Assynt (  or  ) is a sparsely populated area in the south-west of Sutherland, lying north of Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. Assynt is known for its landscape and its remarkable mountains, which have led to the area, along with neighbouring Coigach, being designated as the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland.

The western part of Assynt has many distinctively shaped mountains, including Quinag, Canisp, Suilven and Ben More Assynt, that rise steeply from the surrounding "cnoc and lochan" scenery.  These can often appear higher than their actual height would indicate due to their steep sides and the contrast with the moorland from which they rise. Many of the most distinctive peaks such as Suilven were formed during the last Ice Age, when they were left exposed above the ice sheet as nunataks, and they now remain as inselbergs of highly eroded Torridonian sandstone sitting on a bedrock of much older Lewisian gneiss. The Moine Thrust runs through the area, and is most visible at Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve, which includes a visitor centre interpreting the geological features of the landscape. In the east of Assynt lies a region of limestone scenery surrounding Ben More Assynt. This part of Assynt hosts the longest cave in Scotland, Uamh an Claonaite, which lies  south of Inchnadamph. The geological importance of Assynt is reflected in its inclusion in the North West Highlands Geopark.

The name Assynt may derive from an Old Norse word meaning 'ridge end'. There is also a tradition that the name comes from a fight between the two brothers Unt and Ass-Unt, (meaning Man of Peace and Man of Discord). The latter having won the tussle gave his name to the parish.

Local government
For many years Assynt was regarded as a district or province of Scotland in its own right, and was later established as a civil parish. With the introduction of counties it became part of the county of Sutherland. Parishes were abolished for administrative purposes in 1930, and counties were replaced by a system of regional and district councils in 1975, however the boundaries of both were retained for statistical purposes (e.g. census figures and land registration) as well for ceremonial purposes such as lieutenancy. The regions and districts were replaced by unitary councils in 1996, and Assynt now forms a community within Highland council area.

Ownership
As is typical for the Scottish highlands, the Assynt area is divided into a number of large estates, which are in a mix of private, charitable and community ownership. The Assynt Estate, which includes Ben More Assynt and the lands around Lochinver, remains in the hands of the Vestey family, who also formerly owned the North Assynt Estate (see below).

The Quinag estate belongs to the John Muir Trust, a charity that seeks to conserve wild land and wild places.

The Little Assynt Estate, which comprises two of the old  townships of Assynt, Little Assynt and Loch Beannach is now owned by Culag Community Woodland Trust, a local trust that seeks to provide employment and training and improvements in well-being for local people, as well as encouraging education about the area's natural environment.

North Assynt

In 1989, the northwest portion of the Assynt estate was renamed the North Lochinver Estate and put on the market by its owners, the  Vestey family.  This area consisted almost entirely of crofting land, with 13 crofting townships being set up during the Highland Clearances. The purpose of the sale was to raise money for the owners to buy more hill ground suitable for deer stalking. The estate was purchased by Scandinavian Property Services Limited. Three years later, the company went into liquidation. The North Lochinver Estate was divided into seven lots and put up for sale. The sale was handled by an Edinburgh based estate agent, John Clegg and Co. The proposed break-up of the estate was a cause of concern for the crofters as the boundaries of the lots cut across grazing land, creating the possibility of some crofters having to deal with more than one landlord. The crofters also believed that some of the portions would be directly administered by the owners, rather than a professional factor.

The Assynt branch of the Scottish Crofters Union met on the 6 June 1992, to discuss the sale. There the crofters decided to attempt to raise enough money to buy the estate and run it themselves.

Assynt Crofters' Trust, a company limited by guarantee, was formed to make a bid for the land. Membership of the trust was open to crofters within the estate. The trust aimed to buy the estate and keep it under the control of the crofters, and to develop the area by initiating projects such as house building, job creation and tree planting. Funding for the trust came from many sources. Each crofting family was asked to raise £1,000. Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise, part of Highlands and Islands Enterprise donated £50,000, while Scottish Natural Heritage gave a grant of £20,000. Highland Regional Council donated £10,000. Much of the money, however, came from a public appeal for funds. This appeal raised over £130,000 from 824 individuals.  Money came from throughout the United Kingdom, as well as abroad. Political figures such as the local Member of Parliament, Robert Maclennan, Ray Michie, Alex Salmond, Winifred Ewing and Charles Kennedy donated, as did the rock band Runrig. A secured loan of £90,000 was received from Highland Prospect Limited, a company set up by Highland Regional Council to promote investment in the Highlands by providing grants and low-interest loans.

The trust made two unsuccessful bids, of £235,000 and £245,000 respectively. This caused the trust to adopt a more aggressive stance. They threatened to use right-to-buy provisions of crofting law to buy the crofts. This option, requiring legal action, would be expensive and time-consuming; and would deny the crofters complete control of the estate. The option was therefore kept in reserve in order to make the estate less attractive to other potential bidders—compulsory purchase of the crofts would force the new landowners to sell much of their newly acquired land for a fraction of its value. To assist this strategy, the crofters enclosed and divided an area of common grazing land, an action which would give them the option of buying the common land as well as the crofts themselves. Pressure was also exerted on the main creditor of Scandinavian Property Services, the Swedish Östgöta Enskilda Bank, as the trust wrote telling them of their proposed strategy.

On 4 December 1992, the trust submitted a final bid of £300,000. This was accepted after four days. On Monday, 1 February 1993, Assynt Crofters' Trust became the owners of the North Lochinver Estate, which they renamed the North Assynt Estate.

Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estate
In June 2005 the Glencanisp estate, including the mountains Suilven and Canisp and the neighbouring Drumrunie estate, with the mountains Cùl Mòr and Cùl Beag, were bought by the local community. The Assynt Foundation aims to create local employment and safeguard the natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of the community and future generations, and for the enjoyment of the wider public.  The estates of Glencanisp and Drumrunie totalling some 18,000 hectares are managed by the Assynt Foundation on behalf of the Assynt community.

Nature and conservation

Assynt has a wide range of habitats, from rocky and sandy shores to high mountains, with areas of woodland, upland heath and dwarf juniper scrubland. The area has a large number of freshwater lochs, which host birds such as black-throated divers. With a highly indented and rocky coastline the area provides excellent habitats for many seabirds, and is one of best places in Europe to see cetaceans such as whales, dolphins and porpoises. Ptarmigan inhabit the mountain areas, where golden eagles may also be seen. Besides the large numbers of red deer, other mammals seen in Assynt include mountain hares, water voles, otters and pipistrelle bat.

The Coigach and Assynt Living Landscape Project is a community partnership project which aims to bring environmental and economic benefits to the Coigach and Assynt regions of North West Scotland. The partnership includes landowners (private and community), the local community and charitable organisations, with the Scottish Wildlife Trust being the lead partner. The project is described as an "ecosystem restoration project", and aims to "bring woodland connectivity, species-rich flora and fauna, and economic growth back to the Scottish uplands".

A large part of Assynt, known as Inverpolly, was formerly designated as a national nature reserve but since 2004 the designation has been limited to the area surrounding Knockan Crag. The Inverpolly area is classified as a Special Area of Conservation, one of three in Assynt along with Inchnadamph and Ardvar and Loch a' Mhuilinn Woodlands. Many of the loch and lochans are designated as Special Protection Areas.

Settlements

Communities in Assynt include:
Achmelvich
Ardvar –
Balchladich –
Clachtoll –
Clashmore
Clashnessie
Culkein –
Culkein Drumbeg
Drumbeg –
Elphin –
Glencoul
Inchnadamph
Inverkirkaig
Kylesku
Lochinver
Nedd
Raffin
Stoer

In popular culture
The Disney+ original Star Wars series Ahsoka used the Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estate as an outdoor location with the permission of the Assynt Foundation.

Bibliography
 MacAskill, John (1999) We have won the land: the story of the purchase by the Assynt Crofters' Trust of the North Lochinver Estate. Stornoway:Acair.

References

External links
Assynt Foundation
Gazetteer for Scotland
Assynt Crofters' Trust

Sutherland
National scenic areas of Scotland
Community buyouts in Scotland

Assynt


The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)  appoints several top posts within the Government of India.

The committee is composed of the Prime Minister of India (ex-officio Chairman) and the Minister of Home Affairs. Originally the Minister-in-charge of the concerned Ministry was also part of the committee but since July 2016, those ministers are excluded from this committee.

Appointments decided
The Establishment Officer's Division (EO Division) processes all proposals for senior appointments in the Government of India that require the approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Government of India Transactions of Business Rules, 1961. The committee makes appointments to posts of:
 Chief of Defence Staff
 Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) (this committee consists of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or the Leader of the largest such faction)
Chiefs of three services (COAS, CNS, CAS)
Chiefs of all Army, Naval and Air Force Commands (GOC-in-C, FOC-in-C, AOC-in-C)
Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (this committee consists of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha)
Director General, Defence Intelligence Agency
Director General Military Operations
Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister
Director General Armed Forces Medical Services
Director General of Ordnance Factories (DGOF) & Chairman OFB
Director-General of Defence Estates
Controller General of Defence Accounts
Director of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA)
Solicitor General of India
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
Executive Director of World Bank
Chairperson and Members of the Railway Board
Chief Vigilance Officers and directors of the board in Public Sector Undertakings.
Secretariat posts of and above the rank of Joint secretary to the Government of India.
Chief of Securities and Exchange Board of India

This Committee decides on all important empanelments and shift of officers serving on Central deputation. In addition, all appointments by promotion that require ACC approval are processed through the E.O. Division. For this purpose, the Establishment Officer functions as the Secretary to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

The Additional Secretary and Establishment Officer in the Department of Personnel and Training is the ex-officio Member Secretary of the Civil Services Board that is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. This Board makes recommendations for appointments in respect of the posts of Deputy Secretary, Director and Joint Secretary under the Central Staffing Scheme. In addition, the Board makes recommendations to the ACC for the inclusion of officers in the Joint Secretaries suitability list.

