text:
← Comic Scan: Batman Gotham Adventures #23
Hearts and Minds Part 1 →
The Worry Men
(Hey! Reviews Wed, Thu, and Fri this week! B:TAS today, JL Th/F)
We're closing in on when we start closing in on the holiday season, which means that people will soon start getting stressed out and other people will get depressed and other people will complain about how this bullshit starts earlier and earlier every year, paying no attention to the fact that people are always stressed out and depressed.
Of course, no one is more stressed out or worried about stuff than rich people. You guys are so lucky you're not rich and you don't have to worry about stuff like the big deal that's supposed to happen Wednesday or your investments or anything. Thank god I'm not rich! I just have to worry about still having electricity and a place to live. But at least I don't have to get to my meeting right away, you know the board hates to be kept waiting ha ha ha!
The Worry Men starts with Veronica Vreeland returning from her trip to the rainforest where she was roughing it out with only her one outfit a day and she had to carry her own backpack or something, fuck. She's having a big jungle themed party and everyone is asking her how the trip was. She exclaims that she saw a bug bigger than her trust fund! Ha! Her trust fund! You see, her trust fund is huge! One time I saw a bug bigger than my student loan debt! Isn't that fucking hilarious, Veronica? Isn't it?
I wish that bug had eaten you.
As she's gassing on about, Bruce is talking to a guy named Hayden. Hayden is of course, worried about the crap rich people worry about. Veronica struts up and tells them that she has just the thing. She whips out a couple little doll things and informs us that they're "worry men." You tell it your worries and then put it under your pillow and then you sleep better or something and um, if you're well-rested then you don't have as many problems, I don't know. I guess it just makes you better rested. But you have to talk to it first.
She gives one to Bruce and one to Hayden and then decides that everyone should have one, because she bought a whole fucking lot of them.
I mean, jesus christ. I can't believe a place in the rainforest would have that many of one thing to sell. As she continues to gas on and on, a mostly naked jungle guy comes swooshing in and lands on the rooftop. He peers down through the skylight and Bruce "Always checking the skylights" Wayne notices him. He makes an excuse to run off ("Sorry Veronica, you're ridiculously boring.") and changes into Batman, then lands on the roof to confront what is apparently a witch doctor.
Batman grins one of those "Hi, I'm a fucking cock" grins and he and the witch doctor start going at it. Bats has him beaten in every way, when the doc manages to hit him with a ball…thing. With Batman down and distracted, the doc heads for the ledge of the building, when Batman gets a rope around his leg and pulls, causing the guy to land flat on his face in a manner that would hurt your face a great deal in real life.
The witch doctor manages to break the glass of the skylight and sends an axe hurling towards a rope holding up one of Veronica's large decorations (good thing it's not bigger than her trust fund! Huh? Ha!). The rope snaps and decoration swings towards the floor. Batman, of course, using one of his many ropes, stops it in time for it go crashing through a wall, barely missing a couple of people. While he was doing all that shit, the witch doctor escaped and Batman picks up the weird ball thing to check it out.
At home he's talking to Alfred and asks "What's an ancient Mayan witch doctor doing on a Gotham skyscraper?" First off, ancient? He didn't look that old. Alfred asks if this is "one of those Riddler questions." And maybe the answer is just "THIS!" and then you do something. Bruce says it is not, but it's just as baffling! This is baffling, but all those quarters and the penny that elaborate bullshit, that all made perfect sense.
Alfred was…folding Bruce's pants or something, and finds the worry man that Veronica had given him. Bruce is all "what the fuck ever, like I ain't got enough shit." He explains what it is to Alfred who puts it under Bruce's pillow anyway, because maybe it'll help him relax a bit. Like sleeping with something under your pillow is incredibly comfortable. Alfred also puts a bunch of peas under his mattress because Batman is a delicate princess.
The next day at work, Bruce is wearing an excellent hat.
He is cheery as fuck and flings the hat towards a hat rack where it lands perfectly. He struts around, sidesteps the ottoman, and high fives everyone. His secretary has a suitcase and says something about his request being really weird. He tells her not to worry about and carries the case into his office. He opens it up and the thing is filled with cash. He closes it and sets it outside the window.
His secretary comes in all worried still because she doesn't have a doll or anything, and asks what the deal was with the cash and the case and all that. Bruce though, has no idea what she's talking about. The case apparently contained 20 million dollars. Bruce is slightly concerned. Do you know how many batarangs that is? As they sit there discussing the case on the windowsill, no one bothers to get it off the windowsill and a jungle guy swoops down to grab it. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.
At home, Bruce is checkin' the TV and watching another rich guy get arrested for embezzling money but claiming that he doesn't know where it went. The man's case sounds all too familiar to our hero. He notes that they were all at Veronica's party, and so he goes to hassle her about this.
Veronica is on a boat for no immediately apparent reason, and is preparing to throw a suitcase off the back when Batman shows up. He asks what she's doing and what's in the case and what does x equal in the following equation and all kinds of other shit that makes her dizzy. As she regains her composure, she explains that she has no damn idea where she is and decides to see what she packed for her trip. She opens the suitcase which is filled with lots and lots and lots of jewels. Jewels are one valuable I never understood the appeal of, aside from being able to sell them and get money to buy something you would rather have like a TV or a car or a pony or six ponies.
As she's talking, three jungle-y dudes show up in a boat and attack Batman, while trying to get at Veronica's jewels. She wails on them with her suitcase ineffectively, as Batman does something useful and gets them to all leave with Bat-persuasion.
