international debut was officially released in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. The US release of the album received new artwork, a reworked track listing, and a wider worldwide audience in countries including, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The album reached No. 3 on the "Billboard" 200, No. 2 in the UK and New Zealand, No. 1 in Australia and Canada, and No. 5 in Ireland. The band also embarked on a two-month long tour throughout the United States and Canada at the end of March 2016. Most dates on the tour have already sold out. As of November 2021, "7 Years" has over 1.32 billion Spotify streams.


title: Lukas Graham

text: In June 2016, keyboardist Kasper Daugaard left the band as "touring life wasn't right for (him)". He was temporarily replaced by the band's producer and former keyboardist, Morten Ristorp.


title: Lukas Graham

text: In December 2016, Lukas Graham was nominated for three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "7 Years" and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. "7 Year" was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2016 BBC Music Awards where the band performed the song live on 12 December 2016.


title: Lukas Graham

text: In September 2018, the band announced their third album "3 (The Purple Album)", to be released on 26 October 2018 through Warner Bros. Records, and its lead single "Love Someone".


title: Lukas Graham

text: On 20 February 2019, Lukas Graham performed as a guest artist on the third season of "I Can See Your Voice Thailand".


title: Lukas Graham

text: On 8 April 2019, Lukas Graham performed as a guest artist on the seventeenth season of American Idol during the second night of the "Top 20 Duets" episode. Forchhammer sang with contestants Eddie Island and Dimitrius Graham; both of which moved forward to the Top 14.


title: Lukas Graham

text: Lukas Graham's music has been described as a pop-soul hybrid. In a review of the band's new album, journalist Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" described their sound as the place "where pop meets R&B". Patrick Ryan of "USA Today" wrote that the band's songs "effortlessly blend elements of hip hop and folk". Lyrically, the songs often deal with relatable experiences like growing up poor ("Mama Said") or drinking ("Drunk in the Morning"). The band's most popular song, "7 Years", describes growing up and aging at specific points in life (from seven years old to 60).


title: Lukas Graham

text: Forchhammer grew up in a self-governing artistic community in the middle of Copenhagen called Christiania. The area is known for its creative atmosphere, relative poverty and crime. His experiences growing up in the community have shaped both the sound of his music and the lyrics he writes.


title: Felinae

text: The Felinae are a subfamily of the family Felidae. This subfamily comprises the small cats having a bony hyoid, because of which they are able to purr but not roar.


title: Felinae

text: Other authors have proposed an alternative definition for this subfamily: as comprising only the living conical-toothed cat genera with two tribes, the Felini and Pantherini; thus excluding all fossil cat species.


title: Felinae

text: The members of the Felinae have retractile claws that are protected by at least one cutaneous lobe. Their larynx is kept close to the base of the skull by an ossified hyoid.


title: Felinae

text: The term 'Felini' was first used in 1817 by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim, at the time for all the cat species that had been proposed as belonging to the genus "Felis".


title: Felinae

text: In 1917, Reginald Innes Pocock also subordinated the following genera to the Felinae that had been proposed in the course of the 19th century: "Lynx", "Puma", "Leptailurus", "Prionailurus", "Pardofelis", "Leopardus", "Herpailurus", "Neofelis" and four more.


title: Felinae

text: The Felinae and Pantherinae probably diverged about 11.5 million years ago. The genera within the Felinae diverged between 10.67 and 4.23 million years ago.


title: Hazel Keech

text: Hazel Keech (born 28 February 1987), also known by her modelling name Rose Dawn and married name Gurbasant Kaur, is a British actress and model who has appeared in Indian television programs and films. She has appeared in "Billa" and "Bodyguard" as well as in a Suzuki advertisement. She danced in the Frankfinn Music remix item number "Kahin Pe Nigahaen". She appeared in the reality television programme "Bigg Boss 7" in 2013.


title: Hazel Keech

text: Keech was born on 28 February 1987 in Essex, England, to a British Hindu father and an Indo-Mauritian Hindu mother of Bihari ancestry. She did her schooling at Beal High School in Redbridge, London, where she performed in stage shows and learned various forms of dance including Indian classical, British dance and western contemporary.


title: Hazel Keech

text: Keech became involved in television, film and stage. She danced in the British programme "Agatha Christie's Marple". The BBC documentary show "Call The Shots" showed her working in Hindi films. She joined the team of the Bollywood musical "Bombay Dreams" for their London promotional tour in 2002 and sang in the choir of the West End musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" the following year. She was an extra in several of the "Harry Potter" films.


title: Hazel Keech

text: In 2005, while holidaying in Mumbai, she received work offers and decided to stay and pursue a modelling and acting career in India. The first modelling company she worked with changed her name to Rose Dawn. She then worked in various music videos as "Kahin Pe Nigahen" as well as many TV commercials, such as "Vivel" by ITC, and the "Sprite" 'University of Freshology' commercial. In 2007, Keech appeared in the 2007 Tamil film "Billa", where she performed an item number in the song "Sei Ethavathu". In 2011, she played a supporting role in the Hindi film "Bodyguard" produced by Atul Agnihotri and directed by Siddique. She also performed an item number titled "Aa Ante Amlapuram" in the film "Maximum". She performed a song, "Chal Chal Chal", in the film "Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum" (2012).


title: Hazel Keech

text: She appeared in the popular Indian TV show "Bigg Boss 7" in September 2013 but a week later she was eliminated, the first contestant to exit the house. In an interview after her eviction she expressed her anger about Pratyusha Banerjee, saying, "She likes to create problems".


title: Hazel Keech

text: On 12 November 2015, Keech got engaged to Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh. They were married on 30 November 2016. After marriage, Hazel adopted the name "Gurbasant Kaur", which was given to her by Sant Balvinder Singh during the wedding ceremony. The couple had their first child, a boy on 25 January 2022.