Furthermore, the Establishment Officer is Member Secretary of the Screening Committee, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and including Secretary (P) and Finance Secretary, that has been constituted for the screening of cases of assignments under Rule 6(2)(ii) of the AIS (Cadre) Rules 1954 and assignments in international organizations in respect of JS level and above officers of organized Group 'A' and Group 'B' services. The EO is also Member Secretary of the Central Establishment Board (CEB), which is chaired by Secretary (Personnel). This Board makes recommendations for deputing officers on foreign training, assessment of Central Secretariat Service officers for appointments to the posts of Deputy Secretary and Director in the Ministries/Departments as well as premature retirement under the relevant rules in respect of officers below the rank of Joint Secretary.

Cabinet Committees of India
The eight Committees of the Cabinet are:

 Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
 Cabinet Committee on Accommodation
 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
 Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs
 Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
 Cabinet Committee on Security
 Cabinet Committee on Investment and growth
 Cabinet Committee on Employment & Skill Development

All committees of the cabinet except that of Parliamentary Affairs and Accommodation are chaired by the Prime Minister. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh under both Modi Govt stints i.e. 2014-19 and 2019–2024.

In the Second Modi Administration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed two new committees under his chairmanship to focus on two key concerns: Employment & skill development and Investment.

See also

Constitution of India

References

Cabinet Secretariat of India

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet


Walled Lake is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,999 at the 2010 census. The city is bordered by Commerce Township on the north and the city of Novi on the south. As a western suburb of Metro Detroit, Walled Lake is about  northwest of Detroit.

History
The town's name is said to have been given by the first American settler, Walter Hewitt, in 1825. Upon his arrival, he noticed what appeared to be a stone wall along the western bank of a nearby lake, possibly constructed by earlier Potawatomi Indian tribes.

Walled Lake was a village inhabited by Ojibwa and Potowatamie people until about 1830. It appears that these people had relocated from an earlier village in the area that is today Southfield.

Resting spots along the Underground Railroad, where runaway slaves could sleep and eat, were called "depots". One of these was the Foster Farmhouse (built in 1833) in Walled Lake, which served as a refuge for those making their way to freedom in Canada. The Foster Farmhouse was located on Pontiac Trail near 15 mile road until 1997, when it was moved to Riley Park in downtown Walled Lake to avoid demolition.

The Walled Lake Amusement Park operated from 1929 to 1968.

In September 2022, a QAnon adherent and local resident shot multiple members of his family before being killed by police.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which  is land and  is water.

Walled Lake is north of the City of Novi and east of the City of Wixom.

Demographics

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,999 people, 3,347 households, and 1,771 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,689 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.7% White, 4.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population.

There were 3,347 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.1% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,713 people, 3,158 households, and 1,689 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,390 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.34% White, 0.73% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.

There were 3,158 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,386, and the median income for a family was $55,420. Males had a median income of $45,420 versus $31,021 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,199. About 2.9% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Mayor
The mayor of Walled Lake is Linda Ackley.

City Council
The Council consists of seven members, including the mayor and a mayor pro tem, elected to four-year terms. Besides the mayor, current council members include: Casey Ambrose, Mindy Fernandes, Tamra Loch, John Owsinek, and Ryan Woods. Mayor Pro Tem is Bennett Lublin.

Police services
In February 2007 Walled Lake and Wolverine Lake agreed to share police services; Walled Lake took responsibility for dispatch services, and all police operations in Wolverine Lake were moved to Walled Lake. Since then Wolverine Lake has separated, having its own police station once again.

Education

The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools serves Walled Lake and has its district headquarters, the Educational Service Center, in the city. The district's Community Education Center is also in Walled Lake.

The schools within the city limits are Mary Helen Guest Elementary School and Walled Lake Elementary School. Most of the city is zoned to these schools. Portions are zoned to Meadowbrook Elementary School and Hickory Woods Elementary School.

Portions are zoned to James R. Geisler Middle School, and portions are zoned to Sarah Banks Middle School. Most of Walled Lake is zoned to Walled Lake Western High School, while a portion of Walled Lake is zoned to Walled Lake Central High School.

Roman Catholic schools are under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. St. William Catholic School (K–8) is in Walled Lake.

Religion
St. William Church in Walled Lake includes Walled Lake in its service area.

References

External links

City of Walled Lake
Walled Lake Schools
Walled Lake Central High School
Walled Lake Western High School
The Oakland County
Lori Marshick: Extensive history and photos

Cities in Oakland County, Michigan
Metro Detroit
Populated places established in 1954
1954 establishments in Michigan
Populated places on the Underground Railroad

Walled Lake, Michigan


The Velveteria Epicenter of Art Fighting Cultural Deprivation, or Velveteria (and formerly the Velveteria: The Museum of Velvet Paintings) is a museum located in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to velvet paintings. Originally opened in 2005 in Portland, Oregon, the establishment houses hundreds of paintings from Caren Anderson and Carl Baldwin's personal collection of over 2,000 pieces, and is reportedly the only one of its kind. The Velveteria closed in Portland in January 2010 due to financial difficulties and the couple's relocation to Southern California. It was reopened in Chinatown, Los Angeles in 2013.

History

The museum was established by Caren Anderson and Carl Baldwin, California natives residing in Portland. It opened in 2005 at 518 NE 28th Avenue with a $3 admission price.

During the month of May 2008, a collection of works were showcased at Powell's Books. The museum relocated to a larger space, located at 2448 East Burnside Street, in 2008, and increased the admission price to $5. However, rental costs were more than three times higher and in January 2010, Velveteria closed when Anderson and Baldwin relocated to Southern California. According to Anderson and Baldwin, they "never made any real money" from Velveteria, a name they trademarked. The couple wrote a book about the museum, titled Black Velvet Masterpieces: Highlights from the Collection of the Velveteria Museum.

In December, 2013, Velveteria re-opened as the Velveteria Epicenter of Art Fighting Cultural Deprivation in Los Angeles. The cost of admission is $10 as of 2017. In 2019, the Velveteria was facing financial difficulties again.

Description

Velveteria was originally located in an "incongruously bland-looking storefront" on East Burnside Street. Leading to the museum were "hot-pink crushed" velvet curtains. The entrance had a sign describing the museum as "a life-changing experience! Without crawling over broken glass or walking on hot coals!" The museum housed 400 velvet paintings from the couple's personal collection of more than 2,000 pieces. No items were for sale. The first location included a "Nudes Room". Some works were displayed within a black light room. Handwritten comments from the couple were displayed throughout the museum.

Works depict blessed virgins, landscapes, sad clowns and "voluptuous" nude women. Unicorn Combover portrayed a unicorn whose mane morphed into a woman's hairdo. The museum included a shrine to Michael Jackson; other portrait pieces depicted Anderson Cooper, Jesus, Abraham Lincoln and Elvis Presley.

Reception
Velveteria was featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in September 2006, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations in January 2007, and CBS News Sunday Morning and MSN's Appetite for Life with Andrew Zimmern in 2009. In 2010, Kristi Turnquist of The Oregonian wrote that Anderson and Baldwin personified the "Keep Portland Weird" slogan and that the museum was "evidence of the city's quirky creativity". Anderson admitted to being tired of this association.

See also
 Glossary of textile manufacturing
 List of museums in Oregon

References

External links

 Velveteria's official site

2005 establishments in Oregon
2010 disestablishments in Oregon
2013 establishments in California
Art museums and galleries in California
Art museums and galleries in Oregon
Museums established in 2005
Museums in Los Angeles
Museums in Portland, Oregon

ja:ベルベット・ペインティング

Velveteria


Mishaal bin Abdulaziz (5 September 1926 – 3 May 2017) was a Saudi Arabian prince and politician.

Mishaal bin Abdulaziz served as Chairman of the Allegiance Council from 2007 until his death in 2017 and a senior member of the House of Saud. He held different cabinet posts in the 1950s such as Minister of Defense from 1951 through 1953. He served as Governor of Makkah Province from 1963 through 1971. His father was King Abdulaziz. He was born in Riyadh.

In October 2009, Mishaal bin Abdulaziz was rushed to hospital in Geneva, apparently having suffered a stroke. Then, he returned to Saudi Arabia from unspecified medical treatment in Beirut in December 2009. He died in Riyadh on 3 May 2017, aged 90.

References

Other websites
Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Official website

1926 births
2017 deaths
Saudi Arabian politicians
Saudi princes and princesses

Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud


The Wild Geese is a 1978 war film starring an ensemble cast led by Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger. The film, which was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, was the result of a long-held ambition of producer Euan Lloyd to make an all-star adventure film in the vein of The Guns of Navarone or Where Eagles Dare. The plot concerns a group of European mercenaries fighting in Africa. The screenplay by Reginald Rose was based on Daniel Carney's unpublished novel The Thin White Line.

The film is named after the Wild Goose flag and shoulder patch used by Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare's Five Commando, ANC, which in turn was inspired by a 17th-century Irish mercenary army Wild Geese. Carney's novel was subsequently published by Corgi Books under the film's title.

The novel was based upon rumours and speculation following the 1968 landing of a mysterious aeroplane in Rhodesia, which was said to have been loaded with mercenaries and "an African president" believed to have been a dying Moïse Tshombe. McLaglen and Lloyd would go on to produce The Sea Wolves with several returning cast members.

Plot
Allen Faulkner, a former British Army colonel turned mercenary, arrives in London to meet merchant banker Sir Edward Matheson. The latter proposes an operation to rescue Julius Limbani, the imprisoned President of a southern African nation who is due for execution by General Ndofa. President Limbani is held in a remote prison in Zembala, guarded by a regiment of General Ndofa's troops known as the "Simbas".

Faulkner accepts the assignment and begins recruiting forty-nine mercenaries, including officers he had worked with previously: Capt. Rafer Janders, a skilled tactician, and Lt. Shawn Fynn, a former Irish Guards officer and pilot. Fynn also brings in Pieter Coetzee, a former soldier in the South African Defence Force who wishes only to return home and buy a farm. The mercenaries fly to Swaziland, where they are whipped into shape. With training complete, Janders exacts a promise from Faulkner to watch over his only son, Emile, should he not survive.