Veronica pisses and moans about those stupid "worry men" and how she's gonna throw them all out because she bought like 4 million and only gave away about 20, and she doesn't know what to do with the rest of the damn things anyway. Batman, ever the brilliant detective, asks Veronica who exactly she bought the pieces of crap from. She explains that it was a guy with a hat and Bats realizes that we're dealing with the Mad Hatter here.
Hatter we find, has been getting rich people to give him their money to ease their worries. You know the old saying. Mo' money, mo' problems. He's sitting in a hideout with some bags of money and piles of gold coins even though no one ever has gold coins, except like…Scrooge McDuck and who fucking knows where he's getting them. The jungle guys walk in and one is missing a piece of his cloak. Hatter is all "Fucking shit! Batman's gonna be here any minute now, you morons!" Which suggests that he knows Batman pretty well. The idea that he could possibly get away still however, suggests that he doesn't actually know fuck about him.
Batman shows up to the hideout in a costume factory, and Hatter was ready for him. He apparently took a great deal of time to craft look-a-like mannequins of all of Batman's villians. The Penguin (even less scary as a mannequin) comes rolling in firing as does a Riddler mannequin. The Harley marionette backs Batman against a jack-in-the-box out of which a huge Joker pops. And I mean huge. It's incredible how often HUGE things occur in cartoons.
Hatter even told a riddle for the Riddler mannequin which was "How is Batman like a donut shop?" The answer being "They're both full of holes!" (see he was shooting at him). Batman however does not bother responding with "How do you tell a terrible riddle?…LIKE THIS!"
After beating up all the fake guys, the actual jungle guys jump Bats and get a pretty heavy wallop on him, taking him down. They drag him over to Hatter while Bats kinda groans in pain. Hatter takes forever and an eternity to explain that he plans on retiring and buying an island and maybe some women and stuff, but he needs money first so he tricked that airhead Veronica and used his Hatter powers to get her to buy more worry men than a human could ever possibly need even if they were useful, and that the jungle guys are under just local thugs who are under his control too and one of them is actually the witch doctor he brought home to Gotham and now, NOW he is going to take your cowl Batman, ha ha ha!
Of course Batman now has the strength and wits to kick Hatter who then tells the jungle guys to place him under a convenient guillotine. Batman gets a hand free and whips out a sonic device that snaps all of the jungle guys out of it. Confused as fuck, they stop helping Hatter who, in a pissed off rage, drops the guillotine on Bats. Batman, in his standard slick-as-fuckness, catches the blade with his feet.
Good freakin' god that is smooth.
The jungle men decide to go after Hatter, but the witch doctor who has somehow become the leader even though the other three were just thugs, tells them not to attack him for some reason about like the law and stuff or maybe kharma or something. Hatters pretends to concede before whipping out a gun. He turns to shoot Batman who is obviously by this point, fucking gone.
Hatter nervously looks for him and is distracted by an oncoming Bat-mannequin when OH FUCK THERE'S THE ACTUAL BATMAN FUCK FUCK and then he's unconscious in a second. A sign falls down that says "Hat Department."
HAT DEPARTMENT. BRILLIANT.
In the aftermath, Bruce is paying for a plane to fly the witch doctor home and no one asks why Bruce is doing it. The doc has also taken a moment to apparently sneak into Arkham or some shit because there's a little Batman doll under his pillow.
It's adorable!
This entry was posted in Batman:TAS, Episode Commentary. Bookmark the permalink.


The Fish category of the Foodservice Price Index saw another jump in inflation month on month, with much of the increase down to difficulties in the North Sea, where poor weather has kept ships off key fishing grounds for long periods and reduced catches. Fishing vessels have already been limited to lower quotas for cod and haddock over the last year, and recent weather conditions have only compounded the impact, resulting in a high level of inflation against the same time last year.
Inflation in the Fruit category also remained high in this month, but is expected to ease as we move into spring and summer and the UK's reliance on imports reduces. Similarly, dairy commodities, while still up compared to 12 months ago, have also started to fall, and are expected to continue doing so as we head into the peak production season of the spring flush.
The Oils & Fats category of the Index continues to trend downwards, and now sits below levels at March 2018. Major food oil commodities are tracking below price levels of last year, helped by strong import volumes into the European Union in recent months. The fall in UK butter prices seen since last October has also contributed to the drop in inflation for this category.


text:
Canada's Lynda Kiejko stars in new Olympic Channel original series
The 37-year-old Pistol shooter is among the protagonists of the Day Jobs original series, an Olympic Channel production that takes you through the efforts that many athletes make everyday to feed their Olympic dream.
The Olympic Channel recently released the latest of its original productions — a 15-episode series named Day Jobs — and among the 15 Olympians that star in it, there is Canada's Pistol shooter and civil engineer Lynda Kiejko.
In the 8-minute long episode, the 37-year-old from Calgary is accompanied through one of her typical days, constantly trying to find the right balance between working at Altalink and training to be one of the best Pistol shooters in the world.
Lynda Kiejko made her Olympic debut last year in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), where she placed 38th in both Pistol events: the women's 10m Air Pistol and the women's 25m Pistol. Two years earlier, at the Toronto 2015 Pan-American Games, she climbed atop the podium and took Gold in both events.
