#Discover Airlines

[runwayrunway]

No. 49 - Discover Airlines

You know, 'Discover Airlines' is kind of what some readers on this blog do when I review an airline they're unfamiliar with. Anyway.

Earlier this week I talked about Eurowings. To be honest, that was me laying the groundwork for another post in response to a new development in Lufthansa's quest to kill Eurowings.

I'm sure some but not all of you are familiar with the fact that Eurowings is incapable of going too long without a subsidiary-of-a-subsidiary. They were probably still feeling quite full from their main course of Germanwings when, in 2021, Lufthansa said it was time for another one.

Yay, new subsidiary! Just one problem.

Well, okay, that doesn't look like all that much of a change. But zoom in a bit closer. That's...yellow. That wasn't in the Eurowings livery at all. A seemingly minor change of logo disguises an actual new livery. Despite this, it hasn't stopped being quite...Eurow, if you know what I mean.

This screenshot contains multitudes. The fact that they haven't even changed the page title from Eurowings Discover. The fact that they call it the new leisure airline of the Lufthansa Group - yes, the only one, and it's new, it just started existing now, cross my heart and hope to die. The generally awkward phrasing even though this isn't my browser trying to translate it from German or something, this is actually the way it's written. Chef's kiss.

Happy to announce it, are you? I'm sure you are.

I'm surprised it took them this long. Honestly, I'm surprised they made another Eurowings to begin with. (Especially since Discover Airlines doesn't seem to be low-cost, given it offers business class. 'Cheaper than Lufthansa' is not the same thing as low-cost.) It's a pretty laughable and pathetic admission of their own failure, but to be honest it was obvious from day one that Eurowings Discover would be short-lived one way or another. Even on the old logo the 'discover' is about twice as large as the 'Eurowings', as if begging you to forget what airline this is. That's a reasonable thing to want people to do, since you'd probably like to not be stranded in Cuba for 60 hours during which you are technically an unauthorized arrival. Only one airline has ever provided that particular experience!

I did mention last time that it's weird Eurowings doesn't use any of that cyan up front, but here's the thing: if you just put it on white it's downright illegible. They may have realized this in their initial design of the livery. They then immediately did it anyway for Eurowings Discover! Some real mind experts on the job here. Anyway, I'm not going to comment on the Eurowings Discover livery because it's just the Eurowings livery with a word added.

Discover Airlines (the former Eurowings Discover) is a long-haul vacation airline, and they'd love to fly you to sunny destinations like Funchal, the Maldives, Corfu...Halifax... Alaska...or Tenerife, or maybe Gran Canaria if you're not feeling Tenerife for some reason. Or Ibiza!

Unfortunately Venga Airways has had its Air Operator's Certificate revoked and the Vengajet is currently in storage.

Discover Airlines' main competitor in this market is another German airline, condor. I said this before and I'll say it again - condor is worth a billion examples of Eurowhite dreck. There's a legitimate sort of fishhook theory where while I prefer a good livery to condor, I strongly prefer condor to an unsatisfyingly average livery despite the fact that I do think their planes are truly poorly designed. Sometimes a good concept just overpowers bad execution. And, to quote a friend of mine's quip about Unfriended (2014), a film with way too many good qualities to be Unfriended (2014), "it sucks but at least it does it well".

Surprisingly given this is the Lufthansa Group, the website actually contains a bit of insight into their creative process. Worryingly, this implies that there is something of a creative process and it's simply had these sorts of results. But let's dive into this and see if they've made any changes that aren't worse. Discover Airlines, like Icelandair, condor, Riyadh Air, and others, have included a page dedicated to the inspiration behind their livery and brand. All upcoming images, unless otherwise specified, are taken from this website.

Let's begin with the color scheme.

