title: Rajnath Singh

text: In April 1994, he was elected into the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) and he became involved with the Advisory committee on Industry (1994–96), Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture, Business Advisory Committee, House Committee and the Committee on Human Resource Development. On 25 March 1997, he became the President of the BJP's unit in Uttar Pradesh and in 1999 he became the Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: In 2000, he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and was twice elected as MLA from Haidergarh in 2001 and 2002. He was preceded by Ram Prakash Gupta as the Chief Minister and succeeded the President rule, later after Mayawati became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. At that time he was appointed as the Chief minister because from very long time he had made an image among people due to his ground level effect from long back the times of 1970's in the JP Movement and was also the Education Minister in Kalyan Singh ministry and was also active in the State Politics. At that time there also many leaders in BJP from Uttar Pradesh, but very few had a strong support at the ground level. He was at that time very much close to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and had a very clean image among the people of the State. He also portrayed as a leader of Rajputs (Thakur) who are a powerful community in the state and were also an ardent votebank of the party like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Even unlike, L. K. Advani and Kalyan Singh, he was not a leader of "Firebrand Hindutva" ideology and was a very soft-spoken person.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: While being the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, had accused Samajwadi Party of providing jobs to a certain community only. Singh had said that discrimination in job opportunities should end in the state. He tried to rationalise the reservation structure in government jobs by introducing the most Backward Classes among the OBC and SC, so that the benefit of reservation can reach the lowest status of Society.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: After being the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000, the first thing on which Singh focused was the Law and Order in the State. At that time Uttar Pradesh was at the top of the list of States of India in Crime and the Law and Order lacked a lot in the State. Whether he had done good work for the Law Reforms, but it was not applicable on Ground levels and after 2002 Gujarat riots a large portion of public lose faith on BJP.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: In the year 2002, he resigned from the position of Chief Minister of U.P. within the time of 2 years because at that time during the ground test, the BJP Government was at minority status. Because of the following reason there was imposition of President's rule in the State, then after that in the 14th Legislative Assembly, Mayawati became the Chief Minister for the 3rd time.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: In 2003, Singh was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and subsequently for Food Processing in the NDA Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was faced with the difficult task of maintaining one of the most volatile areas of India's economy. During this period he initiated a few epoch-making projects including the Kisan Call Centre and Farm Income Insurance Scheme. He brought down interest rates on Agriculture loans and also established Farmer Commission and initiated Farms Income Insurance Scheme.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: After the BJP lost power in the 2004 general elections, it was forced to sit in the Opposition. After the resignation of prominent figure Lal Krishna Advani due to controversial statements over Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the murder of strategist Pramod Mahajan, Singh sought to rebuild the party by focusing on the most basic Hindutva ideologies. He announced his position of "no compromise" in relation to the building of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya at any cost and commended the rule of Vajpayee as Prime Minister, pointing towards all the developments the NDA made for the ordinary people of India. He also criticised the role of the English language in India, claiming that most of Indian population is unable to participate in Indian economy and cultural discourse due to extreme preferences shown to English at the expense of native languages. Singh also suspended Jaswant Singh from the party for praising Jinnah and disrespecting the policies of Jawaharlal Nehru, which also led to a wave of controversies as Jaswant Singh was a very senior leader of the party. Singh had held many positions for the RSS and the BJP, including serving as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the President of the BJP's youth wing. He advocated a return to a Hindutva platform. Singh resigned after the NDA lost the 2009 Indian general election.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: He became the BJP National President on 31 December 2005, a post he held till 19 December 2009. In May 2009, he was elected MP from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: On 24 January 2013, following the resignation of Nitin Gadkari due to corruption charges, Singh was re-elected as the BJP's National President.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: Singh is on record shortly after the law Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was re-instated in 2013, claiming that his party is "unambiguously" in favour of the law, also claiming that "We will state (at an all-party meeting if it is called) that we support Section 377 because we believe that homosexuality is an unnatural act and cannot be supported." Singh was elected president for his second term after Gadkari stepped down in 2013. Singh played a large role in the BJP's campaign for the 2014 Indian general election, including declaring Narendra Modi the party's Prime Ministerial candidate despite opposition from within the BJP. After the party's landslide victory, Singh resigned the party presidency to assume the position of Home Minister.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow constituency and was subsequently elected as a Member of the Parliament.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: He was appointed the Union Minister of Home Affairs in the Narendra Modi government and was sworn in on 26 May 2014. At that time he was the former president of the party and was the one who named Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister Candidate for the party. After the win of the party in 2014 Lok Sabha Election he took over the position from Sushilkumar Shinde as the Minister of Home Affairs (India) from the year 2014–2019. And he is also the Current Deputy Leader of Lok Sabha from the year 2019.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: He triggered controversy amid the protests over the police action at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), on 14 February 2016, claiming that the "JNU incident" was supported by Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. He gave the statement when there was an Anti-National speeches in the JNU Delhi over the anniversary of hanging of Kashmiri Separist Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru on 9 February 2016. After the statement there was also a vast protest against Singh and after the arrests of Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar, he made meeting with many left leaders. He also assured the citizens that what he said was right and he also people assurance of not tolerating the Anti-National Acts. Singh at that time also appointed an SIT for the investigation of the matter.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: On 9 April 2017, he launched Bharat Ke Veer Web portal and Application with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. This was an initiative taken by him for the welfare of Martyrs' family. Bharat Ke Veer is a fund-raising initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India on behalf of members of the Indian paramilitary Forces. Singh himself praised the app and at that time was the first donor of the app.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: An official anthem was launched on 20 January 2018 for the cause 'Bharat Ke Veer' by him along with film star Akshay Kumar, and other ministers Kiren Rijiju, Hansraj Ahir.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: Doklam is a disputed Territory for Bhutan and China since the 1950s, when China claimed Doklam as its territory and due to which their started Tension between Indian Army and Liberation Army of China. Over the matter Singh assured Public to solve the matter and he had talks with officials of the Chinese Communist Party over relations between the two countries. Though the matter was between the Bhutan and China, but when Bhutan sought help from India, then India also indulged in the matter. Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also openely opposed the matter and came in the support of Bhutan. Later, the tension solved at large extent. The main reason was also that Singh also threatened China to stop its import and start of Trade War. On 9 October 2017 China announced that it was ready to maintain peace at frontiers with India reacting to Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajnath Singh visit to Nathu La.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: On 21 May 2018, he commissioned Bastariya Battalion. As Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh attended the passing out parade of 241 Bastariya Battalion of CRPF in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh on 21 May 2018.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: Singh became the Defence minister of India on 31 May 2019. Singh was given Ministry of Defence (India) after Amit Shah was given the Ministry of Home Affairs (India). As Union Defence Minister now, Singh has indicated a subtle shift in India's strategic vision. Among the challenges that the Defence Minister is expected to address are the ever-increasing requirements of India's forces, including increased budgetary requirements, especially in the light of an unstable neighbourhood.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: After being Defence Minister he had focused mainly on increasing the defence budget of the nation and has focused on decreasing the import of weapons from other nations and making the nation an arms exporter with an arms industry. He also stated that:


title: Rajnath Singh

text: Dassault Rafale is a fighter plane of French origin whose deal was signed by then Minister of Defence (India), Manohar Parrikar in 2016 to increase the strength of the Indian Air Force. The Government of India had signed to buy 126 fighter jets costing $30 billion.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: The planes were received during his tenure as the Defence Minister of India. Though that was also a very controversial issue, Singh received and completed the deal after becoming Minister of Defence of India and the Indian Air Force received its first Dassault Rafale on 8 October 2019, when he personally went to France to receive it. The first fleet of 5 fighter jets landed at Ambala Air Force Station.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: India received the second fleet of Rafale jets on 29 July 2020. Singh said that "Those wanting to threaten India's territorial Integrity should be aware of India's new capability."


title: Rajnath Singh

text: Since May 2020, there has been tension between the Security forces of India and China over the border region of Ladakh. This situation has seen tension increase as China has put pressure on India. Singh met with officials of the Indian Army and also visited the Ladakh Range. He also met with the Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, CNS Admiral Karambir Singh and COAS General Manoj Mukund Naravane to discuss about the situation. After the martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers during the 2020 China–India skirmishes in Galwan Valley, Singh met with the Indian soldiers. He also said that he can't guarantee to what extent the tension would go. Later the situation was handled.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: Then again from the date of 30 August 2020, People's Liberation Army started the controversy of Ladakh area by putting a large number of troops over the controversial area and over this Chinese Communist Party leader Yang Jiechi and People's Liberation Army General Wei stated that the matter was started by the Indian Armed Forces. Chinese General Wei Fenghe and his Indian counterpart Singh held a talk, on 4 September in Moscow, on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting. On 10 September, the foreign affairs ministers of China and India met in Moscow. Five points were agreed upon in a joint statement, including new CBMs between the two countries. On 21 September, the sixth commander-level meeting took place at Chushul-Moldo BPM. The Indian delegation consisted of Lt Gen Harinder Singh, Lt Gen P G K Menon, two major generals, four brigadiers and other officers. The chief of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police was also a part of the delegation. During this meeting, for the first time, a Ministry of External Affairs representative from the Indian side was also present. Following the 14–hour talks, a joint statement was released, which included both sides have agreed to "stop sending more troops to the frontlines.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: After the news of the situation became known, Singh assured citizens that the situation is under control and that there is nothing to be worried about. Singh also stated that fake news and rumours were being spread. He also admitted that the Chinese Army has tried to cross the LAC.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: The Defence Ministry introduced a revolutionary army recruitment scheme called Agnipath (Agneepatha), for recruitment of soldiers under the rank of commissioned officers. The recruitment was pursued for all the three forces, and the selected candidates were termed as ""Agniveers"". This plan is a four year termed enroll to candidates aging between 18 - 24 of age. Various protests and oppositions were held, against the scheme, questioning about the future of the candidates, procedure and other standards. Railways were set on fire and suffered losses in Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal; the opposition also called it as an RSS agenda based scheme. The Ministry called it a long pending reform, in the defence field to lower the average of the total military age.


