title: Bill Prady

text: His first staff writing job was on the HBO series "Dream On" in 1995. In 1997 he joined the writing staff of "Dharma & Greg", rising to Executive Producer and taking over as Showrunner in 2001. He was also a writer/producer on "Good Morning, Miami", "Caroline in the City", "Related", "Platypus Man" and "Gilmore Girls".


title: Bill Prady

text: From 2007 to 2019, he was the executive producer and co-creator with Chuck Lorre of the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory".


title: Bill Prady

text: As of fall, 2012, Prady is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. He is also a Trustee of the Humanitas "New Voices" program.


title: Bill Prady

text: In 2003, he was one of 135 candidates who ran for Governor of California in the 2003 recall election, receiving 474 votes, tying him for 111th place.


title: Bill Prady

text: In 2010, Prady was given honorary membership in the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science. In 2015, asteroid 8630 (1981 EY35) was designated 8630 Billprady in his honor.


title: Bill Prady

text: In 2022, Prady was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters "honoris causa" by Wayne State University.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Álvaro Negredo Sánchez (; born 20 August 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Cádiz as a striker.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Nicknamed "La fiera de Vallecas" (The beast of Vallecas), he has played for Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid B, Almería, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Manchester City, Valencia, Middlesbrough, Beşiktaş, Al-Nasr and Cádiz. In ten seasons in La Liga, he amassed totals of 333 matches and 127 goals.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Born in Madrid, Negredo started his career at Rayo Vallecano, making his professional debut in early 2005 with the club in Segunda División B. In the middle of the year he moved to another side in the country's capital, Real Madrid affiliate Real Madrid Castilla.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo developed as a striker in his last season, scoring 18 league goals, although he could not prevent Castilla's drop from Segunda División. He did manage to impress first-team coach Fabio Capello and was called up for a few games in the Copa del Rey, but remained an unused substitute.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: In July 2007, Negredo was sold to La Liga newcomers UD Almería, with Real Madrid having an option to buy him back. He made his top flight debut on 26 August in a 3–0 shock win at Deportivo de La Coruña. on 2 February 2008, he scored from the penalty spot in a 2–0 home win against his former team and, on 19 April, he added two – after having missed a penalty kick – in a 4–1 away victory over UEFA Cup and Spanish Cup holders Sevilla FC.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo finished the campaign as Almería's top scorer with 13 goals, as the Andalusian side finished eighth. In 2008–09 he scored five in the team's first six matches, including a 95th-minute winner against neighbours Recreativo de Huelva (1–0) on 28 September 2008. In February of the following year he scored twice against Valencia CF in a 3–2 away loss, which took his league tally to ten, and finished with 19.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Real Madrid exercised their buyback option of a reported €5 million on Negredo in June 2009, and the player returned to training with the club on 10 July. In the pre-season he scored the fourth goal against LDU Quito in a 4–2 win for the Peace Cup.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo had been tipped to join Real Zaragoza or Hull City, but finally decided to sign a reported five-year deal with Sevilla for €15 million, with Real Madrid having an option to buy the player back in the first two years. New manager Manuel Pellegrini could not guarantee him first-team football with the likes of Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuaín, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, and subsequently advised him to leave and join Sevilla in order to fulfill his potential; Negredo later revealed his admiration for Pellegrini's honesty.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo made his debut for Sevilla on 30 August 2009, coming as a substitute in the 55th minute of a 2–0 away loss to Valencia. Two weeks later he scored his first goal, against CA Osasuna in a 2–0 away win.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: A starter throughout most of 2009–10, with Luís Fabiano and Frédéric Kanouté fighting for the other striker berth, Negredo's first year was highly irregular. He suffered a scoring drought that lasted (in the league alone) 12 games, only ending on 2 May 2010 in a 3–1 home win against Atlético Madrid, his two goals coming from penalties (he had already lost his starting position at the time, but the Malian was suspended for that game). He added another two in the following match, a 5–1 away rout of Racing de Santander for a total of 11 in the league, and scored one more in the UEFA Champions League. He was also sent off three times in the season, the last of which almost prevented him from taking part in the domestic cup final against Atlético Madrid after insulting the assistant referee in Sevilla's 3–2 win at former club Almería; the ban was later lifted and he was allowed to play – Fabiano was unavailable for the match through injury – in the 2–0 final win.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo was a regular first choice in the 2010–11 campaign, scoring 26 times across all competitions, 20 in the league (Fabiano also returned to São Paulo FC in March 2011). Highlights included two goals each against Villarreal CF (3–3 away draw in the cup, in an eventual semi-final run), Deportivo (3–3 away draw), Real Madrid (6–2 home loss), Osasuna (3–2 loss, away) and RCD Espanyol (3–2 away win).


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo took his 2012–13 league total to 13 on 4 March 2013, after scoring a hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over RC Celta de Vigo. He scored all of his team's goals on the last day of the season, a 4–3 defeat of Valencia CF also at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, clinching the Zarra Trophy in the process.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 19 July 2013, Manchester City announced the signing of Negredo. The fee was reported as £16.4 million plus add-ons, and he signed a four-year deal. He moved to the Premier League club shortly after teammate Jesús Navas.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo made his league debut on 19 August 2013, coming on as a substitute for countryman David Silva in a 4–0 home win against Newcastle United. He scored his first goal for the club the following match on 25 August, a header in a 3–2 defeat at newly promoted Cardiff City, He scored his first goal at the City of Manchester Stadium in the next round, a 2–0 home victory over Hull City.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 5 November 2013, Negredo scored his first hat-trick for City, contributing to a 5–2 group stage home win against PFC CSKA Moscow which qualified the former for the round of 16. This was the first time a Manchester City player had scored a hat-trick in the Champions League. He repeated the feat on 8 January of the following year, in a 6–0 home rout of West Ham United in the first leg of the Football League Cup semi-final.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Despite not scoring since January 2014, Negredo finished the season with 23 goals from 48 appearances in all competitions.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 1 September 2014, Negredo signed a loan deal with Valencia, which included an obligatory purchase clause, requiring the club to buy his rights at the end of the campaign for an amount believed to be around €27 million. He scored his first competitive goal in his first appearance on 7 December, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Granada CF which was also his first appearance.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo joined Valencia on a permanent basis on 1 July 2015. On 25 August, he helped his team reach the Champions League group phase by scoring in the fourth minute of an eventual 2–1 loss at AS Monaco FC (4–3 on aggregate).


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: In October 2015, after criticising manager Nuno Espírito Santo's choice of tactics, Negredo was completely ostracised. He began to play again under new boss Gary Neville, notably scoring three goals in a 4–0 home win over Granada in the domestic cup.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 20 July 2016, Negredo joined Middlesbrough on loan. He scored in his first appearance, putting the hosts ahead in a 1–1 home draw against Stoke City.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 3 August 2017, Negredo signed for Süper Lig side Beşiktaş J.K. on a three-year deal. He scored his first goal for his new team on 28 October, helping them to a 2–1 away win over Alanyaspor. During his first weeks, he failed to establish his place in the starting eleven due to the good form of Cenk Tosun, who was sold to Everton in the winter transfer window.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 16 August 2018, Negredo came on as a substitute and scored a last-minute winner in a 2–1 away defeat of LASK in the Europa League third-qualifying round, leading the Black Eagles to the play-off round on the away goals rule 2–2 on aggregate. He celebrated by taking off his shirt, and received a second yellow card for the excessive celebration.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Beşiktaş and Negredo mutually terminated their contract on 18 September 2018. He later cited the club's financial struggles as the reason behind the termination.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 18 September 2018, Negredo signed for Al-Nasr SC on a two-year contract. His maiden appearance in the UAE Pro-League took place three days later, and he missed a penalty late into a 3–0 home loss against Al Ain FC.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 17 January 2020, Negredo scored in the first minute of the final of the UAE League Cup against Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC, eventually helping his team win their second title in the competition after the 2–1 victory.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo returned to his homeland in July 2020, with the 34-year-old agreeing to a one-year deal at Cádiz CF who had just returned to the top division. He scored in his second appearance, helping to a 2–0 away win over SD Huesca. He added a further seven until the end of the season – squad best – as the side easily managed to avoid relegation, automatically renewing his contract until June 2022.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: On 6 October 2009, Negredo received his first call to the Spain senior team, for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia on the 10th, following the injuries of David Villa and Daniel Güiza. He made his debut in that game, replacing Fernando Torres early into the second half of an eventual 2–1 away win.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Four days later, Negredo started and scored twice – also providing two assists – in another away fixture, against Bosnia and Herzegovina (5–2 triumph), as Spain eventually won all ten group matches. He was, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa, with the national team winning the tournament.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo was chosen by manager Vicente del Bosque for his UEFA Euro 2012 squad. He played twice in the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, including one start against Portugal in the semi-finals (4–2 penalty shootout win, 0–0 after 120 minutes).