This palette is pretty interesting. Blue and yellow isn't unheard of, and blue with a yellow accent is the most common variant of this, but it's still a pretty uncommon color scheme. It helps that they're not common colors for flags, and even the countries that have it in their flags don't use it. Sweden is part of the SAS throuple instead of having its own flag carrier; Air Astana doesn't use yellow; and Palau and Barbados do not have flag carriers. This leaves Ukraine International Airlines as the only flag-derived user of this palette. I don't like yellow on its own, but I actually like it with blue for its distinctiveness. If you pick the right shades it can look pretty nice. Actually...

image: lufthansa bildarchiv

The most prominent user of this palette, in my own mind, is Lufthansa, back when Lufthansa had a livery I actually approved of, which I thought stuck out and which I miss dearly now. We've fallen so far since then, lost so much, but I wonder if this Discover Airlines palette is an intentional nod to the thing we were robbed of. Indeed, they mention at least the blue being an intentional homage:

Despite the distinctive character of the new design, our connection to the core brand Lufthansa is subtly indicated by elements like the dark blue and the wordmark in the Lufthansa font.

...and they're using Lufthansa's proprietary typeface, Helvetica Neuer. Joy.

At least when you make it larger and lighter colored it's not quite as cramped and you can sort of forget it's a hideous font. Something about the all-lowercase styling also cushions the blow by making it look intentional instead of, like I said when discussing Eurowings, not bothering to change from the default font on your word processor.

...well, it also uses the exact same livery layout as modern Lufthansa, that's for sure. Booo. I've gone on a lot about the eponymous Lufthansa Line and how abominably bad it looks on longer planes despite seeming deceptively decent on shorter ones, so let me just show you Discover Airlines's various planes.

Hmm, yeah. You can just see it getting less and less offensive from left to right. This is why this type of livery needs to adapt on different airframes to work, and airlines are so unwilling to do it.

This fuselage layout is so overdone I could probably end the post here, but I'm not going to, because I'm not done with their website. This is where this post actually gets a bit interesting.

Fittingly for an airline, it’s inspired by a view of the horizon. More specifically, by the various lines and color nuances that emerge when the blue of the sky meets the landscape. These “skylines” are the most important design element of our brand and arise from various blue tones as well as a sunny yellow. 

(Why is all the copy on this website so awkwardly written?)

So, this concept...this is really good. I like this. I like something about Discover Airlines. This is a great idea for a leisure airline. And, like condor, a good idea won't spare you my wrath, but in this case, when it's so similar to so many Lufthansa Line liveries it does earn a few points from me. There's not much else to comment on, so you could be fooled for not realizing this, but there's actual lost potential here. It implies the Lufthansa Group is capable of some measure of improvement over time, which is disturbing.

This picture, featuring the deeply generic and sort of frumpy Discover Airlines cabin crew uniforms, represents me giving them a condescending high-five as a teacher might give a student aged in the single digits. Good job, sweetie!

No, seriously. The uniforms are fine to wear to summer brunch but very poor for cabin crew. I think you can buy this off-the-rack from Vineyard Vines. Also, that is the most pre-tied looking scarf I've ever seen.

I do like the use of the colors as well. The circular highlight, which keeps the tail stripes from being as boring as they might be, puts me in mind of the sun, or a lens flare. The balance of light and dark is tasteful, and I love the hint of yellow. My issue really starts and ends at the Lufthansa Line, that ever-present ruiner of liveries.

I think the solution was fairly obvious. And I'll probably do a Project Runway Runway on it, because I think I can make it happen with a mouse and keyboard - it's genuinely that simple. And that's about where the meaning the website offers ends, so that means it's time for my rating.

I find myself conflicted, much as I did with Eurowings. There's definitely enough here that I don't want to give it a D, but at the same time I do. I've given Lufthansa Line liveries grades as high as C+ in extenuating circumstances, and I stand by those, but I don't want to do it for concepts that don't translate to visuals, and I don't want to give it to liveries that I don't think are exceptionally good examples of adding elements which mitigate the archetype's inherent flaws. Given its modern relevance, at this point I despise Lufthansa Line adherents more than the old Deltalikes, and I think I'm going to make it a policy that they're all going to get D+ or below unless they really demonstrate something different. Or unless they only fly really stubby planes that the livery looks okay on, but basically no airline has that excuse. Discover definitely doesn't with their A330s.

