title: Isiah Thomas

text: In the 1988–89 season, Thomas, along with teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, guided his team to a 63–19 record. Detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "". First, they defeated Boston, which had been suffering persistent injuries. After being down 2–1 against Michael Jordan and the up-and-coming Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals, the Pistons utilized the Jordan Rules to limit Jordan's impact, which allowed them to defeat the Bulls in six games and advance to the finals yet again, setting up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. This time the Pistons dominated, sweeping the Lakers in four games to win their first of back-to-back championships.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In the 1989–90 season, Thomas and the Pistons had another dominant run. They finished the regular season as the #1 seed for the second straight year. After sweeping the Pacers and defeating the Knicks in five games, Thomas and the Pistons faced a tough seven game series against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. Fortunately, the Pistons prevailed and advanced to their third straight finals. The Pistons repeated as champions, by defeating Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers. Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals after averaging 27.6 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: The 1990–91 season proved to be a struggle, as the team went through some injuries, with Thomas only playing 49 games in the regular season because of a wrist injury. The Pistons would win 50 games. Despite advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, they were no match for a more developed and determined Bulls who swept the two time defending champions. In the last 7.9 seconds of Game 4, Thomas and most of his teammates walked off the court without shaking any of the Bulls' hands.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In 1992, the Pistons made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated in five games by the New York Knicks in the first round. In 1993, the Pistons won just 40 games, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1982–83 season. In the following season, an aging and ailing Thomas tore his Achilles tendon on April 19, 1994, forcing him to retire a month later.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas was selected to the 1980 Olympic U.S. basketball team, but like all American athletes, he was not able to play in Moscow due to the Olympics boycott. The boycotting countries instead participated in the "Gold Medal Series", a series of games against NBA teams, a French team and the 1976 Olympic gold medal team in various U.S. cities, recording a 5–1 record (losing only to the Seattle SuperSonics). Thomas shot 22–55 from the field and 14–17 from the line. He led the U.S. in assists with 37 (the next highest total on the team was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game. In 2007, Thomas received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Despite his talent, Thomas was left off the original Olympic Dream Team, possibly as a result of an alleged feud with Michael Jordan. In the book "When the Game Was Ours", Magic Johnson relates that he, Jordan and other players conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: After Tim Hardaway left the team due to injury, Thomas was named to Dream Team II for the 1994 World Championship of Basketball, but did not play due to his Achilles tendon injury that eventually led to his retirement. He was replaced by Kevin Johnson.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Isiah Thomas is the founding Chairman and CEO of Isiah International LLC, a holding company with a diverse portfolio of business ventures and investments. Gre3n Waste Removal, Re3 Recycling, and Eleven Capital Group are three of the primary businesses in the Isiah International family of companies.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In addition to these business ventures, Thomas is involved in real estate projects in Chicago and the surrounding region as the owner of Isiah Real Estate. Thomas said he is putting money in distressed areas and reinvesting: "I'm hoping I can be a catalyst for change in those areas, to get the population back into those communities and be a catalyst to make a difference." Thomas is also involved in a $300 million development deal for a mixed-use complex at the Illinois Medical District Commission. Isiah Real Estate partnered with Higgins Development Partners, Thomas Samuels Enterprises, and East Lake Management & Development to develop of land that would include retail space, a hotel, apartments and parking areas.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas's business career began during his career with the Pistons. Planning for life after the NBA, Thomas invested in a host of ventures through his private investment company out of Michigan, Isiah Investments, LLC. His primary investment was a large chain of printing franchises, American Speedy Printing Centers Inc. Thomas took a very hands-on approach at American Speedy, helping lead the company out of bankruptcy to become profitable and one of the largest printing franchises in the world.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: He was also one of the founding members of the advisory board for Marquis Jet Partners and a partner of Dale and Thomas Popcorn.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In April 1999 Thomas became the first African American elected to the Board of Governors of the Chicago Stock Exchange. He served until 2002.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas has served as CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of One World Products, a cannabis company based in the U.S. with cultivation and processing facilities in Colombia.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: After retiring, Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities. During his four-year tenure with the team, the Raptors drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and high schooler Tracy McGrady.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play-by-play man Bob Costas and then as part of the studio team) for the "NBA on NBC". He also worked a three-man booth with Costas and Doug Collins.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. He founded Enlighten Sports Inc, a full-service web development group specializing in sports marketing, in 1999.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: When at the Continental Basketball Association, Thomas launched partnerships with Enlighten Sports and the University of Colorado and the CBA. The new websites allowed fans to watch live game webcasts, use live shot charts, chat with players and more. Thomas said the internet was "and integral part of [the CBA's] strategy to provide engaging and entertaining content for fans." Thomas also launched a partnership between the CBA and SEASONTICKET.com to bring personalized video highlights and scores to fans across the country as well as be a portal for All-Star League voting. Thomas foresaw that streaming video would be the future of news and entertainment.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In 1998, Thomas founded a company serving consumers, retailers, and corporations with online gift certificates and other i-commerce products. Isiah.com also had a partnership with the NBA store.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas purchased the CBA for $10 million, and in 2001 the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded, shortly after NBA Commissioner David Stern decided to create his own development league, the NBDL, to replace the CBA.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: From 2000 to 2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers, succeeding Larry Bird, who previously coached the Pacers to the Eastern Conference title. Thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster. But under Thomas the Pacers were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran-dominated, playoff-experienced team to a younger, less experienced team. In Thomas's first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, both of whom eventually made the NBA Finals.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided them to a 48–34 record in the regular season and coached the Eastern Conference team at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seeded Boston Celtics. With blossoming talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of Reggie Miller, some perceived Thomas's lack of coaching experience as the Pacers' stumbling block. In the off-season, Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with Rick Carlisle.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase. At the end of the 2005–06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second-worst record. He traded away several future draft picks to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent-rich drafts, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joakim Noah.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On June 22, 2006, the Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and owner James Dolan replaced him with Thomas on the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: During the following season the Knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets that Thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint. He was not fined or suspended; NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments. Later in the season, nine months after Dolan had demanded "evident progress", the Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi-year" contract. After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: During the 2007 NBA draft, Thomas made another trade, acquiring Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas also compounded the Knicks' salary-cap problems by signing fringe players such as Jerome James and Jared Jeffries to full mid-level exception contracts. Neither player saw any significant playing time and both were often injured and highly ineffective when able to play.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Despite the constant criticism he received from Knicks fans, Thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around, and predicted he would lead the Knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the Knicks, just as he had done for the Detroit Pistons. This prediction was met with widespread skepticism.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh was introduced to replace Thomas as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. Walsh did not comment definitively on whether Thomas would be retained in any capacity.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: One night after the Knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that in talks with Walsh the week before, Thomas had been told he would not return as Knicks head coach the following season. He was officially "reassigned" on April 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal." Thomas posted an overall winning percentage of .341 as head coach of the Knicks, fifth lowest in team history. As part of the reassignment agreement, Thomas was to serve as a consultant to the team, reporting directly to Walsh and banned from having contact with Knicks players on the rationale that he could undermine the new head coach.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On April 14, 2009, Thomas accepted an offer to become the head basketball coach of FIU, replacing Sergio Rouco after five losing seasons. Thomas announced that he would donate his first year's salary back to the school, saying, "I did not come here for the money."