title: Hazel Keech

text: Keech admitted in an interview that she survived severe depression and was suicidal in her time in India, and so she took up diploma to learn Psychotherapy to help others like her.


title: Sacrum

text: The sacrum (plural: "sacra" or "sacrums"), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30.


title: Sacrum

text: The sacrum situates at the upper, back part of the pelvic cavity, between the two wings of the pelvis. It forms joints with four other bones. The two projections at the sides of the sacrum are called the alae (wings), and articulate with the ilium at the L-shaped sacroiliac joints. The upper part of the sacrum connects with the last lumbar vertebra (L5), and its lower part with the coccyx (tailbone) via the sacral and coccygeal cornua.


title: Sacrum

text: The sacrum has three different surfaces which are shaped to accommodate surrounding pelvic structures. Overall it is concave (curved upon itself). The base of the sacrum, the broadest and uppermost part, is tilted forward as the sacral promontory internally. The central part is curved outward toward the posterior, allowing greater room for the pelvic cavity.


title: Sacrum

text: In all other quadrupedal vertebrates, the pelvic vertebrae undergo a similar developmental process to form a sacrum in the adult, even while the bony tail (caudal) vertebrae remain unfused. The number of sacral vertebrae varies slightly. For instance, the S1S5 vertebrae of a horse will fuse, the S1S3 of a dog will fuse, and four pelvic vertebrae of a rat will fuse between the lumbar and the caudal vertebrae of its tail.


title: Sacrum

text: The "Stegosaurus" dinosaur had a greatly enlarged neural canal in the sacrum, characterized as a "posterior brain case".


title: Sacrum

text: The sacrum is a complex structure providing support for the spine and accommodation for the spinal nerves. It also articulates with the hip bones. The sacrum has a base, an apex, and three surfaces – a pelvic, dorsal and a lateral surface. The base of the sacrum, which is broad and expanded, is directed upward and forward. On either side of the base is a large projection known as an ala of sacrum and these alae (wings) articulate with the sacroiliac joints. The alae support the psoas major muscles and the lumbosacral trunk which connects the lumbar plexus with the sacral plexus. In the articulated pelvis the alae are continuous with the iliac fossa. Each ala is slightly concave from side to side, and convex from the back and gives attachment to a few of the fibers of the iliacus muscle. The posterior quarter of the ala represents the transverse process, and its anterior three-quarters the costal process of the first sacral segment. Each ala also serves as part of the border of the pelvic brim. The alae also form the base of the lumbosacral triangle. The iliolumbar ligament and lumbosacral ligaments are attached to the ala.


title: Sacrum

text: In the middle of the base is a large oval articular surface, the upper surface of the body of the first sacral vertebra, which is connected with the under surface of the body of the last lumbar vertebra by an intervertebral fibrocartilage. Behind this is the large triangular orifice of the sacral canal, which is completed by the lamina and spinous process of the first sacral vertebra. The superior articular processes project from it on either side; they are oval, concave, directed backward and medialward, like the superior articular processes of a lumbar vertebra. They are attached to the body of the first sacral vertebra and to each ala, by short thick pedicles; on the upper surface of each pedicle is a vertebral notch, which forms the lower part of the foramen between the last lumbar and first sacral vertebrae.


title: Sacrum

text: The apex is directed downward and presents an oval facet for articulation with the coccyx. The sacral canal as a continuation of the vertebral canal runs throughout the greater part of the sacrum. The sacral angle is the angle formed by the true conjugate with the two pieces of sacrum. Normally it is greater than 60 degrees. A sacral angle of lesser degree suggests funneling of the pelvis.


title: Sacrum

text: The sacral promontory marks part of the border of the pelvic inlet, and comprises the iliopectineal line and the linea terminalis. The sacral promontory articulates with the last lumbar vertebra to form the sacrovertebral angle, an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal plane that provides a useful marker for a sling implant procedure.


title: Sacrum

text: The pelvic surface of the sacrum is concave from the top, and curved slightly from side to side. Its middle part is crossed by four transverse ridges, which correspond to the original planes of separation between the five sacral vertebrae. The body of the first segment is large and has the form of a lumbar vertebra; the bodies of the next bones get progressively smaller, are flattened from the back, and curved to shape themselves to the sacrum, being concave in front and convex behind. At each end of the transverse ridges, are the four anterior sacral foramina, diminishing in size in line with the smaller vertebral bodies. The foramina give exit to the anterior divisions of the sacral nerves and entrance to the lateral sacral arteries. Each part at the sides of the foramina is traversed by four broad, shallow grooves, which lodge the anterior divisions of the sacral nerves. They are separated by prominent ridges of bone which give origin to the piriformis muscle. If a sagittal section be made through the center of the sacrum, the bodies are seen to be united at their circumferences by bone, wide intervals being left centrally, which, in the fresh state, are filled by the intervertebral discs.


title: Sacrum

text: The dorsal surface of the sacrum is convex and narrower than the pelvic surface. In the middle line is the median sacral crest, surmounted by three or four tubercles—the rudimentary spinous processes of the upper three or four sacral vertebrae. On either side of the median sacral crest is a shallow sacral groove, which gives origin to the multifidus muscle. The floor of the groove is formed by the united laminae of the corresponding vertebrae. The laminae of the fifth sacral vertebra, and sometimes those of the fourth, do not meet at the back, resulting in a fissure known as the sacral hiatus in the posterior wall of the sacral canal. The sacral canal is a continuation of the spinal canal and runs throughout the greater part of the sacrum. Above the sacral hiatus, it is triangular in form. The canal lodges the sacral nerves, via the anterior and posterior sacral foramina.