But given this tangible improvement, given the visual interest added to the tail, given that they have an actual philosophy this time, is a D+ really fair?

...what am I talking about? I gave Saudia and Eurowings D+ for doing nothing despite actively liking how both of their liveries look. Discover missed the most obvious idea ever in order to toe the Lufthansa Line. They're not special and they're getting no mercy.

D+, for Discover

That's it for today! If I have enough time, I'll fit in a redesign as a bonus post later this week. It doesn't take a genius to know how to make this good. Maybe if they read my reviews, don't send me a cease and desist, and learn from my critiques, in the future the Lufthansa Group can Discover some decent liveries.

[keiteay]

Airborne identity 🇩🇪

[askaniatravel]

Eurowings Discover heißt jetzt Discover Airlines: Let’s discover – Fliegen mit Freude

Änderung bei Eurowings Discover. Was sich genau getan hat erfahrt Ihr im heutigen Blog... #Flug #Reisen #Eurowings

Quelle: Newsletter @Lufthansa Group Eurowings Discover hat sich in Discover Airlines umbenannt, und mit dieser Transformation möchten Sie nun eine ganz besondere Erfahrung bieten – das “Fliegen mit Freude”. Die Magie des Reisens Die Marke Discover Airlines steht im Kern für die Freude am Reisen. Es geht darum, die Freude am Entdecken und Wiederentdecken von wunderschönen Orten, einzigartigen…

[thedesignair]

I think we just found out where Lufthansa's yellow accent went... Introducing Discover Airlines

It might have been a long time coming, infact, we’ve known about this rebrand for a while, but Eurowings Discover has finally broken free of its Eurowings shackles to become an airline in it’s own right. And yes, yet another airline in Lufthansa’s grand arsenal of airline brands. Pitched clearly as a competitor to rival German leisure airline Condor, this is a young leisure airline that has just…

[thesas29]

Away into the sky....

[gorillawalkingsafaris]

What you can and cannot pack in your hand luggage to Uganda – What NOT to pack for Uganda Safaris

When coming in Uganda for a Uganda safari, you need to be well prepared because in most of the attractions you may not be able to shop for basics like lotions or toothpaste. This will require you to pack your full usable items like big lotions, liquids

Traveling to Uganda Whether you’re on a student trip to Uganda, a medical elective placement, a volunteer trip, a family safari or a luxury Uganda safari and need to know how to pack light is crucial. Airlines have very strict rules regarding what you can keep with you on a plane, and what has to go in the hold in your suitcase. These days’ people are ending up paying extra fees on arrival for…

[top10one]

This Week In The Markets: Earnings, Housing Data, And Bitcoin Halving

@GoldmanSachs/twitter.com

Bitcoin Halving: Expected on or before Saturday, April 20th. This could impact cryptocurrency prices.

Earnings Season Continues: Reports from major companies including Goldman Sachs (GS), Netflix (NFLX), American Express (AXP), and Procter & Gamble (PG).

Federal Reserve Commentary: Speeches from several Fed officials throughout the week.

Economic Data: Housing starts, retail sales, industrial production, and jobless claims reports.

Monday, April 15th:

Manufacturing data: Empire State Manufacturing Survey.

Consumer spending: U.S. retail sales Business inventories report.

Housing market sentiment: Homebuilder confidence.

Fed speakers: Dallas Fed President Procter & Gamble and San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly.

Company earnings: Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab, and M&T Bank.

Tuesday, April 16th:

Housing data: Housing starts and building permits Industrial production and capacity utilization reports.

Company earnings: UnitedHealth Group, Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, and PNC Bank.

Wednesday, April 17th:

Mortgage applications data.