title: Isiah Thomas

text: After posting a 7–25 record in his first season at FIU, on August 6, 2010, Thomas announced that he was taking a job as consultant to the New York Knicks, while keeping his position as head coach at FIU. According to the "New York Daily News", "nearly every major media outlet panned the announcement of Thomas' hire", and it led to a "public outcry" among fans. In a reversal on August 11, Thomas announced that he would not be working with the Knicks because holding both jobs violated NBA bylaws.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas finished his second season at FIU with an 11–19 record (5–11 in conference games). On April 6, 2012, FIU fired Thomas after he went 26–65 in three seasons. Under Thomas, FIU never won more than 11 games in a season.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On December 19, 2012, NBA TV announced that Thomas would begin work on December 21, 2012, as a member of the studio analyst panel. It was also announced that Thomas would become a regular contributor for NBA.com.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On May 5, 2015, the WNBA New York Liberty hired Thomas as Team President, overseeing all of the franchise's business and basketball operations.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On June 22, 2015, the Liberty and the WNBA agreed to suspend consideration of Thomas's ownership application. He remains president of the team.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Under Thomas's leadership as team president and his former Pistons teammate Bill Laimbeer as head coach, the Liberty finished first in the Eastern Conference during the 2015 season.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In 2016, Thomas announced that he was the exclusive United States importer of the Cheurlin Champagne brand through ISIAH Imports, a subsidiary of ISIAH International, LLC. Cheurlin Champagne made its debut in the United States at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Other activations have included a private luncheon honoring former President Bill Clinton. Cheurlin recently debuted at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the final season of the Detroit Pistons at the historic arena. Cheurlin produces two champagne categories: Cheurlin's Brut Speciale and Rose de Saignee and Cheurlin Thomas's "Celebrite" Blanc de Blanc and "Le Champion" Blanc de Noir. In August 2017, Thomas brought his Cheurlin Flagship Collection portfolio of Champagnes to the Bellagio in Las Vegas.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Since 2017, Thomas has been a regular panelist during NBA on TNT's Monday coverage "Players Only", which features only former NBA players as studio analysts, play-by-play announcers, and color analysts for games.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas finished his college degree at Indiana University during the Pistons' off-seasons and received his Master's in Education from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2013. At UC Berkeley, Thomas studied the connection between education and sports, specifically how American society makes education accessible (or inaccessible) to black male college athletes.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: During his playing career, Thomas paid college tuition for more than 75 students. When he was a Piston, in 1987 Thomas organized the "No Crime Day" in Detroit. He even had the help of Detroit Mayor Coleman Young to call for a moratorium on crime in the summer of 1986.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Also in 1987 Thomas posed for a poster sponsored by the American Library Association with the caption "READ: Isiah Thomas for America's Libraries". Thomas is shown dressed in a Sam Spade type outfit while reading a detective novel.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas founded Mary's Court, a foundation that supports economically disadvantaged parents and children in the communities of Garfield Park and Lawndale on the West Side of Chicago. The charity is named for Thomas's mother, who he credits with instilling in him the importance of hard work and giving back to the community. Mary's Court has teamed up with another Chicago-based charity, Kids off the Block, to serve meals to Chicago children and families during Thanksgiving.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: While at FIU, Thomas and Mary's Court donated $50,000 to FIU's First Generation Scholarship and organized a sell-out charity game during the NBA lockout featuring NBA stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with proceeds benefiting Mary's Court. A street on Chicago's West Side was named in honor of his mother.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys & Girls Club of Chicago recognized Thomas's philanthropic work in March 2012 and honored him with the organization's King Legacy Award at their 24th Annual King Legacy Awards Gala. The award is given annually to individuals who have fostered the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through their community contributions.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In July 2012, Thomas joined The Black Men's Roundtable in Florida along with other national and local black leaders to discuss issues that directly affect black males.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: The Peace League is an annual community basketball league that brings together young men and women from surrounding communities within the Chicago area and provides a safe haven growth and development; it was established by Thomas and Father Pfleger in 2011. In September 2012, Thomas co-hosted the Ballin' for Peace Tournament at St. Sabina Church in Chicago. He joined with Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Quentin Richardson, Zach Randolph, the Chicago Bears' J'Marcus Webb, pastor Father Michael Pfleger, and others to produce this event, in order to reduce gang violence through communication and basketball. Thomas also stressed the value of education for those in poverty.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: The Peace League initiative has expanded into a program which now offers GED classes, employment training, and internship opportunities. The surrounding Auburn-Gresham neighborhood has seen a drastic drop in violence since the league began.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Most recently, the Peace League Tournament was expanded to New York City during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. The New York City Peace Game featured over 50 players from across all five Boroughs that competed in a tournament as well as a brief speaking program with some special guests, supporters and participating organizations at the Harlem PAL that included Harry Belafonte of Sankofa.org, Help USA, Cure Violence, and Connor Sports.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In March 2013, Children Uniting Nations, an organization that focuses on advocacy/awareness and provides academic and community-based programs for at-risk and foster youth, presented Thomas and Mary's Court with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his passion and commitment to improving the lives of children.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In partnership with the Marillac Social Center, Thomas and Mary's Court hosted its Third Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway. Each year Mary's Court provides gifts, clothing and educational items to hundreds of children in Chicago at this signature event.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On February 13, 2017, Thomas was presented the AT&T Humanity of Connection Award during its annual Black History Month celebration in honor of Lewis H. Latimer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. He was honored for his historic achievements in sports and his countless contributions to the African American community as a leader in the sports, business and philanthropic industries.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Isiah Lord Thomas III was the son of Isiah II and Mary Thomas, the youngest of seven boys and two girls. Isiah's father was an army veteran wounded in the Battle of Saipan. He later attended trade school, eventually becoming the first black supervisor at International Harvester in Chicago. When the plant closed, the only work he could find was as a janitor and the family fell into hardship and Isiah II left when Isiah was a young child. Thomas grew up in the heart of Chicago's West Side ghetto. After his parents' separation, he lived with his mother. Born a Baptist, Mary turned the family toward Catholicism (and Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and school).


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas was a basketball prodigy from age three and was tutored by his older brothers, some of whom were good players in their own right. Although most coaches in the Chicago area considered him too small to have any significant impact on a basketball program, Thomas's brothers persuaded coach Gene Pingatore of St. Joseph High School to arrange a sports scholarship for Isiah.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas met his future wife, Lynn Kendall, the daughter of a Secret Service agent and a nurse, in the early 1980s while they were both attending Indiana University. The couple married at Our Lady of Sorrows in 1985.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in 1987. He and Kendall had a son, Joshua, in 1988, and a daughter, Lauren, in 1991. Thomas has a third son from an earlier liaison, Marc Dones, born in 1986.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Thomas founded Isiah International LLC, an investment holdings company with Thomas as Chairman and CEO. It runs five companies: Isiah Real Estate, a development firm specializing in commercial properties; TAND Properties, a property management firm, private equity and asset management firm; Isiah Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations; and GRE3N Waste Removal. Thomas also co-owns the waste removal firm's sister company, RE3 Recycling, with his daughter, Lauren Thomas.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Two months before Thomas's marriage to Lynn Kendall in 1985, Jenni Dones, a woman from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, filed a paternity lawsuit against Thomas claiming that she was pregnant after having had a three- or four-month "intimate, exclusive, ongoing relationship" with him. Her child, Marc E. T. Dones, was born in 1986. After a long-running legal dispute, Thomas agreed to pay a settlement of about $52,000 and provide a monthly payment of $2,765 until Marc Dones reached 18, with Marc getting a final lump-sum amount of $100,000 at 18. In a case Dones filed in 1995, she was able to get additional financial support for her child and their college education. Marc Dones has been described by the literary site thedetroiter.com as "a talented writer and poet". He is currently the chief executive officer of the King County (WA) Regional Homelessness Authority.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In January 2006, Anucha Browne Sanders, a former female executive with the New York Knicks, filed an employment and harassment lawsuit against The Madison Square Garden Company, alleging in part that Thomas had sexually harassed her in the workplace and that she had been fired in retaliation for complaining about the harassment. The case was then settled for $11.5 million.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: On October 24, 2008, Thomas was taken to White Plains Hospital Center near his New York City area home after accidentally taking an overdose of Lunesta, a form of sleep medication.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In an interview with ESPN, Thomas explained that he was so quiet about his hospitalization because he was focused on his family at the time.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, Thomas was joined on the Eastern Conference squad by star rookie Michael Jordan. Jordan wound up attempting nine shots, relatively few for a starting player. Afterward, Thomas and his fellow veteran East players were accused of having planned to "freeze out" Jordan from their offense by not passing him the ball, supposedly out of spite over the attention Jordan was receiving. No player involved has ever confirmed that the freeze-out occurred, but the story has long been reported. Thomas has ridiculed the idea that he masterminded the supposed freeze-out as "ludicrous", pointing out that he was a relatively young player on a team that included Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Moses Malone. During Jordan's Hall of Fame induction, in which Thomas introduced John Stockton, who was also being inducted, Jordan dismissed the claims about a freeze-out having taken place, saying "I was just happy to be there, being the young guy surrounded by all these greats, I just wanted to prove myself and I hope that I did prove myself to you guys."


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In 1987, following a playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, Thomas was asked if he agreed with Dennis Rodman's comments that Larry Bird was overrated because he was white; Thomas agreed that if Bird were black he "would be just another good guy" instead of being portrayed as the league's best player. Thomas later said he was joking and just supporting his teammate.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In the Eastern Conference Finals of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons faced the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Pistons had eliminated the Bulls in each of the three previous years, but this time they suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Bulls (who would win the first of three consecutive, and six overall, NBA championships between 1991 and 1998). The series was marked by a number of verbal and physical confrontations. With 7.9 seconds remaining in the fourth game, Laimbeer organized a walk-out and Thomas and all of his teammates—except Joe Dumars and John Salley—walked off the court, refusing to shake hands with the Bulls. In 1992, Thomas was passed over for the Dream Team apparently because of his strained relationship with Jordan.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In September 2009, during Jordan's Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Jordan thanked Thomas and others for giving him the motivation he needed to compete in the NBA.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: During his playing career, Thomas won an NCAA championship with Indiana in 1981 and NBA championships with Detroit in 1989 and 1990. He was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1981 Final Four and the Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1980 and a 12-time NBA All-Star.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: When Thomas retired as a player in 1994, he ranked third in NBA history with 9,061 assists and fifth in league history with 1,861 steals. As of 2022, his 9,061 assists rank ninth in NBA history, and his average of 9.3 assists per game ranks fifth.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: As of 2020, Thomas also remains the Pistons' all-time career leader in minutes played (15,904), points scored (18,822), steals (1,861), and assists (9,061).


title: Isiah Thomas

text: In 1996, Thomas was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, selected upon the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NBA. In 2021, he was elected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.


title: Isiah Thomas

text: Michael Jordan called Thomas the second greatest point guard ever, only behind Magic Johnson, and that despite his personal dislike of Thomas he respected his talent.


title: Features of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

text: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many fictional elements including locations, weapons, and artifacts. While many of these features are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books published by Marvel Comics, some features were created specifically for the MCU.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: Antim: The Final Truth is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and produced by Salman Khan Films. Distributed by Zee Studios, it is an adaptation of the Marathi film "Mulshi Pattern", and stars Salman Khan, Aayush Sharma, Mahima Makwana and Jisshu Sengupta. The story revolves around the face-off between a Sikh police officer (Salman Khan) and a gangster (Aayush Sharma), and like the original, it explores the hard conditions faced by farmers that pushes some of them towards crime.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: The film was theatrically released worldwide on 26 November 2021. It received positive reviews from critics and audience, with praise for Sharma and Khan’s performances, storyline, background score, action sequences and Manjrekar's direction. At box office it was a flop fare, the film grossed worldwide against a budget of .