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo was one of seven players cut from Spain's final squad for the 2014 World Cup, alongside City teammate Navas.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: A tall striker with an eye for goal, Negredo mainly operated in a central role. Although he was regarded as a static forward, he was also known for his powerful striking ability with his left foot and his strength in the air, and was also capable of dropping into deeper positions in order to link-up with the midfielders.


title: Álvaro Negredo

text: Negredo's older brothers, César and Rubén, were also footballers, the former a defender and the latter a forward. Both played their entire careers in division three or lower.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In modern usage, the name of the dynasty is sometimes Hellenized and referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, also known in English as the Bagrations.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The origins of the dynasty are disputed. The early Georgian Bagratids gained the Principality of Iberia through dynastic marriage after succeeding the Chosroid dynasty at the end of the 8th century. In 888 Adarnase IV of Iberia restored the Georgian monarchy; various native polities then united into the Kingdom of Georgia, which prospered from the 11th to the 13th century. This period of time, particularly the reigns of David IV the Builder (1089–1125) and of his great-granddaughter Tamar the Great (1184–1213) inaugurated the Georgian Golden Age in the history of Georgia.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: After fragmentation of the unified Kingdom of Georgia in the late 15th century, the branches of the Bagrationi dynasty ruled the three breakaway Georgian kingdoms, the Kingdom of Kartli, the Kingdom of Kakheti, and the Kingdom of Imereti, until Russian annexation in the early-19th century. While the 3rd article of the 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk guaranteed continued sovereignty for the Bagrationi dynasty and their continued presence on the Georgian throne, the Russian Empire later broke the terms of the treaty and fully annexed the protectorate. The dynasty persisted within the Russian Empire as an Imperial Russian noble family until the 1917 February Revolution. The establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia in 1921 forced some members of the family to accept demoted status and loss of property in Georgia. Other members relocated to Western Europe, but some Bagrations repatriated after Georgia regained independence in 1991.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The earliest Georgian forms of the dynastic name are "Bagratoniani", "Bagratuniani" and "Bagratovani", changed subsequently into Bagrationi. These names as well as the Armenian "Bagratuni" and the modern designation "Bagratid" mean "the children of Bagrat" or "the house of/established by Bagrat", Bagrat being a given name of Iranian origin. The origins of the Bagratid dynasty is still matter of debate between Georgian and Armenian scholars. Georgian scholars argue that the Bagrationis were of Georgian origin, while Armenian and Western scholars believe them to be a branch of the Armenian Bagratunis.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: According to a tradition first recorded in the work of the 11th-century Georgian chronicler Sumbat Davitis-Dze and repeated much later by Prince Vakhushti Bagrationi (1696–1757), the dynasty claimed descent from the biblical king and prophet David and came from Israel around 530 AD. The tradition had it that of seven refugee brothers of the Davidic line, three of them settled in Armenia and the other four arrived in Kartli (also known as Iberia), where they intermarried with the local ruling houses and acquired some lands in hereditary possession, with one of the four brothers, Guaram (died in 532), founding a line subsequently called "Bagrationi" after his son Bagrat. A successor, Guaram, was installed as a presiding prince of Iberia under the Byzantine protectorate, receiving on this occasion the Byzantine court title of "Kouropalates" in 575. Thus, according to this version, began the dynasty of the Bagratids, who ruled until 1801.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: This tradition enjoyed a general acceptance until the early 20th century. The Jewish origin, let alone the biblical descent, of the Bagratids has been discounted by modern scholarship. Cyril Toumanoff's research concluded that the Georgian Bagratids branched out of the Armenian Bagratid dynasty in the person of Adarnase, whose father Vasak (son of Ashot III the Blind, presiding prince of Armenia from 732 to 748) passed to Kartli following an abortive uprising against Arab rule in 775. Adarnase’s son, Ashot I, acquired the Principality of Iberia in 813 and thus founded the last royal house of Georgia. Accordingly, the legend of the Davidic origin of the Georgian Bagratids was a further development of the earlier claim entertained by the Armenian dynasty, as given in the work of the Armenian author Moses of Khorene. Once the Georgian branch, which had quickly acculturated in the new environment, assumed royal power, the myth of their biblical origin helped to maintain their legitimacy and became a major ideological pillar of their millennium-long rule of Georgia.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The generation-by-generation history of the Bagrationi dynasty begins only in the late 8th century. Toumanoff claimed that the first Georgian branch of the Bagratids may be traced as far back as the 2nd century AD, when they were said to rule over the princedom of Odzrkhe in what is now southern Georgia. The Odzrkhe line, known in the medieval annals as the Bivritianis, lasted until the 5th century AD. They cannot, however, be considered the direct ancestors of the later Bagratids who eventually restored Georgian royal authority. Pavle Ingorokva suggested that the Bagrations were a branch of the Pharnavazid dynasty of the Kingdom of Iberia.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The Bagrationi family had grown in prominence by the time the Georgian monarchy (Caucasian Iberia) fell to the Sassanid Persian Empire in the 6th century, and the leading local princely families were exhausted by Arab attacks. The rise of the new dynasty was made possible by the extinction of the Guaramids and the near-extinction of the Chosroids, the two earlier dynasties of Iberia with whom the Bagratids extensively intermarried, and also by the Abbasid preoccupation with their own civil wars and conflict with the Byzantine Empire. Although Arab rule did not allow them a foothold in the ancient capital of Tbilisi and eastern Kartli, the Bagratids successfully maintained their initial domain in Klarjeti and Meskheti and, under the Byzantine protectorate, extended their possessions southward into the northwestern Armenian marches to form a large polity conventionally known in modern history as Tao-Klarjeti. In 813, the new dynasty acquired, with Ashot I, the hereditary title of presiding prince of Iberia (Kartli), to which the emperor attached the honorific of "kourapalates".