title: Rajnath Singh

text: He married Savitri Singh on 5 June 1971, with whom he has two sons and a daughter. His son Pankaj Singh is a politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly from Noida, Uttar Pradesh from BJP. Singh is a devout Hindu and a religious man and is known for soft-spoken behaviour.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at Disneyland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The ride tells the story of a band of pirates in the West Indies islands around the Caribbean Sea in the 17th and 18th centuries with the saga of their voyages, troubles, and exploits. The original version of the ride opened at the Disneyland in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles, in 1967, and was the last ride whose construction was envisioned and personally overseen by Walt Disney, who died three months before it opened. After immense popularity, the ride was replicated seven years later at the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World, near Orlando, Florida in 1973. Versions followed at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, and at Disneyland Paris in 1992. Each of the initial four versions of the ride has a different façade but a similar ride experience. A reimagined version of the ride influenced by the visitors' familiarity with the worldwide success of the feature film series, , opened at the Shanghai Disneyland Park in 2016.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The Pirates of the Caribbean ride gave rise to the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" written by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio, and performed on the ride's recording by The Mellomen. The ride became the basis for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series, which debuted in 2003. Since 2006, Disney has incorporated characters from the film series into the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris versions of the rides.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Opening on March 18, 1967, the Disneyland version of Pirates of the Caribbean was the last ride that Walt Disney himself participated in designing, debuting three months after his death. It is located within the New Orleans Square portion of Disneyland, its facade evoking antebellum era New Orleans, topped by a 31-star United States flag (which would indicate the 1850s). It was originally envisioned as a walk-through wax museum; however, with the success of the boat ride concept of It's a Small World at the 1964 New York World's Fair, Disney decided to employ the same ride system on the Pirates of the Caribbean. The ornate initials of Walt Disney and Roy Disney (W.D. and R.D.) can be seen entwined in the wrought iron railings above the ride's entrance at Disneyland. An overhead sign at the boat dock names it for the famous pirate Jean Lafitte (although his name is spelled "Laffite" as the pirate himself originally spelled it, rather than with the English spelling which has now become standard), who fought alongside the U.S. Army at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. The second floor of the facade was originally designed to be a private Disney family apartment. However, it later opened in spring 1987 as an art-related retail/museum space called the Disney Gallery and was replaced in late 2007 by the Disneyland Dream Suite.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The original installation at Disneyland was manufactured by Arrow Development and Arrow consulted on the next two installations. The ride's passenger carrying boats are very similar to those in a patent assigned to Walt Disney Productions, but filed by Edgar A. Morgan, one of the founders of Arrow Development. Arrow participated in the design and development of many rides at Disneyland from 1953.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: There are 630,000 gallons of water, 53 audio-animatronic animals and birds, and 75 audio-animatronic pirates and villagers in the ride, and it takes three days to empty and refill the "bayou" for renovations. Across from the boarding area within the ride is the Blue Bayou Restaurant, made to look like the backyard dinner party of a southern plantation. The restaurant opened the same day as the ride, and is considered one of the original theme restaurants.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The debut of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 1971 brought many popular rides from Disneyland to the East Coast, but Pirates of the Caribbean was not among them. As the Caribbean region is geographically located near Florida, it was thought a Caribbean-themed ride would not hold the same mystique as it did in California. Instead, the Western River Expedition with Big Thunder Mountain would replace the ride with a similar boat ride and other rides. But Walt Disney World visitors were vocal in their disappointment at the missing ride, leading Disney to quickly announce a Florida version instead of the Western River Expedition. The new Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened on December 15, 1973. Additional iterations of Pirates of the Caribbean later opened at Disney parks in Tokyo, Paris, and Shanghai.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The opening of the Disney Gallery in 1987 also coincided with the ride's outside queue area being completely redone to improve traffic flows. A bridge walkway was built in front of the entrance to allow crowds to pass through New Orleans Square without causing traffic jams with the guests waiting in line for the ride.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The following is a detailed summary of what appears in the original Disneyland version of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, from 1967 to 2006. An episode of "Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color" shows Walt Disney during the conception stage as well as presenting footage of the ride's opening day. Further details of the history and behind the scenes of the attraction were chronicled in the 2005 book, "Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies" by Jason Surrell.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The ride begins amid glimmering fireflies during an evening in a Louisiana bayou. Riders board their boats at Laffite's Landing and are at once afloat in the heart of bayou country. Banjo melodies (including "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races") can be heard as guests pass by houseboats, one of whose porches features an old man calmly rocking back and forth in his rocking chair and smoking a pipe. Above a stone archway, a talking skull with crossed swords provides words of warning before the guests' boat takes a plunge down a waterfall into a dimly lit cavernous passage, where voices can be heard singing the theme song.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: After a second plunge further into the depths of an underground grotto known as Dead Man's Cove, guests behold the skeletal remains of an unfortunate band of pirates, guarding their loot and treasure with macabre delight. During this section, a voice can be heard repeating the phrase "Dead men tell no tales!" The boats glide gently past an old pirate shipwreck, though the helmsman is nothing more than a skeleton doomed to pilot the ship through a thunderstorm. Moving onward, the crew's quarters are complete with skeletal pirates frozen in time – playing chess and drinking rum, one skeleton drinking a bottomless bottle through an exposed rib cage. The Captain's Quarters features a bony corpse examining a treasure map in bed, while an old harpsichord plays the theme song, and a huge amount of treasure being guarded by another skeleton pirate. As guests continue through an empty, dark tunnel, two ominous voices boom from above warning of the cursed treasure and what lies ahead.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Once guests are out of the tunnel, cannonballs whistle overhead and explosions throw water into the air – a fierce battle in the Caribbean between a marauding pirate galleon, the "Wicked Wench", and a Spanish fortress is in full swing. From the deck of the "Wicked Wench", the Pirate Captain (modeled on Blackbeard's appearance) leads the assault as colonial defenders can be seen manning the fort's cannons, barking orders to each other in Spanish and shouting threats at the invading pirates. The village of Puerto Dorado on Isla Tesoro is overrun with pirates in search of treasure. The first sight is the town square, where some pirates have kidnapped the mayor, Carlos, and threaten to drown him in a well if he does not divulge the location of the treasure. Carlos' wife peeks out of an upstairs window, telling him to be brave and not talk; she is shot at as Carlos is repeatedly dunked in the water while a line of other captive city officials look on. An auction scene follows, where an auctioneer pirate tries to sell off the local women with the banner, "Take a Wench for a Bride!" The bidders yell out for the "redhead", a flirtatious woman in a red dress. In the next scene, women are being chased through town by pirates. The "Pooped Pirate" reminisces about the "lively lassie" he wished to "hoist his colors" upon. Holding her slip as he prattles on, the woman peers out from inside a barrel that sat right behind the pirate's back as he keeps boasting, unaware.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Riders then watch carefree, tipsy pirates sing Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) as they succeed in ravaging the town and setting it aflame, filling the night air with an orange glow. Others wallow in the mud, one pirate in particular sleeping with pigs, and a pirate named Old Bill offering rum to stray cats. The boats next float past a dungeon where imprisoned pirates are doing their best to escape as flames draw near. A small dog just out of the prisoners' reach holds the key to their escape in his teeth; he seems all but immune to the pleas of the pirates trying to coax him closer. One of the pirates holds a noose, hoping to trap the dog. Timbers are smoldering and cracking overhead as riders sail through a storage room filled with gunpowder, cannonballs, and rum-filled, gun-shooting pirates continue singing. A shootout between the inebriated crew and captain of the pirate ship in a flaming ammunition warehouse threatens to demolish the entire village. Finally, at the end of the ride, the boats proceed up a lift hill and reach the top of the hill and spill back into the sleepy bayou where the journey began.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland has gone through many changes and refurbishments over the years, but the ride itself remains the same. Among the changes made was the addition of references to the film franchise, some which have made it to other parks.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The Aztec chest from "" sits in the corner of the Treasure Room and is the last thing guests see before entering a dark tunnel, where the boats encounter another pirate skeleton, sitting in a booby trap and clutching a treasure chest, which appears to transform before the riders' eyes into a flesh-and-blood living pirate, indicating a transition back in time. Captain Barbossa replaces the original Pirate Captain of the "Wicked Wench", leading the pirate galleon's assault on the Spanish fort and threatens to burn the city to the ground unless they surrender Captain Jack Sparrow.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The village of Puerto Dorado on Isla Tesoro is overrun with pirates in search of treasure and Captain Jack Sparrow. A group of pirates start dunking the mayor, Carlos, while Jack is seen hiding behind some dresses. The auction scene follows, where an auctioneer pirate tries to sell off loot from the townspeople to other pirates. A female pirate, Redd, is more interested in the town's rum supply, as are the bidders, who ignore the chickens that are currently offered for bidding. In the next scene, pirates run around chasing women holding trays of food, and two buccaneers who have stolen food are chased by an angry woman holding a rolling pin. Just beyond is the "Pooped Pirate" drunkenly waving a map and key to a treasure vault, boasting that Captain Jack Sparrow will never see it. However, Jack is hiding in a barrel just behind him, popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder as he keeps boasting, unaware.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: At the end of the ride, Captain Jack Sparrow is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure (the treasure vault as mentioned by the Pooped Pirate). He is draped over a large throne-like chair and waves his new treasures around happily while chattering to himself and to passing guests. Every once in a while he sings, "Drink up, me hearties. Yo Ho!" The boats proceed up a lift hill, and Davy Jones' and Blackbeard's voices are alternatively heard, encouraging riders to come back soon. The boats reach the top of the hill and spill back into the sleepy bayou where the journey began, passing by a parrot on a sandbar that can be seen from the queue.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The ride, guarded by the Caribbean watchtower Torre del Sol, is housed in a golden Spanish fort called Castillo Del Morro, inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in the Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. The queue winds through the fort, passing supplies and cannons, and a pair of pirate skeletons sit at a chessboard. The chess-playing skeletons gag was specifically designed for the Magic Kingdom by Imagineer Marc Davis, who was tasked with designing the ride. There are two queues designed to evoke a different atmosphere, one is the "Soldier" side (the left) and the other is the "Pirate" side (the right, which is now the Lightning Lane queue). Both these queues converge with the loading area known as Pirate's Cove.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland Paris is housed in a battle-scarred fortress at the back of the park.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The queuing area winds through several courtyards outside before entering the fortress show building. Inside, the queue passes through the dungeons of the fort, offering glimpses of several skeleton pirates, along with a view of the crew's quarters scene from a balcony looking down. The queue then enters the Blue Lagoon area inside the show building, made to feel as though guests are outside at nighttime. The transport system was manufactured by Intamin. After boarding boats from a dock at the base of the fort, riders are sent under an archway and out into the Blue Lagoon, passing by the dining area on the left side and a jungle setting on the right. The boats pass through a shipwreck and enter an old fortress nearby. Inside the fort, gun noises and swordplay are heard in the back as the boats climb up a large lift hill used to haul cargo throughout the building. At the top, riders are given a brief view of the 'Inferno' pirate ship in the harbor below before entering into the depths of the fort. Inside, flames engulf the fort, and the shadows of fighting pirates and soldiers are seen. Up ahead, riders see the pirates in a dungeon trying to coax the key from a guard dog.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The boats go down a waterfall in the side of the fort caused by a cannonball and pass the 'bombarding the fort' scene, which riders have just previously seen from above, where the soldiers and the pirates fire at guests. Entering the relative safety of the town, riders see all the original scenes from the Disneyland version, as well as a new pair of sword-fighting men who duel for a girl in the chase scene, and a projection effect of two pirates chasing a girl around in an upstairs window. The main dialogue of the scenes is in French, with the minor parts in English. The boats then enter the burning town scene, where the original English vocal tracks are present, singing the theme song.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The boats pass under an archway and enter the arsenal. The supplies are ignited by the fire and explode. Lights flash as an on-ride photo is taken, and the boats go down another drop into darkness. They emerge into the grotto scenes, passing all the skeleton pirate vintages seen at Disneyland, and a new shipwreck scene. Guests also encounter Captain Hector Barbossa, who transforms into a ghastly undead zombie, as he does as a result of his curse in ""; and Captain Jack Sparrow, sat in a room full of treasure and singing to himself. This part of the ride can be seen from the railroad as it passes through the show building (similar to Splash Mountain at the other parks).