title: Sacrum

text: On the lateral aspect of the sacral groove is a linear series of tubercles produced by the fusion of the articular processes which together form the indistinct medial sacral crest. The articular processes of the first sacral vertebra are large and oval-shaped. Their facets are concave from side to side, face to the back and middle, and articulate with the facets on the inferior processes of the fifth lumbar vertebra.


title: Sacrum

text: The tubercles of the inferior articular processes of the fifth sacral vertebra, known as the sacral cornua, are projected downward and are connected to the cornua of the coccyx. At the side of the articular processes are the four posterior sacral foramina; they are smaller in size and less regular in form than those at the front, and transmit the posterior divisions of the sacral nerves. On the side of the posterior sacral foramina is a series of tubercles, the transverse processes of the sacral vertebrae, and these form the lateral sacral crest. The transverse tubercles of the first sacral vertebra are large and very distinct; they, together with the transverse tubercles of the second vertebra, give attachment to the horizontal parts of the posterior sacroiliac ligaments; those of the third vertebra give attachment to the oblique fasciculi of the posterior sacroiliac ligaments; and those of the fourth and fifth to the sacrotuberous ligaments.


title: Sacrum

text: The lateral surface of the sacrum is broad above, but narrows into a thin edge below. The upper half presents in front an ear-shaped surface, the auricular surface, covered with cartilage in the immature state, for articulation with the ilium. Behind it is a rough surface, the sacral tuberosity, on which are three deep and uneven impressions, for the attachment of the posterior sacroiliac ligament. The lower half is thin, and ends in a projection called the inferior lateral angle. Medial to this angle is a notch, which is converted into a foramen by the transverse process of the first piece of the coccyx, and this transmits the anterior division of the fifth sacral nerve. The thin lower half of the lateral surface gives attachment to the sacrotuberous and sacrospinous ligaments, to some fibers of the gluteus maximus at the back and to the coccygeus in the front.


title: Sacrum

text: Rotation of the sacrum superiorly and anteriorly whilst the coccyx moves posteriorly relative to the ilium is sometimes called "nutation" (from the Latin term nutatio which means "nodding") and the reverse, postero-inferior motion of the sacrum relative to the ilium whilst the coccyx moves anteriorly, "counter-nutation".


title: Sacrum

text: In upright vertebrates, the sacrum is capable of slight independent movement along the sagittal plane. On bending backward the top (base) of the sacrum moves forward relative to the ilium; on bending forward the top moves back.


title: Sacrum

text: The "sacrum" refers to all of the parts combined. Its parts are called "sacral vertebrae" when referred individually.


title: Sacrum

text: In some cases the sacrum will consist of six pieces or be reduced in number to four. The bodies of the first and second vertebrae may fail to unite.


title: Sacrum

text: The somites that give rise to the vertebral column begin to develop from head to tail along the length of the notochord. At day 20 of embryogenesis the first four pairs of somites appear in the future occipital bone region. Developing at the rate of three or four a day, the next eight pairs form in the cervical region to develop into the cervical vertebrae; the next twelve pairs will form the thoracic vertebrae; the next five pairs the lumbar vertebrae and by about day 29 the sacral somites will appear to develop into the sacral vertebrae; finally on day 30 the last three pairs will form the coccyx.


title: Sacrum

text: The congenital disorder, spina bifida, occurs as a result of a defective embryonic neural tube, characterised by the incomplete closure of vertebral arch or of the incomplete closure of the surface of the vertebral canal. The most common sites for spina bifida malformations are the lumbar and sacral areas.


title: Sacrum

text: Another congenital disorder is that of caudal regression syndrome also known as "sacral agenesis". This is characterised by an abnormal underdevelopment in the embryo (occurring by the seventh week) of the lower spine. Sometimes part of the coccyx is absent, or the lower vertebrae can be absent, or on occasion a small part of the spine is missing with no outward sign.


title: Sacrum

text: Sacral fractures are relatively uncommon; however, they are often associated with neurological deficits. In the presence of neurological signs, they are mostly treated with surgical fixation.


title: Sacrum

text: The sacrum is one of the main sites for the development of the sarcomas known as chordomas that are derived from the remnants of the embryonic notochord.


title: Sacrum

text: In dogs the sacrum is formed by three fused vertebrae. The sacrum in the horse is made up of five fused vertebrae. In birds the sacral vertebrae are fused with the lumbar and some caudal and thoracic vertebrae to form a single structure called the synsacrum. In the frog the ilium is elongated and forms a mobile joint with the sacrum that acts as an additional limb to give more power to its leaps.


title: Sacrum

text: English "sacrum" was introduced as a technical term in anatomy in the mid-18th century, as a shortening of the Late Latin name "os sacrum" "sacred bone", itself a translation of Greek ἱερόν ὀστέον, the term found in the writings of Galen. Prior to the adoption of "sacrum", the bone was also called "holy bone" in English, paralleling German "heiliges Bein" or "Heiligenbein" (alongside "Kreuzbein") and Dutch "heiligbeen".


title: Sacrum

text: The origin of Galen's term is unclear. Supposedly the sacrum was the part of an animal offered in sacrifice (since the sacrum is the seat of the organs of procreation). Others attribute the adjective ἱερόν to the ancient belief that this specific bone would be indestructible. As the Greek adjective ἱερός may also mean "strong", it has also been suggested that "os sacrum" is a mistranslation of a term intended to mean "the strong bone". This is supported by the alternative Greek name μέγας σπόνδυλος by the Greeks, translating to "large vertebra", translated into Latin as "vertebra magna".


title: Sacrum

text: In Classical Greek the bone was known as κλόνις (Latinized "clonis"); this term is cognate to Latin "clunis" "buttock", Sanskrit "" "haunch" and Lithuanian "šlaunis" "hip, thigh". The Latin word is found in the alternative Latin name of the sacrum, "ossa clunium", as it were "bones of the buttocks". Due to the fact that the os sacrum is broad and thick at its upper end, the sacrum is alternatively called "os latum", "broad bone".