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: The narrative is about a common farmer's life, where he is forced to sell his land and work as a farm laborer in his own land. One such story revolves around Rahul "Rahulya" Patil. His father, Dattaram also had sold his land and is living as a watchman in his own land. One day, the landlord, Shinde, beats up Dattaram and Rahulya challenges that he would get back his land. Soon, his family shifts to Pune, where both the father-son duo work as porters in a vegetable market. One day, the local goons forcibly extort money from an old man, Rahulya beats them up and lands in jail. There, he meets Nanya, a powerful gangster with the local MLA's support. Rahulya joins hands with Nanya after being released from jail. Meanwhile, he also falls in love with Manda, a tea seller.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: Rahulya soon earns his name after accidentally murdering the Mayor and Nanya bails him out again, by fabricating the murder as suicide with false testimonials from the witnesses. Rahulya, with his new fame, sets out to solve the vegetable vendors's problems by promising that he would buy their products at rates more than the current prices. Though he is appreciated by the vendors, Dattaram rejects him. Soon, Rahulya is a prominent member in Nanya's gang. One day, Pitya and Daya complain to Nanya that they failed to annex land owned by Rahulya's "masterji". Rahulya settles his own personal score and annexes the land by shooting Masterji in front of his family. Nanya bails him out by producing masterji's uncle as the killer. Rahulya is completely disowned by his family and is thrown out of his home. Though Manda is apprehensive of Rahul, she believes that he is innocent. One day, Nanya invites Rahulya to his birthday party; in a twist, Rahulya murders him that night, believing that he sexually predated his mother and sister. SI Rajveer Singh, witnesses the murder and puts Rahulya behind bars after a physical brawl. After several months, he comes out on bail.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: Rahulya is now the gangster of the town and everyone fears him. One night, a pre-teenager Siddharth aka Sidhu comes to meet Rahulya for help and Rahulya adopts him as his brother. Meanwhile, Rajveer takes pity on Rahulya's family and constantly warns Rahulya of grave consequences on taking law in his hands, but to no avail. Rajveer now decides to leave the fate of the gangsters to themselves knowing that only one would be left behind upon killing each others's gang. He further intensifies the inter-gang rivalry by killing members of both the gang members without each others's knowledge. Rahulya, though a rich man feels lonely. As he goes to the market place, Dattaram despises him. Manda's father Satya too shouts at Rahulya that he would never marry off his daughter to him. Enraged, Rahulya hits him. Manda then hits Rahulya and breaks up with him. Rahulya becomes even more dreaded gangster: he starts extortions, captures many peoples's lands and turns his eyes on Dattaram's land and gets his vengeance by killing Shinde. An elated Rahulya shares the news to Dattaram, but isn't happy as usual because of Rahulya's coercive methods. During one of the land settlements, he comes across a happy family where the father is proud of his sons's achievements. After hearing this, Rahulya now has a change of heart.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: As he returns to the marketplace, he meets Dattaram and asks him to come with him and that he would join politics. Dattaram lashes out that he had many chances to mend his ways but he didn't. As Rahulya is about to leave, The local MLA is informed of Rahulya joining politics and tips Pitya and Daya to murder Rahulya. On the day of Vinayaka Chaturthi, Rajveer encounter-kills the MLA and the duo end up chasing Rahulya on Pune roads to murder him. Rahulya quickly phones Sidhu about the happenings and asks him to inform everyone. Sidhu and Rahulya reach the market. Meanwhile, Dattaram also calls and informs Rajveer of the happenings and arrives at the market place. Rahulya now comes out of hiding and both of them confront the Daya-Pitya duo. As the duo are captured, Rahulya surrenders himself to the police. Sidhu takes out his gun and shoots Rahulya, killing him. He reveals that he is masterji's grandson and promised to avenge his death to his dying mother by murdering Rahulya in the marketplace. Rajveer then encounters and kills Pitya-Daya. As Rahulya's dead body is about to be cremated, everybody weeps and Dattaram frantically laughs as he is reminded of Rahulya's words to smile at least once. As Rajveer leaves, he thinks that Rahulya needed only 6 feet of land despite owning 300 acres.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: The film's principal photography commenced with Aayush Sharma on 15 November 2020, and Salman Khan joined the sets in December 2020 and the second schedule in January 2021. Filming was wrapped up in July 2021, but later Khan's some more scenes were added-on to the movie and Khan shot that scenes in the first week of October 2021.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: The music of film was composed by Ravi Basrur and Hitesh Modak while lyrics written by Vaibhav Joshi, Nitin Raikwar and Shabbir Ahmed.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars and described the film as "Power-packed". Ronak Kotecha of the Times of India gave the film 3 out of 5 rating by saying "With intense action and drama (a tad too much), ‘Antim: The Final Truth’ checks some of the boxes for mass entertainment. It also highlights the issue of land grabbing by mafia dons, who successfully manage to bend the law, as they are often hand-in-glove with the politicians. So, if you fancy over-the-top old-school Bollywood films that have an excess of just about everything then ‘Antim: The Final Truth’ may just be your kinda film." Gulf News gave the film 2.5 out of 5 rating and saying that "Director Mahesh Manjrekar as a drunk former small-time criminal is passable, but Khedekar’s (Sharma’s principled father) grief seems more genuine. Actress Mahima Makwana is effective in her part of a fierce woman some of the twists will remind you of an ‘80s Bollywood melodrama. All emotions and violence in this film are exaggerated and heightened, but this is not an unbearable movie. If you are willing to tolerate this film’s obvious need to be woke and loud, you may even enjoy the good vs evil drama." Komal Nahta of Film Information wrote, ""Antim" has entertainment value but it lacks novelty." Khaleej Times gave the film 3 out of 5 rating and wrote ""Antim" is a well-made film with a generous dose of superbly shot action sequences offset by some zany dialogues that will make you smile in the midst of all the doom and gloom. Its strength lies in the fact it is a typical Salman Khan film that ends up being more than just another Salman Khan movie as well."


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: India Today gave the film 3 out of 5 rating and saying that "Antim is a small step in the right direction for Salman Khan and a big step for Aayush Sharma whose path of self-discovery as an actor seems to have begun with this film. Overall Antim has enough ammunition to deliver what it set out to promise - an action blockbuster with a massive emotional connect."


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: "Antim: The Final Truth " earned 5.03 crore at the box office on its opening day, and had a total domestic opening weekend collection of 18.61 crore.


title: Antim: The Final Truth

text: The film's lifetime worldwide box office gross was 45.30 crore, including crore in India and crore overseas and it is a flop at the box office.


title: Lynx

text: A lynx (; plural lynx or lynxes) is any of the four species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, or bobcat) within the medium-sized wild cat genus "Lynx". The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from the Greek word λύγξ, derived from the Indo-European root "leuk-" ('light, brightness') in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes.


title: Lynx

text: Lynx have a short tail, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears, large, padded paws for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. Under their neck, they have a ruff, which has black bars resembling a bow tie, although this is often not visible.


title: Lynx

text: Body colour varies from medium brown to goldish to beige-white, and is occasionally marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. All species of lynx have white fur on their chests, bellies and on the insides of their legs, fur which is an extension of the chest and belly fur. The lynx's colouring, fur length and paw size vary according to the climate in their range. In the Southwestern United States, they are short-haired, dark in colour and their paws are smaller and less padded. As climates get colder and more northerly, lynx have progressively thicker fur, lighter colour, and their paws are larger and more padded to adapt to the snow. Their paws may be larger than a human hand or foot.


title: Lynx

text: The smallest species are the bobcat and the Canada lynx, while the largest is the Eurasian lynx, with considerable variations within species.


title: Lynx

text: The four living species of the genus "Lynx" are believed to have evolved from "Lynx issiodorensis", which lived in Europe and Africa during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The Pliocene felid "Felis rexroadensis" from North America has been proposed as an even earlier ancestor; however, this was larger than any living species, and is not currently classified as a true lynx.