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The skull and crossbones from the original are seen over an archway, issuing a bilingual safety spiel. The boats return to the dock, and riders exit into a themed gift shop where they can purchase their on-ride-photo.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Unlike other versions of the ride, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure uses a storyline based on the eponymous film series. It blends digital large-screen projection technology with traditional set pieces and audio animatronics. Walt Disney Imagineering designed the ride and Industrial Light & Magic created the computer-generated visual effects.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The Old Bill scene was originally designed in 1972 for the Magic Kingdom version, but the scene was eventually brought to Disneyland, shortly after the Magic Kingdom version opened in 1973.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The Barker Bird that guarded the entrance of the Magic Kingdom's version was originally installed in the unloading area when the ride opened in 1973. However, the issues with crowd control and congestion in the unloading area led to its placement outside of the entrance in 1975 and the 2006 refurbishment relocated the Barker Bird to the World of Disney Store until 2012.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The loading area of the ride at Walt Disney World originally had a dual loading system with two channels to double the loading capacity. However, safety concerns over the underwater fin that would dispatch the boats resulted in the decision to use a single channel for both loading docks during a refurbishment made in the fall of 1991. As of 2017, both channels exist, but only one is used.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In 1997, the chase scene of the Disneyland original and Magic Kingdom version, which depicted male pirates chasing women (except for the final scene, where the roles were reversed), was altered, now showing the pirates chasing the women in pursuit of food the women were carrying. The "Pooped Pirate" was recast as the "Gluttonous Pirate," a rogue in search of food, while the woman hiding in the barrel was replaced by a cat.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In Jason Surrell's book "Pirates of the Caribbean: From The Magic Kingdom to the Movies", showwriter Francis Xavier "X" Atencio referred to these "softening" touches as "Boy Scouts of the Caribbean".


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In 2006, the ride was refurbished again, in order to tie it in with the then-new "" film. This refurbishment saw the addition of Jack Sparrow animatronics to three individual scenes, as well as Captain Barbossa replacing the pirate captain in the battle room and an added waterfall projection of Davy Jones' face in the cave. The "Pooped/Gluttonous Pirate" now held a treasure map in his lap and a magnifying glass in one hand, and other modifications were made to the ride's lighting, audio, dialogue and effects.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: To coincide with the release of the 2011 film "", a projection of Captain Blackbeard from the film (portrayed by original actor Ian McShane) temporarily replaced the 2006 waterfall mist projection of Davy Jones in both the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom versions of the ride, beginning on May 20, 2011.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In late 2012, projections of mermaids swimming alongside the boats and a mermaid skeleton were added to the ride at Disney World. The mermaid projection effect was removed during a refurb in 2015, as it reportedly didn't live up to the designer's expectations.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: On April 26, 2017, the Disneyland ride closed during the afternoon to temporarily remove the first Jack Sparrow animatronic hiding behind the dresses, with actor Johnny Depp taking its place, in costume and in character as Jack Sparrow, interacting with guests in real-time live action as they passed by. This was part of a promotion for "".


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In June 2017, Disney announced that animatronics of Jack Sparrow would be added to two scenes in the Disneyland Paris version. It was also at this time that Disney reincorporated the talking skull at the Magic Kingdom version.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Later that month, Disney announced a change to the auction scene at Disneyland Paris, Disneyland California, and Magic Kingdom, in which the town's women, including the scarlet-clothed redheaded damsel, are auctioned off to the pirates. Instead, the new scene depicts the redhead as a pirate helping the auctioneer sell off loot acquired from the townspeople. The Disneyland Paris version reopened on July 24, 2017, with the changes, while also incorporating the animatronic of Captain Barbossa and projected images of Davy Jones and Blackbeard. The Magic Kingdom version received the new auction scene in March 2018 and Disneyland's version received it in June 2018, after a scheduled refurbishment.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: The June 2018 refurbishment at Disneyland also included three changes to the tunnel scene following the treasure room: the mist waterfall (and Davy Jones/Blackbeard narration) was removed entirely, the original 1967 narration by Paul Frees was reinstated, and a scene was added at the end of the cave, depicting a skeleton transforming into a live pirate as the boat passes by.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In 2003, Disney released "", a feature film inspired by the ride starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in an Oscar-nominated performance. It has been followed by four sequels: "" (2006), "" (2007), "" (2011), and "" (2017), with the second installment winning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2007. The series has grossed over US$3.7 billion worldwide. These films included numerous allusions to the ride, most notably the attack on the fort, the famous jail scene, the namesake song, and a few lines from the characters.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: At Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom Park of Walt Disney World, the character of Captain Jack Sparrow is occasionally available for photos and autographs, and is further featured in the short show "Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial" based loosely on the film series. The show is presented in front of or adjacent to the respective park's Pirates of the Caribbean rides and features Captain Jack holding court and enlisting budding pirates to join his crew. Alongside Captain Jack is Mack, his faithful crewman; together they teach the audience how to be a pirate.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: A video game by Akella, loosely connected to the first movie's plot, was released to coincide with the film. Worlds based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films appear in the Square Enix games "Kingdom Hearts II" and "Kingdom Hearts III".


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: In 2000, "Pirates of the Caribbean II: Battle for Buccaneer Gold" opened at DisneyQuest at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort. On this ride, up to five players board a virtual pirate ship to sail around a small 3-D world. Players may fire cannons at other virtual pirate ships; if opposing ships are sunk, their treasure will be "stolen".