Federal Reserve.

Beige Book release.

Company earnings: United Airlines, Abbott Laboratories, U.S. Bancorp, Travelers, Citizens Financial, First Horizon, and Discover Financial Services.

Thursday, April 18th:

Jobless claims report.

Manufacturing data: Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey.

Existing home sales data.

Leading economic indicators report.

Fed speakers: New York Fed President John Williams and Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic.

Company earnings: Netflix, Intuitive Surgical, and Infosys.

Friday, April 19th:

Fed speaker: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee.

Company earnings: Procter & Gamble, American Express, Fifth Third Bancorp, and Huntington Bancshares.

Disclaimer:

This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Please consult with a financial professional before making any investment decisions.

[dwellsinparadise]

Pretend, for example, that you were born in Chicago and have never had the remotest desire to visit Hong Kong, which is only a name on a map for you; pretend that some convulsion, sometimes called accident, throws you into connection with a man or a woman who lives in Hong Kong; and that you fall in love. Hong Kong will immediately cease to be a name and become the center of your life. And you may never know how many people live in Hong Kong. But you will know that one man or one woman lives there without whom you cannot live. And this is how our lives are changed, and this is how we are redeemed.

What a journey this life is! Dependent, entirely, on things unseen. If your lover lives in Hong Kong and cannot get to Chicago, it will be necessary for you to go to Hong Kong. Perhaps you will spend your life there, and never see Chicago again. And you will, I assure you, as long as space and time divide you from anyone you love, discover a great deal about shipping routes, airlines, earth quake, famine, disease, and war. And you will always know what time it is in Hong Kong, for you love someone who lives there. And love will simply have no choice but to go into battle with space and time and, furthermore, to win.

—James Baldwin, The Price of the Ticket

[lizardsfromspace]

The new Defunctland has everything: Kevin Perjurer's origin story, children being exposed to capitalism for the first time & discovering white collar crime in mere hours, the Kidz Bop version of the Stanford Prison Experiment, Spirit Airlines trying fish-like propaganda,

[the-offside-rule]

Ollie Bearman (Prema) - Early Bird

Requested: yes

Prompt: 14) "It's too early."

Warnings: none

Y/n slowly opened her eyes, the soft morning light seeping through the curtains. She turned to her side, finding Ollie still deep in slumber beside her. The digital clock on the nightstand blinked a reminder that it was time to start the day. Gently untangling herself from Ollie's embrace, Y/n tiptoed to the bathroom to begin her morning routine. The faint sound of water running and drawers opening filled the room as she got ready for university.

As she emerged, freshly dressed, she glanced at the still-sleeping Ollie. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Y/n leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. He turned sleepily, his eyes still closed. "Ollie, you need to wake up. You've got that flight to Bahrain, remember?" She whispered, gently moving his curly locks out of his eyes. Ollie stirred, mumbling incoherently. Y/n chuckled softly."Come on, sleepyhead. It's time to face the day."

With a groan, Ollie squinted at the clock, protesting. "It's too early, love. Can't I have 5 more minutes?" Y/n laughed. "You wish, but you've got a plane to catch, and I've got classes to get to. Get up." As Ollie reluctantly opened his eyes, he pouted, "Why do flights always have to be so early?" Y/n rolled her eyes playfully, "Blame the airlines, not me. Now, up you go."

Ollie checked his watch, realizing he was running late for his flight. Meanwhile, Y/n was frantically searching for her university essentials. "Are you ready, love? We have to head soon." Ollie said, finishing up his breakfast. "Where on earth did I put my laptop charger?" Y/n exclaimed, turning her bag upside down. "Again? You've lost it again?" He asked in disbelief, chuckling. "This isn't funny. I need it!" Ollie, determined to help, joined the hunt. "Let's divide and conquer. I'll check your study area; you focus on the bedroom." As Ollie rummaged through papers, Y/n discovered her charger hidden behind a stack of books. "Found it! Thanks, Ollie." He grinned. "No problem. Now, let's grab your other things so we can both make it to the airport on time."