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Despite the revitalization of the monarchy, Georgian lands remained divided among rival authorities, with Tbilisi remaining in Arab hands. The sons and grandsons of Ashot I established three separate branches – the lines of Kartli, Tao, and Klarjeti – frequently struggling with each other and with neighboring rulers. The Kartli line prevailed; in 888, with Adarnase I, it restored the indigenous Iberian royal authority dormant since 580. His descendant Bagrat III was able to consolidate his inheritance in Tao-Klarjeti and the Abkhazian Kingdom, due largely to the diplomacy and conquests of his energetic foster-father David III of Tao.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: This unified monarchy maintained its precarious independence from the Byzantine and Seljuk empires throughout the 11th century, flourished under David IV the Builder (1089–1125), who repelled the Seljuk attacks and essentially completed the unification of Georgia with the re-conquest of Tbilisi in 1122. With the decline of Byzantine power and the dissolution of the Great Seljuk Empire, Georgia became one of the pre-eminent nations of the Christian East, her pan-Caucasian empire stretching, at its largest extent, from the North Caucasus to northern Iran, and eastwards into Asia Minor.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: In spite of repeated incidents of dynastic strife, the kingdom continued to prosper during the reigns of Demetrios I (1125–1156), George III (1156–1184), and especially, his daughter Tamar the Great (1184–1213). With the death of George III the main male line became extinct and the dynasty continued through the marriage of Queen Tamar with the Alan prince David Soslan, of reputed Bagratid descent.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The invasions by the Khwarezmians in 1225 and the Mongols in 1236 terminated Georgia’s "golden age". The struggle against the Mongol rule created a dyarchy, with an ambitious lateral branch of the Bagrationi dynasty holding sway over western Georgia (Imereti). There was a brief period of reunion and revival under George V the Brilliant (1299–1302, 1314–1346), but the eight onslaughts of the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur between 1386 and 1403 dealt a great blow to the Georgian kingdom. About a century later, its unity was finally shattered by two rival Turkic federations; the Kara Koyunlu, and the Ak Koyunlu. By 1490/91, the once powerful monarchy fragmented into three independent kingdoms – Kartli (central to eastern Georgia), Kakheti (eastern Georgia), and Imereti (western Georgia) – each led by a rival branch of the Bagrationi dynasty, and into five semi-independent principalities – Odishi-Mingrelia, Guria, Abkhazia, Svaneti, and Samtskhe – dominated by their own feudal clans.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: During the three subsequent centuries, the Georgian rulers maintained their perilous autonomy as subjects under the Turkish Ottoman and Persian Safavid, Afsharid, and Qajar domination, although sometimes serving as little more than puppets in the hands of their powerful suzerains. In this period, in order to receive investiture from their suzerains, as a necessary prequisite, many Georgian rulers converted to Islam.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The line of Imereti, incessantly embroiled in civil war, continued with many breaks in succession, and the kingdom was only relatively spared from the encroachments of its Ottoman suzerains, while Kartli and Kakheti were similarly subjected to its Persian overlords, whose efforts to annihilate the fractious vassal kingdoms were in vain, and the two eastern Georgian monarchies, survived to be reunified in 1762 under King Erekle II, who united in his person both the Kakhetian and Kartlian lines, the latter surviving in male descent in the branch of Mukhraneli since 1658.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: In 1744, Erekle II and his father Teimuraz II were granted the kingships of Kakheti and Kartli respectively by their overlord Nader Shah, as a reward for their loyalty. Following Nader Shah's death in 1747, Erekle II and Teimuraz II capitalized on the eruption of instability, and declared "de facto" independence. After Teimuraz II died in 1762, Erekle II succeeded his father as ruler of Kartli, and united the two kingdoms in a personal union as the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, becoming the first Georgian ruler to preside over a politically unified eastern Georgia in three centuries. At about the same time, Karim Khan Zand had ascended the Iranian throne; Erekle II quickly tendered his "de jure" submission to the new Iranian ruler, however, "de facto", he remained autonomous throughout the entire Zand period.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Erekle II ("Hercules") achieved a degree of stability in Kartli-Kakheti and established political hegemony in eastern Transcaucasia. In the 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk, he placed his kingdom under the protection of Imperial Russia. The latter failed, however, to provide timely help when the Persian ruler Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar captured, sacked and ravaged Tbilisi in 1795 to compel severance of Georgian ties to Russia, as he sought to re-establish Persia's traditional suzerainty over the region.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: After the death of Erekle in 1798, his son and successor, King George XII, renewed a request for protection from Emperor Paul I of Russia, and urged him to intervene in the bitter dynastic feud among the numerous sons and grandsons of the late Erekle. Paul offered to incorporate the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti into the Russian Empire, while reserving to its native dynasty a degree of internal autonomy – essentially, mediatisation, and in 1799 the Russians marched into Tbilisi. Negotiations of terms were still in process, when Paul signed a manifesto on December 18, 1800, unilaterally declaring the annexation of Kartli-Kakheti to the Russian Empire. This proclamation was kept secret until the death of King George on December 28. His eldest son, the Tsarevich Davit, had been formally acknowledged as heir apparent by Emperor Paul on 18 April 1799, but his accession as king after his father's death was not recognized.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: On September 12, 1801, Emperor Alexander I of Russia formally re-affirmed Paul’s determination, deposing the Bagrationi dynasty from the Georgian throne. Although divided among themselves, some of the Bagrationi princes resisted Russian annexation, trying to instigate rebellion. Most of them were subsequently arrested and deported from Georgia.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The reign of the House of Imereti came to an end less than a decade later. On April 25, 1804, the Imeretian king Solomon II, nominally an Ottoman vassal, was persuaded to conclude the Convention of Elaznauri with Russia, on terms similar to those of the Treaty of Georgievsk. Yet the Russian forces dethroned Solomon on February 20, 1810. Defeated during a subsequent rebellion to regain power, he died in exile in Trabzon, Ottoman Turkey, in 1815. Russian rule over Georgia was eventually acknowledged in various peace treaties with Iran and the Ottomans and the remaining Georgian territories were absorbed by the Russian Empire in a piecemeal fashion in the course of the 19th century.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: In the Russian Empire, the Bagrationis became a prominent family of aristocrats. The most famous was Prince Pyotr Bagration, a great-grandson of King Jesse of Kartli who became a Russian general and hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. His brother Prince Roman Bagration also became a Russian general, distinguishing himself in the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828), and was the first to enter Yerevan in 1827. Roman Bagration was also known for his patronage of the arts, literature and theatre. His home theater in Tbilisi was regarded as one of the finest in the Caucasus. His son Prince Pyotr Romanovich Bagration became governor of the Tver region and later governor-general of the Baltic provinces. He was also a metallurgic engineer known for the development of gold cyanidation in Russia. Prince Dmitry Petrovich Bagration was a Russian general who fought in World War I in the Brusilov Offensive and later joined the Red Army.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The House of Mukhrani is the most senior patrilinear branch of the Bagrationi dynasty, descending directly from King Constantine II of Georgia. Originally a cadet branch of the former Royal House of Kartli, they became the genealogically seniormost line of the Bagrationi family in the early 20th century; and although this elder branch had lost the rule of Kartli by 1724, it retained the Principality of Mukhrani until its annexation by Russia, along with Kartli-Kakheti, in 1800.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: This branch of the family is related to the House of Borbón, the House of Wittelsbach, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and the House of Romanov. A member of this branch, Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky, married Vladimir Cyrillovich, Grand Duke of Russia, and became the mother of one of the claimants to the Romanov legacy, Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia. The overwhelming majority of regnant and non-regnant Royal Houses recognize Prince Davit's claim to the Headship of the Royal House of Georgia.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: In 1942 Prince Irakli (Erekle) Bagrationi-Mukhraneli, of the genealogically senior branch of the dynasty, proclaimed himself head of the Royal House of Georgia. He founded the Union of Georgian Traditionalists in exile. His second wife, Maria Antonietta Pasquini, daughter of Ugo, Count di Costafiorita, bore him a son and heir, but died in childbirth in February 1944. In August 1946 the widower married Princess María Mercedes de Baviera y Borbón, a granddaughter of King Alfonso XII, and daughter of "Don" Fernando de Baviera y Borbón, who had renounced his royal rights in Bavaria to become a naturalised "infante" in Spain.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Beginning in the 1990s, senior members of the Bagrationi-Mukhraneli descendants began re-patriating to Georgia from Spain, ending generations of exile. Irakli's elder son, Prince Georgi Bagrationi-Mukhraneli, was officially recognized by government and church leaders when he brought his father's remains from Spain to rest with those of his ancestors in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral at Mtskheta in 1995, and moved to Tbilisi in 2005, where he died. His eldest son, Prince Irakli ("Erekle"), born in 1972, deferred his dynastic claim to his younger brother, Prince Davit (born 1976). Thus, Prince Davit — who moved to Tbilisi and reclaimed his Georgian citizenship — became Head of the Family Council and the Mukhraneli dynastic titles.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The Bagration-Gruzinsky line, although junior to the Princes of Mukhrani genealogically, reigned over the kingdom of Kakheti, re-united the two realms in the kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti in 1762, and did not lose sovereignty until Russian annexation in 1800.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Prince Nugzar Petrovich Bagration-Gruzinski (born 1950) is the most senior known patrilineal descendant of Kartli-Kakheti's last king, George XII, and is, as such, head of the Kakhetian branch of the dynasty which, although genealogically junior to the Mukhranelis, has reigned more recently, not having lost the throne of a Georgian kingdom until 1800.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Nugzar is well known in Georgia because he has lived his entire life in Tbilisi, and experienced with other Georgians both the country's subordination to the Soviet regime and its liberation since 1991. A theatrical and cinema director, his father, Prince Petre Bagration-Gruzinski (1920–1984), was a poet, and authored lyrics to the anthem, "Song of Tiflis".


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: As Nugzar has no male issue, Prince Evgeny Petrovich Gruzinsky (born 1947), the great-great grandson of Bagrat's younger brother Ilia (1791–1854), who lives in the Russian Federation, is considered to be an heir presumptive within the same primogeniture principle. Despite basing his claim on male primogeniture, Nugzar argues in favor of having his eldest daughter, Anna, designated as his heir.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Various sources present three different lines as the head of the House of Imereti, potential claimants to the long defunct Kingdom of Imereti, the last of the three Georgian kingdoms to lose its independence in 1810.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The male line descending from the deposed David II of Imereti became extinct in 1978 when Prince Constantine Imeretinski died. He was survived by three daughters of his older brother.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: However, Prince Nugzar Petrovich Bagration-Gruzinski claims that the headship of the Imereti branch had – for one reason or another – transferred in the early 20th century to a cadet branch descending from an older son of Prince Bagrat of Imereti. This branch died out in the male line in 1937 and in the female line in 2009.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The third claim names another branch descending from Prince Bagrat's younger natural son. This line survives in the male line and is headed by Prince David Bagrationi (born 1948) (not to be confused with his younger namesake from the Mukhrani branch).


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The current claimant is Irakli Davitis Dze Bagrationi (Georgian: ირაკლი დავითის ძე ბაგრატიონი), head of the Georgian scion of the royal Bagrationi dynasty of Imereti, the direct male-line descendant of the kings of Imereti, the direct descendant of Alexander V (Georgian: ალექსანდრე V) (c. 1703/4 – March 1752), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, King of Imereti (western Georgia). Irakli is a son of David Bragationi and Irina Kobakhidze, born 10 July 1982 in Terjola, Imereti, Georgia. He is the future successor and head of the House of Bagrationi-Imereti. Irakli finished school in Ghvankiti, Terjola Municipality. He served in the National Guard of Georgia and reached lieutenant's rank. He has BA and MA from Georgian Technical University in automotive engineering. Irakli has been recognized by the Patriarch of Georgia, as well as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as the Unione della Nobiltà Bizantina (Ένωση της Βυζαντινής ευγένειας).


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Prince Nugzar's daughter, Princess Ana, a divorced teacher and journalist with two daughters, married Prince Davit Bagrationi-Mukhraneli, on 8 February 2009 at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral. The marriage united the Gruzinsky and Mukhrani branches of the Georgian royal family, and drew a crowd of 3,000 spectators, officials, and foreign diplomats, as well as extensive coverage by the Georgian media.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: The dynastic significance of the wedding lay in the fact that, amidst the turmoil in political partisanship that has roiled Georgia since its independence in 1991, Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia publicly called for restoration of the monarchy as a path toward national unity in October 2007. Although this led some politicians and parties to entertain the notion of a Georgian constitutional monarchy, competition arose among the old dynasty's princes and supporters, as historians and jurists debated which Bagrationi has the strongest hereditary right to a throne that has been vacant for two centuries.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Although some monarchists support the Gruzinsky branch's claim, others — including most Royal Houses — support that of the re-patriated Mukhraneli branch. Both branches descend from the medieval kings of Georgia down to Constantine II of Georgia who died in 1505, and continue in unbroken, legitimate male line into the 21st century.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Davit is the only member of his branch who retains Georgian citizenship and residence since the death of his father, Prince George Bagration-Mukhraneli, in 2008. Aside from his unmarried elder brother Irakli, Davit is the "heir male" of the Bagrationi family, while the bride's father is the most senior descendant of the last Bagrationi to reign over the united kingdom of eastern Georgia. The marriage between Nugzar Gruzinsky's heiress and the Mukhrani heir may resolve their rivalry for the claim to the throne.