Marco Vettoretti
Follow @ISSF_Shooting
ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun
Suhl, GER, 2019
Final 10m Air Rifle Men Junior
Final 10m Air Rifle Women Junior
Final Trap Women Junior
Final Trap Men Junior
Pictures of Day 2
Victory ceremony, Day 3
ISSF NEWSLETTER with the up-to-date info covering the international shooting sport

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Moveable Fest
Sundance 2022 Interview: Shaandiin Tome and Rayka Zehtabchi on a Rite of Passage in "Long Line of Ladies"
Pawo Choyning Dorji on Moving Mountains to Make "Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom"
Sundance 2022 Interview: Lewie and Noah Kloster on Pulling Some Strings with "Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver"
Sundance 2022 Review: "A Love Song" Stirs the Soul
Sundance 2022 Review: "Tantura" Profoundly Observes the War to Be Remembered
Sundance 2022 Review: The Heart Races in Sara Dosa's "Fire of Love"
The Mentaculist
Matt Damon: A Career in Cameos
Five Movie Marketing Miscues That Blew Up in All the Wrong Ways
Justin Lin on "Tokyo Drift" and the Four Hours That Saved the
"Fast & Furious" Franchise
A Resolution Comes True: The Making of "Get Crazy," the Ultimate New Year's Movie and Its Wild Restoration
How Joan Micklin Silver's "Hester Street" Transcended the Idea of Hollywood Being a One-Horse Town
"Every Day Was Like, 'How Do We Pull This Off?'" Martin Brest on "Midnight Run"
Sundance 2022 Interview: James P. Gannon on Finding Himself at a Crossroads with "Deerwoods Deathtrap"
Interview: François Girard on Bringing Out the Grace Notes in "The Song of Names"
The Daily Texan
Flashback – The Sky's the Limit: Carrying on the Tradition of Great Texas Storytelling Through Film
Veterans of Texas film such as L.M. Kit Carson, David Gordon Green and Richard Linklater on how their style was informed by the great tradition of storytelling from the Lone Star State and the influence of films like "The Whole Shootin' Match" and "Bottle Rocket" that would have ripple effects on independent film.
Flashback – The Star of Texas: How Austin Became a Filmmaking Capital
Richard Linklater, Catherine Hardwicke and Harry Knowles, among others, give their recollections about how the state they were raised in helped shape their view of movies and how their view would one day shape movies.
Flashback – Tim League and The Tradition of Great Austin Exhibitionists
As the Drafthouse's Tim League sets his sights on making a splash in New York, a look back at when he was beginning to thrive, joining a great tradition of Austin's independent and innovative independent theater exhibitors.
Flashback – The Not-So-Secret Society: How the Austin Film Society Came of Age
Richard Linklater, Louis Black and Evan Smith share their thoughts on the formation of the groundbreaking organization for the filmmaking community of Austin, both about its past and future.
Flashback – Wrestling with Perception: How Documentaries Found a Home in Austin
R.J. Cutler and Albert Maysles, among others, talk about when a hotbed for documentary filmmaking and presentation sprung up deep in the heart of Texas.
To Live and Screen in L.A.
The Duplass Brothers Need to Talk About "Kevin" and "Adolescents" in LA & NY
On opposite coasts, the fraternal writing/directing duo of "Cyrus" and "Baghead" show off different muscles this week with the premieres of a new documentary "Kevin" in Los Angeles and the comedy "True Adolescents" in New York.
Copyright 2011 The Moveable Fest
Film NewsTo Live and Screen in L.A.
Joe Carnahan Talks About the Alternate Ending He Shot For "The Grey"
Interview: Nancy Buirski and Peggy Loving on Finally Getting to Tell "The Loving Story"
Playing God: 13 Actors Who Dared To Be the Deity in Movies
The Moveable Fest documentaries interviews Kickstarter reviews


What will the MEPs be working on this week in Strasbourg?
Commission President José Manuel Barroso will deliver his last State of the Union speech before next year's European elections. He will present his flagship plans to Parliament on Wednesday from 9:00, followed by a debate.
In the run-up to the 2014 European elections, the European Parliament is officially launching its awareness and information campaign on 10 September. The campaign will consist of four phases and be operational until after the elections themselves, with the election by the new Parliament of the European Commission President.
Vice-Presidents Podimata (S&D, EL) and Karas (EPP, AT) will hold a press conference Tuesday at 11.30 to brief media on the details of the campaign.
The campaign will run in four phases: the opening, a thematic phase, the election campaign proper and the election and inauguration of the new Commission.
With the majority of laws now being shaped at EU level, the European Parliament is at least as powerful as any national parliament. It is therefore important for voters to know what decisions are taken and how they can shape those decisions.
Draft legal measures to cap traditional biofuel production and accelerate the switchover to a new generation of products from other sources, such as seaweed and or certain types of waste, will be debated on Tuesday and put to a vote on Wednesday. These measures aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to the growing use of farmland to produce biofuel crops.
The share of first-generation biofuels produced from food or biofuel crops should not exceed 5.5% of the energy used in transport by 2020, and second-generation biofuels should contribute at least 2%, say the Environment Committee proposals, drafted by Corinne Lepage (ALDE, FR).
The committee also wants greenhouse gas emissions due to the growing use of farmland to produce biofuel rather than food crops to be taken into account. This indirect land use change (ILUC) could cancel out part of the environmental benefits of biofuels.
The Energy Committee, which also contributed to the draft, advocates a 6.5% ceiling for first-generation biofuels, and is against including ILUC in the legislation.
MEPs decide on Tuesday whether or not to give the go-ahead to the EU bank supervision system, which would bring about 150 of the EU's largest banks under the direct oversight of the European Central Bank.
The decision is expected to hinge on the outcome of final negotiations between the ECB and MEPs on strict transparency and accountability rules which would apply to the ECB in its bank supervisor role.
The new oversight system, an essential component of banking union, involves the transfer of considerable bank supervisory powers from national to EU level. MEPs and various national parliaments have insisted throughout that this transfer of powers requires commensurate democratic control of the new supervisor. They have also stressed the need to develop a more uniform culture of bank supervision, so as to discourage disparate approaches.