Because of an unexpected development, Faulkner is given only a day's notice to launch the mission. On Christmas Day, the fifty-man mercenary group parachute into Zembala by a HALO jump. One group rescues an alive, though sick, Limbani from a heavily guarded prison, while another group takes over a small, nearby airfield to await pick-up. Back in London, however, Matheson cancels the extraction flight at the last moment, having secured copper mining assets from General Ndofa in exchange for President Limbani. Stranded deep in hostile territory, the abandoned mercenaries fight their way through bush country, pursued by the Simbas. Many men, including Coetzee, are killed along the way.

The mercenaries make their way to Limbani's home village, hoping to start a rebellion, but understand that his people are too ill-equipped to fight. An Irish missionary living there informs the group of an old Douglas Dakota transport aircraft nearby that they can use to escape. As the Simbas close in, the mercenaries suffer heavy casualties holding them off in a climactic battle while Fynn starts the Dakota's engines. Janders is shot in the leg and unable to board the departing airplane. Faulkner is forced to kill him to spare him from capture and torture. The thirteen surviving mercenaries from the original fifty eventually manage to land at Kariba Airport, Rhodesia, but Limbani dies from a gunshot wound sustained during the escape, ultimately rendering the entire mission a failure.

Some months later, Faulkner returns to London and breaks into Matheson's home to confront him. Faulkner takes the half a million dollars in Matheson's safe to compensate the survivors and the families of those who were killed in Zembala. Faulkner then kills Matheson and makes a swift getaway with Fynn. Faulkner fulfils his promise to Janders by visiting Emile at his boarding school.

Cast

 Richard Burton as Colonel Allen Faulkner
 Roger Moore as Lieutenant Shawn Fynn
 Richard Harris as Captain Rafer Janders
 Hardy Krüger as Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee
 Stewart Granger as Sir Edward Matheson
 Jack Watson as Regimental Sergeant Major Sandy Young
 Frank Finlay as Father Geoghegen
 Kenneth Griffith as Medic Arthur Witty
 Jeff Corey as Mr. Martin
 Barry Foster as Thomas Balfour
 Winston Ntshona as President Julius Limbani
 Ronald Fraser as Sergeant Jock McTaggart
 John Kani as Sergeant Jesse Blake
 David Ladd as Sonny
 Ian Yule as Sergeant Tosh Donaldson
 Patrick Allen as Rushton
 Brook Williams as Samuels
 Percy Herbert as Keith
 Jane Hylton as Mrs. Young
 Paul Spurrier as Emile Janders
 Patrick Holt as Skyjacker

Production

Development
The film was based on a novel, The Thin White Line, which Euan Lloyd read prior to publication. He optioned it and hired Reginald Rose to write the screenplay in June 1976. The budget was US$9 million.

United Artists was enthusiastic about the film, but insisted Lloyd give the director's job to Michael Winner. Lloyd refused and instead chose Andrew V. McLaglen, son of Victor McLaglen, a British-born American previously known mainly for making westerns. Euan Lloyd had a friendship with John Ford who recommended McLaglen to direct the film. This was a big career move from John Ford, who had been dead for some years before either the film or the novel came into existence. The finance for the film was raised partly by pre-selling it to distributors based on the script and the names of the stars who were set to appear.

The African nation in the film is not named, but it is clearly meant to be Zaire (the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo). The film's promotional literature made the link clear as The Wild Geese was promoted at the time as the story of "50 steelhard mercs who undertake a terrifying mission in dangerous, sweltering Central Africa-very much like the Old Congo-to rescue and bring out a deposed and imprisoned black president". The film's villain, General Ndofa, described in the film as an extremely corrupt and brutal leader of a copper-rich nation in central Africa, was a thinly disguised version of President Mobutu Sese Seko. Likewise, the character of Julius Limbani, the deposed pro-Western leader who was imprisoned following the hijacking of an airliner was based upon Moïse Tshombe. Finally, the film's hero, Colonel Allen Faulkner, described as a British mercenary living in South Africa, was based on Colonel Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare. Like Faulkner, Hoare was a former British Army officer living in South Africa who worked as a mercenary and had been hired to fight for the Tshombe government in the Congo in 1964-1965. Hoare served as the film's "military and technical adviser" and very much approved of the film, which he praised as a realistic depiction of the mercenary sub-culture.

Casting
Although Lloyd had both Richard Burton and Roger Moore in mind for their respective roles from a relatively early stage, other casting decisions were more difficult. As the mercenaries were mostly composed of military veterans (some of whom had fought under Faulkner's command before), it was necessary to cast a number of older actors and extras into these physically demanding roles. A number of veterans and actual mercenary soldiers appeared in the film.

Northern Irish actor Stephen Boyd, a close friend of Lloyd's, was originally set to star as Sandy Young, the sergeant major who trains the mercenaries before their mission. However, Boyd died shortly before filming commenced and Jack Watson was chosen as a late replacement. He had previously played a similar role in McLaglen's 1968 film The Devil's Brigade.

Lloyd had offered the part of the banker Matheson to his friend Joseph Cotten, but scheduling difficulties meant that he also had to be replaced, this time by Stewart Granger.

Burt Lancaster originally hoped to play the part of Rafer Janders who in Carney's book was an American living in London. Lancaster wanted the part substantially altered and enlarged. The producers declined and in his place chose Richard Harris. Lloyd initially had reservations about casting Harris because of his wild reputation – he was blamed for Golden Rendezvous going over budget by $1.5 million due to his drinking and rewriting the script. The insurers only agreed to Harris' casting if Lloyd put up his entire salary as guarantee, Harris put up half of his $600,000 fee, and that the producer would sign a declaration at the end of every day saying Harris had not held up filming due to drinking, misbehaving or rewriting lines. According to Lloyd: "I'd already made enquiries about the hold ups on Golden Rendezvous". I discovered the blame was not entirely Richard's. So, as I wanted him for the part, I took the gamble. And it was a gamble. If he'd misbehaved and he'd started losing days it would have come out of my pocket". Harris did not know about the arrangement until the end of the shoot.

Hardy Krüger was not the first actor considered for the role of Pieter Coetzee. Lloyd originally thought of Curd Jürgens, but felt that Hardy seemed to fit. Krüger was also impressed by the script scenes played with Limbani.

Moore later quipped that "I was the only wild member of the cast. Harris and Burton were on the wagon and Krüger never emerged from his room with his lady". Moore's character was nearly offered to O. J. Simpson after confusion on the American financier's part regarding the character being described as black Irish. To Lloyd's surprise, Moore told him to cut his character's number of lines because he had no intention of trying to out-perform either Burton or Harris; the character retained his core expositions but became more of a stoic action figure in the final production.

Lloyd hesitated before offering the role of Witty, the gay medic, to his longtime friend Kenneth Griffith. When finally approached, Griffith said "Some of my dearest friends in the world are homosexuals!" and accepted the part.

Percy Herbert, who played the role of Keith, was a veteran of World War II, in which he had been wounded in the defence of Singapore, then captured by the Imperial Japanese Army and interned in a POW camp.

Alan Ladd's son David Ladd and Stanley Baker's son Glyn Baker also had roles in the film. Ladd played the drug-dealing nephew of a London-based mob boss (Jeff Corey), and Baker played the young mercenary Esposito. With the cast made up from so many veteran actors, Baker claimed that the only reason he stayed alive in the plot so long was that he was one of the few actors young and fit enough to carry President Limbani for any period of time. David Ladd's character's girlfriend in the film was played by Anna Bergman, the daughter of Ingmar Bergman.

Ian Yule, who played Tosh Donaldson, had been a real mercenary in Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. He was cast locally in South Africa. He then brought his former commanding officer, Michael "Mad Mike" Hoare, who had led one legion of mercenaries, 5 Commando, Armée Nationale Congolaise (not to be confused with 5 Commando, the Second World War British Commando force), in the Congo Crisis of the 1960s, to be the technical adviser for the film. a role which he shared with Yule.

John Kani played Jesse Blake, a mercenary who had previously served with Faulkner and was struggling to live before the chance to work with Faulkner again. Palitoy based the figure "Tom Stone" (part of the Action Man team) on the character Blake after looking at the pre-production photos and posters of the film. Subsequently, some modifications to the figure were made. Kani made his debut in the film after years of acting and stage performances with Winston Ntshona. Ntshona was Limbani in the film and continued to make many more films with Kani after The Wild Geese.

Kani and Ntshona say they both turned down roles in the film at first after hearing it would be about mercenaries, only to change their mind after reading the script. As Kani commented: "The film could not come at a better time. We know exactly what is happening in Africa today and a movie that devotes – out of 120 minutes – even three quarters of a minute to say we need each other and to say that a white man can be just as much an African as a black man, that's important".

Rosalind Lloyd, who played Heather, is Euan Lloyd's daughter. Her mother, actress Jane Hylton, played Mrs Young.

Filming
Principal filming took place in South Africa in the summer and autumn of 1977, with additional studio filming at Twickenham Film Studios in Middlesex. Roger Moore estimated location filming in Africa took about three months with the unit taking over a health spa near Tshipise in Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo); shooting also took place at Messina Border Region. The fictional country is said to lie on the border with Burundi, Rhodesia and Rwanda and Zambia, Uganda and Swaziland are also mentioned to be close by.

The rugby scenes were filmed over a period of two days at Marble Hill Park in Twickenham with extras drafted in from nearby Teddington Boys' School. Marble Hill Close near Marble Hill Park was also used as a location.

Most of the military equipment used in the film came from the South African army, but some special weaponry needed to be imported from Britain, as Lloyd commented: "Even though the stuff couldn't fire real bullets, it was held up for weeks by the British government because it was going to South Africa". South Africa was subjected to a mandatory arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 in 1977.

Soundtrack
The music, by Roy Budd, originally included an overture and end title music, but both of these were replaced by "Flight of the Wild Geese", written and performed by Joan Armatrading. All three pieces are included on the soundtrack album, as well as the song "Dogs of War" that featured lyrics sung by the Scots Guards to Budd's themes. Budd used Borodin's String Quartet No. 2 as a theme for Rafer. The soundtrack was originally released by A&M Records then later released under licence as a Cinephile DVD.