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: Video game developer Ron Gilbert has often said that the ambience for the "Monkey Island" video game series was partially inspired by the Disney ride. One obvious homage is the prison scene in "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge," in which the player needs to retrieve the cell key from a dog using a bone. Although the dog in the scene is named Walt, it is named after game artist Steve Purcell's dog and not after Walt Disney.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: On May 25, 2007, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island opened at Disneyland park on the existing Tom Sawyer's Island section of the park. It features include new additions to the caves. The island also featured a 20-minute stunt show featuring character Captain Jack Sparrow when it first opened.


title: Pirates of the Caribbean (attraction)

text: A version of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" can be heard in several Disney theme park fireworks shows:


title: Brenda Lee

text: Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles. She is known for her 1960 hit "I'm Sorry" and 1958's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", which has become a Christmas standard.


title: Brenda Lee

text: At 4 ft 9 inches tall (approximately 145 cm), she received the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite" in 1957, after recording the song "Dynamite" when she was 12, and was one of the earliest pop stars to have a major contemporary international following. In 1969, Lee returned to the charts with her recording "Johnny One Time" penned by A. L. "Doodle" Owens and Dallas Frazier. The song reached #3 on "Billboard"s Adult Contemporary Chart and #41 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The song also earned Lee her second Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal. Later success came with a return to her roots as a country singer, with a string of hits through the 1970s and 1980s.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She is a member of the Rock and Roll, Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame. She is also a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Lee is the first woman to be inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Brenda Lee was born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11, 1944, in the charity ward of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, to parents Annie Grayce (née Yarbrough) and Ruben Lindsey Tarpley. She weighed 4 pounds 11 ounces at birth. Lee attended grade schools wherever her father found work, primarily between Atlanta and Augusta. Her family was poor. As a child, she shared a bed with her brother and sister in a series of three-room houses without running water. Life centered on her parents finding work, their family, and the Baptist church, where she began singing solos every Sunday.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee's father was a farmer's son in Georgia's red-clay belt. Standing 5 ft 7 inches (170 cm), he was an excellent left-handed pitcher and played baseball while serving for 11 years in the United States Army. Her mother came from a working class family in Greene County, Georgia.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Though her family did not have indoor plumbing until after her father's death, they had a battery-powered table radio that fascinated Brenda as a baby. Both her mother and sister remembered taking her repeatedly to a local candy store before she turned three. One of them would stand her on the counter and she would earn candy or coins for singing.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee's voice, face and stage presence won her wider attention from the time she was five years old. At age six, she won a local singing contest sponsored by local elementary schools. The reward was a live appearance on an Atlanta radio show, "Starmakers Revue", where she performed for the next year.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Her father died in 1953 in a construction accident, and by the time she turned ten she was the primary breadwinner of her family, through singing at events and on local radio and television shows. During that time, she appeared regularly on the country music show "TV Ranch" on WAGA-TV in Atlanta; she was so short, the host would lower a stand microphone as low as it would go and stand her up on a wooden crate to reach it. In 1955, Grayce Tarpley was remarried to Buell "Jay" Rainwater, who moved the family to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked at the Jimmie Skinner Music Center. Lee performed with Skinner at the record shop on two Saturday programs broadcast over Newport, Kentucky, radio station WNOP. The family soon returned to Georgia, but this time to Augusta, and Lee appeared on the show "The Peach Blossom Special" on WJAT-AM in Swainsboro.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee's breakthrough came in February 1955, when she turned down $30 ($334 in 2022 value) to appear on a Swainsboro radio station to see Red Foley and a touring promotional unit of his ABC-TV program "Ozark Jubilee" in Augusta. An Augusta disc jockey persuaded Foley to hear her sing before the show. Foley did and agreed to let her perform "Jambalaya" on stage that night, unrehearsed. Foley later recounted the moments following her introduction:


title: Brenda Lee

text: On March 31, 1955, the 10-year-old made her network debut on "Ozark Jubilee" in Springfield, Missouri. Although her five-year contract with the show was broken by a 1957 lawsuit brought by her mother and her manager, she nevertheless made regular appearances on the program throughout its run.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Less than two months later, on July 30, 1956, Decca Records offered her a contract, and her first record was "Jambalaya", backed with "Bigelow 6-200". Lee's second single featured two novelty Christmas tunes: "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus", and "Christy Christmas". Though she turned 12 on December 11, 1956, both of the first two Decca singles credit her as "Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old)."


title: Brenda Lee

text: Neither of the 1956 releases charted, but her first issue in 1957, "One Step at a Time", written by Hugh Ashley, became a hit in both the pop and country fields. Her next hit, "Dynamite", coming out of a 4-foot 9-inch frame, led to her lifelong nickname, Little Miss Dynamite.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee first attracted attention performing in country music venues and shows; however, her label and management felt it best to market her exclusively as a pop artist, the result being that none of her best-known recordings from the 1960s were released to country radio, and despite her country sound, with top Nashville session people, she did not have another country hit until 1969 with "Johnny One Time".


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee achieved her biggest success on the pop charts in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s with rockabilly and rock and roll-styled songs. Her biggest hits included "Jambalaya", "Sweet Nothin's" (No. 4, written by country musician Ronnie Self), "I Want to Be Wanted" (No. 1), "All Alone Am I" (No. 3) and "Fool#1" (No. 3). She had more hits with the more pop-based songs "That's All You Gotta Do" (No. 6), "Emotions" (No. 7), "You Can Depend on Me" (No. 6), "Dum Dum" (No. 4), 1962's "Break It to Me Gently" (No. 2), "Everybody Loves Me But You" (No. 6), and "As Usual" (No. 12). Lee's total of nine consecutive top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits from "That's All You Gotta Do" in 1960 through "All Alone Am I" in 1962 set a record for a female solo artist that was not equaled until 1986 by Madonna.


title: Brenda Lee

text: The biggest-selling track of Lee's career was a Christmas song. In 1958, when she was 13, producer Owen Bradley asked her to record a new song by Johnny Marks, who had had success writing Christmas tunes for country singers, most notably "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Gene Autry) and "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (Burl Ives). Lee recorded the song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", in July with a prominent twanging guitar part by Hank Garland and raucous sax soloing by Nashville icon Boots Randolph. Decca released it as a single that November, but it sold only 5,000 copies, and did not do much better when it was released again in 1959. However, over subsequent years, it eventually sold more than five million copies. Since 2017, the song has appeared at the end of each year on the Billboard Hot 100, having spent (as of December 7, 2022), 48 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at number 2 in 2019.


title: Brenda Lee

text: In 1960, she recorded her signature song, "I'm Sorry", which hit No. 1 on the "Billboard" pop chart. It was her first gold single and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Even though it was not released as a country song, it was among the first big hits to use what was to become the Nashville sound — a string orchestra and legato harmonized background vocals. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was finally noticed in its third release a few months later, and sales snowballed; the song remains a perennial favorite each December and is the record with which she is most identified by contemporary audiences.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Her last top ten single on the pop charts in the United States (besides the reappearance each November-December since 2017 of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") was 1963's "Losing You" (No. 6), though she continued to have other chart hits such as 1964's "As Usual" (which peaked at No. 12 in the US and made No. 5 in the UK), her 1966 song "Coming on Strong" (which peaked at No.11 in the US) and "Is It True" (No.17 in both the US and the UK) in 1964. The latter, featuring Big Jim Sullivan, Jimmy Page on guitars, Bobby Graham on drums, was her only hit single recorded in London, England, and was produced by Mickie Most (but the slide guitar and background singers were overdubbed in Nashville). It was recorded at Decca Records' number two studio at their West Hampstead complex, as was the UK B-side, a version of Ray Charles' 1959 classic cut, "What'd I Say?", which was not released in America. The A-side "Is It True?" was composed by noted British songwriting team Ken Lewis and John Carter, who were also members of UK hitmakers the Ivy League.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee was popular in the UK from early in her career. She performed on television in the UK in 1959, before she had achieved much pop recognition in the United States. Her first hit single in the UK was "Sweet Nothin's", which reached No.4 on the UK singles chart in the spring of 1960. She subsequently had a UK hit (in 1961) with "Let's Jump the Broomstick", a rockabilly number recorded in 1959, which had not charted in the United States, but reached No.12 in the UK.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee had two Top Ten hits in the UK that were not released as singles in her native country: the first, "Speak to Me Pretty" peaked at No.3 in May 1962 and was her greatest hit in the UK by chart placing, swiftly followed by "Here Comes That Feeling", which reached No.5 in the summer of 1962. The latter was issued as the B-side to "Everybody Loves Me But You" in the United States (which peaked at No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100); however, "Here Comes That Feeling" also made an appearance in the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.89, despite its B-side status in the US.


title: Brenda Lee

text: In 1962, while touring West Germany, she appeared at the famous Star-Club, Hamburg, with the Beatles as the opening act. Lee also had big hits in the UK with "All Alone Am I" (No.7 in 1963) and "As Usual" (No.5 in 1964).


title: Brenda Lee

text: Brenda Lee first visited England for three days in April 1959 as a last-minute replacement on "Oh Boy!". She first toured the UK in March and April 1962 with Gene Vincent and Sounds Incorporated (as her backing group), and she toured the country for a second time in March 1963, this time supported by the Bachelors, Sounds Incorporated, Tony Sheridan, and Mike Berry.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Brenda Lee also toured in Ireland in 1963 and appeared on the front cover of the Irish dancing and entertainment magazine "Spotlight" in April that year.


