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From there, Segraves reports, "a crowd of onlookers got involved," and began loudly demanding that Neugebauer lay off the park ranger, pointing out again and again that the reason everyone was in the position they were in was due to the fact that Congress very specifically put them there.
Neugebauer countered that it was all really Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) fault, but that failed to impress anyone.
What's really ghastly about this is that the whole "Harry Reid shut down the government" line is a talking point.
It's "messaging" -- the mostly disingenuous bilge that politicos spit in order to gain some phantom upper hand in a war of rhetoric that plays itself out in the press.
It's not intended to be sincere, it's all posturing -- throwing sub-standard witticisms at a wall in the hopes that something will stick and convince people.
This is all stuff intended for an audience of reporters -- and in that setting, all is fair.
But you're not actually supposed to extend "messaging" out into the world of ordinary human Americans in this fashion, and victimize park rangers with it.
What's also inane about this is that, as Segraves takes pains to point out, the park rangers deployed to the World War II Memorial, while enforcing the closure of the memorial to the general public, are also there to make sure that the Honor Flight veterans who come to the memorial get access to the site.
So, by impeding her from doing her job, all Neugebauer was doing was impeding access for the Honor Flight veterans.
And telling the ranger that she should be ashamed?
Man, that's not a good look, and the gathered crowd made sure Neugebauer learned that the hard way.
Got to give credit to the ranger for standing her ground and doing her job with professionalism, in the face of an idiot who really needs to learn his place.
Massive spoilers in this article for Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain Back in 2013, Metal Gear Solid fans were presented with the barely-dressed character design for female sniper assassin Quiet.
The reaction wasn’t entirely positive, but Hideo Kojima stepped forward to assure fans that there was a perfectly reasonable narrative justification for the character’s attire.
“I know there’s people concerning about ‘Quiet’ but don’t worry,” he wrote in a series of tweets.
“I created her character as an antithesis to the women characters appeared in the past fighting game who are excessively exposed.
‘Quiet’ who doesn’t have a word will be teased in the story as well.
But once you recognise the secret reason for her exposure, you will feel ashamed of your words & deeds.” So, two years on Phantom Pain has been released.
No one has forgotten Kojima’s words and we have the full story behind Quiet’s attire.
Are we ashamed?
Well, not for ourselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HywkFVKGgbQ It turns out that the reason Quiet wears that bikini outfit is because of a parasitic infection.
This infection means that she has to breathe through her skin, using photosynthesis to absorb air, water, and nutrients.
So, you see, Quiet doesn’t want to be exposed in the way she is.
She has to be.
And that’s empowering how exactly?
She’s essentially a houseplant.
Quiet is actually the second photosynthetic character in the series, the previous character being The End, but for some reason he gets to wear a lot more clothes than Quiet does.
Probably his lack of displayable tits.
Porter Airlines confirmed today it plans to buy up to 30 CS100 jets from Montreal-based Bombardier, which would expand the regional carrier's reach from coast to coast, and take direct aim at Air Canada and WestJet.
"We believe it is time to spread our wings," president and CEO Bob Deluce said at a news conference at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where Porter is based.
"And so I present to you our vision for the future of Porter Airlines — a vision with service to destinations across North America, from Calgary and Vancouver, to Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando."
The move pushes Porter into direct competition with Air Canada and WestJet as a national carrier, while setting up a potential political standoff over expansion of the island airport in downtown Toronto.
The conditional deal is to buy 12 Bombardier CS100s, with options on 18 more.
The deal also includes purchase rights for six of Bombardier's Q400 turboprop aircraft, currently the mainstay of the Porter fleet.
The total purchase could reach $2.29 billion US if all the options and purchase rights are exercised.
Delivery of the first jet, which has seating for 107 passengers, is expected in 2016.
The conditional purchase agreement signed on Tuesday is a coup for Bombardier, and ushers in a change in Canadian aviation.
That's because the CSeries jets can fly 5,400 km without refuelling, much farther than the current fleet of Q400 turboprop planes that Porter flies to connect 19 cities across Eastern Canada and the U.S.
The airline said the expansion could mean 1,000 new employees, which would bring the total to 2,400.
Potential price war Joseph D'Cruz, a University of Toronto business professor and aviation expert, said the move could be good news for consumers.
The announcement could lead to a political dispute over the airport, which is near residents on the island and the city's heavily populated downtown.
(Marivel Taruc/CBC) "It's going to be interesting to watch how WestJet and Air Canada react once Porter starts biting into their business," he told CBC News.
"They're going to retaliate, and the only way they can retaliate is lower prices."
"This may trigger a vicious price war," D'Cruz said.
Air Canada said that before it takes a position on further investment at the island airport, it wants assurance that takeoff and landing slots will become available for other airlines that have been seeking increased access.
Canada's largest airline currently has only enough landing and takeoff slots to offer service between Montreal and the airport on the Toronto waterfront.
WestJet Airlines did not directly address Porter's plans, but said it remains focused on keeping its own business.
"We expect competition to increase and are preparing accordingly," WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer said in a statement.