In a hurry, they made their way to the car, Ollie still half-asleep. As they drove, Y/n couldn't help but admire the way Ollie's eyes tried to stay open, fighting against the morning fatigue. On the way to university, they enjoyed the quiet moments, knowing they wouldn't have this time together for a few weeks. Y/n loved the shared laughter, the sleepy conversations, and the warmth of Ollie's presence beside her, but now for the first time in a few months, he'd be away from her.

Upon reaching the university, Ollie pulled up to the entrance, and they shared a lingering goodbye. "Bye, love." Ollie smiled as he kissed Y/n lovingly. "Please text me." She said, opening the door. "I will. Only if you message me too." Y/n smiled. "Of course I'm going to message you. I'm not mental." She chuckled, hopping out and waving as her boyfriend left. As Ollie drove away towards the airport, Y/n couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions – the bittersweetness of parting, but also the anticipation of the reunion. And so, they bid each other farewell, knowing that distance couldn't diminish the love that bound them together.

[vintagelasvegas]

Dunes Hotel & Casino '55-'93

Dunes, 1955. Kodachrome photo from Charles Phoenix.

Timeline of the Dunes

’53-54: First announced as Hotel Araby (RJ 11/1/53), then became known as Vegas Plaza, and Hotel Deauville (RJ 1/20/54, 4/23/54). Named the Dunes by the time of groundbreaking, 6/22/54 (RJ).

’55: May 23, original owners Robert Rice, Al Gottesman, Joseph Sullivan, Alexander Barad and Jason Tarsey open the $4 million Dunes Hotel-Casino with 200 rooms on an 85-acre site. Architect J Replogle, designer R. Dorr Jr. Signs and Sultan figure by YESCO (RJ 5/23/55).

’55: Aug., Dunes leased by Sands partners and reopened in Sep. Subsequent financial difficulties cause the casino to be closed, 1/56.

’56: Bill Miller, Major A. Riddle, and Robert Rice are licensed to reopen the casino in May. In Nov., the license is changed to add M&R Investment Co. on the license as the company that operates the Dunes.

’57: Jan., Minsky’s Follies opens the first topless show at a Strip resort.

’59: Convention Hall addition.

’61: Olympic Wing addition.

’62: Riddle sells 15 percent of the stock to M&R Investment Corp., whose stockholders now include Charles Rich, Sidney Wyman and George Duckworth. Tower groundbreaking, 10/21/62.

’64: May, Sultan figure moved to golf course. In Oct-Nov, the 180-ft sign is installed in Oct., and switched on 11/12/64.

’65: Jun, opening of Dome of the Sea and the 24-story tower. Dunes Golf Course opened.

’69: Continental Connector Corp., a publicly traded company, buys the Dunes in a $59M stock transfer in May. In Dec, the SEC charges that CCC defrauded stockholders in the proxy statement it issued offering to buy the Dunes. CCC settles the SEC complaint in ’76. At this time, bankers E. Parry Thomas and Jerome Mack are principals in M&R and CCC.

’74: In Sep., Gaming Control Board files a complaint against the Dunes for catering and "comping" alleged Kansas City mob chief Nick Civella, one of 11 members of the Black Book, Nevada's List of Excluded Persons. The Dunes ultimately was fined $10,000.

’75: In Feb., Morris Shenker buys an interest in M&R through his IJK Nevada Inc. Later in the year, Dunes owners Shenker and Riddle are asked about allegations that reputed mobster Anthony Spilotro had "set up shop" at the Dunes. Spilotro reportedly was spending up to 14 hours a day in the poker room and appeared to be using it as an office.

’76: In Jun., Shenker sues the Teamsters Union for $140M for backing out of a loan commitment, which was to be used to add another 1,000 rooms. In Oct., Dept of Labor intervenes, saying the loan was prohibited. In ’80, Shenker's breach of contract lawsuit is tossed out of court by U.S. District Judge Roger Foley.