title: Bagrationi dynasty

text: Prince David and Princess Anna became the parents of a boy on 27 September 2011, Prince Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi, who, in his person, potentially unites the Mukhraneli and Gruzinsky claims. If no other Bagrationi prince is born in either the Gruzinsky or Mukhraneli branch who is of senior descent by primogeniture, and he survives those now living, Prince Giorgi will become the "heir male" of the House of Bagrationi and the "heir general" of George XIII of Georgia.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Beyhadh 2 () is an Indian revenge television drama series which aired from 2 December 2019 to 31 March 2020 on Sony TV. It starred Jennifer Winget, Shivin Narang and Ashish Chaudhary.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Maya Jaisingh, internationally best-selling author, plans to destroy her biggest enemy Mrityunjay "MJ" Roy, to avenge the atrocities committed by him 10 years ago. She plans to get revenge from those who betrayed her using Rudra and Rishi, MJ’s sons.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Maya starts by saving Rishi from drowning, who falls for her while she tricks Rudra to accept her offer to publish her latest book, "Beyhadh". Rudra takes an instant dislike to Maya. Elsewhere Maya manipulates Rishi to propose to her. Rudra's business partner, Ananya, loves him, but he considers her only as a friend.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: MJ's facade of a loving husband is exposed when he threatens and mistreats Antara. He invites Rudra's investor to his Masquerade party, but Rajiv Chandra, Maya's accomplice, introduces himself as the investor, saving Maya. Elsewhere, Rudra falls for Maya after she helps him get his company's share from MJ. It is revealed that MJ had an affair with Rudra's girlfriend. Thus he hates him.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Maya urges Rishi to ask MJ regarding their wedding, but he refuses to listen. Maya takes advantage of it and tricks Rishi into slitting his wrist to convince MJ of their wedding. Rishi does so and dies. MJ vows to kill Rishi's murderer but kills Myra, who was Manas's girlfriend. Maya sees MJ occasionally and is constantly frightened as she recognised his footsteps, but she tries to remain strong to avenge herself. Later, MJ asks Rudra and Ananya to marry. Elsewhere, Maya plans to kill him and tricks him into following her to Rishikesh. Maya and Rudra realise their love for each other and tie the wedding knot. The Roys were left shocked when he introduces Maya as his wife.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Later, Maya recalls her nasty past (10 years ago) wherein Manvi Singh (Maya's original identity) was betrayed by MJ, whom she had an affair with and promised to marry. Still, after learning she is pregnant, he tortured her with his partners (which resulted in her miscarriage) and threw her into a muddy pit, but she still survives. Manvi was close with Antara, Diya and Aamir, but they betrayed her and helped MJ ruin Manvi’s life. MJ also killed Maya's brother Manas with the help of goons, leaving Nandini to suffer from amnesia who gained consciousness after 7 years.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Back in the present, Maya knocks outs Diya and traps MJ to send her to a mental hospital. Later, MJ gets evidence confirming that Maya is Rishi's murderer. He gives the same to Rudra. Later, MJ and Maya shoot each other.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Maya is shown to be suffering from memory loss and meets a psycho stranger Vikram Jaisingh, who wants to get her, but she doesn't recognize him. Vikram gets some edited photos in Maya's house and claims to be her husband.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Later, it is revealed that it was Vikram who saved Manvi and took her to his house. Then, Vikram proposes marriage which she accepts but only gets a new "Maya Jaisingh". So, after their marriage, she escapes with important papers. She finds Nandini and helps her start a new life. She becomes a writer whose books becomes internationally famous for the next 3 years. In between, she meets Rajeev Chandra (whose company was destroyed by MJ) to devise her revenge.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: At present, Rudra vows to kill Maya and is constantly searching for her. Vikram kills Rajeev. Later, frustrated by Vikram, Nandini cuts her wrist and dies, helping Maya recover her memories, and she decides to manipulate Vikram to defeat MJ and reunite with Rudra.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: "Beyhadh 2" is a spiritual successor of 2016 series of "Beyhadh" starring Jennifer Winget, Kushal Tandon, Aneri Vajani The first promo was released on 1 October 2019, featuring Winget as Maya Jaisingh.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Talking about the show, Winget said, "In "Beyhadh", Maya was looking for love and was hungry for Arjun's attention. But in "Beyhadh 2", Maya is back with an agenda and she has hatred in her mind. Everyone wanted to know, who Maya is in the first season but now everyone is aware of the lengths Maya can go to get her things done".


title: Beyhadh 2

text: Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in India, on 20 April 2020, the show was cancelled by the channel along with two other shows, "Patiala Babes" and "Ishaaron Ishaaron Mein." A producer, Prateek Sharma, conceded to the network's actions, describing them as being "in the best interest of all the concerned parties, including producer, actors, writers and the rest of the crew". In a statement to Times of India, the channel stated that production on the shows stopped in March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They noted that the "Beyadh 2" narrative was "time-bound", and the Covid delay made it difficult for the network to finish telling the series' story to the end.


title: Beyhadh 2

text: "Times Of India" stated, "The plot of the show is intriguing and fast-paced. The sequence of events is well-aligned and it makes for an interesting watch. What stands apart is the outstanding cinematic visuals, something that the viewers were also a witness to in the first season. The background score adds to the mystery element".


title: Line of Duty (series 2)

text: The second series of "Line of Duty", consisting of six episodes, premiered on 12 February 2014 on BBC Two. The series follows Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DC Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) as they lead an investigation into the corrupt actions of DI Lindsay Denton (Keeley Hawes). Additional characters include DI Matthew Cottan (Craig Parkinson) and DC Nigel Morton (Neil Morrissey). Beginning with this series, Dunbar and Parkinson are credited as main cast members in the opening credits.


title: Line of Duty (series 2)

text: Series two received even better reviews than its predecessor, and was ranked the best television drama of 2014 by "The Observer". Alessandra Stanley of "The New York Times" praised the series as "original and surprising", whilst also citing an improvement on the first season, describing it as "more brutal and thrilling". Sarah Hughes of "The Guardian" praised the series' finale, stating "Well done to Jed Mercurio and co for a powerful, satisfying and, best of all, believable conclusion that, while quieter than the end to series one, resonated far more."


title: Line of Duty (series 2)

text: Keeley Hawes received a Leading Actress nomination for her role as DI Lindsay Denton at the 2015 British Academy Television Awards.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: Physarum polycephalum, an acellular slime mold or myxomycete popularly known as "the blob", is a protist with diverse cellular forms and broad geographic distribution. The “acellular” moniker derives from the plasmodial stage of the life cycle: the plasmodium is a bright yellow macroscopic multinucleate coenocyte shaped in a network of interlaced tubes. This stage of the life cycle, along with its preference for damp shady habitats, likely contributed to the original mischaracterization of the organism as a fungus. "P. polycephalum" is used as a model organism for research into motility, cellular differentiation, chemotaxis, cellular compatibility, and the cell cycle.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: The two vegetative cell types, amoebae and plasmodia, differ markedly in morphology, physiology and behavior. Amoebae are microorganisms, typically haploid, that live primarily in the soil, where they phagocytose bacteria. In the laboratory, amoebae are grown on lawns of live or dead "Escherichia coli" on nutrient agar plates, where they can multiply indefinitely. Axenic culture of amoebae was achieved through selection of mutants capable of axenic growth. Under conditions of starvation or desiccation, the amoebae differentiate reversibly into dormant spores with cell walls. When immersed in water, amoebae differentiate reversibly into flagellated cells, which involves a major reorganization of the cytoskeleton.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: The plasmodium is typically diploid and propagates via growth and nuclear division without cytokinesis, resulting in the macroscopic multinucleate syncytium; in other words, a large single cell with multiple nuclei. While nutrients are available, the network-shaped plasmodium can grow to a foot or more in diameter. Like amoebae, the plasmodium can consume whole microbes, but also readily grows axenically in liquid cultures, nutrient agar plates and on nutrient-moistened surfaces. When nutrients are provided uniformly, the nuclei in the plasmodium divide synchronously, accounting for the interest in using "P. polycephalum" as a model organism to study the cell cycle, or more specifically the nuclear division cycle. When the plasmodium is starved, it has two alternative developmental pathways. In the dark, the plasmodium typically differentiates reversibly into a dormant “sclerotium” (the same term is used for dormant forms of fungal mycelia, but the myxomycete sclerotium is a very different structure). When exposed to light, the starving plasmodium differentiates irreversibly into sporangia that are distinguished from other "Physarum" species by their multiple heads (hence "polycephalum"). Meiosis occurs during spore development, resulting in haploid dormant spores. Upon exposure to moist nutrient conditions, the spores develop into amoebae, or, in aqueous suspension, into flagellates. The life cycle is completed when haploid amoebae of different mating types fuse to form a diploid zygote that then develops by growth and nuclear division in the absence of cytokinesis into the multinucleate plasmodium.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: In laboratory strains carrying a mutation at the "matA" mating-type locus, the differentiation of "P. polycephalum" plasmodia can occur without the fusion of amoebae, resulting in haploid plasmodia that are morphologically indistinguishable from the more typical diploid form. This enables easier genetic analysis of plasmodial traits that would otherwise require backcrossing to achieve homozygosity for analysis of recessive mutations in diploids. Sporangia from haploid plasmodia generate spores with low fertility, and it is assumed that viable spores develop from meiosis of rare diploid nuclei in the otherwise haploid "P. polycephalum" plasmodia. Apogamic development can also occur in nature in various species of myxomycetes. In the figure of the "P. polycephalum" life cycle, the typical haploid-diploid sexual cycle is depicted in the outer circuit and the apogamic cycle in the inner circuit. Note that an apogamic amoeba retains its "matA1" mating type specificity and can still fuse sexually with an amoeba of a different mating type to form a diploid heterozygous plasmodium—another characteristic that facilitates genetic analysis.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: As the life cycle diagram indicates, amoebae and plasmodia differ markedly in their developmental potential. A remarkable further difference is the mechanism of mitosis. Amoebae exhibit “open mitosis” during which the nuclear membrane breaks down, as is typical of animal cells, before reassembling after telophase. Plasmodia exhibit “closed mitosis” during which the nuclear membrane remains intact. This presumably prevents nuclear fusion from occurring during mitosis in the multinucleate syncytium. In support of this inference, mutant amoebae defective in cytokinesis develop into multinucleate cells, and nuclear fusions during mitosis are common in these mutants.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: The plasmodium of myxomycetes, and especially that of "Physarum polycephalum" is known for its cytoplasmic streaming. The cytoplasm undergoes a shuttle flow rhythmically flowing back and forth, changing direction typically every 100 seconds. Flows can reach speeds of up to 1mm/s. Within the tubular network flows arise due to the cross-sectional contractions of the tubes that are generated by the contraction and relaxation of the membranous outer layer of the tubes enriched with acto-myosin cortex. In stationary plasmodia tubular contractions are spatially organized across the entire plasmodium in a peristaltic wave.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: Cytoplasmic streaming is likely to contribute to plasmodium migration. Here, contraction patterns are observed to correlate with migration speed. For dumbbell-shaped microplasmodia, often termed Amoeboid plasmodia, stiffening of the cortex in the rear versus the front seems instrumental in breaking the symmetry for the contraction wave to translate into migration.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: Cytoplasmic flows enable long-ranged transport and dispersion of molecules within the cytoplasm. The physical mechanism employed here is Taylor dispersion. Under starvation the organism may reorganize its network morphology and thereby enhance its dispersion capabilities. In fact, the flows are even hijacked to transport signals throughout the plasmodium network. It is likely that the feedback of transported signals on tube size underlies "Physarum"'s capability to find the shortest path through a maze.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: "Physarum polycephalum" has been shown to exhibit characteristics similar to those seen in single-celled creatures and eusocial insects. For example, a team of Japanese and Hungarian researchers have shown "P. polycephalum" can solve the shortest path problem. When grown in a maze with oatmeal at two spots, "P. polycephalum" retracts from everywhere in the maze, except the shortest route connecting the two food sources.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: When presented with more than two food sources, "P. polycephalum" apparently solves a more complicated transportation problem. With more than two sources, the amoeba also produces efficient networks. In a 2010 paper, oatflakes were dispersed to represent Tokyo and 36 surrounding towns. "P. polycephalum" created a network similar to the existing train system, and "with comparable efficiency, fault tolerance, and cost". Similar results have been shown based on road networks in the United Kingdom and the Iberian peninsula (i.e., Spain and Portugal).