title: Brenda Lee

text: After appearing at the annual Royal Variety Performance before Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium on November 2, 1964, Lee toured Britain again in November and December 1964, supported by (amongst others) Manfred Mann, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, the John Barry Seven, Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, Marty Wilde, the Tornados and Heinz Burt.


title: Brenda Lee

text: During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist. In a 1996 memoir, television producer Sam Lovullo stated that Lee's 1972 appearance on his variety show "Hee Haw" had been instrumental to her comeback. Lee earned a string of top ten hits in the United States on the country charts, the first of which was 1973's "Nobody Wins", which reached the top five that spring and became her last Top 100 pop hit, peaking at No. 70. The follow-up, the Mark James composition "Sunday Sunrise", reached No. 6 on "Billboard magazine's" Hot Country Singles chart that October. Other major hits included "Wrong Ideas" and "Big Four Poster Bed" (1974); and "Rock on Baby" and "He's My Rock" (both 1975).


title: Brenda Lee

text: After a few years of lesser hits, Lee began another run at the top ten with 1979's "Tell Me What It's Like". Two follow-ups also reached the Top 10 in 1980: "The Cowgirl and the Dandy" and "Broken Trust" (the latter featuring vocal backing by the Oak Ridge Boys). A 1982 album, "The Winning Hand", featuring Lee along with Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, was a surprise hit, reaching the top ten on the U.S. country albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1984's "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" in duet with George Jones (Lee sang this song individually before and released in 1960 on "This Is...Brenda").


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee has continued to record and perform around the world, having previously cut records in four different languages. In 1992, she recorded a duet ("You’ll Never Know") with Willy DeVille on his album "Loup Garou".


title: Brenda Lee

text: On October 4, 2000, Lee inducted fellow country music legends Faron Young and Charley Pride into the Country Music Hall of Fame.


title: Brenda Lee

text: On December 13, 2017, Lee's song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" showed up at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. That song had not seen any chart action in the United States since 1961, although in the UK it has regularly returned to the top 40 in recent times.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Her autobiography, "Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee", was published by Hyperion in 2002 ().


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee has been very involved with the Country Music Hall of Fame, announcing the inductees each year and then officially presenting them with their membership medallions at a special ceremony every year. The most recent inductees announced by Lee are Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels and Fred Foster in 2016.


title: Brenda Lee

text: On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 21, 2019, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached a new peak of #3 in the United States with 37.1 million streams and 5,000 digital sales sold. The following week it moved up to #2, where it remained for a second week.


title: Brenda Lee

text: On September 26, 1986, Brenda Lee was installed in the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame 5th Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Raddison Inn, Atlanta, Georgia. She was named among many other famous recording artists including Riley Puckett, Gid Tanner, Dan Hornsby, Clayton McMichen, and Boots Woodall to name a few. Lee reached the final ballot for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and 2001 without being inducted, but she was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Celebrating over 50 years as a recording artist, in September 2006 she was the second recipient of the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award by the Source Foundation in Nashville. In 1997, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.


title: Brenda Lee

text: In 2008, her recording of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" marked 50 years as a holiday standard, and in February 2009 the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave Lee a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee met Ronnie Shacklett at a November 1962 Bo Diddley and Jackie Wilson concert at Nashville's Fairgrounds Coliseum and married him less than six months later, on April 24, 1963. Lee and Shacklett have two daughters, Jolie and Julie (named after Patsy Cline's daughter), and three grandchildren, Taylor, Jordan and Charley.


title: Brenda Lee

text: Lee is also the cousin (by way of her mother's second marriage) to singer Dave Rainwater from The New Christy Minstrels.


title: Paradox

text: A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically unacceptable conclusion. A paradox usually involves contradictory-yet-interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time. They result in "persistent contradiction between interdependent elements" leading to a lasting "unity of opposites".


title: Paradox

text: In logic, many paradoxes exist that are known to be invalid arguments, yet are nevertheless valuable in promoting critical thinking, while other paradoxes have revealed errors in definitions that were assumed to be rigorous, and have caused axioms of mathematics and logic to be re-examined. One example is Russell's paradox, which questions whether a "list of all lists that do not contain themselves" would include itself, and showed that attempts to found set theory on the identification of sets with properties or predicates were flawed. Others, such as Curry's paradox, cannot be easily resolved by making foundational changes in a logical system.


title: Paradox

text: Examples outside logic include the ship of Theseus from philosophy, a paradox that questions whether a ship repaired over time by replacing each and all of its wooden parts, one at a time, would remain the same ship. Paradoxes can also take the form of images or other media. For example, M.C. Escher featured perspective-based paradoxes in many of his drawings, with walls that are regarded as floors from other points of view, and staircases that appear to climb endlessly.


title: Paradox

text: In common usage, the word "paradox" often refers to statements that are ironic or unexpected, such as "the paradox that standing is more tiring than walking".


title: Paradox

text: Common themes in paradoxes include self-reference, infinite regress, circular definitions, and confusion or equivocation between different levels of abstraction.


title: Paradox

text: Other paradoxes involve false statements and half-truths ("'impossible' is not in my vocabulary") or rely on hasty assumptions (A father and his son are in a car crash; the father is killed and the boy is rushed to the hospital. The doctor says, "I can't operate on this boy. He's my son." There is no paradox, the doctor is the boy's mother.).


title: Paradox

text: Paradoxes that are not based on a hidden error generally occur at the fringes of context or language, and require extending the context or language in order to lose their paradoxical quality. Paradoxes that arise from apparently intelligible uses of language are often of interest to logicians and philosophers. "This sentence is false" is an example of the well-known liar paradox: it is a sentence that cannot be consistently interpreted as either true or false, because if it is known to be false, then it can be inferred that it must be true, and if it is known to be true, then it can be inferred that it must be false. Russell's paradox, which shows that the notion of "the set of all those sets that do not contain themselves" leads to a contradiction, was instrumental in the development of modern logic and set theory.


title: Paradox

text: Thought-experiments can also yield interesting paradoxes. The grandfather paradox, for example, would arise if a time-traveler were to kill his own grandfather before his mother or father had been conceived, thereby preventing his own birth. This is a specific example of the more general observation of the butterfly effect, or that a time-traveller's interaction with the past—however slight—would entail making changes that would, in turn, change the future in which the time-travel was yet to occur, and would thus change the circumstances of the time-travel itself.


title: Paradox

text: Often a seemingly paradoxical conclusion arises from an inconsistent or inherently contradictory definition of the initial premise. In the case of that apparent paradox of a time-traveler killing his own grandfather, it is the inconsistency of defining the past to which he returns as being somehow different from the one that leads up to the future from which he begins his trip, but also insisting that he must have come to that past from the same future as the one that it leads up to.


title: Paradox

text: A fourth kind, which may be alternatively interpreted as a special case of the third kind, has sometimes been described since Quine's work:


title: Paradox

text: Frank Ramsey drew a distinction between logical paradoxes and semantic paradoxes, with Russell's paradox belonging to the former category, and the liar paradox and Grelling’s paradoxes to the latter. Ramsey introduced the by-now standard distinction between logical and semantical contradictions. Logical contradictions involve mathematical or logical terms like "class" and "number", and hence show that our logic or mathematics is problematic. Semantical contradictions involve, besides purely logical terms, notions like "thought", "language", and "symbolism", which, according to Ramsey, are empirical (not formal) terms. Hence these contradictions are due to faulty ideas about thought or language, and they properly belong to epistemology.


title: Paradox

text: A taste for paradox is central to the philosophies of Laozi, Zeno of Elea, Zhuangzi, Heraclitus, Bhartrhari, Meister Eckhart, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and G.K. Chesterton, among many others. Søren Kierkegaard, for example, writes in the "Philosophical Fragments" that:


title: Paradox

text: But one must not think ill of the paradox, for the paradox is the passion of thought, and the thinker without the paradox is like the lover without passion: a mediocre fellow. But the ultimate potentiation of every passion is always to will its own downfall, and so it is also the ultimate passion of the understanding to will the collision, although in one way or another the collision must become its downfall. This, then, is the ultimate paradox of thought: to want to discover something that thought itself cannot think.


title: Paradox

text: A paradoxical reaction to a drug is the opposite of what one would expect, such as becoming agitated by a sedative or sedated by a stimulant. Some are common and are used regularly in medicine, such as the use of stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (also known as ADHD), while others are rare and can be dangerous as they are not expected, such as severe agitation from a benzodiazepine.


title: Paradox

text: The actions of antibodies on antigens can rarely take paradoxical turns in certain ways. One example is antibody-dependent enhancement (immune enhancement) of a disease's virulence; another is the hook effect (prozone effect), of which there are several types. However, neither of these problems is common, and overall, antibodies are crucial to health, as most of the time they do their protective job quite well.


title: Paradox

text: In the smoker's paradox, cigarette smoking, despite its proven harms, has a surprising inverse correlation with the epidemiological incidence of certain diseases.


title: L.A. Noire

text: L.A. Noire is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the game follows detective Cole Phelps's rise among the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department as he solves a range of cases across various bureaus. When he is tasked with investigating a morphine distribution ring that involves several of his former squadmates from World War II, Phelps finds both his personal and professional life falling into turmoil, and reluctantly joins forces with his estranged former comrade, Jack Kelso, as they uncover a major conspiracy involving prominent Los Angeles figures.