Release
The Wild Geese, enjoyed a Royal premiere in support of Scope, with most of the stars of the film present along with John Mills. The film was a considerable commercial success in Britain and other countries worldwide. It was one of the most popular movies of 1978 at the British box office with distributors gross of £495,633.

Although it grossed $3,630,250 in its first 10 days of release in the United States and Canada from 550 theatres, the film was only partially distributed in the United States because of the collapse of its American distributor Allied Artists and the movie lacked a marketable American star. It went on to earn theatrical rentals of $3.5 million there.

Reception
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 67% approval rate with a weighted average of 6.40/10 from 9 critics. The film also won a Golden Screen Award. As for the negative side of its reviews, it was chosen as "Dog of the Year" by film critic Gene Siskel, who accused the film of being "deadly dull" and claimed that it "exploits racism as some kind of sporting entertainment".

David Harkin reviewing the film at The Movie Buff suggested that the film was "a heady mix of suspense, comedy, drama, and action. It's dated, particularly in its politics, but still well worth seeing".

However, the production was subject of controversy because of its portrayal of black characters and the decision to film in South Africa during apartheid. Anti-apartheid campaigners protested at the film's London premiere. Warned of the protest, producer Lloyd brought copies of newspaper articles reporting the film's premiere in the black township of Soweto where it had been received with enthusiasm and approval. In Ireland, the Irish anti-apartheid movement protested outside cinemas that showed the film.

In a later interview actor Hardy Krüger complained about how his character was portrayed in the film:
For this kind of a delicate story in Africa with an element of battle in it, there has to be some shoot-out. But Euan Lloyd, a man I respect very much, chose to hire Andrew McLaglen who's basically a director of westerns. He brought this element into The Wild Geese that didn't really belong there – the shoot 'em up cowboy kind of thing. It overwhelmed the basic theme. There are certain directors, and Andrew is one, who, when it comes to the editing, always puts a moment in the film when somebody talks. I'm a listener as an actor – a reactor – and it was very important to me to listen. I played the whole part like that: I'm listening to this black man on my shoulder, and it's by listening that I'm beginning to understand that I'm the dumb Boer and he's the intelligent man who we all need. So Andrew butchered my performance by not understanding that you can play a part by listening. My character didn't really come out, because you didn't see the transformation. I don't know why Euan allowed him to do it.

Sequel
Euan Lloyd produced a sequel, Wild Geese II (1985), based on the novel Square Circle (later republished as Wild Geese II), also by Daniel Carney. Burton was planning to reprise his role as Colonel Allen Faulkner, but he died days before filming began. Roger Moore had also considered reprising his role in the sequel, but declined. In the sequel, Edward Fox played Alex Faulkner (the Burton character's brother), who is hired to break Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess (played by Laurence Olivier) out of Spandau Prison so he can appear for a media interview.

Proposed remake
Producer Gianni Nunnari had first bought the rights to remake through his company Hollywood Gang Productions in 2007. Rupert Sanders was attached to direct. In August 2017, New Republic Pictures and Filmula attempted to produce a remake of the film with William Monahan writing the screenplay. By November 2021, the film was revealed to still be in development, with Providence Film Group and New Republic Pictures producing from the script written by William Monahan.

See also
 The Sea Wolves
 The Dogs of War
 The Expendables

Books

Notes

External links

 The Making of "The Wild Geese"

1978 films
1970s war drama films
1970s adventure drama films
Allied Artists films
British war drama films
Swiss war drama films
English-language Swiss films
1970s English-language films
Films based on Zimbabwean novels
Films set in Africa
Films set in Rhodesia
Films directed by Andrew McLaglen
Films shot in Limpopo
War adventure films
Films with screenplays by Reginald Rose
Films scored by Roy Budd
Films shot in England
Films set in Eswatini
Films set in 1977
Films set in 1978
Films shot in Eswatini
Films about mercenaries
1978 drama films
Films about coups d'état
Films set in London
Films set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios
1970s British films

The Wild Geese


Kanon may refer to:

Media and literature
 Kanon (video game), a Japanese visual novel by Key, later adapted into anime series
 Kanon (manga), a manga by Chiho Saito
 Daimajin Kanon, a Japanese tokusatsu television drama
 Der Kanon, an anthology of important German literature
 The Kanon Award, one of the movie awards of Norwegian film festival Kosmorama

People
 Kanon (bassist) (21st century), Japanese bassist and member of An Cafe
 Kanon (singer) (born 1980), Japanese singer
 Kanon Fukuda (born 1995), Japanese singer and voice actress
 Kanon Kasuga (born 2003), Japanese actress
 Kanon Kimoto (born 1997), a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48
 Kanon Mori (born 1996), Japanese field hockey
 Kanon Miyahara (born 1996), Japanese actress and karate performer
 Kanon Shizaki, Japanese voice actress
 Kanon Suzuki (born 1998), Japanese singer and member of Morning Musume
 Kanon Takao (born 2002), Japanese voice actress
 Kanon Tani (born 2004), Japanese child actress
 Kanon Wakeshima (born 1988), Japanese singer and cellist
 Joseph Kanon (born 1946), American novelist
 Wilfried Kanon (born 1993), Ivorian professional footballer

Fictional characters
 Kanon, a character from visual novel and anime series Umineko When They Cry
 Kanon, a character in the video game Wild Arms 2
 Gemini Kanon, a character from the manga and anime series Saint Seiya
 Kanon Ichinose, a character from the tokusatsu series Idol x Warrior Miracle Tunes
 Kanon Maldini, a character from the anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
 Kanon Nakagawa, a character from the manga and anime series The World God Only Knows
 Kanon Shibuya, the protagonist from the anime series Love Live! Superstar!!
 Kanon Endou, a character from the anime movie Inazuma Eleven: Saikyō Gundan Ōga Shūrai
 Kanon Nakajima, a character in the video game Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

Music
Kanon, German spelling of canon in music
Kanon, Op. 59 No. 4, composition by Max Reger
Kanon D major, Op. 63 No. 11, composition by Max Reger
Kanon, 1930, a composition by Alban Berg
Kanon, or canon, a structured hymn in the Orthodox Church, such as the Great Kanon of St. Andrew of Crete
Kanon Pokajanen by Arvo Pärt
"Kanon", a 2005 song by Enon from Lost Marbles & Exploded Evidence
Kanōn, or monochord, a one-stringed instrument

Places
 Kanon-machi Station, a tram station in Hiroshima
 Punt Kanon, a point at the extreme southeast of Curaçao

Artillery
 4cm kanón vz. 36, an anti-tank gun produced by the Škoda Works in 1930s
 7.5 cm kanon PL vz. 37, a Czech anti-aircraft gun used in World War II
 8 cm kanon vz. 28, a Czech field gun used in World War II
 8 cm kanon vz. 30, a Czech field gun used in World War II
 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22, a Czech anti-aircraft gun used in World War II
 9 cm kanon PL vz. 12/20, a Czech anti-aircraft gun used in World War II
 10.5 cm kanon m/34, a heavy field gun produced in Sweden
 Bofors 15,2 cm kanon m/42, a naval gun for use on ships

Other uses
 Kanon, a Japanese name for Guanyin, a Buddhist spiritual figure
 : one of the sources of Japanese pronunciation

See also
 Canon (disambiguation)
 Cannon (disambiguation)
 Kanoon (disambiguation)
 Qanun (disambiguation)

Japanese feminine given names
Feminine given names

Kanon


Nick Jordan is a fictional character from the BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City, portrayed by actor Michael French. Jordan first appeared in two episodes of Casualty in 1998, before becoming a main character in spin-off show Holby City from its 1999 conception, in the role of Cardiothoracic Surgical Registrar. He departed from the show in its second series, returning for a 2005 Christmas crossover special between the two series, styled Casualty@Holby City. He returned again to Holby City in 2006, taking on the role of General Surgical Consultant, departing a few months later in order to pursue a transfer back to cardiothoracics. In 2008, he rejoined the cast of Casualty, becoming Clinical Lead of the show's Emergency Department. French left his role as Nick Jordan in February 2013, four years after his return.

Creation
Nick Jordan was created in 1998 by BBC executives Mal Young and Tony McHale. He was conceived as a Cardiothoracic Surgical Registrar who would become a main character in new medical drama Holby City - a spin-off of the station's long-running Casualty. Unlike Casualty, which focused on the Emergency Department of the fictional Holby City Hospital, Holby City would centre around the hospital's cardiothoracic surgical ward, Darwin. The main characters were all staff on the ward, with Nick Jordan working on the surgical firm of lead Consultant Anton Meyer. Discussing the show's conception as a spin-off, Young has explained: "Like most people I've often wondered what happens next to those patients who come in after accidents. Where do they go when you see them disappearing upstairs on a trolley at the end of an episode? As I thought about this, it struck me – why start afresh when you've got the basis of a series already? People have busy lives and if they already follow a number of soaps, they take to a new drama series when they make sense quickly. This could be a way of helping that to happen."

The original cast of Holby City featured a number of established actors. Michael French, cast as Nick Jordan, was already well known for his role as David Wicks in EastEnders. French's cast-mates included George Irving, Angela Griffin, Lisa Faulkner and Nicola Stephenson. This propensity towards famous names was explained by Young, who commented: "Soap actors are the best actors. There's been so much snobbery before. The whole thing about typecasting was probably invented by actors who couldn't get other work. From day one I knew I wanted to put on screen people that viewers want to watch. There's no downside to that."

In preparation for assuming the role of Nick, French undertook research at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, observing heart surgery performed. He said of the experience: "These guys are on their feet for hours on end. If the operation demands it, they'll be there from eight in the morning until nine at night. I was there observing the intricate work they were doing, and my back started to hurt long before one operation was over, so goodness how they must feel doing it, day in, day out."