title: Lynx

text: Of the four lynx species, the Eurasian lynx ("Lynx lynx") is the largest in size. It is native to European, Central Asian, and Siberian forests. While its conservation status has been classified as "least concern", populations of Eurasian lynx have been reduced or extirpated from much of Europe, where it is now being reintroduced.


title: Lynx

text: During the summer, the Eurasian lynx has a relatively short, reddish or brown coat which is replaced by a much thicker silver-grey to greyish-brown coat during winter. The lynx hunts by stalking and jumping on its prey, helped by the rugged, forested country in which it resides. A favorite prey for the lynx in its woodland habitat is roe deer. It will feed however on whatever animal appears easiest, as it is an opportunistic predator much like its cousins.


title: Lynx

text: The Canada lynx ("Lynx canadensis"), or Canadian lynx, is a North American felid that ranges in forest and tundra regions across Canada and into Alaska, as well as some parts of the northern United States. Historically, the Canadian lynx ranged from Alaska across Canada and into many of the northern U.S. states. In the eastern states, it resided in the transition zone in which boreal coniferous forests yielded to deciduous forests. By 2010, after an 11-year effort, it had been successfully reintroduced into Colorado, where it had become extirpated in the 1970s. In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Canada lynx a threatened species in the lower 48 states.


title: Lynx

text: The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has a thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as the bobcat at supporting its weight on the snow. The Canada lynx feeds almost exclusively on snowshoe hares; its population is highly dependent on the population of this prey animal. It will also hunt medium-sized mammals and birds if hare numbers fall.


title: Lynx

text: The Iberian lynx ("Lynx pardinus") is an endangered species native to the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe. It was the most endangered cat species in the world, but conservation efforts have changed its status from critical to endangered. According to the Portuguese conservation group SOS Lynx, if this species dies out, it will be the first feline extinction since the "Smilodon" 10,000 years ago. The species used to be classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, but is now considered a separate species. Both species occurred together in central Europe in the Pleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice. The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved from "Lynx issiodorensis".


title: Lynx

text: The bobcat ("Lynx rufus") is a North American wild cat. With 13 recognized subspecies, the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, the continental United States, and northern Mexico. Like the Eurasian lynx, its conservation status is "least concern." The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits deciduous, coniferous, or mixed woodlands, but unlike other "Lynx", does not depend exclusively on the deep forest, and ranges from swamps and desert lands to mountainous and agricultural areas, its spotted coat serving as camouflage. The population of the bobcat depends primarily on the population of its prey. Nonetheless, the bobcat is often killed by larger predators such as coyotes.


title: Lynx

text: The bobcat resembles other species of the genus "Lynx", but is on average the smallest of the four. Its coat is variable, though generally tan to grayish brown, with black streaks on the body and dark bars on the forelegs and tail. The ears are black-tipped and pointed, with short, black tufts. There is generally an off-white color on the lips, chin, and underparts. Bobcats in the desert regions of the southwest have the lightest-colored coats, while those in the northern, forested regions have the darkest.


title: Lynx

text: The lynx is usually solitary, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between one and four kittens. The gestation time of the lynx is about 70 days. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before moving out to live on their own as young adults. The lynx creates its den in crevices or under ledges. It feeds on a wide range of animals from white-tailed deer, reindeer, roe deer, small red deer, and chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: snowshoe hares, fish, foxes, sheep, squirrels, mice, turkeys and other birds, and goats. It also eats ptarmigans, voles, and grouse.


title: Lynx

text: The lynx inhabits high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and tall grass. Although this cat hunts on the ground, it can climb trees and can swim swiftly, catching fish.


title: Lynx

text: The Eurasian lynx ranges from central and northern Europe across Asia up to Northern Pakistan and India. In Iran, they live in Mount Damavand area. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eurasian lynx was considered extinct in the wild in Slovenia and Croatia. A resettlement project, begun in 1973, has successfully reintroduced lynx to the Slovenian Alps and the Croatian regions of Gorski Kotar and Velebit, including Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park and Risnjak National Park. In both countries, the lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law. The lynx was distributed throughout Japan during Jōmon period; with no paleontological evidence thereafter suggesting extinction at that time.


title: Lynx

text: Several lynx resettlement projects begun in the 1970s have been successful in various regions of Switzerland. Since the 1990s, there have been numerous efforts to resettle the Eurasian lynx in Germany, and since 2000, a small population can now be found in the Harz mountains near Bad Lauterberg.


title: Lynx

text: The lynx is found in the Białowieża Forest in northeastern Poland, in Estonia and in the northern and western parts of China, particularly the Tibetan Plateau. In Romania, the numbers exceed 2,000, the largest population in Europe outside of Russia, although most experts consider the official population numbers to be overestimated.


title: Lynx

text: The lynx is more common in northern Europe, especially in Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, and the northern parts of Russia. The Swedish population is estimated to be 1200–1500 individuals, spread all over the country, but more common in middle Sweden and in the mountain range. The lynx population in Finland was 1900–2100 individuals in 2008, and the numbers have been increasing every year since 1992. The lynx population in Finland is estimated currently to be larger than ever before. Lynx in Britain were wiped out in the 17th century, but there have been calls to reintroduce them to curb the numbers of deer.


title: Lynx

text: The endangered Iberian lynx lives in southern Spain and formerly in eastern Portugal. There is an Iberian lynx reproduction center outside Silves in the Algarve in southern Portugal.


title: Lynx

text: The two "Lynx" species in North America, Canada lynx and bobcats, are both found in the temperate zone. While the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, the continental United States and northern Mexico, the Canada lynx is present mainly in boreal forests of Canada and Alaska.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: God of War is an action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). First released on March 22, 2005, for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) console, it is the first installment in the series of the same name and the third chronologically. Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is set in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist Kratos, a Spartan warrior who serves the Olympian gods. The goddess Athena tasks Kratos with killing Ares, the God of War and Kratos' former mentor who tricked Kratos into killing his wife and daughter. As Ares besieges Athens out of hatred for Athena, Kratos embarks on a quest to find the one object capable of stopping the god once and for all: Pandora's Box.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The gameplay of "God of War" focuses on combo-based combat, achieved through the player's main weapon—the Blades of Chaos—and a secondary weapon acquired later in the game. It features quick time events that require the player to complete various game controller actions in a timed sequence to defeat stronger enemies and bosses. The player can use up to four magical attacks and a power-enhancing ability as alternative combat options. It also features puzzles and platforming elements.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: "God of War" sold more than 4.6 million copies worldwide, making it the fourteenth best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time. Regarded as one of the best action-adventure games for the platform, it won several "Game of the Year" awards. In 2009, entertainment website IGN named "God of War" the seventh-best PlayStation 2 game of all time. It has been highly praised for its graphics, sound, story, and gameplay and has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. The success of the game led to the development of eight more games and expansion into other media. The game and its first sequel, "God of War II", were remastered and released in November 2009 as part of the "God of War Collection", and in 2012, the remastered version was re-released as part of the "God of War Saga", both for the PlayStation 3. A novelization of the game was published in May 2010, and a film adaptation had been in development for many years but was ultimately canceled.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: "God of War" is a third-person single player action-adventure video game with hack and slash elements, viewed from a fixed camera perspective. The player controls the character Kratos in combo-based combat, platforming, and puzzle game elements, and battles Greek mythological foes that include undead soldiers, harpies, minotaurs, Medusa and the Gorgons, cyclopes, wraiths, Sirens, satyrs, centaurs, cerberuses, and boss opponents—the Hydra and a giant minotaur known as Pandora's Guardian. Platforming elements require the player to climb walls and ladders, jump across chasms, swing on ropes, and balance across beams to proceed through sections of the game. Some puzzles are simple, such as moving a box so that the player can use it as a jumping-off point to access a pathway unreachable with normal jumping, but others are more complex, such as finding several items across different areas of the game to unlock one door.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Throughout the game world, the player finds green, blue, and red chests that contain orbs of the corresponding color. Green orbs replenish the player's health, blue orbs replenish magic, and red orbs provide experience for upgrading weapons and magic and replenish the Rage meter, which, if full, allows for the usage of the Rage of the Gods ability. Red orbs are also collected by killing foes and destroying certain inanimate objects. The player can also find Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers that increase the length of the Health and Magic Meters, respectively.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Kratos' main weapon is the Blades of Chaos: a pair of blades attached to chains wrapped around the character's wrists and forearms. In gameplay, the blades can be swung in various maneuvers. Later in the game, Kratos acquires a secondary weapon called the Blade of Artemis: a large sword that offers alternative combat options. Kratos also learns to use four magical abilities which allow him to kill individual and multiple targets: Zeus' Fury (which allows him to throw lightning bolts at distant targets), Medusa's Gaze, Poseidon's Rage, and Army of Hades. A relic called Poseidon's Trident allows Kratos to breathe underwater and navigate through this environment. Early in the game, Kratos acquires a special ability called Rage of the Gods, which provides temporary invulnerability and increased attack damage.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: In combat, a quick time event (QTE) is initiated when the player has weakened a strong foe. The player performs a sequence of actions on the game controller shortly after an image of its circle button appears as an on-screen prompt. This allows for limited control of Kratos during a QTE cinematic sequence, which, if successful, ends the battle; failure usually results in damaging Kratos. Similar in function is a quick time sex mini-game that occurs when Kratos encounters female twins; this became a regular feature throughout the series until "" (2010).