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru () or simply Theeran is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by H. Vinoth and produced by S. R. Prakashbabu and S. R. Prabhu under the banner Dream Warrior Pictures. Based on the incidents from the Operation Bawaria case, it depicts the nefarious activity of dacoits and its eventual containment with the Tamil Nadu Police squad headlined by DGP S. R. Jangid. The film stars Karthi, in the titular character Theeran, modelled on Jangid, alongside Rakul Preet Singh and Abhimanyu Singh, who plays the main antagonist.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Vinoth had planned for the script based on the incident even before his debut film "Sathuranga Vettai" (2014), but he later worked on the project in late-2014. To research further, he had met many police officers who handled the similar cases. Following an official announcement in December 2016, principal photography commenced in January 2017 and ended that July. Filming took place in many real locations across Chennai and North India, in order to capture the authenticity of the film and has been shot in locations where the incident happened. The film's cinematography was handled by Sathyan Sooryan and editing done by Sivanandeeswaran. Ghibran composed the soundtrack and film score.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The film, distributed and co-produced by Reliance Entertainment, released worldwide on 17 November 2017. The film opened to critical acclaim, praising direction, writing, cinematography, music, film score and the cast performances—especially that of Karthi. The authenticity of capturing the incidents, along with the realistic portrayal of Tamil Nadu Police in fiction was highlighted and praised by critics. As per source it was a box-office success, grossing 96 crore In addition, the film won an Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards and Techofes awards, two Edison and Vijay awards each. It received three nominations at the South Indian International Movie Awards and five Filmfare Awards; the film's only win was Best Tamil Actor (Critics) for Karthi. "Film Companion" ranked the film as one of the '25 Greatest Tamil Films of the Decade' and Karthi's performance among '100 Greatest Performances of the Decade"'."