Development

Personality
Asked to compare Nick Jordan to his EastEnders character David Wicks, Michael French assessed that Nick was the more compassionate of the two. Following Nick's 2006 departure from Holby City, the series' official website described him as: "decisive, confident, charismatic and passionate. He was constantly striving for the top and wanted to emulate Meyer. Six years after resigning, he returned with more arrogance and ruthlessness." Announcing the character's transfer to sister show Casualty, the BBC revealed that upon returning, Nick would have undergone another change of character, stating: "[Nick] created waves when he worked at Holby before. [But] the emergency department [will] be in for a shock when they discover he's not quite as hard-hearted and ruthless as they expected. But what, or who, could have caused this and how long will it last?" French says of Nick on returning to Holby; "He's still arrogant. [...] He gets a kick out of running the department. He's learnt from his past mistakes and is keen to start afresh. [...] He demands respect, but not everyone likes his manner. [...] His attitude towards his work has changed [...] He's a very misunderstood character."

Relationships
During his time on Holby City, Nick had several romantic interests, including ex-wife and Ward Sister Karen Newburn, Theatre Sister Ellie Sharpe, SHO Kirstie Collins, and Registrars Diane Lloyd and Jac Naylor. The series homepage assesses that: "He had tremendous pulling power with women, but commitment was not his strong point." Michael French, discussing his character shortly after the show's 1999 conception, asserted that: "Like most blokes, he sometimes treats women as playthings – if they're willing. A little bit of hanky panky is part of the human condition, after all!" Sarah Preston, who played Nick's ex-wife Karen in the first two series of the show, stated of her most memorable moments filming: "I loved my scenes with Michael, he was great to work with. Confrontation scenes give you something to get your teeth into and we had plenty of those!" Similarly, Rosie Marcel who plays Jac commented that her character and Nick "have some really bad history between them. [...] They've worked together before and Jac knows Nick will tread on anyone's toes to get to the top. It makes for some great fight scenes." Nick's series eight relationship with Diane ended, again acrimoniously, when she was blamed for a mistake he had made in theatre and refused to own up. Patricia Potter, who plays Diane, explained that when confronted; "[Nick] violently pins her against the wall and warns her never to cross him. She finally sees his other side and is devestated [sic]. Her dreams come falling down around her ears."

Upon transferring from Holby City to sister show Casualty, Nick became the object of affection of junior doctor Ruth Winters. French has commented: "Ruth is in awe of him, but he doesn't notice at the start. He doesn't bring his personal life to work. She is like putty in his hands because she's willing to learn. But [...] they start to stray a little beyond their professional boundaries..."

Departures and returns

Holby City
Nick's first return to the Holby franchise was for a 2005 Christmas crossover styled Casualty@Holby City. Series producer Emma Turner stated that: "We are delighted to be welcoming back a fantastic, original character to the wards of Holby City and are thrilled to be working with Michael French." Explaining how the character had changed in his five year absence from the show, she explained: "Nick Jordan was forced to find work wherever he could, and after stepping out of line again he realised the door to his dream job in cardio-thoracic surgery was closed and locked. He is now a general surgeon with a chip on his shoulder and a past he is desperate to keep hidden. He doesn't care who gets in his way."

The character returned to Holby City proper in February 2006, accepting the General Surgical Consultancy that his old flame Jac Naylor had been hoping to be appointed to. Rosie Marcel, who plays Jac, described the characters' reunion: "She bumps into Nick outside the hospital and the look of  disgust on her face says it all. It's clear they have some really bad history between them. And then to her fury, Nick announces that he's back to stay and has been offered Jac's coveted consultant post. They've worked together before and Jac knows Nick will tread on anyones toes to get to the top. It makes for some great fight scenes." When the character departed from the show again several months later, the situation was manipulated by Cardiothoracic Consultant Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing). Mealing commented: "Connie takes Nick along to [a] charity evening so that he can scmooze [sic] Lord Byrne. She knows Nick might try to worm his way into her medical department and she won't play second fiddle to him. So she's hoping Lord Byrne will take him on at his hospital, St Luke's." During the course of the evening, a bomb was detonated by Derek, a deceased patient's relative. "Connie and Nick are unharmed in the blast, but Derek's badly hurt - so they have to treat him using kitchen utensils. They employ tea towels, kitchen knives, scissors and  even tongs. It's all quite ingenious! Lord Byrne is outside the kitchen. So to get  his attention, she asks Nick to perform heart surgery -  which is something she would normally do. Her idea works a treat. That's why I love Connie. She's always got an agenda!"

Casualty
A Casualty source told Digital Spy: "Nick's back and he's more focussed than ever. He's still striving for the top, while his arrogant and ruthless nature remains. It'll be interesting to see the dynamic he creates when he turns up at Holby ED - Casualty's emergency department. A lot's happened since Nick's been away and it's not long before his past catches up with him again..." Casualty's series producer Oliver Kent commented: "I'm really excited that Michael French will be joining us. He's a fantastic actor and Nick Jordan is an iconic character. Nick Jordan will put a few noses out of joint, most notably Adam's. Adam knows Nick Jordan's reputation of old, and finds it hard to believe that Nick is a good guy. Nick Jordan causes ripples wherever he goes, and it's great that he'll be causing ripples in Holby City's Emergency Department. The ED gang are astonished he is joining them, they certainly didn't see it coming. Some of them know him of old, whereas some of the others have just heard of his reputation - either way, his arrival certainly puts the cat among the pigeons." Michael French has stated of the transfer: "The BBC came up with the idea of Nick Jordan coming back to head up Casualty. At first, I wasn't sure about him moving away from heart surgery, but we soon thrashed some ideas around and I realised it would work. It's certainly great to play Nick again and I'm having a fantastic time on the show."

Storylines
During his first tenure at Holby City Hospital, Nick's inability to remain calm under pressure hindered his surgical performance. He was accused by his boss and mentor Anton Meyer of being arrogant, and exhibited a refusal to accept when he was doing more harm than good. On one occasion, he saved a young girl by forcing open her car door before the vehicle exploded, but slit his wrists on the car's broken window in the process. After a long period of rehabilitation he was able to return to work, but came close to being invalided out of the service, as the loss of blood from the injury nearly left permanent damage which would have made it impossible for him to operate.

Nick's private and working lives frequently overlapped, as his estranged wife Karen Newburn was a Ward Sister at the hospital. A reconciliation with her caused him to respond to an emergency too late, costing a patient her life. Nick faced a tribunal, and pleaded guilty. Although the tribunal ruled not to discipline him, he decided to resign.

Nick returned for a Casualty@Holby City Christmas crossover special in 2005. He interviewed for a General Surgical Locum Consultancy post, but although he was later offered it, after demonstrating his medical skills by rescuing civilians from a collapsed tunnel, he turned the position down, stating that he would not accept anything less than a full Consultancy.

In 2006, Nick returned again to Holby City, having been offered a full Consultancy post. It was revealed that he had once had a relationship with colleague Jac Naylor, which dissolved after he blamed her for his own surgical error. He engaged in a short-lived flirtation with Registrar Diane Lloyd, but this too ended with him allowing Diane to take the blame for his own mistake - accidentally nicking a patient's urethra while in surgery. After expressing a desire to return to cardiothoracics, Nick impressed Lord Byrne - cardiothoracic head of Holby General's neighbouring hospital St Luke's - with his handling of a suicide bomb attack at a charity dinner. He was offered a Consultancy in his preferred specialty, and departed from Holby once more.

Nick returned to Holby City Hospital for a third time in 2008, this time in Holby City's sister show Casualty, as Clinical Lead of the hospital's Emergency Department. He soon began to clash with Adam Trueman about how to run the department. His experience and skill impressed junior doctor Ruth Winters and they ended up spending the night together which Nick instantly regretted and despite Ruth's attempts for it to continue he dumped her. Nick later developed a friendship with Adam Trueman's brother Alex and confided to him that he had a degenerative illness. Against Alex's advice he continued his medical practice, hiding his illness. He later signed an advance directive for Alex but was initially appalled when Alex took an overdose. However, he was true to the advance directive which he signed and temporarily made an enemy of Adam. Jordan found it harder to hide his illness, though Ruth innocently helped him when he forgot a term. Adam confronted Jordan over a lapse of concentration in the ED so in a panic, Jordan had Adam transferred to cubicles in case he suspected anything.

Jordan started to self medicate. On 4 April he took a double dose of medication. This made him dizzy and sick throughout the day. He was understanding when dealing with a pregnant woman who was in denial that her baby had died before her accident because he could relate. However, he was forced to abandon resus when he was unable to handle the scissors for an operation. He explained this away by pretending he was tired but lost his temper with a hypochondriac and rushed off to throw up. Zoe thought it was due to excessive drinking the previous night but Ruth was not so sure. Concerned, she visited Jordan in his office to check he was ok. He admitted there was a problem but as clinical lead he knew how to deal with it. Later, in his flat, he finally faced up to his problem and made an appointment with a neurosurgeon.

On 11 April Jordan was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He wanted to have it cut out rather than go through radio or chemo therapy but the neurosurgeon told him gently that it was too dangerous to remove it completely. Later, the neurosurgeon was shocked to learn Jordan was still practising medicine but Jordan assured her that anything he found too difficult he delegated to his colleagues. He wanted to make a difference while he could and would be careful not to endanger anyone. The neurosurgeon refused to allow Jordan to carry out a complicated operation so he got Ruth Winters to do it under his instructions. Later, Adam cornered Jordan, having discovered evidence of his recent mistakes. Adam, thinking that Jordan's handwriting illegibility, tremors and freezes were due to a drinking problem told him it was nothing to be ashamed of and offered to cover for him while he sorted himself out but Jordan laughed and denied that he had a drinking problem. Jordan then advised his boss to give Adam three months compassionate leave, supposedly because Adam was unfit to work but in reality out of fear that Adam would discover the truth about Jordan's illness.