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: "P. polycephalum" not only can solve these computational problems but also exhibits some form of memory. By repeatedly making the test environment of a specimen of "P. polycephalum" cold and dry for 60 minute intervals, Hokkaido University biophysicists discovered that the slime mold appears to anticipate the pattern by reacting to the conditions when they did not repeat the conditions for the next interval. Upon repeating the conditions, it would react to expect the 60 minute intervals, as well as testing with 30 and 90 minute intervals.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: "P. polycephalum" has also been shown to dynamically re-allocate to apparently maintain constant levels of different nutrients simultaneously. In one particular instance, a specimen placed at the center of a Petri dish spatially re-allocated over combinations of food sources that each had different protein-carbohydrate ratios. After 60 hours, the slime mold area over each food source was measured. For each specimen, the results were consistent with the hypothesis that the amoeba would balance total protein and carbohydrate intake to reach particular levels that were invariant to the actual ratios presented to the slime mold.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: As the slime mold does not have any nervous system that could explain these intelligent behaviours, there has been considerable interdisciplinary interest in understanding the rules that govern its behaviour. Scientists are trying to model the slime mold using a number of simple, distributed rules. For example, "P. polycephalum" has been modeled as a set of differential equations inspired by electrical networks. This model can be shown to be able to compute shortest paths. A very similar model can be shown to solve the Steiner tree problem. However, these models are externally consistent but not internally explanatory, and as is usual for modelling they simplify - in this case assuming conservation of energy. To build more realistic models, more data about the slime mold's network construction needs to be gathered. To this end, researchers are analysing the network structure of lab-grown "P. polycephalum".


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: In a book and several preprints that have not been peer reviewed, it has been claimed that because plasmodia appear to react in a consistent way to stimuli, they are the "ideal substrate for future and emerging bio-computing devices". An outline has been presented showing how it may be possible to precisely point, steer and cleave plasmodium using light and food sources, especially Valerian root. Moreover, it has been reported that plasmodia can be made to form logic gates, enabling the construction of biological computers. In particular, plasmodia placed at entrances to special geometrically shaped mazes would emerge at exits of the maze that were consistent with truth tables for certain primitive logic connectives. However, as these constructions are based on theoretical models of the slime mold, in practice these results do not scale to allow for actual computation. When the primitive logic gates are connected to form more complex functions, the plasmodium ceased to produce results consistent with the expected truth tables.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: Even though complex computations using "Physarum" as a substrate are currently not possible, researchers have successfully used the organism's reaction to its environment in a USB sensor and to control a robot.


title: Physarum polycephalum

text: "P. polycephalum" produces its own anti-viral substances. Mayhew & Ford 1971 find an extract of "P. polycephalum" prevents some crop diseases: "Tobacco mosaic virus" and "tobacco ringspot virus" are inhibited by a product of "P. polycephalum". Both "Nicotiana tabacum" and the beans "Phaseolus vulgaris" and "Vigna sinensis" suffered almost no lesioning "in vitro" from "TMV" or "TRSV" when treated with a "P. polycephalum" extract. However, the "southern bean mosaic virus" was unaffected.


title: Scottish League One

text: The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.


title: Scottish League One

text: Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion. If points are equal, the goal difference determines the winner. If this still does not result in a winner, the tied teams must take part in a playoff game at a neutral venue to determine the final placings.


title: Scottish League One

text: The champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Championship, swapping places with the bottom club of the championship. The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th in League One, and the 9th placed team in the Championship then enter the two-legged Championship play-off. The 2nd-placed League One club plays the 3rd-placed League One club, whilst the team who finished 4th in League One will play the 9th-placed Championship side. The winners of these ties will then play each other. If a League One play-off winner prevails, that club is promoted, with the championship club being relegated. If the Championship side is victorious, they then retain their place in the Championship.


title: Scottish League One

text: Championship counterpart, in which the bottom club of League One is automatically relegated and the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs from League Two.


title: Scottish League One

text: Listed below are all the teams competing in the 2022–23 Scottish League One season, with details of the first season they entered the third tier; the first season of their current spell in the third tier; and the last time they won the third tier.


title: Sniper: Assassin's End

text: Sniper: Assassin's End is a 2020 American action film directed by Kaare Andrews and starring Chad Michael Collins, Tom Berenger and Sayaka Akimoto. The film is the eighth installment of the "Sniper" film series and a sequel to "" (2017).


title: Sniper: Assassin's End

text: Special Ops Sniper Brandon Beckett (Chad Michael Collins) is set up as the primary suspect for the murder of a foreign dignitary on the eve of signing a high-profile trade agreement with the United States. Narrowly escaping death, Beckett realizes that there may be a dark operative working within the government and partners with the only person whom he can trust, his father, legendary Sniper Sgt. Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger). Both Becketts are on the run from the CIA, Russian mercenaries, and a Yakuza-trained assassin with sniper skills that rival both legendary sharpshooters.


title: Sniper: Assassin's End

text: The film was released to Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms on June 16, 2020, and reached #1 on iTunes in September 2020.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: Corey Damon Davis (born January 11, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Michigan, where he became the NCAA Division I FBS leader in career receiving yards. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans fifth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: The second youngest of seven siblings, Davis attended Wheaton Warrenville South High School in Wheaton, Illinois. As a sophomore, he was called up to varsity to play alongside his big brother Titus Davis, who went on to become the all-time leading receiver in touchdowns and yards from scrimmage for Central Michigan University. The duo were part of the Tigers 2010 perfect 14–0 Illinois Class 7A state championship team. As a senior, Corey finished the season 45 receptions and 6 receiving touchdowns. During his youth football years playing for the Wheaton Rams he forged a close friendship with the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Dan Graham. At the end of his junior year, he decided to move out of his family's 2-bedroom apartment and move in with the Graham family and they would later become Davis' legal guardians. Davis did not receive any scholarships until late in his senior year. Davis struggled in school throughout his first three years of high school. The Grahams hired a personal tutor for him so he could get his GPA high enough to be eligible to receive an NCAA scholarship. After graduation, Davis committed to Western Michigan University to play college football, which was his only Division I scholarship.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: As a true freshman at Western Michigan in 2013, Davis set school freshman records with 67 receptions for 941 yards and was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Freshman of the Year.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: Against the Toledo Rockets on November 25, 2016, Davis became the all-time FBS leader in receiving yards, breaking the record previously held by Nevada's Trevor Insley. He was named conference Offensive Player of the Year as well as First-team All-MAC.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: Davis attended the NFL Scouting Combine, but was unable to participate in athletic drills due to an ankle injury. Davis reportedly scored 31 on the Wonderlic test. Despite an injury leaving Davis unable to perform pre-draft workouts, he was still considered a top wide receiver prospect eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft class.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: The Tennessee Titans selected Davis in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is the highest draft selection from Western Michigan University.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: On July 29, 2017, the Titans signed Davis to a fully guaranteed four-year, $25.39 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $16.60 million. Davis made his NFL debut in the Titans' season-opening 26–16 loss to the Oakland Raiders and caught six receptions for 69 yards. Battling a hamstring injury for much of the season, Davis finished his rookie year with 34 receptions for 375 yards. On January 13, 2018, Davis caught his first two NFL touchdowns from Marcus Mariota in the 2017 AFC 35–14 loss to the New England Patriots. He finished the game with five receptions for 63 yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: During Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis had a career game with nine receptions for 161 yards, including the game-winning touchdown from Marcus Mariota in overtime. On November 11, Davis had another great outing against the New England Patriots, catching seven passes for 125 yards and a touchdown as the Titans won by a score of 34–10. Two weeks later in a 34–17 road loss to the Houston Texans, he had one rush for 39 yards and caught four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the New York Jets, Davis rushed once for 12 yards and caught three passes for 42 yards including the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: Davis finished his second professional season with 891 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns, and 55 rushing yards in 16 games and starts. He led the Titans in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: During Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, Davis caught five passes for 91 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season in the 24–10 road victory. Three weeks later against the Los Angeles Chargers, Davis caught his second touchdown of the season as the Titans won by a score of 23–20. He did not play in Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a hip injury. Davis finished his third season with 43 receptions for 601 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games and 11 starts. In the of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, he caught a three-yard touchdown pass from running back Derrick Henry in the 28–12 road victory.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: On May 1, 2020, the Titans declined the fifth-year option on Davis' contract, making him a free agent in 2021. He was placed on the team's active/physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp on July 28, 2020. He was activated on August 17, 2020, after passing a physical.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: In the 2020 regular season opener for the Titans, Davis had seven receptions for 101 receiving yards in the 16–14 victory over the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football". He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on October 7, and activated on October 19. In Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had eight receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown in the 31–20 loss. During Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts, Davis elected to play a day after the death of his older brother to cancer, recording five catches for 67 yards.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: In Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens, Davis recorded five catches for 113 yards during the 30–24 overtime win. In Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns, Davis caught eleven passes for 182 yards, both career highs, along with a touchdown reception in the 41–35 loss.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: In Week 15 against the Detroit Lions, Davis recorded four catches for 110 yards, including a 75 yard touchdown reception, during the 46–25 win. Davis finished the 2020 season with 65 receptions for 984 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: Following the season, Davis was ranked 91st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.