MEPs are likely to call for a negotiated political solution for Syria, despite any possible military action following the use of chemical weapons, in a debate with The EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton on Wednesday. Over 2 million Syrian refugees have fled the country.
The plenary debate follows an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee on 28 August.
The plenary will discuss the current deadlock in Egypt with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday, following the government crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and the charges levelled against the former President Mohamed Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders. A resolution on Egypt will be voted on Thursday.
Home buyers across the EU would be better informed about the costs and risks of taking on a mortgage, partly shielded against market swings that inflate their repayments and better protected if they cannot repay the loan, under new rules to be voted by Parliament on Tuesday.
The legislation would cover mortgages on residential property, residential property including an office space and building land.
The EU's existing Environmental Impact Assessment Directive is being updated, and the Environment Committee proposes extending it to shale gas extraction projects, in a draft resolution to be voted on Wednesday.
The European eel stock has declined by more than 95% in the past thirty years and that the European Commission should table new EU legislation before the end of March 2014 to save this endangered species, says a draft resolution to be voted on Wednesday. An evaluation of current eel stock recovery measures, to be presented by the end of October 2013, should help shape the new law, it adds.
Parliament also plans to call for sanctions against member states that are slow to provide the data needed to assess the stock and will press for more frequent reporting.
International couples in registered partnerships should have the same right as married ones to choose which member state's national law will govern their property rights if the relationship ends, says a draft opinion to be debated on Monday and voted on Tuesday.
Parliament is being consulted on draft legislation that would subject the property rights of registered partners to the law of the member state in which their partnership was registered.
MEPs are set to urge that registered partners, like married couples, should be entitled to choose which member state's law will govern their property rights, provided that they have a close connection to the member state concerned.
The proposed new rules are gender neutral, and do not affect national laws on marriage or registered partnerships. "International couples" means couples of different nationalities, those living outside their home country, or those having assets in a number of member states.
New rules imposing tougher sanctions for manipulating financial markets, insider dealing or abuse of inside information will be put to vote on Wednesday. These rules will also cover a wider range of trading venues and financial instruments than today's rules.
Companies convicted of market abuse could be fined up to 15% of their annual turnover. Individual perpetrators would face the fines up to at least 3 times profits made and a temporary or some cases permanent ban on doing certain jobs within investment firms.
The UK's detention and anti-terror law investigation of David Miranda, partner of Guardian columnist Glenn Greewald, will be debated with Commissioner Reding on Tuesday afternoon. The debate will also focus on threats to media freedom in the context of state surveillance of citizens. Mr Greenwald has reported on a series of mass surveillance schemes disclosed by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
The Civil Liberties Committee is conducting an inquiry into alleged spying by the US and EU countries on EU citizens. At its first hearing, on 5 September, MEPs heard some of the journalists who unveiled the mass surveillance programmes. The second hearing is scheduled for Thursday, 12 September.
MEPs are set to criticise growing Russian pressure on the EU's eastern neighbours, such as Ukraine and Armenia, not to seek to deepen economic and political ties with the EU at this November's Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius. Debate Wednesday, vote Thursday.
The debate with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday and a resolution to be voted on Thursday follow Russia's recent moves to block imports of Ukrainian confectionary and an announcement by Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan that it will join a customs union with Russia.
Natural and genetic resources play a growing role in many economic sectors, including food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic production. Rules for sharing the user benefits of these resources with their countries of origin will be set out in a draft law to be debated on Wednesday and voted on Thursday.
MEPs plan to insert criteria to ensure traceability, ethical conduct and compliance with international legal obligations. They also propose establishing a European fund for biodiversity, to protect these resources in their country of origin.
The Council's stance on the EU's draft budget for 2014 will be presented by its Lithuananian Presidency on Tuesday. It proposes €142.23 billion in commitments and €135 billion in payments, i.e. €240 million less for commitments and €1.06 billion less for payments than the the European Commission proposed at the end of June.
Parliament must now state its position before starting 21-day "concilation" talks with the Council to deliver a final budget for 2014 before the end of this year.
Plans to introduce measures to promote the mobility and employment of young people and a European Quality Framework for Traineeships will be debated on Wednesday and put to a vote on Thursday.
Member states must adapt their teaching systems to labour market needs and eliminate all barriers so as to offer the best cross-border traineeship possibilities to young people, says a draft resolution by the Culture Committee.
To prevent the exploitation of young trainees, Employment Committee MEPs call on the Commission to propose a European Quality Framework for Traineeships, including criteria for compensation, working conditions and health and safety standards.
Parliament will hold urgent debates on the following topics relating to human rights and democracy Thursday 12 September at 15.00, with the votes following at around 16.00.


text:
Angels with Shoes
GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance
The Candle
V.A.C.C. Camp: Camp Can-Do
P.A.T.H.
Best Florida Film Award
The Motivator: The Business Of Selling Hope
Movie Posters [Redux]
"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt." ~ Henry J. Kaiser
Dravet Syndrome Foundation: "Maddie's Story"
by Dan Perez September 23, 2012
written by Dan Perez September 23, 2012
[This is the third of five videos I produced for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation]
WHAT IS DRAVET SYNDROME?
Dravet syndrome, also known as Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI), is a rare and catastrophic form of intractable epilepsy that begins in infancy. Initial seizures are most often prolonged events and in the second year of life other seizure types begin to emerge. Development remains on track initially, with plateaus and a progressive decline typically beginning in the second year of life.
Children with Dravet syndrome do not outgrow this condition and it affects every aspect of their daily lives.
The Dravet Syndrome Foundation is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization dedicated to aggressively raising research funds for Dravet syndrome and related conditions. By offering research grants for syndrome-specific research with a novel approach, the DSF can move researchers and the medical community forward to find better treatments and a cure while assisting afflicted individuals and their families.