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Sasi, the police officer in charge, orders that the documented criminal cases in the form of manuscripts be converted into digital format. During this process, he comes across a really spine-chilling dacoity murder case from several years ago. After reading the case history, he calls up the police officer who had taken charge of the case, Theeran Thirumaran.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: 1995: Theeran is in his police training college undergoing training to be posted as DSP from TNPSC exams. He tops the training period. Simultaneously, in a house along the highway of Tamil Nadu, a group of dacoits wrecks the house by barging in, killing all the people inside gruesomely and taking their belongings. Theeran returns to his hometown of Tanjavur, falls in love with his new neighbor Sripriya aka Priya, and the two get married. Later, Theeran becomes known in the police department for his ways of handling various cases, and he is later moved to Ponneri after a dacoital attack. Police Inspector Satya and Theeran both handle the case but lead nowhere with the case.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: 2003: Theeran, Sathya, and a group of other police officers go around India to see if they are able to identify the fingerprints of the dacoits. During this process, Theeran learns that these dacoits are actually tribe members of the left over cultural groups after the Indian Independence. They are eventually stopped by the carelessness of their superior officers, and the case is put on hold. Later, the dacoits raid the house of the ruling party's MLA and kill him. The government is under heavy pressure from the public, and the Home Minister gives Theeran all powers and a full team to nab the dacoits.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: A year later, they find one fingerprint match in Uttar Pradesh prison and go to a lorry station to capture the dacoit. Learning that the lorry has left and it is heading to Ponneri, Theeran and the other officers rush to stop them. The dacoits raid Sathya's house where they kill his wife, but Sathya's daughter is saved and Priya is put in a coma. Angered by this incident, Theeran, with the help of higher officials, puts together a team to capture the gang of dacoits leads by Oma. They camp in Rajasthan with the help of a local police officer. They come to know that the gang members except Oma are in their village, so they visit the village, only to be sent out by the villagers.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: While the case is going on, Theeran learns that Priya has died. This fuels his anger, which makes him even more motivated to find Oma. The team learns that there is a way to bring Oma out from his village. So he captures the organizer of the gang and one of the gang members and puts them in police custody. Infuriated, Oma vows to kill Theeran and his team. Theeran gets information that Oma will be on a train which is infiltrated by the team. Oma's right-hand man Khali manages to beat the cops that attempt to capture Oma. Theeran manages to arrive but Oma pulls the chain and he, Khali, and friend Bhora escapes. A local shepherd offers Theeran and his team a stay at his village.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Theeran and his team walk to the village and reside there for the night. Oma's gang infiltrates the village using the hunting tactics of wolves. Theeran formulates a plan and manages to kill all of them except Oma and Khali. Oma sets the village on fire and escapes with Khali. However, on their way out Theeran shoots Khali dead. Theeran chases Oma the whole night and catches up with him. After a prolonged fight Theeran knocks out Oma and drags him back to Tamil Nadu to be sentenced.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: 2017: It is revealed that Theeran has a boring, useless post in the Traffic vigilance department because he is straightforward and lives alone and also his wife Priya died as a result of the attacks. Theeran is visited by Sathya, Sathya's daughter, and Sasi, where impressed by his work and history, salutes him in glory.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The plot ends with a note conveying that the film is dedicated to all the people in the police department who fought and arrested those dacoits, and we thank them for their bravery and courage. The officers involved in this case were not recognized by the government by providing any honorary awards, neither were they promoted to higher posts.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Following the success of his first film "Sathuranga Vettai" (2014), director H. Vinoth was keen to make a sequel to the film starring either Suriya or Ajith Kumar, but their reluctance meant that he moved on to work on a different project based on the Operation Bawaria case. He stated that he had the idea of making a film on the case before he made "Sathuranga Vettai" but had forgotten about it until he opened a food parcel, which was coincidentally covered with a newspaper article narrating the events of the operation and the incident subsequently inspired him to work on the script. Initially, planned as a road-trip film, the script was later evolved into a full-fledged police story revolving around the entire timelines of the operation and the events happened. As a part of his research, Vinoth met a top-rung police officer with the help of his close friend, as a part of his research and had met nearly hundred officials who handled similar cases.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: In February 2016, he approached Karthi to play the lead role in the police drama film and was insistent that the final version carried the same "social responsibility angle" that the initial script had carried. Karthi expressed his immediate interest in working on the film, and recalled that he had first heard about the case while he was working on the making of "Siruthai" (2011). Vinoth continued to script the film throughout the year, while Karthi finished his pending work for "Kaashmora" (2016) and Mani Ratnam's "Kaatru Veliyidai" (2017). The film was officially titled as "Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru" in December 2016, with S. R. Prabhu's Dream Warrior Pictures agreed to produce the film in co-production with Reliance Entertainment which had distributed the film.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Speaking about the scaling and production of the film, H. Vinoth said that "it is a bigger film than "Sathuranga Vettai". That film, was just 10% of the original vision he had executed and planned to construct the six chapters of the film, with each chapter set within a specific geography, a dialect and a colour tone, which he had given up due to budget constraints". In this film, he had planned to shoot in original locations instead of cheating terrains in Chennai where they experience all that characters go through. Vinoth said that the producer gave full freedom on the filming without having thoughts on the film's budget.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Karthi plays the titular character Theeran, modelled on the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police S. R. Jangid, who led a special team to track down the main criminals involved in dacoity as a part of the Operation Bawaria case. Interestingly, while compared to his brother, Suriya's character Durai Singam in the "Singam" franchise, Karthi said that "he has a command over things and he can reprimand anyone he wants", but referred the titular role as "an upright cop who goes about his work in a tactful manner" and is true to the original character despite tweaked. For Karthi's costumes in the film, the team actively chose to use organic cotton shirts after being recommended to by Karthi's mother, Lakshmi Sivakumar since he felt that "the products were cheap and made of good-quality organic cotton, while also wanted to promote and encourage the product, starting it from our own production". To prepare for his role, Karthi underwent police training at the YMCA Campus in Chennai even before production began.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Rakul Preet Singh was signed to play the leading female role in the film. Talking about her character, Karthi said that "she has a nice and meaty role in it and would bring the much-needed relief in the film". Abhimanyu Singh was selected to portray the main antagonist Omveer Singh (Oma the fiend), based on the main culprit Om Bawaria involved in the operation Bawaria case. His character was considered to be a unique role in the film. Bose Venkat was also selected to portray a police officer in the film, with the actor stating that the role gave him "a new dimension and a new identity". Telugu actor Narra Srinivas made his debut in Tamil cinema by playing a police officer. Sathyan Sooryan was selected to handle the cinematography for the film, while Dhilip Subbarayan, Kathir, Sivanandeeswaran were signed to handle the stunt, art departments and editing respectively.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: In December 2016, a photo shoot for the film was held at Balu Mahendra Studios in Chennai with fashion photographer Venket Ram capturing the stills of Karthi's look in the film. The shooting of the film kickstarted on 17 January 2017, with major sequences being shot in Chennai, and the team later headed to North India for filming several sequences. In mid-February 2017, the team headed to Rajasthan for shooting action scenes and the schedule went on for 40 days. Later, another 40-day schedule was held in Bhuj in mid-March 2017. To make the film as authentic as possible, Vinoth actively hired artistes from the regions and insisted on shooting in such locations, rather than replicating the terrains in Chennai or in studios. As the film takes place for more than a decade beginning from the 1980s, Vinoth had to shoot at well-developed places, instead of constructing sets as Vinoth said that "the storyboard has nearly 150 sites and it is impossible to construct sets in many locations, as a result went on a location scouting for many places which took a long time".


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Though the realistic approach was praised, the crew members working on the film faced difficulties while shooting in the project, where several of the film's cast and crew fell sick during the making of the project as a result of the warm climate. On filming a chase scene involving two buses on a highway in Bhuj, Karthi said that "the exposure to the harsh sunlight became unbearable that he was literally under the verge of developing sun stroke". While another sequence featuring Karthi riding a horse in a river bed was filmed at Rajasthan-Gujarat border, the female horse named Chandini ran for two kilometres without break before finally stopping due to exhaustion. Karthi said that "the horse was only used in enclosed spaces, so when, the film was shot in a wide area and exposed to such freedom, the horse just began to run". The team also encountered sandstorm while shooting for the film, where a crane toppled over and drone cameras got damaged; the locals asked the team to cover themselves with balnkets and patiently wait till the storm subsided. Karthi, in an interview, described it as one of his most extensive action films, remarking the action sequences were not easy to execute.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: A huge set was erected in Rajasthan for few sequences in the film. In April 2017, an item number featuring actress Scarlett Mellish Wilson at Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan, with the song being choreographed by Brindha. In mid-June, the team returned to Chennai to shoot the final schedule of the film which took place for a month. As of late-June, the team had completed more than 95% of the sequences, and needed 3–4 days, to complete the entire shoot. With the patchwork scenes being completed, the team wrapped the shooting of the film by mid-July 2017.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Post-production of the film simultaneously began during the final schedule of the shoot. Karthi completed dubbing for the film at the same time. The animation sequence about the backstory of Bawaria was headlined by R. Senthil Kumar and S. Jayachandran of Hybrid Studio, a Chennai-based animation company. Vinoth consulted and hired the team after eventually working for "Sathuranga Vettai" (2014). He gave the script quite early, as it had scope for animation as it had a couple of portions that involved history. Jayachandran used the painting style for one portion and a graphic novel approach for the pre-interval sequence, with the primary use of colors — black, white and red — since blood was the theme of the film. The painting style that was the more complex one which had demanded more resources and concentration for the team.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The two-and-half minute sequence had 4,000 frames with each frame being painted individually. So the animation team hired ten students from Government College of Arts, and were taught to paint the frames digitally. The process completed within one-and-a-half months, as compared to manual painting that may take a long time. The animation and production of this sequence went on for six months. Speaking about the use of animation, Vinoth said that "the scenes might feel difficult in production as it required the historical approach and further more it featured excessive violence sequences, that may result in huge cuts when it comes to censors. So the use of animation was considered as the appropriate one."