Jordan had Henry observe Adam in resus for the day. He then stitched Adam up by withholding the news of Jessica giving birth and telling Adam just before their meeting with Henry. This resulted in Henry misinterpreting Adam's distress and giving him compassionate leave. An angry Adam confronted Jordan over stitching him up and through interrogation when Jordan forgot a medical term, realised there was something wrong with Jordan and that he would go to any lengths to hide it, including sacrifice Adam. Adam decided to resign rather than be pushed out but cited his many concerns about Jordan in his resignation letter. Jordan happened to read it and gave Adam an alternative resignation letter he had written, asking him to sign it. Later, Jordan froze midway through a life saving operation and Adam alone was able to come to his rescue because Adam knew of Jordan's problems. Realising he had a hold over Jordan, Adam decided against resigning and sent Jordan to his office to wait for him.

Jordan confided his condition to Adam who suggest they conceal it from their boss, Professor Henry Williams, and continue to work side by side in the ED. He also suggested Jordan enjoy his last few months and offered to ease some of the workload. Jordan grew close to Zoe and a concerned Adam asked him to confide in her. He wrote a letter, leaving it in her pigeonhole but she never got round to reading it so he retrieved it. Jordan and Zoe got into a relationship and later on planned a trip to Rome together. On the day of departure, midway through examining a patient, Jordan collapsed and had a seizure. Charlie called Zoe who tried to deal with Jordan in a professional manner despite her feelings for him. From an MRI scan, Charlie and Zoe discovered the truth but concealed Jordan's fit from the rest of the staff, blaming it on a vasovagal attack. Finding out from Adam that Jordan knew he was dying, Zoe asked why he never told her and said she couldn't cope with death in her personal life as well as her professional life. Jordan then took leave off, and spent his time living in a hotel near the sea, where he develops a close relationship with an Italian woman, who was a cleaner at his hotel, and helped to look after him. Zoe, becoming increasingly worried, tries to track down Jordan, finding his hotel when Jordan nearly exposes himself saving a man's life at a party at the hotel. Jordan starts to have suicidal thoughts, and is scene with a needle and vial among his possessions, but then decides against it. When Zoe does actually meet him, Jordan does not want to have anything to do with her.

Eventually Jordan's condition deteriorates to the point where he has to be hospitalised, causing a very worried Zoe to start bunking off her hospital duties to be at his bedside. Eventually Jordan has the option to have the life-saving operation, which he was earlier offered, but declined because he believed it would leave him with brain damage, leaving him unable to practice medicine but he wants to die, and his consent has to be given. With him falling into unconsciousness, Zoe forges his signature. This saves his life, but temporarily damages their relationship.

Jordan, no longer able to actively practice, becomes a consultant at the ED. However, after doing a major operation to save Jessica, Jordan is allowed to practice again in the ED, providing he has no contact with the patients. Jordan's confidence soars when he learns that the Board want him to take over as Clinical Lead, and makes arrangements to attend a meeting with them later in the day. But new F2 Kieron Fletcher overhears and, anxious to get Jordan alone, cancels Jordan's lift to the meeting and offers to take him himself. When Kieron drives Jordan to the middle of nowhere and tries to speak to him about a woman named Christine Fletcher, Jordan is furious and dismisses the name as a former patient. Jordan is livid at Kieron's behaviour at the scene and, back at the ED, orders him out of resus. With Kieron absent, Jordan coaxes a board member to the ED and impresses her with his handling of a patient, securing the job.
At the end of the night, Jordan warns Kieron that he was unimpressed with his actions that day, but is floored when Kieron reveals that he has been trying to tell him that he is Jordan's son.

Kieron tells Jordan he was wrong about his parentage - Jordan's not his father. Jordan is relieved that the matter is settled. After Keiron has a motorbike accident Jordan agrees to have a DNA test and he begins to bond with Keiron and Jordan tells Keiron he has five years left to live. Noel then gives the result of the DNA test to Jordan in his office, Jordan smiles as he is sure that Keiron is his son. He reads the test results which turn out to be negative, Kieron shortly departs after an incident in which a bronchoscope is broken, and he takes the blame on behalf of other F2s, May and Lenny.

After restarting his relationship with Zoe, when he sleeps with her after she has been proposed to, he decides he wants a long term relationship despite the fact he doesn't have long to live, and suggests that they start a family together. Zoe questions this as, unbeknownst to Nick, she is infertile, and she immediately begins fertility treatment. She soon believes she is pregnant after missing her period, but later she checks, and is devastated to find that she is not actually pregnant, even though the team in the ED believe she is, and have started celebrating. During the power cut on 14 August, he finds the fertility drugs that Zoe has been taking and brings it up with her, she breathes a sigh of relief believing her secret is out, but she soon realizes that he only knows about the fertility treatment; not about the pregnancy. Nick discovers the real truth about the pregnancy when Zoe tells him after he says that he has something also to focus on now. Nick later rebuffs Zoe in recess. The couple then break up.

On 6 November Jordan is forced to operate on a bulimic patient in spite of the fact that he is not supposed to, at the end of a shift in a meeting with Henry and reveals that he intends to return to surgery.  On 2 January Jordan gets behind the wheel of a car, even though he has been banned, which leads to a fatal car accident, but a victim from the accident and her boyfriend kidnap Jordan, at knife point, a week later to perform life saving surgery.

On 19 February Jordan's position comes under threat when his old mentor, Miriam Turner, joins the department as joint clinical lead, and eventually is offered the post as full clinical lead, however departs after family issues are raised.

Jordan begins a relationship in 2012 with Superintendent Yvonne Rippon (Rachel Shelley). When Yvonne is stabbed during the Holby Riots, Jordan takes leave to care for his partner. Zoe assumes the Clinical Lead position. On 12 January 2013, Jordan makes a return to ED attempting to save Yvonne from death. Eventually Jordan is forced to switch off Yvonne's life support. At the end of the episode 21 of series 27, aired on 2 February 2013, he informed the team that he was leaving them forthwith. He told them that he might work in Michigan with Anton Meyer. His last words to Zoe echoed the episode title, "Life Goes On".

In March 2014, Zoe emails Jordan following the unexpected arrival of Connie Beauchamp as the ED's new Consultant.  In Jordan's reply to Zoe, he warns her to be very careful around Connie, as he cannot think of a reason she would have returned to Holby unless it was for her own personal gain.

In May 2016, Jordan and Maggie offer Zoe a new job in Michigan which she takes and she leaves Holby and her husband Max Walker in tears.

Reception
Michael French was nominated for the 'Most Popular Actor' award in the 2006 National Television Awards for his portrayal of the character. Both The Guardian and the Sunday Mirror have likened Nick to George Clooney's ER character Doug Ross - "the one everyone fancies" - with the Sunday Mirror deeming him "Handsome, talented, hot-headed and passionate. [...] Dark, brooding, sexy. If your heart needs attention Nick Jordan's the man. 8/10." Andrew Billen for the New Statesman agrees that Nick is "good-looking", but suggests French's playing another "love rat" character after his EastEnders role to be type casting.

References

External links

Holby City characters
Casualty (TV series) characters
Television characters introduced in 1998
Fictional surgeons
Crossover characters in television
Fictional cardiothoracic surgeons
British male characters in television

Nick Jordan (character)


Kingdom Hearts III is a action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. It is the eighth game for the Kingdom Hearts video game series. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Kingdom Hearts III is the first game in the series to be released on a Microsoft platform as it was only released on both Sony and Nintendo systems.

Development
After years of rumors and speculation, the game was confirmed to be in development at E3 2013. Director Tetsuya Nomura said that the game will finish the "Xehanort Saga" but that it would not be the final game in the series.

In a June 2013 interview with Famitsu, Nomura discussed the visuals that were seen in the teaser trailer. He said that they tried to remember that the "Kingdom Hearts characters were originally paintbrush art from Disney productions, a texture that was one of our original aims, and that it was time to return to that. So [chief creative director Takeshi] Nozue went through a series of tests, and the results are the visuals that we refer to in the team as the Kingdom Shader. It may look like a pretty drastic change, but I see it as a rich evolution of everything we've shown you up to now." In September 2013, producer Shinji Hashimoto said that since both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV are being directed by Nomura, there would be a big gap between the release of the two games, "as [they] want each game to be perfect in terms of quality." Hashimoto repeated Nomura's statements about the game's announcement at E3 2013, and said that "the company thought it was about time it addressed speculation about the long-awaited conclusion to the trilogy." In October 2013, Teruzane Utada, the father of singer Hikaru Utada, said that Hikaru would once again be involved in the theme song, as she did with Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. He later stated that it is still undecided on their involvement. In January 2014, actor Haley Joel Osment, the English voice of Sora in the series, said that he was in talks with the development team after the announcement and said that since dialogue was one of the last parts of the process, he believed he would not begin recording until mid-2014 at the earliest.

Controversy
After the announcement of SQUARE ENIX that there would be no French Spanish and German voice (present in the 1 and 2) European fans launched the movement # EUDubbingForKH3 which aims to change his opinion SE and he includes (real) German and Spanish French voice through petition, letter etc.

References

Other websites
Official website
Official Europe & North American website

2019 video games
Disney video games
Kingdom Hearts series
PlayStation 4 games
Xbox One games

Kingdom Hearts III


Marion Bloem (born 24 August 1952 in Arnhem, the Netherlands) is a Dutch writer and film maker of Indo (mixed Dutch and Indonesian) descent, best known as author of the literary acclaimed book Geen gewoon Indisch meisje (No Ordinary Indo Girl) and director of the 2008 feature film Ver van familie (Far from Family).

Bloem is a second generation Indo immigrant born into a family of four children. Her parents, Alexander and Jacqueline Bloem, repatriated from Indonesia in 1950. Her father is a survivor of the Junyo Maru disaster. Bloem, herself a psychologist, is married to Dutch author and physician Ivan Wolffers. She has one son named Kaja and four grandchildren.

In addition to her career as an author and film director, Bloem is a painter who exhibits around Europe.