Back in 2010, I produced a video on Dravet syndrome for Miami Children's Hospital. Earlier this year, I was contacted by the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (who came across that same video online) to produce a series of videos that would bring to light the challenges faced by the children and families suffering through this debilitating illness.
This is Maddie's story…
Join the Dravet Syndrome Foundation at the Steps Toward A Cure in Monroe, CT, on Sunday, October 14th. This fun, family-friendly event includes, a 1.5-mile family walk, refreshments, teacup raffle and kids' activities. It will be held at Great Hollow Lake in Monroe. Proceeds benefit Dravet Syndrome Foundation.
Did you know that video promotion is over 6 times more effective than print and online? If you're not using video to promote your product or service, maybe it's time you did. Feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help tell your company or organization's unique story…
Like us on facebook and you'll make us really happy; we're not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don't…
awarenesschildrenDravet SyndromeEpilepsyhealthcareMyoclonicNeurologyphilanthropyseizures
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappEmail
Dan Perez
Award-winning filmmaker & photographer, video creator and overall nice guy.
Movie Poster REDUX: Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" [2006]
Classic Movie Poster: West Side Story [1961]
Physician Voices: Reflections on a Pandemic
VACC Camp: Miami's Most Remarkable Camp for Special...
From Guatemala to Miami: Mayra's Story (Video)
2019 National Philanthropy Day in Miami
Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance: 2019 Annual Awards Dinner
From Colombia to Miami: Isabella's Leukemia Story
Life-Saving Heart Surgery at Nicklaus Children's Hospital: Justin's...
Video: Get to Know United HomeCare® of South...
Broward County Cultural Division honored by the Greater...
Camp Superstar: A Special Weekend for Children with...
Facebook Twitter Instagram Flickr Youtube Email Vimeo
Honeyvoid: "Icarus" (Live)
Art & Chat with Dan Perez presented by ArtServe
#BlackLivesMatter Meets #MeToo in Jennifer Kent's "The Nightingale"
VACC Camp: Miami's Most Remarkable Camp for Special Needs Children [VIDEO]
Casa Patas, Madrid: Flamenco en Vivo (In Pictures)
MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, NYC (In Pictures)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NYC (In Pictures)
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, NYC (In Pictures)
The Whitney Museum of American Art (In Pictures)
Festival Gastronómico Porta del Sol: Mayagüez, Puerto Rico (In Pictures)
Movie Poster REDUX
20 Alternate Movie Posters of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner"
Awesome Alternate Movie Posters of 13 Ridley Scott Films
12 Badass Movie Posters for "Mad Max: Fury Road" + Review
13 Chilling "Friday the 13th" Alternate Movie Posters
Movie Poster REDUX: The 20 Scariest Movies of All Time
Movie Poster REDUX: 15 Terrifying Alternate Posters for "Godzilla"
Movie Poster REDUX: Batman, Batman and more Batman


text:
Home Military A-10 Warthog: The 50 Year Old Plane That Just Won't Dіe
A-10 Warthog: The 50 Year Old Plane That Just Won't Dіe
Military Daniel Tom December 11, 2022 0 Comment
Despite being nearly fifty years old, how does the U.S. A-10 Warthog continue to survive various efforts to cancel it each time it's in budget-cut danger? An airplane that is as ugly as its name, the A-10 can bring the heat to the air-to-ground battle. Its many critics have to admit that this thing is just awesome at close-air-support. Designed as a "tank plinker" during the Cold War, the Warthog showed extreme prowess during Operation Desert Storm while destroying all kinds of Iraqi weapons systems.
How Many Lives Does the Warthog Have?
But the Air Force has wanted to eliminate the A-10 for more than 20 years. It is considered too slow and ponderous after decades in service. And despite its achievements in the air-to-ground fight, opponents believed the money used on upkeep and maintenance could be better spent on more modern aircraft.
Enter the Biden Administration and the U.S. Senate
Then politics entered the picture. First, the Biden Administration said no more Warthogs and proposed to retire dozens of them. Then rookie Arizona Senator Mark Kelly took a defiant stance against eliminating the Warthog. Senator Kelly is up for re-election in 2022 and the A-10 flies out of his state. He is worried that an opponent would label him as the senator who abandoned the A-10 and that would result in numerous lost jobs. This means the economic benefit to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson is part of the political calculus. This base is estimated to add $3 billion to the local economy. So, losing the A-10 would put a dent in that number.
One Senator's Husband Flew the A-10 and She Wanted to Keep It
This isn't the first time a senator has fought for the A-10. In 2014, then New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte went up against then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Hagel believed, once again, that the airplane was too expensive to maintain and too old. Ayotte was fighting a unique battle though. Her husband was an Air Force pilot who flew the A-10 (also called the Thunderbolt officially), even though the A-10 was not based in New Hampshire and had no defense contractor connections in the Granite State. Ayotte also had a powerful ally. Senator John McCain of Arizona wanted to keep the A-10 because, like Mark Kelly, he didn't want to lose the economic benefits of keeping the A-10 in Tucson. The A-10 also had squadrons in Georgia and both senators from that state fought for it in 2015.
Congress and the Pentagon Are Too Fickle
This is an example of Congress wanting it both ways. Congressional members say they would like a cost-effective, efficient military that is easy to modernize and fights in a nimble fashion. But when the President or the Pentagon want to move on from old, outdated systems, members cry foul and fight back. In 2014, the Obama administration said that retiring the A-10 could save $4.2 billion. The White House said the new F-35s and F-22s could also be used to fight in close support against ground threats.