title: L.A. Noire

text: The game is played from a third-person perspective. The player may freely roam its interactive open world, primarily in a vehicle or on foot. As the game progresses, the player advances through several police department bureaus—Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson. The story is divided into multiple "cases", during which players must investigate crime scenes for clues, follow up leads, and interrogate suspects and witnesses; the player's success at these activities impacts how much of each case's story is revealed and their overall rating. The game features fast-paced action sequences, including chases, combat, and gunfights. Outside of cases, the player can complete optional street crimes and collect items found around the game world.


title: L.A. Noire

text: The development of "L.A. Noire" began following Team Bondi's founding in 2004, and was assisted by multiple Rockstar studios worldwide. "L.A. Noire" uses the proprietary motion capture technology MotionScan, which captures actors' facial expressions from every angle, resulting in a realistic recreation of a human face essential for the game's interrogations. As part of their research for the open world, the development team conducted field research in Los Angeles. The game features an original score inspired by 1940s films, and contains licensed music of songs from the era. The game was delayed numerous times through its seven-year development, which included a change of publisher and platforms. The working hours and managerial style of the studio was met with public complaints from staff members, and Team Bondi closed shortly after the game's initial release.


title: L.A. Noire

text: "L.A. Noire" was the first video game honoured as an official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in May 2011, and for Windows in November; an enhanced version was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in November 2017. The game received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at the facial animation, narrative, characters, performances, music, world design, and interrogation gameplay, though responses to the shooting and driving mechanics were mixed. It shipped four million units in its first month and 7.5 million by September 2017, and received multiple year-end nominations from gaming publications. "L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files", a subset of cases playable in virtual reality, was released in December 2017.


title: L.A. Noire

text: "L.A. Noire" is an action-adventure neo-noir crime game. Played from a third-person perspective, the game is set in an open-world environment featuring Los Angeles in 1947. The player completes cases to progress through the story, fulfilling objectives in a generally linear order; as they roam the open world, the player can also complete optional street crimes—short, linear scenarios with set objectives—and collect items such as golden film reels, vehicles, novels, and golden records. The player can also discover multiple landmarks based on real monuments from Los Angeles in the 1940s. For most of the game, the player controls Cole Phelps, a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) patrolman who advances through the police department bureaus (desks) of Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson; in some cases during the final desk, the player controls investigator Jack Kelso. The player has the option to play the game in black and white to imitate film noir.


title: L.A. Noire

text: While solving cases, the player discovers evidence, including information from non-player characters or physical clues found in or around crime scenes, locations of interest, or dead bodies; several pieces of physical evidence can be manipulated or further investigated to discover more information. When all key clues are discovered at a crime scene, the investigation music concludes. The player can also use telephones or gamewells to contact the police radio and access additional information. During cases, the player interrogates suspects and witnesses to discover information. When the interviewee responds, the player is given the option to either believe them, doubt them, or accuse them of lying. If the player accuses them of lying, they must submit evidence to prove it. The player's in-game notebook is used to list evidence, locations, and people involved in the case, as well as to select questions during interrogations.


title: L.A. Noire

text: When interrogating two suspects at the police station, the player may decide whom to charge with the crime; charging the wrong suspect affect's the case's end rating—a five-star scale that is determined based on the player's performance in investigations, interrogations, and behaviour while driving. The player can use Intuition points during investigations to locate remaining clues, or during interrogation by removing an answer or discovering the most popular answer among players via the Rockstar Games Social Club. Progressing through the game will increase the player's Rank, which unlocks outfits and hidden vehicles, and earns an additional Intuition point; the maximum rank is 20. In some cases, while searching for clues, the player can discover newspapers, which provide access to a short cinematic covering a part of the game's overarching plot.


title: L.A. Noire

text: The game's world is primarily traversed on foot or in a vehicle. The player can climb over fences and up pipes and ladders to access different areas. While driving, the player can turn on the siren, allowing them clearer passage through streets. The game also allows the player to skip travel sequences: as Phelps, they can nominate their partner as the driver and selecting the destination; as Kelso, who lacks a partner, they select the destination and arrive after a loading screen. As Phelps, the player can also ask their partner for directions. The game features fast-paced action sequences, including chases, combat, and gunfights. The player uses melee attacks and firearms to fight enemies; weapons can be swapped by opening the boot of the player's police vehicle. In combat, auto-aim and a cover system can be used as assistance against enemies. Should the player take damage, the colour will begin to fade to black and white; when free from damage, the character's health will gradually regenerate. Weapons can only be used in appropriate circumstances, such as during firefights; in some chase sequences, the player has the option to fire a warning shot against fleeing suspects. The player's partner will sometimes shoot at suspect vehicles during driving chase sequences. The player is presented with the option to skip action sequences and continue through the narrative upon failing three times.


title: L.A. Noire

text: For most of the game, the player takes on the role of Cole Phelps (Aaron Staton), a decorated United States Marine Corps veteran from the Sixth Marines. Phelps begins the game as an LAPD patrol officer alongside his partner Ralph Dunn (Rodney Scott), another new recruit. When Phelps is promoted to the Traffic desk, led by Gordon Leary (Ned Vaughn), he is partnered with Stefan Bekowsky (Sean McGowan), a Polish American whom Phelps eventually befriends. Upon his promotion to Homicide, led by James Donnelly (Andrew Connolly), Phelps is partnered with Rusty Galloway (Michael McGrady), a weary and cynical detective who often challenges Phelps's theories and opinions. In the Vice bureau, led by Archie Colmyer (Steve Rankin), Phelps becomes partners with Roy Earle, a sardonic and corrupt detective with whom Phelps repeatedly clashes over morality, behaviour, and technique. During his time in Vice, Phelps begins an extramarital affair with Elsa Lichtmann (Erika Heynatz), a German jazz singer. As a detective, Phelps frequently works with coroner Dr. Malcolm Carruthers (Andy Umberger) and technical crime scene investigator Ray Pinker (JD Cullum).


title: L.A. Noire

text: Following his demotion to the Arson desk, led by Lachlan McKelty (Randy Oglesby), Phelps is partnered with Herschel Biggs (Keith Szarabajka), a former Marine and proficient detective who is reclusive and opposed to partners. For some cases during Arson, the player assumes control of Jack Kelso (Gil McKinney), a former Marine with whom Phelps developed an intense rivalry. Kelso, initially a claims investigator at California Fire and Life and later a District Attorney Investigator, helps Phelps and Elsa discover the truth behind the Suburban Redevelopment Fund (SRF)—a program founded under the pretense of providing affordable housing for returning veterans. Members of the SRF include real estate magnate Leland Monroe (John Noble), California Fire and Life vice-president Curtis Benson (Jim Abele), and psychiatrist Harlan Fontaine (Peter Blomquist). Fontaine's mentee is medical student Courtney Sheldon (Chad Todhunter)—a former Marine with whom Phelps and Kelso were stationed—who becomes involved in the city's drug trade through a partnership with gangster Mickey Cohen (Patrick Fischler). One of Fontaine's patients is Ira Hogeboom (J. Marvin Campbell), a former flamethrower operator from the Sixth Marines who became severely traumatised after unintentionally burning out a cave of civilians on Phelps's orders.


title: L.A. Noire

text: In 1947, after successfully solving a major murder case as a patrol officer, Phelps is promoted to detective. His tenure at the Traffic desk results in solving multiple cases of murder and fraud. Six months later, after a stint on the Burglary desk, Phelps is promoted to the Homicide desk. He and Galloway investigate various cases that contain similarities to the Black Dahlia murder, arresting numerous suspects. However, Phelps is doubtful that they are apprehending the actual murderers; his theories are ultimately proven correct. They eventually track down and kill the real murderer, unbeknownst to the public.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Upon being promoted into the Vice division, Phelps investigates the distribution of military surplus morphine, stolen from the ship that had brought home his former Marine unit. He learns that several members of his former unit had stolen and distributed the morphine, only to be assassinated on the orders of Cohen. During this time, Phelps begins his affair with Elsa. Earle helps several prominent figures in the city draw attention away from a major prostitution scandal by exposing Phelps's adultery before he is able to draw a confession from Sheldon over his involvement with the stolen morphine. In exchange, Earle is given a place in the SRF. Phelps's marriage ends, he becomes disgraced in the LAPD, and he is demoted to the Arson desk, where he is tasked with investigating several suspicious house fires. Despite noting a solid connection between them and a housing development that the SRF operates, Phelps is warned off by Earle from pursuing the syndicate and its founder Monroe. Seeking help, Phelps prompts Kelso to look into the matter.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Kelso discovers that the development uses unsuitable building materials and that his boss Benson is knowingly insuring them. Following a shootout at Monroe's mansion, Kelso learns that the syndicate used one of Fontaine's patients to burn down the homes of those who would not agree to sell their property to the fund; eventually, his patient accidentally killed four people in one such fire and became irreversibly traumatised. The patient confronts and murders Fontaine at his clinic and kidnaps Elsa. Investigating the clinic, Phelps discovers that the syndicate was a front to defraud the Federal Government: Knowing the government would later purchase the plots through eminent domain, Monroe would acquire land with money invested by the syndicate and build surreptitiously cheap houses to increase their value. Phelps also discovers that Sheldon, overcome with guilt, had provided Fontaine with the stolen morphine under the pretense that Fontaine would legally provide the morphine to medical facilities with the profits being reinvested into the SRF; Fontaine later murdered Sheldon after gaining knowledge of Kelso's investigation into the SRF.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Kelso realises that Fontaine's patient was Hogeboom. Phelps and Kelso pursue Hogeboom and Elsa into the Los Angeles River Tunnels. The pair rescue Elsa, and Kelso shoots Hogeboom to end his suffering. As the water rises within the tunnels following intense rainfall, Elsa and Kelso manage to escape, but a violent current kills Phelps. At Phelps's funeral, Earle delivers a eulogy, claiming that Phelps was wrongly accused of wrongdoings and that he had exposed the corruption of Fontaine and Monroe. After Elsa leaves in disgust, Kelso asks Biggs to comfort her; Biggs confirms to Kelso that while Kelso and Phelps were not friends, they were never enemies. In a closing epilogue flashback, Kelso is revealed to have known about the stolen morphine but refused to be involved in its distribution, knowing the trouble it would cause.