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The film score and seven-song soundtrack is composed by Ghibran in his maiden collaboration with Karthi and H. Vinoth. Lyricists Thamarai, Umadevi, Vivek, Raju Murugan, Ranjith, Udayakumar and Soundararajan penned each song in the album. Besides composing, Ghibran also co-wrote the track "Sevatha Pulla" with Ranjith, who led vocals for the track. In his maiden attempt as a lyricist, Ghibran wrote few dummy lines, based on his college band experience and later re-wrote the same track with the lines have been alternatively changed. The audio launch of the film was cancelled due to the heavy rains in Chennai and instead, a formal press meet was held on 2 November 2017 at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai, with the cast and crew attending the event. The soundtrack consisted of varied genres had the aspects of a conventional Tamil film music. The melody tracks appeared in the film were used partially as montages due to the scope of the romantic angle in the film appeared as sub-plot. The item number "Tinga Tinga" was featured in full in the film has two versions: the original version by Namitha Babu, and the dual version sung by Padmalatha, featured Hindi lyrics.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The film depicts Operation Bawaria, the investigation of a series of dacoity cases by the Tamil Nadu Police Department. The operation led to the gunning down of two members of a criminal gang belonging to the Bawariya tribe from Uttar Pradesh as well as further arrests in the 2000s. Armed dacoits had struck affluent houses along National Highways in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The operation against the criminals was officially launched in January 2005 soon after the murder of AIADMK MLA Sudarsanam from Gummidipoondi. A special team led by the then Director General of Police S. R. Jangid, worked in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Police and intelligence agencies to track down the wanted criminals — Oma Bawaria, Bsura Bawaria, and Vijay Bawaria among others. The teams worked for several weeks to put together information and camped in remote locations in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab before gunning down Bsura Bawaria and Vijay Bawaria. The other prime suspects, Oma Bawaria, and K. Lakshman, alias Ashok Bawaria, were then arrested and brought to Tamil Nadu, where they were convicted and awarded the death penalty by a special court. The film was made in close consultation with Jangid and the other officers involved in the operation. Post-release of the film, Jangid appreciated the team for their realistic portrayal of events and praised the director's research for the film.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: In September 2017, the makers kickstarted the promotions by launching the dates of the teaser and trailer release, with the film's scheduled release date of 17 November 2017 was announced. As per the official announcement by the production team, the teaser of the film was released on 27 September 2017, coinciding the Dusshera weekend. The official trailer was launched on the eve of Diwali (17 October 2017). Reliance Entertainment purchased the worldwide distribution rights, whilst Aditya Music which had the film's music rights, gained acquisition for the rights of the film in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions. The Tamil Nadu theatrical rights valued at , and Dream Warrior Pictures sent the film to its area-wise distributors — Sathyam Cinemas (Chennai), Sivasakthi Theatres (Chengalpet), Pondichery Suresh (North Arcot), Alankar Theatres Devraj (South Arcot), CinePark (Coimbatore), Baradhan Films (Trichy–Thanjavur), Kandhaswamy Arts Centre (Madurai–Ramanathapuram), Subbu Raj (Tirunelveli–Kanyakumari) and 7G Films (Salem). Except for Chennai, Trichy–Thanjavur and Madurai–Ramanathapuram territories, all the areas has been sold on Minimum guarantee (MG) basis, while the theatrical rights in these regions have been sold on distribution basis.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The film opened in more than 450 theatres worldwide, which is a biggest release of a Karthi-starrer till date. The pre-bookings of the film started on 15 November 2017. Sathyam Cinemas allocated the main screen for the opening day of the release. In United States, the premiere shows for the film were conducted on 16 November, a day before the Indian release. Atmus Entertainment acquired the theatrical rights in the country, with the film being screened at 160 theatres in 83 locations. Even before the theatrical release, Star Vijay and Amazon Prime Video acquired the satellite and digital rights of the film. The film was made available in Amazon Prime Video, a month after its theatrical release, while the film's television premiere took place on 14 January 2018, coinciding with Pongal.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Post-release, a section of communities expressed disappointment over the depiction of Bawariya community as a clan of criminals. The makers released a statement, in response to the issue, saying "The movie is only based on the robbery incidents happened in various states of India. The film has not portrayed any community in bad light. No community thrives only on murder and robbery." The producers further stated that the controversial scene and the word used to describe the community will not be included in theatres, television broadcast and official online streaming portal.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: In the first three days, the film fetched more than in Tamil Nadu box office, At the Chennai city box-office, the film netted from 291 shows in first three days. The number of shows further increased to 340 from 20 November, after the positive word-of-mouth received. Within the first five days, the film netted whilst, at the second weekend, the film earned from 243 shows. Despite new releases in the second week, the film topped the first position in the Chennai box-office. The total collection in the territory in the first 10 days, was reported to be . At the end of its theatrical run, the emerged as the highest-grossing film of Karthi, earned . Its record was later broken by "Kaithi" (2019), which earned ₹100 crore.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: The film opened to critical acclaim, with praise directed on Karthi's performance, and Vinoth's direction and writing, apart from the realistic portrayal of Tamil Nadu Police in fiction, the incidents and the major technical aspects of the film. On the review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating 80% based on 9 reviews with an average rating 7.3/10.