Books
Bloem's first short story was published in 1968, when she was only 16 years old. Bloem made her bona fide debut as a writer in 1976, with the book De overgang (The Transition). She continued to write several more books, including the children's book Matabia in 1981, which received the 'Smelik Prize' from the 'International Board on Books for Young People'. In 1983 she published her literary acclaimed breakthrough novel Geen gewoon meisje, which describes the duality and paradox of an Indo (Eurasian) girl, followed in 1989 by the novel Vaders van betekenis, loosely translated to Noteworthy Fathers, which describes the relationship of an Indo girl towards her Indo parents and Indo father in particular. She continues to write successful books, often around the topics of (Indo) identity and immigration. In 2009 she wrote Vervlochten grenzen (Intertwined Borders) about the triangular relationship between the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands and Indonesia. For this book she received an 'E. du Perron Prize' nomination.

From the time that her husband was confronted with prostate cancer, she developed an interest in this subject and did research amongst couples who had to deal with this disease. The result ended up in the book Als je man verandert (If Your Man Changes) which she wrote together with the urologist P.Kil, published in 2010. Her latest novel is Meer dan mannelijk (More than Male) which is a natural consequence of this particular interest.

Her writing style is influenced by the Indo oral storytelling tradition and the pasar Malay language.

Films
Bloem also produced a considerable number of movies and documentaries that have received several cultural awards and nominations. Her 1983 documentary Het land van mijn ouders (Land of My Parents) received both critical and commercial success. In 2008, her feature film Ver van familie (Far from Family) was released at the international film festival 'Film by the Sea' in Vlissingen and the Jakarta International Film Festival. Based on her book of the same name, she wrote the screenplay and directed several Indo iconic actors including the famous singers Anneke Grönloh and Riem de Wolff (Co-founder of the group the Blue Diamonds). The movie is set in the United States and Netherlands of the mid-1980s and shows the trials and tribulations of an American Indo girl searching for her (family) roots.

Indo identity
Much of Bloem's work evolves around an artistic and sincere exploration of Indo identity and culture, which makes her one of the foremost 2nd generation Indo authors and puts her in the tradition of the legendary Tjalie Robinson. Like Robinson who explored and benchmarked his Eurasian identity from a global perspective, Bloem also puts her personal search for (Indo) identity in the broader perspective of immigration and integration. "Being Indo is just a metaphor for being different." Marion Bloem, 1983.
Dutch Indies literature professor Pamela Pattynama argues:
"...multi-talented Marion Bloem who takes a foremost position among the second generation Indo-Dutch authors, filmmakers and artists [...] has brought an international perspective into her books that can no longer be defined as 'novels'. [...] Her protagonists have become transnational subjects who invent a home and shape identities through the creative re-writing of stories and myths about mixed race. [...] I would like to suggest a diasporic, transnational or pluricentric perspective which may be more productive to understand Bloem's work..."

Selected publications

 Overgang  (1976) (non-fiction)
 Matabia (1981)
 Geen gewoon Indisch meisje (1983)
 Vaders van betekenis (1989)
 Vliegers onder het matras (1990)
 De honden van Slipi (1992)
 De leugen van de Kaketoe (1993) (Translated to English: 'The cocketoo's lie')
 Muggen mensen olifanten (1995)
 Mooie meisjesmond (1997)
 Ver van familie (1998)
 Games4Girls (2001), (multimedia)
 Voor altijd moeder (2001)
 Liefde is soms lastig, liefste, (2002), (multimedia cd with visual poetry)
 Thuis (2003), (stories, poems, diaries, drawings and paintings)
 Zo groot als Hugo (2004)
 De V van Venus (2004).
 Een royaal gebaar (2005)
 In de kamer van mijn vroeger (2007) (poetry and paintings)
 Vervlochten grenzen (2009)
 "Geen Requiem" (2010) (long poem)
 "Als je man verandert" (2010) (non-fiction)
 "Meer dan mannelijk" (2011)

See also

Other Indo authors
 Louis Couperus (1863–1923)
 Victor Ido (1869-1948)
 Ernest Douwes Dekker (1879–1950)
 Edgar du Perron (1899–1940)
 Beb Vuyk (1905–1991)
 Rob Nieuwenhuys (1908–1999)
 Tjalie Robinson (1911–1974)
 Adriaan van Dis (1946- )
 Ernst Jansz (1948- )

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography
 Rijnswou, Saskia van 'Marion Bloem', in: Kritisch Lexicon van de Moderne Nederlandstalige Literatuur, (Martinus Nijhoff uitgevers, Groningen, nr.47, November 1992) P. 1-10.
 Loriaux, Stéphanie, 'Het laat haar niet los', Marion Bloems zoektocht naar de Indische identiteit' In: Ons Erfdeel. (Year 43, Stichting Ons Erfdeel, Rekkem / Raamsdonkveer 2000) P.671-680

External links
 Official website

 Digital library of Dutch literature

1952 births
Living people
20th-century Dutch novelists
20th-century Dutch women writers
21st-century Dutch novelists
21st-century Dutch women writers
Dutch people of Indonesian descent
Dutch women novelists
Indo people
International Writing Program alumni
Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau
People from Arnhem
Utrecht University alumni

Marion Bloem


Tactical shooter is a sub-genre of first- and third-person shooters, associated with using strategy, planning, and tactics in gameplay, as well as the realistic simulations of ballistics, accurate firearm mechanics, physics and stamina, and low time to kill. Dating back to the late 1980s, the genre first rose to prominence in the late 1990s with the releases of several well-received tactical shooters. The popularity of the genre saw a decline in the late 2000s as more the arcade-like fast-paced action of other types of shooters rose to prominence, but it has seen a revitalization since the mid-2010s with the successful releases of several modern tactical shooters.

Tactical shooters involving military operations in grounded and realistic settings are sometimes known as milsims. These games and (often) mods enhance the genre's realism to include aspects such as individual limb damage, realistic multi-step injury treatment, enhanced ballistic and ricochet simulations, weapon wear and malfunctions, detailed vehicle damage and repairs, and lengthy trips to the area of operations, to authentically simulate military procedure.

Game design
According to IGN, tactical shooters "are about caution, care, cooperation, coordination, planning, and pacing. In these games, making decisive pushes, quick moves for cover, strategic retreats, and last ditch grabs at the gold are not only important to success, but balanced in such a way that they become enjoyable activities in play." David Treharne of GameSpew identifies four criteria for what qualifies as a tactical shooter: " you're looking for the use of: realistic constraints of player movement; realistically simulated ballistics and accuracy; squad based or multiple approach/style accessibility; and a low tolerance or low health realistic damage model. Basically, you usually move slower than most shooters, your accuracy is much lower and bullets drop over a distance, you usually have a squad to command, and all of you only being able to take two or three shots before dying."

Tactical shooters are designed around realism and authenticity, primarily in regards to weapon functionality, movement, and mission objectives. A staple of tactical shooters is their low time to kill, where players and NPCs can be killed in a short amount of time or with very few attacks. To account for this, a number of tactical shooters implement different levels of body armor, such as in the Rainbow Six and SWAT series, though these only offer a modicum of safety and do not guarantee player survival. The consequences of death may also be high: players may have to be revived, have lengthy respawn times, or have their character killed permanently; there may also be a lack of checkpoints in levels, forcing players to restart upon failure or continue with their inflicted losses. Due to this realistic but punishing gameplay, the individual heroism seen in other shooter games is drastically restrained, players are forced to rely on proper military tactics and teamwork to succeed, and playstyles are typically slower than other types of shooters. More caution and patience is required in combat, such as methodically advancing through cover and concealment as opposed to charging toward the enemy and shooting in the open.

Emphasis is placed on realistic modeling of weapons and ballistics, and power-ups are generally more limited than in other shooters, if existent at all. Weapons in tactical shooters are usually designed to be inaccurate while moving and more accurate while in crouching or prone stances. Jumping, which is seldom performed in real combat, is de-emphasized or even omitted, though some games may offer limited climbing or vaulting mechanics. Many tactical shooters feature "leaning", where the player can lean left or right to peek and fire around corners or behind cover without exposing the rest of their body to attack. A majority of tactical shooters have sight mechanics, where players are able to either "hip-fire" (fire without aiming the weapon's sights), which is less accurate but gives a wider view of the area; or "aim down sights" (ADS) for better accuracy, increased zoom, or an aiming reticle, at the cost of restricted visibility and camera sensitivity. To highlight their emphases on realism, tactical shooters feature limited or minimalistic HUD elements compared to most other shooters, the extent of which can vary depending on the game, difficulty, or selected options, ranging from the absence of a minimap or health bar to the full or partial absence of HUD staples such as crosshairs and ammunition counters.

Some tactical shooters make use of squad-based tactics, where the player character (and usually also the enemy) is supported by a team of allied units, typically computer-controlled. While early tactical shooters had simple AI allies who followed set pathing, AI in later games has evolved with more complex responses such as autonomously seeking cover. In games with sufficiently robust AI, the player character may be able to issue commands to AI squadmates, such as ordering them to cover an advance, flank a position, or clear an area of hostiles such as in Brothers in Arms. Some games in the genre allow players to plan their team's movements before a mission, which the AI then follows independently. Multiplayer tactical shooters may allow other players to assist each other either in the same squad or even commanding their own squads, allowing human players to strategize and coordinate more effectively compared to the limited commands available for AI. Team tactics are emphasized in tactical shooters more than other shooter genres, and thus accurate aiming and quick reflexes are not always sufficient for victory.

The game's setting and scope are usually reflected in the game's level designs and mechanics. For example, in SWAT 4, the player leads a modern-day SWAT team against criminals and terrorists in an East Coast metropolis; thus, it follows that most levels in the game are inspired by the urban and suburban Eastern United States, with most levels set indoors, and most level layouts and gameplay focusing on the close-quarters combat that SWAT teams specialize in; therefore, the game features equipment that work within the game's setting, such as door wedges to seal doors to prevent ambushes, and tasers to stun and arrest enemies. The setting itself defines how "realistic" the game may be: a game depicting modern warfare set in the present may use modern combat tactics with realistic weapons, while a game set in the near future or a different universe may incorporate elements of science fiction and use fictional or theoretical advanced technology, while still using generally sensible combat tactics. The setting may also determine what level objectives the game may feature: the Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six series each depict counterterrorist tactical units, so the objectives seen in most of their games are centered around the typical duties of those units, namely defeating terrorists, rescuing hostages, and defusing bombs.