title: L.A. Noire

text: After the release of "The Getaway" (2002), writer and director Brendan McNamara left developer Team Soho and moved from London to his native Sydney. In mid-2003, he founded the six-person development studio Team Bondi alongside former Team Soho developers. The development of "L.A. Noire" began shortly thereafter, in 2004. The studio had signed an exclusive deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to develop a game for the , though the publishing rights were handed to Rockstar Games by September 2006. The development team visited Rockstar's headquarters in New York every few months to exhibit progress. Development was assisted by multiple studios owned by Rockstar Games worldwide. Analyst estimations place the game's combined development and marketing budget at more than , which would make it one of the most expensive video games to develop.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Unlike other games by Rockstar, which run on the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, "L.A. Noire" uses a proprietary engine from Team Bondi. McNamara led the founding of Depth Analysis, a sister company to Team Bondi that developed the motion capture technology MotionScan, which records actors with 32 surrounding cameras to capture facial expressions from every angle, resulting in a highly realistic recreation of a human face. The technology is central to the game's interrogation mechanic, as players are required to use reactions to questioning to judge whether they are lying. Rockstar was often doubtful about the process, and the team considered using the same technique as other Rockstar games like "Red Dead Redemption" (2010) as a fallback. The game also uses Havok as its physics engine. Eleven cases across two desks—Bunko and Burglary—were cut from the game as the team suspected they would not fit on one Blu-ray for PlayStation 3; the Xbox 360 version utilised three discs, though it originally used up to six prior to compression. A similar system to "Grand Theft Auto"s wanted system—wherein the player would evade and attack other police officers—was also removed as it felt out of character for Phelps.


title: L.A. Noire

text: McNamara had been interested in 1940s Los Angeles for some time—while working on "The Getaway", he had a screensaver of the first freeway being built in Los Angeles—and felt that the improvement in lighting systems from the PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 allowed the possibility to explore the film noir genre. He began with writing a 4–5-page outline before reading stories from the Los Angeles Public Library to use as inspiration. The team spent the first year-and-a-half of development researching Los Angeles by using newspapers and magazines, organising research trips, and capturing photographs; a total of 180,000 photographs were available as resources throughout development, and over 1,000 newspapers were used for research. The open world of 1947 Los Angeles was modelled using aerial photographs taken by photographer Robert Spence, which helped to create traffic patterns and public transport routes, as well as the location and condition of buildings.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Building interiors were also based on real buildings in Los Angeles; the team extensively studied the Barclay Hotel for an accurate recreation in-game. While striving for an accurate recreation, the team took some artistic licence, including the appearance of the set for the film "Intolerance", which was destroyed prior to the 1940s but included to celebrate its history. The team created over 140 production bibles during development, acting as style guides with information about floorplans, dressing, signs, graphics, lighting, and reference material. Several in-game cases were inspired by real-life crimes reported by the city's media at the time; for example, "The Red Lipstick Murder" is based on the unsolved murder of Jeanne French in February 1947. When creating the themes, narrative, visuals, and sounds of the game, McNamara and the team were inspired by several films, albums, television and radio shows, and books.


title: L.A. Noire

text: "L.A. Noire" has over twenty hours of voice work, and over 400 actors performed for the game. McNamara felt that the game's technology allows players to connect with the characters in a way that video games had not achieved; he aimed "to go on a personal journey with characters". The team engaged Michael Uppendahl to direct the actors due to his familiarity with the process. To cast the characters, the team held secretive auditions. Aaron Staton was cast to portray Cole Phelps and worked on the project for about 18 months; Rockstar Vice President of Creativity Dan Houser had suggested Staton for the role. Prior to performing, Staton received a 12-page document that outlined the story and Phelps's history, as he was unable to read the entire 2,200-page script beforehand. Regarding the switch in player character from Phelps to Kelso, McNamara explained that the player had to "go outside the realm of being a cop to bend the rules". He felt that the ending was akin to "A Tale of Two Cities" (1859), with the characters coming "full circle" where "[Phelps] could do something for [Kelso] for once"; Phelps's death was partly inspired by the ending of the film "Chinatown" (1974). A gameplay sequence was originally meant to take place after Phelps's death, but it was cut after some time as it "never really worked".


title: L.A. Noire

text: The game features an original score composed by Andrew Hale and Simon Hale. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, the score was inspired by orchestral scores from 1940s films. The composers attempted to compose music that felt accessible to players, avoiding an exclusive focus on swing or jazz. Andrew Hale felt that composing the game's score was a flexible process "about setting a mood", as opposed to a "mechanical" process in which the music was specifically composed to fit with the time frames of the game. To assist with the score, Rockstar engaged Woody Jackson, who had previously collaborated with the team on the music of "Red Dead Redemption". Jackson re-orchestrated one of the themes and wrote much of the in-game music. While the game's score largely uses a live orchestra, Jackson found that this led to difficulties with interactive music as the player can hear the loop; inspired by film noir and the works of musicians like Bernard Herman, Jackson departed from the existing music and wrote original tracks in about a month. In addition to the original score and licensed tracks, the game features original vocal recordings in order to create an authentic sound to suit the musical identity of the period. The game also contains licensed music tracks provided by the in-game radio from artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday. The developers engaged The Real Tuesday Weld to create three original vocal tracks to create an authentic sound to suit the musical identity of the period; the songs were performed by Claudia Brücken, and sung in-game by Elsa.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Shortly after the launch of the game, a group of former Team Bondi employees launched a website called lanoirecredits.com, containing over 100 names which had been excluded or incorrectly listed in the official game credits. An anonymous employee claimed that he was asked to work 10–12 hours every day, including weekends. Following this, in a report by "IGN", several anonymous members of the development team publicly discussed the managerial style of the studio, the studio's staff turnover rates, and the working hours and conditions associated with "L.A. Noire"; some claimed that McNamara had been controlling and verbally abusive, and others spoke about their increased workload as a result of the studio's high turnover. Several referenced the ongoing crunch throughout development; one claimed to occasionally work between 80 and 110 hours per week to meet some development milestones. Some ex-employees claimed that they were not paid for their overtime, a claim McNamara refuted.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Following the publication of "IGN"s report, the International Game Developers Association launched an investigation against Team Bondi to verify the claims made. Lead gameplay programmer David Heironymus and senior gameplay programmer Charles Lefebvre rebutted the claims, acknowledging that crunch was unfortunate but inevitable and stating that they were not aware of any unpaid overtime or abusive working conditions. McNamara felt that he had been unfairly maligned by many ex-employees, noting that other artists and businessmen in other industries—such as Steve Jobs, Sam Peckinpah, and Werner Herzog—had performed worse actions than him with much less vilification. He claimed that the studio had improved its working conditions in the months after release, including the introduction of flexitime.


title: L.A. Noire

text: In July 2011, a series of confidential emails were leaked along with further comments from staff members who claimed that they highlight the contentious relationship between Team Bondi and Rockstar. McNamara questioned how the confidential emails were allowed to be shared, noting that it sets a "pretty dangerous precedent". Speaking to "Gamesindustry.biz", an anonymous source from the development team claimed that Rockstar "saved the project", but that the relationship between Rockstar and Team Bondi was "badly damaged" and that it was "quite clear" that further collaborations were unlikely. The source claimed that Rockstar was frustrated with the direction at Team Bondi, and as a result management at Team Bondi "resented Rockstar for taking lots of creative control". They added that Rockstar "used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like 'Rockstar Sydney'", but "the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea". McNamara remained optimistic about his relationship with Rockstar, and said that "hopefully it doesn't have any hard feelings about us".


title: L.A. Noire

text: "L.A. Noire" was officially announced in 2005, to be released by Sony for the PlayStation 3; the publishing rights were handed to Rockstar Games by September 2006, though no platforms were specified. An early cinematic trailer was released in October 2006. Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive acknowledged the game in June 2007, listing it for release in the 2008 fiscal year (October 2007 – September 2008) for the PlayStation 3; the game subsequently received several delays: first to the 2009 fiscal year, then to September 2010, and later to the first half of 2011, which was later narrowed down to 17 May 2011 for North America, and 20 May for Australia and Europe.