title: Corey Davis (wide receiver)

text: On March 18, 2021, Davis signed with the New York Jets on a three-year, $37.5 million contract. He made his Jets debut in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, recording five catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He caught the first career touchdown pass of rookie Zach Wilson's career. In Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans he had four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. In Week 7 against the New England Patriots, he caught Mike White's first career touchdown pass. On December 7, 2021, Davis was placed on injured reserve after undergoing core muscle surgery. He finished his first season with the Jets with 34 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns through nine games.


title: Subwoolfer

text: Subwoolfer is a Norwegian pop duo formed in 2021. The two members perform in black suits with white shirts with distinctive yellow wolf-head masks and yellow gloves and ties and go by the pseudonyms Keith and Jim. Their real identities have not been publicly revealed. After winning , they represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with their debut song "Give That Wolf a Banana". The name of the duo is a combination of the words "subwoofer" and "wolf".


title: Subwoolfer

text: On 10 January 2022, the Norwegian public broadcaster, NRK, revealed that Subwoolfer would compete in , the Norwegian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Having been selected as an automatically qualified finalist, they were scheduled to showcase their entry "Give That Wolf a Banana" in the third heat of the competition on 29 January. However, their performance was postponed to the fourth heat, due to a positive COVID-19 test. They performed "Give That Wolf a Banana" again in the final on 19 February, and went on to win the competition with 368,106 votes from the public. With their victory, they were selected to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, which was held in Turin, Italy.


title: Subwoolfer

text: On 11 February 2022, Subwoolfer released a Valentine's Day version of "Give That Wolf a Banana", titled "Give That Wolf a Romantic Banana". As of 17 June 2022, "Give That Wolf a Banana" has been streamed more than 20.4 million times on Spotify, with its Valentine edition having been streamed over 918 thousand times.


title: Subwoolfer

text: As Keith and Jim dress in yellow wolf-like masks during performances, the duo's real identities have remained undisclosed. Their desired anonymity has led to some speculation on social media regarding their identities. Among Keith and Jim's speculated identities are the Ylvis brothers, Gaute Ormåsen, Ben Adams and Erik & Kriss. A fictional origin story about the duo states that they are the "most successful band in our galaxy," and began their career "4.5 billion years ago on the Moon."


title: Subwoolfer

text: On 10 May 2022, NRK filmed DJ Astronaut taking off his helmet, with his identity speculated to be Tix, the Norwegian entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. This was later denied by the Norwegian head of delegation, Stig Karlsen, and Tix himself. Tix was later revealed to be the Norwegian jury spokesperson for the Eurovision 2022 final.


title: Subwoolfer

text: On 23 May 2022, Subwoolfer announced that "new music [will be] out soon" in a music video on YouTube for their parody of "Grace Kelly" by Mika, titled "Space Kelly" which had gained over 1 million views as of 17 June 2022.


title: Subwoolfer

text: On 1 July 2022, Subwoolfer released "Melocoton (The Donka Donk Song)", their first song since the Eurovision Song Contest. It was accompanied by a music video.


title: Subwoolfer

text: On 21 October 2022, Subwoolfer released a new single, "Howling", which features guest vocals from Luna Ferrari, the "sister" of Keith and Jim. The music video for Howling was released on 21 October 2022.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Tommaso Buscetta (; 13 July 1928 – 2 April 2000) was an Italian mobster and a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He became one of the first of its members to turn informant and explain the inner workings of the organization.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Buscetta participated in criminal activity in Italy, the United States and Brazil before being arrested and extradited from Brazil to Italy. He became disillusioned with the Mafia after the murders of several of his family members, and in 1984, decided to cooperate with the authorities. He provided important testimony at the 1986/87 Maxi Trial, the largest anti-Mafia trial in history. After the murder of the judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, Buscetta gave further testimony to the Antimafia Commission linking Italian politicians to the Mafia. Buscetta entered the Witness Protection Program in the United States, where he remained until his death in 2000.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Tommaso Buscetta was born on 13 July 1928, in Palermo, Sicily, the youngest of 17 children; his father was a glazier. Buscetta was raised in Kalsa, a poverty-stricken area of Palermo, which he escaped by getting involved with crime at a young age. He first became involved with the Sicilian Mafia in 1945, and in the following years he became a full-fledged member of the Porta Nuova mandamento, where he worked mostly in cigarette smuggling.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Buscetta married his first wife Melchiorra Cavallaro in 1944 and had three children. In 1949, he moved to Argentina and then to Brazil, where he opened a glassworks store, but in 1956, he returned to Palermo where he joined Angelo La Barbera and Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco together with mafiosi Antonino Sorci, Pietro Davì and Gaetano Badalamenti, dealing with the cigarette and drug smuggling. He married his second wife Vera Girotti in 1966 and had one child. Two years later, he married his third wife Cristina De Almeida Guimarães after moving to Brazil, and had four children. In 1958 he was arrested for cigarette smuggling and criminal association during an investigation conducted by the Guardia di Finanza against the Corsican Pascal Molinelli and the Tangerian Salomon Gozal, indicated as major suppliers of cigarettes and drugs for the Sicilian gangs; in January 1959 he was arrested again for the smuggling of two tons of cigarettes to supply Yugoslavia.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: After the Ciaculli Massacre in 1963, part of an internal Mafia conflict known as the First Mafia War, he was wanted by police. Buscetta fled to Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, and finally the United States. In 1968, Buscetta was convicted "in absentia" by an Italian court of two murders related to the Ciaculli Massacre.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: On 25 August 1970, Buscetta was arrested in Brooklyn, New York, but was released on 4 December 1970. On 21 July 1971, an arrest warrant was issued by Italian police. Buscetta moved to Brazil, having undergone plastic surgery and vocal cord surgery, he set up a drug trafficking network, but on 3 November 1972, was arrested by the Brazilian military government, and subsequently extradited to Italy exactly one month later where he began a ten year sentence at Palermo's Ucciardone prison for drug trafficking, reduced to eight years after appeal. He was later transferred to the Le Nuove prison in Turin.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: In February 1980, he was granted "half-freedom", immediately fleeing back to Brazil to escape the brewing Second Mafia War instigated by Salvatore Riina. On 11 September 1982, Buscetta's two sons from his first wife, Benedetto and Antonio, disappeared, never to be found again, which prompted his collaboration with Italian authorities. This was followed by the deaths of his brother Vincenzo, son-in-law Giuseppe Genova, brother-in-law Pietro and four of his nephews, Domenico and Benedetto Buscetta, and Orazio and Antonio D'Amico. The war subsequently led to the deaths of many of Buscetta's allies, including Stefano Bontade. Buscetta was arrested in São Paulo, Brazil once again on 23 October 1983. He was extradited to Italy on 28 June 1984, where he attempted suicide by ingestion of barbiturates; when that failed, he decided that he was utterly disillusioned with the Mafia. Buscetta asked to talk to the anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, and began his life as an informant, referred to as a "pentito".


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Buscetta revealed information to Falcone for 45 days, explaining the inner workings and hierarchical structures of Cosa Nostra including the Sicilian Mafia Commission, that, until then, were unclear because of the strict code of silence. This became known as the "Buscetta theorem". He also revealed Mafia initiation rituals. However, Buscetta refused to speak with Falcone of the political ties of Cosa Nostra because, in his opinion, the State was not ready for statements of that magnitude, and proved to be quite general on that subject.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: In December 1984, he was extradited to the United States where he received a new identity from the government, an American citizenship and was placed in the Witness Protection Program in exchange for new revelations against the American Mafia. He testified in the Pizza Connection Trial, which took place in 1985 in New York and saw defendants Gaetano Badalamenti and other Sicilian-American mafiosi accused of drug trafficking. He also testified in 1986 at the largest trial against the Mafia in history, the Maxi Trial in Palermo, arising from the statements made to Falcone, Buscetta helped judges Falcone and Paolo Borsellino achieve significant success in the fight against organized crime that led to 475 Mafia members indicted, and 338 convicted, sentences upheld in 1992.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: In mid-1992, following the bomb attacks in which Falcone and Borsellino were killed, Buscetta began to speak of the political ties of the Cosa Nostra with magistrates, accusing Salvo Lima, killed a few months earlier, and Giulio Andreotti of being the main political referents of the organization; in particular, he reported that he had known Lima personally since the late 1950s, and had met him last in 1980, and also reported that he had learned that the murder of the journalist Mino Pecorelli in 1979 would have been carried out in Andreotti's interest. Buscetta was one of the main witnesses of the trials against Andreotti for mafia association and for the Pecorelli murder. Andreotti was however, eventually acquitted, in 1999, of the charge of having commissioned the assassination of Pecorelli.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: In court, Buscetta also elaborated in great detail the hidden exchanges that linked politicians and the Mafia. He stated:


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: It is not Cosa Nostra that contacts the politician; instead a member of the Cosa Nostra says, that president is mine (è cosa mia), and if you need a favor, you must go through me. In other words, the Cosa Nostra figure maintains a sort of monopoly on that politician. Every family head in the Mafia selects a man whose characteristics already make him look approachable. Forget the idea that some pact is reached first. On the contrary, one goes to that candidate and says, "Onorevole, I can do this and that for you now, and we hope that when you are elected you will remember us." The candidate wins and he has to pay something back. You tell him, "We need this, will you do it or not?" The politician understands immediately and acts always.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: During a trial in 1993, the Mafia member Salvatore Cancemi confessed to Buscetta that he had strangled two of Buscetta's sons to death. After the trial, Buscetta embraced Cancemi and said: "You could not refuse the order. I forgive you because I know what it means to be in Cosa Nostra."