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: When the game is completed, a challenge mode—ten trials called the Challenge of the Gods—is unlocked; this requires players to complete a series of specific tasks. The player may unlock bonus costumes for Kratos, behind-the-scenes videos, and concept art of the characters and environments, as rewards. Completion of each difficulty level unlocks additional rewards.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: "God of War" is set in an alternate version of ancient Greece populated by the Olympian gods, Titans, and other Greek mythological beings. With the exception of flashbacks, the events of the game are set between those of the games "" (2008) and "" (2010). There are six locations explored, including fictional versions of the real-world Aegean Sea and Athens, and fictional locations such as the Desert of Lost Souls, the Temple of Pandora, the Underworld, and a brief scene on Mount Olympus.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The Aegean Sea setting includes a mass of shipwrecked vessels. Athens is a war-torn city under assault by Ares, the God of War; beyond the city is the Desert of Lost Souls, a vast and windy desert of ancient ruins. The majority of the game occurs in Pandora's Temple, which is chained to the back of the Titan Cronos, who crawls through the desert. The massive temple, constructed by the architect Pathos Verdes III, is filled with traps and monsters, and has three sections dedicated to the Titan Atlas and gods Poseidon and Hades, respectively. The Underworld is a fiery realm with spiked pillars full of souls and flaming versions of previously encountered enemies. Athens is the scene of the final battle before a denouement on Mount Olympus in the God of War's throne room.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The protagonist of the game is Kratos (voiced by Terrence C. Carson), a Spartan warrior who serves the Olympian gods. Other characters include a host of Greek gods, such as Athena (Carole Ruggier), the Goddess of Wisdom and Kratos' ally and mentor; Ares (Steven Blum), the God of War and main antagonist; Poseidon (Fred Tatasciore), the God of the Sea; Aphrodite (Carole Ruggier), the Goddess of Love and Sexuality; Zeus (Paul Eiding), the King of the Gods; Artemis (Claudia Black), the Goddess of the Hunt; and Hades (Nolan North), the God of the Underworld. Several of the gods aid Kratos with magic or weapons. Minor characters include the Oracle of Athens (Susan Blakeslee), the gravedigger (Paul Eiding), the body burner (Christopher Corey Smith), and the boat captain (Keith Ferguson). Other characters appear in flashbacks, including Kratos' wife Lysandra (Gwendoline Yeo), his daughter Calliope, the Barbarian King, and a Village Oracle (Susan Blakeslee). The game is narrated by Linda Hunt.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Kratos is a warrior who serves the Greek gods of Olympus. Flashbacks reveal that he was once a successful but bloodthirsty captain in the Spartan army and led his men to several victories before being defeated by a barbarian king. Facing death, Kratos called on the God of War, Ares, whom he promised to serve if the god would spare his men and provide the power to destroy their enemies. Ares agreed and bonded the Blades of Chaos, a pair of chained blades forged in the depths of Tartarus, to his new servant. Kratos, equipped with the blades, then decapitated the barbarian king.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Kratos waged war at the behest of Ares, eventually leading an attack on a village occupied by worshipers of Athena. Unknown to Kratos, Ares had secretly transported Kratos' wife and daughter to the village; during his frenzied attack on its temple, Kratos accidentally killed them in a blind fury. Although Ares believed this act would free Kratos to become the perfect warrior, the horrified and saddened Spartan instead renounced his pledge of servitude to the god and swore vengeance against him. The oracle of the destroyed village cursed Kratos by bonding the ashes of his dead family to his skin, turning it ash-white and earning him the nickname, "Ghost of Sparta". Plagued by nightmares of his horrible deed, Kratos vowed to serve the other gods in hope of ridding himself of the visions.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: When the game starts, Kratos has been serving the gods for ten years. He kills the Hydra on behalf of Poseidon, but he has grown tired of his service and suffering. He summons Athena, who states that if Kratos performs one final act—the murder of Ares—he will be forgiven for killing his family. Ares is waging war on the city of Athens out of hatred of his sister Athena, who assigns Kratos to destroy Ares because Zeus has forbidden divine intervention. Athena guides Kratos to the war-torn Athens. After a strange encounter with a gravedigger who encourages him to continue his task, Kratos battles his way to Athens' oracle, finds her, and learns that the only way to defeat Ares is with Pandora's Box, a mythical artifact that grants the power to kill a god.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Kratos enters the Desert of Lost Souls, and Athena tells him Pandora's Box is hidden in a temple chained to the back of the Titan Cronos—a punishment by Zeus for Cronos' role in the Great War. Kratos summons Cronos, climbs for three days before reaching the Temple entrance, overcomes an array of deadly traps and an army of monsters, and eventually finds the Box. But Ares, aware of his former servant's success, kills Kratos as he is leaving the Temple by hurling a large pillar into him. While harpies take the Box to Ares, Kratos falls into the Underworld. He battles his way through the fiery realm of the dead, and with help from the mysterious gravedigger, who tells him Athena is not the only god watching over him, he escapes and returns to Athens.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Kratos recovers Pandora's Box from Ares, opens it, and uses its power to become godlike and engages Ares in a fierce battle. Despite Ares' best efforts to destroy Kratos physically and mentally, including stripping him of all weapons and magic and then forcing him to relive his family’s death, Kratos overcomes and kills Ares with the Blade of the Gods, a giant sword that was being used as an ornamental bridge to Athens. The city is saved, and Athena tells Kratos that although his sins are forgiven, the gods cannot erase his nightmares. Forsaken by the gods, he tries to commit suicide by casting himself into the Aegean Sea, but Athena intervenes and transports him to Mount Olympus. As a reward for his services to the gods, Athena provides Kratos with a new set of blades and the seat as the new God of War.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Sony's Santa Monica Studio began development of "God of War" in 2002, under the working title "Dark Odyssey", and unveiled it two years later at SCEA Santa Monica Gamers' Day 2004. Game director and creator David Jaffe said that while the idea for "God of War" was his own, the concept owed a debt to Capcom because he had played "Onimusha" and said "let's do that with Greek Mythology". He was inspired in part by the 1981 feature film, "Clash of the Titans", saying, "the real high concept for me was ... merging it with "Heavy Metal" magazine". He said he liked both "the kids stuff ... with Greek Mythology" and the idea of adding more adult themes such as sex and violence. The development team gave themselves "lots of freedom" to modify the myths, and Jaffe said they took the "coolest aspects of the subject" and wrote a story using those elements. Director of visual development and lead concept artist, Charlie Wen, drew inspiration from classic films like "Clash of the Titans" as well as more contemporary films, such as "Gladiator" (2000), for tonal inspiration to lead the visual design of Kratos, other characters, and the world of "God of War".<ref name="IGN6/10/04"></ref>


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The game uses Santa Monica's Kinetica engine, which they developed for their previous game, "Kinetica" (2001). For "God of War", Jaffe said the creative team's goal was to "make the player feel brutal, letting their inner beast free and just going nuts". He also said the game's combat system would have an unparalleled degree of freedom. The team designed two systems of combat: a "macro" system, which gives players the choice between normal combat, magical attacks, or using the QTE feature to kill a foe; and a "micro" system, where players press a sequence of buttons to perform different attacks. The developers said there would be 15 to 25 different attacks with the player's main weapon in the final game, with a free-form combo system that would allow players to combine moves in almost any order. The gameplay was described "as merging the action of "Devil May Cry" with the puzzle-solving of "Ico"" and that players would be able to "sunder enemies with a single move, such as by ripping them in half". Santa Monica designed different types of puzzles for the game, including self-contained ones that incorporate up to three rooms of the game, and global puzzles that spread across four or five areas. Jaffe compared the game to the popular "Prince of Persia" series—which also incorporates puzzle and platforming elements—and said that while each puzzle in that series is a slight variation of the last, "each puzzle in "God of War" is its own beast". According to "Eurogamer", the gameplay of the "Strider" arcade franchise was also a vital influence on "God of War".


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Sony gave Jaffe nearly complete creative control to develop the game on his terms with a substantial budget. Jaffe wanted to make the game "out of passion, not fear, and that it would be a game that [Jaffe], as a game player, would want to play". Jaffe said the 1981 film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" also inspired the development of "God of War"; he wanted to make players feel like he felt as a child watching that film, but did not want to put the player in the role of an adventurer, referencing "The Legend of Zelda" games. He elaborated that "God of War" was designed to be simplistic and forward-moving, but the game "[was] not innovative or unique, and [that was] intentional". Jaffe said that their system was shallow and "it forced the team to constantly create new content to trapeze the player from one area of interest to the next". He said he understood modular game design—the need to have great looking, high-detail levels without having to build and texture every minuscule piece of the environment—but "[he] was going to get bored" if they did not step outside of those boundaries.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Jaffe confirmed the game would be a cinematic presentation. He said that at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), they got to see where players were having issues with the camera system and said, "we are doing extensive focus tests, and using data compiled from E3, to find and fix the problem areas" of the cameras. He said he had the confidence that the team would fix the problems before the game's release. However, he said if players "hate cinematic camera systems, nothing we can do will help you like the "God of War" cameras". For about three months during early development, Jaffe had seriously considered doing the game from the first-person perspective. This consideration came from the Dreamcast game "Maken X" as he said it was one of the "few games where I saw melee combat done well in a first-person perspective". After seeing presentations of "Ico" and "Devil May Cry" at a D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, Jaffe and lead programmer Tim Moss ultimately decided to focus on the third-person camera as Jaffe felt the first-person view would not have the "kind of emotion and combat and character building that I was hoping to do".


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The demo of "God of War", entitled "God of War: The Hydra Battle", was released on January 1, 2005. It featured Kratos battling various opponents and ended with a portion of the Hydra battle that opens the main game. The game was released on March 22 in North America, July 8 in the United Kingdom, and November 17 in Japan. By the end of July, it was the sixth-best-selling game of 2005 up to that point. On March 1, 2006, it became available in the PlayStation 2 lineup of Greatest Hits.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The game and its first sequel, "God of War II", were released in North America on November 17, 2009, as part of the "God of War Collection", featuring remastered ports of both games for the PlayStation 3 platform, with upscaled graphics and support for PlayStation 3 Trophies. It became available in Japan on March 18, 2010, Australia on April 29, and the UK on April 30. "God of War Collection" was released as a digital download on the PlayStation Store on November 2, 2010, and was the first product containing PlayStation 2 software available via download. PlayStation Plus subscribers could download a one-hour trial of each game. By June 2012, "God of War Collection" had sold more than 2.4 million copies worldwide. A PlayStation Vita version of "God of War Collection" was released on May 6, 2014. On August 28, 2012, "God of War Collection", "God of War III", and "" were included in the "God of War Saga", under Sony's line of PlayStation Collections for the PlayStation 3 in North America.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: "God of War" received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic. Tom Lane of CNN wrote, ""God of War" is the type of game that makes you remember why you play games in the first place." He said it is addictive and the action is balanced with a modest amount of puzzle and platforming elements. He praised how quickly it progresses and said it "is one of the most violent [games] on the market".


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Raymond Padilla of GameSpy said the gameplay is "excellent" and it has "some of the goriest, most exaggerated, and over-the-top violence I've ever seen". He praised the combo system for being generous, with players easily able to execute attack combinations, but added that it can challenge players who "throw themselves into the system". Chris Sell of "PALGN" wrote that the most enjoyable aspect of the combat is its simplicity. He said the QTEs are "superbly enjoyable", "highly satisfying", and most entertaining during boss fights. In regards to combining combat with platforming, Sell said, ""God of War" pulls it off perfectly."


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Lane said the story is "compelling", while Sell stated that it is well laid out and rarely stalls. Padilla wrote, ""God of War" is the best thing to happen to Greek mythology" since Harry Hamlin played Perseus in "Clash of the Titans". He praised the sound as very strong, but felt that some of the voice acting and music tracks are overstated. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer said the audio is "a stunningly evocative example of a well-judged dramatic soundtrack and thunderous effects".


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Sell stated that the graphics are "quite possibly the best on the PS2" and rival games on the Xbox. He said the character models are "excellent" and each level has its own distinctive feel. Eric Blattberg of PlayStation Universe praised the graphics for being seamless, realistic, and capable of being able to run at 480p on a widescreen television. He said the textures are "great", and the environments are "stunning and unbelievably detailed." Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar noted the amount of detail, elaborating that as a consequence of the aging hardware of the PS2, "the graphics occasionally stutter or even slow down." He still gave the game a perfect score, concluding, "these problems are minor nits next to "God of War"s creative design, riveting plot and sheer balls-out fun. One of the best action titles on the PS2, "God of War" stands out as an ultraviolent masterpiece."


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: Sell said "God of War" has very few flaws and that the only one worth mentioning is the camera system: he said that although the cameras do a great job of following Kratos, "there are a fair few annoying moments when you're attacked by something off-screen, or you fail to make a jump because you couldn't really see the jump properly". Other minor complaints from Sell include its lack of replayability, the amount of time it takes to upgrade items, and the final fight with Ares, which he said is "a little disappointing". Reed wrote that in a few notable occasions, he found some of the platforming balancing acts "a little bothersome". He said players may be overwhelmed by the number of enemies, but they will eventually get their "brain and reactions in gear and move onto the next gripping section and feel hugely satisfied".


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: "God of War" won several "Game of the Year" awards. At the 2005 Spike Video Game Awards, it was named "Best Action Game" and David Jaffe won "Designer of the Year" for the game. It was also a nominee for "Game of the Year", "Best Performance by a Human Male" (TC Carson as Kratos), and "Best Original Score". At the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (now known as the D.I.C.E. Awards), it won several awards: "Overall Game of the Year", "Console Game of the Year", "Action/Adventure Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Animation", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Musical Composition", "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design" and "Outstanding Character Performance - Male" for TC Carson. In 2009, IGN named "God of War" the seventh-best PlayStation 2 game of all time. In November 2012, "Complex" magazine named "God of War" the eleventh-best PlayStation 2 game of all time.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: "God of War: Original Soundtrack from the Video Game", composed by Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Winifred Phillips, Mike Reagan, Cris Velasco, Winnie Waldron, and Marcello De Francisci, was released on CD by Sony Computer Entertainment as an exclusive product for the Sony Connect Music Store on March 1, 2005. The soundtrack was also made available for free to customers who purchased the game via a voucher code included with the game. Several of the tracks feature voice-over passages from the video game. Dave Valentine of Square Enix Music Online rated it 8 out of 10 and praised the composers for avoiding the production of "a neverending dullness of action themes". He complimented the soundtrack for having "a large number of well-developed orchestral themes, with a noticeable creative use of ancient and ethnic instrumentation". Spence D. of IGN gave the soundtrack 6.9 out of 10 and also praised the use of ancient and ethnic instrumentation, but criticized the uneven transitions between tracks. In March 2010, the soundtrack was released as downloadable content as part of the "God of War Trilogy Soundtrack" in the "God of War III Ultimate Edition".


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: An official novelization of the game, titled "God of War", was announced in July 2009, along with a novelization of "God of War II". It was written by Matthew Stover and Robert E. Vardeman, and was published on May 25, 2010, by Del Rey Books. In an interview for "Play" magazine, Vardeman said a mythology book written in the 1930s got him interested in Greek mythology, and the chance to work on the "God of War" novel "was an opportunity not to be missed". He said giving the readers a solid plot foundation was necessary and the novel required extra material so that it did not simply follow the action of the game. Although he has not played the game, he said "God of War" was based on the traditional Edith Hamilton Greek mythology, essentially "the accepted mythology on steroids". Vardeman called Kratos a substantial character, continuing, "This conflict of motives makes him a great, if troubled, hero." He confirmed his work on the second "God of War" novel, saying there are many potential story ideas for Kratos and that "it would be a shame" if there were not additional books to fill in the details of his quests, such as stories of the time while he was a minion of Ares or before he met the Barbarian King. "God of War" was nominated for the International Association of Tie-in Writers Scribe Award as best adapted novel in 2010.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The novel recounts the events of the game and offers deeper insights into its story, explaining that Athena wanted Kratos to kill Ares and explaining how she manipulated the other gods, with the exception of Zeus, into aiding Kratos. After learning of Athena's plans, Zeus decides to aid Kratos (with magic and as the gravedigger) with the intention of Kratos becoming the new God of War after killing Ares. Poseidon is persuaded by Athena when she convinces him that Ares brought the Hydra into his domain. Artemis is persuaded because Ares and his minions are destroying her wilderness and its wildlife, and by aiding Kratos she will prevent future destruction. Athena manipulates Aphrodite into believing that Medusa is plotting against her. Hades, however, is omitted from the book, as Kratos does not meet him or gain his magic. Another omission from the book is Kratos receiving a new set of blades from Athena, and the Blades of Chaos is revealed to have been forged by Hephaestus in Tartarus.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: The god Hermes is not in the game, but in the novel, he is responsible for informing Athena that Kratos is committing suicide. New characters include Coeus, the First Officer of Kratos' ship, and the two servants of Medusa: Jurr and a blind man. The twins encountered in the sex mini-game are revealed to be the daughters of Aphrodite named Zora and Lora. The book also explains how certain creatures of the mythology that were slain by heroes are, apparently, still alive. For example, Zeus recollects that Hercules slew the Hydra, and Athena confirms this, but informs Zeus that the new Hydra is a newborn spawn of the Titans Typhon and Echidna, and was released by Ares.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: A film adaptation was announced in 2005. Jaffe confirmed that a script had been completed by David Self and they were looking for a director. Universal Studios was committed to making the film, but Jaffe, unaware of its status, eventually expressed doubt the film would be released. In September 2008, Brett Ratner told UGO that he would direct the film, but in February 2009, it was revealed that he had left the project to direct 2011's "Tower Heist". In March 2010, Santa Monica confirmed that they had no creative control over the film. During the "God of War – Game Directors Live" documentary, filmed on September 1, 2010, Jaffe said the "script went out a year and a half ago to Daniel Craig, who plays [James] Bond, but he turned it down." He indicated an actor had since signed on for the role of Kratos, and said, "this new person is pretty good, if that ends up true."