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: "The Times of India" gave the film 4 stars (out of 5) and wrote: "Vinoth’s detailing with help from an able crew that pitches in with some of their best work to elevate the film from being a stand cop thriller." Srinivasa Ramanujan of "The Hindu" stated it as "an engrossing cop film that keeps you glued to the screen every moment" and further wrote "There’s sincerity in the writing and research and honesty in the performances. There are many highlights in "Theeran," some of which even makes us evaluate how cops are portrayed in films. We've seen many cop films before. But "Theeran" hits home hard." Haricharan Pudipeddi of "Hindustan Times" stated that "Theeran is a gripping, explosive action drama that works despite its lengthy running time and the tiresome romantic portion which can be overseen by the end of the film." Baradwaj Rangan of "Film Companion South" wrote "There are plenty of sharp, funny lines, and the highlights keep coming, like a superbly choreographed action stretch on a bus. For Vinoth, "Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru" is a vast improvement over "Sathuranga Vettai", where one sensed a lot of entertaining writing and little else. Even if it falls short of the standards it sets for itself, the film gives us more than most action movies do."


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: Ashameera Aiyyappan of "The Indian Express" said that "the film delivers what it promises and packs quite a neat punch in most places" and gave three out of five stars. Anupama Subramanian of "Deccan Chronicle" stated that the film "stands out for its honest and riveting portrayal of cops in fiction". Poornima Murali of "News18" called the film as "gripping" and assigned a score of 3.5 stars (out of 5). Writing for "Firstpost", film critic and trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai stated that "The film is very different in tone and presentation. The makers authentically portray the functioning of police and how they investigate. They have also shown us the practical difficulties in arresting criminals who operate outside the state without much commercial glorification or melodrama. The only commercial compromise Vinoth has made is to have a romantic plot for the hero for the regular family moments, comedy and background songs."


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: A critic from "Behindwoods" praised the action sequences in the film, which comes as a stand-out apart from "the intense suspense drama and the pace". "Sify" rated the film three out of five saying "an important story gets turned into a compelling film". Calling it as "one of the best films of the year", "Indiaglitz" said that "If Vinoth's Sathuranga Vettai is one of the most authentic deconstruction of heist and deception crimes Theeran is the same for police procedure.  Like how he posts a salute to the true cops who cracked the crimes in real life he deserves one for his painstaking research, authentic narration and plain honest hard work". "Rediff"-based writer Ganesh Nadar, called the film as "riveting". Sowmya Rajendran of "The News Minute" said ""Theeran" is a cop film entirely from the perspective of law enforcers and that makes its politics troubling. Nevertheless, given that we've had a slew of films in this genre in recent times (including the now-getting-stale "Singam" series), its triumph lies in managing to pull off something fresh and original." Sudhir Srinivasan of "The New Indian Express" stated that ""Theeran Adhigaram Ondru" isn’t your usual Tamil cop film, but that sadly doesn’t stop it from being crippled by some usual issues. The love angle is wholly dispensable, regardless of what Theeran’s manipulative voice-over will make you believe, and also by the inclusion of disappointing elements like the outdated villain-item-number. Part of the love you feel for the film is also watered down by this inability to wrap up things efficiently. But, nevertheless, it is a solid cop-film."


title: Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru

text: "Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru" received praise from actors and directors from the Tamil film fraternity, including Karthi's brother Suriya, who watched the film at a special screening in Chennai and praised the team for making "a bold film with an impactful and realistic approach". Director Shankar also praised the film saying it as "a terrific cop film". Vijay too appreciated Vinoth's film-making style and authenticity after watching the film at a special screening in Chennai. "The Hindu", "The Indian Express", "The New Indian Express" and "Firstpost" ranked the film as one among the 'Best Tamil Films of 2017'. It was listed as the "Top 10 Indian Film" at IMDb along with "Vikram Vedha" and "". Karthi said in the film's success meet, saying that "it tried him to work on new genres". In late-2019, "Film Companion" ranked the film as one of the '25 Greatest Tamil Films of the Decade' and Karthi's performance among '100 Greatest Performances of the Decade"'." Sreedhar Pillai of "Firstpost", stated that "Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru" and "Thani Oruvan" (2015), click among the general audience due to the realistic approach and stays true to the portrayal of Tamil Nadu Police in fiction, apart from mainstream Tamil films.


title: Rick Steves

text: Richard John Steves Jr. (born May 10, 1955), known professionally as Rick Steves, is an American travel writer, author, activist, and television personality. His travel philosophy encourages people to explore less-touristy areas of destinations and to become immersed in the local people's way of life. Since 2000, he has hosted "Rick Steves' Europe", a travel series on public television. Steves also has a public radio travel show called "Travel with Rick Steves" (2005−present) and has authored numerous travel guides, the first of which was the popular "Europe Through the Back Door". In 2006, he became a syndicated newspaper columnist, and in 2010, his company released a mobile phone application called "Rick Steves’ Audio Europe" containing self-guided walking tours and geographic information.


title: Rick Steves

text: Richard John Steves Jr. was born in Barstow, California to parents Richard John Steves, a high school band director and piano technician, and June Erna Steves, née Fremmerlid. His mother, June Erna, was born to Norwegian immigrants Harold and Erna Fremmerlid. He has two sisters, Jan and Linda. The family moved to Edmonds, Washington in 1967.


title: Rick Steves

text: When Steves was 14, he and his parents took a trip to Europe to see the factories that manufactured pianos. The family owned a piano store named "Steves Sound of Music" where they imported and sold pianos, and also tuned pianos. He documented what he saw and experienced on the backs of postcards which he numbered sequentially. He still has all of those cards stored in a wooden box. The family also visited relatives in Norway during the Apollo 11 moon landing, and in a park in Oslo, Steves came to a realization that would influence him throughout his life: "This planet must be home to billions of equally lovable children of God." When he turned 18, he again visited Europe, but without his parents. He kept journals of all of those experiences, as well.