’79: South tower opened in summer. Shenker announces the Dunes will construct a $65M hotel-casino in Atlantic City. FBI affidavits are unsealed claiming that two confidential informants "both advised that the Kansas City organized crime group headed by Nick Civella has a concealed interest fronted by Shenker at the Dunes." Shenker denies the allegations.

’80: In Jan., alleged members of the NY Columbo family are discovered staying for free at the Dunes. Gaming Control Board Chairman Richard Bunker says the "comping" did not violate the law or gaming regulations. Later, four of the group, including Joseph Columbo Jr., are indicted on charges of obtaining money under false pretenses in an airline ticket reimbursement scam. The indictment is dismissed by District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski and in ’84 was reinstated by the NV Supreme Court.

’82: Aug., the $17M Oasis Casino opens, doubling the existing casino space at the resort. Design by Farris Alexander Congdon Architects. New 2-floor casino includes Xanadunes electronic gaming area, and Video-Video arcade space (RJ 8/13/82, 8/20/82).

’82: Dec., Stuart and Clifford Perlman agree to buy the Dunes for $185M. The brothers loan Shenker $4M and $2.9M of that sum is used to pay overdue federal payroll taxes and avoid the seizure of assets by the IRS. Shenker denies the resort is on the verge of bankruptcy. Docs filed with the SEC indicate the property is in default on a number of loans and a number of creditors threaten foreclosure action.

’83: The Perlmans assume management of the Dunes in Apr., and operate it for four months before the sale collapses in Aug.

’83: Oct., a foreclosure sale of the Dunes' golf course and some other property is averted when problems are worked out with the trustees of the Hotel & Restaurant Employees and Bartenders Int’l Union and the trustees of the Nevada Culinary and Bartenders Pension Trust, which are owed $1.5M for non-payment of union benefits.

’83: Dec., a federal jury in Las Vegas decides that Shenker owes $34M to the So. Nevada Culinary and Bartenders Pension Fund for defaulting on loans in ’73-’75 to two of Shenker's land companies, Sierra Charter Corp. and IJK Nevada.

’84: Feb., Shenker files for personal bankruptcy in Missouri to protect his assets from the $34M judgment. The IRS claims that the 78-year-old Shenker owes $66M in unpaid taxes stretching back 20 years. Shenker's bankruptcy filing claimed assets of $82M and liabilities of $197M, the largest debt ever recorded in the St. Louis bankruptcy court.

’84: Mar., Valley Bank of Nevada heads a consortium to lend the Dunes $68.6M as part of a debt restructuring plan.

’84: May, John Anderson buys a controlling interest in the Dunes with his JBA Investments Inc. Anderson signs a $25M note to pay the Perlmans for the $35M they invested in the resort. Shenker's 26 percent interest remains under the control of the bankruptcy court.

’84: Jun., the FBI alleges that Shenker approved $600,000 in kickbacks to alleged Milwaukee crime boss Frank Balistrieri in connection with loans from the Teamsters Union to Allen Glick, who later bought four Las Vegas resorts before being forced out of gaming by Nevada officials. Shenker denies the kickback allegations. No charges are filed.

’85: Feb., Dunes is cited for failing to retrofit the property to meet fire safety standards. About $2.2M is spent on retrofitting during the first half of the year.

’85: May, former Gaming Control Board Chairman Richard Bunker leaves his position as corporate treasurer of Circus Circus Ent. to become president of the Dunes.

’85: Aug., Jack Bona buys out the Dunes' 49 percent interest in its Atlantic City property in a $21M sale. The next day, Bona places the property in a Ch. 11 reorganization in bankruptcy court.

’85: Sept. 27, Dunes defaults on the $68.6M bank loan and Valley Bank moves ahead with the legal steps required for a foreclosure sale Dec. 23.

