Inimical, Diabolical And Bloody

No!  We Are Not Swearing

We use that term when there is blood involved.  Actually BOOJUM! is parodying an airline phrase called "Involuntary De-Boarding" or IDB for shortness and convenience.

     For Lo! we are back with United Airlines again.  Art!

The Spy In The Sky: Now touring Ukraine

     Quite correct, that's nothing to do with UA.  'IDB' is a polite euphemism used for when an airline decides to kick passengers off a flight, and they are quite willing to use force if needed.

     Now, recall yesteryon, when Dave Carroll cost UA at least $180 million dollars because they wouldn't compensate him for destroying one of his guitars?  Enter David Dao, a pulmonary surgeon.  He was one of four passengers selected for IDB on a UA flight that needed to bin four people to make way for flight crew.  Art!

Dave, unscathed

     Dave refused to budge, citing patients whom he'd be treating in the morning.  UA were not at all sympathetic.  In fact they sent in four chaps from the Chicago Department of Aviation Security, who proceeded to assault Dave and physically drag him, apparently unconscious, from the plane.

     Well, this occurred in 2017, not 2008 as with the other Dave, so there were lots of outraged passengers with mobile phones who took pictures.  Art!

Dave, most definitely scathed

    Thanks to the CDAS, Ol' Dave ended up with a broken nose, two missing teeth, concussion and sinus damage.  The villain in this piece of performance art was an unidentified UA staffer, whose brusque, terse and tactless conduct immediately escalated tension when she boarded the flight.  "Four people need to get off this flight or we're not going anywhere" as quoted.  At no point was the IDB process explained, it was just Do As I Order You.

     Of course - obviously! - the photos and footage went viral.  UA initially tried to justify their position, attempting to paint Dave - who used to be a folk musician, a fact that ought to have made UA quiver in their boots - as a rampaging Hulk who was fully capable of ripping the aircraft in two -

"DAVE SMASH!"

     This assertion was immediately shot down by the other passengers who described Ol' Dave as polite and quietly spoken, far more Doctor Bruce Banner than the big angry green guy.

     It took several days before UA's Lord High Muckamuck Munoz got around to genuinely apologise for the incident, by which time UA's share price had dropped by $1.4 BILLION.  To add insult to injury, Ol' Dave sued UA, who wisely settled out of court rather than have their name dragged through more dirt than Marty T has ever seen.  The total amount has been kept secret, but a quick Google reveals that it was rumoured to be in the region of $140 million.  So, because of their inimical and diabolical behaviour, it seems United Scarelines suffered nearly 8 times the losses from 2009 and Young Dave's satirical singing.

     Musicians named Dave, hmmmmmmmm?  I wonder, I wonder -

Does this man ever fly UA?

"White House Down"

Conrad sat himself down last night with notepad and pen, and re-watched most of the above-named film.  Not the first 30 minutes, that was all the establishing guff before the action started.  Art!

     I did note that it cost $150 million but only made $205 million, so at best a modest success.  You can't say that the budget's not on display, because it is.  What a shame they never spent any money on the plot, because it has holes you could drive a Challenger tank through.  Art!

     A film from 2013 and there are no drones in use?  That's hardly realistic, is it?

     What's also hard to believe is the sudden inability of the villains to hit anyone after the 40 minute mark.  Up to that point they'd killed 35 people without suffering so much as a scratch, and by the time they shoot Air Force One down with an SLBM they were up to 53.  Art!

     40 minutes, you see, is when Our Hero John Cale gets his hands on a gun, and proceeds to drop no fewer than 12 of the villains.

     I have detailed notes but in the interests of mercy we shall pass o'er them for today.

"The Sea Of Sand"

We now jump from Wastelandworld back to Libya, and our plucky band of human survivors are tackling the alien invaders.

Albert felt enormous relief, followed by jubilation, that he could get the Lysander airborne.

          Taxiing, they told you at the University Flying School, was tricky.  It certainly was in the desert, with huge clouds of dust to fly through when taking off!  Made even less certain by the misfiring engine, which ran not quite smoothly enough and made him worried.

          Glancing behind, the sight of a grimy, bandaged Private Menzies, sitting on a pile of Amaretto bottles, didn’t exactly fill him with confidence.  Davey was swigging from an opened bottle, which made Albert indignant.

          ‘Hoy!  Don’t drink the ammunition!’ he called, attention back on the ground below again.

          ‘Look yonder!’ called Davey, pointing south-east out of the rear compartment and spitting out liquer.  ‘The damn nose-goblins are attacking the depot!’

Keeping out of dust billows, Albert saw the frightening sight of dozens upon dozens of black, glassy vehicles moving towards Mersa Martubah.  The things were arrayed in lines, reminiscent of a pefect armoured formation on manouevres.  Slowly they moved forward, dust streaming out behind them.

          ‘Get your Ronson ready!’ he shouted.

     As good a name as any.  Er - I may have gotten the 'Ronson' a few years too early.  Time travel.  Tricky stuff.

Hmmmmm

I was going to check out a Reddit Youtube vlog I'd bookmarked, titled "What was your final **** you to a boss you didn't like?" except it's not available any longer.  Art!

     I wonder what happened here?  I've only read it through once, weeks ago, so I can't recall any of the juicy details <sad face>.  O well, first world problems, as they say.  Let us then fall back on -

More Of Roel!

If your goal is Roel then this is your hole.  Yes, everyone's favourite ancient and medieval warfare expert casts his eye over another attempt to depict warfare.  Art!

     Roel actually has a good word to say about this depiction of marching order, which would of necessity be quite loose, since you're not fighting a battle and there's no great need for cohesion.  Art!

     As he points out, this use of maps or sketches to demonstrate a battle plan was uncommon at the time, but it does get the point across visually, which is what the directors are looking for, so they can present it to their audience.  Art!

     You can see the difference here to the initial shot of the Roman legions marching.  Here they are hemmed in by the forest, unable to deploy properly and very vulnerable.  No need for complex battle plans here as the enemy is already in a bad place.  Art!

NO!

     Roel explains that the battle here is that of the Teutoberger Wald, a disastrous defeat for the Romans, due partly to the fact that it took place in continuous torrential downpour.  So - no lines of fire.

Oooh, generous!

     And with that, Vulnavia, we are done.