title: L.A. Noire

text: The game was the subject of "Game Informer"s cover story for its March 2010 issue. The debut trailer was released in November 2010, revealing that the game would release in early 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A development video was released in December 2010, demonstrating MotionScan and featuring interviews with the cast and developers. The game's cover art was unveiled on 23 February 2011. The game was exhibited at PAX East in March 2011 with an exclusive theatre presentation. The final pre-launch trailer was released on 11 May 2011. To spur pre-order game sales, Rockstar collaborated with several retail outlets to provide pre-order bonuses. Rockstar also ran a competition to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Festival of Film Noir at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, and play the game a month before its release. In April 2011, "L.A. Noire" was honoured as an official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival, the first video game to do so.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Rockstar partnered with Mulholland Books to publish "L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories" on 6 June 2011, featuring a collection of eight short stories in the "L.A. Noire" universe written by noted crime authors, including Lawrence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, and Andrew Vachss. The collection, edited and curated by Jonathan Santlofer, was completed in six weeks. Some of the writers—including Megan Abbott, Duane Swierczynski, and Santlofer—previewed an hour of the game for inspiration at Rockstar's headquarters in New York. Rockstar originally rejected Santlofer's story as it spoiled some of the game's narrative; he began to write a second story before deciding to rewrite the first without spoilers. Rockstar released an excerpt and five full stories before the game's release in May 2011.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Rockstar announced a re-release of the game in September 2017 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One; it was released on 14 November 2017. Developed by Virtuos, the enhanced version features finer texture details, upgraded weather effects, and new camera angles; the Switch version also features gyroscopic controls with the Joy-Con. Rockstar also announced "L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files", a subset of seven of the game's cases for virtual reality support through the HTC Vive. Developed by Videogames Deluxe, a new studio founded by McNamara, the game was released on 15 December 2017, following a delay from November; support for Oculus Rift devices was added on 4 April 2018, and the game was released for PlayStation VR on 25 September 2019.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Rockstar announced that it would release several pieces of downloadable content for "L.A. Noire" shortly following its release in May 2011; all content could be pre-purchased in the "Rockstar Pass", one of the first examples of a season pass in video games. Five cases were released as downloadable content, the first two also as pre-order bonuses: "The Naked City" on 31 May 2011, a Vice case inspired by the 1948 film of the same name; "A Slip of the Tongue" on 31 May 2011, a Traffic case focusing on motor vehicle theft; "Nicholson Electroplating" on 21 June 2011, an Arson case based on the 1947 explosion of the O'Connor Electro-Plating company; "Reefer Madness" on 12 July 2011, a Vice case surrounding illegal reefer operations; and "The Consul's Car" on 26 July 2011, a Traffic case originally exclusive to PlayStation 3. All in-game items initially available as pre-order content were also made available as part of the Rockstar Pass. Rockstar announced "L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition" for Windows in September 2011, containing all downloadable content and featuring some gameplay and technical enhancements; it was released on 8 November 2011 in North America, and on 11 November in Australia and Europe, followed by a release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 15 November.


title: L.A. Noire

text: "L.A. Noire" received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. It was praised for its facial animation, narrative, characters and performances, music, world design, and interrogation gameplay, though responses to the shooting and driving mechanics were mixed. "The Guardian"s Steve Boxer described it as a "breakthrough for games"; "Edge" felt that most elements are achieved better by other games, but that "few developers have brought such a diffuse set of genres together so atmospherically, stylishly or cohesively". "GameTrailers" wrote that it "sets a new standard for storytelling in video games", though noted some overall limitations compared to other games.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Reviewers praised the game's facial animation, with several stating that it is the best in any video game. "GameTrailers" wrote that "it allows a level of emoting that's never been seen in interactive entertainment". Matt Liebl of "GameZone" felt that the interrogation mechanic would have been unrealistic without the use of MotionScan. "Joystiq"s Justin McElroy considered the technology "nothing short of revolutionary", noting that it allowed the player to view "an actor's entire performance"; "Edge" found that it added a "human element" to the interrogations. Some reviewers found that the body animations failed to match the faces, sometimes failing to bridge the uncanny valley, but felt that the effect added to the realism and subtlety of performances.


title: L.A. Noire

text: "GameSpy"s Ryan Scott considered "L.A. Noire" to be "one of the strongest stories Rockstar's ever published", and "Giant Bomb"s Brad Shoemaker called it "among the best in the business", citing its cohesiveness and tension near its climax. Liebl of "GameZone" thought that the focus on narrative and performances excelled the game over Rockstar's action-oriented titles. Boxer of "The Guardian" praised the narrative's pacing and arc; Carolyn Petit of "GameSpot" found that the game's later chapters made the slower pace of the early story more worthy. "GamePro"s Will Herring similarly lauded the game's final act, noting the narrative's accuracy in its portrayal of Los Angeles; conversely, some reviewers felt that the game became less interesting towards the end, and some found that it became repetitive. Hilary Goldstein of "IGN" wrote that the cases that strayed from the formula—particularly the Homicide desk—were among the best, though noted that the game failed to reach the emotional heights of "Heavy Rain".


title: L.A. Noire

text: Petit of "GameSpot" found Phelps's character development "fascinating", though Herring of "GamePro" wrote that his rapport with his partners made the game more interesting. "Giant Bomb"s Shoemaker felt that the character's dialogue made them feel appropriate to the setting. Critics lauded the cast's performances, with particular praise for Aaron Staton, John Noble, Andrew Connolly, and Michael McGrady; "Edge" felt that Connolly "dominated any scene he's in". Some reviewers found that the performances made the characters feel more believable and convincing; "IGN"s Goldstein praised the actors' mannerisms. Ryan McCaffrey of "Official Xbox Magazine" ("OXM") wrote that the performances made it "a hell of a great drama to watch unfold"; similarly, McElroy of "Joystiq" felt that they made it one of the "most compelling video game stories ever". "Eurogamer"s Oli Welsh wrote that Staton as Phelps "does his best with a dry character".


title: L.A. Noire

text: Many reviewers found Los Angeles to be the "star" of the game, with praise directed at the generally accurate recreation of the city in 1947. "Eurogamer"s Welsh compared it to Rockstar's "" (2004) and "" (2008), noting that "it's the fastidious period detail that really impresses this time". Shoemaker of "Giant Bomb" wrote that the historical elements greatly benefited the overall tone and atmosphere, granting authenticity to the narrative. "GamePro"s Herring called it "one of the richest and most impressively rendered video game environments". Matt Helgeson of "Game Informer" lauded the attention to detail, but felt that it lacked the feeling of interactivity of Liberty City from Rockstar's "Grand Theft Auto IV" (2008). Petit of "GameSpot" said that the "outstanding" art direction made the game more memorable, but that the believability of the open world was marred by the awkward dialogue of the non-playable pedestrians.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Reviewers lauded the game's original score. Welsh of "Eurogamer" opined that it contributed to the overall atmosphere, comparing it favourably to the "ominous swells" of "Taxi Driver" (1976) and the "signature muted brass" of "L.A. Confidential" (1997). "GameSpot"s Petit concurred that it successfully evoked some of the best music of film noir, and "Joystiq"s McElroy praised its authenticity to the time period. Helgeson of "Game Informer" felt that the game effectively balances jazz tracks from the 1940s with a "mournful score". "Giant Bomb"s Shoemaker wrote that the "big-orchestra score feels completely appropriate for the setting and subject matter", and appreciated the music notes used during investigations.


title: L.A. Noire

text: "Game Informer"s Helgeson considered the interrogations "the most compelling aspect of "L.A. Noire""; "IGN"s Goldstein concurred, comparing them to dialogue-heavy scenes from role-playing games. Shoemaker of "Giant Bomb" favourably compared the interrogations to the dialogue choices of "Mass Effect 2", noting that they provide new energy to each case. Petit of "GameSpot" found that the interrogations became more interesting once the player received more autonomy. "OXM"s McCaffrey appreciated the "vigor" brought to the game by the interrogations, but criticised their passive nature of simply listening and pressing a single button. Some reviewers considered the system flawed due to its vague and sometimes illogical choices. Critics were divided on the game's investigation elements: "GameSpot"s Petit called it "compelling" and praised the rich details, while "Eurogamer"s Welsh called it "clunky" and "laborious"; Helgeson of "Game Informer" felt that they became repetitive over the course of the game, feeling "more like an Easter egg hunt than an actual investigation", while Liebl of "GameZone" criticised the lack of significant penalty.


title: L.A. Noire

text: Several critics commented on the game's action sequences and driving controls. "Eurogamer"s Welsh found the foot-chases to be "memorable and fun", comparing them to police television shows, while "Game Informer"s Helgeson wrote that they became "predictable and repetitive". Most reviewers considered the core gameplay simple to understand, though "GameZone"s Liebl felt that this lessened the experience, and "GameTrailers" described the controls as "floaty" and "imprecise". Petit of "GameSpot" found the cars to be "responsible and swift", and Shoemaker of "Giant Bomb" called the car chases his favourite aspect of the action sequences; other reviewers generally concurred, though some felt that the driving was less impressive outside of car chases. Critics generally agreed that the game's shooting mechanics were competent but simple; some found the controls awkward or repetitive, while others considered it lacklustre compared to Rockstar's "Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption". "GamePro"s Herring, however, called it "memorable" and "rewarding".