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: In July 2012, "The Hollywood Reporter" confirmed that two of the writers of "Pacific Rim" (2013) and several of the "Saw" films, Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, had been hired to adapt "God of War" into a film. Melton and Dunstan told IGN that they were hired to rework Self's screenplay as it was considered to be outdated, being written before recent films in the same genre, such as "Clash of the Titans" (2010) and its sequel, "Wrath of the Titans" (2012). They said they wanted to humanize Kratos, who would begin as a mortal and still have his family, with the pivotal change being the barbarian attack. Melton added, "We're going to learn about [Kratos] and understand how he operates. So it's potentially 30 minutes ... of building up this character so that, when he ... becomes the Ghost of Sparta, we understand him as a human and ... the journey that he's going to take." According to Dunstan, "with a bigger movie like "God of War", you have to go quite a bit deeper into the character as opposed to a horror film." Melton and Dunstan also said they had "big plans" for Ares, who "[would] become a more proactive villain" beyond his raid of Athens. In November 2012, the writers told GameSpot that "God of War" would "improve on films like "Clash of the Titans" and "Immortals" by taking a step in a bolder direction." Melton said that Sony "encouraged" them to make it different from other films in the same genre. It was also confirmed that Charles Roven and Alex Gartner, the producers of the "Uncharted" film, would be producing the "God of War" film via Atlas Entertainment. A script had been "turned in" and the film had a budget of US$150 million.


title: God of War (2005 video game)

text: In early 2013, ""s Game Director, Todd Papy, was questioned on the film's status, but he was unaware. The main writer behind the Greek-based "God of War" games (2005–2013), Marianne Krawczyk, said her main worry with the movie adaptation was casting Kratos due to players' connection with the video game version, as there would be a different actor with a different voice portraying the character, who would presumably have more spoken lines than the Kratos in the games. Following the release of 2018's "God of War", with no further updates regarding the original game's film, rumors about a potential adaptation of the newer Norse mythology-based game began circulating, but in May 2021, a Sony spokesperson confirmed that there was no film adaptation for any "God of War" in development. However, during an investor briefing the following year, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan confirmed that a television series adaptation was in development for Amazon Prime Video, but it would adapt Kratos' story from the Norse-based games.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in humanitarianism or the social sciences; they can also include clubs and associations that provide services to their members and others. Surveys indicate that NGOs have a high degree of public trust, which can make them a useful proxy for the concerns of society and stakeholders. However, NGOs can also be lobby groups for corporations, such as the World Economic Forum. NGOs are distinguished from international and intergovernmental organizations ("IOs") in that the latter are more directly involved with sovereign states and their governments.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: The term as it is used today was first introduced in Article 71 of the newly-formed United Nations' Charter in 1945. While there is no fixed or formal definition for what NGOs are, they are generally defined as nonprofit entities that are independent of governmental influence—although they may receive government funding. According to the UN Department of Global Communications, an NGO is "a not-for profit, voluntary citizen's group that is organized on a local, national or international level to address issues in support of the public good." The term "NGO" is used inconsistently, and is sometimes used synonymously with "civil society organization" (CSO), which is any association founded by citizens. In some countries, NGOs are known as nonprofit organizations, and political parties and trade unions are sometimes considered NGOs as well.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: NGOs are classified by (1) orientation—the type of activities an NGO undertakes, such as activities involving human rights, consumer protection, environmentalism, health, or development; and (2) level of operation, which indicates the scale at which an organization works: local, regional, national, or international.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Russia had about 277,000 NGOs in 2008. India is estimated to have had about 2 million NGOs in 2009 (approximately one per 600 Indians), many more than the number of the country's primary schools and health centers.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: NGOs further the social goals of their members (or founders): improving the natural environment, encouraging the observance of human rights, improving the welfare of the disadvantaged, or representing a corporate agenda. Their goals cover a wide range of issues. They may fund local NGOs, institutions and projects, and implement projects.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Similar terms include third-sector organization (TSO), nonprofit organization (NPO), voluntary organization (VO), civil society organization (CSO), grassroots organization (GO), social movement organization (SMO), private voluntary organization (PVO), self-help organization (SHO), and non-state actors (NSAs).


title: Non-governmental organization

text: NGOs act as implementers, catalysts, and partners. They mobilize resources to provide goods and services to people who have been affected by a natural disaster; they drive change, and partner with other organizations to tackle problems and address human needs.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: NGOs vary by method; some are primarily advocacy groups, and others conduct programs and activities. Oxfam, concerned with poverty alleviation, may provide needy people with the equipment and skills to obtain food and drinking water; the Forum for Fact-finding Documentation and Advocacy (FFDA) helps provide legal assistance to victims of human-rights abuses. The Afghanistan Information Management Services provide specialized technical products and services to support development activities implemented on the ground by other organizations. Management techniques are crucial to project success.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: NGOs may also conduct both activities: operational NGOs will use campaigning techniques if they face issues in the field, which could be remedied by policy change, and campaigning NGOs (such as [[Human rights organizations|human-rights organizations]]) often have programs which assist individual victims for whom they are trying to advocate.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Operational NGOs seek to "achieve small-scale change directly through projects", mobilizing financial resources, materials, and volunteers to create local programs. They hold large-scale [[fundraising]] events and may apply to governments and organizations for grants or contracts to raise money for projects. Operational NGOs often have a [[Hierarchy|hierarchical]] structure; their headquarters are staffed by professionals who plan projects, create budgets, keep accounts, and report to and communicate with operational fieldworkers on projects. They are most often associated with the delivery of services or environmental issues, emergency relief, and public welfare. Operational NGOs may be subdivided into relief or development organizations, service-delivery or participatory, religious or secular, and public or private. Although operational NGOs may be community-based, many are national or international. The defining activity of an operational NGO is the implementation of projects.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Advocacy NGOs or campaigning NGOs seek to "achieve large-scale change promoted indirectly through the influence of the political system." They require an active, efficient group of professional members who can keep supporters informed and motivated. Campaigning NGOs must plan and host demonstrations and events which will attract media, their defining activity.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Campaigning NGOs often deal with issues related to human rights, women's rights, and children's rights, and their primary purpose is to defend (or promote) a specific cause.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Non-governmental organisations need healthy [[public relations]] in order to meet their goals, and use sophisticated public-relations campaigns to raise funds and deal with governments. Interest groups may be politically important, influencing social and political outcomes. A [[Ethical code|code of ethics]] was established in 2002 by the [[World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations]].


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Some NGOs rely on paid staff; others are based on [[Volunteering|volunteers]]. Although many NGOs use international staff in developing countries, others rely on local employees or volunteers. Foreign staff may satisfy a [[Donation|donor]] who wants to see the supported project managed by a person from an [[Developed country|industrialized country]]. The expertise of these employees (or volunteers) may be counterbalanced by several factors: the cost of [[Alien (law)|foreigners]] is typically higher, they have no [[grassroots democracy|grassroots connections]] in the country, and local expertise may be undervalued. By the end of 1995, [[Concern Worldwide]] (an international anti-poverty NGO) employed 174 foreigners and just over 5,000 local staff in [[Haiti]] and ten developing countries in Africa and Asia.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: On average, employees in NGOs earn 11-12% less compared to employees of for-profit organizations and government workers with the same number of qualifications . However, in many cases NGOs employees receive more fringe benefits.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: NGOs are usually funded by donations, but some avoid formal funding and are run by volunteers. NGOs may have charitable status, or may be tax-exempt in recognition of their social purposes. Others may be fronts for political, religious, or other interests. Since the end of [[World War II]], NGOs have had an increased role in [[international development]], particularly in the fields of humanitarian assistance and poverty alleviation.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Funding sources include membership dues, the sale of [[Product (business)|goods]] and services, grants from international institutions or national governments, CSR Funds and private donations. Although the term "non-governmental organization" implies [[independence]] from governments, many NGOs depend on government funding; one-fourth of [[Oxfam]]'s US$162 million 1998 income was donated by the British government and the EU, and [[World Vision United States]] collected $55 million worth of goods in 1998 from the American government. Several EU grants provide funds accessible to NGOs.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Government funding of NGOs is controversial, since "the whole point of humanitarian intervention was precise that NGOs and civil society had both a right and an obligation to respond with acts of aid and solidarity to people in need or being subjected to repression or want by the forces that controlled them, whatever the governments concerned might think about the matter." Some NGOs, such as [[Greenpeace]], do not accept funding from governments or intergovernmental organizations. The 1999 budget of the American Association of Retired Persons ([[AARP]]) was over $540 million.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: [[Overhead (business)|Overhead]] is the amount of money spent on running an NGO, rather than on projects. It includes office expenses, salaries, and banking and bookkeeping costs. An NGO's percentage of its overall budget spent on overhead is often used to judge it; less than four percent is considered good. According to the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, more than 86 percent should be spent on programs (less than 20 percent on overhead). [[The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria]] has guidelines of five to seven percent overhead to receive funding; the [[World Bank]] typically allows 37 percent. A high percentage of overhead relative to total expenditures can make it more difficult to generate funds. High overhead costs may generate public criticism.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: A sole focus on overhead, however, can be counterproductive. Research published by the [[Urban Institute]] and [[Stanford University]]'s Center for Social Innovation have shown that rating agencies create incentives for NGOs to lower (and hide) overhead costs, which may reduce organizational effectiveness by starving organizations of infrastructure to deliver services. An alternative rating system would provide, in addition to financial data, a qualitative evaluation of an organization’s transparency and governance:


title: Non-governmental organization

text: In a March 2000 report on United Nations reform priorities, former UN Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]] favored international humanitarian intervention as the [[responsibility to protect]] citizens from ethnic cleansing, genocide, and crimes against humanity. After that report, the Canadian government launched its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) project outlining the issue of humanitarian intervention. The R2P project has wide applications, and among its more controversial has been the Canadian government's use of R2P to justify its intervention in the coup in Haiti.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Large corporations have increased their [[corporate social responsibility]] departments to preempt NGO campaigns against corporate practices. Collaboration between corporations and NGOs risks [[co-option]] of the weaker partner, typically the NGO.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: In December 2007, [[Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs]] [[S. Ward Casscells]] established an International Health Division of Force Health Protection & Readiness. Part of International Health's mission is to communicate with NGOs about areas of mutual interest. Department of Defense Directive 3000.05, in 2005, required the US Defense Department to regard stability-enhancing activities as equally important as combat. In compliance with [[Geneva Conventions|international law]], the department has developed a capacity to improve essential services in areas of conflict (such as [[Iraq]]) where customary lead agencies like the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] and USAID have difficulty operating. International Health cultivates collaborative, arm's-length relationships with NGOs, recognizing their independence, expertise, and honest-broker status.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: [[International non-governmental organization]]s date back to at least the late 18th century, and there were an estimated 1,083 NGOs by 1914. International NGOs were important to the [[abolitionism|anti-slavery]] and [[women's suffrage]] movements, and peaked at the time of the 1932–1934 [[World Disarmament Conference]].


title: Non-governmental organization

text: The term became popular with the 1945 founding of the [[United Nations]] in 1945; Article 71 in [[Chapter X of the United Nations Charter|Chapter X of its charter]] stipulated [[consultative status]] for organizations which are neither governments nor member states. An international NGO was first defined in resolution 288 (X) of the [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]] (ECOSOC) on February 27, 1950, as "any international organization that is not founded by an international treaty". The role of NGOs and other "major groups" in [[sustainable development]] was recognized in Chapter 27 of [[Agenda 21]]. The rise and fall of international NGOs matches contemporary events, waxing in periods of growth and waning in times of crisis. The United Nations gave non-governmental organizations observer status at its assemblies and some meetings. According to the UN, an NGO is a private, not-for-profit organization which is independent of government control and is not merely an opposition [[political party]].


title: Non-governmental organization

text: The rapid development of the non-governmental sector occurred in Western countries as a result of the restructuring of the [[welfare state]]. [[Globalization]] of that process occurred after the fall of the communist system, and was an important part of the [[Washington Consensus]].


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Twentieth-century [[globalization]] increased the importance of NGOs. [[Treaty|International treaties]] and organizations, such as the [[World Trade Organization]], focused on [[Capitalism|capitalist]] interests. To counterbalance this trend, NGOs emphasize [[Humanitarianism|humanitarian issues]], [[development aid]], and [[sustainable development]]. An example is the [[World Social Forum]], a rival convention of the [[World Economic Forum]] held each January in [[Davos]], Switzerland. The fifth World Social Forum, in [[Porto Alegre]], Brazil in January 2005, was attended by representatives of over 1,000 NGOs. The 1992 [[Earth Summit]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], attended by about 2,400 representatives, was the first to demonstrate the power of international NGOs in environmental issues and sustainable development. Transnational NGO networking has become extensive.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: The [[Council of Europe]] drafted the [[European Convention on the Recognition of the Legal Personality of International Non-Governmental Organisations]] in [[Strasbourg]] in 1986, creating a common legal basis for European NGOs. Article 11 of the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] protects the right to associate, which is fundamental for NGOs.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: The question whether a public project should be owned by an NGO or by the government has been studied in economics using the tools of the [[Incomplete contracts|incomplete contracting]] theory. According to this theory, not every detail of a relationship between decision makers can be contractually specified. Hence, in the future the parties will bargain with each other to adapt their relationship to changing circumstances. Ownership matters because it determines the parties’ willingness to make non-contractible investments. In the context of private firms, [[Oliver Hart (economist)|Hart]] (1995) has shown that the party with the more important investment task should be owner. Yet, Besley and Ghatak (2001) have argued that in the context of public projects the investment technology does not matter. Specifically, even when the government is the key investor, ownership by an NGO is optimal if and only if the NGO has a larger valuation of the project than the government. However, the general validity of this argument has been questioned by follow-up research. In particular, ownership by the party with the larger valuation need not be optimal when the public good is partially excludable (Francesconi and Muthoo, 2011), when both NGO and government may be indispensable (Halonen-Akatwijuka, 2012), or when the NGO and the government have different bargaining powers (Schmitz, 2013). Moreover, the investment technology can matter for the optimal ownership structure when there are bargaining frictions (Schmitz, 2015), when the parties interact repeatedly (Halonen-Akatwijuka and Pafilis, 2020), or when the parties are asymmetrically informed (Schmitz, 2021).


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Service-delivery NGOs provide public goods and services which governments of developing countries are unable to provide due to a lack of resources. They may be contractors or collaborate with government agencies to reduce the cost of public goods. Capacity-building NGOs affect "culture, structure, projects and daily operations". Advocacy and public-education NGOs aim to modify behavior and ideas through communication, crafting messages to promote social, political, or environmental changes (and as news organisations have cut foreign bureaux, many NGOs have begun to expand into news reporting). Movement NGOs mobilize the public and coordinate large-scale collective activities to advance an activist agenda.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: Since the end of the [[Cold War]], more NGOs in developed countries have pursued international outreach; involved in local and national social resistance, they have influenced domestic policy change in the developing world. Specialized NGOs have forged partnerships, built networks, and found policy niches.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: [[Track II diplomacy]] (or dialogue) is transnational coordination by non-official members of the government, including [[epistemic community|epistemic communities]] and former policymakers or analysts. It aims to help policymakers and policy analysts reach a common solution through unofficial discussions. Unlike official diplomacy, conducted by government officials, diplomats, and elected leaders, Track II diplomacy involves experts, scientists, professors and other figures who are not part of government affairs.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: [[World NGO Day]], observed annually on 27 February, was recognised on 17 April 2010 by 12 countries of the IX [[Baltic Sea]] NGO Forum at the eighth Summit of the Baltic Sea States in [[Vilnius]], [[Lithuania]]. It was internationally recognised on 28 February 2014 in [[Helsinki]], Finland by [[United Nations Development Programme]] administrator and former [[Prime Minister of New Zealand]] [[Helen Clark]].


title: Non-governmental organization

text: [[Tanzania]]n author and academic [[Issa G. Shivji]] has criticised NGOs in two essays: "Silences in NGO discourse: The role and future of NGOs in Africa" and "Reflections on NGOs in Tanzania: What we are, what we are not and what we ought to be". Shivji writes that despite the good intentions of NGO leaders and activists, he is critical of the "objective effects of actions, regardless of their intentions". According to Shivji, the rise of NGOs is part of a [[neoliberal]] paradigm and not motivated purely by altruism; NGOs want to change the world without understanding it, continuing an [[Imperialism|imperial]] relationship.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: In his study of NGO involvement in [[Mozambique]], James Pfeiffer addresses their negative effects on the country's health. According to Pfeiffer, NGOs in Mozambique have "fragmented the local health system, undermined local control of health programs, and contributed to growing local social inequality". They can be uncoordinated, creating parallel projects which divert health-service workers from their normal duties to instead serve the NGOs. This undermines local primary-healthcare efforts, and removes the government's ability to maintain agency over its health sector. Pfeiffer suggested a collaborative model of the NGO and the DPS (the Mozambique Provincial Health Directorate); the NGO should be "formally held to standard and adherence within the host country", reduce "showcase" projects and unsustainable parallel programs.


title: Non-governmental organization

text: In her 1997 "[[Foreign Affairs]]" article, [[Jessica Mathews]] wrote: "For all their strengths, NGOs are special interests. The best of them ... often suffer from tunnel vision, judging every public act by how it affects their particular interest". NGOs are unencumbered by policy trade-offs.