Here's the problem. The A-10 has survived so long that it has endured the complete 20-year cycle of the global war on terror to include service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those fights are over, but now the military faces threats of a revanchist Russia and a rising China. War, if it ever happened, could be comprised of some mechanized conflicts, and guess what? That is exactly what the A-10 was made for. 21st-century warfare has reverted back to a potential armored fight. Therefore, there is an argument to keep the A-10 around for potential conflict with Russia or China.
Amazing! Newport News Shipbuilding successfully launched Indiana (SSN 789) into the James River
Newport Shipbuilding successfully ɩаᴜпсһed Indiana (SSN 789) into the James River June 3-4. The submarine was moved oᴜt of a construction facility into a floating dry dock…
Learn about the incredibly Ьіzаггe, enormous helicopters that the US Air foгсe formerly employed
The CH-54 Tarhe, also called Skycrane or flying insect, was manufactured by Sikorsky. The nickname Skycrane derives from its heavy load cargo…
Don't Miss the Video Below: The NEW Most Daneos Helicopter Has Passed Testing
Back in the second half of the 20th century, mапkіпd finally realized the fact that "flying tanks"- аttасk helicopters with foгmіdаЬɩe weарoпѕ, modern protection, high speed and…
The F-22 Raptor has a longer range and a redesigned stealth fuel tank with configurable stealth.
The flagship of Αmericaп aviatioп, the F-22 Raptor, aпd iп oυr opiпioп the best aircraft iп the world, is aboυt to be retired. However, the withdrawal of…
Look Inside the world's largest aircraft carrier hangar
Today we are going to have a look at what life is like inside the world's largest aircraft carrier hangar. AUs navy aircraft carriers are already stunning…
Meet The SR-71 Blackbird: The Fastest Air-Breathing Aircraft Ever
. How fast? Test pilot Jim Eastham managed to push one to Mach 3.56, or just under 2,400 mph, for approximately 15 seconds whilst in…


German tourist or business visas are not required for U.S. citizens. If you are not a U.S. citizen, let TravelVisa.com guide you through the German visa application process and help you obtain your German travel visa in time for your trip!
U.S. citizens may enter Germany as a tourist or for business without a visa and may stay up to 90 days in Germany. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the period of stay. This regulation is strictly enforced in Germany. You may be denied entry into Germany or have your travel disrupted if your passport does not have sufficient validity.


The 22 km wide Siliguri Corridor separates the north-eastern states of India from the mainland. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur and Mizoram are geographically close but a heterogeneous mix of people resides in this enchanting corner of India.
Leading an isolated existence for decades, the Northeast India is furtively opening its doors to the rest of the world to reveal its many splendid attractions. Blessed with a fairly moderate climate and very heavy monsoon rains, the north-eastern states have a topography that has largely been shaped by the Brahmaputra and the Barak rivers. The Himalayas and the Meghalaya Plateau enclose much of the north-east's unique biodiversity, which ranges from lush tropical forests to tea plantations to oil-bearing fields and wildlife sanctuaries. In Sikkim, where the Himalayas occupy all its territory, snow capped peaks, glaciers and lakes give way to stark and desolate rugged mountain slopes.
Arunachal Pradesh is a heaven for nature lovers. Its virgin forests are a naturalist's dream and its difficult terrain bursting with opportunities for adventure enthusiasts. Apart from treks, the powerful Brahmaputra has sections galore for all levels of white water rafting. Bomdila, Ziro, Tawang, Pasighat, Miao and Namdapha are interesting places to visit in this very mystical state.
In Manipur, discover the rich culture of the locals through their display of classic dances and martial arts. The Loktak Lake is one of the state's most splendid possessions. The rainy state of Meghalaya has enchanting hill stations like Shillong and fascinating tribal culture, even as Cherrapunjee cuts a different landscape with its limestone caves.
On arrival at Bagdogra Airport, you will be welcomed by our representative and transferred to Darjeeling. Check into a hotel and spend the day at leisure.
Early morning proceed for a sunrise tour to Tiger Hill. Tiger Hill is 2590 meters above sea level and is 11km from Darjeeling. After a spectacular sunrise view over Kanchanajunga return to hotel.
Relax and refresh and enjoy your breakfast at hotel. Now leave for a full day tour to Darjeeling. Places to visit: Ghoom Monastery, Aloobari Monastry, Tea Gardens, Dhirdham Temple etc.
Spend the day at leisure. Explore the Mall, Chowrasta, Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway on your own. You can enjoy shopping at the Mall or Pashupati.
After breakfast leave for a tour to Gangtok. Also visit Tashi View Point for spectacular views of Kanchenjunga and other snow ranges.
Evening is free to spend at leisure or explore the city on your own.
After breakfast drive to Siliguri. Check into a hotel and refresh yourself.
After relaxing a bit, proceed for sightseeing tour to Siliguri. Also visit ISKON Temple Coronation Bridge.
After breakfast, proceed to the Nursery of Himalaya- kalimpong. Check into a hotel and refresh yourself.
After relaxing a bit, leave for a local sightseeing tour to Kalimpong.
Your tour concludes on this day. You will be transferred to Bagdogra.


Open Source Software (OSS) presents many benefits to both the private and public sectors, and has proven to be a viable solution in schools. Although a policy mandating the use of OSS exists in the Western Cape province of South Africa, very few schools in the province have adopted OSS. The education system in South Africa is currently facing a crisis because of its inability to provide quality education, and its lack of funds. The Western Cape recently signed a Microsoft Schools Agreement. This study aimed at gaining insights into the factors influencing or inhibiting OSS adoption within the Western Cape Schools Environment. In-depth interviews were conducted with senior staff in the Department of the Premier, Department of Education, as well as users at school level. The Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework was employed to organise the data, while thematic analysis was used to uncover themes and patterns in the data. Significant factors that emerged as positive influences to the adoption of OSS included cost, performance and positive attitudes. The negative influences that emerged included compatibility, lack of resources and time, and lack of support. Recommendations for the negative influences were highlighted, and include research and development, employment of additional resources, on-going support, and training.


text:
James Boyd Photography / www.thedailysail.com
The Emirates TNZ boss on the America's Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, the new one design and why Camper is the slowest of the new VO70s
Wednesday July 4th 2012, Author: James Boyd, Location: none selected
Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton was in Lorient last week, to gee on his boys on the Camper VO70 - which clearly worked given their leg nine victory into Galway on Monday. The round the world race legend also attended the announcement about the Volvo Ocean Race's new 65ft one design.
With his team challenging for the 34th America's Cup and also competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, Dalton found himself drawing stark comparisons between the two events, particularly the costs involved with each.
"What is great is that it has been done, someone made a decision - Knut [Frostad] in this case - and has actually attacked it head on, whereas America's Cup just lost the plot when it comes to cost control and costs have blown through the roof and they are still going up. So that is interesting - a real contrast. You see the background of Knut – he is a guy who has had to raise money all his life for his own sailing, so he is following that culture of attacking cost head on and I think that is absolutely to be commended."
Particularly Dalton endorses the choice of going one design for the amount it should reduce campaign costs. The Volvo Ocean Race as a sports marketing entity, he maintains, cannot justify teams costing 25-30 million Euros (or more in Groupama's case). "There will always be those that say it is the wrong way to go – 'it is one design, it is not the culture of the race' – but when you boil it all down there isn't any money in the world – it has gone! We think of it as purists, but there is this simple fact that unless something is done it won't survive – period - because the money doesn't exist. We spend all our time looking at pictures of the boat, but there isn't a lot of focus put on the fact that the world economy is such that you can't raise very much money at the moment."
However with the new one design the goalposts are certain to move and it will place far greater premium on the crew. This, Dalton says, will be partly dictated by the number of under 30 or 28 year olds that will be required in the eight man crew next time around. "And there will be a really heavy premium on getting the right navigator. There are not many guys on the boat so you are going to have to go the right way. So if I was a good navigator I'd be pretty happy right now because I'd be putting my price up quite a lot..."
However the boat isn't the biggest ticket item with professional sailing teams like Emirates Team New Zealand. Salaries at present account for around 55-60% of a total campaign budget (not just in the Volvo Ocean Race but across most campaigns, Dalton says). "Numbers of people, duration and salaries are your major cost."
He reckons that the next step would be to introduce salary cap for teams. "You do that and then you cap it properly. Of course yachtsmen are going to resist that like crazy, but the people that raise the money won't."
There are plenty of examples of salary caps working in sport down under, but also examples of teams cheating it with clandestine backhanders and people ended up with 'free houses', etc, rugby league being the worst example. But Dalton points out there that have also been plenty of people and teams caught cheating the system and heavily fined as a result.
So was he surprised that the new one design is from Farr rather than the dominant designer of the last three Volvo Ocean Races - Juan K? "Knut answered it. Poor old Pat Shaughnessy [Farr Yacht Design President] looked like someone had shot his grandmother! They still have some racing pedigree, but they don't do too many race boats any more so they are in a better position than any other designer to set up the systems that are needed to do a production boat. I think they are the right choice. They can't be that far wrong with the design of the boat - maybe someone could have done one that went 0.2 of a knot faster, but they are all the same."
Dalton adds that from his team's perspective, being an America's Cup team, the one design will make life easier for them as in addition to the reduced cost, the turnkey one design to be used in the 2014-5 Volvo Ocean Race will tie up less resource for them.
So does this mean we will be seeing Emirates Team New Zealand in the next Volvo Ocean Race? "I don't know at this stage. I haven't thought about it because I have enough problems to deal with! So the answer is I'd like to, but I have given it no thought."
A concern of Dalton's is that costs may not go down if big teams do the obvious thing and get two boats – if this is permitted. "Serious teams will have two. So two of those ends up being a lot more than one of these [a VO70]." If two boat teams are allowed then it will be like the 2008-9 race when two boat teams will be obliged to race both their boats. "I don't think it is a bad thing," Dalton continues. "That cost can be controlled if the two boats can't sail together and that happens in the Cup now, but I don't know what he [Knut] is going to do about that. We are not allowed to sail two Cup boats together until February next – but then we couldn't sail them together even if we wanted to and logistically we'll never be able to sail two boats together whereas Oracle just throws another 200 people at it. I don't know how you control that."
Dalton echoes our concerns over the VOD65's reliability. "They are like rental cars now and you can't take any strategic advantage through design or being strong in certain conditions, so when the gas is on the gas is on. And depending on how strong the boat ends up you will reach a point where it will be where the VO60s got to ultimately - they got so reliable so that the humans dropped first – they couldn't do it. Ultimately you couldn't break a Volvo 60 and we were just breaking ourselves. So these boats will probably be a bit like that. It is certainly possible to get to that stage with a high performance boat that is strong enough and the people just can't take it."
Of Groupama's victory in this Volvo Ocean Race, Dalton was impressed. He's had exposure to the French sailing scene when he skippered the Club Med maxi cat to victory in The Race 12 years ago. "Groupama has done a good job. It was interesting watching them on the first two legs. On the first leg they sailed very 'French' [their flier to Africa] and the second was pretty 'French' as well but they were starting to get it under control and by the third leg they were sailing really smart and they have been doing that since. The boat is seriously quick. It is the quickest boat in the race, at times by quite a lot. We are fourth or fifth quickest which is a struggle, like on the leg coming into Lisbon when we were pretty much all together and Groupama just stretched and we just got left behind. So I think they have done a really nice job. And they have adapted to the Anglo-Saxon kind of way."