Political dispute The announcement could lead to a political dispute over the airport, which is near residents on the island and the city's heavily populated downtown.
The airline will seek permission to fly the long-range jets out of the island airport, where the runway would need to be extended into what is now water by 168 metres at each end.
Jets are currently not allowed to fly out of the waterfront airport except under special circumstances, and any changes would need to be approved under the airport's three-way agreement between the City of Toronto, the federal government and Toronto Port Authority.
The Toronto Port Authority said it wouldn't take any position on Porter's business plans.
"The TPA will not consider any change of use to the airport until a determination is first made by the elected representatives on Toronto City Council regarding Porter's proposed changes to the 1983 Tripartite Agreement," it said in a news release.
Deluce said Porter expects to have all the needed approvals within six months.
Politicians who represent the area at the municipal and federal level were quick to say before the announcement that any plans to expand Toronto's island airport would be out of the question.
"You can't pave the lake," Toronto Coun.
Adam Vaughan told CBC News on Tuesday.
Porter executives went out of their way Wednesday to underline how quiet the new Bombardier jets will be designed to be.
"We knew that operating from a downtown urban airport would require us to be responsible operators and good neighbours, said Deluce, who launched the airline in 2006.
"We believe that our track record of nearly seven years has shown that Porter has delivered on the promises we made when we announced plans to operate from this airport."
"We believe the CS100 is the perfect aircraft for the next stage of our growth for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is the quietest commercial jet in production."
Robert Kokonis, co-founder of airline consulting firm AirTrav, noted to CBC News that the thrust reverser required on landing may be louder than Deluce's promise of an engine that is "whisper" quiet.
"The runway's not long enough and to get an agreement to lengthen the runway, they’re going to have to go before … three levels of government, not to mention community opposition, environmental studies, so there’s a fair degree of long shot in Bob Deluce’s plans for Porter today," said Kokonis, who also questioned how the expansion will be financed.
In a separate interview with The Canadian Press, Kokonis noted that Porter's planes have been flying less full while load factors at WestJet and Air Canada have been improving.
"In a zero sum game where they're all sort of chasing the same passenger, it does give one pause for concern that Porter might be struggling in some areas."
Despite the expansion, Deluce said taking the privately held airline public and raising money through an initial public offering is not a priority right now.
The company had planned to issue shares on the public markets in the past, but shelved them for various reasons.
"We've not thought about an IPO in most recent times," Deluce said.
"Sometime in the future it's a possibility."
Last month, the Seattle Parks Department ordered the destruction of a play area designed for special needs kids, claiming its four-foot rope ladder, tire swing, and "nest" made of rope and bike tires were "extreme dangers" and "hazardous conditions."
That's an odd verdict: In 10 years of existence, no children were ever significantly injured on the play area equipment, according to Liz Bullard, who helped design the space.
As she writes in Crosscut.com: These simple play features may seem ordinary, but...here children with cerebral palsy, autism and developmental delays are encouraged and assisted as needed to climb and swing alongside their typically developing peers.
The joy is palpable.
We complied with the order, but it has left a bitter taste in our mouths.
Our kids have been robbed of the simple pleasure of climbing and swinging under a beautiful tree.
The thing about kids with special needs is that they often have to spend a lot of time in less-than-fun institutions.
Hospitals.
Therapists' offices.
Waiting rooms.
The "Wild Zone," as the play area was called, was specifically "designed to provide relief from the highly controlled and often hyper-medicalized world our kids move in," writes Bullard.
One mom of a child with special needs commented on a post about the city's order, "This is a travesty!!
How dare they steal the only play space in the Greater Seattle area, let alone the NW that is dedicated to creating a healthy play space for special kids where they aren't judged by their lesser abilities."
Wrote another mom: "The Play Garden is the best!
My son attended preschool there for three years and I am so grateful for the Wild Zone.
There was nothing dangerous about it.
Nothing!"
Ah, but when you're a bureaucrat and you live in the world of what if thinking, danger is everywhere.
Just imagine, "what if someone got hurt?"
Look at the world that way and no play area wil seem safe enough.
This outlook seems to be sweeping Washington state.
Recall that just a few weeks ago the Richland School District decided to phase out all swings because what if a child got hurt on them?
Too bad the bureaucrats never consider the reverse: What if kids never get a chance to climb a ladder, or hang from the monkey bars?
What if kids with special needs know that after their doctor's appointment they will have to go straight home, because there's no place left for them to play?
At least they won't be exposed to the "extreme danger" of a tire swing.
Related: "Little Girl's Playset Is in Her Own Backyard, City Wants It Destroyed Anyway"
This is why friends shouldn’t let friends drive drunk.
New Jersey cops scored a drunk-driving hat trick when they busted a motorist for DUI, then pinched her two sloshed friends who separately drove to the police station to pick her up.
It all started when a cop in Readington Township pulled over Carmen Reategui, 34, after he noticed her car swerving on Route 22 early one morning last week.
Charged with DUI, she was taken to the town’s police station, where she called a friend to come and get her.