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Buscetta died of cancer on 2 April 2000, aged 71, having lived out most of his life in hiding with his third wife and family in Florida, United States under false names. He was buried under a false name in North Miami, Florida.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: He was portrayed by Sergio Vespertino in the 2016 Italian TV series "The Mafia Kills Only in Summer".


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: He was portrayed by Pierfrancesco Favino in the 2019 film "The Traitor", directed by Marco Bellocchio and selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.


title: Tommaso Buscetta

text: Also released in 2019, "Our Godfather" is a documentary by Mark Franchetti and Andrew Meier which includes onscreen testimony by Buscetta's third wife and surviving children "who still live in anonymity because of fear of reprisal" according to one review.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.


title: Bob Lanier

text: In 14 NBA seasons, Lanier played in eight NBA All-Star Games and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game. His accomplishments came despite a long history with knee injuries. He had his No. 16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks and his No. 31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure University, for whom he played college basketball. After retiring from playing he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, and briefly served as their interim head coach. He went on to work as an NBA Cares Global Ambassador.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. was born on September 10, 1948, in Buffalo, New York. He was the son of Robert Sr. and Nannette Lanier.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Growing up, Lanier initially was rejected in his efforts to play basketball. When he tried out to play for his grammar school team, Lanier was told by a coach that his feet (size 11 at age 11) were too large for him to become a successful athlete. Although he was tall by age 16, Lanier did not make the varsity basketball squad in his sophomore year at Bennett High School because he was deemed to be too clumsy.


title: Bob Lanier

text: During his junior year, he was encouraged to try out again by new coach Fred Schwepker, who taught Lanier as a student in his biology class. Lanier tried out again and made the team. He averaged 21.5 points and was named to the All-City team as a junior. In his senior year, he averaged 25.0 points and he earned All-Western New York State honors. In each year, he led Bennett to a Buffalo city title. Lanier graduated in 1966.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was recruited by more than 100 universities; however, he chose to attend St. Bonaventure University, approximately an hour and a half away from his home. There, he played for coach Larry Weise. "There was recruiting competition, but the advantage I had, and what I sold, was that his parents could come watch him play", said Coach Weise. "He picked St. Bonaventure. His parents were at every game."


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was a three-time Converse All-America selection (1968–1970). As a senior in 1970, he led the St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four. Near the end of the regional championship game, he injured his knee in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford and did not play in St. Bonaventure's national semifinal loss to Jacksonville University. That year, Lanier was named the "Coach and Athlete Magazine" player of the year and the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Player of the Year.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Per NCAA rules at the time, Lanier played on the freshman team during his first year at St. Bonaventure.


title: Bob Lanier

text: As a sophomore in the 1967–68 season, Lanier made an immediate impact and gained national recognition. Lanier led St. Bonaventure (13–9 in the previous season) to an undefeated regular season (26–0) and a number three final poll ranking. He averaged 26.2 points and 15.6 rebounds per game for the season. Against Loyola Maryland, Lanier had 27 rebounds, leading St. Bonaventure to a 94–78 victory.


title: Bob Lanier

text: In the 23-team 1968 NCAA tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to a 102–93 victory over Boston College and coach Bob Cousy. The Bonnies were then defeated 91–72 by North Carolina and coach Dean Smith in the East Regional semifinal, ending their undefeated season. Lanier had 32 points and 15 rebounds in the victory over Boston College and 23 points with 9 rebounds in the North Carolina loss. Lanier then fouled out, scoring 18 points with 13 rebounds in the third-place East Region game; St. Bonaventure lost, 92–75, to Columbia.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was named a second-team All-American, behind Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at center.


title: Bob Lanier

text: In the 1968–69 season, St. Bonaventure finished with a 17–7 record after starting the season 3–5. Against Seton Hall, Lanier scored 51 points, setting the single-game scoring record for St. Bonaventure. Lanier averaged 27.3 points and 15.6 rebounds in 24 games. Lanier was again named a second-team All-American behind Lew Alcindor at center. During his junior year, Lanier was approached by representatives of the American Basketball Association's New York Nets, who reportedly offered him $1.2 million to leave school early and join the ABA. However, following his father's advice, Lanier chose to remain in school.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier averaged 29.2 points and 16.0 rebounds as St. Bonaventure finished the 1969–70 regular season 25–1 (with the only loss at Villanova 64–62) and a number three national ranking. In the 25-team 1970 NCAA tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to an 80–72 victory over Davidson College with 28 points and 15 rebounds. He had 24 points and 19 rebounds in an 80–68 victory over NC State, and had 26 points and 14 rebounds in the 97–74 victory over Villanova as St. Bonaventure advanced to the Final Four.


title: Bob Lanier

text: However, Lanier injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford. The injury was severe enough that he could not play in the Final Four and eventually required the first of eight knee surgeries he would undergo throughout his life. In the Final Four, the Bonnies lost to Jacksonville University, whose center was future Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore. St. Bonaventure was whistled for 32 personal fouls and was outscored 37–15 at the free-throw line in the 91–83 loss. In the third-place game, the Bonnies lost to New Mexico State, finishing the season 25–3.


title: Bob Lanier

text: "Every year at this time you start thinking about it and my players start thinking about it," reflected Coach Larry Weise at age 81. "We have a reunion every three, four years and it's the same with them. It was a magical moment in our lives, no question. In our hearts, we knew we were good enough to win the championship." "I think I appreciate it even more than my (college) teammates," Lanier reflected on the Final Four in 1985, "because I had a basis for comparison. It wasn't the money, or who got the 'numbers' like in the NBA. We weren't any big stars, it was a couple of guys from Buffalo and a guy from Troy all blending together."


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was named a first-team All-American at center alongside future Hall of Famers Dan Issel (center, Kentucky), Pete Maravich (point guard, LSU) and Calvin Murphy (point guard, Niagara), along with College Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Mount (shooting guard, Purdue). Lanier graduated from St. Bonaventure with a degree in business administration. Lanier holds St. Bonaventure records for scoring and rebounding, averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds, with 57% shooting in 75 career games.


title: Bob Lanier

text: In March 2018, St. Bonaventure won its first game in the NCAA tournament since 1970, defeating UCLA. Coach Mark Schmidt said, "It can't get better. Our guys just fought, we persevered. ... In 1970, you know, Bob Lanier got hurt, and didn't have a chance to play UCLA and ... this is for him." "When I got the job here 11 years ago, we hear the stories about 1970," Schmidt said. "And everybody talks about if Lanier was healthy, they would have taken on UCLA. This victory is for those guys."


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was the first overall pick by the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons in the 1970 NBA draft. He was also a territorial pick by the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association in the 1970 ABA Draft.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier signed with the Pistons, who eagerly presented him with his NBA contract while he was still in the hospital recuperating from knee surgery. Lanier reported to Pistons training camp limping, in significant pain, and overweight from his long period of inactivity following the surgery. Lanier played while still recovering from surgery. He was named to the 1971 NBA All-Rookie Team, averaging 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds for the 45–37 Pistons in 24 minutes per game under Coach Butch van Breda Kolff. "I wasn't healthy when I got to the league," Lanier reflected. "I shouldn't have played my first year. But there was so much pressure from them to play, I would have been much better off—and our team would have been much better served—if I had just sat out that year and worked on my knee. My knee was so sore every single day that it was ludicrous to be doing what I was doing." Lanier rehabilitated his knee with the help of Coach van Breda Kolff, who had Lanier stay at his beachfront house for 2½ weeks to run in the sand and strengthen his knee and legs.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier became a star for Detroit, playing alongside teammate Dave Bing. He averaged more than 21 points per game for each of the next eight seasons, with a high mark of 25.7 PPG in the 1971–72 season. Lanier averaged more than 11 rebounds per game in seven straight seasons. Lanier's latter years in Detroit were marred by recurring injuries, as he never played more than 64 games in any of his last four seasons as a Piston. On January 15, 1974, Lanier led all scorers in that season's NBA All Star Game with 24 points, and was named the All-Star Game MVP.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Detroit was a franchise in constant transition. Lanier played under eight coaches in ten seasons: Butch van Breda Kolff (1970–1971), Terry Dischinger (1971), Earl Lloyd (1971–1972), Ray Scott (1972–1975), Herb Brown (1975–1977), Bob Kauffman (1977–1978), Dick Vitale (1978–1979), and Richie Adubato (1979–1980). Each coach was hired or fired mid-season. Of his time in Detroit, Lanier said, "I think '73–74 was our best team [52–30]. We had Dave [Bing], Stu Lantz, John Mengelt, Chris Ford, Don Adams, Curtis Rowe, George Trapp. But then for some reason, they traded six guys off that team before the following year. I just didn't feel we ever had the leadership... That was a rough time because, at the end of every year, you'd be so despondent."