Weapons
Tactical shooters feature a wide variety of weapons often modeled on real firearms. The weapons featured depend on the setting, but are generally intended to suit the period (so a game set in World War II would feature period-accurate weaponry and lack modern weapons such as the M16 rifle). Ballistics are typically simulated, as are elements of authenticity such as recoil, motion blur, ear-ringing from explosions, and the feeling of being suppressed. Some developers of tactical shooters may hire technical advisors from military, law enforcement, or firearms specializations to ensure accuracy in in-game depictions.

Simulating actual combat is often sacrificed in favor of balance as well as playability. There may be considerable modifications to in-game weapons and ballistics compared to real life, deliberately done to ensure game balance in multiplayer PvP or competitive modes. For instance, tactical shooters with notable competitive scenes such as the Counter-Strike series typically allow the player to survive multiple bullet hits to the torso (ignoring the bullet resistance of different types of ballistic vests) and even more to the legs (rarely armored in real life), while registering an automatic kill for melee hits to the back (whether punches or knife stabs) and headshots (regardless of weapon caliber, impact point, or whether the target is wearing a helmet).

In contrast to run-and-gun shooters such as Quake which allow players to carry full arsenals, tactical shooters place considerable restrictions on what players may be equipped with, requiring players to carefully select their weapons, equipment, and inventories accordingly. The typical loadout setup used in tactical shooters is that of one "primary weapon" (traditionally a long gun such as a rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or light machine gun) and one "secondary weapon" (traditionally a sidearm such as a handgun). Grenades of both "explosive"/"lethal" (such as fragmentation grenades and Molotov cocktails) and "tactical"/"non-lethal" (such as stun grenades and smoke grenades) varieties, and useful equipment such as medkits, are often under their own slots, sometimes used with a single input as opposed to individually equipping them. Melee weapons such as combat knives may also have their own slot, though games with more distant or firearm-based combat (such as Arma 3) may lack melee weapons entirely. Rocket launchers and grenade launchers, occasionally having their own "launcher" slot, may have varying focuses compared to their "general purpose" depictions in arcade shooters, such as dedicated ATGM and MANPADS launchers, or underbarrel anti-personnel grenade launchers that can be equipped on some rifles and carbines. In many instances, the player's selected class affects what weapons are available to them; a rifleman class, for example, may only have rifles and carbines as their available primary weapons.

In most tactical shooters, the basic weapon and equipment slots are the extent of the player's inventory; however, in some more expansive games, such as the Arma series, individual items such as magazines for equipped weapons are carried in the player's inventory, which must be managed to mitigate its effects on the player character's weight. Carry weight is a game mechanic in many tactical shooters, increasing with the weapons, armor, or items carried by the player character, and affecting movement speed, stamina, time taken to aim down sights, and the ability to focus while aiming. The weight mechanic forces players to properly manage their inventory and choose whether they value mobility, effectiveness, or protection, preventing "jack-of-all-trades" loadouts where one player can carry everything they need, and promoting cooperation between players with different loadouts and classes. In many tactical shooters featuring a weight system, weight is always a present factor that must be dealt with; however, in some, such as the Counter-Strike series, weight only applies to what is currently equipped—so a machine gun would be "heavier" than a knife, despite them both being carried by the player—meaning loopholes around weight restrictions may be found, such as equipping light weapons to move faster.

Many tactical shooters (especially modern releases) feature varying degrees of weapon customization. In most modern tactical shooters, this is limited to the addition of firearm attachments such as a variety of scopes, holographic sights, laser sights, flashlights, foregrips, and suppressors. In less-grounded shooters, weapon customization may extend to stylized weapon camouflage skins and keychain-style "charms" (as seen in Rainbow Six Siege), while in more detailed and comprehensive shooters, individual components of the gun itself such as the barrel shroud and stock may be customized or replaced (as seen in Escape from Tarkov). In games where weight is a factor, the player's equipped attachments may add to their character's weight.

Despite generally aiming for realism and accuracy, some tactical shooters tend to make exceptions with their weapon accuracy. "Akimbo" (dual wielding) of firearms is generally rare in tactical shooters, yet it still appears as an option occasionally, such as in Counter-Strike with weapons ranging from small pistols to long-barreled shotguns. The Desert Eagle, despite being unsuitable for actual military applications, is still frequently found in many tactical shooters as a high-powered handgun option. Outdated weapons such as the AK-47 are often seen in modern military service in some games, despite them being mostly replaced by modern times (the AK-47 in particular having been replaced in Soviet Army service by the AK-74 in the 1970s). Experimental weapons, such as the OICW, are commonly seen in many titles, such as the Ghost Recon and Delta Force series, and modern tactical shooters have tended to place more of an emphasis on the future of warfare through the implementation of drones and micro-cameras.

History

Features now common to the tactical shooters genre originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s, starting with Airborne Ranger (1987) by Microprose. Computer Gaming World compared it to the earlier 1985 arcade game Commando, a more typical action shooter of the period, but commented that it was "deeper and more versatile". The game featured a limited inventory which had to be carefully managed, a variety of mission types which often promoted guile over violence, and the impetus to plan ahead and outmaneuver the enemy—all of which are features common in the tactical shooter genre as a whole. Airborne Ranger was followed by Special Forces (1991), also by Microprose, which first introduced squad mechanics to the genre. Also considered an early tactical shooter is Hostages (1988) by Infogrames, in which the player takes the role of French GIGN operatives to besiege and raid an embassy that has been taken over by terrorists, which Destructoid compared to the later Rainbow Six franchise of tactical shooters.

The next technical breakthrough came in 1993 with the release of SEAL Team by Electronic Arts. This game already offered many of the basic features associated with the genre, including utilizing support elements and vehicular units, and running a real-time simulated environment (with 3D Vector graphics) that reacts to the player's actions. Experiments in tactical shooter design were sparse over the next five years, and included Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri, released in 1996—one of first 3D-rendered games with squad-oriented gameplay.

The first major successes of the genre came in 1998, with games such as Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Delta Force, which are credited for defining and refining the genre. Other influences on the genre included games such as the SOCOM series, as well as the SWAT series, a tactical shooter spin-off of the Police Quest series of adventure games.

Rainbow Six (1998) in particular has been credited as a revolutionary game which defined the conventions of the tactical shooter genre. The game was inspired by (and, before its connection with Tom Clancy's novel Rainbow Six, initially focused on) the FBI Hostage Rescue Team. The game was designed to emphasize strategy in a way that would be fun for players without the best reflexes. The series has since become a benchmark for the genre in terms of detail and accuracy.

Some of the most notable tactical shooters have been total conversion mods of first-person shooters which have been released for free. Infiltration, a total conversion of Unreal Tournament (1999), has been described as "turning Unreal Tournament's wild cartoon action into a harrowing game of cat and mouse". Infiltration has been noted for detailed aiming system including hip-fire and sights while lacking a crosshair, different movement stances (running, walking, crouching, and prone, leaning around corners), and a weapon customization feature with a weight penalty. Counter-Strike (2000), a mod of Valve's Half-Life (1998), was the most popular multiplayer game of its era, in spite of the release of arcade-style first-person shooters with more advanced graphics engines such as Unreal Tournament 2003. One of the developers of the Half-Life expansions was Gearbox Software, who later released the game Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (2005) that further defined the genre.  Critics praised the game for not only adding realism to its first-person shooter gameplay, but also in its unique tactical gameplay that allows players to command soldiers and teams during combat.

Decline and resurgence
By the late 2000s, arcade-style casual shooters such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) began to prove more popular than classic-style shooters such as Quake and Unreal, although the field of true tactical shooters was largely neglected by developers since the mid-to-late 2000s. At that point, most tactical shooter franchises such as SWAT and SOCOM were discontinued, while developers such as Red Storm and Sierra went defunct or were absorbed by larger companies.

Traditionally tactical shooter series like Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon drifted away from tactical realism towards cinematic action-centered themes, as can be witnessed by contemporary Rainbow Six sequels, which completely do away with the series' pre-action planning stage (last seen in 2003's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield) and the series' established counterterrorism setting as of Rainbow Six Siege (2015, in updates released later) and Rainbow Six Extraction (2022); and the futuristic settings of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (2012), which features invisibility cloaks and shoulder-mounted anti-tank rockets. Even the Spec Ops series, which began as a brutally realistic, almost impenetrably-so, tactical shooter, was transformed into a more cinematic story-focused generic third-person shooter.

However, tactical shooters continued to be released to fair success, such as Arma 3 (2013) and Insurgency (2014) in the early 2010s. The later releases of tactical shooters like Rising Storm 2: Vietnam (2017), Insurgency: Sandstorm (2018), Squad (2020), and Ready or Not (2021) by the mid-to-late 2010s and early 2020s signaled somewhat of a revitalization of the genre. Tactical shooters continue to enjoy a fairly large following as more games are released that follow the genre's design philosophy and emphasize strategy. Casual games like Rainbow Six Siege and Battlefield V have also demonstrated "back to roots" philosophies, such as the removal of regenerative health and "3D spotting" in the latter.

Virtual reality

A few tactical shooters were released for virtual reality platforms, such as Onward and Breachers VR.

Military use
Virtual Battlespace is a series of tactical shooter simulators developed by Arma series creators Bohemia Interactive, used for infantry training by the United States military and several NATO militaries. Its Pointman user interface combines head tracking, a motion-sensitive gamepad and sliding foot pedals to increase the precision and level of control over one's avatar, enabling users to more realistically aim their weapon and practice muzzle discipline, to take measured steps when moving around obstacles or cover, and to continuously control their postural height to make better use of cover and concealment.

See also
 Military simulation
 MilSim

References

Video game genres

Violence in video games
Video game terminology

Tactical shooter