’85: Oct. 24, Federal marshals begin seizing cash from the Dunes casino cage to pay a $2.7M judgment obtained by trustees of the Culinary and Bartenders unions. They accept a $200,000 check and leave the cash in the cage.

’85: Nov. 1, Marshals return to collect the remaining $17M owed to the unions but are halted by a last-minute restraining order.

’85: Nov. 6, Dunes' operating company. M&R Investment, files for reorganization under Chapter 11.

’87: Masao Nangaku buys the Dunes for $157M.

’92: Nov., Dunes bought by Mirage Inc. for $75M.

’93: Jan. 26, closed. North tower and sign demolished 10/27/93.

‘94: Jul. 20, South tower demolished.

A major source for the timeline is Jane Ann Morrison. Judge Approves Payday for Dunes Employees. Review-Journal, 11/7/85.

Dunes, 1955. This is the original layout of the resort, before the addition of the Convention Hall and Olympic wing. Photo by Ed Screeton. Dunes Hotel Photograph Collection (PH-00281), UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

Late '64. The 180-foot sign has recently been completed. Dome of the Sea restaurant and the hotel tower are nearing completion. Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Photographs, UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

[wellconstructedsentences]

Pretend, for example, that you were born in Chicago and have never had the remotest desire to visit Hong Kong, which is only a name on a map for you; pretend that some convulsion, sometimes called accident, throws you into connection with a man or a woman who lives in Hong Kong; and that you fall in love. Hong Kong will immediately cease to be a name and become the center of your life. And you may never know how many people live in Hong Kong. But you will know that one man or one woman lives there without whom you cannot live. And this is how our lives are changed, and this is how we are redeemed.

What a journey this life is! Dependent, entirely, on things unseen. If your lover lives in Hong Kong and cannot get to Chicago, it will be necessary for you to go to Hong Kong. Perhaps you will spend your life there, and never see Chicago again. And you will, I assure you, as long as space and time divide you from anyone you love, discover a great deal about shipping routes, airlines, earth quake, famine, disease, and war. And you will always know what time it is in Hong Kong, for you love someone who lives there. And love will simply have no choice but to go into battle with space and time and, furthermore, to win.

Nothing Personal by James Baldwin

[brucequeensteen]

What a journey this life is! Dependent, entirely, on things unseen. If your lover lives in Hong Kong and cannot get to Chicago, it will be necessary for you to go to Hong Kong. Perhaps you will spend your life there, and never see Chicago again. And you will, I assure you, as long as space and time divide you from anyone you love, discover a great deal about shipping routes, airlines, earth quake, famine, disease, and war. And you will always know what time it is in Hong Kong, for you love someone who lives there. And love will simply have no choice but to go into battle with space and time and, furthermore, to win.

— James Baldwin, "Nothing Personal"

[apas-95]

I have unfortunately developed the most insane DB Cooper theory that I haven't seen floated anywhere else.

Take the following single piece of information and go insane: a couple years before the DB Cooper case, the CIA started carrying out tests to see how effectively a person could parachute out of a 727.

They wanted to know whether it was feasible to use the 727, which was uniquely capable because of its rear airstairs and engine configuration, to clandestinely parachute agents into enemy states, since it was a commercial airliner. Cooper knew about local airbases in Seattle, knew what settings to put the 727 into in order to keep steady flight with the airstairs open, and, when the airline during negotiations said it would be dangerous to take off with the airstairs open, he factually stated 'it can be done, do it', something that was only ever proven by previous flight testing. After taking off with the airstairs closed, he displayed knowledge that was not only secret to the public, but to airline crews too; that the airstairs could be opened inflight with an override button near the door. Even the FBI speculated that he might somehow have known about the CIA's operations using it in Vietnam.

Anyway, mysterious guy with a suit and tie who went to extreme lengths to remove evidence, who never actually provably had any weapons at all, who was never discovered by the nations largest manhunt in history. Weird that his stuff was tied up with his nation's intelligence agency lmao.