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves attended the University of Washington, majoring in European history and business administration, graduating in 1978.


title: Rick Steves

text: In his 20s, Steves started teaching travel classes through The Experimental College, a student-run program of non-credit classes at his alma mater, the University of Washington, and working as a tour guide in the summer. At the time, he also worked as a piano teacher. In 1979, based on his travel classes, he wrote the first edition of "Europe Through the Back Door" (ETBD), a general guide on how to travel in Europe. Steves self-published the first edition of his travel skills book ETBD in 1980. The book contained a page that said "Anyone caught reprinting any material herein for any purpose whatsoever will be thanked profusely." Unlike most guidebook entrepreneurs, he opened a storefront business. Initially, this was both a travel center and a piano teaching studio. He held travel classes and slide show presentations, did travel consulting, organized a few group tours per year, and updated his books. He did not provide ticket booking or other standard travel agency services. He incorporated his business as "Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door". The store was in Steves's hometown of Edmonds, north of Seattle. The company's headquarters is still in Edmonds. Steves's first television show, "Travels in Europe with Rick Steves," debuted on public television in April 1991 and ended production in 1998. His second show, "Rick Steves' Europe," debuted in September 2000, and has aired episodes through 2020, though because he does not produce a season every year; this accounts for 11 seasons.


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves advocates independent travel. His books and media deal with travel mainly in Europe and are directed at a North American audience. As host, writer, and producer of the popular and long-running American Public Television series "Rick Steves' Europe", and through his travel books, he encourages Americans to become what he calls "temporary locals." He encourages his readers and viewers to visit not just major cities but also cozy villages away from popular tourist routes. Steves's television series, guidebooks, radio shows, mobile applications, and his company's European escorted bus tours attract fans known as "Rickniks".


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves's relationship with public television began in 1991 with his first series, "Travels in Europe With Rick Steves". Since then he has become one of public television's top pledge drive hosts, raising millions of dollars annually for stations across the U.S. He writes and co-produces his television programs through his own production company, Back Door Productions.


title: Rick Steves

text: Since self-publishing his first book in 1980, Steves has written country guidebooks, city and regional guides, phrasebooks, and co-authored "Europe 101: History and Art for Travelers". His guidebook to Italy is the bestselling international guidebook in the U.S. In 1999, he started writing in a new genre of travel writing with his anecdotal "Postcards from Europe", recounting his favorite moments from his many years of travel. Steves's books are published by Avalon Travel Publishing, a member of the Perseus Books Group. In 2009, Steves published the book "Travel as a Political Act," a guide on traveling more thoughtfully.


title: Rick Steves

text: In addition to his guidebooks and television shows, Steves has expanded into radio, newspaper, and mobile applications. In 2005, Steves launched a weekly public radio program, "Travel with Rick Steves". Focusing on world travel, although with a heavy emphasis on Europe and North America, each program has a guest travel expert for interviews, followed by call-ins with questions and comments. In 2006, Steves became a syndicated newspaper columnist with his Tribune Content Agency column. In 2010, he launched the mobile application "Rick Steves' Audio Europe", a library of audio content (including self-guided walking tours) organized into geographic-specific playlists for the iPhone and Android.


title: Rick Steves

text: Politically, Steves has identified himself as a member of the Democratic Party, and publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden's presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020, respectively.


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves is a vocal proponent of legalizing cannabis and an active supporter of efforts to reform cannabis policy in the U.S. According to Steves: "Like most of Europe, I believe marijuana is a soft drug, like alcohol and tobacco. Like alcohol and tobacco, there is no reason why it shouldn't be taxed and regulated. Crime should only enter the equation if it is abused to the point where innocent people are harmed."


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves serves on the Advisory Board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, becoming its chairman of the board of directors in 2021. He was also a major supporter of Initiative 502 to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis in the state of Washington. Steves hosted an ACLU-sponsored educational program called "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation", which was nominated for an Emmy.


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves also supports solutions to homelessness. In 2005, he constructed a 24-unit apartment complex in Lynnwood, Washington, called Trinity Place and administrated by the local YWCA, to provide transitional housing for homeless mothers and their children. In 2017, Steves donated that $4 million apartment complex for homeless women and kids to the YWCA. Members of the Edmonds Noontime Rotary Club help maintain the buildings and grounds, providing everything from furniture to flowers. The club also raised $30,000 to build a play structure for the children there.


title: Rick Steves

text: Steves also donates royalties from one of his books to the group Bread for the World, a movement to end hunger.


title: Rick Steves

text: A supporter of the arts, Steves gave US$1 million in 2011 to the Edmonds Center for the Arts and Cascade Symphony Orchestra.


title: Rick Steves

text: As a lifelong traveler, Steves avows that terrorism is something to which Americans should get accustomed, a natural outgrowth of the United States' position in the global community and how it is militarily advanced. In an interview with the "Seattle Times", Steves said: