title: Bouncer

text: Exempted from the Act are peace officers in specified circumstances and guards employed exclusively and regularly by any employer who does not provide contract security services (known as proprietary guards), provided they do not carry or use any deadly weapon in the performance of their duties.


title: Bouncer

text: In New York State, it is illegal for a bar owner to knowingly hire a felon for a bouncer position. Under Article 7 General Business Law, bars and nightclubs are not allowed to hire bouncers without a proper license. Under New York state law only a Private Investigator or watch, guard and patrol agency can supply security guards/bouncers to bars.


title: Bouncer

text: The list of notable bouncers includes celebrities and historical figures who worked as bouncers, often before coming to fame in another field or profession. A number of these bouncers were wrestlers (e.g., Dave Bautista, Road Warrior Animal, Rob Terry, Giant Haystacks and Rick Rude). Some, including Bautista, are also actors (e.g., Mr. T, Vin Diesel). Pope Francis worked as a nightclub bouncer in Buenos Aires while a university student.


title: Bouncer

text: Some types of ant species have evolved a sub-specialisation that has been called a "bouncer", and performs a similar function (throwing intruders outside) for its fellows. The majors of the Australian "Orectognathus versicolor" ants have massive blunt mandible jaws which are of little use to the prey-capture techniques this trap jaw species normally engages in. Instead, they spend much of their time guarding the nest opening, their jaws cocked. When foreign ants venture close, the force of the mandibles is sufficient to throw back the intruder for a significant distance, a defense behaviour which is thought to also protect the guard against physical or chemical injury that it might sustain in more direct battle.


title: Gossip Girl (season 2)

text: The second season of the American teen drama television series "Gossip Girl" premiered on The CW on September 1, 2008, and concluded on May 18, 2009, consisting of 25 episodes. Based on the novel series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, the series was developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Every episode title this season was a reference to a film from the 20th century.


title: Gossip Girl (season 2)

text: The newly formed Bass-Van der Woodsen family is now regarded as the richest on the Upper East Side. Eleanor Waldorf remarries, causing Blair to struggle with her new blended family. As Nate's family issues intensify, he takes extreme measures that ultimately hurts him and his chances with Vanessa. Lily grows closer to Rufus after three months of marriage than she does to Bart. Chuck is confronted with an unimaginable tragedy that will help him find his calling after high school. Serena, Eric, Dan, and Jenny learn a long-buried secret from Lily and Rufus's past that has come to light.


title: German tank problem

text: In the statistical theory of estimation, the German tank problem consists of estimating the maximum of a discrete uniform distribution from sampling without replacement. In simple terms, suppose there exists an unknown number of items which are sequentially numbered from 1 to "N". A random sample of these items is taken and their sequence numbers observed; the problem is to estimate "N" from these observed numbers.


title: German tank problem

text: The problem can be approached using either frequentist inference or Bayesian inference, leading to different results. Estimating the population maximum based on a "single" sample yields divergent results, whereas estimation based on "multiple" samples is a practical estimation question whose answer is simple (especially in the frequentist setting) but not obvious (especially in the Bayesian setting).


title: German tank problem

text: The problem is named after its historical application by Allied forces in World War II to the estimation of the monthly rate of German tank production from very limited data. This exploited the manufacturing practice of assigning and attaching ascending sequences of serial numbers to tank components (chassis, gearbox, engine, wheels), with some of the tanks eventually being captured in battle by Allied forces.


title: German tank problem

text: The adversary is presumed to have manufactured a series of tanks marked with consecutive whole numbers, beginning with serial number 1. Additionally, regardless of a tank's date of manufacture, history of service, or the serial number it bears, the distribution over serial numbers becoming revealed to analysis is uniform, up to the point in time when the analysis is conducted.


title: German tank problem

text: Assuming tanks are assigned sequential serial numbers starting with 1, suppose that four tanks are captured and that they have the serial numbers: 19, 40, 42 and 60.


title: German tank problem

text: The "Bayesian" approach predicts that the median number of tanks produced will be very similar to the frequentist prediction:


title: German tank problem

text: Let equal the total number of tanks predicted to have been produced, equal the highest serial number observed and equal the number of tanks captured.


title: German tank problem

text: This distribution has a positive skewness, related to the fact that there are at least 60 tanks. Because of this skewness, the mean may not be the most meaningful estimate. The median in this example is 74.5, in close agreement with the frequentist formula. Using Stirling's approximation, the Bayesian probability function may be approximated as


title: German tank problem

text: During the course of the Second World War, the Western Allies made sustained efforts to determine the extent of German production and approached this in two major ways: conventional intelligence gathering and statistical estimation. In many cases, statistical analysis substantially improved on conventional intelligence. In some cases, conventional intelligence was used in conjunction with statistical methods, as was the case in estimation of Panther tank production just prior to D-Day.


title: German tank problem

text: The allied command structure had thought the Panzer V (Panther) tanks seen in Italy, with their high velocity, long-barreled 75 mm/L70 guns, were unusual heavy tanks and would only be seen in northern France in small numbers, much the same way as the Tiger I was seen in Tunisia. The US Army was confident that the Sherman tank would continue to perform well, as it had versus the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks in North Africa and Sicily. Shortly before D-Day, rumors indicated that large numbers of Panzer V tanks were being used.


title: German tank problem

text: To determine whether this was true, the Allies attempted to estimate the number of tanks being produced. To do this, they used the serial numbers on captured or destroyed tanks. The principal numbers used were gearbox numbers, as these fell in two unbroken sequences. Chassis and engine numbers were also used, though their use was more complicated. Various other components were used to cross-check the analysis. Similar analyses were done on wheels, which were observed to be sequentially numbered (i.e., 1, 2, 3, ..., "N").


title: German tank problem

text: The analysis of tank wheels yielded an estimate for the number of wheel molds that were in use. A discussion with British road wheel makers then estimated the number of wheels that could be produced from this many molds, which yielded the number of tanks that were being produced each month. Analysis of wheels from two tanks (32 road wheels each, 64 road wheels total) yielded an estimate of 270 tanks produced in February 1944, substantially more than had previously been suspected.


title: German tank problem

text: German records after the war showed production for the month of February 1944 was 276. The statistical approach proved to be far more accurate than conventional intelligence methods, and the phrase "German tank problem" became accepted as a descriptor for this type of statistical analysis.


title: German tank problem

text: Estimating production was not the only use of this serial-number analysis. It was also used to understand German production more generally, including number of factories, relative importance of factories, length of supply chain (based on lag between production and use), changes in production, and use of resources such as rubber.


title: German tank problem

text: According to conventional Allied intelligence estimates, the Germans were producing around 1,400 tanks a month between June 1940 and September 1942. Applying the formula below to the serial numbers of captured tanks, the number was calculated to be 246 a month. After the war, captured German production figures from the ministry of Albert Speer showed the actual number to be 245.


title: German tank problem

text: Similar serial-number analysis was used for other military equipment during World War II, most successfully for the V-2 rocket.


title: German tank problem

text: Factory markings on Soviet military equipment were analyzed during the Korean War, and by German intelligence during World War II.


title: German tank problem

text: In the 1980s, some Americans were given access to the production line of Israel's Merkava tanks. The production numbers were classified, but the tanks had serial numbers, allowing estimation of production.


title: German tank problem

text: The formula has been used in non-military contexts, for example to estimate the number of Commodore 64 computers built, where the result (12.5 million) matches the low-end estimates.


title: German tank problem

text: To confound serial-number analysis, serial numbers can be excluded, or usable auxiliary information reduced. Alternatively, serial numbers that resist cryptanalysis can be used, most effectively by randomly choosing numbers without replacement from a list that is much larger than the number of objects produced, or by producing random numbers and checking them against the list of already assigned numbers; collisions are likely to occur unless the number of digits possible is more than twice the number of digits in the number of objects produced (where the serial number can be in any base); see birthday problem. For this, a cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator may be used. All these methods require a lookup table (or breaking the cypher) to back out from serial number to production order, which complicates use of serial numbers: a range of serial numbers cannot be recalled, for instance, but each must be looked up individually, or a list generated.


title: German tank problem

text: Alternatively, sequential serial numbers can be encrypted with a simple substitution cipher, which allows easy decoding, but is also easily broken by frequency analysis: even if starting from an arbitrary point, the plaintext has a pattern (namely, numbers are in sequence). One example is given in Ken Follett's novel "Code to Zero", where the encryption of the Jupiter-C rocket serial numbers is given by:


title: German tank problem

text: The code word here is Huntsville (with repeated letters omitted) to get a 10-letter key. The rocket number 13 was therefore "HN", and the rocket number 24 was "UT".


title: German tank problem

text: For point estimation (estimating a single value for the total, formula_11), the minimum-variance unbiased estimator (MVUE, or UMVU estimator) is given by:


title: German tank problem

text: where "m" is the largest serial number observed (sample maximum) and "k" is the number of tanks observed (sample size). Note that once a serial number has been observed, it is no longer in the pool and will not be observed again.


title: German tank problem

text: so the standard deviation is approximately "N"/"k", the expected size of the gap between sorted observations in the sample.


title: German tank problem

text: The formula may be understood intuitively as the sample maximum plus the average gap between observations in the sample, the sample maximum being chosen as the initial estimator, due to being the maximum likelihood estimator, with the gap being added to compensate for the negative bias of the sample maximum as an estimator for the population maximum, and written as


title: German tank problem

text: This can be visualized by imagining that the observations in the sample are evenly spaced throughout the range, with additional observations just outside the range at 0 and "N" + 1. If starting with an initial gap between 0 and the lowest observation in the sample (the sample minimum), the average gap between consecutive observations in the sample is formula_15; the formula_16 being because the observations themselves are not counted in computing the gap between observations.. A derivation of the expected value and the variance of the sample maximum are shown in the page of the discrete uniform distribution.


title: German tank problem

text: This philosophy is formalized and generalized in the method of maximum spacing estimation; a similar heuristic is used for


title: German tank problem

text: plotting position in a Q–Q plot, plotting sample points at , which is evenly on the uniform distribution, with a gap at the end.


title: German tank problem

text: Instead of, or in addition to, "point" estimation, "interval" estimation can be carried out, such as confidence intervals.


title: German tank problem

text: These are easily computed, based on the observation that the probability that "k" observations in the sample will fall in an interval covering "p" of the range (0 ≤ "p" ≤ 1) is "p" (assuming in this section that draws are "with" replacement, to simplify computations; if draws are without replacement, this overstates the likelihood, and intervals will be overly conservative).


title: German tank problem

text: Thus the sampling distribution of the quantile of the sample maximum is the graph "x" from 0 to 1: the "p"-th to "q"-th quantile of the sample maximum "m" are the interval ["p""N", "q""N"]. Inverting this yields the corresponding confidence interval for the population maximum of ["m"/"q", "m"/"p"].


title: German tank problem

text: For example, taking the symmetric 95% interval "p" = 2.5% and "q" = 97.5% for "k" = 5 yields 0.025 ≈ 0.48, 0.975 ≈ 0.995, so the confidence interval is approximately [1.005"m", 2.08"m"]. The lower bound is very close to "m", thus more informative is the asymmetric confidence interval from "p" = 5% to 100%; for "k" = 5 this yields 0.05 ≈ 0.55 and the interval ["m", 1.82"m"].


title: German tank problem

text: More generally, the (downward biased) 95% confidence interval is ["m", "m"/0.05] = ["m", "m"·20]. For a range of "k" values, with the UMVU point estimator (plus 1 for legibility) for reference, this yields:


title: German tank problem

text: Note that "m"/"k" cannot be used naively (or rather ("m" + "m"/"k" − 1)/"k") as an estimate of the standard error "SE", as the standard error of an estimator is based on the "population" maximum (a parameter), and using an estimate to estimate the error in that very estimate is circular reasoning.


title: German tank problem

text: The Bayesian approach to the German tank problem is to consider the credibility formula_17 that the number of enemy tanks formula_18 is equal to the number formula_19, when the number of observed tanks, formula_20 is equal to the number formula_21, and the maximum observed serial number formula_22 is equal to the number formula_23. The answer to this problem depends on the choice of prior for formula_18. One can proceed using a proper prior, e.g., the Poisson or Negative Binomial distribution, where closed formula for the posterior mean and posterior variance can be obtained. An alternative is to proceed using direct calculations as shown below.


title: German tank problem

text: is the conditional probability that the maximum serial number observed, formula_22, is equal to formula_23, when the number of enemy tanks, formula_18, is known to be equal to formula_19, and the number of enemy tanks observed, formula_20, is known to be equal to formula_21.


title: German tank problem

text: formula_38 answers the question: "What is the probability of a specific serial number formula_23 being the highest number observed in a sample of formula_21 tanks, given there are formula_19 tanks in total?"


title: German tank problem

text: One can think of the sample of size formula_21 to be the result of formula_21 individual draws. Assume formula_23 is observed on draw number formula_45. The probability of this occurring is:


title: German tank problem

text: As can be seen from the right-hand side, this expression is independent of formula_45 and therefore the same for each formula_48. As formula_23 can be drawn on formula_21 different draws, the probability of any specific formula_23 being the largest one observed is formula_21 times the above probability:


title: German tank problem

text: The expression formula_54 is the probability that the maximum serial number is equal to formula_23 once formula_21 tanks have been observed but before the serial numbers have actually been observed.


title: German tank problem

text: The expression formula_57 can be re-written in terms of the other quantities by marginalizing over all possible formula_19.


title: German tank problem

text: is the credibility that the total number of tanks, formula_18, is equal to formula_19 when the number formula_20 tanks observed is known to be formula_21, but before the serial numbers have been observed. Assume that it is some discrete uniform distribution


title: German tank problem

text: The following binomial coefficient identity is used below for simplifying series relating to the German Tank Problem.


title: German tank problem

text: Observing one tank randomly out of a population of "n" tanks gives the serial number "m" with probability 1/"n" for "m" ≤ "n", and zero probability for "m" > "n". Using Iverson bracket notation this is written


title: German tank problem

text: The maximum likelihood estimate for the total number of tanks is "N" = "m", clearly a biased estimate since the true number can be more than this, potentially many more, but cannot be fewer.


title: German tank problem

text: The marginal likelihood (i.e. marginalized over all models) is infinite, being a tail of the harmonic series.


title: German tank problem

text: If two tanks rather than one are observed, then the probability that the larger of the observed two serial numbers is equal to "m", is


title: German tank problem

text: The conditional probability that the largest of "k" observations taken from the serial numbers {1...,"n"}, is equal to "m", is


title: Anglo-Americans

text: Anglo-Americans are people who are English-speaking inhabitants of Anglo-America. It typically refers to the nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world who speak English as a first language.


title: Anglo-Americans

text: The term is ambiguous and used in several different ways. While it is primarily used to refer to people of English ancestry, it (along with terms like "Anglo", "Anglic", "Anglophone", and "Anglophonic") is also used to denote all people of British or Northwestern European ancestry, such as Northwestern European Americans. It can include all people of Northwestern European ethnic origin who speak English as a mother tongue and their descendants in the New World.


title: Anglo-Americans

text: The term implies a relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom (specifically England), or the two countries' shared language, English, and/or cultural heritage. In this context the term may refer to an English American, a person from the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England, a person from the United States who speaks English as their first language (see American English), a collective term referring to those countries that have similar legal systems based on common law, relations between the United Kingdom and United States, or Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, a national cataloging code.


title: Anglo-Americans

text: The term is also used, less frequently, to denote a connection between English people (or the English language) and the Western Hemisphere as a whole. In this context, the term can mean a person from the Americas whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England (see British diaspora) or a person from the Americas who is a white American and speaks English as their first language, a person from the Americas who speaks English as their first language (see English-speaking world and Languages of the Americas), or a person from Anglo-America.


title: Anglo-Americans

text: The term Anglo-American is sometimes defined as including English-speaking countries around the world with similar values and demographics, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Nova (Sam Alexander) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, a space-faring member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, was created in 2011 by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness, based on the original Nova Richard Rider.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Sam Alexander first appeared in "Marvel Point One" #1 (November 2011), created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness. The character was named after Loeb's son, who died after a three-year battle with bone cancer at the age of 17.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: The Sam Alexander version of the character first appeared in the "Marvel Point One" one-shot in November 2011 before starring in his own series beginning in February 2013


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Sam Alexander is a sixteen-year-old living in Carefree, Arizona, with his father, mother, and little sister. His father is always drunk and often talks about his supposed life as a Nova Centurion, and shirks his duties as a janitor at his son's school. Sam's mother is a Latina homemaker. When Sam comes home from school to find his father missing, Sam accidentally injures himself and wakes up in a hospital. There, Rocket Raccoon and Gamora reveal Sam's father really was in the Nova Corps. After putting on his father's helmet, Sam travels to the moon, meeting Uatu the Watcher, who reveals an invasion fleet of alien ships belonging to the Chitauri. Upon returning to Earth, Rocket Raccoon and Gamora train him and tell him to scout the fleet.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Sometime later, Sam is on a mission to warn planets in its path that Dark Phoenix is coming for them. He crashes on Earth, but is able to deliver the warning to the Avengers. After recovering, Nova joins the Avengers and the X-Men against Cyclops, who has become the new Dark Phoenix after Jean. Thor asks Sam to join the Avengers, and Sam eventually accepts. Afterwards, he encounters the previous Nova's recurring enemy Diamondhead, but easily defeats him.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: During the events of "Infinity", Sam learns from his crush, Carrie, that she knows he is Nova. Shocked, he flies into the sky, but accidentally removes his helmet and lands in a coma. He wakes up to Justice and Speedball, who offer him a spot on the New Warriors. He next faces off against Kaldera, an agent of Proxima Midnight and defeats her in combat. Sam becomes cocky and prideful and begins to feel above the New Warriors and disregard his mother's rules. He gets into an argument with Carrie and gets mad at Justice and Speedball. He eventually speaks to Uatu who gives Sam some advice and he returns to Earth to agree to his mother's rules and joins the New Warriors.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: During a day of training with Uatu at the Watcher's moon base at the start of the "Original Sin" storyline, Uatu reveals that Sam's father Jesse Alexander is alive. Sam leaves where he is happy with the information he just learned.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Following the "Civil War II" storyline, Sam leaves the Avengers to join the Champions. The team heads to Lasibad, Sharzad to rescue a group of women and girls being attacked by terrorists.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Sam Alexander wears a helmet that gives him access to the Nova Force, which grants him superhuman strength and durability, flight, energy projection, telekinesis, force fields, universal translation and the ability to breathe underwater and survive in space.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "Nova" #1 was the 14th best selling comic book in February 2013.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Tony Guerrero of "Comic Vine" gave "Nova" #1 a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, saying, "As a Richard Rider fan, I wasn't thrilled over the idea of a series starring a different Nova. Jeph Loeb does a good job in introducing who the character is and where he comes from. The version of Sam Alexander here is thankfully different than what is seen on the animated "Ultimate Spider-Man" series. As a first issue, we get the basics, we are introduced to Sam and get an idea how he becomes Nova. What we dont know is if the series will be based in space, on Earth or both. Ed McGuinness' art is great as he always manages to capture and depict big action scenes. We're off to a great start. I was hesitant about actually liking a Nova series with a different Nova but I have to admit I'm hooked so far." Benjamin Bailey of "IGN" gave "Nova" #1 a grade of 7.6 out of 10, writing, "If it's a fresh, new tale you are looking for, Nova probably isn't for you. You've read this comic before, no doubt. That said, if you just want a fun, classic-feeling adventure, then go ahead and give this series a shot. Sure, it copies countless other stories, but it copies them very well and with a bit of its own style and flair."


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "Nova" #1 was the 47th best selling comic book in November 2015.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Alexander Jones of "ComicsBeat" wrote, "Sean Ryan’s depiction of Sam Alexander has compelled me to keep reading this series. I love that the book has a sentimental value owed to Jeph Loeb’s son Sam, and I love that Marvel has such a young hero. The art direction actually fits better for this series than I first realized. Verdict: This is a strong first showing. I’m happy to read what’s next."


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "Nova" #1 was the 30th best selling comic book in December 2016.


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: Tony Guerrero of "Comic Vine" gave "Nova" #1 a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "What could be better than a comic series with Nova? How about a comic series with two Novas? New and old fans can rejoice as the adventures of Sam Alexander continue along side the return another character. Jeff Loveness and Ramon Perez are giving the two characters clear and distinct voices. The art and color creates a good atmosphere and tone for the characters. With the questions raised here, there's definitely plenty of reasons to come back for more."


title: Nova (Sam Alexander)

text: In the children's book "Spider-Man: Attack of the Heroes", Nova is among the heroes replaced by the Chameleon in an attempt to frame him as a supervillain. However, Nova is later freed by Spider-Man.


title: M3 half-track

text: The M3 half-track was an American armored personnel carrier half-track widely used by the Allies during World War II and in the Cold War. Derived from the M2 half-track car, the M3 was extensively produced, with about 15,000 standard M3s and more than 38,000 variant units manufactured.


title: M3 half-track

text: The M3 was extensively modified with several dozen variant designs produced for different purposes. During World War II, the M3 and its variants were supplied to the U.S. Army and Marines, as well as British Commonwealth and Soviet Red Army forces, serving on all major fronts throughout the war. The M3 and its variants were produced by many manufacturers including Diamond T, White Motor Company, and Autocar. They were adapted for a wide variety of uses, such as a self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon or self-propelled artillery. Although initially unpopular due to its lack of significant armor or a roof to protect the crew from shrapnel, it was used by most of the Allies during the war.


title: M3 half-track

text: In the Cold War era, the vehicle was used by a variety of state and non-state operators in conflicts in South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, remaining in service until as late as the mid-1990s.


title: M3 half-track

text: The M3 half-track was long, wide, high and had a gross weight of either (M3) or (M3A1). The wheelbase was long. The suspension consists of a leaf spring for the two front wheels, while the rear treads had vertical volute springs. With a fuel capacity of 60 US gallons (230 L), the M3 could carry its crew (one driver) and a squad of 12 soldiers before refueling, while protecting them from small arms with light armor (6–12 mm of armor). The vehicle was powered by a White 160AX, 386 in (6,330 cc), 6-cylinder gasoline engine.


title: M3 half-track

text: The design, which used many commercial components to improve reliability and the rate of production, was standardized in 1940 and built by the Autocar Company, Diamond T Motor Company, and the White Motor Company. With a White 160AX engine, the M3 was driven through a manual constant-mesh (non-synchromesh) transmission with four forward and one reverse gear, as well as a two-speed transfer case. The front suspension uses leaf springs, while the tracks use vertical volute springs. Braking was hydraulic assisted while steering was manual. Onboard electronics run on a 12-volt system. The vehicle uses two tracks made of molded rubber over steel cabling with metal track guides.


title: M3 half-track

text: Infantry rifles were held in brackets behind the seats while ammunition and rations were generally stored underneath. In 1942, the vehicles were fitted with small racks for land mines on the outside of the hull, just above the tracks. In combat, many squads found it necessary to stow additional rations, rucksacks and other crew stowage on the outside of the vehicle. Luggage racks were often added in the field, and later vehicles were fitted with rear-mounted racks for this purpose.


title: M3 half-track

text: Early vehicles had a pintle mount just behind the front seats that mounted a .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun. The later M3A1 adopted a raised, armored “pulpit” mount for the .50-caliber machine gun over the front passenger seat, and additional mounts for .30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns along the sides of the passenger compartment. Many M3s were later converted to M3A1s. The vehicle body was fully armored, with an adjustable armored shutter for the engine radiator, and adjustable bulletproof panels with vision slits for the windshield, driver windows, and passenger windows.


title: M3 half-track

text: The development of an armored half-track began with ordnance directive OCM 14188 to convert an M3 Scout Car into a half-track. The prototype was built at Rock Island Arsenal with help from White Motor Company and was designated the T7. It had the same chassis and engine as the M3, but had larger front wheels and a shorter front clip. The armor consisted of 1/4-inch thick hardened armor plate, and it was armed with two M1919 machine guns and one M2 Browning machine gun operated by a crew of eight. Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1938 demonstrated unsatisfactory performance due to the front-wheel drive. The T7 was converted back into a scout car and returned to the Army.


title: M3 half-track

text: Throughout 1939 and 1940, the M2 half-track car was prototyped and developed by the Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The M3 was developed as a larger version of the M2 equipped with two M1919 machine guns and an M2 Browning machine gun for combat usage. The M3 also added a rear door and five additional seats in the rear. The M3 was tested at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the summer of 1941 and was accepted into service soon after.


title: M3 half-track

text: In US service, it was intended that the M3 would be issued to armored infantry regiments. It was also quickly put into action with the Provisional Tank Group when the Japanese Army began their invasion of the Philippines. At first, there were multiple complaints due to several mechanical difficulties. These were rectified by the Ordnance Department after receiving field reports from the Philippines. The M3s first use in its intended role was during Operation Torch. Each armored division had 433 M2s or M3s, 200 in the armored regiments and 233 in the armored infantry regiment.


title: M3 half-track

text: The half-tracks were initially unpopular and nicknamed "Purple Heart boxes" (a grim reference to the US Army decoration for combat wounds) by American troops. The chief complaints centered on the complete lack of overhead protection from artillery shells bursting overhead and that the armor was inadequate against machine gun fire. Omar Bradley quoted in his report about half-tracks that it was "a competent and dependable contrivance. Its bad name resulted from the inexperience of our troops who attempted to use it for too many things". Another major issue with the M3 was its fixed rear idler, which often broke on rough terrain. Commanders in North Africa bought parts to build spring-loaded rear idlers that could handle the rough terrain, which the Ordnance Department then approved as an official fix. In 1943, the M3 served in Sicily and Italy and received positive reports of it in action. It operated in Operation Overlord and served in Europe for the remainder of the war.


title: M3 half-track

text: The vehicle was generally considered very mechanically reliable, although there were two major complaints: the vehicle had a wide turning radius and lacked power steering, the latter especially evident when using narrow European streets. The unique design of the track, made up of steel bands with a rubber contact surface vulcanized to them, made replacement difficult; if the track became damaged or the steel bands stretched out, the entire track had to be replaced. A track with replaceable blocks was suggested as an alternative.


title: M3 half-track

text: Total production of the M3 and its variants ran to nearly 54,000 vehicles. To supply the Allied nations, International Harvester produced several thousand of a very similar vehicle, the M5 half-track, for Lend-Lease.


title: M3 half-track

text: Various attempts were made to mate the 40 mm Bofors L/50 gun to the M3 chassis. In most cases the weapon's recoil was too severe or the mounting too heavy, and the attempts were finally stopped with the adoption of the M19 MGMC on the M24 light tank chassis.


title: BET+

text: BET+ (pronounced "BET plus") is an over-the-top SVOD service operated by Tyler Perry Studios and the Paramount Streaming, a division of Paramount Global. The service was first announced on June 24, 2019 and launched on September 19, 2019.


title: BET+

text: BET+ features both original films and television series from the BET program library and will be the exclusive home of programming produced by Tyler Perry as part of BET's overall deal with Perry. Will Packer and Tracy Oliver have also signed on to produce original programming for the service.


title: BET+

text: BET+ was part of Viacom's 2017 turnaround strategy, which saw the company acquiring and investing into digital platforms. Prior to the announcement of BET+, Viacom acquired the free streaming platform Pluto TV on March 4, 2019 and launched several channels branded after Viacom-owned cable networks and IPs, including BET-branded channels.


title: BET+

text: In 2017, Viacom launched BET Play, which carried BET original content and was not available in the United States. The same year, Tyler Perry signed a deal with Viacom, lasting until 2024, which would give him part ownership in BET+. On June 24, 2019, BET+ was announced as a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios, set to launch in the fall of that year. On September 9, 2019, BET set an official launch date of September 19, 2019 and announced Devin Griffin as general manager of the streaming service. The service launched on September 19 that year. BET+ accounted for half of subscriber growth and nearly all revenue growth for BET in 2021.


title: BET+

text: These shows have been picked up by BET+ for additional seasons after having aired previous seasons on another network.


title: Sander Berge

text: Sander Gard Bolin Berge (born 14 February 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Sheffield United and the Norway national team. Berge is a product of Asker's youth academy.


title: Sander Berge

text: Berge was born in Bærum, Viken. He started his career playing youth football for Asker Fotball, making his senior debut in the end of the 2013 season for the team then playing in the Norwegian 2. divisjon. He joined top flight team Vålerenga before the 2015 season. Berge made his league debut coming off the bench against Sandefjord on 11 July 2015 and his first league start against Rosenborg, quickly establishing himself as a key player for the club.


title: Sander Berge

text: On 2 January 2017, he signed a four-year contract with K.R.C. Genk. He made his first team league debut on 21 January as a substitute in the 0–1 win away against Eupen. He earned his first start and full match against Royal Excel Mouscron on 17 February in a 1–0 win at home, becoming an integral part of the team for the remaining season, which included an impressive run in the Europa League, ending in the quarter finals against Celta Vigo.


title: Sander Berge

text: On 30 January 2020, Berge signed for Premier League club Sheffield United, becoming the club's record signing. He joined on a four-and-a-half year contract. On 2 July 2020, Berge scored his first goal for Sheffield United in a 3–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur.


title: Sander Berge

text: Berge made his debut for Norway when he played for the under-15 team against Canada U15 on 2 May 2013. He has since represented Norway at every level up to the senior national team. He made his senior international debut on the 23rd of March 2017, aged 19, coming on as a substitute in the 76th minute of the Euro-qualifier against Northern Ireland.


title: Sander Berge

text: On 5 September 2019, Berge scored his first senior international goal in the 34th minute of a game against Malta in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying rounds.


title: Sander Berge

text: Berge comes from a basketball-playing family, with his father, Swedish mother and older brother all having played basketball at international level. His brother has also played for top flight teams Centrum Tigers and Asker Aliens. Berge is also the grandson of Ragnar Berge, who played as a left-back for Vålerenga from 1945 until 1957, and was capped once by Norway (in 1955).


title: James Cleveland

text: James Edward Cleveland (December 5, 1931 – February 9, 1991) was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the King of Gospel, Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating traditional black gospel, soul, pop, and jazz in arrangements for mass choirs. Throughout his career, Cleveland appeared on hundreds of recordings and earned four Grammy Awards. He was the first gospel musician to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1984. For his trailblazing accomplishments, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest gospel singers who ever lived. His best known recordings include "Lord, Help Me to Hold Out", "Peace Be Still", "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired", “Where Is Your Faith", "The Love of God", "God Has Smiled on Me", and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me."


title: James Cleveland

text: Born in Chicago, Cleveland began singing as a boy soprano at Pilgrim Baptist Church where Thomas A. Dorsey was minister of music and Roberta Martin was pianist for the choir. He strained his vocal cords as a teenager while part of a local gospel group; this was said to contribute to the distinctive, gravelly voice which became a hallmark of his later in his career. As a young teen Cleveland was a part of a missionary group, Soul Winners for Christ which was created by his teenage friend Jessie Jimerson Phillips. Phillips would go on in later years to write Roberta Martin's last recorded song, "I Have Hope". Soul Winners for Christ also included a young Richard D. Henton and was headquartered at Chicago's Greater Harvest Baptist Church; Louis H. Boddie was pastor. The change in his voice led Cleveland to focus on his skills as a pianist, and later as a composer and arranger. Also produced and co wrote songs with Aretha Franklin for her multi award and multi million sales best selling album "Amazing Grace". With song that included "Precious Memories", "God will take care of you" and "Mary Don't You Weep".


title: James Cleveland

text: In 1950, Cleveland joined the Gospelaires, a trio led by Norsalus McKissick and Bessie Folk. His arrangements modernized such traditional standards as "(Give Me That) Old Time Religion" and "It's Me, O Lord". After the trio disbanded, an associate of the group, Roberta Martin, hired him as a composer and arranger. The song that brought Cleveland tremendous fame was his rendition of "Peace Be Still."


title: James Cleveland

text: Cleveland went to work with childhood friend Albertina Walker, popularly referred to as the "Queen of Gospel," "Starmaker," and founder of The Caravans, as a composer, arranger, pianist, and occasional singer as well as a narrator. The Caravans also became the launching pad for today's gospel legends. Besides Cleveland, the group counted among its membership several gospel luminaries including Shirley Caesar, known as the First Lady of Gospel; Cassietta George, who co-wrote some of the group's best hits; Delores Washington; Josephine Howard, mother to R&B artist Miki Howard; Inez Andrews, whose song "Mary, Don't You Weep" became a staple in the industry; Dorothy Norwood, known as Gospel's Greatest Storyteller; James Heron; Loleatta Holloway, who became a legendary dance recording artist in the late 1970s; and several others.


title: James Cleveland

text: In November 1954, Walker provided Cleveland the opportunity to do his very first recording. By staying out of the studio for a while, she convinced States Records to allow him to record with her group. He continued to record with The Caravans until States closed down in 1957. Cleveland would later reunite with Walker in the late 1970s with two album releases: "Reunion", released in 1977, and the iconic classic "Please Be Patient With Me", released in 1979 with the Trinity All Nations Choir of Chicago. This album earned Walker her first gold record.


title: James Cleveland

text: Throughout this period he recorded with other groups, like The Gospel All-Stars and The Gospel Chimes, mixing pop ballad influences with traditional shouting.


title: James Cleveland

text: By 1960, Cleveland, who had incorporated blues riffs in his work – and what Anthony Heilbut described as "sheer funkiness" – had become associated with a new tenor in gospel music. He became known by more than just the professionals within gospel music with his version of the Soul Stirrers' song, "The Love of God", backed by the Voices of Tabernacle from Detroit. The success and sensation of the song's recording led to a record contract with an historic label that would change his life forever.


title: James Cleveland

text: James Cleveland signed with the historic jazz label Savoy Records in 1962, going on to release a huge catalog of soul gospel recordings from that year until his death in 1991, many of which were recorded in a live concert setting. The live concert recording staple started with Reverend Lawrence Roberts, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Nutley, New Jersey, home of the famous Angelic Choir. Roberts liked the idea of capturing worship in song live on a recording where the listeners can feel and become of a part of the service. Working with Savoy's executive producer Fred Mendelsohn, Cleveland and the Angelic Choir of Nutley released two albums before recording the iconic masterpiece, "Peace Be Still", in September 1963, which sold thousands of copies at that time and garnered Cleveland his first gold album. "Peace Be Still" also stayed on the "Billboard" charts for at least fifteen years after its release.


title: James Cleveland

text: Cleveland moved to Los Angeles to become Minister of Music at Grace Memorial Church of God in Christ, where he attained even greater popularity working with keyboardist Billy Preston and the Angelic Choir of Nutley, New Jersey. He would then return to touring with the newly organized James Cleveland Singers, which included Odessa McCastle, Georgia White, Eugene Bryant, and Billy Preston, among others.


title: James Cleveland

text: In 1964, Cleveland re-organized The James Cleveland Singers, which included Odessa McCastle, Roger Roberts, and Gene Viale (who became the first Latin-American to integrate soul gospel and sing with the Cleveland Singers).


title: James Cleveland

text: In 1965, Cleveland added Clyde Brown and Charles Barnett to his group, which by then was traveling extensively throughout the United States and abroad into the late 1960s, performing in all major venues. This collaboration produced such recordings as "Heaven That Will Be Good Enough For Me", "Two Wings", and "The Lord Is Blessing Me Right Now".


title: James Cleveland

text: Other singers were added in later years, such as Marva Hines, and the renowned soprano soloist, Cleo Kennedy; they were mainstays until his death in 1991.


title: James Cleveland

text: Cleveland capitalized on his success by founding his own choir, the Southern California Community Choir. After being nominated numerous times in previous years, James won his first Grammy Award with the Southern California Community Choir in 1975, for his 1974 album, "In the Ghetto". He recorded several albums with SCC between the years of 1970 and 1990. Their most successful albums were the 1979 Grammy-nominated release, "It's a New Day", featuring the industry's signature staple, "God Is"; and their 1981 release, "Where Is Your Faith"; among many others. His final Grammy Award was issued posthumously after his passing in 1991, for his final album with SCC, "Having Church", which features Cleveland's iconic rendition of Tramaine Hawkins' signature "What Shall I Do?", written and composed by Quincy Fielding.


title: James Cleveland

text: In November 1970, Cleveland founded his own ministry and church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, in Los Angeles which grew from ten to thousands of members throughout the remainder of his life. His first album with the church choir, The Voices of Cornerstone, was released in 1980, which featured a wonderful rendition by Cleveland of "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", and the title track, "A Praying Spirit", written by Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark and recorded by The Clark Sisters. The church choir's second album, "My Expectations", was released in 1981 to moderate acclaim. By the time of his death the church membership was over 7,000.


title: James Cleveland

text: From the 1970s until 1990, Cleveland would bring together a number of artists to back him on appearances and records. He also continued to introduce, appear, and record with some of the most notable gospel choirs and independent artists of the time – many of whom became legends in their own right including The Donald Vails Choraleers (Detroit); The Harold Smith Majestics, with whom he recorded the classic "Lord, Help Me to Hold Out"; The Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, the last choir to record with Cleveland before he passed; New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir from Flint, Michigan; Henry Jackson; The Craig Brothers; The Salem Inspirational Choir from Omaha, Nebraska, with whom he recorded the iconic staple "I Don't Feel Noways Tired"; Richard "Mr. Clean" White; Bishop Albert Jamison & the Triboro Mass Choir; Issac Whittmon; Marva Hines; Debbie Austin; The Fourth of May; Quentella Caldwell; Sara Jordan Powell; The Philadelphia Mass Choir; The Houston Mass Choir; The New Jersey Mass Choir; and the award-winning Charles Fold Singers, from Cincinnati , Ohio, with whom Cleveland recorded five albums, including the Grammy-winning 1979 release, "Make Me an Instrument".


title: James Cleveland

text: Additionally, Cleveland himself backed other acts, contributing to the recordings of such well-known artists as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Elton John, just to name a few.


title: James Cleveland

text: Cleveland also moved to Detroit in the 1960s to take a position as music director at the famed New Bethel Baptist Church, where C. L. Franklin, father of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was pastor. In 1972, James collaborated with Aretha on her historic Grammy-winning and multi-million-selling album "Amazing Grace", which is known as the Greatest Gospel Album of All Time. Recorded live at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts in Los Angeles, with his Southern California Community Choir, his feature on the album and Aretha's success as a pop artist made the album a historic landmark in gospel, and is still selling to this day, with a special CD re-release of "The Complete Recordings" (the unedited album recording session of the "Amazing Grace" project).


title: James Cleveland

text: This historic recording was also filmed by director Sydney Pollack for an intended documentary release, but due to a technical issue of not using a clapperboard to synchronize the audio with the video, the film was deemed unusable, and was left shelved for the next 47 years. Before he died, Pollack authorized producer Alan Elliott to try to complete the film. Initially unaware of the sound synchronization problem, Elliot mortgaged his own house to buy the film negative from Warner Brothers, but was able to use modern technology to bring audio and video together successfully. The completed documentary was finally released in April 2019, playing in select theaters across the world, with a premier at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church itself.


title: James Cleveland

text: The historic documentary film "Gospel", released in 1983, features James Cleveland for the first time on the motion picture screen, along with the Southern California Community Choir, Walter Hawkins & the Family, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Shirley Caesar, and The Clark Sisters. The film was directed by David Leivick and Frederick A. Ritzenberg. Excerpts from the film soundtrack was released on Savoy Records and became a top seller, with Cleveland having the majority feature on side two of the album.


title: James Cleveland

text: In 1968, Cleveland taught others how to achieve the modern gospel sound and preserve the industry's rich legacy through his annual workshop convention, The Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA), an organization that he co-founded with Albertina Walker and which now has over 150 chapters with 30,000 members. The GMWA has featured and produced the likes of Donald Vails, Issac Douglas, Myrna Summers, Sara Jordan Powell, Daryl Coley, John P. Kee, Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr, Donald Lawrence, and Yolanda Adams to name a few. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together singers from all over the country in order to perpetuate the art of gospel music. The workshops eventually attracted thousands of adherents and laid the groundwork for the popularity of gospel music. The last album Cleveland recorded with the GMWA was their 1990 release from the previous year's annual convention in New Orleans.


title: James Cleveland

text: Throughout his recording career, Cleveland started a trend and was famously known for taking some of the greatest pop, R&B, and soul songs and transforming them into gospel anthems. Out of all the mainstream pop songs he rearranged for gospel audiences, his most memorable is his classic rendition of Gladys Knight & The Pips' "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me," which he changed to "Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me." This rendition earned him a Grammy nomination when it was released in 1975 as his first recording with the Charles Fold Singers of Cincinnati, Ohio. Another memorable gospel rendition was of Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs," which he recorded on his 1977 Grammy-winning album, "Live at Carnegie Hall." The last song rendition he presented was Whitney Houston's "Didn't We Almost Have It All," known as "Aren't You Glad You Know the Lord," which Cleveland recorded in 1989 with the Northern and Southern California Choirs of the GMWA on the album "Breathe on Me", featuring Daryl Coley and current Savoy Records executive producer Milton Biggham.


title: James Cleveland

text: From 1985 to 1988, Cleveland launched his own independent record label, King James Records, which was manufactured and distributed by Detroit's own Sound of Gospel/Nine Records, Inc. Under his label he released three albums with the GMWA; one solo release; Billy Preston's first gospel album; two albums with the Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, which includes their first, most popular release, "Praise 88"; an album with his iconic Southern California Community Choir; and a resurgence of his James Cleveland Presents series, which brought back The Craig Brothers, The Fourth of May, and introduced The Harmonizing Four. Cleveland's record label folded after the distributor closed.


title: James Cleveland

text: On February 9, 1991, James Cleveland died in Culver City, California. He was 59. Some reports list the cause of death as congestive heart failure stating that the singer had fallen into a coma shortly before his death. Over 8,000 people gathered for his funeral service at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.


title: James Cleveland

text: Following Cleveland's death in February 1991, a number of controversies arose surrounding his estate, which at the time was estimated to be worth between $4 and $6 million.


title: James Cleveland

text: In October 1991, music producer Andre M. Cleveland (then-aged 34) filed suit against James Cleveland's estate, claiming to be Cleveland's adopted son.


title: James Cleveland

text: Also in October 1991, Jean Ervin, a member of the Cleveland-founded Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, claimed that she was the mother of Cleveland's only biological child, daughter LaShone Cleveland (b. 1965). Ervin also said that she believed that Andre M. Cleveland was not adopted as he claimed, but was merely one of the many "homeless" children that the late-singer took into his home over the years.


title: James Cleveland

text: In February 1992, Cleveland's then-foster son, Christopher Harris (formerly Christopher Harris Cleveland), filed a lawsuit against Cleveland's estate, claiming that Cleveland allegedly sexually abused him over a period of five years and infected him with the HIV virus, which he claims Cleveland contracted through same-sex liaisons. The case was settled with undisclosed terms. According to Heilbut (2012), Cleveland was widely recognized as gay in the gospel circuit.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Serranilla Bank ( and "Placer de la Serranilla") is a partially submerged reef, with small uninhabited islets, in the western Caribbean Sea. It is situated about northeast of Punta Gorda, Nicaragua, and roughly southwest of Jamaica. The closest neighbouring land feature is Bajo Nuevo Bank, located to the east.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps in 1510. It is administered by Colombia as part of the department of San Andrés and Providencia. The reef is subject to a sovereignty dispute involving Colombia, Honduras and the United States. In 2012, in regards to Nicaraguan claims to the islands, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upheld Colombia's sovereignty over the bank.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Serranilla Bank is a former atoll, now a mostly submerged carbonate platform consisting of shallow reef environments. It is about 40 km in length and 32 km in width, covering an area of over 1,200 km, almost entirely under water. Three small cays and two rocks emerge above the water to form the bank's islands. These are West Breaker, Middle Cay, East Cay, Beacon Cay and Northeast Breaker. They are largely barren, with sparse vegetation of bushes and some trees. Many shipwrecks are located in its vicinity. The bank lacks coral reefs and has minimal sediment cover. Accretion of the bank is not keeping up with sea level rise. The southeastern portion is covered mainly by hardgrounds, while the rest of the bank is mostly covered by thin Halimeda sediments.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Beacon Cay is the largest islet in the Bank. It is overbuilt with small military facilities, which house a small rotating garrison of Colombian naval personnel. There is a lighthouse on a coral ledge in the southwest approach to the bank. It is a 33 m (108 ft) tall skeletal tower built atop a 3-storey crew residence. The lamp emits a focal plane beam of light as two white flashes every 20 seconds. The current lighthouse was first erected in 1982, and was reconstructed in May 2008 by the Colombian Ministry of Defence. It is currently maintained by the Colombian Navy, and overseen by the state's Maritime Authority.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: The Serranilla Bank was first shown on Spanish maps in 1510 as "Placer de la Serranilla". It was mentioned by Louis-Michel Aury whose ship was shipwrecked on it in 1820. In later history it has been the subject of conflicting claims made by a number of sovereign states. In most cases, the dispute stems from attempts by a state to expand its exclusive economic zone over the surrounding seas.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Between 1982 and 1986, Colombia maintained a formal agreement with Jamaica which granted regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels within the territorial waters of Serranilla Bank and nearby Bajo Nuevo Bank. In November 1993, the two states agreed upon a maritime delimitation treaty establishing a "Joint Regime Area" to cooperatively manage and exploit living and non-living resources in designated waters between the two banks. However, the territorial waters immediately surrounding the cays themselves were excluded from the zone of joint-control, as Colombia considers these areas to be part of her coastal waters. The agreement came into force in March 1994.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Nicaragua lays claim to all the islands on its continental shelf, covering an area of over 50,000 km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Serranilla Bank and all islands associated with the San Andrés and Providencia archipelagoes. It has persistently pursued this claim against Colombia in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), filing cases in both 2001 and 2007.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: The United States' claim was made in 1879 and 1880 under the Guano Islands Act by James W. Jennett. Most claims made by the U.S. over the guano islands in this region were officially renounced in a treaty with Colombia, dated September 1972. But whether or not Serranilla Bank was included in the agreement is disputed—there is no specific mention of the feature in the treaty and, as per Article 7 of the said treaty, only matters specifically mentioned in the document are subject to it. According to other records, as well as claims made within the ICJ, Colombia is recognised by the United States as having varying degrees of sovereignty over Serranilla Bank through the treaty of 1972, which took effect in September 1981. The U.S. considers the reef to be an unorganized, unincorporated United States territory.


title: Serranilla Bank

text: Honduras claims Serranilla Bank as part of its national territory in Article 10 of its Constitution. In 1986, it agreed upon a maritime boundary demarcation with Colombia that excluded Honduras of any control over the bank or its surrounding waters. The ratification of this boundary on 20 December 1999 proved to be controversial within Honduras, as it ensured that the state implicitly recognised Colombia's sovereignty over the claimed territory. Nicaragua, which has not resolved its maritime borders with Honduras or Colombia, disputed Honduras' legal right to hand over these areas before the ICJ. Despite the agreement with Colombia, however, the Honduran government has yet to officially renounce the claim in the Constitution.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Article 15 of the Constitution of India forbids discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. It applies Article 14's general principle of equality in specific situations by forbidding classifications made on protected grounds. While prohibiting discrimination based on prejudice, the Article is also the central issue in a large body of judicial decisions, public debate, and legislation revolving around affirmative action, reservations, and quotas. As of the 103rd Amendment of the Constitution of India, Article 15 .


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: On 29 November 1948, the Constituent Assembly debated the first version of Article 15 as Article 9 of the revised Draft Constitution, 1948. Draft Article 9 read:


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: (1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them. In particular, no citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: (2) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Some members of the Assembly wanted additional protected grounds, including a prohibition on discrimination based on family and descent. Other members argued further that gardens, roads, and tramways should be included as places where denial of access is prohibited. However, B. R. Ambedkar, the chairman of the Drafting Committee, clarified that the general nature of the text was sufficient to cover a large variety of spaces not specifically included in the Article. Prof. K.T. Shah, a member of the Assembly, proposed that Clause 2 of the Draft Article be amended to provide for special provisions for 'Scheduled Castes or backward tribes for their advantage, safeguard, or betterment.' However, the proposal was rejected, with Ambedkar arguing that adopting the amendment would perpetuate the segregation of these groups. After debate and amendment, the original text remained largely intact and became Article 15 of the Constitution of India.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: The first two clauses of Article 15 prohibit discrimination "<nowiki>'on grounds only'</nowiki>" of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. In interpreting the phrase 'on grounds only', the Supreme Court has held that the effect of the statute is relevant, not the motive. The phrase was initially interpreted as meaning that an act or law that was based on any ground in addition to the five protected grounds, it would not be prohibited. For example, in 1981, a Regulation that required air hostesses of the national carrier to retire earlier, or under certain conditions including pregnancy or marriage, was only partially struck down. The Supreme Court held that it was discrimination not just on the basis of sex, but other considerations such as working conditions and employment routes. This was criticised by academics and feminists for failing to take the social role of gender into account. However, in 2007, the Court recognised that discrimination on the basis of sex should include discrimination based on stereotypes associated with sex and struck down a law that prevented women from working in premises where liquor was served. Article 15 has since received broader interpretations, and been used to read down a law that criminalised consensual sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex as discriminatory, and provide protections on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Court has also recognised that Article 15 should be interpreted through the lens of intersectionality, taking multiple and intersecting identities into account.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Clause 1 of the Article prohibits the State from discriminating against citizens on five protected grounds.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Within three years of the adoption of the Constitution, the Supreme Court used Article 15 to invalidate a State law which provided for elections which had separate electorates for members of different religious communities. Similarly, courts have found discrimination on the basis of religion under Article 15 in the context of special provisions for Muslims, and reservation of a State legislature seat for one religious community.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: The Supreme Court has held that the Article 15 prohibition on race discrimination should be read along with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The provision was used to direct the Union to set up a committee to address racial discrimination against people from North-East India. Some courts have connected race to protections for Scheduled Tribes. Courts have on occasion struck down discriminatory legislation on the basis of race such as in the case of a law which required members of a particular community to report daily to the police. Courts have also struck down discriminatory legislation on the basis of caste, as in the case of a notification which exempted all Harijan and Muslim residents from a compulsory levy in a locality.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Similarly, the Article has been used to invalidate sex discrimination by legislation, such as prohibitions on proprietresses holding property or working in premises where liquor was served. The Supreme Court has interpreted 'sex' as including both 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' which has extended the protection of Article 15 to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender persons.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Like the other protected grounds, 'place of birth' has also been a source of some ambiguity. In 1955, the Supreme Court distinguished between 'place of birth' and 'residence', holding that discrimination on the basis of 'residence' was not prohibited outright by Article 15. In that ruling, the Court upheld a State Medical College's decision to require a capitation fee from students residing outside the region on the grounds that the decision discriminated on the basis of "residence" or domicile and not on 'place of birth'. The Court diluted that decision in Pradeep Jain v. Union of India, holding that residence requirements (while not prohibited outright by Article 15(1)) were inconsistent with the idea of national unity and integration, and limited residence-based reservations to not more than seventy percent of total seats at the MBBS level.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: For much of its history, Article 15 did not prohibit indirect discrimination. For example, in 1951, the Madras High Court held that the Evacuation Property Ordinance, 1949 did not violate clause (1), though most individuals affected by the ordinance were Muslim, as the operation of the ordinance was not restricted to Muslims alone on the ground of religion. However, in 2021, the Supreme Court in Lt. Col. Nitisha v. Union of India invalidated a facially neutral criteria for the grant of Permanent Commissions to women on the grounds that it was indirectly discriminatory.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Unlike Clause 1 which is addressed to the State, Clause 2 creates a broader prohibition on disability, liability, restriction, or condition with regard to accessing various public spaces and commercial establishments. Sub-clause (a) uses the word 'shop' broadly, to mean premises where goods are sold in any capacity, and including everything from hairdressing saloons to educational institutions. Therefore, there cannot be shops, public restaurants, or spaces of public entertainment which are reserved on the basis of any of the protected grounds. Some scholarship argues that the definition of 'shop' in sub-clause (a) should extend to all private economic market transactions, including exclusionary covenants for the lease of property. Sub-clause (b) relates to the use of wells, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public. Accordingly, "private" wells and tanks are not regulated by sub-clause (b), unless they are dedicated to the use of the general public.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Article 15, in Clauses (3-6), allows for positive discrimination in favour of disadvantaged groups. These clauses exist to allow the Indian state's expansive programme of affirmative action.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: While Article 15 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, special provisions for women and children are permissible. State institutions created exclusively for women, or special places reserved for women in public transport or places of entertainment do not violate Article 15. However, a 'special provision' does not mean that less favourable treatment may be given to women on a gender-based criterion.


title: Article 15 of the Constitution of India

text: Clause (6) was inserted by the 103rd Constitutional Amendment in 2019. The provision allows for the State to provide for affirmative action including reservations for economically weaker sections (EWS). Various parties have challenged this amendment at the Supreme Court. They argue that it violates the basic structure of the Indian Constitution, which in their view does not allow reservations on purely economic criteria. Various States have introduced schemes to implement reservations for EWS on the basis of Clause (6). In 2021, the Union government issued a notification to introduce EWS reservation in the medical postgraduate entrance exam. This decision was challenged at the Supreme Court, resulting in an evaluation of whether the criteria for determining whether someone falls in the EWS category was valid. The Court will consider the issue in 2022.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: Nicotiana rustica, commonly known as Aztec tobacco or strong tobacco, is a rainforest plant in the family Solanaceae. It is a very potent variety of tobacco, containing up to nine times more nicotine than common species of "Nicotiana" such as "Nicotiana tabacum" (common tobacco). More specifically, "N. rustica" leaves have a nicotine content as high as 9%, whereas "N. tabacum" leaves contain about 1 to 3%. The high concentration of nicotine in its leaves makes it useful for producing pesticides, and it has a wide variety of uses specific to cultures around the world. However, "N. rustica" is no longer cultivated in its native North America, (except in small quantities by certain Native American tribes) as "N. tabacum" has replaced it.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: "Nicotiana rustica" is called "mapacho" in South America. It is often used for entheogenic purposes by South American shamans, because of its high nicotine content and comparatively high levels of beta-carbolines, including the harmala alkaloids harmane and norharmane. There are many methods of administration in South American ethnobotanical preparations. In a preparation known as "singado" or "singa", "N. rustica" is allowed to soak or be infused in water, and the water is then insufflated into the stomach. In Peru its known as "Mapacho" and smoked in pipes, the juice is also drunk for its hallucinogenic effects. The plant is also smoked in cigars, used in enemas, and made into a lickable product known as "ambil". Finally, "N. rustica" is a common ingredient in "rapé", a smokeless tobacco product usually used as a nasal snuff. "Rapé" is often a combination of "N. rustica" and a host of other herbs, depending on the intended use, including tonka beans, cinnamon, clove buds, alkaline ashes (creating "nu-nu"), Anadenanthera, Erythroxylum, Virola, and more.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: In Russia, "N. rustica" is called "makhorka" (маxорка). Historically, makhorka was smoked mainly by the lower classes. "N. rustica" is a hardy plant and can be grown in most of Russia (as opposed to "N. virginiana" which requires a warm climate), it was more readily and cheaply available, and did not depend on transport in a country with an underdeveloped road network and climatic portage problems. This remained the case until ordinary tobacco became widely available in the 20th century. During Soviet times, rustic tobacco was an important industrial crop of agriculture. In those times, dozens of varieties were bred, some of them considered equal in quality to "N. virginiana". In modern times, makhorka is still sometimes smoked by peasants and farmers due to its high availability and being almost free for them.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: The plant is called "Thuốc lào" in Vietnam, and is most commonly smoked after a meal on a full stomach to "aid indigestion", or along with green tea or local beer (most commonly the cheap bia hơi). A "rít" of thuốc lào is followed by a flood of nicotine to the bloodstream inducing strong dizziness that lasts several seconds. Heavy cigarette smokers have had trouble with the intense volume of smoke and the high nicotine content; side effects include nausea and vomiting.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: There are many “brands” of tobacco, most of which are specific to the region in which they are grown. Some of these “brands” are mellow in flavor and effect, some are more energizing, and some are known for their relaxing properties.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: Water pipes can be found everywhere, and are a fixture of local tea booths, eateries, and cafes. It is common to find a table with a small box of tobacco at these establishments from which anyone can help themselves to a bowl during a tea or work break.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: Travelers have made the mistake of hitting these pipes too hard on their first attempt, leading to them passing out, much to the delight and amusement of the locals. It is not uncommon for locals to offer the pipe to a foreigner in hopes of seeing the powerful effect the tobacco has on the uninitiated.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: The main difference between smoking thuốc lào and the use of other tobaccos is in the method of consumption, in that thuốc lào is consumed with a water pipe. The smoker is presented with either a bamboo pipe called a "điếu cày" (English: "farmer's pipe") or a ceramic hookah called a "điếu bát". It may also occasionally be smoked in a more uncommon pipe known as a "điếu ống". The pipe is filled with an appropriate amount of water and a small amount of thuốc lào is pressed into the bowl.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: One then ignites the tobacco and inhales to create a body of smoke inside the pipe, before exhaling the smoke, reversing the process of air in the pipe by blowing into it to pop out the tobacco. The smoker then sharply inhales, usually tilting the pipe upwards to an almost horizontal position (but not completely, as the water would drain into the mouth).


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: "Maraş otu" (English: Maraş weed) is a chewing variant of "Nicotiana rustica" commonly used by people who live in Maraş, Turkey and other areas of the country. Maraş Otu is a mixture of Oak tree ash and "Nicotiana rustica" that resembles henna. They use this by putting the mixture under their lips like Swedish "snus" or Afghan "naswar". It is recognized as a drug by anti-drug activists. It can contribute to mouth cancers.


title: Nicotiana rustica

text: In Sudan, this type of tobacco is called toombak (). It has been used for over 400 years. Being smokeless tobacco, it is processed in the loose form and the ground powder is mixed with sodium bicarbonate. As such, it has a very strong pH and is highly addictive.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Michael Bruce Curry (born March 13, 1953) is an American bishop who is the 27th and current presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church. Elected in 2015, he is the first African American to serve as presiding bishop in The Episcopal Church. He was previously bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry noted in his autobiography that both sides of his family were descended from slaves and sharecroppers in North Carolina and Alabama. He was born in Maywood, Illinois, a suburb just west of Chicago. His grandfather and great-grandfather were Baptist ministers. His parents were Dorothy and the Rev. Kenneth Curry, who had been Baptists but became Episcopalians when they were allowed to drink from the same chalice as whites in racially segregated Ohio. His mother died when he was young; his father and grandmother raised him.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry attended public schools in Buffalo, New York. He graduated with high honors from Hobart College in Geneva, New York, in 1975. He then earned a Master of Divinity degree, in 1978, from the Yale Divinity School, in association with Berkeley Divinity School. Curry has also studied at The College of Preachers, Princeton Theological Seminary, Wake Forest University, the Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, and the Institute of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry was ordained deacon at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, New York by the Rt. Rev. Harold B. Robinson in June 1978 and priest at St. Stephen's, Winston-Salem, North Carolina by the Rt. Rev. John M. Burgess in December 1978. He served initially as deacon-in-charge and subsequently as rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (1978–1982) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; then as rector of St. Simon of Cyrene Episcopal Church in Lincoln Heights, Ohio (1982–1988). He served as rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland (1988–2000). In his three parish ministries, Curry participated in crisis response pastoral care, the founding of ecumenical summer day camps for children, preaching missions, creation of networks of family day care providers, and the brokering of investment in inner city neighborhoods. He inspired a $2.5 million restoration of the St. James' church building after a fire.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry was elected eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina on February 11, 2000. When he was consecrated at Duke Chapel in Durham on June 17, 2000, he became the first African-American diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Church in the American South. Nearly 40 bishops participated in the service, including Robert Hodges Johnson, J. Gary Gloster, and Barbara C. Harris as consecrators.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: As a diocesan bishop, he served on the board of directors of the Alliance for Christian Media and chaired the board of Episcopal Relief and Development. He also had a national preaching and teaching ministry and was a frequent speaker at services of worship and conferences around the country.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Throughout his ministry in North Carolina, Curry was also active in issues of social justice, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality. Curry also instituted a network of canons, deacons, and youth ministry professionals to support preexisting ministries in local congregations. Curry also led the Diocese of North Carolina to focus on the Millennium Development Goals through a $400,000 campaign to buy malaria nets that saved over 100,000 lives.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: On May 1, 2015, the joint nominating committee for the election of the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church nominated Curry and three other bishops as candidates for 27th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church. The election occurred on June 27, 2015, at the 78th General Convention meeting in Salt Lake City. Curry was elected by the House of Bishops meeting in St. Mark's Cathedral on the first ballot with 121 of 174 votes cast. Laity and clergy in the House of Deputies ratified Curry's election later the same day. Curry was installed as presiding bishop and primate on November 1, 2015, All Saints' Day, during a Eucharist at Washington National Cathedral. The service included readings in Spanish and Native American languages.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Among Curry's first acts as presiding bishop in December 2015 was placing three senior staff at Episcopal Church headquarters on administrative leave pending investigation for violating workplace policies. In April 2016, Curry followed up by dismissing Bishop Stacy Sauls as Chief Operating Officer, as well as two other senior administrators, although Sauls remains a bishop. When announcing the staff dismissals, Curry stated: ... Our task as staff is to serve The Episcopal Church in such a way that it can serve the world in the Name and in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We are therefore all called to strive for and adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct embodying the love of God and reflecting the teachings and the way of Jesus.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: The precise nature of the policy violations noted by Curry was never disclosed nor were criminal charges filed.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: During 2017 and 2018, Curry launched a series of revivals "that promise to stir and renew hearts for Jesus, to equip Episcopalians as evangelists, and to welcome people who aren't part of a church to join the Jesus Movement." The revivals include multi-day public events in the Episcopal Dioceses of Pittsburgh, West Missouri, Georgia, San Joaquin, and Honduras and will culminate in a "joint evangelism mission" with the Church of England in July 2018.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: In January 2016, Primates in the Anglican Communion gathered at Canterbury Cathedral, mother church of the global Anglican Communion, at the invitation of the Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was the first such meeting attended by Curry as presiding bishop. Human sexuality and the Episcopal Church's July 2015 approval of same-sex marriage rites were prominent topics of discussion.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: The primates in attendance unanimously resolved to walk together before a majority of Anglican primates also publicly sanctioned the Episcopal Church, for a period of three years, demanding that it "no longer represent us on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, should not be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee and that while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, they will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity."


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: In the aftermath of the sanctions, Curry maintained his public support for same-sex marriage stating:


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Our commitment to be an inclusive church is not based on a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture, but on our belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are a sign of the very love of God reaching out to us all. While I understand that many disagree with us, our decision regarding marriage is based on the belief that the words of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians are true for the church today: All who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, for all are one in Christ. For so many who are committed to following Jesus in the way of love and being a church that lives that love, this decision will bring real pain. For fellow disciples of Jesus in our church who are gay or lesbian, this will bring more pain. For many who have felt and been rejected by the church because of who they are, for many who have felt and been rejected by families and communities, our church opening itself in love was a sign of hope. And this will add pain on top of pain.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: As part of the final communique from the gathering, the Anglican primates announced that the Archbishop of Canterbury would appoint a "task group" aimed at healing the rift and rebuilding of mutual trust amidst deep differences. The Archbishop of Canterbury named Curry as one of the 10 members of that "task group" in May 2016.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: In October 2016, Curry represented the Anglican Communion as part of a delegation of Anglican primates to the Vatican led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The leaders joined together in an ecumenical Vespers service led jointly by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Roman Pontiff, followed by a private meeting between Pope Francis and the Anglican primates. The events honored the fiftieth anniversary since then Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI met in 1966, the first such meeting since the English Reformation in the 16th century. The meeting also celebrated the 50th anniversary since the Anglican Centre in Rome was established. Curry emphasized the need for Christian cooperation publicly stating:


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: [the] mission of the church is to help the human family, with all its variety and all its diversity and all its differences, to find a way to become not simply a disparate community but a human family of God. Dr. Martin Luther King said it this way, "we shall either learn to live together as brothers and sisters, or we'll perish together as fools." The choice is ours, chaos or community.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry's presence in Rome was criticized by Nicholas Okoh, Archbishop of Nigeria and chairman of the traditionalist group Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). Okoh publicly stated that Curry's invitation was a violation of sanctions established by Anglican primates during their January 2016 gathering in Canterbury.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry was invited by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to deliver the sermon at their wedding. The wedding took place on May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in England. Curry's 14-minute sermon attracted considerable comment and reactions were largely positive.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: The sermon emphasized the redemptive potential of love and used fire as a metaphor for its power and significance. His enthusiastic style was reportedly well received by some attending the wedding and the address was described as "electrifying the wedding" having "won smiles but also some quizzical glances" and even upstaging the bride. The address was wide-ranging in its sources quoting from Martin Luther King Jr., the traditional African-American spiritual "There Is a Balm in Gilead", New Testament epistles, and the French Jesuit priest and scientist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In the aftermath of the wedding Curry received widespread international attention, has published a book, and offered several widely republished soundbites on the service, such as "I could feel slaves", and has been frequently interviewed by American media outlets as to provide a spiritual perspective in the aftermath of significant events.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: On September 1, 2018, Bishop Curry served as the officiant for the state funeral of Senator John McCain. Shortly thereafter, Curry officiated at the funeral of George H. W. Bush in the Washington National Cathedral on December 5, 2018. Less than a week later he delivered a sermon-like address at "The Spirit of Apollo" program organized by the National Air and Space Museum. The program was held at Washington National Cathedral and commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission to the moon.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry has received honorary degrees from the , Virginia Theological Seminary, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, the Episcopal Divinity School, the Seminary of the Southwest, and Church Divinity School of the Pacific.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry was appointed a serving brother of the Order of St John by Elizabeth II on July 25, 2015. In 2019 he received the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award.


title: Michael Curry (bishop)

text: Curry and his wife Sharon ("née" Clement) have two adult daughters. He underwent surgery as treatment for prostate cancer in 2018.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Sahasam () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action-adventure film directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti and produced by B. V. S. N. Prasad under Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra. The film stars Gopichand and Taapsee Pannu while Shakti Kapoor, Paru Gambhir, and Ali play supporting roles. The film was mostly shot in Ladakh and Hyderabad.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: The film was released on 12 July 2013 and opened to positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success at the box office. The film was also dubbed later in Tamil and Hindi as "Santharppavaathi" and "The Real Jackpot".


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: 2003: A Pakistani archaeologist, Dr. M. Alam Siddiqui, after seeking permission from the Government of Pakistan, starts researching the hidden treasure of King Kanishka, whose treasure map is hidden in an old box whose key is a Garuda locket, which was last seen in the research books of David, a British archaeologist. His team, led by Siddiqui and Dilawar, tries hard to search for the key as they find the box in an old market in Pakistan. Fate takes a reverse turn as a dreaded terrorist named Sultan, along with his men visit the archaeology department. Sultan coerces Siddiqui, takes the box away from him, and makes all the people his slaves until Siddiqui finds the treasure and hands over it to Sultan.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: 2013: In Hyderabad, Gautham Kumar Varma is a brave money-greedy security guard, who wants to make easy money and settle in life. His motto is that he would not take even a crore if it is not his, but would never let go of even a penny if it is his. Gautham spends his time testing his fortune by buying lottery tickets and using gadgets that bring luck, but sadly, both end up giving nothing to him. His friends, who are four kids, live along with him in the slum colony. Once they ask him to show a 1000 rupee note out of curiosity, to which Gautham agrees. The next day the ATM's cash cartridge is being refilled, and Gautham requests the officials to show a 1000 rupee note to the kids. They accept and show a note.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Meanwhile, a gang of thieves comes and robs the ATM. Gautham catches the criminals and hands over the money, but since the CCTV footage shows that Gautham's request was the reason for it, he is posted to a dumping yard, where he would work for nearly 12 hours. The night when Gautham returns from his duty, a heavy rain drenches the colony and the roof in his room falls. From the roof, he finds a diary, an old empty bag on which "Pushkalavathi Jewelers, Peshawar" is printed, a Garuda locket, two magnifying lenses, and a small stone with a design. He opens the diary and starts reading, which is narrated by his grandfather Satyanarayana Varma. On the day of India-Pakistan, partition activists were attacking rich men and looting them.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: After finding no resort to hiding, Satyanarayana Varma packs all his jewelry and diamonds and rushes out to a cave which is rumored to be a king's escape runway. After reaching the spot, he rests at a place keeping his bag on a door of an inlet. A bag with diamonds falls into one of the birds attached, thus opening the inlet and the bags entering the inner space. He tries hard to get it back but removes the bird from there and falls into an abyss. However, he survived. There was a promissory note that 900 Diamonds of his would-be inherited by his grandson. Gautham sets to Pakistan with the help of Sreenidhi, an ardent Hindu devotee who wishes to visit the Hinglaj Mata temple in Pakistan.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: There, Gautham and Sreenidhi, along with Indian security contractor Khayamat Raju, reach the Hinglaj Mata Temple. There, Gautham finds his grandfather's name on a slab and two dwellers inform him that archaeologists searched for this person. He goes to the archaeology department, where Thilavar is now in charge after the brutal murder of Siddiqui, shows the empty bag to them, and finds that the address would be in Peshawar. Meanwhile, Gautham sees the Garuda locket sketch on the research papers and shows the locket to them. Thilavar offers him money, gold, and many things in return for this locket as per Sultan's orders, but Gautham neither accepts to take any one or all of them nor accepts to give away the locket concerning his motto. He escapes from them, and along with Sreenidhi and Khayamat Raju, goes away to a safe place.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Meanwhile, Sreenidhi is made prey to a Buzkashi game with a rule that the one who parks her in the goal would marry her. A masked Gautham joins them, and after stiff competition, he wins the match by parking her, thus making her fall for him. They move to Peshawar to a local hospital, where they join Khayamat Raju with fake injuries and rest there that night. The next morning, Gautham starts searching in the streets of Peshawar Markets for his grandfather's address only to be kidnapped by terrorists. Then he is brought before Sultan, who asks Gautham to submit the Garuda locket to which he responds, saying that he would not give it to Sultan or anyone as it is his. They torture him, trash him, and injure him severely, only to make him much more determined not to give it to Sultan.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Sultan orders Thilavar and his men to take him away to Peshawar and kill him. In transit, Gautham kills most of them, leaving Thilavar and three others and escaping to Peshawar in a bus. He reaches to the hospital, where he learns from Khayamat Raju that a girl kidnapped Sreenidhi and gave her an address to meet her. He goes to the address and frees Sreenidhi. He then ties up the kidnapper with a rope, only to know that she is Siddiqui's daughter Zara whose ambition is to hand over the treasure of Kanishka to the Pakistan Government as per her father's wish. Now, Gautham, Zara, and Sreenidhi learn that the box containing the map is in Sultan's house, where Gautham goes along with Zara. There, Gautham breaks the power supply, kills a Jihadi, wears his dress, and finds the box.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: However, the power is on now, and Thilavar takes Gautham to the living room, where Sultan and his men are waiting. They dress him with a bomb with a piston to activate it. They remove his mask and find out that it was Gautham, only to be threatened by him to leave him or else all would be destroyed along with the box. He reaches out, ties the piston with a wire, carefully removes the bomb from his back with the help of Zara, and both escape from there with the box. They use the Garuda locket and take the map, which indicates a place near Hinglaj Mata Temple. The trio reaches there, and according to the map, there were five wheels to be arranged in a particular order. After arranging them correctly, the water in the well goes down through a spiral staircase, leading to a huge old door.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Sultan arrives at the spot, and to save themselves, Gautham throws the map into the abyss, thus making the trio the only source to reach the place. Gautham removes a metal flower from one of the wheels, and all go into the door with some of them dying to fall into the abyss. They reach an old bridge which starts breaking while all are in a midway. The bridge breaks into nearly two parts, one on which the terrorists are there, one on which Gautham is there, and the last on which Zara, Sreenidhi, and Sultan are there. To sustain on the bridge, Sultan kicks Zara into the abyss with the flow of water, and she is pronounced dead. Gautham connects the two bridges with the help of a rope, and all of them, including Sreenidhi and Sultan, enter the next phase. The next phase is the way to the inlet where the bird used to be there.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Using two metal flower arrangements, a way is made due to movements of levers and wheels, and all go to the inlet. Gautham keeps the bird there, and a circular door with a small hole appears. The metal flower of the previous wheel is arranged there as a key, and all of the people enter the next phase: walking through a deep tunnel behind the circular door. They enter another room with a drum surrounded by nearly hundreds of metal chains surrounded in a circular curtain fashion with sharp metal weapons, and they start rotating round as they are sound-sensitive. Gautham, after severe struggles, enters the middle chain and removes the trident lock, making a metal ball fall on the drum. Due to opposite vibrations, the chains restore their position. They enter the last phase by a circular staircase.


title: Sahasam (2013 film)

text: Gautham, Sreenidhi, Sultan, Thilavar, and some terrorists enter a room. The tiles are arranged with a land mine system where some creatures are painted. If one would stand in the wrong place, then they would be killed by the sharp arrows projected from the mouths of sculptures on both walls. Gautham arranges the trident on a platform, due to which the land mine system is deactivated and the mouths of the sculptures are sealed by metal plates. Everyone goes toward the room, and a fight starts between the terrorists and Gautham. While most of the terrorists die, one accidentally kicks the trident, once again reverting the changes. Thilavar and Gautham are on the sculptures, and at the right time, Gautham attacks Thilavar with war equipment, thus deviating him from the place and resulting in his death due to the arrows.