title: Bob Lanier

text: In his ten seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Lanier averaged a double-double 22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals in 681 games. Lanier is the Pistons' all-time leader in scoring average (22.7 ppg); he ranks second in total rebounds (8,063), third in total points (15,488), and was voted to seven All-Star games.


title: Bob Lanier

text: On February 4, 1980, Lanier was traded by the Pistons to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kent Benson and a 1980 first-round draft pick (which the Pistons used to select Larry Drew). On April 20 of that year, Lanier scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a Game 7 loss against the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference Semifinals (the final season for the Bucks in that conference).


title: Bob Lanier

text: On May 5, 1982, Lanier's 27 points led the Bucks to a Game 5 playoff victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks eventually lost the series. Lanier's 27 points represented his highest single post-season game point total for the Bucks. In Lanier's five seasons with the Bucks, they won the Midwest Division championship each year under Coach Don Nelson, with Lanier playing alongside teammates Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Quinn Buckner, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Cowens. Still highly effective, but with aging knees, Lanier played a key role with the Bucks while averaging nearly 10 minutes less per game in his Milwaukee tenure that he had in Detroit (36.2 to 26.8).


title: Bob Lanier

text: Of going to Milwaukee, Lanier said, "I wanted the trade. I got to Milwaukee... and the people gave me a standing ovation and really made me feel welcome. It was the start of a positive change. I just wish I had played with that kind of talent around me when I was young. But if I had had Marques [Johnson] and Sidney [Moncrief] and all of them around me? Damn." Lanier officially retired from the Milwaukee Bucks on September 24, 1984. He cited reoccurring knee injuries as the reason for his retirement. In 278 games with the Bucks, Lanier averaged 26 minutes, 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He played in the 1982 All-Star Game with Milwaukee. During Lanier's five-season tenure, the Bucks advanced as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Over his fourteen-season NBA career, Lanier played in 959 games, averaging 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. He scored 19,248 total points and had 9,698 total rebounds. In 67 career playoff games, Lanier averaged 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks. Lanier played in eight NBA All-Star Games; he never appeared in an NBA Finals game.


title: Bob Lanier

text: "Bob probably wasn't as good a total player as he could have been because of the knee injury," said Hall of Famer Willis Reed. Reed acknowledged that Lanier "probably was one of the best all-around big men ever to play the game of basketball." Lanier was known across the league as being tenacious, and was referred to as an "enforcer" due to his physical style of play. His intensity sometimes spilled over from playing into fighting, as he knocked out Atlanta's Bob Christian in 1971 and broke the nose of Detroit's Bill Laimbeer in 1983. In the 1977 NBA Playoffs, in the third game of a best of three series against Golden State Warriors, the game was marred by a 3rd quarter fight with Charles Dudley of Golden State tangling with Eric Money of the Pistons. The fight spilled into the stands as a Warriors fan punching Piston M.L. Carr and Lanier then decking the fan. Reflective of the different era in the game, personal fouls were called on Dudley and Money, and the game resumed with the Warriors winning 109-101.


title: Bob Lanier

text: From 1994–95, Lanier served as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors under his former coach, Don Nelson. After Nelson resigned, Lanier was named interim head coach on February 13, 1995. He compiled a 12–25 win–loss record in 37 games and the Warriors finished 26–56 overall.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier owned and operated Bob Lanier Enterprises, Inc., a promotional marketing company which was a member of the Proforma network.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was a spokesperson and chairman of the NBA's "Stay In School" program (later renamed Read to Achieve) from 1989 to 1994.


title: Bob Lanier

text: From 2005 to 2022, Lanier was the NBA Cares Global Ambassador. Lanier routinely worked with youth-serving programs that supported education, youth, and family development, and health-related causes.


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier appeared as a member of the Detroit team in the cult classic basketball film "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" in 1979 alongside Pistons teammates Chris Ford, Eric Money, John Shumate, Kevin Porter, and Leon Douglas.


title: Bob Lanier

text: In the movie "Airplane!" (1980), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar references Lanier when he says, "Tell your old man to drag [Bill] Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes."


title: Bob Lanier

text: Lanier was married and divorced twice and had five children: Walter “Jack” Lanier, Kimberly Lanier, Tiffany Lanier Robert Lanier III, and Khalia Lanier. At the time of his death, he had 7 grandchildren.


title: Bob Lanier

text: The knee injuries that plagued Lanier's later career worsened as he aged. He underwent several surgeries after his retirement, the last being in 2017.


title: Bob Lanier

text: At the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, visitors are able to compare the size of their foot to that of Lanier. The largest shoe ever created by shoe company Allen Edmonds was a size 22 for Lanier.


title: Bob Lanier

text: In September 2018, Lanier shared one of his most notable NBA memories: "...when I was still playing in Milwaukee and I was getting gas at a station on, I think it was Center St. A guy came up to me and said, 'My dad is sick. And you're his favorite player. Could you come up to the house and say hello to him? The house is right next door.' So I went over, I went upstairs. The guy was laying there in his bed. His son said, 'This is Bob,' and he was like, 'I know.' And he just had a little smile, a twinkle in his eye. And he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. And we said a little prayer. About two weeks later, his dad had died. And he left a card at the Bucks office, just saying 'Thank you for making one of my dad's final days into a good day.'"


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company.


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is heavily based upon the United States Navy's A-3 Skywarrior, a heavy carrier-based attack aircraft. Originally, officials intended for the aircraft to be a simple development of the earlier A-3, taking advantage of being strictly land-based to dispense with unnecessary naval features. However, due to the USAF producing extensive and substantially divergent requirements, it became necessary to make considerable alterations to the design, leading to a substantial proportion of the B-66 being original rather than derived from the A-3. The B-66 retained the three-man crew arrangement of the US Navy's A-3; differences included the incorporation of ejection seats, which the A-3 had lacked.


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: Performing its maiden flight on 28 June 1954, the aircraft was introduced to USAF service during 1956. The standard model, designated B-66, was a bomber model that was procured to replace the aging Douglas A-26 Invader; in parallel, a dedicated photo reconnaissance model, designated "RB-66", was also produced alongside. Later on, further variants of the type were developed, leading to the aircraft's use in signals intelligence, electronic countermeasures and weather reconnaissance roles. Aircraft would commonly be forward deployed to bases in Europe, where they could more easily approach the airspace of the Soviet Union. Multiple variants would be deployed around Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They would also see use during the American intervention in the Vietnam War, typically operating as support aircraft for other assets that were active over the skies of North Vietnam and Laos, as well as missions to map SAM and AAA sites in both countries. The last examples of the type were withdrawn during 1975.


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: When the A-3 Skywarrior was in development for United States Navy, the project attracted attention from senior officers of the United States Air Force (USAF), who were skeptical regarding claims made about the design's specifications and capabilities. In particular, the USAF questioned its reported take-off weight of 68,000lb, suggesting that it would be impossible to achieve. USAF general Hoyt Vandenberg ridiculed the proposed A-3 as "making irresponsible claims". It has been suggested that this was a part of opposition within the USAF to the Navy's proposed "supercarriers": the "United States"-class, which would have carried the A-3, amongst other aircraft. However, while the supercarrier project did not proceed, flight testing of the A-3 validated its performance. It was recognized that the type was capable of carrying out mission profiles practically identical to that of the much larger Boeing B-47 Stratojet, operated by the USAF. This included an unrefuelled combat radius of almost 1,000 miles. This performance, coupled with the fact of development costs having already been paid by the Navy, as well as pressing needs highlighted by the Korean War, made the A-3 attractive to the USAF. Consequently, during the early 1950s, the USAF began to express interest in procuring a land-based variant.


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: USAF officials had originally intended the conversion to be a relatively straightforward matter of removing the carrier-specific features and fitting USAF avionics, but otherwise adhering as closely as possible to the original A-3 design. For this reason, no prototypes were ordered when the USAF issued its contract to Douglas in June 1952, instead having opted for five pre-production "RB-66A" models to be supplied, the aerial reconnaissance mission being considered to be a high priority for the type. However, this contract would be amended, involving multiple new variants that were added and swapped about. Likewise, the list of modifications sought quickly expanded; to meet the changing requirements, the supposedly easy conversion would become what was essentially an entirely new aircraft.


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: A percentage of the changes made were a result of the USAF's requirement for the B-66 to perform low-level operations, the complete opposite of the US Navy's A-3, which had been developed and operated as a high-altitude nuclear strike bomber. However, aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist attribute many of the design changes to have been made "merely to be different", being driven by an intense rivalry between the two services; they conclude that "an objective assessment might conclude that 98 per cent of the changes introduced in the RB-66A were unnecessary". Both the fuselage and wing were entirely redesigned from scratch, rather than simply de-navalised. The A-3 was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet engines, whereas the B-66 used two Allison J71 engines; Gunston and Gilchrist note that this engine swap "offered no apparent advantage", generating less thrust and being more fuel-hungry than the J57 engine which was also already in USAF use.


title: Douglas B-66 Destroyer

text: Due to the engine change, this necessitated a complete redesign of the power systems as well, repositioning all hydraulic pumps and generators onto the engines themselves instead of being fed with bleed air from within the fuselage. The pressurized crew compartment was given a different structure, adopting a very deep glazed front position for the pilot. The landing gear was also redesigned, even implementing a completely different door geometry. An impactful difference was the decision to equip the B-66 with ejection seats, a feature which the A-3 had lacked entirely. Aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist observe of the B-66 that: "The history of the aviation is sprinkled with aircraft which, to save money, were intended to be merely a modified version of an existing type. In very few cases it actually happened like this... the B-66 is a classic example".