Equally Dalton says he was surprised by the decline of Telefonica throughout the race. "I don't know. I guess the horseshoe fell out of their arse. I have no idea what happened. Sometime you can't get it wrong and sometimes you just can't buy a trick. Sometimes there is no reason, you do nothing differently and it just doesn't fall for you."
Certainly the Spanish team's generally dismal performance in the in-port races can't have helped. "The in port racing is important - you start [the subsequent offshore leg] the next day on a high if you do well. Mentally you must start low if you have a bad in port. I don't think it has helped. And the points add up, if you do them well they eventually count. But one leg [into Lisbon] has spun this whole race. You wouldn't have thought that in nine legs one leg could make the difference. In general terms it nailed it for Groupama effectively at that point."
Having been at the last few stopovers Dalton says that the teams in general have suffered from not being able to modify their crew set-up and in particular their communication when they swap between inshore and offshore modes. "I was on board [Camper] in the in port race in Lisbon and I thought they sailed pretty nicely. We should have won it – we screwed it up at the bottom mark before we came on the wind – it was a communication mistake. It cost us that race in Lisbon when we should have won it."
So Dalton thinks the Camper boat is the slowest of the new designs. Why? "Because of a mistake. I am still cross about that. We just got it wrong. The Juan K boats are better and Marcelino [Botin] can answer it better, but I think it is an induced drag issue - we gave away what we believed was an induced drag created by higher stability, in other words you get more drag with stability and you couldn't use it, but in fact you can. And I think their boards are a lot better than ours too. Basically we aren't quick enough – the boat's wrong."
While there were rumours early in the race of rifts within the Camper crew, Dalton says he was unaware of this. However he was surprised Chris Nicholson's crew weren't more 'pissed off' with their performance. "A little bit of biffo might have helped! They have been amazing how they have held together. Normally you get at least one skipper being sacked in Cape Town. I don't know. We made a change in Abu Dhabi and put Nico downstairs because tactically we were just woeful, so they could concentrate more on that. That was a definite gain tactically, although we have had a couple of beauties since. Otherwise there have been no issues on the boat at all. If there were issues on the boat I'd have stepped in. Maybe there should have been. Maybe there hasn't been enough conflict. Sometimes everyone gets a bit too chummy. Certainly Team New Zealand suffered from being too chummy going into the 2003 Cup. A little bit of conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there have been no issues at all."
While Knut Frostad is striving hard to halve campaign costs in the Volvo Ocean Race, Dalton says that in the America's Cup costs are spirally upwards out of control. "We are up at more than 20% of the total budget we thought we would spend. That is up about 35% up from the Cup in Valencia." Part of that is down to the strength of the New Zealand dollar against the Euro, but it is also the greatly inflated cost of designing, building and developing the AC72s. While a Version 5 took 18-20,000 man hours to build, with the AC72 it is taking around 50,000 to construct the platform alone "...and we can be within 500 hours because we are that close to finishing it," while the wing is around 15,000 man hours. So a threefold increase at least. And, as the Kiwi team's chief designer Nick Holroyd told us recently, with 35 designers on the payroll, they have estimated that 50 man years has gone into just the design.
"It's nuts. I don't feel led up the garden path, because we were calling it early. I remember the very first day they said it was going to be cheap we called 'yeah, right', but I think a lot of other people have [been caught out]. I think the Koreans - they have had the biggest shock they had since the North invaded them... I think they don't know what they don't know yet... Coutts is now already talking about, if they were to retain it, they'd scrap the 72 and go to a smaller boat and he wants budgets of 30 million which seems a familiar figure. I think the commercial market for the Cup is about 30 million."
The Emirates Team New Zealand AC72 is to be launched later this month followed a build predominantly between the Kiwi team's long term builder, Mick Cookson, and Southern Spars. While Cookson has built the hulls and parts for the wing, Southern Spars has built the majority of the wing and also supplied some other parts such as the bowsprit and the other spars likely to be used to handle the fore and aft rig loads on the platform.
Given the tales of occasional carnage when Oracle was manhandling the ginormous wing on and off USA 17, Dalton is anticipating that this is going to be a significant issue with the AC72. The 45 wing, while it is being lifted on and off the platform can be tethered by crew holding guy ropes. However that won't be adequate with the 72. "You'd need an elephant on the end of the guy rope! So the whole thing has got to be held down with weights and you drive the weights around so the thing can' take off on you."
They are also having to take steps handling the AC72 to get it in and out of Auckland's Viaduct Basin where they have their base. "We have built tugs, like bumper boats so that they can go 360deg so we can take it out backwards in a southwesterly or bring it in backwards in a northeasterly. And we have got a new big chase boat due in the water in a couple of weeks – a big 45ft cat with 1200hp on it. It is not to keep up with the thing, but if it tips over you need a lot of torque to rewrite it..." Or to pick up the bits.
Emirates Team New Zealand's first AC72 is to be launched in Auckland later this month.
KingMonkey 04/07/2012 - 22:30
Excellent interview with Dalton. The '4th fastest boat' in the Volvo may be fair enough. . . 5th fastest is stretching it a little bit!
Emirates Team New Zealand
Chris Nicholson
Grant Dalton
Diverse Yacht Services
Diverse Yachts has moved location. You can now find us at Unit 3, Compass Point, Ensign Way, Hamble.
Ingrid Abery Photography
Ian Roman Photography
Categories include: Press and media organistions, Clothing / footwear / luggage , Safety equipment, Navigation / performance software